The Ravenclaw Queen

Reunion

(AN, brief mentions of self-harm in the beginning scene, but no more after that in this chapter. And there will be talks about what happened to her. Question of the day, What's your favorite color?) 

"Wake up, darling. We are meeting the others in an hour," Mattheo told me, shaking me slightly. 

I nodded my head and got up to go into the bathroom. I made sure that the bathroom was locked before grabbing my razor. Vernon took everything from me. He took my purity, my spunk, and my voice. This is the last thing that is mine. I took the blade across my thighs, watching the blood start to pool as I did. It was therapeutic seeing the blood pooling. It was real. I was real.

"Hayden, hurry up!" Mattheo yelled from the other side of the door. 

I quickly brushed my teeth and changed into some other clothes. I brushed my long red hair and put it into a high ponytail. I curled the ponytail and some face-framing pieces with my wand. After I ensured every bruise and cut was covered, I left the bathroom. Mattheo was in a green Slytherin jumper and some black pants. 

"Ready to go, love?" he asked me, extending his hand. 

I took his hand, and we walked down into the Lucky Cauldron. We smiled at the owner who gave us both bottles of water as we left. I think he feels bad for us. He knows that there is a reason we hide here every summer. After all, me and Mattheo are just children. Even if it doesn't feel that way most of the time. 

"Is that my favorite Potter and least favorite Riddle?" I heard the voice of Theo call. 

"That is insulting on so many levels, mate," Mattheo said with a smirk. 

Theo went to hug me, but I stood stiffly in his arms. My body started to shake, and I was panicking. Why am I doing this? This is Theo? He would never hurt me! Stop panicking, Hayden!

"What's wrong?" Theo asked, pulling away when he noticed my discomfort. 

"Can I tell him?" Mattheo asked me, and I nodded, "Dumbledore made her go home. It was a bad summer for her." 

"Why would that old bastard do that to her?" Theo demanded, anger flashing through his blue eyes.

"I don't know. But it was bad, Theo. As you can tell, she hasn't said a word to me." 

Theo turned to me but stayed a few feet away from me, "I am not going to push you. I will never make you uncomfortable. Just know I am here if you ever want to talk about it. I will never initiate touch, but I will reciprocate it. Does that seem okay?" 

I nodded my head yes and offered him a smile. The three of us walked through the streets, Mattheo and Theo were talking about their summers. 

"Speaking of summer, here you go," Theo said handing me a box, "Happy birthday, Hayden." 

I opened the box to see a blue dagger with my name engraved in it. My name was engraved in a bronze color. I smiled at him, a true smile. 

"I figured we get into some dumb things at Hogwarts, it may come in handy," Theo said with a shrug.

We approached the others, and I hid behind Mattheo. I didn't want to touch anyone. I know it's dumb to be scared of my friends, but I can't help it. 

"What happened?" Kyra asked, staring at me hiding behind Mattheo's tall frame. 

"Can I?" Mattheo asked me and I nodded. 

"Dumbledore forced her to go home. I was only able to rescue her three days ago. She hasn't said a word," Mattheo told them. 

"She is only letting Mattheo touch her too," Theo added in, "So don't get weird about it." 

"Why would Dumbledore do that?" Kyra demanded. 

"Can we kill him?" Blaise asked, making me smile and nod, "See, Hayden agrees!" 

"The Azkaban time we would get for killing Dumbledore would be extraordinary," Aiden pointed out. 

"If Sirius Black can escape, then I think we could escape," Luna said, skipping up to hug Mattheo and Theo. She offered me a smile before handing me a wrapped box. 

I opened it to see a pretty necklace. I put it on as she spoke, "It keeps the nargles away!" 

"What are-" Mattheo started. 

"Don't ask," Aiden told him. 

"Wait, Sirius Black. The man who betrayed the Potters is out of Azkaban?" Mattheo asked, and we all froze. 

"I didn't even think about that," Blaise murmured. 

I'm in danger, aren't I?  I wrote on a pad.

"There is a good chance that yes, you are in serious danger," Kyra told me. 

"One normal year. Is that too much to ask?" Aiden pouted. 

"Yes, it is darling," the voice of Mrs. Zabini called, "I've been eavesdropping." 

"What do we do, mum?" Blaise asked, hugging his mom. 

"I am personally writing to Dumbledore. I'm sure the ministry would love to have a reason to fire him, and subjecting a student to abuse would do it. Dear, I promise you will never be back in that environment," Mrs. Zabini told me. 

Thank you, Mrs. Zabini.

"You and Mattheo will never stay at the Lucky Cauldron for another summer," she continued. 

"What?" Mattheo spoke up. 

"My manor is big enough for you two to stay. You are also welcome at Christmas if you wish. You all are," Mrs. Zabini told us. 

"Thank you, but I could never pay you back," Mattheo told her. 

"Mattheo, you are a child. Children should never have to pay an adult back," Mrs. Zabini told him. 

"But-" 

"No buts. I know that you two don't have a family to rely on. If you would let me, I would love to be that family for you," Mrs. Zabini said, "And I don't know everyone's story, but this offer applies to all of you. I didn't kill my husbands to gain wealth for nothing." 

We all laughed, not knowing if it was a joke or not, but we didn't care. We had one adult in our lives who cared about us. Everything feels so uncertain right now, but we have that. And right now, that's all that matters. 

But even Mrs. Zabini couldn't protect us from everything.

(AN. I am doing a character contest. Last day to enter, and you can enter more than once!)

Name:

Year: 3

From: (Anywhere but UK)

Pronouns: (He/him, they/them)

Hair Color:

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Style:

Sexuality: Pansexual

House:

Personality:

Background:

Have fun! You can either comment or DM me for an entry)