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"I heard that you had put on quite the show, Spitfire." Daria's voice caught Edith mid-stride, and her pace slowed. She turned, seeing Daria leisurely stroll towards her down the long hallway adorned with paintings, connecting to the one she was currently in.
"I am just sorry I vasn't there to see it. Igor was similar to that of a raging erumpent vhen he returned to the ship, dragging Viktor behind him. You poked a very large bear, Professor." Daria's tone was light, copying the amused smile on her face. But there was something under her tone, a faint ring of a warning and she came to a stop beside the girl.
Edith's frown hadn't lifted since the early hours of this morning, and she could only guess her expression was the reason that when spotting her marching through the hallways of the castle, multiple students had outright flung themselves off her path, pulling their friends around a different corner or into a surrounding classroom.
And it wasn't just students, Madam Hooch had taken one look at her after she left the classroom she shared with Professor Moody before promptly turing on her heel and walking in the opposite direction of the young woman.
"I'm not happy, it if wasn't obvious." Edith said simply, shifting where she stood and glancing around the empty hallway. "Listen, if you're here to try and convince me that this is all for the best, or that it'll make the tournament more fun—"
"Fun? Fun? A child's life is at stake. Several lives, I should add." Daria's voice dropped, and she wore a frown to copy Edith's.
Edith's expression softened slightly. "I thought that you would—"
"Agree vith my Headmaster? Happily throw your boy into a death trap? Quite the opposite, actually." Daria paused, taking a second to look around, eyes sharp with patience as she waited to see if any figures would step out of the shadows around the two. But no one ever did.
"Igor has my loyalty for his title, not his morals. I am my own person. That vill never change." Daria reached across them, taking her hand. "I am on your side, Edith. This tournament has grown several uninvited arms and legs. I for one, vould like to see it dealt vith properly. Have you spoken to Potter? Vhat does the boy vant to do?"
Edith's shoulders dropped at the gesture, releasing an anger that had been building steadily over the last day or so. It scattered onto the ground below, evaporating into the cracks of the stone tiles, melting out of her tired mind.
Mutely, Edith felt the stress in her chest warp into a larger, wriggling bubble. She shoved it further down inside her without a second thought.
"I'm sorry for snapping at you. That was wrong. I shouldn't have assumed anything about your opinions, if your friendship's been anything to go by." Edith apologised quietly.
Daria nodded, a small smile pulling at her lips. "It is appreciated. You are in too difficult of a state to not lash out every so often. I see no shame in that. Now, about Potter?"
Despite Moody's confidence (that no doubt came with years of experience in a job like his) Edith knew he was wrong when it came to Daria. She wasn't like Igor. She was bold, good and kind.
"He wants to compete. Well, no, he feels like he needs to compete. Someone's out to get him, Daria. And I know who. So does Dumbledore! But he just won't listen, it's infuriating! And now Ron is acting out at Harry, thinking that he wanted to be chosen. Of course he didn't! Why would anyone want to be a part of this utter mess!"
"And it is the Dark One that is after Potter, correct? The one he defeated." Daria asked, tilting her head and brushing a thumb across the back of Edith's gloved palm.
Edith nodded wordlessly, letting Daria's hand fall from hers as she crossed the hallway, planting both palms on the stone frame of the arching window in front of her. The grounds below were quiet, with short chirps of birds, and trills of owls echoing in the distance.
"I can't let Voldemort hurt him. Not again. He's given enough. He's too young to have that burden on him. Maybe we all are." Edith breathed, shrugging lightly.
Daria didn't reply, not straight away. Edith heard her inhale and blow a strong sigh.
"You are a protector, Edith. Giving so much of yourself so that others can be united and safe. I see much of my younger self in you. Potter, Viktor, Mr Diggory and Miss Delacour are your responsibility as a teacher here. As I see it, our responsibilities overlap. Ve can both protect them all, together. You do not have to carry this burden alone." Daria offered, moving towards her, palms stuffed in her pockets, the ends of her jacket brushing her shins.
Edith looked towards the blonde woman.
Such an ally would do wonders for her worrying mind. Daria clearly was a powerful witch, as well as a new but trusting friend in Edith's life. If they worked together during the tournament, keeping both their charges safe (along with Cedric and Fleur) would be far easier than if Edith continued to keep her distance.
