"But how do you know Professor??" She asked, looking up at him with QUESTIONS soaked into her eyes. Piercing stares were all he was getting right now. "How do you know I won't drop dead before this conversation even ends?? Huh?" She let go of him in favour of taking a step back so she could get a better look at his face that seemed to be losing colour.

Good Merlin don't tell her he was getting sick TOO.

"I've already been to the Healer, she says I just eat too much chocolate but that can't be it. Chocolate is my liiiiiiiiiife. I've grown up on it and it never killed me yet! See? Still standing here until this...this.....you don't understaaaand. I haven't tickled a sleeping dragon yet! Haven't petted chimaera! Never found the sword of Gryffindor!!!" SHE WANTED THAT BLOODY SWORD DAMMIT!

Sooooo many plans. Ruined.

She leaned closer, but opted not to touch him this time. "Have you seen the Headmistress lately? Nearly jumped right out of my skin when I saw her. She could very well give that Dark Lord Voldemort a scare." SHE was on her way to an early grave and Lex could only imagine she'd be looking like that soon.

"I don't think it's a curse either. We've tried detection spells. Nothing's coming up--what if it's a PARASITE? Sucking away my youth?"

Or maybe she couldn't.

Form a coherent sentence in her head while kissing Schuyler, that is. Especially not when she was kissing her back like that and just...her mind usually went a little fuzzy with her girlfriend at such proximity to her own body. She should say something though. She knew that. It wasn't exactly fair if she didn't. Not after what Schuyler had just said a moment earlier.

Also, it kind of was her own fault they were talking about this in the first place.

"Let's drop the 'true'." Because frankly, it just sounded like such a cliché. The longer she thought about it the less she associated it with the concept of love. Meeting Schuyler's gaze for only a second, Olly glanced down at the other girl's lips again, a small grin playing around her own. "I agree with you on the second part, though." As long as they ignored the 'true'.

'Let's drop the true.'

Schuyler waited for an addition to this statement and she didn't have to wait long to get one. And when she did, her lips parted in a wide smile. They had a funny way of getting this out, didn't they? But Schuyler was only elated right now because it had been confirmed. The way they both felt. She got that sort of feeling in her chest that felt like her heart was expanding.

Not really having any of the words in her head at the moment and not being able to contain her emotions, she moved her hands to the sides of Olly's face and pulled her in for a kiss. And then pressed another kiss against her lips. And then wrapped her arms around her in a tight embrace. All the while, that same smile still hadn't been wiped from her face.

Actually, the smile turned into more of an impish grin when she eventually pulled back to look at her girlfriend. "Say it to me, please." The three words. Anagram with olive you.........

What?! How did he know--oh, that! Cograch frantically tried to come up with a reasonable explanation, something too wise for a Gryffindor to understand, but before he was allowed to answer, she was already speaking again!

Good gracious! Who was the old one here, eh? Slow down, child! 41 wasn't so old, but it wasn't so young either! Seriously, maybe he ought to be grateful for this old age or whatever--if this was how she was with old age, he didn't want to imagine her normal state.

TICKLE--PET--SWORD OF GODRIC--WHAA! WHAT was wrong with her?! Did she truly wished to die?!

"Dunno about chocolate and whatnot, but I reassure you you will die if you do any of those." He didn't even try to look calm. She was only joking, right? RIGHT?! He held his position straight this time, but he also hoped she wouldn't touch him. GOOD. He wasn't the man to humour people even if they had limited days.

"I--I haven't seen her, no." Was she that terrible? What did that make him? A liar? He remembered too well how he had convinced her that she was all right. Merlin. This was nuts! This didn't figure in his job contract! He wanted a raise!

"I'm sorry, lady, I don't know," he said in total surrender. "I just know I feel mighty fine, so there is still hope."

Oh. Okay. Yes. This was...okay. Yes.

Olly was quite surprised by Schuyler's sudden reaction to her words. Holding completely still she watched (and felt) her lips being kissed which was followed by a tight hug. Hello. The corners of her mouth curled into a grin though while she tried to process what had just happened. What had just been said. Or, well, not said exactly but implied.

And now she was able to look at Schuyler again. Wow, she looked so excited about this. They should have had this talk sooner. "Did you really think I didn't?" Love her that is. That question seemed extremely relevant right now, the longer Olly thought about it. Because seriously, that WAS pretty obvious, no? At least to HER it was.

Oh, but Schuyler had asked her something. Asked her FOR something. Olly searched the other eyes for a moment, thinking over the words in her head. "You're...such an important part of my life." Somehow she felt the words needed context. "And I don't know what I'd do without you." She opened her mouth to add more but remembered that that wasn't actually what Schuyler had asked her to say, so...

