Atticus sat on the sill of a window of one of the several empty classrooms on the sixth floor. It had been over a week since the duel and his wounds were finally healing. Atticus lied to Winona when he said he would go to the infirmary about it - mostly out of spite as he was a wreck at the time. Since that emotional day Atticus had been generally missing in action in most of his classes and school meals. If he bothered to show up, he was gazing off into nothing the entire time with no attention paid to the lectures or those around him. However smart Atticus was his thinking process was slow and meticulous. He traced his fingers along the stony lines of the wall as he waited for Winona to show up - not entirely sure she even would. On one hand Atticus wouldn't blame her for not wanting to come after how terse he was in their correspondence but he knew his friend well and knew she would show up. He was early as usual to any planned meeting and this time remarkably sober and clean smelling. He didn't want his vices to be a part of the conversation with Winnie.

He looked down at his torso, then his leg. There would be permanent scarring from the battle and that was the way Atticus wanted it to be. Normally, if treated relatively soon after the trauma a wound would not scar unless it was dark magic. While diffindo was a nasty spell, it wasn't dark magic. That would've gotten the two expelled. Nonetheless a long deep cut ran down his right leg and across the left part of his rib cage. He wanted a constant reminder of his failure both in battle and misjudging what he thought could be a beautiful relationship. He couldn't have such missteps again. Atticus winced slightly as he adjusted his body and looked back at the doe, hearing footsteps.

What was he going to say to Winona? With all the personal time he had over the last week he couldn't bring himself to a proper answer. He had accepted his place in her life and he would tell her that but he didn't know what else to add. What else could he say? He already knew their friendship was not going back to the way it was before. It couldn't - Atticus couldn't bear that pain. He didn't was to lose Winona entirely either and had sworn to Elian, however distasteful he found the boy, he would watch over Winnie in his absence. Atticus took his honor and commitments very seriously and would not fail.

He sighed, adjusting the purple flannel shirt he was wearing by unbuttoning the top button. He leaned into his knees whole sitting on the window will, exhaled and closed his eyes.

So... Atticus wanted to meet today and Winona had mixed feelings about the entire thing. The duel had upset her in more ways then one, but she had gotten over most of the drama. Elian.. Elian Harris was her boyfriend now. Winona stopped, in the hallway about halfway to the classroom Attic wanted to meet up at. Her first boyfriend... A wide smile crossed over her glossed lips as she ran a hand over her face. The smile was from ear to ear.. She couldn't help it. All of these teen years she was indulging in and now, she had a boyfriend. Her heart fluttered, beating faster and faster at the thought of her being Elian's arm candy. A blush was over her cheeks and she couldn't help but feel so overwhelmed and flustered. But... she had also broken a heart.. Her best friend Atticus was taking this badly.

Winona shook her head, as if shaking away her happiness for a couple moments. She was upset with Atticus. The way he dealt with the entire duel and just leaving-- and the letters, she couldn't even begin to think of how much of an asshole he was being to her. Winona kept walking and found the open door. She walked in slowly, her long hair fluttering in the hallway breeze. It felt weird.. as if she was scared to step on the wrong tile and break Atticus. His eyes were also closed. Walking in completely, she shut the door and sat on a desk. "Hey..." She said softly. "Where have you been? You've been MIA from classes, and even some of your people don't know where you are. And on top of that, you're being a real ass..."

Her arms folded as she scooted her butt back on the desk and got comfortable. "You can't just abandon me like that... I'm your best friend.." She whispered sadly. That was one of her biggest fears. If Atticus stopped being friends with her, her heart would be broken as well... "Atticus.. Just talk to me, and don't be in ass like in all of those letters.."

"Hey..." She said softly. "Where have you been? You've been MIA from classes, and even some of your people don't know where you are. And on top of that, you're being a real ass..."

Atticus looked up, broken from his trance as he saw Winnie enter the room and sit on a desk. He swallowed uncomfortably before reorienting his body to face his friend. "I've been around." He said casually, having trouble maybe eye contact with her for a moment before steeling his resolve. "I'm good at vanishing when I need to. I handed off most of the logistical operations to my top man before going into the woodwork." He explained calmly, turning his head to look around the room. Atticus had spent a good portion of his alone time in classrooms like this - old and unused, so people rarely frequented them. It took a lot a effort to remain aloof but Atticus had managed it for his own well being.

