Oh, you

Kole's heart ached as he watched Michelle disappear into the common room. He couldn't help but feel like he was losing her, even though he knew it was irrational. With a heavy sigh, he reluctantly tore himself away and began the long trek back to the Gryffindor tower.

Lost in thought, Kole barely noticed Ciara as she collided with him in the corridor. "Hey," he said, his mind still elsewhere. "Thank you for watching out for my sister."

A half-hearted smile tugged at his lips as he continued on his way. "I should probably get out of here before anything else happens tonight," he muttered under his breath.

Finally, Kole made it back to the sanctuary of his dorm room. He collapsed onto his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling as he contemplated everything that had transpired. His thoughts swirled around him, threatening to pull him under. But Kole refused to let them drown him, instead resolving to face whatever lay ahead with strength and courage.

Maddie let out a sigh of frustration, clearly disappointed that their time together was coming to an end.

"You're right," Maddie said, conceding reluctantly as she let her arms fall away from him. "I guess I'm just not ready for you to leave me," she murmured, looking up at him with a mixture of sadness and longing in her eyes.

Mason nodded his head again. "Yeah I don't really want to leave you alone right now too," he said to Mads and it was the truth. He didn't really want to leave the girl alone. He knew it will ber for him harder to stay after curfew right now.

Maddie let out another heavy sigh and spoke the words that she knew made sense, "Okay, let's go." However, her body betrayed her as her feet remained rooted to the spot. The thought of returning to the common room with all the people there made her heart race with anxiety. At the same time, the idea of Mason getting into trouble again if he stayed only added to her inner turmoil.

"I might need some help to make my feet listen to our words," Maddie murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. She felt vulnerable and unsure, something she wasn't used to feeling around Mason. His presence alone made her feel more at ease, but even that wasn't enough to alleviate her fears entirely.

Mason sighed. "Yeah, we should go," she said to Mads did let go of her body and just took hold of her left hand. With a smile he began slowly to pull Maddie towards her common room. Hoping it will work here now.

He knew Maddie needed more than just him right now. Even yeah he wasn't sure how to get all that anxiety away. He had never had to deal with it before.

Mason's embrace gradually loosened, and he instead took Madison's hand in his own, anchoring her to the ground as he led her towards the dungeons where their respective Common rooms were situated. Madison was grateful for the physical connection, as it helped to ground her and quell the storm of emotions swirling inside her. Finally, her feet obeyed, and she found herself walking alongside Mason. "Thank you, Mason," she murmured, offering him a small, tired smile as they made their way together.

Mason smiled. "You're welcome, Mads," she said with a smile. He kept walking with her to the basement where their both common rooms were. "I'm always here for you, even if yes I'm not good at comforting someone," he had to say to her. It was truth he wasn't good at any of it. He was tried of today. To be honest it had been pretty eventful day.

As they descended the stairs, Madison spoke up, her voice soft and low. "You comfort me," she said quietly, looking at Mason with a grateful expression. "You may not be my big brother or father, who have comforted me my entire life, but you're Mason. My Mason," she whispered, the words escaping her lips before she had even fully formed them in her mind. "My Mason," she repeated, almost as if trying to convince herself that he was indeed hers, and that he would be there for her when she needed him most.

Mason smiled at Mads words. To be honest he was glad that Maddie seemed a bit better but he knew she wasn't herself yet. "Well yeah I know I'm not them and yes I'm yours. And your mine, Maddie," he ended up saying. He liked to sound of that but yeah he knew that he wasn't sure how to give her all the comfort she would need. As to be honest she and Elle didn't share the same connection as Maddie seemed to have to Matt. Well yes Mason and Michelle seemed close but most of the days both their problems their own. There were years when Mason just thought about himself.

A sickening sensation churned in Madison's stomach as she and Mason approached the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room. Each step seemed to draw them closer to the inevitable moment when they would have to part ways. Finally, they stood before the wooden barrel, enchanted to open only when one tapped the correct spot to the rhythm of the house founder's name. "Mase," Madison whispered, her voice trembling with the dread of having to leave him.