The Wind of Doubt ((Ruby))

[Wynd Lehane]

Wynd raced down the hallways. Well, not raced. A Lehane never raced. His father always told him 'The day a Lehane has to hurry is the day muggles rule the world.' Wynd walked at a brisk pace. It was late and he had not seen Ruby return from her walk. He had been studying in the common room. Ugh. Studying for Herbology. A worthless class but he had to pass it in order to advance in his academics. Ruby couldn't care one way or the other if she passed or not but Wynd knew that at least one of them had to pass. They were a team. They worked together to aid each others strengths and cover for their weaknesses. If Ruby didn't do well if Herbology then Wynd would pull them through. Likewise, when Wynd struggled in charms, Ruby always pulled them through. Wynd excelled in charms. That was just an example. He wasn't nothing compared to his sister but he was nothing to scoff at either. Ruby and he were a team. Now and forever. There was nothing that would pull them apart.

Ever since they were born Ruby and Wynd had a special bond. That was found to be true of many twins, but their bond was especially close. When their mother was arrested and their father overcome with depression, they stuck together and held the family together. Whereas many twins lose their bond or the bond weakens over time, Wynd and Ruby's bond was steadfast. If anything it grew over time. There was times that Wynd swore he could feel what Ruby was thinking and feeling at that exact moment. He was not so prideful to think that it was telepathy but he wouldn't be surprised if it was. These feelings often happened at times of great emotion. This is what made Wynd walk at a brisk pace. He had sensed that Ruby was feeling sad. But not a depressing sad as their father, but a joyful sad. It was a strange sensation. He could not remember the last time that he sensed that Ruby was joyful. The only time he could think of was the time they received an owl from their mother. Ruby was so happy but it was turned to sadness when they found the owl torn. Still it was a joyful sadness because it come from their mother.

Plus, Ruby was late. She was never late. Wynd knew that she could handle herself but as her brother he feared the worse. What if a bunch of mudbloods had surrounded her and..... it would be just like those filthy mudbloods to attack a lone pure witch. She was powerful, but she was smart enough not to attack Dumbledore's favorite breed even when provoked. He had to find her! Wynd could not make heads or tails of this gut feeling that was emanating from Ruby. He just had to find her and make everything all right. It was his job. Searching the corridors for her in all of her usual hauntings, Wynd was hopeful that he would not run into a prefect. He liked his house prefects. Mack, Kennedy, Caleb and Arya. It was the other houses that he didn't like. He wasn't afraid of being caught or losing house points. He didn't mind detention. He just wasn't in the mood to play nice.

He stopped dead in his tracks as he felt an explosion of happiness from Ruby.

What could be making Ruby so happy? ...No ...That didn't make any sense... That would be fun but no... And just like that he knew. It hit him hard in the gut and kept growing stronger until he was sure. She had found someone. Someone out there had made her so happy that Wynd could feel the happiness. But just as quickly as he was sure of the thought he shrugged the thought away. If Ruby ever dated she always told Wynd. There was no secret too big that she could not tell him. Was there? No. No! There was no room for doubt in their team. If one day they were to rule the world there could be nothing in their way. Especially a betrayal of trust. Whatever Ruby was doing and wherever she was, she was sure to tell him. Wynd continued his brisk walk. It was a full moon tonight. She loved the moon. Perhaps she was out in the courtyard. His answer was soon answered as he almost collided with Ruby coming from the courtyard. "Mind in other places tonight, sister?"

[Ruby Lehane]

Ruby left the courtyard behind her and of course the atmosphere that had accompanied her in it. Her mind was alive with all sorts of emotions as she didn’t turn back to look at Valmer. No…she wasn’t about to let him see her look back. She had already seemed too interested moments ago, she wasn’t about to turn back and give him more knowledge about her. She liked him…how could she not? But the question that she didn’t want to think about was: could she trust him? A soft smile fell across her face at the thought. She didn’t trust anyone, well except for her other half, the one that seemed to make her whole most of the time, but now…now she wanted to trust him. Ruby couldn’t stop the giddiness that was arising within her. She wanted nothing more than to turn around and go back to him, but she knew she had to leave him wanting more. If he really did want more…the thought made Ruby’s feet come to a soft stop, a hand moving up to play with the small ring that hung around her neck, her mother’s wedding ring. They wouldn’t let her have it in Azkaban, so she was holding it for her until she got out this coming year. It had been a small reminder to Ruby about what happened and it was also a comfort to remember that her mother was always with her. Now she used it to calm her fears. So many men had wanted things from her before. She shook her head. No…Valmer wasn’t like that. He was different…he was sincere and wanted her because she was… What did he want from her? They hadn’t known each other that long…had…had he been watching her? The question stuck in her head for a few seconds as she stood there, before she scoffed to herself. Impossible. That would be too weird, but maybe…maybe he’d been trying to get her attention for awhile now. Maybe she just hadn’t seen him before. Of course she’d seen him before, they were in the same year and house. Had all the same classes for the most part and sat at the same table, but maybe…maybe she hadn’t really seen him before. Maybe she had been so caught up in life that she had simply not processed any passes he may have sent her way, but tonight…tonight she had definitely caught them and he had been so sincere. But so were those other ones, Ruby’s conscious spoke up finally loud enough for her to hear. A frown passed over her once smiling features. They had wanted more from Ruby than she had really wanted to give. But…but now she realized that they weren’t like Valmer…or maybe Valmer wasn’t like them…or maybe she was just kidding herself and she should run far away from him while she still had a chance. She shook her head again as her feet started forward again, unable to look back or go back to question him further. She had to trust him in this…but…but she never trusted. If she had then she would have been thwarted long ago.