"So long story short, yeah, of course I love you."

Schuyler took just a moment to think about that question. "No. I knew you did." Not because she'd said so, obviously. But Olly was the sort to let her actions speak more than words in matters of feelings. She wasn't one for dating, but she was dating her anyway. She didn't care for Valentine's day, but they were going to the prefect's dance together. And Schuyler couldn't count the number of times that Olly looked to be on the verge of literally walking away from her, but she never did.

Not since day one, at least. And that was a pretty good track record, all things considered.

When her girlfriend started speaking again, Schuyler wasn't sure whether she was saying it all to get out of saying another phrase or because she actually wanted to say it. But she did say the three words. Maybe a little more casually than Schuyler had imagined, but she said them.

"I love you, too."

And she supposed she couldn't ask for much more mushiness from Olly for today.

No answers from the man who liked pretending he knew everything. Mhmmmmmm, eyes still on him for sure. She didn't want clueless or frantic looks she wanted the hard answers...unless the hard answers weren't what she wanted to hear in which case she wanted the answers that would make her feel better.

Mentioning a few of the things on her bucket list, she could see the concern...or just plain worry? It wasn't THAT alarming. Those things were mild in comparison to her large scale plans for life.

But see, even he was saying that it wasn't the chocolate, more or less that's what she'd gotten. "That's rather demotiviating of you to say Professor. There have been people faced by dragons, the sword of Gryffindor's been known to pop up and sedated chimaera's though not nearly as thrilling can be petted. I want one and I want a nundu. There was a man that had one, kept a bunch of stunning spells on it but the idiot didn't do it right and got eaten. I'd be more careful than that. I like living." Why did no one think she ever planned these things thoroughly? She DID.

"Thank Merlin you haven't Sir. She's hideous--I mean old--I mean hideously old. I doubt she can bring herself to look into a mirror anymore. She must be dying on the inside too." And somehow she'd dragged the man into gossiping about the Headmistress. It was real legit.

"I'm not a lady." The Prefect corrected politely but firmly. "Lady denotes something horridly feminine. I'll leave that to Cassia." And what did him feeling fine have to do with HER?? "That's good to know but I'm still dying."

So she HAD known. "Good." Olly smiled and ran her fingers over Schuyler's lips before leaning in to kiss the other girl softly. "I'm not exactly good at hiding things from you." Especially important things like this. Also, she hadn't exactly been TRYING to hide it either. So it came as no surprise to her that Schuyler had in fact known all along.

Once she'd said the words, Olly felt...almost relieved somehow. Also slightly lightheaded. Thinking about it she was pretty sure she'd not said I love you to anyway beside her sister, so this WAS in fact a big deal. But somehow with Schuyler it had just come so naturally that she wasn't the least bit anxious. It was just the way it was.

And then Schuyler opened her mouth to say them too. The Words.

Olly grinned. Happily. Proudly. Hehe. "So you're ALL mine then." As opposed tooo...'only' dating. Or something.

'Demotivating'? That was the EXACT thing this man tried to do. Cosgrach was glad it sounded so, but he also knew her too well not to think she was demotivated a little. The rest of her answer just proved that, and he was only shocked some more.

"If you like living you do not -" He sighed in exhaustion and shook his head. She was a lost case. He wasn't going to waste his breath on her.

"I hope you will be safe in your future actions," he said in the end, then GLARED.

"I don't think those are kind words for your headmistress." How dare she speak about Annie like that! Annie! The sweetest person in the world! Okay, he didn't believe this part at all too, but she's got to admit the woman was beautiful at least. So her comments were harsh.

"I hope you know that there were some healers coming to check her. And a few more people." So she'd better take those words back. There wasn't any or else, but... Ugh. He hated her being a lost case. UGH. If only she wasn't a good prefect at least. And a good student. And except her future plans, an alright brain.

Merlin he hated her for being GOOD at stuff.

Cassia? The Slytherin prefect? Cosgrach shrugged irritatedly. He still hated her, so he was going to call her a 'lady'. He also knew he was being childish, but who caaaared?

"You're not. You will be cured soon." The healers--that didn't ask for his expertise mind you--were paid for that.

She smiled when Olly pulled back from the kiss. "No, you're not." Not good at hiding things. But that's how Schuyler liked it. Being open with each other. That was kind of an essential element to successful relationships.

She moved her hands down Olly's sides to her waist and and met her eyes. The words had already been spoken but her eyes seemed to say it just as loud. And despite the fact that Schuyler had known Olly felt this way, it was still nice to actually hear it said aloud. Almost like it was confirmed now, indisputable.

