Chapter Twelve
Breeana and Elizabeth arrived to their next class late and were immediately scolded by their professor. Bellatrix glared at them and raised her eyebrows when Breeana finally met her gaze. She tried not to react, but she knew there would be some sort of argument to endure later. Breeana left Elizabeth without a word and went to sit beside Bellatrix.
"How is Malfoy?" she whispered.
"As if you care?" Bellatrix quipped.
Breeana fixed her with a cold, expectant look and waited.
"He's in the Hospital Wing. You didn't even come to make sure he was okay," Bellatrix snapped. "I hope that whatever you just had to do with my cousin was important."
"I hardly think that a painless hex demands my time in the Hospital Wing," said Breeana.
"He's your friend."
"He's fine."
After class, Bellatrix disappeared almost immediately. Breeana assumed she went to check on Lucius, but she wasn't sure. For how cruel Bellatrix could be, she was shockingly loyal to those she cared for. Instead of heading towards the Hospital Wing, Breeana reconnected with Elizabeth in the hallway. It occurred to her, for a brief moment, that she wasn't exactly sure what she was doing seeking out time with Elizabeth. But for whatever reason, there was something about the girl that she liked.
"I appreciate you abandoning me," Elizabeth said, her tone teasing.
Breeana gave her a look. "I don't think it's wise to blur the lines too much, do you? I'm not sure my friends would appreciate that and I prefer my physical and mental state of being to remain intact," she said.
"Your friends sound positively pleasant, don't they?" Elizabeth asked, sarcastically.
That afternoon, the fifth year students were given one free period. It was meant to be used as extra time to study, but most of the students spent their free time slacking off with friends. Elizabeth and Breeana were on their way to their common rooms, when they turned a corner sharply and ran into someone. Breeana didn't fall. Breeana didn't like to be the kind of girl who was graceless enough to fall down. Elizabeth and the other girl, however, both went crashing to the floor. Breeana hid a smirk behind her hand. Amusement flickered across her features and the other girl looked up at her as if she were trying to remember who exactly Breeana was. Breeana met her eyes until the other girl looked away. She knew her. She was a Gryffindor girl named Jasmine.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Elizabeth apologized, climbing awkwardly to her feet. She offered Jasmine her hand. "I should have been paying more attention…"
"Or she shouldn't have gotten in our way," Breeana interrupted.
Elizabeth shot a look at Breeana.
"Oh, don't worry about it," said Jasmine, apologetically. "It's my fault." She took Elizabeth's hand and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. "I wasn't paying attention. I was daydreaming." She smiled a little. "My mind is always off somewhere else. Bad habit."
There was an awkward silence. After a minute, Breeana, who was not bothering to hide her boredom in the slightest, said, "Okay. Well. I'm done wasting my time here. I need to go stop by my dorm instead of wasting my free period standing here with the two of you."
"I think you'll be fine," said Elizabeth, smiling at Breeana. The two of them were quite the contrast to each other.
"You're the transfer student, right?" asked Jasmine.
"Yes," Breeana answered for Elizabeth. "She is the transfer student. Elizabeth, this is Jasmine Rock or something like that. She's a Gryffindor student. Jasmine, this is Elizabeth Smith. She's Remus Lupin's cousin, actually."
"My last name is Stone," Jasmine corrected. "How do you know who I am?"
Breeana shrugged. "I just know people's names. I like to know who people are. How do you not know my name?" she asked.
"You're Snape's cousin, right?" asked Jasmine.
Breeana smiled coldly. "Very close," she said. "But that's not a name, now is it?"
Jasmine's cheeks turned a little pink. "Right," she said. "Bree, isn't it?"
"Breeana," Breeana said, wincing a little. "Bree is reserved for friends."
"And Sirius Black?" Elizabeth teased.
"No!" said Breeana, irritated. "He just…he likes to bother me."
"And what about my cousin?" asked Liz, mischievously.
"What about your cousin?" asked Breeana, trying not to react.
"Would you mind if he called you Bree?"
Breeana narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to answer, but no clever remarks came to mind.
"Or would you prefer he call you a number of other things?" she continued, teasing.
