i have feelings, i swear (isla)

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As Head Girl, Masin was asked to help gather the things of the Hufflepuffs who had been taken in order to send them to their parents until the students could be found. Masin was in the boys dormitory placing Zanders items in his trunk when an owl flew in the window, dropped a letter off on his bed, and then left. Masin bit her lip, crossing over to look at the letter. It was addressed to Zander from Isla Doyle. Masin remembered Isla, a strange girl a year older than she and Zander... Isla and Zander must have kept in touch. Masin didn't open the letter, of course not, but she put it in his trunk and then sent her own letter.

She replied to Isla asking the older girl to meet her in Hogsmeade Village the following day. Many students were meeting their parents there to figure things out and so the school got an added Hogsmeade day. Masin figured Zanders name was already all over the news but... she needed someone to talk to about it and Islas name basically fell into her lap. Plus, maybe Isla didn't see it and needed to know.

So, now she was waiting at the spot where she asked Isla to meet her in the village. Many students were rushing to meet family and panicking, but Masin didn't bother to tell her parents. They probably didn't even notice the attack happened.


@isla

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Isla was surprised to receive a letter from Masin Delisle. She had no problem with the younger girl, obviously! But they’d always… clashed a bit during her schooling years. It was even more surprising when she received news of the attack on the school, and that several students had gone missing. One of which she’d been good friends with, and written only days before…

Isla made sure to get the day off, leaving her trolls in the care of her mentor. Looking more presentable then usual (And that being not wearing muddy boots and worn out jeans), she headed out. Hogsmeade was busy, especially so for this time of day. Families gathering to check on their children no doubt. It took a minute to spot Masin in the crowd, but when she finally found the older girl, she grinned brightly. ”Masin! There you are!” as energetic and chipper as ever the petite blonde scurried over with her usual care free strut. She noticed the pin on Masin’s robes immediately as audibly gasped. ”Head girl?! Well, that doesn’t surprise me one bit! You always were trying to keep the rest of us in line, weren’t you?” Finally though, she stopped in front of the younger girl and that smile softened. Now wasn’t the time for jokes.

”How are you?” she asked at last, concern finally in her voice.

@delisle

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Masin heard her name and tried to form a smile at Isla, but to no avail. She looked down at her robes as Isla commented on it and then a real smile was able to take it's place. "Oh, yes, thank you," she said quietly. Isla was always a little too upbeat and perky for Masin, but that was okay. Masin needed some contrast, especially right now. "Yes, well, now I get to boss people around with a pin. It's not much different," she joked.

Then Isla asked how she was and Masin was surprised by the strange wave of emotions that burned in her throat. She tightened her lips, shaking her head once reaching out to clasp Isla by the arm. "Let's sit somewhere," she asked, leading Isla away from the crowd of people.

Masin tried not to make eye contact with anyone, knowing Zanders and Caseys parents were somewhere in the crowd...

"I don't know if you heard. About Zander," she started.

@isla

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Isla could tell something was off immediately. But could you blame her? A lot had happened at Hogwarts. How much had Masin witnessed? Had she been in any of the fighting? ”It’s a good thing that you’re good at it!” she cheerfully exclaimed. She should be more serious, but the air in Hogsmeade today…. It was like a funeral. It needed at least a small reminder that everything would be fine.

The smaller girl was surprised when Masin reached out to touch her arm, but nodded. She understood now why Masin had written her. She needed someone to talk to. They didn’t speak until they were a small ways from the rest of the crowd, and as Masin spoke, Isla looked over at her with a sympathetic look.

”Yeah, I heard. About everything.” Not just Zander. Several seventh years, and a handful of others were missing. And Ethan… That had definitely hit her the hardest. Ethan had been a muggleborn, like herself. All the deceased students this year had been muggeborns. ”But that doesn’t answer the question, Masin. How are you?”

@delisle

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Isla had heard it all, good. That meant Masin didn't have to go into detail about it. About Ethan. Then, of course, Isla was brining up her question again and Masin bit her lip, pulling her arm back to play with her hands in front of her. She looked over at the blonde and was rather not prepared for what happened next.

Tears began to fall from her eyes and she shook her head rapidly, taking several quick steps back, Masin had to mentally talk herself out of running away right then. She shook her head, willing the tears away and stood up straight. She was rather skilled at that.

She took a deep breath, making eye contact with Isla again. But she forgot how to use words, it seemed, and managed to just stand there with her eyes getting wider and wetter by the second.

@isla

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Was Masin... crying..?!

Isla's eyes widened as tears started to run down the younger girl's cheeks. Masin Delisle was crying. Head girl, tough as nails, Masin. If there was one person she never expected to cry, it was Masin. What on earth had happened that night? What had happened to Masin? "Masin..." Isla reached out to place a hand on the girl's arm. Would hugging her be inappropriate? They weren't exactly 'friends' after all! But here she was crying, and Isla just wanted to try and comfort her.

"Come on, come sit down." She added, her tone softening as she motioned to a bench only a few feet away. "You weren't hurt, were you?"

