=.=

WALK THE LINE

Harry x OC

'for those that don't feel wanted.'

Chapter 4: The Ring

Song Choice: Leave A Light On- Tom Walker

Sarah's first summer with Maggie flew in like a storm.

Maggie was planning to take Sarah to see her first quidditch match that year, telling her all about the sport that Maggie admitted to being too terrified to play. However, she had a feeling Sarah would fall head over heels for the sport.

The woman could tell though, that keeping their little secret was quite trying on the girl. Shortly after telling Sarah the truth to magic, Maggie had sworn her to secrecy over it. Harry couldn't know, and Sarah learned why shortly after Maggie bought her a book called Modern Magic History that detailed the events of Harry being The Boy Who Lived.

After reading the book, Sarah wanted to run to Harry and show him. The boy who, after admitting to why he lived with the Dursley's, talked about wanting nothing more than to know who his parents were. This was a chance to know at least something.

Maggie explained that the moment she saw Harry, she knew who he was, and as such, Harry was hidden away from the wizarding community to keep it from overwhelming him. Fat lot that did, considering Harry mentioned people in pointed hats walking down the streets now and again, shaking his hand before vanishing off elsewhere.

But Sarah said nothing, and it almost made her want to pout. Perhaps it was this anger that pushed her, but her abnormalities- erm- magic... was beginning to happen more often.

It started as little things, like the clock hands of the classroom spinning faster whenever Sarah wanted to go home quickly. Then came the time when one of the prettier girls cut one of her pigtails off and Sarah grew it back in the blink of an eye. She'd wished the other girl would go bald, and the next day all the girl's hair fell out.

The escalation continued, until on the last day of school, something in her just- it just snapped.

Sarah's head was practically buzzing. She felt an immense anger inside her that day. One of the reasons being Harry let slip about his bedroom in a cupboard under the stairs to the family home. He lived in a box no bigger than what a child's mattress could fit in.

That feeling of protective rage filled her again. She was itching for a fight. Any fight.

Harry had noticed Sarah had been on edge all day, she was anxious, even if most people couldn't notice it. When he let the words 'cupboard' slip from his mouth he immediately regretted it. The way her features schooled into a neutral expression, the way the light left her eyes as she completely withdrew into herself. Sarah had finally hit that quiet rage he knew was always brewing beneath the surface. He'd tried his best to settle her, but there wasn't much he could say.

At the end of the day, Harry opted for Sarah and himself to walk home. He grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the buses, holding her hand tightly as she looked at him with confusion. Harry grinned at her.

"C'mon Sar, you really want to be crammed in there now?" He asked. Sarah took a breath before exhaling deeply. Her thumb rubbed over his knuckles before she pulled away and ran her hands through her hair.

"A cupboard." Sarah scoffed. Harry felt something drop in his gut, but then she looked at him. "Think we could sneak you into my house?"

He laughed, but then realized she was serious.

"Sarah, I'm pretty sure Maggie would blow her lid if she found me hiding in your bedroom." He laughed while saying in.

"Oh please, she loves you. Besides, I get the feeling she takes pride in finding misfits. Boy who lives in a cupboard fits in pretty well don't you think?" She gave him a half smirk, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Harry knew she felt helpless, but he only shrugged.

"If you want, you can grow some ears on Dudley? Took forever for him to stop oinking last time though, and they had to cut the tail off." Sarah shrugged.

"Shame, it suited him."

"I'll say, I got so used to seeing it that when they chopped it off, I actually missed it. It wiggled whenever he saw food." Harry smirked back at her. He could see her mood was hesitantly lifting, but of course it couldn't last. The subject of conversation was always there to ruin it.

They heard the bikes coming from behind them, but it wasn't anything out of the ordinary as they had barely left school grounds. Mid-walk, however, Harry and Sarah were both knocked over as two bikes crashed into them. Sarah scraped her palms while Harry's half broken glasses bent a little bit more as they flew off his nose.

They could hear the familiar laughter of Dudley and his friends while getting up. Sarah handed Harry his glasses, her eyes trained on Dudley.

"Surprised you're on a bike Dudley, didn't think you'd do something that requires exercise." Harry snarked, getting a glare from the boy.

