Secret No More

[Alana Finch]

It had been a few days since that dreadful magazine had made its appearance in the Great Hall, and Alana was still seeing the magazine pop up in classes and in the hallways. She grimaced, her gaze lowering, as she bypassed a group of girls who were sharing a copy. As she rushed past them, the teenaged girl heard them gasp as they realized who she was and then let out loud giggles. The Slytherin almost turned around to say something to them, but then she realized that she didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know who had written that article, but they seemed to know an awful lot about her. Much more than she wanted anyone in the school to know about her. Now, everyone in the castle knew that she was in a dreadful arranged marriage, and she knew that it wouldn’t matter to anyone that she hadn’t chosen it. All they would see was her name attached to Chaos Zhefarovich, the guy who had gotten himself expelled for nearly murdering a student. Alana hadn’t even bothered following after Matt since she still hadn’t worked out what to say to him. Surely, Sorry for not mentioning that I have a fiancé that I don’t really want. Can we keep kissing anyway? wasn’t going to go over too well with the Ravenclaw boy. The Slytherin should have known better than to think something so fun could last. Perhaps it was time for her to accept her fate. If Arithmancy and Divination had taught her nothing else, they were teaching her that her fate was there for her to see it, if only she opened her eyes to look.

Rushing down the hall, Alana stepped into the first open door that she could find. It turned out to lead to the abandoned lavatory. Clutching the remnants of a sink, Alana breathed in and exhaled deeply, trying to calm herself down. She hated being the center of any kind of attention. She didn’t know how people did this sort of thing. Her hair hung on the sides of her face, blocking her from seeing anyone else entering the room. Shutting her eyes, Alana forced herself to take another deep breath. At least it was quiet in here. She could relax for a few minutes before going back into the hallways and making her way to class.

 

[Emily Hayes-Magonus]

Life sure had a way of messing with plans. The Gryffindors had all been placed under house arrest and Emily was saddened to know she wouldn't be spending brightstone weekend with any of her Gryffindor friends. Still, she supposed she could buy them all gifts to cheer them up, maybe that would make her feel better, because these days she just wasn't feeling like herself at all. Classes were hard to concentrate in because she'd been having trouble sleeping lately, she was feeling rather good today for the first time in a long time though, so she thought a nice stroll through the grounds might be nice. She was heading in that direction when she saw blonde hair duck into the antiquated lavatory. No one went in there any more. It was called the antiquated lavatory for a reason after all, though Emily would readily admit that it was only recently she come to this conclusion having not previously understood the correlation or what the word meant. Still, because she was feeling so good, Emily decided that she would go and see what might be wrong with the person, likely a girl, who'd rushed into the lavatory. If it wasn't for the fact that Emily had been leaving the Transfiguration room, she might not even have noticed.

Emily opened the door cautiously, not wanting to startle whoever might be inside. Maybe it was one of her friends! With that thought it mind she pushed the door open quicker and was only slightly disappointed to note that she did not know that figure. She couldn't see the face, as it was obscured by hair, but she knew the silhouette of all of her friends and that was not one of them. Emily placed a friendly, but tired smile on her face as she approached the girl. Though she was feeling really good, that didn't mean that she wasn't still tired. Whoever it was seemed to be a little overwhelmed by something. Emily tried to think if anything had happened recently and the only thing she could think of was that silly magazine that she saw everyone reading. The one the wasn't the Monthly. Emily didn't read such things because she preferred not to read. She only looked at the Monthly for the pretty design work. "Hi, are you okay?" Maybe it wasn't the magazine thing at all, maybe she was just tired, or perhaps she'd received some bad news. Anything could happen really. "Do you need anything? I'm Emily."
​

