Willow lost track of time in that dark room. She had her watch, but it didn't glow in the dark. She was blind to anything and everything. The occasional conversation between two students would reach her ears, but she didn't even try to call for help. No one could break her chains. And those weren't the physical chains.
She had given up one of her most precious memories, let someone else see it. It wasn't precious, really, just top secret. There were only a handful of people who knew about it, and it was all her family. Now Quirrel and Voldemort knew. She wanted to throw up.
Actually, Willow did throw up a few times, the side effects of the torture charm. She was left trembling from it, very shaken both physically and mentally. Her state of mind couldn't revive itself like usual. She was cut off from all of society. Maybe Quirrel was right; maybe she did deserve to die alone in the dark.
No, don't think that way, Willow scolded herself. Self-pity won't get you anywhere. I can't think like that now. Only positive thoughts are allowed, or maybe productive thinking.
Since positivty seemed far from possible, Willow went with the latter, combing through everything Quirrel had said that sparked her mind. There was something about her that was baffling them, and it apparently was linked to her shape-shifting and the memory of her mother's incident. What was the connection? No matter how hard she tried, nothing came to mind. It was two things so distantly related that Willow thought being in her head was the only thing that connected them. Why did Quirrel need them? What was so special about them?
They had said something about the One. Willow knew that everyone called Harry the One, the Chosen One, the Boy-Who-Lived. But this was completely different. Willow didn't even know who Harry was at that time, so Quirrel couldn't be talking about him. Why would they think she was called the One? She wasn't special, except for her powers, and those didn't make her any more special than Ron or Hermione in her mind. They were just something she was born with. But they were very important, according to the voice lady, since the fate of the world apparently rested on keeping the knowledge of her powers from Voldemort and Quirrel. Could they be talking about someone else? Was the One...him? The other person in the memory? The only other male besides her father?
Willow's mind shut down when she tried to think of him. No, it was still too painful. Her mother's incident seemed to have taken place years and years ago, but his death was still as fresh as the scab trying to develop on her re-opened wound. It was a knife to the heart each time her mind wandered to him. He was her best-kept secret of all time, the best memory of her childhood. But he had been taken away from her, and along with him, Willow's happiness. She had worked for a long time to pick herself back up again. If she told anyone else about him, she was afraid she would break down again and not be able to rescue herself from that dark pit she had found herself in two years before. His memory was the reason she had taught herself to not show emotions. His memory is what drove her to insanity. His memory is what drove her to improve her life and the lives of others around her.
He was everything to her.
But no one was allowed to know about him.
Willow wiped the tears off her face, despite the smile that had formed. He brought so much good to the surface, so much pain, so much...everything. Thinking about him taught Willow how to feel again. She missed being able to have some alone time to express her emotions freely. Being on the brink of death gave her one last chance. She couldn't think of anyone better to remember while she died.
Willow wasn't afraid of death. She had never been one to fear that cloaked figure reaching out a hand to her and taking her to the afterlife. To her, it was another adventure reserved for the elite, and she hoped to one day be one of those elite. The thing that scared her about death was if it took her friends before their time had come. They were all very young, and she cared about them as if they were her siblings. She would do anything for them, seeing as she was going to die trying to prevent them from having to face Quirrel and Voldemort. If they died young, before they even had a chance to live a semi-full life, Willow would be swallowed up with grief the same way she was after her mum's incident. She could take pain, as she had seen with her torture session (although the aftermath hadn't gone too well). But the pain of her friends' loss would be too much. She would probably die of grief shortly after and unintentionally join them, causing others even more pangs of loss. She didn't want that to bring that on anyone.
Willow fell asleep a few hours after her back had stopped bleeding. She didn't know how long she slept or how much time had passed, but to her it was a little lighter in the room when she woke up. Even her advanced senses couldn't detect anything that would tell her the time of day. She sighed, immediately wishing she hadn't, because her throat was extremely sore from all the screaming she did. Everything was sore, actually- her back, her ribs, her head, her heart. Yes, her heart was sore. Not physically, really, as one cannot feel a sore heart, but Willow could easily imagine it being bruised from the amount of emotional distress she had been in. Going through all of that was particularly painful on her heart. Her mind wasn't foggy anymore, but she could feel a thrumming, steady beat of pain in the back of her head, where she had fought Quirrel the hardest.
Willow sat bolt upright, ignoring the pain it brought. Had Quirrel succeeded? Where was he? Where were her friends? Had they finally put the pieces together and tried to stop Quirrel in his attempts? Of course they would, they were smart. Quirrel wouldn't have acted so worried about them ruining his plans otherwise. Or would he? Willow couldn't separate the truths from the lies. Was that just an effect of the Crutiatus Curse, or because of Quirrel's confusing statements?
No more questions, Willow told herself as a jolt of pain ousted her back into what was left of reality. You're only going to give yourself a headache. There's no good in asking questions that won't get answered.
Willow tapped her foot, recoiling it when she felt the strained muscles. She had to keep herself occupied. She couldn't think about how dehydrated she was already, couldn't contemplate how much longer she would survive, couldn't think about anything negative. There had to be a different subject she could pick to think about.
