Malfoy Manor was the same as it had been when I was last there. Same peacocks, same large rooms, same dreary atmosphere. I had guessed the only true difference would be the severe lack of Dobby running around. I was glad Dobby was free, but I had to admit that I'd miss the little guy. He was one of the few enjoyable things about spending the summer with the Malfoys.
Lucius hadn't spoken a word as he, Draco, and I walked the path to the front door of the manor, nor had he said anything as we entered the hall. The silence was soon broken when Narcissa saw the three of us enter the living room. Narcissa was probably the kindest of the Malfoys. Of course, she didn't seem fond of my mother, but she was courteous towards to me at least. We got along fine and hadn't had many arguments with each other. Narcissa was a haughty woman and often let others knew that she looked down on them, but at least she was smart enough not to argue against housemates who thought differently from her. We didn't exactly see eye to eye, but Narcissa was respectful enough to leave it be.
"Welcome home, Draco," Narcissa said, smiling warmly from her seat on the sofa, "How was your school year?"
"It was alright," Draco said with a shrug, throwing his things to the floor and sitting in a chair "but it would've been better if that blasted Heir had actually gotten rid of a few Mudbloods."
"Yeah, because mass murder always makes a school year more fun," I huffed, rolling my eyes. Not even a day into the summer and I already had to hear Draco's 'anyone who isn't Pureblood is scum' schtick. Why am I not surprised?
"It wouldn't have been a mass murder," Draco insisted with a smirk and a faraway look in his eyes as if he were imagining the sight of a basilisk obliterating Muggleborns, "It would have just been a little pest control, that's all."
"You have got to be kidding me," I groaned, slapping a hand to my forehead and rubbing it down my face in frustration, "You're talking about a basilisk killing innocent people like we're discussing taking care of a rat infestation!"
"I don't see a difference," Draco stated nonchalantly, "They're both vermin, after all."
"You can't be serious!" I sighed, "Why can't you get it through that thick skull of your's that Muggleborns are people too, you-"
"That's enough, Reinette," Narcissa warned. She rose up from her lounging position slightly, but she didn't get off the couch. She usually sided with Draco when arguments between him and I happened in her presence, so I wasn't surprised to hear her object. "You shouldn't insult Draco for stating his opinion. Besides, Draco does have a point; Hogwarts shouldn't allow such riffraff into its halls. It used to be a much more respectable school before it began housing such undeserving rabble."
"Muggleborns have just as much a right to go to Hogwarts as Purebloods and Half-bloods do!" I argued, feeling as if I had stated this a thousand times while in Malfoy Manor, "How is that so hard for you people to see?"
"Honestly, are we sure you're even a Malfoy?" Draco scoffed as he crossed his arms and shot me a disgusted look as if I had suggested we go out and torture innocent puppies. "No self-respecting Malfoy would say such rubbish. I'd rather die before hearing such things come out of my mouth."
"Do you get how stupid that sounds?" I demanded, feeling myself slowly losing my sanity. "What kind of-"
"Enough, you two," Lucius sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Must you argue after we've just returned home? There will be enough time for your silly squabbles during the next month."
"You mean the next two months," I replied. I didn't really care about what Lucius had said, but it felt oddly satisfying to correct him for a mix-up; even if the mistake was only something as simple as a few misspoken words. "Break runs until September 1st, remember?"
"Yes, Reinette. I know when the summer break ends- believe me, I'm counting down the days of your return there just as much as you are- but I did mean to say one month." Draco and I both had equally confused looks at this moment, much to Lucius' pleasure. He took the time to sit down beside Narcissa before he continued to speak and answer our unspoken question. "Narcissa and I realized last summer how... unfair we were being by keeping Reinette here for the whole summer, considering she does have other living relatives who- for some inconceivable reason- wish to see her. I then took it upon myself to create a housing schedule with Severus for the summer months. We decided it would be best for you to split up your time between our households so you could make up for lost time with him."
"And so I can get a break from you," Draco told me, seeming to perk up at the news. "I shouldn't have to see you throughout the whole school year and summer break."
