THE FIFTH FOUNDER ⚡️ [h.p./founders era]

Twenty-Five

The world didn't move for me anymore. I was stuck, frozen in time.

Others moved on, healed, worked through their trauma. But I stayed right where I was.

The first night few nights, I couldn't sleep in my room. I tried to, I really did. But every time I shut my eyes, the only thing I could see was the man on top of me.

I was so angry.

I wanted so badly to be happy, to live a normal life. I was so close to being okay. But I knew I would never recover from this.

I started to throw things. First it was the blankets off of my bed. Then it was the books on my shelf. Then it was my fists into the walls.

By the end of it, my knuckles were bruised and my throat was sore from the screaming. I knelt down against the wall and put my head in my hands.

I sat there and cried for a long time.

It was my fault that Simon was dead. If I had been stronger, faster, or even just had my wand closer to me, I could have saved him. But I failed him.

He was like my son. I loved him so much. His curiosity, his kindness, his determination. He was so beautiful.

How would I be able to take care of more children if I couldn't take care of him? If I couldn't take care of her?

I don't know how long I stayed on the floor, but I know it was a long time. I watched the sunlight coming into my window fade in and out and back in again.

I heard someone come in and that's what made me jump. My heart pounded, thinking I was going to be finished off this time.

But then I saw him.

As soon as Salazar saw me in the state I was in, he immediately knelt down beside me.

"Oh, Lyra." He choked out, starting to cry. I knew he was hurting too.

Simon looked up to Salazar so much. He was like a father to him, and I had never seen such a bond before.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save him." Is what I wanted to say. I wanted to be the stronger one. I wanted to hold him and tell him that we would get through this. But I was so weak.

I could barely get a word out before I started to cry. I could barely breathe through my sobs, but I didn't care. I just wanted the pain to go away.

Salazar held me close to him and cried with me.

I appreciated him so much. He was like a light in this terrible, dark dungeon I had been trapped in my entire life.

He stayed with me for a long time. I knew he would stay with me forever if I asked him to. And I was so tempted to do that, but I was so afraid that he would get hurt just like everyone else.

I wanted to protect him. I wanted to make sure he would be safe in this castle. I wanted to make sure that every student that stepped foot in this castle would go sleep each night knowing they were going to wake up the next morning.

After the events I went through, I knew so well that I couldn't protect everyone by myself. I needed help.

Salazar had already helped me so much. And he was mourning. I wanted him to heal without having to worry about anything else.

The help I needed I would have to find elsewhere. I'd have to search deep into my past to find the protection this castle lacked.

We needed some sort of guardian that would guarantee no soul without magic could even step foot on the castle grounds.

I had no idea where to find such a creature, but I knew someone that might.

I didn't dare bring up the idea to Salazar. This was something I needed to do on my own, and I was sure he would approve of it anyway. The last thing I wanted was to go behind his back, especially when he was there for me through everything.

But I justified it. This was my way of thanking him, of showing him that I could help him too.

After a while, I convinced him he needed to go back to his room.

"You need to rest." I said to him, even though I really wanted him to stay with me. But I knew I couldn't do what I needed to with him there.

"What if something happens to you? I need to be here." He refused.

Those words alone made we want to melt into him and let him stay here as long as he liked. But I resisted.

"I will be fine." I assured him, even though my anxiety was creeping back in and telling me I wouldn't be. "Come back first thing in the morning."

Eventually, I was able to convince him to go back to his room to sleep. Part of my intentions were pure, as he really was exhausted and needed to take care of himself.

When he was gone, I pulled myself off of the floor and limped over to my pile of books I had thrown all over the room.

After searching for a while, I found a spare bit of parchment and my quill.

I stared at the parchment for a long time. I couldn't find the words to say.

What do you say to a parent you haven't spoken to in nearly ten years? They didn't even know they had a granddaughter.

I wasn't even sure they were still alive. But I held onto the hope that they would help me. Even if our ties were severed, I was still their daughter and they considered blood to be the strongest connection of them all.

In the end, I found the words to say. I asked them for help, but I had no idea just how much I was asking from them.