"I've always been all yours," she answered with a grin.

Lex didn't honestly know what the Professor was on about. He was giving looks and she couldn't figure why. It didn't help that he wouldn't finish his sentence. If she liked living she didn't what? Do things? Get herself out there? Try to gain experiences that would last her a lifetime? What was he getting at here?

"I always practice safety Professor. It's like I said, I like living. Can't do that if I'm dead or severely injured in some way." No. The Gryffindor took extra caution were certain things were concerned. Over the years she was getting to be less reckless. She still enjoyed thrills but more smart-like.

....

He didn't think they were kind words for the Headmstress...but he didn't deny the truth in them. Mhmmmm, Lex was good at reading between lines even though there were probably no lines to read between. Ahem--

WHAAAAAAAAAT?? "There are Healers here taking a look at her??" What?? "What about me? Aren't I dying TOO?? Can't they see that I'll soon be a heap of bones and dust??" Did the money her father spend to send her to this school mean less than the Headmistress' contributions?? She'd like to think not so how come the Headmistress and a few others--her clearly not included, hello she hasn't even SEEN these Healers--were getting treated of whatever it was they had? This. Them. She was really gonna die wasn't she? Lex always knew the Headmistress didn't like her. Something like this was expected. Bet she sent out memos 'don't heal Cambridge, I wanna enjoy next term'. Seemed legit.

But wait..."Or did you mean in future tense like they are coming but haven't gotten here yet? I like that second option better. It causes less overexaggerations on my part." And wasn't that the truth?

....More promises. How could he say that when he just told her he didn't know. Did she think his memory was that shoddy? Well it was now but he'd only said it moments ago. "I'd very much like to be cured before it gets closer to summer. I've got plans and don't wanna look 60 when I finally turn 16." JUST SAYING!

Oh, she did? She practised safety? Cosgrach rolled his eyes dramatically. "Glad to hear that, child." He really was, though. He didn't want any deaths during his time, thank you very much. Afterwards, unless she became an important person, it was her life and no concern to this man here.

"Could we stop being dramatic, please?" Please? If she didn't mind? "You. Are. Not. Dying. The healers were here, but they've also checked a few students, I believe*." Again, he wasn't thoroughly informed. He wasn't involved in it. He didn't know. If they didn't want him to know, he wouldn't go around be nosy. Hmpf.

She was going to be sixteeeeeeeeeeen! How sweeeeeeeet!

Merlin. Could he go puke somewhere?

"Any plans for it?" he ignored the 'curing' part (eh it was getting boring really, especially how it reminded him he was NOT wanted) and directly asked energetically, because he wanted to know how youth celebrated such events nowadays.

I've always been all yours.

Olly raised her eyebrows slightly, giving the other girl a curious look. "Always?" As in, since they'd first met? Or since they'd first kissed? Or...? That was relevant somehow. Whatever the answer was though, she was already incredibly happy about hearing Schuyler say that. It was just that...well, Schuyler was hers. All hers. Just hers.

She grinned. "I didn't think I'd ever be so happy being in a relationship with someone." Though, it really wasn't about the relationship part at all, probably. It was all about Schuyler. Because she was special.

Sander found himself at the water's edge of the Black Lake. When he had left the castle, Sander had no plans to head this way. He just wanted to get away. Away from the chaos and noise. He had a lot on his mind and he was just looking for a place where he could think.

He sat near the water's edge opting to sit on the grass as he gazed out onto the lake's still waters. He tried skipping stones but it didn't help to calm him at all. Sander's heart and mind was in turmoil. There were so many thoughts racing though his brain and right now he couldn't seem to find a solution to any of them.

Sander's heart felt heavy. He thought back to the day he first arrived at Hogwarts. Yes he had expected obstacles and challenges, being new and all. But things slowly began to fall into place. He hadn't expected to make friends immediately but he had. He hadn't expected to be able to play ice hockey in a school that didn't have an ice hockey rink let alone an ice hockey team. But he had found a solution to that too. Things had been going so well.

Until he got afflicted with the aging disease and then everything came crashing down. Frustrated that no one had yet found a cure and solution to their rapid aging, Sander felt so helpless. He didn't know what he would have done, if Tessa hadn't been here with him. But Tessa wouldn't be with him forever. He would be leaving Hogwarts in a few months...leaving Tessa and his friends...leaving an old man.

What was he going to do? He dreaded to see the look on his mother's face when he returned home an old man. Were his hopes of playing professional ice hockey over? No one was going to recruit an old man. He knew that he wouldn't be able to play ice hockey forever, but he had hoped that he would get at least a couple of good years.

