Adrianna had found a broom cupboard. Yes! Perfect! Now she could hide and cry in peace. She slipped in the cupboard and closed the door enough so there was still a little bit of light seeping through, and she unclipped the locket from her neck and opened, and the light shone just enough on each side, illuminating the pictures of the two most important men in her life.

The fact that they weren't there to comfort her made her cry harder, and she snapped the locket shut and held it tight, bringing her fist to her heart.

After another very satisfying meal in the Great Hall, Penelope was going to head back up to the common room for a nap when she heard something. Stopping, she turned her head around, searching for the source of the sound until her eyes landed on a door that was slightly ajar. Was it coming from there?

Walking over, the little first year pulled open the door and found a crying girl. Hmm? "S'wrong with you?" And why was she crying in a little cupboard with a bunch of brooms and mops and stuff? Did she think she was locked in or something? Penelope didn't think she'd like being stuck in a broom cupboard either.

Adrianna looked up suddenly when the door opened and someone spoke to her. She took her glasses of and wiped her eyes.

"N-nothing....nothing important..." she stammered.

Nothing important?

"Then why're you crying?" Penelope asked, raising an eyebrow. Really, why cry over something if it wasn't important? Did this girl like crying? That'd be weird. Who liked crying? It wasn't like it helped or changed anything, whether that thing was important or not.

Adrianna sighed. "Well, nothing important to someone that doesn't know me..." she elaborated. "I....I don't really want to be here..." she confessed.

Entering the broom cupboard, João looked around by lighting his wand to investigate for spiders and any other insects. When he was sure there was no other creature alive but himself, he sat down on one of the buckets and switched off his wand for total darkness.

There. Peace and silence, at last.

Louisa had seen him get into the castle, her feet worked on their own accord and quickened their pace after him. Everything around her blurred just slightly as her eyes focused on the back of his head as he slipped into THE BROOM CUPBOARD! Louisa's mouth twitched into a big victorious smile, she knew that her face was the last one Joao wanted to see after their tragic encounter at the table but she didn't really care.

She'd stayed up two nights thinking about his words to her in summer, her decision about dating Adam. She wanted to see him, make sure he was alright, that he'd moved on like she did, that he was the old Joao.

Walking into the cupboard, Louisa closed the door behind her and leaned against it to prevent anyone from following them and to make sure Joao couldn't run away from her. "Joao," she breathed out, "Hi." she wanted to smile but her mouth couldn't perform such a feat when Joao and herself hadn't spoken for almost a month!

Just as João had switched of his wand and closed his eyes...

There she was, already slipped in the small area. Greeting him.

He wasn't surprised or startled though, because he was half expecting someone to slip in. You couldn't just be alone in Hogwarts. You had to do real magic to be all alone for even one hour. His other half was hoping for her to come find him. Still, her appearance didn't elicit more than a frustrated sigh.

That was all she was getting as an acknowledgment.

... he sighed.

Then silence.

And dark.

Louisa took her wand out and, "Lumos," to see him. She dropped her wand, not directing the light at him. "I..uh.. saw you coming..err.. in and I uh... thought we could.. err.. talk." She looked down at the floor.

Talk about what? Did she even have the right to talk to him? Did she have the right to go behind her boyfriend's back, who threatened to punish Joao for kissing her, and talk to him? Something was very wrong...

"I want to know if you're doing okay. How's your study going? Did you decide on a career? How many NEWTs are you planning to do? Just.. tell me anything." Anything that'd hint how he was doing, for real.

Oh, someone just couldn't stand the darkness, was it? João didn't react to her light. He didn't even open his eyes. Though, after a few seconds, it occurred to him that he was sitting, she was standing. And it was too small of an area for both of them to sit.

Getting up as she explained her point, he stood at one of the corner and thus let her sit on the bucket if she wished. He wasn't going to tell any word, though. In fact, he didn't think he was going to speak at all. He figured that if he kept silent, she would get bored eventually and go away.

Snorting when she listed all those questions, he stared into her eyes in the dim light for a moment, trying to see if she was serious when she asked if he was doing okay.. Yeah, he was doing MORE than okay! He missed his country, he felt the pressure to be successful, he hated speaking English, and he was utterly lonely. He took a deep breath to collect himself. He hadn't let anyone know any of this. She wasn't going to be any different.

"Why do you even care?" he asked hostilely, voice on the edge. "Don't you have some boyfriend that is drooling after you?"

Louisa wanted to slap him.

Instead she raised her lit wand at him, hoping the sudden light in his face would blind him for a few seconds. "You don't get to speak about him, not like this." Joao was allowed to do anything to annoy her, anything at all but Adam was a red touchy border. She lowered her wand slowly and acknowledged the empty bucket with a nod, "Habits die hard, eh?" and she would've sounded cheerful if he hadn't talked about her boyfriend like that.

