!TW! : Involves themes of physical and emotional abuse as well as PTSD
"We're all monsters, you know."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, when you look out at that setting sun, what do you see?"
"The sky turns from blue to yellow, just as it does every n...
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~*~
There is unfortunately only one way to make it through breakfast in the Great Hall, and that would be to bring ear plugs and continuously look down. And yet, even if you look very unapproachable, some random Hufflepuff will come up and ask you a question. Over the many years, all students have learned to stay away, so I no longer have those poor Hufflepuffs to glare at. That, however, doesn't mean that I don't get any dirty looks in return. When I settle down at the back end of the Ravenclaw table, I hear a few of the older students whispering to first years, making sure that I go unbothered, for the sake of their own heads. My reputation is something that has taken a long time to master.
And yet, I still feel a tap on my shoulder. Looking over and away from my bowl of porridge, there's a small girl that gazes at me with large blue eyes. She doesn't seem to have heard what the older pupils have said. Or she simply doesn't care. She points to the basket of rolls that she is quite far from reaching.
"Excuse me! Could you pass those to me?"
I sigh. If I were any younger, I would have just ignored her, but she looks so blissfully innocent that I can't refuse. I grab two from the basket and place them on her plate. The girl squeals with jubilation and quickly thanks me before sinking her teeth into one of them. I catch the eyes of a seventh year that sits next to the girl, staring at me with her mouth open wide. I raise an eyebrow and her head turns away. Several of the others whisper again to one another, glancing at me out of the corners of their eyes.
Standing, I push my plate away from the edge of the table and head toward the doors of the Great Hall. This is what I get for being at least a little bit kind. I should have just followed my first thought and ignored the girl. Then I wouldn't have been the talk of the table. It was likely that the whole school would hear about how King gave two rolls to a first year. It's not as if it's a big deal, but gossip travels around fast at Hogwarts. Especially around those damn Hufflepuffs.
"Excuse me, Hogwarts students!"
The sudden cry from a familiar voice makes me pause just as I'm about to leave the Great Hall. James Potter stands on the Gryffindor table, clearly seen above everyone. I shake my head in dismay, noticing Black cheering him on. The Great Hall's noise level goes down significantly.
"Why does he do this so often?" Regulus Black asks, suddenly appearing at my side. It doesn't make me jump. This isn't the first time it's happened. It isn't even the fifth.
"Because he's an arrogant boy who thinks himself the lord of the world," I reply.
Potter clears his throat before continuing. "Seeing as it is the first week of school, I must make it known to all those first years that Miss Lily Evans is completely off limits!"
I can't help but feel bad for the red head that lets her head sink into her folded arms. Potter has been making this announcement since first year. Of course, I never really cared to know their names until this year when they've decided to start bothering me. Even now, Evans has yet to accept his proposal of courting. It would be a bad match anyway. Though a blood traitor, Potter is a pure-blood and Evans is a Muggleborn.
