Nothing Good Ever Lasts ((Aurora, Lynne & Seth))

[kael]

They were leaving Hogwarts for good. What a momentous idea. They wouldn’t be returning after a few weeks at home, at first groaning and grumbling about classes starting up again but happy to see old friends that had disappeared over the summer for one reason or another. Well, that was more Lynne’s department. Kael had never really been into the sentimental hugging and declaring just how much he had missed someone and so on and so forth. It was a ridiculous, foolish display that proved to him just how immature his classmates were. If they couldn’t be bothered owling back and forth or meeting up then they couldn’t have missed each other that much, surely. It was a simple matter of logic. Kael had never been involved in such displays. He hadn’t needed to be. The closest thing he had to a best friend was probably Lynne, and she always followed him home. The longest separation they had was actually during the school year, when she was tucked away in Ravenclaw Tower and he was surrounded by blissful peace and quiet without the chattering of his twin to disturb him. So no, there was no need for outrageously dramatic promises of being friends for all eternity or whatever sentiments were usually exchanged at such partings. For one inexplicable moment, his thoughts strayed to Aurora at the thought of permanent partings from friends but the startlingly unsettling notion only lasted a second before Kael shook his head dismissively and continued packing his trunk. Aurora would be in the common room or with Harmony or Ariane or flitting off somewhere trying to brighten up people’s lives with her cheerful smile and deluded optimism. A goodbye to Hogwarts was not a farewell to the people he had met there. Aurora and Harmony were probably the only ones he would miss anyway. What else did he have in Hogwarts except an ex-girlfriend whose reasoning only succeeded in confusing him until his head actually hurt? There were the members of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, of course, but Kael had never bothered to get to know them well. With Seth Wright as a possible exception; Lynne had taken a shine to Seth as the newest addition to her circle of friends and wouldn’t permit Kael to be even slightly irritable around him just in case he scared him off. Lynne had a soft spot for strays.

Kael didn’t particularly mind leaving Hogwarts. He was ready for the real world, to be tested on something other than potions or a transfiguration or the newest spell they were learning in Charms. He had a job in his parents’ bookshop already, with flexible hours because his parents were honestly eager for their only son to actually have a social life instead of lurking in the background as he watched over his sister. Their parents didn’t particularly care for their daughter though; she was different, even for a witch, and different was never a good thing in their eyes. Kael hated them for that, just a little. If their parents had been a little more attached to Lynne, a little less ready to throw money at her in the hopes that she would just keep her mouth shut about what they termed ‘her problem’ and leave them alone, then maybe she wouldn’t be leaving. Maybe she would find the courage to stay in England and fight her own personal battles with her family and friends around to support her instead of fleeing like a wounded little animal seeking privacy to lick its wounds and recuperate. The imagery made fury simmer within him silently, expressed through the controlled way Kael slammed the lid of his trunk down a little bit more forcefully than usual. He wasn’t expressive; he didn’t have the words or the gestures with which to ask his twin sister to stay. Part of him was scared that she would just leave anyway. There was a part of Lynne that was broken and, for the first time in their shared lives, Kael couldn’t fix it. He had been too late to protect her, too wrapped up in his own life and too selfish to recognise his sister’s heart being shattered because of his own girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend. It had been one big, messed up love square that could have been taken straight from a dreadful romance novel but they had all acted out their parts wonderfully except for the part where they all got a happy ending. That part just hadn’t happened. Not that Kael had ever really expected it to. They were all still just teenagers. Even if happily ever after endings did exist (and he really didn’t think that they did because there was only so far that the realms of reality could stretch), they weren’t ready for them.

Following the routine that he hadn’t even realised he had fallen into until now, Kael took the path directly to Ravenclaw Tower where Lynne was waiting for him, sitting on her trunk with a downtrodden expression that didn’t suit her at all. “Ready for your big adventure?” Kael asked as he extended a hand to help his sister to her feet, forcing the corner of his mouth to lift into a half-smile when Lynne glanced up at him unsurely because, really, what else could he do? He couldn’t forbid her to go nor could he bring himself to sacrifice his pride long enough to ask her to stay. If he couldn’t even ask one simple request from his twin sister then he certainly couldn’t be hypocritical enough to scold her for fleeing from her problems. He wasn’t familiar with heartbreak so he didn’t know how to cure it; it was as simple as that. He was found lacking when his sister needed him most so she was leaving in search of someone who could actually help her. He couldn’t blame her. Had it been him in her current state of bewildered unhappiness and heartbreak then Lynne would have done everything she could to cheer him up, even enlisting Aurora and Harmony if she came to the conclusion that she couldn’t do it alone. What exactly had he done? He had been obedient to her request for him to keep everything secret. Even when it became obvious to someone as admittedly oblivious as he could occasionally be, Kael had stood by helplessly and watched. He had thought of people he could ask to help Lynne. Oh yes, he had thought about it endlessly. Aurora and Seth might have helped; they might have even gotten a positive reaction from her. He had even considered asking Aurora to ask Ariane for her assistance because Lynne had always responded more to someone with a no nonsense attitude. She had, after all, grown up with him as her older brother. In the end, Kael had thought of everything but done nothing and so there they were, walking side by side and climbing into a carriage in unbroken silence because there was nothing left to say anymore.

[Lynne Collins]

It was probably terrible of her to feel this way, because Hogwarts had been a second home to her for seven years, but Lynne was so glad to be making an escape from the castle. She wouldn’t ever have to return here and nothing was a more reassuring thought than that. The castle held too many bad memories for her. There were good memories too, but the bad always outweighed the good. With a wistful smile, Lynne remembered all of the times she and Kael had stayed up late to talk about everything and nothing in one of their common rooms, the times she and Danny had snuck out in the middle of the night on a trip to the kitchens not because they were hungry but because it was just too much fun to dodge the prefects on patrol, and the time she had led Seth around the castle on a fantasy adventure that had made her laugh for days afterward because she hadn’t acted like such a child in so long. There were so many memories for her, most of them involving Kael or Danny. But even the thought of Danny was painful and there were memories of him hidden around every corner. They had explored the castle from top to bottom together over the years, they had passed notes in the middle of class, and walked through Hogsmeade together. Everything was painful for her. She couldn’t even take a step without seeing something that made her think of Danny and her chest tightened painfully whenever she thought of Danny. Her weaknesses were really showing for the first time in years and Lynne had never been able to stand looking weak in front of the people she cared about. She was afraid of judgement, of being found lacking in every way possible. Under her bubbly exterior, Lynne was just another insecure teenager with too many fears, but now her smiling veneer was wearing thin and weariness was setting in fast. She didn’t find any enjoyment in Britain anymore because she had lost an essential part of what made her Lynnette Collins. So she would set out on her own and try to find her own strength instead of leaning on Kael all the time. He didn’t need her dragging him down; he had Aurora now and she would keep him smiling because Lynne couldn’t do it anymore and Kael needed someone more than a twin sister.

“It’s not exactly an adventure,” Lynne answered softly, waving Kael’s hand away and standing up under her own strength. There was no better time to start with her new resolution to find her own strength than the present, right? As she looked down at her robes to smooth out the wrinkled fabric, Lynne missed the rejected hurt flit across Kael’s face at her sign that she didn’t need him anymore. The conversation fell flat before it even had a chance to start, with both twins walking in silence. Kael had always preferred silence to her incessant chatter and it was easier when she didn’t have to struggle for the mindless conversation that had once come so easily to her so Lynne kept in stride with her brother and thought about what she would be leaving behind. There would be no more late night talks with Kael, no more pestering him about when he was finally going to send off one of his finished novels to a publishing company. Both of them knew that it would be a muggle publisher he approached; Kael had no wish to be known as an author in the wizarding world. He wouldn’t enjoy the attention and he couldn’t bear to hear people talking about his books. People who didn’t really know him wouldn’t realise it, but Kael had little confidence in himself and his talents. Lynne had always been behind the scenes, encouraging him to take his place in the spotlight sometimes. Without her interference, Kael wouldn’t have joined the Hufflepuff Quidditch team or been forcibly signed up as a big brother to Harmony. One of her biggest concerns about leaving had been her brother, but then she had seen him as he and Aurora interacted and her fears had been soothed. Aurora wouldn’t allow him to retreat back into himself; she could coax smiles out of Kael even more easily than Lynne could sometimes. Lynne would miss Seth and Aurora and all of her other friends too. She had made the majority of her friends in her first year so they had been together for seven years without pause. It would be hard, not seeing them again. Of course, she wouldn’t be leaving forever. Lynne wouldn’t ever be completely happy with her brother in her life, at least she didn’t think she would be. She had never tried to live without Kael before. He was her twin, an essential part of her life. For the first time in seventeen years, that would change and even now Lynne wasn’t entirely sure that she was ready.

