Mirrortime - What makes out real Friendship?

Chapter fourteen: A secret and a trick

The next day, Phoebe and Lavender went to breakfast together. „Don't tell any soul what I have written to you yesterday. Please don't!", begged Lavender, while they sat down. „Don't panic, of course I won't!", snorted Phoebe. „Thanks!", sighed Lavender. While the two of them took bread and butter, Phoebe noticed Azur looking curiously over to her. Phoebes handmirror vibrated and she looked at it, unseen by the others. The display shone and Phoebe saw that someone had sent her a message. Curiously she clicked at it and read it:

Dear Phoebe,

here is Fiona. I want to speak with you. Are you free tommorow evening? Please answer me as soon as possible.

Fiona

Phoebe stared across the table towards her prefect. She wondered what Fiona wanted from her.

The next evening, Phoebe went to Fiona's room. „Come in!", came the girl's voice from inside. The first former went in, slightly nervous. „Hello Phoebe. You are probably asking yourself why I have written to you. It's about my cousine, Lavender. She is your friend isn't she?" „Yes!", answered Phoebe. „We did the friendship proove and we are supposed to be friends." „I'm glad for both of you. And you probably know by now that she is hearing impaired don't you?" Phoebe nodded. „Ok, if she would have not told you by now I would have told you now, because Lavender needs someone she could tell all about her problems. I watched her last year when she had told nobody about her being hearing impaired and I know how much Lavender struggled with it. I am glad that she found the courage to tell someone. She is very ashamed of herself and she is fifteen."„I know, she wrote all that to me yesterday.", said Phoebe. „But Fiona, do you think it would do her good when at least the mistresses would know about her hearing impairment?" „Definetely!", said Fiona. „But is too shy to confide in the mistresses." „And what if one of us could speak to the mistresses about it? Without Lavender knowing it?", thought Phoebe loud. „That would be mean and underhand. Lavender would probably never trust you again, if she would ever find out!", warned the prefect. „But if the mistresses would know, how much Lavender struggles", argued Phoebe „then they might be able to do something, for example put away that stupid deafining charm." „I understand your thoughts, but I think my cousine will be furious with you, when it comes out that her best friend had gone to the mistresses and had told them the secret she managed to hide for nearly three years!" Fiona looked at Phoebe. „You are kind and I see that you would do everything for Lavender to comfort her and make life easier for her, but you wouldn't like it either if you would be in Lavender's shoes and she would go to the mistresses and tell them everything. Look at Lavender's perspective too, Phoebe!" The first former nodded again. "The only thing you could do is to convince her that it would be better when the mistresses would know about her hearing impairment. But only convince, not force! That's very important.", added Fiona after she had thought for a moment.„I don't know why Lavender is so scared about owning up to her hearing impairment. I mean, it isn't something bad or so...", said Phoebe slowly. „Ok. Look here. I tell you this in privacy and it must stay between the two of us!Lavender hasn't any family besides me, except for our aunt, but she doesn't care for her, only for me. I can't say you the reason. Lavender was raised in a home. She is the only one with hearing aids there and that isn't nice. Beforevshe found Celeste she had no friend her entire life. The other children didn't like her and make her feel unwanted and that's one of the reasons why she hates her hearing aids so much and why she started to hide them when it became more and more worse. Lavender isn't that shy she pretends at the moment. She used to be very self-confident but the experiences she made made her become shy and uncertain when she is with other people.", explained Fiona. Phoebe didn't know what to say. „Lavender was the happiest person in the world, when she found that Celeste for a friend. I never saw her smile so much and laugh as in these days. When her friendship with Celeste broke she was very unhappy as you must have noticed too. She cried very often and was so unhappy that she thought of leaving Mirrortime and start somewhere else.", went on Fiona. Phoebe looked horrified. „But she.. she is my friend!", she cried. „I don't want her to go!" „Come down. Of course she isn't leaving now you both are friends.", assumed Fiona. Phoebe sighed relived. „It would have been terrible. I would have lost my friend." Then she added hesitantly: „And what about hervmarks? I believe they aren't that good and she wrote in that message that shevthinks she won't be here when we come into the second form, because she thinks that the mistresses won't give her another chance!", worried Phoebe. „I believe, that she will give her best now.", tried Fiona to calm down the worrying Phoebe. „I hope so.", said Phoebe with a doubtfully expression. „I am sure of that!" Fiona gave the first former an encouraging smile. Phoebe felt comforted and looked at the elder girl. „Who of us should tell the mistresses? Lavender would never do that, so that leaves the two of us to do it." „Would you like to tell them? But keep in mind what I said earlier", said Fiona warningly. „Don't know. Lavender might be furious if she finds out. I am scared that she would hate me after she would find it out." „You're her friend. I think, Lavender should be grateful that someone wants to help her." „I'll do it.", promised Phoebe. „If you need support or help, contact me and I'll help you", said Fiona. „Thanks for your trust, Fiona and thanks awfully for telling me the story with Lavender." „No problem, Phoebe and I am glad that you stick by my cousine now." „She rather sticks to me!", blurted out Phoebe without thinking. „What do you mean? Do you have problems?", wondered the prefect. Phoebe went red. She couldn't look her prefect in the eye. „Phoebe, is everything ok with you? You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to. But if you want you can of course. If you don't want to speak you can write me a message. You or Lavender or of course the others can always come to me, if something worries you." Phoebe nodded. Then she gave the prefect a last smile and left the room.

