A/N: Finally! I know that's what you all are thinking! Sorry it took so long, but here it is! This chapter just focuses on the aftermath. Enjoy and don't forget to review!
LET GO
CHAPTER 10:
BLISS IN IGNORANCE
She wasn't allowed to attend the funeral. Dumbledore said he couldn't authorize it since she had already missed so many days for being in the hospital. So, she just watched it from her classroom window.
She could barely make out the small congregation as the snow fell outside. The people were huddled around the glossed oak coffin, some holding candles, others blood- red roses. She saw the preacher touch his forehead, then chest, left shoulder, then right shoulder. The funeral-goers did the same and, closing her eyes, so did she.
"Ashes to ashes..."
A few tears fell down her cheeks and she opened her eyes to see that they had already lowered the coffin into the ground. Three men were shoveling dirt into the grave and the congregation was slowly shuffling away. More tears fell, landing on the newspaper clipping sitting in her lap.
She looked down at the smiling picture of Jackie, who was running around in front of her newly bought shop, gesturing to a sign that said 'Grand Opening!' The headline overcrowded the minute photo.
"LOCAL HOGSMEADE SHOPKEEPER DIES IN FIRE"
Sheila scanned the article, a couple of phrases jumping out at her.
'...Cause of fire unknown... shop burnt to the ground... body found in basement... seemed to be trapped... hooded figure seen lurking outside shop just before the accident...'
Something tugged at Sheila's heart and she felt the tears welling up in her eyes again. She blinked them back. *'Why do I care? She was just a shopkeeper.'* She looked at the picture again, sighing. *'But she felt so familiar...'*
"She looks just like you, Sheila, only an older version."
Sheila jumped at the voice and turned away from the window to see Harry standing in the classroom's doorway. He walked over to her.
"I don't see why that matters..." She said.
He stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, his head resting on her shoulder. She leaned back, sighing.
"Don't beat yourself up, okay? There was nothing anyone could do."
"I know, but Hermione and I were there like 10 minutes before it happened. Maybe if we just stayed a bit longer..."
He turned her around and stared at her. She blinked and lowered her head away from his piercing green eyes.
"Look at me." He gently lifted her head up. "It's not your fault. It was an accident. There was nothing no one, not even you, could do about it, alright?"
She sighed. "Alright..." She mumbled.
"Come on. Have some fun."
"I'm not going to just forget about it, Harry."
"I didn't say that. I just don't think that you should dwell too much on it, that's all."
"I knew you wouldn't understand..."
Harry's forehead creased with confusion. "What do you mean by that?"
She stepped away from him and the window. "No, I didn't know her for that long, but in that one month I felt so... close to her. We had one of those rare, genuine connections, ya know. It felt really familiar. Like we knew each other in a past life or something... I-I..."
"You what?"
She looked at him. "I m-miss her..." She sobbed. Her knees buckled and he caught her, bringing the couple to their knees. He hugged her, stroking her hair, as she cried into his neck.
"Ssshh... Let it out... There you go..."
20 minutes passed and her sobs slowly turned to sniffles. She pulled away from him, wiping her face. "At least she's in a better place now..." Sheila snapped her fingers and a Kleenex appeared in her hand.
"Feeling better?"
She blew her nose.
"I take that as a yes..."
She gave him a small smile and he lightly clapped her on the back, pulling her closer.
"Cheer up, old chap. It's the start of Christmas vacation and I refuse to see my girlfriend so down..."
She looked at him. "What did you say?"
"Cheer up, old chap?"
She shook her head. "No, after that."
"The part about Christmas vacation?"
"The thing about being your girlfriend."
"My girlfriend?"
"Yes, that. Say it again."
He held her hands in his own. "My girlfriend..."
She smiled. "I like the sound of that..."
"Me too."
They stared at each other for a moment before Harry stood, bringing her up as well.
"Come on. Let's go down and get some breakfast before Ron eats all the powdered donuts."
"Mmm... my favorite."
"I know."
Sheila picked up the newspaper clipping and looked at it. "Hold on..." She kissed the smiling picture of Jackie, then tore it into tiny shreds. Unlocking a window, she held her hand open and let the chilled wind carry the newspaper bits away.
She caught sight of Jackie's fresh grave sitting alone atop the tiny hill. The pearly white headstone looked gray against the newly fallen snow. Sheila smiled.
"Goodbye, Jackie."
She turned away from the window, grabbing Harry's hand as she went, and walked out of her classroom, locking the door behind them.
~*~*~
Harry handed Sheila a piece of toast. She took it quietly, not meeting the eyes of the people staring at her.
"You gotta eat, sweetie."
