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She knew the Ollivander family much better than most others her age, only because they were neighbors in Diagon Alley. ”Benny does that a lot during the summer too when I help my family at the shop,” she laughed, remembering a specific time where Nell had been there as well and seemed to be burning with embarrassment. It wasn’t Flossie’s place to tell her to grow a spine and vouch for herself more often, but the Ollivander girl definitely needed to stick up for herself more often. Which was rich coming from her, who couldn’t even ask Rhys out like a normal person.

The realization that she followed the rules way too closely didn’t come until Rhys practically spelled it out for her. So she tended to be a stickler for being good and not trying to stick out too much. ”I mean, normally I’m in bed by now if I don’t have work to do…” Usually she was caught up on her reading and had assignments done well in advance. Whether or not they were done correctly was hard to tell, but she never failed to turn work in on time.

Rhys mentioned Bagman, and Flossie immediately felt guilty over the fact that no one had ever really done anything to prevent their classmate’s continuous bullying. It should have been easy, as no one got along with Bagman, but it still persisted all these years later. She nervously chewed on her lip while trying to think of a response. Before she could say anything, the sound of shoes clacking on the floor ahead of them echoed down the hall. The sudden panic of being caught out at…quarter past ten filled her, and she looked around frantically. Merlin, she needed to relax. And get out more. ”Think it’s a professor?” she asked Rhys in a hushed whisper, still looking for a quick escape. There was a door ahead of them, though to what, she wasn’t sure. Popping in there until the person passed would be the best choice for them. ”There!” she added, pointing at the door.

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September 15, 2016
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Rhys curiously raised an eyebrow. ”Was he always that um…energetic?” That was the best way Rhys could describe it off the top of his head. Aside from pestering Nell with a hundred questions, the young Ollivander always loudly greeted Rhys. It was a little embarrassing, and Rhys could only offer an awkward smile at best in such circumstances. Rhys forgot Flossie and Nell would have grown up as neighbors for a split second. Well, in Diagon Alley terms, anyway. The closest Rhys had to such relationships were the other orphans in the home, not that he felt particularly close to any of them.

The corner of his mouth turned up in amusement. Perhaps the first hint of a smile all week. It never ceased to amuse Rhys how many of his friends walked the line without question or even awareness of the fact. Rhys supposed he was like that at some point before it finally clicked that it didn’t matter what he did. Detention loomed near in his future regardless. But in any case, he didn’t want others in trouble on his account. It wasn’t worth it on their part. Merlin forbid professors think Rhys was a bad influence on his peers more than they already did. ”And here I thought Gryffindor Tower never slept before midnight.” Rhys sarcastically repeated one of those house-related rumors. But every house had them.

The footsteps echoed loudly, and Rhys felt on alert. ”Let's not wait and find out.” He mumbled in return. Flossie pointed out a door in front of them. Likely, it was a classroom or corridor entrance of some sort. Rhys’ brain couldn’t mentally navigate the Hogwarts’ map fast enough. Fortunately for his friend, this was not Rhys’ first rodeo avoiding authority in the dead of night. His strides were long, so he reached the door, opening it just enough to let Flossie through first and then himself. Once inside, Rhys didn’t have to worry about closing the door gently as there wasn’t much room to maneuver, and his arm was flush with the back of the door.

A broom closet, of course, was a bloody broom closet. Through the door, Rhys could hear footsteps and light conversation. More than one person and they seemed to slow, taking their time down this corridor. Flossie was directly in front of Rhys. He could hear her breathe. They were so close. She was also taller than most of his female peers, the top of her head just past his chin. This was not Rhys’ first rodeo in a broom closet. He focused on the voices for sanity’s sake. Ending up stuck in a tight space with, in his opinion, one of the prettiest girls in his years hadn’t been on the agenda, but here they were. Shifting his foot, he felt it bump something. He assumed it was Flossie’s foot. ”Sorry.” He whispered, still focusing on staying quiet.

