Chapter Eight
Alone
Reign released an awestruck sigh as she stepped into the room. It was definitely larger than her room back home, and tremendously superior to her dorm was she was a student at Hogwarts. The king size bed would not have even fit through the door of her old dorm room. It was covered with dark forest green satin sheets and a soft camel colored comforter. The head and baseboards were of a brilliant maple, carved with the Hogwarts crest and the animals that represented the four houses. She went to the headboard and placed her hand on the snake. It looked calm and mysterious in the wood, but it had a glint in its eye that looked malicious. She pulled her hand away and walked slowly around the space, soaking everything in. There were two large windows on either side of the bed, which stood opposite and a little left to the door. A small nightstand stood next to the bed, with an antique lamp sitting on top. An enormous fireplace was opposite of the bed, which lay dormant at the time. To the right was the bathroom, which was just as majestic as the main room. A large marble bathtub sat in the corner, and the walls were laden with earth tones--greens and blues mostly--which provided for a very relaxing atmosphere. She stepped back out into the main room and crossed it slowly. Two armchairs sat in front of the fireplace, covered with crushed velvet of a green hue. A bookcase took up the south wall, filled with at least a hundred books that Reign was sure she had never read. She proceeded into the next room, which was her study. Taking up most of the space was a solid oak desk, finished and polished with not a hint of dust anywhere on it. Reign registered that the entire area was dust-free, and she wondered if they did this for her or if she was not the most recent person to stay in the rooms. There were more bookshelves on three of the walls, but they were empty. She was not sure if she would ever fill them. On the fourth wall stood four windows, each with heavy dark navy drapes surrounding them. She looked out one of the windows, and noticed the darkening sky. She turned back and headed out to the main room once again, stopping as she noticed a great rug covering the stone floor. It was an Asian print, with abstract vines and bamboo woven into the fabric. She followed one stalk until she met its end, covered by the foot of a great wardrobe adjacent to her bed. She walked over to it and opened the heavy doors. They groaned as she pulled them open, expecting to find something magical in it, but alas, there was nothing. Not even dust. She closed the doors and walked over to the bed. She hadn't noticed that there was a pile of clothes sitting at the edge when she first walked in, but as she sat right next to them now it was hard for her not to notice. There was a hooded black cloak on top, followed by a red sweater and a pair of khaki pants. A pair of old brown leather shoes was at the bottom, with an even older green sock stuck in each. She drew out the socks and pulled them over her cold bare feet. The left one had a hole in the big toe. She sighed at the ridiculous attire, but at the same time was thankful for Dumbledore's effort.
She sat at the edge of the bed, staring for quite some time, before falling back onto the soft covers and staring up at the ceiling. It must have been at least twenty feet high, which explained why Reign didn't feel so claustrophobic walking in. She wished she could enchant it to make it like the Great Hall ceiling, reflecting the sky outside, for she wished she could see the stars at night. She put her hands behind her head and stared at the dark space. Just then there was a knock on the door. Reign sprang to life and walked swiftly to the source of the tapping. She pulled open the door to meet Albus Dumbledore's twinkling eyes. He smiled at her, and she returned it.
"Albus, please come in." She moved aside to let the old man pass. He took up her offer and floated into the room, surveying its condition.
"Those house elves are marvelous creatures, wouldn't you agree?" he asked, referring to the cleanliness of her rooms.
"Yes, marvelous," Reign repeated, noticing an out-of-place object glittering from underneath his layers. Albus turned his head and followed her stare to his side. He chuckled as he threw back his robes and pulled an immaculate sword from their depths. He also pulled out two hilts, one that belonged to the blade, and the other holding a small dagger.
"You left these on the front steps," he said as he handed them to Reign. She took them into her hands, a sad expression crossing her face.
"I left them because they were too heavy for me to drag any further." She walked over to the bed and dropped the dagger and sword hilt on top of the comforter. The sword she kept in her hand. She slowly caressed the silver blade, gazing at her reflection in its mirrored surface. She grasped the handle with her left hand. It was heavier than she remembered. She felt a missing power return to her. She maneuvered the weapon gracefully through the air, performing moves that resembled a dance. The headmaster walked slowly toward her, not wanting to disrupt her memories. When he sat on the bed, she stopped dancing. "Ki nörh," she said in her native tongue.
