Oh St. Valentine, how you make my life hell.

It was a leaky secret, her being cut off, one that was going to emerge sooner or later and either leave her with the blush of embarrassment or her father. She was the favourite of a fair few Purebloods; ones that had been humbled by the war but had not privately renounced their beliefs. They were the ones that had doted on Athena as a child and had continued to until their doting had lulled much like her father’s had. Still, she knew they were people she could count on to aid her if she was to become truly desperate. Athena Goyle was not someone who was going to resign herself to asking for help, though. She was a self-sufficient woman from now on, one that could look after herself without anyone else’s help whether it be monetary or physical aid. Purebloods would throw money at the problem. It’d only be soppy Hufflepuffs and Mudbloods that would be quick to offer her help in terms of a place to stay during the summer or the like. No, she would sort that. She knew she could count on herself. She had no other choice, really. She had to and with that came a certain amount of security. Only she could determine whether she would succeed or not. Success didn’t depend on someone else, for once. It didn’t depend on her father for once.

That didn’t mean she wasn’t still sensitive about the matter. Christmas had been two months ago and it wasn’t nearly long enough to heal old wounds. The money was still aplenty and no one knew. Still, both were about to run dry she was sure. She wasn’t being frivolous but it was disappearing and soon enough, around Easter time she was sure, people would start asking questions. The first would be an inquiry as to her marital status; the second would be ‘where is she?’ Athena wasn’t certain what her father’s answers would be. No, instead she was sure it would actually be Apolline answering. The woman would either tell the truth in a fashion that would suggest Athena was truly the one to blame, that she suggested she be cut off and doomed to a life of spinsterhood lest she marry anything other than a Pureblood. That would be an attempt at placing the scarlet on Athena’s cheeks. Athena knew she had to do the opposite, to turn Apolline and her father an undignified shade of tomato. She wished she knew how, though. She was at a loss, her mind focused on something other than her family for once. She’d been enjoying herself, right up until Kendall had been brazen enough to utter ‘Thea’. His ignorance was understandably but that did nothing to curb her reaction. That didn’t even occur to her. She just knew she needed to leave and deal with the agony of being discarded by herself.

Out in the frozen world, Athena felt slightly better. Her chest contracted, her skin pinked as it strained to keep her warm and she pulled her coat tighter around her in order to achieve this. People were still darting around the village either hand in hand or grasping some sort of over-sized Valentine’s gift. Athena huffed out breaths in short, quick bursts, wringing her hands together as she walked both to attract some warmth in them and to keep herself together. It wasn’t until she heard Kendall behind her that her irritation began to climb. Athena drove her hands into the pockets of her coat and buried her face in the ermine, her eyes remaining open so as to see where she was heading. She shook her head despite herself, her curls flying around her temples as she continued to stride, hoping to lose him but grimly aware of the fact that he was in possession of particularly long legs.

When they lapsed into silence, Athena began to slow, preferring the silent company she now had instead of the constant barrage of wit and innuendo. She lifted her head, her cheeks the same colour as the ostentatious Valentine’s gifts from the cold and the tickle of the ermine against her skin. Her eyes were wide, dark and swirling with hurt she did not mean to communicate. Her lips were slightly parted, a similar colour to her skin, and dry having been whipped by the cold. Her tongue was heavy in her mouth, still bearing the taste of the drinks from before. She seemed almost childlike, her manner now hesitant and careful. Here was a young woman who had buckled under the strain of poor family relations, a young woman - a girl - who sought little more than to just be loved, reduced to little more than pretence and façade.

Perhaps she should’ve cried, but she didn’t. Instead, she paused midstride and turned to look at him, poking her head out once more from the safety of the ermine trim. She truly felt exposed under his gaze and as she grappled for words to explain herself, he filled the air instead with his own voice and for once, words that weren’t entirely misplaced for the tone of the situation. It was enough of an apology to tide her but she knew not to expect one. She would’ve been foolish to have expected it.

“Bad year,” she murmured in response, her eyes dropping hesitantly to the snow on the ground. Athena shrugged her shoulders a little before shrinking into the coat again. Athena sighed heavily, her eyes closing for a few moments before reopening, wincing at the light bouncing off of the snow. “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it,” she told him, bringing her eyes back up to rest on his. “It’s life, Kendall. That’s all. It’s as difficult as we make it.” Athena nibbled on her bottom lip for a few moments, her eyes glazing over in thought. They cleared not long after and she tugged idly on one of her curls, the fingers of her left hand apparently braver than that of her right. “Do you want to get some lunch with me?” She inquired gently, far eager than expected to put her outburst out of her mind and occupy it long enough to forget her insecurities for perhaps another hour. “My House Elves are working in the kitchens now,” she told him, deciding not to add that it was the only for them to legitimately be near her ninety percent of the time. Embarrassing though it was to be looked after by House Elves as she was, Athena was endlessly grateful. “And I think they said something this morning about a pie. Fancy getting something to eat?”

Granted, Athena didn’t mind either way but she wanted out of the cold and she didn’t want to have to count her galleons. Collie and Brew would be quick to make something to eat for the pair of them, or even just Athena if Kendall wanted to go elsewhere. Athena wanted to be back in the castle, though. She was finally beginning to understand what the Gryffindors always harped on about. Hogwarts was home.

