Hey! I'm sooo sorry guys. My mind has just been kind of off lately, and I've had a hard time sitting down and writing. My cat got hurt and I was panicking so I've been dealing with that. My cat is my whole entire life. I was also going through a bit of a block, even though I do know most of what I want to happen in this story, as well as the fact I'm still adjusting to the move. Thank you for being patient with me. Also, I just wanted to say that when I talked about this story finishing I said that very loosely. I'm not sure how many chapters are left, but there are definitely more than like.. Three. So don't hold me too seriously to what I said! Nope, no Scorpius/Rose in the next story! Hopefully I'll be able to get back into a normal routine soon. No, this story is not "dead or something", lol. Just because I don't update for a few days does not mean the story is abandoned. Anyway, I hope you all are doing amazing! Happy reading! I love you all!
I don't own anything from Harry Potter
"Just give her space for a moment," Draco told Daphne dismissively, waving his hand. The last thing he needed was for her to upset her more.
"Yes, I agree with Draco," Eld said, nodding in agreement. "Let her breathe for now. Excuse me for just a minute.." Eld slipped out of the room, leaving Astoria's brother and his wife the only two outsiders in the room.
Draco eyed the Greengrass male without turning his head toward him, more than aggravated the man was still in his home. The room seemed to be ignoring the unwanted couple all together, and Draco considered throwing them both outside to leave the Manor on foot, though he knew the Aurors wouldn't allow it. The girl was sitting slightly away from her husband, but still sitting beside him while his hand rested tensely against the top of her leg as he watched the room, his expression only showing emotion when his eyes fell on Daphne. Without the mess of a wife he had beside him he appeared to look similarly to the rest of the pure-blood men in the room.
"Don't tell me that I can't see my own sister, Malfoy. You already tried that once, remember? Do you feel good about that now that you've seen what we've just seen? Do you feel like your punishment for your bruised ego was adequate and fair now?" Daphne sneered, her reddened eyes furious and impatient, and Draco's temper flared. He was not in the mood to be spoken down to by the girl, Astoria's sister or not.
"Pucey. Do control your bitch and how she speaks to me in my own house," he replied to her coolly, catching Edric stiffen in the edge of his vision at his words. "I won't tolerate it."
"Would you like to try that again, Malfoy?" Pucey laughed, shaking his head in disbelief as his eyes twitched slightly at him. "I'm not sure who the fuck you think you are speaking to, but call her that again and this friendship I've been so kind to offer you will be retracted."
"Leave it, Adrian. I don't care what he calls me. It's not as if his weak and unoriginal jabs hurt my feelings. We have to get along for the sake of my relationship with Astoria anyway," Daphne told her husband, turning her head towards him as she spoke low for him to hear.
"Nah, we don't have to do shit. You might tolerate people disrespecting what's yours, Malfoy. I don't," Pucey said pleasantly, a cold edge to his tone.
"Is that so? Interesting how you suddenly have so much respect for women, isn't it?"
"I've respect for my wife, and I sure as fuck don't enjoy torturing women as you do."
"I don't know, Pucey. I don't recall ever driving a woman to kill herself."
Pucey's face fell into stone at Draco's words and he moved to draw his wand, his wife grabbing his arm frantically.
"Please stop it! We have enough of a mess as it is without you two going at it! Don't be foolish!"
Draco smirked, examining Daphne with amusement. "Didn't your parents teach you that a wife doesn't push herself into men's business as if she has a place to speak in such matters? My, you are the failure child, aren't you?"
"What's going on, children?" Rhys inquired, clapping his hands together as he came to sit down with the rest of them. "Be nice, share your toys and all that."
"I'm obviously quite capable of sharing my toys with him. Isn't that right, mate?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow at Pucey challengingly before shifting his gaze to his wife pointedly who turned her face away as it flushed with anger.
"This is how you choose to treat my sisters, Malfoy?" Edric asked coldly, his voice wavering a bit in his disgust "This is the respect you show your family?"
"Respect I show my family?" Draco repeated, ignoring Pucey's infuriated reaction to the degradation of his wife. "Interesting coming from the man who abandoned his family for some mudblood he dipped his dick into a few times. Blood traitors don't have a voice in my home, Greengrass, and they do not have a place to tell me how to treat my wife or her sister. Learn that before I decide that your presence should be made known to my wife's lovely father, as we both know the consequences for a disowned child showing their face back in the community."
"Do we all need to be separated? Put in different rooms? Nott, help me out here. We're the adults. We're supposed to monitor the toddlers. Sit the fuck down, Adrian. Don't be ridiculous. We don't need conflict with the ancients."