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"Err yeah, sort of. We're not allowed to serve him too much ice cream. Or any of the coffee flavors. Because he really doesn't need it at all," She thought that would sufficiently answer Rhys's question. There were other kids like that, mostly ones under ten years old that weren't allowed to have excessive amounts of sugar. Benny had somehow maintained his ban though. That didn't mean there weren't times where she didn't slip him an extra scoop of whatever he wanted. What the Ollivander parents didn't know didn't hurt them. And anyways, he was resourceful. He would find what he was looking for regardless. It was safer for her to give him more ice cream at the end of the day than for him to find high-sugar content candies out of Knockturn Alley.

The unfortunate truth was that Flossie was not the typical Gryffindor. For years now, she thought she would have fit better with the Hufflepuffs. There always seemed to be one or two students every year that were sorted incorrectly. Her housemates were a raucous bunch, and Rhys was right to say that it was unlike Gryffindor to be silent prior to midnight. "Its more like one in the morning," she corrected him. It was exhausting sometimes. "I also usually study in my dorm room once the library closes. Can't really get any work done in the common room. So yeah...a little easier to fall asleep when I'm already there."

Of course, none of this mattered with the sudden arrival of someone walking down the corridor. Into the room she had pointed out, squeezing herself through the small gap between door and frame. Unfortunately, she hadn't chosen an abandoned classroom, but a broom closet. In the brief amount of time she had alone in the cramped space before Rhys followed and closed them in, she managed to turn around. Almost as if to say it would be better if they just faced the professor or prefect. But it was too late, and the door latched behind him. "Its fine," she answered quietly. A broom handle was sticking into her back and she was afraid Rhys would be able to hear her heartbeat now that it was pounding into her ears. It was most certainly not fine.

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behind closed doors

September 15, 2016
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Rhys shook his head. While he wasn’t in the mood for laughing today, that was still the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. ”You make him sound like a niffler or pixie.” He responded. From what Rhys had seen, the boy had the attention span of a niffler but the self-control of other mischievous creatures. Perhaps Benny was here to balance out his sisters, who both toed the line easily. Rhys remembered literally twisting Nell’s arm to go to the kitchens, which was not far from their common room. Whereas Rhys hardly had to finish his sentence before Sarah agreed to accompany him. Then again, Rhys and Sarah seemed to get along the best in all sense of the word.

And now with Flossie—she hadn’t put up a fight either. They weren’t far from the final staircase down to the infamous portrait. The other portraits in their path hardly seemed to notice students anymore. Knowing very well it was after hours, but they were teenagers—so what could a portrait do anyway? Rhys wasn’t entirely surprised by Flossie’s confession. Not everybody fits the stereotype of their sorted house. Rhys felt he could easily fit in with Ravenclaw, given his academic standing. And he wasn’t nearly as ruthless as some of his housemates. Perhaps it was because Rhys was usually their target, and he wasn’t keen on the idea of stepping on his close friends to achieve something. As for others—well, he wouldn’t have minded stepping on Bagman’s face several times if it got him through a door.

The broom closet was tight, and Rhys could hear the sound of the items beginning to shift. The last thing they needed was the sound of items tumbling around that brought attention to them. And Rhys knew his luck—he could only imagine whatever rumors would spring up from this, as well. Not that a rumor about himself or Flossie would be bad, but Rhys mainly worried about her reputation if there was that association with him. Plus—it wasn’t as if anything had ever happened. Again, he heard the sound of something moving. ”I think you’re leaning on something—“ Taking a chance, Rhys pulled Flossie closer to him. That seemed to momentarily fix whatever domino effect almost accidentally began. Keeping his breathing even, Rhys waited for the voices to disappear, but they seemed to linger nearby instead. Since he focused on not getting caught, Rhys tried his best not to focus on their current situation. Although, if there was light, the faint blush on his face would be visible.

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She honestly couldn’t even remember what they were doing before diving into the broom closet, or why it was so important to evade being caught. They had permission after all. But none of that mattered because she was enclosed in a tight space with Rhys. And he was close. Closer than she’d ever been to him before, even when trying on purpose. This was literally everything she had ever hoped for and then some. Minus the being stuck in a closet part. She would have preferred an empty classroom really, though how much different that was than when they’d just been up in the Astronomy Tower, she wasn’t sure. She was pretty sure it had to do with the fact that anyone could walk up into the tower, whereas those odds went down drastically with abandoned rooms. Tiny broom closets were maybe better?

