The ride back to the manor was silent. It was no surprise that your father had sent a house elf to pick you up from the station, seeing as he was too busy to do it himself and rarely allowed your mother to leave the house. You dreaded the thought of returning home, and seeing your family. The holiday's were never enjoyable, not in your house. They were torture.
As the black limousine rolled into your long drive, your heart stopped. Matthew, who had been quiet the entire ride, whimpered as he moved closer to you. He reached for your hand and your gripped it tightly, feeling him shake from fear as you squeezed his palm. You stared out the window, trying to keep your own nerves at bay. Your father had never liked Muggle things, claiming that they were inferior to all creations within the Wizarding world. However, he had made a rare exception when it came to the limo. You were never quite sure why that was and it certainly didn't make sense to you, but you never argued with him. Never.
The manor came into view and much to your dismay, it looked exactly the same. Nothing had changed. The stone walls towered over you, as you stepped out of the car. To most, your house looked like a castle, your life looked like that of luxury. But no one knew what went on inside. No one knew about the endless nights your father became intoxicated and flew into an unprompted rage. No one knew about the screams that echoed through the halls as your father inflicted hours of torture upon his children. No one knew any of it. No one but... Cedric.
You pushed any lingering thoughts of Cedric away. You couldn't think about him now, not when you had Matt to worry about. You looked down at your little brother, the fear evident on his face. You rubbed his back, lovingly, as you whispered, "You can't let him see your fear. It will only make things worse. Keep your expression blank. Don't show any emotion."
"How?! I don't think I can, (Y/N)! I don't know how! I'm terrified of him!" You nodded in understanding as a stray tear fell from your brother's eyes. You lowered yourself to his level, holding his hands in your own. He looked at you, his big green eyes filled with terror. You sighed, wiping his tears away, pulling him into a tight embrace.
"Matt, listen to me. I know you're scared. I am too. But you have to be brave, we both do. We're in this together and you know that I will do whatever I can to protect you. We can't let him win. We can't give him the satisfaction of knowing that his abuse has any effect. It's two weeks. Just two weeks. Try and be strong for me and in 14 short days, we get to go back to Hogwarts. We get to go home..." Matt nodded, as he clutched at your back fearfully. You pried his hands off of you, and held one in your own.You reluctantly pulled him towards the door and sucked in shaking breath. Here we go again...
You forced the door open, the hinges creaking as you did so. Your mother was standing in the foyer, her blonde hair pulled back into an elegant updo, white dress flowing. She gave you a timid smile, dark shadows hanging under her eyes. Matt rushed into her arms. She let out a light laugh as she caressed his dark hair. You moved toward her, cautiously. She looked up, her eyes glassy with tears as she wrapped you in a warm embrace.
Your mother was just as scared of your father as you and your brother were. When you weren't home, he took all of his frustration and anger out on her. She hated it. She hated him. But she was far too scared to leave him, petrified of what he would do. You all were. Your eyes scanned over her arms, which were almost black from bruises. You grimaced, thinking of all the horrible things you knew she had to endure while you were gone.
Before you had time to say anything, a crash shook the foyer, the chandelier swinging violently from the sudden vibration. Matt jumped, grabbing ahold of your waist. You stroked his hair gently, trying to comfort him, but you couldn't keep yourself from shaking in fear. Your father walked out of the kitchen, a scowl evident on his face. Your brother tensed next to you and you could almost feel your mother's fear radiating off of her. As he walked past, your father sent you a maniacal glare, his eyes flashing a violent shade of red. You looked at the ground as he disappeared into the next room. Two weeks... It's just two weeks...
YOU ARE READING
Too Shy To Tell You (Cedric Diggory x Reader)
Fanfiction(Y/N) Middlebrook was terribly excited for her fourth year at Hogwarts, but at the same time, she was extremely anxious. This was the year she wanted to tell her crush that she was hopelessly in love with him. But how? Cedric Diggory. He was practic...
