The Faults In Occlumency

Upon your entry into the Montgomery household, you would be hit with this immediate notion that the house is shrouded in black. Figures clad in the colour are holding various objects phones, beers, or perhaps nothing at all. Some of them may be sitting down or standing up looks of sadness etched on their faces. Whether a funeral is meant to be a reminder to the living that the person you love is truly gone or to honour the dead I will never fully understand nor do I want to. I don't want to grasp that my mother had just upon impact stopped breathing. She had only been forty-two and frankly that felt too young. I just didn't want to believe the two middle age cops that showed up around three in the afternoon to say that my mom had been hit head on by a tractor trailer that had lost complete control. They said that her death had been quick, that the steering wheel had hit her dead on the chest with such force that her entire body was pelted a good twenty feet away from her car. And that when she hit the ground she was already dead. They didn't spare me the gory details, but I wished as soon as I heard them that they had. I was only fifteen when this happen; I had started my junior year and my life had been going smoothly. But all it took was one chaotic event to shatter the world I knew into a million pieces. There were times when I'd be sitting in the living room or in the kitchen just waiting to hear the garage door open up and my mom walk in. I expected her to sit her tattered purse down on the counter and start the coffee pot. But she never did. And it took me awhile to get used to that, six months in fact.

How I had managed through school those six months was a mystery to me. I barely paid any attention in class and rarely said a word to anyone. My teachers didn't try to help me, they I guess thought that this 'little phase' as my science teacher called it would end and that I would return to my happy Hazel self in less then three months. They of course were wrong and suggested to my dad that I see a shrink. Her name was Isabella Erickson and she had these crazy bright blue glasses she wore and her hair had been at one point bubble gum pink. I hated her. She talked to me like I was stupid and was always offering me candy. (Like seven month old candy bars and shit like that.) But anyway she really didn't help me at all and I ended up just pretending that I was 'cured' and went on my merry way. That was five months after the incident and to tell you the truth, as much as I ached for my mom. I had already grasped that she was gone and was never coming back. It just hadn't felt like talking to anyone for three months because I knew there would be questions. And those were things I didn't wanna answer. So when I did start talking to my friends again it was half way through my junior year. And looking back now I sorta wished I hadn't talked to them because I would end up giving them up with the rest of my life.

To this day I will never forget January 5th, that was the day I was told we were leaving. My mother had been the main source of income for my family. She worked as a lawyer and an independent real estate agent. And because of this my dad didn't work and stayed home in his art studio to paint and make some extra money. But when my mother died we lost all of her income, and because we had to pay the funeral costs and other expenses at the firm. We didn't have much left over. Even though my dad painted his income was modest and we had to pinch pennies. The first thing that went was cable TV then the internet and phone bills were down sized until there was nothing left. And it went like that until there was nothing to get rid of.

It was around four when my dad walked towards the dilapidated swing set outside our small two story house. His face was expressionless until he came closer and offered me a smile before sitting down on one of the swings next to me.

"Hey honey."

"Hey dad."

"Can talk with you?" He asks folding and unfolding his hands together, he seemed nervous.

"Yeah, sure." I shrug twisting around in the swing to look at him.

"Since your mother uh . . . since you mother passed we've had to make some changes around here." I nod and he continues. "Well sweetie there isn't a simple way to say this but there just isn't enough money left. So I've made some arrangement, you and Miles will be staying with my parents in Edinburgh."

"Edinburgh." I repeat flabbergasted.

"Yes with my parents, Carolyn and Tom remember?" Oh I remembered. The couple was evil, Carolyn who was in her late fifties had an incredibly fake tan, was skin and bone and had ugly ginger/grey hair. She also dressed like she was twenty a fact I had come to despise. Her husband Tom was overweight and didn't really like anyone. Especially me, my mom and Miles. The man was always smoking or drinking a beer and happened to be filthy rich. Which is one of the reasons my dad thought it would be great to stay with them. My dad had always had a tainted view of his parents. Even though they were amicable to him they hated my mom and treated her like crap. Something I had never forgiven them for.

"Hazel?" My dad says uncertainly interrupting my thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"What do you think?"

"I think it's an awful idea." I say bluntly.

"And why's that?"

"Because their awful people! I hated how they were to mom and frankly I don't want to leave. My life is here and to go . . . " I trailed off. There was something awfully permanent about this whole situation. The way my dad was talking about this made me feel like I wasn't ever going to come back. And it scared me I didn't want to leave my mom or my friends or anyone here.

"Hazel, you know I can't afford to keep you here! Your grandparents are being very gracious by taking you in like this."

"What about mom? I can't just leave her here!" I protest crossing my arms over my chest.

"Your mother would want you to go. It's for the best, everything I do for you and your brother is for the best." Dad says attempting an encouraging smile.

"Whatever." I grumbled getting up from the swing and pushing past my father who was now standing up.

"Hazel!" He calls after me. But I don't look back, storming up to my bedroom and shutting the door. I climb onto my bed and lay back. I didn't want to leave what had been so familiar to me. My home was here in America not an ocean away. But in the end it wasn't up to me was it? I think to myself before drifting off to sleep.

