Vain {Colin Creevey}

14

"It was her," Professor Dumbledore said gravely. Vega took a deep breath. Her aunt collapsed to tears in the corner of the room but Vega felt as if she could cry no more. She just didn't understand why.

"Why would she go out of her way to do it?" Vega said more to herself.

"I don't know, honey, I'm sorry," Aunt Appoline said through her breakdown, her blue eyes looking crystal clear and beautiful and it disgusted Vega.

"What is wrong with you?" Vega asked, standing up slowly. She said it quite quietly, and her question went unheard to all except Colin.

"Vega, don't," he started, placing a hand on her shaking arm. She wheeled on him suddenly, shoving him off with two forceful hands to his chest.

"Get off of me!" she snapped, her eyes flashing with fury. Colin stumbled back silently, his body numb with shock. What was wrong with her?

Vega now had everyone's attention, and they all watched her silently, no doubt frozen in shock, as Colin was.

She crossed the room and stood right in front of her aunt, getting in her face.

"What is wrong with you?" she said, then laughed numbly, getting even closer. "What is wrong with you?!" she yelled loudly. Aunt Apolline jumped in surprise and then started crying again. "What makes you think that this is about you?" Vega took a step back and looked at her cousin, Fleur.

"And you, what have you got to say for yourself?" Fleur looked up in surprise. "You act like you're so perfect when you're not at all! You think you're so pretty? I know you aren't, I know you're miserable where you are- and you love using your beauty for friends, since you haven't got any real ones!" Fleur said nothing, only looked at the floor. She was right, after all.

"You think that you get to cry?" Vega said slowly, staring her aunt down. By this time, she had moved to the middle of Dumbledore's office. She was constantly moving, like she just could not stay in one place. "My mother is dead. Because she was so vain she wanted to be even more beautiful. It's crazy, to think, that she was perfect." Vega laughed, throwing her shaking hands up.

"She was perfect, yet she was the most wretched mother there could be. She didn't even name her own child. She left me to do that. She left me to raise her, too. She was too busy trying to fake a man into loving her, that she didn't spend time with her own family. Her only daughter, for twelve years at least."

Silence hung suspended in the air. Everyone was scared of angering Vega further, sparking more violence in her outburst.

"And you? You knew about it," She snapped, pointing a shaking finger at her aunt. The finger moved to her cousin," and so did you. And you both let me rot  there instead of bringing me with you!" Colin wrapped his arms around Vega as she sobbed loudly. "You knew what she did to me, how it was, and you left me there! I dreamed every single night that aunt Appoline had taken me to live with her, where I could be loved, and I was happy! Because I wasn't happy in my own home, and you knew it!"

"Vega," Colin said, trying to turn her around. She started pointing her finger again, sobbing uncontrollably , her words unintelligible.

"Vega!" Colin said more commandingly. He moved in front of her, placing his hands on either side of her head. He forced her watery blue eyes to meet his, and his heart ached for her, seeing the deep fear in them.

"It's alright, Vega. You're not alone," he said,

Why didn't she love me?" Vega whispered, searching Colin's eyes for an answer. He had none, and he knew he had none for her. He put his arms around her neck and shoulders, pulling her into him. She wrapped her arms around him and sobbed loudly, her entire body shaking.

That was the thing. Colin noticed that Vega never cried loudly. She always held back her emotions. She had been raised to be strong for everyone else and pretend her emotions didn't effect her the way they did. Colin knew that Vega cared about everything very deeply, but had to pretend that everything was nothing to her.

And he was sick of it. She didn't deserve this, she didn't deserve any of it. It was ridiculous, how strong she had to be to protect other people. Even him. It was time for that to change. From now on, she wouldn't have to protect him. Colin was going to protect her.

He pulled her closer, rubbing her back soothingly as she clung to him tightly.

Vega woke up in her bed, not on that wretched cream-coloured couch she had grown to so despise. Her comforter was like a, for lack of better term, security blanket, making her feel warm and safe. She was awake, but did not want to get up. Her eyes were fixed on the underbelly of the bunk above her, but she was not looking at it. Her mind raced with so many thoughts that she couldn't stop. Vega had really, really lost it in that room with everyone, her aunt, Professor Dumbledore... oh, Merlin. It was embarrassing to even think about. And Colin. Colin was there, but Vega was sure that he did not care about her outburst. He was the one that had comforted her, held her and helped pull her back to reality. What would she possibly do without him? It was crazy to think about. He was always there for her, but was she always there for him?

Had she always been there for Colin, like she could have been? He was most certainly always there for her. Whenever she needed him he was right there by her side. Did she reciprocate those actions?

Vega suddenly remembered the end of last year with a start. When Colin was petrified, and she spent nearly every day by his side. Those endless days and long nights where she would be woken up by somebody ushering her to her dorms after she had fallen asleep by Colin's side. She sometimes read to him. She usually updated him on any news happening. Though he couldn't hear it, she'd like to think that it was helpful and comforting to him.

Those days where definitely that of dark. She slipped deeper and deeper into a nearly comatose state. The only person she talked to was Colin, and he could hardly carry a conversation with her. Octavia and Ginny eventually became bored with trying to coax her into activities and other things to keep her mood up. Vega put up a front to please her friends, but eventually started to ignore them, She didn't want to be distracted. She wanted Colin to get better.

Vega turned on her side and her fingers crept under her pillow, grabbing out a photograph. She held it in her hand, smiling down at the captured moment. She was on Colin's back, and the two were smiling at the camera happily. She kept this photo with her always. Her thumb gently traced the corners as her thoughts wondered again and she became lost.

Some time later, Vega got up and got dressed, getting ready to meet the day. She couldn't stay in bed all day.

She met Colin in the common room, where he was fiddling with his camera. He stood up upon seeing her.

"Hey," she said, smiling.

"Uh, hi," Colin stuttered, unsure of how to approach her. "H-how are you? How do you feel? A-are you okay?"

"Colin," Vega said, hugging Colin. It took him by surprise and he was stunned into silence. "I am okay, really. Can we go down to breakfast?"

"Sure!" Octavia chirped, suddenly appearing to the side of them. Vega smiled and turned, tackling her into a hug. Ginny joined the hug, her arms wrapped tightly around the two girls.

"We love you, Vega. We're always here for you." Ginny said, her voice muffled by the girls' sweaters.

"I know," Vega said quietly, trying to suppress the swelling emotions inside her. She was just so amazed at how much support she truly had... all she had to do was look around and see it.

"Should we go eat?" Vega said, and the four friends left the common room together, their bright moods contagious to everyone they passed.

At this point i'm not even going to apologize, if y'all didn't expect me to update like once every year then you're lying. i'm stressed and had no creative juices flowing butttt here they are now soooo enjoy this update that i felt very emotional while writing, i hope you liked it immensely.

as always-

Have a wonderful day!
Love, Hannah <3