She was the Ravenclaw. I was the Slytherin. I couldn't explain myself to you even if I wanted to. I was too complicated; too wrapped up in my own family matters and affairs to take much notice of what the stress was doing to my body. By fourth year, I was as pale and gaunt as one of the Inferi that were rumored to be controlled by the dark lord.
Yet there she was. Every Charms class, she would come in the classroom as quiet and timid as ever. Our eyes met for a brief moment as they always tended to do; a silent hello said between two shades of gray.
She would sit on the other side of the room. We had never spoken, being from two rival houses. But, in a way, our eyes did all the talking for us. And, oh, how many things I saw through those eyes. I witnessed pain, anger, joy, and fear through those eyes, each time surprising me with the vividness of her sense of right and wrong.
That particular day, when the sky had turned from light blue to icy, November silver, Professor Flitwick assigned a rather tedious project to each of us, assigning us partners in the same breath. I was paired with her.
Our eyes locked as he called our names, and I could see fear as well as eager curiosity in her intriguing eyes. Several girls crowded around her, however, breaking our contact. They whispered excitedly to her, sometimes glancing in my direction.
The bell rang loudly in my ears, and I stood up from my desk, as if in a dream, and walked to the Slytherin dormitories to put my school books away and go to lunch. I was surprised to find the grey-eyed Ravenclaw sitting at the Slytherin table. Her eyes were darting about nervously. Bellatrix leaned over to her and said something my ears could not quite pick up, but I'm sure it was unpleasant by the way her mouth cured up into a nasty smile. Walking more quickly than what was normal for me, I came behind the Ravenclaw girl and placed lightly a hand on her shoulder.
"End of the table," I said quietly, when she looked up at me quickly. I turned to my cousin. "Leave her alone, Bellatrix."
I followed her to the less occupied end of the table and sat across from her. She sat there very timidly, not touching any of the food in front of her, while I grabbed an apple from the fruit basket.
"What did she say to you?" I asked her gently after an awkward silence. She glanced up at me, uncertainty shining in her grey eyes, but she quickly looked away, muttering something I couldn't hear. "I'm sorry," I whispered, "could you repeat that?"
"She was being prejudiced," she repeated more clearly, but still not meeting my eyes. I felt my own eyes fall to the table, embarrassed for my cousin's actions towards a girl she barely knew.
"I'm sorry," I mumbled and more silence ensued. She looked up at me after a while and our eyes met as they often seemed to do.
"It's not your fault; I should be sitting at my own table…which I'll go do now, if there are no objections." She got up to leave, but I caught her wrist.
"Don't—don't leave," I urged. Her eyes turned from fear to warmth I had yet to see from her. She smiled slightly and sat back down. "So," I said, suddenly business-like, "the project."
She sighed. "I guess we must discuss that."
"What else is there to discuss?" I asked, a bit harsher than necessary. Her eyes flashed with fear for a mere second, and I realized what I had said. "Sorry," I said quickly, and her eyes returned to the warmth I now so dearly longed for them to perpetually portray. "I'm Regulus Black," I said, holding out my pale hand. She glanced at it for a moment before taking it. Her skin was warm and it contrasted deeply with mine.
"Noelle Keller," she said softly, "but you can call me Ell."
I frowned. "I like Noelle better." She shrugged a bit and smiled, as if holding in a laugh.
"What?" I asked. As if her smile was like an infectious disease, I soon found myself smiling with her.
"Nothing," she murmured, but kept smiling.
"No, tell me," I insisted, trying to sense what those eyes found so amusing. I couldn't help but smile, something that did not happen very often. I noticed that some of my classmates had acknowledged that fact, also, and many of them were looking at me curiously from other parts of the table.
"Is it about a Ravenclaw sitting at a Slytherin table?" I asked bemusedly. I couldn't remember the last time I had laughed, but then I felt as if I would burst any moment with a sound that was so unfamiliar to me. She shook her head to my question.
"Ravenclaw girls are more accepting to charming Slytherin gentlemen with quick wits than others are; it makes us special. I just feel like I've known you for a long time, but, in actuality… I haven't." She said this so simply, as if it could fall from the tongue of anyone, but never had I heard that said before outside of books.
"Yes, well, there are stereotypes for Ravenclaw girls as there are for everyone," I said quietly, my smile fading a bit at nearly the same time as hers. "Ah, yes, Ravenclaw girls," I whispered, "The most sought after in all of Hogwarts, I'd say." She smiled again at this and I found that we were both leaning slightly towards each other. She seemed to notice that, too and quickly blushed and leaned back. I stayed where I was.
"So—so the project," she muttered, her eyes refusing to meet mine. "We must start on that."
"The lunch table is no place to be discussing graded projects; too cliché," I said, finally leaning back in my seat and regaining my natural haughtiness. "We do, however, need to overcome house differences and try to get along. I say we meet at the library after dinner tonight—and try not to be late."
"Yes, of course," she said confidently, her blush fading back to her normal pallor. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Black." She got up to leave, her eyes hard with something I couldn't quite place.
I watched her walk to the Ravenclaw table with same haughtiness, but as soon as her back was turned, I left the Great Hall. I didn't believe I had done anything wrong at the time, but I had to leave.
As I trudged back to the Slytherin common room, I couldn't help but repeat her name in my head; her grey eyes seemed to haunt me as I did so. Noelle, I thought. Noelle…
Authors note: In my profile I say I hope I don't get distracted by any minor stories. I guess this one just had to pop up in my mind right after I posted that. Anyway, I actually plan on finishing this fan fiction, though it may not be very long. I'm thinking five more chapters plus an epilogue. Feel free to review! I'd love to hear what you think!