Roxanne Weasley and the Serpent's Chamber

Hiding Secrets and Scars

~Rox~
"Where were you?" Lance demands.
I shrug, glancing around the courtyard. I look at anything other than Lance. It's not like I like lying to him. I just...I can't tell him. Not here, not now. Not about Myrtle, the bullying, the cuts, and....
"Roxanne!" Lance shouts, snapping me away from my thoughts.
"I just needed alone time," I snap.
Lance stares at me for a moment, and I try to avoid his eyes. Finally he sighs. "Rox, this is the third time this week. I understand that Malfoy...." he begins, placing a hand on my shoulder.
I jerk my shoulder away. "I needed alone time!" I interrupt. I then storm off.
"Rox!" Lance calls after me. I ignore him.
"I'm fine," I mutter to myself. I wipe at my eyes, making it look like I just have dust in them. "I'm fine."
Footsteps approach me. I'm taken by surprise when I hear Ginny talk beside me. "Hey, Rox?"
I jump slightly, then turn my head back to the hallway in front of me. My bangs fall in my face as much as they can. "What?" I say, a bit more rudely than I intended. Ginny stays silent for a moment, possibly taken aback by my rudeness.
"Hey, are you alright?" she eventually asks.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I state.
Ginny is quiet again as we walk side by side. "No, you're not," she responds.
"You don't know that," I retort.
Ginny stares at me for a moment. Finally, she nods and mutters more to herself than to me, "I can fix this." Ginny then rushes off to who knows where.
I head to the library.
Once the library closes for the night, I head back toward the common room, my finished homework in my hands.
"Photosynthesis," I say to the portrait. She opens silently, a smile placed elegantly on her lips. I walk into the common room, quickly realizing that it's pitch black. The windows have their curtains drawn, all lights are out, and the fire isn't ablaze like usual. "Hello?" I question cautiously into the darkness.
Suddenly, lights flash on. Someone relights the fire and pulls back the curtains. "Surprise!" several people yell. I blink in the sudden light until I can see properly. I adjust my glasses as I take in the social sight.
"She went all out," I think as I take in the streamers, Christmas lights, and haphazardly stacked cake. I spot Ginny in the center of the group along with all of our friends. I catch Lance's eye and quickly flash a smile, then look away.
"What did you expect?" a calm voice asks me.
"It is Ginny," another adds with a bit of annoyance.
"Feeling better yet?" Ginny questions as she aproches me.
"Working on it," I reply, tuning out the noise from my mind.
"Well, let's make that working on it a positive yes!" Ginny exclaims. Ginny has pulled out all the stops, including twister and several other games that I love. I smile, and it eventually turns genuine.
As the night wears on, Fred pulls me aside. "Hey," he says, taking my hand in his through my long sweatshirt sleeve.
"Hey," I respond.
"Can I...can I ask you a question?" he whispers.
I take in a deep breath and let it go, fighting against the tears and the noise in my head. I nod.
"Why do you do it?" Fred questions.
I stare down at my shoes. "It's...complicated," I mumble.
"You can tell me," he assures me. I look up into his eyes. He scans mine. His expression falls. "Rox?" he asks.
"I don't know anymore, Fred," I admit. "I don't know who I am or what I am or if I'm even me anymore," I whisper, trying my best not to cry.
"It really is complicated, huh," he replies after a silent moment.
I chuckle slightly. "You've got that right," I respond.
"Hey," Fred says after a moment.
"Yeah?" I answer, a small sad smile forming.
"Rox," Fred tries again, having a hard time finding his words.
"I can't make that promise, Fred," I finally say, locking eyes.
He looks back at me for a moment, then sighs. "I know. Just...try at least."
"Okay," I say with slight hesitation.
"I'm here for you," Fred reminds me, "we can do anything together, don't forget that."
"Yeah," I say, laying my head on his shoulder. "I know."
I grab my wand and glasses, quickly checking my phone for the time. 1:47. I sneak out of the dorm, through the common room, and into the hallway. I've committed the way to Myrtle's bathroom to memory, but then again, the halls are different in the dark.
I climb and descend several stairs until I realize I'm at the top. "Crap," I mutter. I walk into the hallway that I've stumbled into. I groan as I pace in front of a part of the wall, waiting for the stairs to come back for me to walk down them.
