Pink Iridescence

Unspeakable truth

The hands of the clock that hung on my lilac bedroom wall ticked with every movement. I watched in anticipation, counting down every second of the summer holidays, waiting for it to all be over. My hands clasped together in between my thighs as I sat on my bed. The bright summer sunlight bounced off my walls, the yellows hues shone through my auburn hair making it glow a light orange. my green eyes flickered from the clock, to the half packed open suitcase sprawled on my bedroom floor. My music quietly playing in the background as my mind hopped from one thought to another without interruption. The thought that this time tomorrow I would be on the Hogwarts Express and hoping that something good would come out of this year.

Hogwarts was more of a home to me than my house was, my family was ignorant to my existence most of the time, too busy arguing with each other to notice they had a child. My parents had separated when I was younger. After my dad found out my mum was a witch, he then left, wanting nothing to do with either of us just in case I was 'another misfortune'. My stepdad was a drunken wizard, lazy and miserable, he never even bothered to find a job. He lived in a chair, by the fireplace, a Dragon Barrel Brandy in hand. My mum cried just as much as he drank, I pity her, she lost the love of her life, but the fury of never being able to speak without it causing mass uproar from either of them is far stronger than my sympathy, so I stay out of their way and keep quiet. Getting that letter from Hogwarts six years ago was a breath of fresh air like I had never had before and walking through the castle for the first time ever, it felt like there was no place I would rather be, nothing could hurt me. Knowing this year was my last made my stomach curdle and my heart sink, this year had to be the best, it just had to be.

Tip taps rapped on my bedroom window, snapping me out of my daydream and I shot around. Seeing the fluffy blue-grey owl made me jump to my feet. A smile lit up my face as my hand reached for the window handle, the small owl hobbled onto my bed post and held out its leg, chirping playfully at me

"Oh, Gerty you brought me a letter" I cooed at the little owl, tickling under her beak, then unwrapping the note from her foot. Gerty was my favourite of all my friends pets, she belonged to a tall, Stern, Tomboy like girl with messy brows and long brown hair that was always tied back in a ponytail, and the most beautiful Hazel eyes that shone a light orange-brown in the sunlight, Georgina Redford was one of the beaters of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, we met at our first ever practice just after I was made team Seeker, we were the only first years on our team, on any team actually.

The letter read;

Hey Keira,

I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to write much during the summer, Gerty went missing, silly bird, and I'm not sure if you got my last letter, but you need to get to my house a few days before we leave for Hogwarts, my Nana is having a big wizarding meeting as we speak, Dean is already here with Marcus and their parents and uncle, I can't say too much in case this letter gets seen, you need to get here as soon as possible. Do not tell your mum about this letter, I do not want to put any ideas in her head, she will crash like the other times. Rip this up and hurry!

Georgina.

Her writing got more rushed and scrawling every sentence and my mind flushed with panic of the possibilities. The last few times something dangerous or important, my mum had found out. The first time was my fourth year when the chamber of secrets had opened, and I wrote to tell my mum, not even giving a thought to the fact she worked closely with the minister of magic and she tried to shut down the whole of Hogwarts with Cornelias Fudge himself. The time after that was my fifth year when she found out in the ministry that Sirius black had escaped, that year was terrifying, and she was more bothered with trying to get me to protect Harry Potter than with the safety of her own child. The most recent was when Cedric Diggory died, and suddenly Harry was the problem, and no one was allowed near him. I didn't even know the kid but now it feels as though his name is said in my house more than my own is.