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ALBANY DIDN'T GET TO TELL FAITH anything that night. The minute they had uttered the password and stepped inside the common room, a repeat of the earlier uproar ensued; not a single Slytherin, it seemed, had gone to bed at all, rather staying up and waiting for their champion.
The noise was overwhelming; students of all years were on their feet, stamping and clapping, cheering and whooping, some of them actually screaming. Albany was caught off guard by the amount of support her housemates were so willing to give her, and perhaps in other circumstances, it would have been heartwarming. She knew the Slytherins had house pride, but to this extent, it was definitely surprising, especially considering she had barely uttered a word to any one of them, excluding Faith.
She stood at the entrance to the common room for a long moment, astonished by the display of support, before eventually snapping out of her stupor. Faith had cheered up considerably, face alight with excitement at the thought of a party. That was certainly what their house was implying they throw; someone had wrapped a green and silver banner around Albany's shoulders, and there was magical confetti showering from the high ceiling. She felt guilty to deny them the pleasure of celebrating, but personally felt like doing the exact opposite. Maybe if she suggested they had a group grave-digging session for her, they might be just as enthusiastic.
She had to fight her way to her dormitory, numerous complaints and shouts encouraging her to stay. Guilt pulled at her arms as the hands of her classmates did, but her anger and fear hadn't yet dissipated and urged her onwards with threatening glares sent towards those in her way.
"Al," Faith called, her voice breaking through the clamour of the crowded common room. Albany glanced sheepishly over her shoulder, and felt bad ever before catching the disappointed expression on her friend's face. "You're not staying? After everything else?"
Her stomach knotted at the remark, and reminded her of the ever-present nausea and exhaustion that had haunted her all day. She physically couldn't bring herself to stick around for what would undoubtedly be a lively and long party, but the guilt of saying no to her best friend after just reconciling with her weighed heavy.
"Faith, I—" her voice faltered, desperate, lost in the noise. Regardless of whether or not she stayed, everyone else seemed set on celebrating; teenagers would never just throw away an excuse to stay up all night and party. "I have to go... just this once."
Faith didn't reply, but didn't move to stop her, standing still in a packed crowd of energetic bodies. Her face fell, and Albany turned and hurried up the stairs to the girls' dormitories, unable to face it any longer.
Sleep didn't come easy that night. She could have cried into her pillow, she felt so horrible, but didn't allow herself such a luxury; it was all, of course, entirely her fault that she had landed herself in such a mess and ruined everything. Dark, desperate thoughts plagued her for what felt like hours alone in her bed; had she not been so physically and mentally drained, she would never have succumbed to sleep. When she did, it was rough, uncomfortable, and haunted by nightmarish images and terrible dreams.
Albany woke with a start late the next morning, and somehow didn't feel any better than she had the previous night; it didn't take very long for everything to come flooding back to her. Faith was sitting up on her bed, and seemed a little tense as Albany glanced at her, apparently surprised by her friend's sudden waking.
"Morning," she said stiffly, rolling her shoulders as if to ease her muscles.
Albany swallowed, and nodded, not quite meeting her gaze. She slipped out of bed, barely acknowledging the mess her bedsheets had been left in. "I'm going to shower," she murmured, and headed to the bathroom straight away, before the sweat she was drenched in could dry on her skin.
No matter how long she spent under boiling water, it did nothing to soothe her nerves. When she eventually emerged, usually pale skin a little pink from the heat, Faith was waiting patiently for her.
"Breakfast?" the girl suggested, though the thought of eating anything and facing the rest of the school made Albany's throat close up.
"Maybe we could take a walk?" she said meekly, and bit her cheek under Faith's contemplative stare. "I can tell you what I was going to yesterday."
Faith shrugged. "Sure."
Already, it seemed Albany had newfound fame to get used to, because as the two girls descended into the common room, she was met with a round of applause from the Slytherins who had come back from breakfast. She was grateful when Faith marched her towards the entrance with haste, and they took a long route through the castle to the doors, walking in tense silence.