“I’m catching a taxi from King’s Cross to Heathrow Airport,” Lynne told Kael once they had claimed the first empty compartment they came across as their own. Muggle Studies was sometimes dismissed as a useless class but Lynne had never been more grateful that she had taken it during her years as a student. “The arrangements have already been made. I’m taking an aeroplane to France and I’ve enrolled in a culinary school there.” The calmness of her voice, not once breaking off or wavering as she explained her plans to her brother, surprised even Lynne herself. She had been prepared to find herself in tears and wondering if she could go through with her plans to leave. Instead, she felt calm and composed, almost completely at ease with the idea of leaving everything and everyone she knew behind. A fresh new start, just like she had wanted, like she needed. She could reinvent herself, find out who she truly was and who she could become. She would have to stand on her own two feet without Kael’s steadying influence and the idea both terrified and exhilarated her. She would be alone but there was no time to change her mind now. If she stayed, she wouldn’t forgive herself. She couldn’t stay here, where Danny’s image lurked around every corner with an inviting smile that broke her heart. “I’ll miss you,” she told Kael, laughing softly when a tear dripped down her face and soaked into the collar of her robes. “I promise to write ever-“ Lynne broke off abruptly as the compartment door opened, grinning cheerfully at the intruder to the start of their sentimental moment that Kael had probably hated. “I’m glad you dropped by; will you stay for a while?”

[Seth Wright]

((Featuring Willow Walker.))

"We're graduating."

Willow rolled her chocolate-brown eyes at her boyfriend, who sat with an uncomprehending expression of disbelief in one of the comfy sofas of the Hufflepuff Common Room. Seth would never rush his homework at the last minute in this room again; never sit with Chace side by side on the couch in front of the hearth and play Wizard Chess. Hogwarts would no longer be his home next year, as it had been for seven years.

"We've graduated, Seth," Willow corrected crossly. "Graduated - past tense, you moron."

Seth shook his head as it sank between his hands, dark curls entwined between long, clumsy fingers. "I can't believe it," he said thickly. "It's only just hit me that I'll never come back to Hogwarts ever again. No more classes, no more Quidditch matches."

"That's what graduating's all about!" Willow said brightly, ignoring her boyfriend's woes and snapping her trunk shut after one last check that she hadn't left anything - after all, she would never be able to retrieve it again if she did. "Freedom!"

Seth watched his girlfriend glumly. It was hardly freedom to him. He didn't want to grow up and 'leave the nest', as the saying went. He wasn't ready; he wasn't ready to walk on his own two feet. The thought of taking on the world alone, no girlfriend and no best friend walking next to him, made Seth feel very small. He had no doubt Willow and Chace would make healthy leaps off the cliff of Teenager into Adulthood, and he would be left on the edge, hyperventilating and ready to be picked off by hungry vultures. Willow would become the next Rita Skeeter, reporting on the latest wizarding gossip, and whatever Chace decided to pursue, Seth had no doubt he would excel at. On the other hand, Seth had no clue to what he wanted to do once he'd left Hogwarts. In the back of his mind he had always thought he would be Chace's sidekick, his partner in crime, forever beside him, but they were adults now, not children; Seth needed to grow up.

Upon Chace and Lara's arrival into the Common Room, Seth stood up awkwardly and searched for reassurance from his best friend. It was odd, but Seth was sure he was more frightened of losing Chace than he was Willow. Deep down, Seth was aware that Willow would probably not stay with him forever; he loved her, but she didn't love him like he did her, and although he was content with that, he was beginning to doubt that she was. Things were beginning to change - and graduating Hogwarts was only just the beginning of the beginning of change.

Ten minutes later, all four Hufflepuff graduates stood on the platform, staring at the bright red paint of the Hogwarts Express. Seth felt a lump sting his throat; this was his last train ride. "Well," he broke the silence with awkwardly, "here we are."

"Go get us a compartment, Seth," Willow ordered briskly, flicking a manicured nail at the train as she headed towards the top of the carriage. "I need to see Evans about something important, since we'll likely never speak again." Willow had never hidden her dislike of the Head Girl, Mary Evans, though Seth was aware that they shared several similar traits. That said, he would never consider dating a girl like Mary Evans; there was still a gulf between her and Willow's personality. Watching his girlfriend disappear amongst the crowds of students, Seth led the way onto the train. They soon found an empty compartment and settled down. Before long, the Express was moving off; Hogwarts fast became a fading speck in Seth's eyes as he watched it fade forlornly. Once it had become one with the clouds, he caught Chace's eye, which reflected understanding, and Seth felt minutely better. Willow had yet to return, though, and as Lara struck up conversation with Chace, Seth began to feel the familiar feeling of being the third wheel. "Um, I'll be back, guys," he said with a lopsided smile, "I need the bathroom."

Seth made his quick escape and headed aimlessly down the carriage, although in his mind he planned to seek out two girls by the names of Aurora and Lynne. He had yet to say goodbye to both of them, although he had seen Aurora frequently over the last few days since they were celebrating house festivities in the Common Room more often than not. Eventually, Seth managed to locate one of them: Lynne was sitting in a compartment with her twin brother, Kael. Not as much afraid of Kael as he had been a year ago since joining the Quidditch team and befriending Lynne, Seth rapped on and opened the door at the same time. "Hi," greeted. "I just wanted to say bye to you guys before..." He trailed off in embarrassment. Goodbyes were harder than he'd expected. Seth had never had any sentimental farewells before Hogwarts, so this was a first. Before he could continue, though, Lynne invited him to sit with them, and how could Seth refuse her? After all, he was only going back to the past, back to being the third wheel. "Sure," he nodded. As he sat down, he gave a sad smile not characteristic to himself. "I'm going to miss you both," he said honestly.

[Lynne Collins]

It was Seth’s face that greeted the twins as the compartment door slid open. Kael looked up, took in Seth’s face without much interest and looked back down. With a huffy meow that was more likely caused by Kael’s wavering attention rather than due to Seth’s sudden appearance in their compartment, Pluto licked a black paw and curled up into a more comfortable position. For a moment, Lynne glanced at her brother’s cat curiously. Pluto didn’t usually like people; he took after both his fiercely unfriendly mother and Kael in that aspect. Though, of course, Pluto had been sleeping in the Hufflepuff dormitory for nearly two years so he would naturally be used to seeing Seth and therefore unbothered by him sharing their compartment. Jupiter, curled up by her brother with their contrasting fur creating a harmonising pattern, merely blinked sleepily at the vaguely familiar figure then emitted a loud purr when Kael’s hand came to rest lightly on her white fur.

Lynne, on the other hand, had a much more vibrant reaction. Before Seth had arrived, she had been close to tears and on the brink of a sniffling, sentimental farewell to her twin brother. The second Seth’s face came into view, her expression transformed into shining happiness as she grinned brightly at her Hufflepuff friend. Most of her act was just that, an act and not a great one at that. Her eyes were still rimmed with red since she had nearly started crying and there was no real happiness in the smile but it had become habit for her to not let anyone know when she was hurting. She wouldn’t burden anyone with her own problems. It was part of her new resolution to become her own person; strong and separate from Kael. He was going to become a great author one day, whether he had faith in himself or not. Lynne wouldn’t ruin that for him. She just couldn’t. She had always been selfish and rather self-centred at times, yes, but she couldn’t be that selfish or self-absorbed.

