Braving the stares (Reena)

[tristan cathal o'brien]

Tristan was always annoyed that his favourite class was so close to the where the Slytherins were. Every time he wanted to go into the potions room, his sanctuary from everyone else, he had to brave the stares and jokes of the purebloods. They all knew he was a muggleborn and were always happy to further shatter his self-esteem. Now that he was partnered with Reena he also had to put up with it during lessons too. Tristan wondered whether he would ever have his usual level of happiness when potion making ever again. He hoped so but didn’t know for certain.

Why can’t people just leave me alone he wondered as he walked down the corridors past a couple of fifth year Slytherins who laughed as they moved past him. He didn’t know for sure that they were laughing at him but he could assume so. It seemed that his mere presence at the school was a cause for laughter. Sometimes I wonder why I’m still here he thought sadly as he got closer to the Potions room. He wasn’t happy in either the muggle or magical world but at least in the muggle world he wasn’t treated as a second-class citizen.

When he opened the door his image of a peaceful evening of potion making was shattered. His Potions partner was there. Oh god, why is she here? he asked himself. He knew she had seen him enter so he couldn’t turn around and leave now. ”Don’t mind me, just getting some practise. I’ll be quiet” he mumbled as he moved past her to the store cupboard for his ingredients.

[reena astoria malfoy]

It was a fairly nice day outside, snow on the ground and not much wind, but Reena was stuck inside practicing her potion making. 'I can't let that little muggle born continue to be better than me, but more importantly I need to get away from him and that means improving so I don't need his help anymore.'

[/i] Reena would never be caught in the potions room on a day when she could be outside with her brothers or friends, but of course she had something to prove. Seeing as Reena was inside trying to improve her worst subject when she could be outside having fun, Reena was not in the best of moods. Thankfully no one had seen her come in so no one would be questioning why the youngest Malfoy was inside when it was well known that she loved being outside and hated potions.

Reena had been concentrating on her potion when someone walked in. Angry at the fact that someone had walked in on her, and depending on who it was, she could very well have her reputation tarnished and have her brothers questioning her. When she saw it was only Tristan, she let out a sigh of relief at first, but then quickly became angry. However she didn't want to fight nor did she want him to know what she was doing. "Whatever, do what you wish. Just don't bother me." Reena turned her back to him and continued to work on her potion. It was a shade lighter than what the book said it should be, but Reena hoped it wouldn't be too bad. A few hours earlier her potion had completely exploded and burnt a hole in the floor.

Now with someone watching her, Reena felt almost pressured. Of course it was even worse that the very person she was trying to beat was the one watching her making her feel more pressured and anxious than she had been when brewing her potions final the previous year. Glaring into her cauldron, Reena muttered a few curses before stirring the purple goop that should have been blue. Stirring three times as the book said to, muttering a line of curses in French, Reena noticed that her potion as continuously getting worse. ‘Probably because I’m being watched, honestly he has to be a teacher’s pet if this is what he does in his free time.’[/i] She thought to herself bitterly. ‘Of course they were horrible before he came in… but still this one was going fine until he walked in.’[/i] [/color]
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Tag: Triss<3

[/b]
Word Count:[/color] Four hundred and twenty-eight
Outfit: clicky[/b][/i]
Notes:[/i] hope it's alright!
Credits: Lyrics: Pink
Template: Liz from Vineheart Academy! [/i][/color][/font][/blockquote][/blockquote][/center][/size]

[tristan cathal o'brien]

Tristan wondered why Reena was down in the dungeons, literally, when most other Slytherins were outside. Probably taunting muggleborns. He tried not to let her words bother him however. The potions room was his sanctuary, he wasn’t going to let an arrogant pureblood ruin that for him. ”Fine by me” he mumbled as he started gathering ingredients. He was trying to make the draught of living death, it was a very complex potion most people only attempted at NEWT level. Tristan was ambitious however and wondered how close he could get to a decent version of it. There were risks of course but he felt confident, something that was rare for him.

Unable to resist he looked over at Reena’s potion and almost chuckled. She had forgotten one of the ingredients and was carrying on anyway. Very stubborn he thought to himself. He started a fire beneath his own cauldron and started sorting out the ingredients before he sighed and went back to the cupboard. ”You forgot this” he told her while tipping her missing ingredient into the cauldron and giving it a stir. He then moved back to his own potion and ignored her again.

He didn’t understand why she was so determined to do it all herself. She needs help, she may not like me but I could help if she wanted me to he thought. He wasn’t particularly inclined to help someone who spent a lot of time insulting him but he didn’t think it made any sense to let continue struggling. ”By the way. If you don’t want to make the classroom explode you should probably ask me to help” he mentioned casually as he started making his own potion. He knew she probably wouldn’t ask. He just hoped common sense kicked in before it was too late and she ended up burning off her own eyebrows.