- A few hours later -

When I finally woke up four hours later, the first thing that came to mind was how happy I was here in Ohio. But then when it all came back to me a few moment later I couldn't help but feel a sort of anger kindling inside me. I didn't want to leave but what choice did I have? I could fight it but the plane tickets had already been purchased and my dad wouldn't change his mind. That I was sure of.

I ended up exiting the room a few moments later to find my brother seated on the steps his ear turned towards the voice downstairs. From what I could gather Miles was eavesdropping, something he typically did but his face was never that stern.

"Hazel," He starts looking up at me with his big chocolate brown eyes "Did you know?"

All I could do was nod. I couldn't speak my tongue was tied. So silently I come and sit next to Miles leaning my ear in as well. From where he and I were seated on the steps every word of conversation downstairs could be heard but we could not be seen. Something I was grateful for. I wasn't ready to talk to my dad, I wasn't sure I forgave him for shipping us off to a foreign country. Epically because we were leaving in a week. Or at least that was what he said on the phone with his parents.

I look away for a moment and then turn to my brother. He was only twelve but resembled an older boy. He was tan with broad shoulders and brown curls. His eyes were a simmering chocolate brown and he was pretty muscular. In comparison I was pale, with short golden curls and my mother's sky blue eyes. He and I didn't resemble each other much, I looked to much like my mother and he like our father.

Anyway so he and I'd been sitting for roughly ten listening in on the conversation when Miles abruptly broke the silence.

"Hazel?" He starts not turning his head.

"Yeah?"

"I don't want to go to Europe."

"Me neither."

To this he nodded and then once again silence consumed us.

- A week later -

We arrived in Europe on a Tuesday, it was freezing and snow was swirling every, I rubbed my hands together trying to extract what little warm I could from them. My grandparents cherry red car was parked roughly three or four yards from the outside of the airport. Miles and I picked up a couple of our bags and our dad who was staying with us for the rest of the week to help the two of us settle in, picked up the rest.

When we arrive at the car we hoisted up the bags into the back and hopped inside where my grandfather was seated with a rather pathetic looking chiwawa. Wordlessly I buckled up and the drive began.

From the airport to Edinburgh it was a two/three hour drive so I was left to stare out the window in the back of the vehicle. Which was going to be quite boring and long since the moment my dad entered the car boring conversation ensued and frankly I had no desire to keep the chatter going and neither did Miles. So there we sat until a voice rang out.

"I think the dog has to go." I looked up at Carolyn, my grandmother who had spoken.

"Now?" I mumble grimly.

"Hazel!" My Dad hisses.

"God can't the dog hold it?" Tom says obviously annoyed at having to get out of the car.

"Dad it's fine, we can all stretch our legs." My dad says brightly looking at the snowy world outside.

"Alright." Tom says he still looked pretty pissed.

So the car was parked at a nearby rest stop along the road and all five of us exited. I was thankful, I wanted so badly to escape the atmosphere of the car and clear my head in the fresh winter air. So I left the group and began to wander in the wintry world that was Europe. And where ever I was was very beautiful. Ice lined the trees in beautiful figures and formations. Snow wafted down and the trees in their glory were bending ever so slightly with the wind. I must have been wandering around for a good five to ten minutes when I heard an ear piercing scream. Fuck, was the first thought that ran through my head. And at that point I ran towards the noise so fast I could have beat Jesse Owens. (Maybe not that fast but you get the point.) But when I arrived what I saw shocked me. Men in black cloaks had circled Miles, my father and his parents around the car. The dog was laying on the snow with no evident signs of death. I glance at my dad my face bearing an expression of horror as he mouths "RUN!"

I wanted to run, I truly did but I was frozen. Frozen to the ground I stood on. I wanted so badly to do something to say anything to make them leave my remaining family alone. Then one of the men turns his face towards me and my already frozen body becomes stone. It was the face of a dark, twisted, beautiful angel. He looked older than I was maybe by about a year. His eyes were an icy blue grey and his hair was nearly white. He was paler than I and like the others was dressed in all black. I expected him to move to say something but to my dismay he didn't. I however did.

I turned on my heels and ran. I ran like my life depended on it, because I was pretty sure at that point it did. I could hear footsteps behind me but I didn't dare look behind me. Not even when jets of light whizzed past my head.

I ran. And then in a matter of seconds the world around me went black and I dropped into the snow.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Professor?" A small boy asked, he appeared to be a first year obviously terrified of Snape who did look pretty terrifying.

"Yes?" Snape sneered.

"Professor Dumbledore wishes to speak with you on the grounds." The boy trembles.

"And why is that?" He inquirers.

"There's a muggle. . . by Hagrid's hut."

A look of shock crosses Snape's face for a few moments before vanishing. He looks at his class then the boy, "I shall return." He says simply before turning sharply and exiting the room.

Well there you go my first chapter! Hopefully you found it amusing, I felt like this chapter might have been a little rushed and I promise that won't happen in the future but I was having trouble getting the words to flow the way I wanted them to. Also I found this chapter be be a lot shorter then had wanted it to be chapters in the furtue will be much longer. I will be able to update frequently and I aim to have around forty plus chapters so you're in for it. Please review, I would love any and all feedback. Thanks for reading!

Oh and special thanks to John Green for naming your character Hazel and coming up with amazing titles.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and not not claim to.