It was dark.

It always started that way; dark as a starless night. The kind of darkness that is enough to scare away any shred of hope and happiness you might have. But it doesn't matter because Persephone Avery no longer knew happiness.

It was crowded.

Persephone was standing, squished between Hermione Granger and Selene Avery. It was loud, the crowd talking while waiting for someone to emerge from the maze.

In reality, Persephone had waited for more than an hour, nervousness and hope bubbling in her stomach as she talked anxiously with Hermione and her cousin. But in her dream, she hadn't been standing there for more than ten minutes.

"How much longer do you think it'll take?" Hermione asked, standing on her tiptoes and craning her neck in attempt to see if anyone had walked out of the maze yet.

Persephone laughed, but it all felt wrong. Deep in her gut, she knew what was about to happen.

"It won't be much longer," Selene said coolly, discreetly staring at Hermione.

Persephone wrung her hands together, her anxiety taking a physical form. She balanced on her tiptoes and stared at the maze.

In reality, the night sky hadn't been that dark. It was illuminated by stars and the moon, and the glow from the crowd was enough to keep things bright. But right now, the sky was nothing more than a lightless dome with no stars there to provide onlookers with a sense of security. In reality, everyone had waited hours before someone, well, two someones, emerged from the maze.

But this was no longer reality.

There was a commotion suddenly. Cheers erupted from the crowd, and everyone was starting to rush down to greet the new Triwizard Champion.

Persephone was still balanced on her toes. And she looked at the maze. It was Harry, but there was something wrong. It wasn't his puffy red eyes, or the tears still running down his face, or the way he was screaming.

It was the boy lying deathly still on the ground beside Harry.

The world became darker and everything blurred together. A name formed on Persephone's lips as her hand slipped from Hermione's. She stumbled from the stands, unsteady legs running, running, running.

The name was now a scream, a desperate shout of hope and despair. Persephone screamed the name as she pushed through the crowd, mercilessly shoving people out of the way.

Then, she was there. Harry grasped at her arm too tightly, and the look in his eyes told Persephone why he was trying to hold her back. Harry tried to push her away, but Persephone stalked past him.

The body was a boy wearing Slytherin colors, a wand still clutched in his hands. A faint scar ran across the boy's throat, and his eyes were shut closed, as if he were sleeping

The name on Persephone's lips was Cassius, and so was the body on the ground.

Persephone collapsed, her shaky hands reaching for Cassius, as if he had fallen asleep in the library when they were trying to study for exams. She half-expected him to crack an eye open and smirk.

She placed a hand on his neck, and searched for a pulse that wasn't there. The crowd huddled around her uncertainly. They did nothing as a violent sob tore from her mouth. They did nothing when the girl placed her head on the boy's chest, and sobbed.

Persephone could hear a voice talking to Harry, but it was distant, as if Persephone were miles away. Because in her world, there was only Cassius and her, and Cassius was dead.

She sat up quickly, pulling herself away from Cassius's chest that no longer held a heartbeat. Persephone shoved her hair out of the way before kissing Cassius deeply on the lips.

She was crying through the kiss, her salty tears falling onto Cassius's too-still face. But this was a girl who was used to everything being taken from her. Persephone was going to hold on.

And beneath a starless sky, a broken girl kissed the body of the only boy she had ever loved. And she did not let go.

• • •

- IT FEELS LIKE A TEAR IN MY HEART
LIKE A PART OF ME MISSING
...
IF I AIN'T GOT YOU
I AIN'T GOT NOTHING AT ALL -

[ can you hold me? | nf ]