Chapter Text
Chapter 14- Much Ado About Chaol
or
"Picking Up the Pieces"
Charms was different, thought Chaol. There were a lot more notes, and a lot less talking. While the professor droned on about Stopping Charms (who needed a charm to stop?), Chaol absentmindedly doodled a Snitch on his parchment, and tried not to stare at the golden girl to his left.
Aelin still had the small rings of sadness around her eyes that he had seen at Diagon Alley a few days ago, but she looked better. After emerging from a train compartment with Dorian, red eyed and jaw set, Chaol thought it was best he didn't ask.
The professor was staring directly at him. Chaol obligingly wrote 'Arresto Momentum' on his parchment.
He didn't even have time to discuss it with Dorian yet. They had hardly seen each other, which was hard enough being from two different Houses, but when they did, Aelin was always there. And it wasn't like Chaol could write properly to Dorian. He had to assume that all of Dorian's mail was screened, and Dorian had to assume the same about his. That brief meeting, with the cherry ice cream, left him certain that Aelin needed more than a little normalcy right now. So he'd go on pretending he noticed nothing different about her, and she'd pretend right back at him.
It wasn't what he wanted their relationship to come to.
Chaol decided to take advantage of the notes-heavy lecture.
Hey, he wrote on the corner of his paper. Quidditch tryouts?
He slid it left. Aelin glanced at it, still moving her quill like a pro, and gave a small, shadowed version of the grin he knew.
who do you think i am? she wrote back.
i want a regular position this year. wanna meet me after lessons to practice?
Aelin smiled, bigger, and caught his eye long enough to nod.
Feeling relieved, Chaol leaned back in his seat. He'd get Dorian to come, and maybe they could have a talk before meeting up with Aelin. That way, there would be a game plan. A way to proceed. He really did need one right now.
His notes were shoved back into his elbow.
Wait, said Aelin's looping script. Sorry, I forgot I'm meeting Professor Hamel after lessons.
Never mind, thought Chaol bitterly. np, later, he wrote back, keeping his expression neutral.
She nodded, patting his hand briefly before turning back to the lecture.
Later, thought Chaol. It'd have to be later.
(They Don't Get Quidditch Radio In Fenharrow)
After lunch, the Gryffindors had Potions with the Ravenclaws, but there was some Gryffindor girls emergency that sent Aelin, eyes rolling, up to the Tower, mumbling something about a pet getting into the hair potions.
Chaol was left trudging to the dungeons by himself, because for some reason, Dorian was nowhere to be found either. That kid was spindly enough, thought Chaol fiercely, and he shouldn't skip meals.
At this time next month, Chaol would love some quiet time. He hardly got any around the Common Room, and he had every lesson with Aelin. But today, after a whole summer of having no one to talk to but his brat brother, the silence seemed almost eerie to him, as though it was more physical that normal. His steps echoed, he could hear his own breathing...the corridor might be filled with students, but with no one talking at him, he felt more alone than he had in a while.
Seeing Nehemia and Sorscha talking quietly in a corner seemed like the reprieve he needed. Chaol bee lined towards them without a second thought.
"Hey!" he said. Sorscha physically shocked at his voice. "Going to Potions?"
She blinked at him for a moment, still surprised, and grabbed the end of her long braid. "Oh, yes, of course."
"Hi, Chaol," said Nehemia, smiling at him. "How was your summer?"
"Pretty good. Quiet." He had gotten taller over the past few months, and was incredibly surprised to see that he was almost Nehemia's height. "You?"
"Quiet as well. I'm sure that's all going to change," Her smile changing, became a little brittle, but only for a moment. "Oh! I'm sorry, I'm keeping you. Best get to class, kids."
"Right." said Sorscha, drawing the word out.
"Right," echoed Chaol. "Congratulations, by the way."
The yellow-gold Prefect badge winked at him from her robes. Nehemia laughed. "Thanks. Get to class or I'll dock points!"
"We're so scared," said Chaol, but Sorscha grabbed his arm and started pulling him down the corridor. "I'm coming, I'm coming."
She let go. "Sorry, I just didn't want to be late."
