She lay in her old bed, staring up at the ceiling that should have been there, but was now a large hole, splintered and broken wood strewn on the normally soft bed, springs sticking out from the demolished matress. She still couldn´t believe it fully, that she was now the last of her family line, that all the friends she had made in the servants that worked for them, were now gone, along with her father.

Her eyes move over to the right, looking through a spring sticking out of the bedsheets at a picture on her desk, an old one of her mother, her soft smile ever-present upon so familiar features she could easily see just by looking into a mirror. Beside it was one of her father, the rugged, handsome face of the black-haired wizard, his scruffy beard there as always, the short, unruly hair, still with a warm smile, just as she remembered him when she left for her seventh year at Hogwarts.

She feels her thoughts yanked to the present, feeling the hollow space inside her heart, but also, the seething rage and fury inside, like a caged beast ready to let loose and devour and destroy anything in it´s path. What frightens her most, is that she finds herself liking the prospect. Her mind begins racing with thoughts, of revenge. She´d have them pay. How, she wasn´t certain yet, but it would not be pleasant in the slightest. She´d make them suffer a thousandfold for what she was feeling now, a single name whispered off her lips.

"Drusilla."

The fellow Slytherin girl that had given her the news was now occupying her mind. She could use her, at the very least. Once the Ministry found out who the wizards were, she could try to pry the information from her, and even get her help, if possible. Her words of assurance still echoed inside her ears, and a slight smirk manages to creep upon the raven-haired girls lips.

She slowly stands out of the bed, wincing as a lancing pain runs through her right hand, looking down at the mangled mess, her bones broken in multiple places from before, cursing her failure to control her magic. She looks around the room for a moment, stopping as she looks upon her closet, walking over with slow, heavy steps, the pain still causing her much discomfort, her feet feeling like they would break and crumble any moment now from underneath her. She yanks the closet´s door open with her left hand, grabbing a bedsheet and tossing it onto the demolished bed, walking over to it and getting a small dagger from the pouch attached to her belt. She cuts out a large piece from the sheet, then, taking a deep breath, she bites into a piece of wood, grabbing her right forearm, pressing her head against her bicep as she forcibly bends it at the elbow, biting hard down into the shattered wood in her mouth as tears stream from her eyes at the pain. She takes the cut sheet and ties it together, putting it around her neck, letting her hand rest in the slack, laying across her stomach.

She closes her eyes after a final look around the house, focusing closely and snapping the fingers of her left hand, feeling her stomach taking off ahead of her, before opening her eyes inside her dorm room, laying carefully down into the soft bed, muttering softly to herself before she drifts off to nightmare-filled sleep.

"I´ll have Pomfrey look at it tomorrow."

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Kiera Gareidan Solstheim - 7th year Slytherin

The thumping beat of the music was almost soothing to her now, after a few glasses of mojito. She still despised the annoyingly repetitiveness of the techno-beat, but at least it wasn´t half as bad when she was drunk.

She punched an annoying guy in the side that kept insisting on buying her a drink, nearly spitting on her with his slurred, drunk words. He reeled back, clutching his stomach and fell onto the floor, stumbling away and grumbling. The magic she had on her body really was a great boon, her body´s strength matched that of professional weight-lifters, packed into a neat package. Well, neat, if you discounted her breasts. Those same breasts were a boon to her though, especially in a place like this. The bartender´s didn´t bother to ask her for ID, and every man around was willing to buy her drinks, as annoying as that was to her.

She hated London, it always confused her, even more than Hogwarts did. Still, there were places there that were worth the trip, like The Green Door club she was in right now.

She began to think back a few nights ago, when Drusilla had sent her the note by a raven, bearing just the club´s name, written in green letters. She had been fortunate that she had heard about the club before and knew where it was, sort of. It had taken her a bit of time to find it, but she had gotten there eventually, only to be greeted with the sight of the blinding, flashing lights, and the dancefloor, filled with people that looked like they were having a seizure or something. Fortunately, she had spotted Drusilla soon enough, and got entertained by the display of a rather jolly-looking Drusilla, clearly having been drunk, and something more. They had talked much that night, and had come to a rather beneficial arrangement, while also being able to have fun.

