❝ MERLIN'S GHOST! ❞
❝ I MEAN, YOU'RE NOT WRONG. ❞
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Albany Bronwen was no Chosen One by any means, but being haunted by the ghosts of the greatest sorcerer of all time and a former king had to count for something, right?
❃ in which a lone...
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DECEMBER BROUGHT WITH IT a miserable turn of weather. The wind was sharp and colder than ever, and the rain, which never seemed to stop pouring, was hard and sleety. The castle may have been damp and draughty, but Albany was grateful for the security of its thick stone walls as she watched the Durmstrang ship swaying in the heavy winds. She should have been paying attention to her Defense Against the Dark Arts class, but the howling gales outside were distracting, and she didn't particularly enjoy staring up at Moody for an hour. Of course, she should have known better than to drift off in front of him.
"Bronwen," the professor called on her gruffly, and she snapped her gaze forward again, jaw tight. "I certainly hope you don't find the clouds outside more interesting than the Unforgivable Curses. As a Triwizard champion, after all, you'd want to be prepared for anything."
Albany grit her teeth. Unless either of the last two tasks is dodging the Killing Curse, I think I can afford to zone out for two seconds, she thought bitterly. It was bad enough she still had to sit beside Faith for the class, who had yet to cease glaring at her routinely.
The end of her last class for the day couldn't come fast enough, as she faked attention while Moody droned on ominously about the three unforgivables. When the bell finally rang to grant her freedom, she jumped from her seat with haste, packed up her things and was the first out the door.
"Albany! Wait!"
Reluctantly, Albany slowed her pace as she hurried down the staircase, turning around to see who had called her. She and Carly were supposed to be meeting up with Fred and George to test out one of their new products; she didn't really have the time nor want to hold back and chat to people.
To her surprise, it was her roommate, Viola Richmond, and with her came Zoe and Phylis. Even more surprisingly, they approached her without Faith at their side; the four had seemed quite friendly with each other after Faith had stopped talking to Albany.
"Hey," Viola greeted her casually as they caught up with her. She was smiling a little sheepishly, and glanced back at the other two a few times, hands fidgeting. "Um, don't let Moody bother you."
Albany blinked at her, confused. "Er... thanks."
Viola blushed, and turned back to Zoe and Phylis; the three began whispering harshly to one another. Albany shifted her weight, scratching at her shoulder absent-mindedly as she waited.
Phylis stepped forward, clearing her throat. "Look," she said, and her smile fell a fraction, grey eyes genuine. "We wanted to — well, we wanted to apologise."
Viola and Zoe nodded seriously behind her. Albany stared.
"Wha— what on earth for?"
Phylis looked uncomfortable as she glanced back to the other two; Zoe nodded reassuringly and gave her shoulder a squeeze.