"The feeling's mutual," I quipped, feeling a grin spread on my face. Maybe this summer wouldn't be too terrible, if I was only spending half of it with the Malfoys; but I couldn't help but wonder why the Malfoys were so willing to let me leave. They were probably just as weary of me as I was of them, but hadn't they spent last year trying to find my books and peek into the future? Dobby had told me last summer that he had caught Lucius searching my room when I was at the Lupins' home countless times, and if I was having a conversation with Narcissa she would often slip in an inquiry about my reading habits or if I had any particular books I could recommend her. Not exactly the most subtle ways of asking if I would give her my Harry Potter books, but at least it confirmed what I had thought. The Malfoys did want my books and wanted to see what happens soon. I had started keeping my books hidden in Dobby's little room after I figured all this out because I knew the Malfoys would never think of looking there.
With Dobby gone, I'll probably need to find a new place to hide my books, I decided, If I'm leaving the Manor in a month, I'm sure Lucius'll probably search even harder for them.
"So it's settled then!" Narcissa said happily, clapping her hands together. "Everbody's happy with this plan!"
"Why wouldn't we be?" I asked, picking up my stuff and making my way to my room. "I get out of your hair and you three stop driving me nuts sooner. Everyone wins!"
I was too busy having my own mental celebratory party at the news that I'd only stay at Malfoy Manor for a month to hear if any of the Malfoys responded to my wisecrack. The mini party lasted up until I entered my room, where I was met by a little surprise. Two small house elves were in the middle of my room having what seemed to be a disagreement.
"Hello," I said to make myself known, "Who might you two be?"
The smaller elf gave a small squeak of fright, immediately jumping around to see who had spoken. The other one- who had been facing me, but failed to notice- merely widened their eyes in fright and began to shrink away, as if trying to make themselves as small and unnoticeable as possible. The two stared at me and I stared back, unable to think of what to do. The two were obviously frightened, so I guessed they weren't expecting anyone to be coming to this room anytime soon.
The taller elf was quicker to recover from their shock and promptly stood in front of the smaller one, attempting to look as menacing as they possibly could. They had bright blue eyes and came close to my chest in height. They wore what seemed to be an old pillow case with some strip of fabric tied in the middle to act as a sash. The smaller house elf easily hid behind the taller and had large eyes themselves, except one eye was brown and the other green. They looked quite fearful, probably afraid that I was going to punish them.
I had never seen these two before, so it was safe to assume that they were Dobby's replacements. I decided my initial first impression probably hadn't been the best, so I put on my kindest smile and slowly knelt to the elves' heights. "Hello," I said again, giving the two a small wave, "I'm Reinette."
"What does you want? You is not a part of Malfoy manor and guests are not allowed to be coming near this floor!" The tall house elf snapped in a high pitched tone, attempting to intimidate me. I had never seen a house elf behave this way, but I didn't mind; I didn't think the two had been expecting me and I guess I had scared the two more than I imagined.
"Linny!" the other elf squeaked, tugging Linny's outfit. "You is being rude! Master said we was to be good to any guest!" The house elf then turned their eyes on me while attempting to hide themselves even further. "You must excuse her, Miss!" the house elf pleaded, "Linny is not normally so cruel! She is just very cautious of new people and means you no harm!"
"I means no harm if Miss doesn't." Linny corrected, her eyes narrowing further.
"That's quite alright, don't worry about it." I answered with a nod and a small smile. "I don't mean either of you harm, Linny. I was just coming in here to put my stuff away, that's all."
"Why would Miss put her things away in here?" The smaller house elf asked curiously.
"This is my room." I answered simply. "I live here during the summer. Surely the Malfoys told you this?"
"No, no one said a new person would come to live at Malfoy Manor!" the smalle house elf said, jumping out from behind Linny to smack her arm. "I told yous, Linny! I told yous we should be sleeping in our space and not an empty room!"
"Oh, you've been sleeping here?" I questioned, intrigued. I could see why they would want to sleep somewhere else. They were probably sleeping in Dobby's old quarters, which were too cramped for one elf. I couldn't imagine how it must of felt for two house elves to sleep there.
"We didn't means to, Miss!" the nameless elf panicked, waving their hands wildly. "We will go back to our space and never sleeps here again!"
"No, no. It's alright, bud." I said, shaking my head quickly. "I don't mind at all! I was just surprised."
