Daniel could tell something was wrong; obviously not knowing exactly what had happened, but knew there was something. Nodding, he asked, “How…how was it?” his hand reached out to hers, “Are you all right?” he asked kindly before smiling, “You don’t need to apologize, Lana. Besides, you’re here now.”
Lana took a deep breath as she laced her fingers with his. “It was...interesting. She’s not at all who I expected her to be, but she was kind. But I think that was all for show as a way to apologize.” She hesitated for a moment, wondering what else she would be able to tell Daniel. “I’ve learned a lot about my birth family recently, and a part of me regrets ever looking into it. I think I would’ve been better off without learning anything about them.”
Chryson glanced down at the letter in his own pocket and shrugged. “It’s not really anything special, just a letter to Mum.” He laughed lightly and handed his half sister some of the owl treats. “I apologize, my owl is a bit of an arsehole.” Constant deliveries. Chryson would be lying if he said his the words hadn’t piqued his curiosity. Who had Lana been owling so frequently? “Been sending lots of letters lately?”
Lana smiled in gratitude as he handed her the treats, holding them out to her bird with a chuckle. “It’s alright, hopefully they’re both going through a phase.” At his question, her smile faltered. “Not so much sending as I am receiving.” Lana bit her lip, turning her attention back to her owl as she stroked its head. “I keep sending her to check on my parents, and she always returns with more and more letters.” Her voice dropped to a mumble. “Even though they’re not getting replies.”
“Oi! Who threw that?” Colin growled, his glare immediately darted up to the trees above him. He had just been walking back from the Qudditch pitch towards the castle when a large, blunt, object crashed down upon his shoulder. He quickly spotted a dark object moving through the branches and made for the trunk of the tree, a grin playing at his lips. “You’re done for.”
Alana was strolling through the grounds when she heard Colin’s growl. Being the curious girl she is, Lana’s brows furrowed and she cautiously approached him, watching his back as he attempted to climb the tree. As she noticed the dark object he was after, she couldn’t help but laugh. “What did that squirrel ever do to you?”
The familiar smile put one on his own expression immediately, nodding, “Of course.” he chuckled - always pleasantly surprised by her charm. Taking the tin back, he took one out for himself, feeding it to one of the messenger owls of the school and gave it his letter. Turning to Lana, Daniel nodded, “It has been a long time. Where’ve you been?” the Hufflepuff asked curiously and shrugged, “As good as one can be, I suppose. And you?”
At his question, Lana’s heart dropped. It was one she typically avoided, usually giving the excuse that she was constantly studying and hiding away with her books. But this was Daniel, and she couldn’t lie to him. “I’m well, I guess. Doing better than some. I was with my mum for a while. Well, um, my birth mum. I never really had the chance to warn anyone that I was leaving, but I’m sorry I didn’t get the chance to say goodbye.”
“Girls, girls, quiet down you’re going to damage my eardrums. There’s enough of me to go around,” he smiled throwing them a wink. He turned then to see someone else hovering nearby. “Another adoring fan? Or another victim of damaged eardrums? If it’s the latter I really do apologize, and if it’s the former, well hello,” he grinned.
Alana was positioned in an alcove as she heard the voice, one of her eyebrows quirking as she watched him. As he noticed her, she couldn’t help but laugh at his words. “I hate to break it to you, but I’m actually just an innocent bystander that’s wondering how bonkers you are.”
Chryson had his own letter clutched in his hand, a weekly polite missive that he sent to his mother. There was barely any sentiment within the words, but he still worried about the woman, especially after that long ago disastrous family dinner. Anyone left along with Theodore Nott for long periods of time was someone to be worried about. Lana’s voice snapped him back to reality, sending a stab of guilt to coil in his gut as he forced a smile. “I have a few in my pocket, I think. My owl gets picky about picking up letters without them, I think I have enough for your owl too.”
“I think she’s starting to pick up your owl’s tricks,” Lana laughed softly, gently petting her bird’s head. “Towlia’s getting frustrated by her constant deliveries, so I have a feeling she’ll try to peck my hand off if I don’t give her something.” Her eyes dropped to the letter held in her half-brother’s hand, her own hand instinctively touching the stack stuffed in her pocket. “That looks important, sorry if I’m holding you up or anything.”
Daniel had meant to send an owl to his other sooner, but after the nightmare he had, he felt an extreme urge to finally finish it up and send it right away. Coming up the stairs, he had not expected to find Lana there and blinked, having not seen her for quite some time. Her question made him smile, reaching to his pocket and pulling out a little tin, “Here.” Daniel said, handing it to her with a smile.
A genuine smile spread across Alana’s lips as she looked at the familiar mop of brown hair. With her earlier disappearance from the castle and countless hours locked away as she tried to figure things out, she’d certainly missed seeing Daniel. “Thanks,” she said as she plucked a treat and tossed it to Towlia. Returning her attention to him, her smile grew. “Long time no see, Abbott. How have you been?”
My advice for girls who are waiting for their Prince Charming is to be open for anything. Be open to new experiences, be open to the idea that it may take longer than you want, but if you’re open to meeting new people and new adventures, then love will come along.
She had been meaning to write home for a few weeks, knowing her Father would get temperamental if she didn’t report back to him. Making her way up the Owlery steps, Atalia flipped through the few letters from her and her brothers. She raised an eyebrow at Alana, but pulled a small bag of treats out of her pocket and tossed them. “I need to give one to Zeus before he leaves, so don’t hog them all.”
