Hello there, long time no see and before you get the chance to rip my head off, without further ado, here the new chapter :)
Though she knew she was just imagining it, Rachel kept tugging at her tie to loosen it because she felt like suffocating. It became increasingly warm in her thick school robes and when she tried to push up her sleeves, she noticed her hands were trembling. She didn't understand where the sudden nervousness came from, maybe it was the combination of Mrs Fabray's icy stare and Professor July's unsettling presence. Why was her Dark Arts teacher even here?
She wished that McGonagall had stayed, her professional self would have calmed Rachel down or at least given her some security. But now that she had only Professor July to rely on, she felt uneasy. Her teacher was not known for acting calm and rational, if anything, she would love to add fire to heated conversations.
"So plain," Mrs Fabray said with distaste as she slowly circled around Rachel, scrutinizing her from every angle. The Slytherin girl stiffly stood her ground, staring ahead with a blank look. Uncomfortable didn't even begin to describe her feelings, she had never felt more exposed and defenseless. Staying expressionless became more and more difficult under the judging gaze of Quinn's mother. "There must be a mistake."
An amused snort made both Rachel and Mrs Fabray turn their heads to the direction where it came from. July uncrossed her arms and pushed herself off the table, walking with measured steps toward them. Rachel found some comfort in the trademark smirk that her teacher spotted. At least one thing about her situation right now was familiar.
"Is there something you wish to say," Mrs Fabray said in irritation and she suspiciously watched July walking behind Rachel, who shifted her weight from one foot to another, nervously swallowing.
July smiled without looking the least bit pleasant. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but for one moment, you sounded like you doubted the traditional magic of your ancestors."
Mrs Fabray visibly bristled and glared at July over Rachel's head, who still had no idea what this was about. She just wished to get out of it as soon as possible and preferably unscathed.
"This suggestion is preposterous," Mrs Fabray indignantly hissed, "I do not question the magic of my ancestors. But I am very entitled to question my daughter's choices."
Rachel could hear July chuckling behind her. "Of course, of course," was said in a tone too sarcastic to sound placating.
Mrs Fabray narrowed her eyes at the Dark Arts teacher, but then turned her attention back on Rachel, who was looking at everywhere but her. The student now knew she wasn't just imagining it; the heat she felt was real, the temperature in the room had starkly increased because of the palpable tension between the two undoubtedly powerful witches.
"Berry, am I correct?" Mrs Fabray coolly asked and without waiting for a reply, she continued, "Never heard of this name before. Are you muggleborn?"
Jutting out her chin, Rachel confidently said, "No, Ma'am. Half-blood. My parents live in America."
"America," the blonde woman repeated with a grimace as if the word left a bad taste in her mouth. "Doesn't America have any wizarding schools?"
Keeping her offended feelings at bay, Rachel neutrally replied, "There are a few, but none of them can keep up with the standards and privileged status of Hogwarts. My parents wanted to assure me the best education possible. It was a close call between Hogwarts and Beauxbatons."
Mrs Fabray's face softened at the mention of the latter school and she absently gazed to the side as she said more to herself, "A beautiful place." She sighed, then added wistfully, "But Quinn had to break tradition and attend Hogwarts instead."
"And she made the right choice," came the unexpected comment from behind. Both Rachel and Mrs Fabray turned to the Dark Arts teacher. While the Slytherin student silently stared at her teacher, Mrs Fabray said with a frown, "Pardon?"
July was inspecting a small circular instrument in her hands and didn't look up as she lowly said, "What role did Beauxbatons play when the war broke out? Can you answer that without shame? I would be surprised if you could because it's not Beauxbatons that lost their students and got halfway destroyed during the final battle, but Hogwarts. The Dark Lord never touched the grounds of Beauxbatons, nor did any of his followers."
"What is your point?" Mrs Fabray coldly said.
"Isn't it obvious?" July finally looked up, placing aside the instrument. "Beauxbatons will never be more than a school where students wear fancy robes and have fancy dinners. But Hogwarts," she paused and grabbed her left forearm as if it suddenly hurt, "Hogwarts is the place where the Dark Lord rose and fell, where decades of fear ended in one final battle between him and Potter. Hogwarts has long ago stopped being just a school. Using common people speech, it is described as a legendary place. Only saying it is 'privileged' to study here does no justice to this school."