The morning was chilly, and Albany realised she'd forgotten her scarf in her haste as the cold nipped at her cheeks. They made their way down to the lake, where the Durmstrang ship was moored, towering over the low willow trees at the water's edge. They walked a little further at Albany's hesitant insistence, ensuring that nobody would overhear their conversation when they eventually settled on a thick willow root.
"So," Faith said, when Albany struggled to gather her thoughts and speak. "Spill. What's up with you?"
She swallowed hard, and didn't realise how nervous she was until she noticed her hands trembling. "I got detention on the first day back," she started, and paused to steady her voice.
"I know," said Faith. "With Flitwick."
There was a hint of amusement in her tone, and Albany forced herself to relax. "Well, there's... a reason for that."
She hadn't exactly intended on spilling every detail of her disastrous sixth year, but she found that once she started talking, she couldn't stop. The words tumbled out of her mouth with unbridled determination to be heard, desperate for comfort, to lighten the burden crushing her chest. It began with Merlin and Arthur haunting her, and the dream, and their appearance in real life; the next thing she was telling her all about her week of detention with Fred and George, and their illegal letter-writing, and the unlikely friendship that followed; then she was ranting about Moody, and putting her name in the goblet, and her argument with the ghosts, and how she had ruined everything with everyone. She felt lighter with every word that slipped from her lips; the feeling was addictive, and she wondered what on earth had distanced her from Faith when confiding in her was so liberating.
"What are you on, Al?" Faith laughed as the girl finally finished her lamenting, face pink and fingers plucking at moss on the tree root. Faith was smiling, though her amusement felt uncalled for, and Albany's face fell further.
"You don't believe me?"
Faith blinked at her, her own smile lessening. "Well — I mean — forgive me if I say it's a bit farfetched," she said with an awkward chuckle. "Like, you're being haunted by the ghost of Merlin? Because you're his descendant? And all to find your soulmate — I mean...."
Albany swallowed, unsure of why her burdens felt like they were returning at speed. "I couldn't make this up," she pleaded. "Seriously, I'm telling the truth—"
"No, I get it," Faith said, and her expression was genuine. Albany's relief, however, was short-lived. "I get that you believe this all actually happened to you, but like... are you sure this isn't something your mind just came up with? To like, ease your depression or something...."
Albany faltered, not sure if she believed her ears. "Faith — what — I'm not depressed—!"
"Aren't you?" Faith questioned. "It kind of sounds like it, to be honest. Like the feeling sick and tired all the time? And you just ranted about your life to me for like half an hour, and I don't think you sounded happy about any of it."
Albany struggled to form words, completely astonished. Worse still, she couldn't deny that Faith made a good point. "Regardless," she argued weakly, frustrated with the wobble in her voice. "I'm not.... I wasn't imagining it, Faith, I know I wasn't."
Faith shrugged, her gaze drifting down to where water gently lapped at the lake's shore. "Okay," she said after a moment, and though she didn't sound entirely convinced, she didn't argue it further. "Well, either way, you don't have to worry about them now, don't you? They're gone, you said."
Albany blinked, an odd creeping sensation tickling the back of her neck. "Yeah," she said, a little defensively. "But—"
"But you said you didn't want to deal with your destiny," Faith pointed out. "Now you don't have to. You can just forget about them."
Albany felt her heart sinking, and wasn't sure why; Faith was right, after all, she'd said it herself that she didn't want any part of it. "I just...." It was becoming increasingly difficult to explain the way she felt. Perhaps she didn't know herself. "I guess I just... want to apologise? I don't know, I... I feel guilty, I think."
Faith stared at her like the answer was obvious. "Well, don't," she stated simply. "It kind of sounds like they were using you, Al, I'm not gonna lie."
Albany, if possible, slumped even further in her seat. The cold breeze played with the loose strands of her dark hair, still a little damp from her shower, and she trembled lightly against the chill, drawing her knees up to her chest. Faith was right, because she had suspected the same thing, but was too afraid to admit it. She'd let them in so easily, because they were so willing; but how could anyone actually want to get to know her unless they themselves benefitted greatly from it?
"I just want the best for you," Faith said quietly, and when Albany managed to meet her gaze, it was soft and upset; not with her, but for her. The girl managed a weak smile. "You deserve better than people like that, Al. People who want you for you."