"You know what, Elizabeth, I'm going to my dorm now," Breeana snapped, feeling her face grow hot. "If you want, I'll meet up with you later by the lake."
"What about Bellatrix?" asked Elizabeth.
Breeana shrugged. "She's in the Hospital Wing with Luce," she said. She sounded like she thought Elizabeth should have known that already.
"Sure, then," said Elizabeth. She knew Breeana was trying her hardest to find a way to be rude, but for some reason it just made her smile. "See you at the lake."
Jasmine and Elizabeth watched her walk away.
"It's really nice to meet you," Jasmine finally said to Elizabeth. "How do you like Hogwarts so far? Have you made any friends yet?"
"A few," said Elizabeth, motioning after Breeana.
"I don't know how you're friends with that girl," said Jasmine, shaking her head in annoyance.
Elizabeth smiled. "I met James Potter and Sirius Black this morning," she said. "My cousin is good friends with them, so I would call them friends by default," she laughed. "Remus has told to me a lot about Hogwarts already. We've always been pretty close. And Breeana is okay. She has her moments, at least. You don't seem too fond of her?"
Jasmine's features darkened a little when Elizabeth asked the question. "Well, everyone sort of knows of Breeana Watson. Her father is in Azkaban for murder. He's been there since Breeana was little. It was a pretty big scandal. He's a strong supporter of some really dark wizards, I guess. People have been saying for years that he's going to break out and take revenge on the Aurors that put him there. It's probably just speculation. But his trial was pretty public." Jasmine took a deep breath and said, "I should warn you, almost everything I know about Watson is a rumor. I've never spoken to her before today. I heard she goes to St. Mungo's once a year for a check-up, to make sure she isn't suffering from some kind of mental problem because she witnessed her father's arrest. From what I've heard, she hasn't spoken to him since he was arrested. She's pretty damaged. I guess that's why she's so…mean and angry."
"Well, everyone's a little damaged from something," said Elizabeth.
"I suppose," said Jasmine. "Anyway, she's lived with her cousin's family since then."
Elizabeth nodded thoughtfully. "Interesting," she said, quietly. "Poor Breeana."
Jasmine seemed surprised. She couldn't seem understand how Elizabeth could be so sympathetic. "Sure," she said. "She's not a nice person, though. She's mean to everyone. You should know that before you get in too deep. Her best friend, aside from her greasy cousin, is that Bellatrix Black. She's weirdly anti-social and she doesn't really date. She turns lots of guys down because she thinks that she's better than everyone else. She does go to lots of parties though." Jasmine laughed. "I heard she gets a little crazy when she drinks. She actually dated Sirius's brother last year and they got in a fight because she kissed a bunch of people at a party last year. She doesn't sleep around though. Or, at least if she does, she's pretty careful about not letting word get out. Sirius asked her out once, in our third year. She turned him down pretty brutally."
"Why did she turn him down?" asked Elizabeth, amused.
"Oh, they've never really gotten along. The two of them fight so much," Jasmine laughed. "I guess they'd probably have a pretty interesting relationship actually."
Elizabeth laughed too. "I could only imagine. She would benefit from someone more calm than that, I think. She seems alright to me though," she said. She shook her head in disbelief over what Jasmine was saying. "Maybe no one really knows her very well. We ran into her friends after class and they just weren't very nice people, but she didn't seem like she wanted anything to do with them at all. She was trying to ignore them. Or she was acting like she was better than all of us, but still. She wasn't interested in interacting. She apologized to Remus for…for some of the things her friends were saying."
Jasmine's eyes went wide and she stopped walking. "She apologized?" she asked, incredulously. "To Remus Lupin? A Gryffindor?"
Elizabeth nodded.
Jasmine smiled a little. "Damn. I really would have loved to see that," she said. "But you never know with a Slytherin. They can be very deceitful and cunning people, Elizabeth."
"That sounds like a stereotype," Elizabeth commented.
"Just be careful."
"I will," Elizabeth reassured her. "But I do think you're wrong about Breeana."
"Maybe," said Jasmine.
With a teasing tone, Elizabeth added, "Maybe you shouldn't listen to gossip."
