╰┈➤ ❝ S H E ' S B R O K E N ❞
╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗
I've been on the low
I've been taking my time
I feel like I'm out of my mind
[1-800-273-8255 – Logic, Alessia Cara + Khalid]
╚═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝
< Isabel >
November bled into December. Temperatures dropped to single digits. The autumnal colours vanished and our surroundings were suddenly dull and monotone. Warming charms were being cast frequently; the courtyards emptied as people preferred the warmth of their common rooms and the Great Hall over the coldness of the winter.
And me? My mental state has been dropping along with the temperature outside. It's been getting worse. It was a struggle to get out of bed in the mornings. I felt lonely without my late friends, even with the Slytherins. I felt so alone, especially from being segregated by my own house. I kept myself to myself, not wanting to pester Theo or Draco any further. I hadn't left my room in a couple of days with the excuse that I was ill. I was only relieved that they believed me. I hardly got any sleep anymore; my own thoughts kept me up. And if I did get even an ounce of sleep, they were plagued with nightmares that got progressively worse. Waking up sweating and crying became the new normal for me every night.
I was broken out of my thoughts by a gentle knock at the door. I unlocked the door with my wand and mustered up the best smile I could.
To my surprise, Hermione walked in.
"Isabel! Happy birthday!" She engulfed me in a hug which I gladly welcomed.
So it was my birthday? I had fully lost track of the days.
"Oh, erm thanks!"
"Here's your present," she said, handing me a white wrapped parcel with gold ribbons.
Hermione had brought me two Muggle books to add to my growing collection. I stroked the spines – one reading 'Flawed by Cecelia Ahern' and the other 'Perfect by Cecelia Ahern'.
"It's a duology," Hermione pointed out, "I know how much you enjoy Muggle books so here's some more."
"Thank you, 'Mione," I said hugging her.
"Have you got anything planned?" she asked.
I shook my head, putting the books to the side.
"I'm planning on just laying in bed all day," I said, "my birthday never really excites me."
"You do you, hun," she said, "I'll see you later yeah? I promised Ginny I'd meet her at Hogsmeade... you sure you don't want to come with?"
"I'm sure... I'll probably spend the day with Theo or something," I lied.
"Okay, happy birthday again, Iz," she said.
She hugged me once again before leaving my room, closing the door behind her. And just like that, I was alone with my thoughts once again.
I glanced outside and guessed that breakfast will be over by now. People would probably be getting ready to go to Hogsmeade. I remembered Theo suggesting we all go to the Three Broomsticks for my birthday. At first, I happily accepted but now I wasn't so sure. I couldn't bring myself to fake it again; just pretend that I'm happy and okay when I wasn't.
A knock on the door made me jolt.
"It's Draco."
Draco and I had gotten closer. I still had a massive crush on him but I still wasn't sure whether he liked me back. Theo said he does but I don't want to get my hopes up in case it wasn't true. And I didn't want to get hurt by diving into a relationship too fast.
I took a deep breath and flicked my wand again to open the door. He stood at the doorway in a dark green jumper - a nice change from his usual black suit.
"Happy birthday, love," he said, hugging me, "I got you something."
He took out a small rectangular box from his pocket and handed it to me.
"Open it then."
I prised open the box and gasped. Draco had gotten me a beautiful necklace – a single diamond charm encrusted with little gold gems. I tilted it towards the light and stared in awe as it glittered.
"Soooo," Draco said, "do you like it?"
"Like it? I love it!" I said, "it's so pretty Draco, it must have cost you loads!"
"Oh, don't worry about the price Iz," he said, "Here."
He carefully took the necklace out of the box and shifted himself so he sat behind me. I brought my hair to the front as Draco clasped the necklace around my neck. His fingers were gentle and soothing against my skin. I turned back around, facing him, and engulfed him in another hug.
"Thank you, Draco," I whispered against his neck.
"You're welcome, love," he pulled away and glanced at his watch, "why aren't you ready yet? Aren't you coming to Hogsmeade with us?"
"Erm, I-" I pondered on what to say. I didn't want him to worry.
"I'm still not feeling too good... I erm, I don't think I can go today."
"You're still ill? That too, on your birthday? I'm getting worried, Iz, have you been down to Madam Pomfrey yet?"
"Erm, yeah... she gave me medicine but it didn't do much so she said to just rest it out," I lied.
I felt a lump rise in my throat and desperately tried to swallow it down. I glanced at my hands and tried to stop them from shaking so much.
"Iz? You're shaking?" Draco noticed, "are you cold or something? Come, let's get you back to bed."
"No Draco, I'm fine... I-"
I couldn't hold it in anymore and so the tears came gushing out. I slapped my hand on my mouth to stop my cries to no avail.
"Isabel!"
Draco pulled me onto his lap and wrapped his arms around my waist as I cried into his shoulder.
"I...I'm sorry. I just... it's been so hard. I lied... I'm not ill, I just can't-"
"It's okay, shhh, let it all out love," he said, gently.
