the moon is no door ↠ Tom Riddle

27

At the beginning of their next meeting, Lionel was ashen-faced.

He hadn't hidden in the depths of the library this time, just slightly out of the way of the thoroughfare. Saffron didn't need to be a Seer to know something was wrong. She sat across from him at the little, rickety table and widened her eyes.

"What's happened?" she asked.

Lionel swallowed nervously before he spoke. "Pippa figured out that Rory was going to come to talk to you and she told him about you being a Seer. She also told him that, essentially, he was the last one of us to know."

Saffron stood up from the chair, feeling the heat rise to the surface of her skin. She squeezed her fists shut and stared open-mouthed at Lionel for a long time.

With an eyebrow quirked, Lionel continued, "He's angry, of course. And, she said nothing about you working with the Slytherins, so, you know...could be worse."

"I didn't even tell Pippa. She figured it out on her own. And you already knew," Saffron said through her teeth in an effort to not yell.

"To be fair, you didn't know that when you told me," Lionel said. Though he seemed startled before, he was now trying to calm Saffron down.

Saffron started to make sounds, but couldn't manage to form them into words for a bit. "I told you and not Rory for a good reason. And I was going to tell him after all of this is over."

Lionel seemed to wilt into his seat. "I know...and, I understand why you didn't tell him. But, well, he is your best friend. He was bound to get his feelings hurt."

"I'm going to confront her," Saffron said. She was dealing with way too much. She didn't need Pippa actively working against her like this.

As she turned around and began to make her way out to find Pippa, Lionel jumped up from his chair. "Saffron, no! It won't help!" he yelled after her. She picked up her pace, not quite running, but hoping she could lose him. The library really was like a maze and, in her furious stupor, she nearly collided with bookshelves at every turn.

From somewhere behind her, she could still hear Lionel calling her name, but he couldn't quite catch up with her.

Once she was out into the main part of the library, she walked as fast as she could to the doors, knowing she would get scolded if she started running. Her blood was rushing in her ears and she had tunnel vision, but she still heard Lionel shout her name after he finally emerged from the labyrinth. Everyone in that section of the library turned to look at both of them.

Saffron realized a little too late that Lionel was basically running at her. She broke out into a sprint but it wasn't long before Lionel leaped onto her back. It didn't seem to be his intention to tackle her, but the force knocked her clean off of her feet. They both crumpled on the floor, Saffron on her stomach and Lionel halfway laying on top of her, next to a table of third-year Hufflepuffs who were peacefully trying to study.

Right away, Lionel scrambled off of Saffron. Before she could stand up on her own, he grabbed her by her arms and hauled her to her feet with surprising strength.

"Sorry," Lionel said. His cheeks and forehead were quickly growing red. Everyone was looking at them now, and Saffron knew that Lionel hated attention.

"Merlin's beard! What is going on?"

Saffron and Lionel looked to see the librarian, an elderly witch with silver hair, standing with her arms crossed. She appeared about ready to yell at them. There was a tense silence for a moment. Next to her, Saffron could see a wild look of terror in Lionel's eyes.