Her arms folded as she scooted her butt back on the desk and got comfortable. "You can't just abandon me like that... I'm your best friend.."

Atticus frowned. He didn't want to make Winona unhappy but there were some things that he had to say to her and she wasn't ping to like them. He paused, collecting his thoughts so he could articulate well. "Winona..." He started, a twinge of slight desperation made it's way into his voice. "You didn't need to owl me so soon after the duel. I walked off for a reason. I wasn't in the right place to handle what I knew was coming and... You should've known me better than that." He said, narrowing his eyes at her. "I was still trying to stop the bleeding when that letter came."

Every statement... every word that was coming out of Atticus' mouth was making Winnie angrier and angrier. But, it wasn't so much anger. It was an upsetting situation and she was getting more and more upset. Her lips pressed together, losing their pink color with how tight lipped she was getting. "I'm good at vanishing when I need to. I handed off most of the logistical operations to my top man before going into the woodwork."   Winona shook her head in disbelief, hands on the desk as she adjusted the way she was sitting. "Yea. I know you're good at vanishing... I don't like that, you know that... especially when I need my best friend," she muttered, looking around the empty classroom.

"Winona..."

Winona sighed. "Atticus, don't Winona me... Please..." She said, her voice easing into the desperate state just like his was.

"You didn't need to owl me so soon after the duel. I walked off for a reason. I wasn't in the right place to handle what I knew was coming and... You should've known me better than that." Winona couldn't believe was she was hearing. She sat there, glaring at Atticus in disbelief. The way he narrowed his eyes at her... Winona slid off the desk and stood.

"So it's my fault? I should've known better?! Why are you being such an..." Winona groaned and started pacing back and forth. Her hands were on the side of her head as it shook in disbelief. "You probably didn't even go to the damn infirmary, Atticus! I still care! Isn't it fucking obvious?!" She yelled, stopping and looking at him. "You are my BEST friend..." Her voice quivered and she looked at Atticus, her eyes brimming with tears. "You were my best friend.. It feels like you're done with me.." She shook her head. "We've been best friends for three years... Don't do this," she said softly, a tear rolling down her cheek.

Atticus observed Winona keenly, watching as she became ever so angrier. Perhaps angry wasn't the proper term, but flustered. Clearly his words were not making her happy and part of Atticus felt that was just. A vindictive part of him that was peeking out behind the corner a little more these days. At the same time it hurt to see her sad in the way that she was. Other than having (what seemed like to Atticus) a fickle heart, she committed no crimes. He needed to stop seeing the fact that he wasn't chosen as a bad thing she did. He couldn't compell her to care for him in the same way he did for her and there was no use fighting it or trying to change it. It was what it was.

"Yea. I know you're good at vanishing... I don't like that, you know that... especially when I need my best friend,"

Atticus frowned. "Why?" He asked, which was strange as he usually never had such brief inquiries. "Why do you need me, your best friend? Don't you have Elian?" He asked, veiling his incredulousness a little poorly. "Winnie I-" He began, stopping himself. He needed to watch his words lest he say something he didn't mean. He was upset but he didn't want to hurt Winona. Deep down she was still the clumsy third year tripping into him with her books. His heart ached.

"You probably didn't even go to the damn infirmary, Atticus! I still care! Isn't it fucking obvious?!"

"No. I didn't." He said, lifting up his flannel to show Winnie the long scar running across his ribs. It was healing well by muggle standard but any first year knew that basic scars like that could've been prevented with more proper care. "And I'm not dead, so I don't see why it matters. I had my own reasons." He said, looking down in his effort to justify himself. He felt bad for lying to Winona about getting medical attention but he wasn't about to go to the infirmary and explain what happened. He had too much pride and anger at the time and probably still did.

"You are my BEST friend..." Her voice quivered and she looked at Atticus, her eyes brimming with tears. "You were my best friend.. It feels like you're done with me.." She shook her head. "We've been best friends for three years... Don't do this," she said softly, a tear rolling down her cheek.

Atticus looked up as Winona talked and felt a deep sadness enter his consciousness. It hurt him to see Winona this sad, her voice quivering as her eyes filled withj tears. He didn't want to hurt her any more but he couldn't handle what Winona wanted from him. His pain was too raw. "Winona, I'm sorry." He said, prefacing what he knew would be a very difficult thing to say. "I can't be your best friend anymore. I don't even know if I can be your friend." He said sadly, looking into her tear filled eyes as a single tear rolled down his cheek.

