The Broken One |Scarlett

Zero - The Prologue

Scarlett Shafiq stared at the letter in her hand with an unreadable expression. It felt thick, heavy and utterly terrifying. Her parents stood behind her, clapping her on the back, telling her that she had done a good job.

'A good job? Like they weren't expecting this, like they didn't know this before.'

Scarlett stood up from the kitchen chair and ran up to her room, ignoring her father's startled yell and her mother's weak attempt to hold her back.

She slammed her bedroom door shut and threw herself onto her bed. Tears were pricking her eyes as she read the letter over and over again.

Her Hogwarts acceptance letter.

It was thoroughly disgusting, and she dearly wished that it would never have come to her. Scarlett seemed to be one of the few who did not long to start going to Hogwarts.

Oh, how ironic it was, that only a few years ago she had been waiting for it above all else. It had been everything to her, starting Hogwarts. Oh, how foolish she had been. Then again, that was when everything was still fine. When it was all just like it was supposed to be.

Scarlett glared at the letter, which caught fire and burned up.

"I hate you," she whispered to the ashes. "I hate, hate, hate, HATE you!"

A knock on the door informed Scarlett of her mother coming in. The pale witch slowly walked over to Scarlett and sat down on the bed next to her.

"Scarlett," she started, "I know it hurts, but-"

"But what? You can't force me to go to that stupid school of yours. I don't want to go," Scarlett said through gritted teeth. Her mother sighed and looked at her with pleading eyes.

"Scarlett, just, listen to me, will you?" As Scarlett said nothing, her mother continued, "I understand how you must feel and I understand that your views might have changed due to the... event, but this... you waited for this for forever, don't let what happened stand in the way of that."

"You don't understand, at all. I don't want to go."

"Please, don't stop reaching for your dreams just because-"

"My dreams? My dreams? They were never my dreams, they were your dreams, and now those dreams are dead," Scarlett snarled. 'Just like she is.'

"Scarlett Euphadora Shafiq, you will not talk to your mother like that," her mother said sternly.

"I will talk to her however I please, it's not like I care, as long as I don't have to go to that hellhole of a school," Scarlett grumbled. Anger blazed in her mothers' eyes.

"No. If you won't pull yourself out of that pit that you dug and jumped into, I'll pull you out, no matter how much it hurts. You will go to Hogwarts, it will be good for you, and you have no say in this matter. And don't you dare try any silly tricks with me, young missy," Mrs. Shafiq said sternly, and before Scarlett could object, she had marched out of the room.

"What would you have done, Sienna?" Scarlett asked sadly, as she stared at the picture on the bookshelf.

The picture was of her, laughing with her sister. The photo had been taken when Scarlett was eight and Sienna had just started her fourth year at Hogwarts. When everything was still fine.

Sienna's reddish blonde hair had shone in the sun like a halo around her face, and Scarlett's own fiery red mane had been blazing like fire. The two had shared a joke together, and everything had been just fine.

"But were you in pain already?" Scarlett asked the picture, despite knowing it – unlike many others – would not answer. Sienna had wanted to take the picture 'the muggle way' with a muggle camera. Scarlett sighed and turned her back at the picture.

She was in Sienna's room, which had been kept exactly the same for two years, except for the painting that now hung over the bed. A beautiful painting of Sienna. Her room was tidy, much unlike Scarlett's. Sienna had never been one to make a mess.

"Sienna... what should I do?" She asked. Her sister's warm eyes shone as she gazed down on Scarlett. So warm, it almost looked like she would have been real.

"Scarlett... It's your life, do whatever your heart tells you to," Sienna said with a smile. Scarlett huffed.

"Did you? Did you do what your heart told you to?"

Sienna said nothing, but continued looking at Scarlett with those warm, yet sad eyes.

"Sienna, one thing I've never understood is why people want to control others. Just because most of the magical population here goes to Hogwarts, that doesn't mean I have to, does it?" Scarlett asked quietly.

"No... no it does not" Sienna said, "But you should go, you really should. Mother is-"

"I don't care what she is, or feels, or thinks, or, or anything!" Scarlett interrupted.

"Scarlett, don't. Just don't. Isn't Hogwarts your childhood dream?" Sienna asked. Scarlett glared at the floor.

"Correct. My childhood dream. That's it, not a dream anymore, and I don't want to go," she hissed. Sienna looked sad as she stared at her sister.

"That's not at all what you used to say, not even when I told you..."

"Well, go right ahead, won't you? Blame me. Wasn't that what you always did, Sienna? You blamed others, you had others to solve your problems, what did you do by yourself?" Scarlett asked angrily. Sienna sighed in defeat.

"I don't want to blame you, and I'm not, but if your heart wants something, you shouldn't deny it from yourself. Your heart wants to go to Hogwarts, does it not? Your wish to go there was always stronger than anyone's that I had ever met. Don't let your fears stop you from following your heart," Sienna said. "Because, darling, one should always follow their heart."

Scarlett's head snapped up and she shot a dirty glare at Sienna.

"Is that so? A bit hypocritical coming from you, isn't it? Or maybe you followed your heart then, and your heart told you to kill yourself. Your heart told you it was okay to cause this much pain to your family just as long as you didn't hurt anymore? Your heart told you to stop caring for everyone else but yourself and your own selfish wish to escape? Did your heart ever think about the pain that would be caused to us? Did it, Sienna, did it?" Scarlett was practically screaming by then. "Did your heart tell you just how much your pitiful move would destroy, how it would change everything for your family? Did it tell you that no one, no one, mattered... but you?"

Sienna looked taken aback and for a brief moment Scarlett wondered if she had now crossed the line, until she remembered it was just a mere painting. Of course it was a painting. After all, Sienna Shafiq was dead.

"Scarlett, don't blame me for every issue you have. It's your choice if you want to wallow in self-pity or be strong, and it is not my fault," Sienna said fiercely.

"Is that so now? So if it indeed is my choice... why are you still dead, and why am I still pathetic?" Scarlett asked quietly. "Was it my choice that you would end your life? Oh, it was? Yes, that sounds like something I would do, just so that I can wallow in self-pity."

"You know what I mean, and you know why I did what I did," Sienna said calmly.

"Yes. And isn't that more than enough reason for me not to want to go to Hogwarts?"