The Other Side: A Harry Potter FanFiction

Chapter XXI

"Can you believe it?" Lexi asked as she, Kendra, and Jesse sat in their bedroom, on their sleeping bags on the floor. "Lana's actually going to learn magic."

            "She's going to try," Kendra corrected, "You know how it works. You try, you fail, you try, you fail... it's an endless cycle of failure."

            "You're such a downer," Lexi muttered, pulling her legs to her body and hugging them. "I like to think that one of us can learn magic."

            "Thinking isn't knowing," Kendra said, "There's no point in trying if you don't know for sure it'll work eventually. We're all just wasting our time with this."

            "I don't think so," Jesse murmured, "I think she can learn."

            "Even if she does learn, that's just one more person fighting," Kendra said, standing up. "One more person isn't going to do much to help."

            "I'm not listening to you anymore," Lexi said, also standing up. "I'm going to find Lana. Coming, Jess?"

            Jesse shook her head slowly.

            Lexi shrugged. "Later."

            "Bye," Kendra said grouchily.

            The hallway was crowded, as it usually was, with the different refugees doing their own things; chasing each other, reading, talking... Lexi ducked as a ball hit the wall where her head had just been and exploded in a puff of purple dust.

            "Sorry!" someone shouted.

            "That's okay!" Lexi responded, and rushed through the crowd to the staircase.

            She saw Lana at the foot of the stairs, on the first floor landing, hiding around the door and peeking inside.

            "What're you doing?" Lexi asked, and Lana turned around and motioned for her to come closer.

            "Look inside the drawing room," she instructed with a knowing smile.

            Lexi made a face but peeked around the doorframe. From her spot in the doorway, she could see Regina blushing uncontrollably, Snape wringing his wrists with anxiety.

            "What?" she whispered, "What's going on?"

            "Snape likes Regina," Lana replied, "Regina likes Snape. This is just my meddling at its best work. Aren't they adorable?"

            "Is he actually asking her out?" Lexi asked, "Like, on a date?"

            "Yup."

            "And she's going to say yes?"

            "She'd better," Lana growled, "I worked too hard to get him to do this much. She says no, and he'll never ask again."

            As if in answer, Regina looked up at Snape and nodded with a smile. Snape seemed to relax completely, and he turned quickly to smile gratefully at Lana over his shoulder. She gave him the thumbs-up sign and stepped out of the doorway to the stairs, Lexi following. "The matchmaker strikes again!"

            "I wonder what they're going to do," Lexi said, "For their date, I mean. Regina can't leave this house... The Death Eaters would notice her immediately."

            Lana shrugged. "They'll think of something."

            Just then Cedric stepped up to them, saying, "Did you hear? About Snape and Regina?"

            "Wow," Lana said, "News travels really fast in this place. Like, ridiculously fast."

            "I just saw them in the drawing room," Cedric said.

            "Aren't they adorable?" Lexi asked.

            "Um... sure?" he replied awkwardly. He looked at Lana in a way that meant, "Can I speak to you alone?"

            "Hey, Lexi, why don't you go find Sirius?" Lana suggested, "See how's he's doing, I mean. With all that's been going on."

            At first she looked at her as if to say Are you seriously trying to get rid of me? Then realization crossed her expression and she said slowly, "Yeah. Sure." She stepped backwards and turned around, rushing up the staircase.