Little Phoenix (Harry Potter Fanfiction)

29. Whisked Away

Three weeks into the summer, Nic was completely healthy and able to get around easily enough. Harry had made sure the Dursley's left her alone during this time and she only saw other people when he brought her food and when she spoke with Tyriq using the witch's mirror. When she did begin to get about again, the Dursley's treatment of her and Harry was found to have much improved because, according to Harry, he had informed him of their relationship with Sirius Black.

The downside, however, was that they had begun forcing Harry and Nicki to partake in the diet Dudley was forced to do. Basically resulting in the two of them being starved. However, Harry had sent owls to his friends and they had sent boxes of food for the two of them. Tyriq had even gotten wind of it from Hermione and sent over a large box of Nic's favorite snacks. Limón crisps, chocolate frogs, and even a large meat pie.

Then their birthday came and they received a cake from Hermione, Tyriq, Ron, Sirius, and Hagrid. However, this morning they were sitting at the kitchen table with their quarter of grapefruit. Nic and Harry ate theirs without complaint while Dudley whined. With a sigh, Nic got up and headed upstairs. Once there, she got dressed for the day. Scars lined her flesh from the attack at the end of last year. Her opinion of Snape had certainly changed since then.

She had deep scaring from the edge of her jaw along her neck and down to her knee. From that main scar, the deepest of them all, several more branched out. The only visible part was along her neck. Nicki had begun, in Harry's opinion, acting very odd that summer. She spent all her time in her room and she wouldn't talk much. Only Sirius knew the cause for her peculiar actions.

Dear Siri,
Thanks for the Birthday cake. I wanted to let you know, if Harry hasn't already, that we're going to the Quidditch World Cup, so we'll be at the Weasley's.

Nic stopped in her writing. Should she say what she was feeling? With a sigh, she gave in, knowing he would know if she didn't tell him.

I miss you, Siri. I know that it's been a while since I've gotten to see you and I understand why, but I miss last year when I got to see you whenever I wanted. I know that that can't happen anymore, but I wish we could talk sometime.

A tear splashed down on the parchment before she hastily wiped it away. She missed talking in the woods about her father and about Lily and listening to his ridiculous pranks. Thinking about it made more tears stream down her cheeks. Harry was walking down the hall to see her when he paused, hearing the sobs coming from her room. With a sigh, he knocked.

"Come in," she said weakly, trying to get a hold of herself. Opening the door, he saw that she was sitting at her desk, partially covered parchment in front of her.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, sitting down next to her.

"Look, it's different for you," Nicki said quietly, staring at the letter she had been writing. Glancing at the top, he saw 'Siri' and instantly knew what was going on. "You only knew the truth for a couple hours before he had to leave, but I had all year with him. I got to spend days talking and learning about Dad and Mum. And Siri was like...he was like the loving father I've never-" She broke off, her tears coming back in full force. With a sympathetic sigh, Harry gave her a hug.

Her arms wrapped weakly around him as she cried into his shoulder. "I'm sorry, I knew something was wrong all summer, but I just thought...I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Nicki assured, pulling away with a small smile. "Well, I should pack if we're heading to the Weasley's tomorrow."

"Yeah," Harry replied quietly, getting to his feet. "See you later then." After a pause, he added, "Nic, I know we're not in the same house or anything, but I wish we could talk more. Sometimes it seems like the only time I see you is in the summer."