Choice's Curse {d.m.}

Return

I ended up spending the night in a...less than pleasant little motel that offered little more than a bed to sleep on and a roof over my head, but it was better than sleeping on the street.

Probably.

I had to be rather particular about where I stayed, as I had no car, little money, and no phone to call help with, along with what looked like a brilliant black eye that spread up my cheekbone as well. Any place that wasn't intended for single night visits and a promise of non-disclosure would undoubtedly raise questions, and I simply was not in the mood for interference from anybody. The motel I stumbled upon was dingy, the lights over the reception desk flickering half-heartedly, and I got a wary feeling as I took in the state of my room, but it was only for the one night, as the next day I was going to return to Hogwarts a bit early. Luckily, I had just enough for the one night stay, a cab, and a ticket to get onto the Hogwarts Express, but that meant yet another night with an empty belly. I could live with that, really; it wasn't if that was something new to me. It did do a wonderful job of keeping me up that night, though.

As I lay on the squeaky bed, the cold seeping into my bones because I was not willing to risk slipping under the covers, my face throbbed horribly and I let out a frustrated huff. Sure, everyone close to me knew my dad hit me somehow, but god, did I really have to walk around for the first few weeks sporting a shiner that was practically a magnet for stares? I hadn't thought about what I was going to tell my friends, because honestly I wasn't entirely sure that I wanted to tell them the whole truth. They were most likely my best bet for somewhere to stay after this year, so some truth would probably have to come out at some point. My brain ran slower and slower as I thought, tiredness begging me to shut my eyes and rest and start recuperating from the strenuous and difficult things that I had gone through that day. I finally drifted off to sleep thinking about spending summers at the Burrow, thinking about the way Harry's green eyes shone in the yellow sun and the sound of his laughter over the splashing of water and how kissing him would taste like salt and warm summer air.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That morning, I woke with an aching body, the pain in my face dimmed down to a faint heat, but any extreme movement from my eye or brow caused the fire to burn bright, shooting up to my forehead and down the side of my face. I also woke with a determination to finally sit down with Harry and tell him that I wanted him, wanted all of him and that I wanted to be entirely his as well. The thought didn't scare me as much as it did a few weeks ago, and I didn't know what had changed, but the giddiness I felt was something that hadn't been around for a very, very long time.

The cheap black alarm clock read in glowing blue digits that it was seven a.m., and even though the Hogwarts Express wasn't set to depart until ten a.m., I decided to gather my things and make my way to King's Cross, as waiting at the station was probably a bit less scary than waiting in this dingy motel room. Bending down to pick up my larger bag, soreness shot through my middle and I groaned softly, remembering that it was likely a good idea to assess the damage before I made my way on.

I walked to the tiny bathroom, my socked feet padding softly on the thin carpet. The bathroom light flickered on to reveal a toilet, a rather unpleasant stain on the ceiling and a shower curtain that definitely had some sort of mold growing in between the fabric and the plastic liner, making my lip curl in disgust. The grout in between the yellowing tiles wasn't much cleaner, but I swallowed my distaste and turned towards the mirror mounted on the wall.

The sight of myself genuinely made me flinch. A vicious red, slowly purpling bruise was painted underneath my eye and up my temple, my lid a spatter of scarlet as well. My hair was mussed, surely wildly tangled in the back, and my face seemed more...hollow, though there was an unusual fire in my eye that surprised me. Lifting up my sweater revealed only a faint red circle, which I was grateful for. All in all, not wonderful.