Year 6 Spoilers! Spoilers abound! If you know about year 6 you know exactly where we're going. And it's exciting.
Nothing really noteworthy this time, except I've had so much love since the last chapter. Let me know what you think! The next chapter is actually done, it just needs an edit, I'll try and get it posted in a couple of days and I can't wait for you all to read it! xxx

The Owlery Spiral

Talbott didn't return to Divination Class, he spent the next half hour pacing around Ravenclaw Tower and then decided to go and find Everly-Grace. Despite Professor McGonagall's attempts at reassuring him, Talbott was going to leave, at least for a few days. As he approached the courtyard, Talbott's ears pricked up at the sound of familiar voices. He hovered in the entrance, just in time to observe a commotion. Everly was talking with Ben, Penny and Charlie.

"So a member of 'R', a secret and deadly organization, escaped on the way to Azkaban and is after you? You should tell a professor! You're in a lot of danger!" Penny was shocked.

Charlie's tone was firm. "It's not just Everly-Grace that's in danger. I imagine anyone around her is too, including us and our siblings."

"I was so worried about Everly, I hadn't even thought of that! I know I said I'd give Bea her space, but now, with this dangerous criminal on the loose nearby...I'm starting to reconsider. It doesn't seem safe for her to be on her own right now."

Charlie scoffed. "Right now? Have we ever been safe with all of the danger Everly-Grace brings around?" He was far from his cheerful self.

"Charlie?" Evie was taken aback.

"I'm sorry Everly-Grace. I know this isn't like me, but I haven't felt like myself, not since the vault. I've kept a stiff upper lip about it since you convinced me to stay at Hogwarts and you have a lot on your mind...but now with this escapee at large, my little brothers are in danger and it's...too much to handle."

"I understand Charlie." Everly was sad. It was like a bucket of cold water had been thrown on her. How many more of her friends would start avoiding her now?

"It's just, I've already lost some of my faith in people because of what Rakepick did to us in that vault. I don't want to lose my brothers to her or 'R' too because they got dragged into your fight."

Ben wasn't having this. "Langlock!" He waved his wand with a flourish as Charlie's tongue was glued to the roof of his mouth, rendering him speechless.

"Charlie! are you alright?" Penny gasped.

"Mmmmmpm" was all he could manage.

"Ben, why did you do that?" Evie wasn't even mad, but she had to save face.

"I wasn't going to let him keep attacking you."

Everly pulled out her own wand. "Hold on Charlie, 'Finite Incantatem'." She cast the counter spell.

Charlie looked relieved before he got angry. "What's wrong with you Ben?

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you, attacking Everly-Grace like that?"

Penny hated this, "Please don't fight..."

"I wasn't trying to attack Everly. I'm just worried about my brothers. You on the other hand went too far."

"I did what I had to do to protect her, Everly understands that right?"

Evie felt slightly dejected. First everyone was too busy for her, trying to buddy up with Cedric and now they would all realise she was just too dangerous to be around. "I'm sorry Charlie, it does feel like you're blaming me for everything." She wrapped her arms around herself.

"I'm not angry at you...it's just..." Charlie still sounded angry.

Ben cut him off. "It's just that he'd rather blame you than take responsibility for protecting his own brothers. No-one forced Charlie to come with us into that vault. She doesn't need you! Do you want me to get rid of him Everly?"

"Ben, no! That's enough. I'm not exactly thrilled with your behaviour either."

While it was interesting being the onlooker, Talbott had had enough time observing. He stepped into the courtyard proper. "Copper, don't you think it might be time to calm down?"

The four of them spun around to see Talbott approaching the group.

"Nobody asked you Winger!"

"Well I'm going to give my opinion regardless. After everything Everly has done for you all, this is how you treat her? It's disgusting. Charlie, you're a joke. Ben, you aren't much better."

The girls were shocked. Penny gasped. "Talbott..."