"Oi Potter! Careful now. It isn't always there to save you." Dudley said, nodding one of his chins at Sarah when he said 'it' like the word was some sort of insult. Sarah remained quiet as Harry took a protective stance forward, half blocking her from their view. His friends laughed as Dudley continued to egg him on.

"Oh? Can it be? Are you in love Potter?" They laughed as Dudley spoke to his friends. "Can't blame him since he's all alone. No friends, no parents, ay?"

Harry felt his own nerves spike then.

"Where's your mum Potter? I can hear you calling for 'em sometimes. I can hear you crying from your cubby." The trio were laughing, and Harry was at a loss for what to do. He willed for something to happen, like it did when Sarah did things. He wanted them to shut up so badly, that when Dudley's friends shifted on their bikes both boys yelped as the bikes popped like bubbles out of existence. Harry was shocked, if a little gleeful, to have made something happen of his own accord. Dudley frowned at his two friends that scrambled to stand up. He looked at the duo, startled.

"What you doing?" Dudley asked, sounding wary. Harry didn't say anything though, as he stared into Dudley's eyes. The bigger boy's eyes went glassy then, almost glazed over. His face went into a neutral expression as he got off his bike. His friends noticed the change quickly.

"Dudley?"

The boy didn't answer as he stared at Harry for a moment longer, before he began to slowly turn around and walk away. His friends, spooked by the behaviour, walked after him.

"Dudley, what's happened?"

"I have to go." He said in a monotonous tone. "I have to go."

Harry blinked, confused by the transgression as he watched his bully just up and walk away. However, when he turned to Sarah, he froze.

She was staring after Dudley, her eyes half lidded, as she watched him walk away. She didn't blink as she observed him, almost like she was in a trance.

"Sarah?" Harry called, but she didn't react. He turned to see Dudley walking still in the same dull step as before. Further ahead, Harry noticed the intersection. There was no stop sign or yield, and Dudley was heading straight for the traffic.

Dudley's friends felt spooked then as they tried to pull the boy to a halt, but the Dursley was twice their size combined and easily marched onward.

"Dudley c'mon! This ain't funny no more!" One friend was nervous as Dudley kept walking.

"I have to go." Dudley repeated.

"Sarah." Harry urged, noticing how close Dudley was getting to the road now. He turned around to roughly shake her shoulders. "Sarah!"

Like coming out of a trance, Sarah took a huge gasp of air and blinked rapidly. Dudley's march stopped not five feet from the curb. He stared at it, then turned to look at the duo that stood some ways away. Dudley looked at Sarah for another second before he proceeded to throw up on the pavement.

Sarah felt startled and confused.

"What? I- what happened?" Her head was spinning, a bit of blood slipped from her nose. She wiped it with her sleeve, startling when she saw the blood.

"Sarah what was that? You just- you..." Harry didn't have the words. For the first time, Sarah looked panicked in front of him. She looked at Dudley, then Harry.

"But- I just- I wanted him to go away. I didn't- I-" She turned and threw up in the grass.

To her surprise, Harry held her hair back for her. When she was done, Harry helped her walk away from her mess. She felt jittery still, and very dizzy. Harry slung one of her arms around his shoulders.

"I didn't mean to do it." She whispered, looking at Harry. He nodded, watching where they were going. He pulled her in another direction so that they wouldn't have to deal with Dudley or his friends.

"I believe you." he said, looking over to her with honest eyes. Harry didn't really think she'd tried to do something to Dudley, but whatever it was, it both spooked and wiped her out. Harry used his sleeve to wipe the blood from her nose again, Sarah didn't react. She seemed out of it, looking very dazed.

"Harry..." Sarah began. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I just- sorry." She couldn't put into words how much she wanted to tell Harry the truth about magic, but she couldn't. Not yet. "Sorry."

"You said that already."

"And I meant it."

"I know, still dunno what for." Harry said as they arrived at the Wilkinson/Williams home. Sarah stopped on the walkway up to the front door and stared. She'd have to tell Maggie about this. This was definitely something of importance.

"Are you scared of me?" she asked, barely above a whisper. Harry scoffed.

