A/N: Just a warning, there's a bit of domestic abuse at the beginning of the chapter and a lot of swearing throughout the chapter. If you are sensitive to that kind of topic, don't read until you get to Sunshine.
Lori and Irene made their way back to the Gryffindor common room chatting about their plans for this year, unaware of the fuming Michael that waited for them. When Michael saw Lori approach with Irene, he stormed towards her and grabbed her hair and pulled her back. "You think you can fucking cheat on me you whore? No one fucking wants a slut like you. You're a worthless, pathetic piece of shit. No one wants you. You should be grateful that I'm dating you, let alone talking to you." He spat into her ear. Lori cried in pain as he proceeded to slap her face. "Don't."*slap*"You."*slap*"Ever."*slap*"Talk."*slap*"To."*slap*"Him."*slap.*"again." Shaking and whimpering, he threw Lori to the ground and walked away. "We're fucking done, Michael!" Lori called after him.
"Oi! Let her go you bastard!" Irene shouted as he charged Michael, tackling him to the ground. She pinned him down with her feet on his knees, her elbows on his wrists, her knee pressing into his crotch painfully. "What the fuck is wrong with you? You were beating up a defenseless girl for something she didn't do! I ought to kill you right now, scum like you don't deserve to live!" Irene screamed, pointing her wand against his throat.
"HEY! You two, knock it off!" The voice of Molly Prewett shouted as she approached the scene. The Head Girl looked at Lori, who had gotten up and was watching in shock. The Gryffindor got off the Slytherin and brushed herself off. "What's going on here?" Molly asked.
Irene went first. "This asshole was beating my best friend up for no reason!""She cheated on me!" He defended."First of all, she did not! Second of all, that doesn't give you an excuse to abuse the hell out of her!"She retorted. "Saying I love you to another man isn't cheating?!" Michael screamed. "She wasn't saying I love you to another man, you nitwit. She was talking to me and Sheldon, nimrod-"
"Alright, that's enough! Michael and Irene, you are both coming with me to the Headmaster's office for fighting in the hallways. Lori, get yourself to the infirmary. Tell Madam Pomfrey I sent you." Molly ordered. With mumbles of disagreement, Irene and Michael both followed Molly up to Dumbledore's office while Lori headed towards the infirmary. A few potions and a lecture later, Lori was back in the common room, ready to go to sleep, with no proof of what just happened except a memory. As Lori crawled into her bed, she stared at the stars glued to the canopy and she lost herself in deep thought.
Michael has never done that to me before. He's yelled and screamed at me, but he never got physical. What has gotten into him? She thought before drifting off into a much needed sleep.
Sunshine poured in through the windows of the 7th Year Girl dormitory, filling the room with light, warming the room up. The 6 seventh years slept soundly in their neatly-made beds from the prior night. Everything was quiet and peaceful. That is, until Irene woke up."LORI! LORI! GET UP! C'MON! QUIDDITCH TRYOUTS ARE TODAY!" Irene shouted, forcing everyone out of their peaceful slumber. "Do you have to be so loud?" Lori asked. The other teenagers muttered in agreement."Yeah, Irene, why are you always so loud?" one of them asked. Irene blushed sheepishly and replied with a resounding "sorry". Yawning, Lori got out of bed to prepare for the day. Lori changed into a jumper, sweats, and converse, and headed to the Great Hall for breakfast.
"What happened last night when you guys went to the headmasters office?" Lori asked. Irene chuckled in response. "We were both put under Veritaserum and Michael admitted to beating you up for no reason. I was let free without 25 point but Michael was expelled for domestic abuse."
"So you lose 25 points for defending your best friend but Michael gets to go home early for beating me up?" Lori asked. "No, I lost 50 points for tackling Michael but I got 25 back for defending you," Irene responded. "Well, thank you, for defending me," Lori said sincerely. Irene just nodded and took her seat beside Lori.
Lori piled her plate with proteins and carbs like eggs, sausage, bacon, ham, potatoes, grits, etc. while Irene just poured herself a bowl of cereal. Irene laughed. "What?" Lori asked with a mouthful of grits. "What's up with all the protein?" She asked. Lori lifter one of her arms and slapped the fat."Gotta bulk up for the season!" She answered. They both laughed and returned to their breakfast. 30 minutes later, they grabbed their broomsticks from the shed and headed to the field.
Irene and Lori, to their surprise, were the first ones there. They both changed into maroon Quidditch robes and they did a few warm up laps before the other students who were trying out showed up.
