Never Is Our Always

Counting Down The Days 5

(Third person)

Minnie and Lee had managed to sleep till lunchtime, but what's so convenient for them is being both seventh years and having free periods.

Minnie woke up slowly, as did Lee, they were very similar in how they slept. Minnie was always curled into a tight, little ball, while Lee was half way curled.

"Is it June yet?" Minnie groans out, stretching her arms while keeping her eyes closed.

"Is it breakfast yet?" Lee yawned, "oh we are so lucky." He sighs happily, "it's one thirty."

"No classes till... four thirty or three thirty?" Minnie questions, sitting up.

"Two forty-five," Lee corrected his cousin as he rolled out of bed and groaned, "I'm gonna go have a shower."

"All righty then," Minnie answered. Lee left as she leaned against the wall, putting on her glasses.

—

Minnie finally got out of bed, stretching her body before bending over to swipe her white button up.

Lee walked into the dorm as Minnie slipped off her sweater to reveal seven scarred lines worth of pain.

Lee walked past her after his shower, changed into his clean Gryffindor uniform; as he glanced at his cousin, he double takes then halts.

"You said you were just writing lines, Alice." She freezes, turning herself round to see Lee as she held her sweater to her chest.

"I-I was..." Alice told him, face going red from them both staring at each other.

"What happened?" Lee questions.

Silence.

"Filch..." Alice slightly chokes, "Filch happened." They exchange a look.

"What the hell do you mean?!" Lee shouts, making her flinch violently.

"HE CAN WHIP WRONGDOERS!" Alice shouts back as hot tears flow from her eyes and down her cheeks, "people like me..."

They both fall silent again.

"Did... did he do it because he was asked to... or because he wanted to?" Lee questions quietly, watching her carefully as she pants slightly.

"Both..." Alice answered, "both, he... Harry told me... there's... Harry told me that there's an approved signed form for Filch to whip wrongdoers," Alice said, "he came to tell me about it since he knew I had detention."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Lee said, getting closer to his cousin. "Turn around." She reluctantly turns herself around.

He stared at her back, the whip marks pink from being fresh scars, all seven of them lashed across her back.

"I-I didn't... I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to get hurt," Alice sobbed.

"Hey, hey..." Lee turned her back around and pulled her into a hug. Did she always feel this slender? Lee thought, holding his cousin a little tighter.

"I don't want you to be hurt, Lee! I can't let you get hurt." She wailed into his chest.

"Shh..." he hushes softly, cooing to her to make her calm down, "I'm okay, I don't want you to get hurt anymore, Alice, so you need to tell me when she does this to you."

Then, Alice gasped.

"Eleven days."

-

(Minnie pov)

Our teachers were no longer setting us homework; lessons were devoted to revising those topics the teachers thought most likely to come up in the exams.