"Your very welcome," Albus replied. She stood holding the sword loosely from her side, her posture limp and her mind in a daze. She was awoken when the old man continued. "So what do you think of this room? It's one of my favorites." He looked around, waiting patiently for her to answer.
"I love it. The earth tones are very relaxing."
"I know. That's why it's one of my favorites." He winked at her and she half-smiled at him. He was trying to get her mind off of whatever was making her sad, but it could not be done. She threw her sword on the bed next to her dagger and went to the other side of Albus and sat down. She sighed, and as if he had some power over her, she began to speak without being asked or told.
"I feel so alone, Albus." She stared down at the floor as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "I feel like I don't deserve to be here. Like someone else should have made it out instead of me. Like I should have stayed and died fighting for my people." She hung her head even lower, letting her hair fall forward to shield the oncoming tears. Albus pulled his hand away from her shaking body and placed it in his lap.
"There are a lot of things we all wish we could have done, or should have done." He pulled back her shoulders so that she was sitting straight up and facing him. Silent tears were falling from her soft green eyes. He smiled sympathetically. "But that's all they are--wishes. We cannot go and change our past, so we should not waste our time mourning over it." He wiped a tear from her cheek before he continued. "If we do that, we only end up destroying ourselves. The only thing we should concern ourselves with is the present." He paused as Reign blinked and wiped away her last tears. "Just take every day as it comes, Reign. That is all you can do now. That is all we should ever do." She nodded and looked into his eyes. He looked so much like her father. For a moment she thought he was her father; his advice sounded much like something he would have told her. She fell into the old man's arms and startled him. Albus placed his arms around her, stroking her hair as she began to weep again. He held her for a long time, waiting until most of the sadness was cried out of her. When she began to settle down he pushed her back, holding on to her shoulders as she again wiped the tears from her eyes. "You're going to be fine. It may take a while, but I promise you, you'll be fine." They smiled at each other. He let go of her and padded her knee before getting up from the bed. She watched him walk to the door. He got halfway there before he snapped his fingers and turned around.
"Oh, I almost forgot." He pulled a small pouch from underneath his robes and threw it at her. "You left that, too." He laughed. "My, my, I am getting old. Didn't want you to think I was stealing from you." He winked. "Perhaps that will be useful in buying some new clothes. You remember the way to Hogsmeade, don't you?" She nodded. Albus smiled and strode out of the room. Reign held the pouch in her hands, looking at it curiously. She spread open the top and squinted as a bright light invaded her eyes. She remembered the bag. It was her money pouch. She reached in and pulled out an elvish diro. It shone brightly on her hand, and she wondered what the exchange rate was between her money and wizard currency. She placed the coin back in the bag and pulled the top closed. She tossed it next to her weapons and new clothes. Then she glanced out the window. The sun had set and night was crawling toward the castle. She wished she still had her pocket watch. She scanned the room for any sign of a clock. There was none, but she desperately wanted to know the time. So she got up from the bed and began searching. She finally found a small clock in the bottom drawer of her nightstand, and was extremely grateful when she saw that it still worked. It was nine o' clock. She had missed dinner. Her stomach growled at the slightest thought of food. She sat the timepiece on top of the table. There was no point in going out now; it was too late. The students were all in their dormitories, but she was still afraid to walk the halls. She was afraid she would run into him.
Reign gathered her belongings and clothes and sat them in one of the chairs by the fireplace. Seeing the empty hole in the wall made her shiver.
"Similia similious curantur," she recited, and soon a fire was blazing in the room. She went over to the bed and pulled back the covers. She slipped inside and pulled the sheets up around her. Despite the warmth of the room, the shadows the fire cast on the wall made it look a bit ominous. It would take her a while to become familiar with her surroundings. Once she relaxed, she stared once again up at the ceiling, watching the shadows dance. She tried many times to fall asleep, but each attempt was miserably unsuccessful. She closed her eyes and told herself not to open them, but she couldn't help it. She tossed and turned and tried desperately to sleep, but it wouldn't come. Her mind was not ready to go to sleep yet. It was still thinking--thinking of him.
