Marmoris | Rabastan Lestrange [1] ✔︎

17 | FRIENDS

Madame Pomfrey had fixed Rabastan's burnt back in the blink of an eye, while Phoenix sat on the chair next to the bed, virtually stabbing him with glares. She couldn't believe he actually got her into detention just because he had to pull one of his silly pranks. She just narrowly got away without any punishment for accidentally attacking Crystal, where she had really done something, and then he did something like that. What would Dumbledore even think of her. He had been generous and she thanked him with getting in trouble. She was basically fuming until she noticed the bin filled with bandages located on the nightstand shaking. Realising with what force she clenched her hand she promptly let go and it stopped to shake. It didn't make her mood any better though.

She left the Hospital Wing at a rapid pace, not listening to Rabastan, who called after.

"Phoenix... Oh, come on. Slow down woman." He grabbed her wrist, spinning her around which made her almost crush into him.

"What?" She spat and pulled her hand out of his grip.

"Don't tell me you are that furious about what just happened in Potions." He told her, looking down on her since he was quite a bit taller.

Phoenix simply turned around and attempted to make her way back to the Common Room once more. Of course he wouldn't let her do that and jumped in her way, making her stop. "Why? It was just a little prank. No one got hurt except for me. So what causes you to be that angry at me?" He wanted to know.

He was following her movements as she tried to walk around him, until she finally gave in and looked up at him with slightly narrowed eyes. "You think it's all about that prank itself, don't you?"

"Tell me what else did I do?" He requested, lifting his hands up in the air in a dramatic kind of way.

"You promised."

"What?"

"I told you how much grades and all of that means to me. You promised you wouldn't do anything and still you did it. That's what you did. You lied to me without even blinking, although you knew you would hurt me."

"It was just a prank, Nix. It's not that bad."

"Are you just acting or are you actually that stupid. It's not about the prank. Yes, I hate the fact you got me into detention, but what it's really about is trust. Friends are supposed to trust each other, even with small things like that, especially if it means hurting the other. And how should I trust you, if you lie straight to my face?" She told him before turning around and walking in the other direction. Nearly six years of living in this castle had taught her there were many different ways to get to a specific place.

"You consider me a friend?" She barely heard Rabastan's voice, which made her stop once more.

But she didn't turn around as she answered. "I did, but I'm not sure if you even want that friendship or if it's only a joke to you."

★

When Phoenix finally reached the Common Room she was more than just a little surprised. It was more crowded than usual and there were people shouting, pushing their fists into the air, and in the middle of the crowd she spotted Damian. The blonde, older boy stood on one of the tables showing off his forearm, in fact what was pictured on his forearm. Phoenix' breath caught in her throat as she recognised the black skull with the snake, the sign of the Death Eaters.

"For Merlin's sake." She whispered under her breath.

She had already seen it many times as she knew about her parents who had joined them a long time ago. But she had always feared the moment one of her friends or even her brother would do the same, although she had always known the day would come and what terrified her even more was the fact that she would perhaps have to join them as well. So what Sirius had told her was true. They had started to recruit students. The Dark Lord stretched out his hand to Hogwarts which meant it wasn't the save place it used to be anymore.

"Thank god you're here. Damian's been doing this since last period has ended and I can't get him off of that table. If a teacher catches him or somebody tells them, he'll most likely get expelled. Please you have to try, you have a major talent at convincing people."

"I can't, my family-"

"Nobody cares about your family." Maureen spat but immediately gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry. What I meant is that your family isn't here. There's a chance they will never know about this but right now there's a friend up on that table who needs you. So please..."

Phoenix let out a shaky breath before nodding. "Alright but he" She pointed at Damian. "will deal with my mother."

Maureen shoved her slightly forward and she pushed her way through the students crowded around the seventh year boy, trying not to hurt anybody. Detention seemed to be her smallest problem right in that moment. When she finally reached the table she pulled lightly on Damian's trousers but he simply pushed her hand away, not paying any attention.

"Damian!" She tried calling him but her voice was drowned out by all the other students' shouting. Phoenix bit her lip feeling another headache coming up as there were too many different emotions surrounding her.

"I'll kill you." She groaned before pushing herself up with her arms and lifting her body on the table. She stood up straight, causing the blonde boy to face her as she pulled on his arm with the mark. "Get down right now."

"Why should I do that?" He asked, wearing a mocking expression on his face.

"Because you will get yourself expelled?" She offered.

Damian gave her a confident smile and told her with a low voice. "How about I don't care?" Then he turned around to face the crowd again and spoke louder. "This school is infatuated with filth, people and creatures who don't deserve this kind of education. They destroy our society; they want us to become as filthy as they are." Phoenix watched the crowd scream out words of agreement as he pushed his marked arm high up in the air. "This is our chance to clean it. We can make a difference and I'm proud to be a part of it."

Of course Phoenix realised it was way more than just showing the dark mark off. It was propaganda which meant it would most likely not just get him expelled but sent to Azkaban. She couldn't let that happen. She remembered the loving brother and kind friend he had been before his sister's death all too well and she was not willing to lose that soul. Through the crowd's strong feeling of excitement she sensed a hint of grief, something Damian kept bottled up behind a mask of strength but even that masquerade couldn't hide it from Phoenix' abilities. It was like a shadow which followed him everywhere and since the first time she had felt his emotions, she had always felt his grief when he was around. It was a strong feeling, stronger than most people's feelings were, and now she knew how much more Daphne meant to him than she had believed.

She grabbed his arm once more.

"Do your really think Daphne would want any of this?" She asked quietly, only for him to hear it.

A glamming spark of sorrow washed through the blue of his eyes, but mostly she could still see determination. "I hate them for what they've done to her. There needs to be some sort of justice."

Phoenix felt her own heart ache as she sensed his pain over the loss of his sister. Although there were many other emotions swamping over her it felt like it was her own grief washing over her. She swallowed trying to keep her voice steady. "But not like that."

His eyes, now clearly visible filled with pain, locked with hers.

"Please get of this table, Damian."

Suddenly his pupils widened before going back to their normal size. Puzzled Phoenix watched him nod before he jumped off the table. In disappointment the crowd dispersed and went back to their usual groups. Phoenix slowly got off the table herself. Just in time she looked over to the stairs leading to the boys' dorms to see Damian's blonde hair disappear on the top. As much as she felt the need for some quiet time on her own, his pain didn't vanish. It was like a footprint, still present in front of her eyes although the person who had created it was already out of sight and she realised her friend was falling apart and if nobody tried to put these pieces back together there would be nothing left for them to save.