Qualities of a True Slytherin (Tag: Eirina)

Dein paused, knowing he couldn't go back from his words, so he turned, slowly, back to her, staring at the ground in thought as he slowly stepped back across the room. He looked at her, as he approached the desk, and stood in the subdued silence. Why he even had a reason to keep it from her, he had no clue. What harm could it do? He was already disowned, scarred, and practically done with everything about this place. She wasn't a threat, and despite everything his mother and father told him, he still kept speaking to her. That had been all he wanted from all those pointless conversations. He didn't have his mother to talk to, and certainly not any friends. What was the harm in her knowing?

He took in a deep breath, looked her straight in the eye, and answered, "Lydin Edrins, ma'am." He looked down, then quietly walked back over to his seat and sat down, before looking at her once again. No matter what she said, or how long it took for it to click, he was relieved. He laced his fingers together, rested his head on his hands, closed his eyes, and waited.

"Lydin...Edrins?"

The name ran through her mind a million times over. And she knew what it meant. By god, did she know what it had meant, but she still had nothing to say. There was nothing for her to grab onto, no stable rock that she could cling to. No, she'd fall into the jagged rocks below. She'd fall, and fall, and fall.

"And you knew? And she knew?"

She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. Of course. His eyes, they had been familiar to her. And now she knew why. He had her eyes, in shape and color. Her lips, too. And he was just as thin and tall as she was, and the personality.

How could she have been so dumb?

"And no one said anything? Nothing."

"Well of course she knew. She gave birth to me." Dein opened his eyes to look at Naer's bewildered face, "I didn't know until the tournament. You remember me telling you about my family situation? My father didn't take kindly to my interrogation." He glanced around the room, now much more interested in the decor than the person he was speaking to. "For whatever reason, they preferred me to think everyone on my mother's side was dead. Beyond that, I don't know."

Perhaps now she was going to kick him out, so she could collect her thoughts. Her maybe kick him out and not even want to speak with him again. He assumed her response would be something along the lines. Maybe he wouldn't have to worry about her keeping an eye on him, making sure he got to class on time. That'd be one less thing to worry about, certainly.

"Far from dead..."

Eirina began to think of her biological mother and stepfather, Lydin's biological mother and father. They were alive and well, and even though Eirina didn't talk to them much, having never been a close family to begin with, she wouldn't ever have the audacity to say that they were all dead, and she couldn't imagine any with the nerve to say it. But, apparently Lydin had grown to be that kind of person.

And then it hit her. Not that she hadn't known before, but now she could think of the direct word. Dein was her nephew. He was more then just her sister's son. He was something of Eirina's, too. Something that she could connect to, directly. Her nephew. And she was his aunt.

She calmed herself down a bit, taking a deep breath. She drifted back to the first thing Dein had said, about his family situation. Her sister could disown her own son? What kind of a family was that? What kind of family of hers was that? How could they possibly share the same blood? And yet, she did, and that blood ran through Dein, too.

Dein focused his gaze in on Eirina as she trailed off, and he rested his thumb against his cheek as he thought. Now the only question he needed answering, was simple: why did they need to hide Naer from him? And him from Naer? His mind went back to the information he'd read from her file. Eirina's, as well as Lydin's, mother was Rolin Naer. So she was Dein's grandmother. His grandfather apparently vanished out of thin air, and in his stead, a step grandfather, Seirn Naer. With this knowledge, the only possible explanation would have to be Naer and his mother grew up with an unfavorable home life. They probably didn't get along with each other, either. If he was wrong, then the next best guess would have to be his father. Lydin might have met his father, father didn't like mother's family, and then end of story. Was Naer a mudblood? No, that was too simple.

He leaned back in his chair, curious as to what Eirina planned to do with this new found information. Would she have anything to say? Perhaps tell him something he didn't know? She was a woman though, she'd probably be too focused on sentimental details. Of course she would. He could tell just by the look on her face. He stood up, gathering his things once again as he turned to the door, "Well, it is getting rather late. I think it best if I got some sleep, Headmistress." As he reached the door, he turned back to face her, awaiting for permission to leave. And for the door to be unlocked.

Eirina didn't look up from her spot, staring down at the dark, wooden desk that laid before her. The words on the papers were illegible in her eyes, they didn't exist. There was something so wrong about this situation, and everything was rushing through her head. Still staring and without pulling out her wand, the gates unlocked, allowing for Dein to be able to leave. His detention time was served, and she'd learned enough. He had no reason to be here for any longer, so she'd have to let him go.

But her thoughts had never left the news that she had just learned. The news that felt like a storm, hailing and lightning at the same time. A heavy rain fell on her head, soaking her head to toe. Her life felt different. Even if it was the same, technically. She still had her job, her name, nothing was actually different. But it was new to her, and she didn't know how to take it, or handle it.

And so, even as Dein left, Eirina sat there in the silence, trying to figure it out. Trying to figure it all out.

As he turned back around and stepped out of the Detention Chamber, a smirk grew wide on his face. He looked at the walls as he passed through the corridor down to the staircase. Naer seemed quite disheveled after hearing such breaking news. He believed that would be plenty to keep her off his back for now. Until Dein graduated, he owned this school.