< Draco >
I wrapped my arms around Isabel, pulling her closer to me. I ran my fingers through her hair, leaving occasional kisses on her head. From the heartbreaking sobs, I could tell she wasn't doing so well. I mentally slapped myself knowing she was falling apart and I didn't even notice.
Her crying stopped but her breathing was still heavy.
"Isabel, love," I whispered, "I need you to breathe with me okay?"
She nodded, weakly.
"Okay, look at me... In.... and out. Come on love, in... and out."
We continued breathing together until her breathing finally regulated. She slumped against my chest and closed her eyes momentarily.
"What do you want to do today Iz?" I asked, "anything you want, we'll do it."
She shrugged in response.
"Here, come with me, Iz." I picked her up as she wrapped her legs around my torso and hid her face in the crook of my neck.
I led her to her bathroom and sat her down on the counter. I grabbed a towel, dampened it and pressed it to her face, attempting to relieve the puffiness of her face. I wrapped her up in her fleece blanket and using hair clips I had seen lying around, I clipped a few strands of hair to the side of her head whilst brushing any tangles out.
When I was done, I carried her back to her room and lay her down on her bed. I slipped my shoes off and slid under the covers, pulling her between my legs. She shuffled around and nestled her head on my shoulder, wrapping her arms around my waist. I hummed quietly and stroked her head.
"Get some sleep, love," I whispered, "it'll help, I promise."
She snuggled into my neck and I felt her body slowly relax against mine as she fell asleep. She must not have got much sleep last night, I figured. I pulled the covers over our intertwined bodies, leaving a long kiss on the side of her head.
I heard a lock click and the door opened slowly to reveal Theodore, Blaise, and Pansy. Of course! We were supposed to be going down to Hogsmeade. They had presents in their hands and Blaise even had balloons. Their eyes flicked between me and a sleeping Isabel and they entered the room quietly.
"Is she asleep?" Theo whispered. I nodded, "what happened?"
Theo perched on the edge of the bed, holding her hand that was laying across my chest.
"Theo, I think she's getting worse again," I whispered.
He nodded understandingly before muttering something to Blaise and Pansy. They momentarily left the room and Theo turned back to me.
"When she has an episode, she hates being left alone so we'll keep her company here," he said, "Blaise has gone to get some more sleeping stuff for us all and Pansy's gone to get some snacks and drinks from the kitchen."
I nodded and looked down at Isabel adoringly.
"You really like her, don't you?" he said, his eyes piercing into mine.
I nodded, deciding there's no point in lying because it was obvious, he already knew.
"She has no idea how amazing she actually is. It breaks me to see her like this," I sighed.
"She's broken Draco. Please help fix up my little sister. I've noticed that she seems happiest when she's with you."
Before I could protest, he shushed me.
"I don't want to hear it, Draco. I know her and I know she's very comfortable around you. Take care of her but don't hurt her. She's fragile and Merlin knows what I'd do to you if you hurt her, mark my words."
"Don't worry Theo," I promised him, "I can't even begin to think about hurting her. She means too much to me."
Pansy came back with the food closely followed by Blaise holding a bundle of pillows and blankets. I gently moved Isabel off me and laid her head on her pillow. She whimpered before snuggling into the warmth of the bed before stilling again.
"Candles, she loves candles," Theo advised.
I lit the candles around her room and cast a charm to make them float. Pansy drew the curtains, and the flames created a pleasant yellow hue around the already pleasant dorm.
"So today is Isabel's day guys," Blaise said, surprisingly in a serious tone, "we do everything she wants and never leave her side. Let's make her birthday the best she's had."
We all nodded and arranged the makeshift bed on the floor, making it as comfortable as possible. I was just about to settle amongst the cushions when I heard Isabel stir in her sleep. I sat down next to her and held her hand, waiting for her to wake up.
Her eyes slowly opened revealing her bloodshot eyes from all the crying. I kissed her forehead as she cuddled into my side, closing her eyes again. Gosh, she was so cute.
"Happy birthday bub," Theo said from beside me.
Her eyes snapped open as she took in her surroundings. I saw her stare at Blaise and Pansy who was sitting amongst the cushions, chatting quietly, then back to Theo and me.
"Theo..." She sat up and wrapped her arms around Theo's neck. He embraced her tightly.
"We're here for you bubs, I've got you," he whispered, just loud enough for me to hear.
"Isabel, hun, do you want to come with me and have a bath?" Pansy asked, getting up from her spot on the floor.
She slowly nodded and let go of Theo, following Pansy into the bathroom.
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Author's note:
Surprise! I thought I'd end the year off with another chapter update for you guys. There will be very slow updates, very very slow, since 2022 is going to be a storm of exams for me since it's my last year of school. Apologies for this but as soon as I'm done with school, I'll put my focus into this story :)
Thank you to everyone who's interacted with my account and this story. Whether that's following, adding to your library and reading lists, voting, commenting, sharing, etc, I'm very grateful to you all <3
Happy new year!