Chapter Fourteen: Best of Friend
"Now, now, Krystal." Professor Dumbledore said. "Why don't you go to Madame Pomfrey? She'll give you something to help you sleep tonight. Roxeanne, you may go, too, if you wish. We'll search for Harry tonight. You should know though, that we'll be questioning you tomorrow morning."
"Yes, sir." I replied, at a loss for words. I turned back to look at where Harry's body had been. "I'm sorry." I whispered again.
"Come, now." Professor McGonagall spoke up. I nodded and Roxeanne followed me. I felt her staring daggers into my back.
"Good going." Roxeanne whispered.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, puzzled.
"I saw you kill him!" She hissed. I gritted my teeth and began massaging my temples. I felt a horrible migraine coming on.
"I'll tell you later, okay?!"
"Whatever."
"This way, ladies." McGonagall pointed us to the hospital wing. "I have to speak with Madame Pomfrey. Go sit there for now." We nodded and followed her instructions.
"Well?" Roxeanne said in an impatient voice. "What happened, then?! I saw the letter!"
"Okay... I'll tell you. I'll tell you everything, alright?" She nodded. "It started the other night. Harry and I went to the owlry and somebody took him. I couldn't really see anything." I continued the entire story, including when I met Sirius, when I got the letter, and what happened in the 'orb'. "I don't know if you heard while you had that... personality... but Lucius told me he didn't have his wand. So, I thought I'd kill him while I had the chance. I pointed the spell towards him, Roxeanne, I swear. Harry jumped in front of me right after I said the spell." I finished the story, looking down with tears in my eyes.
I looked up at Roxeanne again and I wasn't sure what she was thinking. After almost six years of our friendship I found myself feeling very awkward with this new type of silence. It wasn't an understanding silence or a sad silence. It was a silence where we both were actually at al loss for words. I didn't know what she was thinking and I doubt she could ever know the things going on in my mind. We just sat there. She finally spoke up.
"Why should I believe you?"
I gaped at her. "Because this is me! Damn, Roxeanne! Why would I want Harry, my boyfriend, dead?! This is ME! You've got to believe me! You just... have to!"
"I want to believe you, Krystal. Really, I do."
"But you don't..."
"I can't."
"I don't get it. Don't you trust me? Seriously - we've been friends for how long now? Six years?"
"I know but I just -"
"You just WHAT?"
"Nothing..."
"Tell me."
"I know what I saw, okay? I saw you kill Harry. How can I believe what you're saying when I saw just the opposite?"
"Because you were brainwashed! Or something like that... I don't know what it was exactly. I told you how you were. I mean, yellow eyes... growling and... you were scary, Roxeanne. You both were."
"Which would just give you another reason to kill Harry! If not me!"
"ROXEANNE! LISTEN TO YOURSELF!" I said, practically shaking her by the shoulders.
Roxeanne slowly sat down, not looking at me. "Oh my God. Oh. My. God. Krystal... Krystal do you see what's happening here?"
"Er..."
"Draco! Draco's doing this all! He's been planning this for... God only knows how long! It's his fault Harry's dead and now look. Now... we don't even have his body and you and I are going at each other's throats about whether or not you killed Harry! You! I'm sorry. I- I don't know why... HOW I could think you killed Harry... YOU! I don't know what's wrong with me lately... I'm so confused. I just feel like... ever since that fight with you and Harry, you and I haven't been as close. I know it's true. We haven't. I feel like you don't tell me anything anymore... you don't trust me. You didn't talk to me while you and Harry were fighting. You didn't tell me about the letter in Harry's handwriting and you didn't tell me that Harry was missing. I had to find all this out on my own and I want to know what's happening between us!"
I sat there, once again, at a loss for words. My throat felt dry and scratchy. "Roxeanne..." I cleared my throat and spoke again. "Roxeanne... I know." I hugged her and everything felt okay again. She understood... she really did. Or maybe, she just seemed to understand. I wasn't sure and I don't think she was either. "I'm sorry. I don't want us to grow apart. I know I haven't told you everything that I could've but I thought it was for the best! I mean, would you really have wanted to know that Harry was missing and was nowhere to be found? Would you really want to know that his body was lying in some hallway?" I asked her, my voice starting to crack. "I didn't even want to know! I didn't want you to feel what I was feeling. I didn't want anyone to feel what I was feeling because I never felt so horrible before."
"It was worse not speaking to you about it than not knowing about it. I've always talked to you... about everything. And, it hurt when I realized you weren't telling me everything."
"I'm sorry."
"I am too."
"For what?" I wondered.
"Not believing you... Friends?"
I smiled. "Best friends."