"Gossip stems from a seed of the truth," Jasmine retorted.
"You should get to know her," said Elizabeth. "Come hang out with us this afternoon."
Jasmine gave her a disbelieving look.
Elizabeth smiled.
"Fine," said Jasmine, after a moment of thought. Even though she was reluctant to be near Breeana Watson, she had to admit, her curiosity was peaked. Elizabeth was really nice and Jasmine didn't have a whole lot of friends. She wasn't very close to many of the Gryffindor students. She was pretty and smart, but she tended to keep to herself.
After dropping off their things, the two of them headed outside into the fresh, still slightly summery air. They walked across the sunny grounds and sat down on the soft grass under a beech tree at the edge of the lake. For a while, neither of them said anything. They didn't want to break the peaceful feeling with words. They sat there, watching the small waves lapping up against the shore. The giant squid was floating lazily in the warm shallows.
"Oh, you're still here. Jasmine, right?" asked Breeana, as she approached them. She said goodbye to Lily Evans, who walked away to join her own friends, and then sat down beside Elizabeth.
"Nice to see you again," Jasmine said, the politeness in her voice clearly forced.
"Elizabeth, are you in the habit of befriending people who bulldoze over you?" she asked.
"Absolutely," said Elizabeth.
"And you're friends now?"
"Sure."
"Why?" Breeana sounded seriously curious.
"Well, why not?"
"Can you be friends with both of us?" Breeana asked.
"I don't see why not," said Elizabeth.
"But. I'm a Slytherin. She's a Gryffindor," said Breeana.
"Very observant," said Elizabeth.
"What you mean is that I'm beneath you, right?" Jasmine asked, frowning.
"That too," Breeana agreed, narrowing her eyes at her.
"Never too nice, are you, Bree?" asked Sirius from behind them. The split second Breeana heard Sirius's voice, she made a move to stand up and leave. She tried to move quickly, but Sirius was faster. He sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulders, pushing her back to the ground, and pulled her close to him. She made a disgusted look, like he was some unpleasant creature covered in slime. Sirius grinned. "You are far too judgmental, if you ask me," he said.
"Well, funny thing is, I didn't ask you," Breeana snapped.
"Nasty temper there, Bree," he scolded.
Breeana scowled and didn't reply.
Of course, where Sirius was, James and Remus were there as well. And where the three of them went, Peter was close behind. Within seconds, all four boys were sitting with them under the beech tree. Elizabeth didn't seem to mind their company, and neither did Jasmine, but Breeana looked very uncomfortable. Elizabeth began chatting with Remus about his day and Breeana flinched almost every time that James or Sirius spoke. But when Remus turned to her, her features softened slightly and she almost, almost,smiled at him once or twice. When he spoke, she became more quiet and almost nervous.
"How was your first day back, Bree?" he asked, quietly, scooting closer to her.
"It was...just another...another day, you know?" Breeana answered, stumbling over her words, her dark blue eyes glued to his warm brown ones. There was a flush rising in her cheeks.
Remus smiled. He seemed charmed by the way she stumbled over her words. He couldn't stop smiling. Sirius was watching them carefully with a little smirk on his handsome face.
"Anything special happen?" Remus asked her.
"Of course not," said Breeana. "Same school, same people. Nothing new."
"Including your attitude," James added. "Even a new look couldn't possibly change that."
"And don't forget, you have an enjoyable evening of detention to look forward to," said Sirius, cheerfully. Breeana scowled at him and scooted away as a reflex. Her leg touched Remus's leg and her face flushed. "Aren't you excited to spend your evening with us, Bree? It'll be just another wonderful night with all your favorite pals."
Jasmine laughed a little, smiling to herself. Sirius wasn't even looking at Jasmine but she still blushed whenever Sirius spoke. He was too busy taunting Breeana to notice, though. Breeana looked like she was torn between the impulse to get up and leave, and the desire to stay close to Remus.
"One day, I'll have to properly thank you for getting me stuck in detention my first day back, Black," Breeana said, in her typical cold voice. She turned in Sirius's direction with a forced looking smile on her face.
