A/N: I don't own Harry Potter
This is for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Writing Club January
Fabulous World of Comics: 30 - (Plot point) a child surviving some kind of traumatic event
Showtime: 7 - The Butterfly - (action) Flying
Amber's Attic: 13 - Hela: Write about someone either fearing death or finding peace in it.
Scamander's Case: 27 - (plot point) healing/helping someone recover
Lyric Alley: 17 - When I'm not around
Word Count: 833
Warning: Suicidal thoughts and themes
She had to escape, had to get away. The idea that she'd done it, that she'd been behind these attacks. The thought made her sick. She'd even tried to get rid of the diary. It was back. It had come back. There was no escaping it, no escaping the charming man who had written her back, who had been her confidant for nearly the whole year.
No, he wasn't charming. He was horrible, he was... he was evil! She pushed the tears from her eyes as she climbed the stairs, her legs ached as she pushed herself higher and higher. The astronomy tower was the tallest. It had to be, to be closer to the stars. She wanted to be close to the stars. They seemed so far away now, everything was so far away.
Her family would never understand. Could they even forgive her for what she'd done, who she'd let in? She was a murderer, never mind the fact no one was actually dead, not yet. She yanked the door open and stepped into the open air. The wind swirled around her. She twirled, her skirt flaring around her legs, her hair flying around her head. Red, for a moment all she saw was red.
She pulled the diary from her pocket. It looked so innocent, just like any other book. She threw it over the edge. She watched as the pages fluttered in the air. It landed with a soft 'thud', she could barely hear it. She thought she might have imagined it. The book wasn't destroyed. Nothing could destroy it. She'd tried. Merlin, had she tried. She'd tried water, fire, stabbing it with a quill. Nothing. It fixed itself, continued existing, continued making her into a monster.
She had to free herself of it, of him. Her heart pounded as she took a step closer to the edge. Her skirt flew up to nearly her waist. She hoped they would forgive her. She'd written a letter, they'd find in the morning, after it was too late. She explained everything. She explained how she would never be free of him, how he made her do things, how he controlled her. The tears kept falling as she took another small step. The stone crumbled under her foot slightly. She leaned over, looking down. It was so far down.
The diary was a black and white speck. She closed her eyes. She didn't want to see it as she freed herself from it, from him. She took a deep breath and stepped over the edge. The air whooshed around her. She slowly opened her eyes. Her arms were spread, as though she was flying. Flying, she would never do that again. She could see the ground coming towards her. Would it hurt? Would dying hurt?
For a moment, she wished she could stop, just go back to before she'd even gotten the diary, before she'd been forced up here in an attempt to escape. Impact was closing in. She closed her eyes. She didn't want to see the ground. Suddenly, it all stopped. She was still in the air. She could feel the wind around her, but she wasn't moving, wasn't falling. She was floating. She opened her eyes as she was slowly lowered to the ground.
"I've got you, don't worry. I've got you, sweetie," a voice stated. Ginny burst into tears. She was saved, she was condemned. She could never be free. Slowly, her savior came into focus. She stared at him. She didn't know him.
"My name is Theo, what's yours?" he asked. She stood there, frozen. How could he have stopped her, didn't he know what she was? She was a monster.
"Ginny," she whispered. "Why? Why did you stop me?"
"I don't know what happened to drive you to do that, if it was an accident, but Ginny, death is never the answer."
"It is, it's the only way I'll ever be free!" she screamed. He wrapped his arms around her as she pounded against him. He held her as she sobbed, buried her face in his shoulder. He held her as her legs finally gave out from exhaustion.
"I'm here, it's going to be alright. What do you need to be free from?"
"Him! He's in there," she whispered, pointing to the diary. "It's dark and dangerous and I can't... I've tried...everything."
"Professor Snape will know what to do, if not him, than Professor Dumbledore. Come with me back inside, Ginny. It's freezing out here. Let's get some cocoa, take this to an adult? Will you come with me?" he asked. Ginny nodded slowly.
"Don't let go of me?"
"I won't, Ginny. I won't," he promised, leading her inside. She wondered if one of the professors would be able to do something, to destroy the diary. For a moment, a brief shining moment, she felt hope. Theo had caught her, he wanted to help her, maybe, there was a chance, she might be saved after all.