Something old, something new.
Reina sat at the back of the art classroom, sketching in her notebook with a focused, delicate hand. Art had always been her escape—her safe place. It was the one class where her mind wasn’t constantly racing, where she could channel her emotions into something beautiful rather than keeping them bottled up inside.
People chatted loudly around her, she tried to block them out. Often Reina found herself wishing other people didn't exist, or that she could be invisible and not have to talk to others at all.
She felt invisible sometimes. She both loved it and loathed it.
Today, the assignment was abstract expressionism, but Reina wasn’t paying much attention to the specifics. Yet simultaneously she was paying more attention to it than she had anything before. Her pencil moved across the page with purpose, creating an intricate design of swirling lines and soft shades, the image in her brain slowly forming on the paper. her thoughts drifting far from the noise of school.
Sitting beside her was Panda, strange but kind as always, who was mixing watercolors together, creating a soft, dreamlike scene that seemed to float right off the page. Pandora always had a distant look in her eyes, as if she existed half in this world and half in some ethereal realm only she could see. Despite her oddness, she was one of the most genuine people Reina had ever met.
“Hey, Rein,” Pandora said softly, her voice like a breeze. “Do you ever think about trying something new? Something… unexpected?” Pandora's eyes widened and she looked so ready... So able...so ambitious.
Reina honestly wasn't sure if the level of confidence her friends had was an American thing or just a them thing.
Reina raised an eyebrow but kept sketching. “Um...Like what?” Reina really wasn't the type for new things. She stayed quiet and always kept her head down. 'unexpected' was not her forte.
Pandora shrugged, her paintbrush lazily flicking across the canvas. “I don’t know. Cheerleading, maybe? I know it’s not exactly your thing, but it could be fun. Something to distract us from… everything.”
not exactly her thing. Understatement of the bloody year. Cheerleading was loud and bold and required way more talking and general volume than she was comfortable with.
Reina glanced over at Pandora, surprised she was even interested in it. Cheerleading? It seemed like the last thing Pandora would be into, with her floaty dresses and unpredictable yet pleasant nature. But then again, maybe that’s why she was considering it. A change of pace.
“I never really thought about it,” Reina admitted, turning her pencil in her hand, she wasn't really interested and wanted to let Pandora down gently. “I mean, we’re not exactly the cheerleader type, are we?”
Pandora smiled faintly, her eyes still on her painting. “Maybe that’s the point. It could be fun to try something that’s totally different from what people expect.”
Reina hummed, thinking it over. Cheerleading had never in a million years been on her radar, but maybe just maybe Pandora had a point. It could be a way to distract herself from everything—Mulciber’s constant harassment, the stress of school, and the lingering thoughts about herself she tried so hard to ignore.
She hadn’t eaten much today, just a few bites of toast at breakfast, but no one had noticed. Or at least, no one had said anything.
No one even Sirius, who instead seemed to stare at her for as long as he could. She could feel his gaze on her sometimes, like he was waiting for the right moment to say something. But the tension between them was still there, unspoken and heavy, ever since the night he’d left. He didn’t know how to help, and she didn’t know how to let him.
She tried not to think about Sirius to much. He had James,Remus and Peter. He didn't need her anymore, that much was clear.
brothers realised he's too good for you
Outsider.
Before she could dwell on it any longer, the classroom door creaked open, and Barty Crouch Jr. strolled in with Evan Rosier close behind him. They were laughing about something, Barty’s loud, confident voice carrying across the room. Barty caught sight of Reina and Pandora, grinning as he made his way over.
“Ladies,” Barty said, plopping down in the seat across from them and blowing Reina a kiss which she mocked catching. “What’s the plan today? More painting, or are we rebelling against the curriculum and starting our own art movement?”
Reina rolled her eyes but smiled. Barty was always like this—full of energy, full of life. He could make anyone laugh, and he was fiercely loyal to his friends, especially when it came to Evan.
The two of them had become inseparable, their relationship the kind that seemed unbreakable, like they had their own little world within the chaos of school. Reina admired that about them.
“Just painting,” Reina said, her tone light. “No rebellions today.”
Evan leaned over her shoulder, inspecting her sketch. “You say that, but this looks like rebellion to me. It’s incredible.”
Reina blushed slightly but waved him off. “It’s nothing.”
“It’s definitely not nothing,” Pandora added softly, her eyes flicking between Reina’s drawing and her own painting. “It’s beautiful.”
Reina then seemed to actually look at what she was sketching for the first time.
It was a girl. An Asian girl. She was crying. But a wide smile was on her face, the tears collected in the small divots of her cheeks. She looked unapologetic. She looked strong. She looked brave.
Before Reina could thank them, the door swung open again, and a familiar, unwelcome presence filled the room. Toby Mulciber. Reina’s body tensed immediately, her grip tightening on her pencil as he sauntered in with that smug look on his face.
She felt an odd sense of embarrassment looking at her art now. The brave girl wouldn't cower Infront of Mulciber, wouldn't take the slander about her heritage.
She could already feel his eyes on her, the weight of his attention suffocating. He had made a habit of picking on her since the start of the semester, and the racist comments were getting worse. It wasn’t just teasing or insults—it was targeted, hateful, and every time he did it, it left her feeling smaller, more invisible, like she didn’t belong.
Barty noticed her stiffen and turned to follow her gaze, his expression darkening when he saw Mulciber. He muttered something under his breath that Reina couldn’t quite hear, but it was enough to make Evan glance up too, his usually relaxed demeanor hardening.
Mulciber may be an idiot but even he wasn't stupid enough to say something about Reina infront of a particularly volatile Barty. He seemed to make a quiet comment to his friends as they giggled but she kept her head down and imagined she could disappear.
Barty turned to her, his expression softening immediately. “You okay?”
Reina nodded, though her throat felt tight. “Yeah. Thanks.”
Pandora reached over and gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder. “We've got your back, you know?. We all do.”
Reina smiled weakly, grateful for their support. But as the adrenaline began to fade, she felt that familiar knot in her stomach tighten. The stress, the fear, the constant pressure—it was all starting to take its toll, and she knew she wasn’t handling it as well as she pretended to.
She glanced over at Sirius, who was sitting in the back of the room, his eyes fixed on her with that same worried expression he always wore when he thought she wasn’t looking. He knew. Of course, he did. He could see what she was trying so hard to hide—the way she picked at her food, the way she avoided eating altogether.
But for now, Reina pushed those thoughts aside. She wasn’t ready to deal with them. Not yet. Instead, she focused on the present, on her friends, and on the idea Pandora had floated earlier.
“Hey,” Reina said softly, turning to Pandora. “Maybe cheerleading wouldn’t be so bad after all.”
Pandora beamed, her eyes lighting up. “Really? We could do it together! It’d be fun.”
Reina smiled, feeling just a little lighter. “Yeah. Maybe it would.”
She stared at the girl in her drawing and found some misplaced sense of strength in her. She felt like she owed her.