Chapter 3
Potions, Secret Sickness
X
After being unconscious for nearly a day and a half Quinn finally woke up from her exhaustion induced slumber. Now it was November 2nd, more than a day since the incident on Halloween and it was now midday Sunday. When Quinn woke up she was surprised to feel something warm touching her hand gently and without even opening her eyes she knew, instinctively perhaps, that it was none other than Rachel Berry touching her so gently with her hand. There was something that made Quinn know, without having to even open her eyes, that it was undoubtedly Rachel holding her hand so very tenderly. Quinn breathed in deeply before opening her eyes a crack to see who she thought she would and Rachel, too busy stroking Quinn's hand, hadn't yet noticed until she happened to glance up at Quinn's face. Upon seeing that they were cracked open the slightest bit Rachel immediately sat up straighter in her seat.
"Quinn, you're, you're awake! I'm not dreaming again am I?" Rachel whispered excitedly, not quite able to raise her voice knowing that there was another student in a nearby bed. "I have to go tell Madam Pomfrey about this but … first before I forget I need to tell you that Luciana apologizes for unintentionally hurting you the other day. She also wanted me to tell you that the reason she fought you so hard was because she wanted to meet your friends. She told me to take care of you, Quinn. She wanted to make sure you were taken care of. I need to go tell Madam Pomfrey that you're awake now but I'll be back in just a moment, Quinn." Rachel was a bit reluctant to let go of Quinn's hand but she did so anyways. Rachel chalked it up to worry for Quinn despite finding it a slightly odd feeling to have period. Quinn waited patiently and after a few minutes Madam Pomfrey and Rachel appeared and they seemed to be talking about something very important with the way Rachel was gesticulating animatedly.
"… and that's all her parents told me that I can actually tell you. They said that they have more to tell Quinn in a separate letter because Veela's can only really speak with each other about their culture with the exception of a Veela's mate. I cannot tell you more of this unless you'd like to discuss this with Quinn herself. Veela only reveal necessary information when extenuating circumstances occur such as this one concerning Quinn's unfortunate unrequited love. If you would like to ask Quinn if she is willing to share any other details with you that is up to your discretion but what her parents have told me and what they will tell Quinn is for them to know. I am not even told the full extent of Quinn's situation, only what is necessary for me to know, due to the fact that Veela are quite secretive, and for good reason, about their mating rituals. Something that isn't common knowledge but somewhat known of is the fact that it is easy to kill Veela who are fully bonded with mates simply by killing their mate the Veela will also die steadily after their mates have been killed. I've even heard of a Veela going mad before dying for a period of half a year after their mate had been killed several decades ago. Anyways, Miss Berry, I must attend to Quinn. She needs a potion now that she's awake." Madam Pomfrey realized her mistake upon seeing Rachel's face morph into concern but before she could ask Pomfrey had quickly thought of an excusable reason, "I need to make sure she's not having any side effects from her exhaustion and I have just the potion for that brewed." Rachel visibly relaxed upon hearing that and went over to Quinn promptly.
Stopping by Quinn's bed Rachel hesitantly reached out for Quinn's hand, who gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I need to go catch up on some homework now that I know that you're okay, that you're safe, I can finally breathe again. I only left your side for meals because I was so worried about you. I did bring homework in yesterday but I could hardly concentrate on any of it. Which reminds me, would you like me to have someone bring your assignments to you?"
Pomfrey spoke up, "that will hardly be necessary since I'm sure she will be fine, Miss Berry, but thank you for the offer. Once I check over her again, give her a potion for precaution, and everything is okay, I will let her go. I'm sure that she is okay now and as I told you, her parents are sure that it was just because of her Veela's power surge two nights ago and they have assured me that she will be well after some rest."
"You go, Rachel, and I'll catch up with you in a bit." That was when Rachel noticed how deep and gravelly Quinn's voice sounded after waking up from sleeping. It was rather … sexy. Rachel mentally shook those thoughts away from her mind and gave Quinn a nod before, once again, reluctantly untangling their hands and leaving with one last look at her Veela friend.
