Fiadh had never felt more alone. The Yates house was empty, her aunt and uncle were Merlin knows where and her cousin, Valentine was at the Weasley house for the rest of summer for the eldest brother's wedding. She wasn't actually alone, two members of the order stayed in the house at all times to make sure she wasn't killed in her sleep. Not that Mundungus Fletcher would be much of a threat, she thought bitterly as she lay in the starfish position on her bed. Not one letter from Ryan or Draco. Not that she expected Draco to write to her, he wasn't her boyfriend, not even close. But Ryan was her best friend and she had promised to write. She had, strangely enough, received a letter from Blaise, it had been short but it had kept her going.
She had gone through every emotion this summer: anger at Ryan for not writing, sad that her cousin had left her alone and fear that the Death Eaters would be coming for her. But the most overwhelming feeling she had felt, consistent throughout the whole summer was disgust. Any time she caught a glimpse of the mark on her arm she felt it. She was transported back to the moment Voldemort had touched her arm. The searing pain came back so strong in her memory that sometimes she thought she was back in the Malfoy Manor again. She had tried every method to disguise the mark, she'd even one night used a jinx to rip it off her skin. It had worked but when Mundungus had found her bleeding on her floor on his hourly check in he had taken her swiftly to St Mungos where they had healed her skin in a flash. For a few blissful hours while the skin recovered she was free of the awful mark but she had woken up to find the mark just as black as ever, cursing her skin.
She had resigned herself, then, to study all summer, hoping that by keeping her mind occupied maybe just for a few blissful moments she could rid of the memories. When she returned she was sure that no one but Hermione Granger could best her but that feeble light dwindled when she thought about how different Hogwarts would be without Professor Dumbledore. Would it even be safe for the trio to return? Surely not. The calendar beside her bed gave her some crumb of hope, for the next day she would be back on The Hogwarts Express headed back to her home. She couldn't wait for the cushy beds, the crackling green fire of the Slytherin common room and best of all, the mouth watering feast. Fiadh had been living off a diet of toast, tea and the occasional piece of fruit. She couldn't bring herself to cook, even if she was now 17 and legally able to prepare dinner with magic. She just didn't have the energy.
It may have had something to do with the prisoner like diet or the maximum two hours of sleep she was getting but Fiadh had grown skinny and even more pale than she had been. Her dark hair was heavy and shapeless after a year of not having her mother's care packages and the bags under her eyes were now a permanent fixture. She barely recognised the drawn face in the mirror, cheekbones bared and eyes without spark. She knew it was bad but she was just hoping that Hogwarts would bring back the girl she knew before Hogwarts. Before Draco. She cursed herself for thinking about Draco but try as she might she could not go one day without remembering how he'd held her that final night at Hogwarts in the dark of the common room (he would never have done it if people were around) and he had smelled like he always did: of rain and crunch Autumn leaves. He hadn't told her where he would go for Summer, he couldn't go back home and he refused to join her in London. He said he knew someone who would take him in. Fiadh had worried that he might've been killed but she thought she would have felt it if he did. She would've known.
Her digital watch flashed 23:00. She knew she should get up and pack her trunk but her body was so exhausted that even the thought terrified her. Instead, she lazily waved her wand and allowed the objects around her fly around and find their place in her trunk. Books came flying from the hall and kitchen, her robes folded themselves into little parcels and slotted neatly into the trunk while her shattered ink bottles and bent quills repaired themselves flawlessly. As the last scroll of parchment flew into the trunk she felt a small flicker of pride, her practice over the summer had really paid off.
YOU ARE READING
Where He Went
Fanfiction*Sequel to "What He Knew"* After Fiadh's first tumultuous year at Hogwarts, she is finally back and safe. She's fixed things with her best friend and saved the troubled boy from making another wrong choice. But Hogwarts isn't what it used to be, it...
