Closed More than meets the eye

[Agnes Baros]

The only time Agnes felt like she was making any progress with anything was when she in the hospital wing, observing the nurses and doing what she could to help out here and there. She’d never wanted to be a healer, honestly she’d never really been given any sort of choice about what job she would have wanted to do if it could have been anything, but instead her path had been chosen for her by her parents, and becoming a healer was the best call of a bad batch of options. She had to pass this and work hard because the alternative wasn’t even fathomable, and she couldn’t let Elsie down either. The Ravenclaw had tried so hard to make sure Agnes stayed on track and she would have hated to see her fall. Agnes had just finished making a bed with fresh linens when the door to the hospital wing opened, and she glanced up after a moment to see if they were being attended to. Her stomach dropped though upon seeing who it was, someone who clearly wasn’t here for medical treatment. She did trust him, deep down, and they had enjoyed a few good days together before.. all of this happened. But things weren’t that simple anymore. The student came over towards her as she tried to stand a little straighter, appearing perhaps more confident that she was even close to feeling, “Are you looking for someone?” She asked, knowing she could probably go and fetch and specific nurse or assistant if the Gryffindor needed them. It was strange, this felt like her territory and she had to guard what little she had left in her life.​

 

[Elio Zephyr]

Elio had spent the last few weeks agonising over whether or not to say something to Agnes. Really they’d not spoken properly since that day Elsie died, and while he didn’t know the younger girl all that well, and he’d said to Elsie that he wasn’t to say anything about them after catching his friends unusual reaction to Agnes last year, the prefect couldn’t help but think someone needed to reach out to her. He’d been watching the Slytherin closely and really, she didn’t seem to ever be with anyone else. Perhaps he should have spoken to Zennon first, or Rowan, but given they both had their own problems going on and trust was clearly something difficult with Agnes, he thought it best to go it alone. He’d slipped into the hospital wing hoping to find her, and the room was gladly quiet at the moment. No doubt when the term really kicked off and the quidditch games begun, there would be a few more visitors. “I was looking for you,” he said quietly, moving across the room towards her so that he didn’t have to shout, “Do you have a minute?” It was now or never really, and if the thoughts and doubts in his mind really were nothing then it would be something he could cross off his list of worries. He just had to get to the bottom of what exactly had been going on between Agnes and Elsie, because if they had been more than they’d ever intentionally let on, there was no way he could let Agnes go through it by herself. If nothing else she’d been Elsie’s best friend, which made him his friend too. ”Congratulations by the way,” he nodded and pointed to the badge on her robes, and had been glad to see she’d made it into the group of prefects. ​

 

[Agnes Baros]

As Elio came closer and told her it was Agnes he was looking for, the hope that she’d be able to shift him quickly vanished. It wasn’t that she didn’t like him, but she didn’t feel like she could say no to him or push him away as easily as she could most people, which left her vulnerable. Besides Elsie had mentioned that their status had been let slip to Elio, and really thst meant he had the complete power to destroy her life if he so wished. If her family found out about Elsie it was game over. Agnes nodded briefly, moving around the bed and gesturing that they move to a quieter area of the wing that was out of sight of other staff and patients, the knot in her stomach getting worse as she could feel the tension between them. This wasn’t Elio just asking for a plaster. She almost forgot about the badge until Elio pointed it out, and glancing down to see the word Prefect displayed upside down to her own perspective, she shrugged loosely. “Don’t. I’m not keeping it.” She’d already made that decision herself. She couldn’t be a role model to younger students when she could barely keep herself together. As soon as she got the chance next to speak to her Head of House, she’d ask him to pick someone else. She knew she was going to come off an ungrateful, but it would have been the best thing for everyone. She crossed her arms over her chest, waiting to hear why Elio was here in the first place.​

 

[Elio Zephyr]

