Crystal Clear | REGULUS BLACK //

1.19 Evans

"It's a long story."

"I have time to listen if you want to tell me." She helped Crystal stand up. "We can go look for Sirius too, if you want."

"Sure."

"So, tell me... What happened to you?" The girl smiled sweetly.

"It's just that..." Crystal sighed deeply. "I had this friend, we were friends ever since we met in the Hogwarts Express..."

"Oh, you're also the Slytherpuff girl?" She lifted her eyebrows in excitement.

"Slytherpuff girl...?" Crystal asked, finding the sound of it strange. She had her eyebrows furrowed.

"Sorry. It's just that people used to talk about you having no prejudice with Slytherins... And you're a Hufflepuff, so..."

The girl seemed serious and a bit concerned as if she was pondering if she was rude to Crystal. Seeing this, Crystal gave a relieved laugh, the first ever since she encountered Balthazar.

"I get it. It's okay." She smiled. "But I guess I'm not the Slytherpuff anymore."

"Why?"

"Well, one of my friends called me mudblood and the other... that was the one I mentioned just now... He..." Crystal felt her eyes fill with tears, but refused to let them fall. "He was a manipulative jerk and I didn't know. He tried to use crucio in me..."

"What?! But crucio is one of the-"

"I know, that's what hurts the most, I guess." Crystal sighed, she was having difficulty walking and occasionally the girl helped her. "He was usually so friendly and then he became vicious and kept saying how I was supposed to be his. Like a property."

"For Merlin, that's horrible." She seemed truly terrified. "That explains why you are looking messy. Look, I'm sorry for what happened, I can understand you."

Crystal lifted an eyebrow.

"You can...?"

"I had this childhood friend, but we're completely out of touch now." She looked sad for a while. "He was a Slytherin too, maybe you even know him. His name was Severus Snape."

"I do know him." Crystal seemed thoughtful. "He used to briefly hang out with Regulus and Balthazar... I don't really know him that well, actually."

"He called me a mudblood... After he was insulted. He tried to ask me for forgiveness, but I can't do it anymore, you know?" She smiled, her face showing a bit of pain. "We're on different paths. He loves Lord Voldemort and wants to be a Death-eater and I'm just... I'm muggleborn, I'm against it all, of course."

"It's basically what happened with Regulus and I. He never was too open with me, but we had a good relationship and then he just appeared with Malfoy and called me that." She sighed. "It was awful. And now I get to add another loss to it."

"Lucius Malfoy?" She asked with confusion.

"No, with Alice."

The girl seemed to remember who Alice was and gave Crystal a friendly pat on her shoulders. Crystal shrugged while smiling.

"By the way." Crystal said, looking at the girl. "Who are you? You know a lot about me and I don't recall seeing you around."

"Oh, of course." She smiled. "I'm Lily. Lily Evans."

Crystal instantly looked very surprised, what caused Lily to look confused.

"THE Evans?" She asked, as if she was baffled.