Monster (Sequel to Who I Really Am (A Remus Lupin Love Story))

Chapter Five

        The following is a chapter, yet not exactly a chapter. It was meant to be a flashback, but I changed it up a little. It's an extra thing, but you should still definitely read it. It's in third person.

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        Bria Noble couldn't be more excited. She was finally at Hogwarts, with her fellow Witches and Wizards. She didn't have to go back to the Muggles until the summer, and this was the happiest she'd been since her family had been murdered five years ago.
        She stood with the other First Years inside the chamber next to the Great Hall, waiting for the strange Professor to come back. Many students were nervous about the Sorting, but Bria wasn't at all. She knew she'd be a Gryffindor like her parents and sister. And if she wasn't, it would crush her, but she wouldn't be too sad about it. The other Houses seemed good enough to her.
        The mysterious process of getting Sorted didn't seem to faze her either. She knew it would not be painful, Hogwarts was not cruel. The answer was probably very obvious, they all just weren't seeing it.
        Instead, Bria observed her surroundings. She always had a knack of doing that. She noticed the little things, like how the few portraits in the room were moving. She noticed everything because she felt like she was wide awake at Hogwarts; the place was so incredible it was strengthening her senses.
        When the door opened and the Professor came back, she told them to come into the Hall. Bria was fascinated by the place; the golden place settings, the four long House tables, the enchanted ceiling, the floating candles. It was everything Serenity had described and more.
        They were then told to stand in a line and wait to be called. The Sorting took place in alphabetical order, so Bria had to wait a while. She didn't like waiting, especially on an occasion as important as this one. She bounced up and down on the tips of her toes, being the only one who wan't nervous. 
        Finally, after what seemed like years, the Professor called out,  "Noble, Bria!" and Bria pranced toward the stool eagerly, sitting down and shoving the Sorting Hat on her head.
        "Intelligent." The Sorting Hat whispered in Bria's ear. What was this? She did like Ravenclaw, but she belonged in Gryffindor. "Not very patient, are we?" The Hat asked, and Bria smiled. "Hmm... Not very power-hungry either." The Hat continued. Bria bounced up and down on the stool, eager for it to finish its decision and place her in Gryffindor. "Not just yet." The Hat taunted. "I'm still considering. Bravery, yes, you've got it. Brains, you've got plenty. Wit, just a little. Courage, yes. Curiosity, loads. Better be..."
        The Sorting Hat took an agonizingly long time to speak, or at least it seemed so for Bria. She wasn't nervous before, but now she definitely was. Would she be betraying her parents and sister if she were to be place in Ravenclaw? Was she brave enough for Gryffindor?
But, the Sorting Hat had the answer. "GRYFFINDOR!" It shouted, and Bria almost squealed with delight.
        She stood up quickly, shoving the Sorting Hat into the Professor's hands and running to the Gryffindor table. Unfortunately, she tripped over her robes on the way to her seat, and fell down in front of the entire school. There were muffled laughs, and Bria turned bright red, picking herself up off the floor and walking carefully to the next available seat.
"Hello." She whispered to the people sitting around her. There were two First Year boys across from her (one with brown hair and one with black), a burly blond Fifth Year to her left, and a small brunette Third Year to her right.
The Fifth and Third Years ignored her, but one of the First Years spoke. "Hello." He said softly. He was the one with the brown hair.
"I'm Bria." She said eagerly, extending her hand. "Bria Noble."
The boy shook it. "Remus Lupin." He replied, giving her a small smile. "And this is-"
"Sirius." The black haired boy said. He didn't seem inclined to announce his last name.
"Nice to meet you." Bria said politely. The boys nodded.
"Pettigrew, Peter!" The Professor shouted, and a small, round boy took his place upon the stool.
"Hope he gets Gryffindor." Sirius mused, watching Peter. "He seemed alright on the train."
The Sorting Hat took another minute to decide, then, to Sirius's delight, called out, "GRYFFINDOR!" And Peter joined them at the table.
"Potter, James!" Was next, and Sirius hoped again that James got Gryffindor.
The Hat barely touched James' jet black hair, however, before it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" So James took a seat beside Bria.
After everyone had been sorted and Dumbledore had made his speech, the feast began. And James began to make remarks. "I knew I was cut out for Gryffindor." He began, taking a bite of a roll. "The Hat seemed to think so too, barely touched my head before it decided. Did you see that?"
"We all saw it, James." Remus muttered.
"It took forever for you to get sorted, Peter. What was it going on about?" James asked, but Peter didn't answer. So, he moved on to another topic. "Took a while for you too, Remus."
"It considered putting me in Ravenclaw." Remus explained.
"Didn't take long for you, Sirius. Did it think about putting you in Slytherin with-" James started to say, but Sirius cut him off.
"No." He answered, and James moved on again.
"Bria, right?" He asked, pointing at her even though she was sitting right next to him.
"Yes." 
"You fell." He stated, and Bria turned red once again. The others laughed, except for Remus.
"I tripped." She corrected him, looking down at her food.
"It was funny."
"I bet."
"Shut up, James." Remus muttered, but James didn't seem to hear him.
"What Houses did the Hat consider putting you in?" He asked.
Bria shouldn't have answered. But, she did. "All of them, I think."
James' eyes bulged. "All of them?"
"Yeah. It said I was smart enough for Ravenclaw and brave enough for Gryffindor, but it also said I was too impatient for Hufflepuff and not power-hungry enough for Slytherin." She explained, glancing up at him. "I wish it would've decided right away like it did for you, though. The wait was agonizing." 
"So..." Sirius said, "You have qualities of every House."
"I think that's what the Hat was saying, but I'm not sure. It may have just been trying to rule the other Houses out." Bria corrected.
"That's...." Sirius started to say.
"Freaky." Peter finished, looking at her strangely. "Freak."
Bria turned red once again. "I'm not-"
"Peter's got a point." James agreed. "You're a freak."
"No, no, I'm not-" She looked at Remus for help. He seemed to be the only one who wasn't making fun of her. But he was turned away. 
"Freak, isn't she, Remus?" Sirius asked, nudging Remus's side. 
"Yeah." He muttered back, still looking away.
        And then Bria got up from the table, running away from the boys. She covered her bright red face, running right into a Gryffindor Prefect.
"Can you show me where the Common Room is?" Bria asked her, and the Prefect nodded. 
"Sure, why not?" The Prefect said, feeling sorry for her.
        From that moment on, until her Sixth Year, Bria Noble was bullied constantly by the Marauders. She didn't know it until recently, but they were jealous of her. They wished they had all those qualities like she did. So, they made her feel weak and insignificant as an act of revenge, and it worked.
        Even Remus Lupin was jealous of her, believe it or not. But, he tried to stay out of the other's bullying and pranks on the poor girl; it wasn't her fault that she was special. He could identify with her, in a way. They both had something that made others hate them. 
        And from this you have learned two things: How Bria Noble became a victim, and why Remus Lupin fell for her.





--A/N--
I finally gave you some Brimus! It's not much, but it's something. There's more to come though, because she'll be at Hogwarts. So much tension between them. I can't wait to write it!