What a terrible, terrible boy!
Rey thought angrily to herself as she wove in and out of the empty halls towards the dungeons.
I wish I could wipe that stupid smirk from off his stupid face for good!
She stumbled as she tried to catch one of the books that she'd grabbed haphazardly from off the floor in her haste to exit the Charms room. She wasn't really afraid of Kylo Ren, but it hadn't been smart to challenge him to a duel. He'd looked about ready to curse her into oblivion for calling him a bully, and she'd never been in a real wizard fight before.
Duels I guess they called them. She was so used to using her fists and any available inanimate objects to defend herself against attacks that it had felt strange to grab at the small wand she'd only just gotten used to stowing in her back pocket. She'd only ever had to defend herself against unsteady drunkards, but never against tall, able-bodied thirteen-year-olds who were the size of a small horse.
It was probably a good thing Filch had gone by when he did. He'd probably saved her from her own stupidity.
She had to slow-down to ease the stitch in her side. She was burdened down with so many packages that she was fit to burst. She still had a hard time believing that she actually had money to spend on gifts, let alone to have any friends to spend them on. She'd spent her whole life in the foster care system, tossed in and out of homes and orphanages like an unwelcome disease, and in and out of the hands of greedy and filthy men like Unkar Plutt. She couldn't help the involuntary shiver that escaped her when she remembered his bloodshot eyes and the snap of his belt when he hit the younger children across their hands until they were cracked and bleeding. He'd never dared lay a hand on her though because she'd showed him very early on that she couldn't be pushed around. She'd learned how to deal with scumbags when she was very young, and she'd fought hard for her safety and independence. It wasn't until she'd met Unkar that she understood how much her practice and study had paid off.
Not to mention that she'd been unintentionally using magic to protect herself for her entire life. She'd always thought that it was just incredible luck that had helped her escape from the abuse of her alcoholic foster parents. Turns out she was a witch, and a good one too.
She spoke the password and was allowed entrance into the Common room. There weren't very many people about so she didn't feel weird for hustling into her room and slamming the door on the rest of the world. She dumped her load onto the bed and slipped a small tarnished key out of her pocket and into the lining of her bed next to the treasured note.
The key that Poe had slipped into her hand before he'd left with a whispered "Happy Christmas", and the note that Finn had enchanted to look like a Christmas elf before kissing her cheek and telling her not to have too much fun without them.
The note and key had been her salvation, containing directions to a hidden passage to Hogsmeade, the place that first years were forbidden to go but she'd been dying to visit since her two best friends had told her about it after their first trip.
To be honest, she had no idea where the money came from. She couldn't have been more surprised when she got her Hogwarts letter earlier that year telling her that she was a witch and would be going to a prestigious school to learn magic, but discovering that she also had a small fortune waiting for her from an anonymous donor had been a real shock. Why would anyone do anything for her, the little girl who couldn't seem to last more than a week in any foster house? Could it be that her parents were looking out for her?
Not that it mattered much at the moment. At least safe from Unkar Plutt and the foster system for the time being. Professor McGonagall had informed her at the beginning of the year that they would set up some sort of program with the families of one of the other students so that she wouldn't end up in the orphanage every summer. It just so happened that it was Poe's family who volunteered. Finn's adopted parents. Her two best friends.
Unfortunately for her, the family had already planned on a trip out of town for the holidays, and it was too late for her to get a ticket to go with them. But starting next year they'd promised.
"Next year we're going to Majorca!" Poe's grin had been infectious.
"Where's Majorca?"
"Spain. You'll love it there. It's by the Sea, and I know how much you want to see the sea."
Finn's eyes sparkled. "Plus there's a super awesome exotic animal expo that will be going on, and I hear there will be a real live dragon!"
She smiled as she looked at her packages. Oh, how she missed their cheerful faces already.
In an attempt to shake the sudden onset of melancholy she ran a silent inventory of her new acquisitions: For Finn she'd bought a dozen joke wands that turned into a silly objects when anyone tried to use them, and for Poe she bought a broom polishing kit and a book about his favorite Quidditch player of all time: Leia Organa-Skywalker.
Funny that he should love the mother of his sworn enemy. He and Kylo were in the same year, and they had despised each other from the very beginning, or so Poe said. Apparently they had irreconcilable differences. Also, Poe liked to amuse himself by pranking Kylo and his horrible friends whenever he could manage it which didn't help. Kylo did hang out with the worst sort of people. Despite the fact that they were fairly attractive, that boy Hux always looked like he was smelling something terrible, and Phasma obviously thought very well of herself. Rey didn't think she'd seen her talk to anyone who wasn't from a pureblood family.
The picture of Kylo Ren filled her mind and she scowled. It was well known around the school that he was the most talented student, and he had a pureblood family name to back it all up, which was probably why they were his friends. Whereas she… well, her parents were clearly from a strong magical background, although she'd never known them. She'd been left on the front steps of a Scotland yard station when she was just a baby. She still held onto the belief that they'd come back to get her one day. Especially now that she was going to a reputable school, she hoped that when they came back they'd see how well she was doing and be proud.
With such a hopeful thought in her head, Rey tramped out into the cold in her threadbare clothes and to the Owlery, arms full of presents and heart full of love.
