Shut Up, Padfoot!

52

The scent of saltwater wafted.

Blinking, I sat upright.

Sand stuck to my bare legs and thin seashells cracked under my hands. Squinting to grasp my surroundings, I stared around.

The crash of the waves filtered my hearing. The nearest wave tickling the tips of my toes. Bright water reflecting the sunset. One half of the sun rippling along the horizon.

This is different. It's not like the white train station. Here, it's peaceful. Like a universal serenity that I want to always stay at. Is this heaven? Why am I alone?

Bringing my knees to my chest, I breathed in. My large t shirt clung to my torso as the wind picked up. Seafoam licking the edge of ocean and earth.

"Crystallia."

I jumped at the sudden reference. I haven't heard my full name in a while. Always been 'Fawkes', 'Cry', or simply 'dumbass.'

I turned my head to the side and froze.

Why the hell am I over there?

"What the fuck?" I cursed.

"Hey, girl," I, wait, she?- greeted.

My eyes widened to saucers and I stared at a completely identical version of me. She stood with her iconic pair of heels and a dress. Only difference is that her hair flowed in baby blue down her back. She smiled at me and made her way over.

"Oh.. you're the spell. The doppelganger I see when my years are up," I said in realization.

"Yeah. Funny that we're here, huh? A little early, I think. Really wish you were twenty when we met," she replied.

She slipped her heels off and lowered herself next to me. Rather than feeling totally weirded out with her right here, I feel calm. She feels like a safety blanket.

I sighed and shifted my gaze back to the horizon. The sunset went slower than regular ones. Birds chirped, and I watched their silhouette in the distance.

"Depressing, I'm here at sixteen, innit?" I chuckled bitterly.

"Mmhm.. You're here for a reason, though. The universe sets out a path for you, and it'll always end exactly the way they planned it. Yours is just one of the sadder ones," she explained.

My fingers curled in the sand beside me. Minerals stuck under my fingernails. The water glittered, and I wanted to go in.

"This is the one thing in my mind that hasn't been ruined by Tom," I quietly said.

"No one can get past the spell. They can break it down, eat away at it, but never can get to the core of it. Only you," she responded.

"Why the beach?" I questioned.

She laughed and leaned back on her hands. She's so different compared to me. Her eyes are brighter, her shoulders don't slack, and she's shining. She seems effortless, carefree.. happy.

"Remember when Sirius came back from vacation in third year?" she began.

"He said they'd gone to the beach that summer. He told me what it looked like and that they dug up tiny crabs," I told.

I waited for her to reply. My hair came into my face, but I let it stay there. The shorts on me rode up. Listening to the entire sea and spotting large shells in the shallow.

"Said that it was the best experience he's ever had. You looked at him and watched him smile with that sparkle in his eyes. That was the moment you fell in love with him," she continued.

I swallowed and drew closer to myself. As I wiped my hands, I said, "So?"

"So? From then on, you swore you were gonna take him to the beach again. Wanted to see the same sparkle one more time," she described.

I huffed at how right she was. She really does know everything about me. I can't believe I'm even experiencing this right now. This is otherworldly. But what do you expect when magic exists?

"Cry.. I'm sorry this happened to you. If I was strong enough, I could've driven Tom out," she apologized.

"You weren't made for that. You were made to protect me from others.. and myself," I argued.

"Still... I never had this happen with my last kids," she added.

Groaning in defeat, I threw a small shell to the side. She's so annoying. She has this hero complex. Wants to save everyone and would die protecting the ones she loves.

But why is it so goddamn familiar? Is there someone I know like this? I'm annoying myself by not recognizing who.

"Shut up. It was the wrong person, wrong time. Now, can you tell me what the hell is happening out there?" I asked in irritation.

"Honey, you already know. I'm here waiting until you're ready," she defended.

My hand went slack. When I'm ready? Ready to die? How could anyone be ready for that? Is this really the end? I'm going to die in a train station, how bloody ironic.

"What's gonna happen when I do? Die? Is he- is he gonna-"

"No. He's not. He's not the one that killed you. Which means he can't get your power," she reassured.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. I'm glad. I wouldn't be giving him what he wants in the end. That's all that matters. The last thing I want is causing more pain even after I'm dead.

"What about the next strega mortale? Will they be born right after I die? Or when the decade is over?"

I have so many questions. There's so much going through my mind. I can't just leave unanswered. But maybe it really is time for me to go.

"Cry, c'mon. Stop stalling. You still need to say goodbye," she curtly interjected.

"I'm scared."

"I know. But go on, you need your last moments," she urged.

Getting to my feet, I dusted myself off. I took a breath in, stepping forward. My feet immersed in the water. It's cold.

I walked toward the ocean. The level rose up my legs. The sound of waves increased, and I could barely hear anything else besides it.

The bottom half of my shirt soaked. The clothing stuck to my body. I blinked consistently at the saltiness of the sea. I turned back to her before I dove in.

"You'll be reborn when you take your last breath. It's not really the end if you're strega mortale," she yelled over the currents.

"What? What do you mean?" I shouted.

A large wave swept over my head, along with her drowning sad smile.

You were my favorite.

-lana