ELIXIR: A Harry Potter Fan Fiction

Twenty Two. The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.

"Caiti!" said Evelyn, and Sean whipped around, following Evelyn's gaze to the door of the great hall. Sure enough, Caiti had just walked in. They had somehow missed her the entire previous day and now, finally, here she was. She looked normal: makeup done, hair pulled back into her usual half ponytail and tied up with her favorite blue bow. He let out a breath of relief and slumped over, elbows propped up on the table with his head in his hands.

"Thank god," he whispered.

"Wait- Caiti, where are you going?" asked Evelyn and Sean snapped his head right back up.

She had already passed them, but she paused and turned around. "To sit with Theo," she said. Her voice, he noticed, sounded tired, a little less animated than usual.

"Theo?" he asked, unable to keep the spite out of his voice. He had resented the fact that Caiti, his own sister, had not wanted him to stay with her on Saturday night, but Theo, who she had barely spoken to all year, had not returned from his sojourn to the hospital wing for almost three hours, well past curfew.

"Yes, is that a problem?" she asked.

"I- I mean-" Sean spluttered. "He's... he's your ex-boyfriend, Caiti."

"Yes," she said.

A bit of color rose in Caiti's cheeks, and he felt Evelyn's hand on his forearm. "Sean," she murmured in warning.

"Yes, he is. Well spotted," snapped Caiti.

"Well don't you think... " said Sean, ignoring Evelyn. He could not help himself. He had finally gotten used to the idea that she and Marlowe were a pair, and now she was just going to ditch him after he saved her life and run back to Theo, who Sean had never trusted? "Don't you think," he repeated, "That maybe he's just... taking advantage of you when you're vulnerable?"

Caiti's lips tightened dangerously and she stomped back to Sean. She sat backwards on the bench next to him, looked him dead in the eye and said, "Theo is my friend. And he was there for me when it mattered, alright? So give it a rest, Sean. You might not like him, but I do."

"We tried to be there for you," Sean argued, temper rising.

"Sean," pleaded Evelyn from across the table. "Leave it, okay? What's it matter if she sits with him?"

"Don't, Ev. Caiti, we tried to be there. You-"

"You wouldn't listen!" Caiti said, voice rising. Tears were pricking in her eyes again. Sean's stomach twisted with guilt, but he didn't know how to stop. "You wouldn't listen to me. You wanted to talk and I couldn't. I can't. Don't you see?"

"So what, you're just going to go back to Theo now, since Marlowe's out of the way? Do you always have to have a boyfriend?"

He regretted it instantly. Caiti's jaw dropped open and she just kept blinking at him, the words for how she felt apparently non-existent. Sean rushed to try to explain, though he had no idea how to. "Oh my god... no, Caiti I didn't mean that... I just... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't..."

She stood up. He saw her chin tuck in and her eyes pinch at both corners as she struggled to suppress the oncoming tears. "I would never do that to Marlowe," she spat. Then she was gone. He leaned back, one hand hanging onto the edge of the table, to watch her go. Somewhere in the middle, Caiti dropped her bag on the ground and he saw Theo pull her into a tight hug. He said something to her and - Sean was infuriated to see - Caiti smiled, even laughed a little. She sat up straighter as she pulled away from him, tried to wipe her eyes surreptitiously, and starting spooning scrambled eggs onto her plate.

When he turned back to Evelyn, she just shook her head at him.

"What was I supposed to do?" he asked. He felt worse than he had before, if that was possible.