All Our Broken Pieces

Chapter 14

I crumpled to the floor beside him, taking his limp body into my arms. He was so skinny, most of his arms bruised, scars across his neck and his face stuck in complete fear.

"Not my Alex," I rocked him back and forth, "Not Alex."

I stroked his head and a wave of tears fell down my face, pressure built on my chest and I let out large sobs.

"I should've protected you," I whispered, "I'm sorry I didn't protect you."

'You knew though, didn't you?'

I looked up, confused as to where this unrecognised voice was coming from.

'You knew something was wrong, and you let other people convince you otherwise, didn't you Nora?'

"Stop it."

'It was your fault, I tried to let you know.'

"Get out of my head."

'You're weak, I wanted to see if you could break out from the brainwashing, but you let yourself believe them.'

"No no no no no." I pulled Alex closer to me, attempted to find some comfort.

'Everything that happened that night, it wasn't real.'
it laughed, 'It wasn't real, it was forced into your head, I do bad things Nora but even I wouldn't use my own son against you.'

"Get out." anger rose through me, "Get out of my head." I shouted into nothing.

'It's not me inside your head Nora,'

"...what?"

'and I think we both know who is.'

"No no no it was real.

It was real. It was real. It was real. It was real. It was real. I know what I saw. It was real. I didn't make it up.

'No, you didn't make it up, but somebody else did.'

"Stop lying to me." my heart rate quickened and my breaths were shallow.

'I am many things, but I am no liar.'

"You are, I know what I saw."

'But you couldn't touch them? Am I correct.'

"No no no." the realisation hit, someone had been in my brain.

It laughed again, 'Yes yes yes. And because you were weak and believed it, I was forced to kill your brother.'

"Stop it,"

'No, you know what you did Nora.'

I stood up, my legs shaking, heart racing, tears still stung my eyes.

"Get out of my head."

Energy flowed through my veins, I could feel the power reaching to my fingertips.

'You're crazy Nora, and you know it, just like Dumbledore said.'

"Get out of my head." my voice raised and I felt my feet leave the ground.

'It wasn't real Nora.'

"Get out of my HEAD."

Throwing my arms out almost every window in the house shattered, I held up the pieces of glass,

"I told you to get. Out."

And the voices stopped, I dropped the glass, my feet placing themselves back down on the floor. The death finally hitting me I broke down beside him, resting my head against the wall.

"It wasn't real."

After the police had been I was taken to an emergency foster home, I wasn't allowed to go back to school yet, not until the holidays were over anyway.

I didn't come out of my room very often and slept ninety percent of the time. Christmas day was probably the longest I'd spent with these people, they were nice, but I preferred the last ones.

Finally it was time for me to go back to school, I'd say I was looking forward to it, but nobody had been told what had happened, so having to break the news would be hard.

The day before I was to leave I sent an owl to Enzo,  explaining that, on the train I needed to speak with him, alone.

I boarded the train and immediately, Enzo came and guided me into a compartment.

"What's happened?"

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself,

"Alex was murdered."

His eyes widened and he moved over to sit next to me,
"Nora oh my god."

He rubbed my arm and I rested my head on his shoulder, trying to stop the tears.

A little while later, after everything had been explained, he was just as confused as me.

"So somebody else showed you Pansy and Mattheo? Like it was an allusion."

"Yeah apparently."

He dropped his head into his hands and sighed, "Jesus Nor's why didn't you say anything?"

"I had nothing to say."

I mean, what was I supposed to say?

"I'm so sorry you went through all that alone. If it's any consolation, Draco said Riddle didn't shut up about you once."

"I guess I should probably go and apologise to Pansy then, seen as I avoided her for weeks."

We left our compartment and went to join the others, after a long journey and many 'sorry's we arrived back at Hogwarts.

I welcomed the feast willingly, it had been months since I had eaten here.

At dinner I briefly told my story, it was okay I guess, still hurts though.

We were on our way back from dinner, a few of the teachers walking beside us, by pure chance.

Professor Dumbledore joined me at the back of the group,
"I'm sorry for your loss Miss Goldhunt,"

"It's fine."

"I hope that chat we had before you left brought some kind of clarity."

I forgot about that, I was still confused about that.

We reached the door of the common room,

"and," he began, "I'm glad you and Mr Riddle have made up from your little mishap."

"Thanks." I said, too tired to process any of what he was saying.

I was reading my book in bed later that night, and lay down ready for sleep.

Today's events running through my mind over, and over again.

It finally hit me what Dumbledore had said to me,
why was he lecturing me about loss, before I went home?

How did he know me and Mattheo weren't okay?

Why, over these past few weeks, had he been so adamant to talk to me so often?

I sat up, my head screaming.

"It was Dumbledore."

OKAY THIS ONES FUN apart from the start anyways ily all and THANKYOH SO MUCH FOR 7K READS <33333