Finding the Magic (a Clexa hogwarts au)

Until Next Time

That night, Clarke stared at the empty bed next to her in the dormitory. Though her eyes burned with the need to sleep, she was afraid that closing them would send her off to a nightmare too terrifying to fathom. Her mind certainly had the cannon fodder for one.

Instead, she wrestled with a waking nightmare, one that she desperately fought to escape. It always managed to catch her ankle or elbow the moment she thought she was free.

The events of the last few days stewed in her mind, and Clarke didn't even realize she had been whimpering until Echo's voice sliced through her thoughts.

"Shut up or I'll give you a reason to whimper."

Clarke rolled over to her other side, blocking the view of Lexa's bed. The movement helped to clear her mind and she closed her eyes.

As soon as the room vanished from her vision, she remembered the sleeping potion stuffed in her drawer. Though her rustling earned a sharp hiss from Echo's side of the room, her hands clasped around the glass flask. Clarke uncorked it and downed the bitter liquid in a few gulps.

Clarke awoke the next morning, gazing at the ceiling through blurry eyes. She had hoped the sleeping potion would wake fully rested, but she had much more than exhaustion to overcome. She sat up in bed, noticing the empty bed across the room mirroring the one beside her. Echo had already left for breakfast-- or class, Clarke didn't know what time it was. 

The green light that shrouded the Slytherin dormitory seemed to shimmer and writhe on the wall as Clarke stood up to get dressed. A few weeks ago, the light would have seemed disturbing or unnatural, but now it felt like home. Nothing like the pricks of daylight in the Phoenix house, or the dusty reflection of the Honeydukes interior. No, it was a warm light, nestling its inhabitants in a feeling that seemed to whisper home, home. 

Clarke left the dormitory through the empty common room. "So everyone must be in breakfast or class."

"Not everyone." A voice bounced around the close stone hallway. Clarke took a moment to locate its source, but she smiled as she realized Harper sat on a bench a few feet away from the common room entrance. 

"I always took you as a rule-bender, not a class-skipper." Clarke grinned and sat down next to the Gryffindor. 

"Free period." Harper scoffed and twirled her wand between her fingers distractedly.

"What brings you to me?"

"Besides you being the newly most talked about person in school? You're my friend and I thought you could use a visit."

Clarke's chest tightened. Here she had spent the previous day moping and hiding around campus, when her support network of friends had been just a few classrooms, a rogue hallway, or a Great Hall away from her. What a lousy friend I am.

"It seemed like you needed space and time yesterday, but a listening ear today, right? Or if you don't want to talk, I can update you on the school's inner workings." Harper raised an eyebrow, as if "inner workings" meant more than just recent gossip and whatever lesson they had started in potions. 

A way out. Clarke's mother had always insisted she talk about her day, her problems. Clarke never revealed all, but she revealed just enough to make it seem like she had divulged all her biggest secrets. But Harper... Harper gave her a chance to bottle up about her experiences until she was ready to talk about them. For that, Clarke wanted to give her the world. 

Instead, she mimicked Harper's conspiratorial smile and said, "Inner workings sounds intriguing."

"First, I think you'd like to know Monroe, Wells, and I approve of your relationship. Finn is secretly devastated but he's happy for you."