She sighed and took a bite out of the bread, crumbs tumbling down the front of her robes.
"Happy?" She threw the toast down, jumping when Ron placed a hand on her arm.
"You okay?"
Sheila pulled her arm away and gave him a small smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired.... Didn't get much sleep last night..." She glanced at Hermione, who frowned. Sheila stood up. "You know what... I think I'm gonna go to the library... Do a little last minute studying... Big Herbology test today..."
"Wait! What about breakfast?" Hermione asked.
Sheila grabbed a donut, grinning, some white powder falling to the table. "Problem solved." She took a bite out of it. "See ya." She swung her school bag onto her shoulder and hastily left, the Trio looking after her.
~*~*~
*A FEW DAYS LATER*
"Goodness, I think this dress shrank a little since I bought it."
"Let me see it, please." Ron was sitting on Hermione's bed, flipping through a Quidditch magazine.
"Nope, it's going to be a surprise. You'll just have to wait until Christmas night like everyone else."
"But I'm your boyfriend..." He whined.
Hermione stepped out of the Prefect bathroom, pulling a tank top on. "That's beside the point. You should learn to be more tolerant." She walked over to her vanity table and started brushing her hair.
"Pff... Tolerate this, bitch..."
*THUD*
She gasped, dropping her brush and turned to see one of her pillows lying at her feet, Ron kneeling on her bed, laughing.
"Hey now, that's wasn't necessary..." Hermione threw the pillow back, hitting him in the face. "Whore..."
Ron gaped at her, then got up, pillow in hand. "That's it..."
Hermione looked at him, grabbing the pillow off the ground. "Bring it on..."
*WHACK*
Hermione got him in the stomach. Ron doubled over, coughing, but he retaliated by getting Hermione's leg, then her butt. Hermione stumbled forward.
"Hey!" She swung her pillow and Ron ducked, hearing a crash behind him. He turned and almost cried out when he saw the picture of Sheila and her father standing outside the Audubon Zoo, on the floor, the frame completely shattered.
"Oh shit!"
"Sshhh! Do you want to wake her?!" They both turned to look at Sheila. She was faced away from them, her chest slowly rising and falling as she slept soundlessly.
"She's gonna kill me if she finds it! That's the only picture of her dad she has!" She whispered.
"It's okay, Hermione. No damage done to the picture, just a broken frame." He whispered back.
Ron picked it up, snapping his fingers. The glass shards flew back into place and he set the fixed picture frame on Sheila's night table. Hermione walked over to the stand and looked at the picture in his hand.
"Her father was very handsome."
Ron threw her a look, but nodded. "He was." He cocked his head to one side. "He looks exactly like that guy in Harry's parent's wedding photo."
"Does he?" Hermione shrugged. "Which one?"
"Uh, the best man."
"Well, it can't be the same man. That guy was Sirius Black and he definitely couldn't be Sheila's father..." They looked at each other. "Right...?"
Ron handed her the picture. "I'll be right back."
"Where are you going?"
"To get Harry's photo album."
He left and Hermione sat, staring at the man in the photo. He was smiling, clutching the younger version of Sheila closer to him. She laughed and threw her arms around his waist, hugging him. Then the actions started all over again. Hermione squinted.
"That's odd..."
"What is?" Ron returned, a large, yellowish book under his arm.
"Take a look at this." Ron stared at the photo. "Doesn't it look like the man is gesturing to someone outside the picture?"
Ron shrugged. "Maybe he's talking to the person taking the picture." He sat down beside her and opened the album. He only had to flip through a few moldy pages before he found the picture of Harry's parents on their wedding day.
"Look there he is. Sirius."
Hermione gasped, holding Sheila's picture next to it. "They're identical."
"It could just be a coincidence."
She shook her head. "This is no coincidence, Ron." She threw the photo down.
"Hey, what's this...?" Ron picked up the picture and turned it over.
"What?"
"Look." He unfolded a crease, dropping the photo when it started glowing. It stopped abruptly and they both peered down at it.
It was the same as last time, except when the younger Sheila threw her arms around her father's waist, the actions didn't repeat. Instead, they kept going. The man gestured to someone and another young man walked up next to them. Sheila's father turned his head towards the young blonde and, still laughing, kissed him. The younger Sheila didn't seem to notice their actions.
"Oh, ew..."
"Ron, still think this is a coincidence?"
"Uh, possibly... Why?"
Hermione groaned. "Don't you recognize the other man?"
"No... Should I?"
She pointed to a different man in the wedding picture, then back at the man kissing Sheila's father.
"They're identical too. Get it now?"
