Resilient

1. to be able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions

2. to be able to recoil or spring back into shape after bending, stretching, or being compressed

The harsh coldness of London struck me by surprise as I walked off the train.

Then again, I'm positive most things are going to take me by surprise seeing as I have been gone for half a year.

And trust me when I say a half a year can do a lot to a person.

I continued to trudge through the cold, making my way into the city and out of the station. The puddles along the grey cobble stoned road had signaled that it had rained the night before. It always seemed to rain in this part of London, I thought playing with the ring on my finger. A sudden clink shook me out of my thoughts.

The ring had slipped off my finger and dropped into the puddle.

I kneeled down near the puddle and slipped the ring on my finger. But before I got back up, I couldn't help but look at my reflection.

Though the water was murky and clouded, I could still see my reflection perfectly. He wasn't joking when he said I looked a lot different than before.

My once tangled mess of honey blonde hair was now a natural wavy golden shade of blonde. My once pale as snow white skin was not the same. Instead, all of the days I spent in the cruel sun had caused my skin to become tan. I now had a sprinkle of caramel-colored freckles across my nose and the tops of my cheeks. My facial features seemed to be much more prominent; my cheekbones high, my eyebrows arched perfectly, and my button nose fit my face much better.

Although I wasn't fat before, I certainly had loss some weight. My stomach felt flat as I drummed my fingers along my abdomen. My legs which once consisted of flab, were now toned with muscle from days of running.

The only thing that hadn't seemed to change was my height, which was a shame. I used to love being 4'11 and being called "cute" and "adorable" by people. It wasn't until this past year that I knew it made me weak, especially in the eyes of my enemies.

The most drastic change by far was my eyes.

They were still the same color. A bright blue with unusual violet colored specks that were surrounded by long, dark eyelashes. Everyone always told me how beautiful they were, a special color that no one else had. I used to think the same, I always had loved my eyes. But now I found myself unable to look into them.

It wasn't because the color, though.

It was because he had the same eyes as me.

The once sparkling happiness my eyes used to hold were gone. Instead, they had become unnerving, simply because there was no emotion. No joy. No anger. No confusion.

Hell, there was nothing at all.

It was almost as if I was dead, an empty shell of whoever I used to be.

With an angry shout of frustration, I suddenly threw the ring back into the puddle, remembering his last words.

"You've had everything taken away from you. Nothing will ever go back to how it used to be for you. But you can't let them have the satisfaction of knowing that they won, that you have given up. Never stop, Val. Never stop fighting."

I looked back into the puddle as I stood in the middle of the cobblestone road in London.

I knew, in that moment, that it wouldn't be the same when I returned back to my family.

Simply because I'm not the same person I used to be anymore.

A/N

This is my first fanfic so please don't be to harsh, but I would love any suggestions, comments, or questions anyone has!

There is not much to the Harry Potter aspect yet, I know. In the next chapter the characters will start to come in though, this is only the prologue. :)