Sia didn't remember running.
One moment, she was standing in the Slytherin common room, the suffocating walls closing in around her, the weight of their laughter pressing against her skin like jagged glass—
And then she was gone.
Out. Away.
She wasn't sure how she had made it through the dungeons. Her feet barely touched the ground as she moved, breath sharp, heartbeat roaring in her ears.
I need to breath.
She burst into the Entrance Hall, the torches flickering in the sudden gust of her movement.
But there was no air.
No relief.
Just the crushing weight of everything.
She had endured their cruelty. The whispers, the laughter, the pranks. She had swallowed her humiliation. Held her head high. Acted like it didn't matter.
But it did.
It was one thing to be hated. She had been hated before.
It was another thing to be hunted.
Because that's what this was. A slow, methodical effort to break her apart piece by piece.
And it had worked.
Because now she was here—running, desperate, breaking.
And she hated that he had done this to her.
Severus.
She could see him in her mind, sitting by the fire, watching her leave. Not stopping her. Not helping her.
Just watching.
And that—somehow—was worse than anything else.
Her fingers curled into fists as she pushed through the heavy doors, the cold night air hitting her like a slap.
She didn't stop running.
Didn't stop until she reached the open grounds, her chest heaving, the stars blurring above her.
She was shaking.
Not from exhaustion.
But from the sheer, unrelenting weight pressing against her ribs.
Her vision swam. Her breath hitched.
Not here. Not now.
Her hands trembled as she pressed them against her temples.
It wasn't just the bullying.
It wasn't just him.
It was everything.
Everything she had buried. Everything she had forced into the farthest corners of her mind, locking it away where it couldn't hurt her.
But now it was demanding to be felt.
And she wasn't strong enough to stop it.
——————————————————
Three Months ago
They had been laughing.
Sia had thought it was just another harmless adventure.
"We'll just Apparate, watch from the ridge, and leave before they even know we're there."
It had been forbidden, but Sia had always been good at pushing rules.
And Christina—Christina had always followed her.
"One look," Sia had said, eyes gleaming with mischief. "And then we go."
And for a while, it had worked.
The giants had been gathered far below, their enormous forms shifting in the moonlight, oblivious to the two figures perched on the rocky outcrop above.
Sia had watched, enraptured, fascinated by the raw, primal power of them.
But fascination had turned to dread in an instant.
One of them had turned.
Then another.
Then—they saw them.
The first roar had rattled her bones.
Sia had reached for her wand—Christina had too—but the sheer force of the sound had sent a shockwave through the ridge.
The ground trembled beneath them.
Sia's wand slipped from her fingers.
She lunged for it—too late.
And then—
The giant's club swung.
Christina moved.
Sia didn't even register what had happened until she hit the ground, gasping, lungs burning—
She had been pushed.
She had been saved.
And Christina—
Christina was underneath it.
A sickening crunch.
A choked breath.
A twisted hand reaching toward her.
Sia's mind went blank.
"No—no, no, no, no—"
She crawled forward, her hands scrambling uselessly against the dirt, trying to reach—
"Please—please, hold on—"
Christina's lips moved.
Sia barely heard her.
"Run," she whispered, her voice barely more than breath.
Sia shook her head, reaching desperately, her trembling hands trying to pull Christina—trying to fix it—
But then—
A giant hand rose again.
And Sia—
Sia screamed.
Not a normal scream.
Not a cry of grief or terror.
Something more.
Something other.
The air shook.
The night rippled.
And then—
Something inside her broke open.
A force rushed out of her, expanding like a tidal wave—unseen, but felt.
She didn't understand it.
Didn't control it.
She only knew that in the next moment—
The world around her exploded.
Her vision blurred—her head pounded—her body burned.
And then—
Silence.
She collapsed to the ground, her limbs shaking violently.
The earth smelled of ash.
When she forced her eyes open—
She saw them.
Two of the giants—
Gone.
Their bodies lay motionless, collapsed in the dirt like broken puppets.
Their eyes were open—empty.
Soulless.
The other three giants—
Unmoving.
Not dead. But down.
As if something had taken them out.
Something that came from her.
The weight of it pressed down on her chest.
Her stomach twisted.
Her hands shook.
She had done this.
She had—
She had killed them.
But—
But not fast enough to save her.
Not fast enough to save Christina.
Sia's breath hitched.
Her best friend lay still beneath the club, her head turned toward Sia, her lips parted slightly.
The warmth in her eyes—gone.
Sia's breath tore from her throat.
A sound too broken to be called a scream.
The only thing she could think was—
I did this.
I should have saved her.
I should have—
And then—
Then she ran.
She left her there.
Left her body.
Left the evidence of what she had done.
She had Apparated away, shaking, sick
——————————————————
And she had never forgiven herself.
Never let herself feel it again.
She had buried it.
Had let her grandmother help her lock it away.
And she had never spoken of it.
Never let herself remember it fully.
Until now.
The memory clawed at her, wrapping around her throat like a vice.
The entrance hall was empty when she finally reached it.
Cold. Silent.
Her breath hitched.
She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to breathe—trying to force air in—
But her lungs weren't working.
Her body wasn't listening.
Her power—stirring again.
She had to get out.
Not inside.
Not around people.
Not when—
Not when something inside her was breaking open again.
She shoved open the doors.
And ran.
The night air hit her like ice, sharp and burning in her throat.
The stars above were too bright, too vast.
Her mind spiraled.
She was alone.
No one could help her.
Not her parents.
Not her grandmother.
Not—
Who will help me?
Who can help me?
A choked noise tore from her throat.
Her vision blurred.
She pressed a hand to her mouth, shaking.
She couldn't—
She couldn't do this.
Her power was rising again.
She felt it beneath her skin, shifting, hungry, burning to be let out.
She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing herself to breathe—
Help.
Her mind screamed it.
Dumbledore.
Please.
Help.
Her legs gave out.
She sank to her knees, pressing her hands to the frozen ground, trembling.
But it wasn't enough.
The power—
The hunger—
It burst forth.
A wave of something otherworldly radiated from her.
A ripple through the air, unseen, but felt.
It stretched outward, spreading farther, farther—
And then—
She felt them.
Every soul within reach.
She knew where they were, how many, how close.
And she could take them.
She could consume them.
She could—
She could feed.
And then—
A hand landed on her shoulder.
Everything stopped.
The hunger—halted.
The burning—stilled.
She gasped sharply, head snapping up.
Dumbledore stood beside her.
His blue eyes, sharp and knowing, met hers.
Calm. Unshaken.
Like he had expected this.
Like he knew.
She struggled to breathe.
He spoke, his voice steady, quiet.
"You are not alone, Miss Ashford."
A sob tore from her throat.
And just like that—
The storm broke.