Blanket Disclaimer: I was so anxious to post this story that I forgot the disclaimer in the other chapters! So now I will make ammends by clarifying that I DO NOT under any circumstances own anything Harry Potter. I only own the Summers family and the random Ravenclaw, Alex.
That is going to be the only time I say it, as it obvious.
Chapter 3: Unsought Solace
Reina sat in front of Kira and the golden trio with her head in her hands. "I may be a Slytherin," she groaned to Blaise, "but that doesn't make double Potions first thing in the morning any less painful."
"You've got nothing on us," Harry interjected gloomily. Reina opened her mouth to say something but Kira cut her off.
"I agree with Harry," she said. "At least Snape doesn't go trying to find every little flaw in your work." Reina looked at Blaise and they both shrugged; no denying the truth in that statement.
"Well, if you'd all just give up that noble Gryffindor bravery and pride, you would all probably make excellent Slytherins," Blaise said with a smirk. Ron looked appalled at the thought.
"Or you could all just brew your potions correctly and there wouldn't be a problem," Reina snapped irritably just as Malfoy walked in and sat down nearby; Pansy following closer than his shadow. As luck would have it, however, she stopped beside Reina's seat.
"A bit snappy this morning, aren't we, Summers?" Pansy said with a sneer that could almost rival Malfoy's. Almost.
"Shut it, Parkinson!" Reina snapped back. "I'm not in the mood this morning and if another word leaves your lips, I promise I'll hex you." Reina turned her back on Pansy and began talking to Blaise as if she weren't there.
"You little bi-"
Reina was up in an instant with her wand pointed at Pansy. "I dare you to finish that sentence," Reina growled. "So what would you rather, the face of a troll or giant boils?"
Pansy stood her ground. "You wouldn't dare. You're too scared to break the rules."
"Both it is then," Reina confirmed and raised her wand. She was stopped as Blaise grabbed her wrist in a firm grip.
"Don't Reina," Blaise whispered imploringly. "Snape will be here any second and she's not worth it."
Reina was about to explain to Blaise exactly why Pansy deserved to be hexed when-
"Pansy! Stop trying to impress me and sit down!" Malfoy had an exasperated look on his face. Pansy gave Reina one last glare before stalking off to sit beside Malfoy.
"If you say so Drakie Poo." Malfoy cringed. Just as Reina and Blaise sat back down, Snape walked in, robes billowing along behind him.
"You will be brewing a minor truth potion," he told them. "The instructions are on the board and you know where the ingredients are. I want a sample in a vial on my desk by the end of class. Begin!"
As the students began shuffling around, Blaise whispered, "Malfoy may never give us even the time of day, but sometimes I pity him."
"No kidding," Reina agreed. "Pansy's worse than a leech." With that said, the two set to work on their latest potions assignment.
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Reina dragged herself up the ladder and through the trap door into Trelawney's room. Flopping down on one of the cushions, Reina let out a content sigh while remembering the constant skepticism Kira expressed about Divination. It wasn't that she liked Trelawney, as Kira seemed to believe. On the contrary, she found the woman rather irritating.
Somehow her distracted mind registered the brave Ravenclaw just sitting down beside her. As the only Slytherin taking Divination, finding someone to work with during class was a bit different. Having few friends to begin with (none of whom took the class besides Harry and Ron who didn't really count), finding said partner banked entirely on who Reina could tolerate. Gryffindors were out of the question as they had zero tolerance for a Slytherin, and Hufflepuffs stared at her like she was a poisonous snake ready to strike. That left Ravenclaws who seemed to be the most tolerable. The particular girl had formed a mutual understanding with Reina. They interacted solely because of the class, end of story.
Reina wrenched her thoughts back to the present as Trelawney appeared from the shadows and began addressing the class. "Today we will be delving into the art of aura reading," she announced. "Every person, magical or muggle is surrounded by an invisible aura. This aura is stronger in magical persons, and depicts one's feelings and thoughts in a vague sense." She paused, waiting for some kind of reaction that wasn't forthcoming. "You will pair up and you will take turns reading each other's aura. You will find a sort of guide on page 147 of your books."
Reina and her partner opened their books, reading over its instructions and description of aura reading. When finished, Alex (her partner) nodded at her signaling for Reina to go first. Without any sign of acknowledgment, Reina focused on the area around Alex. Doing as the book instructed, Reina kept her eyes from really focusing on anything, instead trying to feel the emotions coming off of Alex. Nothing.
Shaking her head, Reina motioned for Alex to try. Alex wordlessly repeated the same process, without success. She tried and failed again, this time growling in frustration. Reina tried once more as well with about as much success as her first try. A quick glance at Harry and Ron revealed their usual lack of effort. A quick sweep of the room told Reina that no one else was making much progress either.
Towards the end of the class, Trelawney began going around to the groups and reading a random partner's aura. As luck would have it, Reina was the lucky soul when she came by. "Oh my!" she exclaimed in her whispery voice. "You have a very intriguing aura." Reina inwardly groaned. "At first there seems to be nothing but upon closer investigation, it seems my dear, that you're experiencing a storm of thoughts and emotions." Reina stiffened. "There is determination, anger, and feelings that you have not identified or even acknowledged yet."
"That's enough," Reina said as her discomfort grew.
"But all of this seems to be overwhelmed," Trelawney continued, "by such guilt."
"I said ENOUGH!" Reina snapped. Trelawney shook her head slightly as if snapping out of a daze.
