Gwen stands silently, staring out of her window at the sunrise.
Beautiful. Hogwarts had always been beautiful. Her eyes burn from lack of sleep, her back aflame with pain that seeps through her skin, into her bones, and takes root in her soul. Sleeplessness had only increased since word of Sirius escaping Azkaban. Sleeplessness induced by fear, anticipation. Longing.
What would she do if he were here, right now. She wasn't sure. She wasn't even sure that the man she'd fallen in love with all those years ago still existed in the way he once had. It scared her, terrorized her when she tried to sleep at night. It was eating away at her. Not even two days in and she was yearning for the freedom of her beach. But it had become a prison in its own right, her freedom had been used against her.
Her eyes drift down to her bare arms, eyes burning more at the familiar dark symbol burned into her skin. Amalgamation. Another weapon used against her, the tattoo she shared with infamous murder Sirius Black. Her love, her partner. Her damnation.
Her eyes trace the ink surrounding it wistfully, tattoos she'd collected along the journey to try and find her freedom again. Fruitless. Freedom had been killed alongside Lily and James Potter.
So she stands, staring out across the rolling hills and towering mountains, the waters that used to remind her of her home. She stands silently, stands vigil until the sky has turned light blue and her stomach reminds her that she's yet to eat anything this morning.
Her trek down the corridors and stairs is quiet, her arms covered by a maroon turtleneck despite the summer air she knew was lingering outside the stony walls of the castle. She didn't want her skin to show. Questions she wasn't ready to answer were written across her body, starting with the line that had never faded across her throat.
Her eyes linger on the portraits as she makes her descent to the great hall, her eyes crinkling at the joy on some of their painted faces. She waves, resolving herself to speak to them later. Students are beginning to appear, looking as tired and hungry as she feels. She smiles at them plainly, her eyebrows quirking at the gawking she receives. Being isolated had her forgetting that her appearance was jarring. She hopes her eyes aren't too scary.
The portraits protest when she walks by them, some desperate to speak with the Veela of Hogwarts. Her affection for the seemingly inanimate objects was growing, easing the tension in her chest and her arms. It wasn't all bad. There were still things here that she liked, things that liked her too. Though it's not the portraits or the statues or the suits of armor waiting to greet her at the entrance to the Great Hall. It's something better.
Gwen pauses, staring solemnly at the pair lanky boys with auburn hair staring up at a rather familiar nonbeing.
The boys notice her first, stopping their hurried discussion to gape silently at the Veela. By their hair, she'd guess them as Weasley's. She's too busy to ponder that however because an old friend is now facing her.
Gwen blinks, her lips twitching when one of the boys hurriedly stammers to the impish nonbeing, "Wait! Don't—"
The boy is interrupted, his words completely drowned out by a shout that echos off the walls of the corridor, reaching the portraits down the way that are trying their damndest to not smile. They'd never got along with Gwen's peculiar friend, but they couldn't deny the ripple of excitement that coursed through every nook and cranny of the castle at the reunion.
"WITTY WHITLOCK!"
Gwen erupts with laughter, the sound bubbling up from deep within her, a place untouched by joy and light for nearly twelve years. Peeves the Poltergeist, speeding her way with compete abandon, flying through the air and knocking her off her feet.
Peeves is singing, loud and proud and full of impish excitement as Gwen simple stares up at him as he circles above.
"Witty Whitlock returned at last, Witty Whitlock forget the past," He crows, bells on his hat jingling and hands clapping, "The castle missed its favorite gal, but no one missed her more than her best pal!"
Gwen grins and sits up, brushing off her pants before clambering to her feet. She opens her arms and the poltergeist flies into her again, his black hair sticking out wildly from her hat and tickling her nose. Her eyes burn and she swallows down emotion, her cheeks aching from her smile. Peeves.
Some things hadn't changed.
