The Girl Who Vanished

Chapter 16: New Beginnings

The silence of the cold winter night fell over everyone in the castle; whether petrified or not, the castle was still. Ana was hardly able to go to sleep after the confrontation she had with Lee and the twins. The way they looked at her like they were confused about whether-or-not she was telling the truth killed her. Knowing they could imagine her torturing and harming students was a reach; she was a Slytherin, but she was no heir of the man her house was named after.

Even as she slept, Ana's hand reached for the hat that she always kept under her bed for comfort; however, the hat was no longer in her possession. The hat, mittens, and her newest addition of the scarf were all left in the frigid cold, far away from the Slytherin dungeon.

The door slammed open, smacking against the stone wall of her dorm, waking up the girl with her pulse in her throat and eyes wide with worry. It was the middle of the night and she was alone. No one was supposed to be there.

"Ana?" a tiny voice called out to her, a voice she knew and had heard for the past three years, but the voice had never sounded so broken before. Instead of sounding strong, confident, and assured, it now sounded little and foreign.

"Alex?"

The door slammed shut as Alex flicked on the lantern by her bed, revealing just how empty Calista's bed was as it sat between the two of them. Within the small glimmer of artificial light, Ana could see the puffy and inflamed skin that lined the girl's blue eyes; although, the blue looked more like smoke than ocean waves.

Alex walked past her bed and sat down slowly on Calista's bed with a pout. Even though it was still dark, Ana could tell by the girl's shaky lip that she was on the verge of tears again. The last time Alex and Calista talked was when the muggleborn convinced the older of the two to leave the castle for the holidays. It was when Alex assumed she'd be safe and that nothing bad would happen to her best friend.

And there they were. Sitting in the silence with the knowledge that no matter what Alex did, Calista would have always been in danger.

"Lex," Ana cautioned with a gentle tone.

The girl peered up at her, looking like a first year instead of a third; she was clutching Calista's stuffed rabbit to her chest so hard it would have molded to her skin.

"What happened to Callie is terrible," Ana began as she swiveled her body so she was now facing the distraught girl, "But it was not your fault. None of this is your fault. It was just poor timing."

At the mention of her innocence, Alex burst into tears; the wells of sadness and regret that hung from her lashes spilled over in a tumultuous flurry. She jumped off of Calista's bed and grabbed Ana from around the shoulders in a desperate hug. Immediately, Ana's shoulder grew damp from all the tears Alex cried in the arms of her friend.

"Callie is going to be okay, Lex, we both know this. She's a strong girl. Always has been."

"I just wished I was here, you know?" The girl responded between hiccups.

Ana continued to hold the girl, all the while stroking her hair like she did when Draco was a baby and having a meltdown. Alex's copper strands felt like silk between her fingers and the longer she played with them, the older of the two finally started to calm down. Her breathing slowed to a normal level and eventually within a few moments, soft snores released from her as Alex fell asleep in Ana's arms.

The little dorm room felt larger now that the two girls were sharing one bed; although Ana wished they were able to grab a blanket before Alex passed out on her. She was shivering within the late-night hours of that winter evening, but thankfully Alex was providing her with a bit of warmth.