"I saw you in Herbology." As if this sentence was enough. "Don't get into trouble. Let people know that you're more than just a sour face. Why aren't you letting people in?" He should, and she was going to chase after him until he did. Maybe that was the guilty part of her for stepping over his heart, or maybe it was the stubborn part that kept believing Joao was indeed a good person who was just misunderstood...

.. or maybe it was a mistake.

Oh, momentary blindness would be his punishment. João pulled his head back fast as a reflex but the room was so small and packed that it hit somewhere hard. He let out a barely audible grunt and didn't say anything else, though it hurt a lot. Yeah, point taken.

Not.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Who am I to refer someone so noble and honest?!" That little scumbag. João bet he still kept poisoning her about him while he kissed her on the mouth.

Good thing she changed the subject, or else he would have run out to hex that rat.

Taking a deep breath to keep calm, he didn't even comment on the habits thing. He wasn't going to be mean to her in such manners just because she practically did anything to see him suffer. Not him.

He yearned to say he was trying, or that he appreciated her effort. Instead, raising his eyebrows at her with a smug look, he said "I will do anything I want. I don't need your advice." It was a very cheesy thing to say, he'd admit, but he couldn't think of anything better now.

"If you will excuse me, I want to get out."

He didn't miss that she still cared about him a lot, though. Or maybe it was just his silly heart trying to understand her actions in favour of him.

Louisa forced a HUGE LOUD sigh out. She wanted to ask if his head was okay but considering his answer after he hit it, the head was too big to be harmed by such a slight bump. Hmph. "Just drop it. And don't bring him up because we're not going to progress this way." And yes, Louisa wanted to do progress. Fighting like this whenever they met was just wronger than ignoring each other as if the past year and a half didn't happen. She didn't want to be just someone he used to know.

He wants to get out? Surprise surprise. Louisa didn't budge, she also ignored his escape plea. "I wasn't offering advice, I want you to know that I do care about you. I'm not one to just erase everything good because of one bad choice the other decided to make." She hesitated before adding, "I want us to be human beings when we meet. Civilized. Stop being nasty just to take revenge! It makes you look like a child!" Not with his hot broad shoulders and deep voice that Louisa was so familiar with. COUGHCOUGH.

Drop it? João shrugged. He didn't like speaking about that idiot as well. He didn't want to remember him at all, actually. That boy was just a burden on the world. If only he could just... 'disappear'... the Brazilian sighed. It was that dork's time now, and there wasn't anything he could do about it.

He should have known better than to just expect her to move. Folding his arms, he let out another annoyed sigh but didn't say anything else. It was her choice if she wanted to put up with his snapping her. Now that he had put on his cocky mask on, his eyes wouldn't betray him either, so all was cool on his behalf, although his heart did ache and make its presence known when she said she still cared about him. He got quiet for a moment, hesitant about what to say, before sighing as if admitting defeat. His hostile attitude had failed. He couldn't stay angry at her anyway no matter how hard he tried. Maybe it was time for him to seek compromise.

"Why do you still follow me, Louisa? Why do you still want to meet?" He ran his hand through his hair. He demanded the answers, though he was gentleman enough to ask them politely.

WINWINWINWINWIN!

Louisa kept her face emotionless, however. She shows ANY signs of victory and he'll push her aside and leave. She knew this much. Now.. on to answer his questions.

Or not.

Why was she following him? Because she knew he'd be too unfriendly for the students of Hogwarts - well, most of them anyways. Very few people got his demeanor, she didn't want him to be lonely. As for why she wanted to meet... that was just.. a big question mark.

"I know you. I know that getting through this thick shell you protect yourself with is very close to impossible. I want to meet because I want to believe that we're at least not enemies now. We can be friends." Yes? Please? Although she blushed just slightly and lowered her gaze to the floor. She wanted her wand to turn off too... this light was blinding all of a sudden.

João was actually torn between being a ruffian and a gentleman again. He knew that if he chose the first one, he could hurt her for real this time, and he couldn't stand that right now. He wanted to know that at least one person still cared about him. He wondered her limits and how much she could take. He decided not to comment on the first answer at last. He sighed. How could she find him there, in the first place? He was sure there was no one around when he slipped in.

"Can't you see that talking to you hurts me?" Was she really that selfish to only think about her needs? Why couldn't she understand that when they talked, he remembered their old days and then remembered the recent events? Or was it that she didn't remember them? Did she truly like Adam? Or maybe she had a mask of her own?

He needed to get out of here. It was getting too tight.

It hurt him to talk to her? Louisa pursed her lips together and slowly looked up at him. His face changed so much since last minute. He did hide his emotions very well. "I don't want to hurt you, Joao. That's actually the opposite of what I want." She took a small step toward him so that she was close enough to touch him if she wanted to... and it was possible for him to maneuver around her and leave if he wanted to.

"I'm giving you a choice right now. In this small secluded and dark place. Nox," she turned her wand off and they were in utter darkness now. "Tell me whether to leave you alone, or start over again for a good healthy.. friendship." She swallowed, regretting that she gave him such an important choice - him, who didn't show any signs of being her friend at all. "Now, Joao. Decide. I promise to fulfill your request."