Elio was pretty sure he’d only ever seen Agnes smiling properly twice. Once was when they’d been out in the gardens with the twins that Friday afternoon, the one day they’d actually had all four of them together, playing in the trees. The second had been the morning of Elsies death, before the news had arrived at the Baros’ home, and they’d been working with Ilija and Rowan to get the house ready. What was supposed to be a fun day had turned into the worst. He followed her across the wing, frowning when she announced she was keeping the badge. He didn’t know her well enough to know if she was good for it, but there was no way she would have had it if Professor Styx didn’t think she was. It took Elio a moment to think of what to say, although Agnes looked terrified that he was about to push the subject and ask her why. Perhaps she would just put it down to being too busy to handle another duty, although the Gryffindor took a deep breath and took the chance that it wasn’t that simple. “Elsie would have been proud of you.” It wasn’t much, but hopefully it was enough. He didn’t want to push it too directly but if he could get a ball rolling between them about the Ravenclaw, it was a good start. He was watching Agnes closely, sincerely hoping that she believed him. ​

 

[Agnes Baros]

As soon as the words left her mouth she knew she’d already made a mistake. It wouldn’t take much for anyone to pry, come asking questions, and really it was why she chose not to make many friends. She didn’t want to lie to people or let them down or leave them and it was just easier if she was on her own, where the only person she had to keep secrets for was herself. She expected Elio to try and convince her not to give it up, or encourage her as to why she’d been good enough to keep it, all of which she would have done her best to bat away, but instead hearing him speak about Elsie, not just because it was the first time someone had mentioned her to Agnes, but because he spoke about her in the past tense, was enough for the fifth year to find her voice. “Yeahhh, well Elsie isn’t here any more is she,” she forced a smile on her face as her eyes glassed over, just mentioning it out loud brought fresh waves of hurt into her chest. Maybe Elsie would have been proud, but how could anyone be proud of who she was right now. Perhaps if Elsie hadn’t died she would have been more suited for this position. She couldn’t blame anyone, no one could have predicted it. “She’s gone. She’s not coming back.” It took all of her strength not to cry there and then, and instead turned her head to look at the coals across the counter, forcing herself to read the names of each one lousy in her mind, anything to distract her from the fact Elio was making her worst nightmare a reality over again. They’d been friends too, and she knew it wasn’t fair to hurt him either, but no one would have understood what Elsie had really meant to her.​

 

[Elio Zephyr]

Elio could feel the hairs standing up on his arms as Agnes told him Elsie wasn’t coming back. He knew it was true of course, but the way she said it reminded him of Rowan. Both girls weren’t just distraught, it was as though they spoke with a huge chunk of their lives having been torn from them. Elio swallowed, still watching as Agnes turned to look away from him, and if there had ever been a point in his life when he thought they’d been more than friends, this was it. He wanted to tell her that he knew. That it was okay that he knew because it wasn’t his secret to tell to anyone else, and that she wasn’t alone in all this. He would have to be tactful about it though, he didn’t want Agnes to panic that just because he’d twigged on, so had everyone else. He’d believed Elsie when she said no one could know although he didn’t know why, he was still keeping his word. “Elsie.. it wasn’t her fault, I said something to her at Valentines and.. her reaction...” her reaction hadn’t told him everything but it had been enough to know he was on the right lines, “Maybe she already told you I don’t know, but she said I could never tell anyone what I saw, well, she threatened me actually,” he gave half a chuckle at the thought, before sighing. “You and Els, you weren’t just friends, were you?”​

 

[Agnes Baros]

Agnes wished Elio would just stop talking. Stop saying her name. There was an awkward silence now and Agnes needed him to get to the point so that she could stop feeling like she was trapped in the corner which him hounding in the doors to her mind. Elio started telling her about Valentines, and event that despite Agnes hadn’t been there at the time to see it happen, she knew what had happened and she knew that Elsie had reacted to his stupid joke in a way that had given them away. She’d never blamed Elsie but it was the cause for her anxiety with the Gryffindor. Agnes hadn’t known Elsie had threatened him to keep quiet though, and a small smile appeared on her face for a second. Yeah, that sounded like her. Always trying to protect her even when she didn’t realise it. Agnes has never been able to protect Elsie though and now she’d never get the chance. Her heart dropped out her chest when Elio mentioned they were more than friends. The Slytherin froze on the spot, not sure whether it laugh or cry, get angry or just confirm it. No one has known for so long and it was the biggest most influential secret she had. Tears fell silently down her cheeks as she turned to face him once more, not even needing to say anything. He knew. Of course he knew. He’d known for ages and they’d never even brought it up with him. Agnes shook her head as softly as she dared, her body still frozen in place to anything but recall that the love of her life was gone, and that she’d never been as vulnerable as she was in that moment. She stood there saying nothing for a good few minutes, trying to numb herself so that she wouldn’t panic. Elsie trusted him. “Does Rowan..?” She asked, voice barely more than a whisper.​