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana heard the slow creak of the door as someone else came in. She didn't look over though and she made no indication that another person had entered the room. Instead, she took another deep, slow breath as she worked to regain her composure. It was more likely than not that she didn't know the person. Alana didn't have very many friends, and she figured she'd have fewer now that the magazine was out. The Slytherin saw the way that people treated Scarlet for being friends with Chaos. She definitely knew how she'd treated Scarlet, so she could only imagine how they'd treat her. It was a friendly voice that rang out, and Alana peeked into the cracked mirror, spotting a fellow blonde. She recognized the girl from classes, and Alana didn't know if this was a good or bad thing. If she wasn't mistaken, the Slytherin was pretty sure that she was one of Logan's friends. The same Logan that she'd witnessed nearly being murdered. Not that Logan knew that. Chaos and Professor Styx were the only people who knew that she'd been out there that night too.

Alana shook her head slightly, her grip on the sink just as tight as it'd been before. She kept her red eyes on the reflection, hoping the girl didn't recognize her. The room was dim, a product of none of the lights working. The only window in the room was far from Alana, dust swirling in the small spot of light it allowed in. The Slytherin worked hard to avoid Logan in classes, often taking a seat clear on the opposite side of classrooms. "You can't help me, Emily" Alana stated after a long silence. She sighed heavily and then stood up straight, looking at herself in the mirror. Alana was beginning to think no one could. "Unless you know a strong spell to get people to forget what they read in the magazine?" Alana had a very sad smile on her face.

 

[Matthew Cosgrove]

Matthew's head was all over the place again as it had been for days. The Ravenclaw was having trouble focusing in class and he had completely cut himself off from everyone he usually spoke to. Matthew just didn't want to talk to anyone. His one saving grace was that he was omitted from the gossip article. The article made it out to be some strange love triangle between Chaos, Alana and Scarlet. It wasn't, it was a little more complicated than that. It may not be common knowledge but Matthew was a part of it, perhaps a small part but he was nonetheless invested. Matthew couldn't help but feel some sympathy for Scarlet, he would never understand how someone could date someone like Chaos by choice but even so he was in a similar position to the Hufflepuff, they both had feelings for someone locked in an arranged marriage.

It was not lost on him that he had not seen Alana since he stormed out of the Great hall, he wasn't surprised that she hadn't followed him. In that moment there was nothing she could have said to him that would have made anything better. Did he want an apology, no he didn't. It wouldn't change anything, and he was mad at Alana for not telling him, where would she even have started to tell him something like that. The truth was he wasn't angry at anyone, there wasn't someone to blame in this situation but that didn't change the fact that the news had hurt him. It would have hurt him whether Alana told him or whether it came from a gossip magazine.

Coming out of Transfiguration confident that nothing had sunk in from the lesson as nothing was in any other. The Ravenclaw continued down the fifth floor corridor when he saw what he though was a familiar streak of blonde hair. There was a lot of blondes at Hogwarts, he knew that for a fact. Matthew followed the sight and saw her duck into the old abandoned lavatory. He thought about going in after her, but what if it wasn't Alana? Shortly after he saw another blonde go in after her and his decision seemed to be made for him. Surely it wasn't her. Matthew decided he would continue on and head back to the common room opting to walk past the bathroom and as he did he heard Alana's voice. Somehow hearing her voice made him feel better, he realised in that moment just how much he had missed her, despite everything. With no thought in his mind other than seeing the blonde again, Matthew pushed on the door and stepped into the old bathroom. He came face to face to the two blondes by the sinks, one he didn't know, the other was the unmistakably beautiful face of Alana. They didn't seem to have heard him come in as he had chosen to open the door quietly rather than charge in like a bull. He cleared his throat in an attempt to get their attention. "Alana,"

 

[Emily Hayes-Magonus]

