LIGHT ME UP, ginny weasley.

↳ oxviii

Smell the roses, blow the candles. Smell the roses, blow the candles. Smell the roses, blow the candles—fuck, fuck. Effie grabbed her head, nearly crying out from the pounding on her temple. Her hands are trembling as she wrenched the bag open, finding relief in the rattling of a pill bottle.

"No, no, no—" Effie whimpered, dropping it back in her bag as she backed away, clasping her hands together and rocked herself back and forth on her knees. "I need to stop, I need to stop, I need to stop—I can't, I promised—"

A sob crumbles from her throat when she glanced at the mirror, seeing her dead mother staring down at her. Effie's hands flew to her head as she backed away, a cry escaping her lips. "I need everything to stop!"

And when she utters the last sentence, everything disappears. A white noise takes over her ears, as a tube of lipstick rolled over, and stopped at her feet. Effie picked it up, uncapping it with teary eyes, before glancing at the mirror.

By the time she was done, her shoulders are still shaking, and a capital HELP ME is written on the mirror. Her sobs grow softer as she placed a hand on her mouth, keeling over as her free hand supports herself on the sink.

What the hell is happening to me? She whimpered in her head, splashing water in her face. Effie glanced back at her bag, staring. One more. Just one more, and then it'll stop.

"One more," She breathes out, staring down at the pill in the middle of her palm. Just one. Effie knocked it back in her throat, swallowing it dry and shut her eyes, propping herself by her hands on the sink. I don't need help, I just need—I just— "I've got it under control."

I've got it under control, I'm okay. I've got it under control, I'm okay. I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine.

"I'm fine," Effie says out loud, and pointed her wand at the mirror. "Scourgify."

"Hey, are you okay?" Pansy asks, once Effie finally met with them at the entrance of Hogsmeade, where she waited along with Ginny and Theo.

Effie's head snapped up, realizing Pansy was talking to her. "Huh? Yeah, of course. It's nothing, I'm fine."

"Well, it doesn't look like nothing," Pansy narrowed her eyes at Effie. "It looks like you haven't been sleeping."

"Honestly, Pansy, just lay off, alright?" Effie said, maybe a tad bit too loudly. Pansy's eyes widened at Effie's outburst, which Effie immediately regretted. "I. . . I apologize. I promise, Pans. I'm okay."

Unconvinced, but not wanting to argue anymore, Pansy's expression softened, and nodded. "Theo and I are going into Hogsmeade, what about you two?"

Ginny and Effie shared a look, "Well, we don't want to intrude."

"Yeah," Ginny agreed with a slight smirk. "We have no interest learning how to make a baby from you."

Theo sneered, although the tips of his ears reddened. "Yeah, you would know, would you, Weaslette?"

"I suppose Ginny would be glad to know you actually wear star-spangled boxers on Quidditch games as good luck," Ginny howled in laughter while Effie smirked nonchalantly, like she hadn't just revealed a top secret.