Not-girl
It had become a routine of theirs. For months they had class together every day and then sat in silence in the library. Until once when Pandora asked a question.
“Could you help me with this? I’m not the best at spells.”
Regina had noticed that, seeing as Pandora always spent most of her time in the library on whisking her wand trying to perform magic.
“Sure” After helping with her pronunciation and movements, Pandora muttered a quick thanks and returned to her other worksheets.
“Why haven’t you talked to me?” The words were out of her mouth before she had the chance to think them over.
“I was waiting for you”
“Me? Why?”
“Because you seemed uncomfortable during our first meeting, so I waited for you to tell me to leave but you never did, so then I waited for you to talk to me.”
“Oh”
No one had ever taken into account how Regina would’ve felt. She instantly liked this girl better because of it. Wait no what, she still didn’t like her. What would her parents say?
Although, they're not here, are they? And who would care enough to tell them. One friend wouldn’t hurt anyone right?
Regina and Pandora had the same last class together, along with the rest of their schedule. Regina thought she was being haunted or cursed, but the other never attempted to make a gesture in class.
But they always sat together because of their names for the seating chart. Even in the class that didn’t have one, Regina sat next to her, knowing no one else in the class.
After that they started talking more. Funny little remarks in class, talking in nearly empty corridors, having a good time in the library that they almost got kicked out that one time Pandora said such a funny joke they couldn’t stop laughing for 5 minutes.
Pandora was in a different house from Regina, but not in Sirius’s house either. One day she brought a girl with her. Saying she was her friend and wondered if they could study together.
Regina was fine with it because she saw that the girl also wore a Slytherin tie around her neck. Although that didn’t really matter, since Pandora was in Ravenclaw, it was still a plus. But also, she genuinely seemed kind of cool. She was a year older than both of them and introduced herself as-
“Dorcas, Dorcas Meadows, pleasure to meet you Regina”
“You as well,” she responded, looking back down at her homework.
“I hope you don’t mind. I've brought some other friends, but I think you know them.”
At this Regina looked back up at Dorcas but this time noticed 2 figures standing behind her.
It was Barty and Evan. Barty seemed to be looking at his paper in confusion while Evan was trying not to display the same expression, while also being equally confused.
They both turned their heads and nodded at Regina, who nodded back.
This had started out as a study group, turned into a group of people, and then turned into a group of best friends.
4th Year
Reggie was walking through the hallway when she heard laughter at the end of the hallway.
She blew air out of her nose once she recognized whose laugh it was. Her brother and his stupid friends.
“Nice one, James!” Sirius yelled from the end of the hallway.
“Right back at ya, Pads!” his friend James yelled, running right behind him
“You guys are idiots,” the tall one, Remus, had said. He rolled his eyes but was also walking with them, since he was so much taller than them he was only speed-walking.
“You guys I don’t think McGonagall is gonna even notice,” Peter started saying.
“Are you crazy? She notices when her podium is moved over an inch away, of course she's gonna notice her office shuffled around!” Sirius yelled.
Reggie backed up against the wall as they all zoomed past her. As they ran, she caught a glimpse of Sirius’s eye. He seemed to slow down slightly while he looked at her for a split second, his smile faltering.
But as soon as he was out of her sight he was just as happy running around with his friends.
-
“I…I don’t think I like myself”
They all looked up at her, Dorcas, Pandora, Barty, & Evan. Wondering if their friend was alright.
Reggie said once in the library, she had been thinking about it for a while but didn’t know how to say it.
“What do you mean by that?” Pandora asked, she was always so sweet and gentle when talking about this type of thing.
Barty was not however “What do you mean you don’t like yourself? Your part of the richest family ever? You have everything you’d want”
Dorcas shot him a quick death glare which promptly shut him up. Pandora continued, “Elaborate on that please Reggie”
“I-I don’t know why, Barty’s right I do have everything, but I don’t want this. I don’t want the money, the dresses, the makeup, the disrespect. Fuck it, I don’t want to be the girl that I am, I don’t want to be a girl!”
Reggie was panting and breathing heavily at this point, good thing they were in the dorm or else they would’ve been kicked out.
Reg could feel everyone staring and started to recite the words she said, she didn’t anything-
Oh.
Oh Shit
She didn’t say-
Nope she definitely did. Well fuck. She just really said that huh. It kinda, well I mean, kinda
“That's ok,” Pandora said.
“What?!” said Reggie. She was very confused. No, it wasn’t? She should be grateful for herself. She should value-
“Maybe you're trans?” said Dorcas, because of course she would know about this kind of stuff. She realized how everyone was looking at her, “What? It’s the 70’s, everyone’s cool with it.” She shrugged it off like it was nothing.
“Um, what’s ‘trans’?”
“Oh um, transgender,” Dorcas explained “it's when your born one gender but you're actually a different one, genders all about what you feel not what parts you have”
Reggie looked…in awh. This could be what she was. “Yea, yea I think that's it.”
She looked over at Pandora who gave her a nod. Then at Dorcas, who smiled. Finally, she looked at Barty and Evan, the 2 she feared most on telling. They both wore shocked expressions on their faces. They both looked at each other and then back at Reggie.
“So, what now? You're a boy?” asked Barty. He was always so bone-headed. “Jesus Barty slow down, would you?” Evan said. He then turned to look at her, “You're still our friend Reg, we’d…we’d still love you know matter what” Evan then turned to look at Barty. He gave a kind of ‘well??’ look. Then a lightbulb went off over his head and he said, “Oh yea! Of course, you're our best friend, no matter girl or, um, not-girl?”
At this Reggie burst out laughing, “yea, not-girl”.