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TW: Self harm

I got up from the place I was sitting in and went outside to the roof. I remembered watching the stars with Draco every time he was scolded too bad. We would get his favourite ice cream and watch the stars all night, making up shapes and words. Those were some of my favourite memories, before today they were a source of comfort but now they only brought sorrow.

I sat on the floor as I felt the cool breeze sting the cuts on my face. It should have been me. I should have been the one who died under that chandelier today. This is all my fault. I should never have included him in anything this dangerous. I pulled the knife I had on my thigh at all times. I drew back the sleeve of my left arm and looked at the black skull with disgust.

"I deserve this." I said to myself before plunging the tip of the blade right into the eye of the skull. My body screamed in pain, every sense, every nerve, every cell of my being begging me to stop. "I deserve this." I said again as I stabbed the head of the skull next. Tears streamed down my face, the salt of them burning my wounds. "I deserve this." I repeated for a third time, stabbing the snake this time, enticing a loud, piercing cry, a scream of pain, guilt, anger.... Sadness.

"I deserve thi-" I was about to say again when someone grabbed my hand from behind me, preventing further harm. I looked at my husband, standing beside me, a pained expression on his face as tears rolled down his cheek. His hair was all messed up and he had a bit of stubble growing on his face. He looked weary and his eyes showed suffering but also somehow offered solace. He looked a mess but I didn't care. I dropped the knife at once and launched myself at him.

Mattheo held me in his arms like this was the last time he was ever going to. He placed a hand on my head and held me like if he were to let go, I would slip from his fingers like grains of sand. I sobbed into his arms, breathing a sigh of relief. It felt like the best feeling in the world. The light shining at the end of the tunnel of this horrific day.

"Please don't ever leave me again." I cried into him as he kissed my forehead. "Never. I'm so so sorry" Mattheo whispered into my ear. His tears soaked my hair but I didn't care at all. I pulled back from the hug after a few moments and kissed him. I kissed him with all my might, with all the energy I had left in my weak body.

He kissed back and put his arms around my waist. I smiled into the kiss as I felt him do the same. It had been to long since we had been with each other and now, I didn't want to let go. Pulling away after a few breathless moments, I sighed and placed my forehead on his, our noses touching, the exhaustion of the day setting in.

I looked above at the sky, It was covered in dark clouds. I reached for my wand and raised it as high as I could. "Lumos" I muttered and a small ball of light appeared at the tip of the wand. Looking at me with awe, Mattheo mirrored my actions, raising his own. The dark clouds slowly parted, leaving us with the stars that me and Draco adored.

In the middle them all, one star stood out. The brightest star in the sky. It had an air of familiarity. Perhaps Draco had left this beautiful world and joined another, one that he loved dearly and knew that whenever his sister needed him, she need only look up.

▼・ᴥ・▼

Ananya pov.

My heels clicked together as we walked down the long dark hallway. Valena walked beside me and linked her fingers with mine to provide me comfort. We took long strides, our coats flapping at our ankles. She pushed open the large oak door before walking in and taking her place beside the throne.

"Ananya Singh" A cold voice drew out as I walked to the centre of the room, keeping my eyes on the ground. "Ive heard you want to join our ranks." He said.

"I do" I replied in a concise manner.

Speak only when spoken to and directly to the point.

"You must know that we don't just take random people. You will need to prove yourself." He said again. "How am I to do that?" I asked, still not looking up.

Do not look directly at him unless asked

"Bring him in."

A person on his right obeyed almost instantly walking out of the room and returning promptly with a small man tied up in ropes. Upon closer look I realised that it wasn't a man at all but rather a goblin.

"We have extracted all the information that we can from him and he is of no further use to us." He-who-must-not-be-named said to me.

"What do you need me to do?" I asked.

"Kill him."

Do what he asks without any hesitation.

I moved towards the small creature on the ground, looking at it in utter disgust. It's face was slashed, with blood running down its forehead. My hand moved to the sheath strapped to my hip. I withdrew my sword as quickly as I placed it back, the only difference being that the head of the goblin was now on the floor.

A cold laugh was heard from the other side of the room. "Well done. Very well done. Now tell us, why do you want to join our ranks?" He asked as a final question.

I looked up and said, "Y/N took everything from me. She is the reason for Leanne's death and now, I am going to be the reason for hers."

===End of part 30===

Hi loves!

Things have started to get a lot more serious now that you see. I think zendaya would have played Ananya's role to perfection. Please give me suggestions of a trans actor who looks similar to valena's description.

Thank you all for the amazing amount of support on this book. It is slowly drawing to a close. I will perhaps apply for the wattys next year, once I'm done editing the first few chapters which are horrible.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Love,

Paridhi Prabhakar/ P

Word count : 1109