Pain nestled deep within her skull, Talia letting out a small groan, draping a hand over her forehead, refusing to open her eyes in fear of light hitting her retina. Several tastes coated her tongue, from bitter to copper, all of them still burning in her memory. She wanted nothing more than to erase everything inconveniencing her that very moment "Oh no." slowly everything returned to her mind, events from the previous night burning inside of her.
"Good morning." The voice made her sit upright in an instant, a startled Chiara sitting at the foot of her bed, suddenly hesitant in approaching her patient. Talia's vision blurred, the aftermath from the curse still riddling her body, however she still stared at the stranger despite all colour leaving her face "You shouldn't sit up just yet."
Slowly, she approached Talia, offering her another beverage, which somehow tasted even worse than the one from last night. Scouting the room, there was no sign of Talbott, alarm bells going off in her head as she rose a hand to massage her forehead "Crap."
"It will help with the pain. I managed to finally convince Talbott to properly rest and eat something." All Talia provided was a small nod, hands finally pushing away the thin covers "No, please, you still need to rest. Such a hex" she stopped arms outstretched.
"Is my concern. " Talia cut off Chiara as gently as she could possibly muster "Thank you, but I can manage." Placing her feet on solid ground, she tested her body sitting up straight, careful not to topple over despite the white dots painting her vision. Sounds faded out for a few moments, gradually returning as she took a small step, steadying herself fearing she would meet the floor.
Chiara silently watched her late night patient straighten herself, breaths heavy as she searched within herself to grind her teeth and just escape the hospital bed. Talbott did ask her not to leave her out of sight, however the image of her almost punching Talbott last night told her the woman wobbling away was more dangerous than what met the eye. Her suddenly hoisting herself up like that after a few hours of rest drilled the idea in her head even more, her feral eyes chilling her to the bone.
Reaching her room felt like a monumental task, cold sweat coating her forehead despite the heat within her flesh, but the new brew was beginning to kick in, everything inside her reaching a bearable state. She needed to wash and relax for the time being, alone, without any prying eyes.
Inside the Great Hall, Talbott enjoyed an early breakfast, hot coffee tickling his throat as he sat at in his usual spot at the Ravenclaw table. The action came involuntarily, him just sliding into what used to be his usual seat for many years, that if he actually decided to eat with everyone.
He did not really think about changing his seat, it was close to the door so he could make a swift escape but far enough from the groups of students laughing and gossiping. A smile tugged at his lips as his eyes surveyed the almost empty room.
It was not that long ago since he graduated, however it felt like the last year of his life tested him more than seven years under the Hogwarts roof. He had been all alone, subject to Jasper's whims and silly tests. The camp still felt like a punch to the gut, something pushing him further from his actual goal, not a stepping stone, but another wall. At least this time, he was not alone.
Staring at the liquid inside his cup, he made a mental note to bring some to Talia since he knew she would not properly function without it.
Sharp eyes turned to the door as fast paced footsteps rang down the corridor, ginger hair and double trouble appearing in sight, Fred and George Weasley grinning at him from ear to ear. Raising a thick brow, Talbott could barely get a word out as one of the twins sat to his left, the other to the right boxing him in "Yes?" rising the coffee mug to his lips, he waited for them to reveal the reason for their visit.
"Just the man we were looking for. Here, some Wide Eye potion for your late nights." Came from his left accompanied by a flask of said potion as Fred rested his elbows on top of the table.
"Did you enjoy your late night escapade in the Transfiguration room with your girlfriend?" Talbott almost chocked on his coffee as he stared at George mirroring his brother's actions "You two sat there most of all and very close to one another."
Ignoring the fact that they knew, the question fell from his lips "How?"
"Oh we have our ways and we can help. Tell you about the Boggarts, the person roaming the halls, coming and going." The twins jumped on top of the table, feet prompted on the bench bellow, eyes watching in amusement the bewildered Talbott "In exchange you teach us an advanced spell and Talia the same, one for each of our troubles." The twins beamed "Now shall we go to a more private place?"
One Obliviate spell later, by lunch time, Talbott sat inside the Owlery, Marauder's map in hand which he had borrowed from the twins to aid him and Talia in their search. How he was going to convince her to teach them a spell was beyond him at that point. They did not remember the name roaming the halls at night, which was an inconvenience on its own.
However the stars finally shined down on him, he had help, an item to help on their mission.
His eyes scanned the countless names moving across the paper, finally locating Talia near the shores of Black Lake. She was not walking around or pacing, however seeing her so far away from the school grounds did not sit well with him. Even if there was no one around, she was still out in the open, exposed to danger.
