Love, Deryah | Blaise Zabini

P R O L O G U E

deryah, an outspoken, intelligent, generous ravenclaw; finest in all of her classes. she was a strong believer in endless possibilities and wouldn't let anything get in her way; that's what made her so admirable; unlike most teenagers her age, she had an old, yet powerful soul. instead of socializing and going to parties in the common rooms, she would have rather spent her weekends cooped up in a cozy corner of the library or running through a field with the blessings of nature. she was so in touch with the universe, everyone had been sure that she was the reincarnation of mother nature in physical form.

now, here she stood, standing in her washroom, gazing at the reflection in front of her. deryah had never really favored her mix of toffee and mocha colored skin. she never deemed herself unappealing, but she wouldn't go as far to say that she was attractive. yes, she was confident in who she was, but everyone had their share of anxiety and overthinking. no matter how many times her parents told her that she was beautiful, it just didn't sink in. she had always believed that they were obligated to say such things, leaving the words to no longer have any meaning or effect on her. something had been engraved in her mind, making her feel like she needed more. she wanted to find that missing puzzle piece.

a small knock on the door invaded her train of thought. her mother walked in and stood tall behind her, taking in their reflections. she noticed the look on deryah's face, she had been doing it again. whenever she didn't feel too satisfied about her appearance, deryah made her way to the mirror. she'd stand there, going on hours until she found something new to convince herself that it made her less pretty or that it needed to be fixed. she'd stop everything she was doing, and figure out ways to make it right. she'd manifest confidence, a blooming, anything to take her mind off the 'flaw'.

removing the cloak of silence, her mother decided to speak up. "your father and i are so appreciative of how far you've come my darling." she praised as she placed her hands on deryah's shoulder. "you are the first ravenclaw in a family full of pureblood slytherins." her mother spoke the truth. she was the very first ravenclaw in a family full of slytherins; this meant that deryah was easily underestimated and sometimes even treated poorly by distant relatives. family members doubted her and put her down all the time, saying she wasn't worthy of being a pureblood. even her parents doubted her abilities of magic at times, but she didn't let that stop her. she aimed to prove them all wrong each time.

"i remember the very first letter you sent home during your first year. there were tear blotches all over the bloody parchment." her mother spoke, causing her to chuckle at the childish memory. "you were so frightened to be placed in ravenclaw. you didn't know anyone, and you had no friends. but that didn't trouble you much. you cared more about what your father and i were going to do." she pursued.

deryah placed a hand on top of her mother's and smiled softly. "yeah, i was so distraught and anxious, that i could've sworn i spotted a gray hair or two." she joked, causing her mother to titter softly.

"even then deryah, you did your best to validate that you were sorted into the right house. you always find a way to make that star of yours radiate the brightest light. i'm so honored to call you my daughter."

that being said, her mother pulled a small, black, velvet box from her lounging robe. she unlatched the small box, and showed it to her daughter; deryah let out an inaudible gasp. her mother took the silver chain, placed it around her neck, and clasped it shut. it had a small star shaped charm with the words 'the brightest star' engraved on it. though it may have been modest, it meant the world coming from her mother. deryah's vision began to blur as the salty liquids filled her eyes. it felt so nourishing to hear such welcoming words come from her mother. she spun to face her mother and pulled her into a hug. while pulling away from the embrace, her mother placed a small kiss on her cheek.

"you only have two years left, make the most of them. but remember something deryah-" her mother placed a hand on her chin; raising it to her level.

"yes mother?" she hummed, questioning her softly.

"-always hold your head up. you should be proud of yourself."

those words echoed in her head and played repeatedly. these words engraved themselves into her mind, and would stick with her forever.