- Chapter Forty-Two -
"I guess we were both wrong."

SHERRY OPAL WAS TIRED.

She'd been tired for a full week now; Staying in bed all day with the curtains around her bed shut tight to conceal herself away from the rest of the world, her eyes drooped slowly but yet her mind wouldn't send her off to sleep because her paranoia was too strong and her mind was too scrambled for her to even think about sleeping at night. So she didn't. She stayed awake all night, listening to the breaths of her dorm mates and flinching at every piece of wind that whistled against the window and she slept in the day with every window and door locked and every curtain closed.

Sherry Opal had become nocturnal.

Amber brought essays that teachers had sent to Sherry back to the dorm every day when the blonde had missed several days of school but hadn't dared to disrupt her friends sleep and just put them in a box that she kept under her bed to do later on behalf of her friend. She often woke up in the night to hear Sherry shuffling to the bathroom or turning in her bed, sniffling. The girl didn't sleep and Amber was beginning to become worried for her health, but Sherry refused to talk to anyone...even Amber.

Sherry Opal had become a mess.

If people couldn't see it, they were blind. And if people didn't think it, they were crazy. She was a mess, missing and unseen. Her dormmates would talk to her through her closed curtains, not knowing if she was awake or asleep telling her that girls around school had become more sympathetic, asking where she was, if she was okay, glaring at Potter and his friends when they passed in school. Sherry had frozen up every time the name was uttered, the raging fire within her burning up again.

But she quelled it, ignoring every word that came out of the girls' mouths. She ignored every stare, every whistle, every compliment, every catcall, every single person that they talked about because she just wished that they would leave her alone. Her voice hadn't been used for however long she'd been locked up there and she didn't plan on using it any time soon. Matt had visited the room, talked to her through the curtains and she didn't even utter a word to him and it hadn't been long before he had given up, said his thanks to Amber and left.

Remus had tried too. But this time he sat with her when he should've been having his lunch in the Great Hall, instead he ate his sandwich at her bedside, blocked out by her curtains but knowing she was awake from his instincts. He didn't talk too much to keep her occupied, told her little bits including the fact that The Marauders was now a group of 3 instead of 4 but still she uttered no word.

And Remus had been fine with that, saying his goodbyes when it was time for his next lesson and promising that when she was ready to come out and return to lessons, she would always be welcome to use his notes. He had left the room and Sherry sobbed into her pillow, mouth dry and throat raw, eyes aching and blurry. Yet she didn't move and just lay in her own pity.

Sherry Opal didn't think she would ever be completely ready to return.

But it seemed Albus Dumbledore had other plans.

"Sherry," A soft voice called. It was Amber and it seemed like it was only her as she took gentle steps towards her bed and stood beside it, close to the curtains and voice clear. Sherry didn't know or care what time it was but she assumed it was a time where Amber was free. "I just had the Potions exam and afterwards I ran into Dumbledore and he told me he needed you in his office."

That was another thing, Sherry was missing a lot of her O.W.Ls. She knew she should've cared and she was sure that if she wasn't ridden numb with emotion then she might've actually cared a little bit. But alas, she felt no resentment towards herself for missing tests whatsoever. And for the first time in a week, Sherry felt another weight be added to her shoulders at the news of Dumbledore wanting her.

She didn't reply.

"Sherry." Amber said again, just as gentle and just as soft. The blonde in bed gulped slightly and sat up as best she could, body frail and almost shaking from the use as she sat against her headboard and reached open to pull the curtain the tiniest bit, revealing her. "Hey."

A small smile had melted onto Amber's face and her eyes looked like they were about to sting with tears at the sight of her best friend who she hadn't seen in a little while and who she missed a lot. Sherry didn't smile back, she didn't do anything and just stared at Amber with a blank expression, her hair messy and face without makeup which was a very rare state for Sherry Opal to be in.

