Lynn was still waiting to find out what Madame would do to keep Beauxbatons from discovering Quidditch. All she had done the day of the announcement was tell them the truth: that she had no idea that Dumbledore had been planning to make such an announcement. She had said nothing about what would happen when the tournament actually arrived, nor did she explain what Quidditch was to her oblivious students.

Now it was Saturday, and with Madame shut up in her study to keep from any dangerous questions, the Beauxbatons students had been left under the obligation to study. So Lynn was one of many who had returned to spend the day at the castle, searching the book-filled walls of the library for the knowledge to get her through the next two weeks. As per usual, however, Aimee had been pulled immediately into "alternative research" with the twins and Lee Jordan. Similarly, Dani had disappeared down some hallway with Seamus, saying she'd rather explore "more useful areas of knowledge". Lynn hadn't asked her to elaborate. She didn't really want to know.

This left her alone, or at least somewhat alone, in the library. Her assigned guard of Beauxbatons was here, of course, but elsewhere in the library, sitting with Fleur. Lynn had bought herself some privacy by saying she needed to find some books for her History of Magic class, and walking off among the forest of bookcases. It wasn't entirely a lie, but Lynn couldn't deny the fact that she really just craved a moment to herself, without them watching over her like hawks.

Sighing, Lynn pulled Chronicle of the Troll Wars from the shelf above her head and opened it to a random page. She was fairly certain it had nothing at all to do with what she was studying in History of Magic, but since she already knew everything they were covering in class, it didn't really matter. "The ladies" as Madame called them, probably wouldn't be fooled, but wouldn't in all honesty care enough to do anything.

The library was silent where Lynn stood now, only interrupted every once in a while by a laugh or muttering from the nearest study groups. She sighed and turned so she could lean up against the bookcase. All she could see now was the seemingly endless wall of books that stretched out in front of her. Book after book of knowledge, but none of which would be able to help her. She closed her eyes as the now-familiar moisture began to form in her eyes, and took a deep breath.

If she hadn't ever figured it out, if she had just stayed oblivious like the rest of them…then she wouldn't be a prisoner of her own school, but she would still be a prisoner in a scheme she wouldn't even recognize. There was no way out. The moisture was seeping out despite her closed eyelids, but the sensation was so familiar now Lynn barely registered it. There would be no one to see her anyways.

Just as she thought this though, Lynn began to hear footsteps in the silence of the library. Someone was getting closer to her aisle. With a start, she opened her eyes and swiped twice under her eyes, then turned in the opposite direction of the footsteps. She didn't know who it was, but she was in no mood to talk to anyone. The footsteps stopped before she had a chance to leave the aisle though. Lynn sighed in relief.

"Lynn."

Lynn froze. She knew that voice so well. The footsteps started again, and this time she knew they were behind her in the same aisle. She tried to start walking again, but her mind was fighting with her heart, and she tripped and stumbled over her own feet. His arms caught her before she hit the ground, and held her up on her feet once more.

"Lynn, I need to talk to you."

She closed her eyes forcefully and shook her head. She already knew what he would need to talk about.

"Please," he said again, quieter, and right next to her ear.

She turned around this time, partly without meaning to, and found that his face was only inches away from her own. Suddenly she could hear the wind through the leaves of the Forbidden Forest again, and see the stars twinkling overhead that night after the Ball. She stared up into Oliver's eyes, looking for some way for this to be okay, for the logical part of her brain to stop telling her to turn and run. It was like those terrible brown eyes were all that existed and she could lose herself submerged in them, staring up from his arms.

It was unclear to her that time still existed, so she had no idea how long they stood there staring at each other. It was long enough apparently, for Oliver to see the shadows under her eyes and the streak marks, and for at least one of them to remember what was going on.

"Lynn, you need to tell me," he said, staring at her intensely.

She faltered, eyes flickering across his face. She shook her head again, running a hand slowly along the dusty nearby bookshelf.

"No," she said quietly.

"Why not?"

Lynn swallowed. She ran a finger up the spine of a book about Indian warlocks.

"You can't help us," she said.

Oliver's snatched her wrist quickly away from the bookshelf, forcing her gaze from the binding. He was glaring again, clearly angry with her. The defense of her logic buckled a bit at the knees.

"Why not?"

"You don't know what you're getting into," she said darkly.

"Whatever it is - you're up to your ears already."

"My ears are fine."

He started to smile then shook his head furiously.

"Lynn-"

"You have to leave this," she cut him off forcefully. "Promise me."

