Unexpected Strain (Toby)

[Leyla Collins]

Leyla was nervous about seeing Toby that afternoon. She hadn't talked to him much since the big fight about her and Collin. It was taking a toll on her more than she thought it would. After he stormed off, she told herself for days that she would be strong and she wouldn't let it affect her. But no matter what she did to distract herself, she couldn't get her mind off her older brother. He'd only been home briefly to pack up his things and take off. She was starting to really worry about him. Collin wasn't speaking to her after her brother fought him so it wasn't like she could ask him if he'd seen Toby. And she was too chicken to ask Samantha if she'd seen him.

Leyla was a wreck. She missed her brother and needed to see him. She owled him a few times, hoping he would respond and they would go back to normal but he was ignoring her. She knew he was mad but he was her brother and she had to keep trying.

Finally she had gotten a response from him and they set a time to meet up with each other at the Hogs Head. She was nervous to see him after it had been so long. She went from seeing him every day to not seeing him for months. She was worried he was still mad.

But as he walked through the doors she couldn't help the smile that donned her face. He was Toby. The same Toby she'd grown up with as her best friend and only real family. He was her Toby. Although, something was a little off about him. She couldn't figure out what it was but she knew something was different. She wondered if it meant he was still angry with her.

"Hey Toby. It's good to see you."

[Toby Collins]

A lot had happened since summer camp. Toby had isolated himself from Leyla, and he hadn't made any efforts to contact Samantha, either, even though he was staying close to Hogwarts with his apartment in Hogsmeade. He was, of course, not speaking to Collin anymore, either. He had a job, working as a bartender at the Hogs Head, and he had made a few important contacts in the Death Eaters, but he was not yet a member. It would take a little time; he still needed to prove himself, and it was best if he cut all ties with his old life. That included Leyla.

And yet, when he received her Owl, he couldn't seem to bring himself to turn her down. He was still angry, but ultimately, not at her. She had been the victim in all of this. His so-called friend had not only been dating his sister, but also cheating on her with another girl. It wasn't Leyla's fault that she had been too naive to see what was happening. Maybe it was Toby's fault, for being so overprotective.

He debated with himself about meeting with her, but eventually, he caved. Besides, she wanted to meet him where he worked, so it wasn't even like he had to go out of his way to meet her.

As he walked in the door, he felt a rush of emotion that he thought he had buried. If he was to be a Death Eater, he wasn't supposed to be soft, but then she had always been his weakness.

Still, he set his jaw and tried to look like he was unaffected. "Hey," he said in a neutral tone.