Oshun hadn't left her dorm in days.
She skipped all her classes to hide in her dorm and from those sick rumours flying around school. She cried herself to sleep and woke up with headaches and puffy eyes.
She didn't eat. She didn't even do studies or speak to anyone. No motivation.
Her roommate and mates tried to be there for her, but she really didn't want to be around or talk to anyone. She never did anymore.
All she wanted to do was be alone.
But she still couldn't escape the rumours because she got things sent to her dorm. Things like condoms and sex toys and notes with obscene words, asking her when they were going to get a taste of her.
She just wanted to disappear.
"Oshun." Forest's gentle voice ripped her from her thoughts. "I'll bring you lunch, alright? I'll leave it at the desk, so you can eat if you want to."
Oshun just stared at the wall, her back to the door and her roommate as she lay on her bed. Her eyes were all puffy and bloodshot. It actually burned like hell to open her eyes.
She heard Forest walk out of the dorm and then she heard the door shut.
Throughout the day, there were knocks on her door. But Oshun ignored them and continued to stare at the wall.
She lay awake and unmoving until her bladder felt like it was going to explode.
Eventually, she dragged herself out of bed and coaxed her legs to take her to the bathroom, so she could pee.
She washed her hands and dried them before walking out. That was when she noticed the card on the floor, looking as though it had been slipped from beneath the door.
She walked to it and picked it up. She flipped it around to check for a name, but saw nothing. She opened it and retrieved the parchment.
She unfolded it and read the only words on the letter: Open the door.
Oshun dropped the letter on the floor and even though she knew what was out on the other side of the door, she opened it anyway. She didn't know why.
There was a gift bag and she grabbed it before shutting the door. She placed it on the desk and her hand reached inside the bag.
She didn't know why she reached inside of it. She knew what it was, but it was like she was just torturing herself.
She pulled out an unpackaged dildo that was purple. Within milliseconds, her red-tinted eyes watered as her hand grew limp and the dildo fell to the ground.
There was a note in there, she had felt it when she reached into the bag. But she didn't want to know what it said, so she headed back to her bed.
She sank into her sheets and sobbed into her pillow.
She didn't understand what she did to get bullied and harassed like this. All she ever wanted was to be invisible to everyone, but she got the complete opposite.
Everyone saw her as the sleazy whore or the easy fuck. That was it. She went from a nobody to that.
For a moment, she blamed herself. She blamed herself because she lacked self-control with Draco and slept with him after he shit all over her.
But then she stopped blaming only herself because it wasn't all her fault. Some of it was, yes. She was coming to terms that some of this was her fault.
Alongside herself, she blamed Draco and Astoria.
All because he had said what he said to Astoria, and then she went ahead to blabber her big mouth all over school.
She blamed Draco for this, and Astoria. Draco was the one to talk shit about her to Astoria, and then she went ahead to spread nasty rumours.
They were rumours. They weren't true. At least Oshun didn't want to think they were.
She lacked self-control, yes. But the rumours weren't true. She stopped. She stayed away from Draco because he made her stupid and weak and hurt all at once.
Oshun trusted Draco with her body, and in return, she got bullied and harassed. She never understood the logic of the fucking world sometimes. For women especially.
Men would never get harassed and bullied like this if they slept with someone after being disrespected by the same person. They wouldn't even get called easy or sleazy.
They'd be fucking congratulated for screwing a girl and getting laid. No matter the situation, they got congratulated for fucking a girl.
But not women, no. They get judged and shat on and harassed and torn apart.
No one really ever understood how badly bullying and harassment could take a toll on someone, but now Oshun understood.
She understood completely, and she didn't know what to do.
There were footsteps outside of her dorm and then a knock. A firm, but soft one.
She ignored it.
"Oshun?" came Fred's voice from the other side of the door.
She noticed he was always coming to her dorm, knocking and calling for her. She never opened it though. She just stayed in her bed, sulking in her own hurt and sadness and stupidity.
"Oshun, can I come in?" he tried again, still gently knocking. "I— I've brought sweets for you. Jelly slugs and peppermint toads."
As much as she appreciated the thought and effort, she still couldn't bring herself to open the door and allow the company. She just wanted to disappear. From the harassment, the bullying, the taunting.
"I'll leave them here for you." She heard a faint plastic crinkling sound as he placed the sweets on the floor in front of her door.
Then she heard his footsteps recede.
_____
Oshun flinched awake when there was an abrupt knock on her door.
She didn't move. She just lay in her bed and stared at the wall.
She had cried herself to sleep and was rudely woken by the knock. The sun was beaming right in her face since Forest had opened up the blinds, per usual.
And then there was the knock again at the door.
Oshun ignored it again.
If it was Forest, she would just walk in. So Oshun assumed it was someone leaving another sick note or bag of sex toys.
There was another knock, but more hard. Knuckles rapped the door quickly and aggressively.
Oshun ignored it.
