𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 | 𝑶𝑩𝑳𝑰𝑽𝑰𝑨𝑻𝑬 ─ 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝒙 𝒐𝒄

𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐈𝐧 𝐀 𝐁𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞

⭒๋⭑

If I had a box just for wishes

And dreams that had never come true

The box would be empty

Except for the memory

Of how they were answered by you

𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐈𝐧 𝐀 𝐁𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 ─ YUNGBLUD

⭒๋⭑

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𝟐 𝐝𝐞 𝐣𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐨 𝐝𝐞 𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟐

Silence.

Deafening silence.

At times, there were sounds — and the pain. A pain so intense I wished for death.

My mind shattered, moulded, and adjusted over and over again. Ancient words, spoken long ago, echoed with each throb:

“Your mind will not be diverted. Your resolve will never be shaken; so you will never forget what lies in your heart.”

Then the pain vanished, leaving only the fog. I remembered the darkness: solid blackness before the fog.

Did that mean I was making progress? The pain lay somewhere beneath the sounds.

The pain lay east of the sun and south of my ears.

That was all I knew.

“Please, can’t we continue with the medication?” pleaded a weak voice, laden with despair.

“It will kill her if we do,” another voice replied, firm yet softly concerned.

I couldn’t open my eyes. I couldn’t identify who was shouting.

“She’ll be alright here. She created this place. It will be like home.”

Before my weary mind could absorb this, I fell back into the darkness, haunted by a smile I should never have forgotten. A melodious laugh drove away the suffering. And those eyes, which lit up my days.

─────▕⃝⃤─────
𝟐𝟓 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟗𝟔𝟗

Music drifted softly from the small record player on the table. Dad took months enchanting it so it would work without electricity; without that, it would have burned out the moment it entered the grounds of Hogwarts.

With the spell and the runes inscribed inside, Narcissa could finally take the gift home without raising suspicion.

Narcissa was radiant, swaying to the rhythm of the melody. Her smile was so wide it made my heart race.

I held her hands and twirled her around the dormitory, mimicking the impromptu dance I’d seen my parents perform together so many times. ─ I was enchanted by her smile, unashamed to stare too long or act silly in her presence.

We were alone. Selene and Anathema had gone home that Christmas morning, but this year, Narcissa and I stayed behind. Mum and Dad travelled with James to visit a relative. It was last minute, and there was no way for me to join them. However, my present had been delivered: a brand-new camera.