𝖍𝖊𝖆𝖛𝖊𝖓𝖘 𝖔𝖓 𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖊

21

The silence is overwhelming in the small cottage. Circe is perched at the end of her and Remus' bed motionlessly, staring blankly at the bare wall in front of her. The sky is grey, causing a dark shadow to be cast over the house, which matches the brunette's feelings perfectly. She feels like a black hole had just come and swallowed up most of her life, leaving her with almost nothing.

Everyone is dead and she couldn't do a thing to prevent it. What's the point of being able to see the future if she can't change it for the better? She stands up from the bed and throws the closest thing she can reach. A loud smash follows the object hitting the wall, the glass scattering across the hardwood floor. Circe lets out a pained scream, grabbing her head with her hands as she does so. Tears begin streaming down her face and her hands shake as she tries to wipe them away. She's just so tired, so exhausted from everything that happened over the past couple of days.

The brunette glances over at whatever she had thrown on the floor, a quiet gasp escaping her throat when she realises what it had been. "No..." She whispers before running over. The woman didn't seem to notice, or care about, the glass that digs itself into the soles of her bare feet. Circe snatches up the picture frame, clearing the broken shards still remaining.

It's a picture of her, Remus, Sirius, Peter, Lily and James. It had been taken by the messy haired boy's parents on the last day of their second year. Wet splotches begin to appear on the image, due to Circe's hunched over position, which she quickly wipes away to the best of her ability. All of them are wearing wide smiles, oblivious to their bleak futures. Her and Remus are cuddled up with each other, with a similarly positioned James and Lily sat next to them. Peter and Sirius are stood behind them, the raven haired boy having the shorter one in a headlock whilst he messed up his hair.

The woman's weeps grow louder, echoing throughout the silent house, until another cry erupts from the next room over. This breaks the woman out of her sadness, an overwhelming feeling of panic rushes through her as she dashes down the halls and runs into the next room. A boy, who can't be much more than a year old, is sat in the corner of the room in an old wooden cot. His arms reach out for her when he sees the woman enter the room, and his face is red from screaming so loudly. "Oh Harry." She coos quietly, picking the boy per his request.

His cries stop when she starts bouncing him around the room. "Cece." He says happily, placing one of his small chubby hands on her cheek. This child looks so familiar, despite obviously not being hers. Harry's short hair is messy and dark, much like James', whilst his eyes are a brilliant green- like Lily's.

"I've got you." She whispers, holding him so gently- as if he too would disappear, like so many others have already done. The brunette used to be fine with being alone but once she moved to Hogwarts she could never entertain the thought of returning to that state. "I've got you." She repeats.

The front door opens and closes, causing her to rip her wand out from the bun she had twisted it into in her hair and hold it out cautiously in front of her. Heavy footsteps draw closer, mimicking the pounding of her heart against her chest. A sigh of relief escapes her throat when a tall, sandy haired man comes into view.

Remus looks just as exhausted as Circe feels. His face looks withered and aged, his eyes hold more pain and grief than anyone should ever have to feel. "Are you okay?" The man asks, noticing the cold sweat which she had broken out into.

"Fine." Circe responds, walking over to him and pulling them into a hug with Harry in between them. "How did it go?" She asks quietly.

A million different emotions flash over Remus' face, ranging from anger to grief. "They're sentencing him to life in Azkaban." She nods but doesn't say anything.