Backfired Promises part 4.

Ymous was walking the halls of Hogwarts, he had discarded his flippers when he left the infirmary, feeling the cold floors on his feet felt a bit better. He wasn't well, he realized that he had made a mistake getting caught in all that. Hitting his head had changed something with him, how he looked at things. He passed some first year Slytherins, who recognized him, and started muttering amongst themselves. He felt disgust at being recognized for what he had been spending his time with. Right now, he really just wanted to have a break. He decided he would have to visit someone, before going back to the infirmary.

Penny was walking towards potions class with her hufflepuff cohorts, She didn't actually expect to run into Anon outside infirmary, atleast not after the boy had repeatedly refused to see her.
"Anon, what are you doing out of the infirmary, I thought you had to stay atleast few more nights" The girl walked towards the boy.
The boy looked sour and turned to look at Penny. "I am just out for a walk."
"OH, and you decided to come visit me during potions class?"
"No, I am actually on my way to meet Snape." The boy started scowling unfriendly.
Penny a bit taken back by the boy's sudden change in mood, he usually had somewhat bright atmosphere around him, but he felt cold all of the sudden.
"Is something wrong, Anon, you aren't acting like yourself" The girl asked with concern.
"No, nothing is fine, could you just leave me alone, I am on a limited schedule here" The boy snapped at her.
"My, what got into you?" Penny started to be slightly annoyed at his demeanor. "You're acting like I'm Merula"
Anon's scowl deepened and his eyes were filled with anger. He pushed Penny aside, and started walking towards the dungeons.
This surprised Penny and spurred a quick gossipping among her friends. She would not have that.


Merula and Rowan were hastilly walking around hogwarts, they had stopped at the common room, but Anon wasn't there, and no one had seen him.
"Rowan, we should stop looking for him, it's obvious he doesn't want to see me." Merula said defeated.
"No, he threw away all the letters he got, he must have a reason, maybe it wasn't him, maybe someone cleared his table when he was asleep?" Rowan knew she was clutching at straws at this point.
The two girls decided to head outside, maybe Anon went for a breath of fresh air.
"He threw your letters away too, and all the gifts you brought, Rowan, why would he be angry at you?" Merula asked weakly.
"I don't think he's angry at me, I... I don't know what is going on, but I am not going to jump into conclusions until I see him." The girls got to the door leading outside and saw Penny walking out the door.
"Penny, where are you going, don't you have potions class?" Rowan shouted at the hufflepuff.
The blone girl turned around and waited for the two girls at the steps. "I just needed a little bit of fresh air, I am not used to being livid like this."
"You, livid, what happened?" Asked Rowan.
"I met Anon on my way to potions class and he treated me like I was M..." the hufflepuff managed to stop herself when she realized Merula was with Rowan again.
"He treated you like you were me..." Merula finished her sentence. "So not very well, I'd imagine, only you don't deserve it."
Penny was surprised at Merula's sudden change of character. "What happened to you, Merula, you used to be a huge bitch towards everyone. What is going on, did you switch places with Anon or something?"
Merula smiled weakly, she didn't know anything else to do, she still felt she hated Penny, but she felt like acting like she usually does would ruin things further, even though she loathed to admit it to herself, she didn't want to be alone trough all this.
"Rowan, what happened with Anon." Penny questioned. "You were close to him, did he say something odd before Merula broke his spine?
"He asked me if he was a bad person." Rowan admitted to Penny. Maybe that had something to do with his sudden change of outlook.
"He asked you if he was a bad person? Why would he ask that, he clearly isn't." Penny said.
"It's not just up to us to decide that, Penny" Rowan tried to say in a diplomatic way.
Despite that Merula got angry "Of course you wouldn't notice it, Perfect Penny, Anon is a huge dick, all he ever does to me is treat me badly" Merula looked at Penny angrily. "Who would treat a pretty thing like you badly, I bet Anon treats you very nicely." Merula wanted to tell both girls what she really thought and just march away, like she normally does.
"Merula calm down." Rowan tried to soothe Merula. "Let's just all three of us go meet Anon. Where did you say he was going, Penny?"
"He said he was going to meet Snape." Penny said, "that's why I ran into him on my way to potions class, that I am now skipping because of him, it's not very smart of me, but he infuriated me so."
"Let's go get some answers from him." Rowan said. But neither Merula nor Penny looked like they wanted to have anything to do with Anon anymore.
"Come on, don't you want to know what this all is about?"