Her explanation didn't impress Mrs Fabray, whose lips curled into a sneering smile. "Yes, who doesn't want to study in a place where children have been tortured and murdered? Such a good environment for effective education."
Rachel nervously watched the tense exchange between the two women, her eyes darting back and forth. If they were going to keep fighting about every little thing, then she wasn't going to leave this office anytime soon. Maybe if she slowly walked backwards step for step, they wouldn't notice her leaving.
"People like you don't understand," July drawled and in the same dry tone, she added, "Not so fast, Berry."
Her gaze fell on Rachel, who had been trying to subtly shuffle her way toward the door. Immediately standing still, she offered a sheepish smile.
Mrs Fabray looked from July to Rachel, then back to July. "I would discuss it with you any other day, but now I am here for a more important reason." Gazing upon Rachel, she added, "And that is you."
Rachel swallowed.
"What is your relation to Quinn?" Mrs Fabray directly asked, causing the girl to freeze.
Were they exclusively dating? Could they call each other girlfriends? They still hadn't talked about that and now Rachel wished they had because how would it look like if she couldn't tell Quinn's mother what exactly they were?
"I – we," she stuttered, then took a deep calming breath. Being nervous wouldn't make things easier. "Actually, we just started seeing each other a few days ago."
"A few days?" Mrs Fabray repeated in disbelief, then she just shook her head in confusion. "What does she see in you?"
Though Rachel barely knew that woman, those words inflicted the same amount of hurt that only someone close to her could cause. She was Quinn's mother after all and if she didn't approve, then where did that leave her new relationship? Did it even have a future?
"I – don't -" Rachel choked, her cheeks reddening, and Mrs Fabray just looked down on her, interrupting, "You don't know. Well, neither do I."
July clearing her throat made Mrs Fabray's avert her merciless eyes from Rachel.
"Just reminding you to keep it on a respectful level."
"Of course," Mrs Fabray sardonically replied. Facing Rachel again, she said in a tone too sweet to be remotely close to a respectful tone, "I was merely wondering why my daughter thinks that you could be her mate."
Rachel did a double take. "Mate?" she whispered as she paled. She had read that somewhere in a book about magical creatures, in the chapter about Veelas, but she couldn't quite remember this part. But something about this word made her uneasy.
"Oh, so you are not familiar with the Veela customs?" Mrs Fabray crossed her arms and sighed, shaking her head. "So she didn't tell you then."
Becoming more and more irritated with every passing second where she didn't understand a thing, Rachel looked at her Dark Arts teacher for some clue, but July's hard expression gave nothing away. So it was only her and Mrs Fabray.
"She has her reasons," Rachel countered. "This relationship is a few days old, I don't expect to learn about her whole life in this short time. She will tell me when she is ready."
Mrs Fabray took her time to scrutinize Rachel's face before she shortly said, "If you think so."
"I know so," Rachel confidently said.
This only made the older woman chuckle. "Good, if you know her so well," her smile was taunting, "then tell me, do you know what you're getting yourself into? Are you aware of the duties and commitments you will face if you wish to keep seeing my daughter?"
"Every relationship requires commitment and -"
A fake laugh interrupted Rachel, who looked at the blonde woman with confusion and irritation.
"So you don't know," Mrs Fabray simply stated. Rachel ground her teeth.
"How can I prove my point if you do not let me -"
"I don't need you to finish your sentences to know that you have no idea."
"Fabray," July called out from the corner of the room where she was leaning against the wall and watching the scene with an uninterested look, "stay fair."
Mrs Fabray was about to reply when Rachel beat her to it.
"Of course," the Slytherin imitated the fake tone that Mrs Fabray had used, pursing her lips and making those words drip with taunting sarcasm. July chuckled and shrugged when Mrs Fabray's glared at her.
"So is this all a joke to you?" she hissed, both to July and Rachel. The latter one immediately retorted, "I am not the one to treats her daughter like she is unable to make her own choices."
"How dare you!" Mrs Fabray exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Rachel, who noticed the unusually long fingernail attached to a finger that looked bony and pale. That sight reminded her of Quinn's hands when she had been part Veela. "Do you even know the slightest thing about Veelas?"
Rachel didn't like to admit lacking knowledge, so she dodged it by saying, "I assume you are going to elaborate on that matter without regard to my opinion anyway."