"You-" he stopped, looking her over. Sorscha looked virtually unchanged, but her eyebrows were drawn together in an expression of frustration that he hadn't really seen on her. "You good?"
Sorscha looked at him and shrugged, projecting the exhaustion of a middle aged man stuck in a dead end job. "Long summer, you know?"
"I know." Chaol looked down. Had something changed for everyone this summer? All his friends looked tired, darker. Except him.
It wasn't like a summer home was easy. His dad was a...he wasn't a good man, Chaol was old enough to understand that. And his mum wasn't getting better anytime soon. He just had his brother there to prop him up, and even he wasn't the best playmate. Sure, Chaol started to see things his father had a direct hand in, the Adarlan stuff even more clearly, but it wasn't like he could do anything about it. No, the real takeaway this summer was making sure that Dorian got through.
It was something Chaol had known, of course, but Dorian's experience at home must have been a hundred times more intense. But...Chaol had to pick up the pieces of Dorian already, was obligated by blood and family and friendship to do it, but picking up Aelin again was a side job, a much bigger project than he had realized. And if even the nicest girl he knew, even Sorscha was feeling the strain, he didn't know how much longer he could last.
"Woah," said Sorscha, frowning even harder. "Are you okay?"
He waved her off. "We're all...I guess we've all got our work cut out for us, you know?"
Even he didn't really know what he meant by that, but Sorscha was nodding, looking very sympathetic.
"As long as we stick together," she said tiredly, "We'll be okay."
Chaol smiled at her. "Yeah. Thanks."
She tugged at her braid again, shouldering past a group of third years. "Is Aelin alright? She seems tired."
Look who's talking, thought Chaol, but he shrugged. "We'll be okay, right? So will she."
"No doubt." They were coming up on the dungeons now, so Sorscha slowed down. "Listen, Chaol, I know things have been really heavy...at home, or whatever, but maybe we should stick to lighter subjects. With everyone. It's the only way this is gonna feel like Hogwarts again."
"Maybe you're right." Feel like Hogwarts again, huh? That was it. That was the big difference. The whole castle seemed darker, just cause they were all stupid enough to bring the summer's baggage here. If that was what Chaol needed to fix, that was doable. He grinned at Sorscha, who looked relieved. "Catch any Quidditch this summer?"
Her answer smile light up the corridor.
(Lighter Subjects)
"-okay, so I'm not saying that chess is a superior game to Gobstones-"
"That's exactly what you said, plain as day!"
Chaol trailed slightly behind the rollicking argument Aelin had started after mentioning the solid gold chess set she didn't get for her birthday. Dorian, who had seriously considered joining the Gobstones Club, was on the defensive.
"Well, am I wrong, then?" asked Aelin.
Dorian scoffed so hard it was a full body ripple.
They were trekking from the broomsheds to the Quidditch pitch, even though they were allowed to bring their own brooms to school now. All three were incredibly serious about getting permanent positions on their respective teams. Dorian was at a disadvantage. He played Seeker, and the position was currently full. Unless he knocked out the third year who had it, he'd have to settle for a Keeper or Chaser gig, and as Aelin kept reminding him, Dorian couldn't Chase for his life.
But the Gryfindor team was looking for Chasers too, and that's what Aelin and Chaol were.
The closer they got to the pitch, the more Chaol could see the gears turning in Aelin's head. It was game on, whether he liked it or not.
"Let's do Dorian first," she declared, rummaging around in her pockets. "I got a walnut somewhere...I can Charm it to fly around and we can try and hinder you from finding it!"
"Sounds good," said Dorian, tossing a grin at Chaol and mounting his broom. "Ready when you are.'
He took off.
Aelin found her walnut, but Chaol grabbed it before she could begin the search for her wand.
"I got it." he said." My Wingardium Leviosa is better than your's."
"It's not." Aelin snapped, but she didn't press further.
"Hey, we're supposed to be giving Dorian a challenge here."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Wingardium Leviosa."
The walnut shot up into the sky, where Dorian was doing loops. Aelin shook her hair out, and the light from her hair and sun distracted Chaol enough that she took off from the ground first.
"Slow!" she called out behind her.
Chaol mounted his broom, grumbling. He'd show her. There was no way she was making it on that team without him!