 

[Elio Zephyr]

Elio let out a sigh of relief when Agnes confirmed that they’d been a couple, a cloud that felt like had been on his shoulders for months, lifted. Of course this made things even more difficult, but at least it was something they could work together with, and, provided Agnes was open to the idea, he felt like he was helping Elsie as someone her girlfriend could talk to. “Does Rowan know?” He asked, shaking his head, “I don’t think she has any idea.” He’d purposely never brought it up in front of her, and if she did realise she’d never made any indication of it to him. He took a step towards Agnes, wrapping his arms round her in a hug. It was a bit awkward and didn’t go down well though. For a moment he thought she needed it, but after a few seconds he felt her push him back, and Elio recoiled slightly and took a seat on the bed behind him. Okay, space it was. “I.. I know I’m not in your shoes,” he wanted to tell her that he still felt as though he had a vague idea of what she was going through, not just because they’d lost Elsie but because he knew what it would have been like to lose Rowan, too. “But please, if you want to talk to me you can.” This was hard for all of them, and as one of the students that knew how close they were, it was the least he could offer.​

 

[Zennon Baros]

Between his headboy duties, the brotherhood, SDA (which he was pretty sure he was going to regret joining now to be honest) and just generally spending half his morning trying to convince himself he actually did need to get out of bed, the hospital wing assignments gave him less and less time to think and so less time to grieve. At the moment though, it felt like a good thing. This was his NEWTs year, he couldn't be worried about sneaky emotions coming from no where and kicking his butt good and proper. His conversation with Leda had been great, it had really helped for the time he was there, but, where Leda had been happy to make more friends, Zennon was pretty sure he wanted even less friends than he currently had. He'd even elected to patrol on his own given he had more freedom to do what he wanted that way. He didn't have to worry about people trying to tell him how he should behave and what he should be doing and how he was probably a bloody terrible headboy given all of his circumstances. He needed to talk to Sam, they needed to have a proper chat, but he'd been avoiding her for a bit, he knew it was awful of him, but she was another person on a ridiculously long list of people who would ask him what was wrong and he'd feel obligated to tell them. Sam would always hold a special place in his heart, she'd been his girlfriend for a long time after all, so how could he pretend otherwise. He loved her, just not like that. All of this allowed him to ignore the dread in the pit of his stomach whenever he thought of the loss he'd suffered, Elsie, his Dad, he'd lost two influential people in his life and it felt like he'd lost everything. "What's going on?" Zennon had noticed that Agnes and Elio had been having some kind of quiet conversation on the other side of the room, and for the most part he'd ignored it. He hadn't heard what they were saying to each other beyond the soft whipsery sound one usually heard in a relatively empty room. What had twigged him to something happening was when Elio had hugged Agnes and she'd pushed him away, granted, not roughly, but enough for Zennon to think it was probably time he check in on his little sister's best friends. That thought alone was enough to make Zennon clench his jaw harshly at the wave of pain it brought with it.​

 

[Agnes Baros]

Agnes expected Elio to have told Rowan if she were being honest. The pair were close and besides Rowan was Elsie’s twin sister. Had she not caught on at all? Agnes didn’t really have the strength to argue it though, consumed by the knowledge that once again she’d let it slip, and that a secret that was supposed to have gone cold was known. Sure, maybe Agnes could have denied it, but there were telltale signs that made that easier said than done. She didn’t move as Elio tried to hug her. For a brief moment she wanted to hug him back, having not felt any kind of affection since that day, but as she realised the last person she had hugged was someone that she wasn’t going to ever see again, she forced herself to push Elio back. Nothing and nobody was ever going to be able to replace Elsie. It was ridiculous that they even bothered to try. She wiped her cheek with her hand as she heard Zennons voice approaching behind her, trying her best to disguise the fact she’d been crying until he caught on too. She’d grown closer to Zennon, potentially, although maybe she had just been imagining that because there were fewer of them now. She hadn’t had time to work out whether talking to Elio was even something she wanted to do. Talking about Elsie just made it harder, and so when her brother asked what was going on, Agnes had no intention of putting him through that too, especially because he had so much on his plate already. “Nothing Zennon, it’s fine.” It clearly wasn’t, but she glanced to Elio in the hopes that he’d have backed her up. Surely he could at least give her that.​

