Unhinged

[Gabriel Fletcher]

Gabriel tapped his foot and sighed. It was a shame Hogwarts didn't offer classes for timekeeping, for Lydia could surely have benefited taking them. How difficult was it, really, to show up at the appointed hour? And was it unreasonable to expect a little enthusiasm from one's girlfriend? If Gabriel's stomach hadn't knotted at the thought, he might have begun to suspect the Hufflepuff was not all so keen as she ought be. In fact, she might not have been keen at all, and what did that mean for him? Perhaps she was entertaining the notion that she could do better. Well, she was wrong; and Gabriel was going to prove it.

Inspired by this new turn of thought, the Slytherin abandoned his post and set off to find his elusive girl. As he searched the castle he reassured himself with the probability that Lydia had merely confused the time, or location, or any other remotely plausible variable that sufficed to calm his nerves. She loved him! What reason should she have had not to? Unless that interfering little git Felix had gotten himself involved again, Lydia had no reason not to be utterly infatuated by him. By the time he reached the library, he had almost entirely shaken his unease about the situation.

Then he saw him.

A boy in their year; Gabriel recognised him vaguely from classes, but couldn't have attached a name to the face. He was rising from the table at which Lydia sat, and passed him to leave as Gabriel approached.

She'd forgotten him over some kid he couldn't even name.

A vicious heat rose to Gabriel's cheeks, and quickly spread outward to his extremities. How dare Lydia show him up? It was almost worse than having found her with Felix. At least she could have excused herself with the obligation to help an old friend study. But this was a nobody. She could quite easily have said no. Instead, she'd prioritised him over spending time with her boyfriend; and that was an insult no man should have to take. Immediately upon reaching Lydia's table he slammed his palms down on its surface. "Who was that?" he barked, bending as to direct the demand straight into her face.

 

[Lydia Warrick]

Spending time in the library was Lydia's favourite thing to do, she found peace in the place, but since it was fast approaching exams, she was focusing her time on studying within it rather than helping her cousin with it. Today was a little different, she had finished her studying and put all of her affairs into her bag to go meet Gabe when a younger student, a first year had asked her for help to find a book, she helped them, and then a student from her year noting that she knew her way around a library decided that they too needed help, and Lydia who did like helping people felt almost obligated to help them, showing them where the book was and sitting down with him, to show him where in the book the information he was looking for was, helping in teaching how to look in books to get only the necessary information rather than reading the entire thing, which for fifth years studying for OWLs was definitely a practical skill, but, in doing this, meeting Gabe had completely escaped her, it had just slipped out of her mind, she was so focused on helping others that even as the boy left her mind didn't remind her of where she was supposed to be.

Lydia jumped startled when suddenly someone slammed their palms down on the table, and she looked up to meet Gabe's angry gaze, and suddenly it all rushed back, she was supposed to be meeting him, and she'd forgotten. The girl blushed a deep red, and seemed to duck away from his yelling, "No one, just some guy from our year who needed help looking at books," she told him honestly, getting up from the chair and taking a few steps back from him, she didn't like it when he was annoyed and she'd definitely never seen him this angry before, she didn't want to be near him, to encounter his wrath, but she didn't really want to annoy him further by walking off, and instead just ducked her head and seemed to try to make herself smaller, "I'm sorry I lost track of time," she apologised quickly hoping this would be enough to stem his anger towards her, apologising worked before.
​

 

[Gabriel Fletcher]

For each step Lydia took back, Gabriel took one forward, so that she was never further than a few inches from him. His blood boiled, turning his face a vivid shade of red over white. He didn't believe for a second her excuse; who needed help looking at books? She wasn't even trying to sound believable. Perhaps she thought he wasn't owed the courtesy. When she followed up with a second poorly spun excuse, the Slytherin finally snapped. "DON'T LIE TO ME," he yelled, forgetting they were in a public library, and oblivious to the attracted stares. To his surprise, his eyes began to swim with tears of hurt and betrayal. Lydia was as bad as his father. Everyone was. Everyone but Saveli.

Inebriated with anger, the Slytherin raised a hand and grabbed a fistful of his girlfriend's hair. He tugged his hand sharply, so that her head would jerk sideways. "You're as bad as the rest of them. You evil, lying little..." She was lucky. He could have torn her stupid skin right off her face. "You're an embarrassment."

 

[Lydia Warrick]

For each step that she took away from him, he just took one closer, and she just didn't like this at all, sure, he'd been angry before, even somewhat threatening but this was just some whole other level, she didn't like it at all, and as he yelled at her, she couldn't help but flinch away, tears making themselves visible in her eyes, who would enjoy being yelled at much less by her boyfriend. She shook her head, "I'm not," she muttered quietly in stark contrast from his tone, she wanted to be stronger than this, to push him away but with the way he seemed to loom over her, she just felt a little too afraid of him to be able to. He was a mistake, she didn't like this any more, she wanted to break up, she didn't like getting yelled at, she didn't like how he was towards her at any given moment ready to just start screaming.

Lydia didn't manage to stop him from grabbing her hair and tugging angrily, she tried to pull away but his grip was tight, and the words he said weren't much better, she didn't understand why he was being like this, she had been telling the truth, she helped out in the library, that meant she helped people in the library, what was he not understanding, why didn't he believe her, he was supposed to, she was his girlfriend. She flushed a deep red as he called her an embarrassment, apologising seemed like a pointless task but she couldn't find her voice, "Gabe, stop," she muttered quietly, hoping he would let go, that his anger would go away, she attempted to prise his hand off from her hair, "Please," she added, if she had the courage she'd break up with him now, but his anger was too much in front of her and she was afraid for how he might react.
​

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Topic Closed​

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