As Lana caught the bag, she couldn’t help but feel slightly proud as well as surprised that her clumsy self hadn’t dropped them. “Thanks, you’re a life saver. I was worried Towlia would try to peck off my hand if I stopped petting her.” She plucked a treat from the bag and held it out to her owl, who eagerly snatched it out of Lana’s hand. With a soft chuckle, Lana walked towards Atalia and held the bag back out to her half-sister. As Lana noticed the letters in Atalia’s hand, her head tilted and her observation escaped her lips. “That’s certainly a lot of letters.”
Lana gingerly stroked Towlia’s head, listening to her Tawny Owl happily hoot from the attention. But the Gryffindor’s eyes were attached to the stack of letters in her hand, all of which remained unopened. A part of her was tempted to return the letters to their sender, but then she would have to return to her dormitory and retrieve the countless amount of envelopes stuffed underneath her mattress. Hearing footsteps ascending the owlery’s staircase, Lana looked towards the sound as she quickly hid her letters in her pocket. “You wouldn’t happen to have any owl treats, would you?”
Serena tugged Lana into a hug, not letting go of the other girl for a few seconds. It was nice to be around her friend again. “While I appreciate the gesture, I should probably warn you that I’ve been trying to quit. And you will have an angry Lexington on your tail if you give me booze.”
Alana gladly returned her friend’s hug, sighing as she did so. She hadn’t felt the same since her disappearance, but in this moment, she didn’t feel any different. “Well, I definitely wouldn’t want that. How about I bring extra sweets instead?”
After Lana had fled from the dining room, she found herself hurrying down the hall. Taking deep breaths, she felt as though the walls were closing around her, and all she wanted was to get out of the manor. It was naïve for her to accept the dinner invitation, no matter what her reasoning at the time may have been. Sure, Theodore Nott wasn’t exactly the kind of man you said ‘no’ to, but she should have. What would he have done? He hardly even knows the girl, and Lana doubted turning the invitation down would have upset him in any way. However, the reasoning behind his invitation continued to puzzle Lana. Was he suspicious of who she truly was? Had he already put the pieces together and learned the truth? Or was she simply invited due to her rumored closeness with Chryson?
Glancing around her, Lana realized her feet had taken her to unknown territory. Of course, she only knew what the dining room looked like, so it was as though the entire Nott Manor was a maze for her. Perhaps wandering off wasn’t her brightest idea, and the only thing she could do now is search for one of her half-siblings, or Adira. Anyone who could show her a way out of this place. Along with that, she also wanted to check on them. That dinner seemed to take a toll on everyone, and Lana hoped the others weren’t as frantic as she was at the moment.
Pushing the closest door to her open, Alana carefully stepped inside. Rather than stumbling upon someone, she found herself in an empty office. It would’ve been wise for her to turn around and try the next door, but, as always, Lana’s curiosity got the best of her. Her feet seemed to have a mind of their own and moved her farther inside, her eyes scanning the room and catching every detail. It was beautifully designed, the perfect study for the head of a house. Moving behind the desk, her fingers grazed the parchment sprawled across it. Dried ink revealed the neat handwriting of her father, but as she looked closer, the sound of the door closing snagged her attention.
“Are you lost, Miss Lewis?” her father’s voice rang out, his eyes squinting at the girl snooping around his office.
Lana hesitated, her eyes glancing back to the door. With Theodore standing between her and the only exit, Lana was trapped. As her heart pounded across her chest, she forced her voice out. “I’m sorry, sir. I was just looking for…” She found herself trailing off, her words failing her.
“My son? Yes, I’m sure the two of you have much to talk about.” Theodore raised an eyebrow at her, moving towards her.
Alana countered his movements until she was no longer behind the desk, and a part of her was tempted to sprint for the door. But before she could, her father motioned for her to sit. Without hesitating, she did as she was told.
Theodore leaned against his desk, his eyes boring into Lana’s. “No need to worry, Miss Lewis. It may not be an ideal situation for you, but I’m sure you and your parents will enjoy the wedding. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Lana hesitated, wondering how she’d dug her grave this deep. She’d never even spoken a word to her birth mother, let alone see her in person. How was she supposed to bring this woman to the wedding, along with her birth father who just so happened to be standing in front of her? Bloody hell, when had her life gotten so complicated?
Realizing Theodore was still waiting on her to say something, Lana cleared her throat. “I – er – yes, sir. I’m sure it will be wonderful.” Her voice was quiet, obviously showing who held the power in this conversation.
“Very well,” her father’s eyes gleamed, as though he’d won. “I look forward to meeting the man who holds Keira’s heart. I suspect he comes from a rather small and reserved family, seeing as I know nothing of the Lewis’.”
Alana swallowed. This was exactly what she didn’t want: questions about her father. She’d never been a good liar, how was she supposed to keep this up? Unable to find her voice, she gave him a small nod as her eyes glanced back to the door, wondering if she would be able to escape.
“Ah, yes, I apologize. I’m sure you desperately want to speak with my son.” Theodore moved behind his desk, taking a seat in the head chair. “Go on. I’ll save my questions for your father once we meet.”
Having been dismissed, Lana dashed out of the door without a word. She needed to get out of that house, and fast. Luckily, as she closed the door behind her and quickly turned around, she ran straight into the two people that could help her escape: the twins.
