The Tribrid and Her Reflection {Book Two - - Complete}

Teg The House Elf

The Muggle Studies room seemed similar to most other Hogwarts classrooms. The most significant difference was that there were items from the Muggle world instead of crystal balls or jars of slimy ingredients.

Artifacts of the Muggles' ways were displayed around the room. The pieces looked out of place with the moving paintings hanging on the walls, though it was nice to see something a little familiar to Hope. Even if the bike they had was much older than the models she'd grown up with.

Soon enough, she'd have students in the seats to learn about Muggle's ways. Was she really up for this? Could she be a teacher?

Oh, right, professor.

Well, her inner thoughts interrupted suddenly, Alaric taught. How difficult could it be?

Hope smiled at the thought before glancing up as the door to Muggle Studies opened, and Albus stepped through, closing the door behind him.

"Finding you smiling is a good sign?" Albus smiled fondly as he stepped toward her, pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead.

"Hm," Hope smiled, adjusting the collar of his suit, "I feel pretty good about it."

"I'm glad," he stroked her jaw lightly, blue eyes twinkling, "may I know what caused the smile?"

Biting her lip, she shrugged. "Just thinking of someone I knew. Alaric. He basically established the Salvatore Boarding School. Before that, he was a high school history teacher slash vampire hunter."

Albus raised a brow and smiled. "Oh?"

With a laugh, she nodded and rested her hands on his wait. "Hm, long story short, his vampire-obsessed wife became a vampire herself, faked her disappearance, and had him searching and hunting to find and avenge her," pursing her lips, she nodded, "But that doesn't really work out for the people who don't want to be found."

He nodded, glancing around the room with searching eyes.

"Doing a little rearranging, I see?" Albus asked, turning his gaze on her.

A small squeeze of her stomach and she looked around, shaking her head. "Not much..." But she could feel the heat form on the back of her neck from the intensity of his gaze.

"The mirrors are gone," he murmured, but she didn't meet his eyes, "there were five in total in this room, and now there are none."

Hope looked the walls over; she had filled the vacant spots where she'd removed the mirrors with other decorations from a storage area she'd found a few rooms away. She parted her lips to defend herself, to explain why she'd taken them down, but that squeeze in her stomach squeezed her throat now.

"Hey," Albus took her face between his hands and guided her eyes to his. Now, she couldn't look away no matter how much she wanted to, lost in the kindness that offered a safe haven, "I understand. You don't need to justify your reasons to me; I just want you to know that you can keep your fear safe with me."

Hope swallowed and nodded, jaw tightening, but a firm brush of his thumb relaxed it again.

"I know." She finally breathed and sighed softly. "I'm not afraid of them. I don't like the way they make me feel."

Albus nodded, furrowing his brow. "How do they make you feel?"

"Like..." she searched for the words. "Like I'm starting to get a bad headache. I can't focus when I look at it, but I'm not...afraid of it."

I'm not afraid.

"I believe you." He smiled softly before squeezing her hands. "Maybe the memories of being in that world bring back rather unpleasant memories and..."