"I deserved it. Whatever was done, I deserved it."
"Not from me. You did disgusting things to almost everyone, but not to me."
"No, I did it to you too. Remember at least the third year. I said terrible things to you back then!"
"Like what? The truth?"
("Are you going to do it right here?!" Someone whispered indignantly behind the girl's back. They had just left the classroom where the first defense lesson had taken place, and where she had reminded everyone of the circumstances of her admission to the house. "Wait..."
"Who was this man?" Four guys stopped the girl amidst the corridor. Two of them looking bored just blocked the escape route, and the other two, on the contrary, were very involved.
"My father."
"So you are one of us!"
"So she is a traitor."
Taking a deep breath and leaning back against the wall, she assumed a relaxed posture, as the conversation was bound to be tense, and they certainly didn't need the attention of others. "And what were they thinking about?"
"I told you what beliefs he held. And that my mother died because of them. Why should I be on his side?"
"Because a traitor was your mother?"
"Maybe, and maybe vice versa."
"What do you mean by 'vice versa'? Ah, you're starting to say some nonsense again! What kind of surname is Greenwood anyway? Among the entourage of Lo..." he interrupted himself, which only angered him more "there were no such people. Did you take your lying mother's name?" The second lad already regretted joining the trio, notorious for its vulgar demeanour.
"Don't worry, his poison doesn't work on me, let him bite as much as he wants." The 'blonde' flushed and was about to reach for his wand, but came around. "It's my step-parents', but perhaps they are distant relatives. And trust me, my father's last name won't tell you anything. It wasn't in newspapers, and I bet it was rarely mentioned on the sidelines. I won't disclose it."
"So maybe he also betrayed his master? For which he was punished, and his name was forgotten, erased from the pages of history. The daughter of traitors. Why did you come to our house? To betray further?" The girl felt a pang of conscience. In essence, it was so, only it never occurred to her to look at the subject from that perspective. The guy noticed her confusion and decided to deliver the final blow. "Since you are a stranger here and probably out of touch, then you will be interested to know that your beloved teacher was also his faithful servant."
"My beloved... Head? What?!" Her jaw crept down, she sent an unspoken question to another guy, and he, not promptly grasping who the first was referring to, nodded affirmatively. Seeing what he wanted to see on the face of his victim, the impudent lad broke into a malicious smile and walked down the corridor with his head held high. With the feeling that she was deceived, the girl stood and watched the informer go.
"How did you find out about his mark? Have you seen it on someone?"
The student's gaze darted in the direction of the head, slid down his arm, and in fright moved to the headmaster's desk. "No, not live. I saw it in the newspapers when I was searching for information about my family. I know what it implies."
"So, why did you look at the professor's hand?" Nothing could have escaped the old wizard. The girl was lost, her eyes were nervously scanning the items on his desk. Fortunately there were countless of them. "Did someone tell you that he once served your father?"
His question unsettled not only the girl, but also the professor. They both stared at the headmaster first and then at each other. "Is it true?" - "Being so, will it change anything for you?" ... "No.")
"Besides, I was the first to insult you, just because I was upset."
(When the keeper brought those beautiful winged beasts, the girl thought that his subject would be her favourite this academic year. And when he said that students could fly on them - fly!! - her heart fluttered. To her disappointment, the professor gave the first opportunity to his pet. A tactically advantageous spot, on a stump, to see everything resulted to be strategically useless for being noticed. "Then the next one..." But no. Oh, how angry she was at this insolent fool for reaching out to the animal with his eternal insults, for depriving her of such a chance, even hypothetical. And there he was, sitting in the lounge, whining like a girl, and begging for pity. She rolled her eyes as she walked past. One of her roommates instantly came to his defence, but he didn't hesitate to speak up for himself.
"You don't feel sorry for me at all, do you?"
"I don't. There are plenty of people who feel sorry for you here, though I don't see any reason for this."
"My father will insist on a trial." The young man sounded offended. She must confess, that was her goal.
"Seriously? For what? If anyone were to be judged for pride and stupidity, both of you should be on the same bench.")
"And the attacks that started after that, so I know that neither you nor your pals participated in them - one of them confessed this while thanking me for my help."
