~A/N~ I'm having a mental breakdown :) Luckily, so is everyone in this story so it's fitting. Almost done with exams, currently on study leave so I should be working but I choose this over Latin.
Enjoy the chapter!
Leila xx
Familiar chatter filled the Great Hall as we waited for the Sorting, and it relaxed me despite being so near to Luke. Luna and I had had to split up so she could go to the Ravenclaw table, leaving me sitting with some very concerned friends and a disinterested love interest.
He hadn't said a word to me, not even uttered a greeting, ignoring the others as they hugged me fiercely in an attempt to show I was loved though they didn't know what was wrong. It was cruel of me to ignore them, but I felt no guilt.
Calum was still trying to talk to me in hushed tones, which I pretended not to hear and instead lapsed into friendly conversation with Ashton while silently daring everyone to ask me what was wrong one more time.
Relief flooded into my heart once the Sorting started and the attention fell onto the first years scurrying nervously through the Hall, my sister at the head. No one noticed her until McGonagall pulled out her list of names, and Sofiyah was first.
"Ahmed, Sofiyah!"
A hearty round of applause and cheers rung out through the Hall and I smiled involuntarily as my friends all yelled their praise.
"You didn't tell me Sofiyah got into Hogwarts!" Ashton grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly as I sent an encouraging smile and thumbs up to my little sister before the Hat fell over her head and obscured her eyes from view.
While the Hat deliberated, I glanced around and found even Luke was sat up slightly straighter, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips until a roar filled the room.
"RAVENCLAW!"
Cheers erupted from the Ravenclaw table and even the Gryffindors clapped along in hearty celebration as my sister skipped to the far table and slipped into a seat next to Luna, waving at me with stars in her eyes.
It looked like she was in for a good year after all.
***
I couldn't bring myself to exert any emotion whatsoever on finding out that Professor Slughorn was the new potions master, while Snape would take over Defence Against the Dark Arts. The angry muttering from our table floated past my ears as I stared into space, imagining two twinkling chocolate eyes staring back.
But now those eyes were closed, and they weren't going to open again.
"Leila!"
"What?" I snapped, glaring at Hermione before softening my expression. "I mean, sorry, I was just spaced out."
Calum glanced at me worriedly while Michael and Ashton frowned at each other.
"Are you ok?" Hermione bit her lip, placing a gentle hand on my arm, but I shook her off.
"I'm fine. What were you saying?"
Now even Luke had his eyes on me, boring into my skull, and Naadiya's words replayed in my head. I want you to give things a chance with Luke...
It wasn't going to happen.
"I was just asking about your OWL results."
"Oh, right, I got an E in Arithmancy and the rest are O's," my voice remained flat and emotionless while those of my friends brightened up around me.
"That's amazing!" Ashton giggled. "Why aren't you happier?"
"I'm tired," I lied and they all knew, but no one questioned it as they went back to their conversations chattering about their own exam results and the NEWTs they were going to take. In all honesty, I couldn't care less. My NEWT decision had been hasty, made alone in a silent house, at the lifeless kitchen table as fresh tears rolled down my cheeks.
I hadn't put any thought into what I wanted to do, because all I could think about was how I would probably end things before the school year finished. Now, I was hanging on by a thread.
***
"Tell me about your holiday," I said to Hermione as we bickered over beds in the dormitory. I chose the one in the corner, out of immediate sight and hearing from the corridor, and my friend joined me in relaxing as we caught up with each other.
My eyes were clouded over and heavy, weighing down my head due to the steady stream of tears that had poured for a month. It turned out there was no such thing as being 'cried out' when dealing with half of my heart being torn away from me, but I kept some semblance of happiness. Of course, she saw straight through it and immediately frowned.
"Not unless you tell me what's going on first."
Kika hooted in agreement, flapping her tiny wings against the bars of her cage, and I sighed. "Naadiya... died."
Silence.
"Oh."
A longer pause, before Hermione also burst into tears. "Leila, I can't imagine how difficult that must have been for you! We're here for you, you know, Ginny and I. And the boys."
"The boys aren't, they'll stick with Luke."
"What, and you mean Luke isn't here for you? Aren't you basically together?"
"We're not on the best terms right now," I sighed, explaining the kiss we had shared on the train.
She frowned. "That doesn't make sense. Why would he kiss you and then run away?"
"Nothing really makes sense nowadays." My voice broke on the last word and I choked on my grief, swallowing it down as I had been training myself to do. "The world is upside down."
"We should tell Ginny," Hermione said gently. "She'll want to help."
My shrivelled heart opened up slightly at my friend's comforts and I groaned internally - of course it would, of course telling Hermione would help, my rotting brain had lied to me.
"Can you tell her? I don't want to deal with her reaction."
"Of course. Don't worry, we have your back."
YOU ARE READING
Magic (5sos/l.h. Hogwarts AU)
FanfictionLeila is your average girl. She reads books, does her homework and talks to her friends and family. But that's in the holidays. One big thing makes Leila's life different to that of everyone else in her village. She's a witch. Hogwarts is where Leil...