“Oh.” Much to her horrified humiliation, the tears rose to fill her eyes once again at Seth’s words and Lynne scrubbed at her eyes desperately, laughing harshly at her own weakness. “Seth, you can’t say things like that without warning me,” she scolded him with a sniffle, lunging over to hug him tightly. Seth had just looked so very unhappy and so unlike his usual happy self that she just couldn’t help herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Kael rolling his eyes and Lynne scowled at him as she retreated and returned to her original seat. “I’ll miss you too, Seth, and Kael will too, despite his outward indifference. He’s crying on the inside, I assure you.” For a moment, Lynne hesitated. At the moment, Kael and her parents were the only people who knew of her plans to leave the country. She hadn’t told any of her friends; they had drifted apart during Lynne’s period of post-break up apathy, and she couldn’t blame them. She hadn’t been any fun to be around. She hadn’t even resembled the girl that they had first befriended except in outward appearance. How could she blame them for not wanting to be her friend anymore? So Lynne had given them a wary, apologetic goodbye and received half-hearted forgiveness but no understanding or sadness for the loss of their friendship in return. It didn’t really upset her, except for the wistful pang that came from remembering how close they had once been and how quickly those bonds had dissolved. Perhaps she had been right when she had been seven, bullied and so assured that Kael was her only true friend. He was the only one to really know her and the warm, comforting colour of his name was reassuring for her to gaze upon. She wasn’t like anyone else, even among wizards and witches she was abnormal, and her parents had never let her forget it but Kael had been there for her, just as he always was, but Lynne couldn’t live like that anymore. She had to be her own person, not just the other half of the Collins twins.

With a swift inhale of breath and her eyes lowered, Lynne tucked her feet underneath her carefully and delivered a lie to one of the few friends she still had left. “You’ll be able to visit us, and we can meet up in Diagon Alley or in Hogsmeade. It’s not like we’ll never see each other again. Do you really think you can get away from my friendship that easily?” Lynne grinned and winked at him impishly, very pointedly not thinking about the taxi that would be waiting for her once she stepped off the train. She wouldn’t be going home with Kael, nor would she be meeting up with Seth or anyone else in a few weeks time once they settled into the new routine of being adults in the real world, free from the security of Hogwarts. Almost directly opposite her, Kael made a choking sound, eyes wide and face flushed when the attention turned to him. He hadn’t expected her to lie, Lynne guessed and promptly felt even more ashamed about not being truthful with Seth. Kael just had a way of making her feel so small but at least he wasn’t levelling that severely disappointed stare at her. There was very little worse than being pinned by one of Kael’s ‘I’m-so-disappointed-in-what-you-just-did-so-don’t-do-it-again’ stares. She wouldn’t be on the receiving end of one of those glares for a long time, Lynne realised with a stricken expression that smoothed itself out almost as soon as it appeared. She had never enjoyed those moments but, somehow, the thought of never seeing Kael’s disappointment in her for a long, long time was upsetting. She knew that it wouldn’t be because she was becoming a better person in front of him so he didn’t have to be disappointed by his sister but because she was running away. That was essentially what she was doing, though Lynne had never thought of it that way. She was running away from her problems because it was the only thing she could think to do. It was cowardly, but she was okay with that. She had come to terms with that because she would be braver when she did return to England.

[Aurora Chan]

((Featuring Harmony Chan...))


((...and Leo Chan.))

Aurora looked sadly around her dormitory. This would be the last day where she called this room her room. Although she shared it with five other girls, it was still the place she'd slept in since she was eleven years old most of the year. Aurora ran a loving hand down the duvet of her four-poster bed, the strong wooden stands; gazed through the window across the beautiful Hogwarts grounds. She would miss this view; this family, this home. This was more home than her home in Manchester. Aurora loved her parents and always missed them, but she spent so little time there... the atmosphere was completely diffrent to Hogwarts. A soft sigh left Aurora's mouth as she gave her dormitory one last adoring, grateful look before she used her wand to levitate her trunk and owl cage off the floor. "Let's go, Helix," she murmured quietly to the empty room.

Aurora met Harmony in the Common Room. Her younger cousin was for once more upbeat than Aurora on the last day of school. However, a smile still reached her face for Harmony despite the tears that she held at bay. "Got everything?" she asked, glancing over Harmony's belongings at her feet. Eventually the pair left the Common Room, Aurora levitating all luggage but still with an eye trailing after the warmth of the place she'd shared so many delightful memories of house pride and late-night chats. She bit her lip and urged her emotions to calm down.

On the platform the Chan cousins were met with their third family member, Aurora's third-year brother Leo, still wearing his Gryffindor robes. "Where's Ari?" Aurora asked, noticing the two sets of baggage sitting by Leo's feet.

"She said she'll meet you on the Express," Leo replied, waving at the awaiting train. Nodding understandingly, Aurora levitated all of the luggage onto the Express in front of them. She knew how Ari felt; Hogwarts was their world and the first place Ari had felt truly safe and at home, so it was going to be a lot harder for her.

"All right, you guys be careful. See you later," Aurora smiled as Leo and Harmony went the opposite direction once they'd boarded the train. With her and Ari's luggage in front of her, Aurora trekked around the carriage looking for a spare compartment. Eventually she dumped two trunks and two disgruntled owls into a free compartment. She sat down and made herself comfortable feeding Helix and Atalanta owl treats to soothe them. "Hopefully you'll never have to travel on a train again," Aurora said cheerfully. In moments' the train began to move off, chugging at a gentle speed at first. Aurora frowned, wondering where Ari was.

Five minutes later her concern had taken her exploring the Express. It would be terrible if Ari had missed the train and been left behind. Finally she saw some familiar faces, but not the one she was searching for. One particular pair of apathetic eyes, almost like Ariane's, held Aurora, and it took her several seconds to shake herself out of thought (a little anxiety and a rush of joyous warmth). She gave the compartment door a gentle knock and was signalled in. "Hi all," she grinned reflexively, for the sight of some of her closest friends - Seth, Lynne, Kael - always put a smile on her face. "You haven't seen Ari around, have you? I've lost her, I hope she hasn't been left behind." She gave an amused chuckle despite her concern for her best friend. However, she purposefully avoided looking at Kael. After months of joy and happiness, Aurora was scared. She knew what this meant, the unexpected leaping of her heart, the easy, natural, delighted smiles. She knew what they meant but pretended otherwise, because no one could ever know this truth. It could only end in sorrow and tears, which she knew too well were the things he hated most.

[kael]

“You’re going to miss me?” Kael asked Seth doubtfully, one eyebrow shooting up towards his hairline. Well, that was new. No one had ever missed him before, not to his knowledge anyway. There were Lynne’s friends, the ones who were absolutely determined to continue their fantasies of him being the best boyfriend possible once they broke through his sarcasm and derision for them. They had proclaimed to miss him, though Kael had never understood why since they always seemed to be invading his house during the holidays despite the fact that he never treated them nicely. Those girls had never understood that there weren’t any soft feelings lingering in his heart, not for them. At least they had left him alone after he had dated Adrina. Their relationship, short and troubled as it had been, had at least been good for something. He had loved the Gryffindor, or thought he had at least but the feelings faded as quickly as they had emerged, but Lynne had needed him to put her first in his priorities and Adrina hadn’t really understood that. Lynne wasn’t the well-adjusted, carefree teenager she tried so hard to make other people believe she was. She had too many demons lurking in her psyche and Kael had never helped her the way he should have. He didn’t know how. He just wasn’t good with the emotional, sensitive side of things. He hated tears and ridiculously emotional displays more than anything.

It was most likely unreasonable, but Kael couldn’t help but to scowl at Seth once he noticed how quickly Lynne’s emotions had shifted upon seeing the other boy. Before Seth’s entrance, Lynne had been nearly crying at the thought of leaving and, although he felt uncomfortable in the presence of tears, Kael had been mentally preparing himself to calm her down and, maybe, ask his twin to stay in England. She could get over her boyfriend just as easily in Britain, surely. She didn’t need to run away. Then Seth had stepped into the compartment and Lynne’s face had practically lit up with delight. He was slightly jealous that Seth could so easily do what Kael couldn’t: cheer Lynne up without even saying a word. It felt almost like he was being replaced, just a little bit. What had Seth done to earn Lynne’s adoration? He had never stood by to silently prompt Lynne when not names but colours automatically rose to her lips when she addressed someone. Nor had Seth ever stayed up late to hold a sobbing, bruised Lynne without a clue of what to do because they were just children and they couldn’t understand why Lynne was being targeted by bullies just because she was a little bit different. Seth had never even sat in on all of Lynne’s sessions with a psychologist, glowering menacingly because his twin sister was terrified of saying something wrong but she didn’t know what was ‘wrong’ or ‘right’. He petted Jupiter slightly too hard to be comfortable and was abruptly rewarded with a ferocious hiss and a slash at his hand before the white cat bounded over to Lynne in one smooth leap.