 

[Elio Zephyr]

It was sad but this wasn’t the first person Elio was looking at that had complete defeat behind their eyes. He was vaguely aware that someone else was coming over towards them, and glanced across to see Zennon headed their way. He didn’t know either, not unless Elsie had mentioned it. Unsurprisingly he wanted to know what they’d been talking about, although whether that was because he felt like he had to or because he considered Agnes a friend now he wasn’t sure. No one has really seen the girl since July, and she’d gone home the day after it had happened, cutting her own trip at America short. Elio turned his gaze back to Agnes, who seemed intent on not letting Zennon into the topic either. On one hand, it wasn’t his place to push it, but he also didn’t see the benefits of her keeping everything to herself, and if she wasn’t going to talk to Elio maybe Elsie’s brother could have been a better call. They were in the same house too which always helped. “He’s as much your brother as he is mine,” he said quietly, eyes never leaving her. He and Rowan had never really confirmed what they were to each other, but he knew they were as close if not closer to one another as a “real” couple, and after Agnes’ confirmation, he knew it was important to keep close all the family they could get.​

 

[Zennon Baros]

Zennon frowned between the pair, unsure what kind of vague and private conversation he'd just walked into. He was used to this though, as he'd walked into a lot of conversations in his life and most of them had been just as awkward as whatever this one was about. He looked to Agnes as she told him it was fine, but something in the way she spoke didn't quite sound right. He'd become used to Agnes over their time working together and though he knew he could hardly consider himself an expert on her or her moods, he liked to think that after spending that long side by side, he'd managed to become more attuned to her mood. He couldn't read her mind of course and had no idea what she might be thinking about, besides what they were all thinking about these days, but he knew enough to pick up on the fact that she was thinking about something, and he definitely felt as though they'd grown close enough to warrant is question, so he was a little gutted when she didn't answer him right away. He turned to Elio then, as the Gryffindor confirmed that it was something to do with him, which was usually the case when people went silent. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but it had to be something. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about the sudden confession on Elio's part though, of thinking of Zennon like a brother. It was... kind of nice actually to think that someone trusted him enough like that. "I work on the hospital wing, I'm not blind. I can spot cut from miles away. So what do I need to bandage?" He asked, trying and failing quite miserably to be a little cute, hoping it might coax an answer out of them, though it fell flat since none of them were really in the mood for jokes and it seemed he'd lost the plot a little.​

 

[Agnes Baros]

Agnes had never really considered herself part of the Baros family, not really. That was Elsie’s family because hers were much, much different. Still, she felt a little betrayed when Elio pushed her to tell Zennon what was going on, as though he didn’t really understand the severity of what he was asking of her. Agnes was becoming increasingly uncomfortable now, as she was both literally and mentally pushed into a corner she couldn’t back out of. She had to throw a hand over her mouth and close her eyes tightly together from the pressure from all angles, barely even hearing Zennon try to make a joke about their jobs. “Please, please I can’t,” she’d come too far and too far with Elsie to have their secret just shot wide open into the world like this, “No one is supposed to know,” she almost wanted to slap Elio there and then for even bothering her in the first place, now everything was a mess. She looked to Zennon with fresh tears in her eyes. Would he stop asking? Would he pester Elio until he found out? What if he asked Rowan too and then she was aware. It was a non stop snowball already and the mere thought of it was making Agnes feel sick. The fifth year couldn’t stop herself from crying heavily, still caught between both boys who were blocking her way out. “We did so much to keep it quiet,” she pleaded, remembering all the things they missed out on just to stop word getting out, and now she felt like she’d failed at even that. She was clearly agitated, but unless she was willing to clamber over one of the spare bed she couldn’t move past the prefects until they let her go.​

