From me to you

[Aion Zephyr]

In just a couple of days, Aion would be on his first trip away. Not only was this of significant importance because for the first time in his life he was able to go wherever his heart desired, but he was also going to be taking it with his best friend. It was crazy for the former Ravenclaw to consider that this time last year, his personal situation had been almost flipped upside down, and now that the road ahead was clearer than he'd seen it in a long while, he was eager to get started on what promised to be an eventful vacation. He had vowed to make the most of all the time he had left with Cyan, as it wouldn't be long before he would be heading out to begin his work as a Magizoologist, and since he'd promised to accompany her to visit her family abroad he knew it would be a worthwhile trip for a multitude of reasons.

Aion had managed to set up his camp on the outskirts of Obsidian Harbour, in a small grassy alcove a short distance from the village. Knowing that upon his return he'd be due to visit his parents in California, the teen was revisiting his past, with a pile of paperwork on the table in the centre of his new home. He'd been shocked to discover just how much he'd hoarded from his time at Hogwarts, and he knew he really didn't need three years worth of revision material cluttering up his new life. He would leave the essentials with his mother in a few weeks, and he poured through the textbooks that were now redundant, tossing them into a pile that he would later use for kindling. He opened up his History of Magic textbook, a familiar photo tucked into its front binding. He retrieve the snap, setting it to a side separate to the rest of his old belongings. That was to go somewhere special. He raised a hand, his history textbook suddenly levitating in mid air before joining its ex-colleagues in the rejected heap on the floor.

 

[Cyan Zephyr]

The summer between Cyan's sixth year and final year was supposed to be filled with adventure, traveling, and razzle dazzle. The Hufflepuff had spent so much planning, talking to her parents about Aion coming. Everything was supposed to be wonderful. However upon arriving home she was not greeted with warmth, home baked meals and family time. She was greeted instead with the news that two days prior to arriving she became motherless. Grieving was not naturally in Cyan's body. Her grandparents had been lost when she was much to young to understand, and she'd never met her mother's parents. Losing a close person hadn't happened yet to the teen - so perhaps that was why everything that been so rough, and gone downhill so quickly. She hadn't prepared herself for any means of coping. She didn't think she'd need to for many yuears to come. However - even though this was hard news to swallow, at the hearing of her mother's will, she and her father were left alone for a moment to read a letter from her mother. a letter about the truth.

Cyan couldn't help her instinct. Her father was not the warmest person, Aion was the only person Cyan felt to ease the aching in her chest. She knew he'd be in New Zealand. They were supposed to be leaving soon after all and that was where they were to meet. So she traveled from Spain, to New Zealand, still crying, still aching. It didn't take long for the wilted teen to make her way to him, and burst through the tent flaps without announcing herself. The girl flung herself into the back of her best friend, sobbing horribly. She couldn't make English come out correctly, every word chewed and spit out harshly any time she tried to put forth words.

 

[Aion Zephyr]

Aion was about two thirds of the way through organising his old school belongings when heard a pop outside his tent. Although the July weather was just as reliable as a broken pocket watch, the light rain and bitter winds didn't fully cover the sounds of what the man thought he heard. Immediately he was on edge, despite very few people knowing where to find him. He was truly out here by himself, and he was going to need to get used to the fact he had to look after himself, and with that came his natural survival instincts. He'd paused what he was doing, thoughts focusing on what or who could now be outside, but before Aion could turn he felt a sudden weight thrust into the back of him. Although it was a weight light enough he wasn't knocked from his position, it startled him to the extent that if the girl behind him hadn't been preoccupied, she would have noticed him jump out his skin.

On this occasion however, Aion's heart sunk quickly as the sounds in the room turned almost painful. Cyan wasn't due for another few days but his gut reaction told him she wouldn't be here unless she had to, and had to she may. "Cy?" He asked quietly, turning to face his best friend, although her cries were more harsh than he'd ever witnessed from anyone. His stomach knotted quickly, this couldn't have been a simple family row to create this response? Aion knew the Hufflepuff well enough to know that this was something serious, and so his arms enveloped her body in an attempt to protect her from both the outside elements and the obvious pain she was feeling. For a few minutes he just held her, wanting her to know that he wasn't going anywhere and allowing her time to calm her breathing down enough to be able to speak. "What's happened?" He added eventually, unsure of what could have upset her so much. Whatever it was, they were going to regret it, but Aion knew right here right now Cyan needed him first.

 

[Cyan Zephyr]

Cyan couldn't hold back tears. She never cried in front of anyone, she wasn't hyper emotional like some girls were. She enjoyed smiling, and laughing off things that often others would find disappointing - such as grades or getting in trouble. Here she was though, a mess. "My-my mom." She sobbed, through a broken symphony of tear strung violins. Cyan struggled then for at least fifteen minutes to catch her breath and stop crying so hard that she couldn't talk. Her eyes were puffy and red, her face clear from any makeup. Suddenly hidden freckles became visible, bags under her eyes from nights of staying up and laughing clear to see. Cyan never went without makeup, but at this point in time it wasn't a worry to her. She was more worried about getting out her story.

