Hell Heart ❤️‍🔥 Harry Potter [1]

i. 'Everything' and 'In-Between'

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i. 'Everything' and
'In-Between'
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★

FIRST AND FOREMOST, Thea Cindercroft knows there's nothing subtle about her. It hinders her sometimes, when she wants to blend into the shadows, and get on with her life without getting caught up in some drama. Like the storm her mother's shit campaign about Harry Potter and Dumbledore will cause for her when she goes back to school. But it helps her sometimes. Like now. She's making a stand.

Thea Cindercroft sits cross-legged in front of the fireplace, warming her hands on the burning pages of The Daily Prophet. She sees the flames spread over Harry Potter's face and her mother's name, signing off the article titled 'Potter's Descent into Madness'. Yes, it's thirty degrees outside, yes, she's got sweat dripping down her face, but if she wants to rebel, she can't stay comfortable. Subtlety won't cut it this time. This is the only way she might get her mother's attention, and when the woman comes downstairs and puts out the flames with a flick of her wand, Thea smiles.

"Theabel, why are you burning a fire today? That's such a waste –!"

Thea leaps to her feet, her heart racing and flickering with its own inferno.

"You're one to talk about waste! You have a platform to tell people the truth, to protect people, but you're wasting it to tell lies and hurt Harry even more!"

Lyra Vincent sighs at her daughter. "We've been over this, darling. I am protecting you, the Prophet and the Ministry –"

" – Are both full of shit?"

"Excuse me!"

Thea feels the tears start to sting her eyes as she says, "Just because you ignore something doesn't mean it's not there, mum."

"Darling, you know about that psychological phenomenon where if you tell yourself something enough times, you'll start to believe it." Her mother stands from her chair and folds her arms across her chest and looks at her with a measured expression.

Thea thinks it's sinister. She'd rather she was glaring at her.

"If you really care about Harry –"

"It's not that, you know that I barely even know Harry! But, I can see what's right under my nose! In fact, it's not just under my nose, it's whacking me over the head with a very heavy brick." Thea returns her mother's look with a raging glare.

She wants to leave, or she thinks she might set alight, like a torch.

Her mother narrows her eyes. "I don't like that tone, Thea."

"Well maybe if you didn't speak to me like I was stupid then I wouldn't take it," Thea snaps, as she feels her hands begin to tremble.

"Sweet, the Ministry has all of your best interests at heart. We don't want any of these rumours to tarnish your grades, on top of that poor Diggory boy's death –"

"His murder by You-Know-Who, you mean."

"Theabel, I won't have this! None of this is true, don't you think if he was really back, the Ministry –"

" – would be doing something to keep us all safe? Yes, I would have thought so, but you've most certainly proved us all wrong!" Thea explodes, "You're letting me down, mum! You're letting us all down!"