Girl Talk Slytherin Style (Ophelia/Openish)

[Leilani Evetts]

It was well into the morning after everything had happened between Lyra and Rystain and herself that Lani finally ended up going back to the 6th year girl's dorm rooms. She had spent the night with Rystain, not doing anything but listening to his heartbeat, which eventually lulled her to sleep.

She looked something of a mess when she returned. Her hair wasn't done up like it usually was and her eyes were still red and swollen from crying, but it wasn't anything a charm or two and some make up wouldn't fix.

She assumed the whole of Slytherin house knew about what had happened, so she wasn't sure what welcoming she was going to get from Ophelia as she pushed open the door.

[Ophelia Burke]

Ophelia was sitting up, flipping through the pages of a wizarding fashion magazine, waiting for Lani to return. Justine was sleeping, luckily, so she didn't have to hear the girl complaining about the lights being on. As always, Fee was dressed in a lacy nightgown, her long legs stretched out on the bed and crossed at the ankles. Of course she didn't have to dress like that for bed, since it was only Lani and Justine who could see it, but she always had hope that one of the boys would find a way to sneak into the dorms and she wanted to make sure she gave them something to see.

As the door swung open, Fee immediately set down the magazine and folded her arms across her chest in an irritated pose. "Lani!" she hissed. "Where have you been? Are the rumors really true?"

[Leilani Evetts]

Oh, Merlin, here they went.

Lani hadn't even made one step into the dorm room before Fee was on her about the rumors... which she hadn't even heard yet. No one who had been in the room would have started them, which meant someone who heard a little something, or saw a little something, had started them.

She closed the door behind her. "I don't know, honestly. What are the rumors?"

[Ophelia Burke]

Fee frowned. "I just heard there was a big blowup between you and Rystain and Lyra, and that Lyra was left crying and you went off with Rystain. Some people think you two are..." she paused and lowered her voice to a loud whisper, "sleeping together. Is it true, Lani? Are you and Rystain a couple now?"

There were actually worse rumors that she'd heard, of different pairings, but she didn't believe that and found it all a bit too unseemly for her taste. Such behavior certainly wasn't proper, and she refused to think on it, much less mention it.

[Leilani Evetts]

Lani sighed and finally stepped towards her bed. Despite being in Rystain's arms all night, she was still exhausted.

"Yes, it's true." I think... but she didn't voice that bit out loud, and rubbed her eyes. "Rystain and I are a couple. But I swear I didn't mean to make Lyra cry like that. None of it was supposed to happen like it did."

[Ophelia Burke]

Ophelia was stunned. Everyone had always thought that, despite Rystain's philandering ways, that he would end up with Lyra. No one had ever figured Lani into the equation. In addition, Ophelia had been madly in love with Rystain for the last year and a half. Of course, he didn't know it; he just thought she was flirting with him, just like she did with everyone else. The only one who knew of her crush was Lani.

Still... she wasn't angry at Lani because she was with Rystain. She was, however, a bit peeved that her friend hadn't told her about the relationship sooner.

"OK, so what really happened? Tell me everything. I swear it won't leave this room." She glanced at Justine, who was still breathing the deep, even breaths of sleep.

[Leilani Evetts]

Lani wasn't positive it wouldn't leave the room, but at least if it did, it would be the true version of it.

So she told Ophelia everything... well, almost everything. She hadn't mentioned the times she slept with Rystain... that seemed unimportant. Instead, she brought up the Quidditch tryouts, and the little times they had gotten to know each other, and then how Rystain asked her to the dance.

From there, it had gone downhill.

"I would have told you... it just all happened so fast, Fee, and I wasn't sure where I stood with him."

[Ophelia Burke]

Ophelia listened with great interest. She'd flirted a lot, but she'd never been in love. She was lucky that her parents hadn't yet arranged a marriage for her, so she was free to flirt and tease all she wanted, as long as they kept their hands off. As a result, the pretty blonde had never even been kissed.

"Do you love him?" she asked, almost breathless. She wanted to know what it was like to be in love.

[Leilani Evetts]

Lani took a long, deep breath before she let it out in a slow sigh.

"I don't know," she breathed, looking tired and lost. "I think so. I really think I do."

She had told Rystain as much, hadn't she?

"Oh, Fee, it's terrible. It's probably the worst feeling in the world and there's no escaping it."

[Ophelia Burke]

This disappointed Fee greatly. She slumped down, feeling deflated. "Really? I always heard it was such a great feeling, and that you never want it to stop." She'd waited her whole life to fall in love, sure that it would have happened by now for one as pretty as she was. If she didn't fall for someone soon, her parents would probably arrange a marriage for her, which sounded utterly humiliating.

"I guess it wasn't so great for Lyra, though, huh?" she added.

[Leilani Evetts]

"No. It's not a wonderful feeling at all," Lani said, sighing and moving so that she was laying on her stomach, looking at Ophelia. "It's nothing but uncertainty, and then you feel sick everytime he looks at you, but I guess it's in a good way. And you just don't know anything any more, and it hurts so much when you know he's been with another girl. Or when his room mates tell you that they like the other girl better..."