Finally making his way down to the lake, he did little to hide the animosity in his voice "Why aren't you in the Hospital Wing?" and more so why didn't Chiara tell him she left? Talia sat on a small blanket under a large tree, shade protecting her from the sun. She did not even turn to look at him, instead continuing to stare at the lake, mind lost in thought "Answer me. You can't possibly be feeling well." he was actually very upset she left the Hospital and he wanted her to know that.
Stepping next to her, her pale complexion spoke of too few hours of sleep, dark circles evident under tired eyes, however one thing was clear, that was the calmest she looked since arriving "I needed time to think. Calm myself. Come up with a new plan."
He did not sit even when she patted a spot close to her, movements lazy and slow "What are you on about?" preferring to stand instead, she allowed him whatever felt more comfortable. There was something off about her, but he could not quite place what.
"My request to Dumbledore" she paused as if testing her body, seeing if the hex allowed her to speak in that manner "came at a very young age. I wanted to have something, a choice in case I was caught. I do not fear pain, I only fear that particular one." Slowly she got up, taking a few steps towards the lake, a deep inhaling bringing back a shadow of pain darkening her features "I needed something to call my own, even if that was the moment of my death. As long as I held that power, I deceived myself, forced my brain into a false sense of security." Turning, she offered a small smile "I made a mistake with you Talbott."
"What are you saying? Stop talking in riddles and give it to me straight." There was no denying the sinking feeling taking root in the pit of his stomach, everything apparently unravelling at a faster pace than he could handle.
"I am a beast in many ways and somehow I feel you are too fragile for my blood stained teeth." Seeing him glare daggers her way did not make her step back, attempt to romance his ego "I take pride in being dangerous, it gives me great pleasure when I win and triumph over even the smallest things. What I don't like is feeling weak."
"I don't know where you're going with this, but I don't like it." She nodded knowingly, eyes lingering on his face as she took note of the small changes taking place. He was good at hiding emotions, however sometimes his eyes would betray him for a second, jaw tensing before relaxing, muscles rigid under his perfectly ironed shirts.
"I put too much pressure on your shoulders, bombarded you, showed that weakness I hate so much." Her arms wrapped around her body as if she was trying to hide, hunching slightly, a sight he was not used to, seeing her look so small. Almost lost even "I complicated your life in a matter of hours, I couldn't even last a few days." She lowered her gaze to his feet, teeth worrying her bottom lip prior to speaking once more "It's not fair towards you."
He could swear a headache was trying to invade his skull just by hearing her talk yet he remained silent, letting her trample everything that she managed to accomplish the previous night. Looking up at the sky, he cursed in his head for even showing weakness in front of her. He knew, he damn well knew she was dangerous, that someone like her would not waste a breath on someone like him.
"I'm sorry Talbott, but from now on I won't show you my weaknesses, you have seen enough of them." She wobbled slightly, the state of dizziness threatening to return as she walked over to him "You deserve nothing but the best." Placing her hands over his arms, he refused to drop them, eyes not meeting hers "What's up with you?"
"So this is it? Just like that?" finally he looked down at her, jaw tight, eyes burning with raw emotions. Her brows lifted slightly, confusion forming in the fine lines on her forehead.
"Talbott." There was a firmness in how she spoke his name, grounding him, putting a stop to his hectic fears, refocusing thoughts "That I'm saying is that I want to offer you nothing but the best. Not blur out words and emotions when you make my knees weak with just one look." His hands slowly unravelled on their own, falling to his side "I can't tal about my past anymore, you got your wish, I was honest, but no more. No more looking back please, I can't, not with you being in front of me in the present and hopkefully my future."
Her eyes betrayed her, begging him to understand what she was no longer willing to speak "I don't" he immediately retreated, wishing to start anew on his sentence "You don't need to hide with me." his hand reached to rub the back of his neck, a habit he could not quite lose over the years, eyes shifting. Her lips pressed in a thin line, the grip on his arms tightening "I want you in my future as well."
"Talbott I" taking a deep breath, her head spun but for different reasons "I really don't want to ruin this. Us." Slowly, her hands travelled up his arms "I want to learn about you, know all the details you refuse to give away and protect your secrets. I want to be there for you so please don't ever think I would let you go at the drop of a hat." Soft palms cupped his cheeks in a tender touch "I don't want you to ever be alone again."
As her arms brought him closer, he shut his eyes tight refusing to release the strangled breath of relief forming in his chest. He allowed her to surrender herself in his arms, for what he could not form with words, he expressed in how close he held her near his body. Mistake or not, she felt the closest to happiness he had ever gotten. If she was willing to have him he would gradually show her in, let her, allow her to stand by him.
"I prepared a picnic." She explained once he finally let her go, pointing to a basket near the tree.
"And I have news." Pulling out of his pocket the map he smirked "But this comes at a price, so prepare a spell."