X
As the days turned into weeks and the Christmas holidays were now coming up Quinn was only growing sicker and sicker. It had now been more than four months since Quinn had fallen in love with Rachel Berry and she still was no closer to the diva returning her feelings. Some of Quinn's friends were starting to notice it more, Rachel especially. Out of all of her friends the only ones who knew, somewhat, of the situation were Mike and Rachel and everyone else was just guessing about why Quinn was progressively looking a little worse for wear. There was to be a Quidditch match today, two weeks before the holidays started, and Quinn was dreading her performance in it. She didn't think she would do well with her fatigue and heart arrhythmia becoming steadily worse as the days went on. She went on to the Quidditch pitch, feeling a warming charm being cast on her she looked around quizzically only to find Mike smiling behind her.
"I didn't want you to catch a cold Quinn. It's freezing out and I know that you're already feeling … a bit erm, ill." Mike said in explanation. Quinn smiled at him with the corner of her lips twitching up.
"Thank you Mike, I really appreciate your friendship." Quinn knew she was running out of time faster and faster, the longer her unrequited love dragged on. "You go on ahead, I forgot to grab something," Quinn said and she waited for Mike to leave before drinking her dreaded potion. She'd been taking double doses lately to try to keep her strength up. Quinn's face contorted into displeasure as the awful tasting potion washed over her taste buds. She put the vial back into her robes and moved on to the Quidditch pitch just as Madame Hooch was telling the team captains to shake hands and she mounted her broom and flew over immediately.
Today was Ravenclaw against Slytherin and Quinn knew to be extra careful because their beaters and chasers weren't above using foul play to win. And it was about 15 minutes into the match that Quinn realized what she had thought would happen came true. She saw the bludger coming at her and quickly swerved so that she was flying up to avoid it only to find that two of their chasers were waiting for her and she quickly flew in a different direction, using years of honed flying skills to dodge them. Rachel, who had been looking for the snitch, noticed the commotion and flew over to her teammates angrily, telling them off and when they shrugged innocently she threatened to throw the match by not even bothering to look for the snitch if she saw one more incident of attempted foul play by any other team member. That got them to begrudgingly admit that they wouldn't dream of it. Satisfied that they would keep their word Rachel flew over to where Quinn was still in the air after having just scored a goal.
"Are you alright Quinn?" Rachel asked worriedly, noticing Quinn's struggle breathing and the edges of fatigue around her eyes. Quinn nodded wordlessly, panting into the cold air.
"Fine." Quinn said shortly. Quinn decided that perhaps taking her second dose of potion now would be best because she was feeling so haggard in this moment. Quinn attempted to turn her head away as she took another vial out and quickly threw her head back to drink it.
"Is that … is that your potion because you're sick?" Rachel asked softly, feeling concern in seeing how very worn out Quinn looked in this moment.
Once again, Quinn nodded. "Yes, back to the match Rach." Quinn said, not realizing she had called Rachel in a rather familiar way or noticing the grin on Rachel's face as she flew back to her position as chaser. The match ended up being a tie with 180 points each. Slytherin ended up catching the snitch but Ravenclaw's main chaser, Quinn, managed to score 100 points alone during the match. It was an exciting match to be sure.
The week leading up to Christmas Rachel was becoming more and more concerned for the one person she was starting to see as her best friend. Quinn was becoming sicker and it was apparent to Rachel that she was not well and had not been well for quite some time, not since she had found her mate. Rachel instantly felt a slight resentment towards whoever Quinn's mate was for unknowingly putting Quinn's health at risk like this. Whoever this supposed mate of Quinn's was, they needed to get their head out of their butt and notice Quinn's love for them already. Quinn had stressed to her several times that she did not want to approach her mate with declarations of love because her mate was already in a happy relationship and she didn't want to ruin it for them. Her mate's happiness meant more to her than her own health it seemed and Rachel found that unacceptable. Little did she know that the person she was constantly mentally berating was in fact herself because she still had not caught on to the fact that Quinn was always, always looking at her with such gentle eyes. Or that Quinn's touch was always a tad too affectionate for friendship. Rachel, naturally, noticed none of this but she certainly noticed other things about Quinn that sometimes made her feel things she had never quite felt before.
