ꜱᴇᴄʀᴇᴛꜱ/[ᴊᴀᴍᴇꜱ ᴘᴏᴛᴛᴇʀ]

0.2

ɪ ʙʀᴜɪsᴇ, ɪ ʙʀᴜɪsᴇ ᴇᴀsɪʟʏ
ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ, ᴘᴜʀᴘʟᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ɢʀᴇᴇɴ, ɴᴏᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ
ɪ ʙʀᴜɪsᴇ, ɪ ʙʀᴜɪsᴇ ᴇᴀsɪʟʏ
ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ, ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ғᴜᴄᴋɪɴɢ sᴡɪɴɢ, ɪᴛ ʜᴜʀᴛs ᴍᴇ

-Bruises by Reneé Rapp

╭──────────.★..─╮
★彡 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙗𝙤𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡 彡★ ╰─..★.──────────╯

Adhara

After the house elves helped me clean up, I retreated to my bedroom for the rest of the day. Not that there was much of the day left, considering I had been unconscious for most of it. As night fell, I finally gathered enough strength to get out of bed and make my way to the bathroom.

I stared into the mirror, examining the reflection staring back at me. My right eye was blackened, a painful reminder of the violence I had endured. The deep cut on my bottom lip throbbed with each breath, and the rest of my face bore the scars and marks left behind by that cruel spell. Lifting my shirt, I checked the damage beneath, only to be interrupted by the sound of the bathroom door opening.

My heart raced with fear, but it quickly subsided when I realized it was just Regulus and Narcissa. Their presence brought a small sense of relief, a glimmer of comfort amidst the chaos that had consumed my life.

Returning my gaze to the mirror, I applied some ointment to the large, discolored bruise on my left stomach. The sight of it made Regulus and Narcissa flinch, freezing them in their tracks. The severity of my injuries was undeniable—a stark reminder of the pain I had endured.

"What do you want?" I asked coldly, meeting Regulus and Narcissa's concerned gazes in the mirror.

Regulus stepped forward, his eyes filled with a mixture of guilt and determination. "Adhara... we're so sorry."

Narcissa nodded, her voice filled with remorse. "Maybe I can talk to them? Ara, I won't let this happen again."

I appreciated their concern, but I knew dwelling on it wouldn't change anything. "It won't change anything, and you know that. You're getting married soon; that should be your only worry," I said firmly. "You can leave now." My gaze remained fixed on my reflection.

They wanted to argue, to plead with me to let them help, but they understood I didn't want them. They exchanged a glance, silently acknowledging my wishes before reluctantly leaving the room.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Fortunately, my parents had chosen not to accompany Regulus and me to the station. Unfortunately for my cousin, his parents had decided to come along. I quickly bid farewell to my aunt and uncle before setting off in search of my best friends, Pandora Rosier and Emilia Zabini.

As I navigated through the station, I couldn't help but notice the horrified glances I received due to my bruised face. But I brushed off the judgment and focused on finding my friends.

"Ara!" a familiar voice called out. It was Pandora, with Emilia by her side. "Dora! Emi!" I exclaimed, embracing them both. They were initially taken aback by my appearance, but they chose not to pry.

"Let's go inside. Too many eyes out here," I suggested, preempting any questions they might have had.

We found an empty compartment and closed the door behind us. "So, how was your summer?" I asked, forcing a fake smile. My friends didn't seem convinced.

"It was great, but Ara, you..." Emilia began, only to be interrupted by me.

"Can we not talk about this?" I pointed to my bruised face with a smile. Smiling was my defense mechanism, a tool I employed when feeling uncomfortable or anxious. They nodded uncertainly, still in shock. "Besides, there's nothing to say. You already know my parents did this."

Pandora found it almost admirable, my ability to speak so casually about such horrifying things. She was scared because she couldn't understand how I didn't find the actions of the Blacks terrifying. Her father was Druella's brother, but they were so different. While he wasn't the best, she knew that giving your child such a terrible punishment made you a monster.

On the other hand, Emilia believed that not even a monster could be that cruel to his child. She always made sure I knew that I had a place at the Zabini household.

"By the way, I want to know what Dumbledore was thinking when he chose James Potter as Head Boy," I changed the subject.

When I first learned that James Potter would be Head Boy, I went through three stages: thinking Dumbledore had made a mistake, considering quitting, and finally accepting that I would have to work with my disowned cousin's best friend.

"Why? Did you want Lupin?" Pandora teased, knowing I spent a lot of time with the boy.

"I've already told you, I liked him three years ago, and now he's just a friend. Besides, I think he has a crush on someone else," I explained.

I was ninety-four percent sure that Remus was in love with Sirius, but I wasn't going to out my friend. The rest of the Marauders remained oblivious to the fact that Remus and I were friends. We used to meet in the library to study and patrolled the castle together in our sixth year.

The three of us chatted for the next twenty minutes until I glanced at the clock and realized it was time to find Potter. The prefect carriage meeting would start in ten minutes.

Peering through the compartment windows, I spotted the Marauders just four compartments to the right of ours.

"Potter!" I called, opening the door. I avoided looking directly at them and instead focused on the window ahead. However, from my peripheral vision, I could see Lupin and Pettigrew to my right and the others to my left.

They all let out a small gasp as they noticed my bruise. Pettigrew  began to ask what had happened, but the boy next to him elbowed him, leaving the other two Marauders confused. When I glanced in their direction, they froze.

"We need to go to the prefect's carriage. Now, Potter," I ordered, avoiding eye contact with him or my cousin. Sirius gave me a sympathetic look as he stood up.

"Did they disown you?" he asked, approaching me. I flinched and took a step back. Sirius, or anyone for that matter, being so close made me incredibly uncomfortable.

"No. Can we go?" I replied coldly, glaring at Potter. I noticed a shiver ran down his spine as I addressed him directly, without an insult. He struggled to find the words to respond.

Sirius acted swiftly, his hand closing around my wrist. "You know, if anything happened, you can tell me... I can find a place for you to stay," he said, holding my gaze.

I stood frozen, a sense of discomfort sweeping over me as I felt the collective weight of everyone's eyes on me. Yet, what truly gave me pause was the touch of Sirius on my left arm, the one marked. It left me questioning the sincerity behind his words.

Despite the uneasy atmosphere, I chose to place trust in my cousin. I discreetly dismissed the other three boys, my voice soft but resolute. "Sirius, I would, but I can't. They—" I began, only to be interrupted by a groan as his hand accidentally grazed my stomach, right where a sizable bruise lay, reminding me of what could happen if i say something alse.

"You know, Sirius, that's their way of saying, 'we'd rather have a dead family member than another blood traitor.' You abandoned Regulus and me; there's nothing you can do for us." Without saying another word, I exited, leaving the room in a state of perplexity.