She started with her mother passing. The fact that her father thought it best not to send a letter. She would have known prior to this had he. however she'd handled that without running to Aion - the death notice was almost a week ago now, maybe a little over. It was the news she'd received today that she couldn't face. She thought of her life, and of the fact she'd centered so much of herself around being Pureblood, around being who she thought her parents wanted her to be. Finally, after reaching the part where they went over her mother's will and letter, she stopped. "Aion I'm not a pure blood." She finally admitted. Perhaps for the kind soul this wouldn't be so devastating. But she'd learned her blood prejudice from a young age - and had used it as such. Now though she had reason to regret, and to believe that she was wrong for everything she'd done. She'd lost her mother and her sense of identity.

 

[Aion Zephyr]

Aion wasn't entirely sure what he expected her to say, but upon hearing it was in relation to her mom he only pulled her closer. By the time she'd calmed down enough to speak, the pair had made it to the rug on the floor as he held his distraught friend to his chest. At some point in the moment of silence between them he'd managed to summon a box of tissues, and handed her a few to dry her eyes. His zip up sweater that he'd been wearing he had also draped around her shoulders, in a bid to keep her warm. Coming from Spain to New Zealand would have had quite the temperature difference as it was, not to mention if she was in a state of shock. The idea that something serious must have happened was only emphasised by the fact Cyan had turned up bare in the face, something that Aion had yet to witness from her despite their late nights back at Hogwarts. She looked more vulnerable than she ever had before, and for the first time in their relationship Aion was strangely aware of how physically close they were together. The teen enjoyed what they had, and wouldn't have swapped it for anything, but above all he hoped that he could be even half of how supportive Cy had been during his own time of struggles the year before, not that it was anywhere close to comparable. He listened intently to her explanation and was subtly rocking her as she spoke of her mom. "I'm so sorry" he added when she was finished, unable to imagine what it must be like for her to go through something like this. He wasn't particularly close to either of his parents himself, but it was still impossible to imagine hearing their loss.

As he heard her last words, a number of thoughts ran through his head. How had this come to light? How can a family not be aware of their blood status? Why was this the issue that warranted such reaction? After her mothers passing it was the blood status that seemed to upset her the most. The latter question struck him though, and he quickly pushed it aside. He knew how much being a Pure Blood had meant to the Hufflepuff, and even if the concept confused him greatly he did his best to change his perspective on the issue. To have a part of you that you considered important be taken away, that would have caused problems for anyone. He had no evidence to suggest that Cyan was a different person because of her blood, and he was convinced from his view that she had nothing to worry about. As far as he was aware, nothing would change because of this. As he looked down to the face of his best friend though he could tell things weren't quite that simple. She'd always been open to him that he'd need to pretend to be pure around her family, but it was only because they were friends and he'd believed that was her reasoning for him to act around them. Her face on this day however was showing a different story, and perhaps Aion had been naïve to think she didn't hold herself to the same ideologies of her parents. If indeed nothing was to change, why would Cyan be so upset? Outside of their friendship, there must be others who knew about her blood. Classmates at Hogwarts even. It would come up in conversation even if it was never the initially intended topic of discussion. As the realisation that perhaps the Hufflepuff had acted on her parents belief of inferiority, he tried to ask with a knot in his stomach without offending her that he had reached such a conclusion. He shifted a little in his position, trying to find the words to best ask what he was thinking. He hadn't spent every waking moment with the woman and he couldn't discount the possibility. "You know I've always said your blood doesn't make you who you are" His voice was low and quiet as he spoke, nervous that she could react in the same angry way Maddie had when he'd opened up his thoughts on the future, and would leave him stranded and alone once again "But have you ever told people otherwise?" .

 

[Cyan Zephyr]

There was silence through the house as Cyan calmed more and more, cried out as it seemed. She ached still, heart broken into pieces so small a niffler couldn't find them if they were made of gold. The puff clung tightly still to Aion, feeling a warmth and comfort that she didn't feel she could receive from anyone else. He was the comfort of hot chocolate on a cold winters day, the way a warm blanket felt when rain pounded window panes. Her best friend was home more than her parents almost empty house would ever be. The petite teen felt her own arms losing grip strength, her body suddenly as tired as her soul, brown eyes lulling closed as she tried her best to come to her senses and stop being a blubbering mess. She wouldn't be able to explain herself well enough if she just continued to sob and use broken English to speak. Finally after a moment she pulled back enough to look up into Aion's face, eyes sloping down his nose and watching his mouth as he asked a painful question to her that would be difficult to answer.

