When She Cries

A Harry Potter Fanfiction

by: Kassie Wilson

Chapter 1

Abby Riley's wide chocolate brown eyes stared out the window at the pouring rain; a perfect mirror of the soul wrenching storm waging inside of her. Sitting in the middle of her big round bed, she ran a hand through her dark mahogany hair as she pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her slender arms around them. A tear dripped down the mourning sixteen-year-olds slightly flushed pale cheek and she just let them come as sobs racked her slight form.

"Sissy?" a small voice called, pulling her out of her sad reverie. She cleared her cheeks and lifted her head to see her teary eyed baby sister standing in her doorway.

"Come 'ere Jay," Abby whispered, opening her arms and crossing her legs Indian style as eleven year old Jaime climbed onto her bed crawling to where she could lay her head in Abby's lap. Abby stroked Jaime's hair which was precisely the color of her own, and precisely the color of their mother's. As she comforted her little sister, Abby considered all they had been through in the past two years, seeming to take hit after hit and just keep pulling through somehow. She often wondered how much more any of them could take.

"Abs? Jay?" their big brother Josh called out from downstairs as he walked in the house.

"Up here," Abby called her voice still thick with tears. Jaime's small body shook with gentle sobs and Abby rubbed her back as Josh came through the bedroom door.

"Hey girls," he said as he came into the room and sat with them on the bed. He put a hand on Jaime's shoulder and gently shook her, "Jay?"

Jaime sat up and went to him wrapping her slender arms around his neck. "I miss them Josh. I miss them so much," she sobbed as he wrapped her in a hug.

"I miss them too Blue Jay," he whispered. Abby looked away as Josh took her hand and the rekindling of her sobbing was drowned out by a rumble of thunder. The siblings sat together for an immeasurable amount of time grieving their recent losses.

There was a sharp rap on the door later that evening as the three sat in the family room and the three of them jumped, all remembering the last time someone had knocked…

"I'll get it," Josh said as he stood and slowly walked to the door. He took a deep breath and opened it to a tall elderly man in half-moon spectacles and long billowing dark blue robes. "Can I help you?" Josh asked.

"This is the Riley residence, yes?" he asked, a twinkle in his knowing blue eyes. Josh nodded the man continued, "My name is Albus Dumbledore. May I come in?"

Josh inhaled sharply and moved aside, "Of course Headmaster. What brings you to America?"

"Ah, as a ministry worker, I felt sure you would recognize me. I am here to speak to you and Abigail. Is there somewhere we can talk? There is so much to discuss and so very little time," Dumbledore informed him as he walked into the house.

Josh nodded and went to the living room where the girls were watching T.V. "Jay, can you go upstairs, brush your teeth, get your PJs on and read? I'll be up in a little while to tell you good night."

She nodded and walked to Josh hugging him tightly around the waist before going up the stairs. Once she was out of sight Josh turned to Abby, "Can you come into the dining room with me Abs?"

She nodded and clicked off the television as she got up looking confused. She rounded the entry way to the living room into the hallway and gasped, "Dumbledore…"

"Hello Abigail, I know you are confused. Please, let's sit and I can explain why I have come so far from Hogwarts." They all walked into the dining room and sat down. Josh waved his wand and three cups of ice water were in front of them. Abby took a drink of hers and held tightly to her cup when she set it down.

"I suppose I should explain myself. Abigail, have you ever heard of elemental magic?" Albus asked. Josh's eyes bulged and Abby appeared confused so Dumbledore kept speaking. "Elemental Magic, or a type of witch or wizard called an Element is a form of magic that allows the bearer to control some natural element. Roughly once every half millennia there is a witch or wizard who can control all of the elements, and this power lies dormant until about your age Abby, however there is always some manifestation of it. You may not have noticed this, but Joshua, when she cries, it always rains, am I correct?"

Josh couldn't speak as he looked into Abby's still confused eyes and nodded.

"So, what are you saying? It rains because I cry? Is that possible?" Abby asked incredulously.

"It's true Abby, it's a little touchy especially when it comes to the whether. It always rains when you cry, but you don't have to cry for it to rain. Does that make sense?" Abby nodded. "Also, you are that one in a million Abigail, with the correct training, it's in your genes to be able control all elements: Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire. We haven't seen this type of Element in over 500 years but the night your father died, the ministry detected your surge in magical energy. That torrent of a storm and tornado was due to your rage, Abigail. However, as much as you could definitely be trained here, there is another problem. The Dark Lord has set his sights on you, Abigail. We believe that it was Death Eaters who murdered your father, and the Order and I feel as though it would be safest if we brought you to England, and you and your sister attend Hogwarts. I have spoken to the ministry here and in England and they have approved a transfer for you Joshua."

Abby sat in stunned silence and Josh's eyes were closed but tears leaked from them. "Josh… our home. Dad's home… Mom's home…" Abby whispered.

"We still own the house, sis. It will be here when all of this is over, but I promised Mom I would keep you and Jaime safe if anything ever happened to Dad," he told her thickly.

"When?" Abby questioned softly as Josh took her hand.

"I brought a couple of Order members who can keep watch over the house. In two days time, at 9am we will take a portkey to your new house which is already under the Fidelius Charm. Josh, you and I should take the time tomorrow to perform the spell and I will be your secret keeper. I am truly sorry for this. I know that leaving will be hard, but it will be safer for you, Abigail. All of you." He lightly patted Josh on the shoulder and with that he apparated away.

Abby was shaking as she thought about her best friend Zac and having to leave him after all they'd gone through together. She quietly told Josh she was going to her room and he squeezed her hand then let her go. She swept up the stairs as clouds began to roll in over their house.

