A/N: Thanks to my TWO wonderful reviewers. Just to clear things up- My story is really weird because it is shadowing my life, with a few changes and exaggerations. I know my story is not the best, but writing has a calming effect on me. I just decided to see what others thought by posting it.
PlumeriaGrl808-
Thanks! I tried to fix some punctuation, but I don't know if I got all of the corrections. I know that this chapter is not very long either, but it's longer than the other one and I will try to make the next one longer.
littlecreek86-
Thanks again for taking the time to review my story. And thank you for reminding me about the portrait. I know my story is not very good, and it could never be as good as yours. Your encouragement means a lot to me.
Last Time: My head snapped up. How did he know I danced? Surely he hasn't been spying on me. Maybe he went to one of my performances over the summer. I had started ballet at a muggle dancing school when I was 3. I have danced in about 3 performances a year since then. I loved dance. Whenever I dance, I feel like I could fly. I dance all my worries and troubles away. Dancing was the only thing I had left, my mom was gone, my dad was gone, and now Tasha was gone.
POV-Sophie James
When Professor Dumbledore left, I sat in silence for a while. I wasn't really thinking about anything just sitting there. After a while, I fell into a fitful slumber. Madam Pomfrey had given me a dreamless sleep potion. But it seemed my feelings over took it. I didn't dream of Tasha, or my mom, or my dad. And yet I still dreamed.
I was locked in a room, and there was no way out. It started to spin. The room began to dissolve into nothingness. I was falling down, down, down...
I awoke the next day, feeling sick. I lay in bed and stared blankly at the ceiling. Then I realized, it was my birthday. I looked on my bedside table, and sure enough, there was a small pile of presents. A pile of presents! Sure, it was small, but I had never gotten more than 3 presents a year. I took the top package and read the card attached to it.
To my darling daughter: Happy 16th birthday.
Every year since my dad left for America, he would send a present. I tore open the wrapping to reveal a rectangular box with the words "Coca-Cola Chess" written across it. I smiled to myself. Ever since I was a little girl, my father would collect anything Coca-Cola. It was obviously not wizards chess, but I preferred the muggle way better. I decided to open the next package without reading the card. When I unwrapped it, I saw a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. I looked at the card to see who sent me such an odd gift.
To Ms. James- I hope my present will make your birthday a little more enjoyable. I must say, it made my day when I tried a bean and found that it was actually a toffee flavored one. I was so pleased, I tried another one. But alas, my luck ran out. I had eaten a vomit flavored bean. I do hope that you have a wonderful 16th birthday and try to look at the flask as half full instead of half empty. -Professor Dumbledore.
The next two packages were tied together. I untied them and took the top one. There was a note scribbled across the top.
These were found among Tasha Alexander's possessions.
The top package was really a very thick card. When I opened it, there was a picture of Tasha's mother, father, and little brother all singing happy birthday to me. The was also 2 Galleons included in the envelope. The bottom package was very untidily wrapped. I saw the writing on top of the package and my heart skipped a beat. I recognized that handwriting, it was Tasha's. I quickly piled everything back on top of my bedside table, burying her present. I was not ready to see her present yet. That left me with three presents still to open. I was tired, I would open them later. And with that thought I fell asleep, and this time the dreamless sleep potion worked.
I stayed in the Hospital Wing for what I thought was a week. I lost track of time after a while. I didn't know if it was day or night, and I didn't really care. I ate and slept. I tried not to think about the people I had lost. So I lay in my bed, void of all emotion. My 3 unopened presents still sat on my bedside table.
I had but one visitor, a girl in my year. We had talked before, but we weren't really friends. She brought me some of my assignments and she said she was sorry for my loss. I tried to smile at her, but it was like I had forgotten how to do it. I didn't expect any other visitors. No one tried to make friends with me, and I didn't bother with them. I have Tasha...had Tasha... I could feel the tears build up inside of me. I couldn't cry, I just couldn't. I knew if I started to cry, I wouldn't be able to stop. Somehow, miraculously, I managed to fight off the tears.
A few days later, Madam Pomfrey kicked me out of the Hospital Wing. She said it would be better for me to have some interaction with other students. I highly doubted that, but I didn't really have a choice. Besides, she was probably sick of me. Reluctantly, I went back to the Common Room.
When I entered, the room fell silent. How they all knew was beyond me, probably Professor Dumbledore. I didn't really care. I went straight up to my dormitory and fell onto my bed.
It was the first day of term. I had just boarded the Hogwarts Express and had managed to find an empty compartment in the back of the train. I was in a very tearful mood. I had always been a kind of Mamma's Girl and I did not like the idea of leaving her for so long. I heard the compartment door open and I looked around. A girl stepped inside. She was wearing a blue dress, shiny black shoes, and a very defiant look on her face. She came and sat across from me and stuck out her hand. "Tasha Alexander," she said. I took her hand and said, "Sophie James, nice to meet you." She then began to tell me about how she couldn't wait to leave her "annoying little brother". I told her about how I didn't really want to leave.We were both very sympathetic towards each other.I knew we had just met, but from the way we could talk and joke with each other, it seemed like we had been best friends forever.She smiled at me and very slowly everything began to turn black and white.Her face began to fade away, and then I heard her scream.
I awoke with a start. I had almost completely forgotten about that day. Still, I refused to cry. I didn't know how long I could hold back tears.
The next day I attempted lessons. I only remember talking once. Professor McGonagall had asked me a question about vanishing spells. I had answered in a flat, toneless voice. My answer was vague, yet it earned 5 points towards Gryffindor.
None of the other teachers asked me anything. Perhaps they were taking pity on me, or maybe Professor Dumbledore told them to leave me alone. I figured the latter because Professor Snape didn't sneer at me once.
I went to lessons and ate. It was merely a shadow of me that walked where I should've been. I didn't know how long I could keep it up. I didn't remember a single thing from any of my lessons. Somehow, I managed to scrape a pass in my charms exam. But I didn't have anyone or anything left, so to me there seemed to be no reason to do well in lessons. I knew most people didn't take death this hard, but it felt like I had died with Tasha. She was more than a friend, she was more than family, she was more than a sister, she was my world. She was always there for me no matter what. We shared everything with each other. And now she was dead. I didn't even know how she died. I was too scared to ask.
A/N I know this chapter was completely pointless. And sorry "Tasha", your backstabbing part might come next chapter. Oh, if you read this chapter, please review. -