"I'm sorry Pen. It's time some of you had a wake-up call. Weasley here is all bent out of shape because he was all set to drop out of school, but Everly talked him into staying. Now the statue curse is getting worse and he blames her for him still being here. If you had gone, who would be keeping an eye on your brothers? You'd be blaming her for not talking you into staying. The truth is, you don't know what you want so you're lashing out. What about all of the students here without siblings? We all have to manage. Evie isn't the cause of this curse and staying away from her neither lessens or greatens the odds of getting petrified."

Charlie was fuming. Penny asked him to go inside with her to get a cup of tea and calm down.

Everly was shaking from either anger or being upset, she wasn't sure which.

"Copper, could you give us a minute?" Talbott asked.

"I told Everly I wasn't going to let her be alone."

"If you hadn't noticed, she's not alone. I need to speak to my girlfriend." Talbott had had enough of niceties and couldn't even muster a 'please'.

"Ben, it's fine. Wait for me in the hallway."

Once they were alone Everly started crying. Talbott wrapped his arms around her and she buried her head in his chest. "Thank you..." She managed in between sobs.

"What for?" He stroked her hair.

"Just for being you."

"Nonsense. You have every right to be upset, none of this is your fault."

"Did you talk to McGonagall, are you leaving?" She looked up at his face while wiping the tears from her own.

"I'm not going anywhere without you. We go together or not at all. Tell me what you're thinking."

"I wanted to leave. I'd made up my mind...but..."

"...but?"

"...But Merula and Ben convinced me that if I run I'm an easy target for this assassin, and if you come with me Talbott...you'll be just as much of a target as I am. I can't do that to you."

"This escapee won't be looking for an eagle and a cat."

"Maybe you're right. I came here with Ben to tell Penny and Charlie about 'R', try and gather some more support around us...but look how well that went."

"Everly-Grace, look at me." He placed a hand under her chin. "You will always have me. Forget about everyone else. You can always come to me."

She exhaled deeply. "Ok...you're right. What do we need to do?"

"I'll need a few hours to make some arrangements. I already have a bag packed, I need you to go to Ravenclaw Tower and do the same. Pack light. Only what you can't live without. It needs to be small enough that you can transform with it."

"But I've never tried to transform carrying anything before."

"You'll do fine. You're the smartest witch I know." He kissed the top of her head. "I'll come find you when it's time."

Everly managed to slip away from Ben to head straight up to the Ravenclaw common room. She found the most lightweight bag she owned and stuffed one pair of leggings and Talbott's pink t-shirt to sleep in and a few essentials into it. The rest would have to be the clothes on their back. She made sure a warm jacket was within reach. The remainder of the afternoon was a blur. Ben had found her again and dragged her to a rendezvous with Cedric Diggory and Diego. Then she was in the Infirmary with Madam Pomfrey helping Cedric and Chiara examine the petrified students and tend to any wounded students. Just like that they were out of Pepperup Potion. Everly volunteered to go brew some more with Penny, but on the way to find her Bill summoned her to the DADA classroom. She walked in expecting to find Bill but her stomach dropped to find Charlie with him. She wasn't ready to talk to Charlie again just yet and now Bill would also wash his hands of her. Everly fought the urge to turn and walk straight back out again.

"Bill, what's the matter? What was so important that it couldn't wait?" Evie was exhausted, and getting anxious that Madam Pomfrey was depending on her before she made a run for it with Talbott. "I promised Madam Pomfrey I would brew her Pepperup Potion, I shouldn't keep her waiting.

Bill's tone was warm, and apologetic. "This will only take a minute. And you're fine Everly, if anyone has missed anything here, it's me."

"I told Bill about everything that happened in the courtyard." Charlie mentioned.

"It's mad to think that Rakepick belongs to 'R', which is some dangerous, secret organization. I can't believe that the escaped wizard belongs to 'R' and is after you Evie, either."

"Well I still can't believe that Ben cast Langlock on me just because I raised concerns about my brother's safety." Charlie was angry again. "I'm not sure who I'm more upset with, Ben for casting it on me, or you Bill, for teaching the spell to him in the first place."

