╔═══════════════╗
✰
LIANA stumbled out of Umbridge's office for the third night in a row, her head spinning. She slammed the door behind her and leant her whole body against it, taking in relieved gulps of air as she tried to steady herself and focus on anything but the voices swirling around her mind.
'I told you Liana, you're to blame. You're the reason Mum never came home,' Christina hissed.
'Honestly Liana, you're delusional to think anyone could love you,' Harry laughed cruelly.
'I was always going to pick your brother over you, you're not even a friend to me,' Will snapped bitterly.
Liana clamped her fingers over her ears and screwed her eyes tight shut.
"Shut up," she mumbled to herself, feeling her anger building. The voices merged into each other and almost seemed to grow in volume and vindictive pleasure in her head.
"SHUT UP!" She screamed out finally. The voice stopped. She opened her eyes and blinked in the dimly lit corridor.
"Liana? What the hell are you doing?" Came a familiar voice from a few doors down. Liana jumped as she looked up to see Harry staring at her. But she thought she could detect some concern underlying his voice.
"Um- nothing," Liana protested unconvincingly as she tried to lean against Umbridge's office door casually, her elbow slipping down. Harry raised an eyebrow and walked over, clearing his throat awkwardly.
"You can tell me what she did," Harry expressed rather knowingly as he jerked his head towards Umbridge's door.
"She just um- said something rude about Remus," Liana blabbed, fiddling with her skirt hem nervously as it occurred to her that she hadn't been this close to Harry for a while.
"Fine," Harry breathed out as he stopped to stand in front of her. His eyes trailing over her without meaning to. She looked particularly beautiful tonight. Her hair grazed her shoulder in its sleek red curls, her eyes wide and glossy and her cheeks rather flushed.
"That was a lie, she didn't say anything about Remus," Liana admitted after a few seconds of silence under Harry's intense stare.
"I know. Your nose goes pink when you lie," Harry shrugged simply. Liana just nodded in response, her cheeks beginning to flush.
"I'll see you at the DA meeting tomorrow?" Liana asked her voice jumping up an octave as she tried to change the subject. Her heart hammering against her ribs as she caught Harry's familiar scent of broomstick polish.
"Of course- I'm thinking of introducing the patronus charm," Harry gave her an unusual smile, but it felt like it didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Where are you going now?"Liana asked politely as she pulled her school bag up on one shoulder. Harry gestured towards Umbridge's door.
"Oh," was all Liana could muster. "Well- give her a kick from me," she added, a little humour lacing her voice. Harry managed to crack a genuine smile and watched Liana walk briskly away up the moving stairs, he had missed seeing her like this. Alone. When she was unfiltered and vulnerable.
✰
LIANA tossed her wand on the floor angrily.
"Stupid, blasted thing," she huffed as it spewed a few pathetic red sparks.
"Don't worry Liana, you'll get it in a second," Luna smiled gently from where she was standing. A large ghostly hare was leaping around in the air beside her from the control of her wand much to her delight.
"Easy for you to say Luna, you can do it perfectly," Liana grumbled as she picked up her wand yet again. For once, Liana was the only person in the room who had not managed to grasp the spell. Usually it was Neville or perhaps Seamus with his tendency to set things on fire, but Liana was the only one who couldn't produce a patronus yet.
"It's no good," Liana stamped her heel as she only managed to produce a thin whisp of smoke.
"Hey Liana? Come over here I'll help," Neville called happily from the corner where he had produced his patronus with surprising ease. Harry, who had been guiding Cho through the hand movements, looked up at once, his eyes darkening at Neville.
"It's alright Neville I'll help her," Harry said quickly as he walked over to Liana. Liana rolled her eyes, the last thing she needed was a quiet chat alone with Harry.
"I'll leave you two to it," Luna smiled airily and shot a wink at Liana which made her do a double take.
"No Luna please don't-" Liana began to protest as Luna walked away swiftly to go stand near Ginny "-go" Liana finished.
"I'll help you, come on, don't you trust me?" Harry asked in a surprisingly civil tone although the coldness never left from behind his eyes.
" Theoretically I trust you," Liana sighed, a resigned smile on her lips.
"Think of your happiest memory. It has to be the strongest you can muster," Harry explained and Liana furrowed her brow.
"I don't have many of those," she snorted quietly. "I was thinking of the first time I saw Hogwarts but I suppose that isn't happy enough?" She asked looking at Harry with questioning eyes. Harry shook his head firmly.
"Definitely not. I had the same problem at first, but I found that thinking of a person, or a specific group of people helps," Harry suggested, finding himself drawn in by Liana's big, blinking blue eyes. Liana stood thinking for a second before a light smile came to her lips.
"Got one?" Harry asked and Liana nodded, trying to hide the grin as she reminisced. "Give it a go," Harry encouraged.
Liana closed her eyes and focused as hard as she could. She was standing on the shore by the black lake the day after the Triwizard tournament. Harry's hands gently holding her close and his lips upon hers. She tried to recall the bliss from that moment, channelling the energy down into her wand.
Liana heard a few claps before she even opened her eyes. To her joy, from her wand a large bird of some description had erupted.
"A Phoenix," Harry muttered, more to himself than anyone else. Liana chuckled as she watched her patronus flap on its unsteady wings at first before getting the gist of flight and swooping around the room, smoky liquid flecks dripping from its wings like ghostly fire.
"Oh it's so pretty," Lavender gasped as she looked up.
Liana felt a proud bubble in her chest as she relaxed her hand and let the bird evaporate away.
"Well done Liana!" Cheered Neville, hurrying over to wrap her up in a warm hug.
"Thanks Neville," grinned Liana in excitement. She had finally done it.
"That's all for today, um because of the Christmas holidays we won't be meeting again till term starts again-" Harry spoke up for the whole group to hear, conveniently interrupting Neville's hug with Liana.
"-So, great work today everyone, and I'll see you after the holidays," Harry smiled.
Students began to flock out of the doors and Liana bent down to pick up her bag, walking out slowly as she mulled things over in her head. It felt like Harry had been much warmer towards her today and it reminded Liana of how much she missed him, their kiss from fourth year playing on her mind.
Liana had just stepped out into the corridor when she made the decision to apologise to Harry. It seemed the right, mature thing to do. Liana turned around and jogged back into the room of requirement, a small smile growing on her face.
But she stopped dead in her tracks as she spotted Harry standing under the mistletoe. Only he wasn't alone. Liana clamped a hand over her mouth to hide the gasp. Seeing Cho and Harry together was something she would have never thought of in her wildest dreams.
Liana stumbled backwards, pushing back through the door, her eyes welling with tears and her cheeks drained of colour. She broke into a run as she left the room of requirement, jogging down the corridor while wiping at her eyes with her robe sleeve. She couldn't help how she felt for Harry. She had tried to avoid admitting her feelings for him, she had stayed away from him like the plague and argued with him fiercely. But she never expected him to kiss someone else, especially Cho.
Harry felt like a completely different person to her. Before, she had his untainted image of her Harry. He was courageous and loyal and a fierce friend and lover. But now, he had just shattered her heart into pieces and trampled it into the cold, granite floor.
It felt as if everything had just changed.
✰
╚═══════════════╝
AN
Well. This was a little intense, I just want my children back together but we have to be patient.
Hope you liked the chapter <3
Xoxo