"So uh...Dumbledore wants you in his office." Amber said again, gentle but she didn't want to be on the receiving end of trouble if Sherry didn't get there on time. Sherry shook her head, going to close the curtains again but Amber's next sentence made her pause in her actions. "Your mum's here."

Sherry's eyes grew wider and the weight that had been added by the meeting was now slightly lifted and still without uttering a word, she gave Amber a look as if to say 'are you serious?' and her friend slowly nodded her head, frowning slightly. A slight burst of adrenaline was now ignited within Sherry and it supplied enough energy for her to get out of bed in the middle of the day, also a new sight.

Amber watched with another small smile and a hidden pitiful gaze and Sherry stumbled around the room looking for her slippers; She was already wearing some sweatpants and a zip-up hoodie that she didn't seem to want to get changed out of as she hurriedly slipped the soft slippers on and began her way out of the room.

Her friend gaped at her back slightly, never would Sherry Opal have previously been caught dead without her hair brushed and fashionable clothes on in daylight. This knowledge made Amber spring after her, following quickly but the door to the dorm room was slammed shut in her face before she could walk by her friend's side and speak comfortingly.

Sherry hadn't anticipated the stares she would get in the Common Room, let alone the hallway. The sixth and seventh-year Ravenclaws with free periods at that time all turned to stare at the infamous fifth-year as she walked past looking like she had just returned from living out on the streets for a month but that was nothing compared to the hallways.

Her steps became slower although her mind was in more of a rush. Conversations ended sharply as she passed which deteriorated her confidence more than she liked to admit even though she knew she had no confidence left and some conversations in whispers even started when she passed, people leaning in to gossip which left Sherry walking, faster and faster and faster before she turned into the Headmaster's corridor.

And saw a head of blonde, curled hair. Throat tightening and eyes filling with fresh tears that she thought she had displayed enough of, Sherry's throat became clogged with emotion but she managed to choke out some sort of gagging noise, an attempt at a word but that was all that needed.

The head of hair turned, revealing a face. A familiar one.

"Mom." Sherry sobbed, walking faster forward, almost running until she collapsed into the woman's arms and Lena Opal circled her arms around her daughter's waist and gasped as the girl buried her head into her shoulder and cried.

"Oh, baby, what's wrong?" Her soft voice made Sherry cry harder, grip tightening on her mother as her voice ran raw again. "Sh, sh, sh, why are you crying? What's up? Talk to me, honey."

Sherry pulled back reluctantly, slowly looking into her mothers eyes. However before she could utter a single word, the grinding of stone pulled both women's attention towards the stone gargoyle that lead to the stairs which Sherry knew all too well. It only just clicked  in her mind that it was a Friday, she would curse everyone in that castle if Dumbledore made her spend an evening with him after the incident.

"Guess we should get up there for that appointment?" Lena shrugged, pointing with a small smile and Sherry confusedly looked up the staircase with furrowed eyebrows.

"Appointment?" She croaked, pretending not to notice her mother giving her attire a once-over. They must've barely looked related now that Sherry wasn't trying, an older woman in beautiful clothes with perfectly styled hair and a teenager in something close to rags with rooted-brown hair, not brushed and pulled up messily.

Lena muttered small encouragement as she wrapped an arm around Sherry's shoulders and led her towards the staircase, it was almost like Sherry couldn't walk anymore and instead had to be carried up the stairs. But she knew no one would ever put the effort in to do that.

They arrived at the door in no time and Lena opened it without knocking, walking into the office owned by Dumbledore like it was her own office at the Magical Congress. Sherry followed in a stumble, eyes frantically wondering around the office before she caught sight of a very familiar head of hair and immediately turned back around.

The door slammed shut in front of her face and she grunted under her breath, running to the door and jiggling the doorknob, tugging on it as hard as she could and slamming a hand on the wood in defeat. She wanted out. Right there and then.

