Chapter Twenty

A/N: Thank you to ObsessedwReading for reviewing the last chapter.

Selena struck through yet another line on her essay, then sighed and crumpled up the page, adding it to the growing pile of waste paper heaping up on the floor beside her bed. The essay was due in the next morning, but she could not concentrate enough to make it past the first couple of paragraphs. No matter how much she tried, she could not stop her mind from drifting.

At the start of term, just a fortnight ago, everything had still been simple. She had been a normal girl, who spent a lot of time with her twin and her best friend. She had not cried out in pain when she stood in the moonlight.

The feeling had haunted her thoughts ever since that awful night. She did not understand it. Perhaps it had been the sudden sight of light after so much darkness? But the pain had been across her skin, not her eyes. Perhaps it had been her imagination? But no imagined pain could feel as real as that. She had thought of every possible explanation and still nothing felt right. 'There's something wrong with me.' she thought. 'That's all I know about it.'

She had been so fearful about the events that, after a while, Teddy had approached her, wondering if she was alright. She had tried desperately to force her face into a smile, but the one person she could not hide from was the person to whom her emotions were as clear as his own.

"You can't hide anything from me, Lena." her brother said, nudging the girl gently, though the gesture did not have its usual playfulness. "I know you as well as I know myself, and I know when something is wrong."

Selena looked up from her lap to find Teddy watching her carefully, trying to read her expression and her thoughts, as he so often did. 'But this isn't something trivial, like a surprise Christmas present or what I want for tea.' Selena reminded herself. 'This is different. This is serious.'

When he failed to read her blank features, Teddy looked so disappointed that Selena opened her mouth to tell the truth, closing it only a moment later. 'He'd only be scared.' she told herself, the bitter idea sending a shiver up her spine. 'He wouldn't understand. He'd think you're a freak, just like everyone else would. The girl who's afraid of the moon.'

"Nothing's wrong, Teddy. I'm just…" She wracked her brains in search of an excuse, one that would at least buy her a little time to think of something better. Eventually, she settled on schoolwork. "I have a Charms test tomorrow afternoon and I can't work out how to do the Levitation spell properly. Not to mention that I have to get this essay done."

If Teddy had thought she was lying, he managed to conceal it well, spending the next hour or so showing her the correct way to perform the charm, a talent he had quickly discovered in his time at Hogwarts. He also attempted to help her complete her essay, although they had learnt equally quickly that essay-writing was not a talent of his. In fact, Selena became so lost in his company that she did not notice the amount she was relying on the glow of the fire, until she chanced a glance at the window, and her blood turned to ice.

"Teddy, you have to go." she told her brother, trying to conceal the fear in her voice. Her brother made no move to leave, instead sinking further into his chair, his features betraying his hurt feelings. He thought she didn't want to be around him- but it was still better than the truth. "I mean, we need to get back to the dormitories. If we get caught in the corridors this late, we'll get detention."

Teddy frowned in confusion. "Lena, it's only seven o'clock. Curfew isn't for over an hour."

"But you know what we're like." She tried to laugh the situation off, hoping Teddy would be convinced to let it go. "We'll be talking for too long and lose track of time, we always do. Why don't we go to my common room? There won't be many people there at this time." And the shutters would hopefully be closed.

Teddy make an expression that betrayed his deep thought, the strange arrangement of his features telling his sister that he was biting the inside of his cheek again, a habit he had never quite gotten out of. Eventually he sighed, defeated.

"Okay, let's go." he suggested. The boy was still in the dark about Selena's strange behaviour, but he would rather gloss over the issue than argue with her again. Some things were not worth the risk, especially when it came to the bond between twins. A tale still haunted him to this day, something he had heard his 'uncle' George discuss. His own twin had died in the Battle of Hogwarts and although George was the life and soul of every party, there were still moments when he looked across his shoulder to gauge his twin's reaction, only to find he was not there anymore. Ever since, Teddy had made sure to patch up arguments with Lena quickly; he could not imagine surviving without her.

The two moved silently towards the Hufflepuff common room, passing small crowds of students making the most of the time left before curfew. Lena's eyes seemed glassy, unfocused, but again Teddy chose not to question it. 'If she wants to tell me, she'll tell me.' he reasoned with himself. He had underestimated how much it hurt to know there was something his twin did not want to tell him.

Suddenly, Lena leapt backwards towards him, as if protecting herself from a rearing snake. Her expression was pure terror, although she tried to hide it, and her hands were shaking. Teddy looked around for the source of her fears, reaching his hand into his pocket to find his wand, but saw only an open window, the moonlight trailing through it. He turned to face Lena, to ask her what was wrong once and for all.

By the time he turned, Lena had already run away.

A/N: So sorry about the colossal wait for this chapter. I promise it will all get clearer soon. Please review!