The Devil You Know | Wizarding World

chapter nineteen | thomson manor

Gavin knew that things at Thomson Manor would no longer be the same once he returned for the summer.

For one thing, he didn't even meet his parents at King's Cross like he usually did, nor did Greer show up as well. Of course, that was something he expected to happen, given the circumstances that were established just weeks prior. However, the tension was overpowering the moment he stepped foot inside his home, to the point where it was almost suffocating, almost hard to breathe within the walls.

Needless to say, everything had changed, and Gavin absolutely hated it.

On a warm day in mid-July when Gavin noticed while taking his daily afternoon stroll along the grounds of Thomson Manor was the weather. For the most part, the sun would be out shining right on his mother's garden or the bench Greer liked to sit at sometimes with a book in hand (it was always one she snatched from her father's study, but Gavin swore he'd never tell as long as she put it back before he noticed it was missing). She'd look up from the book and flash him that familiar smirk he was so used to getting from her, to which he'd simply shake his head and chuckle back at her.

Except today, the sun was nowhere in sight, with the flowers not holding their lively appearance, and Greer's bench remaining empty. In fact, Gavin hardly saw his twin sister around the manor, with the exceptions being family meals throughout the day. Even when he did see her, no words were ever exchanged, even though Gavin really wanted to say something. Not even his parents said much to him, though he was sure they were preparing to have a much bigger conversation for later, one that he knew was coming eventually.

All Gavin wanted was for things to go back to normal, but just like the rest of the Wizarding world, things with the Thomson family were far from going back to how things were.

By the time Gavin made it back to the manor, he headed straight to his room, waiting until someone came to fetch him for dinner. In the meantime, he sat at his desk and began going through the opened letters he received from Adam in the last few weeks, most of which were written about his family. But in the most recent letter, there was a new topic of conversation that they hadn't talked about much in a while: Rosie.

Gavin felt guilty with how they left things off after what happened at the Ministry of Magic. He wished that he had reached out to her before leaving Hogwarts for the summer, though all he could think of to say to her was how sorry he was for what happened not only at the Department of Mysteries, but for being dragged into their lives that were more complicated than she even realized, something he should've warned her before everything came crashing down on them.

Before he knew it, Gavin laid down a piece of parchment in front of him while grabbing his quill in the corner and getting a fair amount of ink on it, then finally began to write.

Rosie,

It's been a while since we've talked, hasn't it? Of course, given what went down the last few weeks of school, I completely understand. Things haven't been the same since...you know...

Anyway, I hope you're doing well. I'm always here for you if you need anything.

Your friend,

Gavin

He read over the letter once, coming up with the conclusion that it was better to keep things short and sweet for now, hoping that Rosie would write back to him. Even if she didn't, at least he gave it a shot. He wondered if Adam made any effort to reach out to Rosie, as he didn't dare to ask about her, just like Adam never once brought up Greer in his letters. It seemed as if they both had an understanding that it was better if neither one of the girls were talked about, especially in writing. But still, there was a part of Gavin that wanted to ask Adam about Rosie, and he was certain that deep down Adam was curious to know what Greer was up to these days. But really, Gavin didn't know, and he was sure Adam had no idea what Rosie was doing for her summer other than possibly spending most of it at St. Mungo's, assuming her father was still in a coma.