(Her Place)
Despite the Quidditch, Chaol still hadn't found a chance to talk to Dorian about...well, much. That whole thing about missing the quiet? It was creeping up a little quicker than he thought.
But not enough, because seeing Manon Blackbeak pacing back and forth near the staircases, clearly wrapped up in her own violent world wasn't enough for Chaol to walk away.
"Hey..." he started, staring at her.
Manon whipped up in a halo of silver hair. She glared at him. "What?"
Chaol pointed, unphased, at the pacing. "What's up?"
"None of your business," she snapped, sounding very on brand. "Just get out of my face."
"I'm at least five feet away form you," Chaol started, cause he was. "Also, like, you good, Blackbeak? Seriously. I can't tell if you're mad or stressed."
Manon put her hands on her hips, suddenly looking so much like Aelin Chaol had to blink a couple of times. "I'm both, Westfall, and I need to be left alone."
Well, fine. He was okay with that, she wasn't his friend and she sure as hell wasn't someone that he'd-
"What's wrong?" asked Chaol, crossing over to her and cursing himself out with every step.
"Are you deaf?" Manon had this look on her face, like she was surprised, but still trying to be upset about it.
Chaol shrugged, sitting against the wall. "I was gonna wait here for someone anyway." A lie, but she didn't need to know that.
She didn't sit. In fact, she kept pacing, but Chaol took it as a good sign. At least she wasn't actively trying to kill him.
After a minute or so of hearing her boots click across the stone floor, Manon suddenly wheeled around to face him. "What did Galathynius tell you about this summer?"
"Not much," said Chaol slowly, frowning. "Why? You know something?"
In a brief moment of transparency, Manon's expression told him that yeah, she did know something, and she was dying to get it off her chest.
"No," she said stiffly.
He shot her a look. "Come on, Blackbeak, you're the worst liar I've ever seen."
Manon rolled her eyes and resumed pacing. "Alright. Say...say I know something she doesn't."
"Tell her."
"It's not my place to. That's the problem," She turned back to face him. "And it's a bigger deal than I'd care to admit. It's not fair to let her continue in ignorance, but it's a personal matter that will change a large part of her life."
Shaking off the shock at Manon Blackbeak was trying to do something nice for Aelin, Chaol tried to make sense of this. "Wait, how could you know something like this?"
It was her turn to look at him incredulously. "I'm sorry, do you know who you're talking to?"
He put his hands up. "Sorry, whatever."
Manon huffed. "You know her better than I do, Westfall. Who should she hear this from?"
"I-I don't know!" Chaol stood up, folding his arms. "I have no idea what you're talking about. How am I supposed to tell you what to do if I don't know what you're going to be breaking to her?"
"Well I can't tell you before I tell her, that's twice as unfair."
"I know that."
"But..." Manon paused, thinking hard, and walked over to him, stopping hardly two inches from his person and trapping him against the stone wall. "You're not dumb. I can tell you some things, to judge the severity."
"Uh." Chaol lightly pushed her away. "Sure."
"Great. You know Terrasen?"
"Of course?" Chaol frowned. If this had to do with politics, it really was bigger than he thought.
"Terrasen's King." At his confusion, Manon sighed in frustration. "Listen, I can't say much, you're just going to have to figure it out based on what I give you. Terrasen's King? What do you know?"
"Nothing," said Chaol truthfully. "I mean, I know Orlon was the-"
"Orlon's dead. There's a new king."
"Okay, But what-"
Manon interrupted him again. "Do you know what the king is?"
"No!"
"He-or she-is a safety precaution." Manon wet her lips, clearly uncomfortable. "Like the head of the network. He isn't the public face of Terrasen, Orlon hadn't been seen in years, and that's why Galathynius's parents were so famous, but he is the glue that holds it all together. No one can know Terrasen unless the king allows it."
"That's all I can really say," continued Manon. "But the king is expected to have no ties. No family. Their whole life is Terrasen, the network."
"What exactly are you saying?" Chaol' head was beginning to hurt.
Manon pressed a hand to her temples, briefly. "Think, Westfall. There's a new King. One who used to be part of Terrasen's court, and one who had to cut all family ties."