[reena astoria malfoy]

Letting out a frustrated noise, of course he had been able to fix her potion when she had been working so hard on it. It was a horrible feeling to have him be able to fix her potion with hardley any work. 'Hope he doesn't expect a thank you.'

[/i] Reena hated that of all people, Tristan...'What is his last name? Something Irish... O'connel? No, O something though...'[/i] Reena for the life of her couldn't remember his last name. Stirring her potion three times clockwise and then four times counter-clockwise as the instructions said, Reena let out another sigh. ‘O’brien! That’s his name, knew it was something like that. Oh well, he’s not important. I just need to focus on this…’[/i]

Reena could not help herself. She was a very stubborn and for the most part independent. So when Tristan told her to ask for help, she practically scoffed. "I don't need your help." She told him hotly before returning to her own potion. Reading the potion's instructions again, Reena sighed. "Classe stupides." She muttered angrily in French. Reena often spoke French when she was upset or frustrated. Reena obviously hated potions class, and she couldn’t help but voice that. Stirring three more times, Reena added the next ingredient and watched the potion turn darker than it was supposed to. "Damn thing!" She cursed before looking at Tristan. She wasn't about to give in and ask for help, it just wasn't her. She hardly ever asked for help and usually only from those who she trusted completely, meaning Draco and Perseus mainly.

Looking at him, obviously pissed off. Reena waved him off. "Leave me be. Worry about yourself." She hissed and went back to stirring her potion and adding the next ingredient. Looking at the directions again, Reena saw she needed to add two ingredients before the potion started to turn green, which of course, with how her luck was going it was already green. Cursing, Reena quickly added the ingredients though out of desperation. Knowing it was about to blow up, Reena thought quickly and threw a protection charm around her and Tristan before it could harm either of them. 'Why didn't I just let him get hurt? Merlin, why am I helping a muggleborn?'[/i] She thought to herself, though was just glad that Draco had taught her the nifty little charm as he knew very well that Reena's potions tended to blow up on her.[/color]
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Tag: Triss<3

[/b]
Word Count:[/color] Four hundred and fourteen
Outfit: clicky[/b][/i]
Notes:[/i] hope it's alright!
Credits: Lyrics: Pink
Template: Liz from Vineheart Academy! [/i][/color][/font][/blockquote][/blockquote][/center][/size]

[tristan cathal o'brien]

Tristan had no idea why Reena was being so stubborn. He knew that muggleborns were worthless in her opinion but he also knew that they were alone in the classroom. It wasn’t as if everyone would know he was helping her out. Most already knew anyway because they had class together. I don’t understand her Tristan admitted to himself. What was also on his mind was why he was even trying to understand her. Most purebloods he just dismissed as arrogant and made a note to avoid them. He wasn’t sure why he was even trying to help Reena, it wasn’t like she’d ever be grateful after all.

Is it because she so obviously needs help yet still won’t ask? he wondered to himself as he stirred his own potion. He was doing as she asked and was ignoring her and leaving her to it. He didn’t even think to tell her that he spoke French and so understood exactly what she was saying. It didn’t seem very important at that moment. He didn’t notice that her potion was rapidly going wrong because he was busy with his own. If he had been paying a little more attention he may have thought to protect himself but he didn’t.

That meant that when he heard a small explosion from across the room he was extremely surprised to find that Reena had protected him too. Maybe she doesn’t want to be accused of killing a muggleborn? he wondered but he still didn’t know why she did it. Too curious to resist he decided to ask her. ”Erm, thanks. Why did you bother helping me though?” he asked her as he walked over to examine the wreckage that was her cauldron. ”I figured that you’d blame the explosion on me and leave it at that.” he admitted as he brushed some soot of his own robes. Luckily his own potion was unharmed, he knew that if it had leaked they would have been in real trouble.

[reena astoria malfoy]

Being a very stubborn girl who didn't like asking for help, Reena could care less if someone offered to help her, unless she was about to die, she wouldn't accept it. Even then she'd probably fight until the very last second. She was taught that she was better than everyone else and that she shouldn't need help. With a little hard work she could do anything she set her mind too without any help, especially from a muggleborn. Reena knew most muggleborns labeled purebloods just like they labeled muggleborns, and it was always 50/50 with halfbloods. They either liked you or they didn't, whether they liked her or not, Reena didn't care. All she needed were the people who were like her, pure of blood. The Malfoy's wouldn't allow anyone in their family to lower themselves by fraternizing with muggleborns, even worse if they got together. Reena knew her father would torture her for days if he thought she was even interested in a muggleborn, and he'd kill her if she really wanted to date one. Lucius Malfoy senior was a very... determined and forceful man who believed that throwing the cruciatus curse at his children when they questioned his views was healthy and appropriate.