"Dear child, have I said something wrong?" she asked confused. Reina just shook her head angrily. "Well," Trelawney began addressing the class, "I see that none of you have been able to see any auras." A bunch of disgruntled muttering was her response. "You will keep practicing, although very few witches or wizards can read auras. For the next class I want a two foot essay on an important aura reader." Taking that as their cue, the class proceeded to file out of the room to their next class.
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The rest of the day passed in a haze. Reina went through her classes mechanically, doing everything as if she was actually watching herself from afar. Charms and lunch passed by as usual, leaving just an afternoon study period in the library and then some free time before dinner.
Reina sat alone at a table in the library writing her Divination essay. She didn't understand why none of the class could read auras; they'd done it exactly as the book had said. Had her mind not kept drifting to Trelawney's words, she might have studied the subject further. As it was, she was finishing off her essay when Kira walked in with Hermione and the only female Weasley. What did Fred and George call her, Ginny?
"Hey!" Kira said sitting beside her sister. "What's up?"
"Divination," Reina said simply. Kira grimaced while Hermione's sour face said exactly what she thought of the class.
"Harry and Ron couldn't make it," Kira informed, reverting to her sisterly attitude. "They had quidditch practice."
"I really don't care!" Reina snapped moodily. "The only reason they come is to hang out with you and Miss I-hate-your-Slytherin-guts over there." Hermione looked indignant but made no move to deny Reina's accusation. Taking note of Reina's unusually bad mood, Kira looked at her sister with concern.
"What's wrong Rei?" Kira asked. Ginny and Hermione just returned to their studies as Reina shook her head and sighed.
"Nothing," she told her truthfully. "Just dwelling on something someone said earlier."
"What did they say?" Kira asked.
"It was nothing," Reina reassured her. "I just…overreacted a bit." Kira wasn't quite convinced but dropped the subject for the moment as Reina got up to leave.
"I'll see you at dinner," Reina said in a slightly better mood. "And tell Harry and Weasley that it doesn't matter how much they practice, we're still gonna beat them."
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Reina sat alone in the Slytherin common room, staring at the fire burning softly in front of her. Despite what she'd told Kira in the library, what Trelawney had said did mean something to her. She could care less about the anger or the "unknown feeling" that Trelawney had apparently read in her aura. It was the guilt. It had been nagging at her and it was getting to the point that it was becoming unbearable. Soft footsteps behind her caused Reina to snap around, causing her to come face to face with the surprised silver gray eyes of Draco Malfoy.
"I didn't mean to scare you," he said recovering first. "You looked like you were sleeping and I was going to wake you up."
Regaining her voice Reina shook her head. "I was just thinking."
Malfoy came around and sat on the black leather couch beside her. "A penny for your thoughts."
Reina looked at him skeptically. "Since when do you care what I think, Malfoy?" Malfoy flinched and Reina looked at him in confusion. "What?"
"I may be a Malfoy," he explained, "but I do have a name of my own."
"That's not my fault," Reina pointed out. "The first and only time that we were ever on a first name basis was the night we were sorted."
"Either way, it would be nice if once in awhile I could be someone other than just a Malfoy," he confessed before changing the subject. "So are you going to tell me what you were thinking about?"
And although Reina didn't know why, she did. "We were learning how to read auras in Divination this morning." Seeing Draco's uncomprehending expression she explained, "A person's aura is supposed to give the reader an idea of the person's thoughts and feelings in an indirect sort of way." Draco nodded and Reina proceeded. "Trelawney was reading some people's auras towards the end of the class, including mine. She said that I harbored a lot of anger, determination, and something about unknown feelings, whatever that means. But she also told me that these were all overshadowed by a great sense of guilt."
"Not to be offensive or anything but Trelawney's not known for her accuracy or skill," Draco pointed out.
"It doesn't matter," Reina said shaking her head. "It was true, because it was my fault that our mother died."
This took Draco by surprise. "You don't really believe that do you? I heard it was a Death Eater who…killed her."
At this point a single teardrop escaped its prison to slide down Reina's cheek. "I could have prevented it. I should have known, I did know!"
"You couldn't possibly have known something like that would happen," Draco said putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Remember five years ago, that night we were sorted?" Draco nodded. "The bad dream was a vision. I saw my mother's murder five years before it happened and I didn't stop it. I've always been proud of my skills in Divination, yet when it counted the most, I failed." A few more traitorous tears leaked out, but Reina furiously wiped them away, willing away the rest. "Instead, I watched as my mother was murdered in cold blood by my Death Eater father!" Reina exclaimed, the last word spoken with utter revulsion.
Draco unconsciously rubbed her back soothingly as he considered his words. "It wasn't your fault," he reiterated. "You didn't start Divination until third year, and you couldn't have known it was more than just a nightmare. The only one that should be blamed here is your father." Reina opened her mouth to protest, but Draco cut her off. "It's not your fault, Reina. If you don't believe me then talk to your sister about it, Gryffindors are supposed to be honest students."
Reina let his firm yet consoling words sink in as a clock in the room's corner chimed 11. Rising to head to the girls' dormitories Reina said softly, "Thanks, Draco."
Draco smiled, only the second genuine expression Reina had seen in the years she'd known him. "You're welcome," he said. "You shouldn't beat yourself up over something you had no control over."
Reina returned his smile with a small one of her own. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Reina."