Obliviate ~ A Harry Potter Story

Chapter 23

I can feel my face pale at his words, and I wonder what he is going to do. Though he has softened significantly since our conversation in the library those years ago, he has not softened enough for him to not punish me significantly. Knowing that my temper will only complicate things, I briefly close my eyes and breathe in and out, trying to figure out what would be the best thing to say.

"It is my school jumper," I say with no emotion on my face that he could use against me.

"Yes, I can see that," He snapped. "But why is it Gryffindor instead of Slytherin?" I had the span of three heartbeats to decide what to reply. I have three heartbeats to decide my fate. One answer would be a lie and could possibly lessen the blow but had the chance of being detected, while the other answer is the truth, but the truth that is hated. I have faced difficult decisions before, but none that had to be made in such a short span of time. Not realizing that I had made a decision, the words spilled from my mouth before I could stop them.

"Because the sorting hat put me with the people who it knew would show me the way, the people who it knew would be my true family and stand by me no matter what happens." I say, my voice slowly growing in volume until I was practically shouting, drawing the attention of the Zabinis. My calm façade crumbled until I was left with tears streaming down my face.

"Why did you not tell me?" He seethed, his face red.

"I told you because I knew you would react this way!" I pushed out with a hiccup.

"React in what way?" He said dangerously calm. If possible, I paled even more at the tone of his voice, knowing that nothing good would come of this. I run up the rest of the stairs, pushing past him to get to my room, only looking back once, hoping beyond all doubt that he would call me back and engulf me in his arms, pulling me close like he did when I was much younger. I was sorely disappointed. I shove open my door and slam it closed, feeling a small amount of satisfaction from the cracking sound of the door closing.

I pace around my room, thoroughly pissed. I didn't choose what house I was sorted in, didn't he realize that? Frustrated, I throw my self onto my bed pulling the covers over my head, hoping that I would wake up and be in my beautiful scarlet room with all of my friends. I shut my eyes and two more teardrops escaped, falling onto my plush white pillow, blemishing the perfect surface. Realizing that I was still in my coat, I shrug it off with a sob and throw it on the ground, not bothering to put it anywhere.

I toss around the bed for a few more moments before I finally get out of bed and make my way to my bathroom, and splash cold water on my face making all of my makeup run. I rub and my eyes and a few more tear droplets escape, the tears a mixture of stress from OWLs and then Father acting like that. I slump onto the floor and try to remember something funny that happened to me this year and the prank on the Slytherins and Ravenclaws jumped to my mind. I smile a little at the thought before I lay down onto the cold marble and fall into a restless sleep.