On that day, her house declared war on her. They put unseen obstacles in her way, poured ink over her books and notebooks, blew up glasses with pumpkin juice in her hands. The inscription 'traitor' burned above her head, dissipating when one of the professors or prefects appeared nearby, only to light up again. The girl did not go to anyone with a complaint or for help; she decided to solve the problem on her own. It was then that she discovered the power in herself that others later admired and feared. She didn't want a war, it wouldn't have led to anything good. She wanted to show her housemates that it was futile to struggle with her because she was on no one's side and she was on the side of everyone. She didn't strive to hurt them, but she also wasn't going to change. As she told the hat, she can't help being herself. So they would have to accept her in their house. "In our house." Based on this message, she found a suitable spell surrounding herself and the things she touched with an invisible protective shell. Its goal was not to give back the curses sent to her address, but to neutralise them. It cost her a lot of strength to maintain it permanently, but she decided it was the thing to do. As for the inscription, the girl left it. It was not a slander, and then, she was wondering how long it would last. In spite of the working charms, she always felt when something flew into her, but pretended that nothing was happening; so she could only guess at the degree of bewilderment and puzzlement of the assailants by the degree of their curses' sophistication. Someone gave up rapidly, someone experimented persistently. One night she woke up from the feeling that someone was crawling over her. It was a waking nightmare, it was a sight that is not easy to unsee: her whole blanket was covered with snakes, toads, spiders, scorpions and who knows what else. But she knew for a fact who did: they were giggling together, hiding behind the farthest bed. She popped up with a wild scream, jerking off the blanket. It was followed by the sound of a huge glass chandelier shattering and the girls screeching. When the prefect came running to the noise and switched on the light in the bedroom, the entire space shone in the brilliance of multicoloured stones. How beautiful it was! The next day, during the first lesson, all four of her neighbours found fragments of precious figurines in their bags instead of books, transformed back into flesh and blood. Squeal was standing... Oddly enough, she later became kinda fellows with three of them. It was after this very incident that the assaults on her fully stopped. Only the inscription remained hanging over her head. She soon got rid of it by shaking her head vigorously to the chorus of astonished exclamations from those who assembled in the living room to leave the castle for the winter holidays. The girl had already experimented with this curse and discovered that it dissipates when she confidently declares to herself that she is not a traitor because she didn't betray anyone in particular.
"I didn't help you neither then nor the first night in the dorm, when that brute started picking on you." ("I knew she could handle it.")
"You did not have to. But you came running to save me from the prison guards."
"But I didn't."
"I didn't need anyone's help then."
"When you needed it, I was useless."
"That's not so. You've helped me a lot. You have no idea how much you've helped me."
"I abandoned you, and you kept your word and left with me."
("So it's the headmaster after all. And he knows. But the former servant, not the new one. And the last one doesn't know. If everything comes true, I'm going with you. I sincerely ask you not to stop me in this. What else will I have to wait for? No. The castle has no lack of defenders."
Late in the evening, a silver doe burst into the lounge. There was no one in the room but her. The girl was waiting for the 'young servant' to return, hiding in an armchair so that he wouldn't notice her. As she promised him when she and the head found him almost dead she disappeared from his life. Their housemates said that, apparently, even the ghost was more useful than her. Perhaps they were right for the first time. It was too loud in her head that day, and it was too complicated a task to map emotions with personalities. She depended to detach at least one, when he would be near. The doe leaped out of the wall, made several high jumps, and halted in front of her. The sad look in her big eyes was very familiar. They reflected the staircase leading to one of the castle's towers. She identified it and, after hesitating for only a few seconds, ran to the indicated location. The professor was already there.
The student followed her teacher. When the steps ended and they were at the very top of the tower, the girl felt the presence of the boy, although she could not find him with her eyes. He was frightened, and he didn't have a clue what was going to happen. In contrast to her, he knew so little. It was so unfair to him, and she felt so sorry for him. "I know who I really am. Can you say the same about yourself? Don't be obsessed with what you see in a moment, observe what goes on from a distance. Listen to your feelings and follow them, not emotions." He heard her, but did he heed the call... After this monologue, the girl came out from behind the professor, and before anyone had time to spot her, slipped to another frightened boy.
"Evelyn?" The headmaster's tired voice rang out. She carefully took the young man by the hand, which clenched convulsively anon, and looked at the old wizard with utmost determination. "You decided to leave after all. Well, I never doubted you." He said the last with an incomprehensible intonation, judging whether he condemned her actions or approved them was impossible. Her own feelings were also ambiguous. On the one hand, she could finally get free of him. On the other hand, she was sorry that at such a price, she did not want him to die. Then he appealed to the professor, and knowing that the denouement was close, she looked away so as not to lose her composure later.
