Wolves Without Teeth ── theodore nott ¹ ( UNDER EDITING )

chapter thirty

Stress ate away at her bones, ticking away each breath and every thought as she tugged the blue ribbon she had wrapped around her ponytail off. O.W.L's had started that morning, meaning she had spent nearly all day pouring over a cauldron and answering questions until she was nearly blue in the face. She had spent the night before pouring restlessly over her books until there was nothing left but the stinging in her eyes and the slight headache that banged through her head.

Her chipped and chewed fingers tied the soft silk of the ribbon around her wrist, the surface of her robes sliding up slightly before she reached up and tickled the pear. Winnie already knew her cousin waited for her inside, they had discussed meeting there after their first exam, and the blonde's stomach fought angrily inside of her at the thought of finally getting food.

"If I have to see another cauldron again before next September it may be too soon," the girl hugged tiredly as she strolled into the kitchens, finding Cordelia already sitting down with her Astronomy book opened in front of her. Their Astronomy exam was the next night, but even the thought of being forced to stay awake until twelve caused her lips to scowl. "Oh please put that away, I don't think I can bare studying anymore until the next one hundred years."

"We have our Transfiguration exam after dinner," Cordelia drawled, a smile tracing her lips as Winnie glared over at her. Taking a seat across from her with her elbows hitting the wood. The blonde glanced over at the tiny house elf who approached her, her scowl disappearing and a smile twisting across her lips. Winnie asked for toast and jam from the elf, who happily clicked her fingers and allowed her order to appear on the table in front of her.

Winnie thanked her softly, before picking up the strawberry jam toast, and biting down hungrily on it. She hummed in delight, closing her eyes as she imagined her stomach thanking the heavens for food.

"When was the last time you ate?" Cordelia questioned, shutting her book with a sigh, cradling her fingers through her brunette locks. Winnie swallowed thickly, ignoring the sting in her throat from doing so too quickly.

"Last night I had an apple, I've been too stressed to eat anything larger than that," Winnie shrugged, taking another bite from her toast as Cordelia clicked her fingers against the cover of her book. Winnie's fingers paused, watching as Cordelia's eyes tilted downwards, eyebrows puzzling and her lips pressed downwards into a frown. "Are you alright?" The blonde questioned softly, laying down her half-eaten bread as she swiped her hands together, getting rid of any crumps. It was quiet for a moment, the only sound was the quiet sounds of the house elves' feet moving against the ground, Winnie reached over, placing her hands on top of Cordelia's. "Hey, whatever it is, you can tell me, you can tell me anything," she spoke encouragingly, squeezing the female's fingers.

Cordelia glanced up, her blue eyes hardened like ice as her jaw locked, ticking and moving as if she was having some deep personal conversation in her head. Like two sides of her heart were a battlefield, fighting and screaming against each other with everything they have. Winnie waited, watching every tick and every problem that itched its way across her face, knowing that sometimes waiting is the best solution.

"I have something to tell you," Cordelia whispered finally, her hands flipping up to wrap around Winnie's wrist. Fingers squeezed tightly as Winnie's eyebrows knitted downwards, her own fingers wrapping around Cordelia's wrist. "I don't know if I should tell you, but I just ... I believe I should. We said we wouldn't keep anything from each other, and I promised I wouldn't anymore," she paused, the braids she placed sparingly against her brown hair shaking as Cordelia dropped her eyes to their hands.

"What is it? You're scaring me, Lia," Winnie chuckled awkwardly, squeezing Cordelia's wrist tighter as her stomach twisted. Her heart ticked faster in her ears, as Cordelia kept her eyes down on their hands. "It can't be that bad," and for a moment, Winnie envisioned that it was her parents, dead, slaughtered for her wrongdoings in front of Voldermort. A cold pit of dread snaked its way into her stomach, she couldn't imagine a worse outcome than that, even if they probably wished for their own death.