Realization dawned on Ron's face. "Oh...! He's- Wha- Wait, this would mean that Sheila's dad is... Ugh, what the hell?!"
Hermione smiled a little at his reaction. "Exactly, Ron. What the hell?"
Ron sighed. "You reckon we should tell Sheila about this?"
Hermione shook her head. "No, not yet..."
"How is she holding up anyway?"
"She's great, I suppose, but sometimes, at night, I can hear her crying..."
"But it's been almost a week since Jackie died. You think she'd be over it by now. Ya know, moving on."
Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe Sheila felt that there was something more between them..." She sighed, getting up, and retreated to her bed, Ron following suit.
"Good night, Hermione."
Hermione looked over at Sheila's bed to see that her friend had shifted her position a little, but was still faced away. She sighed, closing her eyes. "Good night."
Sheila let out the breath she was holding, and wiped away the tears. Her stomach gave a lurch as she dry heaved, the world feeling as if it were slowly crashing down around her.
*'Just what in bloody hell IS going on...?'*
~*~*~
Voldemort set the rusted mirror down, the image of Sheila crying in bed slowly disappearing from the moldy surface.
"I see the Mudblood and Weasel aren't so stupid after all." He snickered. "Don't worry, my precious granddaughter, all will be revealed in due time..."
He looked over to where Pansy was huddled in the corner, whimpering, and nursing her bloody cheek. Voldemort grinned.
"The big night's almost here, eh, Pansy?"
She let out a squeak, but slowly nodded her head.
"Don't fuck it up for me or you'll end up with far worse than a scratched cheek, got it?"
"Y-yes, Master..."
"Excellent. Now fetch me some water. I'm a bit parched."
Pansy swiftly got up and practically ran out of the chamber. Voldemort chuckled, as Victoria stepped out of the shadows.
"Darling, do you really think we should do it so soon?"
"Yes, I do. She is half broken, we will just have to break her the rest of the way. When Pansy tells her the good news about her father, she will be ours."
"Let us just hope that the clumsy bitch doesn't fail us." As if to prove her point, Pansy came skittering into the room, drops of water spilling from the cup she was holding in her hand.
Voldemort sneered. "Yes, let us hope..."
A/N: Okay, just how bad did it suck? Hmm... who's the other guy in the picture? You'll find out, not next chapter but the one after that, I think... I think my timing's a little off as far as how many days have gone by since Jackie died... eh, oh well! Hope you guys liked it! Please REVIEW!
LET GO
CHAPTER 10:
BLISS IN IGNORANCE
She wasn't allowed to attend the funeral. Dumbledore said he couldn't authorize it since she had already missed so many days for being in the hospital. So, she just watched it from her classroom window.
She could barely make out the small congregation as the snow fell outside. The people were huddled around the glossed oak coffin, some holding candles, others blood- red roses. She saw the preacher touch his forehead, then chest, left shoulder, then right shoulder. The funeral-goers did the same and, closing her eyes, so did she.
"Ashes to ashes..."
A few tears fell down her cheeks and she opened her eyes to see that they had already lowered the coffin into the ground. Three men were shoveling dirt into the grave and the congregation was slowly shuffling away. More tears fell, landing on the newspaper clipping sitting in her lap.
She looked down at the smiling picture of Jackie, who was running around in front of her newly bought shop, gesturing to a sign that said 'Grand Opening!' The headline overcrowded the minute photo.
"LOCAL HOGSMEADE SHOPKEEPER DIES IN FIRE"
Sheila scanned the article, a couple of phrases jumping out at her.
'...Cause of fire unknown... shop burnt to the ground... body found in basement... seemed to be trapped... hooded figure seen lurking outside shop just before the accident...'
Something tugged at Sheila's heart and she felt the tears welling up in her eyes again. She blinked them back. *'Why do I care? She was just a shopkeeper.'* She looked at the picture again, sighing. *'But she felt so familiar...'*
"She looks just like you, Sheila, only an older version."
Sheila jumped at the voice and turned away from the window to see Harry standing in the classroom's doorway. He walked over to her.
"I don't see why that matters..." She said.
He stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, his head resting on her shoulder. She leaned back, sighing.
"Don't beat yourself up, okay? There was nothing anyone could do."
"I know, but Hermione and I were there like 10 minutes before it happened. Maybe if we just stayed a bit longer..."
He turned her around and stared at her. She blinked and lowered her head away from his piercing green eyes.
"Look at me." He gently lifted her head up. "It's not your fault. It was an accident. There was nothing no one, not even you, could do about it, alright?"
She sighed. "Alright..." She mumbled.
"Come on. Have some fun."
"I'm not going to just forget about it, Harry."
