Chapter Two

"So why don't you eat breakfast in the dining hall?" I inquired, sitting on the enchanted lounge that Harry had extended.

"Have you ever tried their bacon and egg specials?"

I shook my head, sipping my orange juice.

"To save money and time, they transfigured a pig into cooked bacon, not properly of course so each time someone attempts to eat it, the bacon squeals and oinks. Their hens can't lay eggs so the chef steals them off wild Cocktrices, which are green and let off a foul smelling gas and I guess you don't want me talking to you about their orange juice…" Harry exclaimed.

I would've thought he was joking but the seriousness in his tone made me believe it.

"No jokes?" I stared up at Harry, he wore baggy blue jeans and a black muscle shirt that really worked on him.

"Nope. Wizards honor." He replied holding up his right hand mockingly.

"Then I guess I'm glad you're a god cook then. Say where did you learn to cook?" I smiled, watching Harry put down his orange juice.

"At the Dursely's, that's my aunt, uncle and cousin, they hate everything about magic, so they hate me. I guess they kind of made me into some sort of servant, like a house-elf." Harry said thoughtfully, chewing some bacon.

"Really?" I blurted out before I continued eating.

"Yeah." Harry muttered bitterly, I noticed he was staring at me intensely and Harry wasn't moving.

"What do I have egg in my teeth or bacon on my cheek?" I demanded furiously, brushing one hand over my face, checking for anything that should've been in my mouth.

"No that's not it." Harry chuckled before continuing.

"Why did you scream Parvati?" he inquired quietly, his eyes locked with mine.

"Bad dream." I replied just as quiet as he was. We stared into each other's eyes, silence embodied us.

Was he going to believe me? Does he see through my mask? I mentally slapped myself for even opening up to Harry in the first place.

"How about we find Padma?" he whispered, slicing through the silence.

"Sure."

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Yes! Look guys! The Silver Firebolt is out now!" Ron shouted over the bustling crowds.

We were in the Quality Quidditch Supplies Store. Hermione, Ron, Padma, Harry and I were supposedly looking at the Firebolt's better update.

"Shit Ron have you seen the price on this thing?!" Harry yelped, another little child had stepped on his foot.

I decided to stare off into the other shops rather then watching two seventeen-year-old guys drooling over a pile of twigs.

"Harry! Ron! Hello anybody in there? Look since you can't afford it, why bother looking at it? Come on let's get some ice-scream." Hermione ordered, pulling both Harry and Ron over by the ears.

"Hermione has anybody told you, you sound like our mother?" the Weasely twins chimed, joining the group.

"I can't stand this! I'm going!" I shouted but nobody heard me. I guess no one hears you when you're invisible.

I left briskly, Padma was having too much fun with Ron and his friends to be disturbed by my complaining.

After wandering around Diagon Alley aimlessly, I made my way back to the Leaky Cauldron and back to my box.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

I sat there, painting with gentle strokes. No one bothered me, Padma probably hasn't noticed I'm gone yet either and finally after hours of painting, I had finished. I studied the painting carefully, leaving no corner examined.

The portrait was of a girl, well a shadow of a girl, and around her were all her problems and troubles, they almost appeared to be suffocating her. 'Alone, invisible, cold, empty' were just a few that embraced her. I somewhat thought this was kind of like a self-portrait because in the shadows, just like in my dream, there were two figures. They were pointing at the struggling girl.

My fingers traced every area of the painting, the paint was soft and dry, I had used an artist's spell to dry it quickly. Tears slipped through my closed eyes as I remembered my dream, the pain and the past. More tears fell openly onto my top as my hands finally stopped lingering on the portrait and dropped to my side.

I eventually decided to transform the painting to life, like all the paintings in Hogwarts, tapping my wand onto the portrait, I saw the girl struggle against the words, the two figures moaning and pointing as the words changed to different shades of grey.

My breath quickened as an infinite amount of tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Who is it?" a voice whispered, slinging their arms around my shoulders softly. Tilting my head slightly, I saw who the voice belonged to.

"Why is there no one helping her?" Harry whispered, handing me a tissue he accio-ed over.

"Because no one knows…" I replied, more tears falling but as the tiny drops of water fell, the tissue absorbed them.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Parvati? Parvati? PARVATI?!" murmured an annoying little voice.

"Don't worry, this will wake her up!" another giggled as they muttered a spell.

Suddenly I felt litres of water rush down on me, but the water wasn't warm, it was freezing!

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" I screamed, opening my eyes to see Padma, Ron, Harry and Hermione laughing and rolling on the floor like some sort of insects. A few drops still lingered on my eyelashes as I scowled at the people who were laughing at the situation, who were laughing at me.

"Why couldn't you shout in my ear like normal people do? Or maybe shake me a bit?" I coughed, some of the water had slid down my throat causing me to choke.

Finally they got up and grinned sheepishly at me, I couldn't help but glare at them even more that I was.

"We did and you still didn't wake up so Padma suggested we pour water on you." Ron shrugged, acting as if nothing happened.

"It didn't have to be cold water!" I protested, watching the interaction between my evil twin and Harry's best friend.

"Well it was. Anyway, we're going really soon to the London Station, for you know, the Hogwart's Express, so you better get changed and be ready." Hermione sighed, I guess nobody else picked up the annoyance in her voice.

That girl is getting on my nerves…

"How about this: You guys leave so I can finally get changed? I'm freezing to death here." I hissed, getting out of my drenched bed and ushering them all out.

Thank Merlin they woke me up, that horrid dream keeps coming back to me!

But didn't you want them to leave you alone? You know they're all so nosy!

Shut up!