Instantly, her mind skipped to the happiest thing is could think of: her friends. Willow remembered all the way back to the beginning of the year, when she was just learning how much magic there really was in the world. She thought about the first person she had met, Harry. They were both in Diagon Alley for the first time, with virtually no knowledge of the magical world, both sharing the same thoughts and feelings. She and Harry both had no clue why everyone was practically worshiping him, and strangely, it was what started up their friendship, that mutual feeling of not knowing anything about themselves or the wizarding world. He had been like a brother to her ever since.
Her mind flitted to living at the Burrow for a few weeks. Summer was drawing to a close, but opened up new opportunities for friendships with the Weasleys. They were such a wonderful family. Molly was like the mother Willow no longer had, loving, caring, strict when necessary, running the house like clockwork. That woman was pretty much one of Willow's few idols. Ginny was a great friend to her, and she hoped to become better friends through the rest of her schooling career at Hogwarts if she made it out of there. Percy was kind of a stuck-up brat, but Willow could see some good in him. After all, with a mother like Molly Weasley, he was bound to come around at some point. Ron was an emotional but uplifting friend, loyal to a fault, always ready to jump to his feet and defend his friends. Then there were the twins, as fun as they were overprotective. The few weeks Willow spent with them at the Burrow was enough to tell her that they were going to be great. They became her mentors for the majority of her first few months at Hogwarts, showing her secrets that Willow would have spent a lifetime trying to find. Her chest warmed as she realized how awesome it was that they trusted her with these secrets. They really were the best examples she could look up to (aside from skipping class, of course).
There also was Paige and Lee, friends of friends until Willow warmed up to them. Lee was rather ridiculous at times, always looking for a way around things he didn't want to do, but Willow liked him all the same. He stirred things up and made things interesting around the castle. Life would be rather boring without his Quidditch narrations. Paige was the most unique girl Willow had ever met. She was more tomboyish than Willow, which she still had a hard time believing, set in her ways, stubborn, uneasily moved, and grumpy, but also street-smart, brave, caring, forceful when it comes to taking care of her friends, and enduring. Paige was beautiful in every way, Willow thought. She was able to switch her mood on a dime and go from grumpy to playful in less than one second. Willow hoped that she could break down Paige's walls a little more each day if she got out of her situation. That girl had a lot she was hiding, just like Willow. She wanted to know everything, and in return Willow promised herself that she would spill everything if that meant getting the weight off Paige's shoulder.
There was then her little group of Ravenclaw friends and Oliver. Sue had been hiding for so long behind her mask. She was so uncomfortable with being herself in front of others, had zero confidence. Willow was glad she found her. It may have been sudden and kind of too fast for Willow to process at the time, but she was able to help and get to know Sue day by day, and eventually Sue came out of her shell. The real Sue was beautiful. She was still shy, of course, but that didn't stop her from answering every question thrown at her in class, speaking with her Japanese accent, opening up and sharing cool things about her with her friends, and bringing her culture into her dorm. Willow was beyond ecstatic at the progress Sue had made. Soon, she would be completely comfortable with herself. Sue would always be shy, and Willow was okay with that. All five of them were shy. It wasn't a flaw in them, as it actually helped them notice things about other people to prepare for conversations they might build the confidence for later.
Speaking of flaws, Willow wished desperately to see Lisa one last time and tell her that she should have confidence in herself. Lisa always thought she was full of flaws and mistakes, but she was perfect to everyone else. Willow had seen her countless times checking her reflection in a mirror, making sure her makeup and clothes were perfect, her expression worried and miserable at the same time. That girl always looked like a goddess. She was as smart as Hermione, maybe even smarter. Willow wished she could instill confidence in that girl. She was perfect, and just because she was a little overweight didn't mean she had to worry about her body so much.
Mandy was the complete opposite of Lisa, which was the main reason they were so close, Willow figured. She was so obviously different from everyone else that most people couldn't understand her. The first thing Willow always noticed about Mandy wasn't her bright red hair, but the content expression on her freckled face. She was always one hundred percent confident in being herself. She couldn't care less what people thought of her or her actions, and Willow admired her for that. Mandy was her own self and refused to change for anyone. Willow hoped she would stay that way forever and maybe rub off on Lisa and Sue.
Oliver's striking green eyes appeared in her mind's eye. They were always swimming with so many memories and emotions. Willow had always wondered about him before they became friends. She could constantly see the battle going on beneath the surface, wishing she knew what it was, only knowing how deadly it could become. Oliver had opened up a lot for being as shy as he was, but he had a lot more talking to do if Willow ever got the chance. He had been through something awful. Willow knew it. She just wished she knew what so that she could help him get through it. He was suffering on his own, trying to push everything down and away, but by personal experience, Willow knew that only made the problem attack with more intensity the next time. She wanted to talk him through everything, no matter how long it took. He deserved that. She was his best friend, and he deserved everything she could give to him. Oliver was so innocent, so untouched, so pure-hearted. When he was happy, the whole world lit up in a smile. Willow wanted to put a smile on his face forever.
