𝔅𝔢𝔞𝔲𝔱𝔦𝔣𝔲𝔩 𝔓𝔞𝔦𝔫

ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔗𝔥𝔦𝔯𝔱𝔶-𝔢𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱

𝔗𝔬𝔪'𝔰 𝔭𝔬𝔳

Walking past the open metal gates of this prison, I sigh. I detest returning to this place every summer. I am allowed to stay at Hogwarts during all of the breaks except this one. Hogwarts, unfortunately, does not allow students to stay at the school over the summer to my great annoyance.

The pollen and heat are not the only reasons that I hate the summer. This prison disguised as an orphanage is the biggest reason I hate this season.

Opening the double doors that lead into the large brick building, I walk inside and close the doors behind me. The lady at the front desk acknowledges me with only a lift of her gaze before going back to her paperwork. "Back again?" she asks, her tone dripping with condescension. Her tone makes my fists clench in anger, but I do not bother replying to her insolent remark. Instead, I walk past the front desk and head to the east wing of the building.

Once I get to the east wing, I head into the narrow hallway and walk until I get to the room I will be sleeping in for the next few weeks. Grabbing the key to the room from my pocket, I push it into the keyhole and grab the knob of my door, twisting it until the wooden door opens. I go to walk inside of my tiny prison but stop in my tracks when I hear what sounds like a meow.

Turning around, I notice that the door across from mine is slightly ajar. I take three steps forward to see if the room across from mine is where the sound came from only to find something I never, not in a million years, thought I would see.

Kritana sits on the bed, her hand caressing a small black cat.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

Her head whips in my direction, her eyes widening to the size of saucers when she sees me standing in the doorway. Her mouth opens to say something, but no sound comes out. She just looks at me, her eyes wide and her mouth agape.

"I asked you a question," I snarl. She has a lot of nerve coming here, to my orphanage. To the place where I have stayed ever since I was an infant. I know she has no place to go, but to come to this place of all the places she could have gone to takes a lot of gall.

She tries to speak again, but mere fragments of words leave her mouth. I mock her by tilting my head and making the same sounds, my deep voice shifting into a falsetto. "Did you lose your tongue along with your brain?" I snarl. She remains quiet and shuts her mouth, causing anger to boil just beneath the surface of my flesh. "Speak!" I demand, the loudness of my voice causing her to flinch. She grabs hold of the cat and brings the creature to her chest, holding it as if she is protecting it from me. "I didn't know we were coming here," she tells me, her eyes on the cat and not me. "You didn't know you were coming to an orphanage? Did you lose your eyesight as well?" I snarl.

Her eyes lift only for her to glare at me. "Dumbledore said Rhysand and I were staying at an orphanage. He didn't specify which. I never thought he would be daft enough to send us to the same orphanage you live at."