Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter blah blah blah Draco's an idiot blah blah blah...
In the morning, she got out of bed quickly and stretched before she padded her way down into the common room and then to the owlry. She didn't see many people, but that was most likely the earliness of the hour and the fact that it was the holidays. She refused to think that people were avoiding her, no matter how many Slytherins smirked or Ravenclaws turned corners as she approached. It was simply coincidence.
She clutched the letter to her chest until she was standing right next to the owl, with a piece of string in her hand. She had gotten the boys a book on practical jokes and some gift certificates for Zonko's, which she had heard made excellent tricks and things. They were all wrapped together in a small brown package, and she also carried a gift for her mother.
Her mother's gift was covered in brown paper, but a tiny tear had formed on the bottom corner, showing the red wrapping paper with green ribbon that delicately held the two items together. A small picture frame was inside, with the picture of Sarah in her Hogwarts robes in it, smiling and waving. Enshrined in the paper with the photo was a long letter, detailing her days at Hogwarts and her ideas, hopes, and even a few of her dreams. It was edited, though, missing chunks of her life that she had always kept hidden from her mother. The pebbles, the taunts, the hexes that flew at her from around corners. Her mother needed to be protected from that, needed to think that her daughter lead a normal life.
Her mother needed to believe that Sarah was not a mistake.
The letter was long enough to pad the frame, keep the glass from braking on its long journey from Hogwarts to Sarah's home. She carefully placed a kiss on it and sent it with a bigger owl before turning to a smaller white owl with the twins' presents and letter. She carefully tied it all together and sent the owl on its way.
She was heading down to the Great Hall when she was stopped by Peeves. He jumped out of nowhere and startled her, forcing her to take several minutes to catch her breath as he spoke at her.
"You! You're that Sarah girl, aren't you? Sarah Hearth? The mistake? Heard the ministry tried to get rid of you, cover you up. You're not even supposed to be here. What your mother was thinking, I'll never know, but obviously there wasn't much thinking going on. You're worse off-"
Mainly in a panic, Sarah covered her ears gently and started singing softly to herself. Her mind disengaged from reality to the point where she dropped her hands and stood straight, here eyes unfocused as Peeves ranted and raved at her. She was drifting in time, thinking back to when her mother had first told her about her father.
Five years old, with a blue ribbon in her hair, Sarah ran from the front yard into the waiting arms of her mother. Tears were tracing a fragile path down her young face with tragic consistency as her rosy lips gasped for air against the sobs that held her in throw.
Her mother picked her up gently and cradled her trembling body, humming softly.
"The-they c-called me a f-f-freak-k," Sarah got out through her chocking sobs. She was working herself into hysteria, heightened only by her mother's shock at that statement.
"Why?" Her mother asked, worriedly.
"B-because I don't have a –" The last word was forgotten in a new wave of sadness, hurt, and humiliation. Only five, and she was learning to be afraid of her peers, to fear their reactions and betrayal.
"Father." Her mother filed in, a gentle affirmation of her worst fears. Sarah's sobs were renewed, and it was a few minutes before her mother could calm her down. By that time they were on their way home, walking through the park.
"Mommy…" Sarah said quietly, a seriousness creeping into her voice. "I know that I must have a daddy, I can… remember him sometimes."
Her mother was shocked.
"But you never-"
"I know, mommy. I never met him. The thing is, sometimes I know people before I see them. Like I always knew them. So I know I have a daddy, but he doesn't know I even exist."
"Oh, honey…" Now her mother's eyes were filling with tears, unable to lie to her daughter and comfort her.
"It's okay, mommy. I know he can't. But still… Mommy… can you tell me about him?"
Her mother paused before deciding that she owed her daughter that much, at least.
"He… is very intelligent. His mind is a wonderful place, and he will remember anything he's ever read. He's handsome, and the kindest person you'll ever meet." Her mother's eyes were fogged over, her mind off in another time, when she had first met Sarah's father.
"…But I'll never meet him." Sarah concluded, her eyes clear and sad. Her mother scooped her up into a hug, comforting Sarah.
"Mommy, I know that he can't meet me, but why can't I meet him?" She asked, the question making perfect sense in her own mind.
"Just as you're… different… he is too. Just in a different way." Her mother was trying to tell her about him without giving away too much information, but it was difficult.
"Like he's a vampire or werewolf?" Sarah asked, excited. Her mother stiffened, then relaxed when she saw that Sarah was too young to realize how close she had come.
"Almost," she said, hugging her daughter before placing her back on the ground.
Sarah was started to reality when a shock of red hair hit her. It bowled her over and into the floor. She let out a yelp as another bit of red started throwing hexes at Peeves, who was laughing hysterically as they had no effect. He zoomed off when George (for the red was both Fred and George) threatened him with the Bloody Baron.
She stood up, rubbing her head and disregarding the hand that Fred offered to help her up.
"What are you two doing here?" she asked, happy, but with a bittersweet taste in her mouth. Now they would find out, and they would hate her.
"Well, we were tellin' mum about school, and you came up, and then we mentioned how you were staying here over holidays, all by yourself-" George started.
"So she got all mad about how we were leaving you here, and told us to come back. So we did." Fred finished.
They helped her back to the common room, where they all took a seat around the fire.
