Taste of Youth

I could see a group of people sitting at one table and I started getting nervous. Lily tugged me farther toward the door nudging me with her elbow. I sighed and kept going as Lily continued the conversation about her sister, Petunia, that we had started on our way out from the dorm. She was telling me about her sisters new boyfriend, who from her parents perspective, was something like a walrus.I quickly stifled a laugh as the two of us took our seats. A hush settled over the group that had been chattering earlier.

“You must be Luciana.” A kind-looking guy that was seated across from me with Alice at his side smiled and offered his hand.

“And you must be Frank. Nice to meet you.” I took his hand and smiled at the couple.

“So this is the rumored new girl.”I turned my head to see yet another familiar looking face and watched him eyebrows raised when he frowned, “You’re the girl from the bookstore! Remember me?”

I shrugged and shook my head, “No, I don’t sorry.”

“I’ll have you know, new girl, that makes me very sad.” The handsome boy pouted a bit and a chilly stare came from Gigi on his other side.

My eyebrows went higher and I shook my head a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth, “I’m sure it does.”

He titled his head a bit his back hair slipping into his eyes, “I’m Sirius Black.”

“Luciana.” I responded as Dumbledore, McGonagall and Cormack swept into the room.

“Students, a moment if you would.” Dumbledore spoke to us easily standing to the edge of the group and glanced at me, “Ms.Rein you may chose to listen or ignore me for the next few moments.”

“Now, you are all here for extra training that is being provided by the Auror department. Professor Cormack is an in-action Auror and will be conducting your classes as well as your Defense Against the Dark Arts classes when school officially begins.

“You will be expected to conduct yourselves as you would in class. Professor Cormack will provide you with a training schedule tomorrow morning and you will be expected to comply. If being an Auror is really a career any of you wish to be part of I should think this would not be a problem. Now have a nice dinner and get some proper rest.” Dumbledore turned his eyes to me the twinkle in the unsettling for a moment, “Ms.Rein if you would come to my office after you’ve finished, I believe we have things to discuss.”

“Of course, Professor.” I murmured and the three of them swept away to join the rest of the teachers at the staff table.

Before anyone had the chance to consider asking me anything Alice jumped in, “Everyone this is Luciana. Luciana this is James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin,, and on the girls side we have Dorcas Meadows, Gigi Pritchard, and Samantha Murdock. To be honest I don’t know the seventh years down the way, so they’ll just have to introduce themselves if they want to. Where the food? I’m hungry.”

“You’re always hungry.” Dorcas snorted leaning her elbows on the table scrutinizing the group of three boys, “Where’s Peter anyway? You four never leave each other.”

“He didn’t have a high enough grade in Defense to be considered.” Remus said above the jeers the other to aimed at the girl.

Food sprang up on the table about four times the buffet that usual showed up when I was the only one here. Everyone delved into the food like their lives depended on it, stuffing faces and food particles flying out of talking mouths. Lily and I watched them from out seats blinking before looking at each other and struggling with out laughter. We got our plates the portions far less than half the mountains the others were eating and continued our conversation about Petunia’s walrus of a boyfriend.

“Your sister finally got a boyfriend, Lil?” Alice made a face, “I wonder what he’s like since she’s not all that great.”

“Hush you, my sisters just…” Lily grimaced and struggled for a proper word.

“Different than us?” I offered sipping idly at my pumpkin juice.

“Yeah that.” Lily waved a hand toward me, “I’m sure he’s nice and it’s just my parent’s being overprotective again.”

“I need something stronger than pumpkin juice to start believing that.” I muttered making Lily and Alice laugh.

We would have continued just like that had James and Sirius not popped into the conversation. They were speculating on what we were going to be forced to do in our classes. Gigi’s stare was getting icier and icier until she finally snapped when Sirius sent me a wide grin that reminded me of a dog.

“So, Luciana, your last name is Rein right? I think we had a Defense teacher with that name. To be honest I hope your not related because he was the sorriest excuse of a man I’ve ever seen and don’t get me started on his magical abilities. He was more of a magician than a wizard.” She let out a falsetto giggle and the entire table had gone silent.

My knuckles went white against the gold of my goblet as she continued, “I mean don’t you remember him guys? He was the one that singed of his eyebrows on the first day! I can’t even figure out why he was hired!”

“Professor Rein singed off his eyebrows because of a first year who’s textbook blew up as a joke.” Lily said quietly glancing between my face and Gigi’s.

“Ple-ase! He couldn’t even come up with a proper excuse for that, to blame your own incompetence on a first year is appalling. Must say something about his courage as well, he’d probably run at the first sight of trouble! He probably went into hiding after he left Hogwarts like a scared little baby-”

I slammed my goblet down on the table making everyone around me flinch and turned toward her murder in my voice, “My brother was murdered by Death Eaters two years ago, Pritchard. He died fighting to save someone’s life, not his own. He had a heart which is not something I can say for you. If there is anything else you have to say- say it now because I cannot guarantee your safety after this.”

Gigi looked pale and said nothing, looking around at the others desperate for some kind of help. They all avoided her eyes.

“Did you run out of slights for my brother? Would you like me to tell you a few minor details about my mother and sister so you can find some fictitious insults for them as well? No? Well then I suggest that the next time you open your mouth to me it’s to pass you some kind of food because there is only so many insults one person can take about the only good person in their family before they want to kill you in cold blood.” I placed my hands on the table and rose slowly, “It was nice meeting you all, but I have an eight foot essay to finish by tomorrow. Have a nice dinner everyone.”

I left the Hall quickly and headed straight for the front doors, I need to run before I killed someone. The night air was sharp and cold against the warmth of my red face. I was running my feet pounding against the compact dirt, I was flying at the speed I was going. Away from Gigi, away from my new friends that I had probably just terrified into silence, away from Hogwarts, away from the memories of my brother that it held in its walls, just away. The shaking of my hands and the writhing of my magic inside of me slowed as I barreled into the Forbidden Forest. I don’t know what I was looking for here but it wasn’t this. It wasn’t to hear insults from a petty little girl toward my brother. It wasn’t to learn magic. What was I doing here?

I skidded to a stop, the tears boiling over and slipping down my face leaving cold, wet tracks. I stumbled to the nearest tree and pulled my knees to my chest and cried. When was the last time I had cried like this? When my family left me to rot in that home? When I held Shannon screaming for help as her body cooled? When I went to the morgue to identify my brother’s body? When?The sobs raked out of my chest sounding loud in the otherwise silent forest.