The Project

𝐍𝐢𝐧𝐞

9.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞

"𝗪𝗘'𝗥𝗘 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗦𝗢 𝗗𝗜𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧, 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗜."

𖥸

♪ 𝙲𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚙 - 𝚁𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚘𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍 ♪

The first Quidditch game of the season drew nearer, and Alina was stressed.

School was bad enough as it is, between having to brew potions with Theo and work on assignments from other classes, but to add training and a game to the mix? It was too much.

She'd become notably bitchier, snapping at people and pacing the halls. It was bad, and she knew it. She'd been distancing herself from other people so as to not be rude to them, but the isolation had almost made everything worse. She had even canceled the past two study sessions Theo had tried to plan with her.

Everything was too much, way too much, and she didn't have enough time to get it all done. Not with the way her mind raced and anxiety rolled through her in waves.

Alina sat at dinner between her friends. It was the night before the game, and she sat in silence. At least they were playing Hufflepuff, and not Gryffindor. She was friendlier with the team, and even with the competition, she knew whichever house won the game would host a party and invite the other to it. Despite all of that, anxieties still rushed through her mind.

She was grateful that her friends didn't try to talk to her, grateful that they sat around her to give her space from people who would. The clatter of the plates and people eating made her want to vomit, and for once the smell of the Hogwarts food didn't entice her.

Enzo nudged her arm gently. "Alina, you need to eat something." She opened her mouth to protest and he cut her off. "I know that you're anxious, but that doesn't mean your body doesn't need food. You need to eat if you want to be able to play well tomorrow."

She remained silent. She couldn't deny it, Enzo was right. He reached out and piled some food onto her plate. Basic food items that wouldn't sit heavy. She loved him all the more for it. He was sweet to everyone, and it was a wonder that he'd ended up friends with them, friends with her.

Begrudgingly, she picked up her fork and started eating, focusing on her thoughts rather than the food that tasted all too dry going down her throat. Enzo nodded when she ate, and for the rest of dinner she knew he kept an eye on her.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

As soon as they'd gotten back to the common room, Alina had immediately gone upstairs. She'd tried to sleep, after all, they had an early game the next day, but she couldn't. She'd tossed and turned, her mind shouting worries at her until she'd given up on sleep.

Alina waited for her dormmates to finally quiet, their breathing slowing to confirm they were asleep, before she got up. Tugging on her house hoodie, her eyes skimmed over their beds. The curtains were drawn shut for most of them, which made it exceptionally easy to sneak out with nothing but her wand and the clothes she wore. Shoes, too.

The common room was empty, and the trek through the castle was quiet. She cast Lumos, but kept it barely lit in case a professor walked down the hall. She also knew better than to wake the paintings, from personal experience. All she could hear were her footsteps and the worries in her mind as she aimlessly wandered.