The memories of Sally and Samuel came to mind. She remembered it like it was yesterday, sprinting up and down the hill to save their lives, discovering her healing powers, getting to know them a little better. Although she hadn't become best friends with them, she was grateful for getting to know them, wishing that she had more years ahead of her to become closer with them. They had never told her the full story of how they had gotten to Hogwarts. She was okay with that, expecting them to keep that horror story of their mum's evil to themselves. They would open up one day. Willow could feel it. She only wished that she could be there to brush the tears from their unique green-brown eyes.
Hermione was, at first, the kind of girl Willow didn't care for very much. She was smarter than Willow and acted like a know-it-all. But eventually, Willow started to see past that. Hermione simply didn't know how to act in the wizarding world, how to be smart and courteous to others. Willow could relate, having struggled with the same problem in Muggle school for years. They bonded quite quickly after that. Together, they watched the boys make fools of themselves, dealt with roommate drama, and tried to get each other into as much trouble as possible at times. Hermione's bushy hair bouncing as she happily strolled down the halls was imprinted on Willow's memory. She would never forget how many times they competed in class, all the fun tutoring sessions they'd had with the boys and their roommates. Hermione was the kind of loyal friend Willow would never forget.
Her roommates had been a loud, interesting bunch. None of them were the same as the other, but the amount of insanity that they drove Willow to was the exact same. They had begged to dress her up, encouraged her to step out of her shell, always been there to "help" her. Honestly, Willow would spend all of her time with them for the rest of her life if it meant seeing them again. They had become another one of her little families. She had never had other girls want to be as actively participating in her life as Lavender, Mia, Fay, and Parvati did. It was refreshing and overwhelmingly amazing all at once. They were there through thick and thin, and though they were the complete opposites of her, Willow loved them all. They had become the sisters she had never had. She secretly liked the semi-girly side they brought out in her, especially when they forced out the fact that she fancied Neville. No matter how many times she would have to tutor them, no matter how many more times they fought over doing her hair, Willow would love them just the same.
Finally, there was Neville. Sweet, sweet Neville. Willow had a feeling that she would end up fancying him sooner or later from the first moment she met him, which was helping him down the slope to get to the boats. He had always struck her as that kid that would clumsily stumble through life. Neville was literally stumbling through life, being the klutz he was. He struggled in school, was afraid of a lot of things, and was constantly belittled by Slytherins. Willow loved a lot of those things about him, though. It's what differentiated Neville from the rest. His mistakes made him more adorable each time he made them. Willow cracked a sad smile, seeing his cute, freckled, round face clear as day. Neville had asked the hat desperately to put him in Hufflepuff, but the hat had placed him in Gryffindor. Willow knew why. The hat never lied, and it had made the right choice. Neville had joined in during the fistfight, probably knowing that he was going to lose, but doing it anyway and getting knocked out. That was courage to stand up for himself and his friends. Neville had come searching for them when he heard about Norbert, in the middle of the night, when he was the most afraid, and tried to save them from Draco. That was bravery to risk getting himself in trouble to get others out of trouble. Neville was much more than anyone knew. Willow didn't easily fancy people, and she knew that it would take someone special to win her heart over. Neville had done it. No matter what anyone said, he was special.
All of her friends' faces gathered before her, smiling at her, waving goodbye. Willow waved back, now in a delirium. They told her encouraging things, whispering thanks for what she had done. A happy tear fell down Willow's cheek. They had forgiven her for the things she'd done to them, the things she would die before she could do for them. Maybe dying wasn't so bad after all.
It was slightly darker in the room at this point. Willow wondered if it was night again. That would mark the second night- she thought- that she was stuck chained to the wall. She remembered the locket sitting around her neck, cold as ever, yet warm with happy memories of the woman whose picture was in it. Grace had been a good mother. She never ignored Willow, always being ultra attentive to her needs. Of course, she spoiled her a little bit, but never let Willow get away with things she shouldn't. Grace had taught Willow appreciation for everything she had. Any moment that could be turned into a teaching moment was. Willow had never been yelled at, instead talked through what she had done, why she had done it, what had been wrong, what had been right, and what should be done in the future. Although Willow knew she would never be able to have children, striving for a job like her dad's which would keep her too busy for them, she hoped that she had achieved becoming as good of a person as her mother used to be. Her heart warmed even further with the happy memories, loosening her chest. Maybe she would be able to change her mother as her guardian angel once she died. She could do that, couldn't she?
Willow ended up falling asleep with a smile on her face, despite the situation. Her friends visited her in her dreams, weaving in and out of memories, falling further and further away from life. She wasn't afraid. Willow was ready to greet death with open arms. By the time she woke up, she was disappointed to still be stuck in the dark room. The chains were heavier than they had been yesterday. Or was that her imagination? Willow couldn't separate reality from her mind anymore. Not that it mattered. She would soon be gone from this world, free to help and watch over her friends as she pleased. It sounded like such a good alternative...
