Sorry for the delay! But the good news is we only have one more chapter left, plus an epilogue, and I am determined to finish the whole thing by the end of the month, so stay tuned! Things continue to progress for our young "potential" couple as they start to make plans for their futures.

Also, I was told that the Hufflepuff common room and quarters are actually in the basement/dungeons of Hogwarts-whoops! While I consider myself a fan, it has been a looooooooooong time since I picked up the books, so I apologize for that detail being missed :oP Anyway, I hope you are still enjoying this and please let me know what you think! THANKS FOR READING!

Chapter Six

1917

Things were different, and not in the way Tom wished they were.

If truth be told, there were days when he regretted revealing his true feelings to Sybil, simply because he missed the closeness they once shared. Ever since their third year, he and Sybil would sit together in the Crawley's private train car, eating sweets from the trolley, and talking about upcoming classes, which professors they had for the year, the friends they would be reunited at seeing. It was always hard, leaving home again at the end of summer, but Sybil's friendship always made it easier to endure, and quickly reminded him why he loved going back to Hogwarts. It had nothing to do with the magical world he had unexpectantly inherited; it had everything to do with Sybil.

Mary only protested about Tom joining them in their train car that one time; she soon accepted the reality (even if she didn't agree with it) that no amount of protesting from any members of the Crawley family, including the imposing Earl of Grantham, was going to stop Sybil from being friends with someone like him—a working class Irish Catholic (and a muggleborn). Matthew was also always on his side, and Matthew had a way of softening Mary, even if the both of them were too stubborn to admit that they fancied each other. And thanks to the broomstick lessons he had provided Edith during his third year, soon there was another member of the Crawley family to whom he could call "friend".

The journey to Hogwarts last year had been different because not only was it the first time without Mary or Matthew, who had finished the year prior, but it was also coming back after the turbulent year with the Easter Rising. He hadn't been as warm or welcoming to Sybil on that journey, and part of that was because he had quickly realized (at last, if he were honest with himself) that his feelings for his best friend ran much deeper than friendship.

He was in love. He was in love with Sybil Crawley, a pureblood witch, and an English aristocrat to boot. And he honestly didn't know what to think. Was he a traitor to his people? His country? To the memory of his cousin who had died on that fateful Easter Monday? And what were her feelings? There were times when…when he thought for certain she felt the same way as he; moments when he caught her eyes looking at him, the way she sometimes blushed when they spoke. But then there were moments when he was certain she didn't return his affections; that she was simply being her lovely, kind self, like any decent Hufflepuff. And it was because of these conflicts and anxieties that he had avoided her at the start of their fifth year. But he should have known better; he should have realized that this was not the answer, because sure enough, her curiosity did get the better of her, and she did seek him out, and more or less demanded an answer from him, and then the whole truth was revealed at last…

And now things were different. And again, not in the way Tom wished they were.

It was their sixth year now, and Sybil was the only Crawley left, still attending Hogwarts. Tom would have relished that moment, being alone with her at last in her family's train car, but after the revelation of his feelings, things were just too awkward. So instead, Sybil invited other members of Hufflepuff House to join them in the car, and like the previous years, they all ate sweets and talked about classes and teachers, but the excitement that was once felt had completely vanished, or at least it had for him. That journey, he sat near the window and gazed out at the rolling pastures of the English countryside, feeling more homesick than ever before.

He had hoped that once the new school year truly got under way, the melancholy would lift. He was captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team now, and two weeks after the new school year had started, Prof. Hughes called him into her office, smiling and informing him that after many long weeks of discussion, the Hogwarts school council ruled in favor of granting female students permission to tryout and join the various house Quidditch teams.

Such news would have made Tom grin from ear to ear in the past. In the past, he would have ran from Prof. Hughes' office, and seek out Sybil right away, telling her the good news, before encouraging her to tryout (she would make a brilliant seeker!) But Sybil had lost interest in Quidditch; she hadn't even come to last few matches the previous school year. No…Sybil's interests and focus had changed completely.

Nursing.

The art of magical healing.

