Noyade | Rabastan Lestrange [2] ✔︎

16 | REMAINS

Ruins.

The ancient Greek house where Phoenix had met Ariadne roughly a year earlier lay in pieces scattered all over the ground. The blocks of marble were covered in a thin layer of what looked like snow, however, Phoenix didn't find herself shivering in the traditional dress she had worn the last time around. In fact, she felt a sensation of sunlight on her bare arms, but when she looked up, the sky was covered with thick clouds. She slowly turned around. There was nobody to be seen, not even animals.

Slowly she climbed over the remains of the building, nearly tripping on the uneven ground every now and then. She knew that her surroundings weren't real. It was just a landscape thought out by her subconscious, but all the same it didn't feel like a dream – especially since she was aware of the falseness of the situation.

Like the last time, there was no sound to be heard except for the soles of the sandals on her feet on the remains. Phoenix blew the air out of her cheeks, hoping to wake up in a few seconds to escape the desolation.

However, a sudden movement to her left made her jerk around. Her eyes widened with disbelief and she took a few steps back, bumping into a bigger piece of marble with the backs of her legs. Between two mountains of marble pieces a figure stepped out of the shadows and towards her. Phoenix covered her mouth with her hands and shook her head, her grey eyes stinging with tears. "This can't be real."

Then she remembered that it wasn't and started towards the boy with black hair and threw herself into his arms. William Nott immediately returned her hug and closed his arms tightly around her body. The tears were now flowing freely down her cheeks and she felt a sob rise in her throat. Seeing his features made the wounds of his loss crack open again and she felt like her heart stood in flames. He softly patted her hair.

"I'm so, so sorry," she whispered and pulled away, wiping her eyes with her hands.

She was met with Will's soft features, his brown eyes holding nothing but fondness in them as he shook his head. "There's nothing to be sorry about."

"Bella murdered you because I wouldn't listen. I could have prevented this from happening," Phoenix insisted, her shoulders trembling. She had to turn away from him to gather her thoughts and wipe her cheeks once more. Will simply kept looking at her with a small smile when she turned back around and she inquired, "How are you even here?"

"I thought you summoned me." His eyebrows screwed together.

This time it was Phoenix who shook her head and he nodded in understanding. "Your subconscious did, just like it tried to summon Ariadne during your attacks last year."

"You know about that?" Phoenix asked with disbelief evident in her voice.

Will appeared changed. He wasn't as talkative as he used to be, but therefore wiser. But when he grinned at her like he had used to do it so many times in the past, she felt that it was still him while death must have changed him in some ways. It was still her friend who had interfered when Regulus and Rabastan couldn't stop picking on her or made her smile when she felt like her world was crashing down on her shoulders. He shrugged. "After death you'll learn about a lot of things you didn't know. It's like they implant a new brain with far more information than the original one in your head."

"That sounds disgusting," Phoenix pointed out with a hoarse laugh.

The boy with dark hair chuckled as well and declared, "But not as disturbing as the fact that we're actually only having this conversation in your head."

"So, you're not actually here?" she asked, flattening her dress with a disappointed look on her face.

"Thanks to your powers I am." There was a moment of silence between them. Phoenix couldn't stop looking at him. He still wore the same clothes that he wore when he died, but the scratches on his shirt and on his skins had disappeared. Considering everything he looked clean and healthy. It made the girl's heart warm to know that he was well wherever he now was – well, other than in her dreams. Then she broke the silence, "We miss you, you know?"