"Thanks, Faith," Albany murmured appreciatively, because it was evident that she was one of those people. How couldn't she be, after so many years of close friendship? Faith had always been there for her, and she had missed her company dearly in the past few weeks. Merlin and Arthur she could just... forget about. She swallowed. "So what about Fred and George? And Lee — what do I do with them? I don't want to mess things up with them, too...."
"I think," Faith began slowly, and tidied up her ponytail thoughtfully, "you should give them a bit of space. See if they come back to you first."
Albany nodded. "Okay," she murmured. "That makes enough sense."
Faith smiled at her. "I hope I could help," she said. "Mer— gosh, I missed having these kind of conversations with you. Wait til you hear all the shit I would talk about with Zoe and Phylis, they're honestly kind of weird. Viola's alright, but she's so full of herself, it's literally torture to listen to her sometimes — you know she's convinced Viktor Krum will ask her out...."
Albany couldn't help it when she zoned out, uninterested in the gossip about their dormmates. Faith rambled on aimlessly, a few dramatic hand gestures thrown in, and she found her mind wandering, spirits barely lifted. She'd had other things she wanted to discuss properly, such as how in the name of Merlin she was going to survive the tournament — and then her attention was snatched rapidly by an unfamiliar voice calling her name. She zoned in quickly, gaze darting towards where the nervous, tense figure of Harry Potter and his Muggle-born friend had approached the two girls tentatively.
"Albany?" the younger boy had called, expression caught somewhere between immediate regret and frustration. "Er — you missed the details of the first task yesterday, right?"
Albany straightened in her seat, and couldn't help the way her muscles tensed and stomach knotted at the very mention of it. "Yeah," she muttered, glancing towards Faith, whose expression had turned steely.
Harry shifted his weight in his heels, obviously uncomfortable. "Do you — do you have a minute?"
Albany blinked, and then nodded and stood up. His friend lingered awkwardly near Faith as Albany followed him a few steps away, arguably not even out of earshot of the other girls.
"We didn't really get told much," Harry admitted quietly. "It takes place at the end of November, and you can only use your wand."
Albany stared, trying to ignore the sudden urge she felt to gag. "Well, what is it?"
Harry paused. "Er — they won't tell us. To test our daring, Crouch said."
A heavy wave of nausea passed through her, and she pinched the bridge of her nose, wincing. Under Harry's concerned gaze, she took a sharp breath and managed to speak. "Sorry, I just — I'm so dead, I didn't even want to enter." She stopped herself before she ended up spilling her life story to someone else.
Harry didn't look like he knew what to say, and she didn't blame him. Instead, he simply nodded. "Well — good luck."
She nodded, throat tight. "Thanks." She paused. "You too."
He nodded. They stood awkwardly for a moment, as though unsure of whether or not they should exchange further words, before Harry nodded again decisively, and he and his bushy-haired friend left.
Albany returned to Faith, rubbing at her face as if it would ease the discomfort in her stomach.
"What was that about?" Faith asked, voice unusually sharp.
"I walked out of the champions' meeting thing yesterday..." Albany muttered. "Missed the instructions, so Harry caught me up."
"Can you believe he actually got chosen?" Faith hissed, completely disregarding Albany's answer. "It's so unfair. As if he wasn't famous enough.... What a prat."
"He didn't put his name in," Albany explained, tired. He had argued that point enough times last night that she wouldn't be forgetting it anytime soon; and he looked anxious enough that she believed him.
Faith snorted in disbelief. "Of course he did," she argued. "Slytherins aren't allowed to have a single victory as long as he's at this school. You're the rightful Hogwarts champion."
"I wish I wasn't," Albany groaned, staring out onto the grey surface of the lake. "Guess one good thing is just too much to ask for."
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❃ a/n:
thank you for 100 votes omg?? kinda crazy for me ngl ♡
also, let me know what you think of the story so far! i've been feeling lowkey insecure about my writing recently, it feels really bland to me :/ hopefully it will improve in the coming chapters, though the next few will be a bit more character and relationship based like this one, i think. hope you're all enjoying :)
- A x