Sage | H. GRANGER

twenty

Sage awoke to Draco lightly shaking her shoulder, telling her that they had arrived at Hogwarts. She groaned in annoyance, but got up nonetheless. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, Sage walked behind Pansy and Blaise. She stopped at the door and turned around to face Draco with a look of expectancy.

"Well, are you coming?" She asked in a light tone. Draco nodded, his eyes trained on his bag above him.

"You go on. I'll meet you at the feast." Draco said mindlessly. Sage furrowed her brow and glanced to the bag rack above her. With a fleeting glance, Sage nodded and walked away from Draco. She hurried to the carriages, taking a seat next to Goyle. Sage sat silently, faintly listening to the conversation that carried through the chilly air. Sage felt the carriage take off with a jolt, the therasterals pulling the students to their destination. Sage sighed in annoyance. Draco better have had a good excuse for leaving her with these buffons.

+

    When they reached the castle, Sage felt a slight simmer of happiness. No matter what happened, Hogwarts always made her feel at home. But, the sliver of happiness was soon diminished when her eyes meet those of Hermione Granger. Sage could see the pain that was hidden in Hermione's cinnamon irises. Sage turned away and walked the her table. She sat down, never looking back to the Gryffindor table. Sage could still feel Hermione's gaze burning into her head. It took everything in Sage not to look back at Hermione. She didn't think that she had the strength to. No, Sage knew she didn't have the strength to look back. Hermione was everything to Sage; the sun, the moon, the stars, everything. But, Sage knew that this was for the better. Hermione would be safe, and that was all that mattered. Sage  wouldn't let anything get in the way of Hermione and Draco's safety. Not even a silly feeling of love. Sage knew that sacrifices had to be made, and she was more than willing to give up the most important things to keep the most important people safe.

The doors to the Great Hall were pushed open, attracting the attention of the students who sat at their house tables. Sage looked towards the doors and saw Harry Potter holding a bloodied rag to his nose. A knowing feeling began to rise in Sage's mind. She looked to the empty spot next to her and sighed. Draco always let his anger get the best of him and Sage knew that it would be his downfall. The feast went on and Draco never showed up. Sage saw people from her house glancing at her, sharing hushed whispers among each other. It was as if the whispers grew louder and louder. Her ears burned with anger, her hands clenching and unclenching. Sage was beginning to feel panic claw at her chest, and the relentless noise wasn't helping her. With a huff, Sage stood up and strode to the doors. She could feel the eyes of everyone on her, but she didn't care. Rapid breaths escaped her lips as she leaned against the cool stone of the castle. Tears pooled in her eyes and Sage hurried to the Slytherin dungeons.

Reaching the common room, Sage walked in and pressed her back against the door. Sobs of anguish escaped her body. She pressed her hand against her mouth to muffle the heart shattering sound. No matter how much she tried, the tears wouldn't stop. Sage pushed herself off the wall and walked to the stairs that led to her dorm room. Her stuff was neatly set on the edge of her bed, her trunk against the footboard. Sage dragged herself to her bed and laid down. She tightly wrapped the duvet around her shaking body and took a deep, shaky breath. The tears still fell, but Sage no longer felt them. She didn't feel anything anymore.

++

The next morning came and Sage was the first to wake. Sluggishly, she rolled out of bed and dug through her trunk searching for her uniform. Sage dressed, mentally preparing herself for the new day. She walked out of her dorm, trying to be as quiet as possible. When reaching the common room, Sage glanced around with a small glimmer of hope in her eyes. But, the hope son diminished as she realized Draco wasn't in the common room. Sighing to her herself, Sage walked out of the common room and to the Great Hall. She sat alone, picking at the plate of food in front of her. Sage could feel the familiar feeling of nerves brewing in her stomach, making her feel as if she would vomit at any second. Before Sage could actually vomit, a figure stepped in her line of vision.

"Mind if i sit?" He asked, gesturing to the emptiness around Sage. Sage could recognize the soft voice from anywhere. Sage didn't answer in hopes that he would go away, but he did the exact opposite. Alaric Dawson, a seventh year Ravenclaw with bright eyes and a small smile, sat in front of Sage.

"What do you want, Dawson?" Sage asked harshly, internally cringing at her tone. Alaric just smiled at her and shrugged.

"Well, seeing as we are in the same boat, i figured we should get better acquainted." Sage scoffed at his words.  No matter how sweet Alaric was, Sage wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea of being "friends" with another death eater. But, a part of Sage wanted to get to know the blonde boy better. He was right, as much as she hated to admit it. They had both been forced to be something they weren't and do things even the evilest of people had nightmares about. Sage raised her head and met Alaric's kind yet sad eyes.

"You had the whole summer to get acquainted with me. Why now?" Sage asked, her tone much softer than before. Alaric smiled sadly.

"Truth be told, i can't even make eye contact with my friends without wanting to burst into tears." Alaric said softly, almost as if he was scared of Sage's reaction. Sage's features softened at his words. "I didn't think that it would be this-" Alaric paused, his eyes flitting between his cup and Sage. "-lonely."

Sage sighed and pushed her food away. She stood up from her seat, gathering her belongings and swinging her bag over her shoulder. As she started to walk away from the table, she looked back with a raised brow.

"Are you just going to sit there and look pretty or are you coming with me to class?" The frown that was planted firmly on Alaric's face quickly faded into a smile. He stood up and rushed to Sage, interlocking their arms.

A/N:

i should be studying lmao

anyways the bitch is back ayee

until next time

-outlaws