It was late evening in the Gryffindor dormitory, Carlos had finally been let out of the hospital wing and was stretched out on his bed with a textbook on his face, pretending to study. Lando burst in, slightly out of breath, clutching some scribbled parchment and his satchel, still damp from lake water.

Lando was excited to share his discovery, while Carlos teased him about being overly enthusiastic. "You won't believe what I found! I- okay, no, actually, sit up. This is serious."

Carlos removed the book from his face and smirked. "Serious? Did the giant squid propose to you again, Lando?"

"Focus, would you?" He explained how he ventured along the lake's edge again and noticed strange patterns in the frost on nearby rocks, shaped almost like runes. When the moonlight hit them, they glowed faintly, but only quickly before disappearing. Lando hesitated, glancing at Carlos with poorly concealed concern. "You should've been there, you know, the other night. It was... eerie, but kind of brilliant. But instead, I was talking to myself like an absolute lunatic."

"You do that even when I'm around." He tried to move, but winced slightly as he adjusted his position. Lando noticed but didn't comment. Instead, he nudged him lightly with his elbow, choosing to move past it.

They had decided to take another trip to the restricted section, their usual corner. Unbeknownst to the Librarian they had covered their corner with many charms in order to allow them to be as loud as they wished and remain unseen. Carlos had conjured many a cushion and blanket for them. In front of them were several dusty books, a map of the lake, and Lando's sketches of the frost runes.

Carlos studied one of the sketches, "You call these runes? They look like something you'd doodle on a boring scroll during History of Magic."

Lando gasped with mock-offence: "Excuse you, these are art, Carlos. ART."

"If by 'art' you mean 'children's drawings,' then yes, absolutely."

Lando suggested that the frost runes might mark an entrance or reveal something submerged in the lake. Carlos raised an eyebrow at the idea of actually going into the freezing water. There's a pause when Lando glances at him and asked softly: "You'll come with me next time, right? You're... you're okay to do that, yeah?"

"Yeah. I'll be there, Landito."

The moment passes, and they get back to work, mock-arguing over rune translations. "Do you ever think about what's at the bottom of this lake? Like, what's really down there?"

"Definitely not treasure. Probably just kelp, fish, and a bunch of grindylows plotting to eat us."

Lando grinned. "Comforting. Truly." He stared at Carlos for a moment, "You seem... better today. I mean, not perfect, but... better."

"Some days are easier, I guess. And some days aren't."

A couple days later was a Quidditch match between Slytherin and Gryffindor. In the Gryffindor common room, the atmosphere was electric with anticipation as the team prepared for the match. Carlos was already dressed in his Beater gear, determined. He had lost very few international matches, and therefore refused to let himself be beaten by a few teenagers. Lando quietly walked over to Carlos and whispered: "You don't have to play, you know. No one would blame you, you don't have to prove anything."

Carlos gave a tight smile. "Who said anything about proving? I just want to wipe those smug looks off their faces. I'm fine. Really."

"Right, because 'fine' always looks like you've been steamrolled by a hippogriff." Despite the banter, Lando noticed how Carlos subtly adjusted his grip on the bat, as if his shoulder still ached.

The crowd roared as Gryffindor and Slytherin faced off. Rain clouds threatened overhead, the air crackled with tension. The game began aggressively with Slytherin using every dirty trick in the book. Carlos, however, was sharp and precise, deflecting Bludgers with skill and even sending one straight into the path of a Slytherin Chaser, stopping a scoring attempt.

The commentary box was alive with excitement, "And there goes Sainz, performing an impossible mid-air maneuver to block a rogue Bludger, Amazing!" Even the Slytherin crowd was forced to acknowledge Carlos' incredible talent as a Beater.

Mid-match, the rain started to pour heavily, making visibility difficult; Slytherin was ahead by twenty points and the Snitch remained elusive. Carlos spotted a Slytherin Beater aiming a Bludger directly at their Chaser, who was lining up for a goal. Without hesitation, he dived across the pitch and smashed the Bludger away in an impressive display of strength and precision. The maneuver left him momentarily vulnerable, Lando noticed, another Bludger grazed Carlos's side, who gritted his teeth through the pain, refusing to let it show. Despite the injury, Carlos rallied the team. He shouted commands across the pitch, orchestrating defensive plays like a true leader. It was moments like this that Lando, along with many other of his friends, noticed that this was when Carlos was most alive- flying through the rain, bat swinging, determination etched across his face. It had always been that way, deep down.

The final minute of the match came quickly, Gryffindor down by ten points, the Snitch appeared, chaos erupting as both Seekers dived.

"And a rogue Bludger threatens to knock Gryffindor's Seeker off their broom, is it too late for Gryffindor?" Carlos reacted instantly, flying across the pitch at breakneck speed. With a perfectly timed swing, he intercepted the Bludger and cleared the path for the Seeker who caught the Snitch as the crowd went wild. The team descended to the pitch, Gryffindor banners waving wildly. Despite his exhaustion and pain, Carlos landed smoothly and was immediately swarmed by teammates.

As the team headed back to the common room, Lando found Carlos leaning against a wall, catching his breath. "You know, if you weren't so annoyingly good at Quidditch, I'd yell at you for nearly getting yourself killed out there."

Carlos laughed tiredly, a yawn almost escaping. "Admit it- you'd be lost without me."

"Fine, fine. You're the best Beater Hogwarts has ever seen. Happy now?"