Rhys was whispering to her about her leaning on something, but she was too caught up in her frantic string of thoughts about what she was supposed to be doing right now. Before she could respond that it was most likely a broom handle, he had pulled her in closer. All of the air in her caught in her chest as she tried to figure out what was happening. Thank Merlin he couldn’t see her face right now, because it would have given her away instantly. She wanted to tell him that it was just a broom tipping over, but there was no way she could talk right now. Instead, she let herself get carried away a little bit. Placing her head against his chest, she could hear how even his breathing was. Rhys was probably used to this sort of thing. There was no way he wasn’t. ”…a broom…” she breathed out finally. But she really didn’t want him to try and move it. Everything right now was perfect.

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September 15, 2016
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The last time Rhys was in a broom closet with a beautiful girl, he could’ve cared less about the noises on the other side of the door. Merlin, they were still there. He couldn’t quite catch the voices as they were not directly in front of the door, but it sounded like two professors making small talk. If only they could hurry up. Flossie hadn’t resisted Rhys’ pull, and at the moment, only their layers of clothing seemed to separate them. Rhys’ brain reminded him of this fact, like an intrusive thought that wouldn’t let him focus on avoiding detention.

Such impulses and drives were more difficult to handle so close to a full moon. Finally, after what felt like ages, the voices began to drift, as did the footsteps. Flossie hadn’t moved the entire time, so as long as they didn’t knock anything over in their exit—they were fine. ”I think they’re gone…” Again, he waited a moment, doing his best to focus on any noise in the sleeping castle against the sound of his heartbeat and her breathing. Rhys cautiously pushed the door open, sticking his head out to look around. ”Coast is clear.” He whispered back, finally stepping out and holding Flossing by the hand for the moment. The cold air hit him suddenly. Rhys hadn’t realized how warm the closet had been.

Fortunately, the kitchens weren’t far away. Just one more corridor to the spiral steps that lead to the portrait of the pear. ”You alright?” Rhys checked in on his friend. It was like Rhys to forget the majority of his friends were female. And beautiful as well. He wasn’t sure what he might’ve done if left in that broom closet much longer. No doubt, whatever he would have done would have earned him a rightful punch in the face, a gruesome hex, or a broomstick where it didn’t belong. In any case, it was best to get on the move before they ran into another patrol.

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Thank Merlin it was her head on him and not the other way around. Her heart felt like it was going to pound itself out of her chest right now, she could only imagine what it would have sounded like if it had been the other way around. Which the mere thought of made her heart go even faster. This was every dream she’d ever had come true, circumstance that led to it aside. Every second felt like a thousand, and while she knew that it would eventually come to an end, she didn’t want it to. Was it wrong that she wanted the people on the other side of the door to stop walking and have a conversation right then and there?

After a bit, Rhys whispered that he thought they were gone. She hung on tightly to him, even when the cool corridor air entered the closet as he opened the door to check. The stuffiness was immediately sucked out, and she felt herself pull back only slightly. Rhys had taken her hand momentarily as he looked outside, and she once again thought her heart was going to leap out of her. Merlin, this wasn’t good for her health at all. This was all she was going to think about from now on whenever she saw him. Even if nothing came from it, it was going to intrude on every waking thought she had for weeks. Nay, months.

Flossie nodded her head quickly to show that she was fine, removing her hand from his because she could tell it was starting to get sweaty with nervousness. It was one thing to hold onto him like she had in a desperate panic, another to willingly allow herself to indulge. That wasn’t okay with her unless it was with him, and she had already convinced herself that it wasn’t. ”We’re close, right?” she asked for confirmation. The time in the broom closet had almost made her forget that they were headed to the kitchens.

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[rhys alexander greyback]

whispers in the background

behind closed doors

September 15, 2016
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Rhys appreciated the cooler castle air now that they were out of the small closet. His mind raced with a lot, but mainly regarding those tense minutes and their proximity to one another. He wondered what any other boy would have done in his shoes. Perhaps take the opportunity to get closer (in all senses of the word) to one of the prettiest girls in his year. With the full moon the following evening, Rhys was able to regain his composure even if, internally, he was a bit frazzled. Had this been Sarah, they’d likely still be knocking things over in the closet. But she wasn’t. Flossie was…Flossie. Rhys’ good friend, beautiful and kind and Rhys wasn’t on the radar for girls like her. Telling himself it was merely hormones and werewolf things, he pushed aside all those thoughts. He cleared his throat. ”Yeah, it's just ahead.”

