High Above PV Dee Prince finished

A soft smile appeared on Ileen’s lips when her best friend called her amazing. But it vanished quickly as she mentioned the Christmas Holidays. She pressed her mouth together to a hard line and her brown eyes sparkled dangerously. “Hm. Not going home this Christmas.”
She carefully penned the letter from her pocket and shook it until it unfolded. Her stomach clenched when she saw the few lines her father wrote. She cleared her throat and read the line out to her best friend: “You'll love Christmas at Hogwarts. We're pleased to see you've already made a friend. We'll see you in London when you come home for your summer holidays.” The young Slytherin stretched out the note so Dee could see for herself. “It’s not fair from them,” she agreed. This acknowledgement that their own feelings were justified helped. It made the burden somewhat lighter.

“I bet your parents can’t wait to see you this Christmas. Shouldn’t it be that way?” There was no blaming in her voice. It wasn’t Dee’s fault that her life was different. She gave her friend a sad smile and crooked her head. “But they are right. I found the most amazing friend ever.” Her smile deepend and she lay back on the roof. “You know, they’ve never told me what they did when they were at Hogwarts. What was awful enough to stick with the family even in New Zealand. Maybe they never stopped?”
It was weird. Telling Dee about her worries really helped - especially since she took them seriously. Ileen only had noticed how important this reaction had been to her, when she had received it.

With a sigh she turned her head towards Dee. “Thank you. For climbing the roof with me. And being there.” She glanced thoughtfully at the young Ravenclaw.
She still was in a sharing mood. “Did you know that I never cried since I was six?” She laughed briefly and shook her head about herself. She wasn’t about to change that now. Why would she need her parents? Parents who had probably lied to her, people she couldn’t trust? She had Dee. Someone she could trust.
Her glance gilded back to the grounds far beneath them. It was a nice place. A good place for sharing feelings and secrets.
Turning towards her friend, she suddenly felt selfish. “Do you miss home? Do you miss your parents?”

“Oh.” Of course she’d picked the wrong thing to say. But why would her parents not want her to come to New Zealand for Christmas? It wasn’t like she’d need plane tickets like Muggles did - for wizard travels, distance didn’t matter. But she was also pretty sure that saying that out loud was not going to help, since it made the whole issue even more incomprehensible. “That… I’m sorry,” she said quietly, not knowing what else to say. What was there to say, at all?

Leaning back against the wall, Dee looked up, up at the blue sky instead of down on the slowly yellowing Grounds around Hogwarts. Like the two days before, the weather was beautiful, the sun shining down on them clear and golden, although it tended to get a bit cool outside with autumn moving towards winter, especially with the wind. “Actually, I was thinking of staying at Hogwarts for Christmas myself,” she said thoughtfully. It wasn’t really a lie, although also not quite the truth. She’d been playing with the thought - personal feelings aside, Christmas at Hogwarts was supposed to be wonderful. Her parents had told her stories about the amazing decorations, how it was snowing inside the Great Hall, and about the absolutely incredible feast. So… Dee had definitely planned to see that at some point during her time at Hogwarts, although maybe not right this year. Now that Ileen was probably going to stay, however… It was another reason to think about spending this Christmas at the castle.

She tilted her head to one side, trying to absorb Ileen’s words, thinking about them. “Why are you so sure that your parents did something terrible, anyway? Sometimes… sometimes the reason people run isn’t their fault, but the fault of the ones they are running from. Like my parents - they didn’t do anything bad. Maybe they just feared they’d get judged for something that isn’t their fault at all? Although it is strange that they don’t want to tell you what happened.” She shook her head, the wind blowing a few strands of hair into her face. “Could you find out, somehow? Find out what happened when they went to school here, without them telling you? Maybe you can find someone who knew them…” She trailed off. Surely Ileen had thought of that already, and Dee’s suggestions probably weren’t helpful. Still. “If you ever need help, you can count on me,” she said, sincerity flowing from her words like a steady stream. She meant every one of it. “I’ll help you.”