And then he got it. Aelin, holding a cherry ice cream cone, flashed through his mind. "No way."
So grateful that he understood, Manon backed away, tension draining from her shoulders. "And she has no idea."
Chaol slid back down to his feet. She had no idea? How? How was this possible? "Manon, you can't."
She looked at him, surprised.
"It's her mom's job to say anything," Chaol shook his head. "You're right. It's not your place."
Manon seemed to deflate. "Will that-will it be easier, if she doesn't know?"
"I think so."
"Alright," She was quiet for a moment. "Then I won't say anything, unless I find it extremely necessary. But I doubt it."
"Thank you."
Shrugging, Manon seemed to shake off all her indecision. By the time she walked out of the corridor, she was the impenetrable Manon Blackbeak once more.
(Duties)
Dear Chaol,
I trust your journey was satisfactory. I was disappointed to find that you left for school when I was away, but my days were filled with much import, and I could not steal away to see you on the train.
Either way, your mother says you looked well. Her condition remains, by the way. I've called in a doctor from Mahoutokoro who is supposed to be a specialist of sorts. I will keep you updated on the results.
I saw Adarlan while I was away. He asked me to send you his regards for keeping his son safe at school, and hopes you'll continue for another year. I assured him you would, but I hardly need to remind you what your responsibilities are at Hogwarts.
Keep your grades up. I'll see you at Christmas.
Very truly,
Father
(Hypocrite)
"You got a letter?"
Chaol looked up to find Aelin crossing her way over to him in the Great Hall. "Yeah. You?"
She was holding parchment of her own, and looked more tired than ever. "Yeah, it was a rough one. I don't have to ask you how your letters from home go, right?"
"Nah, this was the same of the same stuff he always writes." Chaol couldn't take his eyes off her letter. Was this it? Had Evalin told Aelin yet? Privately, he cursed Manon for ever bringing him into this, but he knew he had asked for it. "What about you?"
Aelin sighed. "My mum, she's...she's leaving for a while."
"What?" said Chaol, a little more indignantly than normal.
Eyeing him suspiciously, Aelin continued. "Yeah...she's going to Fenharrow on business. For until after Christmas. So I won't see her until Easter, maybe, I guess."
"Oh," Chaol moved his bag so she could sit down. "I'm sorry, A."
So she didn't know. She didn't know and she wouldn't know until Easter, maybe later than that! Chaol felt a burning in his throat just looking at her.
"It's alright," Aelin looked like she was trying so hard to laugh this one off. "I mean, I know her job it demanding and whatever, and they say Hogwarts is amazing at Christmas."
"I'll be staying too," Chaol felt himself saying.
She visibly perked up. "Really? Your dad doesn't want you to come home?"
"He hasn't mentioned it," lied Chaol. He tried to smile. "Think of all the Quidditch we can play."
That almost did the trick. Aelin knocked her elbow into his shoulder. "Yeah, sure. What about Dorian?"
"I don't know about Dorian yet, but we'll see, right?"
"Yeah," said Aelin, smiling. "Thanks, Chaol."
It was the combination of the smile and the 'thank you' that made him break. Chaol opened his mouth, because she didn't deserve any form of this-
"I think you need to talk to Manon Blackbeak," was what came out, in a quiet sort of voice.
"What?" Aelin grabbed his arm. "What did she do? Why?"
"You just-" his throat felt like it was closing up. "She knows something. She wants to...she just knows something, alright? You should talk to her."
"Chaol, you're scaring me." Aelin didn't let go, but she did lean away from him.
"Yeah, sorry. Just talk to her."
"Okay," Aelin said, slowly releasing his arm, obviously wary. "I'll go now. Meet me in the Common Room before dinner?"
"Sounds good."
"Okay," she said again, before getting up and heading for the Slytherin table.
Chaol slumped over. He felt like such a hypocrite, insisting that this wasn't Manon's place and then immediately breaking when confronted with Aelin herself. At least, he thought, he'd get to see her after this conversation. Pick up the pieces.
His father could say all he wanted about his 'duties at Hogwarts', but Chaol knew exactly what they were. Always.
But though he waited in the Common Room, long after dinner, past midnight, Aelin didn't come back.