bridge the gap [hazel]

[IVY BURKE]

31 May 2026

A hooded figure in a black cloak hurried down the cobbled street of Hogsmeade, looking out of place in the balmy early summer heat. The figure paused at a shop front, seeming to admire the gleam of a golden and mother of pearl necklace, before bustling on. If the figure didn’t want to be seen, they were not doing a very good job of it, as other shoppers looked back at them on the street, wondering why they didn’t take the ridiculous cloak off. Summer had come to the Highlands early.

The figure turned down a side street and slipped into the Hog’s Head, an establishment known for its seedy intel. But even then, Ivy did not remove her hood. She didn’t know how many people knew of her involvement with the goings on of the past month - she had trusted Ana not to spread the information far and wide of her betrayal, but everyone seemed to know. That Asher Burke was heavily involved in the Purifier movement, and someone close to him had leaked the information. It wouldn’t take the cleverest wizard to piece two and two together. That she had been the informant - surely Asher knew by now as well that his own sister had betrayed him. Ivy hadn’t meant to get him arrested, only to stop Elaine from destroying the school. And Ivy had even failed that.

Ivy ordered two gillywaters, and swept over to a corner table. She’d written to Hazel to meet her here at a quarter past the hour. Ivy checked her watch. Her sister, predictably, was late. With a sigh, Ivy took a sip of her own water, flinching at the movement. Her hand pressed gently to her opposing forearm, where thick, white bandages looped, hiding miserable scarring. In an effort to clear as many students as possible with Archie, Ivy had sustained what would be considered minor burns by fiendfyre standards. Two weeks in St Mungo’s, where she’d been treated on a private ward. Was it for her safety or for others’ from her? The scars licked her entire left arm, and part of her hip. She knew they would never go away, for they were cursed. At least one thing in her life hadn’t changed - Ivy would always stand out.

Hazel Rosalie Burke

[Hazel Rosalie Burke]

31 May 2026

It almost felt like returning to the scene of the crime. Hazel had visited Hogsmeade a thousand and one times before – this miserable little collection of doll-sized cottages in the middle of absolute nowhere in the armpit of Scotland – but this time it felt like she had stepped into a parallel universe. One where almost nothing had changed, but every glance around and every step reminded her that there was no going back. That there was an irreplaceable sense of loss that would stay with her for a long time. Hazel’s arrival to Hogsmeade was marked by a sharp crack as she Apparated messily, almost losing her balance and needing to do a little hop to avoid toppling over. But that was what happened when you didn't Apparate with focus and determination, and Hazel hadn't had either of those for weeks already. Her mind was everywhere, and her emotions too, and her magic was suffering for it. The great looming figure of Hogwarts in the distance was missing, instead replaced by only a shell of the castle walls which were barely visible in the distance. A shiver travelled through Hazel’s entire body, the metaphorical feeling of someone walking on your grave coming to life in a very real and physical way at seeing the husk of the castle from afar.

She had never thought much about the future or the past – only the present and what she could do with it. She'd been shameless about it too. But for the first time…this is what consequences look like, Hazel thought morosely, wrapping her arms around herself in a pitiful attempt at self-soothing. She’d never felt so small as when watching the Great Hall succumb to the flames, paralyzed students unable to lift a single finger while their eyes screamed with emotion and desperation. And she’d never felt so fragile as when the thought had first occurred to her, deep in the castle, that the flames of the fiendfyre could simply sweep her away and leave nothing behind. And who would notice anyway? The Purifiers had been almost like a game to her. It was the same ideal, the same claims she’d heard around the dinner table growing up -- but so far removed from reality, because nobody there had ever done anything to turn those thoughts into action. Muggles had no right to force wizards into hiding, because wizards were superior with the magic that flowed through their veins and lingered in the wood of their wands. That was an easy enough thought to wrap her head around, and she still believed it. Why wouldn't she?