"Do you see that?" Mrs Fabray turned to July while still pointing at Rachel, "No respect at all! I don't understand how my daughter could choose someone so mediocre and disrespectful -"
"Berry is a lot of things," July calmly said, her expressionless eyes scanning her student from head to toe, "but I can assure you, mediocre or disrespectful does not belong to that list."
Rachel's insides jumped at her teacher's words, did she just hear a compliment from Professor July? Is this what she really thought of her?
"Why don't you let her show you?" July suggested. Mrs Fabray just stared at her. "Show me what?"
"Berry," the Dark Arts teacher nodded to Rachel, and the Slytherin girl immediately understood what July wanted to see.
Rachel walked up to the table where Mrs Fabray was standing next to. The older woman closely watched her, wondering what she was up to. The girl simply placed her hand on the smooth surface of the wooden table and when nothing happened, Mrs Fabray wanted to sneer at her for having nothing to show her, but her scathing words were replaced by a loud panicked shriek, and she jumped away from the table that was in flames now.
Neither July or Rachel had flinched when the fire had erupted and Rachel still had her hand in the flames, calmly touching the table that didn't seem to burn. The small instruments on it continued to work, unperturbed by the blue and yellow flames surrounding them.
"How – how do you -" Mrs Fabray was speechless as she gazed up at the blazing fire, the ceiling-high flames mirroring in her wide eyes. She slowly took out her wand, pointed at the flames and whispered, "Aguamenti."
The water evaporated in the heat before it could hit the instruments on the table.
"No," Mrs Fabray whispered, her grip on her wand tightening.
July and Rachel shared a look where the teacher slightly nodded, and the moment Rachel's hand lifted, the flames disappeared and revealed an unscathed table.
Mrs Fabray rushed to the wooden table, touching it with careful fingers, but she couldn't find any burns on it. Looking up with a hard expression, she turned to July. "How could you teach her this – that is dark magic, and you know it!"
Rachel's jaw dropped and she looked at her teacher in disbelief.
July rolled her eyes and pushed herself off the wall. "Of course, that's what you choose to focus on."
"Setting things on fire without actually burning them? Giving off a false sense of security while it is even more dangerous than normal fire? That is how Death Eaters used to kill children of powerful families because that method left no traces and was not defined as an Unforgivable Curse," Mrs Fabray said in disgust, then after a short pause where she disdainfully eyed July, she added, "But I shouldn't be surprised. The past is hard to leave behind, isn't it?"
Rachel suddenly felt sick and she rubbed her hand that had set the table on fire. There was no possible way that she had heard right. What was Mrs Fabray even talking about? Professor July wouldn't teach her dark magic, would she? And what did her past have to do with that?
July's stony face gave nothing away, instead she quietly said, "There is no light and dark magic. It is how you use it and for what. I taught her that because she has the rare ability to master it and it would be a shame to leave her repertoire of spells limited to school standards."
It didn't convince Mrs Fabray in the slightest. She hadn't tucked away her wand, still tightly grasping it and it made Rachel wonder why. What was she waiting for? For an attack? But who would attack her here?
"Such a noble lie," Mrs Fabray drawled, her eyes flickering to Rachel. "If you still think you have a chance with my daughter after this, then you must be delusional. I'm not going to let her be with someone who doesn't know the line between light and dark magic."
And Rachel's heart stopped beating, her mind froze and her ears became numb, faintly hearing her own estranged voice begging, "No, please, this is just a misunderstanding -"
"Correct," Mrs Fabray coolly cut her off, and she paced toward the door, "You being chosen as my daughter's mate is just a misunderstanding. Now if you excuse me, I will deliver this news to her."
"Mrs Fabray," Rachel called out in desperation, running toward her but abruptly stopped when she found herself facing the tip of a wand.
"Fabray," July warningly growled, now alerted, her own wand out and directed at the other woman in the room.
Mrs Fabray disdainfully glanced at July. "McGonagall may trust you and ignore your dubious past, but I don't." Rachel didn't dare to breathe as her wide eyes nervously gazed at the wand pointed at her face. "And you, you stay away from Quinn. I will not let anyone hurt my daughter. Especially not from someone who willingly lets herself be taught by a former Death Eater."
"D – Death Eater? But I don't know anyone who -"
"It's tiring to hear how much you don't know," Mrs Fabray interrupted her with no sympathy. "Maybe it's time to question why people don't tell you the truth."
With one last icy glare sent her way, Mrs Fabray lowered her wand and turned around, storming out of the office without looking back at either Rachel or July.