Everly sighed. Charlie was being unreasonable again, she really didn't have the time for this.

"I'm not a seer, Charlie. I couldn't have foreseen that happening. Regardless, Ben's behaviour isn't important right now. What is important is that Everly-Grace is in danger." Bill was only thinking about one person right now, and it wasn't Charlie.

Evie let out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. Finally.

"I called you here to tell you that I want to do whatever I can to help, I was thinking I could..." Bill was interrupted by not one, but three more Weasley brothers bursting into the classroom. Percy, Fred and George were all wanting help from Bill and Charlie. Bill protested, reiterating that Everly's situation needed to take precedence but she waved him away reminding him that it's important to help family, and that she didn't want Charlie accusing her of endangering his brothers further. She set off again to brew potions with Penny but Bill halted her on the way out the door, grabbing her arm lightly.

"Did you need something else Bill?"

"I'm really sorry about this Evie."

"Don't be silly. Your brothers need you." She glanced over at Charlie, the twins and Percy uncomfortably. Her friendship with Charlie was never going to be the same.

They stepped out into the corridor so they would be out of earshot.

"I meant it when I said I wanted to help you. You shouldn't be going through this alone." He ran a hand across the back of his neck. "I'm sorry Charlie is acting like a numpty, you don't deserve the accusations he's been sending your way. I'll be reminding him as such."

"Everyone will need to make their own decisions, about whether or not I'm safe to be around. Charlie has made his." Everly shrugged nonchalantly.

Unexpectedly, Bill drew her into a hug. Evie relaxed into him almost too easily.

"Are you alright, Everly-Grace?"

"I'm doing ok, I think. Thank you Bill."

"I mean it when I say that I'm here for you. You don't need to do any of this alone." He hugged her a bit tighter. Everly flushed and held onto the hug a moment or two longer than she intended to but Bill didn't break it either. When they finally stepped apart she smiled at him softly. "I should get going. I'll see you later."

Everly rushed off to the potions classroom to help Penny brew Pepperup Potion. It all happened so quickly after that.

Snape came and found the pair. "There you are Harper, pack up your things, you need to come with me immediately."

"But I need to finish this Pepperup Potion."

"Forget the potion."

"But Everly-Grace said Madam Pomfrey is out of Pepperup Potion. What about all the sick patients who need it?"

Hogwarts has bigger problems than a few students with sniffles, Miss Haywood, you will soon see that for yourself."

Snape rushed the pair off to the infirmary only for them to discover that Madam Pomfrey had fallen victim to the statue curse. Dumbledore and Snape were asking Cedric questions but he wasn't much help. Now Hogwarts was without a trained healer. Dumbledore insisted that the staff would do everything in their power to keep everyone safe but for now, change would need to come to Hogwarts.

Everly walked as briskly as she could back to Ravenclaw Tower and sent an Owl for Talbott to meet her there immediately. He flew and she let him in an open window into the thankfully empty common room. She told him about Madam Pomfrey and that Dumbledore was locking down the school. If they were leaving, they had to do it now. He went to the boys dormitory to retrieve his bag while Everly took hers and her coat from her bedroom.

Stepping out into the hallway it was manic. An emergency school meeting had been called into session and professor's were directing students to the Great Hall with no exceptions. Evie and Talbott took each other's hand and made a run for it. They had to make it out to the grounds and they would be home free. Unfortunately, the pair stuck out like a sore thumb moving against the sea of students going in the other direction

All of a sudden the hallways had thinned out, the one time students had made their way to the hall promptly. They made it out into the courtyard before Professor Snape's voice made them stop in their tracks.

"Mr Winger, Miss Harper, I do not know where is more important to be, currently, than the Great Hall, or what shenanigans the two of you are plotting, nor do I care."

The pair had spun around wide eyed and stared at the potions master. They had well and truly been caught.

"I would suggest that the two of you make your way back inside with the utmost haste."