"Retreat!"
Chaos reigned around. It was a real battle, not a brawl at recess, not a duel in the club. Everything was real there: offence, defence, success, failure, and the most horrendous thing - chance, blind and inflexible, the ugly twin brother of justice. Every time a scream or the sound of a falling body was heard, the girl's heart turned cold with fear - if only it wasn't one of theirs. She squeezed the young man's hand as hard as she could, for the dread that she would give up leaving. She looked at other students and felt like a traitor. Efforts to convince herself that a battle awaits her too, but a different one, did not bring results. "And what if I can't cope, maybe it's wiser to die here, now? Besides, I am a traitor - I could have prevented all this." After her grip loosened several times, the guy understood everything and tightened his own. They left the castle and took a course to the border of its territories, where they could make a skip. The stars shone brightly in the sky. "Why are they still there, why didn't they fall to the earth with the old wizard?" A lonely voice, full of wrath and anguish, sent curses in their direction. Her hand became empty, and the one she had been following was now following her. Volleys from the wand did not reach her - her back was covered by others. But no one could cover her soul - it was filled with great grief and burning hatred... great hatred and insane triumph... Someone stopped her by seizing her elbow. "Now" sounded over her ear. "The sashes of high wrought-iron gates." This was for not getting sick.)
"You saved my life."
"You saved it yourself."
(Another father's journey and another murder. Once again, he failed to get what he desired, but now he knew precisely where to search for it. He knew there was one step left to obtaining the cherished object. With almost no effort, as if it were the most ordinary action, akin to using a fireplace and gunpowder, his daughter found the boy and relayed to him what she was observing. Only at the very end, when he was suddenly called to the mansion, did she perceive that the boy was somewhere nearby. "Very close... Here!!!" Disconnecting from everyone and hiding, the girl tried not to think... about how the boy got there, why he was there, whether he was forcibly brought there or he came by his own will... for her... how to help him get out. "Not to think!!" Her father flew into her room like an infuriated hurricane, and at the same point, a thin needle pierced her brain.
"How did you find out the boy was here?!! Did you help him escape?!!"
"What? No! I didn't do anything!"
"Lies!! How did you find out?!"
"You! You showed me that! When you were called! I was with you, you know that!"
"You helped him escape!"
"No! How?" Another needle entered the girl's head, making the pain unbearable. As always, she scooted to the cliff, and it followed her. The sun was shining brightly, the wind was raging everywhere, the billows were crashing on the rocks. She was overhanging the edge and looking down gasping for air. For the first time, she felt the urge to throw herself off it to get rid of this sense caused by the red-hot needles, but someone stopped her, taking her by the hand.
"Who is this?!!" The man drilled into her with his smouldering eyes.
"I don't know! There shouldn't be anyone here! There never was!"
"Lies!! Who is this?! Look at him!!"
"I can't! I don't know him!" She put all her efforts into keeping her eyes from moving up the arm, to make them look at the waves again. Effectively. When the hand disappeared from the field of view, it disappeared in the vision.
"Who was that?!"
"I don't know! I don't remember! Probably someone thought that I wanted to jump off the cliff and decided to stop me! I don't remember!"
"Fine!" The pain vanished as instantly as it had come. The girl's body slumped in the chair to which it had been riveted by her father's sight a moment ago. "I have more important things to do." He was extremely displeased, however, he turned around and walked to the exit. Behind him, the figure of his young servant stood like a pillar. Something twitched in her chest. The man stopped abruptly. He stood immobilised for a couple of seconds, and then, bursting into loud guffaw, left the room. "Did he guess..."
The captor had long been aware of his daughter's extraordinary abilities. She managed to use them for quite a long time without his knowledge, but one day she was exposed. After another sortie she came back and went to her father's mind without a delay to make sure he wasn't following her. She went through the same routine every time before visiting the boy and after. It was a weak but still a safety net, so as not to give away his location. Alas, there's always a hazard of encountering the mirror, to look into someone while they're looking into you. At the opposite end of the tunnel, her own face collided with her. In fright, she backed away, and the face quickly transformed into a pale, red-eyed visage with narrow slits instead of a nose. "For how long?!!"
"Did you... look into me?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't anyone tell me that you..."