"He is not 'bud.' He is Finny!" Linny snapped, obviously still unhappy with me being there. I guessed it was going to take a while for Linny to not mind my presence, but that was okay. With a little work, we could probably end up being great friends. Maybe?
"Alright then," I nodded, making a note of both of their names. "You don't need to worry, Finny. I'm not upset that you two have been sleeping in here while I was away."
"You isn't?" Finny asked, looking as if he didn't believe I could truly be saying that.
"No, I'm not." I smiled, shaking my head once more. "In fact, you two are welcome to continue sleeping in here; if you don't mind having another roommate, that is."
"We can?" Finny asked, his eyes shining happily. "You really means it, Miss?"
"I'm not 'Miss,' I'm just Reinette." I corrected. "And yeah, you can stay in here. We could be roommates or something so you two won't have to go sleep in that dingy cupboard."
Finny twirled around, clapping his hands happily. Linny on the other hand glared at me as if I would suddenly yell 'psych!' and demand they go to the house elf 'sleeping quarters.' "What does Miss think she will get for helping Finny and Linny?"
"Linny!" Finny yelled. He immediately stopped twirling and clapping to put his hands on his hips and give Linny the most stern glare he could muster. "Behave! Just Reinette is being very nice and yous is being mean! Just Reinette is offering to share!"
"Actually, it's just 'Reinette'." I corrected, cutting into the silent stare down.
"That is what I said," Finny replied, looking at me in complete confusion. "Just Reintte."
"No! It's not 'Just Reinette'," I groaned, slapping a hand to my forehead. "It's just Reinette. As in Reinette Malfoy?"
"You is just confusing Finny to avoid Linny's question, Just Reinette!" Linny grumbled, pointing an accusatory finger at me.
"Just call me Reinette, alright?" I sighed. "No 'just' needed. Reinette's fine. And I'm not avoiding the question, there isn't a catch. I've seen how small the place the Malfoys want you guys to sleep in is and I can't see both of you fitting in it."
"How has you seen our quarters?" Linny asked, eyes narrowed again. "We has never met yous before."
"I was friends with the house elf who worked here before you two." I answered simply, shrugging. "Lucius freed him a few weeks ago."
"He was freed?" Finny repeated, looking amazed.
"By accident," I admitted, hating to see the disappointment on Finny's face. "Lucius didn't know he was giving him a sock."
"I see," Finny muttered, ears drooping. Linny ran forward and engulfed Finny into a hug, glaring at me from over his head.
"But it's not all bad!" I said, shaking my hands. "We could be friends! I know that isn't much, but it could be nice."
"What does Miss want?" Linny said, narrowing her eyes again and pulling Finny to her side in a protective manner. "No wizard is helping a house elf without having something to gain."
"Would you believe me if I told you I just wanted friendship?" I said with a soft smile. I had never met a house elf who was so suspicious and mistrusting before, but with the way most house elves were treated, I wasn't all that surprised at Linny's behavior. I just hoped that one day she could grow to feel like she could trust me.
"Linny would believe no such thing!" Linny spat, crossing her arms over her chest. "You is trying to trick Linny and Finny! No respectable wizard would ever think of wanting to befriend a house elf!"
"See, Reinette?" Draco's drawling voice interrupted. He was leaning on my doorframe, looking smug. "Even the house elf understands how stupid being friends with them sounds."
"What do you want, Draco?" I sighed, rolling my eyes. Draco always seemed to have a knack for entering a room when he wasn't wanted. Especially if that room belonged to me.
"I was just heading up to my room when I heard voices coming from in here and got curious, so I came to investigate." Draco shrugged. "Sounds like I stumbled onto something interesting. Trying to make friends with the help again, cousin? Tsk, tsk. Did we learn nothing from last time?"
"What do you mean?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
"Well, it's because of you the last house elf is no longer with us, isn't it?" Draco asked, shrugging with a smirk. "You became friends and filled his head with dangerous thoughts, didn't you? Then he went and disobeyed. That's why father had to fire him, you know."
"At least he's safe from you and your parents." I replied, crossing my arms and flashing Draco a don't-even-start-this look. "At least you three can't mercilessly 'punish' him anymore for every little mistake."