Evie glanced at Talbott, they were still grasping each other's hands. They were still determined.

"We can't do that, Professor." Everly said, she tried to keep the shake from her voice. They each took a step backwards.

"You dare disobey a direct instruction? Mr Winger, might I suggest that if you still wish to follow a career at the Ministry of Magic, that you take more care in whom you associate with, perhaps someone with more respect for the rules."

"Noted, Sir. We still can't go back inside." Talbott replied, his eyes unwavering. They each took another step.

"Take one more step...either of you...and house points will be deducted. Enough to make your head spin."

Talbott glanced at Everly. They would face the wrath of Ravenclaw house upon their return. This was more important. They both stepped back in unison.

Snape wasn't fooling around and with a flick of his wand uttered "Confringo" and two loud explosions landed on the stone archway leading out to the wooden walkway. Rubble and debris came crashing down blocking their path. Talbott's reactions were faster and he grabbed Everly, pulling her back towards the castle, both of them falling forward onto the ground. Evie looked up at Snape. "Are you mad?"

Severus ignored her. "Oops. My wand must have slipped. How unfortunate." He placed it back into his robes. "150 points from Ravenclaw house. Each."

The pair looked at each other in shock, 300 points total.

"Get inside. Now."

Snape walked inches behind them as they scrambled to the Great Hall. They were both shocked Snape would go so far to detain them and she was frankly surprised he wasn't dragging them both in by their ears. Snape waved open the doors of the Great Hall with his wand and the entire room turned and stared at the interruption.

"Sit." Snape commanded and Evie and Talbott slid onto the end of the Ravenclaw table and tried to keep their heads down.

Albus Dumbledore was standing at the podium addressing the school.

"Ah, Professor Snape, how good of you to join us. I was just about to go over the new rules and practices that will be in place, effective immediately, in light of the petrification of our beloved Madam Pomfrey and the news of an escaped Dark Wizard nearby.

We're trying to find a new healer, but until then we will need to be self-reliant.

If you have a cold, are poisoned, or have boils, see Professor Snape for a potion.

Professor Flitwick will be handling mild injuries and ailments with healing spells.

If you are dealing with burns, Professor Sprout will have herbs on hand.

We are devoting our utmost attention to breaking the statue curse. Until this fugitive is found, students will be required to stay near the castle, and restricted to the immediate school grounds. In conclusion, rest assured that we Hogwarts staff are doing everything possible to break the statue curse. However, until that time please consult a professor for specialized cures for all minor afflictions. More serious cases will be transferred to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Lastly, until the fugitive wizard has been apprehended...students will be required to stay close to the castle Those found in violation of this rule, will be punished accordingly. Now stay safe, and please know that if you are ever feeling afraid or overwhelmed, you can always talk to one of us."

Everly and Talbott dropped their bags off in the common room before heading to the DADA classroom for Bill's tutoring lesson. If they were stuck here they might as well make the best of it.

"Hey Talbott..." Evie halted him before they went in.

"Mhmmm?"

"If you want to go, if you feel unsafe, you can still fly away."

"That's very noble, but you can't. Like I said, I'm not going without you, I'm afraid you're stuck with me." He hugged her, pressing a kiss to her hair. "Can you promise me something?"

"I'll try."

"Listen to the professors this time."

"Talbott..." She protested.

"There's a dark wizard after you Evie. Stay on the school grounds. Keep people around you. Promise me you'll keep yourself safe. Don't go looking for this escapee." He hugged her a bit tighter.

"I promise." Everly was almost sure that she meant it this time.

He tilted her face to his, looking her straight in the eye. "Promise me, Everly."

She was lost in his eyes for a moment, they looked sad, anxious, painful. "I promise." Everly repeated, placing her palm to his cheek. "I won't leave you."

He leant down and kissed her tenderly.

