The Chronicles of Four Side Characters

Acceptance

Marina Sharpe

It was late at night the day after the first week of classes. Marina had been sulking all week and was pretty sure that she was going through the seven stages of depression. She hadn't talked to the people in her dorm once nor had she tried to interact with her friends from the train.

There had been many times where she had drafted a letter to home to ask if they could take her out of this school and send her to another, but she would never get around to sending it. She would always end up throwing it in the trash next to her desk.

The grandfather clock struck two in the morning but Marina had no intention of returning to her bed. She was the last one in the common room everyone had turned in at least an hour or so ago. She was absorbed in her weekend homework; it was a distraction. Every time she let her mind wander it would go straight back to how she was not in Slytherin.

She still had about two inches left on her potions homework when she heard it. "You know there is a reason you're in this house, right?" a soft voice whispered. Marina jumped and dropped her quill. She whipped her head back and forth to find the source of the voice.

"Over here, Marina." The soft voice said. The portrait of Rowena Ravenclaw was talking her. She sputtered in surprise, she didn't think that this painting had magical properties seeing as it never moved. "You really don't like it, here do you?" Rowena asked and the small girl stayed silent.

"Riddle me this, what is so bad about being a Ravenclaw?" the portrait said with a smirk lining her lips. Marina opened her mouth to let a rip but after a few seconds, she closed it. What was so bad about being in Ravenclaw?

That thought shook her, she was so focused on the fact that she wasn't in Slytherin to look and see if she might like it in her, assigned house. "Exactly. You were so focused on yourself that you didn't try and think of the possibilities you could have in this house. Your pride had taken a wound and you couldn't repair it."

Marina looked down and shuffled her feet on the blue carpet, Rowena was right. Marina, being raised with the Malfoys, had developed a larger sense of pride than others and being put in Ravenclaw had given it a gaping wound. Was this all a matter of pride? Was that why she was so heartbroken?

"Listen to me Marina," Rowena was now leaning on the side of the frame, "A good lesson to learn is to not take what you are given for granted. Look around you. You've been given a home, good food, and a proper education. There are many witches and wizards who will never have that. Even if your new home is not exactly to your liking it is a relief for many others."

"A relief? What do you mean?" Marina asked. Rowena sighed and her eyes looked distant.

"Do you think everyone had the same upbringing in their home? Do you think every pureblood, half-blood and muggle born child here had the riches you had? Do you think all of them had loving families as you do? This place is someone's safe haven and look how you've been treating it.

"You took for granted what some of these students consider to be their real home and not just a place that they are housed in for a year. A word of advice, look at your surroundings and appreciate what you have." And with that, the Ravenclaw founder walked out of the large portrait and disappeared.

Marina had been stunned into silence for a few minutes before gathering her things and proceeding to the dorms. Once she got there she realized that all her roommates were asleep, she crept through the bedroom careful not to wake anyone.

She laid flat on her bed without changing. Thoughts swam through her head until she was eventually lulled to sleep.

-.-.-