Ruby’s mind was drifting further and further on her path, completely preoccupied with the night’s events. Everything seemed to blaring inside her. It was loud and pounded against her eardrums. She was so afraid it was going to break free and be let loose on anyone around her. It was suffocating to say the least. It was as if all her emotions at once were being pit against each other, trying to get to the top of the staircase so they could coach her through what to do, but none of them were winning. Every time one that they had gotten to the top, another one of her emotions would come up and push them down. It was confusing and very aggravating. Ruby never lost control like this, never did things without thinking them through; every option and every consequence had always been running through her. She was never careless…but tonight…tonight she knew she’d been careless. She knew she had let her emotions get out of hand, her whole control lost. Valmer had had the upper hand the entire time outside. How could she have let that happen? How could she have let Valmer control her emotions the way he had? Maybe he was just like all the others. But, another emotion took control and a smile fell across her face, no one had ever made her feel so alive before. Sure there was her brother, her other half, but he had never made her heart thumb wildly in her chest. If he had, then there would have been something really wrong with that…with her. But…Valmer…Valmer made her forget about things…made her realize that there were still things in this life to be happy about. She had forgotten what being happy was truly like. Forgotten that she, herself, could be happy and feel…gods forbid…happy. The smile seemed to widen and it lit up her whole face.

Preoccupied…as you can see…she is preoccupied, so when she continued down the hall and turned, hoping to make her way down to the corridor she collided with her brother. The smile fell from her face almost immediately. She had forgotten, forgotten why she had to leave the courtyard. Her mind went into a sort of shock as she tried to find words to say. Her brother’s comment ringing through her ears…she had to remind herself it wasn’t a comment, it was a question and her brother would want an answer. He always wanted an answer. No doubt he had felt something while she was in the courtyard. It was their tendency as twins to feel each other’s extreme emotions and she had been happy…extremely happy in the courtyard. There was no way Wynd hadn’t felt something, but she wasn’t going to admit that right now. She’d let him bring it up and with that she realized she’d been holding her breath. How long had she been holding it? Why had she forgotten to breathe? The hot air exhaled quietly and the new cold air seemed to rejuvenate her as well as the emotions that were still trying to fight each other inside her. A new one had surfaced…one that wanted to tell her brother everything that just transpired. One that wanted nothing more than to be loyal to her best friend, her brother, and her confidante. But to every reaction there was an equal reaction therefore another was telling her to stay quiet, to keep her brother from knowing about Valmer. It was afraid, afraid that if her brother found out she wouldn’t be able to see Valmer again, she’d have to leave him…Leave him?! She wasn’t even with him…not yet anyway. So why…why was she feeling that she had to stay quiet and to trust Valmer? Trust…that was such a strong word…one that not many had come to know from her, only Wynd.

He asked me something…what’d he ask me? Ruby’s mind reeled. She had to be cool, had to act like she’d just been walking and thinking, thinking about things that weren’t so extreme. Her blue orbs seemed to remember everything at once and they darkened to their normal look, a small smile falling across her lips, one that was most usual around her brother. He was the only one that didn’t get her menacing smile…well he had been the only one, now…now Valmer was one of them. She pushed the thought of him away from her as she let her hand fall on her brother’s shoulder. “Dear brother were you worried about me?” Ruby asked finally, the silence that had fallen between them had tension, mostly because of the shock that had come from her. So she continued on, not letting her brother answer, her rather rhetorical question. “As for my mind, I was only preoccupied with planning. It’s been so long since we’ve planned things. School has been taking so much time, our professors slamming us with homework for our O.W.L.s. We haven’t had proper time to plan or think. I decided on my walk that it would be a perfect time to think and plan our next step.” Ruby takes her brother’s arm in hers and directs him away from the courtyard. “Come, let us walk.”

[Wynd Lehane]

He could tell something was wrong. Right off the bat. Not only had her expression changed from a smile to shock, Ruby stopped breathing. That pause... that silence... between them felt like a lifetime. It probably had lasted only a few moments, but to Wynd it took forever. What could have happened that Ruby was so afraid? She could tell him anything. She knew that. Right? Why then, was there a look of total surprise on her face? Almost as if she was frightened by the truth. The truth excited her and scared her at the same time. Although, this was only a guess. There was no way for Wynd to know for sure unless she told him. Their connection was just like a sixth sense. It had no logic, no reason, no explanation. It was raw and cold, when Ruby felt a strong emotion, it left Wynd with a feeling of emptiness. Sometimes he thought of their connection as more of a curse than a gift. Sometimes.

When she finally answered, her response was a question. It was a good tactic. It caught Wynd off guard. One usually doesn't respond to a question with a question of their own. But before he was able to respond she continued. She changed his question and made it fit her purposes. He had no doubt that somewhere in her mind she had been think of their plans for the future. But as for her thoughts being preoccupied with those particular thoughts, he wasn't sure. She seemed to have come up with this rather quickly. If she really was thinking about their future then why hadn't she responded right away? There was something going on. Wynd could tell. But what he couldn't guess. However, he knew that she had to tell him. It would do him no good to accuse her of doing something right away. That was not how trust was built. If there was something worth talking about, Wynd had to trust that she would tell him. But he had to know. He just had to be careful how he approached the subject.

As Ruby took his arm in hers he asked her, "Why were you out in the courtyard this late? You're usually never late." He repositioned his arm so that he was escorting her as they started off down the corridor. "But I'm glad that you brought up our plans. It has been a while since we got to talk. And I think I know our trouble. Odette and Damien." He looked into her blue eyes, "Do you agree?"