Raven | 𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

Chapter 43

On their way back to the Ravenclaw common room, Mike kept glancing sideways at Alexandra's direction suspiciously. For some reason, his friend couldn't wipe the smile off her face.

"Why are you all smiley?" Mike asked her with a raised brow.

"Why? Is it a crime to smile these days?" Alexandra said in a cheeky manner.

"Depends on the reason you're smiling," Mike replied wittily. "If the reason you're smiling is that you've just murdered someone and you're satisfied because of it, then yes, smiling would be a crime that way."

Alexandra rolled her eyes at that, even though she giggled. "By the way, don't wait up for me tomorrow for breakfast."

"What? How come?" Mike mused as they reached the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room.

Although thankfully they didn't have to guess the riddle this time, because two seventh years in front of them had already solved it and had opened the door. So they took the opportunity and walked into the common room after them.

The Grey Lady — the ghost of Ravenclw tower — was floating inside the circular and airy room, welcoming back old students and kindly congratulating the new ones for being sorted into the House of Ravenclaw.

"Okay, goodnight, Mike," said Alexandra, trying to make her way toward the dormitory staircase. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Whoa! Hold on!" He quickly went forward and grabbed onto her arm, stopping her. "You didn't say what you're planning on doing tomorrow!"

Alexandra gulped. She was really hoping that she could be able to sneak away without having to talk to Mike about it. For a second she actually considered lying to him and saying that she just wanted to go visit Hagrid. But she couldn't bring herself to lie to her best friend.

"Oh, all right." She sighed, throwing her gaze down shyly. "Regulus asked me to join him for breakfast tomorrow."

At those words, Mike dropped his hand from her, a light frown forming upon his forehead as he stared down at her. Mike knew that he wasn't supposed to feel prejudice, but he couldn't trust Regulus Black.

Regulus was a Slytherin and from what Mike had heard throughout the years, his family was among those who despised Muggles and Muggle-borns and treated them like vermin. They were a danger to Mike and people like him, and wished nothing but death or banishment upon them.

They thought that Mike's kind weren't deserving enough to live, let alone possess magic. Purebloods such as the Black family even believed that Muggle-borns were only Muggles who had stolen the magic and therefore were not worthy of it.

So Mike let out a long sigh. "Alex —"

"Look, before you say anything," Alexandra cut him off as she raised her hands up at Mike to stop him, "I just want to say that I trust Regulus. He's changed."

Mike pursed his lips together, pondering the matter in his mind. He didn't trust Regulus, but he couldn't deny the fact that Alexandra always smiled whenever she saw Regulus from afar. She didn't know this, but Mike realized how her cheeks slightly blushed each time she mentioned his name and talked about him, just like now.

"I know you don't like him. But there were so many things that I learnt last year, and one of them was the fact that Regulus has a pure heart. It wasn't his fault that he was born into a prejudice family, or his fault that his so-called-friends in Slytherin weren't good ones. He just needs... someone to show him the way. He needs a real friend."

Mike had nothing else to say to her on the matter. So he just shrugged lightly as he let out the breath he was holding. "It's your choice, Alex. Just... make sure you make the right one."

And then with that, he turned on his heels and walked upstairs. But before Alexandra could leave and go back to her own dormitory, she caught Helena's ghost staring down at her from across the room. Alexandra felt a shiver run down her spine, but trying to shake the feeling away, she quickly went up staircase and up to her dorm.

***

The next morning, Alexandra woke up with the feeling of excitement in her stomach. The other girls in the room were still asleep even though the sun was already out. Although none of them had ever bothered with Alexandra throughout her years at Hogwarts, finding the girl slightly weird.

They never even understood what Mike Williams — the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain who was actually rather good looking — even saw in Alexandra Starling that he became her friend in the first place.

But Alexandra didn't mind that she didn't have many friends, as long as the few ones that she had were real ones. She had Mike and Hagrid as her friends at Hogwarts, and also had her books to keep her occupied. Although she also counted all the creatures in the Hogwarts' grounds as her friends too, visiting them any time that she could.

After getting ready and putting her books in her bag, Alexandra quietly left the dorm as the other girls were staring to get up to start their sixth year at Hogwarts.

As she left the Ravenclaw common room and made her way down the marble staircase, Alexandra could practically feel her heart beating loudly in her chest.

Although the moment she was about to take the last step into the entrance hall, she heard something.

"Alex!" When she turned around, she saw Regulus calling her out.

"Oh, good mornin — whoa!" Alexandra was saying, but she was caught off guard when Regulus once again grabbed her arm and started dragging her back up the marble staircase quickly.

"Stop doing that!" she said, laughing as Regulus kept on his hold on her.

"Stop what?" Regulus questioned with a grin.

"Dragging me like this!" Alexandra protested, even though she was still smiling. "Where are we going anyway? I thought we were having breakfast in the Great Hall."

"No." Regulus shook his head as he led led her up to the next floor. "You know how those idiots are. You come and sit with me at the Slytherin table and the whole school won't stop talking about it for ages."

"Then where are we going?" Alexandra pressed the matter further, her curiosity getting the best of her as always.

But Regulus only grinned as he kept dragging her away. "You'll see."