Emerson Wilmore was an exemplary Ravenclaw student, known for her unwavering dedication to academics and an unyielding moral compass. However, things took a twisted and deviated turn in her life after her boyfriend, Cedric Diggory, was murdered by L...
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The study session was painfully slow for Emerson and seemed to drag on for hours, her mind too occupied to fully focus on her notes. It was completely tangled in the events of the evening. Fred and George's announcement that they were leaving, Fred's words of caution, and Mattheo's intense, unrelenting gaze on her throughout the entire time.
She continously felt Mattheo's stare on her throughout the evening, the questions in his eyes burning into the back of her head, but he didn't say a word. He couldn't voice his questions. Not with Theo and Enzo there. She knew he was frustrated, but there was nothing either of them could do. And especially not when Olivia had returned with tear-streaked cheeks, her usual cheerfulness replaced by a solemn quiet.
Emerson knew what Olivia's tears were for. She felt the same weight in her own chest ever since Fred and George pulled her aside and told them that they were leaving. The weight only felt heavier afterwards when she spoke to Fred about Mattheo. As Olivia sat down next to them in silence, wiping at her eyes, Theo immediately noticed. He stiffened in his seat, his worried gaze lingering on her. Emerson noticed the way his mouth twitched, as if he wanted to ask her. But, surprisingly, he didn't say anything. Instead, he just quietly reached into his bag and handed Olivia a tissue, which she accepted with a weak smile.
It was clear to all of them that something shifted in the atmosphere, but no one spoke of it. Even Enzo, who was cracking jokes earlier, had fallen silent.
The hours dragged on, the sound of quills scratching against parchment doing little to ease the tension hanging over the group. Emerson glanced at Mattheo a few times, catching the way his fingers tapped restlessly against the table, or the way he clenched his jaw whenever she turned away. She knew he was holding back, waiting for a moment when they were alone to finally question her about Fred. But that moment never came.
As the hours crept by, fatigue began to settle over them. The five of them eventually stopped studying, their brains too fried from the sheer volume of work and the emotional undercurrents that defined their evening. Olivia stood up first, her eyes still red and puffy, and announced that she was heading back to the Gryffindor common room to spend the night with George before he left. Emerson couldn't blame her. She would do the same if she were in Olivia's shoes. She would spend every last minute with someone who meant so much to her before they disappeared from her life for several months.
"I'll see you in the morning," Olivia said quietly to Emerson, offering a weak smile before heading toward the door. Theo's eyes followed her, still concerned, but he said nothing. The unspoken tension between them lingered, though Theo had the good sense not to pry.
Enzo stretched his arms, yawning loudly before he stood up to leave as well, tugging Theo along with him. "Let's call it a night," Enzo mumbled, clearly exhausted from the long hours of cramming for their O.W.L.s. Theo nodded in agreement, but not before giving Emerson a curious look, as if he sensed there was more going on beneath the surface.