All of a sudden, Willow's ears picked up footsteps in the corridor outside. Her heartbeat picked up once more. Was this a dream? Was this all in her head? The footsteps came closer. They sounded urgent, as if they were running. Were they coming for her? She didn't want to give her hopes up. The footsteps came even closer than before, the turnover now a sprint. She tried to call out, but her tongue was heavy with dehydration, blocking her ability to speak. The footsteps were right outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. They stopped, then continued on, walking calmly now. Had they passed her? What was going on? Was someone coming to rescue her? Was this all in her head, a figment of her imagination? No, it couldn't be. She would never dream of being rescued, would she?
"Alohamora!" a gravely voice shouted.
The door opened, and a dark figure stepped through the doorway, coughing in the wake of the dust he had stirred up. His black robes were unmistakable. Willow attempted to stand up, falling to her knees instead, pulling on the chains. Professor Snape rushed over to her, casting a few quick spells to release her. Willow fell forward, trying to lift herself up but ultimately becoming too weak to lift herself up. Professor Snape grabbed her arms and yanked her to her feet.
"Miss Guerrero, you have to stand," Snape said, the worry not completely masked in his voice. "Professor Quirrel has been taken care of. Your friends alerted me to your being missing. You can thank them later."
Willow tried to walk, making it out of the doorway, but collapsing into a desk, her strength sapped by her hunger and thirst. Was she really being rescued? Was she not going to die? Her head was spinning; she couldn't concentrate on anything anymore. She couldn't hear Snape clearly anymore. Willow felt her knees give, but didn't feel herself hitting the ground. Everything was a blur. She felt herself being risen into the air. Was she dying? Actually, had she just died? Was she going to Heaven?
No, she was not dead. Snape was actually carrying her rather quickly through the hallways. Willow saw him walk past a teacher, who gasped and ran into her office. Then they were going in circles. Willow thought he was spinning her around, making her dizzy on purpose, but eventually realized in her foggy mind that they were going up stairs. Snape was nearly running by that time. Willow was fading fast. She could feel her spirit rising, leaving her body, creating a path for her soul to follow on its way to Heaven. Was she going to die?
One minute, Willow was looking at the ceiling of a corridor, and the next, she was staring at Madam Pomfrey as she rested on a bed. Professor Snape was slowly backing away, worry and horror etched into his face. Then, he whisked himself away. Willow weakly raised her hand to try and call him back, but he did not hear or see her and was gone. Her heart dropped into her stomach. She felt strangely attached to him now, her savior from death. That was the only thing running through her mind. She was not dead. Snape had saved her from the brink of it.
Madam Pomfrey's voice came floating into her ears. "Drink this, Willow."
Willow watched as Madam Pomfrey raised a cup to her lips, then, recognizing water within it, greedily lapped it up. She repeated this several times, never getting more than a few sips at once. Then, Willow's vision started to fade again.
"Willow, stay with me," Madam Pomfrey commanded. "Don't you die on me!"
But Willow could not stop the darkness. It encroached on the edges of her vision, slowly but surely, until only a tunnel was left, then pounced, swallowing her whole. Taking her in its clutches, Willow imagined death flying away with her soul in his hand. She was gone.
It felt like only a few heartbeats had passed when Willow began to open her eyes again. She wanted to keep them closed forever. Just when she had given up on life, Snape had saved her, restoring her will to live, and Death instantly took her. Now, she didn't want to be dead, didn't want to simply watch her friends for the rest of her life. Why did she have to die?
But Willow opened her eyes, guessing that she might as well meet the afterlife head-on. She blinked several times, a very bright light shining in her eyes. Was this what everyone saw when they arrived in Heaven?
"She's awake," a voice said.
That voice. Willow knew that voice. Was it someone she had known?
"Willow, sit up."
Suddenly, the light toned down, and Willow was back in the hospital wing. She looked around, confused. Why was she back at Hogwarts? Was she a ghost now? Willow glanced down, seeing that her skin was solid as always. Pinching herself, Willow realized it wasn't a dream. What was happening?
"Willow, I said sit up."
Madam Pomfrey's serious face appeared in front of Willow, commanding her to do as she was told. Willow sat up slowly, fearing what would happen to her if she didn't. She stayed very still while Madam Pomfrey scrutinized her.
"Welcome back, Willow. You're lucky to be alive. A few more hours and you would have been lost to acute dehydration."
"W-what?" Willow stuttered. "Why are you here? Isn't this the afterlife? I'm dead, aren't I?"
Madam Pomfrey shook her head. "No, Willow, you're alive. You're back in Hogwarts. You were slipping away, but I managed to revive you in time. Congratulations on escaping death yet again."
"T-thank you," Willow managed to say, not knowing how else to respond. Madam Pomfrey clearly wasn't happy with the amount of times Willow had been in the hospital wing.
A loud bang sounded on the door. Madam Pomfrey sighed and hurriedly opened it, muttering something about how impatient teenagers are. The moment she twisted the handle, the door burst open, and in rushed three familiar third-years.
"Willow! Ron!" Fred and George chorused, immediately rushing to the space in between Willow and where Ron was peacefully sleeping next to her. Paige was right behind them.
"Willow! Oh my God, you absolute idiot- you almost died- I saw Snape carrying you through the corridor- Pomfrey wouldn't let me in- you scared me to death- oh, that's insensitive you almost died, sorry-"
"Paige," Willow cut in, her voice hoarse and soft. "It's okay."
