Hogwarts is my Home

Chapter 38: The Despair of Antonia... Marston?

I woke up bright and early the following morning, excited to show Fleur around Diagon Alley before it got too busy.

She was already dressed and ready to go downstairs and eat breakfast, but still waited for me. 

Even though it was only 8 AM, the street was already packed. I got several stares as we entered shops, and I didn't know why. 

It didn't stop at glares, though; for many witches stopped me in the streets and gave their condolences and hugs. How did everyone know my sister had just died?

By the third day, I was sick of this and spent most of the time in room 11, so people would stop telling me that Spencer was dead, as if I could forget.

Fleur had found out what happened and shared stories about her own sister named Gabrielle. She did a better job at talking to me than anyone else had, even with the language barrier. 

All my memories of just Spencer and I were happy, which in some ways made my pain worse. Why did she die at the young age of thirteen when Amara, who had been so harsh, get to live into her late 30's and beyond?

Soon, Fleur had to go home to France and for the first time in my life, I was alone. 

I didn't want to eat, sleep, write to my friends, shop, or anything else. I cried until I was dehydrated- hoping that some way, somehow Spencer was still with me.

Then I remembered I had four photo albums in my trunk. Maybe there would be pictures of Spencer in some of them. But there weren't. The same light-brown haired, green eyed man showed up in the majority of them. Most of the others were me with people I didn't know. Some pages were blank, and it was obvious to me that there had once been a photo on them, but they had been removed. 

I had gotten through my baby and one-year albums. The only interesting thing in them was a few photos of me with Lily and James- Harry's parents, and me with Dumbledore. It had never registered in my brain that I had known them before, but it makes sense. 

After I sacrificed myself for Harry, Dumbledore told me I was the reason the Potters had Harry- that Lily loved me so much that she wanted her own. And at some point I would've had to have met Dumbledore. 

Moving on to Age 3, I saw more of the same faces, until August 2, when I saw the Mystery Man holding me, holding a baby. Even though I didn't have any confirmation, I knew that this baby was Harry Potter. Going further into the book, I saw me with Molly and Arthur Weasley. Flipping the page, there I was playing with a red-haired boy who looked to be about 7 or 8. Charlie. Even more pictures of me and the five Weasley boys filled the book, then of me and Harry. 

We were sitting on the ground, and Harry was trying to hand me a toy. I was looking at him apprehensively, then turning my head to whoever was behind the camera. The date on this picture was October 30, 1981- the day before Lily and James died. That's where the book ended, on such a sorrow note.

Days passed; how many, I didn't know. I could only go through the photos so many times, longing for the Mystery Man to find me here and tell me he's my real father and take me to live with him, but that never happened.

One night while I was trying to sleep, I heard Tom talking to someone outside my door. I heard a key go in the lock and the door opened, spraying light into the room, and standing in the beam of all that light was my best friend. 

I slowly sat up, not believing what I was seeing. "Harry?" I asked.

He rushed into the room as Tom, the innkeeper, flipped the switch and closed the door behind him. "Toni, is that you?" he asked excitedly.

"In the flesh," I muttered dimly. 

He sat on the end of my bed and got a proper look at me. "What happened to your hair?" 

"Later. Why are you here?"

"I blew up my aunt," he said casually. I stared at him, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. "No, no, not like that. She's fine. More like a balloon. But I ran away from the Dursleys."

"I ran away, too. I'd had enough of Amara's torment. Fudge collected me and took me here a few.. weeks ago? What day is it?"

He moved himself up to the pillows and laid down on top of the covers. We each moved onto our sides to face the other. "August 2, but it's 10:41 at night."

"Oh, no, I missed your birthday!" I exclaimed quietly.

He touched my arm. "That's okay, I'm just glad you're safe. Have you been alone this whole time?"

"No, I had another roommate, but she went home. Oh, I still have Hedwig. She's just out flying."

"Good... I expect you want me to sleep in that bed, then." He pointed at the one across from the one we were on.

"Yeah, erm, I'm already comfortable here- I don't want to get up and move, so..."

"Right, of course. What was I thinking? You're already under the covers," he sputtered.

He scooted off the bed and slid his shoes off, then took his jacket off. "Close your eyes," he told me before turning the light off.

"It's so dark in here I couldn't even watch you undress if I wanted to."

"Fine, I'll take your word for it, but don't beg me to crawl into your bed."

"I won't."

"I'm gonna hold you to that," he said jokingly.

"Okay," I yawned before turning over and falling asleep while looking out the window, happy to not be alone anymore.

AN: The photo is one in her book, let's just pretend he's holding a toddler aged Toni in it :)