BOUQUET OF TRAGEDIES. ❜⠀⠀❪ regulus black. ❫ -DISCONT.

FOURTEEN; ❝ THE OCEAN OF PAIN AND DESPAIR ❞

CHAPTER FOURTEEN;
❝ THE OCEAN OF PAIN AND
DESPAIR ! ❞

⠀⠀⠀RESETTING LIVES TURNED out to be tougher than anyone thought. There were moments where you just did something out of habit for the one who had left, and then realization would give you a sucker punch to the gut and leave you breathless.

⠀⠀⠀It was even more difficult to do so when the castle had given tributes to each and everyone of the souls that they had lost - which were eleven in total, three being first years. For Florence Hepkins, a third year brilliant artist from Hufflepuff, they'd framed and hung her best piece of art at the Entrance Hall. For Timothy Lee, a seventh year Gryffindor, they'd placed a few Greek statues over the castle because of his love for Greek mythology. For Benjamin Covey, a classic Slytherin from sixth year, they'd added a fountain in the courtyard because he felt like the place would be complete with one. For Violet Simmons, they'd planted beautiful violet flowers around the fountain. With each tribute, there was a copper plate with a dedication to the respective student.

⠀⠀⠀As for Manon Potter, Charlotte Damiens, Jeremy Terence, Kate Milevska and Lucas Laurent, their names felt incomplete with a Violet Simmons. At first, they all became living statues, not talking, not feeling and not connecting. It wasn't until Kate and Charlotte finally broke through the water's surface, and they all finally had a talk, did they all start to smile and laugh, bond and become a tighter knit. The pain was still there and it would always be, but they'd found a way to function without their Violet. Like how you lose a hand or a leg or an eye, at first everything is just mixed up and you're confused how to do even simple tasks but slowly and eventually, you start to live without it. There are still plenty of things you could only do if you had that lost part of yourself, but yeah, you've reset.

⠀⠀⠀Inspite of all of this, the others had slowly but surely morphed back into lifestyle but Manon was still stuck in the middle. She'd become a chaotic storm, pushing herself past her limits. She put extra and unneeded effort into school, her Prefect duties, self studies, Quidditch which was now postponed to January, everything and anything, she dissolved herself in it all. There were moments when the actual Manon shone through but then it all vanished, making you think if you'd imagined it.

⠀⠀⠀In the Gryffindor Tower, the boys started to sit down together for a 'council meeting' every night, originally to discuss ways and methods to heal Manon but now struggling to even squeeze out a laugh from her. No matter how dumb they all acted and no matter how much Remus lectured them in a manner Manon used to love to spectate, she remained unresponsive.

⠀⠀⠀All of this, the way his sister, not a twin but still just like one, was hurting and how she had changed, overwhelmed James so much that he suddenly broke down mid-session in one of those late night gatherings.

⠀⠀⠀It wasn't like she wasn't trying, Manon truly was but she couldn't see which way was up and out anymore. In her eyes, what she thought was up, it was actually down and so she started to drown and drown, lost in the dark ocean of pain and despair.

⠀⠀⠀GUILT CONSUMED HIM from all sides; up and down, front and back, left and right. Eleven lives gone, the same ones he saw laughing and joking throughout his days and their blood was on his pale and sinful hands.

⠀⠀⠀Regulus might not have attacked them or helped out the bad guys, but he kept silent when he should have spoken. He was going to though! He was going to tell Dumbledore about the plans they all hatched in the darkest of shadows but just when he was on his way out of his dormitory room, he was suddenly reminded of all the whips and lashes, and the beatings he endured that still scarred his back and would continue to do so throughout the remainder of his life. He remembered the screams of fury of Walburga Black and the nightmares that constantly plagued his nights, the back-to-back replays of the incidents that took place at No. 12 Grimmauld Place.

⠀⠀⠀This was all enough for the small spark of bravery in him to blow out like a candle and he suddenly felt so small and so weak, and all he did was curl himself into a tiny ball, hide under the blankets and cry out the saltwater that made his fragrance the same as the sea.

⠀⠀⠀In times like these, he wished he had Sirius with him, comforting him in silence by just laying down next to him, with his arms wrapped around Regulus so that his little brother felt safe and not alone.

⠀⠀⠀But he had left without looking back.

AUTHOR'S NOTE;
❝ A REMINDER ! ❞

T'was a filler and a deep one in a long time :(

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