Disclaimer: Not only do I not own Harry Potter or his world, but I also wish to apologize for any grammar/spelling mistakes. If they exist, please let me know. (And just because I don't own the world now, doesn't mean I won't in the future…)
*trumpets announce the entrance of the sixth chapter* Ahem. *unrolls scroll* The author of this story wishes to apologize for the unreasonably long delay while she wrote the following chapter. She hopes that you will refrain from throwing large stones at her and leaving nasty reviews. She also hopes that you enjoy this. *rolls up scroll*
chapter six
breakfast—a new wave—repulsion
The atmosphere of the Great Hall that morning was one filled with joy, dread, and sorrow. Joy, because the year was almost up; summer was drawing nearer by the hour. Dread, because the end of the term meant exams were also coming. And sorrow, because—for the seventh years—the end of their Hogwarts career was an arms' reach away.
Reign noticed these emotions as she entered the expansive area. Glancing around her as she made her way to the head of the room, she could feel the electricity sparking in many of the students' eyes. It seemed the only two in the hall who looked as if they had just eaten a bogey-flavored Bertie Botts Every Flavor Bean were Harry Potter and his best friend Ron Weasley. Hermione Granger, on the other hand, seemed ecstatic.
"Morning everyone," Reign said cheerfully as she approached the Gryffindor table and placed a hand on Ron's shoulder. He was probably glad she couldn't see his beet-red face, despite knowing that she had felt his obvious flinch at her touch.
"You two seem all too excited to be here this morning," she said sarcastically to the two sulking boys.
"Hermione's just been saying how excited she is about exams," Harry answered. Reign raised an eyebrow at their brown-haired friend, who beamed.
"Ah, I see," she said, taking her hand off of Ron's shoulder, "well, good luck on your very last exams...ever." Reign smirked as Hermione's smile faded and her friend's eyes' brightened.
The light-stepping elf caught Snape's eye as he sipped his morning tea. He nodded to her as she approached the table; she winked in return. Reign jumped, clearing the table, and landed gracefully on the other side. Her cheeks glowed a slight pink as the occupants of the Great Hall took heed of her newfound joy.
"Morning," she whispered to Severus as her breakfast platter appeared before her.
"You seem to be in a very good mood this morning..." the man inquired.
"And you're not?"
"Should I have a reason to be?" Reign looked hard into his eyes.
"No, I suppose not..." she drifted off, slightly disappointed. Perhaps her kiss went unnoticed by the Potions Master. "Sleep well last night?" she asked hopefully. Severus dropped his fork; Reign could hardly suppress her laughter.
"Despite being quite distracted...especially right before you disappeared..."
"Oh yes, about that..." Reign said, trying to act like she had forgotten.
"I thought you needed a friend right now..."
"I do—"
"Well, it wasn't very friendly of you to ignite our old flame without my knowing or consent. Nor was it friendly of you to leave without notice."
"Yes, I suppose that wasn't very friendly of me," Reign chuckled. "My sincerest apologies." She laid a hand on his shoulder and placed the other over her heart. "How can I ever make it up to you?"
"Don't worry," Severus replied as he placed a fork full of eggs in his mouth, "I'll think of something." Reign smiled and turned her gaze to her breakfast.
"This looks absolutely delicious. Who prepares all this food?"
"House elves, of course." Reign froze.
"House elves?" she echoed.
"I'm sorry, was my English not plain enough for you? Yes, I said 'house elves'." Reign threw her head back in a fit of laughter.
"You've got to be joking me! House elves? How could such low-life, bottom-of-the-magic-chain creatures like those be responsible for something as extravagant as this?" she asked, pointing to the beautiful platter in front of her. Severus placed his fork on his plate and scrutinized his companion.
"Do you have something against house elves?"
"Doesn't everybody?" Severus smirked, not entirely believing what he was hearing. He picked his fork back up, muttering, "Just be sure not to mention your opinions toward the servants of Hogwarts to Miss Granger..."
Reign hardly touched her breakfast, seemingly disgusted with the fact that such a creature prepared her meal. Needless to say, Severus was quite taken back by her behavior. He had never known Reign to be so volatile toward something that she seemed to have spent little time with. He decided to say something when she started poking at her potatoes, her nose an inch away from her fork.
"Reign, honestly, what is so wrong with house elves?" He was immediately surprised at his own question, for it made him seem the less hostile person, when usually the opposite was true.