"No, it's not okay! You almost died again, and it's all because of the same thing as last time! It's all because you have to tackle problems alone, you have to face down people because 'you have no other options', you have to not tell anyone what you're doing! Willow, we could have lost you, you almost died, God only knows what Quirrel did to you-"
"Paige, relax! She's alive!" George interrupted.
"Leave her alone for a second!" Fred said.
Suddenly, the most incredible thing happened. For the first time ever that Willow had seen, Paige burst into tears. The twins' jaws dropped to the floor, and Willow's eyebrows rose in shock. She could tell Paige was trying to hold the tears back but couldn't.
"You almost died," Paige sobbed. "I can't lose you. You're too important to me now, much more than I ever told you."
Paige wrapped her arms around Willow and cried into her shoulder. Willow felt a lump form in her throat, too, and hugged her back. The twins slowly backed away and pretended they were visiting Ron.
"Paige," Willow began. "You're more important to me than I ever told you, too. It's okay now. I'm not going anywhere."
Paige let go of Willow, stopping her tears with a great effort and wiping her eyes. "I know, I know, it's just- you scare me sometimes, you little mierda, you know that?"
Willow smiled. "You learned that just so you could curse at me in Spanish? I'm offended."
"Good. That was my goal."
"Hey, I won't tell anyone you have emotions," Willow promised. "We won't tell anyone either of us do."
"Agreed. Hey, you two," Paige said, coming back into her old self as she called out the twins. "You do realize that if you tell anyone about this you die, right?"
"Yes ma'am," the twins agreed quickly.
"Alright, that's been five minutes, both of you, out of here!" Madam Pomfrey ordered.
The twins scrambled out before Pomfrey could punish them, but Paige stayed a moment longer, staring at Willow with a new sparkle in her eyes. She leaned down and pecked Willow on the cheek.
"Stay safe for me, will you?"
"I'll try," Willow said.
Paige left the room and Madam Pomfrey slammed the doors behind her. Although she walked farther and farther away, Willow felt her connection with Paige grow stronger with each second, knowing that the moment they had just shared, that mutual understanding of what one another wanted to say without saying a word, would remain in their memories for a long time.
Willow was quarantined to her bed for the entirety of the day, and the next. Madam Pomfrey absolutely refused to let anyone in to see her. She kept claiming that she needed rest to regain her strength. Willow simply rolled her eyes, but didn't object, knowing that her body was completely trashed and actually needed a few more days to recuperate. Ron woke up on the second day and was allowed to leave after an extensive check-up by Madam Pomfrey. Harry was the only one that remained still asleep, laying still as a statue except for the slow rise and fall of his chest. It was awful lonely without her friends to cheer her up.
"Madam Pomfrey, can you please let them in?" Willow begged when her roommates tried to break down the door for the fifth time.
"I'm sorry, Willow, you need the rest!" Madam Pomfrey repeated.
"But I feel better now! See?"
Willow swung her legs to the side of the bed, itching to move. Madam Pomfrey looked ready to blow a gasket when Willow started walking towards her, feeling good but heavy-legged. A small idea formed in Willow's foggy brain.
"Madam Pomfrey, can I try running yet?" Willow asked.
"Good Heavens, no!"
"Try to stop me!" Willow teased, starting to jog towards the other end of the room. Madam Pomfrey gasped and marched after her, leaving her post beside the door. Willow started regaining the feeling in her feet and ran a little faster, keeping a far distance between her and Madam Pomfrey. She couldn't catch Willow until she stopped at the very end of the long room.
"What do you think you're doing?" Madam Pomfrey demanded. "Get back in bed at once! That's enough of this nonsense! I know how badly you want to run and see your friends, but you have to get healthy first!"
Willow shrugged, a mischievous smile on her face. "Okay!"
Madam Pomfrey stared, dumbfounded, while Willow hopped back in bed, bouncing on it a couple times just to torment her. Her energy levels were finally back to normal.
All of a sudden, a huge boom! shook the hospital wing, and the doors came flying off their hinges. An army of Willow's friends came streaming through them, heading straight for Willow's bed, ignoring the indignant pleas of Madam Pomfrey.
"WILLOW!"
"YOU'RE ALIVE!"
"WE MISSED YOU!"
"WHAT HAPPENED?"
"Guys! You have no idea how much I missed you," Willow exclaimed, hugging each one of them in turn.
"We told Professor Snape that we hadn't seen you in a few days, so he went off to see where you were, and apparently he's disappeared into his office for the past day!" Lavender explained.
"We've been so worried!" Mia said. "You're never gone that long without an explanation!"
"There's been a lot of rumors flying around." Willow realized it was Dean speaking, with Seamus standing right behind him. That was nice of them to show up, Willow thought. "Something about Quirrel and you."
"The same thing is happening for poor Harry," Sue said. "Everyone thinks they know exactly what happened, but some of the stories are getting pretty wild. I'm going to wait for him to tell you and you to tell me before I believe any of it."
"What actually happened to you, Willow?" Neville asked.
