The Girl Who Lived

Goodbyes

June 2nd, 1996.
Thirty-three hours, three minutes, three seconds.
______________

Elena Clairmont woke up in her cell for the near hundredth time this weekend.

Her vision was blurry and spotted with black. Everything rattled inside of her brain, including the faint whispers of Cedric's voice from both now and back then, when she had been dreaming.

She had been dreaming of him tonight, under the stunning spell. His voice had been more prominent than ever and even as she woke up, she found pieces of that shattered little girl craving to hear his declaration again. His declaration of his deepest love dedicated to the one and only girl he had ever been irrevocably in love with.

It had been months since Elena had thought of him, much to her surprise. It pained her more than she could ever admit.

Months. Cedric had been a footnote in her past for months and she knew that someone had taken the role that Cedric had once played.

Although the shadow Cedric had left on her would never leave or could be replaced, Draco Malfoy had certainly grown past the shadow and invaded the sacred space of her guarded heart.

And now, Elena knew the odds of seeing Draco again. She knew the damned odds of ever confessing her feelings, or making it back to him. She knew the odds and they had never, ever, been in her favor. Not once.

She needed them to be in her favor, just this once. All Elena wanted was five more minutes with Draco. Five minutes to say a goodbye she had never gotten with another man she had feelings for.

But... the injuries on her...

How long did she even have left? Not long enough.

Elena didn't want to move. Couldn't move.

After her very brief escape, the Officers had woken her up only to punish her violently. The vomit that was more blood than anything else in the corner of her cell proved the violence. And when they had found Andromeda gone... Elena's hands shook just thinking about it.

Her shadows were off, trying to find Malfoy and let him know she was fine. But Elena had known from the moment she had sent them away that it was a wild chase. They would never travel to Scotland quick enough, find Malfoy and let him know everything before morning. All Elena wanted was these last hours by herself to make amends with herself and let the unfulfilled promises in her head suffocate her.

"Elena?"

She stiffened and snapped her attention to the bars. On the other side, there was Kingsley with worry and poorly hidden distress concealed on his face. The lanterns lit themselves up as he placed his hands on the bars.

Elena forced a surge of false energy through her limbs. She relaxed against the bench and let her lips curve into a smile.

"So, I imagine you've heard about Lucius Malfoy, have you?" Elena asked carefully.

Kingsley's fingers turned a lighter shade of brown as he clenched the bars tightly. How could she sit there, all bloodied up with a proud smile on her face when Lucius was taken to St. Mungo's?

But then again- how had a fifteen-year old girl taken down a man twice her age and hurt him enough to require treatment? Kingsley refused to acknowledge the kernel of approval sparking through his thoughts.

He nodded gravely instead. "The Minister himself has heard. He's also heard the havoc you caused inside of the floor."

Elena hadn't gone anywhere except outside of her cell in this hall and the one where a particular door was. What floor? Unless Andromeda had done something- No, that was impossible. Andromeda would have never taken the chance to escape for granted.