counting stars. || an attack para.
“Celui qui s’oriente sur l’étoile ne se retourne pas.”
Ominously dreary and cold, Tessa wrapped her arms around herself as she strolled the corridors alone. Hogwarts was emptier than ever because everyone was packed into the Great Hall for the Halloween Party. The chilly emptiness of the corridors were a huge contrast to the warmth of tightly packed bodies and stench of alcohol back at the party, but it relieved Tessa. As much as she loved a good party, nothing could beat getting a breath of fresh air and alone time every now and then.
Climbing up the stairs to the Astronomy Tower, a smile reached Tessa’s face as she lay her eyes upon the stars. The sky’s stars twinkled much like the diamonds on Tessa’s necklace and the nearly full moon glowed a deep orange, almost as if the galaxy had put a giant pumpkin in the sky. Walking up to the edge, she leaned against the railings and craned her neck upwards, recognizing constellations and just taking in the peace and quiet. It wasn’t long before Tessa found herself lost in thought and engulfed in the scenery.
The Slytherin girl’s thoughts were cut short by the sound of footsteps. They weren’t entirely familiar, but Tessa assumed it would either be Liam, Tanner or Charlie looking for her or somebody just wanting to get a breath of fresh air like she did. Not bothering to turn around, she kept her back to the staircase and her eyes on the stars as the steps came to a halt. There was a long silence between the two figures, but she could sense somebody else’s presence still in the tower. Just as she went to look over her shoulder at who had approached, an electric bolt of pain shuddered through her arm, down to her fingertips and up to her shoulder.
Lurching forward in pain, Tessa let out a cry of suffering as the pain shook at her bones and down her spine. Not willing to give up so easy, she stood up as straight as possible before reaching for her wand to see it wasn’t there– it was now strewn across the tower, tottering on a stair, threatening to tip and tumble down the spiraling staircase. Deciding it was too far to risk it, she observed that she couldn’t see her attacker, but just as she thought she saw a shadow, a surge of energy shoved her forward into a railing, jamming it into her lower ribs and causing her ribcage to scream in pain.
In a dark blur, Tessa fell to her hands and knees. The pain was unbearable, rattling through her body and pounding in her head. She tried to scream or cry for help but no sound came out. Then came another bolt of pain, throwing her against a wall. Her body ached far more than it ever had from the leather lashes of her parents’ belts or the venomous words they spewed from their dreadful tongues– no this was far worse. But as Tessa shut her eyes as tightly as she could, as if in attempt to get rid of the pain, images of her friends began to flash underneath her eyelids. Then came the image of Tanner. Tessa began to cry as her consciousness faded, the rusty taste of blood staining in her mouth. The vivid image of her brother leaving her with one last memory before the darkness consumed her as the pain faded away…