Willow swallowed. "Um...I may have done something stupid."
"Well, it isn't the first time," Mandy snorted. "What could be worse than your near-death experience with the troll?"
"Another near-death experience," Parvati guessed.
"Yes, another near-death experience, to sum it up," Willow agreed.
"Willow, you know how we feel about your vague explanations! DETAILS!" Fay demanded.
"Okay, okay, I'll talk!" Willow said, putting her hands up. "But be warned, it's rather...intimidating."
"Trust me, we'll be fine," Sally said. "Speak already!"
"So, for starters, I discovered something terrible," Willow began. "I'm sure you've heard most the of the story already, but I'll set it straight for you. Sorry, you're going to have to deal with me saying You-Know-Who's name. Quirrel was working with Voldemort, and somehow Voldemort decided he was going to coexist with him on the back of Quirrel's head, underneath the purple turban. Don't ask me how I figured it out. Long story short, he attacked me while I was serving detention in the Forbidden Forest, and a lot of puzzle pieces from throughout the year came together. I figured it all out. There was only one problem: I didn't have a person to go to about it. Without evidence, I was left with one choice to stall him, which was to confront him about it. I was hoping to keep him occupied longer than I did so that when you guys sent out a search party for me, you'd get Quirrel, too. But that didn't work out too well. I provoked him, and we ended up dueling, but I lost when he put the Imperius curse on me. He chained me up in that storage closet attached to his room and tried to get information out of me. The curse wore off, I tried to make it seem like the curse was still working while misleading him, then I blew my cover, and Quirrel...well, Voldemort ordered him to use the Crutiatus Curse on me."
All of her friends gasped, and a great torrent of "I'm so sorry, Willow," and "How did you manage that?" flooded her ears. Willow waited for them to fall silent once again to continue.
"It was awful, to say the least. He tortured me for quite some time. Eventually, he entered my mind, and I pushed him out, but the ceiling collapsed, which made him angrier, and he ended up getting into my mind. That was even more torture than the Crutiatus Curse if you ask me. After he was through with that part of the torture, he had one trick left up his sleeve."
Willow paused, swallowing. So far, she had enthralled her audience enough to cover up the slip-up about him entering her mind. Even Madam Pomfrey was listening, stricken. No more secrets could be revealed. She'd had enough forced out of her to last a lifetime.
"Quirrel called me a blood traitor, said I belonged with scum, and snapped my wand. Then, he laughed in my face and said he was going to kill Harry, Ron, and Hermione before they got the Stone and bring Voldemort back to power. I was stuck in the room until a few days ago when Snape brought me here."
Her friends stared at her in a stunned silence. No one even blinked. Willow's eyes flickered from person to person, hoping that she didn't see any signs of rejection or disbelief. Thankfully, none of them seemed to dismiss her story as bogus. They were simply shocked at how much Willow had gone through. At last, something unexpected happened.
The three shyest people in the room, Oliver, Lisa, and Samuel, stepped closer to Willow and wrapped her in a hug. Willow blinked. What just happened? Then, one by one, all of her other friends wrapped her in a hug. Willow was nearly moved to tears. Here were some of the least likely candidates to understand what she had gone through, and they were offering her emotional support, all because she was their friend. Some of the people in the group hug didn't even know each other's names but were hugging each other anyway. What had Willow done to deserve all these wonderful first year friends?
"Willow, next time, give us a heads up when you're about to do something dumb," Samuel said. "There's strength in numbers. We're all here for you, and I think I'm speaking for everyone when I say that I'd travel halfway across the world if that meant helping you."
Everyone murmured in agreement. Eventually, Madam Pomfrey removed everyone from Willow's bedside, telling her that she needed to be able to breathe. Willow stood up to chat with the large group of first years. It was refreshing to have a normal conversation with good people after the lengthy one she'd had with Quirrel. That conversation was more of a yelling match, riddled with lies, trying to lead Willow down the wrong path and make her think that she could do good things by defending her purebloodedness. She was fully aware of her declaration to stand by the opposition to Voldemort and hoped that her words would haunt him forever.
Apparently, the exam scores still hadn't been delivered, but everyone was nervous that they hadn't passed. Willow wasn't surprised, though. With as much tutoring as they'd requested from her, they must have not paid attention a to a single word any of their professors had said all year. They were cutting it close with relearning all of Potions a few nights before exams. Sally and Parvati were fairly quick learners and tried to help the others, but they were kind of busy helping themselves. They were all crossing their fingers for a good grade.
An hour passed, then two, and Willow hardly noticed it at all. Madam Pomfrey kicked everyone out when the lunch bell rang. Everyone left in a hurry, but not before saying goodbye to Willow and giving her a bone-crushing hug. Dean and Seamus stayed behind for a moment.
"We have a message from Paige to deliver," Seamus said. "By the way, you're welcome for busting the gang in here. That was my idea. I have a gift for pyrotechnics."
"More like you have a gift for blowing things up in you face," Dean remarked, earning him a punch in the shoulder. "Anyway, Paige said that if you want to keep your life, she suggests sneaking out tomorrow afternoon and meeting her on the quidditch pitch," Dean said, winking at her.