And perhaps being around someone else more often would reduce the likeliness of another episode. She had yet to figure out if the strange gaps in her mind were the result of the stress of her tarot card, her new job, the Tournament, or a cruel mix of all three.
It was because of that first thought that her cards were on her bedside table back in her quarters, instead of on her belt in their usual place.
She wouldn't go as far to say she feared them. It was more of an experiment, a testing of a hypothesis she had made the night before.
Maybe taking power from the cards forced them to take back their own dues from her? Or maybe the stress against her mind by using them only frequented the episodes she was experiencing?
... or maybe it was something darker.
Edith shuddered at that last thought, but a wave of something pushed it away, clearing the thought from her mind.
Daria watched her, waiting for a response.
"You said that day on the Training Grounds that you could teach me to control the power of the cards." Edith's change of subject surprised Daria, but the witch beside her just smiled.
"I did."
"If I can understand my cards better, I can protect them all, I can protect my home... where do we start?"
Maybe there would come a day where Edith would regret giving into the cards' power, but to protect the ones she loved after failing twice before in her life?
No price was too high.
"How about tonight?" Daria offered, shifting her weight to one leg, leaning against the window's tall frame.
"I can't make that." Edith shook her head. "I promised Luna we would visit the Centaurs in the forest. Are you free tomorrow?"
"In the afternoon, yes. I'll meet you by the ship. That should be our usual meeting place from now on." Daria paused, placing a firm hand on her shoulder.
"It vill be okay, Edith. I promise."
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Edith's eyes snapped open, and a startled breath was ripped from her throat.
The Finch looked around, a sudden fear locking her legs in place. She was in the forest again. Her shuddering breaths seemed to echo for miles.
The foliage and trees around her were wild and overgrown, a clear indication that she was much deeper into the Forbidden Forest than she had been before.
Again? Why had it happened again!?
A crack snapped through the air and through a hitched breath, Edith grasped her wand, pointing it warily towards the edges of the clearing.
Edith swallowed, daring to speak up against the thick silence. "H-hello?"
The dull sounds of the forest were all that answered, with birds chirping and the wind brushing around her, until another crack sounded. Closer than before.
Edith took a step backwards, a twig snapping under her boot, prompting the bare hand holding her wand to tremble. She fought to steady it, to keep it in an effective grasp in case she needed to cast a strong stunning spell at whatever unknown entity was creating the fear-inducing racket before turning on her heel and hopefully sprinting towards the castle she couldn't see.
A flock of crows burst out from a nearby tree, a sound of fright being torn from Edith's mouth. She clamped down her jaw, holding her breath as the bushes across from her shifted again.
A large figure emerged. It was a creature with the lower body of a horse, and the upper half of a man.
"Firenze!" Edith lowered her wand immediately, releasing a shaking breath, raking a hand through her hair.
Firenze watched the girl with something close to curiosity before he spoke, coming to a stop only a few paces away from her. With his height, he craned over her.
"Miss Finch. My apologies for scaring you. Were you expecting someone else?" The young Centaur tilted his head, with thin strands of his striking blond hair falling past his equally stunning blue eyes.
"Or something else. I'm just thankful that it was you." Edith felt a dizzying sense of relief, putting away her wand and already feeling much safer in the grand creature's presence.
Firenze hummed, a low sound that shook the back of his throat. He nodded in agreement, glancing around the clearing they were stood in.
"And Miss Lovegood is not with you? Even with your new title, I would regard it unwise for you to be stumbling around the forest on your own..." Firenze paused, watching with concern as the palm no longer holding her wand continued to shake.
Edith caught his stare, shoving the limb into her trouser pocket and darting her eyes away.
Maybe she could drop by the hospital wing tonight and grab a Calming Draught from Madam Pomfrey? Or perhaps this was the time to put her Alchemy education to good use, and attempt to make a self-tailored version to better suit her needs.
"Especially... when you are in such a state of distress. What troubles you? As I recall, you are confident being within these trees, on this land. You never quite feared the forest. Before now, at least." Firenze continued, raising a brow at her actions.
"I..." Edith went to reply, but the words died away on the tip of her tongue.
She looked over her shoulder, her eyes desperately searching the treeline around her for the sight of a human figure, or some new anomaly like a ward or a creature to explain the new Hell she had recently found herself in.
