Maledictus

Ch. 14 - Rosie

"You could've saved him, if only you tried"

A faceless figure sliced his pocket knife across her cheek, a steady flow of crimson making its way down her dirty, bruised face.

"He's dead because of you"

Another slash.

"Fred is dead because you were a coward"

Alice was pushed to the ground as she felt something being wrapped around her throat. She couldn't breath, she couldn't scream.

And the figures only chanted.

"Coward"

Alice awoke, frightened, shooting up from her bed and clutched at her throat in an attempt to breath.

Blake was quick to rush to her side, he had clearly just awoken himself, blanket still draped over his shoulders. He started rubbing her back, letting her head fall onto his shoulder. "Its alright. You're alright now" he said softly. "Just breath Alice, come on now"

"I couldn't save them" her voice was raspy. She turned her head and coughed into her sleeve. A sickly cough. "I was supposed to save them. Why couldn't I save them?"

"It's the dreams again...isn't it?"

She placed her head in her hands and sighed. "Its just all too confusing"

"Here" he said, getting up and rummaging through his satchel. "Stole these from dinner last night. Professor Carrow found out.." his voice trailed off as he handed her a plastic container. "Anyway, its all your favourite things. Take it"

Alice lifted her head, ignoring the food and just stared at her friend. She slowly cupped his face in her hands, tracing a gentle thumb over a gash on his cheek. He winced and pulled out of her grip. "They hurt you"

"It's nothing"

"No it's not-"

"Alice" he said sternly. He never called her Alice. "Eat"

Blake had noticed a few things about his friend. For one, she never seemed to eat unless it was physically given to her. It was if she felt she needed permission, that it was her reward.

McGonagall seemed to have the same theory.

Without breaking her stare, Alice slowly took the box from him, and pulled off the lid with great difficulty. The Carrows had stopped the food supply into the Hospital Wing, the patients were starving.

There was moldy bread, a slightly bruised apple and a slice of pumpkin pie. "They've gotten worse, haven't they?" she asked quietly, afraid he'd start shouting. She bit into the apple.

Blake nodded. "It happened overnight Tia, the punishments" he croaked. "You'd be walking to class and they'd pull you aside and just start hurting you and no one knows what to do. They're getting bored, they wanted discipline, and they got it. But they want more than that. They want us dead" his eyes filled with tears. "Im scared"

The poor boy already looked drained. She wanted to ask him how long she'd been there, but he needed more support than her, it would seem.

"I just don't understand why. Or how-or anything." Blake was trying to collect himself, but the tears kept coming and he couldn't stop tapping his foot against the tile floors. "Hogwarts was supposed to be my fresh start. It was supposed to be something good"