But the consequences? The people that had gotten hurt in the name of the cause? Hazel could ignore it for years, because they were nameless. Out of sight, out of mind. She'd never worried herself about the gritty details, and instead enjoyed herself with pushing the boundaries of alchemy and reminding herself that she was only following the example of her older siblings (who both knew better and wouldn't lead her astray). But the thought of Asher in Azkaban…he’d never been her favorite sibling. In fact, most of what he did equally exasperated and infuriated her. But, as Hazel caught sight of her reflection in a window, Asher’s piercing blue eyes staring back at her in her own face (the only thing they’d ever truly had in common)…she couldn’t help but bite her lip and glance away. She’d never thought of Asher as anything less than smart and capable, the brightest of the three siblings (even if she would never admit it out-loud), and she’d never thought of the Burkes as anything less than a united front. But Ivy and Asher had found themselves on opposite sides for this one, and there was no doubt that Ivy had come out on top. Hazel adored her sister, idolized her even. But for the first time, she found herself…questioning it. Whether it had all been worth it, if the price was Asher. Whether she could truly take a side, when the consequences were so much higher than simply following her sister around or criticizing her brother for his lifestyle choices. This was real, and intense, and at the end of the day Hazel didn't know who to believe. Who had been right here.

Late or early, united or not united…it didn’t matter anymore. The Burkes had unequivocally lost, and it didn’t matter which side they found themselves on. Asher would spend the rest of his life coping with the reality of Azkaban, and Hazel would find herself coping with the reality of being the youngest member of a disgraced family. She knew what Asher would want her to do – he’d never shied away from informing her exactly what he expected of her, and he would no doubt already be waiting to hear news about what Hazel was doing to protect the family name and their future. But that thought seemed hopeless to her. And there was a lingering question here, one that Hazel finally set eyes on as she entered the positively filthy Hog’s Head and spotted the shadowy figure in the back. For the first time, Hazel didn’t know what her sister planned to do. And for the first time, she wasn’t sure she could follow Ivy there. There was still doubt in her mind, whether Asher had been right for defending the cause or whether Ivy had been right for turning against it. The thought of being alone, truly alone for the first time, was terrifying…but the thought of having to make the ultimate choice between her brother and sister was worse. She slid into the seat opposite Ivy, eyes lingering on her heavily bandaged arm and the easily visible consequences of the fire. Merlin, Hazel hated that word. She tried to find her trademark smirk, but could only manage a weak half-crooked smile. “Didn’t you hear me tell Asher? Wearing all black is so out this year, Ives.”

IVY BURKE

[IVY BURKE]

Ivy was the first to admit that the Burke’s had ended up on the wrong side of history. It had started long ago, with the wrong affiliation. Dark Lords came and passed, and time after time, the Burke’s with their blood purist ways aligned with the side that would always lose. All Ivy had wanted was for people to accept her - to not see her as an anomaly. Muggles and muggleborns had always been too hung up on her gender identity to see her as she truly was. Ivy was just a person. Her wizard colleagues had always seen her as a talented and thoughtful witch. Was it so wrong to want that sort of acceptance across all lines?

But it didn’t matter. Not anymore. Not since Ivy had double-crossed Elaine, betraying her to the ministry through her old friend Anastasia. Ivy didn’t know if Anastasia considered Ivy a friend or simply a pawn in her game. Either way, Ivy lost. But she forged onwards, holding within her a talisman of home, knowing she had done the right thing. The amount of lives that would have been lost if the ministry - and subsequently the Order of the Phoenix - had not gotten involved… she didn’t want to think about it. Ivy knew she had to hide away, that she wouldn’t be able to show her face in the UK for a long time. But she needed to explain this to her sister in person. And so, the hooded figure that was Ivy Burke waited rather impatiently for her innocent family member to arrive.

At long last, Hazel slid into the seat across from Ivy. The two girls locked eyes before Hazel’s cerulean gaze dropped to her heavily bandaged arm. Ivy didn’t move to hide it - she’d faced the consequences of her actions, and this injury was a heroic reminder of what she’d sacrificed. She was under no impression that she was safe. Quite the opposite. Even with Asher locked away in Azkaban (the thought of which made her feel sick), Ivy knew that other Purifiers were cottoning on to the fact that it had been she who had turned them in. Ivy had to disappear - and fast. Hazel tried to hitch her trademark smirk onto her lips, but failed, grimacing instead.

