Hogwarts was like a breeding ground for rumours and for the past few days, it hadn't been Harry Potter who'd been the talk of the yeargroup, but rather Hallie, much to her dismay. People always had something to say and after much thought about it, Hallie decided to dedicate most of her time to the library where she knew no one could speak to her. One day, she went to see Fred and George who were sat in the Gryffindor Common Room, a place that was once happy and full of laughter, now was full of sorrow and misery.
"Hi, you two. Want to come to the library with me? Everyone is doing my head in here, they keep on giving me stares. Anyway, what do you think?"
"Lee says he wants me to go and look at his quidditch commentary, seen as it is his last game and all, do you mind if I go and help him
Hallie?" George said, with a half smile on his face.
"I thought the quidditch game wasn't until another month away?"
"He wants to make sure it's perfect," he said, standing up.
"Yeah sure. Tell him that I said hello."
"Will do, bye Hallie."
He left through the portrait hole, leaving Hallie with a disappointed look on her face.
"Aren't you going too?" Hallie asked nicely. "it's okay if you are."
"Nope, I'm coming with you, Hals," he stood up. "The library is a weird place to go for comfort, isn't it? I'd rather be in Snape's classroom."
A meandering look was left on Hallie's face as Fred examined her. After a few short seconds, he said her name quietly. "Hallie?"
"Oh sorry," she shook her head and faced him properly. "I haven't had much sleep. Is it me or does George seem to be avoiding me? I don't understand what I'm supposed to have done wrong."
"You haven't done anything wrong," he reassured her. "and to be honest, I've noticed that too."
"I can take all of this backlash from people but only if I have both of you by my side," she said. "You see, it's very lonely being me right now."
"I'll always have your back, pranksters promise," he joked, receiving a smile from Hallie.
"Thanks, Fred. Let's go then."
***
5 years ago
"You must be Professor Dumbledore," Hallie said shyly. "Nice to meet you."
"And you must be Miss Blackwell," he smiled through his half moon spectacles. "It's lovely to finally meet you."
"Thank you for my place at Hogwarts."
"No need to thank me," he nodded. "You've got a lot of potential, Miss Blackwell."
"Thank you," she blushed. "Did you know about my weird capabilities then?"
"I did not know about your weird capabilities, I only knew about your special qualities."
Hallie smiled again. "That means a lot, Professor."
"I have another letter to give you," he lifted out a piece of parchment. "You must promise me something however, Miss Blackwell."
"Yes Professor?" She said, looking at him straight in the eye.
"You must not open this until September 1st 1996. At this point, you will be starting your sixth year at Hogwarts."
"Yes, of course," she nodded. "What is it for?"
"Ah, time will tell, child," he said, examining the white paint on the walls of Hallie's home.
"It has been sealed with magic," he added. "I will see you whenever the term starts, Miss Blackwell."
"Thank you, Professor."
He smiled and left through the front door.
"Did Professor Dumbledore not want any tea, Hallie?" Gracie asked, holding the teapot.
"No I don't think so mum," Hallie said, still looking at the door. "I'll be up in my room."
"Okay, sweetie," Gracie said kindly as she walked back into the kitchen to continue cleaning the dishes.
"Did you deliver the letter, Albus?" Professor McGonagall asked when he finally got outside.
"Yes, I did," he nodded. "This is her first test, Minerva."
"For?"
"Her destiny" he said. "That child is embedded with something so unbelievably special. Now we must go, no word of this will be spoken for another 6 years."
***
"Yes, I've revised that," Hallie said to Fred in the library. "Could you hold this up for me?"
She handed him a mindmap that was filled with different spells for charms.
"What in the?" Fred looked at it mesmerised. "How on earth do you do this much work Hallie?"
"I've had a lot of time on my hands," she chuckled. "What time is it?"
"Half five," he said, looking up at the clock. "I think we'd better head back to common room."
"Oh no," Hallie shook her head. "I'd rather not, Fred. You know what people are like."
"And?" He questioned. "I don't know why you care so much about them, they don't matter."
"I know that," she sighed. "I'm just fed up with the rumours, Freddy."
"I bet you not many people will be there."
Hallie knew Fred was only saying this to make her feel better and although she appreciated it, she couldn't help but feel an icky feeling in her stomach.
"Fred?" Hallie asked, as they walked up to the dormitory.
"Yep, Hals?"
"Does George ever talk about me whenever it's just you and him?"
"Not so much, if I'm being honest."
They both turned a corner and made it to the final hallway. "Something is up with him."
"Well he's been avoiding me," Hallie added. "Maybe I'm the problem?"
"No don't think that even for a minute," he said looking at her. "Sometimes, people don't even know what is wrong with them. They just know they're sad, but they don't know why."
"Homenum revelio," Hallie said to the fat lady at the portrait and she opened it without any speech.
"Look who is here," Hallie added, looking over. "He's not even with Lee, Fred. He's with Dean, look."