"Oh yeah, loads. You and the boogie man have me trembling." He teased. Sarah looked at him sadly, but a smile slowly lifted onto her lips. Harry smiled in return.

"I'm not going anywhere, Sar. I promise."

Her head was throbbing, and perhaps it was a heightened state of awareness, or sensitivity to emotions. Whatever excuse Sarah would make up for her actions later, she turned and hugged her arms around Harry then. It had been easy since one was still slung over his shoulders. Harry didn't hesitate in returning the hug. Sarah took a breath as she steadied her breathing, before she released him and stepped back.

"Thank you." She said, appreciative of that. Harry gave her a cheeky smirk.

"Sarah Williams is thanking me? And getting sentimental?" Sarah immediately schooled her features, scoffing.

"Blasphemy." She let a tiny smirk onto her face again.

They parted after that, but the moment Sarah walked into the house she felt dread build up in her again.

No matter what Harry said, Sarah knew in the pit of her stomach something was very very wrong with what she did. She took a deep breath before hunting for Maggie. The frizzy haired witch wasn't hard to find. She was in the kitchen reading at the table with a cup of tea while their dinner was magically cooking. She had become far less careful about using magic in the house since revealing the truth several months ago. Maggie's smile at her approach lessened upon seeing her schooled features.

"What happened hun?" Maggie asked softly. Sarah wiped her nose, and Maggie frowned at the blood she could see around one nostril.

"Maggie..." Sarah began, gulping. "I did something..."

Sarah relayed the entire event to Maggie, nervous when she saw the witch stop what she was doing at the mention of a trance. Maggie thought for a moment before letting out a huge sigh.

"I'm sorry." Sarah said sadly, feeling bitter at the number of things she was apologizing for. Maggie waved it off as she sipped her tea.

"No no, I was worried this day would come. We'll have to change our plans and go on a trip. My friend told me this would be a great time to visit him." She took a breath, then retrieved parchment with the flick of her wand.

"We'll have to travel soon, I suspect. Make sure not to make any plans until then, alright hun? Oh and I would pack a bag, we may be gone for some time." Maggie began writing her letter before noticing that Sarah still had a dour expression. She paused, then sighed.

"Sarah," Maggie began, gaining Sarah's full attention. "It's going to be okay love, you're just... special."

Sarah pursed her lips, nodding. The motion made the buzzing headache worse. She excused herself to lie down, but in the dark of her room she stared blankly at the green wall. With a deep breath, Sarah tried her best to sleep.

The friend Maggie wrote to replied in two days. Sarah had only been allowed out of the house under her supervision, with enough time to explain to Harry she would be gone for a few days.

"What's going on Sar? You look nervous." Harry swung slowly on the swing next to her. Sarah dragged her foot through the gravel, watching Maggie read her book on a bench some distance away. Sarah weighed the consequences of what she was about to say, before she looked at Harry.

Harry had been loyal to a fault since day one of their somewhat bizarre friendship. He hadn't turned away from her despite that fact that any sane person would've. She loved him- quite fiercely in fact- which was why she was concerned with the idea of telling him the truth. He deserved a chance to have a childhood without the wizarding world... right?

But Sarah couldn't tell him anything if he didn't know. She couldn't explain what was wrong if he wasn't aware that magic was real. And that just wasn't fair. She had no right to hold it from him, especially considering she still hadn't told him anything about the orphanage. Nor would she for that matter. As long as she had Maggie, she didn't want to think about that place ever again.

"Sarah?" Harry asked again. Sarah sighed, then looked at him.

"You know I can do things, right?" She began slowly. Harry nodded. "And you know that you can as well, right? Though yours don't happen as frequently."

"Well, sometimes I've done a few things but- I guess so. What of it?" he asked, slowing his swinging to a halt. Sarah pursed her lips.

"It's magic."

"Yeah, seems like it." Harry said, not completely understanding the implication.

"No I mean... I mean it's real, true magic." Sarah said, looking at Maggie to notice nothing had changed before looking back to Harry. "There is a world of witches and wizards Harry, and we- you and I- we're part of it. Maggie is too."

She took the risk, expecting Harry to think she was insane, or laugh, at least a little. Instead, he froze solid, as if he was trying to process what she was implying.