With a chuckle, Ivy dropped her gaze from her sister. Would this be the last time she saw Hazel? Dark eyes found light, and a sad smile spread across Ivy’s lips. ”You’re right, I should have worn something much more ostentatious,” Ivy replied dryly. She reached out with her uninjured arm, taking Hazel’s hand. She’d never been a very tactile person, but the idea that this may be their last meeting took a toll on her. ”You know why we’re here.” It wasn’t a question. Hazel wasn’t stupid, even if sometimes she feigned as much in order to get what she wanted. ”You know that I have to go,” she added in a quiet voice. There was a prickling behind her eyes that betrayed that Ivy was not as strong as the front she was putting up.

Hazel Rosalie Burke

[Hazel Rosalie Burke]

The two sisters quietly for a moment, and Hazel hated the heavy weight of the silence and the way it enveloped them both in mournful contemplation. It had never been this way before. Being around Ivy was easy, because she just got it – who Hazel was, and what she needed, and what she could give too. She had never tried to force the youngest Burke into becoming something she wasn’t, and they’d always been of the same mind in everything they did. God, Hazel hadn’t even given it a second thought when she’d followed Ivy to Hogwarts – she hated Scotland, but it had never even occurred to her to be away from her sister. But this awkward silence? Hazel couldn’t tear her eyes away from Ivy’s bandaged arm, wondering how deep the scars went. And she hated that she had to wonder, because her sister wasn’t a mystery to her. At least, she wasn’t supposed to be.

She couldn’t compare this to any of her scheduled lunches with Asher, though. Those were unpleasant in their own way (because Merlin her brother could be condescending and stupidly superior) but they weren’t a mystery either. Asher had never hidden his true thoughts from Hazel – what should be considered proper, what Hazel should be doing with her time and status, what he was doing to advance his own standing. And showing up at Hogwarts? Stupid, annoying, ridiculous, but predictable. Asher was incredibly loyal, as long as it was to the right people, so of course he would have gone to support Elaine during her final showdown. The disappointing thing wasn’t that he had gone, only that he’d let himself be beaten by one of her coworkers. And incidentally, one who definitely seemed the type to get physically ill if he even contemplated breaking a rule. Boring.

Ivy returned Hazel’s forced smile with her own weak chuckle. Hazel found herself automatically nodding her head in agreement as Ivy suggested she should have gone with something more ostentatious, her fingers absently playing with her own brightly-colored robes. She liked to stand out, and she’d always thought Ivy did too. But she couldn’t deny that Ivy fit right in with the rest of the Hog’s Head in her all-black ensemble, even hiding her face. Both sisters had descended to Hogsmeade all the time from Hogwarts, and they were known faces. But Hazel didn’t even know if she was a professor anymore, or what she technically was, and she supposed the same was true for Ivy too. “Or at least something that doesn’t look like it came from a potato sack,” Hazel concluded in agreement. Asher already dressed like he was allergic to good fashion, did Ivy really have to start too?

The thought was almost enough to cheer Hazel up, because it was such a normal thing to think. But Ivy flatly observed why they were here, and Hazel swallowed thickly as she latched tightly onto Ivy’s hand like it was a lifeline. Like she could change the facts if she held on tight enough. “Please don’t go!” The words escaped Hazel before she realized what she was saying, tore out of her like they couldn’t be said fast enough. Her voice was choked, and she couldn’t even decide what emotion she was feeling in the moment. Merlin, she was begging. That was a first, but the thought of Ivy leaving terrified her. “They still haven’t moved him. I’m trying to go visit, and you could come too and explain…” But Hazel trailed off. Explain what? That Ivy was the reason Asher was going to Azkaban? That she was the Ministry's inside man, and the way they had shown up so quickly to ruin the Purifiers’ big finish? The bottom line was that Ivy had known what would happen when she went to the Ministry, what she would do and what Asher would do…and she had chosen to go through with it anyway. Ivy was right. There was nothing to explain. She had to leave. But Hazel couldn’t accept that, so she only held on more tightly to Ivy’s hand. Being at Hogwarts with Ivy, playing with the Purifiers’ equipment and blindly following Asher's decisions for the family…it had all been a dream. The plea was evident in both her eyes and voice as she said, “This, us, everything...it doesn’t have to be over yet.”