Joseph looked at Rhys dully before glancing at the rest of them. "Play nicely, children. There are larger issues at hand. Look, my son has run off to be with his friend. Why don't you all scatter off the same." Joseph glanced around Rhys. "Where's the Russian, Pucey? Can't she come mother them? I'm not interested, as none of them are my own children."
"Ukrainian," Adrian corrected, lowering himself back down on the couch beside Daphne reluctantly.
"Up in our room as she was feeling a bit stressed. She wouldn't help the situation anyway. I'm the laid back one, not my wife," Rhys answered, eyeing the silent couple across the room.
"Right. Your women don't know how to act. How could I forget," Nott commented, irritation touching his eyes as he was reminded of his bitterness.
"Aw, now that's not very nice, is it? I'm sure your wife is lovely. That's the mother of your child. Be a bit kinder. She gave you a great gift," Rhys scolded, glancing around. "Where is the gift anyway? And where is Astrid?"
"Off fucking his way out of Azkaban, I'd imagine," Adrian snorted. "Him and that redhead seem friendly. Astoria went upstairs."
"Nott only has an eye for married women. You forget that, Pucey. Perhaps he's plotting how to take your wife from you," Draco said dully. "Or perhaps he simply goes for women who have ever been mine, and in that case my warning to you still applies."
"No, no. Keep your kid away from my family, Nott. We have our own enemies as it is, I don't need shit with your type. It's bad enough I have a Greengrass in my family, but unlike some I am a great friend," Rhys told Joseph firmly, glancing at his daughter-in-law.
"Daphne gets offended when you act like she wasn't a desired wife choice and instead a favor to her mother," Adrian cooed, patting Daphne's head who ducked and leaned away.
"Unlike some?" Joseph scoffed. "And who might you be referring to? The woman you paid a favor to?"
"I am not a favor," Daphne protested. "I come from one of the most well respected-"
"Spare us, would you?" Draco asked her, his tone bored. "We don't need to hear how shiny of a trophy you are."
"Oh, that's rich coming from Draco Malfoy, the man who never let us forget exactly which oh so important family he came from all throughout our Hogwarts years," Daphne shot back.
"Unlike some being you, Nott. You know that, and Daphne it's not personal to you, but I'd rather keep my distance from your father. Didn't rub me right from when I knew him at school," Rhys answered Joseph, both Draco and Daphne.
"Explain to me how I, the one fucked over by our lovely female companion, am the poor friend? I beg you."
"I told you before," Rhys said, shrugging. "I know you did something. Freya has always been trustworthy to me."
"How fortunate for you, and I suppose-"
Rhys sat up with excitement, staring at the Pensieve that had been left uncovered from when it had shown itself on its own accord, unnoticed by Granger most likely in result of her being distracted by her recent fit. "Aha! Finally."
A younger Joseph Nott followed Freya Krat from a reasonable distance away as he eyed her whereabouts incredulously in the unfamiliar environment that appeared to be a quite obvious muggle town. He stopped short when a muggle girl passed Freya, greeting her warmly and exchanging a few words with her before moving on. Joseph's face went flat with anger before he strode forward, grabbing Freya's arm roughly before he yanked her down a nearby alleyway.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing, you complete and utter idiot?" Joseph demanded, spitting his words as he looked back towards the muggles in the distance in plain disgust.
"Y-You can't just grab me like that, Joseph," Freya rushed out, attempting to sound firm and confident though her eyes held panic as she took him in, looking taken off guard by his presence.
"What are you doing here? This is where you've been rushing off to when you're not at my home? Interacting with muggles?" He hissed, not releasing his rough grip on her. "I put up with so much shit from you, allow you so much freedom, protect you from so much. I don't know how far you think you can push me. You expect me to accept you as a blood traitor now as well?"
"I'm just taking a class!" She exclaimed, prying at his fingers as she didn't meet his eyes. "They have more to offer on Astronomy than Hogwarts does, and your family had easy access to it. Let me go. You're hurting me."
"You're taking a muggle class," Joseph sneered, only appearing to tighten his hold on her as she winced. "Speaking with one of them. Am I supposed to look the other way while you do this? Is that what you expect me to do?"
"What do you mean 'are you supposed to'? What are you going to do? Tell my father on me? My brother?"
Joseph dropped her arm, stepping away from her as he looked down at her, his face nearly dripping in disgust. "I would never do that, Freya. You asking me that shows just how ungrateful you truly are."