 

[Zennon Baros]

There was clearly something very wrong that Zennon just wasn’t aware of. He’d never wished to be a legilimens more than he did right now and it was taking everything he had not to demand answers. He hated not knowing things, being intentionally kept out of the loop, shut out of something he clearly was supposed to be a part of if everything going on currently was any indication. He was even going to tell them just how upset about it he was, when he saw Agnes. Whatever the issue was, it had something to do with Agnes, something to do with him, and something to do with Elio. The only commonality those three elements had, was Elsie. So this had something to do with Elsie. Zennon wasn’t dumb. He was an idiot sometimes and he’d definitely been stupid on occasion, but he wasn’t dumb. Even so, after what he’d been through during the break and attempting to come to terms with his own inner demons and trying to do discover his sexuality and who he was, he recognised a deep internal struggle when he was one and though he may not have known exactly what kind of internal struggle it was, it was something he could understand and something he knew had to be overcome with time and patience, even at everyone else’s disadvantage. He looked at Elio for a moment before turning to look at Agnes and stepping aside. “I’m sorry, Agnes,” he said quietly, finding it strangely natural to speak to her in similar tones as he would customarily use on the twins. “You need space, I didn’t mean to force myself into the conversation, one you’re clearly and understandingly feeling very conflicted about,” he said, thinking about the kinds of things he’d want someone to say to him if he tried to come out to them but found it hard. Though he didn’t know what kind of secret or whatever it was, that Agnes might have, this applied to all sorts of things. “I’m here if you need to talk, or want to talk, or just want to work in silence.” He said, peering over to Elio to make sure he knew not to crowd her. He understood she was very close to Elsie and losing her must have been incredibly painful.​

 

[Agnes Baros]

Agnes probably knew Zennon most of all the students left at school but she wouldn’t have said they were close. He was respectful enough to offer her the way out, and she was relieved to no longer be trapped in, a glance at the door was more than tempting and she could easily take a five minute break if she wanted to before returning to work. She couldn’t tell him. A part of her wanted to, because of who he was to Elsie, but she didn’t know if she had it in her. She looked back to Elio with tear filled eyes, “They trust you. If you trust him too, you do it.” She said dryly, before moving past the boys and heading across the wing for some air. She didn’t need to be here for this, her anxieties growing she knew she just needed to get out. Her secret was already out so what more was there to do anyway? The prefect left the hospital wing and bolted down the corridor before she could change her mind on Elio. Once again her lifelines held in other people’s hands.​

 

[Elio Zephyr]

Elio had opted to take a back seat for the time being, watching to see whether Agnes would have opened up to Zennon or not. He felt a bit bad watching her reaction though, knowing there wasn’t much more he could do to help as she got increasingly agitated. He sighed to himself as Zennon moved out of her way. He didn’t expect her to turn back to him and choose his own judgement though before she left the room. He realised she’d been referring to the twins, since they were the ones they were closest too, although he didn’t know if it would be right coming from him that Agnes had more on her mind than everyone realised. He did trust Zennon, in the same way he’d trusted Elsie. Not because he was Head Boy or any other title but because he knew what his family meant to him. He glanced to Zennon for a moment, thoughts that if he knew, would it be a benefit to them both? Perhaps at least it would give them something to talk about at their time working in the hospital, something to bond over so that Agnes wasn’t always by herself. Elio had said he’d never tell anyone Elsie’s secret, but Agnes was the one who needed the support. He still had no idea why it had been a secret either, but surely Agnes wouldn’t have said he could tell Zennon if it was something that would hurt the Baros’. “I only know because I accidentally found out,” he started, sitting back a little further on the bed, “Rowan doesn’t know yet either and as far as I know, it’s just me. Elsie had me keep it secret too, so it must have been important.” It was hard keeping track with it all, especially when Elio didn’t know the cause. He trusted Zennon though and figured he was better suited than anyone to know, “Agnes and Elsie weren’t just best friends. Elsie was her girlfriend.”​

 

[Zennon Baros]

