Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters and settings from the Harry Potter world, which is trademarked by J. K. Rowling. I do not claim any ownership over them or the world of Harry Potter and will not receive any money or other financial profit for presenting the work on this site. The story I tell here as well as certain original characters are my own invention, and are not purported or believed to be part of J.K. Rowling's story canon.
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Chapter 51
Once her father had left, Sage sighed deeply, feeling as if though she had been holding her breath right up to this moment. Surprisingly, she didn't feel nearly as defeated as she had initially expected to. Of course, this encounter had drained her to some degree, but standing her ground whilst facing her father made Sage feel.. somewhat empowered, to say the least.
"To hell with his side of the family.." she murmured, finally making her way to her chambers.
It had been a long day. A very long day. Launching herself onto the bed, prominently spread across it, Sage sighed. It was a deep, utterly exhausted sigh, coming from the very bottom of her lungs. Her mind was torn, her thoughts thrown all over the place. Had she made a mistake by coming here? Possibly the greatest mistake of her life? What was the point in trying to help when she was tearing herself apart along the process?
Sages thoughts wandered around her mind, desperately trying to make sense of her decisions and her eagerness to stay. Her body had told her to leave in every way possible. Even her mind had begun to give in. Yet.. there was something holding her back. A force strong enough to keep her tied to the castle, tied to her initial cause.
She was being selfish, wasn't she? What she had been through today wasn't even a fraction of what every single student at this school had been through in the last year alone. Of course, there was a point in helping them. Every single life that could be saved through her lessons, every single punishment that could be mitigated through her words was worth it all.
And then there was Neville. But that was being selfish again.
The next morning, Sage scuffed through the corridors of the castle, meeting the Carrows alongside Snape in the Great Hall. Amycus attempted to speak to her, most certainly about her father's visit yesterday, but Sage was not in the mood for talking today. She shot him the dirtiest look she was capable of, fortunately silencing him on the spot. He seemed somewhat offended, but more importantly, intimidated. What a treat to start the day with a victory.
As Sage took her seat, she looked around the room. Most of the school had already gathered for breakfast. Amongst them were Neville, Ginny and Luna. She didn't mean to stare, really, but she simply couldn't help it. He must have gotten a late start like her today, because at the back of his head a strand of hair stood up straight into the air, pointing right at the ceiling. It looked adorable, Sage had to admit.
With her eyes practically glued to his head, it didn't take long for Neville to notice her gaze on him. As their eyes met, his lips curled into a subtle smile, which quickly caught on to Sage's face. It was daring to be this obvious but.. what was life without a little risk?
After neither of them broke eye-contact for what felt like eternity, Sage couldn't resist a giggle. Neville gave her an amused, though somewhat questioning look. Still smiling faintly, she patted the back of her head slightly, pretending to fix her hair. It took him a second to realise what she was getting at, but once he realised, he discreetly mimicked her behaviour.
The look on his face was priceless. Even Ginny burst out into laughter, having waited for this moment ever since she first laid eyes upon Neville this morning. He blushed profusely, as the entire hall turned to stare at him. Sage decided it was best to avert her gaze, in order to not seem anymore suspicious than she already did.
"How could you not tell me?!" Neville hissed towards his friends, frantically pushing his hair down.
"And miss this opportunity? Never!" Ginny responded, once again starting to laugh.
"I thought you wanted it to look that way," Luna claimed, seeming somewhat surprised.
Neville buried his head in his hand, resting on top of the table. Ginny squeezed his arm reassuringly on one side, Luna on the other. They shared an amused smile whilst he groaned in annoyance.
"How bad was it?" he murmured.
"On a scale of one to ten?" Luna asked.
"A solid 12," Ginny announced cheerfully.
Now Neville groaned even louder.
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Author's note: Back with another chapter!! I wish I could've distributed chapters better throughout the week but I was mostly too tired to write. Luckily, we have an entire weekend ahead of us!!
I hope you are doing well. Thank you soso much for your last review, it made me feel fuzzy in my chest 'til today!! :-)
Hope this chapter was fun to read. If you'd like to leave me another review, I'd love to read some of your thoughts!!
Wishing you all the best!! :-)
