This chapter contains scenes of emotional trauma and violent actions. Please read with caution.

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'' I'll be here when you wake up. I promise.''

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Trails of huffs fled her lips as she stood before her mirror again, shakingly staring at the empty reflection. Her eyes pooled the instant she noticed the horrible scar of her father's cigar.

The wound still reddened, drops of blood coated the surface, and even it was just one mark of many — the scar itself didn't haunt her.

It was the way it caused her to feel, the way it made her think of herself.

Useless, worthless, hopeless, vein.

She felt disgusted with herself.

She hated herself.

Every scar, every bruise, every mark left by someone other than herself portrayed a memory of weakness, a moment where she was too fragile, a time where her body wasn't hers.

And she hated herself, more than anything, because her body wasn't hers anymore. It always seemed to belong to someone else, no matter what she did.

She hated it — all of it, being an Avery, being one of the sacred twenty-eight.

Her father used to be the right hand of the Dark Lord himself, and he was a monster. Her father was a ruthless killer that should've spent the rest of his life in chains in Azkaban, but unfortunately, he did not.

The gravest mistake he ever made, according to himself, was Amelie. He always wished for a son to carry his legacy on, and then, he had a daughter, nevertheless a daughter that ended up in Ravenclaw.

He loathed her.

He despised every bone in her body,

He wished for her to die, and most of the time, so did she, because living a life where you spend most of your days being unwanted and unwished-for — isn't something you do without your mind haunting you.

Amelie flinched out of the thoughts she was drowning in as someone knocked on her dorm door. Her hands tangled around the shirt hanging over her desk chair, pulling it over her head,

'' Teddy—'' She rose, her cheeks flushed as she hauled the door open.

" Listen to this—" Her eyes snapped to Theodore's as he marched into her room with his head buried in a book. The same book he always carried around, mumbling something beneath his breath,

'' Don't waste your love on somebody who doesn't value it.''

Amelie could feel her jaws clench.

Theo flopped down to the bed, still gazing through the sheets, '' Or this one, ready?''

'' Do not swear by the moon, for she changes constantly. Then your love would also change.''

His head flew off the pages to level hers, staring at her with a lofty look, '' Good, right?''

Amelie quickly looked out the door, assuring that nobody saw him come in before slamming it shut after.

She turned to face her best friend as he stood, almost shaking in excitement, '' What did you think about it?''

Her face slightly shifted into a grimace, '' What do I think about what?'' She was confused and hadn't been paying attention to what Theodore said.

'' The book, Amelie. I know I've told you a thousand times, but just listen here one more time. It's just different, you know?''

He cleared his throat as his hand scratched the back of his neck, telling her the two lines again.

Her eyes grew wide, and the words he had spoken struck right through her.

'' What do you think?'' Theodore smiled.

Theodore gazed up at her as the words caused her heart to shatter. It was as if she could feel every letter he had told.

'' Where is that from?'' She stuttered, forcing a smile to hide the fact that her heart was shredding apart within the walls of her chest.

But no matter how hard she had been fighting it, her mind once again clouded by Adrian and his cruel ruling.

" You're nothing more than a pretty face.''

" You mean nothing to me.''

'' Bloody disgrace.''

'' You're worthless.''

Perhaps she deserved this.

That was all that kept going through her head. She believed that she deserved this — every word, every slap, every punch, every time he violated her — she thought she deserved it.

Theodore stood tall as a hand rushed through the thick locks on his head,

'' I'm so stupid.'' He mumbled, flinging the book onto the bed before taking long strides up to her, '' I'm so sorry, love. I didn't think.''

Her head fell to his shoulder as his arms wrapped around her struggling self, '' I didn't think, Amelie.''

He sniffed as he kept apologizing for the deep words he had spoken.

But it wasn't the words that made her insides cave. It was the way he said them, how he spoke them with such force as if it was the most natural thing in this world — she had heard those lines a hundred times before because it was all from his favorite book, Romeo and Juliet.

But not like this — she had never reflected on them as the way she did now.

Theo hugged her, closely, with everything he had to make the girl he loved so deeply — whole again. He could feel her skin vibrating, and her breaths hitch,

'' You should rest, Amelie,'' Theo mumbled into her head, tensing his arms around her.

Her head shook as she leaned it back, meeting the green eyes she always found comfort in, '' No. I can't. I have to be somewhere—''

'' You are exhausted. I don't care where you have to be because you need to rest.'' He wouldn't give in on this — if Theodore did anything in this world right, it was to care for his best friend.

