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Rowan looked up from the book she was reading. Muffled cries reached her ears and she got up, looking around. The Hufflepuff common room seemed to be empty...
The sound led her to the girls' dormitory. Rowan stepped inside, but no one seemed to be there. She swallowed and whispered, "Hello?"
The cries seemed to be smothered by a cloth as she spoke. She walked over to a spot on the ground and found a heap of blankets that was...shaking?
"Hello?" Rowan tried again. The heap stopped, and Rowan found herself staring into the puffy, tear-stained eyes of Amira.
"Oh, my gosh, what happened?" Rowan gasped, wrapping herself around her best friend. "Did Merula get to you?"
"A-a little," Amira sniffled. "I just..." She looked at her feet. "Everyone is expecting me to act up like my brother. Everyone expects me to be like him. I'm not my brother, Rowan."
Her sobs returned. Rowan's face softened, and she hugged her friend tightly. They stayed together for a while: Rowan comforting Amira, and Amira crying into Rowan's shoulder.
"Hey. Hey, Amira," Rowan said, lifting Amira's chin with her palm. Amira met her eyes, wiping her tears.
"We'll find your brother and the vaults he talked about. I know how much you care about him, even if he is..." She trailed off.
"Mad."
"I'm not saying he's--"
"Rowan, face it," Amira said, sitting up. "My brother's probably mad. But he's still my brother. And I know him; Jacob wouldn't work for The Dark Lord. He wouldn't."
Rowan nodded, smiling reassuringly. "I know. I know."
They hugged a final time. Rowan noticed how Amira relaxed into the hug, and with a relieved breath, she knew everything was okay.
~~~
If you couldn't tell, my life has been consumed by Hogwarts Mystery.
