Winnie Bulstrode prefers not to speak to her sister, which certainly isn't a surprise to those who know her, or even know of her. They are like water and gasoline, never being able to mix together correctly, always forced to have one on the outside while the other soaks up the limelight in the middle.

So it can be thought of as an awful turn of events when the eldest sister finds herself tiptoeing down the hallways of Hogwarts late at night. Her hair falling like a cloak around her features, hazel eyes wide and flickering around the darkened hallways, only illuminated by the light tip of her wand. In her hands lays a map of parchment, showing her the entire school and where everyone inside of it stood and slept. She had begged Harry Potter for it hours before, where he stood and stared at her with such a sharp emotion of concern he instantly handed her the map without question.

Luckily for her, he did not question, for not even herself could form a reasonable reasoning for the Marauders Map that wasn't the truth. Her mind was still reeling from the events of yesterday evening, all too much for even her to handle the truth of it all, but to sum it all up incredibly quickly for you, let's start with points.

One.) Her sister lays in a Hospital bed, rumoured to be healed and in perfect condition all besides for the constant draining of her magic source that will take a few days to be healed. This is all due to a freak accident where Winnie literally electrocuted her sister's chest, it was only for the fact that her magic wasn't that strong that her sister is alive right now.

Two.) Theodore Nott stumbled upon her, leaving him in a state of panic so severe he hid her from everything, cleaned the choked blood on her face and fingers and brought her back to reality. Only for him to tell her that he's marrying her sister, and while she imagines it as a incredibly horrid joke, she knows it's true from the simple hard line of his lips. She doesn't wish to look into why that simple fact makes her stomach turn to lead or why she burns so severely with agony every time she remembers it.

Three.) It was early that morning when she received a letter with a tiny black box from an auburn owl she didn't recognize, at first she believed it to be Sirius, until the emerald ink stamp glistened at her in the early morning light. Winnie had sat, hidden behind her four poster bed curtains with the opened letter laying upon her lap. It had taken her to squeeze her eyes shut and for the shifting sounds of someone waking in order for her to open it.

I had no intention of reaching out to you, at least not anytime soon, but I visited your sister in the infirmary today, and I found that I have no choice but to write this to you. Honestly, of course you would gain your awful Grandfather's curse. I feared for the worse ever since you were born and it's so disappointing to be right, what a lonely, hard life this will be for you my child. But I hope regardless that you find this box helps you, not everything is as it seems. But I will not write again, it is for the best. Perhaps in time you will see everything as a blessing rather than a curse. Perhaps one day you will understand.

I.B

It didn't take long for the blonde to figure out who was writing to her, she would recognize her mothers penship anywhere. That thought brought both comfort and pain to her chest as she folded the letter up, crinkling the edges with her eyes staring at the black box with a hardened gaze. It sat, resting against the foot of her bed, her fingers itching to reach out for it.

She did for the record, reach forward, and inside was a tied band of parchment, ink spilled and splotched along the lines. Smelling of cigars and firewhiskey, stinging her nostrils as she picked up the yellowed letters. All of them addressed to her in her late Grandfather's chicken scratch scrawl, the answers she spent all this year looking for right in front of her hands.

Perhaps that was the main reason she made her way through the hallways now late at night, her feet covered in frog socks and her stomach growling with hunger. Winnie had spent all day hidden away in her room, reading until her eyes stung and hazed whenever she looked away from it, she hadn't finished until she dropped the last letter. Written the day before he died.

Winnie had wept then, ugly sobs that shook her entire body and made her nose full of snot. Her forehead pressed so hard into her knees that it stung painfully, and yet, she found she could not care at all for it. There was a ball of relief curled up inside of her heart, pushing out so many resented emotions she held in so tightly bound that she found herself incapable of stopping.

The answer was in her all along, right in front of her face in fact. She has heard in several different ways before, has even felt it. Winnie has always been too blind, or perhaps too stubborn to really accept it.

Winnie must find the one person or place that brings her peace, she must hold onto it like an anchor if nothing else. Remember that feeling when her world blurs and emotions kick her so harshly in the gut her magic starts to flare, she must zero in on it and keep it for herself.

Life just happens to be so cruel to the eldest Bulstrode, for the one person who brings her unconditional comfort is also the one person who can not be hers, at least not anymore.

So she walks, walks until her feet lead her into the Hospital Wing. Finding sleeping students who got injured by Quidditch wrapped in gauze so thick they appeared more like a mummy than human. ( which was a freakish thought late in the night, causing Winnie to scurry past them without a second look. ) Finding her sister was perhaps easier than she suspected, for her feet carried her directly towards the back, where a white curtain laid tucked over a rod, wrapping fully around the small space where no doubt a bed lay behind it.

