LIFELINE | 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙮 𝙒𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙮

▪︎ 49.

The Halloween feast was great. Eliza, with the resolution in her mind, was more cheerful than ever because she knew she'd talk to Percy sooner than later.

She had enjoyed herself with her three friends. Laughing and cracking silly Halloween jokes, watching James trying and failing to scare Claire or watching Rehan roll his eyes as Oliver madly talked about the Quidditch strategies.

But when the time came to leave, the four of them came to the portrait. They were all left shell-shocked.

"That," Claire spoke, as James protectively stood in front of Claire, "Is not a good sign."

The Fat Lady's portrait was ripped. She was not there, and people slowly started accumulating behind.

"Let me through, please," Percy's voice came through, sending a chill down Eliza's spine. She hid behind Rehan as he came in front of where Eliza stood, moving the crowd aside. "What's the holdup here? You can't all have forgotten the password – excuse me, I'm Head Boy—"

He then fell silent as well and looked around, his eyes falling on Eliza. He frowned slightly as he saw her behind Rehan.

"Somebody get Professor Dumbledore. Quick." Percy said sharply through the reverberating crowd.

Percy's eyes were trained on Eliza. A ripple of jealousy coursed through his brain as he saw her behind Rehan. But a greater amount of sadness washed in his veins at the sight.

If only he had let her talk about hurting him and not respecting his wishes to follow rules. She'd be holding his hand.

Because Percy's condition was no better.

He, too, missed Eliza. He wanted to talk, hold her hips, kiss her, but whenever he did so, he only remembered the disappointment coursing through his heart when she had wanted to get them both in detention.

Professor Dumbledore arrived. He took one quick look at the ruined painting and turned to see three people hurrying; McGonagall, Lupin, and Snape.

"We need to find her," Dumbledore said seriously. "Professor McGonagall, please go to Mr. Filch at once and tell him to search every painting in the castle
for the Fat Lady."

"You'll be lucky!" A cackling voice said delightedly.

Eliza looked up at the voice. It was Peeves bobbing over the crowd and looking delighted at the sight down below of terror.

"What do you mean, Peeves?" Dumbledore questioned calmly, and Peeves's grin faded a little. Instead, he adopted an oily voice and started speaking.

"Ashamed, Your Headship, sir. Doesn't want to be seen. She's a horrible mess. Saw her running through the landscape up on the fourth floor, sir, dodging between the trees. Crying something dreadful," He said happily. "Poor thing," He added unconvincingly, nodding as though he lost something mockingly.

"Did she say who did it?" Dumbledore asked quietly.

"Oh yes, Professorhead," Peeves replied. "He got very angry when she wouldn't let him in, you see."

Peeves flipped over and grinned at Dumbledore from between his legs before speaking. But when he spoke, nobody dared to exhale a breath.

"Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black."

***

"Lights out in ten minutes!" Percy's voice shook through the Great Hall. Eliza's heart skipped a beat. It was the same voice of his that turned her on.

It looked like destiny was not on her side. She had planned to talk to him in the common room after hours. She had mentally gone through every scenario possible, making sure to not miss a single thing so that he could talk to him, but the break-in of Sirius Black was not on her itinerary.

"You," James pointed at Claire. "Are sleeping beside me." He said.

"Don't start moaning, Claire. Because if you do, I'll make sure to get Sirius Black here to kill you guys and then myself." Rehan said, lining his sleeping bag with the three.

"Shut up," James snapped, turning towards Eliza. "You're next to Claire, and you, Rehan, are next to Eliza."

"What's with the sleeping arrangement?" Eliza questioned.

"You know his story, don't you?" James asked darkly, looking at Eliza when she nodded her head. Then, he added, "I don't like the sound of him."

"What's his story?" Claire asked, peering at James from behind his shoulder.

"The lights are going out now!" Percy shouted. "I want everyone in their
sleeping bags and no more talking!"

"Go to sleep," James said, whispering, "I'll tell you later."

Eliza stayed awake. She kept watching Percy, who walked between the sleeping bags, bending low and telling people off for talking. She knew he was avoiding coming here because he had roamed the Great Hall twice and didn't even come near where she was sleeping.

But after a while, he couldn't avoid her area anymore. He had to go there and make people stop talking.

When Eliza saw him approaching her side, she quickly shut her eyes, pretending to sleep.

He crossed her sleeping bag once, stooping down and shutting up a few people. He crossed her bag again, to do the same with the other side.

Then, he stopped right in front of Eliza's sleeping bag, crouching down.

What was he—?

Gently, making sure that teachers weren't around and positioning himself as if he were telling her to shut up, he ran a finger through her hair. He softly did this twice, thinking that she was asleep before getting up and patrolling again.

Eliza didn't know how to feel about it.

She felt gratified and stunned as her heart rate spiked up and was drumming harshly. She also felt like crying and bawling her eyes out.

But, she did neither. She couldn't. All she knew was, she was going to go and talk to him the next day.

With that, she shut her eyes, trying to fall asleep for real. Her mind conjures logicless dreams.