Emily was sure she had been heard, but whoever it was in here seemed to make no indication of wanting any help, or even of acknowledging her. It was really quite dark and the lack of light was making it difficult for Emily to be able to tell who this was. She moved a little closer, but mostly stayed where she was. From what she could tell there was definitely something up, but she wasn't privy to that knowledge right now, nor was it clear if she ever would be, but she had to try at least. She didn't like the idea of leaving the girl here on her own if she was upset about something and Emily could have helped. However soon the girl spoke, telling Emily that she couldn't help. Emily frowned and made to protest when the girl spoke again. So it was about the magazine after all. Emily didn't understand why people read that sort of thing. She always made an effort to stay away from it after all as her mother had told her not to read it. She'd said that there were all sorts of nasty things in there that weren't always true. Maybe this girl was the subject of a rumour to which people were holding her accountable. "I'm sorry, I don't. I don't read that anyway. My mother said that it's a terrible magazine full of nasty rumours." She said, trying to help in some way. "I'm sure people won't believe it."

Emily was surprised when she was suddenly joined by yet another person, though he seemed to know this girl. Her name was Alana apparently. Emily couldn't think of anyone who'd come to mind who this might be. Clearly he knew her and maybe he knew what was in the magazine. Emily squared her shoulders a little and looked at the boy. "For starters, you shouldn't believe what those horrible magazines say about her. I'm sure your friend Alana didn't do whatever the magazine said." Rumours were horrible things and Emily didn't want to have friends fight over the truth or non-truth behind them. She hoped she wasn't getting too involved in anything by interfering, but she didn't care she would help anyone who asked. That was just the kind of person that she was.
​

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana's smile grew even sadder, if that was at all possible. The girl, Emily, had sided with her without even knowing what was said in the magazine. Spotting Matthew over her shoulder, Alana was glad that she was somewhat in shadows. She'd been avoiding him since the magazine had come out. She just didn't know what to say to him at all, and now that he was in front of her, she was still just as speechless. Just as she'd done a moment ago, Emily defended her once more. Alana looked down to the ground, wishing that she had this girl as a friend. It would be nice to have someone like that on her side. Someone who would defend her to the moon, someone who would side with her for no other reason than that they were friends. It was something Alana had never quite experienced before.

Alana took a step forward and touched Emily's arm, a kind smile on her face. It didn't reach her red eyes though, which remained sad. For the moment, she avoided Matthew's gaze. She still wasn't quite ready to talk to him, though there was no more avoiding it. "Thank you, Emily." Those words weren't enough to convey how much she appreciated the girl in that moment. Then, the Slytherin sighed and then mumbled the rest. "But the article wasn't wrong about me." That was the worst part about it. She was sure that some of the articles were full of lies and exaggerations, but hers, unfortunately, was not. Alana turned her gaze quickly to Matthew but then dropped it as she spoke. "It's not all true though" she added quickly. Alana hated that she couldn't tell what he was thinking. She didn't know if he was mad at her or disappointed. Either way, she probably deserved it.

 

[Scarlett Vittori]

Scarlet had been spending her days ignoring her studies. She deemed them as unimportant for now. Not with the appearance of the rumor magazine only a few days ago. In fact, she had spent her days deciding on what to do about the whole ordeal that she was now facing. Chaos and Alana were engaged. She was Chaos' girlfriend. She wondered if what she was supposed to be feeling should be as confusing as what she was currently feeling. There were far too many emotions at play that she could not bring herself to understand. And then, there was also deciding what she should do. Should she owl Chaos? She didn't want to do that. It had only been a few days ago that she had owled him concerning the Borely Mansion incident, which was still frankly giving her a nightmare every now and then, but she had been fine after telling him what happened, even if it wasn't the whole truth. Scarlet had decided that she should just talk to Alana. Even if that was far from being comfortable, considering their last encounter ended up with her nearly punching the younger girl. It dreaded her that she nearly punched Chaos' fiancee. And then she wondered whether she was relieved or frustrated that Havoc had stopped her at the time.

