✧A RAVENCLAW GRADUATE✧

◊━━━━━✥━━━━━◊

***

Rhea Lestrange had let out an exhausted sigh of utter relief, she managed to avoid any big issues, leaving her to finish the rest of her Head Girl duties with ease.

She was finished.
Entirely finished with her education at Hogwarts, and it felt as though it was just opening a new door of issues. As if a diploma would help her predicate.

In pulling out the parchment from her robe, she felt the chilling anxiety creep up her arm and straight to the back of her neck. Her head of house had been truly honest when claiming that Saint Mungos doesn't ask twice when sending out their acceptance letters.

But to witches like her, she was bound by her parents and couldn't possibly do something of this sort without their approval—Or their vault number for the cost of tuition.

All Rhea had wanted since she was younger, was to become a healer. One that would help children, possibly in a school setting as she adored helping Madam Pomfry when she could.

Which most likely aided her in gaining the invitation by such an institution, but how much of a failure would she be in not taking advantage of this opportunity?
Yet in the eyes of her parents, they were more than likely going to say no.

She felt it in her bones, yet her heart clenched in anticipation.
There was hardly much in the world she wanted, she hardly asked or used her allowance—Perhaps that had been a mistake, she could've saved it all up used to forward her tuition. But that had hardly managed in the last three years, and it wasn't nearly enough.

Apparently, further education costed a fair bit of coin, the never-ending amount of debt would continue if one didn't come from money. And it wasn't as if her family couldn't afford it, it was the cost of their image they couldn't risk.

Could her parents possibly allow their daughter the chance to do some good in the world or would they simply let her sit in wallow until the next ball or event that arrived?

In a fit of rage, Rhea had stashed the parcel back into her pocket and swiped the lingering tear that snuck by her. Usually she wasn't so easily moved by her own thoughts, but with such a milestone and a missing section of her life up to chance...
The unknown was starting to cause her to grip the small band at her wrist and snap it back and forth.

"Bloody hell." She hissed, the red mark would cause her mother to frantically panic. Not that the woman understood any more than blame the bracelet and its quality, than how it managed to case such a red striped line.

"Rhea?" The voice caused her to instinctually cover the small account of self-harm in the last few minutes, and he huffed impatiently. "What are you doing here? Everyone is looking for you."

"Oh? And where is the Head boy?" She said with a perk of her lips, knowing full well that Lucas was likely shagging in the train's cart than finishing out the last of his duties.

Making her the one in need of being responsible.

"I was just enjoying the free moment, it's my last ride if you remember..." She said with a slight smile, and Rabastan had almost recoiled at the statement. And all too suddenly her realized that his sister would no longer be accompanying him to Hogwarts.

Ever again.

"R-right. Well, the prefects are rounding up the first years, and the Gryffindors are—"
"I'll handle it in a moment." She deemed, knowing that her brother was waiting for the 'go ahead' from her to place a punishment on those lions.

But really, she couldn't. All the houses seemed to have their wild side, though being a Ravenclaw surely didn't produce many of the dimwits. It was those that were absentminded that were much more of a nuisance.

It was keeping them on track that proved to be the real struggle, and since she was a Ravenclaw herself, they were her responsibility—As per Lucas' diction.

Since 'only Ravenclaws could understand their own kind,'

"I'll see in a moment then." He said before ducking out, but then she chuckled and caught him just before he left entirely. "Rabastan?"

He peeked his head back in, she could do with some cheering up. "If you see the trolly, could you get me a chocolate frog?"
"You think last time's the charm?" She nodded, the small bet they had with one another in collecting them all had been going since the dawn of time.

And they made it an effort to get a new source here on the trolly, and with much success—They were only missing one more.

"How many?" He questioned and she smirked. "I have to go with my brother's quidditch number, here..."
"Nonsense, three?"
"I meant Rolph's, Raba." The tease had caught him by surprise, though it shouldn't have.

