As it always does, time passed by. For a while, things didn't get better, while on the upside, they didn't get worse. After about a month, however, things simply were unable to remain within grasp.

Fred tried and tried to uphold his relationship with Caitlyn, but to no avail. It came to the point that he had no choice but to give up. On the inside, that probably destroyed Caitlyn like a blow with a knife, though nobody would be able to tell: she was so forgone that she already looked like the witness or victim of a tragedy. Instead of being the Caitlyn Lumbach everyone knew- the one that was the life of a situation, played pranks on her professors while maintaining notable grades, and snogged Fred Weasley- she acted barely human. She just sat hunched in the corner of the Ravenclaw table, if she bothered to drag herself out of bed. The very sight of Caitlyn with her increasingly thin build, shadowy eyes, and unkempt hair was enough to keep anyone and everyone away. She was a human ticking time bomb; there probably wasn't one person who didn't expect all that bottled up agony to explode in some way. From what people could see, Caitlyn had zero interaction with Fred, her sister, Satoshi and his group, or any of her fellow Ravenclaws… Nobody besides her unfortunate self.

Misery circulated around the people she had been in acquaintance with. Fred was distraught at their unspoken breakup while George was overwhelmed with guilt; so much for the ever-loved-and-admired Weasley twins. Catherin was often caught crying silently in class and at meals whenever thoughts of her sister or any bitter rumors that involved their friends crossed her mind; no more ditsy blonde Hufflepuff. Satoshi tried so hard to be his usual self when out in the open, but how could brightness come easily when most of the people he cared about were trapped in so much darkness? To escape it all, he made a habit of checking up on his siblings often, which didn't entirely help (especially since Shiro was a friend of Caitlyn's as well). With the pressure of keeping up an almost impossibly cheery demeanor while being a good big brother, he was nearly driven to tears. Jeffrey and Lee also found themselves unnerved, with the drastic changes in all of their friends. Gaia, too, was a different person, mainly since she was having rumors gnawing at her just as they were at Caitlyn; who knew when she'd snap as well? It was just a vicious cycle.

A couple months passed since Caitlyn had seemed to drop off the face of the earth. Gaia was heading back from Herbology, keeping her head down for she had kissed Seamus right before class and knew her peers that had witnessed it would be snickering or staring. She jumped with a dog-like shriek as she felt a hand grip her shoulder. Glasses falling askew, she spun around to see she was being approached by Professor Sprout. Her shoulders fell in relief.

"Gaia, dear… Are you doing alright? I've noticed you've seemed… off, lately. I should have asked earlier, I'm sorry, but you just seem like the type of girl who's able to fix things out on your own."

"Oh, er, thanks…. I'm usually that type of person, yeah," Gaia murmured. She bit her lip gently, totally prepared to remain silent until the professor walked away. Nevertheless, after a few awkward seconds she found herself pouring out her thoughts. Caitlyn's detachment, Satoshi's out of character behavior, the rumors involving Seamus, Catherin's sadness, Jeffrey and Lee's concern, the Weasley twins' guilt… Details about all of these things were spoken. Professor Sprout knitted her eyebrows together sympathetically.

"Oh, heavens… How about this: I'll speak to the headmaster, and let him know these awful rumors are circulating, and have him say a few words about it. I won't give him any names, so as not to embarrass anyone," she offered. Gaia nodded slowly, semi out of breath from rapidly letting loose so much that had been on her mind. Professor Sprout patted her shoulder reassuringly. "Head on to class, now. Don't worry, everything will be under control." The relief those words supplied was so enormous, it almost had substance.

Sure enough, Dumbledore stood in front of everyone the following day at lunch. "My sources have told me that some students have been sharing some bitter information, most of which I am sure is false, about each other. Each one of my students deserves to feel safe here at Hogwarts, not to mention these rumors have been disrupting some peoples' academic performances. I must ask that any cruel gossip come to an end, or the consequences will be dire," he had announced.

A whole week passed without one nasty stare or spiteful whisper.

"F…Fred? I want to talk to you," Caitlyn croaked about a week and a half after Dumbledore's warning. The Weasley twins had been heading up to bed with their friends. Satoshi, Jeffrey, Lee, and George exchanged glances, then quickly swept off to the Gryffindor common room. Slowly, Fred turned to face his assumedly ex-girlfriend.