---

The trip back from the kitchens had been far less eventful. The timing worked out, and their path was relatively unobstructed regarding patrols or professors. Maybe they were patrolling in other areas. Maybe it was just him, but the patrols this year didn’t feel as organized as the year before. However, different Head Boy and Head Girl meant different rules. And without that risk, their normal conversation returned quickly. Eating something also helped Rhys’s overall mood, the volatility of which he struggled with around this time. Some people didn’t seem to understand it, no matter how well-intentioned they were. So often, Rhys and Nell would snip at one another until everything felt normal again after the moon passed.

Flossie’s approach had always been different, even back in their first and second year. She’d picked up quickly that Rhys didn’t like chocolate, but she seemed to have a knack for knowing when he needed space or not. Rhys skimmed the parchment, satisfied that the ink was dry and would not smear. It was late, his eyes lingering on the nearly full moon, which captured his attention. At least his assignment was done. With his things put away, Rhys walked back to the few steps inside the tower, where he sat next to Flossie. He was tired but more in an exhausted sense than sleepy. ”It’s a bit late for you, isn’t it?” It's not that he didn’t want her here, but not everyone had issues with sleep as he did.

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Flossie had been relatively quiet after the closet incident. Chatting to the house elves had been pleasant, easing her anxiety over everything that had just occurred, and making her momentarily forget about it. By the time the two of them had collected their snacks and set back out into the castle, she was back to how she had been before heading down. The silence of the corridors brought it all back though. The paranoia over being caught, especially out with someone else, had crept back in instantly. Had they never had that close encounter, she was positive it wouldn’t have been this bad. The death grip she had on the tin of cookies the house elves had forced into her hands was intense, only relenting by the time the two of them made it to the Astronomy Tower steps. They were allowed to be there, so it helped her immensely.

Sitting a few feet away from Rhys as he worked on his assignment, Flossie occasionally asked a question in between bites of cookies. The lingering warmth from them, despite being at the top of the tower, was welcome. She almost hadn’t heard Rhys’s question, lost in thought again about the closet. ”Sort of,” she admitted quietly, eyes flicking away to not make eye contact with him. Every time she did, she felt her face start to burn. He’d never be able to see it in the low light of the Astronomy Tower, but Flossie was well aware that it was happening. Yawning, she covered her mouth with the back of her hand, half-eaten cookie losing a few crumbs in the process.

Closing the tin as she finished chewing, Flossie stood up from her chair and stretched. She didn’t even know what time it was now, but slinking back into the Gryffindor Common Room was going to cause a ruckus with the Fat Lady. The portrait could be a bother normally, she didn’t want to imagine how it was going to be when she snuck up late at night. ”I should probably go,” she admitted as she blinked a few times. The walking would wake her back up, just in time to collapse into her four-poster bed.

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[rhys alexander greyback]

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September 15, 2016
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Focusing on his assignment was all Rhys could do to not remember how Flossie had felt so close to him in that broom closet. Suffice it to say it was not Rhys’s first experience with a girl in a broom closet, but this was certainly unexpected. And he wasn’t blind. She was one of the prettiest girls in his year, and they were friends, so he’d never bothered to think past that. And unlike other girls in his year who were good-looking until they looked at Rhys with disdain or opened their mouths to share an unsolicited comment, Flossie wasn’t like that. And he couldn’t blame the upcoming full moon for those thoughts. It was just the way his life was.

Flossie agreed that it was late, and Rhys nodded silently. Had she not been here, he’d likely have spent another hour or two here reading or just thinking. It was calmer and quieter than the boy’s dorms, where his thoughts might get interrupted by the occasional loud snore. Maybe Rhys should teach some of the boys the same silencing charms he placed on his own four-poster in case he had a nightmare. ”I—erm—know a quick path to Gryffindor Tower.”