Bill taught the group the sea urchin jinx that night in an attempt to give them something to buy them time to escape should they come up against a dark wizard. Afterwards, Bill asked Ben, Merula, Charlie and Everly to stay behind to talk about the vaults. Much to her surprise both Penny and Rowan volunteered to help and Talbott lingered behind too. While Bill was appreciative of the help he insisted on keeping the meeting to just those who went into the buried vault. He suggested they all use this time to research the location of the final vault and that there seemed to be an underwater theme emerging.

The next morning Everly was walking with Talbott down from the Divination classroom after their lesson on Numerology.

"Apparently, my soul wants interpersonal connections." Talbott was chatting away. "What rubbish. I doubt my birthday says anything about my life."

Everly smirked. "I thought you enjoyed one interpersonal connection in particular Tal."

"Just the one, and don't you forget it. What do you have on the schedule this afternoon?"

"I'm going to the library, I need to do some research."

"I have potions. Snape isn't impressed with me after yesterday so I'm expecting an intense lesson. I'll see you in the Great Hall for dinner though?"

She squeezed his hand. "It's a date."

Everly-Grace never meant to break her promise to Talbott once she realized the final vault was in the Black Lake. Or when she decided to break Dumbledore's rule to go investigate, nor even as she snuck herself and Beatrice Haywood beneath her invisibility cloak. They were just going down to have a look around. Nothing was going to happen. It wasn't until they came face to face with the escaped fugitive that Everly started to question what she had done. Everything everyone had ever told her about how there would be no time to ask questions was true. The wizard had pulled his wand and blasted her before she had any opportunity to react. Beatrice helped her up, but the escapee had mysteriously vanished. They had to get back to the castle before it was too late. Beatrice helped Everly hobble back leaning on her shoulder. Everything hurt, but she couldn't go to Flitwick with this so she met Chiara in the artefact room.

"I can't thank you enough for coming to heal me, I feel as though I've been run over by an Erumpent." She exhaled deeply. "It hurts to walk, bend over, breathe, to do anything really."

Everly-Grace told Chiara about the events at the lakeshore as she set to work trying to heal the injuries and Chiara promised to keep her secret. When they were done Everly wasn't one hundred percent, but at least she could breathe without wanting to curl up in a ball. Beatrice came in to tell her new friend they were busted and that Dumbledore wanted to see them immediately.

Just when she thought things couldn't get worse, Talbott walked in. "Evie, some people saw you come in here, you missed dinner I..." He saw her dishevelled and dejected. "Everly what's going on? Are you hurt?" He walked over to her, he could see bruising and dried blood crusted over from her injuries.

"Talbott, I have to go. I'm fine, I promise, but Dumbledore wants to see me, I'll talk to you later."

Beatrice and Everly walked out and Talbott was unimpressed with her brushing him off like that.

"Everly-Grace!" He called after her but she ignored him. He turned to Chiara.

"Chiara? What's going on, did she tell you? Did she sneak out? Was it the escaped fugitive?"

Chiara shuffled awkwardly. "Please don't ask me, I don't want to get in the middle."

"Is she hurt?"

"She was injured quite significantly, I did what I could."

"I'm sorry, Chiara, thank you."

Talbott returned to the Owlery fuming. When he entered he was surprised to find a white eagle-owl clutching an entire stack of letters. He tried to sneak up on it to grab the letters, but the owl spooked and dropped the stack all over the owlery floor. He asked Penny to go and find Everly once detention was over and ask her to meet him here.

When she arrived, Evie was surprised to see the state of the owlery floor.

"What happened here? Who spooked the owls?"

"I did. But it was just one owl. A white eagle-owl, clutching an entire stack of letters."

"So that's why you called me up here?"

"Would you prefer a shouting match?"

"If you have something to say Talbott, I'd rather you say it."

"It doesn't take a genius to put together what's been going on here. You ignored Dumbledore's instructions, and all of the professor's. You ignored the promise you made to me. You snuck out of the school grounds and ran into this escapee Dark Wizard, who attacked you, with magic far stronger than you ever expected. And after the miracle it was that you escaped with your life you asked Chiara to patch you up so that you didn't have to go to a professor and confess. How am I doing so far?"