"It's just a class, and-"
"You'll come home. Now."
Freya paused for a moment before she crossed her arms defiantly, narrowing her eyes at him. "Excuse me? I won't have you ordering me about like a dog. I'm not your wife, or-"
"You are to be my wife, we both know that, and no future woman of my family will be taking any classes from or speaking with filth."
"May I remind you that I have access to this place because of your family and their inappropriate ties to the muggle world? Hmm?" Freya asked, tilting her head in a goading fashion. "What would your little Death Eater friends think about that one?"
The memory fell away at that, and Draco raised his eyebrows in surprise, though he wasn't sure why he was surprised after everything he had seen of the family, as they only continued to be revealed as having more and more secrets.
"Well.. Hmm. Interesting," Rhys mused. "You were a dick, not surprising. Freya dipping her toes in the muggle world, a bit surprising, but also not too out of the blue."
"Yes, well. It was shocking to me, and she was being a cunt. It's not as if I deserved the revenge for-"
"What?" Rhys asked, squinting at him before his face fell in realization. "Oh. You're a damn snitch is what you're telling me."
"Mmm. Roderick asked me where she'd been, it's not-"
"You snitched to her brother?" Rhys demanded. "The one who beat her? What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"She'd been beaten plenty of times before, with or without me passing along her whereabouts. It hardly warranted what she did to my family."
"See that," Rhys said, motioning with his index finger. "That was spoken like a true shitty friend."
"I'll have to agree with Nott," Draco cut in, shifting his gaze between the two men. "From what I've seen, and I've seen more than I've cared to, he was more than reasonable for far too long."
"If he thought he was being reasonable he would have told me what he did."
"I didn't know," Nott snapped. "I didn't know that that was what she had been so upset about. Not until the woman broke into my house, ranting and raving about nonsense."
"I don't understand.." Daphne said slowly, her face curling in disgust. "Why would she go to a muggle town.. If anyone had found out.."
"Who cares? She took a class at a muggle school. I was hoping for something much more interesting," Rhys sighed, looking disappointed. "And someone did find out, and he didn't keep his mouth shut."
"As she said, Daphne," Ophelia told her, her face coming together in a scowl. "The muggle school offered more than Hogwarts."
"Ophelia," Edric said warningly.
"I'm just answering her question, Edric," she breathed. "Am I not allowed to speak at all?"
"I have no idea how muggles or their offspring could ever possibly offer anything that we could not," Daphne replied, hatred in her eyes as she regarded the woman.
The woman took a deep, irritable breath before opening her notes, and Draco narrowed his eyes at them suspiciously.
"What are you doing?" Adrian asked, squinting at her as she began to write.
"I'm doing my job."
"Going to write about how the Greengrass girls need to be arrested? Oh, and that their father is a criminal, are you?" Draco asked her, though looking at Edric as he spoke.
"Of course not. Do you think I'm an idiot?" Ophelia asked, shaking her head in irritation. "No, that's not what-"
"Is that a real question?" Draco scoffed loudly, watching Edric's face change to indicate fair agreement to his reaction to his wife's question.
Ophelia turned to her husband, noticing his reaction herself. "Are you joking?"
"You're here, are you not?" Edric asked levelly. "His only impression of you is that. What conclusion regarding your intelligence would you believe he would come to based on that fact alone?"
"And you agree with him in how he thinks I'm an idiot."
"That's not what I said, but still. Here you are. After I advised-"
"So what now? Are you going to berate me to tears as well? Was I not punished for my mistake enough? You don't have to say it in order to give that impression. I suppose you believe I deserved it too."
"Mmm. I believe you should have listened to me, but instead you have to show how independent you are to all of your friends by acting like a fool."
"I've always put up with my self worth being belittled ever since I came into contact with you, even before I disobeyed you, but of course it's my fault. Because I was stupid and should have listened to Edric who is so much smarter than me. Because I'm a mudblood. Silly me," Ophelia sneered, pushing her notes aside.
"I apologize, I forgot the hardships I have brought down on your life. Perhaps I should have allowed my father to kill you, as apparently I am nothing but a burden," he said, his voice still smooth. "He still may, seeing as you've brought us somewhere where we ought not be showing our faces. Then at least people won't say such mean things to you anymore."
"Fuck you, Edric," the woman said shakily, tears brimming her eyes. "I've always been appreciative of you, but that doesn't invalidate this treatment I've had to put up with, and then you sit here and agree with these terrible men who have no respect for women or human beings in general. Seeing as you fit in so well, why don't you go ahead and stay here? It's where you've always belonged, isn't it? I know you've always regretted choosing me, so by all means."