"Have you met me!?" he said, incredulous, voice raised with his hands.

Lynn shushed him, nervous.

"We're in a library!" she hissed.

"We're always in a library!" he hissed back.

They had moved closer together somehow in the heat of the argument and she found that her heart was racing in her chest. This was absurd. He was getting her worked up on purpose, she knew it, in hopes that she would spill once pushed far enough. She almost was - it seemed like a such a beautifully simple option to tell him, to see the anger fade (though temporarily) from his face. It was those damn eyes.

"Whatever this is, you need help," he said.

He traced her cheek gently, brushing his thumb under her eye.

She felt herself melting for a moment and smiled slightly in a sad way.

"You have to tell someone," he said.

She didn't answer. She searched his eyes for any trace of deception, but he nearly glared back with sincerity. It was all she wanted to tell him at that moment everything that was going on, and the realization of this longing made her unsure of whether she should smile, laugh, or just continue to stand there silently.

Oliver's face drew closer to hers as she stood frozen. She focused on his eyes again, savoring the brown shade once more. There was barely a fraction of an inch between their lips now. His nose brushed gently against hers, and she could begin to feel the familiar warmth between his lips and hers.

Then, just as she closed her eyes and felt the softness of his lips against hers.

"Zere you are!"

They broke apart with a start, and Lynn turned to face the voice. Sure enough, Fleur had appeared around the corner of the aisle, holding a pile of textbooks and trying to look innocently surprised. She must have finally noticed how long Lynn had been missing. It seemed unfortunate that time still existed.

"Here I am," Lynn said dully.

Fleur raised an eyebrow but Lynn barely noticed. She was a little more preoccupied with Oliver, whose arms were now wrapping protectively around her own from behind her.

"Well, it ees time to go back to zee carriage now," Fleur said, eying Lynn carefully, thrown by the sudden change in behavior.

Lynn kept her face blank. She didn't need Fleur knowing how completely desperate she was to stay right where she was at that moment. No one moved. Fleur didn't dare to break the silence, and Lynn wondered if her uncharacteristic comment had really affected her that much.

"So this is how Madame is handling it then? Forbidding Lynn to speak to her own friends? To speak to me?"

Oliver's voice was unusually intimidating. Lynn suddenly realized the real reason for Fleur's hesitancy to speak. The supernaturally beautiful part-veela's face was shocked from fear, just as she'd looked when she saw the monstrous dragon she was to face for the first task. Lynn watched the terror-stricken features of Fleur's face for a moment before realizing she barely knew whether or not to be scared herself.

She glanced up at Oliver's face to see his brow set as though etched in stone, eyes determinedly blazing straight through Fleur as though she was nothing beyond her dainty façade. The intensity of his gaze was different from before, when it had been Lynn he demanded answers from. There was something the same about the light behind his eyes though, as if he already had an idea what those answers were. It reminded Lynn of something her father had once said about Muggle lawyers, that they only asked questions they already knew the answers to.

Was that what Oliver was doing, then? Trying to get them to give him something else, like a confession? Lynn puzzled silently over her own questions. Oliver looked down at her reassuringly, easily dissipating the fear she'd felt earlier. Fleur took the moment to try and regain her footing.

"We 'ave to go back now," she repeated, more surely now that Oliver had stopped glaring.

Lynn turned back to Fleur and nodded once. It was all she could handle; there were so many thoughts and questions whirring around in her brain that if she moved it too much she felt it would explode. She turned to face Oliver, trying simultaneously to face the reality that she couldn't spend forever standing there in the library; she would have to return to the carriage eventually.

Oliver looked down at her and kissed her forehead, but didn't remove his arms from around her. Instead, he stared once again over her head at Fleur. It wasn't in the same hostile manner as before though, but questioning.

"It ees not up to me," Fleur said, answering his silent question.

"Then who is it up to?"

Lynn didn't see Fleur's reaction, and there was no change in Oliver's expression. She did hear the footsteps though, as Fleur left the aisle.

"Lynn," Oliver said, fixing her with those terrifyingly wonderful brown eyes again, "It's the only way."

Lynn looked up at him, not completely comprehending, but nodding all the same. Oliver looked down at her for a moment, then took her hands and kissed them.

"I have to go," Lynn said.

Oliver nodded, although he looked the most distraught she'd ever seen him. He rubbed his thumbs over the backs of her hands, and then watched her sadly as she walked away, until she had rejoined Fleur in the next aisle and was out of his view.