 "I swore to Elian that I would always watch over you and protect you in his absense. That is all I can give to you." He said, thinking back to the night after the duel. He had requested to meet Elian quite promptly, given the circumstances. He had his associates do most of the footwork for him that day. In truth while Atticus despised Elian for what he represented and for taking away Winona, he found that he respected him. He knew that Winona would be safe with him.

"I can't be your best friend anymore. I don't even know if I can be your friend."

Winona stopped her pacing. The breathing she was practicing, the one she was using to relax.. Those patterns suddenly stopped. "W--what?" She said, her voice cracking. "What?" She repeated. Blinking back some tears, Winona's flinched some and her fists began to rub her eyes. They were beginning to sting, as if someone kicked dirt into them. Anger was engulfing her. She could feel the temperature of her body start decreasing, her pulse getting lower.

Her fists still rubbed and rubbed until the stinging went away. When she lowered her fists, she blinked her vision into focus. The bright, blue irises were gone.. the pupils were gone as well. The round of her eyes were a deep red, with a silvery tint.

"Wh....Why?" She cried. A sharp pain was felt in her two forearms. Bumps, the size of large mosquito bites appeared up and down her fore arms. It looked as if something were going to rip out of her skin. Winona's cheeks were red with anger. There were no more tears... There was no more pain.. Just anger. Just as quickly as her pulse and temperature dropped, it shot up, her palms turning red. "Atti--Atticus.. run," she whispered.. Those were the last words she mustered before all she could feel was anger.. A loud cry came from her, and out from her forearms came bright red down like feathers.

Her eyes looked around, taking in their setting. Lifting her palm, engulfing it was red and orange flames, in the shape and size of about a tennis ball. Her arm shot it out, hitting the wall nearly a couple inches from Atticus' head. Her other palm began to form one, as another loud cry, almost bird like came from her mouth.

W--what?" She said, her voice cracking. "What?"

Atticus' eyes widened at Winona became more and more angry. There was something he hadn't considered when planning his conversation with her. He missed the crucial fact that she was half-Veela which in turn meant she was about to turn into something very scary and very violent. He took a step back and had his back to the wall. This was not a very good position to be in he thought to himself as he watched Winnie's eyes transform into a deep red. "Shit." He said, pulling his wand out instinctively.

His heart dropped. He couldn't attack her. He couldn't hurt Winnie. Not to mention if things kept going the way they were there was going to be a serious problem and she was going to get herself expelled. Which meant he would be responsible for her expulsion...

That absolutely couldn't happen. Atticus swore he would protect her and this was part of it. He quickly began thinking about what to do and realized he couldn't handle this himself. The Gryffindor dorms are only one floor up... he thought to himself before concluding that the best solution was to contact Elian. Atticus hated it. He hadn't seen or talked to him since the night after the duel. The last thing he wanted to do was ask Elian for help. However this was to protect Winnie from expulsion and perhaps Atticus from getting killed given that he wouldn't raise his wand offensively against her. It looked like his practices in crowd control were going to be very useful.

"EXPECTRO PATRONUM!" Atticus bellowed, ironically thinking back to his day in Hogsmeade with Winona. A blue-silver fox burst out of his wand and ran past a wall and towards the Gryffindor dorm. Once it reached the upper spires of the boy's dorm it ran to Elian and opened its mouth to reveal Atticus' voice.

"ELIAN. SIXTH FLOOR, THIRD EMPTY CLASSROOM ON THE RIGHT. WINONA. EMERGENCY."

Atticus rolled left and jumped up, running to the door and slamming it shut. He instantly cast a spell to isolate the noise to this room. Winona continued to change and his eyes widened more, his heart racing and adrenaline coursing through his veins. He didn't ever think he would find himself locked in a room with a transforming Veela, but it was happening. Atticus pointed his wand at Winona's feet and cast a spell to entangle them into the desks and stone around her. Roots sprout forth from his wand and started doing his work. "Elian..." He muttered to himself, praying that he recieved the message and was coming post-haste. He didn't want Winnie to get hurt or expelled and he was running out of ideas of how to handle the situation on his own.

