27 May 2025, 22:31
Ash and Embers
The Hogwarts ballroom was nearly empty, but the soft golden lights flickering from the enchanted chandeliers made it feel alive, like the room was holding its breath in awe.
Sherry Patterson spun, one foot gliding effortlessly on the polished floor, her deep red robes trailing like fire behind her. Her wand, forgotten on the sidelines. Her Potions book, abandoned in her dorm. In here, in this moment, there was only music and motion.
“This is who I am,” she thought, eyes closing as she twirled.
“Not someone memorizing facts in the dark. Not someone trying to be quiet enough to disappear.”
Her curls bounced as she moved, the candles above flickering along with her every step. She didn’t care that no one was watching. In fact, that made it even better.
“I’m not wrong for feeling things too deeply. I’m not too loud or too much.”
“I’m alive.”
Some people thought being in Gryffindor meant always chasing danger — duels, dragons, daring. But for Sherry, courage wasn’t about battles. It was about daring to be seen. Daring to feel joy even when the world tried to crush it.
The music playing from the old enchanted gramophone shifted into a waltz, and she slowed her steps, arms out as if a ghost partner held her. She giggled quietly at the thought.
“They don’t know this version of me,” she mused.
“Not my family. Not the professors. Not even most of the other Gryffindors.”
“But I know her. She’s real.”
And in the swirling light and shadow of the ballroom, Sherry danced like she always did when no one was watching.
Only this time, she wasn’t hiding.
She was shining.
Sherry Patterson spun, one foot gliding effortlessly on the polished floor, her deep red robes trailing like fire behind her. Her wand, forgotten on the sidelines. Her Potions book, abandoned in her dorm. In here, in this moment, there was only music and motion.
“This is who I am,” she thought, eyes closing as she twirled.
“Not someone memorizing facts in the dark. Not someone trying to be quiet enough to disappear.”
Her curls bounced as she moved, the candles above flickering along with her every step. She didn’t care that no one was watching. In fact, that made it even better.
“I’m not wrong for feeling things too deeply. I’m not too loud or too much.”
“I’m alive.”
Some people thought being in Gryffindor meant always chasing danger — duels, dragons, daring. But for Sherry, courage wasn’t about battles. It was about daring to be seen. Daring to feel joy even when the world tried to crush it.
The music playing from the old enchanted gramophone shifted into a waltz, and she slowed her steps, arms out as if a ghost partner held her. She giggled quietly at the thought.
“They don’t know this version of me,” she mused.
“Not my family. Not the professors. Not even most of the other Gryffindors.”
“But I know her. She’s real.”
And in the swirling light and shadow of the ballroom, Sherry danced like she always did when no one was watching.
Only this time, she wasn’t hiding.
She was shining.
Last edited by Akeem Toussaint on 27 May 2025, 22:54, edited 1 time in total.