Cyan pulled fully away from Aion and looked around the house for the first time. Thoughts brewed in her head, but she knew she'd not be able to lie. What was the point now. She knew that she was a filthy mudblood - that she was as bad as the people she'd talked down to. "I know your stance on blood status..." She spoke quietly. "Aion growing up, with my parents, they wouldn't let me talk outside of my blood purity. I wasn't allowed to see my family on my mom's side and I always thought it was because they weren't good for me." She looked down and shook her head gently. "I wasn't allowed to see them because they weren't pure. Cousins, an aunt, grandparents. I never got to know them because once my father found out my mother wasn't pure he exiled her family. She was forced to keep this up for almost eighteen years. Her parents weren't even able to come to say goodbye..." She wiped at her eyes ferociously, tears threatening to spill. "i was raised to believe that there was an advantage magically to being what i was. That I should only marry someone as good as me. I have said horrible things about blood status to people Aion, I was so nasty. To that boy who kissed me, even to that annoying blonde friend you had. After she questioned my intelligence.." Cyan felt sic to her stomach and found a place to sit. "You were the only difference, and i was going to make you pretend to be pureblood just to meet my father." She buried her face with her hands. "If he knew that i told you, he'd kick me out, I'd have nowhere to go. He said I have to keep this up, I have to be Pure otherwise I'll shame the Territe name." She felt at a loss. "I don't even know who I am anymore." She admitted.

 

[Aion Zephyr]

Hesitantly Aion let the girl have her space, watching as she moved back and began to explain things he'd spent the last six months in the dark about. His eyebrows frowned, but not in anger. There were things she'd had to keep quiet for so long, things that had affected her upbringing and her family, and he longed to be able to do more to help her than offer her only words. Aion had been warned of her father but he hadn't known the extent to which his control was held over the Territe's. He was shocked though to hear that his calculations were correct in regards to her actions towards some classmates, including Danielle. Although he was confused as to why she'd also never brought up this fact, his main goal was to calm his own nerves this time, as his muscles were tensed and shaking. He tried to relax, taking in everything she'd just told him, his hand running through his brown hair in frustration.

After a moment he looked up to the girl whom he called his best friend. None of this was her fault. She'd been lied to and manipulated by a family and one only had to glance at her body language to realise her remorse. He lifted himself from the floor, moving across to her position, kneeling down in front of her as she sat on the chair "Listen to me" he started, his green eyes looking up into her face "Everything he's told you, that's not how it works" He wasn't sure if he'd believe himself in her position, not because of what he wanted to say, but how could six months spent with him compare to eighteen years worth of input from a parent. "Cyan, you are a good person, I know that. This issue around blood status though, it has to stop. I don't blame you for things that were said, that's in the past and I can see why you would've done that." This was the only thing between them that they disagreed on, and Aion knew he had to try, now of all times, to convince her there was an alternative. In a memory from the question that sparked their initial friendship, he asked "What do you want?" His eyes never leaving hers. He could look past things that had already happened, and he would be there for her if she wanted him to be, and they'd figure out what this meant for her future, but he needed to know whether after all this Cyan would still to continue believe its importance, even after the truth was out.

 

[Cyan Zephyr]

There was a chill in the air, that Cyan couldn't have missed if she was blind, deaf, and mute. There was a sudden distance that perhaps she created herself, after all she often put her own problems inside of her head. Then she finally responded to everything, starting with her defensive need to remind him that stopping wasn't as easy as he made it to be. "Stop having issues with blood status. Stop running away into adventure to escape your family." It was not something he'd outwardly told her he was doing. It might not even be what he was doing. However she was making a point. "You think I don't wish this was different. You think I don't know that I've been an ******* to anyone who wasn't pureblood? You think I don't wish I could suddenly forget that I've spent 17 years as one person, with one rule - don't associate with lesser bloods." She felt the tears stinging her eyes again as she tore through her emotions, quickly grasping at the proper words before they spilled out of her mouth.

"All my life, Aion, everything has been about blood status. My friends, my tutors, my future life as a bride - purebloods only. If I had been seeing someone who was pureblood do you know what they would have said? Or done? No one from any community would want anything to do with me if they found out not even my father!" She wanted to throw something, hit someone or anything. She was so angry and hurt. "I want to feel like I have an identity! I want to know that if I told someone my father wouldn't disown me." The girl stopped talking for a moment. "I want to forget this week and just go back to sleep for a little while."