"Are you done?"
"Yes," she answered her husband through gritted teeth. "I believe I am."
"You cannot just go wandering through this house," Edric said calmly as his wife got up and began to exit the room. "And I am not one to chase after anyone, so do not force me."
"Yes," Draco confirmed, watching the girl move across the room. "I agree with the statement that you cannot go wandering through my house."
"I liked the part where she said 'fuck you, Edric'," Daphne chimed, smiling in her brother's direction without humor.
"What is the benefit of having a mudblood wife exactly? When she speaks to you with such disrespect?" Joseph asked, his lip curling slightly at the retreating woman.
Edric took a deep breath when his wife ignored him and disappeared from sight completely, letting out his breath slowly as he looked around the room for a while before standing, following the woman out of the room.
"Alright, that spat aside, let us return to the issue at hand," Rhys said, looking back to Joseph.
"You just saw her in the muggle town? Nothing else?" Adrian asked, an odd look in his eye.
"What else would I have seen, Pucey?" Joseph asked, examining him.
"Yes, what else would he have seen, Adrian?" Rhys asked his son, looking intrigued. "Seems you know something we don't."
"Oh good," Draco muttered, watching the Pensieve act up again in response to the words being exchanged, accepting the scene the Pensieve presented them.
"Hey," a large, dark skinned muggle man said, catching Freya's arm as she walked up to a small, weakly fenced home. "What's this I hear about you and some cloaked man up in the alleys?"
Freya grimaced and she jerked her arm back instinctively, his hand sliding down it as his eyes fell to the bruises forming there. "It's nothing, Abraham. I just-"
"It's nothing?!" He demanded, examining her arm more closely, his accent oddly foreign. "Don't you play that, Freya! Who was it? Enough with the damn secrets. What am I to you that I'm not allowed to know? I sure as hell have a right to know what son of a bitch put hands on my woman and why."
Freya flinched away from him and shook her head, pulling away from him to walk towards the house. "Your mother will go off if we are late for dinner, Abe," she murmured. "She still hates me from when I told her my family was Pagan, even though they aren't even Pagans, I just thought-"
"Don't flinch away from me like that, honey. I hate it," the man groaned, tugging her back by her hand gently. "And don't try and change the subject either. Tell me what happened."
"It was just a man I know from school. Joseph. I've told you about him. I bruise easily, now just relax, and don't raise your voice at me like that. It's nothing"
"Someone you call a friend put bruises on you? Someone from your school is here?"
"Freya!" A small child exclaimed happily from the doorway of the old home. "Come in! Abe's been so boring all. Day. Long."
Freya smirked up at him, patting his chest. "You hear that, love? You're so boring she can hardly stand it."
The girl ran forward to grasp onto Freya's hands, dragging her inside the home. "Mama keeps goin' on about Christmas dinner. She doesn't want to prepare it all by herself, but I told her me and you could help, but then she started complainin' about how your spoiled rotten butt didn't know how to cook," she giggled, her eyes glittering with amusement as she looked up at Freya and then at the man following behind the two of them. "I just told her that Abey could do the cookin' and cleanin' when ya'll are married. Isn't that right, Abe?"
"Hell no, not unless Princess Freya wants to get her little spoiled rotten ass out there and work under the sun all damn day," the man scoffed.
The little girl gasped, reaching past Freya to smack at the large man. "You aren't supposed to say that word in front of me! I'll tell mama!"
"Yes, Abraham," Freya scolded him. "Watch your mouth. Your mother is trying to raise a little lady. Besides, I'm sure I could get you to do anything I'd like you to do."
"I bet that too! You're whipped, boy," the little girl teased, grinning at him. "W-H-I-P-P-E-D. Bet you can't spell it neither."
"You're about to be whipped out back if you don't knock it off," he grunted, flicking the girl's forehead. "Faith? A lady? Not with that loud mouth."
"Freya says she loves my mouth, and she's a real lady. Bet she knows way handsomer boys than you even. She just feels bad for you 'cause you're slow, just like mama says so."
"Yeah, if Freya were a proper lady I don't think she'd put up with little brats like you."
"I'm so happy you're here for Christmas break," Faith said, looking up at Freya as she ignored her brother's comment. "I missed you so much."
"Did you? Well, you're the only reason I made the trip back if I'm being honest," Freya whispered loudly, glancing at her male beside her before winking at the small girl who looked up at her brother smugly.
