To Hurt and To Heal

The Ending of the Beginning

The branches snap as we rush past, scraping our cheeks, bringing red to the surface.

So many colours I thought as I continued down the dirt path.

"Where exactly are we going again?"

"Back," I responded, "to the Ministry."

"You can't go back if you've never been," she says.

I nod, "except it seemed too familiar to be forgotten."

"And what will the Ministry think of that?"

"I-"

"We're going to talk to Harry Potter," I say.

"Isn't that exactly who we're running from?"

"Quite the opposite actually."

Annie's brow furrowed, becoming more confused by the second.

"This time- we're going to do something, Annie, we've got to do something before it's too late."

And then it's silent again. The only noises are the sound of the frost on the leaves falling to the ground, melting back into the snow.

I grasp onto the strings from my sweatshirt, pulling them down, the hood over my head.

I must not be seen. It will buy us time.

"What's going to happen?" She asks me.

"Because- I have a bad feeling about this."

"I have a very bad feeling about this, Delphi."

We both stop, our boots sinking further into the mist, "no."

"We cannot worry now, it won't do anything for us," I whisper.

"This kingdom is not your normal court," she whispers.

"I mean- yeah if you believe in chaos, but it's completely deserted."

I sigh, "the kingdom needs to be restored."

"Impossible," she says, "you can't possibly help these people."

I turn my head, staring into Annie's eyes.

"I don't want the crown."

"I want-"

What do I want? Do I want anything? Anything at all?

"I want more time," I say, "but we don't have that so we will have to do our best."

"I swear, Delphi, as long as I've lived, I have always wanted our worlds to combine."

"I want the freedom I don't have."

"I want to be allies with the Ministry"

I nod, "we have to dethrone The Dark Lord, it's the only way."

We walk against the roots on the ground, following the blackened tracks. She had to have gone this way.

"I have lost track of who I am in the past few days," I tell her.

"Of course I have- I don't even know what I'm supposed to be running away from."

"I knew I had to run towards it in order to survive."

"How am I going to survive this?"

"You are going to do just fine, trust me, you said it yourself, you're going to win this war."

"This isn't how it's supposed to be."

"It wasn't always like this," Annie says, brushing her hand along mine.