Out of the Shadows (A Harry Potter Fan Fiction)

Chapter 20- Empty (Ava)

A/N- Whoops! 3 months have gone by since my last update and I feel awful, I really do. I feel like I say this all the time but I do know what it's like to be wanting a fan fiction to keep updating and having to wait for months for the next chapter. One too many times I have read a fanf iction and reached the climax of the story and then discovered that the author hasn't even been online in two years! So I truly am very sorry.

I am in Year 12 so have been revising hard for my exams and have had very little time of my own. However, when I have had time I've been watching The X Files or working on another fan fiction which I hope I may be able to upload one day if I manage to edit it all properly!

I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I will try to update again very soon!

Chapter 20 (Ava)

With Fred gone away on a mission, the house felt empty. Too empty.

Where last night I had been away in another world entirely with Fred's arms around me, I now felt vulnerable and alone.

I was unable to stay sitting in one room for too long before I moved along to the next, until after about an hour I had sat in every room in the house twice. There was a strange chill in my bones that wouldn't go away, even after I put a thick woolly cardigan on.

I knew why I felt so helpless, but getting up and walking into the next room helped me to try and forget for a little bit longer.

When I was idle for too long, flashes of my time at Malfoy Manor would appear in my head. Images that I didn't want to see. Dolohov torturing me, Bellatrix hissing in my face, Draco torturing me-

I shook my head and stood up from my seat in the kitchen. Aunt Muriel was standing by the oven, and she turned around the moment I stood up.

"Can you not stay still for more than five minutes, young lady?"

I muttered an apology and scuttled out of the kitchen quickly. I could hear the front door of the house opening, and Mr. Weasley was beckoning Remus and a very pregnant-looking Tonks into the house. Before I could think about it, I dashed past them through the door and outside.

I sprinted away from the house, ignoring the shouts behind me. The cold air felt liberating, but it wasn't enough. I had to keep running.

My chest began to hurt, and I finally stopped at the edge of the field, doubling over to catch my breath. I could feel the sting of tears in my eyes and squeezed them shut.

"Ava?"

My eyes opened and I straightened up. Remus was sprinting towards me with his wand in his hand.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he slowed down, his expression worried. I gulped, looking away from his gaze.

"It... it's too much being in there, staying idle for too long just like I was at Malfoy Manor."

"Ava," Remus reached out and took hold of my hand, "Being kept a prisoner and being tortured... it's something that really impacts you afterwards. It's difficult to get over, especially when you're alone. I understand that you'll want to be constantly surrounded by people, especially Fred, but with the war, we're out a lot on missions."

I sighed, "If you would just let me come with you-"

Remus shook his head, "Not yet. The Death Eaters are looking for you. You need to wait until the searching dies down."

I opened my mouth, but closed it after a moment. I didn't know what to say.

Remus gulped, "When we were still at Hogwarts, Sirius' parents used to abuse him. One summer, they locked him in the cellar. When he came back to school in September, your dad and I were so worried. Sirius was..." He trailed off, closing his eyes for a moment, "He was like a shell of himself. He could barely crack a smile. He hated being alone. I spent a lot of time with him that year, and he always told me that I was the main reason that he managed to recover from the trauma."