"I didn't say that. I just don't think that you should dwell too much on it, that's all."
"I knew you wouldn't understand..."
Harry's forehead creased with confusion. "What do you mean by that?"
She stepped away from him and the window. "No, I didn't know her for that long, but in that one month I felt so... close to her. We had one of those rare, genuine connections, ya know. It felt really familiar. Like we knew each other in a past life or something... I-I..."
"You what?"
She looked at him. "I m-miss her..." She sobbed. Her knees buckled and he caught her, bringing the couple to their knees. He hugged her, stroking her hair, as she cried into his neck.
"Ssshh... Let it out... There you go..."
20 minutes passed and her sobs slowly turned to sniffles. She pulled away from him, wiping her face. "At least she's in a better place now..." Sheila snapped her fingers and a Kleenex appeared in her hand.
"Feeling better?"
She blew her nose.
"I take that as a yes..."
She gave him a small smile and he lightly clapped her on the back, pulling her closer.
"Cheer up, old chap. It's the start of Christmas vacation and I refuse to see my girlfriend so down..."
She looked at him. "What did you say?"
"Cheer up, old chap?"
She shook her head. "No, after that."
"The part about Christmas vacation?"
"The thing about being your girlfriend."
"My girlfriend?"
"Yes, that. Say it again."
He held her hands in his own. "My girlfriend..."
She smiled. "I like the sound of that..."
"Me too."
They stared at each other for a moment before Harry stood, bringing her up as well.
"Come on. Let's go down and get some breakfast before Ron eats all the powdered donuts."
"Mmm... my favorite."
"I know."
Sheila picked up the newspaper clipping and looked at it. "Hold on..." She kissed the smiling picture of Jackie, then tore it into tiny shreds. Unlocking a window, she held her hand open and let the chilled wind carry the newspaper bits away.
She caught sight of Jackie's fresh grave sitting alone atop the tiny hill. The pearly white headstone looked gray against the newly fallen snow. Sheila smiled.
"Goodbye, Jackie."
She turned away from the window, grabbing Harry's hand as she went, and walked out of her classroom, locking the door behind them.
~*~*~
Harry handed Sheila a piece of toast. She took it quietly, not meeting the eyes of the people staring at her.
"You gotta eat, sweetie."
She sighed and took a bite out of the bread, crumbs tumbling down the front of her robes.
"Happy?" She threw the toast down, jumping when Ron placed a hand on her arm.
"You okay?"
Sheila pulled her arm away and gave him a small smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired.... Didn't get much sleep last night..." She glanced at Hermione, who frowned. Sheila stood up. "You know what... I think I'm gonna go to the library... Do a little last minute studying... Big Herbology test today..."
"Wait! What about breakfast?" Hermione asked.
Sheila grabbed a donut, grinning, some white powder falling to the table. "Problem solved." She took a bite out of it. "See ya." She swung her school bag onto her shoulder and hastily left, the Trio looking after her.
~*~*~
*A FEW DAYS LATER*
"Goodness, I think this dress shrank a little since I bought it."
"Let me see it, please." Ron was sitting on Hermione's bed, flipping through a Quidditch magazine.
"Nope, it's going to be a surprise. You'll just have to wait until Christmas night like everyone else."
"But I'm your boyfriend..." He whined.
Hermione stepped out of the Prefect bathroom, pulling a tank top on. "That's beside the point. You should learn to be more tolerant." She walked over to her vanity table and started brushing her hair.
"Pff... Tolerate this, bitch..."
*THUD*
She gasped, dropping her brush and turned to see one of her pillows lying at her feet, Ron kneeling on her bed, laughing.
"Hey now, that's wasn't necessary..." Hermione threw the pillow back, hitting him in the face. "Whore..."
Ron gaped at her, then got up, pillow in hand. "That's it..."
Hermione looked at him, grabbing the pillow off the ground. "Bring it on..."
*WHACK*
Hermione got him in the stomach. Ron doubled over, coughing, but he retaliated by getting Hermione's leg, then her butt. Hermione stumbled forward.
"Hey!" She swung her pillow and Ron ducked, hearing a crash behind him. He turned and almost cried out when he saw the picture of Sheila and her father standing outside the Audubon Zoo, on the floor, the frame completely shattered.
"Oh shit!"
"Sshhh! Do you want to wake her?!" They both turned to look at Sheila. She was faced away from them, her chest slowly rising and falling as she slept soundlessly.
"She's gonna kill me if she finds it! That's the only picture of her dad she has!" She whispered.
"It's okay, Hermione. No damage done to the picture, just a broken frame." He whispered back.
