A Soulmate's Love

Chapter 10 - Home again

*TW: This chapter contains mentions of eating disorders and could be very triggering to some.

Also, I included pictures of Althea's hot older brothers and sister, plus her 6-year-old sister!

After my date with George, time began to pass rather quickly. The green leaves had turned rich shades of red and orange, and the end of November was creeping up. Elise became more and more in love with Cedric every day, even she tried her best to not show it. I was getting good grades in my classes - Thank god math doesn't exist in the wizarding world.

I texted my family a lot, without anyone knowing, and I was getting really excited for the holidays.

George however, well that was a different story. I tried my best to avoid him since the Astronomy Tower. I know it was wrong, trust me Elise reminded me every day, but I couldn't stand to face him. There was something about him, it was as if we were magnets, and I was trying my best to not give in to the force between us. He stole glances at me during classes, and meals, which is why the library became my sanctuary.

It wasn't uncommon for Ravenclaws to reside in the library to study, so I fit in quite well. Being in the Hogwarts library calmed me, and it was the only place I had to myself where I didn't feel the need to hide my building anxiety. The thing with having high functioning anxiety was that the more I denied it, the more I pushed it into the bulging box in my mind, the more it increased.

George watching my every move didn't make it any easier. With midterms coming up, I felt its overwhelming feeling of my own failure, if that made any sense. I would get anxiety attacks in the library or my dormitories, and was just waiting for school to end.

I didn't want to, correction, I couldn't eat. I knew that without my mom supervising what I ate I had gained a little weight. Elise tried her best to help me, more than anyone ever could; forcing me at least once every two days to come in the Entrance hall to eat a full meal with others. She brought me food every day, but I never finished it. The fact that the holidays were in less than a week now loomed on my mind.

I knew that everyone gains weight during the holidays, because of the glorious food that comes, which meant I had to plan it out. I know, I know, seems a little weird right? But being my analytical and obsessive self, I had to do it.

Elise's Perspective

I couldn't stand it. Watching my perfect best friend do this to herself. How could she not see how beautiful she already was? She seemed to spend almost all of her time in the library but I wasn't going to push her. Knowing her for years I knew that studying an incredulous amount calmed her anxiety. She was gifted, they found out when she was 8, but I knew the risks of being so. Even though it made her smarter than the rest of her peers, it also adds an incredible amount of pressure, always feeling as if you have to prove to yourself and others. She set unrealistic expectations for herself to achieve, and I knew that if she kept doing this she would eventually burn out.

Cedric was amazing. He was absolutely gorgeous which captivated me every time I saw him, he was so patient and kind, and he reassured me. His sister had experienced something similar to what Althea was going through and he would give me the advice to help.

I knew her worries extended past the exams; she always felt the need to impress her mother and despite her lack of admission, her father, which is why she put so much pressure on herself.

Every day when I went to the Entrance hall to eat, George would ask me if she was coming, he would ask me if she was ok and if he could help in any way. It pained me to see him in such a state. Something had happened during their date, and since then she avoided him every chance she got. And every day I shook my head disappointedly. We had grown quite close George and I. We both cared immensely for Althea, though at first, I was suspicious as to why he did. As time passed, I came up with the theory that he was her soulmate and she had no idea. This hurt me even more as I couldn't imagine how I could live if the same thing happened to Cedric.