Rachel had trouble breathing and she supported herself on the table, staring down at the smooth and shiny surface that mirrored a vague outline of her face that was contorted in hurt and confusion.
"No," she murmured to herself, feeling determination flowing through her veins as she stood straight again. She was going to find Quinn first and explain everything, she was not going to give up so easily.
"Don't."
Rachel ignored her teacher's quiet warning and headed for the door, but then felt her whole body freeze and she couldn't move a muscle. She had been put under the body-binding curse, which she quickly realized with anger.
July paced into her view. "You are only going to make it worse."
It took Rachel a lot more effort than usual to break free from the curse because she was too agitated to calm herself down enough to concentrate on dissolving the Pertrificus Totalus. But when she did manage to throw the curse off her, she started pacing again, this time prepared for the second spell that July cast her way, blocking it with a wave of her arm.
"Don't be foolish," July warned her. "I could accidentally hurt you."
"I'm already hurt," Rachel bitterly replied, then added mockingly, "Professor."
July flicked her wand and Rachel found herself running into an invisible wall. She raised her hands and felt around, realizing that she was trapped in an invisible quadratic box. But this only added to her anger and emotions like these fueled her power, which July should have known.
"Let me out," Rachel lowly said, and it was less of a command than a warning.
"I'm taking the risk."
And that was the only cue Rachel needed to pound her fist against the invisible wall, which materialized into glass that shattered into thousands of pieces that flew into every direction. July had quickly cast a shield in front of her, protecting her face and body from being pierced by those sharp pieces of glass.
Things had become out of control, July realized, and she raised her wand at her student who was almost out of the door. A rope shot of out her wand and tied itself around Rachel's legs, and the girl stumbled and fell over. But it was less than a second later that the Slytherin girl stood up again, the ropes burning to ashes by her feet. Finally having enough, she turned around to her teacher and pulled out her wand.
With their wands pointing at each other, July and Rachel stood few feet apart, waiting for the other to make a move.
"Berry," July hissed, "come back to your senses and think for a moment."
"And now you're telling me to think?" Rachel countered, "After criticizing me for always thinking too much?"
The Dark Arts teacher narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip on her wand. In all her years of teaching Rachel, the girl had never stood up to her like that. Her emotions had gotten the better of her, and all because of a relationship that wasn't even a week old.
"This is not the right time to question me," she calmly said, but it only infuriated Rachel more.
"There is never a right time to question you." Rachel pointedly looked at her teacher's left forearm. "Was I ever going to find out what you were teaching me? Was I ever going to find out -"
"That I joined the ranks of the Death Eaters when I was sixteen?" July dryly finished for her.
And it put a stop to Rachel's aggressive questions. Her wand wavered in insecurity. When Mrs Fabray had hinted at July's past, she hadn't wanted to believe it. But now that her teacher had so easily confessed it, she felt a heavy weight that wasn't even hers settling on her shoulders.
"So it is true then," Rachel whispered and she didn't know why she felt so disappointed. July must have sensed that as the wrinkle between her eyebrows deepened as well.
"What is it to you?" she challengingly asked her. "Don't tell me you're scared now."
Rachel worked her jaw as she openly stared at the blonde woman. "I've always respected you," she quietly said. Taking a step back, she tucked away her wand. "And I still do. This changes nothing."
This was not the answer July expected and she lowered her wand in surprise. "Berry," she mumbled, watching her student intensely. She saw no contempt or fear or disgust like she had seen on Mrs Fabray's face. Suddenly, she found herself explaining, "I had little choice when I joined the Dark Lord. It was either him or my family's death."
A knock on the door startled both Rachel and July, and they turned around to face McGonagall, who just noticed the mess on the floor. "Can someone please explain this?" she asked in shock.
Rachel and July shared a look, and the latter one commented with a shrug, "There is not much to tell. But it remained civil for the most part."
McGonagall gave her a wary look, then questioningly eyed Rachel, who faked an innocent smile.
"Well, well," the Headmistress sighed and flicked her wand to let the glass pieces vanish. "Miss Berry, you may leave now. As for you, Cassandra, I hope you still have some time for a cup of tea? There are a few matters I would like to discuss with you."
Rachel nodded and wordlessly left the office, but not without shortly glancing at her Dark Arts teacher, whose face had become an expressionless mask again.
