Part 8: An Unhappy Aftermath

I stared up at the canopy of my curtained bed, unable to go to sleep because everytime I dared close my eyes, all I saw was Voldemort’s snake-like face leering at me.

            I got up and uncovered the bedsheets from my body and shivered at the sudden chill. I changed into the very outfit that I had on the day that I first arrived here. My midnight blue corset and blue and black skirt were a lovely sight to see after all I went through. They reminded me of the pleasant things I’d endured before I ever came to Hogwarts.

            I wrapped my cloak around my shoulders fondly, tying the silver strings around my neck so that it would stay in place and not fall. I had made the color a midnight blue, the same as my corset, and slipped out the portrait door and down the tower where the entire Ravenclaw house resided.

            I gladly ran out into the night, savoring the great feeling of the moisture against my bare skin and the breeze brushing past my flushed face. My nose ran from the cold, but I didn’t care one bit. It was finally good to feel free for once in my life.

            The lingering sadness of the past haunted my mind still, freezing my heart to anything around it. I knew I was changing, but I never knew that the process had already begun. My heart had been partly ice before after my family’s brutal death, and now, after finding out about Orin’s betrayal, my thawing heart began the process all over again.

            And…I felt cold inside…the very weight of the world balancing on my shoulders. It was so overwhelming that I wanted to do something.

            And, so, I cried. I cried for everything and nothing. I cried for life and death, for all the strangers and loved ones in the whole world, for peace and war. I cried for…just forever. Not in the forever as in time, but the forever as in…just forever, the immortal forever.

            I brushed away the last of my tears, my heart aching slightly, but cleansed and pure now. It felt really good to have a deep weep. It was a long, long, long while since I had ever cried that much before in my entire life.

            I lay down in the moist grass and gazed up at the stars, immersed so deeply within my thoughts and myself. I realized that I was just reaching the fine point of where I was just trying my best to find my true self in this world. I turned over everything in my mind, pondering the mysteries of the universe and asking and answering questions that had no answer with likely possibilities.

            It felt like an eternity after that.

            Sleep had finally decided to creep up upon me and I thought it best to retire for the night.

            As I walked through the dead quiet corridors of Hogwarts, I realized why so many people were afraid of it. Because there was absolutely no life at all plus the high risk of danger.

            My heart pulsed with adrenaline, my ears and mind alert for any stray sounds that caught my attention. My ears buzzed with the sound of heavy silence. It was so creepy.

            I gasped and whirled around. There had been a single soft step somewhere behind me.

            My vigilant eyes scoured the hall for the intruder, but spied nothing. But I now knew that I wasn’t alone.

            I walked calmly and slowly. I heard the footsteps begin again. I turned a corner and waited to ambush the stalker. The steps then came to a halt and I turned the corner swiftly and grabbed the stalker by the collar and pressed him against the wall.

            “What do you want?” I snarled.

            “Drea…let me down…I only want to talk to you.”

            “Harry?” I exclaimed in surprise, releasing him gently onto the ground and backing away. “What the heck are you doing up?”

            “I couldn’t sleep. I…I…don’t know why not. I just couldn’t…”

            “What’s wrong?”

            Harry shrugged.

            “I…Look…I’m sorry if I’m troubling you or anything. I’ll…go.”

            “But Harry-”

            “Bye, Drea.”

            Harry left, leaving me puzzled about his behavior.

 

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            I shouldn’t have done that. I really shouldn’t have done that.

            Harry was walking swiftly towards Gryffindor tower, eager to get back to sleep and avoid Drea the rest of the day.

            “Swivel,” he announced as he approached the portrait.

            The Fat Lady yawned and grumbled something inaudible under her breath as her portrait swung open. Harry entered the common room and plopped himself down on the coach in front of the raging fire.

            Harry stared intently at the fire and narrowed his eyes in deep thought. He wasn’t thinking of Drea, but of the last year that had seemed to pass by so fast. He remembered when he had first met Sirius…and now he was dead and gone in an instant.

            Harry exhaled a breath and turned from the fire. He leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes, breathing steadily and calmly. The night was tranquil and silent. Everyone upstairs was deeply asleep in their beds…all except for Harry. He had so many troubles and pressure on his shoulders that he was simply taking a single moment to enjoy the silence.

            Of course, he wouldn’t be able to live like this forever, but just for a second or two.

            Problem was…what in the world was he going to do about Drea?

 

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            I lay in bed once more…I was so confused because my mind was clouded with too many emotions all at once. I shut my eyes and felt my heart ache along with the rest of my being.

            I didn’t know why, but…I suddenly felt so lonely…so, so lonely. I turned facedown onto the pillow as tears escaped my eyes and fell onto my pillow, drenching it slightly with its saltiness. I cried for everything and nothing…I wept until I was empty and numb and felt no more.

            And then, I elapsed into an abyss of hollow darkness.

