Gained A Couple Battle Scars (Second Installment)

Chapter 15: PTSD

I’ve not been myself for weeks. I’m having trouble taking care of myself. Dark circles under my eyes, hair hasn’t been brushed in a while so its constantly up in a bun or braid. I don't care about my uniform, I’ve been wearing the skirt and my shoes but my white button up isnt buttoned all the way and my tie is loose.

I’ve earned myself four weeks of detention from professor Snape because of my attire. He was taking points away, but, decided to give out detention because he assumed Slytherin would run out of points by the end of the year for my ‘failure to listen’.

Hanging out with my friends is a challenge all on it’s own. Whether at the Great Hall for meals, study hall, hogsmeade trips. I am present, but,  I’m more of like a shell of myself. I’ve been unable to speak but I am responsive with nodding or shaking my head. I tend to do homework or read, while my group of friends glance at me with worrisome. They are the only ones at Hogwarts besides Dumbledore who know that Sirius Black is my father. It's best it’s kept a secret considering most of Hogwarts believes hes a murderer.

My head of house and Dumbledore have been notified of what I went through over holiday. Dumbledore thinks it’s best to take Draught of Peace potion every morning to calm my anxiety and irritability. So, every morning I have to head to the hospital wing to take it. Its gets annoying actually.

My hair color and eye color are normal because Sirius touched my scar back at my mum’s house. But, my eye color is fading beyond my control to a grey color. It happens a few times a day, George makes it go back to green, but within a few hours it will fade again.

“She has PTSD.” I faintly hear Hermione say.
I’m sitting at the Gryffindor table shes right across from me, Harry and Ron on either side of her. Fred and George are on either side of me.

Everyones eating breakfast, George tries to get me to take a few bites of his breakfast and Fred tries to get me to smile at least twice during meals, sometimes they succeed. I was so engrossed in my book on blood magic that Hermiones voice sounded like she was across the room, or maybe it’s the detachment from everything I’ve been experiencing lately. I’m here, but not fully here.

George holds up a bite full of eggs and I look at it and then at him, he glances at Hermione before turning his attention back to me. I shake my head and take a drink of water and George sighs lightly.

“How do you know?” George says, giving up and eating the bite of eggs.

“Well, at first I thought it was depression. Shes isolated except for meals when we have her sit with us, shes upset, crying, her eyes get dull.” Hermione pauses and George looks at my eyes before looking at Hermione. They must be green for now. “But, if you really think about what’s happened these past few weeks her symptoms line up with post traumatic stress disorder.”

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Fred and George sit in the train compartment with Elara awaiting to go back to Hogwarts. She still hasn’t talked. Not one sound out of her, except the screams in the middle of the night at the burrow, waking everyone up. Elara has opted out on sleep, though to Fred and George she looks as if she will pass out at any minute. George sits next to his twin so Elara can have the whole seat to herself, in case she falls asleep.

Fred, George, Harry, Hermione and Ron all take turns talking to her. Just random things, but she doesn’t speak back.

Fred likes to talk about the muggle magic book she gave him, tells her about him and Georges pranks they’ve planned.

George likes to talk to her about dates he wants to take her on, like a broomstick ride, or a walks through Hogsmeade.

Harry likes to talk to her about Sirius and what a good person he is and that shes incredibly lucky to have him as a father. Harry and her now have two things in common, a scar and Sirius.