She wished that McGonagall would have barged in just one minute later, maybe then she would have found out more about her teacher. It was the first time she had opened up about herself, and judging by her troubled look, she had surprised herself by revealing this information to her student. Rachel liked to believe that she was the first and only student to know about her teacher's secret.
Thinking of secrets, she had completely forgotten about getting to Quinn before her mother could. Rachel loudly swore and startled a ghost nearby, then started running as fast as she could. As if the stairs of Hogwarts knew she was in a hurry, they were already perfectly aligned and waiting for her to jump on them, shifting to the right corridors. She knew she was probably too late, by now Mrs Fabray should have already found her daughter and talked to her, but Rachel had to try and at least see Quinn.
She ran around a corner when she collided with someone and fell backwards.
"Rachel!"
Rachel felt hands taking her own, pulling her up to her feet.
"Quinn?" she whispered when she stood face to face with the blonde she had been looking for. "Quinn, your mother -"
"I know," Quinn urgently cut her off and pulled at Rachel's hand, motioning for her to move along with her. "We can't talk here, she's going to find us, I can feel her coming closer..."
The Ravenclaw knew that Rachel had so many questions waiting to be answered, but there was no time for that right now. She blindly hurried down the corridor without really knowing where she was going, just wanting to get away from her mother.
"Quinn," Rachel gasped behind her, barely able to keep up with the way the other girl was rushing. "Where are we going?"
"I don't know," came the breathy reply. Then, getting more desperate, "What are we going to do? She'll find us anyway."
"No, she won't," Rachel suddenly stood still and stopped Quinn from walking further. "Not in the Room of Requirement."
"Quinn, what is going on?"
But the blonde didn't react as her wide eyes took in her surrounding. "How did you know..."
"Know what?" Rachel looked around as well, but to her, the place that the Room of Requirement had turned into wasn't spectacular in any way. It was small and dark with old furniture littering around, dust swirling in the air when Rachel accidentally brushed against a shelf. "This room has the capability to turn into the most beautiful and luxurious rooms but I managed to wish for a place that looks like the inside of Hog's Head."
"What did you wish for?" Quinn quietly asked as she slowly wiped some dust off the mirror standing in front of her.
"I wished for a place where your mother wouldn't find us." It dawned on Rachel. "Is this place familiar to you?"
"Actually," Quinn stared at her reflection in the antique mirror, sounding distracted and distant, "it looks exactly like our attic at home. My mother didn't like going up there. She never told me why. But I know if there's one place that she wants to avoid at all cost, then it's the attic."
"Oh," Rachel breathed. She watched Quinn still staring into the mirror, looking like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. The Slytherin frowned and walked up behind Quinn, looking into the mirror as well. "What is this..."
"What do you see," Quinn whispered to Rachel without averting her gaze from the mirror.
But Rachel was too hypnotized by the things she saw herself doing in the mirror to answer. "I see myself..."
"Doing what?"
She saw herself holding the Quidditch Cup in one hand, the Hogwarts House Cup in the other. Her mirror-self was beaming triumphantly, but then the picture warped into another image. An image of herself shaking hands with a pleasantly smiling Professor Sylvester with Professor July proudly clapping in the background. But this scene quickly melded into another and she saw herself -
"Kissing you," Rachel breathed, watching her mirror-self wrapping her arms around mirror-Quinn and bringing their lips together in a passionate kiss. Mixed feelings erupted in her stomach from seeing herself making out with Quinn. She was equally parts disturbed and aroused.
"Me, too," Quinn whispered with a smile as she gazed at the mirror with glassy eyes, "I mean, not myself, but me kissing you."
Rachel tore her eyes away from the magical mirror that had begun to show more than just kissing. She let out a nervous exhale. "Quinn, what is this mirror doing in your attic? Do you know what that is? That is the Mirror of -"
"Erised. I know," Quinn furrowed her brows. "But the mirror in our attic is a normal one. I have only read about the Mirror of Erised before. Do you think that could be the one? There are...successful copies...out there..."
"Quinn, look at me," Rachel said with force because Quinn's eyes were still glued to the mirror, entranced by whatever she was seeing. "If you read about it, then you know how dangerous it is to get lost in it."
"Just one more minute," Quinn lowly said, her cheeks getting flushed and Rachel could only guess what she was seeing.