Another knock sounded at the door and Kael huffed in pure exasperation. When had his compartment become such a popular place? He had been quite happy to remain in solitude, peaceful and quiet solitude with no one to bother him, but now there were people worming their way into his life. He most thoroughly blamed Lynne for that particular development. It certainly wasn’t his fault. When had Kael ever asked for company? “Aurora.” Kael smiled slightly, the expression warm despite his previous internal complaints about the developing crowd in the compartment. Aurora just wasn’t a nuisance; she never had been. “I doubt Ariane would have let herself be left behind,” Kael answered dryly, unsurprised by the eagerness in Lynne’s gestures for Aurora to take a seat next to him. The two girls just got along well. Being his normal, oblivious self, Kael noticed but didn’t really register the way Aurora’s eyes never seemed to rest on him but instead slid past him as if he wasn’t there. He hadn’t, in his recollection, done anything to offend her so Aurora was probably just upset about leaving Hogwarts. “What’s everyone planning to do after Hogwarts then?” Kael asked with uncharacteristic cheer, his eyes passing over Aurora and Seth to rest squarely on Lynne. If she was going to leave without telling them anything – leaving him to fumble through an explanation when he wasn’t entirely sure he understood her reasons himself – then he would enjoy every single second of her squirming as she scrambled for a decent lie. Was he bitter about being left behind by his twin, the only constant in his life? Yes, but he would never ask her stay. It just wasn’t something he could do, especially when he didn’t think Lynne would stay just because he asked her to.

[Seth Wright]

Seth laughed at Lynne vouching for Kael's feelings. "It's okay, he doesn't have to miss me. We're not sensitive and mushy, it's a man thing," he nodded firmly, as though he was knowledgeable on all things manly. Seth's eyes darted to Kael for a moment at his dubious tone and he gave a bashful chuckle. "Yeah, I will. I consider you one of my very few friends. You should feel honoured," he joked. "But you don't have to consider me a friend, I don't mind. I'm used to it. I don't have many friends and there are even less people out there who consider me as their friend." Seth gave a hapless shrug, before thinking what an unsuitable topic of conversation this was as they were graduating and leaving Hogwarts behind forever. "I'll miss Quidditch practice," he offered with a grin. "Won't you? Ivy's orders and Chace's crazy practice ideas... which I didn't stop. Sorry."

Seth ran a hand through his black curls, thinking of haircuts and Willow's patronising voice, and grinned as he nodded along to Lynne's proffered plans. "I'm gonna try and get myself a job," he informed the Collins twins with both excitement and apprehension. "Ah cripes, we're growing up," he added in a more worried tone of voice, panic flooding his gut at the thought of the future - of decisions (big and scary and life-changing), of new people (bullies, enemy or friend?), of loneliness (goodbyes). His mouth felt dry as he asked, "Are you scared? I'm uh, pretty scared." He gave a lopsided Seth-smile, fighting the urge to fiddle with his fingers that always gave away nervousness.

It was then another well-liked, familiar face appeared in the doorway of the compartment, causing Seth to jump at the gentle knock. "Hi Aurora," he smiled, always amazed at his ex-classmate's cheerfulness and infectious grins. "Nope," he shook his head in answer to her question about her cousin, Ariane. Seth and Aurora's best friend were not on the best footing; generally the ex-Gryffindor would ignore him as she did most people, and Seth would do his best to avoid her and keep to himself so as not to annoy her. He doubted getting on Ariane Chan's bad side was a wise thing to do, he was sure Aurora would agree. At Kael's question, Seth gave another unknowing, scared shrug. "Try and get a job," he repeated, having forgotten he'd already mentioned it before. "Earn some money for my mum and Eva. I'll live at home with them. It's going to suck, really. I don't even know what I want to do, or be," he concluded rather glumly.

[Aurora Chan]

Aurora had been doing a rather good job of avoiding Kael's eyes, until he became the first person to reply to her inquiry. Immediately, as though stung, Aurora turned to him, eyes harsh and uncharacteristically ablaze. "You don't know Ariane like I do," she snapped, barely recognising the fact she'd used her best friend's full name as lines of anger creased her forehead and her eyes flashed hurt. Under normal circumstances, Aurora found Kael's natural sarcasm and cutting edge amusing. However, he had just hit on a nerve, one of the few Aurora had, and Aurora had a temper when her nerves were touched. Kael didn't understand Ariane Chan. Hogwarts was Ari's home, and to leave it would break her; very little, but it'd still chip the side of her heart. Graduating was a time of sad yet joyful reminiscing for Aurora, but for Ariane, it was like wrenching a part of you in the most painful motion possible. Aurora couldn't bear to imagine the pain Ariane must feel, leaving Hogwarts behind; Ariane who became so attached and loyal to those she let in. Kael wouldn't ever understand that pain. Only Aurora could stand, helpless, as she watched her best friend suffer. It would not surprise Aurora if Ariane had indeed let herself be left behind. Who knew what would go through Ariane's time as she tried to board the Express?

"Sorry," Aurora quickly apologised after her harsh voice met her own ears, and she dropped, exhausted, into the seat Lynne offered. "I'm just... a bit tired. I can't believe we're leaving. I didn't mean to snap at you, Kael." She pressed a hand to her temple, massaging it as though rubbing away her concerns for Ariane. Perhaps she was just being paranoid. Like Kael had implied, Ariane could look after herself, and she generally wasn't the type to run away. In fact, it would be Aurora leaving soon, even though she had yet to tell anyone. She hadn't wanted to hurt Ariane, and if she couldn't tell her best friend, she couldn't tell Seth; Lynne; Kael. None of them must know. And it was another reason her heart had to be shielded, because she wouldn't even be here anymore. Aurora didn't care how much Ariane had already clued on about her feelings... They were staying a secret.

"I'm not sure yet," came the lie from Aurora's mouth in reply to Kael's question, as easy as smiling, because that's what it was. "Becoming a famous musician in the wizard world isn't going to be easy," she added with a patient smile. She neglected to tell her friends about the letter she'd received from America; the opportunities that now awaited her, as long as she replied and said yes. Did she want to leave these precious people behind? Aurora's eyes flittered from one to the next: Seth, nervous and nerdy, clumsy and awkward, but sweet and gentle, with a good heart; Lynne, enthusiastic and friendly, hiding sorrows, a perfect match as Aurora's friend; and Kael, her aloof twin brother, her protector, strong and silent. Aurora observed them through sad eyes. And then there was her family: Mum and Dad, who were her security and home; Leo, her brother and practically her best friend - she would miss out on his growth if she left; Harmony, her shy young cousin, blossoming out of her shell thanks to Rex Carter; and Ariane, her best friend, the person who'd been there through it all. Could Aurora really leave this behind?

It would hurt, but the answer was yes.

