Weary is the head that wears the crown
The next morning was heavy with anticipation as Reina and Pandora waited by the entrance of Hogwarts High for the announcement of the cheerleading team. They buzzed with nervous energy, exchanging glances filled with hope and excitement.
Reina could barely contain her jittery nerves. Her heart raced with every minute that ticked by. “What if we don’t make it?” she asked, biting her lip.
Pandora shrugged, her usual airy demeanor shining through. “We’ve worked hard. I know you’ll make it. And even if we don’t, we’ll find something else to do. We’re still fabulous no matter what!”
Reina managed a weak smile, but doubt lingered in the back of her mind. The clock on the wall ticked steadily, its rhythm like a countdown in her mind.
Just then, a group of girls gathered around the bulletin board by the entrance, laughter and chatter echoing in the hallway. As they glanced at the board, the noise level rose, and Reina’s stomach tightened with a mixture of hope and dread.
“Let’s check it out!” Pandora said, positively bouncing on her toes.
Reina followed her, heart pounding. They squeezed through the small crowd, trying to peek at the announcement. When they finally reached the front, Reina’s breath hitched in her throat.
“Congratulations to the new cheer squad!” someone called out, and as Reina scanned the list, her eyes widened in disbelief.
“Reina! You made it!” Pandora squealed, grabbing her arm and shaking her in excitement.
Reina blinked, hardly able to process the words. “I did? Really?”
Pandora’s face lit up as she pointed to the list. “You’re right there! And look—I'm on the team too!”
A rush of relief washed over Reina, followed by a wave of giddy excitement. “I can’t believe it!” She pulled Pandora into a tight hug, the weight of her anxiety lifting as they both celebrated.
Pandora grinned, spinning Reina around. “This is going to be so much fun! We’re going to be the best cheerleaders Hogwarts has ever seen!”
After class, the girls walked home together, their spirits soaring. But as Reina approached her house, the familiar knot of anxiety began to return. The Black family home loomed before her, imposing and cold, a perfect reflection of the expectations that waited within.
“Are you okay?” Pandora asked, sensing the change in Reina’s demeanor.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Reina lied, forcing a smile. “Just… ready to see my parents.”
With a wave goodbye, Pandora headed home, leaving Reina to face the evening alone. As she stepped inside, the usual tension hung in the air. Her parents were already seated at the dinner table, the atmosphere thick with unspoken expectations.
“Reina,” her mother, Walburga, said, glancing up from her plate, her tone clipped. “You’re late.”
“I’m sorry,” Reina muttered, sliding into her seat, feeling the weight of her mother’s disapproval.
Orion, her father, sat across from her, his expression unreadable but not unpleasant, her father wasn't her favourite person in the world but he had never been all that bad to her. It was Walburga she watched out for. “How was school?” he asked, trying to mask the tension with casualness.
“Fine,” Reina replied, focusing on her plate. She couldn’t shake the feeling that her parents were waiting for something more.
Walburga’s sharp gaze settled on her. “Have you heard back about the cheerleading team?”
Reina nodded, her heart racing at the thought of sharing her success. “I made the team, Mother."
“Is that so?” Walburga’s expression remained impassive, but Reina could sense the slight arch of her mother’s eyebrow. “Good. I suppose that means you’ll be busy.”
“Yeah,” Reina said, her excitement dimming slightly. “But it’s going to be fun—”
“Fun?” Walburga interrupted, her tone cold. “Is that what’s important? Fun? This is not a playground, Reina. You need to focus on what truly matters.”
Reina felt her stomach twist at the familiar lecture. “I am focusing on my studies and cheerleading, Mother. I promise.”
“Cheerleading is a distraction,” Walburga snapped. “You should be preparing for your future—perhaps an arranged marriage. Soon. ”
Reina’s heart sank at her mother’s words. “What?” she asked, stunned. “An arranged marriage? I’m only sixteen!”
“That doesn’t matter,” Walburga replied dismissively, as though discussing the weather. “There are families who would be honored to have you as their daughter-in-law. You need to think about your future, not just your whims.”
“But I don’t want that!” Reina exclaimed, her voice rising. “I want to choose for myself. I want to focus on cheerleading and school.”
Orion shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Walburga, that’s a bit extreme, don’t you think? She’s still a child—”
“Don’t patronize me, Orion!” Walburga shot back, her tone sharp as a knife. “This is not the time for your attempts at placating her. She needs to understand the seriousness of our family’s legacy.”
Reina’s chest tightened as she looked at her father, desperate for him to stand up for her. “Dad, I can’t—”
“I understand that you want to choose for yourself, Reina,” Orion said gently, trying to navigate the storm brewing at the table. “But there are traditions—”
“Traditions that bind us to mediocrity!” Walburga snapped, cutting him off. “Reina needs to learn that she cannot afford to be selfish. The world does not revolve around her whims.”
Reina felt her anger flare, but she swallowed it down; this was not a time to argue at least not out loud.
The warmth she’d felt from the cheerleading announcement was slipping away, replaced by the cold reality of her home life. “I just want a chance to be myself,” she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Walburga leaned forward, her expression unyielding. “You can be yourself as long as it aligns with the family’s expectations. Otherwise, you will end up like those—those children who squander their potential.”
“Walburga, let us at least discuss this further before scaring her." Orion tried again, his voice firm but gentle. “Reina deserves the space to grow, to discover who she is without being suffocated by expectations. Arranged marriages? That’s too much.”
Walburga’s gaze turned icy, and Reina could feel the tension thickening. “ We did it. And our parents before us. You’ve grown too soft, Orion. This is why she’ll never understand her role unless she learns now.”
“Learning doesn’t have to come from oppression,” Orion shot back, clearly frustrated. “She’s a gifted young woman with her own passion ,I understand that tradition must prevail, but we shouldn’t crush that.”
Reina felt a flicker of hope as she heard her father’s words, but it was quickly extinguished by Walburga’s relentless scorn.
“Enough!” she barked. “This is not a discussion. Arranged marriages have served our family well for generations, and it will not change because you two want to indulge her whims.”
The conversation spiraled from there, with Walburga listing expectations and potential matches while Reina fought to keep her emotions in check. She couldn’t believe her mother’s casual tone when discussing something so personal.
As dinner continued, Reina picked at her food, the flavors dull and unappealing. Each bite felt like another reminder of the distance between her dreams and her family’s expectations. Her heart ached, not just from the prospect of an arranged marriage, but from the feeling that her desires were completely disregarded.
When dinner finally ended, Reina retreated to her room, feeling defeated. The weight of her mother’s expectations hung heavily on her shoulders. She wanted to cry, to scream, to run away from it all, but she knew she had to be strong.
As she sat on her bed, Reina thought about the cheerleading team, about Pandora’s support and James’s encouraging words. For a moment, those thoughts gave her a glimmer of hope amid the darkness.
“Maybe one day, I can change things,” she whispered to herself, clutching a pillow tightly. “Maybe I can find a way to be happy.”
But for now, she would have to navigate the tumultuous waters of her family’s expectations and her own dreams—one day at a time.