"No one knows." The girl's attention was totally focused on his forehead.
"So no one."
"No one."
"Oh... my girl... that explains a lot... For how long, what? Am I looking into you? Have you been somewhere else?"
"No."
"Who were you seeking for?"
"You."
"You're lying."
"A tall cliff covered with grass..."
"Where have you been?!"
"The wind rushes in the air..."
"Who were you seeking?!"
"The ocean beats in furious waves..."
"I saw this landscape before."
"Yes, I like it. I was there, having a rest."
"I don't believe you. You're hiding something from me there. But I'll find it. Find and destroy."
Realising that the things got off the ground for both of her tracking objects, she stubbornly continued to follow both. Eventually, her father got his possession from the tomb of the old wizard, which brought him immense happiness. Soon, his hands got to the girl. In several days, she was taken to the big hall once again. This time, he was accompanied by only a few people: his most ardent supporter - the beautiful mad witch - and the owners of the house - he learned from his own mistakes. On second thought, it indicated that something serious should've been expected.
"I see you've been taught to hide your thoughts and memories." He said it more to bring the others up to speed. "But did you truly deem that you could beat me at this? Now we both know that you are not. You have to open to me what you hide. You can't compete with me, I'll crush your consciousness... completely... And nevertheless, I'm going to be benevolent and show you one more time that there's nothing in this world that could be worthy of your sacrifice... Hey, lover boy! Come out!"
A strangled female scream - his mother.
"You don't think that there is any credence to him, do you? He showed me everything. Everything you've been hiding from me for so long. And did you know that every time he crossed the doorstep of your room, he came to spy." The young man stood with his head bowed contritely, not daring to raise his eyes on the girl.
"Well, now we both know how poor the odds he had" was her answer.
The exposer definitely was relying on another development - the muscles around his nostril shuddered with discontent. But he reoriented swiftly. "Do you see this, boy? She despises you. I studied her and saw a lot. She doesn't love you, never did and never will. She can't love, only use." That sounded familiar to her. "You also should become free from this dangerous weakness. Trust me without it you'll be much much stronger. I'm on your side in contrast with her. And now I want you to take revenge on her for all her plots and cruelty towards you. I want you to attack her... Don't be afraid, she won't fend off, she won't miss the opportunity to annoy me. Come on, strike at her!"
The girl prepared to enjoy the pain. The lad didn't make a single move.
"Oh, I see, someone wants to give the impression. Someone doesn't want to let the illusion go. Such a pity. Let's make your choice easier." He turned to his daughter again. "You don't believe he will ever sacrifice himself for you, for anyone."
"Keep staying calm. You know that he won't. There's nothing to worry about."
And back to the guy. "What about this: will you strike, or shall I kill you? It used to motivate you quite well."
A more outspoken shout ensued.
"There's nothing to worry about, isn't it?" The girl looked at the lad's face and didn't understand what was going on. At first, it wore its usual expression of fear and indecision. But after a while it began to smooth out and acquire the features of determination. Everything sank inside of her. "Oh, no... No. Please. Just do what he wants. Don't be silly... It could be anything, you don't have to hurt me too much. It will change nothing for me, I promise. Just do what he wants."
"No. It will change everything for me... If I step over myself, there will be no going back. You still don't get anything? I can't go against you. Never could. Not against you."
The girl felt how the cold rage was born, how it expanded to the size of the hall in an instant, and was preparing to coalesce into a singular point for unleashing the most terrible spell. She had mastered the art of hiding from people and hearing them throughout her whole life. In fact, listening to someone is easy. Not making someone speak with you, only listening. Lots of things could be heard: emotions, intentions, magic... For example, spoilage by warts, pig snout, broken nose from three upperclassmen from your own house, threatening you and a trembling freshman in one of the corridors of the second floor. Or a surge of deception swept through the auditorium, or the stadium podium. It expressed itself in a sense of mild discomfort since something there was not in a state in which it should have been. So, she was listening to her father and waiting for the appropriate moment. His rage started gathering back, slowly at first, then faster, and faster. A split second before it was fully gathered, when his will wouldn't interfere with hers, she sent all her vigour to the shield charms. The white funnel reached this ill-fated lad a bit earlier than her father's green ray. Both froze in confrontation. The boy's mother cried, begging her lord to spare her son. He was deaf to her pleas.