@delisle

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Then Isla said her name and looked at her with those eyes, and Masin knew it was too late. She had given herself away as the weakling that she was. She looked down at the spot where Isla touched her arm and let out one, tiny, choking sound. Then Isla asked her to sit down and Masin nodded, crossing over the bench and taking a seat. "No, no," she muttered, shaking her head. Then she placed her elbows on her knees, running both hands through her hair before looking back over at Isla. "It's my job to keep the school safe. It's my job," she repeated, her eyes getting wider and her Head Girl pin growing heavier on her chest. "I let them down and Casey- Casey," his name came out as another sob that second time and she sat up straight. "He's Head Boy and he's, he's my..." she didn't know what to refer to him as. Especially those last few moments.

"They wanted me, Isla. They said my name and he... he was taken instead. He push me out of the way. And Zander. Zander I don't know how it happened and Ethan," she shook her head rapidly again. "Ethan," she repeated, taking in a deep, sharp breath.

@isla

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Isla listened as Masin spoke, never removing her hand from Masin’s arm. Masin needed someone to talk to. To open up to about what had happened. Someone that could comfort her. As Masin shared what happened, Isla’s eyes widened. They’d been after her? And Casey. She must have meant Casey Finnigan. Was there something between them? Masin had managed to stop herself before saying what Casey was to her.

After Masin said her piece, Isla was silent for a moment, gathering her thoughts. Now would be a terrible time to blurt out a typical Isla response. Taking a slow, deep breath, she smiled. ”So do something. The Masin I know wouldn’t just give up and roll over. They made you Head Girl for a reason.” She paused for a moment. ”I bet none of them, Casey, Zander, and Ethan, would want you to beat yourself up about this. They’d want you to get back u[ and show those bad guys that Masin Delisle won’t be broken.”

@delisle

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Masin was grateful for the moment of silence after she had said all of that, said all of those names. As Isla started to speak, Masin turned to look at her, her shoulders hunched forward in a very unladylike way. At Islas words Masin felt her lip start to quiver and her eyes mist with more tears. She was frozen for a moment before slowly nodding. "You're... right," she said, blinking back the tears again and sitting up a little straighter, but still not quite to Masins usual standards. "I should be showing people that we can... get them back. We can get them back, right?" another fleeting moment of insecurity swept her face as she asked the older girl this question. She knew the Ministry was trying. Everyone was trying. But still, there was that lack of faith. Everything had been so bad already... they could easily get worse.

@isla

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Isla smiled slightly as she saw the wave of emotion in Masin's expression. "It's okay to cry though too. Because crying is normal. It makes you human." She paused. "And it means you care. And caring makes you strong." And Masin was strong. Hard to get along with sometimes, but strong. And Passionate. Isla knew the Hufflepuffs, heck all of Hogwarts, was in good hands if Masin was there.

Isla stood up at Masin's question, turning to face the younger girl full on with a determined and hopeful look. "No. We will get them back." She corrected. "Every time someone messes with Hogwarts, they regret it. Because no matter what happens, we fight back. This time won't be any different. And it'll all work out in the end." And Isla believed that. With all her heart.

@delisle
(short, but meh... So Isla, hahaha. Being mama hen.)

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Caring makes you strong. Well that was a philosophy Masin agreed with. She wasn't sure about being human, however. Masin had always functioned almost like a strange machine and she had liked being seen that way. Seen as someone predictable who followed the perfect path and never strayed, never gave up. Still... she wasn't giving up now, right? So she was still on that path, wasn't she?

We will get them back. Masin bit her lip as Isla went on. She was right, of course. Messing with Hogwarts didn't end with for the perpetrators and this wasn't any different. Masin nodded quickly, breathing in deeply through her nose and out through her mouth. She sat up a little straighter. "You're so wise, Isla. I... thanks," she said, "I know you're right. We can beat this. We always have." History proved that.

@isla
(this doesn't have to go on much longer <3 I luv it tho!)

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Wise? Well, that wasn't a word most people would consider using to describe Isla, though it was oddly fitting. She was a rambler. Intensely so. She spoke her mind, with little to no filter or hesitation. That meant she was bound to blurt out the most awkward and interesting comments known to man, but it did mean that sometimes something 'wise' was bound to come out. "I just speak the truth." She responded cheerfully. Maybe that was what made her 'wise', her honesty.

Isla practically beamed as Masin agreed, saying they could beat this. She could see Masin's usual air of confidence and poise returning. " It's like wood. Sometimes, when it tries to be to tough and strong all it does it ensure it breaks easier because it can't withstand anything new. But then you get those tall thin sprouts that you don't think will ever make it. But because they can bend and bounce back, absorbing whatever was thrown at them, and throwing it right back. I thin you're that type, Masin. So you just need to bounce back and give them a good thrashing." Isla stood up then, holding out a hand to Masin. "But before you do any thrashing, we need to go get butterbeer and chocolate!"

@delisle
(le end)