IVY BURKE

[IVY BURKE]

The weight of their meeting didn't lift, despite both Burke girls' light words and soft smiles. Ivy knew that she had brought this upon herself - she had been acting for the greater good. At least, she told herself that time and time again. She had always been a staunch supporter of magical education - magic, the thing itself that had saved her from a miserable and hateful life. Hazel and Asher had never given her a hard time for being who she was, but the muggle boys and girls in their village had. Not only was her skin a different colour, but she hadn't acted right. Dressed right. Smiled right. When she'd finally shown signs of magic, it was a relief. She was different, yes, but she could be better.

Working with Elaine and the Purifiers had worked for Ivy for many years. She believed truly that magic folk were better than muggles. That idea didn't lessen, but the thought of condemning an entire school full of magical children did just that. Not to mention the fact that she was a teacher there - it was in that moment that clarity struck. Elaine was out for blood, and she didn't care who got in her way. Those who had been loyal to her were just pawns in a game of her own making. Was it the same for Anastasia Karkaroff? Ivy wasn't certain, but either way it didn't matter. She had to disappear. She had been the hunter, and now she would be hunted.

Ivy's voice was hollow, her eyes bright with unsaid emotion. She'd always been the most collected of the Burkes - Asher cold and calculating while Hazel was bright and flamboyant. Ivy had always been a background sort of person, observing, learning, applying her new skills. She squeezed Hazel's hand, offering a sad smile. "I have to," she replied again, her voice low despite being certain they weren't going to be overheard. Hazel was not a girl to beg, and Ivy knew that beneath her polished exterior, Hazel was cracking just as much as she was.

"I didn't think he'd actually do it. I didn't think he'd actually go in and attack them," said Ivy in a rushed whisper, her eyes pleading. "Why did he go? I could have protected him, but when did he ever listen to me?" she added with a dark chuckle. "There will be no visits from me, Hazel. I don't doubt what he would do if I got near him" she added sadly. While she and Asher had never been particularly close, it was a waste of a familial bond, what had happened to them. "So many more people could have died. Think of all that magical talent, gone to waste," said Ivy, breaking Hazel's glance. "Do you see why I had to do it? What I had to sacrifice? They won't take it laying down - they'll kill me, Hazel," said Ivy, her voice breaking at last along with the mask she had worn, tears, hot and thick, coursing down her cheeks.

Hazel Rosalie Burke

[Hazel Rosalie Burke]

I have to. Hazel didn’t want to hear those words, no matter how true they were. There were so many things that purebloods had to do, maintain the family honor and advance their lineage and blood. So Hazel had always looked for different things, to do what she wanted and not what she had to. Merlin, she avoided responsibility and duty like it was a cringey color palette, and she’d always left the hard choices to her siblings. So the idea of doing what she had to, or submitting to some sort of greater good that was bigger than what she wanted…Hazel hated that. Even as she knew that Ivy was right, that for the next while she’d be a target in the United Kingdom and couldn’t stay. And even possibly the thought that she could find some happiness if she left. That was a hard pill to swallow for the sister that had always stayed so close.

She gave a brittle laugh as Ivy fretted that she couldn’t believe what Asher had done. Her laugh had no humor to it, though, and sounded fragile and broken more than anything else. “He always thinks he knows better,” Hazel said bitterly, lips pulling down into a worried little frown as she avoided the impulse to bite her lip and ruin her perfect make-up. She didn’t know the full extent of what Ivy and Asher had gotten into while they were with the Purifiers, because her older siblings had always been much more involved in the cause than Hazel – who’d been more of a little fish than anything else. So she didn’t know if it was true that Ivy could have protected him, but she at least knew her brother. And his impulse to always be right and do all the heavy lifting.