"You can't stand up to me for long. But if you tell me everything, I'll let him live..." He waited. "There's no need to ask who trained you. It could only be one person. He's already doomed, but this fool has a chance to survive."
"Please!"
"What is he saying?! Just confusing me! Don't get sidetracked!" The shield consumed plenty of energy, so the girl occupied herself with adjusting its usage to a more efficient mode. As time went on, that state of affairs began to irritate her father.
"Stop her!"
"No!!!" Poor mother.
Only one person there could take over the execution of the command, but even she hesitated. "But my Lord! It will harm you too!" Everyone hoped she was concerned not only about her adorable lord, but also about her nephew, or leastwise, about her sister's feelings.
"I said stop her!!"
The witch fired a couple of spells. The girl defended herself with another sphere - a couple of spasmodic woman sobs were the answer. Therefore, the one around her son slacked at those points. The girl decided not to fight back and concentrated solely on her main aim. The guy didn't betray her, during their meetings, he did not make a single attempt to accomplish the task, who better than her to know about it. As for the fact that he showed him everything he knew, so few could resist her father. But more importantly, he didn't betray himself. Now, she had no right to betray him, either. That was hard to do. The pain relentlessly distracted her thoughts. She tried to cut off from everything, immerse herself inward, tracing her magic vortex backward to its source, and merging with it. Her body shook with tension, tears flowed down her cheeks. When her strengths were about to run out, the goal was achieved. "Help me!"
She felt wings cutting through her back, a horn growing from her forehead, and hooves bursting out of her chest. A blob of magic separated from her and formed into the shape of the unicorn. ("Wait a minute! I've seen him before! He fought one of the prison guards, near the train, two years ago! You were capable of it then!" - "Honestly... no. I did it by accident then. I didn't summon him and operate him myself.") But later she did summon and operate him herself to get out of the maze. And now she badly needed him again. "Don't leave them..." She fell into the abyss of light. She heard someone's voice, distorted by fury, demanding repeatedly that she show something to his owner. He assumed that by draining her vitality, he would've been able to access her mind. But she had lost too much of it, and she was too deep inside herself to recall anything. The only image imprinted in it was the unicorn protecting the boy and his parents.)
"You saved my parents' lives."
"They did it themselves as well. Especially your mother."
(Strength was progressively returning to the girl. Her body reposed in pitch darkness and felt as heavy as a ton. The unicorn, woven from millions of silvery streams, bent over her and gradually losing its shape, filled her with its light. She became lighter and lighter. When her eyes opened, they beheld a beautiful blonde woman standing at the foot of her bed and watched in amazement.
"He is back at school. He is safe there. He asked me not to give you back the unicorn, not to wake you up yet, so that you could not do what you planned. I know you will understand why he did it, and you won't get mad at him for it. Just as you will understand, unlike him, why I am going against his will. You can leave this house at any time, no one will stop you.")
"No matter what my father said, it was love that saved you. Yours and your mother's. And without yours, mine wouldn't exist. Tell me, did you think that I am with you out of pity? Do you still think the same?" The young man lowered his eyes in shame.
"But why me? Why not the one who supported you all the time, the one who protected you back then?"
(After the festive dinner, students were taken to the dungeons of the castle which were destined to be their home for the next seven years. How could someone come to a cold, damp prison and relish: 'Home, sweet home'? The girl stood at the window and peered into the depth of the school lake's green waters. Neither the bottom nor the shores were visible. Coming close to the glass, she looked up through it: there were no boundaries there either. Nevertheless, the sunlight or moonlight somehow reached them, or there wouldn't have been this dim green glow in the lounge area. "If I envision that this effect occurs from a dense foliage of trees leaning over a stream, maybe there will be no panic attacks from the thought that one not very pleasant day we will all drown here."
"Creepy, init?" The girl flinched and cried out, startled. The insinuating voice that said these words by her ear belonged to a thin, pale boy with brown hair, who was now standing, slightly hunched, opposite and grinning impudently. "Not at all like in fairy towers of princesses. And there are some in the castle. You should ask them before it's too late, because I've heard you have a poor opinion of our house. Such people are not welcome here."
His hand slid under his mantle, which unambiguously indicated where everything was going. The strategy of demeanour was determined by itself. She had seen more than once how frightened newcomers became 'whipping boys' for such bullies. In that world, she didn't let anyone consider her weak. There was one problem in this world: there was no point in taking out the wand - it wouldn't have helped her. In spite of being a freshman, he grew up among magicians, unlike her, and obviously had practised using it. There was only one way - to bluff. Putting on a mask of calmness, initially careless, the girl crossed her arms over her chest and looked from his hand to his grey-blue eyes.