"He was probably better off here, you know. At least he had food a warm place to stay."
"Yeah," I snorted. "A warm place is definitely how I'd describe that drafty, old broom closet you forced Dobby to call a room."
"Either way, that was probably better than where he is now." Draco smirked.
"And where is he?"
"I dunno." Draco admitted with a shrug. "Probably in some alleyway, considering Father kicked him out onto the streets. No one wants a misbehaving house elf either, so he's most likely starving and without work. Probably homeless too."
I could see Linny tense up at Draco's words. She began to glare intensely at me and pushed Finny behind her as if he would be thrown out on the streets by merely being in my general view.
"He was doing fine for himself last I heard," I defended, focusing moreso on the two house elves' reactions than Draco's. "Dobby told me he met a nice couple who agreed to take him in for the time being while he searched for better masters."
"A nice couple of street urchins, most likely." Draco muttered. He looked to Finny and Linny while he spoke, a gleeful glint of wickedness in his eye. Draco was obviously trying to turn the two against me in order to stir up trouble for the summer. He then gave a dramatic shrug before walking to the door to leave. Just before he exited the doorway, Draco turned around and gave the house elves one last bit of warning, "If I were you two," he said. "I wouldn't hang around her long. She may seem nice, but Reinette likes to cause more trouble than good."
With those last words of "wisdom," Draco left me to deal with an irate house elf, who was giving me a stare sharp enough to kill, and her little companion, who just looked at me with sad disbelief.
"You said Dobby was freed, Just Reinette." Finny said with a slight quiver to his voice. His eyes were so large and pitiful that I just couldn't help wince inwardly in guilt. It broke my heart to think that I was the cause of this little cutie to pull such a sad face. "Yous didn't tell Finny he was tossed out."
"Enough!" Lonny squeaked, stamping her foot. "Just Reinette may be a guest, but she has lied and lied to poor Finny! She will do no more talking!"
"I didn't lie." I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Okay, Dobby wasn't freed in a conventional way like I tried to make it seen. He left the manor after being snuck a sock after disobeying Lucius for a year or so. But! He is okay, I promise!"
"Why should Finny and Linny trust Just Reinette's promises?" Lonny demanded. "Master Draco says you is a troublemaker! You is planning to get Finny and Linny in trouble!"
"No, I'm not." I promised, shaking my head. "I just want to be nice and possibly befriend you two since that'll make this whole stay more enjoyable for all three of us. And I know I can't make you trust my words, I know, but would you trust the words of another house elf? Dobby and I still keep in touch, so he could probably vouch for me."
"How would Finny and Linny know Dobby speaks the truth?" Linny huffed. "He could speak whatever lies Just Reinette wanted and Finny and Linny would not know." I opened my mouth to argue when Linny cut me off. "Finny and Linny must go now! The manor needs to be cleaned and supper must be prepared."
"I could help if you need me to." I offered as Linny began to lead Finny away.
"No." Linny said sharply, stopping in her tracks but not turning to face me. "House elves do not need help with chores! Especially from lying guests!"
Ouch. That stung my pride a bit.
"I'm technically not a guest though, I'm a part of the Malfoy family." I said as if that would convince Linny to accept my help.
"All the more reason for Just Reinette to not bother Finny and Linny." Linny said coldly, throwing me one last steely look before she and Finny left the room.
"You two are still welcome to sleep here if you want!" I called after them. "I wouldn't mind sharing a room!"
I didn't know if the two had heard me, but I hoped they had. I'd seen Dobby's old room and didn't really want the two sleeping there. I had made the same offer to Dobby once upon a time, but he had turned me down by saying that he had become used to sleeping in such a small place and would probably not be able to sleep in a big room like mine. I found myself wishing those two would take me up on the offer, but I had a feeling it would take a while for them to trust me.
When the two, I plopped onto my bed and laid back. It was warm and the covers were slightly undone. Maybe Finny or Linny had taken a small afternoon nap earlier. With a sigh, I replayed the whole conversation and I came to one conclusion:
I hadn't made the best first impression and would need to fix that as soon as possible.