Ivy looked almost desperate as she tried to give her argument convincingly – that she had to do what she did, that Hazel had to see why she’d done it. “I-I don’t know,” Hazel said uncertainly, the stutter another unusual new quirk of hers but betraying the fact that Hazel truly didn’t know anything anymore. Ivy had always had such grand ideals – advancing their society’s understanding of magical theory, training and honing the minds of the best and brightest the next generation had to offer. Hazel had never bought into any of that. She’d never bought into anything that extended past the end of her own nose. “But,” her voice dropped down to a whisper, “Who cares about all those other people? Family should always come first. Isn’t that what we were taught? That family always comes first.”

Loyalty was a tricky concept in the pureblood world, and the community had seen families rise and fall because they’d placed their trust in the wrong person. So Hazel’s lessons had always been kept simple. You could trust your family, because their interests were the same as your own. Everybody else was fair game to be neutralized if needed. But family was forever. Ivy had broken that rule, hadn’t she? And there were some who might see her as a hero for it, but they wouldn’t be purebloods. As Ivy began to cry, Hazel felt her own throat close up with emotion. God, she’d always thought her sister had all the answers. Now she was being forced to confront that nobody knew what they were doing. Asher was facing life imprisonment in Azkaban, and Ivy was afraid for her life. And where did that leave Hazel? “Ives, please, Asher will know what to do. He always knows what to do.” It was a weak answer, but it was all she had because Hazel couldn’t be trusted with anything. She reached across the table and gripped tightly onto Ivy’s hands, feeling her own eyes fill with tears. Thank god for waterproof mascara.

IVY BURKE

[IVY BURKE]

How much responsibility had always burdened the Burkes? For Asher, it had been to maintain the family name. For Ivy, it had been to prove she was not what everyone had thought to be. And for Hazel... well, perhaps it was to be different. Ivy saw the distaste in her sister's eyes as her broken voice pleaded with her. She'd had to do this. She couldn't condone senseless murder of children for a single person's gain. Unfortunately, Ivy had had to make a difficult decision, one that ended up condemning her own brother. "I wish I could have warned him," she murmured at last. "But would he have killed me on the spot?"

Ivy didn't want to know the answer, so she kept her eyes averted. "I love him still. No less. Well, maybe less than I love you, but still. He's my brother. But... he couldn't bear to be wrong, I think." She didn't know what else to say on the matter. She tried to explain why she'd felt the need to act, to inform Ana and subsequently the ministry of Elaine's plans. And still she'd been to late. Her heavily bandaged arm was a testament to that. "Maybe for you. But for me, I want to see a future. Beyond the Burke's. One that is brought to life by those magical children our brother tried to murder," said Ivy, disgust evident in her voice.

"Hazel, I know you loved those students as much as I did. Would you really condemn hundreds of them to a fate similar to my birth parents just because your brother agreed with it? You were never one to bend your will. You've always had to be different. Why does that stop now?" asked Ivy with a frown. "Some of those children were purebloods. How will society develop if they are dead? Their deaths would have put a stopper to the strong line of purebloods they would have bred," said Ivy, hating the words as they came from her mouth. But purebloods had always spoken of breeding and society. Always maintaining the proper image.

With a sigh, Ivy shook her head. "I hope so. But I won't be able to see it. I'll write to you, of course. Keep an eye on you from afar," said Ivy at last. "We'll land on our feet. And once the dust has settled... maybe we can start a new life. Together."

Hazel Rosalie Burke

[Hazel Rosalie Burke]

Hazel had never been one for self-doubt. There were other people out there – unexceptional, destined for nothing more than to live their dull little colorless lives – that maybe they might lose control of themselves. But that had never been Hazel. She was bright, constantly toed the line between extravagance and overindulgence, and had always been ready to dazzle the crowd with a great show. At least, the only crowd that had ever mattered in her eyes. There were no cracks in her composure, no little threads of doubt or insecurity to pull at until there wasn’t anything left anymore. That had never been who she was, and there had never been anything in the world that could make her question otherwise. Not from the parents that had always spoiled her, or the siblings that had taken all the hard work so she could have anything she wanted without trying.