In the end I decided to pack and changed into a tight black hoodie jumper with casual army green pants. I couldn't care less for fashion today, actually I think I've gone off fashion completely. I summoned my box, I shrunk my painting and hid both in my trunk while I grabbed my Discman, laughing when I remembered when I got last year.

FLASHBACK

"Merry Christmas Parvati!" Hermione squealed, handing over the small box wrapped in gold and red paper.

"What is it?" I inquired, studying the present carefully.

"It's a Discman. Here I'll show you how to play muggle music…"

END OF FLASHBACK

Dragging my trunk downstairs, I exited the Leaky Cauldron, thinking of ways to not see my parents this year.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Parvati! Oh my God it's been like totally forever!!!" my best friend, Lavender Brown shrieked. She was hugging me so hard that I was suffocating and my bruises felt like they were on fire.

"Hello Lavender. It's nice to see you but can I breathe?" I choked, pulling myself out of Lavender's embrace.

"Yeah like okay!"

Even though Lavender was my best friend, she still is such a ditz.

"So. Did you have a Holiday Fling?!" Lavender giggled, sitting down on the compartment seat opposite me.

"I had none." I said bluntly, looking at the window.

"What?!" she whispered, looking somewhat like a stunned mullet.

"None." I repeated slowly.

"Oh. My. God. Parvati Patil, what's happened to you?! I like totally hooked up with like several guys in the first three weeks!" Lavender gasped, fiddling with her hair.

"Look, Lavender, why don't you go find some guys like Seamus or Dean?" I sighed, staring out the compartment window.

It didn't take Lavender long to decide who she was going to accompany for the rest of the trip.

"Okay then bye!" and with that, my 'best-friend' skipped off to annoy some other poor person.

I pity any guy who Lavender meets… she's so damn perky and ditzy…

Sighing, I opened my trunk to reveal layers of school clothes and supplies. I slipped my hands in to find what I was looking for.

After minutes of unraveling and searching, I came across my 'Discman' and CD case. I smiled, selecting a muggle's song called 'Beautiful' by Christina Aguilera and turned it right up, drowning all of the shrieks, chatter and reuniting that seeped into the compartment. Closing my eyes carefully, I listened to the music's slow and reassuring voice as it eased the pain. Gradually, I slipped into an uncomfortable sleep.

Don't look at me Every day is so wonderful
And suddenly, it's hard to breathe
Now and then, I get insecure
From all the fame, I'm so ashamed

I am beautiful no matter what they say
Words can't bring me down
I am beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can't bring me down
So don't you bring me down today

To all your friends, you're delirious
So consumed in all your doom
Trying hard to fill the emptiness
The piece is gone and the puzzle undone
That's the way it is

You are beautiful no matter what they say
Words won't bring you down
You are beautiful in every single way
Yes, words won't bring you down

Don't you bring me down today...

No matter what we do
(no matter what we do)
No matter what they say
(no matter what they say)
When the sun is shining through
Then the clouds won't stay
And everywhere we go
(everywhere we go)
The sun won't always shine
(sun won't always shine)
But tomorrow will find a way
All the other times

We are beautiful no matter what they say
Yes, words won't bring us down
We are beautiful no matter what they say
Yes, words can't bring us down
Don't you bring me down today

Don't you bring me down today
Don't you bring me down today

-Christina Aguilera's song "Beautiful"

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

I woke up to the sound of my Discman beeping.

"Damn, batteries dead." I grumbled, removing the headphones from my ears.

"Well at least we didn't have to pour water on you this time!"

I turned to see Harry grinning at me, like some idiot who's won the Wizard Lotto.

"You didn't have to last time either…" I yawned rudely, standing up to stretch. Without giving it a second thought, I pulled my arms above my head and Harry jumped in shock from the sight that he saw.

"What the hell happened Parvati?!" he hissed, his voice edged with worry. I remained silent under his stare.

It couldn't be! The famous Harry Potter is actually worried…about me!?

"Please. Let me have a look…please?" Harry pleaded, advancing closer to me.

Why does he care? I thought wondrously, staring at his puppy-dog face, slowly giving in.

"Fine. Let's all look at Parvati then…" I groused sarcastically, slightly lifting up my shirt to reveal the marks.

Harry's eyes lingered on the bruises silently, as if he was pondering something quite perplexing.

"Was that girl, in your painting… you?" Harry whispered, brushing the scabbed cuts with his fingertips, they felt like a soft wind flowing passed the wounds.

"There you are Harry! We've been looking for you everywhere! Oh, hello Parvati." Hermione interrupted, entering the compartment followed closely by Ron, Dean Seamus and Neville.

"Um hey guys…hi Hermione." Harry nodded to each of them who returned the greeting, Harry shifted uneasily.

"Hi…" I mumbled, dropping my shirt to hide my scars, cuts and bruises from Harry's friends.

"How were your summers?" Harry inquired to no one unparticular. I thought he just wanted to stop the awkward silence that arose when they barged in, not bothering to knock. Stupid, dim-witted people…

All of a sudden everyone around me began yelling at Harry to tell him about their two-month holidays. The noise continually rose, like a stampeding herd of animals coming closer. I was shoved carelessly into the corner of one side while the merry group of friends chattered loudly. I was invisible, like always. I thought I would get used to being alone, cold and shunted away, but I'm not.

Like previous times over the summer, I turned to the little song that kept me waiting for my angel to come and save me.

"Even when your life crumbles

Even when you want to die

Just don't give up

There's no need to cry

Tomorrow's another day

Soon your angel will come

And make things right

It'll protect you forever

Hold you throughout the night

So don't give up

Hold your head up high

Your angel will be there

Every time you cry…" –Your Angel by Shadow Silver Wolf.

No one heard me sing, no one saw me wipe away my tears and as I got up, I thought no one saw me leave.