𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗸, remus lupin

˗ˋ 10

CHAPTER TEN
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-: sixth year :-

── IN WHICH SHE'S APPROACHED

. . .

Pandora didn't necessarily enjoy the house she had been sorted into. Sure, it was most likely the best option for someone of her status, reputation and ideals.

But just like every other student in this damned school, even the Slytherins hated her. She wasn't sure why, either. They generally held the same beliefs - or it appeeared that way at least. Pandora had never been big on blood purity, and whilst her mother and father had mentioned it, it wasn't drilled into her like many of her house-mates.

So it seemed to Pandora that she was just like them. But they hated her, and she had no idea why. And she wasn't going to bother finding out why they would all stop and glare at her whenever she entered the room, why they were the last to offer to sit next to her in class and why they generally tended to slip down the bench from her when she sat down for meals.

Pandora almost automatically assumed it was because of her first few moves when she came to the school. But she didn't regret them and so she didn't care if that was their reason.

But even the Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors seemed more tolerable of her, and considering Slytherin's reputation against theirs, that did come as a bit of a shock to the Rosier girl.

Not that it did bother her, but if it did, then she would barely even react then. When she had been growing up, she had been taught to not react, and whilst she was awful at it at first (young children were far more adventurous, although Dysnomia had quickly corrected that), Pandora learned that if she mimicked her mother's behaviours, then she would be praised.

So as she grew older, Pandora showed less and less emotion, and whatever she did show was simply what she wanted others to see. It didn't matter whether she was upset, angry or happy - she would show glimpses through the mask, but primarily keep a blank face.

And when the older sister of that poor Slytherin girl who had her letter opener stolen from her approached Pandora at breakfast a week or so following the incident, they would be surprised with her reaction.

Breakfast wasn't necessarily an enjoyable meal for Pandora. She almost always felt sick after the meal, but now that she wasn't locked away in the Cursed Castle, she had to act like a usual person. And the first step in a day to doing that was to copy them and eat breakfast.

Her gaze had landed on her plate, a slice of toast cut up into triangular quarters, and a perfect circle of a poached egg in between them. She hadn't toached it, and it remained so as she clutched a knife and fork in each clenched fist either side of the plate.

"Rosier." Pandora rather slowly looked up from her plate, eyes settling on a girl stood on the other side of the table, her tie coloured the blue of Ravenclaw. 

Pandora barely acknowledged her anymore than that, the only movement from the dark haired girl being her clenching the silverware in her hands a little tighter.

"So it's true?" The Ravenclaw shook her head, clearly seething with anger. "I thought you would actually show me some sort of response - but you don't even say anything? The Slytherins were talking about you having no reactions - but I didn't realise it was literal.

Then, Pandora moved, not even looking away from the girl's face as her hand turned, holding the knife up and piercing the egg with such force that the yolk began spilling out of it instantly. "I apologise, I didn't realise that you believed yourself entitled to any other acknowledgement." Pandora smiled, but the action was completely void of any emotion. She tilted her head. "How may I help you, Amelia Burke." 

"How do you know my name?" The girl recoiled slightly, but her jaw was set and she didn't back away. "On your first day here, you stole and broke my sister's letter opener."

"Did I? I'm not sure, that day was oh-so-full of action." Pandora replied, pulling her eyes away from Amelia's face and down to her eggs, cutting off the top corner of one of the triangles of toast, dipping it in the yolk and eating it.

"You don't even remember? Gosh - you have more guts than I thought you would." Amelia shook her head, disbelief written across the Burke girl's face. Pandora simply continued to eat, not saying anything as she did so. 

But as she cut another slither of toast, a hand appeared in her face, knocking the knife and fork out of her hands. The plate was pulled out from under her face, it crashing to the floor and shattering. 

"You do have some audacity." Amelia's voice shook with anger, but that soon melted into fear as Pandora rose to her feet, scoffing. 

"Amelia, silly.. little.. naive Amelia." Pandora's voice had that terrifyingly sweet quality to it, and within moments, the girl had crossed the table, quite simply by walking over it, heeled boot crushing several pastries.

Hopping down off the other bench, Pandora stood in front of Amelia, not a single hair out of place as she leaned forward, emotionless eyes boring into Amelia's terrified ones. 

"You truly have no idea what you're doing, do you?" Pandora asked. 

It was becoming obivious to her that it wasn't just the Slytherins who hated her.

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