She hadn’t asked, but Rhys offered. He supposed it was the least he could do for her company this late into the night. If she earned a detention while Rhys safely made his way back to the dungeons, well he would’ve felt a bit bad. ”If you want. Prefects aren’t usually up this late, but a Professor or two might be.” It wasn’t a far walk to Gryffindor Tower, but it did pass several classrooms. There was always that slim chance a Professor might still be in their office, even this late.

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Maybe she didn’t need the walk back up to the Gryffindor Tower to wake up after all. Rhys suggested a faster way that the usual. One that would be free of the authority figures roaming about the corridors. Flossie could feel her breath catch again slightly. She knew that he was actually offering to walk her all the way there without explicitly saying so. Shuffling in place, she tried to decide what she wanted to do. A primal part of her brain told her that spending just a little longer with Rhys tonight was what she wanted to do. The rational side said she could make it back to her common room on her own. So far tonight, she felt like she had given in a little to both. The nervous tapping of her fingernails on the empty cookie tin didn’t help her case either, as she tried to decide then and there what she wanted to do.

”As long as you’re fine with it taking longer for you to get back…” she said in response. She was sort of interested in where this supposed faster way to her tower was. And why Rhys seemed to know it in the first place. There weren’t too many reasons she could think of for a Slytherin to need to know how to quickly get between the Astronomy and Gryffindor towers.

Stepping to the side to let Rhys lead the way, Flossie started to channel her anxiousness from the rhythmic clattering of the tin into rolling on the balls of her feet. It was easier to get rid of it that way, though only helped her a little bit. ”I was just thinking,” she stated dumbly as the thought popped into her head, ”This would actually help me a lot when I’m done with class here.” Which also explained how some of her housemates somehow managed to get back to the common room before she did. She had always just assumed she walked slow or took a longer path.

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[rhys alexander greyback]

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September 15, 2016
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Flossie seemed to contemplate his offer. Rhys wondered if the evening’s earlier events had completely changed her mind about spending any more time with him. Even he felt a little awkward still, if only due to hormones and such things. If it did cause him to lose someone he enjoyed spending time with, he would feel that quite heavily. Like Nell and Sarah, Rhys had met Flossie in their first year—she had offered him candy during Transfiguration. He’d been falling asleep and at risk of the Professor assigning him detention. To occupy himself, Rhys finished putting his school things in his bag.

Relieved she didn’t appear to be dropping him as a friend, Rhys lightly shrugged. ”Between Jackson’s snoring and the upcoming moon, I’m not getting to sleep anytime soon.” Insomnia was a constant companion, especially just before the moon. He supposed that added to his inability to stop thinking about Flossie and the broom closet. Rhys had noted that particular trend the past couple of years, and he supposed so had Sarah. Before that, she wouldn’t have been found anywhere near his dorm. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he began their trek to Gryffindor tower, and then Rhys would make his way back to the dungeons.

Raising a curious eyebrow, Rhys looked over his shoulder as Flossie caught up to him. It was already late, so there wasn’t a need to speed walk and he took his time with his strides. Had he known she was not aware of this path, he might have shown it to her sooner. But Rhys realized there just hadn’t been the need either. At this moment, the opportunity simply presented itself. ”There’s a lot of little shortcuts around the Castle.” Rhys got enough detention, as it were, without needing to get caught out after dark or when he was supposed to be elsewhere.

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Maybe if she had a little more faith in herself, she would have said something about being fine with staying up all night to keep him company. Flossie knew there were ways to imply what she actually wanted without actually having to say it. Merlin, she certainly thought about it constantly. Being around Rhys so much tonight had definitely pushed her into new territory and she was frantically trying to figure out what her next step was going to be. On one hand, she wanted to inject herself further into everything he was doing. On the other…her sheepishness was holding her back. That was the part of her she disliked the most. Where was all of that supposed Gryffindor bravery when she needed it? And not the kind she had shown so far, where she was definitely out of her comfort zone by staying out so late.

She smiled sympathetically at Rhys’s comment about the full moon. There was no fighting back against that, she supposed. If only there was something out there to help ease it all. Flossie understood that wolfsbane was the best they had, but still. She had quietly watched Rhys for long enough to see the suffering he went through in the lead up to the full moon and then after. It felt terrible to be useless. She made a mental note to remember to see if there was anything she could help him with in a day or so, after it was over with. That seemed like a good in, to her.