"Do you even know house elves?" she spat at him, her eyes narrowing with every word. "They are not worthy of the title elves. They are lowest of the low, Kor's joke for the rest of the Elvin species to laugh at. Their magic is nothing more than illusions. They are small, helpless, pitiful creatures who don't deserve the pillowcases they walk around in." She threw her fork on her plate, sat back in her chair, and folded her arms across her chest.
Snape stared in disbelief.
"And this hostility comes from knowing such a creature?" he asked hopefully.
"What? I don't need to know a house elf to despise a house elf." Severus clicked his tongue.
"Mm hmm," he said, shaking his head. Reign noticed his disapproving tone.
"What, and you enjoy their company, do you?" He didn't answer. As he picked up a fork full of potatoes, Reign rubbed her eyebrow in thought.
"Remind me to go to the library sometime today."
"What for?"
"I need to try and find some sort of hint as to why..." she trailed off. She could feel it coming. That wave, of Time stopping, of freedom. She sat silently in her seat, her hands folded in her lap, her eyes darting in their sockets, waiting.
When it finally came, she stole several quick bites of her breakfast, starving from lack of food, hoping that the world would stay still long enough so Severus wouldn't see her.
Meanwhile, in the middle of a rather uneventful meal for Caelan, something rather noteworthy happened. She, too, was poking at her food when she felt an eerie stillness wash over her. Looking up when everything became silent, her heart jumped into her throat. Everything had stopped. Even she had stopped, frozen to her seat. Only her head and her chest moved. Her breathing increased rapidly as she became more anxious about her situation.
And then she heard a noise.
It was the scraping of a fork against a plate.
Caelan turned slowly toward the source of the noise and noticed, at the staff table, that the elf had also not been affected by this most peculiar event. Not wanting to catch her attention, Caelan leaned back, putting Seamus Finnigan's profile in between her and Reign.
When her meal was half gone, Reign stopped eating. She wiped her mouth and sighed at the sight of her plate—like that wasn't going to go unnoticed. As she quickly attempted to refill her plate, something caught her eye.
Movement.
From the Gryffindor table.
She had to blink several times, but she definitely saw it—the heavy breathing of a seventh year, the darting of her head and eyes, the frigidness of her body. Reign leaned more to the right to get a better look, but it was too late. The explosion of noise signaled the end of the wave as Time continued its journey. She watched Caelan for a few moments after—not entirely coming back to her senses—and it was obvious she had not been affected by this most recent spectacular, which Reign found most intriguing.
"As to why…" Severus repeated, trying to hint to her to continue the conversation she had started. The change in her position told him immediately that she had experienced another 'wave'. She was practically on his lap, eyes narrowed toward the Gryffindor table. He followed her gaze to Caelan, who was shaking so badly she looked as if she would shatter like a mirror at that very moment.
"What is it now?" he whispered into her hair. Whether it was the sound of his voice that brought her back or the touch of his breath against her skin, she snapped back so suddenly she nearly fell over in her chair. Severus had just enough time to grab the sleeve of her coat before she fell into Professor Flitwick's lap, though he could hardly contain his laughter while doing so. His ridiculous smirk caused Reign to collapse into her own fit of giggles while she regained her balance on her chair.
"Sorry," she choked out while wiping away the tears falling down her cheeks.
"Quite understandable," he replied sarcastically. "As I was saying…what is it now?" Reign looked curiously at him, to which he raised a finger to Caelan.
"Oh, that…I guess I'm just still worried about her."
Severus couldn't shake the feeling she was lying, especially as breakfast ended and she shot out of her seat to follow the students out of the Great Hall. As she leaped over the table, he shouted to her, "Don't forget about the library, Reign." She nodded to him, smiling with her brilliant white teeth. The tingling sensation he felt when only her saliva met his body and practically melted his insides invaded his soul then without even the slightest contact.
He hoped no one noticed.
***
Reign slipped easily through the masses, keeping a sharp eye on Caelan as she drifted farther from the group. As she turned down an isolated corridor, so too did the elf. Silently following the girl, Reign stuck close to the shadows. They seemed to walk for an eternity.
When the girl stopped, Reign nearly jumped out of her skin, and had to clasp her mouth to keep from gasping.
Lucius Malfoy stepped into the dim light of the hall, his face lighting up upon laying eyes on Caelan. She let out a squeal and ran into his arms, kissing him deeply.
"Last night was amazing," she whispered as she pulled back from their kiss.
"Indeed," the man replied, running his gloved hand through her hair.
So this is what I saw last night, Reign thought. It wasn't me in Malfoy's bed, it was Caelan.
