Judgement Day (Hogwarts Mystery Year 7 Retell)

Chapter 80: Reflection.

"We cannot change our past. We can not change the fact that people act in a certain way. We can not change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude." -Charles R. Swindoll.

Author's Note: Can you believe it? We've made it to 80 Chapters now and 15K Reads!

The Easter Holidays. Merula was never truly a big fan of them. For bizarre reasons, the Professors would take the time to dump whatever assignments they could on the students. She remembered how years ago when her first Easter Holiday came and all the stuff that got dumped on her in her 1st year. And if that wasn't enough pressure to put. That meant Final Examinations were coming as well. And for 5th and 7th years in particular, that meant O.W.Ls and N.E.W.Ts.  

After speaking to Trotsky about what had happened with the upcoming war and preparations, Merula needed some time alone with her thoughts. And that meant going to what was perhaps the only place she could get peace and quiet. Her home. 

Merula apparated back to her home. The home where she grew up in. Finding it so deserted like before. No guards, no patrols, no servants. And it was where Merula lived for so long. Alone and isolated from others. 

Merula walked past the gardens where she remembered her and her mother would go to plant flowers. She knelt down to one flower. It was a tulip. Her Mother always liked those flowers. Merula remembered when her Mother planted some in particular. Perhaps that was what drew her to be friends with Tulip Karasu when they first met. And not just because Tulip was a rule breaker. "Rule Breaking Tulip. How many Rules do you think we could've broken if we worked together?" She asked. 

Walking by the Fountain, Merula was reminded of passing that fountain everyday. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of the water rippling down. Seemed an odd thing to get for a first birthday the more that Merula thought about it, but she would grow to love that fountain. She looked at the carving. Her Little Doe. Merula loved when her Mother called her that. Her Father... well, he just thought it was a stupid nickname. "YOU'RE A SNYDE! NOT SOME LEAF EYED VENISION!" She could hear that voice in her head still. Would've destroyed that Fountain too if it wasn't for Isabella's pleas. 

Merula looked at that Fountain. Feeling it's water on her fingers. Letting her hands splash in it like she used to do when she was younger for no apparent reason. It almost reminded her of the fountain that Hogwarts had in their courtyard. Merula would often go down there to be alone, and also splash her hands through the fingers like she used to do when she was younger when no one was looking. Except for Ismelda, who asked what it was that Merula was trying to accomplish when she did that. Merula said there wasn't anything to accomplish. It was just something to do. And Ismelda shrugged. Whatever Merula did was her business.

And looking at the water, Merula could see her and Ismelda in their 1st year. 

6 Years Earlier.

Riding on the Train to Hogwarts. Merula and Ismelda sat in a compartment. "This is incredible Ismelda!" Merula shouted. "We're finally going to go to Hogwarts!" 

"You look way too excited Merula." Ismelda noted. 

"Well, can you blame me?" Merula asked. "I mean... we're off to Hogwarts. Where we'll become the most powerful Witches in History." She then looked at Ismelda. "You don't want to be the most powerful witch at Hogwarts?" 

"There can only be one, Merula." Ismelda said. "And I don't really like the attention being on me. I like staying in the shadows." 

"Oh, right." Merula remembered that Ismelda would often be the one to sit in the corner.