Goodbyes And Training
Standing on top of a fluffy doormat, his blue eyes flung downwards and his lips put into a pout.
''Already, do you have to go already?'' He asks in a small voice.
Lyra paused — with one foot out of the door, letting in the cold breeze in, ruffling his midnight black hair.
''Don't worry.'' Lyra began after her head spun around. ''I'll be back before you know it.'' She finishes it off with a charming smile.
He pulls his eyes up, removing the pout from his lips. ''I know, but….''
''Don't worry.'' She said in a soothing voice. ''You'll still have mother to keep you company.''
His lips jumped into a slight smile as a certain red-haired woman walked into the forefront of his mind.
''I guess you're right.'' He mumbles.
''And before you know it it'll be Christmas.''
''Christmas.'' He utters out without a single thought.
Lyra curved an eyebrow. ''Don't tell me you've forgotten about Christmas?'' After Lyra finished her sentence she moved her pale hands to her hips.
Harry shakes his head slowly. ''No.'' After starting his sentence he takes a short break. ''I just haven't thought about it for a while.''
Her stare was seemingly stuck on him.
''Are you alright?'' She questions, her voice firmer than before.
Harry tilts his head to the side by a couple inches. ''Yes? Why wouldn't I be?''
''It's just, it's just that shouldn't kids, y'know be excited for Christmas.'' She wonders, removing her hands from her hips.
''Aren't you a…?'' Before Harry could conclude his sentence he cancels it out with a wince.
''I am.'' Lyra stood up tall, somehow taller than before. ''I'm still older.''
His mouth widens, it widens to such a degree that a ball could fit in without much difficulty, but he quickly shuts it as something clacks on the floorboard behind him.
Then something clasped on his shoulder, urging him to rotate his neck around.
Lyra does the same thing as Harry, after a short, almost meaningless period of time she finally spoke. ''Mother?''
Lily's hand falls off his shoulder and lets a smile appear. ''Yes, you won't mind if I walk you out to the limbo, would you?''
Lyra stares at Lily strangely, with a raised eyebrow to boot. ''I mean… It's just outside.''
Lily's smile grows into her eyes. ''Precisely, it's just outside.''
Lyra merely shrugs her shoulder at this. ''Alright, I don't mind.''
Lily takes a fair few steps ahead until she eventually arrived at the right of Lyra. ''Let us go.'' And just like that the two of them made their way outside, and the last thing Harry saw or heard was Lily whispering under her breath, shutting the door up.
Moments turned into seconds, then those seconds stretched into dozens, then it transformed into a whole minute, and finally, a handful of those minutes arrived.
The door handle wiggled and wiggled, until Lily came into view, her bright smile still on full display.
''Now that she's gone there's something we must discuss.'' Lily's smile dropped into a straight line, telling his heart to throttle in his chest like a bouncy ball.
Harry nibbles on his lips like a hamster.
''Have I done something wrong?'' He asks, his toes curling after his voice was raised near to the ceiling.
''No, have you done something wrong?'' Her eyes dissecting like any detective worth his salt.
Harry shakes his head — like a man in a rush.
''Then there wasn't a need to ask that, was there?'' Her green eyes walk into a darker shade. ''Was there?'' She repeats, only this time in a far more forceful tone.
His head whips to the wall. ''Sorry,'' Harry mumbles so quietly that he himself hardly caught it.
Lily's eyes run into their usual lighter shade, then finally her lips shape back into a smile.
''It's alright.'' She spoke softly while her pale hands played with his hair. ''Just make sure to not do it again.''
The youngest known Potter brought his head up and down.
Her cool hand slipped off of his head of hair. ''Now that we've dealt with your little mistake.''
Harry's eyes were seemingly glued to his mother. ''Considering your sister is no longer with us we can do this without interruption.''
Gulping down a chunk of saliva down his throat.
''Even without a wand, learning this will be possible.'' Lily stares him dead in the eye. ''And this will also help you protect your secrets, our secrets.''
''What is it?'' He questioned while a little inkling climbed up from the pits of his mind.
''Occlumency.''
In the middle of an empty but clean library, Harry was perched upon one of the many chairs littered all across the long room.
The stench of the old, perhaps even ancient books sang to him.
