the girl with all of the choices

f i f t y - o n e

**TW: Blood, wounds, discussion of suicide and self-harm**

5714 words

august seventeenth- support

~ Addison ~

The summer had been highly uneventful since Draco left. Sure, it had only been 18 days since I last saw him, but those 18 days still felt like an eternity. Plus, there was still a fortnight left to endure until I could see him again.

I missed him dearly.

He had written a few times. His letters were short, always getting right to the point. His letters never used to be short. Although, he had never lived through his father being sent to Azkaban before, so I could excuse the brevity. He would write about how much he missed me and how much he loved me.

It was strange.

He had never been one to talk much about his affections. He had only ever told me he loved me twice, the first time after our OWLs and the second before he left. But here he was, writing about how he would do anything for me, how badly he wanted to be with me in London, how desperately he missed my touch. He would close with a reiteration of his love.

He would always end his letters as such.

All my love,
DM x

But, I hadn't received a letter from him in two days. Ulysses arrived at my window promptly at 11:30 in the morning. Whenever Draco wrote, Ulysses would always arrive at 11:30. If he wasn't there by then, I wouldn't be receiving a letter that day. Draco was always methodical like that. 

It was already half noon, so I knew I wouldn't be receiving a letter from him today. I was in my room, sitting on my bed tracing over his handwriting from the last letter he sent. August fifteenth. His words seemed so sad.

I wished I could just wrap my arms around him and tell him everything would be alright. But I couldn't. I just had to hold out for another two weeks. 

I could manage that. 

Fawn was sitting in the window seat, reading the Prophet. Yesterday, there had been an attack. I was at her house when it happened. 

"I just don't understand why the prefects have to be a girl and a boy. Gender non-conforming people exist. For a place that prides itself on acceptance of all, it really doesn't make much sense," Fawn complained. 

"I know," I answered, "but what are we supposed to do about it?"

"No clue. Are you still a prefect this year?"

"Well, I would assume so," I chortled. "It's not like I did anything that would jeopardize that."

She chuckled.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang. Fawn shot up and walked over towards her door, opening it and looking out towards the rest of her house. 

I heard her father's voice.

"Fawn, Addison, are you alright?" he said, rushing into the room.

"We're fine, Dad. What is it?" Fawn replied.

"There's been an attack. The Millennium Bridge."

Fear struck my heart. The Millennium Bridge was relatively close to Dad's shop. Plus, Mum worked right across the Thames. Both of them were at work today.