They say that it's easy to forget your troubles when the weather's warm, but all it takes is one fall breeze to blow reality right back in your face. Watch out, Daphne; Tropical Storm Tori is brewing on the horizon. The peace talks can only last so long.

~xoxo, Gossip Witch

"I don't know why I followed you down here," Daphne huffed, shaking her head as she perched herself on a rock near the edge of the lake. "I have no intentions of getting in the water, and if you splash me, I swear to Merlin, I will hex you into next year."

Theo rolled his eyes, chuckling as he dived into the cool waters of the lake. This was exactly what he needed after all of the utter chaos that was his dormitory. Blaise went through moments of pure hatred and spite towards him to moments where he could care less who was in the room with him. Most nights like that, Theo found himself rolling his friend into bed and then hoping that Blaise would sleep through the night, allowing the rest of the room some peace to sleep in.

Since their fight, Daphne and Blaise refused to be in the same part of the castle. One of the pathetic first years who desperately wanted a spot on Slytherin's Quidditch team was playing moderator between the two of them, telling Blaise when it was safe to return to the dungeons because Daphne was out somewhere doing Merlin knows what with whomever she could find. Or at least that was how Blaise's mind interpreted all things that involved Daphne being away from the common room.

Theo thought their behavior was downright childish, but he knew better than bringing it up with either of them, especially not Blaise. Blaise would happily take a swing at him any time he's given a chance. If he was going to take his chances with any of them, Theo was more willing to take a chance with Daphne. At least if she swung at him, he would be able to deflect her swing by grabbing ahold of her wrist. Or if she did manage to hit him, it wouldn't sting nearly as much.

Daphne tucked her foot under her arse as she watched Theo enjoy the cool waters of the Black Lake. There was a coolness in the air that brought a calmness to her body. That calmness was not felt by her mind, however. Every time she thought she found herself moving on from Blaise and being okay with what had happened, something else would pop up as a reminder. She wrapped her hand around her stomach and let out a deep breath. "I really hope this is all just stress," she mumbled.

"What was that?" Theo asked, startling her as he popped his head up and rested his arms on the rock she was sitting on. He looked her up and down carefully. "Is there something you haven't told me?"

Daphne nodded her head slowly as she moved her hand from her stomach to her lap. "Yes, there is. But I'm not ready to talk about it yet."

Theo furrowed his brow and grazed his teeth along his lower lip, taking a deep breath. He looked her up and down once more, his eyes lingering on her stomach as his mind flooded with all of the possible things she needed to tell him. "How late?"

"Two weeks," Daphne sighed, leaning down to rest her chin on her knees as she took a few deep breaths.

"Have you?" Theo started to ask, only to be cut off quickly.

"No," Daphne quipped, shaking her head. "And I'm not telling him until I absolutely have to."

"Who else knows?" Theo asked, reaching out to hold Daphne's hand as she kept her arms wrapped around her knees.

"No one," she replied, squeezing his hand gently. "I didn't even want to tell you until I knew for sure."

"When can you find out for sure?"

Daphne pinched her eyes shut tight and shook her head. This was not the conversation she wanted to be having right now. All she wanted to do was get out of the castle for a few hours just to avoid the wrath of those who had taken Blaise's side in their breakup. She just wanted to be left alone.

"Okay," Theo sighed, rubbing his thumb against the back of her hand. "We don't have to talk about this now. But now that I know, I'm going with you to find out for sure."

Daphne's head shot up with her mouth open to rebut, but she closed her mouth when she met Theo's eyes. She rolled her eyes and nodded her head slowly. "Fine"

Theo laughed as he pulled his hand away from her and pushed himself up out of the water and onto the rock. He took a seat beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him. "Everything will be okay. You don't have to go through this alone."

~xoxo, Gossip Witch ~

Want to be a part of the Gossip Witch fun?

This story is meant to be slightly interactive. Submit anonymous blasts about the students at Hogwarts and you might find your prompt used as inspiration in a future chapter! Submit your blasts to the xo-gossipwitch blog on tumblr.

Thanks for continuing to inspire this story!