***
Supper was tense that night. Linny refused to look at me while she and Finny were serving dinner and Finny was only able to give a disappointed half smile before quickly looking away after I gave him my thanks for the plate he had set in front of me.
"This looks great." I said to the two house elves as they scurried off to finish whatever duties they had left.
"There's no need to keep thanking them, Reinette." Lucius smirked. He looked like he was trying to keep himself from laughing, as if what I had just done was hilariously improper. "They're only house elves."
"I was taught to thank people when they do things for me." I replied with a small sneer of my own. "It's the polite thing to do, you know."
"That is true when being served by people." Narcissa nodded. "But those two are house elves. They do not need to be thanked. It is rather pointless."
Narcissa hadn't bothered to be as kind as she had been last summer and I could guess that was because she wanted nothing from me. "What's pointless is arguing this subject." I responded. "Finny and Linny are sentient beings and should be treated as such in my opinion, but I know that I can't change your opinions, so I say we drop the subject entirely."
"I'm surprised at you, Reinette." Lucius said with a slight gasp. "Just last summer, you would have argued this subject until you became blue in the face. Have you finally learned how to behave around your betters?"
"She's probably just upset that the house elves aren't her friends." Draco said mockingly.
"I'm not upset since being friends is their choice to make." I explained. "I just know how this song and dance goes. We argue and then I go to my room for a cool down until the next argument. I just don't feel like doing that tonight."
In truth, I was kind of disappointed about Finny and Linny believing Draco over me, but I also understood why they had. Who would believe a total stranger over a person you've know for a little while? But I had also found myself feeling drained more easily after being unpetrified a few months ago. Madam Pomfrey had assured me it was a temporary side effect and that I would return to normal in a few months time as long as I took things easy. I hadn't really tried to take it easy though, since I had been trying to figure out who had spoken to me during my petrification. The voice had told me that everything I was trying to do would fail and that I would just make everything worse. They even told me I should just join Voldemort and tell him everything I know to help him rise and rule. I had even recognized the voice a little, but no matter how hard I tried, I wasn't able to figure it out. To make matters worse, the longer I took to figure it out, the harder it became for me to remember the voice. Luckily, this mystery person also left a clue to their identity.
The person had told me they could see the future, meaning they were a Seer. Since I realized this, I had been searching everywhere I could to try and find any trace of someone besides Professor Trelawney that was a Seer. No dice though.
"Have we finally gotten rid of Reinette's irreproachable attitude?" Lucius smirked, resting his head on his hands.
"No, I'm just a bit more tired than I normally would be." I answered with a huff. "I was petrified a few weeks ago, after all. Give me a few days and I'll be in prime condition to participate in as many arguments as you like."
"Oh, yes." Narcissa nodded, eyeing me with a bored look. "How did you become petrified again?"
"Isn't it obvious, dear?" Lucius asked, throwing a smirk my way. "Reinette was sticking her nose where it shouldn't have been."
"I see." Narcissa nodded. "That does seem to be her specialty, doesn't it?"
"Trouble just seems to find me." I shrugged nonchalantly before taking a bite of my food.
"It doesn't just find you!" Lucius snapped, causing both Draco and I to flinch slightly. "You just tend to go running wherever you are needed least to try and fix what should be left alone. You do not seem to realize not everything is a problem to be solved by the likes of you!"
"I don't try to fix everything," I argued, "I just-"
"That is exactly what you do!" Lucius interrupted, "And it just creates bigger problems for everyone involved! Some things are perfectly fine as they are and don't need to be changed."
"What have I done that create a bigger problem?" I huffed.
"You came here for a start!" Lucius snapped. "You and that brat, Potter, lost me my elf! And I know it was you who set Weasley and all those raids on us last year!"
"Are you really still upset about those?" I asked, "They stopped ages ago."
"Yes, but do you realize how tiring it is to run around the manor, making sure none of our... questionable items can be found?" Lucius demanded, "Hours wasted! All because you couldn't keep your mouth shut!"
"Or because you lot are a pretty suspicious group," I suggested with a shrug.
Lucius growled once again as Finny and Linny came to retrieve our plates. "Supper is over now." Lucius said in a quiet tone, glaring at me. "You are to leave and stay out of my sight. Is that clear?"
