In the Gryffindor dorm room, the late afternoon sun cast a golden glow through the windows. Lewis was seated on the edge of his bed, fidgeting with a book, trying to focus but unable to shake the unease. Charles rummaged through a towering stack of notes on the desk, looking for something useful, whilst Carlos and Lando stood by the window, their faces unreadable to Lewis. The tension in the room was palpable, but neither wanted to address it head-on.

"Have you two heard from Oscar lately? He was asking around about you both earlier this week-" Unaware to Charles, Carlos stiffened at the mention of Piastri. Lando's brow furrowed, a flicker of irritation passing through him.

"Why are you bringing him up now?" He questioned sharply.

"I don't know, just thought it was odd. He's been acting weird, hasn't he? Like he's trying to figure something out... You two have been under his radar for a while now."

"Let him think whatever he wants." Carlos replied, his tone cold.

Less certainly, Lando suggested that he was simply worried, "Oscar cares about you, you know." The words hung in the air, Carlos shook his head dismissively.

"He doesn't know anything. It's not his problem." There was a long silence as Lando glanced at Carlos, unsure of how to respond. Lewis, who had been quietly observing up to this point, broke the silence.

"Maybe... maybe it's time to talk to him? You don't have to do it alone, either of you." His voice is soft, almost like a question. He's concerned, yet didn't want to push too hard. Lando looked at Carlos, who avoided his gaze. Charles on the other hand seemed to have picked up the ever increasing tension in the room.

"Whatever it is, it looks like you two need to sort it out before you dive back into whatever madness you're up to with this Chamber business. Can't be that important if you're acting like this," Charles shrugged. The comment landed with a subtle weight and Lando sighed, his frustration mounting. Lewis shot Charles a disapproving look but didn't say anything.

"We need to figure this out. Oscar's not the only one who's suspicious." Carlos shifted uncomfortably, his jaw tight as he glanced over at Lando.

"We don't have time for this right now." The pause was long, Lando knew Carlos was avoiding something, but didn't know how to press it without him storming off like last time, they still hadn't forgiven each other.

"We need to focus on the Chamber." At this, Carlos' attention flickers back to him, the mention of their objective drawing them both back to their shared mission.

Carlos and Lando had spent the past two weeks in an unspoken agreement: they would focus on the research and uncover what they could about the Chamber of Shadows, putting aside their unresolved issues for the time being. Despite the fractured nature of their relationship, they knew they couldn't abandon their search, especially with the treasure still elusive.

Lando had kept his distance a little more than usual, still processing the lingering frustration from their conversation a while back. He hadn't forgotten about Oscar's words and their implications weighed heavily on his mind. He couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something was off with Carlos and with every passing day, he grew more determined to uncover the truth. However, he kept pushing those suspicions aside, focusing instead on what was in front of him.

In these two weeks, the pair had dug deeper into the restricted section, pouring over ancient texts and cross-referencing maps of Hogwarts. Lando had even spent some time sneaking into the library's even darker corners, looking for any document that might contain a clue, while Carlos appeared focussed on deciphering old magical artefacts, symbols and translating anything they came across. Despite their individual efforts, the riddle of the Chamber of Shadows remained just that- a riddle.

But the tension between them remained unspoken, Carlos was still reeling from his confrontation with Fernando, feeling betrayed by the man who had once been a father figure to him. He hadn't told Lando the specifics of their conversation, nor did he feel ready to. How could he without revealing his most hidden, darkest secret? Yet as the days went by, a part of him desperately wanted Lando to understand what had happened. Carlos had pushed his feelings aside for the time being, solely focussing on the research, but the thoughts couldn't help but linger, making it difficult to concentrate.

Lando on the other hand couldn't shake the feeling that Carlos was still hiding something, that maybe Oscar's words had some truth to them. Every time they worked together, he couldn't help but notice Carlos' occasional glances towards the door, the way his body tensed when anyone mentioned Professor Alonso, the avoidance of direct eye contact when certain topics came up. He had tried to give him space, but the growing sense that something wasn't right between them gnawed at him.