"And you, as I see it, decided to use a wand to prove the contrary to me. A dubious method, init?"
"The most suitable for a show-off like you." Now his wand was targeted directly at her nose. "You came here after your friend. Where is he? Why doesn't he save you?"
She had to go all in. Her arms went down, her gaze changed to cold, and her eyes narrowed. She stood erect and took a step forward, demonstrating that she absolutely wasn't preoccupied with his wand. "I don't need it."
Everyone around stiffened.
"Put down your wand already." This boy was also of slim build, with light skin and eyes. Even their height was the same. But how differently he made an impression. With a straight and relaxed posture, a raised head, a self-assured sight, a kind one, he was full of dignity. He walked past the threatening guy, mildly pushing him in the shoulder with his own, and headed to the girl. Approaching, he lingered between her and the wand. "Don't you see, she is one of us." Then he turned and went back. "And if in doubt, ask with whom she was seen getting off the train." Twisting around again, he pointed with his chin somewhere behind her. The bully stopped grinning and lowered his wand rapidly. The girl was about to look in the same direction, but realised that there was no need. Instead, she nodded her head briefly, sending a signal to her saviour the least noticeably.)
"It's very simple. He doesn't love me ("And yet, you're a mystery. A riddle I'd like to solve... it's just a pity you won't let me."), and I don't love him."
It was easy and pleasant to communicate with him. Sometimes it seemed that he could see right through her; however, he never judged her, on the contrary, he was interested. And it often helped her to look at herself and others from a different perspective.
("Are you going to leave?" He asked with uneasiness, but quietly so as to remain their dialogue private.
"What should we be afraid of there?" He grunted in agreement.
"What should we do there?"
"While the 'little animal' is cleaning up?"
"I didn't mean anything by it." The girl probably looked at him too crossly - he raised his hands in a gesture of giving up.
"I hope so." She sighed and sent her sight in the direction of the talkers. But the general joy made her feel disgusted again. "I just can't stay here anymore, can't listen to this nonsense anymore..." The boy was mute, awaiting. "Do they not understand that the fact that no one has died so far is a freak of chance? Why have they put us all in dormitories and not let us out? What if it happened? Death... You know, the more I learn about these people, the more I'm convinced that death would exhilarate them too. And I don't want to, because then... it seems then I will kill them." And she glanced again at the water column contained within the glass. The boy headed his impassive gaze to the others and observed them for a while.
"No, I don't think so. I think they're not being fully honest with each other. And with themselves, too."
... "You were seen among the players of the opponents' team right after the game!"
"At their command centre? Or perhaps at the locker room? No. I've been seen with these two dozens of times. We communicate, sometimes. This is not news to anyone. And not a crime. Let's omit the fact that some might contest this, but under another article."
"This is different! Don't pretend you don't understand this!"
"These three, actually. Why was their captain hanging around you? Maybe you've leaked our techniques and... other tricks to him!" It was mostly girls who complained.
"I'm not pretending. And what techniques and tricks?! I haven't been to any of our training sessions. What could I tell him? And how many times have I gone to their games? How many? That's right, this was the first one. Moreover, the final. And they played against us. Therefore, I might have gone as well to cheer for any representative of our team, for the team as a whole, or just go to watch the game, because I had time and mood. ... That's it, the discussion is over."
As she was leaving, she accidentally met the eyes of their seeker. He was frustrated, though, as always, hid it behind anger and contempt. Whatever they thought, she did care about their defeat and empathised with the guy that day. He performed well, was the first to notice the cherished ball, unfortunately, the competitor was faster. Well, game is a game.
"Don't come to our matches anymore - you bring bad luck."
"If you say so." There was no resentment, or discontent, or mockery, or anything else someone could fantasise about, having such a perverted mind, which some of the housemates possessed, in her response - she said this calmly and firmly. Regardless it was utter nonsense, she didn't want to upset anyone even more, and these merry fellows would survive her absence from the stands.
"You are a strange kind. You chose our house yourself, but look for friendship on the side."