"We're... we're magic?" He said slowly, his eyes glazed over as he recalled every moment they had done something magical. Then memories of the oddly dressed people came to mind. He hadn't thought much of it, until now. A smile slowly worked onto his face as a weight lifted off his shoulders. Somehow it just felt... it felt right.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Harry asked, a bit too excitedly. Sarah shushed him, looking over at Maggie before going back to him.

"I wasn't supposed to... it's... complicated..." Sarah bit her lip, looking down at her shoes. "But Harry... even in the wizarding world... what I did wasn't normal. Maggie won't say it... but I think she's a bit scared."

Harry snorted.

"Maggie loves you." he said confidently. Sarah frowned.

"I know but- She seemed like she wasn't expecting... that." Sarah held her palms out and stared at them. "I think... I think something's wrong. I dunno, but- we're supposed to go visit a friend who Maggie thinks can help. We leave tomorrow morning."

Harry leaned back in his swing, heaving a heavy sigh.

"Guess I'll just be locked in my cupboard for a week then." He said with extra sarcasm in case she didn't catch it. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

Sarah stared at him, her face deceptively schooled, but Harry could see the joy at dark humour beneath the surface. Her eye twitched as she licked her teeth.

"Doubt you'll survive without me. Perhaps I could shove you in my rucksack? You're used to small spaces after all." Sarah was only joking, but at the back of her mind she idled over the idea of whether that would be possible in the future. Harry smirked at her, and Sarah matched it with a lopsided smirk of her own.

"Have some sympathy Sar, every time Dudley jumps on the stairs some dust falls on my face. It's cruel." He knew he was treading on thin ice now, watching her swallow once. Sarah wanted nothing more than to help him, but being trapped in that cupboard wasn't her battle, it was his.

"Maybe that's why you need glasses." She snarked back, making Harry fake laugh.

"Real funny Sarah."

"Well, you're welcome to be inclusive at any point. I can't carry the snark for both of us." she said so calmly. Harry let out a small real laugh, looking out to the park as he contemplated the revelation of magic. Sarah watched him then, her small smile dropping. Her mind circling the cupboard, the knobby-kneed boy, and the ominous feeling she got from what she did to Dudley the other day.

Sarah and Maggie travelled via floo powder to a village called Hogsmeade. To get there though, Maggie had to explain how to use the floo powder in their own fireplace. It seemed alien to Sarah that such a thing could work, but no sooner had Sarah uttered "Three Broomsticks" had she quite literally been sucked through what felt like a vacuum, passing many fireplaces in her travels, before being tossed out of one.

Sarah stumbled out, falling into a patron at the establishment. She uttered an apology as he helped her steady herself and chuckled down to her.

"First time?" He asked. Sarah nodded, her face calm and collected. Maggie appeared shortly after, thanking the man before ushering Sarah to a seat.

"I'll get us some drinks, just wait here." Maggie said while placing her bag down on a chair beside Sarah.

The blonde looked around at the busy place. There seemed to be a few younger children around, but mostly adults drinking and laughing in groups. Sarah noticed the décor, and what startled her the most was the pictures that seemed to move on their own. She stared at one, a man grumbled to himself, before he locked eyes with her and scowled.

"Children shouldn't stare, girl." He sneered, but Sarah simply ignored him and continued roaming over the faces and décor until Maggie returned. Maggie smiled as she handed Sarah a tankard.

"It's a bit early, but everyone needs to have their first butterbeer in Hogsmeade at some point." Maggie said as she settled into her seat. Sarah sniffed the tankard, surprised at the sickly sweetness she smelt. She glanced at Maggie as she drank merrily from her own, before taking a small sip. Sarah pinched her nose at the overly sweet taste.

"It's so sweet." Sarah said, not entirely liking the flavor. Maggie chuckled.

"Fire whiskey for your seventeenth birthday then." She chuckled, urging Sarah to drink more. She took small sips, overwhelmed by the sugar content.

"So this is where you went to school?" Sarah asked. Maggie shook her head.

"Hogsmeade is the settlement outside of Hogwarts. But we can see the castle from the outskirts later if you'd like."