The thought suddenly struck her mind. She had fun. She actually had had more fun with Drusilla than she ever had with Sab. Doubt began to place itself in her heart. She liked S'abrina, she liked her alot, but she felt relaxed in Drusilla´s company usually, and felt like she didn´t need to hide at all what her true feelings and ideals were, despite the fact that Drusilla was usually always her uptight, perfectionistic self. Drusilla had shown her a different side of herself that time, a side she found herself liking a great deal. She bit into her lower lip, chewing on it idly, spinning the glass of Mojito on the table slowly, 'round and 'round, until her thoughts got interrupted by Brandi.

"You feeling alright, miss?"

The simple question jerked her out of her mental debate, and she simply smiled and nodded to Brandi, lifting the glass up to her lips and tilting back, gulping the entirety of it´s contents in one long gulp, probably not the wisest of things to do, but she did it regardless, it was how she usually drank everything, and it usually got her in trouble one way or the other. This time was no exception.

She felt her vision blur slightly, shaking her head to try and focus her eyes a bit, but to no avail, the alcohol had already settled into her body, at an alarming rate. She didn´t bother much with it though, instead tapping her knuckles twice on the bar, motioning to Brandi, standing up a bit and leaning forward over the table to yell over to her in an effort to make herself be heard over the crashing soundwaves of the techno tunes.

"Another glass of mojito!"

She looked around the club slowly again, taking in the despicable sight of the people upon the dancefloor.

"Amateurs."

She muttered to herself, images of herself trying to steer Drusilla´s dance into something fitting leaping into her mind, and she buried her face in her palm, rubbing her forehead firmly.

"Why the hell am I so confused all of a sudden..?"

She glances upwards as she feels her hand brush over something in her hair, a red rose, smiling softly to herself and taking it out to examine the gift S'abrina had given her to wear, along with all the other stuff she had given her. It was a lifetimes worth of trinkets, stuff to help her in school with homework, and nearly everything between heaven and earth, and then some. If people could be judged by the amount of things they gave others, S'abrina would be the nicest person on the planet, she thought.

Her mind drifted to that night at the camp, that fateful time when she had gotten what she had wanted for such a long time, many years she had yearned for, and now that she had it, why was she thinking of another? The question hounded her mind for the remainder of the night, until she finally stood up and walked out as she club was closing it´s doors, a final glass of mojito in hand, her steps staggering and swaying, just barely remaining on her feet.

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Kiera Gareidan Solstheim - 7th year Slytherin

She could just barely make out the muffled talking of several persons around her, the splitting headache having receeded. She tried to scrounge around in her memory, but she could only find blanks. Fear started to settle in as she struggled, just to remember her name, if nothing else. The voices started to become clearer, and she could suddenly hear a male speaking directly to her, opening her eyes slightly and seeing the muddled, blurry image of a face above herself. She was laying, that much she knew.

"How are you feeling?"

She hated that question, since it was always asked when the answer was as obvious as daylight.

"Like I got run over by a truck.." She kindly replied, her voice hoarse and feeble.

She could just barely hear the man chuckle as her ears started ringing. The lights were thankfully dim in the room, or she felt like her eyes would have burned out of their sockets.

One of the figures around her helped her to sit up, handing her a glass of water and keeping her back straight with an arm. She felt her hands shaking a bit as she took the glass, her senses still numb, sedation perhaps? She brought the glass to her lips and tilted it back, letting the cold water run down her throat refreshingly, though having a bit of a difficulty swallowing, coughing violently in the aftermath.

"Easy now, don´t overdo it. You´ve been sedated for a while."