''Mother.'' Harry finally created a noise after several minutes of silence.
''Yes?'' Lily responds almost instantaneously.
Butterflies entered his stomach, a whole set of them, too.
''You said because Lyra wasn't here we could start it?''
Lily looks at him for a dozen more seconds before continuing. ''I did.''
His hands wiggle all over the place, from all away to his lap, to even the brown but slim table.
''Why?'' He finally inquired.
Her stare was practically iced on him, eventually, Harry began licking his lips that felt as if they'd been left out in a desert.
''Now then, I believe it's time to begin your training.''
Lily pulls her body upright, straightening out her back like a ruler. ''So — what do I have to do?''
''The first and easiest step is to cleanse your mind from any thoughts until it becomes nothing but a void.'' As she spoke, a look of bewilderment crossed his face, her voice was empty, unnaturally so.
''Okay.'' He mutters before he throws his eyes to the floor, shutting them in the process.
''Forget that I'm here.'' Lily advises not even a second into it.
His body goes stiff, like a scarecrow, taking long but calm breaths, absorbing the cool air right into his two nostrils. And his beating heart approached to a sudden stop.
Slither -- Slither -- Slither
His brain roared, the fire inside, spreading like a wildfire. His eyes bulged, seemingly stitched open with a needle. His head recoiled, as if he was shot by a bullet. His skull dropped to the concrete floor. Crack. And as his lips parted a haunting screech erupted.
The floorboards creaked in tune with his heavy breathing. And a set of emeralds inspected him.
''Shall we go again?''
His eyes bulged once again, the needles back with a vengeance, too. No! No! No! No! No More! His thoughts shrieked, just as his heart pounded.
A sigh flew out of her zipped up lips, and a pair of lengthy arms snaked under her buxom chest, folded.
''Are you unable to continue.''
His breath hitches and his eyes lowered, rolling down to his clothed chest.
No! Please no! After downing a thick piece of saliva his eyes left his chest, chucking them to where they were before.
''No, I can continue!'' He said, his voice raised.
His trembling hand pushed downwards, the cold, almost freezing concrete, and he pushed and pushed until the soles of his feet touched the floor.
Lily's straight lips bent into a big smile. ''I know you can.'' A slight smile of his own pops up, only his was a tad bit shaky.
They made their way back to the table, sitting in their original position, opposite from each other.
''Now, shall we begin where we last left off?''
Both of his eyes jumped down into his hands which were situated into his crotch.
''Shall we begin?'' She repeated, her voice thick, much thicker.
Looking at Lily while his tiny hands fiddled with each other.
Lily took a breath, harsh as the wind. ''Let me ask you this one last time. Are. You. Unable.''
His head shook rapidly. ''No, I said I could do it.'' He mumbles quietly, so quietly that he hardly picked it up.
''Then why haven't you?''
His teeth snap down on his cheek.
Her eyes paused on him, just moments after she stood up from the chair.
''It looks like you're unable to continue.'' She spoke, her voice taken down a pitch or two, and her eyes, they wouldn't even face him.
Bouncing off his chair, urging it to crack down to the floor. ''Wait, Wait, Wait!'' He shouted, his words unloading like an assault rifle.
''Yes?'' She asked, her back still looking at him.
Harry takes a breath that was unusually long, even for him. And after fidgeting for a lifetime he finally answers.
''I-I can't can, I can do it.'' Lily unveils a portion of her face. ''Can you really? I don't have all day. Promise me this time.''
His lips leave each other, showing a wild gape. ''Well, can you promise me that?''
His fists move into a ball, and his two eyes strengthen, strengthened into the toughest of steel.
''I promise.'' He promises, his voice steady, steady like his eyes.
Lily reveals her whole face, and the smile, that smile returns. ''Make sure to not break it this time.''
Lily strolled back to the well-built chair, sitting on it.
''Now then, shall we begin?''
His blood was pounding into his ear, all away to his face, and a dark shade of red-stained his previously pale cheeks.
He looks at Lily one more time. I promise. His heart raced. No! Sucking the saliva down. N- I promise.
His eyes flew down, encountering the floor, taking a long, long breath, before his eyes, his eyes finally wrenched shut, for good.