Suddenly, a door clicks open to my left. I stop pacing and stare at it. I step carefully into the revealed room, only to find it filled with ash and singed items.
"Woah," I mutter, "someone knew their fire spells." I walk down the rows and rows of burned shelves until I stumble upon an untouched cabin. It seemed to be burned in one spot, in its top corner, but nowhere else. "Odd," I mutter, opening the cabinet. Inside is an old and tattered Potions book. I open it, reading the name printed neatly inside. The Half-Blood Prince.
"Half-Blood Prince? Like Professor Snape who taught Uncle Harry?" I question to no one in particular. "If this is that book, then that means...." I begin, carefully flipping through the pages.
"You shouldn't have that," a gentle voice says from behind me. I jump, turning around to see Nearly Headless Nick there.
"Sir Nicholas!" I exclaim, "give me an anxiety attack why don't you."
"Terribly sorry, dear, but you should really put that back and forget you ever found it. That book is dangerous," Nick warns. I shut the book with a small bit of force and sidestep Nick.
"I'd like to look through it first, if you don't mind," I say nonchalantly, heading toward the door.
"If so, I must alert your friends and the Headmistress," Nick states.
"Sir Nick!" I plead. Nick simply shakes his head as phases through the wall. I rush out of the room, the door swinging shut behind me. I scan the hallway, but Nick is nowhere to be found. I turn back toward the door, but it's gone.
"Well, I can't put it back now," I think dejectedly. I head back toward my dorm, spending the whole night memorizing the book, it's tips, tricks, and spells.
"Roxanne!" a sharp voice cuts into my sleep. I stir slightly, but pretend I didn't hear anything. "Roxanne!" the person persists. I groan and roll over onto my side. "Roxanne! I know you're awake!" I groan again and roll onto my back. I open my eyes slowly to see a blurry figure hovering over me.
"Hey, Daisey," I say groggily as I recognize her despite the blurriness of my vision.
"Don't you hey Daisey me!" Daisey snaps. I reach instinctively for my glasses. "What is this?" She demands as I slip them on. She holds up the tattered Potions book.
"Crap!" I think. I reach for the book, nearly losing my balance as Daisey catches my arm. I wince slightly, then realize that there's no pain in my arm. I stare blankly at my arm, realizing I'm trapped.
"Yeah, I healed you, too," Daisey states, clearly angry and upset. I stare at her. She throws my arm toward me. "I'm not an idiot, Rox! I know that you've been upset! I know that they've been bullying you! I know you!" she yells angrily. Tears prick her eyes and she quickly wipes them away.
"Daisey...Daisey I...." I start.
"Don't," Daisey interjects. "I don't want excuses, I want you to tell me you won't do it again."
I don't respond. "Daisey," I whisper.
"I'm going to give this book to Headmistress Magonagal. I won't tell her you found it, but I don't want you testing those spells, ever. Okay?" Daisey instructs.
I stare into Daisey's hazel eyes. I can't lie to her, not Daisey. She knows that. I break away from her eyes. "I make no promises," I say.
"I didn't ask you to," Daisey responds, her voice softening. "I'm just asking you to try." Daisey pauses, debating about something with herself. "I love you, Roxy," she finally says.
"Why?" I blurt out without thinking. "I shouldn't have said that," I mutter immediately afterwards.
"I'm glad you did, Rox," Daisey says, raising my head so our eyes lock. "I love you, not because you're my cousin, but because you're my friend. You've gone through all of this stupid crap and I just want you to know that I'm here for you. I don't want you to keep getting hurt. I want to be by your side through it all." She pauses as a tear finds its way down her cheek. She quickly wipes it away. "Rox, I love you, okay?"
I look down. "I...I love you, too, Daisey," I say softly. I look up and smile slightly. "Thanks."
"Of course! That's what family is for!" Daisey assures me. My smile widens slightly. "Come down to breakfast whenever you're ready, I'll be waiting." Daisey then leaves the room.
I quickly get ready. As I head for the dorm door, my vision begins to blur despite my glasses being on. My stomach begins to twist in that weird way when you're terribly frightened. My ankle burns and I collapse to the ground. I hear Torch fly into the room as I lay down on the ground. Torch makes his way over to me, whining and nudging me with concern. It's not long after, most likely due to the immense pain, that I black out.