"Hear that, Abe?"
"The only thing Abe better be hearin' is the sound of all of your butts hitting these chairs!" A woman's voice came loudly from the kitchen and all three of them shuffled into a tiny dining room around a small, worn dinner table.
"They were fighting outside, mama," Faith quipped, giving Abraham a look.
"Mmm. Well. Couples break up all the time, don't they?" The older dark skinned woman mused, eyeing Freya with a slight resentment in her eye.
"Mama," Abraham said flatly, giving his mother a dull look.
"They can't break up," Faith said firmly. "Freya is my best friend."
Freya looked at her with surprise, a warm smile crossing her features as she admired the little girl who looked up and smiled widely back at her.
"It's not a safe relationship, or even a good fit in my opinion. Klan activity has been-"
"Mama," Abraham said again, more seriously this time. "Let it be please."
"Not that I have a lotta friends to begin with," Faith went on, ignoring her mother. "It's hard goin' to the school I'm at. No one wants to be my friend. I try real hard, but the girls just make fun of my hair and my backpack and all this other stuff that I don't get."
"Girls who pick on other girls are the ones with the most insecurities. Don't feel bad, Faith," Freya told her quietly. "Just keep your head even higher than theirs, and act as if you believe yourself better than they believe themselves. They won't be able to say anything to you. Even when you're feeling the lowest, if the world sees you as if you're feeling the highest that is what you will be."
"Well, who knows how much longer you'll be goin' to that school anyhow," the older woman sighed.
"I have to go to that school," Faith protested sadly. "I wanna be somebody one day."
"You are somebody, you don't need no white school to make you somebody."
Faith slid down in her chair slightly, looking disappointed. "It's okay, mama. I know we don't have the money."
"I have the money," Freya said frowning and shaking her head. "Let me give you the money."
"Now, just who do you think you are comin' into my home with your pity money?" The woman asked, looking her up and down with disgust. "What do we look like to you? A charity?"
Freya inhaled deeply, staring at the table before removing the diamond earrings from her ears, dropping them on the table. "I threw these in my bags before I came without even looking. I don't even remember where they came from. Sell them, and you'll have more than the money you need. I have dresses in my luggage that probably cost more than what this house is worth that I'll only wear once, if at all. The money is nothing to me. If I was treating your family like a charity I would have been offering money long before when Abraham was killing himself with work in the summer. Your daughter's future is not worth less than your pride, Mrs. Johnson. Education is important, especially for a girl who will grow up to a lot of men trying to tell her that her mind is less than theirs. Don't you dare do that to your child. Pride will get you no where," Freya said harshly, watching the woman closely. "Let my money go to something important for once instead of the nonsense it usually goes to."
Mrs. Johnson stared back at the girl challenging her for a few moments, the room completely silent as the two women looked at each other.
"Well. It's nice to finally meet you, Miss Krat," the woman sniffed, passing out plates on the table. "As this is the first time you've actually been real with me. I'll.. Think about what you're saying. Leave it for now."
Freya pressed her lips together before nodding towards the window. "While we are on the subject of being 'real'.. those curtains are absolutely horrendous, and they've bothered me since the first time I saw them."
"Don't push it."
Faith gasped loudly, scrambling away from the window that she was seated besides. "Abe!" She cried, tearing up as she pointed out the window that was glowing with the reflection of flames.
Abraham pulled her back carefully away from the window, his mother quickly rushing out of the room. Freya stood slowly, moving towards the window to look out of it. She went completely still as she stared at the covered figures, torches in their hands, their faces covered by masks that led up into points.
"Freya. Duck down," Abraham hissed as his mother cut the lights off in the room. "Now."
Freya didn't move as she stared at the cloaked figures, the color draining from her face as it was covered with a haunted expression. She finally walked back when her name was said again, tripping down into a kneeling position next to Abraham who pulled her back against him on the floor. Faith crawled forward to hug herself to Freya, crying quietly in fear.
"Is that them?" Freya asked stiffly, her eyes distant.
"Mmm. Marching for their desire for 'purification' of the country," he muttered, and Freya appeared as though she may be sick as she listened to his words. "Not as widespread as they once were, but they still make an effort to create a stir every now and again. Mad they're losing all their support from their beloved country."
The memory blurred forward to Freya and the muggle walking together outside, and the weather had changed into a warmer setting as she hung onto him as they strolled along.
"How lovely." The couple turned around as the soft words were spoken by the smiling wizard that had been following them, a crazed look flashing in the wizard's eyes every few moments as he tilted his head as he looked at the two.
