Dark Clouds upon Us || Renjun x Hogwarts

Chapter n°3

Renjun catches himself watching the blond Slytherin prefect again. It was already a fifth time since the evening feast has started.
"Renjun, you seem to be distracted today. You okay?" Doyoung sizes up the younger Ravenclaw with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, I'm fine hyung." Renjun smiles a bit. His raven hair slides into his eyes but the male doesn't mind too much.
"Is it because of the princess?" Doyoung smirks a little and takes a sip from the gold-plated goblet. Renjun frowns at him.
"Don't call her like that, it's stupid. Who even came up with that nickname anyway." The ravenette mutters so people around don't hear their conversation but everyone seems to be too invested in their own worlds. Doyoung just shruggs and licks his lips.
"You know, I think it was because of that snake incident three years ago. Someone heard her talking in some weird made up language to a snake." He traces fingers around the goblet while talking.
"I doubt it was real, noone has heard Parseltongue in decades." The older student adds before taking another sip. Renjun listens to him while pretending to be really interested in the leftovers on his plate.
"I know, I read about that language once or twice in books." Renjun answers with low voice thinking about the incident.

It was three years ago. As usual, he was sitting in a classroom designated for students to practice spells under a supervision of a prefect. There were only a few students around trying out and practicing spells when someone probably misspelled a formula and conjured up a snake. It was actually a huge snake something like a cobra. A deadly silence spread across the room as noone dared to make a move or cry for help. Only snake's hissing was echoing in the room until someone spoke up using some strange language. It was a hissing sound similar to the one that snakes make. But it seemed that it was shaping different words and sentences with an intonation. Renjun looked over slowly at the source of the sound to see Adalene York standing few metres away from the snake watching it with a fixed look. The snake returned her gaze his head moving up and down slowly like in a trance. Before the snake could attack anyone, the prefect supervising froze it with a spell and made all of us leave the classroom so he could call a professor.
Since that day a word spread around and people started to call Adalene the Slytherin princess because they believed she was either a liar desperate for attention therefore to mock her or in a worse case she was a Parselmouth and some kind of a Slytherin heir. Na Jaemin, Adalene's...best friend? boyfriend? ended up getting the nickname Slytherin prince because...well obviously it was to mock him for being friends with her but also because he is truly one of the school idols so the title suited him in the end.
Renjun found himself being even more irritated by the girl's nickname. Despite him being present at the incident he chose to believe it was just her attempt to get more attention.

"It's time to take first years to their dormitories." Doyoung brings back Renjun from brooding over the incident. The younger nods and looks around to check the number of first years.
"Hey, let's go." He nudges the female prefect who looks at him and gets up. The Ravenclaw prefects set off to gather the first years to show them their dormitories. As Renjun heads to the opposite end of the long table someone stands in his way.
"Not even stopping by to say hello?" Lee Jeno folds arms on his chest with a friendly grin.
"Duty calls." Renjun smirks at the Hufflepuff with messy dark brown silver-ish hair before greeting him with a handshake.
"Renjun!" A loud call makes both of them jump a little. The ravenette looks over to see an orange haired boy smiling from ear to ear marching towards the duo.
"Chenle." Renjun smiles a little greeting the other Hufflepuff with a handshake.

Lee Jeno and Zhong Chenle are one of Renjun's best friends. Renjun met Jeno in their first year along with Na Jaemin and Lee Donghyuck but he wouldn't consider that annoying prick his friend. Chenle is a year younger but he befriended Jeno quickly which made him a part of their group. There are also two Gryffindors he would consider friends, Park Jisung and Mark Lee. Mark is year older but he still hanged out with them a lot. Jisung is the same age as Chenle but the two of them apparently have met even before coming to Hogwarts.

