RISE OF THE FALL | R.B.

I.

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter World belongs to J.K. Rowling.

*

CHAPTER I.

Reia groaned as she rolled out of bed and almost collapsed onto the ground.

But just before she fell, she caught herself and clung onto the side of her mattress before pulling herself back onto her bed and sitting up with a groan.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Josie said airily as she swept through the dormitory as usual—as she did every morning.

Josie pulled her green-and-silver tie around her collar and said after a moment, "Aren't you going to get up?"

Reia sighed, "I will, I will."

She pulled aside the green curtains that had fallen out of their place.

The dormitory was dark; as usual.

The lighting was limited to the few lights, because the window, which showed the dark depths of the Black Lake, didn't provide any light at all.

In fact, Reia didn't even really know why there was a window in the first place.

The other girls must've already left the room—because it was empty save for Josie and Reia.

"Josie, can you grab my robes from my closet?" Reia said with a groan as she threw her blankets off herself, revealing her emerald green pyjamas.

"No," Josie snapped, "Get up yourself, Rei."

Reia sighed. She really, really didn't want to get up...but...oh well...

She grunted as she hopped out of bed and went into the bathroom.

"HURRY UP, OR I'M NOT WAITING FOR YOU!"

"OKAY, OKAY!" Reia yelled back irritably, before turning to herself in the mirror.

Her curly hair was brown, streaked with a strand of emerald green and a strand of purple, and her eyes were caramel-brown.

She wasn't anything special; she was half-blood, and had an ordinary surname.

But Reia honestly didn't care about that at all.

Groaning, she forced herself to get ready for her day at school.

***

Reia slid into her seat at the table in the Great Hall.

"Oi, Lupin!"

Reia whipped around, and found Lucius Malfoy grinning at her, his long blonde hair tied back like he always had it tied, every single day, since the day that Reia met him after their Sorting Feast in first year.

Reia rolled her eyes, "What, Malfoy?"

Lucius said, "Don't forget about the Potions Essay."

"Yeah, I know," Reia said impatiently, "I still don't know why Slughorn paired us together. I thought he was going to pair me with my dear brother Remmy just to annoy me."

Lucius shrugged, "I don't know, either, Reia. Don't ask me."

"I wasn't asking you," Reia scoffed, but she grinned back at Lucius before turning back to eating her breakfast.

"So...you and Malfoy?" Narcissa teased, smiling.

But it was common knowledge that Narcissa fancied Lucius Malfoy. The two of them had been friends since they were children, and though Narcissa didn't show it everybody had realised it—but it was sort of an unspoken promise between all the Slytherins that they would not speak of it.