"Tell Paige I'd be glad to keep my life," Willow said, shaking her head.
The boys nodded, then evaded Madam Pomfrey's swatting them away and raced off to lunch. Willow wished she could join them. Instead, she went back to bed, exhausted from her time with her friends. She fell asleep within a few minutes and for once, didn't dream at all.
Willow got to talk to Harry the next morning. He recounted his conversation with Dumbledore, which gave rise to some more questions in Willow's already full head. Harry was feeling nearly as antsy as she was, but he was more willing to stay in bed, about a day behind Willow recovery-wise. Madam Pomfrey was strangely trusting of the two and left them alone in the hospital wing for most of the day. Big mistake. Willow chatted with Harry for a long time, but the minute the bell tolled to signal the end of lunch, Willow apologized profusely to Harry and zoomed out of the hospital wing, enjoying the feeling running gave her. Her back was still sore, of course, as was everything else, but the feeling of freedom was so good that it overruled everything else. No more chains, mentally or physically. She was free today.
By the time Willow made it out to the quidditch pitch, she was panting pretty hard. Paige was already waiting, and a few other familiar faces were, too, in front of an even more familiar frame.
"Where on Earth did you get that soccer net?" Willow asked in astonishment.
"Oh, never mind that," Paige said, waving the question away. "I forgot to tell you something about myself Willow. Remember how I play pickup soccer in London? Well, I forgot to mention that I play with all ages, and these are a few of the rascals that I share the field with."
"Wait a second, you two play soccer and you didn't tell me all year?" Willow asked the Smith twins, throwing her hands up in the air. "What gives? I'm a soccer maniac!"
"Looks like we all forgot to tell you something," Dean chuckled. "I call playing with Willow! It's twins versus the tall people!"
"Hey, are you calling us short?" Samuel complained.
"Yep, he definitely is," Paige said, grabbing a soccer ball. "It's 2v2, street soccer rules! Don't kill each other's shins, because I don't feel like explaining that to Madam Pomfrey. Play!"
Willow jumped right into the action, enjoying the surprise. They laughed, kicked each other in the shins on purpose, connected some good passes, and had the hardest time scoring on Paige, who was a much better goalkeeper than she let on. Of course, Willow found her weakness halfway through and started scoring, which earned her a few balls smashed into her face, but she laughed every time. Dean was actually a very good soccer player. He had all the advantageous characteristics- height, muscle, skill, soccer smarts, field vision, quick feet, and fitness. Willow was glad he was on her team instead of against her, or she would most definitely be outmatched.
Sally and Samuel were very good soccer players as well. It was probably something they had grown up together doing, similar to how Fred and George grew up pranking together. Soccer is an emotional game, and Willow used it as an amazing stress reliever, confidence builder, and happiness mechanism. The Smith twins probably used it to escape their awful home life, the same as Paige. It was a game that people bonded over, and Willow was glad to be able to play the game that evening, freeing herself even further from the events of the past. She forgot all of her worries as she played, faking people out, dancing with the ball at her feet, streaking towards goal; it was the most beautiful combination of feelings Willow could ever feel at one time. She loved soccer, and the game loved her back.
A few minutes before they were set to end the game, the clouds that they hadn't noticed moving in opened up and poured on them. They paused, glanced at one another, sharing the same idea, then reached down and put mud streaks across their faces, giggling as they did so. The game continued with them slipping and sliding everywhere on the slick grass. Willow had always called the mud on her face warpaint. It usually intimidated the other team when she slid in the mud and covered her face with streaks of it, another one of her more brilliant tactics. To her, it was all part of the fun. She loved everything about the sport.
"Alright, game's over! I can't see anything," Paige said, wiping the rain out of her eyes only to have another bucket of water dumped on her from the sky.
"Me neither!" Samuel laughed, picking up the soccer ball.
"OOH! Let's jump in the lake!" Sally suggested.
"Why?" Dean asked, confused.
"Why not? We're already soaked! Besides, it's fun! I'll race you guys there!" Willow exclaimed.
The five of them sprinted to the Black Lake, almost equal in speed. Willow came in last place, mainly due to her exhaustion from her injury, Sally won, Samuel was third, Dean came in fourth, and Paige second. They didn't care, though, and jumped straight into the lake, making a huge splash. Willow cast her senses around to make sure nothing dangerous was coming for them. The nearest thing that might be a threat was meters and meters and meters away in the deepest part of the lake. Even the Black Lake seemed to want them to have a care-free afternoon for once. Still, Willow made sure everyone stuck to the shallows.
"You've still got it, Paige," Dean commented. "I think Willow figured you out, though."
Paige scoffed. "She quickly learned not to test me."
"I think I won't be learning anything soon with the concussion you gave me," Willow joked.
"Well, I still think Samuel was an awful defender," Sally teased, getting splashed from Samuel.
"You're an even worse forward!"
"Oh, come off it, and everyone agree that we're all good players," Dean said. "You all did great."
"Thanks, Dean, you're really good too," Willow said.
"We're all good- except for Samuel," Sally said. Samuel sighed and splashed her again.
