light me up

and

let me burn.

the hogwarts halls were crowded and chaotic on september 14th. it had been two months since atlanta's mother was killed, and one month since her father had been imprisoned for it. she knew nothing of what to do about any of this. 

she sat in her dorm alone, knees pulled up to her chest and eyes not focused on anything specific. the students outside yelled and screamed and laughed, communicating with their friends, but all atlanta heard was chaos. all she had been able to hear since that night was chaos. she couldn't sleep, she refused to eat, and she had barely muttered a word. 

she wished that all of this pain would go away. she was so sick and tired of waking up with this fiery rage and she had cried enough to last her a lifetime. so she came to terms with what life was offering her and she decided that she had three options: turn her emotions off completely and not give a damn about the world around her, or end it all. or, of course, she could be like whitney fields, who was so upset about evan yates breaking up with her that she got high everyday. yeah, atlanta definitely could not do that. just the thought of having that crap in her lungs made her want to regurgitate.

she decided to clear her head by taking a steaming hot shower and then going down to the great hall for breakfast. she turned on the water for the shower and let her nightgown slip off onto the stone floor. she looked at herself in the mirror, taking her hair out of its bun and pulling it to the side. she ran her hands over face and stepped into the shower.

☆☆☆

atlanta trotted down the staircases as she made her way to the dining hall. a majority of the students had already eaten, but there was still a vast amount of students eating. 

"atlanta where have you been?" brent rivers called to the girl who continued walking past where he sat, acting as though she did not hear him. "atlanta." no no no, she thought to herself, not this again. 

"atlanta quinn how many times do i have to call your name before you answer me?" he growled, gripping her arm and spinning her around. 

"brent, now really isn't—"

"save it. sit your ass down and eat."

"i'm not hungry," atlanta mumbled. 

"what?"

"i'm not hungry," she muttered again. 

"dammit, a, you know i hate it when you mumble. speak up!"

"i said i'm not fucking hungry!" she shouted. everyone was looking at them now. 

"look at you, thinking you're all big and bad, causing a scene," he scowled, narrowing his eyes. 

"brent, let go of me," she warned. 

"sit. down," he ordered, beginning to get angry. 

"look mate, she kinda told you to fuck off, so if you don't mind letting go of her, that would be great," julian hunter told brent, wand held to his neck. 

atlanta glared at julian. "i don't need your help. stay out of this."

"seems to me like you do," he retorted. "so, as i was saying, let go of her arm before i hex you into next week," he said sweetly. brent huffed and let go of her arm, glaring at the two.
atlanta stormed off into the grand foyer, julian right on her heels. she turned around abruptly and huffed, anger sketched all over her face. "what the hell were you thinking. people aren't supposed to think that we're friends, julian."

"what if that's what i want to—"

"you don't know me, hunter. you never will. you're right at the top of the food chain here at hogwarts, along with the potters and blakes. i'm the daughter of the guy who got locked up in jail for something that he didn't do. but nobody believes that. nobody ever will. but that's my problem, not yours, so stay in your lane."

"wow, that seemed very thought out and rehearsed," he smirked, earning a glare from the infuriated girl. "i was joking, earnest. it's okay to laugh sometimes, y'know? it wouldn't kill you to try to get out of your dorm and take a break from the case for a—"

"don't you understand? no one believes that my father is innocent, not even his bloody muggle lawyers! i'm the only person that is willing to fight for him right now, and i have to figure this out, because right now, my father is in azkaban serving time for a crime he didn't commit. so just stay out of my way."

"atlanta, come on, just tell me how to help. people don't have to know that we associate, if that's what you really want."

"mind your own business. that would help a lot."

"wow, sweetie, you really don't know me. well, i'll see you around i guess."