"A riddle, Witty!" Peeves springs free from their hug, dark eyes glinting with excitement as he begs, "Please, Witty! A riddle for your bestest pal, Peevsie!!!"
Gwen clasps her hands together, staring at him pensively as she thinks. Her eyes drift passively over her floating friend's shoulder, finding that the gawking lanky boys have drawn a crowd. A crowd that includes Harry.
She smiles, the action harder now that she knows she's being watched. Stared at. Peeves doesn't mind however, and she feels a rush of youthfulness and mischief that had been eroded by the winds of time. It wasn't that long ago that she would sit and read to Peeves while he swam in the toilets, or they would trade limericks and rhymes while munching mindlessly on acid pops. It wasn't that long ago. Was it?
Her gaze returns to Peeves and her shoulders feel lighter. She smiles wryly and relents, "Fine, but only because I liked your song."
The faint tinge of pink on the poltergeist's pale cheeks spurs her onward and she looks at him calmly, saying, "I am everywhere, I am a part of everyone. I am the end of space and time. I am the end of existence, yet the beginning of the end. What am I?"
Peeves' eyes narrow, his hand coming up to dramatically stroke his chin. The children behind them are silent, waiting, watching in awe. It was beginning to show that none of them knew who this Professor was, and they certainly didn't know how she had peeves wrapped around her finger.
"E!!!"
Gwen smiles and bobs her head up and down, joy warming her heart again at the rather pleased look on the Poltergeist's face.
"Brilliant," Gwen says firmly. "You've only gotten smarter with age, Peevsie. I see that you've been making friends."
Peeves quirks his head to the side, looking confused before he gasps dramatically, eyes darting over his shoulder to where the pair of boys with auburn hair are watching the Veela and the Poltergeist warily.
"Not friends," He scolds lowly, an impish grin on his face. "Means to an end, Witty. Means to an end!"
Gwen's smile grows and she winks, humming thoughtfully before asking, "Perhaps a swim in the toilets later?"
"Yes!!!" Peeves cheers, cackling with wholehearted excitement. His eyes suddenly grow round and his smile spreads from ear to ear.
"The Baron!" He cries happily, zooming away from the Veela and the crowd of students as he shouts over his shoulder, "Wait until the Baron hears that Witty Whitlock is back!"
Gwen's passiveness returns now that the reunion is over, her legs carrying her to the crowd of students hovering by the door. She pauses just before walking through the space that they've all backed away to make for her.
Her smile returns, faint but there. She avoids looking at Harry, determined to hang onto her happiness instead of her guilt for at least the time being.
Instead, she looks at what Peeves called his means to an end.
"Mr. Weasley," Gwen greets one of the twins, his jaw never quite having returned from its normal place. Her eyes shift to the other one, meeting a curious and inquisitive stare that piques her interest. She smiles, offers again in the same bored tone, "Mr. Weasley."
Finally, she glances at Harry standing silently besides Hermione and Ron. She winks, brief and perhaps imperceptible to most watching, and then disappears into the great hall, her stomach urging her to finally find some food. The students stare after her, as if frozen by her icy gaze and enigmatic aura. Gwen didn't mind, in fact it felt quite familiar.
She can hear them spring into action, following her hurriedly into the hall. Gwen smiles to herself when she hears Hermione failing miserably to whisper,
"...Lupin has at least some notes! She has no written history! None! All it says is that Gwenyth Margaux Whitlock attended Hogwarts from 1971 to 1978–"
The Veela continues walking down the row of tables, simply musing over her shoulder, "Perhaps there just isn't much to say, Miss. Granger. Please, hurry to eat breakfast. I'd hate for you to run low on time."
Hermione stutters to a stop, earning a disgruntled noise from Ron and Harry when they slam into her back. Gwen just smiles, taking her seat at the table for Professors before looking up to find the Gryffindor golden girl staring at her in horror and confusion. She'd seen that look before. She'd seen it quite a bit.
Some things never change.