Maggie hadn't gone into great detail about Hogwarts before. Mostly because she wanted to let Sarah learn about it the first time she visited; so that she too could feel the same awe that Maggie felt upon seeing the castle.

"This was the place my friends and I would gather any time that we were allowed to visit." Maggie explained, her eyes going far away as she told some short stories of her time at Hogwarts. She looked at Sarah, smiling.

"Someday you'll have stories of your own to tell me." Maggie said with such warmth that Sarah couldn't help but feel anticipation building in her gut.

"I hope you're not teasing your young charge too much Mags." A new voice called. Sarah looked over to see a tall man slowly making his way over to them. Maggie beamed, getting up from her chair to hug him. Maggie was quite short comparatively, and so the man hugged her as one would a small child, patting her head in a teasing yet loving manner.

Sarah observed the close friendship the two obviously shared, noting the grin spread on Maggie's face and the softness in the man's brown eyes. Maggie looked to Sarah then and gestured to the man as she stepped away from him.

"Sarah, this is Atlas, Atlas- Sarah." Sarah nodded to the man in politeness.

"Pleased to meet you sir." She said simply, taking in the appearance of the man. He had a well-trimmed yet full beard, round glasses, and a scar across his left brow. His brown hair and matching brown eyes had a kindness to them that was not lost to her. Especially when he looked at Maggie with such fondness. It felt odd to Sarah, and she wondered who this man was.

"And you as well, young lady. Maggie has told me much about you." Atlas greeted, smiling at her with a gentleness that unnerved Sarah. She didn't show it though, keeping her face carefully schooled. He chuckled. "You told no lies Maggie. I dare say she has the makings of and Auror already."

Sarah's eyebrow raised slightly, but it didn't go answered as Maggie muttered something quietly to Atlas. He bent down to hear, nodding once, before they both stood taller. Atlas gestured for Sarah to follow him then, which she did once Maggie grabbed her bag.

Out of the Three Broomsticks and into Hogsmeade, Sarah held Maggie's hand and allowed her to tug her along. Sarah's eyes wandered while she looked around, finding awe in all the hustle and bustle of wizarding folk. She eyed their attire, some looking much the same as muggle clothing while others were in simple robes and pointed hats. Sarah watched all of this until she was pulled from said village. Once on the outskirts she let go of Maggie's hand so she could walk backwards as the settlement shrunk in view.

When she turned to look ahead, she realized Maggie and Atlas were still talking quietly amongst themselves. She looked up to them a few times, but otherwise took in the sites around her.

Not long into their walk, they came across a house. It was quite small, barely large enough to be considered a house- more a shack really by Sarah's reckon. They walked up to it, Atlas holding the door open for them. Sarah eyed him skeptically but was allowed through first.

Her eyes widened when she found herself in the middle of a foyer of a rather large entrance. Sarah spun to see out the door as Maggie and Atlas walked in, then looked around herself again.

Maggie's eyes glinted when Sarah looked at her, the blonde's lips tugging upwards in one corner.

The house had silver and white themes everywhere with hints of green and black. Maggie chuckled.

"Slytherins." she said under her breath. Atlas chuckled.

"Hufflepuffs."

Sarah went to ask more about what they were saying, but they were cut off as a young girl's cry echoed through the house. Loud footsteps- then a girl no older than Sarah sprinted into view.

"Dad! Cerus keeps stealing my broom!" She cried, pausing only slightly when she saw the house guests. She covered her mouth, looking embarrassed. More loud footsteps approached.

"That's a lie! Selene keeps trying to throw mine into the tentacula!" A boy shouted as he stormed into the foyer. He too paused at seeing the guests but nodded to Maggie and eyed Sarah.

Atlas sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I swear, you're back home for three hours and you're already causing trouble Cerus." Atlas muttered, then looked between the two. "Either you two get along or I take both your brooms away. Are we clear?"

Cerus huffed, glancing at Sarah again before turning on his heel. Selene racing after him. Sarah watched them go while Atlas sighed.

"Life was easier when Cali wasn't back to work." Atlas muttered. Maggie smirked at him, bumping her shoulder into his.

"How is Cal? It's been ages since we got a chance to talk." Maggie followed Atlas down a hall, and Sarah wordlessly fell into step behind them. Her eyes took in the grandeur of the house as she walked. Maggie glanced at Sarah, then scoffed to herself.