She could feel his presence. Was he thinking of her? If he was, he was probably reminding himself of how much damage she did to him, and how badly he hated her. She opened her eyes, her chest steadily rising and falling. The tears began to form. This was a mistake. I never should have come here, she told herself, I was foolish in thinking he would take me back. She dug her head into her pillow. He'll never forgive me.
She slept only a few hours that night, partly because she had never stopped thinking, and partly because her nightmares had returned to her. Screaming, laughing, and the crackling of fire all plagued her mind. She thrashed and kicked uncontrollably as the horrifying thoughts invaded her unconscious. She wanted so desperately for someone to wake her up and hold her and tell her it was just a dream. But there was no one.
***
The sun seemed to creep into the room like a serpent, slithering silently over the windowsill and spilling onto the floor. It glided along the rug and up the side of the bed, hunting. When it reached Reign's closed eyes, it stopped moving. It stayed right where it was, trying desperately to penetrate her lids. She squeezed her eyes tight, fighting the harsh morning light. When it would not give in she turned over and faced the opposite direction, only to be met with another beam of light from the adjacent window. She groaned in frustration and turned to lie on her back. She threw her arms from out of the covers and laid them on her stomach. Her eyes slowly crept open as they became accustomed to the morning sights. She felt a slight tingling sensation as her muscles awoke from their sleep. She told herself to sit up, but they wouldn't let her. So she laid in her bed, staring at the ceiling. The light was warm on her face, and it helped to awake her. She stretched her arms out toward the light, letting it spill over her skin, entwining itself through her fingers. She pushed her hair back and laid her hands over her head. Reign took a deep breath as she tried to figure out what day of the week it was. Tuesday? Sunday? She had no idea. She hoped that it wasn't the weekend so she could shop in peace and not be bothered with strange looks of students or vacationers. She sat up in bed and paused for a moment, still trying to wake up. Doing so was always a big deal to Reign. It took her at least fifteen minutes after she first woke up to actually get out of bed.
She looked to the dying embers of the previous night's fire and noticed the clothes. She threw off the sheets and stumbled over to the chair. She picked up the clothing, which seemed much heavier than before, and lugged it over to the bed. After dropping them on to the crumbled sheets, she picked up the sweater. It looked to be handmade, knitted or crocheted; she wasn't sure which, seeing as she wasn't familiar with the fashion in which humans made their clothes. The sweater was a deep burgundy, and as she stripped off her nightshirt and pulled it over her head, she noticed a large gold R embroidered in the middle. It was either a coincidence or fate, but she smirked nevertheless. The sweater was a bit large for her, as were the pants that came with it. She was grateful for the large hooded cloak, which would cover up the rest of her questionable attire. She slipped on the old shoes; unlike the rest of the clothes, they were almost too small for her. Then she slipped her money pouch into one of the deep pockets of her robes, and strapped her dagger to her thigh (which looked ridiculous because the fabric bunched up around it). Her sword she would leave, for that needed to be strapped to her back, and was too noticeable anyway; the last thing she wanted to do was attract attention to herself.
She then went to the bathroom to freshen up. After brushing her hair and teeth she splashed water on her face. It was cool and refreshing. She grabbed a towel without looking and as she dabbed her face dry she looked into the mirror. She definitely looked different than the last time she had been at Hogwarts. Despite her youthful appearance to everyone else that looked upon her, Reign thought--and knew--that she was older. Not just older, but wiser, and colder. Her younger days of adventures and games were over. She had changed a great deal more than anyone else would have suspected for someone her age, and she knew right then that she had to except the fact that she was indeed different.
She replaced the towel and exited the bathroom. Then she made up the bed and straightened the curtains before heading out of her rooms. As she threw the pillows back into their rightful place, the snake from the headboard caught her eye again, and a shiver ran through her spine. She shook it off and walked to the door. When the door closed behind her, she could have sworn she heard a shrill laughter coming from the other side.