Ron picked it up, snapping his fingers. The glass shards flew back into place and he set the fixed picture frame on Sheila's night table. Hermione walked over to the stand and looked at the picture in his hand.
"Her father was very handsome."
Ron threw her a look, but nodded. "He was." He cocked his head to one side. "He looks exactly like that guy in Harry's parent's wedding photo."
"Does he?" Hermione shrugged. "Which one?"
"Uh, the best man."
"Well, it can't be the same man. That guy was Sirius Black and he definitely couldn't be Sheila's father..." They looked at each other. "Right...?"
Ron handed her the picture. "I'll be right back."
"Where are you going?"
"To get Harry's photo album."
He left and Hermione sat, staring at the man in the photo. He was smiling, clutching the younger version of Sheila closer to him. She laughed and threw her arms around his waist, hugging him. Then the actions started all over again. Hermione squinted.
"That's odd..."
"What is?" Ron returned, a large, yellowish book under his arm.
"Take a look at this." Ron stared at the photo. "Doesn't it look like the man is gesturing to someone outside the picture?"
Ron shrugged. "Maybe he's talking to the person taking the picture." He sat down beside her and opened the album. He only had to flip through a few moldy pages before he found the picture of Harry's parents on their wedding day.
"Look there he is. Sirius."
Hermione gasped, holding Sheila's picture next to it. "They're identical."
"It could just be a coincidence."
She shook her head. "This is no coincidence, Ron." She threw the photo down.
"Hey, what's this...?" Ron picked up the picture and turned it over.
"What?"
"Look." He unfolded a crease, dropping the photo when it started glowing. It stopped abruptly and they both peered down at it.
It was the same as last time, except when the younger Sheila threw her arms around her father's waist, the actions didn't repeat. Instead, they kept going. The man gestured to someone and another young man walked up next to them. Sheila's father turned his head towards the young blonde and, still laughing, kissed him. The younger Sheila didn't seem to notice their actions.
"Oh, ew..."
"Ron, still think this is a coincidence?"
"Uh, possibly... Why?"
Hermione groaned. "Don't you recognize the other man?"
"No... Should I?"
She pointed to a different man in the wedding picture, then back at the man kissing Sheila's father.
"They're identical too. Get it now?"
Realization dawned on Ron's face. "Oh...! He's- Wha- Wait, this would mean that Sheila's dad is... Ugh, what the hell?!"
Hermione smiled a little at his reaction. "Exactly, Ron. What the hell?"
Ron sighed. "You reckon we should tell Sheila about this?"
Hermione shook her head. "No, not yet..."
"How is she holding up anyway?"
"She's great, I suppose, but sometimes, at night, I can hear her crying..."
"But it's been almost a week since Jackie died. You think she'd be over it by now. Ya know, moving on."
Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe Sheila felt that there was something more between them..." She sighed, getting up, and retreated to her bed, Ron following suit.
"Good night, Hermione."
Hermione looked over at Sheila's bed to see that her friend had shifted her position a little, but was still faced away. She sighed, closing her eyes. "Good night."
Sheila let out the breath she was holding, and wiped away the tears. Her stomach gave a lurch as she dry heaved, the world feeling as if it were slowly crashing down around her.
*'Just what in bloody hell IS going on...?'*
~*~*~
Voldemort set the rusted mirror down, the image of Sheila crying in bed slowly disappearing from the moldy surface.
"I see the Mudblood and Weasel aren't so stupid after all." He snickered. "Don't worry, my precious granddaughter, all will be revealed in due time..."
He looked over to where Pansy was huddled in the corner, whimpering, and nursing her bloody cheek. Voldemort grinned.
"The big night's almost here, eh, Pansy?"
She let out a squeak, but slowly nodded her head.
"Don't fuck it up for me or you'll end up with far worse than a scratched cheek, got it?"
"Y-yes, Master..."
"Excellent. Now fetch me some water. I'm a bit parched."
Pansy swiftly got up and practically ran out of the chamber. Voldemort chuckled, as Victoria stepped out of the shadows.
"Darling, do you really think we should do it so soon?"
"Yes, I do. She is half broken, we will just have to break her the rest of the way. When Pansy tells her the good news about her father, she will be ours."
"Let us just hope that the clumsy bitch doesn't fail us." As if to prove her point, Pansy came skittering into the room, drops of water spilling from the cup she was holding in her hand.
Voldemort sneered. "Yes, let us hope..."
A/N: Okay, just how bad did it suck? Hmm... who's the other guy in the picture? You'll find out, not next chapter but the one after that, I think... I think my timing's a little off as far as how many days have gone by since Jackie died... eh, oh well! Hope you guys liked it! Please REVIEW!