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It was her first day back to school after the death of her parents and uncle. In all honesty Hope didn't want to be here, but Freya said it would be a good distraction to be among other people her age.
As Hope made her way down the halls of the Salvatore Boarding School, she was greeted by a couple witches who she'd talked to maybe about once or twice before. Hope did nothing but give them a forced smile and continue walking. She came to halt outside her room's door and just stared at it. This was it. Back to the being stupid quiet Hope Marshall. Hope sighed and twisted the knob of the door and went inside.
The room was exactly the same as she had left it. Books we scattered all over, clothes were dumped on her bed, and the frame with her family's picture was left broken on the floor when she had thrown it. Hope immediately made her way to the picture and picked it up. She ran her fingers over her parents' and uncle's face. A sense of guilt washed over her. Marcel had tried to convince Hope that none of it was her fault, but the more she thought about, the more guilty she felt.
She had turned Henry into a hybrid. She had taken mom and hid her. She was the one who had fallen for Roman. She was the one who had taken in the Hollow. She was the one who had triggered her curse. If she had just talked to someone maybe all of this could have been avoided. If she had just not been born maybe everything would have been better.
Hope threw herself on the bed and held the picture close to her chest. Her sobs were the only sound that filled her room for the next few hours.
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After the first mini crying session of the day, Hope went to class and sat all the way in the back where no one would bother her.
She couldn't help but notice how every once in a while, people would look at her before going back to whispering among themselves. She was able to catch a few things and realized what they were talking about. Hope had been gone for almost five months and suddenly she had returned with nothing but a look that said 'back off'. Where had sweet Hope Marshall gone?
She left the moment both her parents seized to exist.
Hope shook her head, straightened her back, and began paying attention to Dorian.
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The whispers about Hope followed her around all day, and now it was beginning to piss her off. So far she'd caught five people spreading rumors about her. She had yet to hear anything about her dad's death, but considering how often this school liked to talk about him, she shouldn't have to wait long.
As if on que, Hope turned the corner and finally heard the talk.
"Did you hear about Klaus Mikaelson?"
"Oh my god yeah! That he died right?"
"Was about time honestly! This world is better off without that thing."
The group began laughing and before Hope could stop herself she spoke.
"That's harsh. He had a family you know. People who loved him and are at the moment grieving. Have a heart will you?"
The girl in the middle, Maddie, rolled her eyes.
"Honestly Hope you're so naive. Klaus Mikaelson is a murderer. He's a monster. No one could ever love a monster. Besides that thing was an abomination to society."
Hope let out a growl and used her magic to lift Maddie in the air before slamming her into the nearest wall. Maddie let out a cry and tried to move but Hope wouldn't let her. Some of the girl's friends tried to attack her, but the young Mikaelson was ready. While one hand was holding Maddie, the other was used to to freeze her friends. The hand that was holding Maddie was slowly turning into a fist causing her to to choke. Maddie began coughing violently, trying to breathe, but Hope didn't care. This girl deserved the pain.
"How dare you call him a monster?! How dare you call him an abomination?! You, Madison, are the real monster here and you're going to pay for all the things that you've said about him since you-"
Hope's sentence was cut off by her arm being slammed down and being pushed down the hall. Hope's immediate response was to attack whoever this person was but they moved at twice the speed as her and grabbed her arms before she could hit them.
"Calm down! Hope, calm down!"
She knew that voice. Hope looked up and met eyes with the other person. Immediately, her face relaxed and her anger washed away. Rebekah Mikaelson held both of Hope's arms with a look of pure worry on her face. Her Aunt Rebekah loosened her grip on Hope's arms but didn't let go. The young girl looked away from her Aunt and saw that a large group had begun crowding the area. Some of them were worried about Maddie but most were just focused on the two of them. Those who noticed her looking turned away to avoid making eye contact.
"What happened?" Hope's eyes snapped back to her Aunt. The young Mikaelson hesitated before shaking her head and began telling her Aunt. Rebekah listened attentively to Hope's story, wearing the same expression all throughout. She made no sudden movements until the girl had finished, and even then, her expression stayed the same.
Hope waited for a reaction. She wanted her Aunt Rebekah to be angry. She wanted this girl to realise that she shouldn't mess with the Mikaelsons. Rebekah could help her achieve that. Maddie, everyone here, would never say anything bad about her dad again.
The older woman didn't get angry though. She just let out a shaky sigh and let go of Hope's arms.
"I know you're angry, frustrated, tired even, but Hope you almost killed her."
Hope scoffed. "Yeah, almost. Look she's fine-,"she gestured towards Maddie,"-and she deserved it. As a matter of fact why aren't you angry? Did you not hear what I said? She called him a monster and said that no one loves him but she's wrong. She's so wrong because you love him, Uncle Kol loves him, Aunt Freya, Marcel, I love him and-"
Before she realised it, Hope was crying into her Aunt's shoulder. She kept sobbing the same phrase over and over again. I just want to be with my mom and dad. Please Aunt Rebekah, I want my mom and dad.
Rebekah gripped her tighter and began whispering calming things into her ear. Hope cried for what felt like hours. Once she felt that the tears stopped falling, Hope pulled away and looked up at the blonde. Hope soon came to realize that Rebekah had also been crying. Her eyes were puffy red and they held a sadness that only a Mikaelson could understand.
Hope's reached up to her necklace and twisted the pendant in her hand.
"Always and Forever."
Rebekah smiled. "Always and Forever."
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From then on, the students at the Salvatore Boarding School learned to respect Hope Mikaelson, and they never once spoke ill about Klaus again.