Now this time, it sounded like someone was banging their fist against the door.
Annoyed, she hauled herself out of bed and dragged herself to the door. One hand rubbed the tip of her nose and the other closed around the knob.
She pulled the door open slowly, only to slam it back shut. A hard slam that nearly made the walls vibrate.
"Takahashi." Draco sounded so pleading on the other side of the door.
Oshun locked her door and went back to her bed. Her throat closed around another sob. She tried to swallow it and push it back down into her chest, where she would exhale it as a shaky breath.
"Please open the door." His knuckles struck the door once more.
Her legs gave out beneath her before she could even make it to the bed and she broke down for a second time into her hands. She was shaking her head vigorously as she sobbed into her hands and she didn't even know why.
Her bottom lip shook violently as the inside of her hands dampened with fresh tears. She couldn't stop the tears from coming and she couldn't stop crying.
She didn't even realize Draco used a spell to open the door until she heard it shut behind her. She tried to stand, but her legs were flimsy as her head hung low, blubbering heart-achingly into her hands.
A cold grasp surrounded her elbow and pulled her from the ground.
Oshun retreated immediately and shoved him away from her. "Don't fucking touch me!" she cried out as her chest heaved. Her eyes were bleary with tears and streamed down her cheeks.
His expression crumbled in misery. "Takahashi, I'm so—"
"No! No! No!" she snapped angrily through her tears. She took steps back from him. "Don't you dare! Don't you fucking dare!"
He looked so pained, so sorry. His eyebrows were pulled downwards into a frown and his eyes drooped grimly. "Please—"
"Get out," she sneered, chest stuttering in sync with her staggered breaths. "Get out and don't ever come near me."
"I came to apologize," he quickly said. A desperate glint accompanied in his eyes. His hands pressed together before his chest, a gesture of desperation. "I am so fucking sorry about everything. I'm so sorry about what I said and I'm so sorry—"
"Sorry doesn't make it go away!" Her voice raised and was thunderously enraged. "Fuck you and your apology! You don't know how it feels to be in this situation!"
He was completely crestfallen. And she was glad. He deserved to feel the guilt. He deserved to feel bad.
"You don't know how it feels to have everyone slut-shaming you and whispering about you," she drawled. White, hot anger flared inside of her blood and burned at her lungs. "You don't know how it feels to be harassed and leered at every fucking second of the day. You don't know what it feels like to have sex toys and nasty letters sent to your dorm—asking when it'll be their turn to hit from behind. You don't fucking know!"
If even possible, his expression crumpled even more. The corners of his eyes drooped sadly and his mouth was heavily tugged downwards into a frown. Even his broad shoulders slumped.
Her chin quivered as she shook her head, wiping her tears with her hands. "And do you want to know why you don't know?" she snarled in fury.
He didn't even open his mouth.
"Because you're a guy!" She thrust a finger angrily at him, voice loud and full of agony.
His frown deepened.
"You're a fucking guy!" she shouted, infuriated. "You can sleep with the whole school and you'll be praised like a fucking king. A lady could sleep with two guys and get called a whore and get shamed for being sleazy."
He remained silent, defeated.
"So you can take your shit apology and shove it up your ass because I want nothing to do with you," she seethed in unmistakable rage. "Nothing!"
Tears were still chasing each other down her blotchy cheeks, eyes puffy, and voice raw. "I should've never trusted you. I should've never done anything with you. This all happened because I trusted you!"
Still silent as he didn't take his dim eyes off her.
When she spoke again, her voice quieted down and a tremor ran through her words. "What did I ever do to you?" She frowned, perplexed. "I-I don't know what I did to make you talk so badly about me."
His top bottom lip parted from his top lip. He looked so pained and sorry.
"What did I do to make you hate me so much?" Her voice cracked and her chin quivered. "Please, tell me what I ever did to you."
He appeared so torn by the word she used. Hate. "I-I don't hate you." He quickly shook his head and took a step forward.
She took one back.
He stopped. "I don't hate you, Takahashi," he said with such despair.
"I opened my home to you," she said, downhearted. "I was there for you... I trusted you. And you do this." The tears were stinging her blotchy cheeks. "What did I ever do to you? Other than my filthy blood and spending time with Fred, which I have a fucking right to." Her last words were nearly a sneer.
"I'm so sorry," he said so desperately. "I didn't mean anything I said—"
Her anger boiled up once more and the sob stabbed at her chest. "But you still went and talked shit about me to fucking Astoria Greengrass." She barked a mirthless laugh, her tone contemptuous.
He nearly flinched at her bark of a laugh.
"Calling me sleazy and an easy fuck. You are such a piece of shit!" Her voice grew loud, but wavered emotionally. "I hate you! Get the fuck out!"
He nodded and bit the inside of his cheek. He walked out, slamming the door shut behind him.
Oshun gasped through her sob and clutched her chest. Her chest heaved for air, burning like fire.
She collapsed and blubbered some more.