[Lynne Collins]

There was a warming softness to Kael’s face that made Lynne smile when Seth declared that he considered Kael a friend. Her brother had precious few friends, which made leaving an even harder decision. She didn’t want to leave him by himself but she didn’t want to live on like she had been doing for the past few months. She wasn’t living; she was merely existing and there was only so much that Lynne could take. The toll had started to show, and she hated what she saw every single time she glanced in the mirror and was greeted by drawn, weary features that had experienced heartbreak and the most unlikely betrayal. “Yes, we’re growing up,” Lynne echoed disbelievingly. It felt like it was all just a bad dream, but she would never tell Seth or Kael that. She couldn’t tell either of the boys that sometimes she expected to just wake up and be back at the start of her fifth year, laughing cheerfully at the terrible things her mind had dreamt up before running down to the common room to meet Danny before they headed to breakfast. Though, if that happened, then she wouldn’t have Seth or Aurora as her friends. She would have Danny, but neither of the two Hufflepuffs. Lynne felt utterly selfish and pathetic at the natural conclusion that she would give up Aurora and Seth in a heartbeat if she could have Danny back the way he was before he went to Russia. She could always reach out to Aurora and Seth regardless of whether she had her best friend or now, but she could never have Danny back, Lynne tried to console herself. Then she looked up, taking in Seth’s smiling face and Kael’s animated features as they discussed Quidditch, and swallowed her regrets for the past and the present. It wasn’t healthy to live with the possibility of what could have been always forefront in her mind. As things were, she did have friends in Seth and Aurora, and she valued them so highly that she would leave her twin brother in their care because she was no longer capable of smiling for him. Even when things had seemed perfect, she would never have trusted Danny with that responsibility.

Lynne had smiled instinctively when Aurora entered the compartment but, slowly, her eyes narrowed protectively at the other girl’s harsh tone when addressing Kael. This was Aurora? It seemed such uncharacteristic behaviour. Forcing herself to ignore that this was Aurora, one of the very few friends she had left, Lynne dropped all pretences of smiling as her protective streak rose to the surface. “Does anyone know Ariane as well as you do?” Lynne drawled slowly, one eyebrow raised in a near perfect imitation of Kael at his most cutting. “I wasn’t aware that she was in the habit of letting anyone close to her at all.” It wasn’t possible to misinterpret Kael’s glare, nor the quiet words that snapped through the air like the crack of a whip, so Lynne fell into a grudging silence and instead directed her attention to making Jupiter purr. Perhaps Jupiter would like to see France as well, Lynne contemplated silently. After all, she would be lonely and a familiar face, even if it was a furry and whiskered one, would be welcome. A little piece of home and happiness to remind her what her purpose for leaving was.

“Of course I’m scared,” Lynne replied to Seth’s earlier question after a beat of silence. She didn’t hold grudges over petty issues, and Aurora had already apologised for snapping at Kael. It wasn’t Lynne’s fight. Besides, she could hardly claim that she had never once snapped at Kael when her temper was high. “I’m terrified of being left alone and of failing. I don’t think I’m ready to take on the world. But we don’t have a choice.” Lynne smiled and shrugged, her smile wistful as she thought of the castle and the memories she had created there. “Ever since we first walked through those doors, we knew that we couldn’t stay there forever. Hogwarts was a safe haven to shield us from the real world until we were ready to face it. We’ve graduated; someone obviously thinks we’re ready to become adults and all we can do is try and let our friends help us if we fail.” Left unsaid was the fact that Lynne wouldn’t have anyone to help her if she failed. For the first time, she would fight her own battles and let Kael live for himself. It would be good for both of them. They couldn’t live as Lynne-and-Kael-Collins forever.

“I guess I’m going to be mostly in the muggle world,” Lynne answered easily after listening to Seth’s and Aurora’s answers. They were so very different; she wished that she could remain to cheer Aurora on as her most ardent fan and watch as Seth figured out what direction he wanted to take his life in. She wanted to be there when Kael finally sent a manuscript to a publisher and when he received the letter telling him whether he had been accepted or not. It wasn’t possible, but Lynne had never stopped wishing for the impossible. “I mean, I want to be a chef and the wizarding world has house-elves for domestic work. Cooking with magic seems like cheating anyway. I’d rather do it the hard way and feel like I’ve actually accomplished something.” Now would be the perfect time to do as Kael wanted her to do and tell Aurora and Seth about France. It would be so easy to bring those words to the tip of her tongue and release one of her secrets. Lynne could almost feel the heavy weight of Kael’s disapproval when she kept her mouth shut and her smile in place.

[kael]

“I don’t do the emotional stuff,” Kael affirmed with the faintest flicker of a smile. “That’s Lynne’s department. I’m the sensible twin.” The twin who doesn’t run away from his problems, Kael added with such scathing that Lynne would have crumbled to actually hear it. If only he could say it to her, but that would be selfish. Lynne would do whatever she wanted to; she always had. Kael had never been able to change that so he wouldn’t even bother to try. “If you weren’t a friend then you would have been kicked out of the compartment.” Kael practically had to force the words out of his mouth and his awkwardness was blindingly obvious. He hadn’t been lying when he said that the emotional side of things wasn’t his strong point. He could barely deal with his own feelings let alone anyone else’s. “Quidditch practice was enjoyable because of Chace’s outlandish ideas sometimes,” Kael contradicted after a moment of thought. “After a few weeks I started to stop caring that Lynne had forced me to audition. The commentating was even more fun than playing sometimes though. Mocking comments come easily to me.”

Aurora’s small outburst didn’t offend, upset or surprise Kael. Instead it earned a small grin of approval. He had encouraged Aurora to drop her facade of always being in high spirits and jovial. It wasn’t good for her or for the people who believed in her pretences. In her way, Aurora was nearly as bad as Lynne when it came to erecting smoke-screens to hide her true self. Lynne hid more, but Aurora did it more effectively. His sister tried too hard when she was rattled or emotional. “Lynne, enough.” His voice was quiet and his tone mild but the stare he pinned his slightly younger sister with gave her little option but to obey. He didn’t need Lynne to step in for him. Her interference, in this matter at least, wasn’t welcome. Especially not when she was running away and leaving him behind. If she wanted to show consideration for him then she could do it by not disappearing just because something went wrong. Not everything went to plan. Lynne should have known that by now. It didn’t give her the right to act like a spineless coward. “Just a bit tired?” Kael gazed at Aurora doubtfully, his eyes lingering for a few moments before he lifted one shoulder in a careless shrug. “Seems like more than that to get you to lose your normal cheerful attitude. But it’s not my business. I have my own problems to worry about.”

“For once, I wholeheartedly agree with Lynne. We’re not students anymore. Life is going to get harder and consequences will be more severe than detentions. Being in school was never going to be a permanent state. You’re probably more prepared than you think you are, Seth. You can’t share a room with me for seven years without losing some idealism and picking up even a small amount of cynicism.” For Kael, especially with Lynne and Aurora and Seth there, that had been a long speech and he gratefully lapsed into silence. His companions usually carried the conversation, flowing from topic to topic with Kael only chipping in a few comments if he felt the need or if he had been silent for too long. If he stayed out of a conversation for more than ten minutes then Lynne inevitably prodded him into speaking. Out of the three plans for the future that had been given, Kael approved of Seth’s most. Lynne had omitted too much for him to like it and, though he would reluctantly attend concerts and other such publicised things for Aurora if she asked him to, Aurora’s plan for her life was just too much in the public eye. Seth’s was more selfless, and Kael could fully empathise with needing to take care of a sibling. He didn’t know Eva and probably wouldn’t recognise her even if Seth pinned a note to her shirt introducing her as Seth’s sister but looking after family was important. The thought of living with his sister for the next few years did make him grimace though, and Kael regarded Seth with new thoughtfulness. “I’ll be running a bookshop in Diagon Alley for my parents,” Kael informed the other three occupants in answer to his own question. “There’s a spare room above the shop that I don’t need, if you ever decide that you need your own space, Seth.” Even Lynne shot him a surprised glance at his offer but Kael simply shrugged. “I’ve shared a room with him for seven years,” Kael told his sister as if that explained everything. “He can’t be any worse than living with you for seventeen years. If Eva is even slightly like you then he deserves to be rescued.”

[Aurora Chan]

If you doubted the identity of twins Kael-and-Lynnette-Collins (because face it, they were hardly similar in appearance or personality), this moment shattered any such notions. As Aurora's eyes met Lynne's hostility, she suddenly felt as though she had plunged into a sea of water; a world where she was sealed off from the outside, a tight, soundproof, but barely bulletproof, bubble. Lynne's haughty voice echoed, a fuzzy mutter, and Kael's mouth rasped on deaf ears a single word as Aurora tried to fight the resistance back to the world she was usually so comfortable in, in her own skin and smiles. She wondered, vaguely in the back of her conscious, if this was what psychologists called a 'defence mechanism'. Aurora knew what the cold expression on Lynne's face meant; the apathy in Kael's eyes. She didn't want to acknowledge it. She didn't want guilt, she didn't want that at all, especially when she was keeping so much hidden inside her. She was bursting at the seams, waiting for the inevitable cracks to splinter.