Waking up in a new spot, as vulnerable as can be, multiple times a week had begun to damage her mental state. She didn't miss the concerned glances she received at dinner from Harry, Hermione and the Weasleys', or the side-eye from Minerva whenever she failed to finish a full portion of food at the staff table, or how she had to have two hands on a quill when she was resting at her desk or it would shake against the wood below.
And she constantly felt Dumbledore's stare burning against the ever-growing dark bags under her eyes whenever they crossed paths in the hallways, which admittedly had only happened a handful of times.
Edith was cracking, and Harry hadn't even been put through the First Task yet.
Surely, she was stronger than this? She had hardly been teaching for two months and already she was losing it. This was supposed to be a perfect year, the start of a fantastic career in a place she loved. Instead it had turned her into someone who looked over her shoulder between meals, and stopping abruptly in hallways to try and hear if there was anyone following her, or maybe muttering a curse at the same time.
Of course, multiple people had approached her about her 'frazzled' state, but Edith had been quick to wave it off, using the Tournament as her go-to excuse for her visible stress. It was a miracle that anybody had believed her, if at all.
The most relentless out of everyone had surprisingly been McGonagall. The older woman was constantly catching Edith outside her classroom on the way to dinner, offering to walk together while already linking an arm through Edith's before she could reply, or popping by multiple times during the week to help Edith with her marking in her office. Anything for the two to be in each other's company.
Edith wished deep down that she could tell someone about her troubles, but she knew it was ridiculous. Long gaps in her memory? Waking up in random spots around the castle and her grounds? Paranoia chasing her very shadow with every step she took? It wouldn't be surprising if she was carted off to St Mungo's within the hour of speaking up.
"What are you looking for? Who is hunting you? And where are your cards? You are paler than the snow that falls from the stars above."
So at Firenze's worried words and his large palm resting on her shoulder, Edith pursed her mouth, shaking her head and turning back around to face the caring creature.
"No. Sorry. I'm fine... just-...just tired."
Another bitter lie uttered to a kind and caring soul.
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Edith hummed under her breath, one hand fiddling with the small finch necklace she wore, the other holding a book against her side. She rounded the corner and strolled through the door to her classroom.
With her new title, she had done her best to make the space hers. And after asking for Albus' and Moody's permissions, she had happily mixed magical accessories with muggle ones from the Burrow.
Warm white wire lights were wrapped around the pillars of the staircase that wove up to her office. The Hebridean Black skeleton that normally hung from the classroom's roof had been replaced by the spinning planetary display that Remus once had in one of his offices. Thankfully with it being so far up above the ground, her students couldn't see the still-enchanted candles that had been summoned into place by the man at the end of last year.
The ceiling itself was enchanted with a similar charm to that of the Great Hall, but instead of a night sky, the charm went by the real life times of day, and the current season. Small leaves burning with shades of red, orange and yellow fluttered down from the ceiling, disappearing before they could hit the floor. They were enchanted, and so, Edith couldn't feel them on her skin when she walked under them, but it was a beautiful sight. One she had made herself.
The giant windows on the left side of the room were now adorned with beige curtains, but they were thin enough to still allow a large amount of sunlight through.
A glass cabinet sat beside the staircase, filled with two beaters bats (one with a custom made Hufflepuff grip, and the other with a black and white Magpie grip) sat side by side, a dis-enchanted bludger in between them.
Her desk was in the same place, and it was filled with picture frames of her and Murphy, the Weasleys', her two brothers and her mother and father.
The sweet decorations helped fortify a part inside her, but nothing she did was enough to fully banish the dread that hung over her like a happiness diminishing cloud, taking more and more than Edith ever had to give in the first place.
And so it came as quite a shock to Edith when an unfamiliar someone was nonchalantly leaning against her desk, a picture frame lazily held in their slim, pale hands. Their brightly painted nails tapping the glass inside the frame, gazing at the photo through interested eyes.
It was a woman, with curly blonde hair, wearing a frankly atrocious green frock.
Hearing the obvious pause in her steps, the woman ahead of her turned, her face brightening considerably at the sight of Edith.
"Ah! Well, there she is. The Professor Edith Finch." The woman grinned, a calculating glaze in her eyes as she stared at the brunette through slim, burgundy jeweled, cat-like spectacles.
Edith watched her for a second longer, waiting for the woman to follow up with an introduction. She never did.
