Chapter 23

Every night just like clockwork, I cry. I sneak down to a quiet place and cry my heart out. I can't sleep, and things keep getting worse. Every time I close my eyes, I see Henry. I see his hand him torturing me. It haunts me everywhere I go. Whenever someone seems mad at me, I flinch in fear they will hit me just like he did. That's what I'm doing now. I went up to the astronomy tower this time. I know people like to go here, but I can't make things anymore, and I need air. Thank God, no one was here, but still, I just sit at the edge and cry. I cry so hard I have to cover my mouth with my hand. I can feel my shoulders shake hard and my entire body rack with shivers from crying. I look down. I want to do it; how can I not. I lived through some of the hardest things ever to happen to me.

I keep starring at the ground. It keeps becoming more appealing to end it. No one cares about me anyway. My parents still have Reg. Siri and Reg would come closer if I did it. James already moved on, so he wouldn't care. Taylor will mourn me for a little while but forget about me eventually. So no one cares. I'm just a filthy little Slytherin that does the dark lords' dirty work. Bella would love that. Me killing myself so she can get the right hand of the dark lord. Everyone gets what they want when I'm dead. So why not just jump.

Then I do it. I scoot closer to the edge, and I look down. The ground seems inviting. I can already see myself lying there looking up as I die. Then I do it. I jump.

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I have been following Lyra everywhere. I know she cries every night by herself till daylight. She can't sleep, and if she does, it's plagued by Henry's nightmares; she cries again. These are the only times I can see her. I watch her imagining I'm holding her that I didn't screw up. She is my everything now, and I am gonna protect her.

I watch her as she cries in the astronomy tower tonight. Something seems different. She sits on the edge instead of the middle of the room. I keep my distance, but I stay close to her. She isn't in her headspace today. She wouldn't jump, would she? I see her slowly scoot towards the edge. She's gonna jump. I leap up. That's when she jumps. I throw myself half over the edge and grab her hand.

She is still crying as I pull her up over the edge. I go towards the middle of the room. I pull her close to my chest and hold her. I'm breathing heavy, and she is crying harder than before. She buries her face into my chest. I put my hand on her head and hold her closer to me than before. She grabs my shirt and keeps crying. I place my other hand around her waist and keep her wrapped in my arms. We sit there for what feels like hours. I pull away. I cup her face, and she looks up at me. I missed her looking at me. She is still crying, and I wipe a tear away with my thumb.

"It's ok, Lyra. I got you always. I'll never let you fall." I say. One last tear slips. I gently kiss her forehead. "Thank you, James." She says in the softest voice I've ever heard. I can tell she is broken, and no one is there for her. "Do you wanna stay here? Go back to Slytherin's common room or come back to my dorm with me?" I ask her. "Your dorm," she says gently. I pick her up bridal style and carry her back towards my dorm.

I get back towards my dorm and set her down on my bed. She has been slowly falling asleep the whole way back. "You want me to stay?" I whisper. She nods. I get under the sheets with her and hold her close. "You ok with this?" I ask. She doesn't answer me. I look down, and she fell asleep holding me. I smile. She looks beautiful to me no matter what. I kiss her head and then rest mine inf the pillow.

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I wake up in a bed that's not mine. I'm tangled in someone else's sheets. I look around and figure out that I'm in a Gryffindor dorm room. I don't remember much after I tried to jump. It's all a blurry haze of me crying. Then James walks out of the bathroom. He has a towel around his waist and one around his neck that he uses to dry his hair. "Hey," I say. "Hi," He says back. "How are you feeling?" He asks. "like shit." I reply. He nods. I just kinda sit there watching him. "Thank you," I whisper. The more I think about last night, the more I have to hold in my tears. He looks back at me and walks over to me. "I will always catch you, Lyra. You're not alone, never." He says. I hug him. He wraps his arms around y waist and his face in the crook of my neck. We stay like that for a while.

A/N: Sorry for not updating last week. I didn't have a chapter prepared to post, and I couldn't write anything real quick. So over my break, I will prep tons of chapters, so I never have to skip anything.