"Sorry love, I completely forgot to tell you, but Atlas and I will need a moment." Maggie said. Sarah froze where she was, staring up at the two adults. Atlas smiled warmly at her.

"Why don't you explore a little? Cerus and Selene will be outside if you'd like to play with them." Atlas offered. Sarah nodded slowly, turning to go back the way she had come. Atlas and Maggie watched, Atlas chuckling.

"I daresay you've got your hands full." Atlas mused. Maggie elbowed him in the gut, and the duo turned to head off to the lounge.

Sarah continued into the foyer, exiting the house once she found the entrance. Outside the summer sun brushed against her skin as she looked out to the field in front of Atlas' house. Sarah stood for a moment, unsure what to do. It was only when she heard shouting, and then something whizzed by in the sky, that she had a destination.

"Cerus! Gimme back my broom!" Selene screamed. Sarah walked closer, finding the girl in the clearing by the house. Cerus whizzed by overhead again, laughing as he sat on one broom and held another. He lowered himself closer to the ground but kept himself and his sister's broom just out of reach as Selene jumped for it.

Sarah frowned, watching Selene struggle, and imagined the girl bouncing just a bit higher. With a quick burst, Selene whizzed up into the air and was level with her brother. Cerus was stunned as he held onto the broom that Selene was now dangling from.

"What- How'd you-" He noticed Sarah watching them then and frowned. He lowered him and his sister to the ground. Selene held tightly to her broom and gleefully ran off while Cerus stared at Sarah. His eyes narrowed as she stood quietly, also observing him.

He looked a lot like his father, but where his father had cropped hair, Cerus had messy, slightly curled brown locks. He had freckles and honey brown eyes that held a lot of distrust in them.

Cerus tilted his head, as though trying to solve a puzzle as he stared.

"So, your Maggie's new charge I've been hearing about." Cerus spoke, his voice enunciating words carefully. Sarah didn't react, making him frown.

"I am Maggie's adopted child, yes." Sarah said monotonously. Cerus raised a brow, ever the suspicious one it seemed.

"Well, you seem like you're loads of fun." He muttered, remounting his broom. Sarah raised a brow.

"Likewise," but she halted herself from saying anymore as Selene returned. She smiled at Sarah, who impassively looked at her.

"Thanks for the help. I dunno what you did, but Cerus is quite the bully sometimes." Selene gushed, seeing the way Cerus glared at Sarah then.

"So you did do something." he stated, frowning. Sarah shrugged, a hint of a smirk slipping onto her face.

"Can't give away all my secrets." Sarah said evenly. Cerus muttered something about two against one and left them standing there. He kicked off the ground and flew away on his broom. Once he departed, Sarah looked down at Selene.

"Sorry about him. Cerus is such a jerk sometimes. I'm Selene Sallow, pleasure." Selene said with a soft smile. Sarah nodded.

"Sarah Williams." She said evenly, though at seeing the warmth of the girl's eyes Sarah did feel a bit disarmed.

"Would you like to try?" Selene asked, holding out her broom. Sarah's eyes widened minutely. "Since you helped me get it back, it's the least I could do."

However, before Sarah could take the broom, Atlas' voice called for Sarah. The blonde bid Selene goodbye and returned to home.

Once inside, Atlas escorted Sarah to the lounge, where Maggie was sitting while holding a ring.

"Alright love, this might help." Maggie said while toying with the silver ring. Sarah raised a brow, frowning. Maggie gestured for her to come closer, and she did.

"This ring was given to Atlas' great aunt many years ago. It's a special type of silver- goblin silver. It's got a charm that eases the flow of magic in you. But it may hurt a bit until you get used to it." Maggie explained, looking reluctant to put the ring on. Sarah nodded.

"Like touching a fire? Or being hit?" Sarah asked, unfazed by the idea of pain. Maggie paused, her eyes showing her full range of emotions.

"No no, like- being squeezed too tightly. Like being in a shirt three sizes too small." Maggie assured, still toying with the ring. Sarah was unfazed and held out her hand. Atlas saw the nerves in his friend's eyes and smiled.