The moment he'd heard Winona's name, Elian jumped up from his chair and raced down the stairs to the empty classroom. He was going to kill Atticus. It wasn't more than a week past their chat and he was already causing some kind of harm or damage. He was going to kill him. He slammed open the door and saw the red downy feather and the quicksilver lava eyes. Turning his gaze to Atticus as he quickly closed and locked the door he glared.

"What did you do?!" he hissed as he moved towards the other boy. "What did you do to her?"

The binding spell to the desks irked her. It wasn't even her anymore. She.. She couldn't control herself. Her hands turned downwards, burning off most of the roots and getting off of the floor, onto the window sill. The spells were making her anger worse. Another bird like cry reverberated throughout the room, her palm shooting another orange and red ball of flames towards them, missing every shot. Winona couldn't recognize any of the faces now... They were just two targets that needed to be taught a lesson... After another flame ball, she felt dizzy. The room was coming to slowly. It was as if someone smeared her vision. The tantrum.. it was ending... She could hear the boys yelling... Her temperature dropped so quickly, she fell off the window sill, hitting the floor. The feathers dug their way back into her forearms, leaving her forearms with scratches, some blood, and marks. 

Her vision was still smeared.. The blue of her irises mixed with the reddish silver colors and she tried to get up, only to fall forward. Sobs came from her, as she curled into a ball on the ground... She had gone nearly 4 whole years without an accident... She failed. Winona sobbed, holding herself, not bothering to even see who was in the room.

Atticus turned and was somewhat relieved that Elian had arrived. He heard him shout What did you do?! and thought back to the moments before the duel last week finding tremendous irony. He didn't blame Elian for coming in so hot, especially considering the state Winona was in.

"I -- she -- I told her that we couldn't be friends." He said, stuttering slightly which was very unlike articulate Atticus. "We were talking - like you said, no longer than a week. She got emotional..." He added, his voice stabilizing as he sidestepped a fireball. "I muffle this room's sounds and rooted her to the ground. All I could think of. I can't raise my wand against her." He added, jumping up high and avoiding another fireball. He turned to look back at Winona to see she was calming down and tranforming back into her human form and began crying. He vaulted a desk in front of him and ran to her.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He said sincerely, rubbing her shoulder but keeping fair distance between the two of them. Elian was already very angry, he didn't want to be any more incidiary than he already had been.

Winona's mind was blank. The voices were fuzzy in the background, but her hearing grew better over the course of time. What had passed? Ten minutes or ten seconds? Winona stared at the ground she was on, the marble cool against her bare skin. Her hands were slightly burned and her arms were all scratched up. Her eyes were stinging and her throat was drier than a desert. And yet, she still didn't want to move. Not yet.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and heard Atticus' voice.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Winona got out of his touch. She slowly begin to get up, very wobbly. She was really dizzy. Standing up straight, she tried to balance herself but ended up falling hard on her leg. With a few silent cusses under her breath, she finally got to standing. Her red, tired eyes looked at Atticus. "Don't touch me... You want nothing to do with me.. Then so fucking be it... Don't ever fucking talk to me again," she hissed. "You're just like all.. all of those damn bullies," she said, shoving him out of her way. She limped over to where Elian was standing, tears on her face.

Atticus frowned when Winona moved away from him, watching her try to get up on her own. He let her, knowing well that he was only going to create problems if he tried to help anymore. Never before in his life had Atticus so spectacuarly failed at something. He put his wand away and took a step back from where he was to give Winona some space.

"Don't touch me... You want nothing to do with me.. Then so fucking be it... Don't ever fucking talk to me again,"

His mouth dropped as he felt a sharp pain in his heart. He had been struggling with knowing what to do about the whole situation. Telling Winnie he didn't want to be her friend was probably a mad move. He did want to, but the issue was he didn't know where or how to box up his emotions. It was a field he was very inexperienced in. He took another step back and looked at Winona. The pain in his eyes was visible across the room as he stood there speechless.

"You're just like all.. all of those damn bullies,"

Atticus' back leg was up against one of the fallen desks so when Winnie shoved him out of the way he fell over it with a loud crash. Even then he sat there, entangled in the desk and looked up at Winnie. That was possibly the worst and most hurtful thing she could've said to him in that moment. He thought back to their day in Hogsmeade and how he told her he would always protect her from bullies. He thought back just a week ago to when he told Elian he would always watch out for her. Is that was this was? Watching out for her?

