Sworn Enemy||Riddle and Potter

Chapter Ten

~~✶♡✶~~

Little Addilyn laid on her back with her eyes squeezed shut. She had just tripped down the stairs and bumped her head hard. Tears filled her eyes, but the young girl wouldn't let them spill.

Her father ran down the stairs when he heard the loud thumps on the stairs followed by no noise. Fearing the worst, he picked up his little girl in his lanky arms. "What hurts, Adds?" James asked in a worried tone. Addilyn patted her head before burying her face in her daddy's shoulder. "It's ok to cry, Addie." The messy-haired girl shook her head against his shoulder. "I won't tell. You'll feel better once you cry. Daddy cries sometimes too."

James felt a few wet drops one after another until a downpour happened. His little baby was sobbing in his arms clutching onto his now damp shirt. Addilyn's whole body moved with every sob that escaped her lips.

"I got you, Addie. Daddy loves you." He spoke softly as he softly rubbed her back.

Addilyn sat there in the middle of an empty hallway, her hand raw and red with blood. Streams of tears flowed from her eyes as emotion poured out of her in muffled sobs.

The two conflicting flashbacks cause Addilyn's mind to swirl. It was as if she was at war with herself. There were two different images shown, and Addilyn didn't know which one to believe. Was she a burden or loved? But could she not be both? Yes, it made sense in Addilyn's mind. She was the loved burden.

"I got you, Addie."

But who really has her right now? The words now scarred into her hand are the fear she had buried deep inside. 'I am a burden' it reads. They say if you hear something long enough you'll start to believe it. Perhaps, this was the time she would truly believe it.

"trouble maker"

Her mother's words rang in her ear. It was surely out of context, but how could Addilyn's brain truly be screwed on right? Her sense of reality was muddied. It was as if she had horrible eyesight with broken glasses in her hands. She could make out an outline, but not the whole or the details. She was back to infancy for capability. She was sure even if she willed herself to stand up she could not, for grief had paralyzed her body.

The soft patter of feet crossed her ears, but she couldn't focus on that. She couldn't do anything. All of her senses were weakened like the drip of a faucet sink. All she could do was cry as she was buried too deep into her mind.

"Addie?" A voice crossed her mind

A shiver slid down her spine as reality tried to make its way back to her, but the prison guard of her mind had her locked in too tight. A glow reflected along her tear-stained face, but there was no recognition from Addilyn.

The Potter girl was just too broken to pick up the pieces herself, so when strong arms lifted her up, she did nothing about it. She just cried on their shoulder instead of into her arms. If her mind had control of her body she may have resisted the help, but it did not have any control.

Her body swayed with each step as she was carried through the darkened halls. With each sway, her brain got messed up even more. It was like trying to find a shell at the beach three feet down, but the waves keep washing over any hole made. The only consistency one could find in that situation would be the wave wreaking any progress all over again.

Little Addilyn played with the mangey calico cat in the rose bushes of her Aunt Petunia. Never before had an animal let her play, but this cat was just as broken as the little eight-year-old. They matched each other's sorrows and attempted to give each other any joy they possessed.

This cat had been hiding in the bushes since it was just a kitten. Harry and Addilyn found a mother cat all alone with just two kittens. The twins ran to their aunt to ask if there was anything they could do for the kittens and their mother.

Aunt Petunia stuck her nose up in disgust and called her husband and his sister.

Dudley's Aunt Marge released her bred bulldogs onto the cats. Uncle Vernon held the twins, one in each hand, so that they could see what became of their new friends.

Harry cried which only earned him a laugh and a slap from his uncle while Addilyn remained stoic with only a few tears leaving her eyes. Harry eventually pried himself free from their uncle's arms as he ran towards the dying cats. To his dismay, the biggest dog of the bunch turned his aggression towards Harry, biting at his ankles. Almost by magic, Harry practically flew up the tree to escape.

That was when Aunt Petunia put her foot down and cleared her throat. Marge gave a disappointed grunt like a pig that wasn't given dinner before she called her dogs back to her.

Both Addilyn and Harry were promptly locked in their cupboard immediately after Harry got down. They were not given supper nor breakfast the following day.

Every time she visited the cat, she remembered how the poor kitten's family was killed. It was sad, but she related too much with the cat at such a young age.

"Minty fresh." The voice said to a door, hearing a click in response indicating that it was open.

"Don't leave." Addilyn croaked in desperation. She was still distraught but clung to the only physical thing that wasn't hated by her mind.

"I'm not leaving. I need to go and get you cleaned up, ok?" The voice softly replied. Addilyn gave a small nod in reply. Although she was crying still, she was aware enough to notice her robe with the blooded sleeve was slipped off. Her hand was gently cleaned and bandaged. It was fairly dark and although she came a bit to her senses, she was in a mental state where she did not care at all.

The voice gave her a soothing rub on the back before it laid her down and placed a blanket over the girl.

Addilyn fell asleep to the feeling of her head moving steadily up and down and the sound of a slow and consistent thumping. Memories circled her head, but the stead heart-like thumps kept her grounded.