Wearing a Scarf in Summer

The Daily Prophet

May 20, 1997

Dumbledore Dead

Albus Dumbledore was murdered, writes Rita Sketer, daily prophet reporter, last night at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Deatheaters had penetrated through the once safe walls of Hogwarts. The Deatheater responsible for finishing off Headmaster Dumbledore, was none other than Severus Snape.

Snape was a convicted Deatheater, before Dumbledore testified for him, clearing his name and letting him teach at his school. Snape, the former Defense Against the Dark arts teacher has not been captured. If only Albus Dumbledore would have placed his trust in more worthy hands.

August 13, 1997

I coughed. Katherine was smoking a-who-knows-what as we sat on the brick wall that separated the orphanage courtyard from the rest of the world. I coughed again. Katherine stomped out her smoke. "That was my last one," she told me regretfully. "Who knows when I can get another?"

"Sorry," I said absentmindedly. She punched me playfully. I hardly knew Kat, but we were the only two orphans over the age of fourteen, so we stuck together.

"Hey, Lex," she sniggered, "take off the scarf, it's freakin' hot out here." I tightened my Gryffindor scarf around my neck; I needed to know that it had really happened.

I don't know why I even bothered coming back here. I was an adult in the wizarding world. Well technically I was. But if I didn't come back here what would I have done?

There is a feeling, or lack of, that comes over you when there is nothing left. It is kind of like being hollow or numb. Sometimes I think I might lose my mind. I want to feel something. I twisted the golden ring on my finger. Why do I still wear this thing? I should have chucked it or given it away or something. But I couldn't. Why would I still hang on to something that that murder gave me?

At first I had felt really betrayed and so angry. Then I hated myself for ever trying to make him like me. Then I stopped eating and then after that the numbness came.

"Don't look so glum," Kat said. "We'll be out of here before you know it." That is what Kat always talked about, leaving the orphanage. She then went in to her usual long speech, describing her plan for after she turns eighteen. She is nearly of age and it couldn't be coming fast enough, Kat has lived here for sixteen years.

"Cindy," a voice called out. I looked up.

"Yes," I answered. Lucy Jenson was walking towards me.

Lucy was the niece of the matron, and she had a part time job here. She was a year younger than I was and thought it was extremely funny that she could tell me what to do. She called me Cindy, because she never bothered to remember my name and I stopped caring enough to correct her.

"Cindy, my aunt wants to see you in her office right away," Lucy said bossily.

"For you information, Stupid," Kat scolded her. "This," she pointed at me, "is Alex, not Cindy, Alex."

"Why do I care," Lucy said pointedly? "Usually I just refer to her as the loser with the scarf." I sighed completely uncaring that I was being insulted.

"She has all right to wear that scarf." Kat told her. "So why don't you just fuck off and go pop that huge zit on your forehead."

"UH!" Lucy screamed as she flipped her hair dramatically and skulked off.

"Thanks," I said to Kat. "But, you didn't have to do that."

"It was my pleasure," she said. "I've want to tell her off for ages." She paused and smiled at me. "But she does have a point about the scarf, though."

I give her a half hearted smile. "I'm not going to stop wearing it."

"Fine by me, but you need to start defending yourself, because I'm not always going to be there, you know?" I didn't say anything. "Come on, you better go to Ms. O'Dell's office before you get in trouble."

I nodded and we walked there together.

"I wonder what she wants with you," Kat said more to herself then to me. "Did you do anything you weren't supposes to?"

"No," I answered. "I don't think so."

"Well, of course you didn't." she laughed. We reached the door of the matron's office. "Go ahead, and I will wait for you here."

I nodded. "Okay." I knocked twice on the door.

"Come in," said the soft voice of Ms. O'Dell, the matron. I entered. When I did, she came straight up to me and gave me a tight hug. "Oh sweetheart," She said stroking my hair. "I'm so happy for you."

"Excuse me?" I asked, struggling out of her embrace.

She took my face in both her hands forcing me to look into her startlingly blue eyes. A smile was spread across her round face. "It is all going to be better now, Honey."

"Better?"

"He's come for you, Alex. You don't have to live here anymore. Your cousin has come for you." I felt my heart drop into my stomach. My eyes slid to one corner of the room and there he was, lurking, waiting.

Dear Readers,

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P.S.

I will post the next chapter soon.