Aionios

Chapter 3

Isabelle sat near the extinguished fire, dazedly staring and twirling her wand in her hand. She examined the wooden stick, nice and pliable to feel. Distantly, she remembers a time when she was so accustomed to the feeling of the hawthorn of her wand, a time when she trusted the stick in her hand with all her magical capabilities.

But with the blissful memories of her wand also came the agonizing reason of why she stopped using it in the first place.

Angrily, she shakes her head to rid of the memory.

"It's midnight", a voice says.

Isabelle turns from her seat on the couch, spotting Cordon in his pajamas at the bottom of the stairs.

"I know", the redhead mutters, not bothered by that stated fact as she turned her back to him.

She hears his footsteps approaching and it took only an interval of eight seconds before Cordon sat beside her.

They remained silent for a long time with Isabelle keeping her eyes trained on her wand and Cordon inspecting her.

Finally, the latter spoke. "I know you won't admit it to yourself... But majority of us think that you're most powerful with your wand", Cordon says.

Dryly, Isabelle chuckles. "Is that why I wasn't able to save him with it?", she asks disdainfully.

Cordon instantly knew who she was talking about. "That happened a long time ago, Isabelle", he scolds, voice almost raised in anger, "What happened was not your fault".

"I could have done something, you know... I could have saved him", Isabelle sighs, eyes glossing over with fought tears.

Instantly, Cordon regrets raising his voice. "I'm sorry... But if you think for one second that what happened to him was your fault, then you're wrong", he says solemnly.

Isabelle remains silent for moments, just staring at her wand. And when she spoke, it was so quiet that Cordon barely heard it.

"I'm... terrified", she admits.

At this, Cordon is surprised. Isabelle Potter had never feared anything before; not Dementors, not death eaters, not anything!

"What could you possibly be afraid of?", he asks.

"....... I love him, Cordon... Harry... I love him even more now that I've met him in person and talked to him for hours...", the redhead mutters.

"And? What's so wrong with that?"

"...... What if I fail again? What if I fail to use my wand at a time it is most needed again?... I love him so much now... But you know what happens to the ones I love...... I always seem to be too weak to protect them", she says, eyes lowering to the extinguished fireplace.

Cordon sighs, placing both hands on her shoulders so that they paralleled one another. He almost lets out a gasp as he sees her emerald orbs, glistening with withheld tears of agony and fear. It's the first time he's ever seen her so vulnerable, and he was reminded that Isabelle was just thirteen... and yet she's already been through so much.

So young and yet already so burdened.

"Listen, Isabelle, you are a great person. And maybe you can't see that now, but someday you will. I've got a feeling Hogwarts and Harry will do you some good, maybe even make you see what all of us do... Live your life, Isabelle! Make the best mistakes, so you can learn the greatest lessons", Cordon says encouragingly, smiling at Isabelle before rising from the couch and retreating to his room for the night.

"Goodnight, Isabelle", he calls out before shutting the door to the boys' dormitories.

Smiling faintly and finally gripping the wand in her hand, Isabelle bids him a whisper of goodnight.