𝙍𝙚𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙤 {𝙎𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙪𝙨 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠}

Thirty Six

The day continued on slowly and finally ended, surrendering Raina to be free to go to her brother, who would by now probably be in the library.

Raina spotted her brother sitting at a table alone with Lily Evans. Slanting her eyes, Raina walked over and stood on the opposite side of the table to them.

"Hey, Raina." James looked up and said happily. He was glowing.

"Hey.." Said Raina suspiciously. "You two have been spending some time together." She started slowly.

While Lily began to flush a bit, James' radiant smile didn't drop. "Yeah, Lily's been helping me out in Transfiguration."

"He really doesn't need it, he's doing quite well, but he insists." Said Lily coyly.

"How modest of him." Raina said, unimpressed, and Lily looked down awkwardly. "James, don't you think that it would be better to spend your time on Herbology? According to Sirius it's not your best, I'm sure I could help."

"To hell with Herbology." Said James carelessly, and Raina raised her eyebrows.

"Oh? Forgive me, I was under the impression that you wanted to grow past your careless behaviour. I thought you were serious about school."

"I am serious!" James defended quickly. "And speaking of which, why are you talking to Sirius?"

Raina blinked at him blankly. "Sirius is my friend James. I've been hanging around you lot for some time now. Did you think that we wouldn't get over our little rivalry?"

"But he called you a slut!" James tried to reason.

"Yes, and you, my darling brother, let him." She crossed her arms across her chest, not amused by James' strange attempt to bring up past hatred. "If I can forgive you for being awful to me I can forgive him as well."

"Well I think it's weird that you're talking to my best friend so often." James put simply.

"Oh, weird, is it? If I talked to Remus or Peter often you wouldn't give a damn. Personally, I think it's weird that you're talking and studying with the girl who's rejected you quite harshly a million times and caused you to put all of your self worth on her approval so often." Raina's words didn't bother James, but Lily did not look comfortable at all.

"Now, Raina, I think that's hardly fair—" Said James, but she interrupted him.

"No, James, personally I think it's hardly unfair. You've been chasing this girl for years and she has called you every name in the book, rejected you in every way possible, said horrid things about you to her friends and to your face, you reckon no one knows why you've made such a change? Of course it's good that you're growing, but you're changing so much about yourself for a girl who hasn't given a damn about you ever." She said smoothly.

"And it's quite hypocritical of you to say that it's weird that I'm hanging out with Sirius, when he even had the decency to apologise to me, sincerely apologise, for how he treated me, and I wonder," She said, turning to the now pink-cheeked Lily. "Have you apologised to my brother? For how you've treated him? And how you are the reason behind his constant mental torment and insecurities?"

Lily didn't respond, because the truth was she hadn't, and her silence told Raina everything that she needed to hear. "No," She said, satisfied with herself, though still hurting for her brother, who was too love blinded to see that she was right. "I didn't think so."

"Raina, that's enough." Said James, a little sternly now. "You're upsetting Lily while we're trying to study."

"Oh! Oh, I am so sorry Lily. I'm so sorry that I've upset you! I'm so, so sorry for defending my brother who has spent five years caring for you more than me, when I'm the only one who wanted to look out for him." Sarcasm dripped from Raina's mouth, and Lily only got more embarrassed.