You Only Live Once

CHAPTER 23

 "So... ummm that is all that happened the past week that you lived in your own little, traumatic world" Pandora said with a small sigh.

Pandora and Mira were sitting on the stone floor of the Hogwarts kitchens, tucked away in a warm corner. The house-elves had greeted them with even more excitement than usual, scurrying around to bring them silver platters of fruit, small sandwiches, and a pot of steaming tea. Once Mira and Evan had returned from their walk, Mira had immediately headed up to her dormitory to take a long, hot shower. She needed to wash away the feeling of the past week and the weight of the secrets she had been carrying. While she was upstairs, Evan had stayed behind in the common room to tell the others exactly why their friend had been acting like a ghost.

Pandora had come up to the room shortly after, her eyes glossy and red-rimmed. They had looked at each other for only a moment before Pandora rushed forward, wrapping Mira in a hug so tight it felt like she was trying to hold her together. After a lot of tears and even more hugging, they decided they both needed to leave the dungeons for a while. The kitchens were the only place that felt safe and quiet enough for Mira to finally eat something.

"Then it sounds like nothing really changed, Dory" Mira replied, wiping her hands carefully with a cloth napkin.

Pandora had spent the last twenty minutes narrating every tiny detail of her own life from the past seven days. She talked about the books she had read, the number of times she had brushed her hair, and every fleeting interaction she had with Xenophilius Lovegood. Mira knew exactly what her friend was doing. She was stalling. She was trying to keep Mira's mind occupied so she wouldn't think about what was happening elsewhere in the castle. Mira had seen Theodore, Evan, Barty, and Regulus storm out of the common room with stony expressions just before she and Pandora had left for the kitchens.

From the second the truth had left her lips and reached Evan's ears, Mira knew what would happen to Cormac McLaggen. And honestly, she didn't care much at all. The bastard had it coming. Perhaps it was the Slytherin influence finally taking root in her soul, but she felt absolutely no sympathy for the boy. Usually, she was the one preaching about forgiveness and peace, but some things were unforgivable. James had told her once that she was changing, and looking at the coldness in her own heart now, she realized he was right.

She was also certain that McLaggen would stay alive, at least as long as they were at Hogwarts. Her friends were many things, but they weren't stupid. They knew better than to commit a murder under Dumbledore's watchful gaze.

"Look, I know what you are trying to do, Dory. And you should stop. I am not going to try to stop them or anything" Mira said with a faint, weary chuckle. She stood up from the floor, gathering her empty dishes and carrying them over to the large wooden sink to wash them.

"You are a really special girl, Mira. I hope you know that" Pandora said after a short pause. She stood up and walked over, standing just behind Mira as the water splashed against the ceramic plates. "That is why, in such a short time, you have managed to make everyone love you so much. They would kill for you, Mira. They really would"

Mira stopped what she was doing. She set the plate down in the soapy water and turned off the tap, the sudden silence of the kitchen feeling heavy.

"Thank you, Dory" she breathed. She turned around and pulled her friend into another tight embrace, burying her face in Pandora's shoulder. "I really needed to hear that"

"I am just telling the truth" Pandora whispered back.

The two girls decided it would be best to head back to the dungeons as curfew was rapidly approaching. They didn't want to give Filch any reason to catch them out of bed, especially not tonight. When they stepped through the concealed entrance into the Slytherin common room, the atmosphere was thick with a dark, lingering energy. Barty, Regulus, and Evan were sprawled across the green velvet couches. They looked disheveled and tired, their breathing still a bit heavy, but the anger that usually radiated from them had faded into a grim sort of satisfaction.