His sister had completed her NEWTS and was off home with a much better attitude. But she rolled her eyes and agreed with three each, though she hardly had much of a chance to get to her coin purse before her brother waved it off.

"We'll open then tonight, yeah?" Her brother could be sweet when he wanted to be, but of course one of the Slytherin gals from his grade had swiped his attention outright.

Leaving Rhea to doubt that her brother would truly be getting those chocolate frogs at all.

With this sudden boost of energy, she continued down the train's small hallway and came to terms with what she was about to do. "Why is it...That you lot have to make trouble now? Can't I have a peaceful last ride without you mucky up things?" She questioned, and the bright grins from the Gryffindor's below her had risen her mood tenfold.

"Really? Who reported us now?" Potter dwelled, and that is when the piggybacking truly began as Sirius had let his cheeky smile share his own happiness.

"Yeah? Your brother?" He questioned.
"His mates?" Lupin asked.
"Ms.Evans and Snivilus?" Peter said with a small tilt of his head and she rolled her eyes.

"My brother, but he said you were tormenting those. Clearly the only person your tormenting is poor Remus here." Having spoken to him on many accounts, Rhea knew that she favored him right beside her 'cousin'—Though that was what she and Sirius referred to one another as.

Considering that they were related by the marriage of her brother to his cousin, and it was simply easier to title it as such.

"I'm alright, just a bit ill from the travel."
"Well do rest up this summer, trusting the rest of you to make sure he does so." They all shared their own records of approval, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught one of her brother's mates coming forward.

"—And I best not hear another complain this entire ride, I truly do not want to have to owl Professor McGonagall from home. Is that understood?" She said, pairing it with a sharp scowl.

"Yes ma'am." They sang in a chorus, catching her change of character. "I'll see you this summer, Sirius." She said with a final wink and proceeded forward down the hall in the opposite direction.

She still had work to do apparently.

Thankfully the word spread that Rhea truly did not want to fool around, and the rest of the ride had been a blessing. She actually had a moment to mingle with the rest of her gals, and enjoy the final moments as the Hogwarts Express began pulling straight up to the platform.

"It's strange, isn't it? We'll be in the real world now..." Olivia said with a slight tilt to her head, the imagination causing a foggy gloss to take over her gaze. "For some. Others it isn't so easy." Evelyn said with a bitter hiss, and Rhea had narrowed her gaze towards the Slytherin of the group.

Why was she suddenly cold to the rest of them, and when Rhea finally had the gull to speak up—The gal had taken her purse and left the cart without so much as a proper goodbye.

"She means well, her parents are being a pain." Malia had said with a polite smile, she knew more than the rest of them. Causing Jade to frown. "Her parents are being arses and we get carted for it?"
"No no. It isn't like that, I promise it'll make sense in a bit just—Just hold out. Alright?" It didn't make anything clearer, but Rhea nodded before taking her own purse and hurrying off the express. Knowing full well that her mother was off by the pillar waiting for both her and her brother.

And of course, her brother was already in an embrace held by his cheeks on either side. "How was the rest of your classes?"
"Fine mother, truly. I've managed well these last few weeks." He responded, though Rhea knew that she herself would never get those questions.

She was a Ravenclaw, it was to be expected.
Though her mother had managed to offer a smile to her middle child.

"Let's get going, your father is waiting to start brunch." Rhea hummed along as she caught sight of Evelyn once more, she never knew her friend to be so off-putting. If anything, they were the best of friends since their first train going to Hogwarts, and yet she hadn't been told what was wrong.

Catching sight of her once more, she caught the pain etched out onto her face—But a smile appeared. A faint and hopeful one, but it meant more than just a slight warning from Malia that things will get better.

'Owl me,' Rhea mouthed. And Evelyn nodded, though her attention turned rather quickly to her parent's discussion at hand.

If her parents were being arses, usually she'd be the first to know, not be left out in the dark.

Rabastan nudged his sister to get a move on, and thus, the Lestranges had managed their way from the crowded platform all the way to their esteem manor.