Until now. Now it felt like she was falling to pieces, and there was nothing she could do to make it stop. The thought was unfathomable – since when had she never been enough? But the longer she sat across from Ivy, barely able to keep back her tears as she watched her favorite sibling do the same…Hazel didn’t think there was anything she could do to stop this from happening. To stop Ivy from leaving. Ivy mused out-loud what Asher might have done if he’d known what was coming, and a shiver ran down Hazel’s spine. She didn’t want to wonder about that. Their brother was ruthless, and it was what made him the perfect heir. Ready to do business, prepared in case anyone tried to cross him. He was strong enough to keep the Burkes relevant, to bring them into the future with the next generation of their ancient family. But what else was he capable of? His boundaries seemed limitless.

Ivy’s words sounded nice, and maybe she was even right. Maybe it was the right thing to worry about, the wellbeing of children that had been put under their watch. But Hazel didn’t care. She didn’t care about the future, or doing the right thing at the cost of everything else, or what might happen to anyone else as a consequence. Even with all her rebellions, sure to make her brother’s blood boil and mother sigh in frustration, Hazel knew where her priorities had to be. There was nothing more important than the family, nothing that existed except what was expected from her at the end of the day. She broke eye contact at the hard questions Ivy was asking, staring at the grimy surface of the table instead and wishing she could sink into the floor. Merlin, it was the first time she’d ever wanted not to be noticed.

“Don’t do that,” she accused, her voice watery from all the tears she couldn’t hold back anymore. “Don’t make me the monster here!” Hazel curled into herself at the thought of letting all those children die. At the thought of crossing her family. She didn’t want to have to choose. “I’m doing the right thing. I’m standing by the family. That’s the right thing to do.” She spoke at a whisper, trying to soothe herself with the thought that out of every disobedient act she had ever done…none of it had ever come at a true cost. None of it had ever matched Ivy’s betrayal now. Hazel’s world view had never gone past the end of her own nose – nothing mattered as long as she couldn’t feel the impact of it. And Merlin, this time she thought she had it right. Asher and Ivy were both such big-thinkers, and they were both suffering for it now. It was their fault Hazel was caught in the middle like this. She clung to that thought stubbornly.

Ivy’s last words sounded too much like a goodbye. Hazel had never had to face the prospect of being without her sister, and she could feel herself trembling at the thought now. They’d been homeschooled together, spent every minute of every day together, and Hazel had followed Ivy to a new continent and a new life without a second thought. She thought maybe that was what Ivy wanted from her now, to declare that this didn’t have to be the end. And the thought of facing every day alone, every day until the end of forever…it would be easier to just take Ivy’s side. To do what she’d always done. But no, no…things had to be different now. Hazel felt a surge of panic sweep over her, and she felt it turn into anger. “What we?” she demanded, tearing her hands away from Ivy’s. “There isn’t a we! You broke us, and now you’re leaving! You care more about everyone else than you do about us.” Her voice shook as the accusation hovered in the air between them, but it was easier to be mad at Ivy than to examine whether she deserved it. Hazel crossed her arms and looked away. “So then just leave already.”

IVY BURKE

[IVY BURKE]

Hazel was quick to fire up at Ivy, who always had just wanted to be accepted. She knew that betraying her family would cut a fine line, one that she had cherished for so many years. But how could she not? Ivy knew that warning the ministry had been for the greater good. It was a shame that Asher had gotten caught up in it, if only he had kept his nose down then everything would have been fine. "You'll be fine," said Ivy, her voice a harsh whisper/

"The right thing isn't always the easy thing," she added after a moment, her dark eyes shining with unshed tears. "Is it the right thing to do? To watch hundreds of people die?" asked Ivy, her brow crumpling. "I had to act. I had to..." It sounded more like Ivy was trying to convince herself, rather than Hazel. But this conversation was going nowhere. She hugged a sigh, unsure what to say next. Hazel hadn't taken it in stride as she had expected.