What was she doing? João watched her intently, wondering what she had on her mind when she got closer to him. He wished Adam could see them right now close enough to each other to touch. Though, if he saw it, he would probably ruin everything. Diverting his ideas from the scumbag back to Louisa again, he just listened to her as if paralysed. He noticed that he could do anything in that darkness, although he was quite afraid he would hit somewhere. He also noticed that he had stopped breathing with the anxiety of her... proposal. He took a deep breath--his brain needed oxygen after all to think straight, and tried to focus, though he knew already that he couldn't stand being that away from her. As much as he hated to admit, he needed her.

Raising his hand to touch her, he lowered it back, deciding better of it. It probably wasn't a good idea to touch her at this moment, if not at all. She was dating Adam now; Adam, that had loved her since the beginning.

Taking a deep breath as if to start a sentence after a while, he let it all out without saying a word. He couldn't just tell her to go away, but he also didn't want to be her friend--oh, how he detested that word!--that didn't mean her anything more than a shoulder to cry on. He couldn't stand the idea that while she was kissing Adam, she would just talk about her daily life problems with him. He didn't leave the room, though--he couldn't--nor did he say anything. Three times he intended saying something, but then changed his mind.

Hopefully, she would understand.

....

....

....

Hello? Was he still alive? Louisa could hear his breath though, it seemed as though he sucked his breath thrice. Was he trying to speak? Why didn't he? And more importantly what was he going to say? Louisa gave him another minute before sighing defeatedly, "I'm waiting, Joao. If anyone gets in here and sees us like this..." Well... she had exprience with Lovers' lair and she didn't want to go back there. "Say anything. Just tell me what you're thinking at least! I turned off the wand." So he couldn't look at her and get hurt as he claimed.

Oh. Someone was just afraid her little boyfriend would find them there, was she? João would have snapped at her, had it not been a crucial point in their relationship. He wanted to suddenly just get away from her. He wanted to run and run, until he couldn't anymore, leaving her there, waiting. He would have, but then it would be him who turned this offer down. Instead, he wanted her to accept to stay away from him. Her impatient and non-understanding attitute gained him his cocky expression though. He thought she would understand. Obviously, he was wrong.

"If you are afraid of that possibility Louisa, you can leave any moment you want," he said softly, though the cocky tone was still there, albeit quite faintly. It wasn't as if he held her there against her will. She should have understood by now though that he wasn't going to choose any of the options verbally.

She squeezed her eyes shut and raised her hands up in front of her in a stop-it-please gesture that he wouldn't see... and hopefully wouldn't feel them so close. "No. I'm not afraid, it's just inappropriate." Especially that she had a badge on her chest and he had a reputation to protect, no?

"You don't want to answer because you don't know or because you somehow, secretly enjoying me running after you like a loyal puppy?" She really needed to know something, anything.

It took all his will not to snort at her. Inappropriate. As if they were doing anything. They hadn't even touched. If Adam was ever going to show up, now was the time. Though... it was still better if he didn't. João certainly didn't want to be a part of their love-life drama, thank you very much.

He merely smirked to himself. Now it was his turn to enjoy torturing her with that possibility. He hoped she would feel even one percentage of how he felt every time he was forced to talk to her by herself. Her next question though made him collect himself into a much more serious João.

"I don't enjoy your running after me, Louisa, I never did." His voice was soft and honest. "I just... I don't want any of the options." He hesitated for a moment, before adding in a voice barely audible even in such a silence: "I don't want you to leave, though."

There. HAPPY?!

Louisa's face brightened at his answer. Not as much as it'd light the cupboard but enough for her mouth to twitch into a smile! "That's a yes!" she squeaked, lighting her wand immediately and flinching slightly at the sudden light. "You have no idea how happy that makes me, Joao. For real. You don't really hate me!" And this, people, is the normal genuine Louisa coming back to full function again. "I knew it all along. See, even if the whole world told me that you were a ruthless emotionless boy, I didn't believe it. I definitely felt something when we-" She halted suddenly realizing how much she'd revealed in so little time.

Oopsies.

She cleared her throat and stepped aside, stumbling a bit by the bucket he used for sitting and holding his arm for support. "You can leave now if you want." She was tempted to add 'my friend' but thought against it. Her hand fell off his arm as she gained her balance and the girl continued to stare up at him in anticipation.

This was exactly what João would hate to see.

The moment he said the words, he had regretted them. He knew she would misunderstand them and would treat him as her friend. He knew that very well, but the possibility that she might also leave for real made him nervous for a moment and there it was, she was beaming at him as if he was a bloody friend of her. He frowned, looking almost disgusted, trying to back away from this new, friendly Louisa. He would rather not see her at all than be a friend, thank you.

Collecting himself, he would almost let her fall had she not clutched his arm so tight. When she let go, he muttered a "Whatever," and left the cupboard without any other word.