The Eye of the Storm

What was strange was how quickly normality was recaptured.

Not long ago at all, studying alongside Christian was a terse and uncertain affair, with the lingering feelings of disappointment and broken trust keeping them from their usual comforts of collusion and confrontations. Ace Longbottom, Queen Fix-Humanity and Save-The-Planet, had felt at a loss for what could reverse their situation. It had taken her own show of vulnerability to seek him out and his own show of bravery to put himself in her crossfires for them to remember why it was all worth it.

She was back to glaring daggers at him when he corrected her Charms work.

Which was a lovely change.

She would one day question whether or not Christian was intentionally trying to socialize her by sitting with others when they studied, but for now she didn't mind most of the company he sought out. Especially Molly and Apollo. She wasn't exactly friendly with them, but neither talked much these days anyway so it wasn't like it was a stretch for her either.

Of course, none of them could be prepared for a certain blonde hurricane who seemed uniquely unperturbed by the upcoming exams.

Margo Richards flopped onto the ground next to her friends and stretched out with a yawn. "Shiiiit, I haven't done anything today. Alright, Ace? Apollo. Mol- say, Christian, where's Charlotte? I was gonna copy her Divination work, thought I'd find her with you."

This was weird. Not the studying, mind you. Rather, the fact that the two Zabini brothers were in the same place at the same time without shouting at each other. It was rather impressive, actually. Plus, Ace was there? And no hexes had been fired off? A miracle.

But, then again, things could change quite quickly.

Apollo glanced up from his History of Magic notes when Margo bounded through his focus, her greeting answered by uncurling fingers and a tiny swipe of his hand in an imitation of a wave. But when she got to Christian, his whole demeanor changed and he swept his attention over to his twin.

As for Christian, he didn't feel comfortable bringing Charlotte into their friend group after the last conversation they'd had. The scary one. What an idiot he'd been. Ace would probably kill him when she found out. Maybe she could kidnap him instead? That would be cool. He leaned back, away from Ace and her notes, pressing his back against a tree trunk.

"I'm not sure," he told Margo, his jaw and shoulder muscles tight as he tried to seem casual. "I think she's been busy with exams and such, too. Probably writing letters home to her friends or something. I - uh - I mean, I'm sure she'll be at dinner. You could ask her then?"

Turning back towards his Charms work, he pointedly ignored Apollo's narrowed, questioning eyes.

"You don't know?" Margo repeated, as though this were an impossibility.

Ace was sitting right next to Molly so she was the only one to notice the tip of the Ravenclaw's quill break on her parchment, as well as the brief look of hostility that was flashed in the blonde's direction. Ace, the one that never noticed how anyone was feeling because she was too busy being overly opinionated on it, blinked, her own irritation halted in the intrigue of this reaction.

But Margo, bless her, could be called persistent if nothing else. "Everything all right with you two? You were chummy for, what, a week and then nothing? I dunno, Charlotte doesn't seem the sort to deal with distance well. Love her, of course-"

"Margo, we're studying," Ace snapped, unable to listen to blonde think out loud much longer.

Margo's hands went up defensively. "So-orry, I'm just curious. If they break up, it'll be our dorm to bear the brunt of it-"

"Very considerate," Molly said, lifting her gaze to Margo's.

Margo stared at her a second and her jaw clicked as she set it, tilting her head. "You're one to judge on that."

Apollo actually winced when Margo continued. The last real conversation he'd had with his brother was one about family, and not an entirely positive one either. He didn't know anything about where Christian was with Charlotte, and thus he could not save him.

So he watched as Christian's nonchalance performance went from poor to failed. "Well, it's not really your-"

They all knew what he wanted to say, but Ace jumped in and saved him from being rude when he didn't want to be. Not towards his friends. McLaggen, maybe. But not Margo.

"They aren't breaking up," Apollo stepped in firmly, shaking his head at her behind Christian's back. He had no interest in whatever bickering was trying to start. "Exams mess with everybody, Margo. They're fine. She isn't really like us, though. She misses her friends and there's no point in him dragging her into all of this, is there? No matter how much she likes him, seeing this mess might just make things a mess."