It was only moments later when the door opened. "Hey, I brought you—" Forest cut herself off.
Within seconds, Oshun felt her friend's arms envelop around her so tightly, but so comfortingly. She threw herself into her roommate's chest and cried so hard that her body wracked with anguish.
"Shhhh..." Forest hushed and stroked her curls, holding her as she sat on the floor with her. "It's okay. It's okay."
"I don't know what I did!" Oshun cried out, barely coherent. "I don't know! I don't know!" She gasped desperately for air, but sputtered out more tears.
"No, no, you didn't do anything," Forest soothed as she held her friend so securely in her arms. "You didn't do anything, love. Nothing at all. You did nothing to deserve this."
"I can't take it! I can't! I can't!" Oshun wailed as her shoulders shook erratically. "Please, make them stop! Please, please..."
"I'm sorry." There was a faint emotional tremble in Forest's voice that she tried to hide. "I'm so sorry this is happening to you, Oshun."
Oshun only sobbed uncontrollably in response.
When her sobs subsided—and it took a while—Forest helped her friend up to her unsteady feet. She held Oshun's waist, still hugging her as she helped her up.
"How about we get you something to eat?" Forest murmured as she guided her friend to her bed. "I've brought you a bottle of water and orange juice, and then a sandwich I made in the Great Hall with the lunch meats."
Oshun said nothing, chest gasping in sync with her breaths. She was seated at the edge of her bed, hands shaking in her lap.
Forest stepped away to grab the paper bag with food and sweets. "Fred left you jelly slugs and peppermint toads," she said, taking her seat next to her friend. Her eyes tentatively watched the girl. "He misses you."
Oshun only stared down at the floor.
"We all miss you," Forest said soothingly, and placed the bottles of the beverage on the bed, along with the sweets. She unwrinkled the top of the paper bag to retrieve the sandwich. "I put cheese, salami, and ham."
Oshun sniffled.
"Here." Forest held out the sandwich to her lips after unwrapping half of it. "One small bite, okay?"
Oshun shook her head, looking away from the sandwich and her roommate.
"Come on." Forest was patient and encouraging, still holding the sandwich up. "You haven't eaten anything in a couple days."
The curly-haired girl just sniffled, rubbing her blotchy cheeks from the tear stains.
"Oshun, I know you're upset and hurt. Rightfully so." Forest cupped her friend's cheek to turn her gaze to herself. "But you need to eat."
Oshun's chin threatened to quiver as she licked her chapped lips.
"Look." Forest turned the sandwich to the side, unwrapping it lower. She took a bite out of the side. "See? Just a small bite." She held the top of the sandwich back to her mate, smiling softly. "One small bite."
Reluctantly, Oshun opened her mouth and took the tiniest bit, only consisting of bread.
Forest let her chew and swallow as she fixed the sandwich to give her a bite with the meat. "Another one," she encouraged, holding it back to her mate's mouth.
Oshun shook her head, already feeling nauseous.
"You didn't even get any salami or ham in that bite." Forest gave her friend a frowned look. "One more, come on."
Oshun hesitated, but took another bite. This one was a bit bigger and consisted of meat.
"Good girl." Forest seemed pleased as she patiently waited for her to swallow. "One more, Oshun?" She held the sandwich up once more.
She shook her head.
"Okay, that's okay." Forest wrapped the sandwich back and put it inside of the paper bag. "Do you want orange juice or water?"
Oshun shrugged limply, a movement that was barely visible.
"How about a little bit of both." Forest reached behind herself to grab the two bottles of drinks after putting the paper bag to the side. "Orange for vitamins and water for... water."
She put the water bottle between her thighs before she untwisted the cap off the orange juice bottle. She raised the rim of the bottle to Oshun's lips.
She took a small sip before she pulled away. The citrus of the orange stung her raw and sore throat—raw from all the screaming she did moments before.
Forest didn't force her to take more. She closed the orange juice bottle and opened the water bottle.
She held it to Oshun's lips and she took a sip. After the first sip, the water quenched a thirst she didn't know she had.
Oshun's hand lifted from her lap to hold the bottle as she drank more. Forest smiled and turned to grab the packets of sweets Fred left for her.
"Something sweet now," she said as she held up both the peppermint toads and the jelly slugs. "Chocolate or gummy?"
Oshun shook her head as she held the water bottle in her lap, halfway done.
"Alright. We'll save it for another time." Forest rose from the bed. She grabbed the paper bag before she padded to the desk, placing the foods on the surface. She walked back to Oshun and took the water bottle to close it. "I'm proud of you. You did good today."
Oshun scooted up her bed and buried her legs underneath the messy sheets.
Forest walked to her and placed the bottle of water on her nightstand. Wordlessly, she sat on the edge of the bed and engulfed her hurt roommate into a hug that spoke volumes.
Oshun leaned into her friend's arms and tried to relax into the comfort, forever grateful for Forest.