Raison D'être - H. Granger

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐮𝐱

I didn't recognize him or who he was. We had never interacted before so I wasn't sure why he'd be trying to talk to me.

Our eyes met and he was trying to form his words which were being interrupted by constant laughs. "H-hey F-Frankenstein you e-evair eat," he questioned through his thick French accent.

I immediately froze at the interaction while the people around him, I assume his friends, looked in my direction and broke into fits of laughter at the snarky question.

No. Please no.

I couldn't process what was happening at that moment. I hadn't heard that name since muggle school. It was a nickname I had been called many times because of my eyes. Never would imagine it'd come back to haunt me again in my older years.

I looked back down at my hands that were together, while my right hand's fingernails dug into the bare skin on my left arm.

"What don't you know 'ow to eat?," he continued to harass me while doing 'eating motions' with his utensils in his arm.

I didn't respond.

"Oh, aré you deaf too Frankenstein?"

I didn't respond again.

My nails were now sunk deep into my skin as I looked away from the group that watched and smirked in amusement.

As I tried to fight my desperate urges to run as fast as my legs could take me away from this situation I remained still in my seat while they continued their enjoyment of tormenting me.

I tried to think of something that could distract me from this unbearable embarrassment I experienced now—suddenly I thought of Edith, anything I had left of her.

I unexpectedly spotted the small pond just below the hill at the cottage that summer.

Our hands mingled with each other as we trudged through the grassy lands filled with weeds that I once thought were flowers.

Her presence mixed with the scenery overwhelming me as we arrived at the tinted blue pond.

When we dipped the tips of our toes inside and I shivered at the slight coldness which surprised me.

She chuckled sweetly at my reaction as I made eye contact with her and I felt the sense of eunoia.

She tucked a single defined curl behind my ear and spoke while maintaining eye contact, "You are tougher than your demons, Felicity. You are greater than the pain."

I nodded in response, just taking in what she had said to me.

She looked away, and took a large step before moving further into the cool, tempting water.

And just when I was about to take a step...

Everything that appeared so unforeseen, become a dark foggy cloud that I couldn't make out.

My eyes shot wide open in shock as I was able to gather and withhold some peace from the irenic but distant memory I had suddenly retained? I never had or at least I had never experienced it before but— it was a kindred feeling of state, it seemed as if I had experienced it.

What even was that....?

Where did this come from...?

And why did it feel so...familiar, as if I was really there, once...

Soon my deep concentration and inquiry in my mind was interrupted by yet another bell this morning and I removed my hand from my delicate skin which was now blemished by the fingernails marks filled with faint red blood.