Celia I A Harry Potter Fanfiction

Chapter Twenty-Nine - Moving Forward

22nd June 2003:

Saturday passed and I spent most of it sitting in the garden, watching the flowers bloom in the summer sun and taking in the fresh air we never got to enjoy in the city.
George had left after our argument yesterday morning. I felt awkward staying in his parent's home, but as Molly and Arthur had told me on many occasions, this was my home too and had been for many years.

Molly had been reading out all of the responses to my interview, a lot of authors and friends from all over the country had written to me with their thoughts and ideas on my writing so far.

"Ginny said she'd pop round at some point today." I nod at her in response, watching her leave me be and focusing my attention back on the gnomes hiding in the bushes in front of me.

"Here's some tea love, let me know if I can do anything else." Molly pops a tray of tea and biscuits on the table in front of me and I thank her, trying to make sure I didn't freak her out too much with my silence.

It was nearing the end of June, we were in the height of summer now and I couldn't be more grateful for the warmth of the sun.
I spent most of my morning sitting in the sunlight, trying to force myself to focus on the work that had been sent for me. Rita had agreed to let me work from home for the foreseeable future, I knew she didn't want any bad press getting out that had nothing to do with her and the prophet. So lying low was put into motion, as my new focus was writing the rest of my book... what I had left to write on anyway.

The trouble was getting myself to start up writing again. It had been a couple of weeks since I'd written anything properly, as I'd only started up after moving to Nick and Deans, and that was a challenge in itself. I was meant to be back to normal now and in a way I felt it, but I struggled to make myself think of anything apart from what had just happened and all the ways I could have done it differently.

"Ceils?" I snap my head up as Ginny enters the garden through the back door, coming to sit next to me, smiling gently.
"Hey..." I reply, pushing all of my papers together in order to make it seem less jumbled.
"How's your day been? Mum said you've been out here the whole time." I nod my head and take the warmth of the sun in again.
"The sun helps..." She looks at me with confusion in her eyes, so I continue.
"It helps me feel warm, and alive. Being inside... it just makes me feel so cold and I get in my head too much." She looks at me with an understanding in her eyes. It was the exact place I'd been when Cedric had died, and I'm sure she felt a similar pain with Fred.

"It's okay to grieve Celia. She was your mum after all."
"I just... I hate myself so much for forgetting her through my anger all of those years. It's as though I'm being punished for realising my mistake too late, like those few hours I spent with her were just to taunt me before she got taken away..." I close my eyes as the tears fill them again; I was so selfish to cry- I had no right.
"You had no idea Celia, you were made to believe that she wasn't in her right mind, that she had left you. If you'd known what had actually happened then things would have been different." She grasps my hand and brings it to her chest, making me face her.
"Cedric went to see her." She widens her eyes as I explain what she'd told me, how he'd been so proud when he talked of me to her.
"At least you had those moments with her. You can cherish that time, knowing that she was happy and that she loved you." I nod my head, knowing she was right, just like her mum.

"I feel so horrible, pushing all of this on your parents." She shakes her head as she frowns at me.
"Don't be silly, Mum loves having you here. You're one of us Ceils; if it were me she would do the same thing. You deserve to be taken care of and Mum thrives off of that, you should know. If she could force us all to live here with her, she would." I laugh with her as she jokes.
"I just feel bad, knowing that George and I are in a bad place." I stop laughing and she stares at me with pity in her eyes.
"My brother is an idiot and you don't need any of that drama right now. We all understand that you need some time to heal..." I smile at her gratefully.
"Thank Gin, I appreciate it." She nods at me in return.