Let It All Burn

Amelia was hanging over the ledge of the Clock Tower like she did every night. Of course there was little stopping her from jumping besides her mother and little brother. That was enough to keep her from jumping but didn’t stop her from thinking about it. Every time she slept she saw Edgar dying before her eyes. She knew no potion will get rid of the dreams. She just tried to keep a hand on her sanity. She heard something behind her but she doesn’t turn just draws out her wand.

“I’d suggest showing yourself. I really don’t want to use my wand,” she said harshly. She wasn’t afraid of anyone anymore but herself. She knew she was much more judgmental but how couldn’t she bee since she lost Edgar and Claire. She was determined to find who did it and make them play.

Arabella was going up to the clock tower to get a full view of the grounds, trying to find inspiration for her next drawing, or for anything. As she walked up the winding staircase, the possibility of inspiration grew less and less inside of her. she got lost in her own mind, trying to find why and when she truly had lost her inspiration to draw. A voice broke through her thoughts.

"I'd suggest showing yourself. I really don't want to use my wand." the voice said, definitely being a girl. She looked up and saw someone leaning over ledge.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your thoughts." She said, holding her drawing book tight to her chest. "I didn't know many people came up here. I could leave if you would like."

Amelia turned around. She wasn’t sure how old the girl was but not much older than herself. She was a Gryffindor. She also must like to draw since she had a drawing book in hand. That stung a bit, it reminded her of Claire.

“You don’t have to leave. Rarely does anyone come up here. No one does in the past few days; all of them are scared of me. Cowards, I don’t attack people unless I have a reason,” she sighed returning her gaze the stars. Edgar had once taught her about the all the stars but it was too painful to think about that now.

“Amelia Macmillan, Hufflepuff, Fifth year Perfect,” she announced her back still turned. She wasn’t trying to be hostile but she was sick of tired of the sympathy people were giving her. It only made it worst. Then they tried to put her on all these potions, thank Merlin her mother would have no part of that.

“You like to draw I see,” she added. It felt like acid to her on her tongue. In fact she had Clare’s drawing books in her bag even the one with the blood on it. She literally was sleeping with them and Edgar’s wand that Edgar’s girlfriend gave to her since she wanted no part of it. So she was cuddling with books and two wands at night. No one teased her about it though, which was nice.

Arabella nodded at the girl.

"I do, well at least I did." She said, hugging the book. "I am having a hard time trying to find inspiration lately. sorry, where are my manners, I am Arabella, Gryffindor, Fifth year, just your average student, it is nice to meet you." Arabella noticed the Amelia staring at something. She walked up next to her and followed her gaze up to the stars. She felt a tugging at her heart at the memory of star gazing with her sisters, but quickly pushed it away, putting a small smile on her face.
"The stars are the biggest mystery to me, people always have different opinions of what they are, how they got there, what happens when they leave, everything." She looked at Amelia. "What do you think of them?"

“My grandfather once told me as a little girl, though I know this isn’t true, that every star is one of the heaven’s angels. Whenever someone dies in the family we look to stars to see if there is a new star. The ironic thing there is always is a new star. My grandfather believes in that like a religion, maybe it is real I don’t know. I just know it’s the only thing that keeps my family from falling apart,” Amelia said looking up at two stars that had appeared right next to each other the night after Claire and Edgar died.

“See right there those two bright stars next to each other. I think they call stars like that, twin stars or something; they appeared the night after my siblings were killed. My grandfather calls that section of the sky the Bones Graveyard. There is a star for every single family member that has died in the Bones family. He says the tiny ones are all of the kids in the family that had died before their time,” she added. She was sure she sounded crazy but she didn’t care. It was the one thing her entire family shared. A spiritual believe in the stars, even her mother who was the least superstitious of the family believed in the family star ideology. To be honest, Amelia believed it was the only thing that kept the remaining family members sane. So much senseless brutal death that has happened to the family, it’s just a little bit of hope to hang onto.

Arabella listened, nodding every so often.
"I actually like that idea." She said, looking up at the stars once more. "If that is true, then your loved ones are never more than a sky length away. You can be with them again every night/" She said. She scanned the sky, thinking that if that idea was true, then her family should be up there as well. She looked over at Amelia and smiled slightly.
"Like they never left."

Amelia smiled lightly. The idea all the people her family had lost was with her every night brought a smile to her face. She wondered what her brother and sister would say to her right now. Probably to protect Drew. No one needed to tell her that. She’d die before she let anything happen to Drew.

“Ever lose anyone? If you don’t mind me asking,” she asked. She knew it was a hard thing for people talk about but she was curious. She just wanted to know more about the girl, something she can connect with. These days it was hard to connect with people who hadn’t lost someone. Unless they had felt the same pain she had, she knew that wasn’t fair but that’s how she felt.

The question was so sudden that it caught Arabella off guard. She looked at Amelia, deciding that if there was any one she could talk to about it, she was betting it could be Amelia. She nodded at her, touching the burn scar on her left arm.

"I have lost my whole family, mother, father and brother killed by a random attacker. I only had my sisters left, but when I saw my mother killed, I....well I discovered my magical abilities, and....umm...my sisters lives were lost because of it." She said, digging her nails into the scar to hold back the tears that were daring to fall. She looked up at the stars.

"I really hope your family was right about the stars, because if so, then I can have the chance to apologize, to tell them that I am so sorry for what happened, and if I could change it, I would, in a heartbeat." She said, one tear escaping, and falling down her cheek. She wiped it off quickly, hating that she had let a tear go. She chuckled.

"I am sorry, I have never recounted that night out loud to someone before, guess it is hitting me a little hard."

“I’m sorry for your lost. I know what it is like to lose a family member that way. My brother and sister were murdered just a few days ago. If I had been two seconds faster I could have saved my brother and if I hadn’t had a total meltdown I could have caught the killer too. But I didn’t so now I’m here swearing to spend the rest of my days looking for their killer or killers,” Amelia said.

She knew she wasn’t the only person thinking like this. So were her mother and Drew. It was just how her family worked. You hurt kill someone close to them they turn into bloodhounds. “Don’t worry about crying in front of me. I’ve cried almost every hour by the hour since they were killed,” she added.

She looked at Amelia and smiled a bit.
"Seems like we have something in a common, horrible thing to have in common, but at least I know someone is going through the same thing." She said, looking back up at the sky.
"you know you are probably the first person I have ever talked to here? It is actually kind of nice, being able to interact with others." She said.