One day, when Rachel had been coming out of her Charms class she noticed that Finn and Quinn seemed to be having a conversation of sorts out in the hallway. Finn looked annoyed, constipated to those who disliked him, as he spoke to Quinn and upon coming closer to them Quinn, to anyone else, looked indifferent to his annoyance but to Rachel, she could see some fear in her eyes. The closer Rachel walked the more words she could make out of their conversation, "so you just stay away from her or I'll tell her all about your secret and why you're always in the hospital wing, taking those potions. Your secret sickness won't be so secret anymore will it?" he asked snidely and Rachel was utterly disgusted. She never knew Finn to be so … cruel and calculating. He had always been sweet to her and was a rather well-liked student, a popular student, at Hogwarts. He was the keeper for Hufflepuff's Quidditch team and all around nice guy. There seemed to only be very few people who actually disliked him and the one person who openly disliked him was Santana Lopez but otherwise, he was really well-liked.
Upon hearing Quinn's voice Rachel snapped out of it. "Go ahead and tell her then, tell her that someone is irrevocably in love with her, is dying from loving her so fiercely and unconditionally like I do. I'm sure that she is a romantic person and loves such a romantic notion. I would die loving her and I technically am dying right now. I don't … I don't know how much more time I actually have to be honest. I thought that you, of all people, would be more understanding of such a situation, of such dire consequences. I thought that you were a better person than this but … I suppose not." Quinn blew out a deep breath when she noticed Finn's expression change. He seemed to regret his harsh words as he looked at Quinn with remorse. "I think, if I hadn't been taking my potion so early on, I might have become weaker much sooner but as it is … I do not know if I will still be alive a year from now if I do not have her love me back fully. It is your choice, tell her or don't. I do not care what you choose to do so long as you do not lie about the situation. I don't know how much longer I truly have Finn but I do know that one of my cousins nearly died after 4 months simply because she is nearly a full blooded Veela. I am half and so I do not have much more time than she did. I might have another year at best … if not less time than even that if I am unlucky, if I simply don't have the strength to hold on any longer."
"Look, I'm sorry about my outburst. I just … I didn't mean that crap I said and it was just me being a git. I only confronted you about this because she keeps talking about you and worrying about you because she's aware of you being sick. She sort of knows why, too. Of course she doesn't know who you're in love with but I'm not … I'm not going to tell her who it is because I was being a git, an irrational one not thinking of what kind of consequence it would have if I told her." Finn hung his head, unsure of how to continue. Quinn reached out to him with her hand.
"You don't have to say anymore. This is already rather risky, me saying this much in a hallway, no matter how seemingly empty, where anyone can overhear me. I should just go now. I need to finish my assignments early if I even want a decent Christmas break being stuck here. I wish … I wish many things were different but as it were I do not have the strength to travel back to my family right now. If I could … I would have chosen someone else Finn. I truly would have. I would not have chosen someone already taken, someone in a good relationship but my loving her is something out of my control. I cannot and will not apologize for my feelings but I do apologize for the inconvenience it has caused both of you." Quinn paused, bringing her hand back to her side. "I hope you have a Happy Christmas, Finn. I must be going now. Madam Pomfrey needs to see me about something." When she turned she noticed Rachel right away and all color drained from Quinn's face. "How … how long have you been standing there, Rachel?" Quinn's voice showed how on edge she was and what she was actually asking was, 'how much did you overhear.'
The way Rachel was looking between the two of them without saying a word Quinn had a feeling she knew how much Rachel had heard. When Rachel finally spoke she had both Finn and Quinn's undivided attention. "I heard Finn telling you to stay away from someone and then threaten to tell whoever this 'she' is about you and why you're sick and always in the hospital wing and taking potions. I'm going to guess that the 'she' in reference is the person you're in love with and slowly dying for. And, essentially, I've heard enough to know that Finn was being very ungentlemanly just now and that you are scared to tell whoever it is you fell in love with about your love for them because they are already in a relationship. I am unaware of who this girl is … yet. I won't know unless either of you tell me who she is but I refuse to force it out of you Quinn. As for you Finn, I am highly disappointed by what I witnessed just now but I know that you are an emotional person and you let your emotions rule your words just now so I will overlook it for now." At Rachel's pause both Finn and Quinn exchanged a look that Rachel couldn't interpret because it was over before she could figure out what it was they looked away from each other.
Quinn addressed Rachel, "I must see Madam Pomfrey now so … I'll see you after the holidays Rachel. Happy Christmas." She smiled at Rachel gently as she walked by but before Quinn could walk passed her Rachel reached out and pulled Quinn into an unexpected hug. Quinn was completely shocked and the only sign she showed was the little gasp she let escape from her lips. After being momentarily stunned Quinn responded to the hug and wrapped her arms around Rachel as well, relishing in this feeling.