"Quinn, this is really not the right time to -" Rachel sighed, then cleared her throat, her voice dropping to a low and suggestive tone, "Why only watch it when you can have the real thing?"
The blonde pushed herself away from the mirror and turned her back to it, breathing heavily as she looked at the ground in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I didn't..."
"It's okay," Rachel said, amused, and forced herself not to glance back at the mirror. "We have other pressing matters to attend to. For instance, your mother is very convinced that I am not a suitable lover for you."
"She said that?" Quinn looked up in disbelief.
"I would've preferred it if it had been that way," Rachel muttered to herself. "I think I understood her main message even if it was wrapped with a few layers of threats and insults."
"Oh no," the blonde sighed and turned away from Rachel, walking toward a stool to sit down.
"Quinn, you know how much I don't like to be clueless." Rachel wrung with her hands. "Maybe you can help me understand why your mother is so against the idea of us together? How does she know about us at all, did you tell her?"
"That's the thing," Quinn quietly said, sounding tired before she even began explaining. "I didn't tell her."
"Then how does she know?"
"That's another perk of having Veela blood," Quinn sarcastically said and let out an empty laugh. "You share a connection with those of the same bloodline. They just know when something important happens. And...Rachel, please don't freak out about what I'm going to tell you next?"
Rachel slowly nodded. "I'll try my best."
The blonde gazed at her, unsure. "I think you could be my mate."
Rachel only blinked at her, uncertain what to make of this information, just as unsure as she had been when Mrs Fabray had first mentioned the word. But she could imagine in which direction this conversation was going.
When she didn't react in any way, Quinn quickly added, "It's not a final decision yet. I believe we're only on the first stages of bonding and if it doesn't...if you're not..."
"If I'm not the right one, you still have a way out," Rachel finished for her in the most casual voice possible. "I think I understand."
"You haven't heard all of it yet," Quinn shook her head. "My mother is afraid that I am making the wrong choice. Because once you've proven to be a worthy mate, which is not a decision that I can control, there is no going back. And there is no moving on."
Rachel looked at her in confusion.
"There's only one mate in a lifetime, Rachel," the blonde quietly said, her voice becoming vulnerable and small, "only one in a lifetime," she repeated to herself, feeling lost. "My mother is only scared for me, you have to understand. She thinks I will make a similar mistake to hers."
Rachel didn't dare to ask. She didn't have to as Quinn looked up at her and said, "My father was a Death Eater."
"Oh," the Slytherin breathed. "That explains a few things."
"But I know you're nothing like my father, you don't possess an ounce of darkness in your heart," Quinn rushed to explain, standing up from her seat in determination. "And I will convince my mother of that, I will tell her she's wrong! Come with me."
Quinn moved toward the door and was about to open it until she noticed Rachel still standing in the same spot, stiff and silent. "Rachel?"
"Maybe," the brunette lowly said, "maybe she's not that wrong."
Quinn turned her back on the door. "What? Rachel, what are you talking about?"
"Quinn, this is a big decision," Rachel said, overwhelmed and concerned, "your mother is right. You cannot rush this, don't make the wrong choice just because you want to prove yourself to me."
"Prove myself to you?" Quinn stepped closer to Rachel with a frown. "Why are you saying this, why are you suddenly on her side? Did you just realize that maybe, being tied down to me is not how you imagined your future?"
"No!" Rachel quickly exclaimed in shock, "This is not what I meant!"
"Then why does it oddly sound a lot like you're regretting this?" Anger seeped into Quinn's voice.
"Because..." Rachel looked down on her hands as she flexed them. "Because I've been learning dark magic from a former Death Eater for months without knowing." She opened her right fist and a small blue flame danced on her palm. "So I can't let you enter a relationship with someone who doesn't know the line between light and dark magic." She curled her fingers around the small flame and it went out, smoke rising up in the air.
Quinn didn't know how to react to this new revelation and for a few seconds, she felt helpless and numb, expecting hurt to clam around her heart and rip her apart from inside. But her head remained clear and her heart kept strongly pounding in her ribcage, fearless and steady. And she finally understood what it meant to take control of her own life, of her own mind.
"No," she firmly said. "I understand that you only want what is good for me. But in the end, only I know what I want."
"Quinn," Rachel tried weakly, because how could she convince Quinn of something she herself didn't fully believe in? Of course she desired a relationship with the quarter Veela and she honestly believed that she would be ready to take all responsibilities, but what if that wasn't enough? She couldn't promise anything with certainty, she could only give Quinn the promise of always trying. And she felt that Quinn deserved more than that. "I can't promise you anything."