 

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            October passed in a daze. My heart became darker and more secluded, and I didn’t even bother to notice that Harry was avoiding me. Cho at first was sympathetic towards my isolated self, trying to get me to smile or at least smirk every once in a while. Then…I don’t really remember much about what it was about, but we got into another fight and Cho then refused to speak to me.

            Honestly…my heart was too cold currently to care. I wallowed in my own self-pity, ignoring everyone and concentrating hard on my schoolwork.

            One day in mid-November I found myself in yet another trance walking down a half-empty corridor. During those last few days, I lost sleep and stayed up staring at the ceiling of my canopy bed. So, naturally, I was dead-tired and didn’t want to deal with anyone or anything.

            But, of course, none other than the infamous Draco Malfoy chose his timing badly.

            As I walked innocently down the hallway, I felt someone grab me by the upper arm and swivel me towards them. I sniffed as I found Malfoy leaning down in to my face.

            “Hello there, dear little Drea,” he purred softly as he stroked my cheek. I clamped my teeth together hard to keep from making the situation any worse.

            A faint blush rose to my cheeks as kissed my cheek tenderly. Then, unexpectedly, mind you, he pecked my lips, which lead to a deeper more passionate kiss. It wasn’t wet or rough in any way, but…I have to admit that it was really, really, really nice.

            For a moment when he pulled away from my face, he looked satisfied at the stunned look on my face. Malfoy then smirked and leaned in to kiss me again.

            “D-d…Drea?”

            I gasped and shoved Malfoy away in surprise. He stumbled, but soon regained his balance. His smirk grew even more profound as he saw the hurt look on Neville’s face.

            “N-no…no, Neville…please, it’s not what you think! It isn’t!”

            Neville’s face was a faint pink as he swerved around and calmly strode away to the Great Hall.

            “Neville!”

            “No…no, Drea…not now. I-I…I have a lot to take in.”

            I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest.

            “Looks like the great lump doesn’t approve of competition,” taunted Malfoy.

            It was then I blew. My irritation had been building up so much over the last few days that I wasn’t able to hold it in any longer.

            I swerved around as swift as lightning and socked him hard in the eye. I whipped out my wand from my school robes and held it out, threatening him with my all-powerful magic.

            “I have had…enough of you,” I panted through my thick anger. I kicked his side and he groaned. People began to circle us and watch. Some of them were Slytherins with disdainful looks on their faces; others were a mix of other houses that appeared to be rooting for me as I kicked him once more in the side.

            I stomped off in a crowd of cheering kids. My one thought was I sure showed him!

           

            Days and days passed before something else that was memorable happened.

            It was around the middle of December and I hadn’t seen Neville since that fateful day in November. I knew that Neville and I were no longer together. I had cheated on him (not intentionally, of course), and he had disappeared. I simply assumed that he was avoiding him. I could see why…I had absolutely humiliated him. That’s why he was avoiding me.

            Anyway…it was about two weeks before Christmas (or so I remember). I was in the Great Hall, sitting alone at the Ravenclaw table. I could see Cho sitting with her other friends and chatting happily with them…maybe about makeup or clothes or something else that was totally girly. Cho had been avoiding me, also. I was so lonesome. Everyone began to treat me like a complete outcast.

            It’s so weird, though. When I first came to Hogwarts, people were fascinated by my strangeness and accepted me through and through. They admired me and I was always surrounded by Cho and a few of her friends. But that was way back in the days before I broke up with Neville and she actually spoke to me.

            But…at least I have Harry. We had become closer friends through my hardships. He always had a smile for me and talked to me normally when no one else did. Those days were harsh and bittersweet like a lemon.

            I sat alone, thinking to myself, when Dumbledore arose from his grand chair and approached the podium, his long, silver beard dragging along the floor. He rose his hands up in the air, palms thrusting out.

            The entire hall became silent with respect, looking at Dumbledore expectantly.

            “I am sure many of you enjoyed the Halloween Masquerade this past October?”

            We all murmured in agreement. It really had been wonderful. Wonderfully wonderful.

            Dumbledore nodded his head slightly and smiled at all of us.

            “Yes, it appears so. I have an announcement to make to all of you. On Christmas Eve we are to have…a Christmas Ball!”

            Everyone gasped in excitement while I sat serenely waiting for people to calm themselves down so I could hear the rest of the announcement.

            “But, let me assure you, the Christmas Ball shall only be for third years and up.”

            People groaned at this.

            “But…an upside to this is that entertainment will be allowed to be provided by our wonderfully talented students that wish to perform on that night.”

            This caught my interest at once. I never once minded performing in front of people…

            “That is all. Back to your dinner.”

            Dumbledore sat down and resumed his chatter with the other teachers nearest to him. The Hall, all the while, was buzzing with excitement. I, of course, was planning something in my mind. Something to drive away all my troubles (not a prank). I would be trying out for the Christmas Ball auditions.

            And I knew exactly what I wanted to do.