Winona wasn't some hapless third year, either. She didn't need to be coddled and Atticus knew that. She was wicked smart and that was evident by how pointed and deep-cutting the bullies comment was. She knew how to make it hurt. As Winona reached Elian, Atticus stood up and brushed dust off his pants.  Winnie had never spoken to him in that way before, so he was a little distressed. Adrenaline was still running through his veins as he felt his face turn red - both from embarassment and anger. He looked around for something to take his anger out on as he clenched his fists and pursed his lips. He narrowed his eyes darkly and pointed his wand at a desk in a corner and wordlessly shot an exploding spell at it, causing it to shatter into a million pieces. None of the debris hit the group but it did manage to create a cloud of dust and splinters.

"Do you really fucking mean that?" He asked, turning back to Winona and Elian with pain still in his eyes. If Winona thought he was like those bullies then there was obviously no place for him in her life. "If you say yes, then fine." He asserted matter of factly. He looked at her red-blue eyes, tightening his jaw and swallowing out of anticipation. "I'll go - and I won't come back." He added solomnly knowing that she knew he rarely if ever broke his word.

Winona gasped, not realizing she had pushed him over the desk so hard. Her lower lip quivered, not trying to cry. Her heart ached, wanting to help him up and dust him off. Most importantly, she wanted their relationship back. Their friendship was sacred to her and he crushed it like it was nothing. Her bright blue eyes had lost their light, dimming to a dark, depressed blue. When she reached Elian, as she was about to rest her face on his shoulder, she heard a bang and she jumped with a scream, gripping to Elian. ng ar

Whipping around, she looked at Atticus. There he stood, the pain so evident in his eyes. Winona felt her as if her energy was sucked all out of her.

"Do you really fucking mean that? If you say yes, then fine. I'll go - and I won't come back."

A sigh came from her nostrils and she rubbed her face. Exhaustion was written all over her. The transformation took such a toll on her body, and she felt so weak. "No... I don't. I dont't want to abandon what was such a good friendship-- But, if you find that's what you want, then go. Don't talk to me after that.. because it will just hurt too much," she whispered, her void weak.

Atticus took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment to settle himself down. Blowing up a desk wasn't entirely necessary though at the time Atticus had no where else to take out his misplaced anger on. He had created this entire situation himself as a result to reacting poorly over the duel and ultimately Winona choosing Elian. She had to know - or at least he hoped she did - how hard this was for Atticus too.

He stood there, wanting to approach Winona to comfort her but he didn't move a muscle. He felt as though that wasn't his place. It would only make things worse. Whatever comforting she needed Elian would have to provide it. It left Atticus at a loss and one could see it in his eyes. He did'n't know what to do anymore.

"No... I don't. I dont't want to abandon what was such a good friendship-- But, if you find that's what you want, then go. Don't talk to me after that.. because it will just hurt too much,"

Atticus opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. He wanted to find the right words to say back to her but any eloquence he would've had that day had been stolen from him. He began to take a step forward but stopped himself, remaining in his position several feet from Winona and Elian. "I don't want to." He said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. He finally was able to move his body, so he turned and walked over to one of the windows. He felt a cool breeze run across his face. "I will always be your friend, Winnie." He said, not turning. "I just... don't know and can't say in what capacity right now." He added, turning and meeting each of their gazes - a hardness was present in his eyes that neither of them had ever seen before. It was resolute and strong with an unparalleled sense of austerity.

***Note: Sarah, the player of Elian Harris granted me permission to play her character in this response.***

Elian watched, his deep green eyes set on Winona. Occasionally, he'd look over at Atticus, making sure he did nothing stupid. When Winona got to him, he wrapped his arms around her small waist. She looked weak and he felt bad for her. She made him promise not to do anything when she transformed like that... What could he do? The blast of the desk had Winona scream, and Elian stepped in front of her, just in the case of any debris hitting them. He clenched his jaw, wishing that Atticus would cross the line. He was ready.

"I just... don't know and can't say in what capacity right now."

Winona sighed, looking at Atticus from behind Elian. She paused before speaking, thinking it through. "Then don't talk to me unless you are 110% sure... I won't let you do this to me again. I am so, so, sorry I hurt you this way.. I am so sorry. But.. you did this all wrong.. I can't look at you with trust anymore. All I see is a big bully.. and I'm scared of that."