Chapter 703 - Rachel Grimond (2/2)
”No,” Rachel huffed rather indignantly. ”Mum's a squib, and Da's a squib, der purebloods.” And muttered under her breath, ”bu' we're poor, and I waz bitten.”
”Well, I am a half-blood,” Rowan plainly stated to the look of disbelief on the girl's face. ”My brother and I for the first years in our life were raised in the muggle world. And we understand all too well, Miss Grimond. That being said, you do not have to do this on your own.”
”Das no' gonna change anything!” Rachel vehemently protested.
”You will find that it will,” Rowan firmly said. ”Now come along, I'll introduce some potential friends to you. And if that doesn't work, well, at least you'll have a safe place to go.”
Rachel grudgingly follows and mutters, ”I don' understand why you're doing dis. It doesn' make sense, you're being rich and all.”
”As I said before, Miss Grimond, I hate bullies,” Rowan calmly replied. ”And secondly, I am your Prefect, and you are in my house. I will do the best I can to aid you.” Though she made a private note to deliver shampoo, and other hygiene products plus some bruise balm later in order not to terribly embarrass the second-year girl. She knew the girl had attended the Birds and the Bee lecture with Professor Eponine Mortimer, but no doubt, the family truly could not afford to send some of the essential items for a growing girl.
With her grumpy duckling in tow, Rowan appears in classroom eleven as Severus glances up and wordlessly says, ”What took you so long?”
Rowan glances rather pointedly behind her as Severus stiffens at recognizing the trademark signs of their childhood. Somehow with everything that had been going on, they had allowed such a child slip through the cracks. It was inevitable, it wasn't as though they were perfect and could only do so much. And all house Prefects were spread thin as it was especially with the influx of students this year. The only consolation is that the issue had been caught now rather than later on.
Gesturing at the table with his head, Severus says, ”You go on and see to them. I'll take care of the rest.”
”But you have,” Rowan protested.
”It's fine, I'll just grab, Lily after DADA tomorrow or another day,” Severus stubbornly retorted.
Rowan's expression softens as she nods her head and leads her disgruntled charge towards where eight first years are all seated at. ”Everyone this is, Rachel Grimond,” Rowan firmly said. ”I expect you to welcome her and keep an eye out for her.”
Rachel flushes and murmurs her protests, but the two dark-haired Gryffindor girls narrow their eyes thoughtfully at the Slytherin second year. ”It's okay, Rachel,” Lucy quietly remarked. ”Wendy and her friends don't like us either, because we're former werewolves too. But there's enough of us in Gryffindor that she doesn't dare bother us.”
”It's because she's a predator,” Martha growled recalling their evil former pack, Alpha. ”She hunts for quarry who are cut off from the herd and waits until she can corral her prey. It's a classic predator tactic.”
Rachel's slightly yellow-tinted face brightens up as she says, ”You're all werewolves too?”
”Yup,” both Martha and Lucy hummed in reply.
”Me too,” said the neatly combed, Jeremy.
”And me!” Jacob Clayton said flashing them a warm smile.
Rachel is much more relaxed as she takes a seat and they all begin to introduce each other. Strangely enough, the older girl fits quite nicely with the rag-sorted bunch. But hopefully, with a bit of work, she'd at least make one friend in her own grade. Chances were that Rachel Grimond's roommates would eventually warm up to her, but it would take some time as with such a standoff personality from the very start it would be difficult to get to know the girl.