This was where her passion now lay. And this would be where he would find her, no doubt (if he chose to go looking).

Now it was he who would sit in their nook in the library, all by himself. He, who would go and eat his meals in solitude. He, who would ask others in the Hufflepuff common room if they had seen Sybil. And while no one said anything, it was apparent to everyone that something had happened between the both of them. And it wasn't anything good.

Not that he blamed her for this new interest in nursing and magical healing. Sybil only wanted to "do her part". The War was raging across the Continent. As much as the wizarding world tried to ignore it and pretend it was only a "muggle matter", more and more wizards were joining and volunteering for various posts in the army, from Matthew, to Sybil's friend, Tom Bellasis, of Ravenclaw. In fact…it was Tom Bellasis (or rather, his death), that had moved Sybil to take action.

"Tom! What's the matter with Sybil?"

He was reading in the common room, but looked up at the sound of Anna's question, surprised and started by it. "W-w-what?" he stammered, a cold chill running down his spine. Oh no, what was it? What had happened? Why was Anna asking him that? What did she know? What didn't he know? But that he should, because…because she was still his best friend?

"We were sitting together at breakfast, and her owl suddenly appeared! Brought her a telegram, but I don't know what it says; but as she read it, she sucked in a breath and her eyes started clouding with tears, and when I asked her what was the matter, she didn't say anything! She just…leapt to her feet and ran away! Have you seen her? We have History of Magic together, and she wasn't there!"

That wasn't like Sybil to skip a class. She had a rebellious streak, certainly, just like him, but she loved her classes and even when she had been in the ill in the past and had to miss something, she hated it. So for her to purposefully not go…something must be bothering her.

"I'll see what I can find out," he promised, before rising from his place and leaving the common room, though where he was going…he didn't quite know.

The thing was, he and Sybil didn't have many secrets, and that included "secret places" to hide. He checked their nook in the library, several classrooms, the owlery, even the Quidditch pitch—but she wasn't at any of those places. Now he was worried that something horrible had happened to her (she wouldn't go into the forest, would she?) and was a step away from reporting her as missing to the headmaster, when Prof. Hughes saw him and called out. "Oh Mr. Branson! I do trust that Lady Sybil is alright?"

Tom froze and looked at the professor. Did she know something he didn't?

"I saw her in the infirmary; she was speaking with Dr. Clarkson—she looked distraught, the poor dear," the mistress of Hufflepuff explained.

Tom's eyes widened at the woman's words. "The infirmary?" he whispered.

Prof. Hughes nodded her head, though now she was frowning with confusion. "Yes…I thought perhaps you knew, since the two of you are such good friends…?"

Tom felt shame fill him at her question. "Aye, we are," he answered (which he hoped was still true). "Thank you, professor," he murmured, before turning and swiftly walking to where Prof. Hughes had last seen Sybil, ignoring any further questions the teacher was calling out. He soon found himself running, ignoring the ghosts and painted figurines who tsked and tutted at him as he raced through the school's halls and up it's moving staircases. He didn't stop until he finally reached the infirmary, and only then did he slow down upon hearing Sybil's voice.

She was talking…and there were two other voices talking as well. He peeked around the corner and saw Dr. Clarkson, as well as an older woman standing next to him, looking very sympathetic as Sybil spoke.

"I…I mean…we…we weren't that close, but…but still…his cousin, Imogen…we practically grew up together, and…" she paused to blow her nose.

Tom felt his heart shatter at the sight of her sweet face, pink and puffy from crying. What was it that had happened?

"Sometimes…" Sybil murmured after taking a few deep breaths. "Sometimes it feels as if all the boys I've ever danced with are dead…"

Tom's brow furrowed at her words. What…what was she…?

"This isn't right…people like Tom, so…so young and full of life! They go out and give their lives, while…while I—while all of us, just…just CONTINUE as if nothing has happened! It isn't right!"

Tom had frozen at the sound of his name. However, he quickly realized it wasn't him that she was talking about but another Tom…and that was when he made the connection.

Tom Bellasis.

