Lovingly, not yours.

Chapter 12

"What's the use of being alive, if your heart can't race with the possibility of death?"

Chapter 12: "A premonition, if you may."

Halloween is one thing that Odele was afraid of, it was irrational but she was always afraid of Halloween. The date had nothing bad attached for her to be that terrified of it. But her parents had seen her fighting with a heavy fever that racked through her entire body on one halloween night when she was seven.

The events that led up to the fever were not in the slightest bit concerning, for she was a happy child who was simply helping her mother around the house. She had not even gone out in the ominous rain that happened that day. And so, like every year Odele's mother was restless but since the change was that her youngest was not with her, she decided to send her a letter with her favourite candy as a gift, a day before to hopefully prevent things from going sideways.

As Odele and her new friend Parvati ate the breakfast huddled together, Merlin flew in and elegantly perched on his owner's shoulder. At the imitated elegance of the cute owl, Odele nuzzled her friend's beautiful and slightly cold fur with her head while Parvati reached out to pet the owl.

Merlin hooted and leaned into Parvati's touch, it was familiar and warm just like Odele's, "He's gentle, maybe because you are its owner?" 

"He's my friend, Merlin." Odele chuckled as she answered, shaking her head. 

A letter at this time around the year, wasn't all that surprising but still rare. Though for the girl it was understandable. She let Merlin remain on her shoulder and be entertained by Parvati as she ignored a few curious gazes around her to softly open the letter.

Her mother's messy handwriting was proving correct as she'd guessed. Her mother was worried, and her worry somehow made Odele anxious as well, but she'd hoped it'll all be fine. The letter contained every question plausible, 'How are you?', 'It is Halloween tomorrow, be careful, and sleep well will you?', 'Have you adjusted well yet?', 'If it feels too much, I'll have your father talk to your headmaster and you can return home for a week.', 'Ode sweetie, you're fine right?'

"Anything serious?" Parvati's soothingly vibrating voice broke her momentary entrance. 

"A caring reminder, I suppose." for a ominous premonition. She held back, going around telling someone of that would be foolishness because neither could someone believe it, nor would anyone remain her friend anymore.

Anxiety aside, her mother's worry made her heart warm in the rather chill Halloween that she was feeling. She held the letter close to her and took a deep breath to sigh it out. Mentally chanting that she will all be fine. Hogwarts was supposed to be a safe place right?

One by one owls trickled in as usual and soon six owls carried a long parcel only for it to be placed in front of Harry such that not only was his bacon knocked off to the floor but your plate of custard cream toppled and fell onto her skirt. The boy was far too entranced by the unexpected parcel to apologise and seeing as to how everyone's faces lit up at theirs, she simply brushed the cream off her skirt and excused herself to the nearest girls' lavatory. 

Though out of the corner of her eye she met Neville's worried glance and gave him a beautiful smile of assurance. It was beyond sweet to her that Neville noticed her departure despite him being excited like the other boys. 'He really is so sweet, I wonder why the others don't see beyond the physical being of someone...' is what Odele thought as she walked the rest of the way.

Every year, ever since her fever at 7, she would fall sick on Halloween as if it's a necessary thing. Either that or something bad would happen within the week that will follow. When she was 9, she didn't fall sick and neither did anything bad happen immediately but on the fifth day after Halloween, that is on 4th of November 1989, her father Nicholas who temporarily went out on business on his academic patron for the Ministry, had an accident and his right leg was twisted so badly that the muggle doctors who treated him in London said that he'd forever have a limp on his right leg.

She returned with the right corner of her skirt slightly dampened only to find the air between Harry, Ron and Hermione to be intense and Hermione in particular had a sour frown on her face, as if she was defensive but it really looked like a haughty child being upset because of her defined and sharp features.

Odele sat down beside her and offered to her a piece of the cheesecake that was left behind because the boys' were still buzzing like busy bees around the broomstick so much that even Professor Flitwick wasn't visible to the girls. She whispered to the girl in hopes of lifting her spirits, 'Cheer up, 'Mione, the day's just begun'. 

Hermione gave her a smile that even Parvati could see as forced, but neither Odele nor Parvati commented on it, and with a shared glance decided to give her the space she needed. And Odele herself was anxious about something else entirely - 31st October. 

Hi, thank you so much for reading this. And I know it must feel like a drag I am so very sorry for that. I shall try and update as frequently as I can to catch upto the part that you'd all like to read instead. 

Once again, thank you so much for reading this, it really means a lot to me. 

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