Tears. Aurora blinked them away so quickly, so tenaciously, it was as though they'd never surfaced. Kael was oblivious, Seth even more so, and Aurora hardly felt Lynne would, because Aurora knew all the techniques to hiding sorrow behind a pretty smile. Even though Kael could see through her masks, even though Lynne co-existed with her own demons, Aurora was the master of lying to sustain happy fools. She wasn't untruthful out of a desire to cheat and hurt, and that was why she was truly the biggest fool of them all. Kael knew that, but Aurora would never let his cynacism change her. She thrived off others' joy, like a thirsty leech, like a starved vampire. Even if she wanted to change, she could not. But whilst Kael had softened with Aurora's touch, Aurora had stiffened because of him. She could be harsher, colder, stronger, stiller; she could act on her uglier impulses and repress regret. Aurora owed that to Kael, especially now, graduating and leaving Hogwarts. She refused to cry, it would only make leaving him behind so much harder.

Aurora finally surfaced from the underworld, pushing through the waves of water that continued to rise, threatening to drown her, suffocate her. There was no evidence of tears as she schooled her expression into calm apathy, credit to Ariane over Kael, and faced Lynne with cool eyes. "No," Aurora finally replied after what felt like an eternally long stretch of silence between the widening gulf between the friends. Despite her apparent indifference and a chilling shield erected that Ariane Chan would have been proud of, Aurora's voice was tired, listless; gone were the usual undertones of ringing joy and laughter, replaced with a hollow hole. It was indicative of how she felt. Aurora despised confrontation, but her best friend was one person she would protect whatever the cost, so she was more than ready to argue with Lynne. She did not appreciate her tone of voice, even though Aurora knew Lynne was as justified as her own desire to protect Ariane. However, Aurora's mind took a shaky step back from the heat of irritation, the part of her that shrank from arguments and retorts, of confrontation and violence. Today it won, as it did with most other conflicts of Aurora's mind. Lynne's hostility, Kael's sarcasm, she couldn't take it. The pile of Ariane's badly suppressed emotions, her own sadness leaving Hogwarts, the fear of moving away from England alone - she could not undertake such a burden in this state, it was all spilling through her fingertips.

She needed to get out. Breathe. Suddenly, Aurora stood up in a jerky twist of movement. "Excuse me," the words fell out automatically, toneless, "but I really do need to look for Ariane." Before her friends could react, she'd stepped through the compartment door and was walking briskly down the corridor, unable to look back. Her heart was heavy. She knew that that was possibly the last time she saw her closest friends in person, and it'd just ended on the most awkward note possible, a note Aurora hated amongst the As and Gs and B flats she was so in tune with, which she so loved and which were the foundations of her life. Guilt filled her gut and Aurora wished she hadn't been so tense when she'd first joined them. Wished her and Lynne could have laughed; wished she could've given Seth a few last mothering pieces of advice; wished she could've found closure with Kael. But what was done was done. It was over and the next journey of her life was going to begin - without them.

[kael]

Nothing, Kael thought wryly, ever happened the way it was supposed to. If things happened the way he wanted them to then he would actually have the courage to send his manuscripts off to a publishing company, his sister would be remaining in England and flourishing in her own success as she watched him finally reach his aspirations and this train ride would have been a good-natured, cheerful and slightly nostalgic farewell to Hogwarts and everything that it had meant to each of them. Wasn’t it enough that he had to lose the place that was like a home to him and his twin sister in the same day? Did Lynne really have to try to start an argument with Aurora over a harmless comment? Tensions were running too highly in the two female occupants. Maybe it was just a girl thing. Neither he nor Seth were wound up so tightly even though it was glaringly obvious that Seth was nearly terrified of leaving Hogwarts. Kael wasn’t exactly excited about the prospect either. He just dealt with it because, truly, what other choice did he have? The world would not pause in its rotation just for the four of them. It just kept spinning, round and round and round, because what did the world care for its inhabitants?

“Of course no one knows Ariane like Aurora does. Does anyone know me as well as you do? That’s the thing about living together for so long, Lynne, especially with people like myself and Ariane. No one else ever understands quite so well as the person who was both childhood playmate and teenage confidante,” Kael told his sister in calm, measured words after he had watched Aurora flee the compartment. The situation was entirely different but, irrationally, Kael felt equally as helpless and disorientated as he had when Lynne had pulled him aside and confessed her weakness and her need to flee. This felt like the end of something, like something invisible had shattered into tiny, irreparable pieces. It was just sentimental nonsense, a leftover shred of maudlin ponderings from the creativity that permitted him to write. Of course it was. Nothing was ending. Change was inevitable. Kael himself was living proof of that, as were Lynne and Seth and Aurora; as was every single person who had boarded the train. No one remained exactly the same. So naturally it was not so alarming to see Lynne temporarily lose her friendliness towards Aurora. His sister was under a lot of pressure, Kael realised for the first time, eyes widening imperceptibly as he blinked at Lynne and saw her in a clearer light. Kael had never experienced heartbreak, and seeing Lynne proved that he really did not ever want to. He had observed wordlessly, a helpless bystander as his sister slowly pieced herself back together and came up with shards of her still missing. Lynne and he were alike enough that they both hated anyone witnessing their weaknesses and so Lynne had been forced to smile and laugh her way through the remainder of Hogwarts. Even now, as she cajoled Seth out of his silence, she couldn’t stop and rest. It was like an obsession. He couldn’t ask his sister to stay just because he would miss her, Kael realised with a pang of profound sorrow. It would be too selfish and they would both learn to hate him for it.

With her usual haste, Lynne had bounced back from her antagonistic irritation with Aurora and had taken to staring at him fixedly. “Alright, alright,” Kael gave in gracefully and let out a nearly silent laugh as he rose to his feet. He would go after Aurora because Lynne would not deign to let him do anything else. There was a part of him that had wanted to check if Aurora was truly feeling upset by Lynne’s snappy comment but, oblivious as ever, Kael misconstrued it as being caused by his sister’s insistence that he follow Aurora and carried on his way without stopping to think. Aurora had managed to soften him, to weaken him, but she had never taught him to stop and consider the emotional side of things. Would she had even succeeded has she tried? Kael naturally shied away from anything and everything overly emotional. He simply couldn’t handle tears or grief. Those emotions just weren’t logical and Kael thrived on logic. He could handle panic and anger if he had to, though he mostly ignored extreme happiness unless he was given no other choice. There was a reason (beyond the utter mindlessness and rampant idiocy that infiltrated the words masquerading as a worthy novel) that Kael had never written nor read anything even bordering on romance.

Walking briskly, and picking up the pace once he spotted Aurora further down the corridor, Kael caught up with her after a few moments and placed his hand on her arm firmly. “You don’t run away like that if you’re just looking for someone,” Kael stated steadily, trying hard not to look like he was just hazarding a guess at her real motives for leaving so abruptly. He truly had no idea whether or not he was right but Aurora didn’t have to know that. Kael hadn’t lived with Lynne for seventeen years in a corrupt world that required an unhealthy dose of scepticism and cynicism without learning to mask unsurety. “Lynne hasn’t recovered from a bad break-up yet,” Kael informed Aurora hesitantly, barely resisting the urge to close his eyes as he waited for proof that Aurora had interpreted his careful tone as discomfort with the idea of his sister dating rather than him gingerly picking through the truth to produce a decent lie. “She didn’t mean to sound so harsh.” That, at least, was true. He hoped. Lying wasn’t something that Kael had ever enjoyed doing but Lynne’s departure wasn’t his secret to tell. “Will you come back to the compartment and try to make this last train ride one that isn’t filled with awkwardness and hostility?” Kael asked, one eyebrow arched in confident questioning. He didn’t consider the possibility that Aurora would ever say no or that, with so many lies and half-truths present, the journey was already inescapably awkward.

