The Girl Who Vanished

Chapter 15: Boom

(TW: Panic attack.)

Ana and Aeron vowed to not go back to the Astronomy Tower after that night. Not only were they nearly drowned by the twins' dumb and unnecessary prank, but the cards they spent weeks writing out were destroyed in a matter of seconds. That was possibly what Ana was most aggravated about; all of her hard work was blasted to bits and Ana couldn't stop herself from feeling guilty about it happening, and at Aeron's expense. She was the twins' target, not him. He didn't deserve it any of this.

            However, Aeron did not feel sorry for himself in the slightest. After what the twins did, and how badly Ana was affected by it, the only thing Aeron could feel was pure anger towards the two boys. They were reckless, and careless, and incredibly good at magic despite what they used it for. The magnitude of that storm was impressive and he couldn't even begin to think about how they could have possibly hurt Ana even more.

            She wanted to talk to them, maybe yell at them a bit. But none of that would change the situation. This time she wasn't going to get back at them by pranking them, or screaming; she was going to play the long game. They would not receive a speck of attention from her. She would not dare look over at the Gryffindor table and whenever they approached her and her four friends, they would create a physical barrier between her and the Weasleys. It might have been torture for their conscious, but Ana needed some time to herself, even if every part of her wanted to forgive them.

            It became ridiculous how desperate the twins were when it came to trying to win back her attention. Everyday, like clockwork, she would receive a tiny note at breakfast. And all that was on it was:

We're so sorry.

                        Gred & Forge.

            The letter would be written in a messy script, like whoever was scribbling on the paper was under total distress. She knew they were sorry. It was outstandingly and overwhelmingly obvious. In the end, it wasn't about them being sorry. Ana was just exhausted. Over the course of the year, the tiny pranks irked her more than she thought they would. The exploding cake and biting teacups were a breeze; that she could tolerate. But the swarm of paper birds that pelted her head and the storm that literally and figuratively knocked the wind out of her lungs were too much to handle. Fighting back wasn't exactly her preferred way of solving a situation. If there was one thing Ana knew she could it, it was to keep a straight face and act as if they weren't there. It worked at home.

            And for the rest of the term, she kept that up. She would go to her classes, read her restricted book from Snape, and whenever she wasn't with Professor Sprout, she would religiously study with Aeron. They had to replace their damaged study materials and prepare for the final exams that were quickly approaching, and they were running out of time.

            It wasn't a strange sight to see Ana and Aeron quizzing each other in the Slytherin common room, while Alex and Calista were off in a corner listening to some rock band that Calista swore was her new favorite. Even Lucian and Derrick made it a habit to hang around them, whether they worked on school or were devising new beater techniques they wanted to try out before the Quidditch Final.

            The new routine wasn't as pretty to look at, especially now that it was warm out, Ana could only imagine how beautiful the school grounds looked from the top of the Astronomy Tower. Yet, she found the little family that was growing around her was even more beautiful. Everything she needed was right here. Well, almost everything.

            After all her other friends had retired for the night, Ana and Aeron were the only ones left in the Slytherin common room. They were finally on the last unit, which gave them great relief since the final was only a few hours away. It was incredible how fast the term went when she didn't have to wait on the edge of her seat for another prank or another nightmare.