Sweet are the Uses of Adversity PV P2

It was then that Alexx remembered the pieces of paper that had been slipped into her pocket, meant for the Hufflepuff boy. She gladly accepted the handkerchief, smiling at him, but not knowing what to say. Once more, she wanted to change the subject. She would avoid this all night if she could. And infirmaries... Scared her. She didn't like them. It was the same way that some muggles might have hated a dentist. From what she knew, it was a relatively common fear, anyway, and she didn't feel the need to be ashamed around Reid. However, she felt the need to be ashamed around everyone else. Alexx had a reputation to upkeep, and the one that she had currently was not linked with a fearful child. She held her head high. She was strong. Alexx Séverin did not have fears.

Letting her sleeve loosen from her grip, she was hesitant. "It'll get all bloody..." She mumbled to herself, shuffling in place a little bit. There was a stinging sensation as she pressed it to the open wound, one that made her flinch and pull away.

She marched over to Reid, ignoring the stinging. Her hand revealed the two slips of paper. One would be the French to English translation of basic phrases, and the other was... Well, something of her own doing. It might not mean anything, but it meant something to her. The truth was that Alexx had put a bug in the ear of any student she met, telling them to make Reid the second-year Student of the Year. Somehow, the title went to Scott. Why? Did he deserve it? Maybe, but certainly not as much as Reid. Even though Alexx and Reid weren't extremely close, he showed her kindness when others might not have. It was undeserved, too. She watched as many students would turn away from a Slytherin, especially one bearing authority. Many students did not want to be seen with that crowd.

Reid, however, had made himself quite comfy by Alexx's side. She was grateful, of course. So, her mock Student of the Year letter would prove that. Being in control of the press here at Hogwarts also had its perks. She could get all of this printed and make it look official. Not very many other students had similar advantages as her.

She didn't say anything about the papers, just smiled. "You sure they won't mind a Slytherin sitting with them? I mean, my table would definitely kick you out in a heartbeat, but I don't want to intrude if there's any resentment towards my house." She joked, laughing as she did. Once again, she didn't mention the infirmary. Instead, she accepted her fate. Reid would drag her kicking and screaming if he must. "But yes, I would love to sit with you lot. I'd suspect you're all a lot nicer than the people at my table." Really, she didn't care for anyone else to be there. She was only interested in sitting with Reid. Everyone else were just props.

His enthusiasm made her sigh in relief. "Well, the votes did go to someone else, but they were wrong. So, I made my own Student of the Year. This one went to the right person." She shyly smiled at him, eyes flickering between him and the ground. "It's no problem. Just- eh... Figured I have the right to do it anyway." She shrugged, trying to blow it off as "nothing" out of embarrassment. If anyone deserved this, it was Reid.

"Really? I was a little worried you wouldn't be able to read it." It was true, Alexx had stayed up half the night perfecting it. Writing, re-writing... The Prefect's dorm was covered with crumpled paper by the early morning. Her handwriting would get sloppy at times, and she would grow frustrated, eventually balling it up to start over. It needed to be perfect. "Anyway, it's nothing," She said, kicking some loose pebbles beneath her feet. "Just... Eh, thought you deserved it, I guess."

And this was it. Alexx was nearly completely broke down. The hard and guarded form that she held was gone. It had been gone all day, but not like this. Not like this. Reid was paying witness to something that no one at Hogwarts, save for Emma Hill, had. He was seeing something that would change things between them forever, at least on Alexx's end. She wasn't the type to be flustered. Not without attempting to hide it, anyway. But she didn't need to. Something about being around Reid made her feel as if anything goes.

She shoved her hands into the pockets of her hoodie, still clutching his handkerchief. "Anyway, should probably go get ready for dinner. I probably shouldn't show up with blood all over my sleeves. I might scare your house." She smiled at him, a twinkle in her eyes. "Read over that other paper, okay? It's just as important... I think. I mean, if you don't want to, it's whatever. Uh... Yeah. But you should." The confidence and demanding voice that she once had were gone at the moment. She wasn't telling him. She was asking.

Pausing, she faced the castle, looking at it, unsure if she had anything else to say to him. A thought flickered through her mind, and it made her smile. "See you at dinner... Reid." There it was again. His name. It rolled off her tongue as if it belonged to a foreign langued. It felt bulky, awkward, unfamiliar, and misplaced. But it also felt right and meaningful. As if this were a turning point. She couldn't tell why, exactly. She had spent so long now calling him by his surname that she had never really considered the four letters that labeled him on a daily basis. It was a nice name, no doubt, and she had nothing against it. And after all, most other people who she met were addressed, by her, by their first name. So what was so different from Reid?

She shrugged it off, deciding that this was a problem to consult after she had a stomach full of food. She couldn't ever think properly when she was hungry, anyway, so it made no sense to ponder such things when that was the case. With that, her feet led her back towards the castle, and she didn't look back at her friend or their plant.

EXIT ALEXX