"I just wanted to say goodbye. But now I know I've made a mistake," said Ivy, losing her temper for the first time. "I wanted us to be safe," she added venomously. "It was always you and me, Hazel. And now you're choosing Asher. I wanted to protect us, to keep up safe. We could have been, but you are choosing blood over choice." Abruptly, Ivy stood. "I'm sorry, Hazel. But I have to go." There was nothing left to say. There was no point in staying, in watching Hazel's bottom lip tremble, nearly crumbling her own steely resolve. Ivy knew she had to lay low, that the remaining Purifiers would find out about her treachery and be after her, if they weren't already. "I love you," said Ivy, lingering for just a moment, committing her sister's face to memory, hoping she would have the chance to see her again in the future.

Hazel Rosalie Burke

[Hazel Rosalie Burke]

If there was one thing that Hazel could always count on – it was Ivy and her idealistic way of thinking. Her sister was too big for South Africa, too big for Hogwarts, because she existed on another level completely from the other Burke siblings. Ivy was ambitious, and her thoughts had always reflected that. Pushing purebloods to be a better version of themselves, diving deeper into the secrets of magic and what made wizards special. What separated them from the primitive lives that Muggles lived, so to speak. And Hazel scoffed as Ivy began with the same pattern as always, coming up with some vague and sweeping declaration – completely impossible standards for a witch as self-centered as Hazel, who loved her material comforts and things she could touch. Who'd never had an unselfish thought in her life, who'd never believed in something bigger than herself.

“Don’t preach at me!” Hazel exploded as Ivy began to lecture her about doing the right thing. She’d never minded it in the past, even if she didn’t always agree with all of Ivy’s principles. It sounded boring to be constantly worried about doing the right thing, or asking if your actions were in line with your values. Of course, Hazel minded it even less whenever Ivy would turn it against Asher…but now, in this moment? She couldn’t stand the idea of Ivy going on and on about what was right and wrong, and defending what she’d done…as if there could be any defense at all. Hazel didn’t want to hear it, didn’t want to process any logical arguments or debate what a pureblood’s responsibility was. To the family or to the sanctity of magic?

No, Hazel wanted to be angry, because she deserved to be angry. Her life had completely fallen apart in the last few weeks. Her brother was in prison, her school was in ashes…and her sister was leaving. It had to be somebody’s fault, somebody that Hazel could blame for everything going wrong at once and leaving her with the weight of a whole family on her shoulders. Ivy was the easiest person to blame, because she was closest…and her hands weren’t clean of blood either. Hazel felt her bottom lip quiver as she struggled to hold in tears, not wanting to hear Ivy’s venomous response. “Now you know you made a mistake?” she repeated sharply, eyes flashing with the outrage of that statement. Her voice cracked and Hazel had to breathe heavily to avoid shouting – she didn’t want the rest of the pub’s attention. “You sold Asher to the Ministry!” she whispered harshly, “And now you’ve broken our family and you're making me choose. That’s not fair…”

There was so much to say – an outraged response to Ivy’s assertion that Hazel was choosing Asher over Ivy, or some witty retort to the impossible dilemma between blood and free will (because let’s be real, purebloods didn’t have the freedom of choice). But Ivy stood up suddenly and Hazel’s eyes widened as she realized…her sister really was leaving. Her hands were shaking and her heart dropped to her stomach, so Hazel hastily crossed her arms to hide that fact. “You don’t have to go. You’re choosing to go,” Hazel accused, nails digging hard into the sleeves of her robes until she felt the sharp pain on her arm. The pain was good, the pain grounded her and distracted from the fact that she didn’t know when she’d see her sister again. If she’d see her again. Ivy’s ‘I love you’ was like a knife to the heart, and Hazel glanced upwards to forcibly stop herself from crying. Of course she loved Ivy – her sister, her best friend, her better half. But that existed alongside the fact that Hazel was angry, and wanted to hurt her sister the way she was hurting right now. So she pretended not to hear Ivy’s final words and turned in her chair until she couldn’t see Ivy anymore, staring hard at the wall and willing herself to keep it together. At least until Ivy had left, because her sister was principled and Hazel knew she'd follow-through. And for the first time, Hazel wondered -- was it possible to fix something that had become so broken?

IVY BURKE
[End post Hazel?]