"Sorry... can I help you?" Edith spoke hesitantly, her legs starting up again, although her pace was much slower as she approached the woman. She held the book under her arm tighter, her other arm wrapping around her torso, bare fingers messing with the ends of the cardigan she wore.
"Oh, darling, can you! We are long overdue for a good talk, y'see, and goodness me are you someone I'd just love to pick apart. Oh yes, I've been wanting to meet you for a while, sweetheart." The woman put down the picture of her and Lewis rather harshly, earning a small twitch of a brow from Edith.
The woman pushed off the desk, a small notepad rose from behind her, flipping itself to a fresh page, and a green feathered quill leapt out from behind her ear, jumping into place against the parchment with a few happy clicks.
Edith stared at her, shaking her head in astonishment after a moment. "Right... well, sorry to disappoint you, but I've got marking to do, and classes to plan. So if you'll excuse me–" Edith stepped aside to show the woman the door, but the blonde jumped forward.
"Oh darling, I truly do understand, and I wholeheartedly appreciate you taking the time anyway. It'll only take a minute, not a second more, so help me Merlin himself." The woman laughed, but it was so fake that Edith had to resist an overwhelming urge to roll her eyes.
The woman in green continued quickly. "Rita Skeeter, charmed. I'm a writer for the Daily Prophet, and well, when I heard about the tournament, and not to mention poor Harry's involvement, well I just needed to be the one to bridge the gap between the deceitful and the truthful. The poor boy, such a horrid circumstance for a twelve year old–"
"Harry's... Harry's fourteen."
"—And somehow... he's gotten himself smack bang into the middle of one of the biggest dangers of the wizarding world. That doesn't happen by coincidence, I think you'll agree. I talked with him earlier today, lovely boy, and he had nothing but praise for you. So did that gorgeous Diggory, actually." Rita paused, a slim grin crossing her face.
"And it's just no wonder you've gotten to where you are at such an age. A prodigy of your chosen subject, a Quidditch Captain in your school years, one of the youngest student Professors to enter Hogwarts in over ten years, my love you've done it all. Not to mention, you're a stunning woman, really. Talent and beauty are a damning mix, as they say."
Edith shifted in place, wildly uncomfortable. "Thank you." She muttered reluctantly, not wanting to be rude.
"Don't mention it doll. Anyway," Skeeter drawled, continuing. "It just makes me and my readers wonder, sweetheart, if maybe... it wasn't an accident that Harry's name found its way into that cup?" Rita tilted her head forward, looking at Edith over her glasses with raised brows, a look of expectance lingered in her eyes. The small quill at her side was scribbling furiously, flicking pages and dotting bullet points as it went.
Edith frowned, a scowl crossing her face. "I'm sorry?"
"Well it's a logical theory, darling. If Harry didn't do it... there's not many quills left on the desk, if you understand what I mean."
"That's ridiculous. You can't possibly believe I'd do that to him? To anyone?" Edith asked in disbelief, and she could feel another wave of anger bubbling upwards, spitting towards the surface above.
"Oh darling, of course I don't, but, well, from an outsider looking in, it doesn't look good. You understand." Rita nodded sympathetically, but it was a condescending gesture.
Edith stared at her.
A loud thump rang through the room as Edith unceremoniously dropped the book she held onto the desk beside her.
The Finch crossed her arms. "I think you should leave, Miss Skeeter."
A panicked smile broke through the other woman's face. "I can help you, darling. My readers don't have to believe that the boy's own trusted mentor put him through such a horrible series of events.... unless I want them to. All it would take is a little cooperation."
Edith's brows knitted with frustration, feeling her patience fade with every second that passed.
"What do you want?" Edith asked, quietly. She heard the exhaustion in her own voice, the lack of care.
She could feel something inside herself changing, shedding away a youthful shell, rotting away at the core and turning into something uglier.
Maybe she hadn't lied to Firenze, maybe she was tired.
"Oh, well, if you're offering. To put it plainly, I need a bold, quick little inside source. I'd have to guess that you and your colleagues have had a few meetings about how Potter's name ended up in that cup, and darling, I'd just love to know what you all think, not to mention any decisions you make about the tournament ahead of time. Let me know what they say, and I'll keep your image up as the boy's caring mentor." Skeeter raised her chin, once again leaning back onto the desk behind her. It creaked through the silence.
Edith laughed, but it was such a hollow sound. "What? You want me to be your 'local source' for the inner workings of the tournament?"