Irene grabbed her clipboard and yelled at the crowd to shut up before she started talking. "I have 28 of you trying out for the team. If you are trying out for the Keeper's position, then you might as well leave because that position belongs to me!" about a quarter of the crowd left- leaving 21 students left- before Irene continued. "Seekers, you will be over there, taking turns at catching the snitch. You will all be catching the snitch three times before I make my decision. Chasers and Beaters, you will be playing a game without the Seekers and Keepers. Good luck to you all!"
Lori and the other seekers walked over to the empty half of the field. She watched as the other seekers caught the snitch with times as low as 15 minutes to the highest time of 45 minutes. Then, it was finally Lori's turn.
Irene released the snitch as Lori mounted her broom and kicked off into the air. Lori soared after the snitch. Her hair blew in the wind and adrenaline rushed through her veins. She has never felt so alive. She made her broom do twists and turns as she chased the snitch. She stood on her broomstick and reached out for the snitch. Her fingers` wrapped around it, her soft skin feeling the gold of the snitch as she raised it in the air and let it go. She raced after the snitch for the second time. The snitch flew up and down and in loops, but Lori kept up with it. She caught it again, and released it one more time. The Snitch flew into the foundation where the Quidditch Towers stood, but Lori was able to follow. She made bumpy twists and turns and rough dodges as she avoided the wooden base that held the towers. The snitch flew out of the foundation and straight into the sky. Lori lost her sight on it for a minute, but saw a flash of gold and she chased after it. She shot straight out of the field and into the snitch was right in front of her. She reached out and caught it. She flew to the ground and got off her broomstick. She handed the snitch to Irene and said ,"I'm going to the lake for a bit. I'll see you in a bit, ok?". Irene nodded and Lori walked back into the locker room, changed back into her outfit,and headed for the lake. She sat on the edge of the dock, her bare feet dangling in the water.
"Hey, Lori," a voice said. Lori turned around and saw Sheldon.
"Hey," Lori said.
"Why are you here all alone?" asked Sheldon.
"I don't know. I guess no one wants to hang out with me."Lori turned around and faced the lake. She heard footsteps approaching as Sheldon walked to her and sat next to her, his legs crossed.
"You seem sad," he said. Lori shook her head. "No... no i'm not sad," said Lori. Sheldon looked at her. "I didn't say you were sad. I said you seem sad," he said in a bit of a harsh tone. Lori looked down.
Sheldon sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"It's quite alright. I know you didn't mean sound that harsh."
Sheldon smiled. " So, how was your summer?" he asked, grinning cheekily.
Now it was Lori's turn to sigh.
"Terrible," she said.
"Oh no, what happened?" Sheldon asked.
Lori took a breath. "You remember what happened to my parents?" Sheldon nodded. "Yeah, they were thrown into Azkaban," he answered. "Well, the Minister of Magic himself released them from Azkaban," she said. Lori saw the look of disbelief on Sheldon's face, so she took out a newspaper clipping from the Daily Prophet she'd been carrying around with her and handed it to him. It read;
Mr. Pete Winters and Mrs. Jane Winters (nee Tyler), who were arrested for murdering their daughter Ariel Winters and abusing Ariel's twin, Lori Winters, were recently released from Azkaban by the Minister of Magic himself.
"They've paid their dues," a Ministry spokesperson confirmed.
"Awe, Lori, that's terrible. I'm so sorry," Sheldon responded. "You didn't do anything. They did, and I paid for it," Lori grumbled, throwing a rock into the lake out of frustration. "On top of that, Michael and I broke up last night," she added.
"What?! Why?" Sheldon exclaimed."Because he decided he was going to beat the hell out of me last night because apparently I 'cheated on him'.Pfft, please, I bet that bastard has cheated on me with that no good Parkinson bitch..."Lori rambled on, throwing more rocks.
"Relax, Lori. He is not worth your anger or tears or even your thoughts. Man up and move on," Sheldon advised. Lori took a breath and calmed down."Thanks," she mumbled. "I just wish that my life wouldn't be as hard as it is," she continued.
"But, that's what life is. What doesn't kill you will make you stronger than you think. You went through child abuse? You can withstand anyone who tries to bring you down. You lost your crazy boyfriend? You have higher standards. You're a better person than you would have been without them," Sheldon said. "I gotta go, Jordan and I are going to the library to study. I'll see you around."
With that, Sheldon got up and left, leaving Lori alone with his words. He's right. I've been through some deep shit in the past. But it's made me who I am, and there's no one I'd rather be than me. She thought.
Irene approached her. "Hey home slice, I'm hungry. Let's go eat." Lori rolled her eyes. "Never heard that one before."
Lori took her feet out of the water and put her shoes on. She turned to the lake and thought to herself I hope my life will change before joining her best friend.
A/N: This one is updated, a bit delayed though. Next chapter will be completely re-written, so it's gonna take a couple of days. Until then, bye bye for now.