𝐔𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐎𝐮𝐭 {𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐨𝐲}

| 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐄𝐒 | 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦

Hermes is the Greek god of luck, thieves, and travel. He also leads souls to the River Styx, before boatman Charon takes them away to the Hades. But above all, he is often known as the messenger and herald of the Olympian gods.

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d r a c o

Codrus quickly became part of our lives. Angel and him were always chatting over the wall while they gardened. We had a garden room extension, or a conservatory of sorts. From inside, one had a complete 360-view of the garden. I had it made for her last year, so Angel and I could watch the stars in another place other than the balcony of her room. She thought it was so I could always keep an eye on her. She was not wrong.

It had become a vantage point for me. I would pretend to watch telly, but really, I would be looking at them, stewing. I wish I had a way with words like Codrus. He could carry on a conversation much better than me. And Angel was always smiling with him.

If he wasn't chatting with Angel over the wall while they gardened, he would be over for dinner. And if he wasn't doing that, I would hear about his study of Atmospheric charms from her. It was something I had to accept - Codrus was here to stay, whether I liked it or not.

In some ways, he was a friend I could finally share with her. I never truly ever connected with Hannah and Susan, or the Trio, and I detested Lorcan more than I did Codrus, thus making the latter the lesser of evils.

He and I would talk about Quidditch, mostly. Sometimes, the three of us would go to the Dragon's Horn for dinner and a drink. He told us he'd been attending a program for aspiring astronomers at the Ministry before the death eaters had destroyed it during the war, which was how he got his current job.

There had been once we'd gotten extremely woozy, stumbling back to ours and collapsing on our couch. It was then, to our surprise, that he started telling us about his brother.

Callum Armstrong. He had worked in the Ministry too. The lady who sat beside him for seven years was a Muggle-born. They were like best friends, almost. When the death eaters first attacked, they stormed his office, snatched her right from her desk. She struggled, and they murdered her, right in front of the entire office. Callum said he will never forget the look in her eyes when she died. Was never the same after that. Shut himself up in his room muttering to himself. Their dad was at his wit's end.

I had not wanted to admit it, but the story sounded familiar. My palms remained clasped between my knees as I listened. Angel touched his shoulder, her eyebrows upturned in empathy.

Codrus buried his face in his hands, and I looked to her over his hunched back. I hadn't needed to say anything. A whisper of a smile on her lips, and her earthen eyes looked at me like I was made of water and air. Don't be, she said without speaking. I love you.

Those were the better times. As with the inevitable dualisms of this world, Codrus' presence also brought about much discordance.

"Why are you always spending so much time with him?" I would constantly ask. She would argue back: "because he's the only friend of mine you'd accept!"

Her answers were never enough for me. I would drive at it for as long as I could, palms clammy with anxiety, until she cried out in frustration and left the room. Our marriage hung by a thread, a thin sliver of spider silk that could snap at a touch.

We never rowed in front of Codrus, but I was certain she told him over the wall. Whenever we were together, it felt like she and him had a secret only they knew about, and I was left in the dark.