Chapter Fifteen: The Truth Hurts
A rather somber and eerie feeling fell over Hogwarts that morning as everybody gathered in the Great Hall for breakfast. Normally on a Sunday morning there would be a whole bunch of excited chatter going on between the students about how they dreaded the fact that they would once again be forced to wake up early the next morning for classes.
However, that morning not even Brittney and her friends seemed to have anything to say. Tears were rolling down both Rickie's and Justin's faces as they turned to look at the Gryffindor table and realized how empty it was. Not only was Bailey gone, but there wasn't a trace of Aaron or Carly either. However, at least both boys knew that eventually Aaron and Carly would be returning,.. Bailey on the other hand would not.
"Well, maybe she'll be coming back to Hogwarts as a ghost?" Justin suggested but Rickie just simply shook his head as he sniffed and brushed away his tears before wiping his nose on the back of his hand.
"She was a believer Justin." He began. "And even though she shouldn't have lost her life at such a young age, there's absolutely no doubt in my mind that she's gone on." He told him and that's when suddenly the doors to the Great Hall burst open and Aaron was standing there barefoot and wearing his white robes.
Rickie and Justin exchanged rather worried and concerned glances before turning to look back at their friend as he hurried over towards the Ravenclaw table. "Hey guys I have to talk to you!" He cried as Rickie suddenly got to his feet.
"We already know what happened last night. Professor Flitwick came and told us about it last night." He told him when suddenly Aaron scrunched up his face in confusion.
"Wait, Professor Flitwick? How does he know about this?" He questioned before Rickie and Justin simply just turned back over to look at each other and exchanged glances before turning to look back at him making Aaron extremely suspicious now.
"Guys, what's going on here?" He questioned them. "And where are Carly and Bailey?"
"Listen Aaron, there's something that we have to tell you." Rickie began with an emotionless expression on his face.
"I know they're in the hospital wing." Aaron began before he turned back around and ran into the hallway and Rickie shot one last glance back over at Justin before turning back around to watch him leave.
"Aaron wait!" He cried before he started running after him. "Aaron!" He yelled again while finally catching up with him at the bottom of the staircase and attempted to catch his breath.
"What's with you?" Aaron questioned as he turned back around to face him.
"Aaron please you have to listen to me." He began while finally catching his breath as Aaron just simply looked at him. "The reason that Professor Flitwick knows about the incident that took place is because he was with Hagrid when it happened. He was also with him,.. when they found your sister's body." He explained before his eyes widened at the sound of his best friend's words.
That's when suddenly everything from the previous night started replaying in Aaron's mind. He remembered Bailey begging and pleading for her life to be spared, for him not to kill her,.. all right before he teared out her heart and ate it.
"I'm sorry buddy." Rickie told him as he suddenly snapped back to reality and then breathing heavily Aaron started running upstairs towards the Gryffindor common room. Once he got there he quickly ran inside ahead of another student and up to the boy's dormitory slamming and locking the door behind him before collapsing on top of his bed and starting to cry harder than he ever had before in his life.
"How did it go?" Justin questioned Rickie once he came back into the Great Hall and started walking back towards the Ravenclaw table but Rickie just simply heaved a sad sigh and shook his head.
"Not good. I'm seriously worried about him." He told him.
"Me too." Justin began. "Where did Professor Flitwick take Bailey's body? Maybe if Aaron sees her, he can get some closure." He suggested.
"I think it's the room of requirement." Rickie replied.
"The what?" Justin questioned him in complete and utter confusion.
"The room of requirement." Rickie began. "It's a very special room to appears to only those in need of it." He explained.
"Well, Aaron's certainly in need of it right now." Justin said.
"I know." Rickie began again. "But right now I think that we should just give him some time alone." He finished as Justin silently nodded his head in agreement.
Meanwhile, Aaron had finally managed to stop crying long enough to dress himself for the day and then he looked outside his window to the pouring rain that was now hitting against the glass and slowly walked over towards it and placed his hand upon it and just sadly heaved a sigh as a few more tears silently rolled down his cheek before he started to sing to himself.
"Ooh, ooh, yeah, yeah." He began softly. "Here I am so alone, I feel your ghost not too far away from me. It seems like only yesterday that we were only children, and that we both played and teased each other like brothers and sisters do." He sang before snatching his wand up from his nightstand and pointing it at the lock on the door and silently unlocking it and then stored it away afterwards while he slowly walked down the stairs and continued to sing.
"So I'm standing here left with your memory! Just looking back at all of the things that I should and shouldn't have done for you! If only I could go back and erase time, then maybe things would be different now. Although you'd still be gone, I wouldn't feel as lost." He sang before he suddenly stopped right in front of Ginger who was busily meowing up at him and rubbing up against his legs.
"Bailey's gone Ginger, so you're going to have to get somebody else to feed you from now on." He told her but she just continued meowing while rubbing up against him. "Don't you get it you stupid cat!?" He cried with tears now pouring out of his eyes again and streaming down his cheeks. "Bailey is dead and she's never coming back and it's all my fault!" He hollered before quickly running out of the portrait hole.