They both looked over to see him laughing gleefully with Dean Thomas, a fellow fifth year Gryffindor in Hallie's year.
"Hi Dean, I've got some quidditch posters. Do you want to come and see them?" Fred asked, trying to create a distraction so that Hallie and George could speak alone.
"Alright, yeah, sounds good!"
"See ya, Hals," Fred said to Hallie as him and Dean walked up the dormitory stairs.
"Bye Freddy."
"Hey George," Hallie said, sitting down beside him in the Gryffindor Common Room. The heat of the fire beside them overwhelmed her slightly. She began to cool down after taking her jacket off.
"Sometimes I wish they wouldn't make that fire so warm," she laughed. "The weather is easing up a bit, you'd think they'd cool it down a bit wouldn't you?"
"I suppose," he laughed gently.
"What's wrong" she asked, looking at him in eye.
"What do you mean?"
"You've been really distant from me, George. You think I don't notice but I do. Is something up? What can I do to help?"
"No it's okay," he began. "It's nothing to do with me. I'm worried about you."
"Worried?" She asked. "If this is about the whole Lucius thing it's fine, I'm coming to terms with it every day. You know by worrying you're actually pushing me away in the process."
"Why am I supposed to be there for you when I don't even know how I feel about the truth?"
"You told me you were fine?" Hallie questioned. "See this is the problem George, you aren't communicating with me so I don't know what is wrong."
"You'd think after seeing me for nearly 6 months you'd know how I felt."
"Why are you turning this back on me?" Hallie asked defensively. "I know this is bound to have an effect on you George, but you can't just stay silent and avoid me because I need your support."
"So you want communication then?" He added, angrily. "Alright, then answer this. Why can't I look at you the same way I did two months ago? Why can't I stop thinking about the attack that happened on my dad?"
"I'm not bloody evil, George!" she shouted back. "I'm still the same girl you fell in love with."
"Then why are you different?"
"Oh Jesus, different? Really?" She had finally had enough. When she began to shout, it was like a monster had detached from her body and turned into her utmost fears.
It began to speak.
"I've just found out my father abandoned me at birth and modified my mother's memories so she couldn't remember. I wonder why I haven't been myself lately," The monster continued. "It doesn't take a bloody genius to figure that one out!"
"Don't you dare shout at me, do you know how hard it is to hear someone you love is related to a whole bunch of death eaters? This is hard on me too, you know."
Hallie didn't know what to say next, for the pain of not having someone you cared about in your life was too much.
"So you don't think this is hard on me too? You think I don't know how this feels?"
"You don't know how it feels to be me in my position!" He shouted back. He sounded so ungeorgelike, it pained Hallie's heart. "Your kind hurt my dad."
"There you go," Hallie cried softly. The monster had been silenced. The words were spoken, and the truth was out. "The communication is loud and clear for me now."
George got up and walked away from Hallie. She didn't voice how his words had silenced her cry for help or how they had broken her more than words could comprehend. Things were falling apart around her and she couldn't do a single thing about it.
***
Hallie went upstairs and began to pack her clothes away in a suitcase. Hogwarts was once a place where she felt at home but now, she felt completely alienated. Like a monster that must be locked up and kept secret, away from happiness, away from anyone. She had already written two letters: one to Lara and to Fred, the only people she believed who remotely cared about her. After packing a jumper in her suitcase, she turned around to see Ginny standing in the doorway.
"Where do you think you're going?" She asked, her red hair pinned back in a bun.
"Home, Ginny. Away from here. I can't be here anymore."
"Running away from your problems isn't going to solve anything," she said. "Why do you think it will?"
"I'm not running away from anything," she said, buckling the case up. "I need to see my mum. We have a lot to talk about."
"There's nothing you can't write in a letter."
"No," she said lifting her suitcase. "Please give these letters to Fred and Lara, okay? I'm going to Dumbledore to see if I can go home."
"I don't want you to leave."
"Want and need are two different things," she began. "You may want me here, but I need to go. There is nothing worse than being reminded of things you don't want to remember. I need to do this for myself, Ginny,"
"You can get through it," Ginny pleaded. "I can help you."
"No you can't," Hallie cried. "You can't be there for me when you don't even know how you feel about the truth of my past."
She thought back to the words George had spoke to her. The first boy she had loved, the first boy who had broken her heart. Hallie looked at Ginny once more then left, running down the hallway as she did. Ginny ran after her.
"Protego!" Hallie shouted as she tried to catch up with her.
"Don't," she shook her head, and ran towards Dumbledore's office.
"Fawkes," she said, remembering how Dumbledore had said the password just one week ago. She ran up the stairs and into his office. For the first time in her five years of knowing him, he looked taken aback.
"Miss Blackwell?" He questioned. "Can I help you?"
"I want to go home Professor, can you do that for me?"
***
Fred began to walk back into the Gryffindor Common Room to find Ginny pacing up and down beside the fire.
"Ginny what's up?"
"It's Hallie," she said. "She's gone."