She went back to her domitory which was empty. Phoebe looked out of the window, which was open a crack and saw the others. They giggled and Phoebe could hear a voice, which she regonises at Darlenes: „Let's do it tonight!" „Yes!", cried the others in unison. „Let's do it!" Phoebe watched her class mates going away. At that moment Phoebe's handmirror vibrated and she saw that someone had send her a message. Phoebe clicked at it and then she saw the message.

Hello Phoebe,

It would be great if you would meet me in the library tonight. I want to speak with you. Meet me at 7 pm.

Best wishes, Vivienne

Phoebe looked excited at the message. Maybe Vivienne wanted to apologise? It didn't occur the black-haired girl for a second that it could be a trick to get her into trouble. She completely forgot that the library was strictly forbidden for first formers.

So after a delicious supper she went to the mirror at the podium, held her handmirror in front of her and said: „The library", stepped  through and came out in front of a door where was written: „Library". Phoebe pushed open the door, stepped in and looked out for the girl from Mirroryellow. But Vivienne was nowhere to been seen and slowly Phoebe went along the selfes, whispering: „Vivienne?" over and over but she didn't get an answer. After she waited for half and hour she went back to the door and wanted to open it. But she couldn't. Phoebe tried and tried but the door was locked. She didn't know what to do. Call for help? Wait till the morning and then get out somehow? To her horror she noticed just then that she couldn't use her mirror because it remained black and she couldn't switched it on. After she had thought for a while the door was pushed open from the other side and a very stern Professor Valerien looked at her. „Miss Hower, what are you doing here? Don't you know that the library is forbidden for first formers?" Phoebe hung her head and answered: „Someone wanted to meet me, but the person didn't turn up and then I wanted to go out but couldn't." „How long have you been here?", asked the mistress sharply. „Maybe one hour.", replied Phoebe, turning red. „Ok. When the mirrors would have worked properly, we had known it immediately when you had entered the library. But unfortunately the handmirrors of the mistresses are defect somehow and so you had to wait." „But how had you found out that I was in the library?", wondered Phoebe startled. „Miss Rozein came to me and told me and I went straight into the library. But now come. You wouldn't have to see the head tonight, but tommorow after school." „The head?", repeated Phoebe slightly shocked. „Yes, Miss Hower, the head!", gave back the house-mistress and went to the mirror. Phoebe followed hastily and while she went through the mirror, it occured her for the first time that she had been tricked again. But how should she convince the head? She would never believe her!

While Phoebe worried, Vivienne and her roommates, who had spied on Phoebe to see if their trick was sucessful, laughed loudly and giggled. „That was super!", grinned Phina. „Phoebe is in trouble. In very much trouble." „Deserves her right!", announced green-eyed Agatha-Sophie without compassion. „Next time we trick her with the dormitory trick." „When she isn't expelled by then!", piped up long haired Shirley.

Meanwhile Phoebe reached her dormitory and she just wanted to step in when she heard Azur's malicious voice: „Hope that Viv's trick was successful and that Phoebe will be expelled by tommorow when she goes and sees the head." Phoebe opened the door and went into the room. She went straight to her bed and laid down, ignoring the others. So it had in fact been a trick! How far would the others go until they were satisfied?