"Jeno, congratz on becoming the team captain! Youngest captain in history!" Chenle throws arm around the taller male's neck making him bend a little.
"Oh, right. Congratz." Renjun adds standing with them between their two tables which are next to each other.
"Thanks. Gonna whoop Slytherin asses this year, right Chenle." Jeno grins at his teammate. Jeno plays chaser and got selected as the quidditch team captain this year. Chenle plays beeter.
"You guys, see you later. Gotta go." Renjun says goodbye before leaving to join the other Ravenclaw prefect collecting first years.

"Welcome all of you. The Ravenclaw house is very happy to have you. We are your prefects..." The Ravenclaw prefect keeps talking to the first years introducing her and Renjun and telling them basic informations. Renjun's eyes move to the next table where a pair of blond heads do the same thing. Adalene's hair fall on her back in fluffy curls in contrast to the black robe with dark green hood. Jaemin next to her energetically talks to their first years smiling and captivating them especially the girls. The female prefect only stands there smiling a little from time to time maybe a little overwhelmed by the sudden attention. She seems to captivate the students as well though.
Of course she does. Renjun frowns a little at his own thoughts.

The prefects finally lead their first years out of the hall beside Slytherins. Renjun walks last closing the group and paying attention so noone gets lost on the way. To his bad luck, Adalene had the same idea.
"Watch your step, princess. We don't want you to fall on your pretty nose." Renjun can't help himself but to throw in a mocking comment with a low voice.
"So you think my nose is pretty? How flattering, Huang." She answers with the same low voice without giving him a single look. Her confidence takes him aback for a second.
"...Don't think too much of yourself." He just answers with a blank expression.
"Adalene, could you help me unpack when we get there?" A first year girl suddenly joins the prefect as they walk, smiling sweetly at her. Renjun catches sight of them out of the corner of his dark blue eyes. Adalene seems to be surprised by the sudden affection but proceeds to smile gently at the little girl anyway taking her hand.
"Sure, what's your name again?"
Renjun finally breaks apart of them when Ravenclaws start climbing up the stairs towards their Tower while Slytherins head down to the Dungeons. The ravenette allows himself to take a last look back catching a glimpse of Adalene's long hair and her hand holding the younger student's.

Renjun sighs and loosens his blue tie slowly before taking off his robe and sweater. He sits on his bed his eyes wandering to his nighttable with a framed picture. It's a picture of him and his parents when he was around 5 years old. They are standing in front of their house waving and smiling. Renjun is smiling as well standing between them. However the image doesn't move like magical pictures do. His parents were muggles.
A sudden pain in his chest makes him close eyes and groan a little. A memory of his parents brings a desperate feeling inside of his chest which is now clutching his lungs.

"Mom! Dad!" Renjun cries watching his parents' lifeless bodies lay in front of him. He catches the face of the person who killed his parents before disappearing into the night with a crooked smile. The one who killed his parents just for being muggles who knew little something about the wizarding world. Helena Campbell also known as York.

Renjun opens his eyes with a tear dropping on his thigh. He reaches to a drawer to take out a sketchbook and pencils. While taking a deep breaths he leans his back on blue pillows and starts drawing with bedside lamp casting a dim light under his hands. His moves are calm despite his heart beating rapidly. Renjun goes through his hair with his fingers looking at the sketch. A face of his mother although the memory of her is fading away every day.
Is it fair for me to blame Adalene? It's not her fault she was born into that family. Still looking at the picture of her dead mother he quickly brushes the thought away. Helena Campbell York hasn't been seen for years now. Renjun heard that the York family got rid of all connections between them and the supporter of You-Know-Who's ideals. Yet the male still can't help himself but to feel the despair of losing his family whenever he sees Adalene.

A familiar feeling of anxiety is slowly fading away as Renjun keeps stroking the paper with pencil. After few another minutes the ravenette puts the sketchbook away. He lays down on his bed and decides to listen to calm breathing of his rommates as they float in their dreamlands. When he closes his eyes an image of Adalene's gentle look smiling at a first year student pops up in front of him.