"And I'm not asking you to." Quinn didn't want unneeded protection, she didn't want to listen to anyone telling her what they thought was good for her. "Because I can't promise you anything as well. Rachel, this isn't one-sided, this isn't about you fearing to be not good enough – what if I have the same thoughts? You don't think I'm afraid that there might be a day where I transform and can't control myself and accidentally hurt you? How do you think does that make me feel?"
Rachel looked down in shame.
"You once told me that you don't want to only know half of me," Quinn added in a softer tone. "You said, whatever you're getting yourself into, you want this. Then why is it so hard for you to believe that I feel the same about you?"
And she knew she had Rachel convinced the second she looked up with a touched smile. She just needed one more push.
"Isn't the mirror of Erised proof enough that you are what I truly want?" Quinn held out a hand. "So what do you say?"
Rachel's smile grew and her eyes fell on Quinn's offered hand. Pale and cool, a contrast to the tan and warm hand that slipped into hers.
"I think I could be your mate."
"She isn't in the castle anymore."
Rachel glanced at Quinn, who stared ahead with a frown. "I can't feel her presence."
A relieved sigh escaped Rachel's lips and she smiled. "Excellent. Crisis averted. Until next time, of course."
"Yes, but," Quinn trailed off with her muttering when Blaine Anderson hurried around a corner, looking in every direction until he spotted them. His expression lit up and he quickly ran toward them.
"Ber -" he cleared this throat, "Rachel! Thank Merlin I found you." He came to a skidding halt in front of them.
Rachel and Quinn shared a confused look. The Slytherin hesitantly stepped forward. "Is there something you need?"
"Yes," Blaine panted, looking upset as he rushed to explain, "it's Lily, she's blacked out – we were just training spells for Defense Against the Dark Arts when I accidentally hit her, please come help and wake her up! Just like you did last time!"
"Lily?" Rachel repeated in a whisper and looked to Quinn, who scrutinized Blaine with a guarded expression. When the Gryffindor boy realized the blank stare he was receiving from the blonde, his concerned face faltered and a defiant gleam shone in his eyes.
"Quinn, meet me at the Astronomy Tower tonight?" Rachel squeezed Quinn's hand. Her hard expression softened when she turned to face Rachel, and she leaned in for a gentle kiss. Blaine turned away at the sight with an impatient eye roll.
"Let's go," he urged Rachel on, who unwillingly let go of Quinn.
The brunette slowly nodded and finally followed the Gryffindor down the corridor, onto a flight of moving stairs that transported them to the floor beneath them.
Quinn looked after them until they were gone, a deep frown etched on her face. So Rachel was the one they turned to when Lily Potter was hurt. What did it say about their relation?
"Well, you've hidden from me long enough."
Quinn's blood ran cold as she stiffly and slowly turned around.
"Mother," she quietly greeted, subdued, barely able to meet her mother's eyes, who looked down on her in disappointment.
"A room that only appears on request and that is only accessible to those who know what has been requested – quite clever, I have to give you that," Mrs Fabray said as she stepped closer to her daughter, who seemed to be uncomfortable in her presence.
"It was Rachel's idea," Quinn muttered, not feeling the same strength and determination to stand up to her mother she had felt when Rachel had still been with her.
"I don't want to hear you mention her name ever again," Mrs Fabray disdainfully said, looking at the direction where Blaine and Rachel had went off. "She will only cause trouble and it's best for you to keep out of her way."
"No, mother, you cannot tell me what to do -" Quinn spoke up, upset, but the older Fabray dismissively waved her off.
"This," she lowly said, a warning tone in her voice, "was not a suggestion."
"But an order?" Quinn countered, gaining some foot and acting more confident than she felt. "Then you should know that I am only following orders of my heart."
"The heart can be mistaken," her mother pursed her lips.
"And so can you."
Mrs Fabray gasped.
Quinn's eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hand, shocked that she had actually said that. But then she remembered what she saw in the mirror of Erised, showing her everything her heart truly desired. And the mirror of Erised was never wrong.
She lowered her hand, her expression hardening. "Yes, you heard right."
"Quinn," her mother forcibly said, becoming irritated, "that girl has obviously messed with your head, you have started talking non-sense!"
