The Girl Who Lived

New Beginnings

May 10th, 1996.
Elena Clairmont.

___________________

Together. We would get through this together.

I wasn't afraid, no- not at all, not even a little. I could do this; Come back from the pain caused to me, fight through the memories, heal with him.

I would do this, as long as I had him at my side, ready to brave whatever we faced.

We would get through and heal together.

For weeks, my mind had been so silent, so far away from every inch of reality that I was beginning to wonder what was real and what I had invented to protect myself.

It was wrong of me to allow myself to shut it out but I thought I would come back by myself, on my own. I never imagined how far away I would go- how much I had given up until that moment.

But when he saw me and touched my face, I was pulled back. I found my clarity after the longest nightmare I've ever had.

I came back to him because he had begged me to and I always would come back if he simply asked.

After swearing it to each other that we would get through this together, we stayed in silence.

We sat there, watching the sky change colors and transform from black with stars to a morning sunrise.

At some point, we must've fallen asleep because when we woke up, the Centaurs were already starting their hunt as they always did at the same hour each day.

We had gone our separate ways reluctantly and while he watched me enter the portrait of Gryffindor Tower, he said to hurry up so we could eat something- apparently talking about his timeless wounds made his appetite grow.

Men- stupid men.

Had everything always been this quiet before breakfast? Strange.

I opened the door of my dormitory as quietly as I could.

Sure enough, Hermione was sleeping with her head in a book- quite literally. The pages were half over her face as she murmured something that sounded strangely like Ron's name in her sleep.

Ginny was no better, sitting against her bed's headboard, facing my bed with empty covers.

My bed had been made already- definitely strange.

In her lap was her wand, as if she had fallen asleep guarding the room.

It wasn't a big surprise to me anymore that she had fallen asleep this way. It happened every night since I moved into my silent vow of silence.

She would wait for me if I woke up and left the room, she would cover me with a blanket if I managed to actually sleep, she took care of me in her own way and that is why Ginny Weasley was one of the best people I had ever met.

She loved unconditionally and I loved her the same.

"Ginny," I whispered, padding over to her own bed.

Her hair was twisted into a knot on the top of her head, freckles bright against the rising sun. Her dainty nose was wrinkled up and she let out a thick snore right in my face.

I giggled, touching her shoulder gently.

"Son of a bitch-" Ginny gasped as she woke up with a jolt. Her eyes squinted to me. "Elena? Are you alright?"

I nodded, a small smile on my lips. "You didn't give up for a long time on me, Gin. Thank you."

She agreed without thinking, yawning and stretching her arms behind her head.