And already the coldness had crept in once again, while Rhea had a somewhat formulated plan, she needed to still be cautious.

Asking to become a healer and going to school for it required a good bit of thought and reasoning behind it, but nothing came up. Not even when Professor McGonagal had questioned the young Lestrange daughter as to why she hadn't bothered to attend her Head of House meeting back in fifth year to discuss life plans.

Because Rhea truly didn't see much after her life of Hogwarts.

And now, being in her nearly deserted foyer as her mother doted on Rabastan.
She frowned.

Especially when her Head Girl badge laughed at her face, she was considered to be the weakest link in the family as of now. Supposedly meant to be a son and failed to get the family's house.

As if her awarded title of prefect then turning Head Girl had given her the treatment anywhere near her brothers.

Clearly, the tricks and cards had been played long before and thus, she huffed in damnation.

She hurried to take her things up to her room, asking an elf to aid her while her mother had been the one to order her brother's things upstairs.

It wasn't favoritism, she had to remind herself of this, no.

If she didn't want to cry before bunch then she needed to let go that train of thought.

She knew well enough that she wasn't her father or mother's favorite. That was left for either of her brothers and pained the hell out of her that she plopped down right onto her freshly made bed.

And thus, she decided to do something she wouldn't normally do. She undressed straight down to her panties and tossed her brassier straight into the hamper—Pulling out a nightgown she didn't hesitate any further than to wiggle straight underneath the covers.

She deserved a nap, and god damnit she needed it.

She had closed her eyes for a mere five minutes before the door to her room had opened, and she peeked her head up in a sleepy daze to see her mother. "What on earth—It's hardly the time to be sleep now Rhea!"
"Mother I'm tired, please. I've just finished Newts and haven't caught up on my sleep." It had been the first time that Rhea truly defended her position, but her heart wasn't in the mood to be talked over or sit silently amongst the rest of the snakes.

"Are you feeling alright?" There it was. The care that she'd only get in times of illness or—Well there wasn't really an or, not that Rhea had found another. Yet lying would result in a healer arriving in no less than twenty minutes and she didn't want to make a show of it.

"I'm fine. I just want to close my eyes for a bit." She explained, but her mother simply stepped forward and placed a hand onto her forehead. Not finding any symptoms that would infer that she was indeed feeling ill or catching something.

"Your brother is expected to arrive any moment..."
"I'm sure Rolf won't mind mother. I'll be seeing him a lot more now, won't I?" It was true, coming this summer there was no more count down to September first in order to return.

She no longer had that to look forward to.

"Yes, I suppose you're right. But I expect you at dinner, your father and I have something to discuss with you." She nodded, numbly. Still not receiving that warm tone that was reserved for her brother, and thus she watched as her mother left the room without another word.

Yet now, Rhea no longer felt tired—She felt drained more than anything, and so she leaned down to her nightstand to retrieve the acceptance letter from Saint Mungos.

Had they contacted her parents?
Sent a letter to her manor instead?

These thoughts and possibilities were soaring through her mind that she had to stuff her face into her pillow, her mind was far too active now to properly get any rest—So she uncovered the book that she knew must be hidden under every account.

A piece of muggle literature.

It was quite easy to obtain, the shop in Hogsmead didn't discriminate—And her parents wouldn't check to see what she was reading, but here she was, enjoying a telling tale of a man who has it all...The life, the dream, and the aspiration.

But not the girl.

Rhea thought it strange that the whole reason Mr.Gatsby would throw these decedent parties was to attract one single woman—A married one at that. And yet it made the most sense, he was battling it out in the only way he knew how.

And frankly, she understood the showiness that was captured in the party scenes. She's been to more than a few dozen in her lifetime alone, it was to showcase wealth and power.

She wasn't a stranger to feeling this cold alone in the manor, and it certainly would grow worse with time.

◇──◇────◇────◇──◇

Date Posted: 04-05-2021

Time: 9:53

Words: 2574