It took a while before Scarlet had found Alana. She had been about to follow the blonde girl when all too suddenly, she had caught sight of Emily entering the Antiquated Lavatory as well. That was when she had begun second guessing herself. She didn't want to be in the same room as Alana and Emily. Those two were ones she had nearly hurt the previous semester, and though she had decided on not hurting Alana (for Chaos) and Emily (after the talk with Professor Stark), she still didn't want to be in the same room with both of them together. And then an older boy ducked inside the Lavatory as well. That made Scarlet curious. And she had thought that it was no use postponing wanting to talk to Alana. She had quietly entered just in time to hear Alana's words. It had been soft, but with the walls of the lavatory, the echo was loud and clear in Scarlet's ears. The article wasn't wrong. Or at least not all wrong. "What part of it was true?" she couldn't help but speak out. She felt like she had the right to know. She was in that article too. She was involved in it and it affected her just as it was affecting the Slytherin. The problem was, she didn't know what answer would hurt more. The engagement part being true. Or Alana hating Chaos being false. Either way, Scarlet wanted to know. She needed to know. Because hell if it wasn't eating at her from the inside. Not being able to convince herself of what was right and what was wrong. All because of this situation they found themselves in.
​

 

[Matthew Cosgrove]

Something about the girl jumping to Alana's defence made Matthew smile even though it was him she was defending her from. He was glad that somone was standing up for her and as much as he wanted to believe Emily that the rumour wasn't true, the look on Alana's face when she saw him was all the confirmation he needed that it was. Alana was engaged. "I don't want to believe anything, especially not that, but something like that is too serious to be made up, no matter how much I wish it wad the case," He smiled at the girl. She didn't seem to be his biggest fan but he wanted her know he was grateful that she had Alana's back.

He turned his attention to Alana. "Alana, talk to me. I don't care if it's true it doesn't change how I feel about you, I don't think anything could now," There was so much he wanted to say to her but he couldn't. No sooner had Alana began talking and telling that some of the rumour was true that another blonde entered the bathroom demanding to know how much was true. Matthew already had an idea but he needed the worss to come out of Alana's mouth, he'd just hoped they'd be alone when they did.

 

[Ivaylo Zhefarovich-Dolohov]

Ivaylo Zhefarovich-Dolohov only reacted slightly over the whole magazine because it outed something that was supposed to stay secret. Following up on where some students say Alana went to, Ivaylo managed to find his way into the bathroom, large as it may be, all of a sudden crowded a bunch of inferiors. Most of which he knew up, except for the older Ravenclaw, who in his mind had no business with a third year. Ivaylo heard some of the conversation, something about not wanting to believe she was engaged or whatever. Ivaylo shook his head, before announcing, "It is true. Most of the article was true, save for the bit that Alana hates Chaos. I don't believe that." Ivaylo was now the new Viscount, although in training, and with what he knew, things were not boding well. He assumed that Chaos was using Scarlet in case the Zhefarovich family saw that Alana would not be a good addition to the family, and just have her killed anyway. Shoving his way through the people, he found his way at Alana's side. He held his hand out to her before he gave her a charming smile, "You don't have to talk to strangers about your ordeal. The situation is extremely complicated. If you need anyone to talk to, I'm here for you." He felt her hand within his, before pulling her into an embrace, which was quite the obstacle seeing as he towered over her.
​

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana had been about to continue talking but then the room for very crowded, very quickly. It was overwhelming. Scarlet was one of the last people she wanted to see. "I don't have anything to say to you" Alana stated, her tone very cold. It was a far cry from how she'd just spoken to Emily. The Slytherin didn't even care if either Emily or Matthew thought she was being unnecessarily rude to Scarlet. They didn't know the history that the two girls had, and after nearly being punched by the Hufflepuff girl, Alana really had nothing to say to her. She was a bit surprised to see how eager Scarlet seemed for the answer. It was just another reason why she would tell her nothing. Matthew was a different story. Alana did feel like she owed him an explanation. She just didn't know what to say.

