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[Tilly Drage]

Set in January 2054

Just like that, the holidays were over. While Tilly had missed her family, she had plenty of adventures with her friend Rita. The quiet in the castle and on the grounds had been lovely. Now that the rest of the students and professors were back, Tilly almost resented them for disturbing her peace.

Tilly knew she was changing. Her moods, her attitude, her desires weren’t the same as they were before. Now, she was actually beginning to enjoy reading. Desperate for solitude, she slipped into the old, unused classroom tucked away on the second floor. She sat in the windowsill, turned to the side, and leaned against the stone frame. Tilly propped a book on her knees and soon lost herself within the pages.

@Seraphina My

 

[Seraphina My]

Seraphina had never felt so relieved to be back at the castle. While she was surprisingly enjoying being a big sister to Hera, who still wasn't old enough to really be her friend yet, she dreaded being around her mother, who had become even more of a terror since her nonna had died. She wass actually spending time at home, but not with them, just constantly on phone calls or writing owls as she took over her nonna's estate, getting rid of every physical reminder of her grandmother's existence.

Thankfully, she was far away from whatever madness was at her home and back school. After the long train ride, she decided to not hit the dorms and instead roam around the castle. It was one of her favorite pastimes, and she quickly found the best empty rooms. Messing with a toy in her hand, she entered the room, only to notice too late Tilly in the windowsill. She hadn't spoken to the Hufflepuff since the infamous incident at the ball - something she had thought about every day over break. "Oh, uh, sorry," she mumbled, quickly turning on her heel to leave.

 

[Tilly Drage]

As the door opened, Tilly wished she’d locked it or jammed it with a chair for some privacy. She looked up from her book. The color drained from her face as she recognized her visitor. Had Seraphina followed her here? But no, that didn’t make sense- she was leaving. The words left Tilly’s mouth before her brain could catch up with her tongue. “Seraphina, wait…”

While Tilly didn’t leave her perch, she closed her book. What in the world was she thinking? She didn’t even know why she’d tried to stop Seraphina. Tilly sat there, feeling like the world’s biggest idiot.

 

[Seraphina My]

Seraphina paused at the sound of her name, still facing towards the door. Why would Tilly want to talk to her? After what she did at the dance? After what she had done the past few years of their lives? Clenching her first, she turned around, looking at the ground, having a hard time bringing her eyes up to meet the Hufflepuff's. "Yeah?" she asked, kicking at the floor and feeling so uncomfortable. Did she want to smash a cake into her face? Because she definitely deserved it. She hadn't dared mention the incident to her mother but had talked it through with Hera, not that the toddler understood anything she meant.

 

[Tilly Drage]

Tilly’s heart was drumming in her ears as she looked back at Seraphina. She badly wished she’d let the other girl go. The Hufflepuff hugged her knees into her chest. “Why’d you smash a cake into my chest?” she asked quietly. It really had been troubling her since the Yule Ball. After detention, she’d thought at least she and Seraphina had come to some sort of understanding. But Tilly was realizing that maybe she would never figure Seraphina out, after all.

 

[Seraphina My]

Seraphina wasn't one for words and generally showed her feelings through actions. Whether or not they were acceptable actions by society's standards depended on the day. Continuing to kick at the floor, she shrugged and started to mumble to herself, feeling extremely uncomfortable. No one had ever confronted her before - except Tilly. Usually, she could run, but even without the constraints of dentention and a scary groundskeeper in her midst, she still felt that Tilly deserved better than that. She'd been trying to be a better person over the past few months, for her nonna, and the incident at the ball had completely destroyed that attempt. "I don't know," she said, finally looking up at Tilly. "I don't know why I do anything, really," she admitted, realizing that her impulsiveness was finally catching up with her.

 

[Tilly Drage]

Tilly tried not to bite her lip as she digested Seraphina’s answer. It was a weird response, though it seemed honest enough. Most of Seraphina’s actions didn’t seem to make much sense. Tilly sighed. She felt vulnerable, and confused, and exhausted all at the same time. “Seraphina, I forgive you,” she said quietly. “Can it stop?” She was so, so tired of this nonsensical rivalry. If it even could be called that.

 

[Seraphina My]

Seraphina stared at Tilly when she said four words she was unsure she'd ever heard before. No one had ever taken the time the say that to her besides her nonna. She felt her eyes starting to water a little and tried to look at the light shining through the windows. Without saying anything else, she just nodded, hoping Tilly would accept that as a reasonable response. Seraphina wasn't sure if this meant Tilly wanted to be her friend, and as she had learned with Liusaidh, friend was not a term she quite understood. But at the same time, maybe this meant she didn't have a hard enemy.

 

[Tilly Drage]

Tilly accepted Seraphina’s nod. It wasn’t an apology, but it was something. She stuffed her book into her shoulder bag. No way could she keep reading here. She smiled at Seraphina, her mouth hard. “Next time, if you want some cake, just ask,” she said drily. Hopefully, it wouldn’t piss the Gryffindor off too much.