Abby got up to her room and picked up her cordless receiver hitting the numbers so fast it was a wonder she got them right, but she had dialed Zac's number too many times to get it wrong.

"Hey Abs," he said, obviously having checked the caller ID.

"Zac," she whispered.

Hearing the desperation in her voice was all he needed. "Five minutes…" he said as he hung up. Zac made it his life's mission to make Abby laugh, but she feared neither of them would be laughing when he arrived. Abby clicked the END button and tossed her phone to the other side of her big round bed. Abby crawled to the middle of the bed which was suspended off the floor by cords that were magically charmed to be connected to the ceiling and grabbed her soft oversized stuffed Sweetheart CareBear that Zac had given her for her 15th birthday. She lay on her side and squeezed the purple bear to her chest. A few minutes later Zac came through the door, his black hair wet and shiny, his gray t-shirt clinging to his toned chest and arms, all wet from the rain that had started while he was on his way. He shook his hair out and said, "Man, it just started to down po… Abs?" he stopped short as Abby shot off the bed and locked her arms around his middle.

She couldn't talk, she could hardly breathe. Zac wrapped his arms around herand held her whispering, "Abigail Hope, please talk to me…" Abby shook her head and sobbed harder as thunder rolled outside and the rain picked up. Zac could tell she wasn't upset about her dad but he knew that something was very wrong.

Once Abby had cried herself out she was still shaking violently and almost hyperventilating. "Abs, breathe. Come on, sit down," Zac whispered as he ushered her to the edge of the bed.

She pulled away, sitting down as Zac lowered into a crouch in front of her. "Zac, we're leaving," she whispered looking down at the polka dotted comforter.

"What do you mean you're leaving, Abby?"

"We have to leave and it's all my fault," she whispered as more tears spilled from her eyes.

"Abby, explain," he said, slowly shifting to sit next to her on the bed.

She took a deep calming breath, "Do you remember in class when we learned about elemental magic? We only spent a day on it, and Steinhouse just skimmed over the whole concept of a person being born with the ability to control the elements because it's been centuries since it's happened? Well, not anymore."

"Abigail, what are you saying?" Zac asked seriously.

"I'm an Elemental witch, Zac. The rain that popped up out of nowhere while you were on your way, that was me, and apparently with training, I can control all of the elements. I know; I'm a freak. If you want to run screaming, you can," Abby whispered not looking into his eyes.

Zac didn't run. He didn't even flinch so far as she could tell. He took two fingers and forced her chin upward forcing her to look into his eyes. "Abby, you know me better than that. You're my best friend and I love you. I'm not going anywhere, now why are you?" he asked.

"You-know-who," she whispered, and that was all it took.

"No," he whispered disbelievingly.

"Yes, he wants me, so we have to go to England," she told him as she began to sob and he grew speechless.

Zac, while happening to live five houses down, also happened to be a wizard and attend her boarding school in Kansas. They had hardly gone a day without seeing each other since her mom had passed away two years ago. Zac didn't leave that night until after Abby had fallen asleep. Devastated, Zac walked home, slowly, carefully, in no hurry to answer the slew of questions that his mom would be asking as soon as he walked in the door. He and Abby had been through three deaths now and at least six breakups between the two of them, and worse… and leaned on each other through all of it. They needed each other, there was no getting around it, but Abby also needed to leave.

When Abby woke the next morning she took a deep breath and after she had taken a shower, she called Zac so that they could begin the grueling process of packing her life into boxes.

Abby was leaned over clearing out her closet into boxes and trash bags. This was the last part of her room to feel the emptiness of loss as she and her siblings prepared to depart for their new home across the ocean. As she ravaged her too big and too full walk-in closet, she sighed in heavy lamentation that they had to leave their beautiful home in Michigan.

Abby waved her wand and sealed the box she had just packed then let out a long sigh. "That's the last of it," she said quietly.

Zac got up off the floor and walked over to her slowly. She could see the pain in his entire countenance as he took out his wand and levitated the box down the stairs. Abby just picked up the two bags of garbage and followed him. Zac put the box with the rest and followed her out to the trash cans. As she went to walk back into the house he grabbed her wrist lightly and she stopped. "Zac," she whispered.

He pulled her to him and held her tightly to his chest. She hugged him tightly in return. "Why you?" he whispered.

"Don't be like that, Zac, please. You know how much I hate this. Please, don't make it worse. I love you and it's not like we'll never see each other again, and we'll talk all the time. Josh already said he'd take the international call costs. I'm not losing you, Zac; I won't," she said confidently.

"Promise?"

"Yes, I promise. You and me, best friends until we die, and hopefully that's 80 years from now, not 3," she confirmed as she tightly wrapped her arms around him again.

"I'm holding you to that Abigail," he said fiercely.

They held each other for a little while longer and then Abby whispered, "It's time. I have to go."

He let her go but kept her hand and followed her into the house. When they came through the entrance to the living room Dumbledore was there already and all of the boxes had already been sent. "Just a minute or so more," Dumbledore informed them.

Abby nodded and pulled Zac across the hall into the kitchen. She wrapped her arms around him as he buried his face into her hair. "I'm gonna miss you."

"I'm gonna miss you too, Abs. Call me. I love you."

"I love you too, Zac. I have to go," She kissed him on the cheek and slipped away from him as his entire body tensed with the reality that she was leaving the country for good.

She was gone. His best friend in the world was gone and he could feel a part of his very being leaving with her. Zac moved slowly out of the house, locking the door and he took off running. He ran around their block ten times before he was too exhausted to continue and he found himself in front of Abby's house. He plopped down on the concrete front steps and hung his head running his hand through his sweat drenched hair in frustration.