She trailed off, realizing she wasn't talking about love anymore, but specifically about her and Rystain.

[Ophelia Burke]

Well, that did sound terrible. That wasn't what she had always heard it was supposed to feel like. Her mum and dad certainly seemed happy enough. Maybe it was supposed to get better after marriage? She didn't quite understand. "I'm so sorry, Lani," she said. "It shouldn't be like that. But maybe it's just how it happened... maybe it will get better. I mean, lots of girls like Rystain... and he's been with a lot of girls. So you can't be sure he really means it? But, like, he did choose you, Lani. That has to count for something. Which roommate liked Lyra better? Was it Rabastan? He's such a jerk. My brother told me I wasn't even allowed to lookat him."

[Leilani Evetts]

Lani laughed, trying not to let Fee see just how worried she was that Rystain didn't actually mean any of it.

"Yes, it was Rabastan. Though Devin had his share of comments to make as well." She sighed, trying not to remember that night. "Your brother's right. Remember the beginning of last year when I was with him?" She asked. "It was fun for a little while, but it hurt more than anything. He's no good for a person."

[Ophelia Burke]

Ophelia frowned. "I do remember; you cried a lot then. I don't understand. Why are guys such jerks, anyway? Don't they ever get hurt or cry or anything? Do they have any feelings at all, or is it just like my brother says, and they're only after one thing? It isn't fair. I hope Rystain doesn't hurt you, Lani. You deserve better than that." For once, Fee was being genuine and honest, and not entirely thinking about herself. These moments were rare, but she honestly liked Lani, who she felt was more like her than her own sisters were.

[Leilani Evetts]

Lani smild softly. "Thanks, Fee. That means a lot." She could tell her friend was being genuine.

She groaned. "This has made such a mess of things, Fee. Lyra and Sam are both enemies now... and I swear I had nothing against Lyra. Yes, I got jealous when I thought abou Rystain with other girls, but I never wanted to say anything." Mostly because she had been scared he would leave her. "She forced me into it. And I do feel badly that she was hurt..."

[Ophelia Burke]

Ophelia shrugged. "Well, it does kind of suck for Lyra," she said. "But she's kind of a b*tch, too, so... maybe she deserved it. I mean, it's not like she probably won't find some other guy. How many guys has she been with, anyway? And Sam... I don't know who she thinks she is. She comes here from France and is all 'oh, look at me, look at me.' She gets picked as the Slytherin champion... it seems like all anyone ever talks about anymore is Samantha." Real jealousy tinged her voice now. She didn't like the way the fifth year girl from France was getting attention that, in her opinion, should have been hers. The girl was entirely too pretty and the boys all liked her way too much.

"Anyway, she's new here and barely knows anyone, I don't know what right she has to go being mad at you. What claim does she have in all this?"

[Leilani Evetts]

Lani sighed and flopped back on her bed. "Oh, I don't know. Somehow, she's become best friends with Lyra. Buy Lyra is a b*tch... she's not really anyone's friend unless they're helping her in some way. I shouln't care. I never really like Lyra in the first place. I just... I hate that I think Rystain is angry with me for making him choose between us. But I wasn't even the one that made him choose. It's so unfair, Fee. I should be so happy right now. Why am I not happy?"

[Ophelia Burke]

Ophelia laid back, too, allowing her curls to flatten against the bed. "I don't know," she said. "I thought love was supposed to be this great thing and you were supposed to be happy when you found it. I mean, especially since he did pick you. You shouldn't be sad, because he picked you and not her. But... well, if you don't feel secure in his feelings for you, I guess that would make you unhappy. So, let me understand, Lyra was the one who made him choose? You still shouldn't be upset about it, because it was wrong for him to be seeing the both of you at the same time."

The situation was a bit too complicated for Ophelia, and she was having trouble understanding why her friend was upset. She felt that if it were happening to her, she wouldn't feel guilty at all. She didn't care about Lyra or her feelings. Someone had to lose in the situation, and Lani should just be glad it wasn't her.

[Leilani Evetts]

"It's because I'm new. Lyra was old to him... He knew her too well and I'm new and interesting to him. Fee... What happens when I'm old and he's bored with me? I mean we all know how he is."

Lani sighed. She couldn't get over the fact that she should have been happy, but she was just worried.

[Ophelia Burke]

"Well, it's true he does seem to go through girls a lot," Ophelia admitted. "But you shouldn't go into it expecting that he's going to get tired of you. That kind of negative attitude will only drag you down. After all, there's a chance he could decide to stay with you. It only needs to happen once, if it's the right person." There was a curious wisdom coming from her naive words that seemed at odds with her normal personality. For deep down in her heart, Ophelia was a hopeless romantic.

"Or, maybe he won't get tired of you... maybe you'll get tired of him first. There's no way to know what will happen, you might as well just relax and enjoy it."