"Crystal," I replied, getting out of my chair and heading to help Finny and Linny with clean up like I had many times with Dobby.
***
Long story short, Linny hadn't allowed me to help very much.
Since I was a guest and she couldn't technically refuse any of my wishes, Linny let me enter the kitchen and do a few small tasks such as raking out plates and drying them up, but she wouldn't allow Finny anywhere near me while we worked and she wouldn't look at me. I guess she was still upset with me about earlier, so I didn't take her actions to heart, but I still felt frustrated that she was behaving that way.
That night, I put aside a few pillows and blankets in case the two house elves did come into my room to sleep. I drifted off to sleep after assuring that my room and the bed supplies were perfectly accessible to house elves and entered a rather odd dream.
I was back in the Azkaban cell were I had met up with Phillius many times over the past year. It felt odd to be there though since Phillius hadn't tried to speak with me after I had been petrified. It also was an odd visit since I wasn't facing Phillius.
And I wasn't the only other person there.
I couldn't see the other person in the room very well. In fact, the only reason why I knew another person was there was because there was an odd blur in the air and Phillius was talking to this other person. I slowly crouched down to try and hide myself behind a bed to listen in on what he was saying.
"I told you to stop!" Phillius shouted, stamping a foot. "Why is that the only order out of the thousands I've given before that you don't obey?"
"As I've explained before, father, she is more trouble than she's worth." the other person explained in a calm tone. "Out of all the possible timelines I've seen, ones were she actually helps the Dark Lord are too few to warrant keeping her alive."
I had to close my hand to my mouth to keep me from gasping as I realized who Phillius was talking to. His son.
The apparent loyal son and Seer Phillius had often bragged about and compared me to was right in front of me. I couldn't make out many features of is mystery son, nor could I make out anything too distinguishable about him. It was as if a glamour had been placed on him, causing the son to be impossible for me to see.
"I don't care about that," Phillius sighed, bringing a hand to his face. "She doesn't need to willingly help us, we just need to be able to retrieve information from her and to do that, she needs to be alive. You could kill her however you liked if you could just See what we needed to know, but you can't so we need her."
"Father, you know I can't see exactly what will happen." the son said. I could easily make out the annoyance in his voice. "I can only see the possibilities. Seeing exact instances rarely happens."
"Yes, yes. I know." Phillius said in a bored tone. "And that is probably the most disappointing thing about you. If you could See what will happen and allow us to prepare, we wouldn't have to deal with so many headaches." Phillius let out a mocking chuckle. "How angry it must make you to know your sister is more useful to the cause despite not wanting to be."
"Reinette Malfoy is no sister of mine!" the mystery son spat.
Phillius lunged forward and grabbed where his son's chin would be. "You will not use that tone with me." he hissed. "No matter how unfortunate it is, Reinette is your sister and you will do her no harm until we are able to get what we need from her. That is an order and if you disobey me once again, know that me being in Azkaban won't hinder me from punishing you. The fact that you are my own son won't stop me from making your life a living hell if you cross me. Or worse. Do I make myself clear?"
All was quiet as the two had a momentary stare down. I felt myself holding my breath in fear as I waited for the response.
"...Yes, Father." a defeated voice finally spoke. "I won't try to hurt Reinette Malfoy unless instructed by you to do so."
"Good." Phillius spoke, dropping his hand. "We don't need any more incidents like with that Nilmerg or the blasted kappa you used. You could get caught and ruin everything before it even starts."
"I understand, Father."
"Excellent," Phillius nodded, "Now then. I have a few more things to discuss."
Before I could hear anymore, I felt myself waking up. Finny was looking at me worriedly when I opened my eyes. "Hello," I greeted, squinting from the light of the candle Finny had. "Did you need something?"
"Finny was checking on all the residents of Malfoy Manor and came to see how Just Reinette was. You was mumbling in your sleep!" Finny whispered. "Is Just Reinette alright?"
"Just a nightmare." I said, nodding with a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine."
"Oh. Finny often gets nightmares as well." Finny mumbled, looking slightly uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry to hear that." I frowned. "Did you have one tonight?"
Finny shook his head. "No, miss! Finny could not sleep, so he came to check on everyone."