"It's alright Mags, she's a strong girl." Atlas assured. "Besides, I'm sure it will be fine."

Maggie hesitantly dropped the ring into Sarah's hand. Sarah played with the ring for a moment, looking at the markings. It was quite a fancy ring. Bright silver snakes were intertwined to make the ring, with the snake heads both facing one direction. Nestled between them was a black gem. It gleamed brightly in the sunlight.

Sarah took a deep breath and placed it on the middle finger of her left hand.

She immediately noticed a difference; her vision swam for a moment as the air was knocked out of her. Maggie grabbed her instantly, holding her upright as she gasped.

It was much like Maggie said, like she was in clothing a few sizes too small. Her chest felt tight, and the ring itself glowing briefly.

"Sarah? Are you alright?" Maggie asked, worried. Sarah nodded briefly, breathing through her nose to hide her gritted teeth. Atlas knelt beside her as she braced on Maggie.

"It'll feel tight for a while, I know. Grandpa said the ring has gotten stronger since it is made of goblin silver." Atlas' voice was soothing, but Sarah took several seconds to settle. When she finally did, she felt cramped, but calm.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Maggie asked. Sarah nodded, trying to stand upright again. She felt off but not ill. Maggie kept a comforting hand on her back. "We should get you to your room to lie down for a little while."

Sarah allowed herself to be guided by Atlas and Maggie, settling in a rather large room compared to hers at home. It was much the same in design as the rest of the house, and Sarah yawned shortly at seeing a bed. Maggie chuckled, kissing her forehead and ushering her to rest.

"I'll be up to check on you in a few, try and get some rest love." Maggie urged. Sarah yawned again, laying down as Maggie shut the door.

Staring at her newly acquired ring, Sarah attempted to will some magic across the room. She imagined the empty flowerpot flying across the space, even attempting to will it to happen. When the only thing that happened was her ring burned slightly, a headache ensued, and the pot wiggled once, Sarah felt a bit more satisfied.

If this ring could slow her magic that much, she felt more comfortable showing her face to Harry again. She frowned, remembering the feeling of watching Dudley nearly walk into traffic.

She was partially lying to Harry when she said she didn't mean it. She had wanted Dudley to leave, but she also had the thought, in the back of her mind, that if the Dursley's didn't exist, Harry would be free.

Sarah felt a knot in her stomach as she realized she had, whether intentional or not, nearly murdered someone.

What was worse, was Sarah didn't care about Dudley in the slightest in that moment. Her only intent was to protect Harry.

Sarah looked at her ring again, satisfied at the dull aches she felt as her magic was cramped inside her. This would hopefully stop that from ever happening again.

With some satisfaction, she finally closed her eyes and attempted to sleep.

Y'all.

Guys I just listened to 'Wish You The Best' by Lewis Capaldi and I've been crying since watching the music video. If you ever need a good cry, go see it. So simple yet beautiful.

Anyway, so yeah, Sarah is definitely not a 'good' person by nature, which is the summary of one of her biggest struggles through the books. Full disclosure, she struggles a lot to be a 'good person'. There is also a lot of morally grey moments for her to come, and honestly- the shit I'm going to throw at her is a lot.

Our next chapter may skip a few steps, as we'll be jumping to Hogwart's next! Not entirely sure which part we'll be jumping to, but we'll definitely have a time skip.

I may make a pinterest board for y'all to see everything one day. Idk, depends how popular this story gets honestly.

ANOTHER ANNOUNCEMENT!

I recently got an account on AO3. Considering how much nicer the interface for editing/writing is over there, I may move some of the stories I intend to continue on over to that site. It'll be a long process so if you want to read any particular story over there, or if you're more familiar with the community over there, please let me know. I am brand-fucking- new so any insite would be nice. I've already started a Sebastian Sallow x OC story over there (i'm still simping over the average looking guy with a 15/10 voice and angsty background story) but I'll possibly move this one and one or two other stories to start over there. Lemme know what your thoughts are. I had A LOT of people DM me about moving to AO3 so here it is boys.

Would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter, this story, and AO3. I've literally read 1 story on there and fooled around with writing the one and that's about it.

Cheers

Iland Girl.