After the War.

Quidditch.

It felt like a broken record, every year we would be in the Great Hall, Professor Flitwick would walk in with the sproglets and they would be sorted and the night would end with dinner, following Professor McGonagall's wise words. Every year the record had begun again and it didn't seem to end. The night was often spent in the same manner, me in the tower and then I would get in trouble for being in there. Like it deterred me though.

Just as I stood and left I noticed that I hadn't seen Elliot since the start of the meal and it felt odd that he hadn't been with his friends. Mike was talking to the others. I pushed it from my mind and walked on out. I would return to my room to write my letter to Melissa and then send it off, that was what I had been planning to do.

My mind wandered as I walked but my eyes stuck to the walls around me. People may have gotten in my way so I would have to keep away from them. Conversations weren't annoying but constantly having them was a little more than slightly annoying. I also kept my ears out and when walking down one hall I heard a high voice. It was a female and she was clearly trying to flirt as the giggles resonated through the halls. I ducked away as they came close and the suit of armour protected me from their eyes. As I waited though I saw that it was Elliot.

"You are a little minx." My heart plummeted as he let those words fall out and then just ahead of me he grabbed her arms and swiftly pushed her against the wall. I couldn't quite tell who it was as he had been covering her from my view. One thing I did know was that it wasn't a friendly conversation and I also needed to get out of there. Elliot slowly bowed his head until the sound of saliva mingling and lips all over each other was heard. I had to hold back any of the desired sobs as I covered my mouth and closed my tearful eyes.

"Ten points from Gryffindor and a further ten from Ravenclaw. You should be ashamed of yourselves, I noticed you leave and I am sure that almost all of the other teachers noticed you leave and I find you doing this. Back to your rooms and a month of detentions, Miss Angus, you shall serve it with Professor Hagrid and you, Sir, shall serve it with Professor Vector, now off you go." There it was. Not only had Elliot been kissing another girl and when I had looked closer his clothes were a mess and his few buttons that were done up had been done poorly but despite all of that I had heard the name of a girl I couldn't stand. He had been in a rather personal and close relationship with Leah, the girl who disliked me most of all the Emily group.

Eventually, the pair passed and after a while so did Professor McGonagall. I was left to be upset but that was not what I was about to do. I would write my letter, tell her about my past boyfriend and his rather wicked actions. Then it would be forgotten in an instant. I was yet to tell Elliot of my choice but I had a feeling that he would be happy with it. With Elliot gone though I could see more of Apollo and Isaac, Tim had been slightly pushed to the side as well. I really was an awful friend.

When I had returned to my room I stripped into my usual pyjamas and then I began the letter. A few of the unshed tears dropped but I wiped them off and kept writing until my heart was poured into the once blank paper. That was when I slipped on some of my plain shoes and then walked out to post the letter to my new mother. On my way there I had to stop off at the infirmary.

"You're late." I gulped and took the small cup from the nurse as she tapped her foot but as I did so I saw that quite a few professors stood in the room and they were stood around one bed in particular. Clearly, something had happened and so I tried to see who it was but I couldn't and so emptied the cup into my mouth. Only then realising that I didn't have any water to take it with and smiled when the witch held a small cup of it. With that, I swallowed the tablets down and handed the cup back.

"Miss Flint, what are you doing out of bed at this time of the night?" I had caught one of the adults' eyes as Professor Vector spoke and then she walked up to me. Something was in her eye and I was not comfortable with it.

"I needed to take my medication and decided that I might as well post my letter. Two birds and all, um, Professor." I felt less nervous than when Madam Pomfrey had spoken to me but it wasn't far off, two women that I definitely didn't want to cross.

"I see, head to bed and be quick now." I nodded and suddenly realised how uncovered I was and so tried to leave but Madam Pomfrey called me back and I walked up to her desk.

"First thing after breakfast and then straight after dinner tomorrow and they aren't to be taken on an empty stomach but you know that so I assume that you ate. Oh, you silly girl I will feed you now and that will have to do." With that she got up and walked into the room behind her and then she returned with an apple and a biscuit which she watched me eat before giving me a glare.

"Sorry, Madam Pomfrey." She huffed at me and then waved me off to attend to something else before she could possibly insult me or even worse, lecture me on the reason why it was important to eat when it was appropriate and make sure it was healthy.

When it was all over though I walked to the owlery and sent off the letter before heading back to the old tower. Astronomy wasn't the greatest subject but it was so fascinating to see what people believed and to look out into the grounds, they were beautiful for one simple reason, they just were.

Gradually I found myself hunched over the edge and watching the ground, following it until I was about to fall off. Then I stopped there and made sure to keep a tight grip on the edge as I watched it slowly grow so dark that even the Quidditch pitch's lights would struggle to lighten it up. From the corner of my eye, I saw the cat that I always did. Only, I knew it wasn't just a cat but also Professor McGonagall and so I stood up and brushed imaginary dirt off.

"I know, detention for a week with Hagrid. Good night Professor." As I turned I heard something like the movement of clothes and so I knew that she had changed back into herself.

"Smart girl." I didn't halt but looked back sadly as I responded.

"I'm not smart Professor, Elliot is. I'm just a silly little girl." I hadn't meant for her to hear the last of it but a small portion of me believed that she had heard me as I spoke. Not that it mattered though as she wasn't going to do anything about it.

"Miss Flint, you should know that a person rarely feels happy for long but it appears that I haven't seen a person as miserable as you, and have a reason to as well." It felt like she was getting too personal for her job role and so I carried on walking and didn't even attempt a response. "Miss Flint. Stop what you are doing." I halted and waited. I had stopped what I was doing and waited for her steps to creep up behind me until finally, they too halted at my side. At that point, I began to walk some more.

"Professor Vector is concerned about you. She has been worried for you since your first year but now it is worse. I fear that she was right as well, food is just a way for you to show how you feel. Disinterested and just enough to stay alive. She also noted how you have lost a lot of confidence over the years. I think that it would do you well to serve your detentions with her." I started shaking and remembered how her last encounter with Elliot had gone.

"No." She raised a perfect eyebrow at me and I stood there. Feeling like a cowardly lion. I was all talk and the only action I was doing was shaking in my small pyjamas. Life wasn't going fabulously for me at that moment.

"I beg your pardon." Her tone was a harsh one that I had never been subjected to before but I clearly felt myself falter and as I did this she looked over me in a judgmental way.

"I will not serve my detentions with Professor Vector for as long as Elliot is." She gave me a look that told me I would be but she clearly had no clue how truly stubborn I could be.

"Miss Flint, refusal to comply will result in a letter home and a complete discussion into how your rash and harsh actions will see you in more trouble than it is worth." I lifted my chin and spoke kindly, so kind it could have smothered her.

"And Melissa will agree with me. It isn't fair that he and I are to serve our detentions together. It would be like forcing you to serve a detention with me. Clearly you dislike me as much as I dislike him and I was not raised to just blindly follow. I have done that enough." Her face seemed to become softer and when I commented on her not liking me she visibly disagreed but I knew she didn't like me. "It is okay Professor, I understand why you feel this way about me." Mentally all I could think was; 'I know because everyone else does.' I bit that back as she might lecture me though and I might have actually cried if she had done it.