"Oh my dear," the woman sighed, wrapping her arms around Sybil. "I'm so, so sorry…"

Sybil leaned into the woman and sobbed against her shoulder. Tom's arms ached then, wishing he could be the one to provide her that comfort, but grateful all the same that someone she clearly knew and trusted was there to give her that.

After a few moments, Sybil's sobs became sniffles, and finally she lifted her head and gazed back at the woman in whose arms she was finding peace from her grief. "Thank you for coming at such short notice, Cousin Isobel," she whispered, wiping her eyes, and then thanking Dr. Clarkson for the handkerchief he offered.

Cousin Isobel? It was then that Tom recalled that Matthew's mother (whom he had never met) was named "Isobel". Was this that woman?

"You're very welcome my dear, but it's Dr. Clarkson who deserves your thanks in contacting me via the floo system," she murmured, turning to the doctor and smiling at him, who looked down and blushed.

Sybil gave the man a thankful smile, before turning back to her cousin and releasing a frustrated groan. "I am sad for Tom…and his family. But…but I…I just can't stand how we're not doing anything! Good people like him and Matthew, volunteering to help and do their part, while the rest of the wizarding world chooses to do nothing, simply muttering that it's nothing more than a 'muggle war'! And not just this, but…but ANY struggle! I mean, what's happening in Ireland for example! The injustice being done there! The wizarding world chooses to remain silent rather than respond to any of it!"

Tom couldn't deny he was surprised by Sybil's passionate words. They hadn't really spoken that much about what was happening in Ireland…or in the muggle world in general. While he would read the Daily Prophet like other wizards, he would also read muggle newspapers too, something that set him apart from many of his fellow witches and wizards. And while he himself wasn't in favor of the War that was raging on the Continent and Britain's role in it (and its insistence that Ireland should also send her sons to do battle, while denying them their independence), he did think that the wizarding world's choice to simply "ignore" everything that was happening, because it was only "affecting muggles", wasn't right. On that, he agreed with Sybil.

"I just…I wish there was more that I could do," Sybil groaned. "I want to do real work, have a real job! Because…" she paused as if remembering something, before continuing. "Because when my time here at Hogwarts is over…I'll return to my life at Downton as if nothing has changed. The world back home doesn't stop, simply because I am here."

One corner of his mouth lifted at hearing Sybil's words, remember something being said to her in a very familiar manner when she had found in him the owlery.

It was strange, he realized; he had never really given it much thought, sadly, as to what it would be like for Sybil, when she returned to Downton. He had made the assumption that because her family were purebloods, they would have a better grasp on understanding all that was happening in the wizarding world, and the various opportunities that witches faced. But based on what little he had just heard…it sounded as if Sybil would simply be returning to a world where, like other nobleman's daughters, she would be thrust back into the "marriage market", sent to London to "do the season" until someone her father thought worthy stepped forward and asked for her hand in marriage. And everything that she, and both her sisters had done while students at Hogwarts, would have been for naught.

Yes, there was something noble about learning for the sake of learning, but this was different. This was feeding a young mind and then denying it the chance to do more.

"Perhaps…" Tom lifted his head as he heard Mrs. Crawley speak. "Perhaps…Dr. Clarkson could use an assistant here, in the infirmary?"

Dr. Clarkson looked rather surprised by the woman's suggestion, but Sybil was looking back and forth between the two of them, her eyes wide but a look of hope illuminating her features. "Truly?"

Without waiting for an answer from the doctor, Mrs. Crawley nodded her head and continued. "Yes, because when I was a student at Hogwarts, Sybil—Hufflepuff as well," she winked. "I would serve as an assistant to the doctor, and then once I had finished my education, decided to take the knowledge I had acquired, both in the classroom and in the infirmary, and apply it to becoming a nurse! And I think you would make a fine nurse, Sybil, wouldn't you agree Dr. Clarkson?"

Tom was nodding his head in agreement, even though the question hadn't been directed at him. Indeed, Sybil would make a fine nurse. And she excelled in Potions, a class whose knowledge she could easily use in such a subject. And a profession that was needed, not only in the wizarding world, but the muggle one too! She could be in both if she so chose!