"It's a miracle how you weren't a Ravenclaw, doll. Precisely."
".... you can take your offer and shove it you-know-where. Get out of my classroom, and leave the Champions alone." Edith's stare didn't waver as she stalked past the woman, striding up the steps and slamming her office door behind her, shutting herself off from the world for another evening.
She hid her smile in her arm a few seconds later, hearing her own classroom door be yanked shut with some amount of force as she continued to scribble into her diary.
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Edith,
Meet me in Gryffindor's common room tonight at 1, Padfoot's asking for us.
The password is 'Hippogriff'.
Love,
Harry
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"Hippogriff."
"Good evening, Professor Finch. Quite late for a social call, isn't it?" At her appearance, the Fat Lady raised a refined brow.
Edith smiled, slotting her palms into her jeans, shrugging under Remus' cardigan.
She ignored the way she could still taste the Calming Draught on her tongue.
"Unfortunately it can't wait until morning, my Fat Lady, it's more of a personal social call, if you understand." Edith nodded towards the entry-way, at which the painting straightened up, swinging open with a wide motion.
"Of course, Professor. In you go. Have a lovely evening."
The light of the unfamiliar common room was what greeted her, and Edith's eyes were widened slightly at the sight of burgundy colours splashed across her surroundings at every turn.
Truly, only shades of brown, maroon, burgundy, or gold were visible across the main living space of the quarters, a clear contrast to Hufflepuff's calming shades of mahogany and mustard, with an enchanted ceiling of grass and plants showered golden sunlight into the space below.
Maybe she was biased, but she preferred her own common room more.
"But... I'm worried, Sirius. She's not eating, she's tired, we can all see it. Something wrong, and I don't just mean with all of this." Edith heard Harry speak in a hushed tone, and she could hear carpet ruffling with movement.
Edith emerged through the shadowed doorway, the whole of the living space now visible to her.
Harry kneeled beside a large fireplace on the wall to her right, his face pinched with worry, the sleeves of his pyjama top pulled up to his elbows.
At the sound of her footsteps, the conversation stopped, and Harry glanced over, his tense shoulders sagging in relief.
"Edith." He breathed, shuffling over a little, and gesturing the woman over.
Edith raised a confused brow, but complied, walking over and beginning to kneel beside him, facing the fireplace as he was.
At first, she thought she was imaging it, and had to stop herself from rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
In front of her, etched into the fiery, charred logs of the fire, was Sirius' face, and a smile matched by the warmth around him.
"Sirius!" Edith gaped, a smile peeking through her initial shock.
"Hello, Finch. So good to see you again."
"You too. How are you- I mean, what's this all about?" Edith's question was directed towards Harry, but Sirius jumped in.
"I needed to speak with you both. Harry, I haven't got much time, so I need you to answer me honestly. Did you or did you not put your name into the Goblet of Fire?"
"No! Absolutely not." Harry shook his head, immediately being shushed by the man in flames. Edith moved closer, wrapping an arm around Harry's shoulder, his own went around her back in return.
"I had to ask. Now, tell me about this dream of yours. You mentioned Wormtail and Voldemort. But who was the third man in the room?"
Edith's brows furrowed, she turned to the boy under her arm. "Dream? What dream?"
"I- I was going to tell you, Edith, I just didn't want you to worry." A sympathetic expression crossed his face, before he turned back to Sirius.
"I don't know who he was."
"You didn't hear a name at all?"
"No... um, Voldemort was giving him a job to do. Something important. Then they mentioned you." Harry turned to Edith. "...well, not you specifically, but they said the word 'Seer', and something about your cards, Edith. It sounded like Voldemort wanted them, or you. Badly. I'm so sorry for not telling you, I was scared–"
"Hey, hey, it's okay. It's okay. We're fine. I don't blame you, really. It's natural to be scared. Fear... it's rational." Edith shrugged, smiling a little. She squeezed his shoulders, hoping to lift a small weight off of them.
"The job, Harry. What was that?" Sirius asked softly, diverting the boy's attention.
"He wanted... me." Harry forced out, a scared glint beginning to grow in his eyes.
"I don't know why, but he was gonna use this man to get to me. But, I mean, it was only a dream, right?" Harry asked in desperation, glancing between Edith and Sirius.
The two adults looked at eachother. Edith swallowed, clearing her throat.
