The Last Riddle

61. In with the new

The days of summer pass quickly. Each day is the same. I wake up in pain, I sit awake in pain, I go to sleep in pain. Hours of grief, hurt and emotional turmoil fill my days.

Harry stays away from me, walking around the streets or sitting in the garden. He makes sure to spend as little time in our shared room as possible, merely coming minutes before he goes to bed and waking up early in the morning. I however barely manage to even pull myself out of my corner of the room, the walls hold me captive as well as my memories. With each blink I see his face, his beautiful familiar face. Blood seeping from his temple as his eyes turn cold, the light fading with his final breath.

"You're crying again" Harry's words break me out of my stupor, I dart my eyes up to him to see his silhouette in the doorway of our bedroom.

"I didn't even realise" I clumsily wipe at my eyes as he turns the light switch on. The sky outside the window is black meaning another day has passed me by without consequence.

"You should try to get up" Harry mumbles to me as he pulls his pyjamas out from under his pillow. "Just try to take a shower or go downstairs."

I shake my head "I can't" my voice is weak as I rest my head back against the wall behind me "it's my reflection."

Harry stops his movements and turns to face me "what?"

I sigh slightly "my reflection, every-time I see myself I just see Tom Riddle staring back at me. The way we saw him in the Chamber of Secrets, the way he looked then is the way I look now."

Harry watches me closely as he runs a hand through his messy hair "I understand." He turns and walks out of the room holding his pyjamas and heads towards the bathroom.

I lay back down into my bed, my knees to my chest and my arms wrapped tightly around them. Of course no sleep comes, not once through out the long night does sleep come to me.

Harry's deep peaceful breathes are what I focus on as I stare out of the open window. The moon thankfully is bright enough to cast light into our room, if it had been in pitch black the visions would have returned.

Two more days pass by, the weather is warm. Too warm. England isn't made to handle this kind of heat, even with all the windows open the absence of a breeze just creates a hot sticky sensation within the air.

The afternoon sun shines brightly in the sky as I lean against the wall hanging my head out of the window of my bedroom. Moody the cat lays on the windowsill his stomach to the sky as if he is sunbathing. Below me children pass by with their parents, cats stalk lazily between gardens and the odd car passes by slowly. Suburbia continues to move on even though my world has come to a crashing halt.

"Hey" Harry walks into the room his hand holding a brown package.

I'm surprised to see him here at this time usually he avoids being here in the day as much as possible "what's wrong?" I ask as I turn to face him fully.

He sits down on the end of my bed his eyes slightly brighter than they have been recently "nothings wrong. These came for you actually, they arrived early whilst you were zoned out under the covers. Dudley was coming up though so I hid them for you, I forgot about them till now." He pushes the package and two envelopes towards me.

"What are they?" I ask as I pick one of the envelopes up.

"Dunno, open them." Harry kicks his shoes off and sits facing me. For the first time all summer this feels normal, Harry and I sat together on my bed doing normal tasks.

I smile slightly as I open the first envelope my eyes scan the parchment recognising the handwriting.

"It's from Ginny" I tell Harry as I move to hold the letter between us both so we can both read it.