He hadn't planned on enrolling at the Wizarding University right after graduation, but at the rate he was aging, Sander wasn't even sure that was an option either. He'd be lucky if he even passed his NEWTs! All his hopes and dreams were getting dashed right before his very eyes and there was nothing he could do. Sander felt his heart breaking as tears began rolling down his cheeks. Sander couldn't hold back the pain any longer. He started sobbing as he buried his head in his hands.

She nodded. "Since.." Schuyler's eyes drifted to the snow weighing down the cedar branches a ways from where they were standing. They didn't offer her much help, and now she was looking back at Olly again. "..I don't know when, exactly." She squeezed Olly's sides a little and smiled at her. "There was something there since the day we met. Chemistry.." She remembered her girlfriend saying something along these lines the night they went from best friends to girlfriends, but Schuyler had never admitted to it aloud before now. Not because she didn't want to say it, but more because it never really came up.

She was smirking some now as her mind reeled back a little while. It really had actually been a very good source of amusement when other people guessed that she fancied Nigel or West or Aidan or whomever. A boy. All fine boys, yes. But really it was her best friend. Secrets had great potential for a bit of innocuous fun sometimes, no?

"I don't know why you thought it'd be so difficult," she grinned. See? Schuyler was right. Always right, yes.

Tessa couldn't say the exact reason for her being on the Grounds right now. Most likely because she was tired of being cooped up inside, tired of not being able to move and run. Outside had always been her solace, her safe place. She could always get her excess energy and anxiety out when she was outside. So, despite her moving at a snails pace, she had wandered out on the grounds.

Now, why she had gravitated toward the Black Lake... let's just call it a feeling. For some reason, that is where her feet were taking her. And she didn't mind. Anything to stretch her legs- even though stretching was painful. Pain was better than misery in her opinion. She reached the edge of the lake and stopped, slightly out of breath. She took a moment to look at her surroundings and saw a familiar figure.

"Sander?" she called, walking over. Something wasn't right with her boyfriend. He looked... miserable. "Hey, Sander, what's wrong?" she soothed, curling up next to him and wrapping her arms around him gently. If he didn't want her to be around, he could just say- but that didn't look like the mood he was in. "Come on, you can talk to me," she told him softly, running her hand gently through his hair.

Though Schuyler didn't pinpoint an exact moment as to when she'd started being 'all Olly's', the girl's answer was just as satisfying. Even more so maybe. Olly smiled and nodded slowly. "Yeah, I don't know how you did it but I immediately liked you." Even though she'd just randomly approached her in a shop and had put a mirror in her hand.

The actual question was what had made Schuyler approach HER in the first place.

And more importantly, what had made her chase after her a few moments after their first encounter.

At least that was still on Olly's mind when she briefly glanced down at Schuyler's hands, while her own came to rest on the small of the other girl's back. "It is." Difficult, that is. This whole relationship thing, she'd come to realize, WAS hard work. "It's only easy because it's with you." That was when she met Schuyler's gaze again, giving her an almost sheepish grin.

Sander was so enmeshed in his misery that he didn't notice someone had approached him until he heard a familiar voice.

Tessa!!

Sander quickly wiped the tears from his eyes, keeping his face averted so that she couldn't see he had been crying. He struggled to curb his hiccuping sobs when he felt Tessa wrap her arms around.

She felt so good and already Sander began to feel a sense of calm surround him. He leaned into her arms before turning to wrap his arms around her, while hiding his face in her hair.

"I'm so embarrassed to have you see me like this. The last thing I want you to think is that I'm weak and a slobbering baby," he whispered in her ear.

Tessa watched as Sander dashed away his tears, trying to hide a smile. It was cute that he was felt that he had to keep a certain appearance for her. She didn't acknowledge any of that, and just gently rubbed Sander's arms until he was ready to talk. She was here to support him, no matter what was wrong.

"Sander," she scolded gently. "Out of everyone, I should be the one you are least embarrassed around," she told him. "If you can't be this way around me, who can you express how you're feeling to?" As he turnedh is face into her hair, she gently rubbed her hand up and down his back, a motion she found soothing when she was upset.

"Talk when you're ready," she soothed.

Sander was really glad that Tessa was sitting here with him now even though he was still embarrassed to have been caught crying. He breathed in the scent of her hair, and felt a pang of sadness that soon he wouldn't be able to do that...to hold her...to talk with her.

But he wasn't going to wallow in self pity. This was just a momentary lapse. Sander took a couple of deep breaths before leaning back to look deeply into Tessa's eyes.

She was so beautiful, even when she looked concerned like she was doing now.

