"How did you know it was time to leave?"
"Do you feel sick to your stomach every waking moment in that house?"
Romina stepped back for a moment and let out the breath she did not even realize she had been holding. "Y-Yes." she admitted sheepishly...
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⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧⁺˚*•✩• ̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙
J U N E 1979
Just as her friends assured her, Romina passed her OWLs. As happy as she was with this relief being lifted from her shoulders, Romina had nobody to share her excitement with.
The afternoon she came back from meeting James, Sirius, and Remus in Hogsmeade back in April had ended on a sour note. Dumbledore explained to her in confidence about the order. She could remember clutching her hands tightly into fists by her sides. Her fingernails digging half crescent moon cuts into her palms. She was lucky she didn't break the skin and get blood all over Dumbledore's floor.
This was the big secret her friends had kept from her. Although Dumbledore assured her it was for her own good - for her safety - she was still angry.
Currently, on the last night she would be spending in Hogwarts, Romina was curled up on the windowsill of the astronomy tower, her hands clutching the latest letter sent from Sirius.
Out of spite, she had not responded to any of his letters since finding out about the order. She gave Lily the courtesy of responding to one of her letters, only letting her know that "she knew everything" and let them figure out what "everything" was out on their own. She was smart enough to know that she should not write down her knowledge about the secret order. There was no way of knowing if anyone other than the intended, especially a dark wizard, would get a hold of the letter. She assumed they knew now, because with each new correspondence from Sirius there was a higher sense of urgency in his words.
She closed the letter and let out a heavy sigh. She'd see them tomorrow, so she wasn't going to bother responding now. Especially after not having done so for the last two months. It pained her, of course, but she wanted them to understand how hurt she was that they didn't tell her.
There had been a part of her, albeit a very small part, that believed they didn't tell her because they thought she would rejoin her family and the dark lord. She knew that was utter nonsense, but she still could not help but let her mind fill with the negative thoughts.
"I thought I'd find you up here."
Turning from the window, Romina looked up to find Regulus awkwardly standing by the closest table. He was watching her with a hint of sadness in his eyes and Romina knew it was because they would not be able to see one another after tonight.
"It seems to be the only place I can think anymore." She admitted with a small smile. She shifted back more, providing more space on the sill so Regulus could join her. At this point, she didn't care if they were caught together. It was their last night of so-called freedom. Tomorrow would bring a whole new world.