For the first time that night since she left the common room, her feet paused. Her fingers brushed against the sheet, soft cotton tickling the pads of her chipped nails as she pressed her lips into a line. Suddenly feeling like the whole world was resting upon her shoulders, she has never personally sought out her sister, Winnie suddenly felt foolish doing it now. But she was the whole reason Millie laid beyond the sheet, the whole reason her sister was drugged with sleepiness rather than bratting her way around the castle like she owned it.

It was frightening the way Winnie preferred her sister as a menace than not.

Pulling open the sheet, she stepped inside the tiny circle of darkness, finding her eyes run along a million little objects instantly. In the corner, right below the wide window sat a tiny bedside table. On top of it laid a vase of black dahlias, ones she recognized from her own Manor. The Bulstrode family have been growing those in their personal gardens for centuries, she remembers spending hours back there as a child, she would enter the Manor later that evening smelling of vanilla and velvet.

Her fingers brushed against the petals now, feeling them soften and twist in under her fingers. Beside the vase, sat two bottles of potions, emptied already and collecting dust in the dying night. Winnie's lips pulled down into a frown at the sight, before she spotted a tiny studded dragon sitting on a singular wooden chair. The sight made her eyes twinkle, a smile twisting across her features as she strolled forward, picking up the green animal with her spare hand. The scales had lost their colours, worn away from the sun and used, as her sister would never leave the house without it as a child. Back when Winnie had her own stuffed animal, a mouse, with fuzzy brown fur and wide black beads for eyes.

The female swallowed thickly, pressing the stuffed dragon to her chest as she closed her eyes shut. Memories of sticky hands, mismatched teeth and childhood laughter filled her mind, back when her days were so simple simply because her and her sister were loved, perhaps not always equally but there was no malice between them.

Finally her eyes trailed to her sister, standing in the flickering moonlight with the dragon smushed against her chest. Millie laid still, covered in a white sheet with her eyebrows drawn down against her forehead, every so often the girl's face would crunch up, as if something in her mind was so displeasing to her. Her sister, with her blonde hair sprawled out on the pillow beside her, cheeks so pale with small dustings of freckles against her nose.

Winnie frowned, taking a seat on the chair beside her bed, dragging it over carefully as she laid the Marauders Map and her wand on her lap. Both fingers wrapped around the dragon now, holding onto it so rigidly that her knuckles twisted white. She watched her sister sleep, suddenly feeling her own feebleness enter her bones as she sat. Elbows burned into the thin fabric of her pajama pants, pressing into the bones of her knees. Her sister, who she both loved and hated, would marry Theo, Theo who Winnie had spent so long having a childish resentment for.

A sudden feeling of peace drifted into her chest at the mere thought of the boy, making the tension in her shoulders perish. The female glanced down at her fingers, letting her grip loosen on the stuffed dragon, her thumb smoothing over her ring as she let out a watery laugh. The sound drifted around the infirmary, sounding distant and off to her ears as she wiped at her face. Looking up at the ceiling with a bitter smile, it was almost ironic and deserving that the male she spent so long avoiding was the one person who could cure her flares up, and he couldn't even be hers.

"I bet you're so pleased," she whispered, her voice quivering as she sniffed, looking over at her sister who laid unmoving. "You get everything now, the favourite child, the money, the boy, and I get nothing," she paused, snorting as she shook her head bitterly. "You know, I don't even care if you get the love or even the money, but him. You get him and it's not fair. You don't even like him, not that it matters much, I suppose I didn't like him much either," she whispered, glancing down at the dragon before her lips twisted into a heartbroken grin. "Except, I think I always did like him. I would spend hours, days even, planning my next thing to say to him. I would search for him in a crowd until my eyes grew sore and tired, I would listen to his voice in class, and I told myself it was because I hated him. But I don't even think I ever hated him and now," she paused, licking her lips as she glanced up at her sister. "It doesn't matter now. Merlin, I want to be so bloody angry at him. I want to strangle him or hex him to the Underworld but I bloody well can't because he looks like he's in so much pain and I-"

She paused once more, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she stared at her sleeping sister. Watching as Millie wrinkled her nose in her sleep, before shifting sideways towards Winnie. Her face now facing directly towards her as she curled up on her side, the sheet that covered her shifted downwards, exposing the flimsy tank top her sister sported, underneath it, peeking up around the circle neckline lay rows of gauze. Running across her chest and around her back, the sight made the blonde glance away, swallowing thickly as she ran her tongue across the back of her teeth.

