tangled hearts

||14|| - Potions

||14|| - Potions

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I didn't want to go to class. I couldn't get up. I couldn't get the look on his face out of my head, the mark on his arm, the way he pushed me, his grip on my wrist.

"Claire! Class is in 20 minutes!" Marlene yelled from the bathroom.

"Im not going."

"Why? James is worried about you too, he wanted to see you."

I curled up tighter under the blanket, as if hiding could block out the reality of everything. The bruising ache on my wrist felt like a brand, a constant reminder of the way Evan's fingers had dug into my skin. My stomach twisted with nausea every time I thought about it. How had things spiraled so quickly?

Marlene's voice echoed through the room again, more insistent this time. "Claire, come on. You can't just skip out. James will be up here in a minute if you don't show."

The thought of James barging in, concerned and ready to confront me, was enough to make me sit up a little. I couldn't deal with that right now. The last thing I wanted was him knowing what had happened. James would lose it. He'd go straight to Evan, fists swinging, and everything would just get worse.

"I'm just tired, okay?" I managed to say, my voice coming out hoarse. "I didn't sleep well."

Marlene crossed her arms, clearly unconvinced. She leaned against the doorframe, her brow furrowed in that way it always did when she sensed something deeper was going on. "You're not telling me everything. Is it about Evan?"

The mention of his name sent a fresh wave of panic through me. I tried to keep my expression neutral, but I must've flinched because Marlene's eyes narrowed.

"No, it's not."

My throat tightened, and I couldn't meet her gaze. I wanted to tell her—tell someone—but the fear of what would happen after kept me silent. Marlene was one of my closest friends, but if I told her, if she knew Evan had hurt me, the whole Gryffindor tower would know by dinner. And then James would know, Sirius would know, and that would be the end of any hope of this blowing over quietly.

"I'm fine, really," I lied, forcing a smile. "Just not feeling great. I'll be okay."

She didn't believe me. I could see it in her eyes, but she didn't push, at least not right now. "Alright, but if you're not down by lunch, I'm dragging you out of here myself."

I nodded, watching her leave the room, but the moment she was gone, I collapsed back onto the bed, burying my face in the pillow. My chest felt tight, like I couldn't breathe properly, and my wrist throbbed where Evan had grabbed me.

I forced myself to get up, though every part of me felt like it was resisting. My body felt heavy, weighed down by everything I was trying to push away. I dressed in my robes, each movement sluggish, and finally made my way down to the common room.

Halfway down the stairs, I nearly bumped straight into James. He was bounding up with his usual energy, his hair a mess, clearly mid-thought about something.

"Claire! I was just coming to get you. Potions is soon," he said, flashing me a grin that didn't match the turmoil rolling around in my head.

"Potions?" I muttered, blinking at him as if he were speaking another language.

James furrowed his brow and tilted his head, concern flickering behind his glasses. "Yeah... Potions? With Slughorn? The class you definitely have every Monday morning?"