"It's good that at least someone is able to think critically and express their thoughts and feelings normally. Fair enough. I shouldn't have done that. I just couldn't imagine that I would offend someone so much with this. Friendship? I have reservations about it. Whether it's friendship or just entertainment."
"A mysterious Miss Riddle..."
"Make yourself comfortable." Said the girl with a mild grin, recollecting one of their conversations.
"Have you finally started to reveal your secrets?"
"Unfortunately, they've begun to open up by themselves, and I miss all opportunities to prevent it... Did you know his genuine name?"
"No. But I inquired with my father. We all did."
Yes, they did, and she expected some moves on their part. It did not ensue, which puzzled her. About two weeks had passed since the day they received the letters. The girl considered herself lucky that he was the first of the four who came to talk - she never had to fight with him.
"And what did your father say?"
"That it really was his father's last name."
"And what did he say about me?"
"I didn't specify why I needed this intelligence."
"It's very sweet of you, of course, but I have no doubt that the rumours have reached him."
"You need to listen to rumours, not base your judgments and actions on them."
"Glad to hear that."
"However, he had never heard of him having a family." The young man paused and gave her a careful, but not incredulous look. "Well, what will you say?"
"Me? Ummm... I will say that my mother passed away shortly after my birth, my father is not listed on the family tree - it has features that many of our housemates would appreciate. So, I've never seen my parents. I was not raised by wizards, although they knew about magic... This last name should definitely be mine, otherwise I wouldn't have passed the sorting with it, but no one actually cancelled the coincidence. As the name does not belong to wizards, there is no information about this family in our library... That's all the facts. And the rest is possibly only someone's words and imagination.")
"And you do love me. I got it."
Eventually. When they were alone in the compartment. Then the world turned upside down for her. It was like being hit on the head with a bag of flour. The realisation of what it was all about was slowly coming to the girl. The brothers were completely right, and she was totally blind! He didn't care that she violated their agreement and he flunked his father's task once again. The only thing he cared about was who she was with instead of being with him. Absorbed in her conspiracy theory, she was unable to see that his anger at her was not from antagonism or contempt, but by the opposite feeling. And everything he told her was the absolute truth... How she wanted to get mad at him for being so irresponsible in front of himself, and since that time, in front of her. She did want to get mad, but instead she felt... such joy as she had never felt before... And then the world turned upside down again: 'It's too late. You'll change your mind soon.'
She stared at him in silence for a while, and then lowered her eyes in shame too. "Unfortunately, that wasn't enough for me... And this is my weakness - I don't want to play by someone else's rules, but I'm not able to set my own. I didn't want you to see the results of this contradiction. I don't know what they might be."
"So I've made you unhappy too."
"Not yet. That is still to come. In the meantime, you make me happy." The pause was short. "We're worth each other, right?"
Clouds came up and covered the crescent. The singing stopped, the lights on the water went out, and darkness descended on the forest. After a few seconds, the clouds cleared, and the moon shone in the sky again. However, neither the singing resumed, nor the lights came on again, moreover, the wreaths themselves disappeared from the surface of the lake. They didn't talk as they walked back, but peaceful smiles blossomed on their faces, her forefinger held tightly onto his little one, and their shoulders often touched. There were no words needed in the house either - they said goodbye with a long kiss.
"What were they doing there so late?"
"Watching the ferns bloom."
"What if it's real? What if she won't..."
"If it was real, she would not..."
"be here... You're right."
The next morning, after leaving the bathroom, the girl heard a pop in the next room. Wearing a bathrobe, she opened the door to look, and saw the young man standing in front of it, ready to knock on.
"Something happened?" she asked anxiously.
"No, everything is okay. I just... wanted to say good morning." He looked at her like a painting depicting a cute domestic scene, which slightly embarrassed her.
"Well... good morning."
He bent down to her and kissed her on the lips very simply and at the same time very tenderly. He was in no hurry to take his mouth off hers. Closing his eyes, he enjoyed this moment, absorbed it. Then he smiled, looked into her eyes, and said softly: "Good morning." A few seconds of oblivion, until warmth spread throughout her body, and she returned the same kiss: "Good morning." It took an incredibly deep breath to embrace such great happiness. "See you soon." - "See you." Another pop. The morning was cloudy, but the girl's face seemed to be illuminated by the sun. Holding her breath so as not to frighten away the vision, she peered at something very far away - at the point where all the lines of the room converged. From somewhere to her ears came the long cry of a seagull and the sound of water.