"I can't even be mad at you either," she whispered so heartbrokenly her voice quivered, her lips letting out shaky breaths as she continued to stare at the white sheet. "Believe me I was, and I still should be, but I'm not, which is surprising. So what am I supposed to do now?" She questioned, turning her gaze to her sister who slept, leaving Winnie's question drifting around in the air around them. "What am I supposed to do now?"

༺♥༻

        Winnie wishes she could say a solution popped out of the thin air after she left her sisters bedside after that night, though unfortunately, she was left empty handed.

In fact, things only got worse when Cordelia called her later the next evening. The purple compact Winnie kept tucked in her robes pocket had burned her thigh so severely she thought someone had hexed her. Only it was Cordelia, with her face tear streaked and pinched inwards as if she was holding in every emotion simply by not breathing. Winnie had dropped everything then, only to race to the library and find Cordelia alone at a back table, twisting and untwisting her hair around her finger as her leg bounces uncontrollably. Winnie's lips pulled into a sad smile as she walked closer, if Cordelia heard her at all, she never made any sign of showing it.

The blonde's hand pulled out a chair, slipping into it as her wrapped hand reached out to place itself on one of Cordelia's. Winnie smoothed her thumb down over the girl's knuckles, her knees resting against one of the table's legs as she waited silently for her cousin to speak. Sometimes waiting was far better than prying.

"I saw my mother today," Cordelia started quietly, her eyes still staring out the window as a blue bird flew by. Winnie's lips pulled into a frown, remembering her cousin telling her about her sick mother. The blonde's fingers squeezed tighter around her own, praying to the gods that her aunt Emilia was quite alright. She didn't know how Cordelia could manage with any more death, and she never wished to find out.

"How is she?" Winnie questioned softly, watching as the brunette inclined her head in the smallest of nods. The brunette withheld the urge to grimace, she quite hated hospitals. She had ever since she had found out they wouldn't intend to wound werewolves, she had discovered this in her third year of course. It had left an awful taste in her mouth for St.Mungo's ever since.

"She's... the Healer said they don't know how much time she has left, her condition is worsening," the brunette confided, Winnie watched as tears glistened in Cordelia's eyes once again before her cousin glanced away to loom pointedly at the bookshelf.

"I'm so sorry, Lia," Winnie whispered sadly as Cordelia looked back at her, reaching out a hand to hold hers. Cordelia took it, as Winnie traced her thumb against her knuckles, allowing her to come back to reality. The girl watched, noticing the way her shoulders heaved upward, Winnie suspected she took a deep breath.

"I don't know what to think about it. A part of me feels like I shouldn't care if she's sick, but the rest— the 99% — is telling me that if she dies, I'll just be alone again." Cordelia admitted, as Winnie drawled her eyebrows down against her face. She would never let that happen to her, not as long as she lived. Despair trickled from the female in waves, and while Winnie has been managing to control her magic all day, she felt the rise in pressure on her chest as Cordelia's emotions entered her. Making the blonde swallow thickly, molding the feelings with cinnamon and charcoal smeared pages. When she was sure she had a small tap on it, she opened her mouth to speak.

"That's not true," Winnie quipped, and Cordelia tilted her head to better see her face. "You have me. I'm not going anywhere, trust me on that." She squeezed Cordelia's hand. "But I don't think you should worry about Aunt Emilia dying right now, Lia. That's a bridge we should cross when we get there— for now, try to focus on the fact that she's alive and there's a chance she will get better. I believe she will."

"You didn't see her," Cordelia muttered, removing her hand from Winnie's hold. The blonde frowned, biting the inside of her cheek as she glanced at the window. She was never good with death, despite the fact she was willing to accept hers months ago. When it came down to it, she was standing in the wilderness without anything to project the light out of it. But she would try for Cordelia, she would try anything for her.

"Listen to me, Lia," Winnie demanded, forcing Cordelia to raise her blue eyes to meet Winnie's hazel. Winnie shifted on her chair, cleaning her throat before speaking. "Even if she does pass, which I doubt she will, you will still have me. Even Marcus—"

"Marcus is barely speaking to me," Cordelia said bitterly, and Winnie gritted her teeth together, deciding to ignore it.

"What I'm trying to say is, that you will have all the support you need if she goes. You won't be alone." Winnie finished, staring at her cousin who starred stubbornly down at the table.

Cordelia bit her inner cheek. "I know. I know, it's just that I— I don't know if I would be able to handle losing someone again. I've already lost Max, Marcus is as good as gone—"

"Marcus is being forced to do what he thinks is wrong. That would mess with anyone's head."