"I'd say that's fairly accurate."

"You could have been killed!"

"I know..."

"No, I'm not sure you do. When you didn't show up for dinner I thought, maybe you got carried away in the library. I went and checked and you weren't there. So I checked Ravenclaw Tower and you weren't there either. I circled back down to the Great Hall. Then I started worrying that something might have happened. I asked around after you and no-one had seen you. I'm beginning to feel as though our relationship is awfully one-sided. Did you even stop and think about me when you were sneaking out? I know first hand exactly what these Dark Wizard's are capable of."

Everly's stomach sank. "You are absolutely right. I'm sorry." She snuck into his arms and forcefully hugged him. "I promise, no more reckless endangerment."

Talbott hugged her back. He had been so worried. "Well maybe if we sort through these letters we might find a clue. I know the threat to one of your friends has been playing on your mind."

"You'll help me with this?"

"If helping you puts this escapee into Azkaban faster, I think that's worthwhile."

"The owl could have been delivering these to or from R, let's start looking."

After rummaging around through the different letters Talbott found something strange.

"I've found one written in another language, it looks like Japanese."

"Japanese! This dark wizard is a former student from the Mahoutokoro School Of Magic. Will you help me translate it?

"Don't thank me just yet, you haven't seen how bad I am with other languages."

The pair sat in the library pouring over books that would help them translate until they were fairly confident they had managed. R had left transfigured quills on the lakeshore to communicate with the escapee.

"I have to get down there!" Everly said, determined. "If there's another threat to my friends I need to know about it." Evie realised who she was talking to and took a breath. She was about to blurt out some reasoning to convince him this was a good idea but he beat her to it.

"Are you afraid to return to where you were attacked? No one would blame you if you were."

A little taken aback Everly replied, "are you afraid?"

Talbott smiled. "A classic deflection if ever there was one, but I'll bite. Of course I'm afraid. You'd have to be rather mad not to be afraid of a dangerous dark wizard. I'm more afraid for you though, but you knew that already." He took a deep breath. "But I'm not about to let fear stop me from doing what's more important. Like ensuring this wizard is caught."

"That was really wise, I'm impressed. Blue certainly suits you."

"Sneaking out right now is easier said than done, as we both know."

"The professor's won't be looking for animals sneaking out." Everly suggested.

"Any excuse to transform huh?"

"Guilty."

Once they were down by the lakeshore Talbott tried again. "So you dodged my question earlier when I asked you about being afraid of coming back here. But since you liked my advice so much, here's some more. It's smart to keep your guard up, but there's no point in dwelling on whether or not the wizard will show up. Dwelling will only distract you from the task at hand. Finding these quills."

Even now, Everly was in awe at Talbott's majestic grace as he flew across the lakeshore leaving no stone unturned. Finally they uncovered a white quill stuck inside a piece of driftwood. Everly-Grace cast 'Reparifarge' on it and it transfigured back into a letter.

"We've received word that the Ministry's authorized the use of Dementor's to assist in your capture. They will be deployed imminently to subdue and send you to Azkaban. Don't get yourself caught. Remain near Hogwarts and await further instructions."

The pair got back to the castle as fast as they could to warn Dumbledore who assembled the school in another emergency assembly.

"Your attention, students. I am sure you are all wondering why I have called you here a second time. We have received word that Dementor's have been sent to Hogwarts to capture the missing Dark Wizard. Everyone will be safe, but it is imperative that you stay inside the castle. To help us monitor the situation, the Ministry will be sending in Aurors who will intervene if necessary. I would like everyone to be on their best behaviour, and cooperate with the Aurors if requested. Now, off to class, all of you."