Since her potion exploded and Reena had protected Tristan, unknown to her why she did the last part, Reena brushed off her robes and attempted to get some gum off of her skirt. Brushing him off, Reena shrugged her shoulders. "I could have done that, but there was no way I was getting my wand snapped or getting thrown in Azkaban for killing you. You're not exactly worth getting thrown in there. No one is, other than my brothers and a select few friends." Which was exactly how Reena felt. She didn't get along great with her parents, and after enough cruciatus curses thrown at her by them, Reena didn't have an amazing relationship with them unless she did exactly as they said with no questions asked.

Running a hand through her long brown hair, Reena waved her wand and muttered the spells to fix the cauldron and clean up the mess. Opening the potions book, Reena started on a easier potion, though she hoped that Tristan didn't realize how easy it was. She knew she had jumped into doing one of the trickier potions, when she couldn't master the easier ones. 'Guess I'm going to start from the beginning again.'

[/i] She thought to herself with another sigh before getting the ingredients out. Looking over at Tristan, Reena knew she had to give in. "I'm not asking you to help... but if you see my potion going severely wrong can you, let me know? I really don't want a repeat of last time because for both of our sakes, I think another blast would send people running towards here to investigate and I don't want anyone getting the wrong idea about us. My brothers would kill you and my father would kill me and I have no desire to die because some people misunderstood what is going on here." Reena explained to him carefully and almost quietly. If one knew the cold girl they would have seen she was defeated, though to anyone who didn't see her they would just see a girl throwing threats around like normal.[/color]
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Tag: Triss<3

[/b]
Word Count:[/color] Five hundred and fifty-three
Outfit: clicky[/b][/i]
Notes:[/i] hope it's alright!
Credits: Lyrics: Pink
Template: Liz from Vineheart Academy! [/i][/color][/font][/blockquote][/blockquote][/center][/size]

[tristan cathal o'brien]

Tristan had fully expected her talking down to him, and muggleborns in general. It was one part of Reena that he could count on for certain. He was genuinely shocked however when she asked for his help. Not in a begging way of course but she still was admitting she needed his help. Finally she accepts she needs help he thought to himself. It was as close to a moment of victory as he felt he could ever get with her. Or in general. The pureblood queen admits she needs a muggleborns help he thought to himself, still in shock.

Yet he didn’t feel happy with himself. It didn’t feel as much like a victory as he had expected it to. ”I’ll keep an eye out. Just take your time with it and you’ll be fine” he told her. ”You seem to try and rush the potion. It takes as long as it takes unfortunately. You don’t need to race against anyone so slow it down.” he advised her. I’d better help, we don’t want another explosion Tristan thought as he vanished his own potion and instead sat behind her and started reading from his potions book. With one eye on Reena’s potion the whole time.

He could tell that stubbornness had been holding her back in potions. It was as if not getting it right first time made her even more stubborn rather than willing to learn. He knew that if she was a bit more flexible then she could actually be good at the subject. ”I won’t interfere unless I have to” he promised her as he turned the page onto invisibility potions. Now that would be fun he thought to himself.

[reena astoria malfoy]

Glaring at him, Reena bounced back to pureblood queen. "Just keep your mouth shut about this then. I don't need it getting out that I need your help outside of class." She told him hotly before lighting her cauldron. Reading over the instructions, thoroughly, Reena realized she was missing an ingredient, again, and quickly went to get it before she started working on the potion. 'This is utterly embarassing, needing help from a muggleborn. How much lower can I sink?'

[/i] She thought defeatedly before adding the first ingredient.

For some reason, Tristan's reassurence made Reena relax, though only slightly and not enough to tell unless paying very close attention. Mentally keeping his advice in mind, Reena could feel him move behind her and felt his eye on her, though made no sign that it bothered her. She had already admitted defeat, she wasn't going to let on any more emotions than she had too. "Alriht." She answered quietly, obviously hating the fact that her stuborness had failed her for the first time in a very long time.

Nodding to let him know she heard him, Reena continued to work on her potion. Slow and easy, not like a race, just like he said to. She got half way through the potion without any major problems and because of this, Reena smiled an actual and genuine smile. Not the normal Malfoy smirk she normally had on her face, but an actual smile that showed how pretty she actually was. Of course, she wasn't smiling at Tristan, more so because she saw that she actually could brew a potion without killing herself. She wasn't about to let Tristan take any credit as of yet. "Incroyable." She muttered under her breath, as it was very incrediable to her that she managed to brew half of a potion without any major mishaps.[/color]
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Tag: Triss<3

[/b]
Word Count:[/color] Three hundred and nine
Outfit: clicky[/b][/i]
Notes:[/i] hope it's alright!
Credits: Lyrics: Pink
Template: Liz from Vineheart Academy! [/i][/color][/font][/blockquote][/blockquote][/center][/size]