Enchantments of Serpent's Embrace: The acknowledge - T.N. FF.

Wolf

The early morning sunlight filters through the windows of the Slytherin girls' dormitory, casting a soft glow over the room. But for Caroline, the light brings no warmth or comfort. She lies curled up in her bed, her eyes red and swollen from endless nights of crying, her body weak from days of barely eating.

Pansy Parkinson stands at the foot of Caroline's bed, her normally haughty expression replaced by one of genuine concern. "Caroline," she says softly, reaching out to touch her best friend's shoulder. "It's time to get up. We need to go to breakfast."

Caroline doesn't respond, burying her face deeper into her pillow. The thought of facing the Great Hall, of seeing the pitying looks and hearing the whispers, is more than she can bear. Every moment since Damian's death has been a waking nightmare, and the idea of pretending to carry on as normal feels like a betrayal of his memory.

Astoria joins Pansy, her brow furrowed with worry. "Caroline, please," she pleads gently. "You haven't eaten properly in days. We're worried about you."

Still, Caroline remains motionless, lost in her grief. The pain of losing Damian is a constant, gnawing ache in her chest, making it hard to breathe, let alone contemplate facing the day.

Pansy and Astoria exchange a worried glance. They've never seen their friend like this before, so completely broken by loss. They know they have to do something, even if Caroline resists.

With a determined nod, Pansy reaches down and gently but firmly grasps Caroline's arm. "Come on," she says, her voice brooking no argument. "We're not letting you waste away in here."

Astoria moves to Caroline's other side, helping Pansy to slowly coax their grieving friend into a sitting position. Caroline's hair is a tangled mess, her face pale and drawn. She looks at her friends with red-rimmed eyes, a flicker of annoyance crossing her features.

"Just leave me alone," she mumbles, her voice hoarse from disuse.

"Not a chance," Astoria replies, her tone gentle but firm. She reaches for Caroline's hairbrush on the nightstand and begins to work out the tangles in her friend's hair. "We're your friends, Caroline. We're not going to let you go through this alone."

"You are not my friend," Caroline mumbles to Astoria, but she is too tired to pull away from her comforting touch.

Pansy, meanwhile, rummages through Caroline's trunk, pulling out clean robes. "Here," she says, holding them out. "Put these on. You'll feel better once you're dressed."

Caroline wants to argue, to tell them to go away and let her wallow in her misery. But a small part of her, buried beneath the overwhelming grief, is grateful for their persistence. With trembling hands, she takes the robes from Pansy.

As Caroline changes, moving as if in a daze, Astoria continues to brush her hair, her touch gentle and soothing. Pansy busies herself tidying up the area around Caroline's bed, trying to bring some semblance of order to the chaos that grief has wrought.

"There," Astoria says softly, setting down the brush. "That's better."

Caroline catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror and barely recognizes the pale, haunted face staring back at her. Damian's ring glints on her finger, and she has to choke back a sob at the sight of it.

Pansy notices and quickly steps in, taking Caroline's hand. "Come on," she says, her voice unusually gentle. "Let's go get some breakfast. Just for a little while, okay?"

Caroline wants to resist, to crawl back into bed and shut out the world. But Pansy and Astoria are already guiding her towards the door, their arms linked through hers on either side.