The Girl who Survived (Fred Weasley)

CH 100. A Blending of Realities

A/N: Hello my lovely Lovies!

I know, I know. my vacation really threw my uploading schedule completely out of wack, but I'm, here now and aside from the occasional writers block, I should be good to go! finally feeling recharged. 

I feel like there is still a lot I myself want to cover in this story before it ends, but if there are any lingering question you feel have gone unanswered, or situation you're hoping to have clarified, PLEASE leave a comment. If it's something that will not come back around before the finally I will answer it gladly.

Without any further delay, thank you all so much with sticking with me as long as you have. Grab a snack (I chose hummus and pretzels) a drink (I have apple juice) and lets get to it!

Love and Cheeri Owls

Val

~Elodie's POV~

In truth, it didn't take long for my days to begin blending together. Waking and staying in bed as quietly as possible each morning in the hopes they wouldn't make me rise and continue on as we had been. But every morning, Narcissa and Teely would enter and lay out my chosen wardrobe for the day before drawing a bath. Always something black, always laced with fragrances that smelled far too exaggerated for my taste.

Narcissa spent the mornings sitting with Draco and I, going over etiquette, or wizarding history from the eyes of a pureblood. She did it in such a way that seemed as if she were trying to make it as natural of a conversation as possible.

After so much time, Bella would find herself bored and come looking for me to engage in sport with her. Most of the time it consisted of me sitting in on her interrogations with the other death eaters. The worst was when they'd all be present when she asked me to torture and kill with her.

Each time, more and more death eaters would be present. Gawking in awe at the way Bellatrix took to teaching me so naturally. All accepting that perhaps I truly was amongst their ranks. Enjoying the way I was taking to the darker side of magic so naturally. Almost as if it was what I was meant to be doing all along.

But after each time I left the great room I immediately went to the washroom where I had to run the water from the tap and focus on it as I heaved in breaths at the realization at the fact that part of me was enjoying the totrue and murder of innocent witches and wizards. And while I could never bring myself to admit it, most of the anxiety I had been feeling was from the inner turmoil I felt over the fact that when Bellatix would come and find me had become my favorite part of the day.

The only thing that felt normal was the garden. But even that was an exaggeration. What did seem to be a contradiction was that I'd been told I was not a prisoner, but yet the night guards wouldn't let me wander about. Granted it wouldn't have been hard to crucio them or enchant them to give me my way, but I didn't want that to be who I'd become.

But from time to time, Adrian and Theo would be on guard after the sun had set. And I could only imagine how much of the truth of what was taking place inside of the manor that they actually knew, but it was as if they knew that letting me lay in the middle of the grass, surrounded by the rose bushes was a mercy. It was the only place where I'd been able to grasp even the slightest bit of sanity imaginable. Because on a property filled with torture, and death and evil, this was the only place where growth, life and rebirth were celebrated.

"It's getting late. They'll start to wonder where you are," Adrian said politely from the opening between thriving plants.

"It's kind of hard to miss a herd of roses growing and blooming rapidly in a matter of seconds," I said, my arms near my head as my fingers twisted and twitched away, dancing along, making the stems mimic my movements.