Obliviate my Destiny {Book 5}

26. the silver doe

Harry and Hermione were asleep in their separate bunks, Gennie and Cole curled up around each other like twine on the other bunk. Shaking Hermione, I told her about the noises outside.

"We should probably move sites now then," she said sleepily, stretching her arms, and hitting Harry's foot in the bunk above to wake him up. "I swore I heard people moving outside earlier as well."

Once I'd managed to prise Gennie and Cole from their too close for comfort slumber, we all began packing up our things at a hurried pace.

"You never know, the dark might be playing tricks on you," Cole said sleepily, poking at the quiff that had formed in his hair from sleep. "But better safe than sorry though."

As the snow fell down thicker than ever, half an hour later we all huddled under the invisbilty cloak and apparated under Hermione's guide. Slamming hard onto frozen earth, my head span from the impact.

"Where are we?" Gennie asked, fiddling with the horcrux around her neck. We were taking it in turns to wear it, Gennie even taking up the task despite being possessed by one six years ago.

"The forest of Dean," Hermione explained as her and Cole began unpacking the tent. "I came here once with my parents."

Snow was just as thick here and it was frostbite inducing cold, but there were many more trees to shelter us from the wind. We spent most of the day inside the tent finally getting a chance to relay our separate stories from the past four months apart—though Gennie of course avoided the subject of Azkban entirely—under the hazy blue flame Hermione had produced.

Considering I hadn't slept properly since that wonderful night with Draco back in Hogwarts, I crashed out after our mesley dinner of half a baguette and half crushed oreos.

But of course, nightmares danced into my sleep.

I was back in Hogwarts, and Hollie was staring at me with wide eyes, the body of Warren Hastings at her feet. And then I was whispering to her: I don't know you anymore.

Her face dropped and she began screaming after me, and everywhere was aching because oh my god how did I not realise what I'd said to her. Why had I not realised that was the worst possible thing to say to her?

But then I was running with Draco, Hollie's screams in my head and then she was in front of me, hands coated in blood and tears on her face.

"You're why I'm like this," she whispered. "If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be hurting people. I wouldn't be a freak!"

"No—Hollie, it wasn't me—"

"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT YOU DESTROY EVERYONE YOU LOVE!" She screamed and everything was blurring around me, Hollie was dancing around me doing a chant: "All Rory's fault, all Rory's fault, always Rory's fault...."

"No!" I screamed, covering my ears, but there was still screaming. All my fault, all my fault.... It was all my fault that my sister was a monster, how didn't I see this before?

Hands were on my face and Sam was in front of me, screaming as well: "May 2nd! May 2nd! Listen to me!"

But then I collapsed, whispers of blame and dates pounding in every inch of my body.

Jerking awake I was covered in a cold sweat. Sitting bolt upright, I tensed up as if Sam or Hollie were about to appear to yell at me. Bile rose to my throat, was it really all my fault Hollie was like this?

Maybe if I stepped in, or told somebody.... Maybe if I stopped being so selfishly concentrated on Draco I could have stopped her.... I should have taken her with us.... All my fault, all my fault.