"Promise me that you'll take care of yourself during the holiday break? Please, promise me Quinn." Rachel was holding on tightly, afraid for Quinn in a way that she had never felt for anyone else before. She knew now, to a certain extent, how sick Quinn truly was. It was a subject that Quinn had never discussed with her before despite Rachel being aware of the situation and every time Rachel had attempted to bring it up before Quinn would somehow sidestep the conversation and she always managed to bring up something else that Rachel became entirely distracted by and thus Rachel never knew how truly little time Quinn had.
Taking a deep breath in, taking in the scent of her mate, Quinn felt her Veela purr in satisfaction, in utter elation. Rachel smelled like a mixture of apple pie and vanilla. Rachel smelled pleasant and so right. After being held in this embrace for several moments Quinn found her voice and answered, "I will do all that I can to buy myself more time but I do not have much left. As you heard earlier … I have a year at most at this point." That was questionable, having a year, but Quinn didn't want Rachel to worry unnecessarily. Quinn was sure that the reality was she actually had perhaps another 8 months. That was her being optimistic though.
"Don't lie to me Quinn. I heard what you said to Finn. I know that you possibly have much less time than even that. I know you don't want me to worry because we're … friends but … I … I would be beside myself if you died on me. I know we've only been friends for a little while but I have come to cherish you deeply as you are a true friend." Those words caused a reaction in Quinn, the pain both her Veela and her felt in that moment caused a momentary shift in Quinn's hands before they changed back. Quinn wasn't sure if Rachel had noticed or not but Rachel said nothing to indicate that she did, she just held Quinn until Quinn broke away from their intimate embrace.
"I wasn't lying Rachel … just merely being hopeful that I have more time." Quinn's voice held something in it that Rachel couldn't quite identify. "I really must go now though, I have to go see Madam Pomfrey. I wish you both a Happy Christmas." And with that Quinn was disappearing down a corner of the hallway.
As soon as Quinn was out of sight Rachel rounded on Finn with a scowl. "Finn Hudson, I am not just disappointed in your behavior, I am so disgusted by it. How dare you threaten Quinn in such a manner over something as uncontrollable as her heritage! I can't believe you. I understand that you are unaware of the finer intricacies of her heritage but that is no excuse for how you spoke to her, threatened her, and intimidated her. Quinn is someone who is struggling enough with the fact that her mate is someone in a relationship but the fact that you would use that against her is just vile. I had no idea that the Finn I've come to know and care about would ever do such a thing so thoughtlessly, so cruelly. I hope that during the holiday break you reflect on what you did to Quinn."
Not letting Rachel leave things like that, Finn's arm shot out to grab her by the hand. "Do you even know who Quinn is actually in love with Rachel? If you did you might not feel that way about her anymore."
"It doesn't matter, Finn! It doesn't matter to me who it is she is in love with in the least!" Rachel said, her heart constricting slightly at the words she spoke. In reality it did matter to Rachel more than she said it did because she would like to go up to that girl, now that she knew it was a female, and shake her and tell her to break up with her boyfriend. "What matters to me, Finn, is that Quinn is dying because the person she loves doesn't love her back. What matters to me, is that Quinn refuses to tell her mate about her love for them to save her own life because she doesn't want to cause them unhappiness. What matters to me most is that Quinn is dying a little bit more each day she isn't loved in return and that she might be dead by this time next year. Those are the things that matter right now, Finn." By the end of it Rachel's heart was pounding so quickly in her chest and she was actually panting almost breathlessly at the thoughts swirling around her mind.
There was silence between them for too long before Finn finally broke the silence. "I'm sorry Rachel. I know that I was being a big git and I'm sorry, I'm so sorry about that. I really wasn't going to tell her … erm, mate, about anything. I was just saying that because I was mad about who her … mate ended up being. I figured it out because I sort of noticed who it was she kept looking at and I sort of … you know, notice her because of her thrall and all. I would never cheat on you Rachel but it's sort of hard to not notice Quinn, you know. I look at her a lot because I can't help but notice her since I'm a guy and that's how we all are around her. Girls who swing that way look at her too. Anyways, I apologized to her about that and I meant it Rachel. I understand how you feel because I'm disappointed in myself too. We should get going though. I need to go finish packing my things up to leave and I'm sure you do as well."