She could figure why. She had no recollection of anything, hell, she barely remembered how to speak and move. As her eyes regained focus once more, she could make out the four persons around her. Two males and two females. The man who had spoken to her at first then started to explain to her where she was, why she was here and who she was. She heard the name, but it just didn´t seem to fit to her, it all sounded so surreal to her. Severe memory loss with likely repercussions. They told her she´d be fine, but she´d be kept under treatment.

On regular intervals during the day, the same man came to her with potions that she drank, always that foul-tasting mixture, but she figured, if it could help restore her memory, and the gaps in it, she would bear with it.

Her sleep during the night was unpleasant, nightmares filling it, a shattered mirror in a spider´s web, images flashing across the shards like pictures, scenes from her memory, always fading once she thought she could place them.

She jerked upright as she awoke, a single sentence coming from her mouth, but holding so much meaning to the girl.

"I remember..."

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Kiera Gareidan Solstheim - 7th year Slytherin

She drew a slow, deep breath, feeling the fresh air stream into her lungs, the familiar taste of London´s stagnant air actually feeling alot better than the air inside St. Mungo´s. She was finally out. Even though in actuality, only about two days had passed since she was sent to St. Mungo´s, it felt to her like an eternity, needing to stay in bed the entire time, drinking those godawful potions they brought her regularly. She frowned at the thought that she needed to do so once a day for two weeks more.

Her frown was replaced by a slight smile as she looked upon her clothes, feeling alot more comfortable in the leather pants and jacket than the hospital-provided robes. She patted her hand on the side of her belt, feeling the wand attached in it´s clasp, a slight comfort surging through her at having it nearby again. She drew it out and tapped her left forearm with it´s tip, uttering almost silently her spell, feeling her body grow stronger, the weight of her baggages feeling miniscule afterwards.

Her nightmare from the night before was still stuck in her mind, the image flashing vividly before her eyes as she walked down London´s streets in an effort to calm her nerves and soul a bit. The all-too-common jolt of discomfort she had been feeling for a while now as she walked presenting itself over and over as she struggled to delve into her still partially-scrambled memories for places she ought to know easily, remembering them clearly after a minute or so. Her slow walk came to a stop suddenly, her head slowly turning to the side mid-step, taking one step back as she looks into the windows of a tattoo parlour, a slight smile crossing her lips, an idea running through her mind.

"Excuse me.. Is anyone here?"

She called into the parlour as she opened the door, peeking inside. A woman came out from somewhere inside the main room, covered almost completely from neck and down in various body art and piercings, a matte, black hair flowing down her shoulders, a soft smile appearing on her lips as she spots Kiera.

"Can I help you hun?"

She hesitated for a bit, unsure of what she clearly wanted, before nodding as the thought struck her mind.

"I´ve got a tattoo I´d like to have on my back. I´m looking for the very best tattooist I can find. Think you´ve got what it takes."

"Absolutely. I can do portraits, animals, objects, you name it."

She nods, looking around at the sketches on the walls, beautifully detailed portraits and exquisitely drawn images.

"Alright, where do I sit?"

"Just get in the back, depending on the size and complexity of the tattoo, it might cost quite a bit, got enough to cover it?"

She got her wallet out of her back pocket, flashing quite a bit of hundred pound bills, a bright smile appearing upon the woman´s lips.

"That will do perfectly, follow me."

She walked in after the woman into a large room in the back, taking off her jacket and shirt and laying down on a table, groaning slightly as her large chest got compressed by the leather, trying to get herself in a position to allow her to keep on breathing, remembering that she´d need it once the actual inking started. The woman sat down beside her.

"So, what are you wanting to get yourself? Something meaningful to you?"

She nods slowly, describing in exacting detail the specifics of the tattoo she wanted, providing pictures of various people that were to be included in the finished art. The woman seemed intrigued by the description, beginning her sketch immediately, finishing in about an hour. All the while, Kiera remained silent, looking around the room at the pictures, admiring the quality of the woman´s past work, nodding to herself as she was certain she´d do it as she wanted, only having her thoughts confirmed when she saw the drawing, matching her idea perfectly, and she nodded with a bright smile, getting herself into position, holding herself up with her forearms to keep from crushing her chest.

