Marmoris | Rabastan Lestrange [1] ✔︎

28 | SURPRISE

The Lestrange's residence was huge with numerous rooms, endless corridors and stairs, and everything in rather dark colours. Even the carpet on the floor of the long hallways was of a dark green, which seemed to be swallowing all the light. Grimmauld Place was just as dark but Phoenix had expected such a huge place to have at least a little colour to make it look less like one of those Muggle horror movies Maureen had made her watch a while ago. But there was nothing, simply a labyrinth without any light. She couldn't understand how people could feel at home in a place as large as this. Although there were many people there, it felt like they were completely alone and she was sure one could easily feel lonely – especially if they were treated like they weren't good enough to be a part of the family.

On the upper floor Rabastan leaned against a dark wooden door, his hand already on the doorknob, an excusing smile placed on his lips.

"Um, there might be some kind of a mess in there. Don't let it startle you."

Phoenix giggled. "I've seen Sirius' room a lot of times. I'm sure it can't be worse than that."

She couldn't prevent herself from tripping over her oldest brother's name. She hadn't spoken to him after their fight in the Entrance Hall, although he had tried to approach her several times, and after she had had some time to think about it, she felt guilty. She was his sister and not supposed to take anybody's side in his issues with Dawn, even if his actions were more than awful.

"Well then." Rabastan pushed the door open, revealing a room in green and silver colour. There was a large bed opposite the door in the middle of the room, a desk to its right and another door to its left. The walls were covered with photographs, drawings and posters of different Quidditch teams she didn't know and there was paper, books and quills spread all over the floor and bed.

She turned back around to face Rabastan, pointing at the floor. "That was usually where Sirius kept most of his clothes, so believe me, your room is nothing compared to what my brother used to call his most favourite place in our house."

Rabastan cringed his nose, half in amusement. "Well, I wouldn't want to have a girl seeing my underwear, would I?"

"I'm sure no girl would want to see it either."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that one," Rabastan told her, his voice totally serious but his lips curled up into a smile.

Phoenix couldn't help but stare at him for a moment. The happy expression of his face suited him – far more than the arrogant smirk he usually wore at school. But then his words reached her and she covered her face with her hands, letting out a muffled yelp.

"I appear to be quite popular and some girls told me some things about-"

"Stop, please stop," Phoenix cried out, slapping him against his chest, which only made him chuckle. "That's disgusting."

He raised his hands in mocking surrender.

"Okay, I get it you don't want to talk about my perfect body."

"Rabastan!" She slapped him once again lightly against his chest. "Stop it and finally show me whatever you wanted to show me."

He let out a laugh but nodded, closing the door behind them. Then he pushed some of the things on his bed aside, some of the papers circling down to the floor in the process, and patted with his hand on the empty spot. "Make yourself comfortable and don't peek."

Backwards he walked to the other door vanishing through it and only seconds later she could hear rumbling behind it. Phoenix could only shake her head, smiling. She had never expected him to be that chaotic. Still, it made him kind of... adorable. She nearly laughed out loud about the irony of her own thoughts. Before she had got to know another side of him, barely half a year earlier, she would have described him as an arrogant pig but now she actually called him adorable. What was wrong with her?