[Seth Wright]

Seth was a pretty oblivious person. He wouldn't notice if the grass changed from green to red, wouldn't realise if new professors had been hired and old ones left to teach his classes. He had always been absentminded, head in clouds like a child, and his concentration span was probably as short as a fly's. However, despite Seth's unobservant personality, he was surprisingly sensitive to people. Sadly, he wasn't sensitive to people's emotions. No. Seth would be oblivious to a woman's feelings even if she spelt it out to him, and it would probably take her crying her eyes out in front of him to make him react (and uselessly, like a headless chicken, flapping his arms and completely ignorant about what to do).

On the other hand, he was very good at picking people's traits when he had only just met them. From a few sentences he could already understand if the person before him was a mean or kind individual; whether he or she would bully him or treat him as an equal. It was an essential skill to have if you were Seth Wright, constantly running into trouble and saying the wrong things. With the wrong people, he wouldn't survive (and truthfully, he had only just scraped surviving his childhood).

Therefore, when the atmosphere in the previously friendly and jovial compartment, tinged with hints of sadness about leaving Hogwarts and each other, turned frosty due to Aurora's snap at Kael and Lynne's sudden, over-protective flare, Seth remained completely oblivious to the underlying layers of both girls, the inner conflicts they suffered. However, it did not escape him that snapping was not a trait that belonged to Aurora Chan, and coldness was not Lynne Collins. Even worse to behold was Aurora seemingly fleeing from the compartment and Kael reprimanding Lynne. Now this was definitely a first for Seth. These were not the kind, loving friends he knew.

Blinking in a confused (but cute, Lynne was sure to think) way, Seth turned to the only person left in the compartment. Moments ago there had been four; now there were two. "What... just happened?" he asked faintly. Leaving school was not easy at all. This was yet another bad omen for growing up. Seth had never answered Kael for his generous proposition during the commotion either. "Was Kael serious about me living with him, by the way?" Seth asked Lynne, hoping Kael's other half would know. "I... I might drive him crazy," he admitted. "And I'm pretty scared of him. But he's cool, y'know? A cool guy."

If this was his future, Seth was nervous as hell... but then again, who wouldn't be? For once, Seth wasn't the only one who felt alone.

[Aurora Chan]

In her state of mind, Aurora barely noticed Kael following her, and when he did reveal her presence, she jumped and almost fell into the wall of the carriage. "Holy... Kael, sorry, I really didn't expect..." She trailed off uselessly, hanging her head and refusing to meet his eyes after a flash of terrified surprise shot through them. She was afraid to reveal too much. Kael Collins was oblivious to many things, especially girls, but one thing he was not oblivious to was lying - her lying. "I wasn't running away." Aurora quickly found her voice again, stronger and firmer as she shouldered Kael off and continued down the corridor, unrelenting. She would have stopped at any moment for Kael, but not now; not today. Her pace was less brisk, though, allowing him to keep up. She would give him that courtesy, and it wasn't in Aurora's personality to be rude. She just really didn't want to see Kael right now; talk to him, look at him. She was so scared it would break her weakening layers down. "And I am looking for Ari," she continued perplexedly, Kael's presence evidently unwelcome and affecting her, although it wasn't obvious it was his fault to anyone but herself. Aurora was usually so bright and sparky, this was a rare, rare occurence. What could change her so was one heck of an important person.

Suddenly, Aurora stopped and turned to face her friend, eyes more honest than they had been since he'd given chase. "Like I said... and no offence meant, honestly, Kael. But you really don't know Ariane like I do. It's like... the way you know Lynne." Her hand flicked up, gesturing down the corridor towards the compartment Kael's twin and Seth still inhabited. "No one knows her like you do... The things beneath those eyes... the truth. That's how I know Ariane." Aurora's voice pleaded for Kael to understand. Kael was completely different to her, almost opposite in so many ways, but she needed him to comprehend what she meant, to forgive her for snapping at him so harshly. "And I know, today of all days, she needs me. She needs someone. She will not be strong today... the Ariane everyone knows and stays away from." With one last reproachful, hurt look that stemmed from thoughts of Ariane's loneliness rather than Kael's presence, Aurora turned and began to march down the corridor again. She was intent on searching out her best friend. She was certain Ariane had boarded the train, but Aurora needed to make sure she was okay to give her peace of mind. To a selfish extent, too, on this journey, this very last train ride, the one person Aurora needed to be with was Ariane. Aurora needed her strength, Ariane needed Aurora's strength. It was as though sharing and exchanging themselves to one another saved them from their weaknesses.

Aurora's feet stopped abruptly at Kael's voice again, this time apologising, she felt, on behalf of his twin, explaining her own predicament. To an extent, Aurora had already been aware of Lynne's troubles. She didn't know what they were and she had never asked, because Lynne was surprisingly private for a cheerful, popular individual, and it was certainly none of Aurora's business; Lynne would tell her if she wanted to. Still, Aurora could sense vibes of grief and sorrow almost naturally, as though she were drawn towards dying candlelights. She had always been the agony aunt, the one friends came to talk to, cry on, because she was sensitive, caring, kind. Lynne had never exploited her like that, but Aurora felt it when her friend had been faking a smile. Aurora did it automatically, it was not hard to recognise. She had sensed the same smile when she had entered the compartment before, but she had allowed her own emotions to overcome her usually sensible judgement, and Lynne had too. But Aurora could not excuse her behaviour. She knew better. "I know," she murmured softly, having stopped but still refusing to meet Kael's eyes. "Well, I didn't know she had a boyfriend... that she'd broke up with him," she explained more accurately. "But I knew. I could tell." That was all she said. It would be enough for Kael.

"And I was stupid. It wasn't Lynne's fault," Aurora continued. "I just let things get to me. It's the last day of school," she echoed, supplying it as though it were her truthful answer. And to an extent, it was. But it wasn't even close to the main reasons; reasons Aurora would never dilvuge to Kael because he would take one incredulous look at her and flee. The last thing she could bear to watch was Kael running from her. Aurora running away from Kael was fine; he would survive. Vice versa? Not anymore. Kael had become too important now. "She had every right to defend you... She's your sister," Aurora concluded emotionlessly. Before Kael could reply, she answered his offer to return with him, an offer her heart wished to answer to with a smile, because Kael could do that to her - he was never so kind and gentle, and she revelled in it. However, the blunted, scared Aurora, one that barely even existed, became magnified under Kael's scrutiny, and so she said, "I'm sorry. I can't." She hung her head even more, away from his eyes of see-through. "I want to, but... I can't. There's Ariane. And..." Aurora couldn't tell him the truth, so she cut through a bit louder, "Trust me, you'll be better without me," she said firmly. "I'll just dampen the atmosphere. I already did. I'm not good company when things are on my mind, Kael. And my priority is Ariane. You understand that." He had to. His priority was Lynne. It always would be. "She's not my blood sister, but she might as well be," Aurora concluded with sad eyes.

"I'm sorry," she repeated again, guilt riddling her sunshine personality. And it was obvious: she was more tired, her eyes looked like hollow picture frames, but Aurora could never confess to Kael the truth - Ariane, America, him. She couldn't even tell Ariane. "I'll miss you," she whispered, and before she could think, before Kael could blink, she leaned up and pecked a gentle kiss on his cheek, the closest intimacy she had ever allowed herself with him in their years of friendship. "Bye Kael," she said, and without looking at him, disappeared rapidly down the train, not once turning back. This time, she knew he would not follow her.

[Lynne Collins]

If this was the way things were going to be then Lynne was both selfishly grateful and guilty about her departure. The two warring emotions churned in her stomach, forcing Lynne to swallow forcefully in the hopes of banishing the imagined bad taste that her inner conflict wrought. On one hand, she was glad that she wouldn’t be around to deal with all of the tension. She didn’t want to have to slowly nudge Kael in the right direction until he finally understood the emotional aspect of what was happening around him. The last time that had happened, Adrina had come into the picture and everything had gone terribly wrong. Conversely, she also felt guilty that she wouldn’t be around to help smooth things over. That had always been her job. Kael sorted out her problems and acted as a protector, and she sorted out everything that even touched on emotional. It had always seemed like a fair trade. Until now. They weren’t children anymore. Lynne would have to learn to deal with her own problematic situations and Kael would have to learn how to be sensitive to other people’s feelings. It was time to grow up.