"Lena and Sherry, how good of you to join us." Dumbledore's voice rang out and Sherry's hand tightened around the doorknob she was holding, she had forgotten how much the man irked her. "Please take a seat."

The sound of Lena's heels echoed around the office as she walked forward to a chair but Sherry stayed at the door, tugging on the handle again and hitting the wood before she leant her forehead on the door and took a deep breath, eyes stinging again.

She really hated it.

"Miss Opal, please come and sit down."

"What is he doing here?"

"Sit down and all will be explained."

"What." She turned, voice cracking slightly as she jabbed a finger in the direction of James Potter sat in between an older couple on one side of Dumbledore's desk, the old couple was looking at her but Potter wasn't and Lena glanced in between them both before checking her watch. "Is he doing here?"

"Sherry." Lena cut in and her daughter looked over at her whilst she gestured to the chair and the girl walked slowly and sat down, feeling heavily uncomfortable in the same room as him.

The last time she had seen him, his face was bloody from her fists, her hands and her nails all making contact with his face over and over. And then Madam Hooch had separated them and Sherry stormed away, never looking back and the first glance at the back of her head had her wanting to run away all over again.

The last time he had seen her, tears had been streaked all over her pink cheeks and she had been on top of him, damaging his face like he knew he deserved. All week he'd been attempting to talk to any of her friends, to ask how she was doing, ask them to deliver his apologies but he had been shoved by Oliver, yelled at by Marlene, flipped off by Louis, Amber hadn't even given him the slightest bit of her attention.

And Remus wouldn't talk to him. And James wouldn't talk to Sirius and Sirius apologised to James but James wasn't sure if his friend realised the severity of the situation they had caused. Now he had a chance to see Sherry and apologise to her himself but he felt like he couldn't even craft words at the sight of her so broken and reluctant.

He thought Sherry and her mother looked eerily alike, the elder woman just having aged more clearly. But right now he didn't see any of Sherry in Lena, he didn't even see Lena since he was focusing solely on the girl he had damaged beyond belief.

"I'm sorry, Albus, but can you tell us what this whole debacle is about?" The old woman beside Potter asked, putting a hand over her son's with a polite smile in the Headmaster's direction and giving a slight glance still with the same smile on her face to the two women beside her. "I know James can cross the line sometimes with his pranks but can this really be so bad-"

"Forgive me for interrupting you, Mrs Potter, but I don't think Mr. Potter's actions can be described as a prank this time." Dumbledore said sincerely and Euphemia scoffed slightly, glancing to her son and her husband; The man beside Potter shrugged but Potter stayed silent, staring straight ahead. "I am afraid that James has been accused of publishing some explicit photos of another student around the school without consent."

"You said accused." Potter's father spoke next, stuttering slightly and Lena slowly turned her head to face her daughter who was staring ahead too, not a thought behind those eyes that always had some sort of plan turning behind them. "Do you have any proof that it was actually James? We raised him better than this and I know that there is no way that my son would-"

"It was me, dad."

It was so quiet that Sherry barely even heard. But she did, and so did everyone else, as the man fell silent and both parents snapped their heads to their son immediately, eyes flying wide. She didn't turn her head, but Sherry's eyes glanced to the boy for a moment before she looked back to the floor.

"What?" The tone in his fathers voice had changed completely and it would've scared Sherry if she was in Potter's position and actually cared. It was deep, angry and low and he was looking at his son with almost a glare. "And when you say explicit you mean..."

Dumbledore nodded slowly and it was Potter's mother's turn to look at him in shock. "James Fleamont Potter, how could you do such a thing?"

"Sirius-"'

"Don't blame him." Sherry's voice came out stronger than expected, every pair of eyes going to her as she started to raise her voice. "Do not pass the blame onto someone else when I know it was you, I know for a fact it was you, you made my life hell!"

"And my daughter was in the pictures?" Lena said before Potter could get anything else in and Dumbledore nodded slowly, pulling out a piece of paper from under the desk and sliding it onto the surface for them all to see.