"I, see you've fixed up your hair…" he commented awkwardly. Caitlyn glanced to the side at her thoroughly brushed and washed hair as if to confirm something had been done to it, but otherwise ignored Fred's remark. She began to rub her arm, which hung tensely at her side.

"Look, I… I guess an apology can't nearly make up for all the trouble I've caused…" she muttered. Fred's eyes bore into hers with a serious intensity they so rarely contained.

"You're right, it can't. Because actions speak louder than words." Without any further talk, Fred lunged forward and gave Caitlyn a very gentle kiss on the lips. Her immediate reaction would have been to push him away, but then memories of snogging under mistletoe, amongst laughter, and in all sorts of other locations washed over her…. She closed her eyes (just as a tear escaped) and kissed him back.

"I've been so, so, so STUPID, Fred! All those disgusting rumors just overtook me… Plus I guess there's just been this crazy… stuff lurking in the back of my head, waiting to make its appearance… School work, and my hidden doubts of being a good girlfriend, and the full reality of having a baby brother just mashed up into one thing and POOF! I lost my mind." She rubbed her forehead feverishly. "That time when I tried to kill Catherin, and all those suicidal thoughts I had… They're like a bad dream now! Or some hangover memory, or something…"

Fred chuckled humorlessly. "Lyn, hush. Even if actions are louder than words, your jibber jabber is giving me a headache."

Caitlyn seemed to shrink down a size. "Sorry... Wait, dann, sorries don't mean anything. I-"

"Woman, shush!" Fred interrupted. "If you want to make it up to me," Caitlyn nodded vigorously, "then be my girlfriend again, and be the real you. Be my Lovey Dovey Muffin Face McCutiekins with Sugar on Top again."

It was silent for a few seconds as Caitlyn waited for Fred to continue. When it was evident that he was done, the blonde blinked. "That's… it?"

"That's all I wanted from you before." Fred suddenly tilted his head thoughtfully. "Hold the phone, there is one more thing I want from you: kiss me and really mean it." Without delay, Caitlyn did exactly as she was told. Her hands gripping his shoulders, his one arm around her waist with the other stroking the back of her hair… With the utter emotion of the moment considered, this took the crown for their best kiss ever.

"Does George think I'm mad at him? Because I'm not… That was some dumb s**t he did, but I'm not mad," Caitlyn murmured once the couple came up for air, their noses touching and both of their eyes closed. Fred shrugged slightly.

"I dunno. He blames himself for all this, but I don't know what he figures you think about him. I'm glad you aren't pissed at him, though. That'd just create even more drama."

Caitlyn nodded her agreement, a smile creeping onto her face for the first time in a long while. "And we could sure do without more drama."

Although Caitlyn and Fred's romance was mended almost as perfectly as possible, the same couldn't be said with Gaia and Seamus. In fact, everything was falling apart for them. You would think that the removal of all the sick rumors about their relationship would lighten the load on them, but no: the resistance against everyone else's fantasies involving them was like a glue that bonded them together.

"It's never going to be good enough, you know," Seamus indicated as they sat scribbling away on their homework. Gaia didn't notice that her boyfriend's quill had stopped scratching until now, even though it had halted a few minutes prior.

"Well you're very specific," she snickered. The smile slipped off her mouth, though, as she noticed the grim expression on the Irish boy's face. She put down her books and turned toward him.

"Having all the rumors stop circulating. Nobody's talking anymore, yeah, but that doesn't stop people from thinking those things about us."

This sent Gaia's mind into temporary blankness. "But, everybody shut up about it…" she responded dumbly.

"Did you hear anything I just said?" Seamus sighed.

"Uh huh, but-"

"Gaia… I think, we should give everyone nothing to say involving us anymore." Chest tightening suddenly, Gaia stared at him blankly and allowed him to continue. Seamus gently took her hand in his and whispered, "They can't talk if there isn't anything between us anymore."

Crash. Gaia's heart seemed to explode into a million pieces as realization dawned on her. She spoke the simplest thought that had shot into her head: "You're breaking up with me, aren't you." Her mind was so mixed up that she even stated the question.

For a moment, Seamus seemed caught off guard by his own actions. Scrambling to his feet, he muttered "Yeah" before dashing off. If only Gaia had took note of the tears in his eyes… She sat there, feeling numb and quite dead, a single thought- or question, rather- making itself clear: What just happened?