antebellum [t. riddle]

xlvii.

january 1945

it was another silent treatment day. the irritation they stirred in her had started to die down as she accepted that she wasn't going to figure out whatever game he was playing with her. when she entered her living room, he handed her the letters without a word to her. it was back to the tense hostility that had been simmering between them for so long.

back in her room, the moment she ripped the envelope open, it wrenched itself free of her hands and then floated in midair before her. the papers started to transfigure themselves into the shape of a mouth.

a howler.

"muffliato," she cast quickly at the door before waiting for the letter to begin.

"dearest sicaria-" it started in thomas's voice and adonis interrupted with a snort.

"bit formal, eh mate?"

"shut up, the spell can still hear you."

there was the sound of someone clearing their throat and then the shuffling of feet before adrien's voice resounded. "riddle said you weren't reading our letters in full, so all of these are howlers with various levels of impervius, shield, and imperturbable charms that hopefully, you won't be able to break until we've finished talking."

"firstly, happy new year. secondly, we'd appreciate it if you wrote us back-" thomas started.

abraxas interrupted him forcefully. "you two are so fucking soft. edwards, write us back-"

"and what is being a cunt going to do, you idiot?" adrien said.

"stop calling me that!"

"what, a cunt or an idiot?" she snickered in spite of herself as she waited for them to get on with whatever it was they had to say.

"anyways," thomas said louder than the two of them bickering. "we know that you are returning to hogwarts on the third, but won't be back until the fourth in time for the welcoming feast." she fiddled with the ring they had given her as she listened to them speak. their voices along with the ambient feeling of them made it feel like they were standing before her. she closed her eyes, and could easily picture them.

"at that time, we think that the six of us should have a very long discussion."

"basically, we want you to make a list of every problem you have with us so we can... talk about it," abraxas said. his voice was then very far away. she opened her eyes and narrowed them at the letter, though none of them could see her suspicion. "turned us into a bunch of fucking ladies. talking about our problems. i want to fix them, but christ this is horseshit."

"he's not wrong."

"shut up, you two. none of us want to do it, but if that's what it takes-"

"you said the exact same thing i did, just in nicer language."

adrien blurted to stop abraxas and adonis arguing. "riddle said you talked to him. i think that's good, sicaria. the two of you should definitely talk, you know, about things-"

sicaria narrowed her eyes at the letter as if they could see her contemptuous glare through it. how many fucking times was someone else going to try to force her to understand whatever was happening between her and riddle?

she didn't even know herself and wished people would stop asking until she did.

"he said not to bring that up. what if he's listening?" nott whispered. if only they had listened.