Rachel nodded her head and left, not bothering to respond verbally to Finn as she walked away from him with many thoughts churning in her mind.
X
The days of Christmas break passed slowly for Quinn. She felt how the distance from Rachel made her feel. It made her even more tired than she was and her symptoms had temporarily felt worse, progressed, because of the anxiety she was feeling. Thankfully Quinn was able to calm her Veela down with reassurances and her health went back to steady. She mailed her parents throughout her holiday break and even her sister had sent her a worried letter, probably thanks to their parents' owling her about the length of time she had discovered her mate and the lack of progress since then. Frannie wasn't necessarily the prying type but in her particular letter she was asking Quinn what the problem was, asking what it mattered that her mate, Rachel, had a boyfriend. She told her to go for it instead of hesitating because this was her life at risk and not something of much less importance. Frannie wanted Quinn alive for when her inevitable niece or nephew was born and for so much longer than that. She watched Quinn grow up, helped raise her, and they went through a lot together as siblings so there was no way Frannie was going to watch her little sister die before her time should have been up. It was an emotional letter and Quinn had to dry her eyes when she saw her Christmas presents next to her bed Christmas morning. Frannie had given her a magical locket that had two clean halves to it labeled 'Big Sister' on the right side and 'Baby Sister' on the left side when opened. It melded together perfectly whenever they were placed next to each other and it showed, on the individual half, what kind of health each sibling was currently in. Frannie explained that she had one as well and whenever it showed the color yellow or orange someone was in good or great health. When it changed to the color blue and darkened to darker blues the wearer was in bad health and the darker the blue the worse their health, green was for minor illnesses, red was for dangerous situations, gray for emotional turmoil, and black meant near death. Frannie's half of the pendant showed a light gray, the darker the grey the more emotional turmoil, while Quinn's was a moderately dark shade of blue. As soon as Quinn had worn the pendant the color changes were immediate and perhaps that was why Frannie's showed some gray.
Sighing Quinn moved on to her other gifts and found joy when she noted that one of her presents was from Rachel. She had given Rachel a present a few days before the holidays started as well and maybe it was a bit irrational but she felt overjoyed at the sight of Rachel's gift to her. "I wonder what it could be," Quinn muttered softly under hear breath as she unwrapped the present slowly, trying not to ruin the paper. A soft smile broke out on Quinn's face as she opened up the box that housed her gift. It was a little magical music player with recordings of Rachel's voice singing various songs and when she opened it the sound of Rachel's wonderful voice washed over Quinn's room.
You're not alone
Together we stand
I'll be by your side
You know I'll take your hand
When it gets cold
And it feels like the end
There's no place to go
You know I won't give in
No, I won't give in
Keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through,
We'll make it through
Just stay strong
'Cause you know I'm here for you,
I'm here for you
There's nothing you can say
Nothing you can do
There's no other way when it comes to the truth
So keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through,
We'll make it through
Rachel's voice was so utterly beautiful and the song she chose caused emotions to ripple through Quinn. She was sure that she fell a little bit more in love with Rachel somehow, impossibly. While Quinn had fallen in love with Rachel in that single moment of clarity she only knew some of the diva's personality traits from having various classes with her over the years and she hadn't really known the diva. Now that she did Rachel continued to surprise her without fail every moment they were around each other, something that should have been impossible but she managed effortlessly. It was a bit maddening. The rest of Quinn's Christmas passed in a blur as she awaited the second term to start. She finished all of her homework and watched the curious wonder that her sister had gifted her each day for any and all changes. Frannie's half changed throughout the days and Quinn knew, with some accuracy, when she was thinking of her and wondering about her health. Her sister's half changed between yellow, orange, and gray throughout the day and weeks while Quinn's own half stayed a constant blue though she did notice that from the time when she first received it and now, the day before term started, hers had become a darker blue.