Truth be told, Kendall had no plans for the day. He disdain for any non-familial commitment meant that he never had a genuine date for this very Muggle tradition of a day. This year, however, Valentine's was even more empty than the other years. There was a strange sense of vacancy that greeted him the moment he opened his eyes. Still, Kendall is never one to dwell on such thoughts negatively. It was as if he made a detached observation that wasn't met with an explanation. Whatever it was, Kendall was adamant to not lose his current company. He followed after her despite not ascertaining where she was heading to, yet. It wasn't much of a matter to the boy. Of course he liked to be in control, but he was also an opportunist, claiming to be able to turn any situation for his own good.

Quickly enough, it seemed evident enough that Athena had simmered down, even if just by a little. By this time, Kendall was unintentionally matching Athena's in the pace of her steps. He stopped abruptly just after she did, eagerly, as if it was the very break he was anticipating from her. The reaction he had gotten at Hog's Head had been more than he had bargained for. It was a rise, alright. But it was more than he was used to from her. There was something on her mind that he had suddenly become more curious about. Kendall stopped and turned to Athena slowly, his eyes really being more eager in their response to her. He smirked at her strange choice of adjective for him in what she said, albeit the mere figurative intention of it.

"Year? The year's only into its second month." There was a moment of incredulous expression on Kendall's face upon that blatant observation. "Lousy holidays too, I assume? I was rather available over Christmas, love; could have ditched the average arm candies for a friend. Perhaps you'd want to consider that piece of information next time." There was a wink involved there in Kendall's reply. He was still trying to be cheeky, of course, as ever. "Well, chin up, beautiful!" It was less of a good-natured attempt of encouragement than a way for him to brush off a complicated serious conversation, as if Kendall didn't want it at such a time and place, even if the matter was really Athena's. Unwittingly, he robbed her of that, whether she had intended to go on or not. It was a slip on his part.

"D'you know what?" Kendall paused to sniff the air. A smirk began to form on his lips just after he licked them with greedy fervour. "I smell those pies already. The lucky household of Goyle, eh? I'd be glad if our House-elves could even venture for something as delicious as that. They're learning, of course. They need to. I'm bored of whatever they make already." Unwittingly, again, the boy had pressed upon the issue of family. After all, for all their seeming coldness, family was at the heart of Slytherin families. It was how different families handled themselves that made a variety of them. And then, as if Kendall would die if he did not attempt to be cheekily annoying, he ventured with a smirk, "Happy Valentine's Day, Athena Goyle." Turning with a chuckle, Kendall took the first few steps to the beginning of the walk back up to Hogwarts.

Her hands felt unnaturally hot and clammy folded into her elbows. Reluctantly she unfolded her arms and flexed her long, spindly fingers, the bones clicking in places. She shook them slightly by her sides but the movement and the way her hands cut through the chill of the air did little to relieve the feeling she was experiencing. She soon put it to the back of her mind though and drove her hands back into her pockets, determined not to think about anything other than the situation at hand. Wetting her lips, Athena was suddenly overcome with a feeling of nausea she could only attribute to the foul-tasting drink and the lack of anything lining her stomach in terms of food. She could only assume that she was hungry and was merely feeling faint because of it. She wasn’t a sensitive soul - let us not make that mistake - but she was not exempt from some of the more womanly traits that afflicted Purebloods - fainting and low blood pressure being two of the many problems Purebloods, especially the women, faced. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Athena hadn’t had the exposure. Until now.

Exhaling gently, Athena focused her gaze on Kendall, squinting slightly as she tried to keep her gaze caught on his. She seemed to show her weakness, in those moments. She seemed all that more frail and the coat seemed to do little more than drown her frame. She was not quite as revered as she would have hoped. Caught in a momentary cloud of sickness, she found herself feeling far more disorientated than she had ever experienced and so her fingers balled around the leather gloves in the pockets; balling the material into her palms and squeezing as if in the hope that it would keep her upright. It didn’t help but she remained standing. Her legs had yet to buckle.

And yet, just as it had begun, the sickness lifted. The nausea slipped away and the heat seemed to fizzle away, her temperature returning to something that little bit more agreeable. Athena couldn’t help but shudder though, the bite of the momentary queasiness having sunken far deeper than she would care to admit. Kendall, she found, was still talking. He was attempting to be reassuring, she deduced from the few words she caught as her mind registered the syllables and words he’d uttered.

“What?” Athena responded reflexively, not really thinking about her words. “Oh, well. Yeah, I suppose.” Athena shrugged her shoulders. “I didn’t really think about it, honestly. You must’ve been suitably occupied anyway so don’t worry about it.” And he didn’t. Athena pursed her lips, finding herself classically wishing he would worry about it. Of course upon realising this she berated herself and began to trudge forward, up the cobbled road that was covered in a slushy form of snow. Kendall was talking, again.

“Mmm.” Athena shrugged her shoulders in response before smiling gently. “Happy Valentine’s Day.” She murmured, feeling for the first time the emotion the name suggested, however weak it was: happiness. “C’mon,” she told him with an amused smirk on her face. “We haven’t got all day. The food will be cold if you don’t hurry up.”