Zennon honestly couldn't say he ever really expected things to happen the way he expected. His life seemed to have a way of testing him and putting him through the ringer to really test what he was made of, which, honestly he wasn't quite sure he really knew what he was made of most of the time. Certainly not as much as the universe seemed to think though because he was almost certain he couldn't handle most of what was being thrown at him. He frowned as Agnes talked about trust before moving away. He followed her with his eyes before turning to look at Elio, brow raised in question. "What is she talking about?" He wasn't sure he considered Elio a friend or not, though he'd certainly developed something of a greater appreciation for him as he'd gotten to know him more over the holidays. He knew he had a close relationship to both Rowan and Elsie, though, clearly his relationship with Rowan defied understanding to some degree. Zennon watched Elio shift on one of the beds, and he was really starting to wonder what it was about people leaving him out of things because this definitely was not the first time he'd been left out of stuff, but that was a whole other grievance. "Rowan doesn't know what? What secrets is Elsie keeping?" What a hypocrite. She'd gone on him for not telling her about his abilities and now he was hearing she had secrets of her own? Merlin, his family never seemed to get any less complicated. His eyebrows shot up though when Elio finally revealed the big secret. He frowned then though, because he wasn't sure why it was a secret. It certainly wasn't like there was any confusion around who Elsie was and really Zennon supposed he should have known they were together, though he always knew Elsie to be more affectionate and had never really seen the girls do anything specifically coupley, so he supposed it could have slipped his radar that way. The reminder that Elsie had died and that Zennon was gaining information about someone she should have known everything about, hurt. And Zennon had to take a minute to breathe. Unlike with Rowan, Zennon found it considerably easier to say his sisters name, he felt it more that he could remember her and keep her close to him with it, rather than feeling as though she was lost to him. He did try to change his tenses with her, but he couldn't et bring himself to talk about her as if she was gone, that was something he knew he would have to work on, because she was gone... and she'd never be coming back despite what he might have wanted. "Agnes and Elsie?" He asked, looking over his shoulder to see where the younger Slytherin might have wandered off to. He was too late to catch her leaving the hospital wing, so wasn't sure where she'd gone. "This... makes very little sense, actually," he said, frowning again. Why was it a secret? Was it from Agnes' side? Had to be. Why would Elsie hide it otherwise? Zennon knew there had been a lot of affection between them, but not this. "Agnes, where-" She clearly wasn't in the wing though and he knew he needed to find her and talk to her because he didn't understand at all. "How did you find out?" He asked, turning back to Elio and trying to ignore the pit in his stomach at the reason they were even talking about this at all.​

 

[Elio Zephyr]

Elio was starting to think that maybe telling Zennon hadn't been the best call. The Head Boy was agitated that he hadn't known, not to mention confused. The prefect swallowed, unmoving as Zennon seemed not quite sure what to do with himself, before eventually he asked him something he could respond to. "I don't why it's a secret. I found out at Valentines," he shrugged, recalling the look on Elsie's face when he'd mentioned them, "I mention them as a couple, back when the roses were being handed out. Elsie tried not to give it away but it was obvious for a second she was caught off guard. I wasn't sure, until she came to talk to me about not saying a word a few days later. No one else knows." Maybe it was easier that way, he wasn't sure he needed to get too involved with someone else's personal issues, and while he would help Agnes where he could he knew he already had a lot on his plate at the moment. ​

 

[Zennon Baros]

Zennon simply didn't know what to say, he was at a loss, more than he expected he would be. It wasn't that he was against this, of course he wasn't, but he couldn't understand why there had been a secret involved, because it had to be from Agnieszka's side. There was nothing from his family that he could imagine would make Elsie think she had to hide this. "Valentine's?" That was so long ago. That was last year. He was starting to paint something of a picture now. This was crazy. He couldn't actually believe that this was something that was happening. He was going to have to talk to Agnes, because he needed to know, something just didn't make sense in this and he just wanted to know what what was going on. "I need to talk to her. Thank you for telling me, Elio... I don't know if you did the right thing but, I appreciate it." He said, looking over his shoulder in the direction Agnes had run. He couldn't chase her, not right now, but, he would catch her up eventually. Give her some time to cool down at least.​