Closed Shattered Silence PV

Following the events of the 'Love Letters and Your Betters' thread. I am unsure if this will be a solo or a private thread, hence the 'PV' tag.

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Mentioning: @Mathias Pride | @Finnegan Connor | @Aurora Ranvier

Outfit: ✿

..	English | Irish

The heels of her shoes clicked against the stone tile of the castle's corridors, amplified by the silence that had settled over the castle. It was during the second match of the day, and most of her schoolmates had filed into the stands of the Quidditch pitch to cheer on whatever house. She imagined Finnegan was playing his best, but the sting of betrayal was likely fresh.

She felt light-headed, barely registering the occasional shuffle of students who had decided against attending the match. She moved quickly, her head down, her hands stuffed in her pockets as if shielding herself from the world around her.

Finally, she reached her designated location; an abandoned classroom she had hidden in mere weeks before on the day of her birthday. The Ravenclaw would often slip into the classroom for some quiet time, and she needed it more than ever. She would have opted to go to her dorm room, but she couldn't risk running into anyone, and if she ended up crying Aurora would definitely noticed and she didn't want the girl tangled up in this mess. She slipped inside, shutting the door softly behind her, the echo of the latch reverberating through the empty space.

When she was finally alone, she could feel the silence swallow her whole.

She felt numb, hollow even, as if someone had scooped out her very soul, leaving nothing behind but a shell of her former self. Inside her pocket, her trembling fingers wrapped around several round glass beads. They had once been a bracelet, one her mother had given her. Before she and Mathias left the tea shop she had stopped to pick up the pieces.

She flopped down onto the floor, her usual leather satchel settling next to her with a loud 'thump'. Enchanted to be bigger on the inside, she had managed to shove every single one of Mathias' lavish presents inside of it. Other girls might have been delighted. Hell, Winnie would have been delighted mere months ago, but instead the gifts felt like shackles.

Giving the satchel a side glance, she released the beads in her pockets to swing the latch of the bag open. Laying on top of the pile was a hand mirror. The golden frame and handle seemed to twinkle, it's intricate design likely handcrafted.

She plucked the mirror out of the bag, and gazed into her reflection. Her makeup was mostly pristine, but her eyes were puffy from crying. Her free hand reached up to lightly pat at them. She was embarrassed she had been seen like this, with flaws.

She could remember a time that she was carefree, when she danced through fields of wildflowers barefoot in grass stained dresses, messy braids riddled with twigs from laying in the meadow, staring up at the sky and day dreaming.

For a moment she could have sworn she saw that little girl staring back at her in the mirror. But she was gone in a blink, replaced by the puffy-eyed Winnie instead. The one that was a lie, an illusion she had clung onto with a white knuckled grip. Without thinking, she tossed the mirror across the room. It smacked into the wall and the sound of glass splintered into hundreds of tiny pieces jolted something primal deep inside of her awake.

And her emptiness cracked open.

Her hand shot back into her satchel, grabbing a small jewelry box. Inside was a sparkling pink sapphire necklace. Her fingers curled around the delicate chain, her other hand wrapping around the opposite end. She pulled the chain with all her might until she heard tiny gems and chains falling to the floor with soft clinks.

Suddenly, it all came crashing down on her; the lies, the manipulation, the gaslighting, the potions he had used, and the way Mathias had twisted and molded her into someone she didn't even recognize. She hated him for it. She hated herself for letting it happen.

A scream followed, and it took her a moment to realize it was coming from her, a sound that felt like it tore through her throat. It was as if all the pain and anger that had been bottled up deep inside her was pouring out all at once.

Her eyes shot back to her bag to look at the remaining gifts. A stuffed bunny, designer high heels, and a matching designer dress. Her hand shot into the bag again, and she would start to target each item.

Stuffing exploded into the air like confetti. Designer shoes had their heels snapped off and were tossed into the far corners of the room. The soft fabric of a pink dress gave the most satisfying of rips as her bare hands pulled it apart.

Her breath came in labored gasps, surrounded by the wreckage. She let out another scream, more desperate, more broken. All those years of promises, sweet nothings, 'love' caught up with her. Fake, it had been fake. Although she couldn't know this for sure, in the moment her mind told her that Mathias had fabricated it all. She screamed until her voice started to crack and her throat burned.

It was anger, it was power.

It was hers.