Skill and Seclusion [2] || Harry Potter x OC x Draco Malfoy

155. Accepting Help

DISCLAIMER

I do not own Harry Potter ... but apparently Jaime Campbell Bower is playing Voldemort in the new HBO series and I can't lie ... I'm down with that casting

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Just like the Great Hall, the entirety of the Hogwarts school grounds appeared to have been stripped of magic, and left a dim wasteland.

It reminded Bel of the orphanages she grew up in.

Dark, grey, hopeless, her life feeling like a dull eternal loop with each passing day she lived without joy.

Not even her clearing had the usual warm and welcoming atmosphere she adored.

The leaves and branches hanging down over the willow tree were darker, the flowers had all withered slightly and been removed of their vibrant colours, there was no sign of wildlife, and the sun was hidden behind thick, grey clouds.

As Bel entered past the protective charm she had cast years ago, she didn't bother to try and change it with magic of her own.

It seemed a fitting representation of how she was feeling inside.

That innate despair wasn't going to change anytime soon, and so her clearing would reflect that.

Bel made her way across the grass to reach the swing hung on one of the tree branches.

For the memorial, she had changed out of Cedric's quidditch jumper and into her usual robes like the rest of her classmates.

The chilled air meant she was thankful for the extra layers, and she pulled her Hufflepuff robe tighter around her to act like a blanket as she sat down on the wooden swing.

"Where do I begin?" she pondered out loud, talking to a figment of her imagination.

Ever since she took the time to heal in the hospital wing, she hadn't experienced any hallucinations of Gus.

But seeing as he was the only other brother figure she had been extremely close to prior to Hogwarts, she thought it fitting to speak to him anyways.

Perhaps one day, she would find herself speaking to Cedric too.

"Let's start with Barty Crouch Junior."

The man responsible for her father and mother's deaths, according to Harry.

He had been taken back to Azkaban, but what he had put her through that year would never distance itself from her.

The torture that he had subjected her to may have more consequences than she initially thought.

He told her it wouldn't, but there was a strong possibility that was a lie.

Everything else he told her was.

But everything surrounding that man wasn't a primary concern.

That part of her life was over, and the residual problems that might result in the aftermath could be controlled with further healing, and Bel keeping a close eye on her state of mind.

That was something she was very well practiced in anyways, so it wouldn't be difficult.

What would be difficult is living with the knowledge that nothing she wanted came from it.

The entire reason she had sought out torture itself was to make herself stronger. To rid herself of weakness so that she could be prepared to carry out her duty.

At the time, it was a precaution.

Now, it was a reality.

Voldemort had returned, and Bel had a feeling her duty would be called on in such force unlike anything she had experienced before.