— chapter three —
THE NIGHT CORNER

—

THERE WAS NOTHING that Remelda hated more than sitting in the common room with Demetri Carrow slinging his arm around her shoulders as he smirked and retold a story of how amazing he was and how his morals were the best. Of course, she did hated conversations with her older brother, classes with Demetri, and her mother's relentless attempts to make her a better daughter, but this came close to them all.

She had tried, like her mother said, to become closer to Demetri, but it was so hard when all he ever did was brag. He had the whole of Slytherin house wrapped around his finger, they worshiped him as if he were a god. She only sat there, staring at the fire while something chiming in mindless laughter and noises of agreement whenever others in the room did so it seemed she was in fact listening to him.

He was so carefree in his manner, the way he described his accounts with younger students from other houses (his favorites were Hufflepuffs because they were easy targets and Gryffindors because he felt they deserved it the most), but the others in the room were also carefree to agree.

Remelda couldn't blame them. Their parents brainwashed them, and she was blessed with an older brother who helped her out of that brainwash. Even if she didn't exactly like him anymore, and held a grudge against him, she could say that the one good thing about him was making her realize that there was more in life. He made her realize that this mindless agreeing with parents and never thinking of another lifestyle, growing up with prejudice ideals and a hatred against those who weren't 'magically pure' was simply disgusting.

"Can you believe that? They thought they were better than me!" Demetri scoffed, and Remelda refrained from rolling her eyes for the millionth time that night.

"Well I can't believe it, Demetri," Nancy Daniels, a fifth year, agreed with him. She had always liked Demetri, thinking he was as good as it got, and Remelda could only feel sad for her. There were plenty other people who were much better than him, but apparently not everyone saw that, and she felt immense sympathy for them. "No one is better than you."

"Thank you, Nina," he smiled, getting her name wrong yet again. He always got names wrong, an intentional thing he did to assert dominance and prove that he was better. Remelda didn't know why, but she never asked.

"Nancy," the girl muttered, sadness dripping from her voice as she whispered it. No one else seemed to hear it but Remelda, causing the girl to look at her with sympathy before turning back to the fire. They weren't allowed to show emotions, she reminded herself.

"Anyways, I was trying to get it in the first year's brain that I had a much better status than him when James Potter and his friends got in the way," Demetri scoffed again, "Why can't he just leave us alone? It had nothing to do with him."

"How rude," Nancy agreed, "You weren't bothering them, yet they decided to interfere with your business."

"At least someone understands," he then smirked, "Say, Rebecca, isn't your brother friends with Potter?"

"First, my name is Remelda, not Rebecca. Second, Regulus isn't friends with them, why would you think that?" Remelda spoke.

"No, the other one – the older one," Demetri corrected himself, "Isn't he friends with them?"

"Yes, but we don't talk anymore," Remelda stared at the fire, knowing that everyone in the common room had their eyes on her.

"Actually, wasn't he spotted in your train cart on the ride to school, Remelda?" Nancy brought up, wanting to catch her in a lie and gain Demetri's attention, knowing that they were to be married.

"He thought there was something left to salvage in our relationship and I proved him wrong," Remelda looked at her with hatred, "Or did you want to hear that we were best friends again, Nancy? Because if so, you'll be unhappy to realize that isn't what happened."

"Now, Reagan –"

"Remelda."

"What?" Demetri stopped, looking at Remelda with a shocked expression. Usually, no one corrects him.

"My name is Remelda. I suggest you learn it since we are to be married once school is over," she looked at him.

"Yes, Remelda, whatever, calm down," Remelda wanted to scoff at him, but she didn't. She couldn't, or someone would inform her parents and she couldn't let that happen.

It was then that the door leading into the common room opened, revealing Regulus with an armful of books. He looked to see Remelda silently pleading for him, and he nodded at her, going up to his room before coming right down again.

"Excuse me, I'd like to have a word with my sister," he smiled at them, using his manners just like mother told them growing up.

"And may I ask what for?" Demetri questioned, "We were having a lovely conversation before you arrived.

"I bet it was," Regulus chuckled, "But I need to talk to her about one of my classes that she excelled in and I need help with."

"And here I thought you were one of the smartest people of your year," Demetri chuckled at him.

"Oh, well you can't be the best without a little help, now can you?" the youngest Black played along.

"I disagree," Demetri smirked.

"Well, let's agree to disagree then, Demetri. Though, that still doesn't change the fact that I need to see my sister, now does it?" Regulus smirked back.

"Come along, Regulus," Remelda stood up, "You can tell me all about this subject you need help with when we get to your room."

She didn't look back as she grabbed his arm, practically dragging him up the stairs and into his room. Thankfully, there was no one in the room besides them.

"So, how did you get dragged into Demetri's Narcissistic Corner of the Night?" Regulus looked at his sister.

"He cornered me after dinner, I didn't have a choice in the matter," she lied down on his bed, "The regulars of the Night were there to, and it would've been extremely suspicious if I didn't agree."

"And Alfie wasn't there to save you?" Regulus' eyebrows raised.

"He had to finish an assignment for Herbology – that fucking class – and left dinner early to go to the library," she explained.

Regulus laughed, "I still don't get your vendetta against Herbology, sister."

"It's a useless class!" she exclaimed, "And the teacher thinks it's the most important thing you're ever going to learn!"

"Oh, yes, because only Potions and DADA are important in our lives," his lips curled upwards slightly.

"Transfiguration could be useful as well," she pointed out, "And anyways, it isn't that, I just hate that class."

"I know," he laughed.

Remelda moved closer to her brother, who was sitting at the foot of his bed with a book in his hands. "Where were you?" she asked him, peering over his shoulder.

"The library, you nosy twat," he playfully rolled his eyes. He closed the book before she could get a good look at what was inside, causing her to pout.

"Oh, come on, Regulus, you can tell me what you're reading," she looked at him.

"You wouldn't want to know," he looked at her, as if silently pleading for her to stop. "Maybe when you're older."

She gave him a look, "You do realize that I'm older than you, right?"

"Yes, and I promise I'll tell you once I've finished my plan," he promised.

"Hey, wait, what plan? Regulus, what are you talking about?" she stopped him, a little worried for her brother and what he was talking about.

He gave her a fake smile, hating that he had to lie to her. All he wanted was to tell her, but he didn't because it wasn't the right time. When it was, he would tell her, he would tell her everything and hope she would accept it. Last time he told someone, it didn't go very well, but maybe it would be different with her. Maybe she would understand what he was doing and why, and she would let him.

"It's alright, Remelda, don't worry," he chuckled, wanting his thoughts of that to go away.

"Fine, I won't badger you, but one day you'll have to tell me – and by the end of this year," Remelda decided, "I'll make sure you'll tell me, don't you forget that."

"How can I with you always peering over my shoulder?" he laughed.

"Hey, I don't always do that!" Remelda defended herself, blushing slightly.

"You were doing, what, three minutes ago? And yet you still say that you don't," Regulus smirked.

"That was to see what you were reading, I let you live most of the time...some of the time," she laughed with him, letting herself smile for the first time in what felt like forever.

"See! You've basically already agreed with that statement!"

"Shut up, Regulus!"