Averting his eyes, not wanting to see the pity in her eyes, he sighed deeply before speaking, "I know I should be strong. It's not like I'm the only one going through this aging illness. But I hate what it's doing to me...to us," Sander whisperer as he turned to look back at her.

He tucked Tessa's gray hair behind her ears. "It's not fair that it has affected your Quidditch playing. I can't even practice my ice hockey long enough without getting tired. I don't know what I'm going to do if they don't find a cute before I graduate." Sander confessed.

"It will break my mother's heart to see me like this. Then what about my plans to play professional ice hockey? No one is going to want to recruit an old man," Sander sighed sadly.

Tessa waited patiently, knowing that this was something they would both have to adjust to. The words 'I love you' came easily, but this level of trust was harder- for both of them. Finally, he leaned back and she offered him a reassuring smile. "Feeling better?" she asked, moving some of his hair away from his face.

"But you are strong. Letting things out only adds to your strength. A weak man would have broken at the first sign of trouble or try to continue on as their foundation wore away. By letting things out, you strengthen yourself and now we're strengthening us," she told him with a warm smile.

"No, it's not fair," Tessa agreed. She would be the first to say how frustrated she was with all of this. "We can't do anything that we used to or want to. It's agonizing taking a step, much less walking from one side of the castle to the other. But, despite this misery, we need to see the good in it all. Otherwise, we'll succumb to the disease," she pointed out.

"Don't worry about the cure," she told him, shaking her head. "It's no good worrying about the future if you can't do anything about it," she pointed out. "Otherwise, I would have worried myself grey because of Quidditch try-outs this summer," she said, laughing as she held up some of her grey strands.

Sander listened to Tessa's reasoning. He wondered for the umpteenth time, how he lucky he was to have her in his life. She was his voice of reasoning. She always had the ability to make him smile and laugh like she was trying to do now.

He sighed again, wiped the last tears from his eyes, and smiled at her joke. He hurt for her and chastised himself for being selfish. Here he was thinking about himself when he should have been thinking about the girl he loved more than life itself.

Combing his fingers through her hair, he whispered,"What about you, Tessa? How are you doing? I know you must be worried too. What do you think your father will say when he sees you? Do you think he'll ask you to leave Hogwarts?"

He hoped not. He knew she would hate leaving Hogwarts before she was supposed to.

Though it was still cold out, Caterina had decided to have a picnic of sorts. She'd brought a blanket and a basket of food and now all she was missing was an Aidan. It was time for the boy and herself to have a chat because they hadn't in a while and she missed having him around.

She spread out the blanket far enough away where they wouldn't have the chance of being splashed it the giant squid happened to be in a jovial mood, and she sat down. She stared at the food an waited. Would it be rude to start eating without him?

Tessa let everything sink in, still gently rubbing Sander's back as if to remind him she were still there to support him, and to soothe as well. Glancing over it appeared as if some of the weight had been lifted from his shoulders, but it was hard to tell. She saw his smile though and offered one back.

"I would by lying if I said I was fine," she told him with a soft laugh. "But things could always be worse, and I'm just stinking to that," she told him with a nod. "At least we can still move around and have most of our mind- although losing my memory is quite frustrating," she said with a sigh. She nodded at his comment of being worried. She was worried about a lot of things. "My father? He barely recognized that I had grey hair when I went to see him briefly over the holiday," she said with a soft laugh. "He is heavily involved in his work and it's unlikely he'll notice the changes at first. As for leaving Hogwarts..." she shrugged. "Most likely if I leave, it will be because my father's work has taken him elsewhere," she explained. "And so far he's pretty settled in the area."

"What will your parents think?" she asked tentatively. After all, if one of Sander's siblings was thinking of transferring, they may not want to after their experience this year.

Schuyler grinned. "Charm and good looks?" That sounded about right. If someone were to ask her now, she could produce an all-too-long list of why she loved the other girl. But when it came to why she'd initially been drawn to her, that was something she couldn't adequately explain in words. She just was. And she didn't question it either.

Obviously.

It was kind of funny because Schuyler vaguely remembered discussing something along these lines before. And both of their views seemed to have altered some since then. For the most part, their relationship didn't have a lot of difficulties. Or this was what Schuyler believed. The fact that everything came so naturally with them, even far before they were dating, made the relationship smooth sailing. "I agree with that statement," she said with a soft smile. Her eyes stayed on Olly's until she leaned in again, almost without her mind processing what her body was doing, and she kissed her one more time, the affection evident in her lips.

By the time she pulled away, she the ends of her mouth were turned up a bit. Her hands found Olly's without having to avert her eyes to them. "Do you want to snuggle in our sweater and find that potion?" Yeeeees?