X
Quinn could tell that she was becoming quite ill. She felt exhausted constantly now and she was becoming so much weaker, unable to run any amount of distances anymore. Her irregular heartbeat was a constant reminder that it was unhealthy, that she herself was unhealthy. It was now nearing Valentine's Day and therefore more than 6 months since she discovered that Rachel was her mate and her declining health was showing. The teachers had noticed and she had had to sit in on a meeting with the headmistress, McGonagall, because Madam Pomfrey had gone to her to tell her that one of her students was in declining health and nearing her death soon. Rachel, Mike, and several of the blonde's friends were worried about her. Mike had been keeping an eye on Quinn ceaselessly lately and Rachel was even worse, beside herself with worry over her dying friend and her refusal to tell her mate about her situation. Quinn just wanted to close her eyes and pretend this wasn't happening to her some days but she couldn't do that, couldn't let it come to that, dying in her own sleep.
It was a relentless pain but something that Quinn noticed was the darkening of her necklace. The dark blue was nearly pitch black now and she knew it was only a matter of time before her parents and sister would show up at Hogwarts, accommodating her on her final days. Something that was perhaps, fortuitous, did occur during the Hogsmeade visit this year, which happened to be Valentine's Day as well. Quinn had been browsing around with Mike, Tina, and Marley when a soft argument nearby caught their attention.
"I don't get you Finn! You said you were sorry but now you're saying nasty things about her! She's dying for goodness's sake, dying. What about that can't you understand?" Rachel was hissing her words and trying to keep her voice down.
"Have you ever thought that she might be faking her symptoms Rachel, faking this whole thing just to get … erm, someone's attention? How do you know that none of this is all fake and made up just so she can get the person she's in love with to give her more attention?" He asked, his voice just as heated but soft spoken.
Rachel made a disgusted noise, and Quinn tried to move her three companions away from the conversation they were intruding on but they weren't paying her any mind. Quinn sighed at their lack of attention, rather their focus of attention on something else, to her attempt at giving the arguing couple some privacy. The choice was left out of her hands when a particularly loud outburst, that would have caught someone's attention from 10 meters away, came from Rachel. "Finn Hudson! I can't believe you right now! It's one thing for you to say that she's stubborn, that she is intelligent, that she is a brilliant person, but it is another thing entirely for you to say that she is lying about something so undeniably true! She is DYING and I will not stand for you calling her a liar, for you to so much as insinuate such a baseless, horrid accusation! Can't you see how tired she looks, how pale, and utterly sick she is? Quinn … Quinn might be dead in a few short months and you don't care at all? And least of all with not caring but you are blatantly ignoring the fact that she is genuinely ill and are, worse yet, calling her a liar for it? I can't believe you Finn, I really can't. I … you're not the same person who asked me out last year and I'm done with you, we're over." With that Rachel turned to storm off only to find the stunned faces of four people she hadn't realized, or noticed, had been standing there for quite some time. The person who made Rachel freeze over was a single blonde in the group of brunettes who noticed her gaze falling on her before promptly attempting to run away from the scene.
Despite her illness Quinn was running quite swiftly, she was almost at the castle when an arm shot out and grabbed her to forcibly stop her from entering the castle. Quinn was completely out of breath at this point and she feared that she would collapse right there from how erratically her heart was beating. When she turned to the person she most dreaded facing, because she knew it had to be Rachel, she noticed that Rachel was nowhere near winded by the fast sprint they had just made. Quinn shook her head, signally that she couldn't speak right now and made a motion for Rachel to follow her, which she did without question. Rachel could tell that Quinn wasn't feeling well and the run must have made her feel even worse, even weaker. As Rachel followed Quinn she realized, belatedly, that they were still holding hands and she blushed at the thought. Over Christmas break Rachel realized that she had kind of fallen in like and was crushing on Quinn over the course of their months of being prefects and friends together. Rachel then lamented over the fact that she had no idea who Quinn was in love with and she hoped that, whoever that lucky girl was, she was deserving of someone as beautiful and kind as Quinn, someone as amazing and gorgeous as the blonde was.
They walked into the hospital wing in silence, Quinn had finally regained her breath, and was speaking softly to Madam Pomfrey, after they both reluctantly broke their hands apart from the comfortable handhold. It felt like a matter of seconds rather than minutes had passed before Quinn returned to Rachel. "Let's go somewhere more … private. This needs to be a private conversation," at Rachel's nod they left and Quinn led Rachel down several hallways she recognized until they entered a room Rachel never knew existed. "This is called the Room of Requirement. It turns into whatever the person who is in need of something requires, hence its name Room of Requirement. I actually stumbled upon this room during my first year here when I had become lost and was searching for Ravenclaw tower. What ended up happening when I entered this room was actually quite … amazing. This room had appeared before me and when I entered it was a room that was a map of the entire castle with the layout of everything, including hidden passageways. It was nothing short of astonishing to my inquisitive mind and since then … whenever I need somewhere to disappear to or just a quiet place no one will disturb me … I come here for solitude and sometimes for somewhere to study in peace without the constant stares. That's not what we're here for though." After a moment of silence Quinn finally asked, "Why did you chase after me?"
