Merlin, she was so cold. The half drunk bottle of wine lingered on her tongue as the former Ravenclaw eyed the table. Face scrubbed, hair pulled back and wearing a pair of flannel pajamas, Penny looked younger than her years but the truth of what this night meant to her was there in her eyes. A deep seated fear that tonight would be the night she woke up and found herself back in the cell at Azkaban. One she knew every inch of, each centimetre of tiles counted and the space between wall to wall; never quite enough to breathe comfortable as each lungful of precious air was stolen and wrenched from her before she could savour it.
Tonight marked the first night she’d spent in that place and though the day she’d been released was etched into her memory it was this first night, those first hours when she’d believed that there had to be a mistake that were scarred onto her soul. The wards were up, the fire dancing merrily in the grate was turning the room hot and yet it wasn’t enough. Wine and the solid weight of the replacement wand she’d been given settled on her thigh and tried to chase away the nightmares which were chasing at her heels. She just had to get through tonight. This was always the worst; the inability to sleep until she’d seen the dawn rise over her beach with bleary eyes.
There was never enough wine to relax her. Completely.
When the knock came, she rose softly and made her way towards the door. Her wards hadn’t been set off and she knew they were the best but ..trust came harder tonight. A quick glance towards the plain canvas bag which sat beside her door reminded her that her ‘go’ bag was still packed if she had to run and the way her wand sat in her grip told her she could fight before flight. If she had to. Nerves ran through her veins, fire hot and ice cold as the brunette warred with herself and opened the door to take in the sight of her best friend. “Ol!,” a half-choked out sob of his name as for just a split second she’d thought it might actually be them again. Come to finish what they’d started.
Ushering him in, she’d fetch the glasses for the milk and offer him her couch before reclaiming the spot. It was rare for her to let her guard down, to show how deeply her imprisonment had affected her but tonight there was no hiding her scars. “Thanks. For..ah coming.”