Sirius took a rasping breath. "Yes, it's just a dream." Sirius did his best to reassure the boy, seeing his unease.
"Look, Harry." Sirius continued. "The Death Eaters at the World Cup, your name rising from that Goblet, these are not just coincidences. Hogwarts isn't safe anymore."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying the devils are inside the walls. Igor Karkaroff? He was a Death Eater. And no one, no one stops being a Death Eater. Then there's Barty Crouch, heart of stone. Sent his own son to Azkaban."
A particularly strong gust of wing crashed against the window's, and Harry jumped, looking over his shoulder. Edith rubbed his arm, looking with him.
The common room stood still.
Harry and Edith turned back to Sirius, leaning closer towards the fireplace.
"You think one of them put my name into the goblet?"
"I haven't a clue who put your name in that goblet Harry, but whoever did is no friend to you. People die in this tournament–"
"Sirius!" Edith whispered, her face cold.
"I won't lie to him, Edith. Neither should you." Sirius replied swiftly.
"I'm not ready for this, Sirius." Harry swallowed, a pit forming in his chest.
"You don't have a choice!"
The sound of footsteps made Edith and Harry look over their shoulders, seeing a shadow dancing down the staircase behind them.
"Someone's coming!" Harry pushed off the floor, and Edith did the same, rushing to sit in one of the plush chairs surrounding the fireplace.
"Keep your friends close, Harry!" Edith watched as Sirius' face melted back into the flames, the logs crackling with embers once again.
The footsteps continued, and Edith was surprised to see Ron emerged from the staircase, a house-coat thrown over his shoulders.
"Who were you talking to?" Ron asked immediately, so focused on Harry that he didn't notice Edith sitting on the sofa ahead of him.
"What? Who says I was talking to anyone?" Harry asked, playing dumb.
"I heard voices." Ron replied bluntly.
"Maybe you're imagining things. Wouldn't be the first time." Harry retorted, watching as another cold expression crossed the ginger's face.
Ron scoffed. "You're probably just practicing for your next interview, I expect."
Edith stood, taking the boy by surprise.
"Ron, my office please, tomorrow morning before your first class. We're overdue for a catch-up." Edith said flatly, pocketing her hands.
"Edith? What're you–"
"Office. Tomorrow. Now, bed, both of you." Edith nodded towards the staircase behind them.
Ron opened his mouth to argue, but Edith continued to stare at him. It was enough for the boy to reluctantly back down, huffing to himself as he hurried back up the stairs.
Edith waited for a moment, waiting to see if he would come back down. But thankfully, he never did.
Edith turned to Harry, striding forward and wrapping her arms around him. Harry sunk into her arms, perching his head on her shoulder.
"Go on, misfit. Get some sleep. We can talk more about your dream another time. If you have any more—"
"I'll let you know. Promise. Goodnight, Edith." With a final squeeze, Harry released her, making his way up the steps towards his shared room.
Edith was left alone in the room, but turned at the sound of embers crackling behind her.
She turned, and blinked at the sight of Sirius' face re-emerging from the fireplace. She hurried over, kneeling down on the rug again.
"Sirius! Should I get Harry? He's gone to bed, but I might be able to-"
"No, Edith, it's you I wanted to speak with. Harry said you've not been eating?"
"Sirius.. really I'm-"
"Edith, I'd think very carefully about the words you're about to say, or I'll reach through this floo fire and force feed you myself." Sirius stared at her, the fire somehow able to perfectly replicate his piercing stare.
Edith swallowed, feeling a lump forming in the back of her throat. She looked away, pinching a stray thread in the rug's edge. The urge to spill her mind to the man was becoming greater with each second that crept past.
"You... we don't have enough time. Someone could find you-"
"Let me worry about that. The house I'm in is empty, the muggles staying here aren't back for another week. We have time. Talk to me. Edith, please. I'm worried, and by the sounds of it I'm not the only one." Sirius' tone softened considerably, and she could feel his eyes on her even as she continued to look away.
"You'll think I've gone mad." A distraught laugh fell from Edith's mouth, her face twisting with a sad smile.
"Never." Sirius promised.
Edith took a final glance over her shoulder, and against her better judgment, against a familiar something that slipped her the thought that sharing this would only make it worse, make what she was already struggling with somehow even worse than before, she began to speak freely.