As the door opened again, Alana let out a noise of frustration. She quickly stifled it as she realized who'd just walked in. And he hadn't walked in quietly either. Ivaylo Zhefarovich had a lot to say about the article, and he actually knew a lot about it. Alana had made him into her confidante, it would seem, when it came to the whole situation. And even though Chaos had warned her against him, Alana had no intention of heeding that warning. Ivaylo was a good guy in her eyes, just as good as Matthew. As he held out his hand, Alana reached for his, listening to his words. She nodded her head, glad for the support. But what really pleased her was the sudden hug she found herself in. Alana hugged the older boy back, peeking around his arm at Matthew. She enjoyed the hug for a second more before breaking away. "Thank you." She turned her attention to the Ravenclaw boy, completely ignoring Scarlet. "I'm really sorry that you found out like this, Matthew" she stated, her gaze falling to the ground once more. "It's...complicated like Ivaylo said."

 

[Matthew Cosgrove]

Matthew didn't know what to say to anyone. He was stunned as a Slytherin boy walked in and he knew him by reputation only. He was a prefect and not known to be a very nice guy, it was Ivaylo. Matthew knew very little about the Slytherin but he knew the name that he carried and in his eyes that made him untrustworthy and he was not someone he wanted mixed into the situation. Matthew was surprised to see Alana talk to the Hufflepuff girl the way she did, but he knew Scarlet was involved in the situation and there must be more between the two than he knew so he said nothing as she coldly brushed the girl off. The Ravenclaw listened the Ivaylo's words, given who he was there was no doubt he knew what was going on, so when he said the engagement was true it was just another nail in the coffin of any potential relationship Matthew may have had with Alana. He felt like he was loosing her then and there, in an abandoned bathroom surrounded by strangers.

As the eldest in the room Matthew felt strange, he may have age over the rest of the students in the bathroom but he did not have command of the situation. Ivaylo gave off an aura of authority and it was nothing to do with his prefect badge. His fists clenched into a fist as he told Alana that she didn't have to discuss anything with strangers and he couldn't hold his tongue anymore, "I'm not a stranger to her," Was all he could manage to say to the Slytherin prefect. Anymore would be pure speculation, the truth was he didn't know what he was but he felt like he was becoming more and more. It hurt more than he could say to see Alana take the hand of Ivaylo and even more when he pulled her into a hug and she willingly surrendered to his embrace. Alana was more than willing to seek comfort from him but was keeping him at arms length when all he wanted to do was hold her in his arms. But something told him that pursuing her would lead to a death sentence. For him or Alana, or both. Matthew held Alana's gaze even as she hugged Ivaylo. The look on her face as she hugged him told him everything. She did give him her full attention after she left his embrace and apologised for the way he found out.

Matthew swallowed a lump in his throat. He wished he never found out. Part of him wished he hadn't seen her again after the Yule ball, she could have remained a mystery and a happy memory. Now when he looked at her all he felt was heartbreak. There was even something different about the way she said his name, he had never liked being addressed as Matthew, but when ever Alana had said it, it felt right, it was warm. Now it felt cold. Standing in the middle of the bathroom, she was slipping away and Matthew was even questioning if he ever had her in the first place. Maybe he had just been a distraction. "Alana," He almost choked as he said her name, he wasn't sure what he was going to say but he knew it wasn't going to be easy. "You clearly have all the support you need from, him," He looked from Alana to Ivaylo. Matthew didn't just dislike him, he hated him. He gave off an aura that made him uncomfortable to be around and he hated the way he had swept in and taken Alana in his arms. The Ravnclaw wanted to throw his wand away and punch the prefect in the face. But he knew Alana would never forgive him for doing something like that to someone she clearly saw as a friend. Ivaylo was a part of her world, he knew her secrets, she confided in him but Matthew knew he didn't have her best interest at heart, he would only be doing what was best for his family. Matthew looked from Alana to Ivaylo again. He couldn't bare to say what he had wanted to say to her since the cliffs, so he had to say what he never dream of.