Ileen’s thanks got a brilliant smile in return. “Anytime! It’s nice up here, isn’t it? I think I understand a little why you love heights so much. Thank you for taking me on an adventure today.” She reached over to tug on a strand of Ileen’s dark hair. “You’re strong. I’ve cried a lot since I was six. I’m sure you’ll be fine.” She grinned at her friend and winked. “After all, you have me, right?”
Dee’s features softened into a smile, and she let go of Ileen’s hair to reach for her hand instead, squeezing it. “I do! Miss home, I mean. Sometimes. Not often. It’s just little things, you know? Details that remind me of home, or that I wish I could just tell them… I miss the sea. But it’s not bad! I love Hogwarts, too, with all its secrets, and the classes, and the friends I’ve made here. Mostly I’m just too busy being awesome to miss home.” A dramatic pose, a silly face, and then she flopped back against the wall. “You’re allowed to be hurt by this, you know,” she said quietly. “I’d be hurt, too.”

“Oh, are you considering staying here?” Taken by surprise, Ileen turned to face her best friend. A soft smile appeared on her lips when she looked into the sparkling blue eyes. She was a true friend. And the possibility of having her around at Christmas significantly cheered her up. Also, she got the feeling Dee didn’t like the thought of Ileen staying alone at Hogwarts during Christmas. She was moved.
“Yeah, Christmas at Hogwarts could be very nice. I would rather stay here than in London anyway,” Ileen admitted and closed her eyes to enjoy the chilly wind on her face. Fall was almost over and winter was already knocking on the door. But right now it was the perfect temperature to be outside.

“Yeah. As you said. Why would they not tell me then?” She bit her lower lip, her eyebrows pulled together and frowned at the ground beneath them. Yes. Why? “I already thought about asking a professor. Although I’m a bit afraid of actually learning what they did.” The last sentence was barely audible. Her voice had become more and more quiet and had finally failed.
When Dee offered her help as if it wasn’t even a question and didn't hesitate for a moment, Ileen felt the lump swelling in her throat again. When the emotions threatened to overwhelm her, she chuckled and switched to her usual defusing strategy: sarcasm. “Well - you could help me to switch Houses. Or to somehow make my House shut up.” She grinned at her best friend and let herself drop against the wall with a helpless laugh. “Or come up with me here every day. It’s such a peaceful place.”

When Dee grabbed a strand of Ileen’s dark hair, the young Slytherin watched her play with it. This intimacy between the two of them had become completely natural to Ileen - Dee was the first person she'd allow to do something like this. It didn’t feel weird.
When she called her strong, Ileen couldn’t help but slightly shake her head. Dee was the most extraordinary girl she had ever met. She could make Ileen laugh in even such a dark situation and it seemed like she never had any doubts. That was strong. Not herself, running away and climbing trees or towers to prevent herself from going completely mad. But she didn’t say it. Dee knew anyways. It wasn’t necessary to put these thoughts into words.
“Yes! I do have you!” Her brown eyes sparkled and she cocked her head to one side. “And I’m glad I could drag you into an adventure this time. Maybe we should trade places. I shall lead us to many adventures!” With a dramatic gesture, Ileen raised an invisible sword and pointed it to the sky. “Into the great unknown!”
With a soft smile she dropped her hand. She actually felt way better already. Talking to Dee really had helped. “You know what? I never told you the story about my necklace.” After she had started pouring out her heart, she just couldn't stop. She still felt like sharing. The pain that had clung to her breast had calmed to a dull throb . She carefully pricked out the simple silver necklace with the glass bead pendant. The only object she really cared about. “My mum gave it to me when I was six. She told me that this is the tear of a phoenix so with its healing powers all my pain will just vanish.” The young Slytherin smiled and showed it to Dee. Another thought popped up in her head. She didn’t need that tear anymore. She had Dee now. A true friend. She wouldn’t have to rely on a necklace anymore.

After telling her story the young girl would remain silent. But it was a good silence, comfortable to share. They both watched over the ground and enjoyed the view. After a while they would drop the serious topics and chat about things happening in school. When they climbed back into the tower, Ileen felt almost whole again.

Thread finsihed. Permission given to godmode the ending