Ravenclaw's Shadow

Chapter 59

Tilly takes the hint and leaves the room, her head bowed. Lucas hesitates at the door, looking like he wants to say something, but then he just says goodnight and follows Tilly.

I sit down on my bed, feeling furious at Tilly. All this time I've been trying to help Georgiana and she's been flirting with Fred behind my back.

The next morning I refuse to sit with Tilly at breakfast. It's the first time since we met we've been separated by choice. Tilly looks at me with hurt in her eyes.

I have to force myself not to think about it as I do the rounds with Kim. It's our week on 'mucking out' so we're cleaning out the enclosures with a bunch of others. Dangerous, smelly work. Luckily, the dragons are a present enough danger to force my mind off the Tilly-Fred-Georgiana dilemma.

That night, however, my anger splits from just Tilly to Tilly and Fred. How could he do this? How could he let his relationship with Georgiana die while he flirts with Tilly? I have a good mind to write him a strongly worded letter.

About a week later, Tilly tries to speak to me at lunch.

"I can explain," she says.

"Don't bother," I snap.

We don't talk for another month.

And then another.

And then another.

I had been planning on inviting her to spend Christmas with me again, but I'm too angry. I spend the night before pacing my room, thinking of all the horrible things I'm going to say to Fred. I could just tear his throat out. I could disembowel him. I could peel his skin from his flesh.

There's a knock on my door and I answer it. Charlie is standing there, looking serious.

"Can we talk?" he asks. I nod, and step back to let him in.

"It's about Tilly," he says. I try not to groan.

"I'm telling you this because I trust you," he says, "please don't make me regret it."

"What?" I ask, confused. Charlie takes a deep breath.

"Tilly hasn't been getting love letters from Fred," he says, "they're from me."

"What?!"

"Because I'm her mentor we're not, strictly speaking, allowed to date," he says, "so we've been keeping it a secret. Fred and Tilly are just friends, that's all they've ever been."

I stare at him, almost unable to believe it.

"I'd really appreciate if you could keep this to yourself," he says, "just until the program is over and we can go public."

I nod, my voice gone. Charlie smiles at me.

"Thanks," he says, "I hope you and Til can figure things out."

He claps me on the shoulder and walks out. I stare at my wall for a few more moments, then walk out into the night, over to Tilly's cabin. I let myself in, forgetting to knock. She's sitting in bed, reading, but looks up when I come in.

"Charlie?" I squeak. She blushes and nods.

"Oh my god," I sit down on her bed, "oh my god."

"Yeah..."

"Oh."

"Mhm."

"My."

"Yep."

"God."

"I know."

"I can't believe you didn't tell me," I say. She blushes.