Margo wasn't sure who had pissed in their Cheerios, but it was a bit tedious.

She supposed she should have guessed it. Apollo, Ace, and Molly were chronically serious (though Molly's aura of sobriety was certainly a newfound and unwelcome thing) but she had thought Christian was light-hearted enough to be able to translate her accidentally idiocy for what it was - friendly, causal concern.

And wowza it must have been opposite day because here was Apollo Zabini acting as the voice of reason.

Her eyes travelled from Apollo's steady gaze, Ace's stormy expression, Molly's sharp coldness, and Christian's look of conflict. She put her hands up defensively. "Merlin, I'm sorry." She pushed herself up off the ground, wiping her hands. "I guess I'll just go ask."

She started to turn to walk away before she paused, and then turned back, her eyes falling on Christian. "I've seen the way she looks when she talks about you. I'm just saying. I notice. Sorry for worrying about that." She pursed her lips into a falsely apologetic look, before pivoting on her heels and walking away.

For what might have been the first time in literal years, Apollo's jaw dropped. And, to be fair, Christian looked affronted as well, though likely for a different reason. The younger brother took it as a dangerous positive, while the elder immediately assumed that his twin was going to get hurt. By Charlotte of all people.

Merlin's sake.

After she was gone, he frowned deeply, then looked to Molly. "What does that even mean?" Apollo asked. Christian shifted uncomfortably, wanting nothing more than to get up and leave. The Slytherin could feel it.

"Just drop it," Christian muttered, turning the page in his textbook and lowering his gaze. "I don't see how this is anybody else's business. Even for you lot."

Narrowed eyes and all, Apollo looked over at Christian before turning his back on the Hufflepuffs completely. At least he and Molly could get work done without this sort of drama working its way in.

Molly didn't know why people even thought to ask her what was going on in Margo's head. And the dull almost-glare she flicked towards Apollo was evidence enough of this sentiment. But her eyes flicked towards Ace who was swallowing something down and she focused back on her work.

Ace was tired of being apart of these conversations. She was tired of Christian seemingly getting mad at her for having an opinion. She couldn't help it. He was her partner. It was her job.

She wanted to leave. But that was the easy way out, and they had only just reconciled. If anyone knew how to do the right thing, even when it was hard, it was Ace. So she remained.

Molly glanced up as Apollo turned away from the Hufflepuffs, and she met his gaze. A small frown, the only indication of her worry. And then she silently began working as well.

And so four students, all of whom could have benefited from a moment of vulnerability and openness, tucked back into their studies.

Everyone shut down, essentially, and Christian couldn't determine if it was his fault, Apollo's, or Margo's. It sure felt like it was his fault. He frowned, eyebrows pulling together so fiercely that, actually, it almost hurt. But not as much as the way Apollo turned from him and Ace just went back to work. Apollo's actions, he understood those. But thinking back to Christmas, he'd hoped that Ace would know him better than that.

Christian reached over, ripping a bit of parchment so he could set it down inside his book. On it, he jotted down something before reaching over and dropping it in Ace's way.

That wasn't directed at you. I know it sounded that way. They just made me mad.

And so he watched her out of the corner of his eye as he pretended nothing was happening besides some frustrated attempts at studying.

Ace was determined to forget any of it had ever happened. She wasn't sure why she was so set on edge anytime Charlotte was brought up. The Ravenclaw was annoying and dramatic, but Ace didn't dislike her anymore than she tended to dislike everyone else. Maybe it was the look she saw in Charlotte's eyes when they were on Christian, the blatant 'mine' that was all but written across his forehead. Certainly she wasn't ignoring that, and wasn't out of line for being frustrated by it.

Maybe she was. She didn't know.

A piece of parchment fluttered into view and she pressed it against her essay, turning it to scan it quickly. She didn't look at him as the corners of her mouth twitched, and she carefully folded it away from the eyes of their friends. She didn't look at him, because he wasn't looking at her and she didn't quite trust herself to break her usual look of aggression - and that certainly wasn't helpful.

So, instead, she casually leaned over and knocked her shoulder against his, her meaning clear. Don't worry about it, mate.