"I know that, I do—"

"Cordelia, this is your problem," Winnie said suddenly, her jaw locking and face turning as hard as stone. Cordelia's eyes widened slightly as Winnie stared hard at her, tired of her constantly shooting down any situation. "You don't trust people. You do everything with caution, you have a tendency to shut people out, and even when they've proven themselves to you, you don't let them in. That is your problem."

Cordelia narrowed her eyes at her, gritting her teeth. Winnie kept her gaze on her cousin, piercing her as her chin lifted, daring Cordelia to tell her she was wrong. Cordelia heaved out a sigh, looking at a spot over Winnie's head as the brunette waited for her to respond. "You do the same thing." Cordelia finally muttered, as Winnie flinched slightly. Her lips tilted into a frown as she glanced out the window. She supposed it was true, perhaps she never trusted people like she should, but at least she was trying.

"But at least I'm trying to work on it," Winnie replied calmly, sitting back in her chair. She fluttered her eyes away from the window as an owl flew by, her eyes locking on Cordelia's again, or at least trying. "You're clearly not making an effort."

"That's not fair." Winnie sighed, running her hand through her hair as she breathed out heavily, sighing and leaning her head back against her chair, looking up at the ceiling.

"I'm not trying to diss you, Lia, I'm trying to help you," said Winnie, making Cordelia scoff. "I know Marcus is doing his best to shut out the bad. I know you are doing your best to keep yourself from going insane after all the trauma you've endured. But you won't be able to get through things alone, even if your mother recovers. We're at the brink of war, Lia, and I don't think you understand how important it is to trust people. To confide in them."

"Do you understand how important it is?" Cordelia snapped, her voice raising slightly. Winnie scowled, sitting up straighter in her chair and narrowing her eyes at her cousin. She had no interest in fighting with Cordelia, and she certainly didn't appreciate the start of one. She watched, lips twisted into a line as Cordelia breathed in and out. "I'm sorry. No, you're right. I have to work on it."

"When am I ever wrong?" Winnie smiled, and she watched as Cordelia tried to smile, too, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. The frown was back on her face in an instant, and Winnie rolled her eyes again. "Just... try and work on it. Your life will be a hell of a lot easier if you do. I learned this the hard way."

A silence fell over the girls, covering them in a warm blanket of quiet as they both let their minds wander for a moment or two, before the brunette broke the silence. "You know, Lockhart seems to be getting his memory back."

Winnie's eyes lit up, and she leaned against the table in interest. "Oh, wow, really?"

"He called me by my mother's name," she said.

"That's a good sign, isn't it?"

"It is, but before I could ask more, they kicked me out of the room," Cordelia revealed, crossing her arms over her chest, glancing warily over at the library doors where they opened once again, and to her surprise, Harry Potter walked in, and when he spotted she and Winnie, a smile lit up on his face and he strode towards them. She returned her attention to Winnie as Harry made his way over to them. "It was weird, honestly. I don't really know how to feel about it. I still find it strange that he and my mother were... you know."

"Me too, I never would've thought... Lockhart, out of all people," she said, falling silent as Harry then approached them. "Hey, Harry." Winnie smiled, looking over at the boy as he approached them, exposing a head of wayward ebony locks first, before a set of green eyes hidden behind round glasses glanced at the two cousins. Harry stood dressed in patched up jeans and a red and yellow plaid shirt, a grey t-shirt sported itself underneath it. In his hand held both his wand and the Marauders map, which she had the tiniest inkling he had used to find them.

The sneaking prat.

"Well, well! Look who it is, I wonder how you ever found us?" Winnie drawled, voice slightly loud and teasing as she grinned. Resting her back against her chair with her arms crossed in front of her chest, the boy flashed her a narrowed eyed look which she simply snorted at in return.

"Er, I'm actually here because well..." he trailed off, shifting on his feet as Winnie raised an eyebrow. Looking between both him and Cordelia with an amused glance, deciding that he clearly wished to see Cordelia, the brunette kicked her feet back. Shoving her chair away from the table before moving into a standing position.

"Well, I'm famished, so I better go hunt down some food," she grinned, patting her stomach for extended measure as Cordelia looked up at her with a raised eyebrow. Winnie nodded her head towards Harry, before winking at her cousin. Leaning down, she kissed Cordelia's forehead quickly before sweeping her hair over her shoulder. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do kids," she winked, walking past Harry with a pat on his shoulder as the boy flushed furiously. "Or I don't know, maybe do worse," she teased, chuckling as Harry threw her a dark look. She glanced over her shoulder at Cordelia, seeing the brunette stifle a chuckle from behind her fist.

While her feet carried her out of the library, a dull wake settled over her. Thinking of the way Harry's face trickled like sunshine at the mere glance at Cordelia, if Winnie couldn't get her happy ending, at least her cousin will.