My Hufflepuff

Chapter Twenty Five

Word Count- 2494

CADENCE'S POV

Jacob hasn't left his room in three weeks. Every so often I'll knock and the door and try to go in but it's locked with some kind of spell that I can't get though. He only goes out for about five minutes a day and that's to get the plate of food I bring him everyday. That's it. No talking. He doesn't even look at me. His eyes get more hollow everyday and his skin is deathly pale. He's not the Jacob I knew. This Jacob has been broken and I don't know if I can fix him. Not this time. Throughout the tasks in the tournament we all saw what each champion had to go through. I obviously paid more attention to Jacob's sight than any others. Every time something bad happened to him, I would cry. Someone as young as him shouldn't have to go through that. Right after the first task I went straight to the professors and Headmaster to see if I could get him out. When Jacob came back from the first task, I could tell something was different. After that day, he held onto Aaron a little tighter. His voice became more quiet. After the second task all he did was make sure his boyfriend was okay. Even if it was the middle of the night, I would hear him leave the common room, off to go check on Aaron. He wouldn't return for a few hours. Finally, after the third task, Jacob was broken. I could see it in his eyes. The way they were glazed over and dim, not the bright clear ocean blue they usually are. His shoulders were slumped and he didn't raise his head. None of the other two champions looked as broken as he did. I was screaming and shouting during the final task. He was being shown scenes that broke his soul. They put me in the position of a monster and I will never forgive them for that. I did notice when Jacob took a step away from me when he came back. I noticed the way his body flinched away from me. He has scars that won't heal. When he ran at Aaron, he was desperate. He needed someone to hold onto. Someone he knows would protect him. But that's not what he got. What he got was someone who was utterly disgusted that a Hufflepuff was with a Slytherin. He reminded me so much of how Aaron treated Jacob in their first year here. The glares of hatred. The acts of rage. But why? Aaron seemed different to. I could tell that he was so confused. The way he flinched at everything. His eyes looked lost...but that's no excuse to how he treated his boyfriend. I loud sigh escapes my lips and I rest my head on my hands.

"It makes no sense!" I shout into oblivion. "Ugh!" I say. Suddenly, I feel someone's arms wrap around my waist and pull me into their lap.

"What's makes no sense Cadence?" I hear the voice ask. It's Veronica. A small smile falls onto my lips. Quickly though, it fades.

"What's happening with Aaron and Jacob? He broke him and Aaron felt no remorse. It's like he didn't even know who he was looking at. He use to look at Jacob like he was his everything. Like Jacob could do anything. All I saw in his gaze at the end of the third task was anger. I just don't know why and I hate it." I tell her, running my hand through my frizzy hair.

"Well, what do we know?" Veronica asks me.

"Nothing." I tell her, resting my head on her shoulder.

"That's not necessarily true." Veronica states. My head snaps up to look her in the eyes.

"What do you mean?" I ask her.

"Well who do we think would want something to happen to Jacob and Aaron?" She asks me.

"Like I know." I say, staring at her. "This is hopeless." I tell Veronica. Suddenly I hear a door slowly open. Both our heads snap towards the noise to see Jacob standing there. I quickly jump off Veronica's lap and sprint towards him. I crash into him and quickly wrap my arms around him. While hugging him I pull him towards the couch. I set him down next to Veronica and he just sits down, not even complaining. "See Veronica, we need to help him." I tell her, going and placing a locking spell on his door. I need to talk to him now because I don't know when my next chance will be. I rush back to him and lean down in front of him on my knees.