"Why couldn't you sleep?" I asked.
"Finny and Linny's quarters aren't very comfortable." Finny admitted, looking to the floor. "They is very cramped."
"Well, you an still sleep here," I offered. "I left you guys some blankets and the cushioned area under my window is pretty spacious. Comfy, too."
Finny bit his lip. "Linny said Finny should not trust Just Reinette."
"I understand why she would think to tell you that." I nodded. "But I swear, there's no malicious reason for me offering you two a better place to sleep. I just know the Malfoys didn't give you guys the best place to sleep. And I have more than enough room in here, so sharing wouldn't be a problem."
"Did yous offer Dobby the same thing?" Finny asked.
"I did," I nodded. "He slept in here sometimes, but not always. He said he didn't want to inconvenience me or something."
Finny didn't answer, but he looked tempted by the offer. The little elf looked so tired, I wouldn't have been surprised if he dropped asleep right then and there. Finny didn't speak for a while and he looked quite conflicted when he asked,
"What did Just Reinette dream about?"
"Why do you want to know that?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Finny knows nightmares can be about personal problems." Finny explained, looking like he had just had the best idea ever. "If Just Reinette tells Finny about Just Reinette's nightmare, then Finny will know she is trustworthy!"
"How do you figure?" I asked, feeling pretty confused. "I could easily just lie about what my dream was."
"Finny could tell if Just Reinette was lying!" Finny said proudly. "Finny is very good at detecting lies!"
Finny looked around before adding, "Finny knew Just Reinette was not lying this afternoon, but Linny wouldn't listen to Finny." Finny huffed while saying that last line.
"So if I just tell you about my nightmare, you'll trust me?"
"Yes!" Finny squeaked, nodding his head.
I hesitated for a moment before letting out a long sigh. I didn't mind telling the little elf if it meant he would begin to trust me, but that didn't make it any easier to try to explain.
"Okay," I began, trying to search for the right way to explain. "I was dreaming about... my dad. He isn't the best guy in the world and that makes dreams with him in them a bit scary."
Finny nodded, his eyes wide and attentive. He motioned for me to continue. "I have dreams about him pretty often, but this one was just strange. He was talking to someone about how they shouldn't try to kill me just yet because I could still be useful to him."
"That does sound frightening!" Finny squeaked, looking sympathetic. "Finny is sorry Just Reinette dreamt that, but he is also glad it was just a dream."
"Yeah," I nodded, almost wanting to laugh. "Just a dream. So, do you trust me now?"
"Mmmm..." Finny bit his lip and went quiet. After a few seconds, Finny began to shake his head furiously in a 'yes' motion. "Finny will trust Just Reinette."
"That's good." I grinned. "And you can call me Reinette. The 'just' part isn't necessary."
"Alright then, ju- Reinette!" Finny beamed before eyeing the blankets I had left folded on the floor. "Can Finny still sleep here? He doesn't believe he will be able to get comfortable enough to sleep with Linny in their room."
"Sure," I smiled, chuckling as Finny quickly scooped up a pillow and blanket and ran to my window. "Goodnight, Finny."
"Goodnight, miss Reinette," Finny said with a yawn. "Finny hopes you has no more bad dreams."
"Thanks. I think I'll be fine now." I smiled, settling down into my own blankets. "Sleep well."
I was answered with a few soft snores as Finny quickly fell asleep. I chuckled once more and listened to the sound of Finny breathing as I drifted off to sleep once again, feeling slightly happier now that I wouldn't have to be all by myself in the room.
XXXxxxAuthor'sNotexxxXXX
Hello and happy new year!
Sorry about the huge gap between updates, I'll try not to go so long without writing another chapter again (no promises though) I've been lacking the motivation to write anything lately, but that doesn't mean I'll just drop this story completely. Past chapters may make me cringe from time to time, but I still love Rei and this story XP
I'm also thinking of revamping YotD since I basically wrote myself into a self-inserting corner, so keep an eye out for that when I announce the updated version I guess. I plan on doing a few more oneshots too so if you have a request, just let me know!
Thank you for sticking with this story and I hope you have a good day!
I also wish each and everyone of you good fortune in the upcoming year ^-^
~Bri