"You clearly have no need of me," Matthew stepped forward and brushed a strand of hair out of Alana's face and he took one last look at those piercing and beautiful eyes that he had not been able to stop thinking about since he first saw them. He lingered for a moment, cupping her face in his hand. He didn't care who was in the room around him, he didn't care what they thought of him right now. Matthew didn't care what Ivaylo would say or do to him if he didn't like the way he looked at or touched Alana. He didn't care about any of it. In a single moment, his heart was breaking over and over and he had to get away from it. Matthew could have stood in place for hours, telling Alana all the things he wanted to tell her. But there was nothing more or less true than his final words. So with one final look into her eyes, and a smile, like the one he gave her when she first crashed into him, he left the bathroom. Matthew couldn't follow Alana down the path she was being pushed down and he couldn't stand by and watch her take it.

 

[Emily Hayes-Magonus]

Emily didn't know what was exactly happening, but as Alana touched her arm she stepped back a little with an encouraging smile to this girl she didn't really know. Emily hoped that whatever was happening could be worked out, because she didn't like to see friends fighting. In fact Emily so rarely got into fights herself because she hated them and she usually didn't ever disagree so badly with someone she cared about that it would lead to a fight. Her first fight had actually been with Scarlet, because she didn't consider the tiffs with her brother to count. Both Alana and this older boy looked very sad though and Emily hung her head a little and played with her fingers. She didn't want to leave in case something happened, but she was trying to give them some privacy too. Emily was a shocked to hear that whatever was said in the magazine was true. It must have been completely awful to get this reaction out of the both of them. She didn't know what their relationship was but this wasn't looking good at all. Emily just wanted to pull Alana into a big hug and tell her that everything would be fine and that she was sure they'd all be able to work it out. This was what Emily believed and she would do whatever she could to help. She was going to tell all of this to Alana, when they were disturbed by yet another person. Scarlet Joussane.

It seemed that Scarlet knew about what was going on here. Everyone had read this magazine it seemed, everyone except Emily. She was completely out of the loop, which she liked to think was a good thing, as she was now a completely neutral party to what was happening right here. Emily didn't like Scarlet, at all. However she didn't hate her anymore, not after the incident in the grounds with Havoc Zhefarovich. She was now convinced that he was much worse than Chaos, and that was really saying something because Chaos was the one who'd been kicked out. Still, Emily stepped in front of Alana protectively because she didn't trust Scarlet and she didn't think she ever would. Scarlet was an idiot and she'd tried to kick Emily for no reason. If it hadn't even for Arturo, she might've been seriously injured. Emily didn't know why everyone was here, but she didn't think they needed to be. What Alana needed was some time to herself and maybe some time to speak with her boyfriend, but she didn't need Scarlet butting in, which was clearly something she did best. Emily just wanted to help Alana find her path, she wanted Alana to smile because it looked like she really wanted to and Emily knew what it was like to feel like you couldn't smile ever again and it wasn't fair. There was something going on here and even though it seemed that Emily was the only one who didn't know about it, she didn't care because she wasn't going to change her stance. Scarlet didn't need to be here, she didn't need to be here. Alana wanted to talk to this Ravenclaw and Emily wanted to make that happen, but where to start?

Emily was feeling a little overwhelmed. There seemed to be people everywhere and they all knew what they were talking about, which was more than she could say for herself. She was about to ask Scarlet to leave when they were joined by another person. An older student, and intact he was a prefect, which was the only reason Emily knew who he was. He shared the name of Zhefarovich and considering there were so many of them in the school it was safe to say that he knew what was happening around here. Even just for the fact that he seemed to have read the magazine as well. She heard him mention Chaos' name. So this had something to do with him after all? That explained why Scarlet was involved then, but she still didn't know what was going on. Had someone cheated on someone? Emily looked around at Alana, whom she was still standing in front of and gently stepped to the side when the prefect seemed to be there for her. She didn't want to get in the way, especially seeing that Alana seemed to appreciate his presence. There really wasn't much for Emily to do here and this had nothing to do with her, clearly, but she didn't want anything to happen to Alana either and with Scarlet here, that was fairly likely. Of course she didn't doubt the Prefects abilities to protect Alana should he need to, Emily didn't want to leave right now anyway. For now she was mostly in the shadows, and didn't really want to draw too much attention to herself if she could help it. Whatever was happening was apparently very complicated, as people kept saying. Maybe it would have been in Emily's best interest to read that article, it might had given her some insight into what was happening right now. However she moved closer to Alana again, to her other side in fact, steering clear of the prefect should he need to go for his wand. In Emily's honest opinion, Scarlet was nuts, and she didn't want to be near her, despite what her head of house had said.

