"Katie?" she asked uncertainly through the dim light of the Ravenclaw Common Room. She was so sorry that they ever fought, so eager to apologise.
She climbed upstairs so surprisingly slowly - why was she going so slowly? - To their dormitory and she smelt strong putrid blood spreading through the thick, foggy air and flies that she could not see, for her vision was limited, were buzzing thickly in her ears and they were apparently everywhere.
She pushed open the dormitory door, though it took an eternity to open. Horror struck her as Katie's neck was sliced open, knife in her hand. Blood was pouring down both the knife and dripping onto her wrist and the blood carried on to flow out of her neck as it flowed down her shoulders. Helena screamed out in sheer terror, yet she could not hear that supposedly ear-splitting scream…
X
She woke up, panting. She felt something hot and sticky between her legs. She slipped her hand down her pants and felt the liquid stuck to her Vulva. She withdrew her hand. She saw blood.
"Fuck," she exclaimed. She got out of her bed and saw it went through her pyjamas and onto the bed sheets.
"What's up?" asked Katie, in a tired voice, apparently stirred from the harshness of the tone of Helena's vulgar speech.
"Dude, I'm peeing blood!"
"What-" she sat up and looked. She laughed. "Oh that's your period, it happens."
"My what?" said Helena with a confused expression.
"Didn't your mother-"
"My mother died when I was six years old, thank you very much," she replied coldly, also embarrassed of how little she actually knew.
"Here, let's get you sorted, then I'll explain."
So they cleaned up the mess (not to mention that Katie made her put on a period pad).
Katie sat her down.
"Okay, when a girl reaches a certain age, she begins to mature. She gets pubic hair and armpit hair. Her boobs grow and she begins to produce eggs and once every twenty-eight days, the egg and uterus wall breaks down during a three to seven day period. The Vagina then builds up a new uterus wall and releases another egg, unless the egg is met by sperm-"
"Sperm? Uterus? Egg?"
"Sperm is the male sex cell. It comes out of his penis."
"Penis?"
"Never mind, you won't be playing with it. A uterus is a place inside the vagina, where the fertailised egg embeds itself and grows to be a foetus and is born as a child nine months after fertilisation. The egg is the female sex cell."
"Oh... ok."
"You still don't get it do you?" stated Katie.
"Not really, but I'm fine. Well not really. I had a dream that you slit your throat. The blood was everywhere. It was really horrible. Then, I woke up."
"Why did you dream that?"
"Oh, I don't know, maybe because I'm bleeding out of my Vagina."
"Yes, I know," said Katie impatiently. "But why did you dream that I did it? It could've been anyone."
"But you're the person I hold most dear to my heart, Katie. It was a dream and my mind assumed the worst possibility. And I never did apologise for earlier, and I'm sorry I treated you like that. You deserve so much better."
"It's ok, Helena, really. I shouldn't have made a big deal out of it. It's your life and your choices, so you get to choose what you believe in."
"I think it's extraordinary how we're two different people, opposites even, yet we get along with each other and love each other without second thought. I just never thought it was possible for something to happen like that."
"I admit Helena, I never thought that I would love someone the same gender as me. Yes, love has many forms but it shouldn't ever be forbidden for anyone."
x
"How's it going?" asked Katie.
It was breakfast and Helena couldn't keep her mind off of what happened.
"Okay, I suppose. I feel a little embarrassed, though," Helena admitted.
"That's completely fine. And natural. I mean, I was a little confused first, I admit. But you were..."
"Freaking out?"
"Yeah. I mean - it was rational the way you acted. But I mean, it was a little funny."
Helena rose an eyebrow at her, not amused.
"Ok not at all funny," she coughed. "So um..."
"What?" Helena said hastily.
"W- nothing," said Katie quickly.
Helena looked at her weirdly, suspiciously.
"What is it?"
"It's nothing, just leave it."
Helena felt empty, as though she had been scolded with a hot iron. Yet she said nothing else about the matter.
She brought out her Transfiguration homework and neither of them said another word.
x
2010
Katie was reading the Daily Prophet. Helena glanced over.
"I can't believe you're reading that rubbish," Helena commented, looking at it rather coldly.
"It's not complete rubbish," Katie replied automatically, not even looking up to reply.
"Oh, of course it's complete rubbish. Controlled by The Ministry of Magic, which coincidentally is controlled by the Dark Lord, who also owns this school. So tell me, how is it not rubbish?"
"It's rather useful," said Katie coolly. "Tells you what's happening whilst we're locked up in here."
"Could be worse," replied Helena. "Could be in Azkaban or homeless in Diagon Alley, claiming we were witches who had their wands taken."
"True, yet I've heard they've cleared up those who did that. Probably didn't want to make a bad impression, you know."
"But everything that goes into that paper is controlled by Death Eaters and the articles that are published do support the Dark Lord."
"Yes, but, if you don't support the Dark Lord, then you will be killed. Simple as that."
Helena sighed.
"What a world we live in."
"Indeed."