"Zabini.." Freya said slowly, stepping back as her face fell in horror.
"I followed you," the man said in an odd, manic tone. "Nott's home offers little to one's interests.. Especially when I can follow little birds and be led to such wonderful nests of secrets.."
"Freya," Abraham started, eyeing the man in confusion. "What's this?"
"What's this indeed," Nero Zabini purred, grinning slowly at the muggle. "Does it feel better fucking muggles than it does us? Does it make you feel dirty? Don't reach for your wand.. If I reach for mine you won't like it.."
Freya stopped, holding up her hands slowly in surrender. "Zabini," Freya said again through clenched teeth. "Cut the shit. What do you want in order for your silence?"
"I'm not sure at the moment," Nero breathed, moving his legs to begin circling the couple as he eyed them curiously. "Perhaps nothing. Perhaps I'll save my information for a rainy day.. Allowing you to quiver in fear.. Anxiously awaiting for when and if I decide to share your sweet little secret.."
"Zabini, please-"
"Goodbye, Freya Krat," Nero chuckled after moving forward swiftly to grab Freya by her hair and tilt her head to the side to utter the words in her ear.
"And here I was thinking you were full of shit when you acted as if you didn't understand racism," Abraham muttered coldly as he watched the man leave. "Your lips need to start movin', honey. Because what the-"
"I have to go," Freya whispered, staring after the direction where Nero had gone.
"Go where?" The man asked, bewildered. "Listen-"
"I have to go home," she whimpered, her face already dripping with her tears. "This isn't where I belong. You're going to get hurt because of me. I can't.. I can't stay.. That can't be my fault."
"Hey," he started, concern filling his eyes as he caught the smaller witch in his arms. "You belong with me. This.. This muggle thing.. Your people.. I've been having a hard time with it, but you've also been very messy explaining it to me, but I can get it. I can get it, and we will be on the same page. Come on, baby. Don't cry."
"Just get it when I tell you this," Freya choked out, panic in her eyes as she pulled at his hold on her. "I have to leave. I should have never come. I'm so sorry, but I can't be responsible.. I couldn't bear it if I brought any harm to you.. To your family.. Please forgive me.."
The scene was replaced again, and Freya was opening her mail in her dorm at Hogwarts, sighing when she reached a particular letter. When she opened the parcel a piece of newspaper fell to the ground, and she glanced down at it at her feet before opening the letter that was attached, scanning the words quickly as the emotion slipped from her face, her expression turning to frozen anticipation as she read the words from her brother.
"You shouldn't have tried to leave.
It seems Nott has finally proved himself reliable.
Thank him for me in person, won't you?"
Freya dropped the letter, reaching down to gather the small piece of newspaper shakily, a strangled gasp leaving her throat as she comprehended the headline of the muggle paper, a picture of the muggles she had been with in previous memories beneath the words.
"Three Dead Including Child as Johnson Family Perishes in Unexplained Fire"
The paper fell from her hands as Freya began to violently tremble, her eyes searching blindl as she tried to handle the blow. She doubled over, holding her stomach as if in physical pain, her face twisting into sorrow as she began to gasp out short sobs in disbelief and heartbreak. She dropped to the ground, bracing herself against her hands as she fell apart in despair, curling into a ball on the floor of her dorm, the rest of the dorm completely silence in its emptiness as she cried by herself.
Freya eventually picked herself up from the ground numbly, exiting her dorm stoically as well as her common room, staring at the ground as she walked through the halls of Hogwarts, pushing through the crowds of students as her face was covered in her drying tears and running mascara. Joseph Nott noticed her as she passed him, turning from Lucius Malfoy to grab her arm in alarm, searching her face in confusion.
"Freya? What is it?"
She ripped her arm away furiously, fresh tears spilling from her eyes as she refused to look at Joseph, stumbling away from him before she turned to walk more quickly up the stairs of the castle, ignoring Narcissa's confused calls. Joseph shook his head as he looked up at the ceiling in irritation before turning back to his conversation, Narcissa reluctantly pulling her gaze from Freya's retreating figure as well, not attempting to follow her as she made her way to the Astronomy tower, falling into her broken sobs once more.
Freya roughly yanked her hair down, pulling and breaking the jewelry from her body as she threw it aside before climbing up the rails shakily, leaning forward without hesitation or second thought to fall forward before Aldrich Greengrass swiftly moved forward to catch the unhinged woman before falling.
"No, no. No such waste will be made tonight, my love."