Swallowing hard Rachel responded, "I chased after you because you ran and not only that … it was also because of the look on your face before you balked and started running away from … me. At least that's how it seemed. I wanted to ask you so many questions. I still want to … if you'll answer them that is, if you want to answer." Rachel was looking into Quinn's face with such a tender and vulnerable look on her face.
Just looking at each other for a few moments Quinn finally nodded her head, "go ahead and ask me your questions and I'll answer what I can, Rachel."
The moment Rachel opened her mouth Quinn's entire body tensed in anticipation, "the person you're in love with … do they know yet?" Quinn shook her head, that gave Rachel mixed feelings. "Have you … have you even thought of approaching them yet?" Quinn paused, a neutral expression on her face as she thought about it. In the end she shook her head once again in answer to Rachel's question. "Is there any way you can tell me who it is, who your mate is, Quinn?"
Taking a deep breath Quinn looked up and Rachel saw the usually hazel eyes flicker with blue in them. "My mate happened to break up with her boyfriend fairly recently, actually, Rachel." The look in Rachel's eyes, the hitch in her breathing caused an uncomfortable twinge in Quinn's chest. "I hadn't expected them to break up so soon after they dated for nearly a year so I was prepared for my family to visit me in just a few months to be honest, Rachel." The look on Rachel's face caused Quinn immeasurable heartache.
"I would have never let you go that far Quinn, never. I … you mean too much to me." The look in Rachel's eyes caused something to shift in Quinn. She could feel something in the back of her mind telling her that she was not imagining the look in Rachel's eyes, on her face. "Don't you understand how much you mean to me?" Rachel's voice spoke volumes and filled in the blanks that her words left. Quinn finally understood what Rachel was saying because she thought back on the letter her parents had sent her explaining how the closer Alice was to dying the more Isabella started to realize that she was in love with her. This must be happening to Rachel as well. Her mate was falling in love with her slowly but surely.
Quinn was smiling a smile Rachel had never seen before and she was slightly stunned by its radiance. "I think I do understand Rachel," Rachel smiled upon hearing that and Quinn thought to herself, I'm more aware than perhaps you are, and Luciana agreed.
Silence was present for a few moments before Rachel finally said, "I'm worried about you Quinn. I've been worried for a long time now, ever since you told me that your mate has yet to return your affections, since the moment I've been aware of how much it hurts you, makes you ill. I only want what's best for you and I want to help you in any way I can so … is there anything, anything at all I can do to help?" The earnest way Rachel was looking at Quinn made her heart race. Quinn's throat became dry as she looked Rachel who was genuinely asking her this. She wanted to just lean down and give Rachel a kiss upon her lips, they were close enough that it wouldn't have taken much. Quinn wanted Rachel to make the first move though, if possible, so that she knew she was ready. Rachel had, after all, only just broken up with Finn only about an hour ago as it was and she wasn't going to make it seem as if she was the cause of it all, though technically she was. Not only that but Quinn was sure that Finn was going to accuse her of this very thing the next chance he got, which he inevitably would.
"All I need from you, Rachel, is for you to keep being you and I'm sure I'll start feeling better soon, maybe." The way Quinn said it made Rachel's heart clench painfully, wondering who the lucky girl was, the one with Quinn's heart and eternal love. That girl had better be worth all of the pain Quinn had gone through. "If she comes to me and tells me she loves me I will start to feel better but until that day … my heart's deterioration might only slow down slightly. I just hope that she starts to see me soon, that she'll approach me and finally know that she is my mate. If not … I know that I don't have much more than a few months left."
X
So, the next chapter here with lots of love hopefully!^^ I want to say that if anyone wants to know, I do not yet know how long I'd like to make this story but it probably won't be a long, drawn out story since I think I'm better at shorter stories that are somewhat planned. Happy reading and please review with your thoughts on this chapter!^^
姫宮光る