Chapter 9- Seneca
Dear Lucan,
Tell Draco I say hi, 'kay? Strange as it seems, I'm missing him too. Just wanted to write and tell you that I'm fine. Tomorrow morning I'll be leaving this current establishment for somewhere else. I'll be safe, I promise. Tell Karly that I'm okay and that she shouldn't worry about me. Tell Father to go die.
I'll try to write every few days to keep you posted. I know you're worried, and it's the least I could do to ease your mind just a little. I'll really and truly be okay at this place I'm going, though.
Amarlo per sempre(2),
Seneca
I sent the letter off using one of the owls provided by the inn. Although it was a bit repetitive at parts, it got my general point across. Lucan would be worried no matter what I said, but it would be worse if he never heard from me. Hence, the little note to settle his conscience.
My sleep that night was fairly contented. It was the first time since I'd gotten to England that this phenomenon had taken place. It almost made me giddy. I woke the next morning feeling so refreshed that I actually giggled at the sun peeking through the curtains. Laughing. Il Signore buono, I had problems. Crazy, crazy things going on.
A moment later, Hermione was knocking on my door. "Seneca, are you awake?" she called quietly. If I hadn't already been up, I never would have heard a thing.
"Yeah, I'm up. I just gotta get dressed, so I'll be out in a minute," I called back to her. I heard her footsteps retreat down the hall as I slowly dragged myself out of the bed. It was so comfortable, I was hesitant to leave. Eventually, I was up and dressed- with my bag neatly packed- and heading out the door.
I met Hermione in the restaurant-type part of the Cauldron, despite the fact we weren't staying to eat. "My house is connected to the Floo Network, so we'll be going from here. Mum and Dad will probably just be getting breakfast. We can barge in on them."
I was really getting sick of Flooing. Seriously. Four times in two days? Talk about nauseating. Maybe it was a good idea not to eat before our little journey. "After this summer, I swear I will never Floo to another place for as long as I live," I muttered as I followed Hermione through the flames to the Granger home.
Hermione briefly explained my situation by saying I was having problems at home, and they welcomed me with open arms. Scary thought. Didn't know what they were getting into, did they? A spare bedroom was set up for me on the second floor, just across the hall from Hermione.
"Seneca? I don't want to offend you or make you feel like you have to answer, but what did your father do that was so horrible?" She had turned to leave after showing my room, and I'd started to unpack my few belongings. Apparently, however, the curiosity was just too much for her.
I wasn't sure I really wanted to tell her. Would she think I was immature? Would she think I was weak and should have just sucked it up and stuck it out? Or would she actually support me? Eh, whatever. "He tried to force me into an arranged marriage. He's known my whole life that I value my independence yet he was all of a sudden promising my hand for wedded bliss."
"I'm sorry, Seneca. That is truly terrible. I don't know what I'd do if I were in that situation." The expression on her face showed me that she was actually trying to imagine herself in the scene. It certainly wasn't easy for her.
Hermione had a near perfect life. She was smart, had nice parents, great friends. It was so obvious just by watching her trying to imagine these not-so-great circumstances. "Just don't worry about it, 'kay? It's in the past, and I'm done with it. Worrying about the man formerly known as my father is not worth my precious time."
That was all we said on the subject. Over the next few days, Hermione and I got to know each other better. She was actually really cool once you got her away from her books. A dry, intelligent, almost dark humor shone through her bookworm exterior. Despite the fact she was three years older, we got along quite well.
Sometimes, I cried myself to sleep, making sure no one heard me. I missed the home I used to have and the family that used to love me. Lucan was still there, of course, but my parents were as good as dead to me. Okay, my real mother was actually dead. My step-mother had taken the place while I was only nine, though, so she counted as a parent.
Goddess, my life was so screwy. I just couldn't wait to get to Hogwarts so I could bury myself in learning. Maybe I didn't study and do homework constantly, but I loved the simple act of learning. It gave me the release I so desperately needed at that point in time.
1-Love you forever