The tattoo took it´s time, and she returned twice a day for the span of two days, each session two hours long. As it was finally finished, she stood up, getting a glass of water and getting her bearings, feeling a bit dizzy like after every time, before turning around and looking at the finished ink on her back, a smile crossing her lips.

From her shoulders to her lower back, a intricate, black spider web covered her skin, five large shards of glass caught in the web, arranged like they had been shattered upon the web itself, three shards on the left side, two on the right. In the topmost left shard, a picture of herself, below her, a portrait of Charlotte S'abrina S'erminutue, and the lowest one of Drusilla Mancini, all the portraits done in a vivid black and white, except S'abrina´s having purple highlights where appropriate. In the right shards, were portraits of her father and mother, black and white as well, and in the middle of the entire web, sat a large, black spider.

She thanked the woman from the bottom of her heart, and paid her more than what she had asked for, insisting on paying her that amount. The woman reluctantly took the money, sighing with a chuckle to herself as she walked back into the shop. Now wearing little more than a bra fastened around her neck to keep the tattoo from brushing against fabric like was recommended to her, she walked into the Leaky Cauldron, and headed to Knockturn, sitting down in StarKnuts with a smile upon her lips, the images of her nightmare now gone from her mind. She whispered softly to herself as she sipped her coffee, glancing back as if trying to see the tattoo.

"Like shattered glass."

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Kiera Gareidan Solstheim - 7th year Slytherin

"Here you go miss."

"Thank you."

She smiled up to the waitress that came bearing her coffee, setting it upon her table. She took the steaming cup up and brought it to her lips, tilting it slowly back to take a sip from it, quickly realizing she needed a bit of milk, or at least to cool it down somewhat, hasting to take a drink from the glass of water previously upon her table.

"Hothothothot!"

She opened her mouth and fanned her tongue, trying to cool it a bit after the initial shock of heat brought on by the coffee. The waitress had apparently heard her as she heard her giggling on her way back. She couldn´t help but chuckle and look after the female, eyes fixed upon her hip region as the waitress made her way away, back turned to her. She quickly shook her head and turned her head to look around the area. She could see the Eiffel Tower off in the distance. Paris could be such a relaxing place at times. Well, if you discounted the beeping cars and chattering people. Suddenly she saw the entire scene switch, the people having moved and being replaced by others, the conversations having moved quite a bit ahead in the blink of an eye. She groaned slightly, rubbing her palm against her forehead with pained annoyance.

She tried to think of something else than the gaps in her memory, to divert her attention from the annoyance it caused her. The two females that occupied her mind immediately sprung up. She tilted her head slightly in thought, then called for the waitress for a piece of paper and a pen. The waitress came a few moments later with the items requested for and she began to write on the paper, first the two names on either side at the top, then split the paper with a single line down the middle between them. Then, she started to write, taking her time to think of the pros and cons of each girl, and once finished, she looked over her paper. It was almost full of words, and she had to peer at it to read it all by now.

She let out a heavy sigh, almost as if of defeat. She set the pen down on the table and raised her cup up again to her lips, sipping from it slowly. She suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder. Startled, she dropped the cup, spilling it´s contents over the table and the paper upon it. She gasped and quickly hurried to try and wipe off the paper, only catching a glimpse of a rather embarassed french boy hurrying away from her.

She stopped as she looked at the paper, the napkin still held in her hand, just gazing at what was before her.

The paper was covered almost entirely in the dark-brown liquid, except for the two names and a single note on each names side.

Princess was on one side..

Honesty on the other..

She stared at the two words almost highlighted by the liquid surrounding them. Then she simply put her head in her hands and sighed heavily, not bothering to wipe the mess up anymore.

"Sometimes I just feel like life is tossing anvils ontop of my head in an effort to help..."

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Kiera Gareidan Solstheim - 7th year Slytherin