"You know, that was really fun," Samuel said. "Do you think we'd be able to find each other over the summer? Our mum intercepts all of the owls we try to send and burns the letters if she doesn't like them...she doesn't like much..."
"Of course, Samuel," Paige said. "I've found you every summer, before I even knew you were a wizard."
"That's true. The only problem will be Willow trying to find us," Dean said.
"Oh, don't worry, I have a knack for finding my fellow soccer players," Willow said. "I'll just find Paige first, and she can take me to where you play if I somehow fail to find you."
"Sounds good to me," Sally said. "Hey, look, a rainbow!"
The rain had stopped. Clouds were beginning to move away, but they were still dropping plenty of water for the sun to create a beautiful rainbow. It stretched across the sky and ended in the Forbidden Forest. Willow wondered if it was resting on the Wiggenwood Grove.
"Miss Guerrero, get back in here at once! Don't try to hide, I've already spotted you."
Willow's spine froze. She slowly turned in the water to see Professor McGonagall marching towards them. The five quickly removed themselves from the Black Lake and instinctively placed Willow in between them all.
"Oh, quit trying to hide her, she's not in trouble," McGonagall said. "Madam Pomfrey is throwing a fit, but I've convinced her that you're fine, especially since you were playing soccer only a few minutes ago, were you not?"
Willow nodded, trying not to smile triumphantly. Professor McGonagall could be strict, but she could be the most understanding person Willow had ever met, especially towards Gryffindors like herself that broke the rules for good, not bad.
"Professor Dumbledore seeks a word with you. If you could dry yourself off, I would be happy to take you to him."
"One second, then," Willow said. Cupping her hands around her mouth, Willow shouted, "IRIS! Bring Achelous, please!"
The tawny owl made an appearance over the Owlery, then swooped into a window of the Gryffindor Tower, and finally dove towards them at the speed of a bullet. Iris dropped the Puffskein into Willow's hands, then landed on her shoulder, twittering in anticipation.
"Sorry, I don't have any treats for you," Willow apologized. "I'll give you some tonight."
Iris chirped, annoyed, but waited patiently while Achelous slowly made his way all over Willow's clothes, absorbing all the water and licking up the droplets. It took a few minutes, but at length, Achelous sat atop Willow's head, soaking wet and happy as a clam. Willow patted him, promising extra scraps from the feat, and allowed Iris to whisk him away. When she finally glanced at her friends again, they were staring at her in complete awe.
"What? I'm close with my pets. They listen well."
"Apparently," Paige said.
"Well, now that you're dry, let's get you to the Headmaster," McGonagall said, breaking up the awkward moment and leading Willow up to the castle. She turned to wave goodbye to her friends real quick, thanking them, and followed Professor McGonagall. She made her way up several flights of stairs, her weariness encroaching on her ability to keep up with McGonagall. Willow was thankful that the final stairs to take her to Dumbledore's office moved on their own.
"Ah, there you are, Willow," Professor Dumbledore said when she arrived. "Have a seat, have a seat."
Professor McGonagall went back down the stairs, leaving Willow alone with Dumbledore. Willow sat down in front of the wizened old man, marveling at his golden spectacles, which completed his Headmaster look. She swallowed, wondering what he had to say to her this time.
"Don't worry, I do not have anything to say about your powers," Dumbledore began, as if reading Willow's mind. "I've summoned you here for a different reason. Two things, actually. The first order of business is a single plea. Please, Willow, do not go looking for trouble alone anymore. It's not safe for you to do so. You have plenty of friends who would be willing to accompany you, and those very friends would ask of you not to go when it is foolish to do so. Listen to them, Willow. You are very important, in more ways than one."
Willow nodded, knowing that this would not be the last time she would hear something like this. Nevertheless, she would try to do as her Headmaster requests, because she really did need to listen to her friends more.
"The second order of business is this."
Dumbledore opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out her broken wand. Willow swallowed hard at the sight of it, still hearing the sickening snap of each fiber as Quirrel slowly broke it in the back of her head. Dumbledore must have noticed, because he shut the drawer again.
"Your wand is broken, as you know. It is unfixable. But no wand is irreplaceable."
Willow glanced up, hope rising in her heart. "I'm sorry, Professor, but am I hearing you correctly that I can get a new wand?"
"Of course, my dear Willow," Dumbledore chuckled. "How many wands do you think I went through at your age? People change throughout the years, Willow, and along with them, their wands. As Olivander says, the wand chooses the wizard. Several wands can match a single wizard throughout their lifetime. Your wand was probably going to start disobeying you in the near future, anyway. A wand that no longer matches the wizard will not respond normally. Go to Olivander's as soon as you can. He has already received a payment from us and knows to look for you soon."
Willow's spirits soared. She was going to keep attending Hogwarts. She could still do magic! Quirrel hadn't destroyed anything but an old piece of wood with magical properties, the way she saw it. Willow did have a bright future ahead of her. She was just too blind to see it!
"Have a good afternoon, Willow, and do enjoy yourself at the feast tomorrow," Dumbledore said.
"You too, Professor!" Willow sang as she exited the office.