Emily's eyes moved between everyone in the room, until the Ravenclaw started speaking. Alana had called him Mathew, but Emily didn't know him well. He started to speak and Emily could almost hear the heartache. She'd heard it from people before, but not like this. A true romantic, it broke Emily's heart to hear it and she moved towards him a little as he kept speaking. She wanted him to stay and talk to Alana, she wanted everyone else to leave so that they could talk. She could tell that they wanted to and she wanted to help them but she didn't know how. Mathew kept speaking, and as he brushed a strand of Alana's hair from her face Emily almost fell to pieces herself. That was the same look Ciro gave her mother and she wanted this all to end now. Emily looked back at Alana, almost begging her to go after him. No-one else in this room mattered. Emily didn't care what was happening between her and Scarlet and Chaos and Ivaylo and everyone else in this entire school. She wanted Alana to go after Mathew, because he deserved it and Alana deserved to be happy. Everyone did and if this was what would do it, then that was what should happen. "Don't leave." She said softly, unsure if her words would do anything. After all, it wasn't her the he was there to see, it was Alana and all of this was up to her. "Alana... don't let it end like this." She hoped her words were not out of turn, but she needed to say something. This had to stop, but she couldn't let it end like this, she'd never forgive herself and she didn't think Alana would either.
​

I am SO sorry...

 

[Scarlett Vittori]

Scarlet wanted to be confused. Because apparently, sometimes being confused was less painful than understanding everything. She really didn't understand why ignorance was bliss until now. She wanted to remain clueless of the relationship between Alana and Chaos. But that was impossible now. She wished that it was hard to understand. But it really wasn't. In fact, she didn't care of the cold tone the Slytherin was using on her or the way that Emily was acting as if she would mindlessly attack just anyone who had done her no wrong. Or the way the unknown older boy had been reacting to the whole issue. No. All she wanted was to know the truth. Because as much as she didn't want to admit it, it was painful. And she didn't even know why. She didn't even understand why. She didn't understand why there was pain and yet it existed. She didn't think that not knowing could hurt this much as well. But then again, the truth was more often than not painful than not knowing. And the truth had come out from the lips of a Slytherin prefect.

Scarlet had to control herself to not scream. To not cry. After all was there a reason for her to? She was Chaos' girlfriend, yes. But he was Alana's fiancee. Was there even a relationship between her and Chaos from the start if he was already destined to be with someone else? What did that even make her? When Chaos had wrote to her that he was jealous but he had no right, she didn't understand him then. Now, she could say that perhaps she partly could. After all, what right did she have to be hurt like this? Chaos and Alana were engaged. And according to the prefect, Alana doesn't even hate him. So what was Scarlet in Chaos' life? Was she some sort of distraction? She didn't know. And frankly she didn't want to know. She didn't want to speculate. In fact, all she wanted right now was some time to herself. Time to think about all that has happened, not understand cause she perfectly understood it, but think about what she wanted to do now. And so, wordlessly, she left. Not knowing who left first between her and the Ravenclaw. She just wanted to go back to her dorm. And she did. The whole way back, all she could do was think of the mess of a year she was having. That and her boyfriend. She didn't want to lose Chaos. But how does one lose someone that was never with them from the beginning?
​

