Noyade | Rabastan Lestrange [2] ✔︎

04 | MEMORIES

The girls returned later than they usually did to their dorm after Dumbledore had extended his speaking time due to the recent events outside of Hogwarts. Phoenix could still feel the shiver on her back when she thought about the number of people that had gone missing or had died. The body counts were enormous and knowing that the symbol that associated her with the people that were responsible for it was permanently inked under the skin of her left forearm, had made her pull the sleeve of her cloak over her hand and advert her eyes to the plate in front of her.

Maureen was the one to push open the door to their dormitory, her laughter getting caught in her throat when her gaze scanned over it. "They removed her bed."

Phoenix nodded, walking past her to sit on her own bed. One bed was missing and although the other ones could have been pushed closer to hide the gap, they were still in the same spots as before. The absence of Dawn's bed looked like a rift between one side of the room, where Phoenix and Maureen slept, and the three other girls' part of the room.

Phoenix voice sounded thick when she answered, "They also removed all of her belongings that she left behind."

"It's weird not to have her around," Maureen pointed out, "and to not even know if she's fine."

"I'm sure Sirius would tell me, if she wasn't. I told him to only contact me if really necessary and anything bad happening to Dawn would definitely be an emergency."

"Do you think she'll trust him ever again?"

Phoenix kicked the shoes from her feet, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know. I mean he hurt her a lot, but she wasn't a joke to him. I think he truly loved her. As a matter of fact, I think he still does and if there's one person that can convince people of something, it's my older brother."

"She deserves to find somebody who loves her for her and not for an idea of who she is," Maureen murmured, walking over to her bed and standing in front of the pictures that she had glued to the wall behind her bed. They were memories, mostly good ones, and pieces of art in terms of photography, created by the pink-haired girl.

Phoenix felt her heart sting. Rabastan had seen a side of her that most people didn't know about and he still liked her, but now he was further away from her than ever before in their lives. She swallowed hard. She would have given everything to go back to that one point in time and change everything.

"Do you think they removed Will's belongings before we went back home?" Maureen asked, her voice quivering.

Phoenix lifted her gaze, finding Maureen, who stood with her back turned towards her and her head buried in her hands. Her shoulders were shaking. She was on her feet before she could fully figure out what to do and crossed the room. She turned Maureen around and pulled her into her arms. She was slightly shorter than her pink-haired friend, but when she buried her head against her neck it didn't matter. She sat down on her friend's bed, pulling her with her, and softly caressed her long hair. She couldn't prevent herself from crying silently as she heard her best friend sob against the fabric of her cloak, but she quickly brushed her tears away. She had to be strong, for Maureen - and for Will. So she did what her older brother had used to do when she had cried; she started to hum a soothing melody.

When Maureen finally calmed down and pulled away, her eyes were red and puffy and her cheeks covered with tear stains. She awkwardly moved her sleeves over them to remove them and mumbled with voice hoarse, "I'm sorry."

Phoenix took one of her hands in hers and squeezed it softly. "There's nothing to be sorry about."

She felt the guilt swell back up in her stomach. She had managed to ignore it in the past few days, but seeing her best friend like that made her sick. Bellatrix had made it very clear that she was the reason for Will's death and Maureen had to deal with the aftermath. Well, all of them did, but she was affected the most. Would she hate her, if she knew the truth about Will's death? Phoenix shivered at the thought, but she knew she couldn't keep it to herself forever. She took a deep breath. "Maureen, there's something I need to tell you."

"If you want to blame his death on you, you're wrong. It's not your fault." Maureen sniffed and Phoenix stared at her in silence. "Will found out about some kind of confidential information. He didn't tell me much. Only that it was dangerous and that he didn't want to pull me into the whole mess. Well, I told him to screw himself." Maureen laughed, which was followed by yet another sob.

Phoenix squeezed her hand. Although the information relieved her a bit, she still felt the weight of Bellatrix' words on her shoulders and she couldn't shake the guilt. Still, she saw how talking about Will nearly tore Maureen apart. "You don't have to tell me."

"Yes, I do," her best friend insisted, "I finally need to get this off my chest." She swallowed hard. "He never told me about what he had found out, said that... that he refused to put me into danger, but I could see how the weight of it was pulling him down. As far as I know it was information against the Dark Lord and had something to do with Damian's sister Daphne. He must have left him a letter, just like he left one for me, but in Damian's he must have explained it all."

"Do you want to ask him about it?" Phoenix asked cautiously, her eyes searching her best friend's face.

Maureen shook her head. "I can't. It's easier to blame someone, but I don't want to seek revenge for his death on anyone, not even Bella. I just wish it didn't have to be him." A tear rolled down her cheek. "I think I loved him, Phee, and now he's gone."

"I'm sure he knew or at least had an idea about your feelings," Phoenix whispered, squeezing her hand, while Maureen smiled at her through her tears. Suddenly an idea popped up in her mind. "I want to show you something."

She pulled Maureen to her feet, leading her out into the dungeons.

"It's past curfew," Maureen pointed out in a whisper, while their bare feet clapped against the cold stone.

Phoenix smiled mischievously at her. "When has that ever been your concern?"

"Who are you?" Maureen smiled at her, although it didn't quite reach her brown eyes, and the two of them made their way to the Astronomy tower, as Phoenjx knew for a fact that the portal was closed.

The air was cold when they stepped out into the open, but neither of them cared as they admired the clear night sky. It had rained just a few hours before, which made nature smell in its own special way, but now the sky was clear.

Phoenix pointed up at the sky. "I believe that every single star up there is someone who has died. They're watching over us and are always by our side." She looked at her best friend. "Will is always going to be by your side."

Maureen's mouth tugged up into a sad smile and she stared up at the sky, her eyes roaming over the stars. "Thank you, Phee."

"And I'm always going to be there too," Phoenix assured her, as Maureen drew her into a tight hug.