Sirius scooted even closer to her. She backed away from him and up against Remus before she could stop herself, making a face. Sirius was so close that she could feel his breath on her face. "I look forward to it," he said, seductively.
"Get out of my face," Breeana said, slowly.
Sirius grinned. "Make me," he challenged.
"Black..." she said, warningly.
"Come on, Sirius," said Remus, sounding assured. "Be nice."
Sirius threw his arm back around Breeana's shoulder again and pulled her into his lap. A look of disgust crossed her face, but he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. "It's a beautiful day. Just enjoy yourself, Bree," he said. "A million girls would kill the be in your place right now."
"I swear to God if you don't let me go..." she began.
"You'll what?" Sirius challenged. "I'm bigger and stronger than you are."
"Gah, don't fucking touch me!" she snapped, shuddering.
"You aren't a very nice girl, Watson," said Jasmine, before she could stop herself. She was growing increasingly irritated with Breeana's bad attitude and she'd been dying to say something since the moment she'd run into her in the hall. It was much too beautiful a day to deal with someone like Breeana.
Once she was done looking surprised, Breeana almost looked like she might laugh. She seemed thoroughly amused with Jasmine's outburst. "Did you really expect me to be nice though?" she asked Jasmine, smiling a little. "You are the one who crashed my afternoon with Elizabeth. I can act however I want to."
Sirius pulled her closer. "Actually, Bree, you can't do whatever you want," he said. "And I'm not going to let you talk to a fellow Gryffindor like that."
"Aww, does someone have a little crush?" Breeana sneered, still trying to pull away from him.
"Don't get me started on crushes," said Sirius.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Breeana asked.
"It means that it's no secret that you'd rather be in my mate's lap right now," Sirius whispered in her ear. "I know your little secret."
"Let go of me," said Breeana.
"You can get in a lot of trouble if she reports you, you know, Sirius," said Remus, who looked a little bit nervous over what Sirius had said.
"Whatever," Sirius grumbled, shoving Breeana away.
It only took a second, but Breeana was instantly on her feet, her composure regained. "I have to go," she said. She yawned and stretched lazily. "I promised I'd go see Luce. I'll give your cousin your regards, Sirius. Maybe your brother as well, yea?" she added. "Thank you, by the way, Remus," she added, not quite meeting his eyes.
Remus seemed very amused and intrigued by Breeana's shyness around him. "You're welcome," he said, with a little smile.
Breeana jumped over Sirius's arm when he tried to grab her ankle to trip her, and walked away. The sun shone off her long, healthy hair and her hips swayed sensually as she walked.
"Oh, that girl has definitely grown up," said Sirius, staring after her.
"What do you mean?" asked Peter.
"Look at her, Wormtail," said Sirius. "She has gotten so hot."
"You shouldn't talk about her that way," said Remus, but he was watching Breeana walk away with a look almost identical to Sirius's in his eyes.
"You got a crush too, Moony?" asked James.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Remus insisted.
"Oh, come on," said Sirius, turning to his friend. "Did you see how shy she got around you, mate? She even blushed and earlier she apologized to you. The only thing I can't figure out is why she'd go for you, but she wouldn't even go on a date with me. No offense, of course."
Remus rolled his eyes. "None taken," he said. He was used to Sirius's arrogance.
Jasmine followed the boys' gaze, but the look in her own eyes was a mixture of envy and annoyance. She only wished that she had that kind of confidence, even if it did definitely cross over into arrogance. How in the world was she supposed to get to know a girl like that? How did someone like Elizabeth have the patience to do so? She couldn't help but despise and envy Breeana. It was going to be impossible to get along with someone that way. There was no becoming friends with a person like that; with a Slytherin, let alone Breeana Watson, of all the Slytherins. Clearly, Elizabeth had some sort of super power. And clearly it ran in the family, since her cousin seemed to find Breeana tolerable as well. She hated to admit her jealousy, but she also hated the way that Breeana had completely dominated Sirius's attention without even wanting to. She decided then and there, there was obviously no pleasing, reasoning with, or befriending someone who was as self-righteous as Breeana Watson.
