ɪ ᴊᴜsᴛ sᴇᴇ ʏᴏᴜ - 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐨 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞

𝐂𝐇𝐏 𝟐𝟕 - New Front

THIRD PERSON's POV

Oh to be carried by the breeze and dance on the bird's melodies, glide into the sky til' the ground is out of sight and the meadows are just a distant memory; was that so much to ask?

Alone, stilled in the sparse forest of warm air on the Hyde Estate. Everything was warmer now, that was except for the girl wondering aimlessly amongst it all. Her thoughts swirling, being taken away by the greened leaves drifting above, through the trees and winding branches as if searching for someone. Y/n wondered if she sent letters, whether he would answer. Whether he was around lurching in the dark corners around her room when she wasn't looking, whether he would walk through her doorway and mock her for being more pessimistic than he is. But that wasn't the only uncertainty that plagued her mind.

She wasn't really in the peace of her auburn forest, not having been able to take herself out of her room for majority of the break, the dust collecting on her shoulders by the window. Y/n found herself thinking about the tower and what she saw beneath it, what she wanted to burn out of her mind, to never have to see it again. Y/n never thought about the possibility that the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, seen as one of the most powerful wizard's of their age, laying lifeless, shamelessly on the castle floor.

Y/n, no matter how many times she tried to block them out, enchant her dream catchers to hold them hostage, rip them from her mind, the nightmares disguised as wispy dreams greeted her every time she closed her eyes. Loops of purple adorned below Y/n's eyes, their rings growing larger every night the shadows infiltrated her head. Y/n couldn't get rid of them.

It wasn't until that morning when she started her routine by the window sill, did she see a creature wondering around the forest floor with its long boney legs and sickly thin figure. The dark charcoal black skin clinging to its skeleton, its wings folded tightly to its sides, filling Y/n with a sense of understanding.

A Thestral. A beautiful creature, but it wasn't until that moment that Y/n knew it called it's home the sparse forest she had grew up exploring. It wasn't until Y/n lost that last part of her innocence, the barrier that was holding her back, witnessing death, allowed her to finally see the part she missed as that hopeful child. No longer holding that light, having been tainted to peal back the shimmery nostalgic filter that was fraying at the edges. And despite all it's bad omens, negative stigma and stereotype, the Thestral comforted her.

"Y/n? Papa want's you down for supper."

The thoughts paused and dispersed on her tongue, turning her head to see the small figure of Rose at her door. She had gotten bigger in the break, having grown half an inch and the reality of her second year starting in less than a week only emphasized the height. Rose looked less round in the face and her hair that bit longer, something Y/n didn't know if she liked or not. After all, every day, Rose's eyes turned more grey, just like Atticus.

"Okay." Y/n knew she couldn't refuse supper, she had to eat, she had already missed lunch. Her limbs cracked with every movement, creaking like old wooden stairs as Y/n removed herself from the window sill. Rose stepped aside from the door frame and took her sister's hand, leading her down the steps and glancing at Y/n at every second step. One of the house elves dusting the array of assorted pottery and antiques spared the young woman a glance, Y/n had reminded him of someone; a master who looked just as fatigued and sickly.

The house always felt so empty, cold and uninviting, the halls filled with painting's and displays of ancient artefacts brought from Atticus and Alyssa's travels from wizarding societies around Europe before Y/n's birth. They always seemed out of place to her.

Rose led Y/n through the kitchen and into the dinning room where Atticus and her grandmother were awaiting on their usual side of the table, Y/n's seat across from them calling to her. She let go of her sister's hand and briskly walked over to her seat, the room engulfed in silence until Rose sat down in between her father and grandmother.