selcouth // h. granger

◤liberosis◢

lib-er-o-sis /libəʁosis/
noun
the desire to care less about things

☠︎~~~☠︎

-winter

last winter
when we would sneak out
to dance or make snowmen
I think that was the first time
I truly knew that
you were someone special
even though
you had been all along

☠︎~~~☠︎

"I told you it was a bad idea!" exclaimed Elara furiously as soon as they landed on the ground after dissaparating from Godric's Hollow. Since she had landed sitting down, she laid on the ground, feeling a light layer of snow crunch beneath her, hoping sleep would overtake her soon. "I had a bad feeling- I should've trusted it- Merlin, do you think he knows that we're traveling with you, Harry? Fucking Salazar-"

What happened in the minutes before was not pleasant. The old lady continued to beckon them forward until they complied, somehow being able to see them from under the Cloak. They figured out she was Bathilda Bagshot when in the end, she really wasn't, and she took them to her house. It was an odd, strange, eerie, and not good-looking cottage. Weirdly, unlike she expected, Elara couldn't sense the energy like she usually could.

So, they strolled around until 'Bathilda' called Harry and only Harry upstairs. Soon enough, Elara and Hermione heard a thumping noise and hurried upstairs, only to find that the older woman had gone and seemed to be replaced by a snake, who was attacking Harry. After many vigorous actions to try and stay alive, Hermione finally got them to apparate out a window, which landed them here.

"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know," repeated Hermione frantically, her tone completely panicked, and Elara's sense of frustration was suddenly gone. Her primary focus was getting to Hermione and holding her close. Elara sat up, looking around and finding Hermione just a few feet over, getting up and hurrying over to her just as Hermione asked, "Harry, are you all right?"

But Harry did not respond, catching both of the girl's attention, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. Elara pulled Hermione to her feet and gave her a quick hug and kiss on the forehead to comfort her before turning around, just to find Harry sprawled out on the floor, unmoving. Elara cursed profusely under her breath as she and Hermione hurried toward him, finding that Harry was obviously still alive, considering that his chest was rising and falling rapidly but seeming to be unconscious.

"Harry, come on, wake up! He's burning up. I don't understand..." apprised Hermione as she placed a hand on Harry's forehead, and just after, Harry gave a murmur of incoherent speech. Hermione and Elara exchanged worried and befuddled glances before waiting for any more sounds, but Harry provided none. "He was awake when we disapparated. Surely he can't be asleep... oh no, the snake's bit him too..." Hermione grabbed his wrist gently and showed Elara, revealing a bite mark on his forearm.

"We should get him inside the tent. If he's alive and just asleep, he's bound to wake up sooner or later. I reckon he'd prefer to be in a bed," guessed Elara, and Hermione nodded without looking up, but her expression turned to one of guilt and sadness. Elara grew more confused, slowly asking, "I know we just got attacked and everything, but... what's wrong? You look like something's added to that."

Shakily, Hermione held up her other hand, which had been hidden behind Harry's body for the majority of the time. Inside her palm was her own wand, looking normal, but Harry's... Harry's wand was snapped in half, small splinters on each side of the breakage, a single strand of phoenix feather keeping it together. Elara frowned as Hermione explained in just above a whisper, "I think I did it. When... When we were leaving, I cast a Blasting Curse, and it rebounded. It must've hit..."