"Granted, I am biased," Mrs. Crawley chuckled. "But I always felt that Hufflepuffs make the best nurses and physicians."

Sybil was grinning from ear to ear now, and looking at Dr. Clarkson with so much eagerness. "May I, Dr. Clarkson?"

The doctor did seem a little hesitant, but in the end gave a sigh and nodded his head. "Yes, yes of course, Lady Sybil—or shall I say, 'Nurse Crawley'."

A joyful sound bubbled up from her throat then, and Sybil once again threw her arms around her cousin, hugging the woman tightly and thanking her over and over again for the comfort and help she had provided.

Tom smiled too, but decided to slip away without letting Sybil know he was there, feeling as if he were intruding. Besides, he didn't want to steal her thunder in telling him about what had happened, which he dearly hoped she would.

And she did; that night, at dinner. She told him…and everyone else, gathered around them.

And he was happy for her…but sad, as well. If there wasn't a chasm growing between the both of them, there certainly was now. And while he was glad she had found something, a "purpose for her life" as she would call it…at the same time, he felt like he was losing his best friend.

"Or perhaps it's worse than that?" he murmured to himself as he closed the door to Prof. Hughes' office. "Perhaps I've already lost her?"

Still…despite the changes that had happened in their lives, Tom didn't hesitate to go and seek her out, knowing exactly where to find her.

When she was in the infirmary, she didn't wear her usual school robes like other students. Instead, she was adorned in a simple gray dress, with a white apron and a white headscarf wrapped around her head. He stood in the infirmary doorway for a while, watching as she bustled about, holding what looked like a teapot and refilling a few mugs to the infirmary's three patients (two Ravenclaws who were still dressed in their Quidditch uniforms, and one Slytherin).

"Oh! Tom!" she gasped when looking over her shoulder and catching sight of him. He smiled and felt his heart warm at the bashful smile she gave back. "Are you alright? You're not feeling ill, are you?"

"No, no, I'm fine," he reassured, smiling again at how deeply she had fallen into the role of nurse. She was a natural, that was plain to see. "I um…I just wanted to tell you something, that's all."

She nodded her head and placed her teapot down, before moving over to where he stood so that her "patients" wouldn't be disturbed (and that they could have a little more privacy).

"I just came from Prof. Hughes' office; the school's going to allow girls to try out and play Quidditch."

Sybil's eyes widened at the news, and Tom couldn't help but smile at the delight he saw in their blue depths.

"Oh Tom, that's wonderful!" she gasped, practically leaping forward as if to hug him, an embrace he would most definitely would have welcomed, yet she seemed to realize what she was about to do…and stopped herself before carrying on.

He tried not to let his disappointment show, and stuffed his hands inside his pockets as he took a step back. "So…does this mean you'll be trying out?" he attempted to tease. "We need a new seeker."

Despite his attempt at being light-hearted, he felt his heart sink as he watched Sybil's smile fade. It sank even further as she took a step away from him, the gap between them increasing. "I…I can't," she murmured, swallowing and looking over her shoulder. "I have a great deal of work here—"

"Work?" he looked back at the infirmary, taking in the three students who were there, all of whom didn't look so bad, as far as he could tell. "What work? Bringing hot drinks to injured Quidditch players?"

He regretted the words as soon as they slipped passed his lips. The truth of the matter was, he was frustrated by the distance between them. Frustrated and angry and his heart felt sick every time he caught her eyes and she looked away. Maybe it was his fault, maybe they were both to blame, but the truth of the matter was…he missed her. Desperately.

Sybil stared at him, her face pale and her eyes wide with shock, as if she had just been slapped. He could say all he wanted that he was just teasing her, but he knew better; he knew that if he were honest with himself, his frustrations had gotten the better of him and he had lashed out. He closed his eyes, ran his hand over his face and through his hair, before opening them and looking at her apologetically. "Sybil, I didn't mean—"

"Oh please, what exactly DID you mean, Tom?" she hissed, her eyes wild and full of angry fire as she glared back at him. "You know…I…I would expect someone like…like Larry Grey to say such things, to belittle what I do—but not you!"