She was relieved and disgusted all at once.
As if from a different world, a far off bell rang, signaling the start of classes. Reign, getting annoyed with the intimate encounter playing out in front of her, stepped out of the shadows and stopped directly behind Caelan. She cleared her throat.
"Miss Decatur…" it was hard enough trying to suppress a laugh as the two split apart, it was even harder to refrain from slapping them both. She raised an eyebrow at the girl, then to Lucius. He looked down at his shoes, his lips pulsing red. "I believe you are late for class."
"Yes, ma'am." With a quick glance at Lucius, who refused to look at her, Caelan scurried down the hall.
"And five points from Gryffindor, Miss Decatur!" Reign called after her, not really sure if she was allowed to deduct house points.
When she was out of sight, Reign crossed her arms in a Professor McGonagall-type fashion, looking down her nose at the man before her.
"Tisk, tisk, Lucius. What on earth have you done now?" The man straightened his cloak and took a step closer to Reign, tapping his cane against the cold, hard stone. The smile on his face reminded Reign of the way a rat would look if it could smile.
"Reign, how good to see you." The elf rolled her eyes; he said her name as if he was an old companion who hadn't seen her in years
"Stop with the façade, Lucius." He cocked his head at her and narrowed his eyes. Reign's agitation flowed to her feet, causing her to take a step forward. "What do you want with the girl?" He sighed.
"I hardly think the matter requires your intervention, as it does not concern you."
"Do not lie to me, Lucius." At the sound of his name, and her anger, the man stepped forward and slipped his arm around the elf. Though the move was extremely unwelcome, she did not protest.
"Can't put anything past you, can I?"
"Stop avoiding the question."
"What? Can I help it if I'm lonely and she's vulnerable?"
"She's eighteen for Kor's sake!" Reign yelled, silencing Lucius. "Besides, there's something about her, something you're not telling me. The resemblance between us is too eerie to be merely coincidence," she paused, taking a deep breath and calming herself. "What does she have that you want?" At the sight of her relaxation, Lucius moved in once more, placing a hand on her cheek.
"It's not that she has anything that I want. It is only that I want her," he traced his finger along her jaw, "because she reminds me so much of you," he leaned forward, brushing his lips against her forehead, "who is the person I truly want." Reign froze as he dipped down and locked lips with her. It was a light caress, weakening the elf at her knees, her body succumbed to his seduction while her mind screamed at her to wake up and obliterate the man.
"Enough," she gasped, pushing him away. They stood apart from each other, catching their breath. Reign glanced at his chiseled face, his crisp long hair falling into his eyes. She laughed and shook her head. "Curse you for being so handsome." Lucius looked up, rather surprised.
"Well, one can hardly help it, or avoid it." His smile cast its usual spell on Reign once more, but this time she was quick to react. Drawing her sword from her side, she brought it up to his cheek, where the scar that she gave him still showed itself on his skin.
"I'd rather not dirty my blade so early in the morning by giving you one to match," she hissed at him.
"That would be a shame." The sarcasm dripped from his voice. His once soft gray eyes were now as hard as ice. She slowly lowered her sword, never taking her eye of him.
"Whatever connection we share, Caelan and I, leave her out of it. Whatever you want, you come after me to get it—"
"We have already tried." Reign stopped, thinking to herself.
"You just wanted me on your side…"
"More or less." The elf looked down to the floor, one side of her mouth curling up as she thought.
"Very well," she finally said, "let her decide her fate—not you, or Voldemort, or anyone else." She raised her sword again. "And so help me, if you hurt her in any way, I will kill you." Lucius smiled.
"I have no doubts that you would."
"She's just a child, Lucius."
"I know."
"I'll be keeping my eye on her."
"Yes, yes…" She replaced her sword.
"And you." As she turned to walk away, she heard the tap of his cane and remembered one more thing she wished to say to him. "Oh, and might I just say that the fact that not only did you commit adultery, but you did it with someone who could very well be your daughter. And I find that truly disgusting, as I'm sure anyone else would also. If power and respect is what you seek, please refrain from committing acts like the one you performed last night, for it will gain you nothing but the deepest loathing."
When she rounded the corner and was out of his sight, she couldn't decide whether to burst out laughing, or to empty the contents of her stomach.
Then—to her great relief—she remembered her own reminder; she needed to go to the library.
***
Don't hate me about the House elves, thing either. Please…it's just part of her nature, her heritage. You'll see, I promise *puppy-dog eyes*
***
Please review.