That Sense Of Belonging
CHAPTER ONE: THIS BIG OLD HOUSE
She knocked on the door, and waited, 'maybe this time' she thought, but after a minute or so she gave up and took out her keys. She entered her house silently. To the naked eye, this house would look cheery, with pictures all over the walls, and those cream-colored walls, but Claire knew better, ever since her brother's death at the end of the school year, her family had been the opposite of perfect.
She walked to the kitchen, a sudden flash-back popped into her head, she saw her mother cooking something delicious, her father talking about work and her brother smiling broadly at her. She entered the kitchen, a weird sense of hope began to rise but all she saw was a little hastily scribbled note from her mother 'there's food in the cellar'. She felt a knot begin to form in her throat, she shook it of and headed to the cellar, there was a small package of pasta, she took it out and began to cook.
Half an hour later, she sat alone in her kitchen table, eating shabby pasta, she was so tired, she hadn't slept all summer because of her fear of drifting away and dreaming about that cold June day.
'Are they back?' Ron said standing on tip toes, Claire did the same but all she saw was Krum rubbing his head and Madame Pomphrey ushering him to the hospital wing 'Mr. Krum has just been disqualified after 45 minutes into the task, now only Mr. Potter and Mr. Diggory remain in the maze'.
An hour passed, she was beginning to feel anxious herself.
'Claire, honey, how are you doing up there?' her mother yelled from the stands bellow, Claire waved at her and did a thumbs up.
Half an hour later of no activity from the maze, there was a loud crackling sound that split the air like a whip and everything went quiet 'he-he told me to-to bring his body ba-back' someone sobbed in the field bellow, Ron and Hermione gasped, she got up from the stand and felt her heart drop, Harry was sobbing on top of someone, who had the same uniform her brother had. 'Ce-dric' she breathed, somehow the name she was so used to calling didn't come out.
Claire woke up without being able to breathe, 'just a dream, just a dream' she thought. She had fallen asleep on top of her pasta, she wiped the sauce of her face and looked at her watch, 10 o'clock, and her parents hadn't come back. Tired, she threw her plate into the dishwasher and began to move lazily up stairs to her bedroom, she passed Cedric's bedroom without looking at it, trying to block the horrible pain that stabbed her every time she even thought of her brother.
The first thing she felt when she entered her room was a sharp pain on her finger, 'what the-!' she exclaimed but then a letter fell on top of he head, and a snowy white owl began to peck incitingly at her heals, 'Hedwig! Get off!', but the owl kept on going at her feet, Claire opened the letter, and the owl stopped. 'Geez' she breathed sitting on her bed.
Claire:
I just got arrested, dementors attacked me and now the ministry wants to get me expelled, my cousin's gone mad and my aunt and uncle are about to kick me out. What the hell will I do now!
I love you
Harry
Claire read the letter again, dementors? In Privet Drive? Hedwig began to hoot menacingly again, 'oh right, wait here' Claire said fetching a piece of parchment and a quill, she wrote.
Harry:
Are you ok? This doesn't make sense, why would dementors be roaming around Privet Drive? I'm writing a letter to Hermione and Ron, maybe they'll know what to do right? Don't leave the house, we don't know what might still be out there.
I love you too ]
Claire
'Hedwig, take this to Harry ok? As fast as you can go please' Claire said, tying the letter around the owl's wrist. Hedwig pecked her lightly and flew out the window. 'I should really write to Hermione' Claire thought, she got a new piece of parchment and a quill and began to write.
Hermione:
Did you hear about what happened to Harry? I'm so worried! What's the worst thing that could happen to him though? Sorry I didn't answer your last letter, Im still… weird. It's as if I didn't have any sourt of feeling or anything. It's hell. And no I don't think my parents would mind if I go with you the rest of the summer, its not like they'd miss me, I barely see them now a days.
Xox
Claire
'Soc, come on, I need you to take a letter to Hermione' I said tapping the barred owl's cage, it used to belong to Cedric and its real name was Socrates, I smiled remembering how much I had bothered him when he had given his owl that nerdy name.
The Soc opened its big yellow eyes and stretched its wings, I tied the letter to its ankle and watched it fly away.
She threw herself to the bed, it was half an hour past midnight and still no sign of her parents, just then, she heard a rattling of her mothers keys in the door, Claire got up and ran down the stairs, 'mum?' she asked poking her head through the corridor, her mother was throwing her keys into the bowl where we kept mostly everything 'hi' Claire said shyly, her mother nodded and began to walk up the stairs, 'mother, Hermione invited me to stay with her the rest of the summer, and I thought that since I'm not doing anything but spending time alone in the house, I could go' her mother looked at her and smiled weakly 'of course you can go Claire' she said and she disappeared into her bedroom.