"I keep... waking up in places around the castle, around the grounds. I don't remember how I got there. I feel like I'm being watched, constantly. Something's wrong, Sirius. Maybe I'm going mad, maybe this stupid tournament's taken more from me than I had to give, maybe it's my cards, and I've tried- I've tried everything. Shutting them away from direct view, giving them to a friend for a whole week to see if they reacted when I had an episode, using them less, using them more, keeping as much distance as possible from them, clasping them to the inside of my jeans so that they're always in contact with my skin... everything!
I feel like a complete idiot. I can't eat full meals anymore, I can't sleep without this skin-crawling worry that something's wrong. That I'll wake up again in some random part of the castle with no clue how I got there. I woke up in the middle of the forest, Sirius, what if it's halfway off the Astronomy Tower next time? I... I can't do it. I can't protect Harry's safety when I'm fearing for my own. Sirius, I'm exhausted."
Edith let out a shuddering breath, the very action making her lungs feel like glass, ready to shatter with one wrong move.
"Breathe, Edith. Just breathe. You're alright. I'm here. Just keep breathing. In and out." Sirius' voice was a god-send, and Edith leaned back into the maroon footrest behind her. Letting out a slower breath. A coil in her chest she hadn't noticed began to loosen gradually, and the world around her became less foggy, less uncertain.
She was safe, she was in the common room. Whatever thing that haunted her wasn't here. It wasn't here.
"S-sorry." Edith muttered, pulling her tired eyes from the ceiling, looking towards Sirius again.
"Oh, Edith..." She heard Sirius breathe, his expression clear that he wanted nothing more than to reach through the ashes between them and hold her.
"You're the first person I've told." Edith commented quietly, almost in awe at her own words, bringing her knees to her chest.
"You didn't reach out to Remus? Or your friend Murphy?"
"I can't. You can't. Murphy has enough to deal with, trying to build a life for themselves with the Magpies', away from their parents. And Remus... he deals with enough in his day-to-day, his transformations, job hunting, moving around the country every few months... it's not fair on either of them."
"Or on you." Sirius replied, his tone steadfast.
"... I'll find a way to keep going, I always do." Edith had tried to make her words sound the slightest bit inspirational, but instead, they just sounded sad.
Sirius surprised her then, he laughed. It was quiet, sad but amused.
"That might be the only thing I properly dislike about the both of you. You and Remus, I mean. You're too bloody kind. Always the ones putting the needs of others above your own, but who helps you? You need to be kind to yourself, Edith. And in this case, that means reaching out to the ones that love you. We'd never think you crazy, Edith. Never. Can we talk more about this in a few letters? Rhea is inconspicuous, so you can keep using her. I'll let you know if you should switch owls. I'm a lunatic, but I'm not stupid." Sirius huffed a laugh at his own joke, and it as enough to make a smile creep out of the girl.
Edith wore a small smile.
"Oh you brilliant thing... I promise you, it'll be alright. I won't force you, but please think about reaching out to Remus and Murphy, they care for you, Edith. More than you'll ever know. I should go, please try to get some sleep. I'll wait for your owl."
"Goodnight, Sirius. And thank you."
"Sweet dreams, Edith. Keep your chin up." With his words, the charred image of Sirius faded into the flames for the second time that evening.
Edith laid her head back against the footrest, letting her eyes rest, and with a great struggle, she attempted to release the tension built up in her body, the warmth from the fireplace acting as an anchor for her mind.
She breathed out, the gush of air brushing past her lips.
Edith stood, relishing in the silence of the common room for a few seconds longer, taking in the warmth from the fireplace for the final time before she headed back to her own quarters.
She fell into her bed, but sleep didn't claim her until hours later, when the sky outside was just beginning to lighten.
It had been so good to hear Sirius' voice. She had missed him terribly.
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A/N: No Officer, I didn't have a sporadic brunt of enthusiasm and inspiration to finish this chapter in three hours before publishing it past midnight when I'm working the next day. Absolutely I did not do that ^^;
There are big things coming up soon so apologies for all the filler chapters, I have an idea for this book and I can't have it end in just twelve chapters, so I'm doing my best to stretch it out, but we're back to the main story stuff next chapter, promise.
Thank you for the support so far, this community is growing steadily, day by day. I'm just thankful that people are enjoying something I put so much of myself into. It feels fantastic. Love you all, and keep the comments coming, I love seeing your reactions!