'' Come.'' He cooed into her hair, pulling her drained body with him to her bed.

Theodore tucked her into her sheets before resting next to her, and his warm, strong arms snuck around her waist as his chest hugged her back,

'' Rest now.'' He could almost feel how tired she was, '' I'll be here when you wake up. I promise.''

Her eyes felt heavy as her chest crumbled. Everything hurt, and she wished is for it all to stop. She needed it to stop.

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Amelie flew up from her bed, clocking that everything around her had fallen dark.

'' No, no, no.'' She whispered to herself at the remembrance of the quidditch game she was supposed to attend this afternoon — Adrian was playing.

Her hand grasped at the cover, in need of finding Theodore's sleeping body, '' Teddy—'' She whispered, harshly, '' Teddy. I need to go.''

He didn't respond, too wrapped into the world of imagination as he snored.

'' Theodore.'' Amelie neatly shouted this time, and the loud calling made him jolt up, drool smudged his cheek as he stared at her in complete panic.

'' What?'' Theo rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands, '' What is it? Why did you wake—''

'' I have to go.'' She hushed, swallowing the dry taste in her mouth, '' I promised Adrian that I would be at the game today.''

Theo spun around, looking down at the clock coating his nightstand as he stretched the back of his head, '' But the game is over—''

'' I know.'' She looked terrified as she tugged a jacket off the hanger, ''That's why I have to go.''

'' Amelie. I'm sorry.'' Theodore rushed up to her door, opening it for her as she slipped out in the hallway, '' I'll find you tomorrow.'' He called out after her as she disappeared into the darkened corridor.

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Amelie hurried her way down the yard, over the hill leading to the quidditch field. Her hands shook as she sought to clench her fingers together but to no use. She was frightened, more than it.

In her head — she was preparing for the hell she knew was coming, and the instant she halted outside the locker room, her veins ached.

For a brief moment, her eyes closed. She tried to catch her breath.

The second her hands landed on the wooden door, it ripped open from in front of her. Adrian's green eyes clocked hers. His face fell into a look of pure evil.

'' It took you long enough.'' He muttered, pulling the soaked uniform shirt off of him as drips of sweat rolled down the firmly outlined muscles, '' Where were you?''

Amelie's eyes dragged over the boy, and her eyelashes felt heavy — if she only hadn't fallen asleep, they would be lying in her bed right now, talking about the game.

Not standing here, in front of each other, both wrong-minded about the other.

'' I asked you where you—''

'' In the library.'' Her veins iced at the lie, and if anything — Amelie was a terrible liar.

'' I was studying with Hermione, and it got late.'' She was stuttering, hoping with all she had that he would believe her, '' But how did the game—''

'' With Granger, you say?'' He taunted her as irony broke through his stern hue. He stepped closer. '' But if Granger was with you, who was the girl on the stands, cheering her red-headed friend on, Amelie?''

She gulped as she stayed silent.

At this moment, she didn't know what she could do. He caught her in a lie, and there would be no saving her from that.

Her quietness made the brunette lose his temper, and the green hooded eyes bored through hers evilly.

'' When I ask you a question, Amelie.'' Adrian seethed, his hands gripped around her shoulders as he forced her body back into the corridor, ''You answer.''

Her spine collided with the stone-covered wall, and his chest rose and fell violently, '' Isn't that right?'' He taunted her.

'' So what do we do when I ask you a question?'' He asked her again. Pure venom dripped off his tongue.

Her bravery missed her when Adrian's hand flew to her jaw, gripping it roughly, '' Answer me, Amelie, or I swear—''

'' We answer.'' She whispered as he tipped her head back with the palm of his hand.

'' That's right, Amelie. When I ask you a question, you answer.'' He fumed, the grip around her chin started to hurt, '' And why didn't you answer me?''

He forced her head back, slamming it into the wall behind her and her vision became blurry — she couldn't see straight as stars began to prickle in her eyes.

'' I didn't mean—'' Her head hung, her lips parted, but she couldn't speak anymore.

The air in her lungs knocked out by him, crashing her into the wall one more time, and her entire self gave up.

Amelie's worn body wasn't strong enough, and just as she was passing out — just as she felt as if she was fading away, a familiar voice shredded closer, and without understanding what happened around her,

Someone wrapped their arms around her weak body, holding her close to their chest.

His blonde hair fell messily over his forehead, and the grey eyes looked desperately at her.

And then — she fainted.

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