So, for the last time, Lynne stared at Kael unblinkingly to communicate a forceful demand for him to go after Aurora instead of hesitating and shifting about on his seat like a naughty child. For the final time, Kael sent her a grateful smile because she had figured out what he should do before bowing to her, in this area at least, superior knowledge. The door closed behind Kael and he disappeared from her sight, a mocking reversal of their roles when the train ride ended and everything changed once again. As full of emotion and feeling as her brother tried to be empty of them, Lynne blinked back tears for the second time since she had boarded the train and let out a tear-clogged exhale of breath.

For Seth, who had never seen Kael’s stern attitude directed at his sister before or experienced Lynne when she was feeling protective of her twin, Lynne mustered up a small smile. His question dragged a small, harsh bark of laughter from her before Lynne clamped down on her emotions with the ease that came from too much practice. “I overreacted,” she answered easily, her tone neutral and without regret. “You might not really understand; you haven’t known Kael as long as I have. But he’ll take all of the snapping and anger directed at him and he won’t say anything to anyone. Not even me. It’s just...he’s only human; he can handle so much bad feeling. He’s always done so much to help me, more than I’ve ever told anyone. So I’ll offer him whatever little bit of protection I can. Even if it’s something as ridiculously small as speaking up against Aurora’s misdirected tension.” It was just a small thing, nearly unnoticeable, but Lynne was pleased to note that there was still some part of her, however small, that would mentally let out a girlish ‘aaww’ of appreciation for Seth’s adorably confused blink.

“Of course he was serious,” Lynne hastened to reassure Seth with obvious surprise. “Kael wouldn’t joke about something like that.” The guilt of leaving hit her once again and Lynne had to take a moment to compose herself before she continued. As fun as it would be to see Seth’s reaction to her unexplained tears, now wasn’t the time. “I’m not living with him after graduation,” she explained truthfully. “Kael will never admit it, but I think he’s going to be lonely if he lives by himself. He likes solitude, it’s true, but Kael has never lived in that much seclusion.” It would be the perfect solution, Lynne admitted to herself without pretending that she was considering it equally as much of her own peace of mind when she was gone as for Kael’s well-being. She wouldn’t be happy remaining but neither would she be happy if she was forever worrying about her brother. If Seth lived with Kael then Kael could help Seth through his fear of growing up and Seth could just be there for Kael to cheer him up and maybe encourage him to go out every once in a while. “Kael’s used to being driven crazy. He lived with me. So, seriously, consider it. It might be fun.”

[kael]

Something was going on. Even Kael had realised that. The strange tension in Aurora hadn’t dissipated after she had escaped from the enmity that Lynne had directed her way. Perhaps the problem really was just Ariane’s disappearance, Kael considered, second-guessing himself as he always did when emotions pushed logic aside to complicate a situation. Lynne wasn’t usually wrong though. His sister understood emotions; she always had. She had too many of them to lack an understanding of them. Then again, Lynne wasn’t exactly acting like herself lately. She was even more irrational and flighty but somehow so much more level-headed at the same time. She had lost something that was so intrinsically Lynne that maybe, just maybe, it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to presume that Lynne had also sacrificed some of her compassionate nature. It would certainly help to explain the unsympathetic tone she had addressed Aurora with. A flicker of doubt flashed through Kael as he studied Aurora intently. “Very well,” Kael shrugged agreeably, keeping in step with Aurora easily. She had shaken off his hand but she was slowing her rapid pace so that he could keep up without much effort. Not for the first time, Kael found himself utterly befuddled by the contrary nature of the female gender. “So you weren’t running away. It’s still not like you to leave so hurriedly. I didn’t realise you were so worried about Ariane then.”

At last, open honesty. That was one thing that Kael did recognise without Lynne’s assistance. Her sudden halting had nearly made him walk into her back though, Kael grumbled silently. Couldn’t she have given some sort of warning? Aurora’s reticence might be annoying him just the slightest bit but that didn’t mean that he wanted to knock her over. He just wasn’t that type of person. “It’s the secrets and the vulnerability,” Kael murmured, his comment mostly directed to himself as he slowly started to understand. He had known that Aurora and Ariane were perhaps as close as he and Lynne were. It had just never occurred to him to compare their relationships and see the similarities there. Kael guarded Lynne’s secrets and everything else that she entrusted to his care, just as she did for him. It wasn’t an equal trade, but only because Kael had never let it be. The difference between their ages was only a few minutes but he had always been the older brother, the protector. Kael had never allowed Lynne to share that role. Yet, when things got really bad, it was Lynne that Kael went to and vice versa. No matter what was happening in their lives, no one could ever know Lynne even half as well as Kael did, nor could anyone peer at Lynne and notice the small discrepancies in her personality she exaggerated and wore as a patchy, fallible mask. When you grew up with someone, you learnt things about them that no one else would; the good and the bad and the irritating. Whether Lynne had been leaving after this train ride or not, Kael wouldn’t have even considered the idea of sitting with anyone else. They needed each other as they left behind the place that had been home for the past seven years. It was the same for Aurora and Ariane.

Kael nodded silently and without surprise in response to Aurora’s quiet admittance. He had not consciously expected for Aurora to notice Lynne’s unhappiness but it made sense. Aurora and Lynne wore similar masks; Kael had known that for a long time. Part of him, the selfish part of him that had hated the feeling of being so painfully helpless as his sister cried, demanded to know why Aurora hadn’t tried to help if she had realised that there was something so deeply wrong with Lynne. Was it truly so hard to recognise that Kael would be useless in comforting the sorrow of heartbreak? His practicality grudgingly admitted that it was none of Aurora’s business and that Lynne would have been humiliated to know that she had been so obvious in her pain. “I wouldn’t exactly call him a boyfriend. I can think of a few words to describe him but none are really suitable to be heard by any of the younger students on the train.” Kael corrected stiffly, hatred and rage practically pouring off him in torrents at the vivid memory of Lynne brokenly sobbing out her tale and abruptly turning on him, shouting that he hadn’t been there when she had needed him most. The last time that Lynne had exploded like that, she had been six and the children that acted as her tormentors had teamed up to attack her together. Kael hadn’t been there then either.

He understood priorities perfectly. Lynne had been his top priority for so long, with his writing coming in a close second. Part of Kael had thought that she always would be. He had never really considered the idea of growing up to start a family of his own like his parents had. It just didn’t seem possible to him. He hadn’t ever met anyone who could stand him long enough to date and then marry him. Nor did the idea really appeal to Kael. Too many people irritated him with their absurd idealism. Why would he want to marry someone whom he would only end up wanting to murder for being so impractical? So while he had never planned out his future – because what was the point when things could change so rapidly? – Kael had always reckoned that he would spend his life getting Lynne out of trouble, writing and grumbling about idealistic idiots. It had served him well throughout his years at Hogwarts; why change a good thing? It wouldn’t have particularly surprised him if he had to dragging Lynne out of a muggle prison at some point. His sister had a knack for getting into trouble. Kael was used to it. After Lynne left, his top priority would probably shift slightly to be his writing. Nevertheless, if Seth did end up taking Kael up on his offer to live in the spare room then he might end up sorting out Seth’s life instead of Lynne’s. It probably wouldn’t be so terrible. Kael was pretty confident that Seth couldn’t create anywhere near as much chaos and havoc as Lynne had during their childhood.

“Go on,” Kael nodded, supportive because he had to be, because he understood. “Go and find Ariane. Make sure she’s okay.” Bemused, Kael stared at Aurora until she vanished from his sight once more. Trust Aurora to sink into the maudlin sentimentality of the last train ride. Kael sighed, shaking his head as he turned back and retraced his steps to the compartment his sister would still be waiting in. There was no reason for Aurora to proclaim that she would miss him; it wasn’t like he wouldn’t ever see Aurora again. He and Lynne didn’t have such a guarantee. He knew that she wouldn’t be there so Kael didn’t bother glancing back down the corridor as he stepped back into the confines of the compartment.