Free Fall

A/N: As our MCs fight and fight it made me wonder how that would effect the mind of a 15/16 year old. It has been 2 years since the ending of the game and our Ariel is not doing so hot. I wanted to write a short one-shot about it. Hope you enjoy it! (I suck at summaries but here we are). Please be aware that there is mentions of suicide and depression, so please do not read if it upsets you.

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She felt the wind in her hair as she flew high above the black lake. She loves flying as it seems to calm her mind even if a little bit. It wasn't long before something in her yelled at her to fly higher and she flew up as fast as she could and into the clouds. She could no longer see anything on the ground, she could no longer see her classmates, it's just silent. Reveling in the silence she stands on her broom, closes her eyes with her arms spread out at her side. Feeling the call of the void to let go, normally she would fight it but this time she didn't. Her mind felt at peace for the first time in a long time once she made her decision. Leaning back she let her body fall off of the broom enjoying the feeling of suddenly weightlessness. Falling head first she can't hear anything, she cant feel anything but the wind biting on her skin and her hair whipping wildly around her face as it flows around her. Opening her eyes she watches the clouds become farther and farther away knowing that she is closer and closer to hitting the water, knowing that the height she fell from would kill her on impact. Once she started seeing the castle in the background of her vision she knew that this was it, and let herself accept what was to come. She was ready to let go. Even knowing her life was about to end, she would miss the people she has grown close to over the years, especially a brown haired freckled man. She knew her life will never be peaceful with the power and responsibility that was thrust upon her. The fighting will never stop. She was tired.

Just as she was about to hit the water someone grabbed her arm hard. She wanted to scream out in pain as she felt her shoulder dislocate but held it in. Looking up to see who grabbed her she saw his brown messy hair blowing around in the wind. He didn't look at her as he held onto her arm, she could see his lips in a thin line. He was searching for a place to set her down and once he did, he unceremoniously dropped her to the ground as he got off his broom.

"What the hell were you thinking!" He yelled at her his brown eyes glaring into her soul. She held onto her dislocated arm avoiding his hard stare. "What do you think?" The words that came out of her mouth were weak and broken. His gaze shifted from anger to sadness as he looked at her crumpled form on the ground.

"Tell me about it." He states simply as he comes to sit next to her pulling out his wand healing her shoulder as he waits for her to open up. She grunts at the pain of her shoulder fixing itself cursing lowly under her breath. Once it was healed she laid down on the ground and stared at the sky that she just fell from. She reached her arm out towards it like she was trying to grasp a piece of it for herself.

"I'm tired, Sebastian. All I ever do is fight and fight. I help people but I also kill people. I don't regret their deaths as they deserved it." She took a pause to let out a shuddering breath. "But with each death it seemed to take a piece of my soul, now there is nothing left of it. I just want to live a normal life. Not one where I was thrusted into battle at a young age. I wanted to enjoy my time at Hogwarts and be a student. I wanted to laugh with friends. I wanted to over indulge on treats from Honeydukes and butterbeer from the Three Broomsticks. I wanted to love. But I can't have that. I will always have to fight those people who seek out my power, which in turn means endangering my friends." The tears run down her face as talks about the things that will never be.

He leans over and looks at her with a sad smile on his face. "While I will never understand the responsibility of your power, I do understand the other things. So..." He stands dusting off the grass and dirt from his pants. He holds out his hand towards her. "Let's go."

She hesitates for a second before slipping her hand into his. He pulls her up from the ground, helping her stand before he starts walking gently tugging her along, to where she did not know. She wanted to let go of him. She wanted to not feel the comfort and warmth she received from simply being in his presence. She can't help but stare at the connected hands wondering what could have been if life didn't throw them into the fire.

The walk was quiet as they just enjoyed being in each other's company. It wasn't until they passed the forbidden forest that she realized they were headed towards Hogsmeade. He glanced at her face when the sign to Hogsmeade came into her view and saw she had a small smile that graced her lips.

He gripped her hand harder as he told her to seize the day and seize the day they did. It went by like a blur but also like time stood still. He took off running laughing as they danced around the crowds of people making their way to the three broomsticks bursting the doors open surprising everyone inside, earning a loud laugh from Sirona. Making their way to the bar they order butterbeers from Sirona then start searching for a table to sit at. They find the table on the second floor and sip their drinks as they crack jokes and banter about the stupid things they have had to deal with thanks to the students of Hogwarts and their unusual requests. He even teased her about using revelio every ten seconds whenever they are exploring, earning him a light smack on his arm and a blush. Once they finish they leave and make their way to Honeydukes. They picked out so many treats not even caring about the looks they were getting as they continued to stack boxes in Sebastian's hands, while also sneaking some of the treats when no one was looking. Once the treats were paid for they went to the courtyard and sprawled out onto the ground facing each other. They tore boxes open laughing as they ate exploding bonbons, eating the worst flavors of bertie botts beans, fizzing whizzbees, and much more. They didn't stop until they were so full that they felt like they couldn't get up off the floor.

He leans over towards her and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear smirking at the hint of a blush that was rising on her cheeks. He stares into her eyes as he moves his hand to her cheek, rubbing it softly. She looks down at his other hand on the ground and softly grabs it, lifting it into the air, palms open and fingers spread with her putting her hand to his. He looks at how her hand is a bit smaller than his when he closes his fingers around her hand and suddenly pulls her closer to him. She gasps in surprise at his action. He looks at her eyes then drops his gaze to look at her lips before looking back at her. She can feel his breath on her face making her feel butterflies in her stomach.

"Can I kiss you?" He asks as he inches closer, stopping until she nods her head. He closes the gap and their lips finally connect. It was a sweet kiss. Tender and loving. She puts her arms around his neck as he grabs her by the waist and pulls her closer, closing the gap between their bodies. She gasps when he gently bites her bottom lip allowing his tongue into her mouth. Their tongues dance with each other, not pulling away until they are out of breath. He rested his forehead on hers and smiled the biggest smile she has ever seen.

"I have loved you for a long time." He confesses to her. "You always kept yourself at arms length from me, but I just want to love you." He kisses her nose then her eyelids and finally her lips again. "I know you are scared of what is to come and what the future may hold, but I won't ever let you go and you can't scare me away, my love." She can feel the tears forming in her eyes but nods anyway. He embraces her into a tight hug feeling relief that she accepted him and his love.

"I love you too Sebastian. I wouldn't have made it this far without you." Once she finally released her feelings she felt like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. Who knew that accepting the love of someone and allowing them to pass her barrier would lessen all the worries she held. While the worries won't go away anytime soon at least she won't have to do it alone. That peace she felt when she let herself fall off the broom was nothing compared to the love that she felt with Sebastian.

"This is only the beginning, love, now let's get going and enjoy some time with our friends. I know they miss spending time with you, especially Poppy. She bugs me so much asking about you." He laughs as he reluctantly lets her go and stands up with her, once again connecting their hands. "Now is the time to live your life, not just exist in it." He kisses the back of her hand with the most sheepish smile that graced his lips. "Plus, I am looking forward to the memories we get to make together. I love you forever and always. You better not regret loving me because you will never get rid of me now." You giggle at his words knowing that now she has something to live for and new memories to make.