Everything happened so quickly after that. Mad-Eye Moody began questioning Everly-Grace about her brother Jacob, revealing that he had been the one to chase off her attacker at the lakeshore and that he might be on the school grounds. Evie and Ben went looking for him and discovered correspondence between Jacob and 'R', revealing they would be meeting in the forbidden forest. For the first time Everly wasn't sure of the best course of action. She knew she couldn't leave Jacob alone in a forest with Dementor's and dark wizards, but this was too much, even for her and her friends...wasn't it? Before she had time to think Ben had gone and recruited Merula to their cause. Merula also knew how to cast a Patronus and wanted any excuse to have another round with Rakepick. They would sneak out after dinner. Just as she was making final preparations Everly received an urgent message to meet Talbott in the Owlery. Her footsteps were weighted down with dread as she thought about lying to him about what she was about to do.

"Talbott, you shouldn't be up here. We're all supposed to be staying inside the castle."

"Why were you talking with Snyde and Copper about summoning Patronus charms at dinner?"

"Were you eavesdropping on us?"

"I wasn't eavesdropping. Occasionally my ears pick up things they aren't listening for, and don't turn this around on me, just answer the question."

"We were just discussing hypothetical Dementor situations."

"Please don't lie to me Everly-Grace."

"I'm not." She was. "Merula can only cast an incorporeal Patronus while I have managed a full one. She is inferior at spellcasting something for once in her life and wanted me to teach her how to make it stronger. Maybe she doesn't have as many happy memories as I do."

"That's all it was?"

"Yes. Merula wants my help with something, quick, someone send an owl to the Daily Prophet, stop the press."

Talbott breathed a sigh of relief. "For a moment there I thought you might be planning something stupid like sneaking out of the castle tonight."

Everly's face couldn't lie and the brief flicker of expression across her features gave her away.

"No...tell me I'm wrong."

"Tal...please try to understand."

"No! What could possibly be so important that it means preparing to face off with Dementors?"

"Jacob is out there."

"What?"

"He's out in the forest, meeting with 'R'. Tonight. I can't let him do this alone."

"You and what army? Merula and Ben? Sweetheart, you're all mad, what are you thinking?"

"If I were out there tonight you wouldn't hesitate to come after me."

"That's different."

"Is it? How? That's my brother."

"Fine, then I'm coming with you."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"This is dangerous enough as it is. I won't have you there as well. Talbott if you get hurt because of me..."

"...You only get to use that line so many times." He cut her off. "So I'm just supposed to wait for you to make it back, wondering if a Dementor has taken your very soul? I don't think so." Talbott exhaled slowly, pinching his fingers together at the bridge of his nose. "I can't keep doing this Everly."

"Talbott?"

"You promised me that you would stop when it was too much, you not only broke that promise, but you stood here just now and lied to me, as though it was nothing. You lied to me Everly-Grace." He was shocked, but not surprised.

"You know why I did..."

"You go if you have to but I won't be waiting when you get back. I'm done."

"You're asking me to choose between you and my brother?"

"No, I'm asking you to choose between life or death. What will it take for you to stop? Someone's going to get killed."

"And if I stay?"

Talbott shook his head. "Then we'll just have this argument the next time something happens."

"So that's it? You're breaking up with me?"

"Yes, I think I am."

Everly just shook her head. This wasn't happening. "Can't we talk about this?"

"We just did. Be careful in the forest."

Talbott had looked back at her with a sad glance before shifting into his eagle form and ascending into the cold air. Evie ran to the window arch and gripped the stone windowsill as she watched him fly away from her.

Everly's chest had tightened so much she couldn't breathe. The cold air that whipped through the owlery wasn't enough to ground her back to reality. Sound became muted, the cooing of the birds was so quiet now. Her mind was screaming out and it was the only thing her brain could focus on. She tried to open her mouth, to protest, to cry, but there was a complete disconnect between her brain and her body. It was only then she felt the hot tears on her cheeks and sobs wracked her entire body. She slid down and sat on the stone floor for five whole minutes and cried until she had nothing left. Then Everly stood up, cast a colorvaria charm on her makeup and then she descended the Owlery tower steps, determined to proceed with the task ahead.