Off they went, leaving the Astronomy Tower for the final time that night. Keeping in stride with Rhys was relatively easy; she was the tallest girl in their year by a long shot. McGonagall could never beat her on that. Unless she cast an elasticity charm on her legs or something. Knowing her, she would if it gave her an advantage. ”I guess I just follow the normal paths in everything…” Flossie said, slightly disappointed in herself for not knowing more about the castle this far into her time at Hogwarts. But she also wasn’t wrong either. Her entire education had been spent following the rules exceptionally. Almost too well, much to her detriment at times. That was another reason why tonight had her feeling like a crazy person. It was kind of nice.

After quickly descending the stairs of the tower and re-entering the main halls of the castle, she stopped to wait for Rhys’s next direction. That was when she got an idea. Not a good one, unfortunately, but one that could be to her benefit if she really wanted it to be. They had already run into one Prefect on patrol tonight. It wouldn’t be completely out of the ordinary if another showed up while he was walking her back to the Gryffindor Common Room. Especially if she fabricated it. A perfectly timed spell that could mimic footsteps while near another broom closet or empty room…

Flossie found her wand in her pocket and mulled this over as they continued.

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September 15, 2016
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After years of hearing every possible ‘cure’ for insomnia, he had given up on trying to force it. Especially when the school nurse refused to give students sleeping draughts unless an overnight stay in the Hospital Wing was required. So, rather than continually staring at the dark ceiling or the curtains of his four posters, Rhys usually found something to do. The castle was peaceful at night once you grew accustomed to the occasional sound or snore from a painting. Or he would grow so bored that doing some homework passed the time. These tactics worked for a few years as he found other things to do.

In Rhys's eyes, following the rules wasn’t anything wrong with it. It worked for some people. Plus, not every shortcut was some hidden passage, but some corridor people typically ignored or cut through a classroom. Once they reached the bottom of the steps, Rhys cut left instead of walking straight. Normally, they had to cross a bridge where one could also easily reach Ravenclaw Tower. But that path exposed them to corridors with classrooms and Professor’s offices. At this hour, they would certainly receive a detention.

”We’ll avoid Professor’s offices this way.” Rhys spoke low as he leaned toward Flossie so his voice didn’t echo. Slowing as he approached a corner, Rhys paused. He listened for footsteps but heard none. A quick glance around the corner confirmed it was empty. The prefects were either patrolling elsewhere or asleep. It wasn’t uncommon to find one napping now and then. ”Looks like it’s our lucky night.” He spoke again, offering a small smile. ”So, breaking two rules in one evening? Hitting a bit of a rebellious streak, are you?” Rhys lightly teased as they crossed the shorter bridge back into the castle. It was still chilly outside, but nobody else was in sight.

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The diverted path from what she was used to definitely took a moment for her to adjust to. Rhys made a good point though: this allowed them to completely skip the area that would be most prone to professors. She knew from her own late nights at the Astronomy Tower that the regular path worked as a choke point for both Gryffindors and Ravenclaws trying to sneak out. There was no avoiding professors and prefects in that area, usually.

Rhys leaned closer to her as he said this, and she continued to spin the handle of her wand around in her pocket, wondering when would be best to set off her ghostly footsteps. He started to tease her about breaking rules all night, and she could feel her face start to burn more. Thankfully it was dark in the corridor, otherwise he would have had more ammunition to use against her.

Shivering slightly as they were briefly outside on the smaller bridge, which she had known about but never knew it would lead to a quicker walk back to her tower, Flossie moved closer to Rhys. Unfortunately she wasn’t that much shorter than he was, so she felt the full blast of the cold September night air.

As they made it to the other side and back into the castle, Flossie kept an eye out for doors that looked like they could be unlocked and small enough to cram both of their tall bodies into. She knew she didn’t have to do this, but her want was overriding what was probably right. Now that she sort of knew where they were, she remembered that there was a series of empty rooms and most likely a broom closet or two as well. Her heartrate starting to pick up faster as she decided to follow through with it, she slipped her wand out and shot her noise charm behind them. The echoing footsteps were loud, much louder than she meant them to be, and it made her pause. Would Rhys buy that they were fake?

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