Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Are you ignoring Regulus?" Dorcas questions as she enters the dorm.
It is Tuesday evening, and Josie would have been getting ready for patrol that night, but their schedules are switched, so her and Regulus won't have any patrol that week. She also wouldn't be having her usual lesson with Dumbledore. He said that they will start again after holiday break. Which she is glad for the break.
"What..." Josie trails off, engrossed in her book. She looks up at Dorcas and asks, "Define ignoring?" before flipping the page of her romance novel.
Dorcas raises her brows unimpressed and crosses her arms. "He says that you haven't talked to him since you went ice skating."
Josie glances back at the page but can't deny the possibility that she might have been ignoring him. She has been feeling scared of her growing feelings for him, which just won't go away.
"Wait, why would he talk to you about me not talking to him?" Josephine looks up again.
Dorcas sighs and moves closer, sitting on Josie's bed. "He likes you, Josie. Of course, he's going to notice if you're not talking to him. He mentioned it to me because he wants to make sure you're okay. You haven't been coming to the great hall for dinner or anything."
Josie closes her book and lets out a sigh. "First of all, he doesn't like me. Secondly, I am fine. I've been going into the kitchens for food," she says, partly true and partly evasive.
Dorcas glares at her. "Why won't you accept that he likes you? He has never asked about anyone else, and he talks about you a lot."
Sitting up from the bed, Josie puts the book on her nightstand and turns back to Dorcas. "Listen, Cas... Regulus doesn't like me."
"Oh my fucking Merlin," Dorcas mutters, rubbing her face in frustration. "You're so oblivious."
"I am not!" Josie argues.
"Why are you even ignoring him?" Dorcas changes the subject.
"My feelings for him are too intense to even be near him," Josie confesses, her frown directed at the wall. "Once they go away, I'll talk to him again."
"Josephine! Feelings don't just...go away!" Dorcas gestures wildly with her hands.
"Well, for me, they do," Josie shrugs, trying to convince herself that her feelings will fade with time.
"No, they don't!"
Josie sighs, lying back down. "I hate men and feelings." She smiles at Dorcas and adds, "I'm going to go buy a cottage in the middle of nowhere and never speak with anyone again." The idea sounds appealing, even though she knows she might feel guilty about leaving everyone behind.
Dorcas lays down beside her, and they both gaze up at the dorm's roof in silence for a moment.
"Do you know what happened with Evan and Barty?" Josie turns her head to look at Dorcas.
"Barty says that he and Evan just disagreed over something," Dorcas replies, turning her head to meet Josie's eyes. "You know, with this whole dark lord thing, I'm scared."
Josie reaches out and holds Dorcas's hand. "I'm scared too. Especially with what they've been saying in the paper about certain families getting killed," she admits, swallowing hard. "My parents are aurors, and I just... this whole thing is scary."
Dorcas grips her hand tighter. "We'll survive this, right?"
"I think so," Josie replies, trying to stay hopeful.
Suddenly, their dorm door slams open, and Pandora storms in, closing the door behind her before fully entering. "If I have to hear Regulus complain one more time, I'm going to jump off the astronomy tower."
Dorcas chuckles and sits up. "He's still complaining about Josie?"
"He's complaining about me?" Josie's eyes widen in surprise.
Pandora gives Dorcas a look. "I thought you talked with her about it?"
Dorcas rolls her eyes. "Like she will listen to me saying that he likes her."
"Because he doesn't like me!" Josie protests, feeling frustrated.
"Yes, he's complaining about you, Josie. He thinks he did something wrong or something," Pandora explains.
"Oh..." Josie looks down at her bed. "He didn't do anything wrong."
"It's just because she likes him so much. That's why she's ignoring him," Dorcas reveals. Josie groans and lays back down on the bed.
"Listen, even if he does like me back—which I don't think he does—but if he does, we can't be together anyway," Josephine says, playing with her rings.
Pandora sighs. "I understand what you're saying. I mean... you both are from different families who hate each other. But I've never seen him so... he's never wanted anything other than his family's approval. But now, it doesn't feel like he's just seeking that. It feels like he's actually living."
Josie's breath hitches, and she remains silent. She doesn't know what to say. It's frustrating to have such strong feelings for someone she can never be with.
Pandora looks down at her and offers a smile. "Live in the moment now, Josie. Stop overthinking about the future. If you get hurt, then you get hurt," she says, shrugging her shoulders, her blonde hair cascading from her shoulders. "He does like you. And if being with him, even for a short time, makes you happy, then go for it."
"But what about our families?" Josie whispers. "If he likes me and we get together, it has to be a secret. Mostly for him, but... my father would not be happy."
"Then it will be a secret," Dorcas interjects. "I'm sure you guys can handle it."
Pandora's eyebrows furrow. "Your father wouldn't be happy if you were happy dating Regulus?"
Josie realizes she hasn't really opened up about her family to Pandora or anyone else. "No. He doesn't really like me and will find any excuse to yell at me," she admits. It's true—her father often criticizes and yells at her for the slightest mistake.
Before they can say anything else, Josie sits up and clears her throat. "It's fine, really. Now, who wants to do tarot readings?"
The rest of the night is spent laughing and bonding. Josie cherishes the moment, wishing she could stay there forever, free from worries about her complicated feelings for Regulus and the challenges posed by their families. The only concern she has now is figuring out why the "lovers" card keeps showing up in her tarot readings.