"No, it's the first time that I'm talking clearly," Quinn replied, equally annoyed about being treated as helpless and unable to make decisions for herself. It had always been this way. "Ever since father walked out on us, you keep treating me like...like this little, stupid girl who doesn't know better -"
"It's because you don't!" Mrs Fabray exclaimed, anger now clear in her high-pitched voice. "You think you do, but you don't. All teenagers think they have the world figured out, and I've always known you would be no exception. But you have Veela blood in you, Quinn. You are not like other teenagers."
Quinn heavily breathed, feeling something dangerous bubbling beneath her chest, pressing hard against her lungs. This wasn't a good sign. The last time she had felt that way, she had transformed. And she doubted that her mother had the same sensitivity to handle the situation as well as Rachel had.
"You're right," she panted, holding a hand to her chest, over her wildly pounding heart, "I am not like other teenagers. They don't have to worry about turning into a monster that could hurt others. They don't have an overbearing mother who makes them feel worse about their heritage than they already do."
Her voice broke off after that and she started coughing, groaning in despair when she saw her hand becoming so pale it almost looked transparent.
Mrs Fabray eyes flickered between her daughter's face and hands that showed the first signs of a transformation.
"You have to learn to control it," she quietly said, calmly looking on as Quinn struggled with her body, trying to hold back her Veela side. "You cannot transform every time you feel anger. Only a quarter of you is Veela, there's only so much your human body can take, Quinn."
A strange gurgling sound escaped Quinn's throat, and she groaned, stumbling against a wall to lean against it for support. "Help...me..."
A stressed look shortly crossed Mrs Fabray's face, but she didn't move from her spot. "Remember who you are, Quinn. The daughter that I know is not led by irrational emotions, don't let them get the better of you. Think of things that calm you down!"
Quinn bumped her head against the stone wall. "How can I...calm down," her voice dropped in volume and pitch, "when you keep pushing me."
"Then what do you want me to say?" Mrs Fabray said, starting to get nervous as her daughter's situation didn't seem to improve. "What do you want to hear that will please you?"
Quinn tried to calm herself down by breathing through her nose, her chest rapidly heaving, and she thought of the last time she had successfully managed a transformation. "Say that you will accept Rachel," she said through gritted teeth, her voice sounding distorted.
It was what the older Fabray had expected and she wouldn't have hesitated to say no in any other situation, but she possessed more tact than her daughter gave her credit for.
"Fine," she hissed, "I will give her a chance."
It felt like resurfacing to fresh air after being held beneath the water for a long time. Quinn took a deep breath and closed her eyes, feeling her irregular heartbeat slowing down until it resumed to a steady pattern.
"But she only gets one chance," Mrs Fabray said once she saw that Quinn was no longer in immediate danger. "One chance to prove me wrong. If she can't rectify the first impression she has left on me, then she has no chance of becoming your mate. Ever."
Exhausted from the near transformation, Quinn was slow in reacting to her mother's words. "It's my sole decision," she tiredly said, pushing herself off the wall.
"Not quite," Mrs Fabray almost softly said, letting her steely mask fall off when she saw her own daughter looking so worn out and weak. "Where do you think did you inherit the Veela blood from? As much as you want to insist on your independence, I am a part of you, Quinn. And if I don't approve of your choice in mate, the final stages of bonding will never commence."
Quinn wanted to shout in rage, to release some of her anger by casting a series of curses against something, someone, anyone, maybe even her mother, because she was so sick and tired of never having control, of never being the one to decide over her life. Just when she thought she could be her own person and steer her life into the direction she wanted to go, her mother had to intrude and alternate her plan. She didn't want to play it safe, she wanted to be happy and if her mother kept interfering, she would neither be safe or happy.
"I'll get Rachel," Quinn said without emotion, walking past her mother. She was afraid if she said more, she wouldn't be able to stop from talking herself into rage, triggering another transformation. One that could be fatal.
"You might want to hurry."
Quinn didn't look back as she asked with an irritated eye roll, "Now you're eager to meet her again?"
"She needs to be conscious to impress me, doesn't she?"
Quinn stopped walking. "What?" she hissed in disbelief, quickly turning around to face her indifferent looking mother. "What do you mean?" Dread filled her mind and heart, causing her difficulty to breathe.
Mrs Fabray sighed and crossed her arms. "You didn't really believe that that Gryffindor boy needed help, did you?"
AN: Did you?