Ymous walked in the potions class. Snape noticing his presence immediately.
"Mr.Ymous, did you hit your head that badly, this isn't your class." Snape scowled at the boy, who seemed to try to out-scowl him.
"Oh, I know, I'm here to ask you for something."


The three girls were walking towards the potions class, two of them determined to hear from Anon about his strange behavious. The third girl just looked at the floor saddened.
"Penny..." Merula started.
"What is it, Merula, you have been oddly quiet" Penny asked the girl she wasn't sure about at all.
"I wanted you to know, that I do realize I have been acting terribly towards you aswell." Merula looked at the blonde hufflepuff. "I am sorry..."
"Where is this coming from, Merula, it does feel like you were the one who hit their head."
"I just realized that, Anon's actions mirrored my own, that the way he treated me was no different to the way I treated others." Merula said and went back to looking at the floor. "I don't want to be alone because of my false sense of pride."
"Well, now, Merula... I don't quite know what to say to that." Penny didn't really know what to think of anymore, what happened during that duel?
"Merula has been going trough a lot recently" Rowan said. "Please just listen to what she has to say."
"I am not going to lie and say I like either of you." Merula admitted. "But I hate myself more, and I hate being alone. The girl sniffled a bit but was done crying. "I hope that one day you can forgive me."
"Oh, you foolish girl, you never treated me that badly, it's not like I am fully without blame either, I had instigated Anon. and I think you've been bullied a lot more than you've been bullying me." Penny smiled reassuringly "Well, except maybe Anon, but he did pay you back in full."
"I don't see why we can't all be friends." Said Rowan and smiled at Merula aswell. "I'm sure Anon would agree aswell."
The girls entered the potions class to find Anon arguing with Snape.


Ymous had enough, he came all this way for nothing, nothing got resolved and what's worse, Snape told him the exact same thing Madame Pomfrey did.
"Professor, I need this, you don't know what I have been going trough, all this time."
"Mr. Ymous, If Madame Pomfrey said it was inadviceable, my hands are tied" Snape looked around annoyed. "You have distracted my class quite enough now, Ymous, it's time you went back to the hospital wing.
"I can't believe I walked here for nothing, while healing a broken spine." Anon spat and turned to walk out of the class. Only to run into the three girls. Who stopped him outside the classroom.
Anon looked at the three girls. "Rowan, Penny..." He stopped to look at Merula "...Merula, I didn't think you would make this difficult for me, it's hard for me to leave you alone if you specifically come looking for me."
Merula's violet eyes sparked with anger, as her feelings just came crashing out. "Why would I come looking for you, you arrogant dickhead. Do you always turn away people who're genuinely worried about you?" Merula felt her eyes start watering.
"I understand if you can't forgive me for saying those mean things to you, but why are you taking it out on Rowan and Penny?" Merula was now shouting.
Rowan and Penny just backed out a little, knowing full well not to say anything right now.
"What are you shouting at me for, I was fully ready to do as you asked, I am done bickering with you, I don't want to duel with you anymore, Merula, I don't want to bully you, I don't want to turn every single exchange with you into a damned contest!" Anon was shouting at her now."
"And I don't want you to just vanish." Merula felt tears filling her eyes. "You were the only one who was interested in me."
"WHAT! All I did was bully you, Merula, that is all either of us did." Anon was confused "Do you really consider something so dysfunctional friendship?"
"It's all I had, for the longest time, it was all I had. That and the vaults." Merula said with weaker voice. "But even there I kept running into you..."
Anon pushed past Merula, "Well, I don't deserve this, I just came here for a sleeping potion, but apparently I wont be getting any." The boy started walking towards the stairs. "I haven't slept well for weeks."
"Anon..." Rowan started.
"I thought I asked you not to pry into it, Rowan." Anon said with a tired voice.
Anon passed Penny and turned to look at her. "I don't know what you are doing here, you should be inside for your class" The blonde girl was still visibly miffed by this treatment, just resolved to smile toxicly at Anon as he walked away.