 

[Ivaylo Zhefarovich-Dolohov]

The Slytherin prefect knew that the smaller Slytherin harbored some feelings for him, and they were very much one-sided. His affections were saved for another, a certain Hufflepuff that cured his temper. When the Ravenclaw said that he was no stranger to her, he narrowed those silver eyes dangerously. What did that mean? Over the time he knew Alana, this boy had not been in her life during the years that he had. 'Silly little crushes amuse me,' thought Ivaylo as he observed. The boy took off, the boy named Matthew, after Alana said that she did not want him to find out like this. His eyes went to the other girl, and he immediately saw the obstacles in the way of this arranged marriage. He debated on if he needed to take care of them anytime soon. The marriage would not happen for a while, but still. Nothing, and he meant nothing, could stand in the way. Ivaylo didn't know what the Hufflepuff in here was on about, but he thought that she was butting into business that was not her own. After all, the triangle formed a square with people getting hurt in the process. Now this was more evil than anything he had ever seen.

The girl said for Alana to go after him, and Scarlet left, Ivaylo spoke once more, "Alana, you shouldn't. Getting him involved will end badly. Just as it will for Scarlet. Getting others involved will hurt them." He bent down and whispered in her ear, "Perhaps even kill them if they stand in the way of your marriage. But you can have a little fun with him if you are cruel." Ivaylo turned his eyes toward the Hufflepuff, and he said toward her, "You should run along. Your help isn't needed. I'd suggest you help someone that actually needs it." Ivaylo was forcing himself to remain somewhat civil. The last thing he wanted was to lose his temper and also, the trust of the Slytherin girl. That was the only way she could entice her to open up more to Chaos. That was the only way this would work. If he could get Havoc on this, then it would work as well. If anyone knew Chaos more than Ivaylo, it would be his twin brother.​

 

[Alana Finch]

Matthew wasn’t going to make this easy for Alana, she soon realized. As he said her name, Alana’s gaze shifted everywhere but to him. She just couldn’t bear to look at him, his words doing enough damage without her having to see his facial expressions as well. Matthew seemed to realize that she was avoiding his gaze though as he cupped her face, forcing her to look at him. That last look, the smile he gave the Slytherin before he left the lavatory nearly shattered her. Alana could feel the tears springing into her eyes, but she blinked them away. In all of that, she hadn’t even noticed that Scarlet had slipped away, off to…Alana had no idea. She realized that she didn’t have the energy to care.

It was Emily’s words that broke Alana out of just standing around and doing nothing. She quickly swiped at her eyes, not wanting either Emily or Ivaylo to see that she’d been about to cry over Matthew. The Slytherin didn’t know what to do. She knew that the right thing to do would be to go after Matthew. She owed him an explanation, a private one, much more than she’d been able to give him in the crowded room. But, then Ivaylo was talking and Alana stopped to consider his words, her expression growing paler at what he whispered into her ear. “No” she whispered back. Chaos had warned Alana that she should stay away from Ivaylo, and now she was beginning to wonder whether this, what he had just said to her, might have something to do with that warning. This wasn’t the first time that Alana had heard about death in association with her marriage, but it had only ever been associated with her. Alana stared at Ivaylo for a second to see if he was joking, but when she looked up at his face, it was just as serious as it always was. Alana knew she could never be so cruel as to string someone along like that. Could she? She realized that she had been, and that fact saddened her more than anything else because it made her wonder if she was right for the Zhefarovich family after all.

“Emily, thank you. I’m ok now” she stated, forcing a smile for the girl’s benefit. Alana could tell that Ivaylo wasn’t going to make his request more than once and while she didn’t know Emily well at all, she had been friendly and helpful, and for that reason alone, Alana didn’t want to see her hurt. She turned her attention to the prefect, looking up at him. “I have to talk to him. I…I owe him an explanation” Alana stated quietly. She was not seeking out permission or validation that she was right, more stating it as fact.