Sage | H. GRANGER

forty two

The house was quiet at this time of night. Sage could faintly hear the crashing of the waves, it calmed her. Her eyes ached, begging to shut, but Sage couldn't bear the thought of sleep. Sleep meant dreaming and dreaming, well dreaming meant seeing Alaric and that wasn't something she could handle. Not now. The front door of the house creaked quietly as Sage stepped outside.

The air was salty. There was a crisp breeze, but Sage loved it. She hadn't felt the chilling touch of the night air in so long, so she basked in this moment. Slowly, Sage lowered herself onto the wooden steps, wrapping her arms around her knees. Her body still ached, but she was used to that. The moon was full on this night, but light streamed from the tip of Sage's wand. It was faint and greeted by the moonlight as if it were an old friend.

"Sage?"

The voice behind her startled her, but she didn't let it show. Harry moved to sit next to the girl, his gaze landed on her hunched over figure. Her fingers danced in the sand, distracting from Harry's presence. He sat silently next to her, his emerald eyes searching the sea before them.

"You know, when we separated at the Ministry, I was sure that it would be my last time seeing you all." Sage spoke softly. Harry peered at the girl sitting next to him. She was nearly transparent. There were bruises peeking from the collar of her shirt, causing a frown to pull at Harry's lips. Finger marks littered the skin of her arm and a ring of reds and purples blended together around her wrists. Sage shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. Harry cleared his throat and turned back to the scenery before him.

"I'm glad that wasn't the case."  Harry commented after a beat. Sage snorted, but hissed at the fire that spread in her abdomen. Harry frowned at the sight, but didn't comment on it. The silence between them hung thickly in the air. Sage knew he had questions, Merlin knew she had answers, but neither of them made a move to speak.

Her eyes fell to the rings around her wrist. Deep purples and blues stained her skin. She felt a lump in her throat, begging to be released, but it's pleas fell onto deaf ears. Her finger gently touched the raw skin causing a hiss to leave her mouth. Harry turned to Sage, his gaze following her own. Another frown pulled at his lips. Before he could stop himself, he reached his hands towards her and placed them over her own.The sudden touch made Sage flinch and pull away from Harry.

"S-Sorry." He spoke. His voice wrapped around Sage like a comforting hug. She stared at him, trying to find any sort of malice in his eyes, but alas there was nothing but care. Sage let out a bitter laugh, ignoring the needle like pricks spreading along her abdomen. Guilt nipped at Harry's conscience. "Merlin, I am so sorry."

Sage knew he wasn't just apologizing for the sudden touch.

"Don't do that." Sage spoke sternly. "You have nothing to apologize for."

Harry went to argue, but Sage silenced him with a look.

"You didn't hurt me, Harry. They did." A flash of pain colored Sage's irises. "I made the decision to stop running and I don't regret it. Not even for a moment."

The bruises on your skin tell a different story. Harry thought silently.

"You didn't do this to me, Harry." Sage spoke once again. This time her voice was far away. "You. Didn't. Do. This."

"What happened to you?" Harry asked quietly as he watched Sage huddle closer to herself. He wasn't daft. He could clearly see that they had hurt her, but he needed to know. The question caught Sage off guard, but she knew that sooner or later she would have to talk about it. It would kill her if she didn't.

"The night we arrived at the manor, after we were separated at the Ministry, I was taken to the cellar where Ollivander and Griphook were being held." Sage started, sighing deeply to prepare for this retelling. Her thoughts drifted back to the night she had been captured, a familiar sting bit behind her eyes.