Sherry and Potter both looked away from it. And in unison, Euphemia and Lena gasped whilst the man let out a shocked 'oh my god' and also looked away. Sherry shut her eyes, shaking her head again as her mother reached out for her hand and grasped it tightly but Sherry ripped her hand out from underneath hers and used it to wiped at her eyes.

"James!" Euphemia seethed at him, glaring at her son and he slowly looked up to his mother apologetically. "I cannot believe you would do such a thing. We will be talking about this afterwards, you believe me."

Dumbledore cleared his throat and they all looked to him again. "We have some ways to deal with this for now." He explained and all the parents looked at him expectantly. "Mr. Potter's broom will be confiscated until the end of the year when he will be allowed to take it home and he is temporarily off of the team until they return in September and the Friday meetings will also be finishing until they return in September. They need them now more than ever but I think they would both benefit greatly from a cooling off period."

"Friday meetings?" Lena furrowed her eyebrows whereas Euphemia and Potter's dad just nodded at Dumbledore's word. The elder Opal looked towards her daughter and Sherry looked at her, not amused in the slightest.

"I wrote about them in my letters." Sherry said and her mother's face dropped for a second, going pale before she worked up a small smile again and Sherry scoffed as she turned back around to face the desk and the desk only. "The ones you obviously didn't read."

"I haven't had the time honey." Lena said and Sherry smirked ironically, shaking her head slightly. "I've been busy."

Sherry nodded, accepting the excuse and looking at her mother apologetically and Lena caught Euphemia's eyes from over her daughter's head, the woman was looking at them and Lena scowled, it was their son who had put her daughter in that position.

"Will that be all, Albus?" Lena asked stiffly and Dumbledore nodded once, Sherry scoffing again at the Headmaster's inability to not take anything seriously. Even serious matters wouldn't get addressed like they should, Sherry wanted Potter to pay, she didn't know with what but no Quidditch for a couple of weeks was a weak punishment for what he did.

She had to admit that his parents looked like they were going to give him hell, but the school not doing anything pissed her off.

Lena nodded back at Dumbledore before standing, delicately helping Sherry up too before they walked back out of the office together, down the stone steps before they were back in the corridor. Another quick round of footsteps followed them and Sherry flinched harshly as her arm was grabbed and she was turned around to face the one person she hated more than anything.

"Get the fuck off of me!" She ripped her arm from his grasp and shoved him backwards. She could've hurt him so so so much more but she kept her self controlled for once in her life. "Don't ever touch me again, do you understand?"

"I wanted to apologise." He said, stepping forward.

"You can't." She said to him, slicing her hand through the air in a way of cutting his next sentences off short and letting him know it was her turn to speak. "You can't apologise for this so don't fucking try, okay? You have ruined everything. Everything good about me that I actually liked for once in my entire fucking life you got rid of in an instant. I have worked so hard to be who I was and yeah, I was a bitch and yeah, I was kind of egotistical but I fucking had to be and you ruined it all, you motherfucking bitch!"

She was tempted to shove him again, make him bleed and make him hurt one final time before she cut him out of her life forever. But Euphemia and his father who she still didn't know the name of came hurtling down the stairs at the sound of yelling and stared warily at Sherry who was crying again, heart slowly cracking whilst they stood either side of their son.

"I'm sorry, okay?" Potter said again and Sherry laughed humourlessly, one that should've scared him but it didn't, he needed to apologise to her. "I'm so fucking sorry and I need you to understand that because you know I- I just thought that you wouldn't care cause you're so confident about all that stuff!"

"And I just thought that you were less of an asshole then I originally thought you were." Sherry said, walking closer but she didn't miss the way Euphemia stood slightly closer to her son but Sherry wasn't interested in what they did. "I guess we were both wrong."

With a glare, she parted from him and turned and walked away, Lena following and despite the love Sherry had for her mother, she just wanted to be left alone.

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