 

[Aion Zephyr]

Aion let out a slow quiet breath as he listened, her voice getting louder and louder. It scared him, and he felt like he'd received a blow to the stomach by the time she finished her outburst. He didn't know what he should say or do next, not knowing what would make things worse. And surely that's not what Cyan actually thought he was doing by travelling either, but the idea that the person he trusted most had pushed that back at him caused his own emotions to attempt their revival. He swallowed for a moment, averting his gaze lower as he tried to compose himself. This was ridiculous. He was sure she was only saying these things because she was overrun with her feelings, it couldn't have been her intention to say it all. Besides, she'd blown up one comment about viewing blood status differently; he'd only wanted to confirm her intentions. He didn't want to argue with her, and not just because he wasn't very good at it.

He rose to stand beside her, looking once more at how lost she seemed to have become. He wasn't good with words, clearly, but he could show her something. "Come with me" He added calmly, not waiting long for her to make any movement before he walked across the width of the tent, picking up the photo he'd laid down earlier that night. How much an evening could change in such a short space of time. With Cyan due to be staying with him for a while anyway he'd had the place prepared for her too, complete with her own room. Aion opened a curtain that separated the two rooms, allowing for her to walk through it for the first time. He paused for only a few seconds before he walked past her, laying the image down on a table that was against the curve of the walled interior. "This is the picture we took when you dyed my hair because your dream is to become a Cosmetologist." He stated, before turning to point at a small jar of pink purple and blue gobstoppers "You always choose sweet over savoury snacks" he knew this from their midnight feasts, an event he was already beginning to miss. He turned back to face her, but pointed up at the roof of the tent, where the material changed into a transparent tarp that would allow both sunlight and the view of the sky "Although you didn't study Astronomy because you thought it would ruin the subject for you, you love looking at the stars." Aion hoped he was making his point, but he continued on a little more regardless, "Terrence" He said simply, nodding towards a toy that sat on the end of her bed. Of course, it wasn't really, but the sentiment was there "You rescued him and nursed him back to health when you found him abandoned". He paused, not looking back up to Cyan in case she was mistaking his actions for something else entirely. He would never know what it was like to feel as though he could be cast out from everything he'd ever known, but perhaps he was at least able to show her she wasn't completely alone.

 

[Cyan Zephyr]

Cyan, for a moment, realized exactly what had left her mouth. She wanted to apologize, but her tongue twisted and write like a slug in salt, and instead seemed to heavy to move. She was rendered speechless by her own pride, by her own emotions. It wasn't easy to stand there and realize what she said might have been hurtful, but she wasn't able to verbalize this anymore. instead she was asked to follow Aion and she did, quiet footsteps around four feet away from him, arms crossed stubbornly over her chest, eyes on the ground.

Cyan wondered if he was leading her out the back door. She deserved to be thrown out into the woods, left to go back to her house with her father. Her father would most likely assume that she'd told Aion and he didn't want to be her friend anymore. After all as far as the Territe patriarch knew he was a pureblood, and would judge her harshly for her tainted blood. Cyan moved past the curtain adn soon all these thoughts stopped as she looked at the room in the tent. Her room in the tent. Cy looked at the photo, the movement of Aion licking her face making her giggle through her tears. She looked at everything one by one, feeling an overwhelming amount of regret for what she said. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for what I said I just..." Cyan couldn't explain herself. There were no explanations for her being rude. Cyan looked at the neatly made bed, and then back at Aion. "I don't want to be alone tonight Aion. Is it weird to ask my best friend to stay in here with me until i fall asleep?" She asked, looking from the bed to him. It wasn't anything more than the need for human contact. She just wanted to feel safe, and cared about.

 

[Aion Zephyr]

It wasn't until he heard the sound of Cyan's voice that he dared look up to meet her gaze. "You don't need to" he said simply, even if he was secretly glad to hear that she hadn't meant her earlier words. He didn't want her to feel any worse than she already did. "I'm the one who should be apologising." he added, knowing he shouldn't have pushed the topic as hard as he had, so soon. He shook his head at her last question, it was perfectly understandable given the situation, and it wasn't as though they'd never fallen asleep around the other before. He walked a few feet to the doorway, casting the locking charm towards the entrance of the tent Cyan had burst through that night. It seemed a while ago now, and the sky was already beginning to darken.

Returning into the room, Aion was just content to be able to keep her company; something that would soon kill him not to be able to do. Taking her hand, he slipped forward across the pastel pink sheets, pulling her gently along with him. He propped himself up with the pillows with one arm extending out towards her. There were so many more he things he wanted to ask, but now wasn't the time. "I'm not leaving you Cy. For as long as you want me, I'll be there" And he didn't mean just until she fell asleep that evening. It was a promise he'd made to her once before, and to himself, and one that he intended to keep. Things were far from figured out but he had to make sure that she knew he wasn't going to leave her in the dark. The teen had come to realise what was of most importance to him in the last few months, and with his spare arm tucked under his head for support he glanced down to the person who was making his life worthwhile.