Songbird ; Fred Weasley

Seventy-eight

I couldn't remember being thrown down the flight of stairs.

I remember being dragged across the floor until Eric opened the door, and I remember waking up just now, my entire body in pain.

I tried to move — tried to get up, but the pain shot through my body, and I groaned.

The fall had knocked me unconscious, and when I moved a hand up to my head, I felt the wetness covering my temple.

I couldn't see anything in the darkness, but the thickness of whatever was now on my fingers, told me it was blood.

"You need to stay awake, Mavis." A faint voice spoke, and my eyes flicked open as if I would be able to see anyone in this darkness.

The voice belonged to a woman and it came from somewhere in the dark.

"Don't fall asleep."

I frowned, recognising that voice.

"Sophie?" I whispered, watching as the tall blonde girl stepped closer to me.

She was wearing the same clothes as she was the day of the battle of Hogwarts, but she looked clean. She wasn't covered in dirt from all of the explosions.

Her long blond hair rested over her shoulders, and her smile was soft as she tilted her head and looked at me.

She was glowing. Literally glowing. A white light shun all around her and she looked like a fucking angel.

"You're alive." I whispered.

"I'm not alive, Mavis. I'm not really here. It's all in your head."

"No..."

"You can't fall asleep." She repeated, and I swear I felt her brush hair behind my ear. "Don't fall asleep, Mavis."

"I'm tired, Sophie."

She shook her head, running a hand over my head.

"No. Mavis stay with me."

I blinked a few times, seeing her face slowly change, and I frowned, trying to reach for her.

"Sophie—"

"Stay with me Mavis. Don't fall asleep." Her voice started changing as well, turning masculine.

I blinked, and suddenly it was Daniel instead of Sophie. He had turned on the lights in the basement, and he was kneeling by my side, stroking my hair like Sophie had done.

"Mavis, hi." He said softly. "You were gone there for a moment."

He gently helped me onto my back, and I whimpered at the pain in my body.

Daniel hooked one arm under my knees, the other under my back, and he lifted me off the floor.

I must've fallen unconscious again, because when I opened my eyes again, I laid on a sofa, and Daniel was cleaning up the wound on my head.

"Who's Sophie?" He asked when he noticed I was away.

I made a face at the stinging when he pressed a cloth to my temple.

"What?" I asked hoarsely, looking up at Daniel.

"You kept falling in and out of consciousness and you were muttering the name Sophie."

"Oh..." I muttered before I let out a sigh. "Sophie was... she was one of my best friends."

Daniel paused, his eyes flicking to mine.

"...was?"

"She died." I said in a whisper. "You know about the war, right? The battle of Hogwarts?"

He nodded once.

"Eric updated me while it was happening."

A huge sigh left my mouth, and I shut my eyes, shaking my head slightly. "Sophie was killed during the final battle."

"Oh..." Daniel muttered and went back to cleaning the blood of my face. "I'm sorry."

He put the cloth away and put a bandage against my temple, and I noticed that his hands were bloody.

"Is that mine?" I whispered, gesturing to his hands. "My blood?"

He didn't answer right away. He turned away, and I watched him as he dug into a first-aid kit.

It looked like we were still in the basement. We were in a room with no windows and the only light in here was the one on the ceiling.

"You hit your head pretty badly. You have a huge gash that goes from your forehead to your temple." He said. "You could've died."

I moved a hand up to my forehead and felt the large bandage stretching across half of my forehead, to the top of my cheekbone.

"He threw me down the stairs." I muttered.

Daniel glanced at me, then nodded slightly, his lips pressed together in a thin line.

"Where's Phoebe?" I asked. "I need to be with Phoebe. I—"

Daniel turned around and gently pushed me back down when I tried to sit up.

"You need to rest, Mavis. Don't try to sit up. Your daughter is fine. I promise. Reuben isn't leaving her side."

It was reassuring to know that, but I still hated that I couldn't just walk upstairs and be with my daughter.

"Why am I down here?" I asked. "Do you know?"

"He uses the basement for punishment." He said. "It's dark down here and the light is switched on from upstairs. I wish I could... I wish I could let you out, but—"

"I know." I muttered. "He'll hurt you if you let me out."

"He wants you down here for the night." He said. "I've tried talking to him about it, but he isn't changing his mind. He thinks it will calm you down to stay in the dark overnight."

Daniel carefully helped me into a sitting position before he brought a glass of water to my lips, urging me to drink.

"You're bruised up pretty badly from the fall." He said. "I'm so sorry I couldn't prevent it."

I shook my head slightly.

"Don't apologise." I said, taking the glass and drinking all its content.

Daniel packed up the first-aid kid and put asked over to put it away, and while his back was to me, I felt the hot tears burn my cheek as they slid over my skin.

"He's a fucking psychopath." I exhale, wiping at my cheeks, but my entire face was hurting and it only got worse when I touched my skin.

"He's not a psychopath, Mavis..." Daniel turned to face me. "He's desperate, and desperate people do desperate things."

I frowned at him.

"What—"

"I'm not saying it excuses anything." He shook his head. "Because it doesn't, and I... I want to hate him, I really do, so why can't I?"

He let out a sad laugh and raked a hand through his dark hair.

"I don't know why." I said in a whisper. "Because he practically raised you? Manipulated you? I don't know..."

And then I broke into tears, sob after sob leaving my mouth.

"Please don't leave me down here. I can't— I-I need to be upstairs with my baby. I need to be with Phoebe."

"I'm sorry." He said quietly. "I would if I could. I can try and talk to him again, but... I can't— I don't know what he'll say."

I shook my head quickly, not caring that it made my headache worse.

"No. No, you need to get me out of here. Not just the basement but the house. You need to get us all out. Please. My fiancé must be absolutely terrified! And my six-month-old baby needs me. They need me!"

Daniel moved a hand up to his face, rubbing at his face before he made his way for the door.

"I'm so sorry Mavis." He said quietly. "I wish I could do more."