"Sybil—"

"How could you, Tom? HOW COULD YOU?"

"Because I look at you, not being sure if you're mine, and I feel I may explode!"

Silence filled the space around them then, the quiet so…loud, it made his ears buzz.

A moment passed, and then another, before Sybil finally spoke. "Am I…am I possession to you?"

"No, of course not!" Tom groaned. Nothing he was saying was coming out right. "No, I…I didn't mean it like that, I..." he looked at her, his eyes locked with hers and despite the awkwardness, despite the yearning for normally to return between the both of them, he looked at her and he knew that wasn't possible.

"I love you…" he finally said, his words soft but clear. He had revealed his feelings to her a year ago, but he hadn't been so blunt. "I love you, Sybil…I…I have for a long time—perhaps even the first day we met on that train, just before starting our first year…"

Sybil sucked in a breath and stared back at him, not moving.

"I think what you want to do, to work as a nurse and to help people, be they muggle or wizard, is very noble. But…but I think your talents are being wasted by staying here."

Sybil's eyes widened again in surprise. "What…what do you expect me to do? I…I'm still a student here, I can't just leave—"

"I know, I know, but…but maybe you can talk to your cousin, the one who helped convince Dr. Clarkson into letting you assist here? Talk to them both, find out ways in which you can…go into the villages surrounding the area on school holidays or weekends or…or even start thinking about going to a proper nurse's college when you're finished here!"

Her eyes kept getting wider and wider with every word he spoke. Tom took a deep breath and stepped towards her, closing the gap between them. Sybil gasped and then blushed, but much to his relief and delight, she did not back away.

"I asked you last year to bet on me…but now I'm asking you to bet on you; you don't have to go back to that life if you don't want to."

"W-w-what?" she stammered, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"When you're finished here at Hogwarts; you don't have to go back and…and wait your turn to be married off to some duke or grand wizard or anything like that—live your life as you want! And if that means going into the world, be it magical or muggle, and working as a nurse, then do it, Sybil! I know you can!"

She swallowed and looked down then, but still, she did not move away from him. "It's not that easy, Tom—"

"No, it's not," he murmured, before moving his hand gently cup her chin and lift her face to look back at him. "But…sometimes a hard sacrifice must be made for a future that's worth having."

Sybil stared at him…her eyes holding his, and then just like the year before, when they were in the owlery, her gaze fell to his lips, and Tom felt himself swaying, his own eyes falling to her mouth, his heart racing as he felt her breath against his face. So close…they were so close…

She turned then, turned and stepped away from him and Tom closed his eyes and groaned. The chasm was back.

There was nothing more to be said. He had come to tell her his news, which had quickly escalated into something else completely. But…despite it all, he didn't regret it, not one word. Because he knew she could be more than just Lady Sybil Crawley, if she so desired. And perhaps, hopefully, she would believe that now too, if she knew someone else believed in her.

He turned then, trying his best to keep his head held high. But before he turned the corner, he heard Sybil call out to him, and with baited breath he turned back to her.

"What…what did you mean? When…when you said that? About…not being sure if I was…yours?"

He sighed and closed his eyes briefly, before opening them and meeting her gaze, holding it steadily. "You are, and always will be, my best friend, Sybil."

She nodded her head at this. "I see," she whispered. "So…so you meant you weren't sure if I was still your best friend?"

"No," he answered, which took her by surprise. "Though I will not deny that my greatest worry is that by being true to myself and telling you how I feel, that I've lost your friendship. But no, that's not what I meant."

She didn't blink. "Then…then what did you mean?"

He gazed back at her for a moment, his eyes looking so deeply into hers, searching hers for something, something that his heart was so sure to be there. And when he found it, he felt the corners of his mouth lift. "Actually, the question is…what do you mean?"

"What?" Sybil looked confused. "Me? I…I don't understand—"

"You're too scared to admit it, but the truth is…you're in love with me."