The duo had finally decided to reconvene and tackle the Chamber of Shadows head on again, although things were more strained than ever. Lando had just finished browsing through dusty time, flipping through the pages with an expression, when Carlos approached him. "Still no luck?" He asked with a guarded tone.

Frustrated, Lando rubbed his forehead. "Nothing concrete. There's too much speculation about the Chamber, and the clues are cryptic. We're not getting anywhere and it's making me think we're missing something."

Carlos paused, watching Lando carefully. "What do you mean, we're missing something? Have you figured something out? Did you find another clue?"

Lando looked at Carlos, annoyed by the lack of communication. "No, I just-" He hesitated, "I just don't get it. We've been at this for weeks and nothing makes sense."

"Tell me what you've found." Carlos spoke sharply.

"It's not just the Chamber, Carlos. It's you. You've been avoiding me since the conversation with Alonso. What happened in his office?"

Carlos visibly tensed and crossed his arms. "It's none of your business."

Lando narrowed his eyes, ever persistent. "You're lying. We're supposed to be partners in this. You can't just keep shutting me out."

"I'm not lying. It's complicated. Just- leave it, okay?"

Lando took a deep breath, concerned. "You don't get to brush me off like this, Chili. I know something's wrong. I know you're hiding something and it's not just the Chamber."

Carlos' voice cracked slightly, "You don't understand."

Lando could sense the hurt in Carlos' tone, speaking softer, "Then make me understand."

"I can't. Not yet." This effectively ended their conversation for the next hour or so as they returned to their research. Lando had just stumbled across something that could finally make sense of the riddle they'd been trying to decipher. He squinted at the dusty page, "Wait, listen to this: 'Only the moon's reflection in the stone shall reveal what lies hidden within.'"

Carlos examined the page, intrigued, though still distracted. "The moon's reflection...?"

"Could it be... the full moon? Something to do with the Chamber's location? The picture I found with the riddle was of the Black Lake..." Lando wondered aloud, "I've heard of moonlight rituals before, but this... it doesn't sound like something you'd find in a book."

Lando froze as he saw Carlos twitch in his peripheral vision. "You keep doing that." Carlos chose to ignore him, instead grabbing a different book from the stack and examining it. "The moon's reflection in the stone..."

"It has to be literal, right? There's no way it's metaphorical."

Carlos nodded, voice tight, "It has to be. The lake is the only place at Hogwarts where the moon's reflection on water could interact with stone. And... the lakebed is full of stones. Some enchanted, some natural. Maybe... ,maybe it's under the water."

Lando's eyes lit up, "That has to be it! And when the moon reflects at the right angle, maybe it lights up a specific stone. Like a spotlight."

"But how do we know when? And where exactly? The lake's huge, and moonlight moves with the sky."

"That's the problem. Timing. The clue doesn't just say 'a moonlit stone', it says 'the moon's reflection.' That means it has to be perfect- an exact angle, an exact stone, at an exact time."

Carlos stared but his eyes were unfocussed, "Which means... it might only happen once a month. When the moon is full." A heavy silence followed and Lando glanced up at Carlos when he didn't elaborate.

"The full moon's... coming up soon, isn't it?" Lando asked carefully.

"Yeah. Soon"

Lando watched him, "You alright, mate? You've been on edge all day."

Carlos forced a smirk, not quite meeting his gaze. "I'm fine, just- this clue's frustrating, that's all."

"It's not just the clue though. You've been distracted for days. Snapping at people, zoning out. Even in class. Is it... is it because of what Professor Alonso said?"

Carlos tensed, chewing his bottom lip. "Lando, I said drop it."

The sharpness in his voice cut through Lando, but he didn't look away. "Alright, fine. But if you... if you need to talk, or if something's wrong, I'm here, okay? I've always been here."

For a brief moment, Carlos' mask cracked. His lips parted slightly as if he might say something- but he shook his head.

"Let's just focus on the clue."

Lando exhaled slowly, turning back to the maps. "Alright. So it has to happen on the full moon. The reflection needs to be perfect and the only way we'll know for sure is if we're there to see it ourselves."

"You mean... you want to go there? At night? During a full moon?"

Lando looked at Carlos confused, "Well, yeah. If we wait too long, we'll miss our chance and who knows how long it'll be before it aligns again. The full moon is our best shot."

"It's... it's risky, Lando. We don't know what's down there. Or if it's even worth it."

"Since when are you the cautious one? You're usually halfway into trouble before I've even tied my shoelaces."

Carlos forced a small laugh. "Yeah, well... this feels different."

"What do you mean, 'different?' This isn't like you, Carlos. You've been pushing for answers just as much as I have. Why are you hesitating now?"

"It's complicated, okay? I just... can't go. Not that night."

Lando's voice was firm, "Why not? What's stopping you?"

"I can't tell you. Just trust me on this, alright? You'll have to go without me."

"That's not good enough, Carlos! You're acting weird and you've been like this for weeks. First with Professor Alonso, and now this. You're hiding something from me."

"Por el amor de Dios, drop it, Please!"

"No, I won't drop it. You're my best friend, and we've been in this together from the start. I can handle whatever it is you're hiding, just tell me, it can't be that fucking bad!" Lando was quickly losing patience.

Carlos stood up suddenly, "You don't understand, Lando!" You can't understand!"

Lando also rose, not letting Carlos escape. "Then make me understand! Because right now, it feels like you don't trust me, and if you don't trust me then what are we even doing here?"

"It's not about trust, it's... it's about keeping you safe.""Safe from what? You're scaring me. Do you know what hurts me the most? It's not even that you won't go with me- it's that you don't think you can trust me with whatever this is."Carlos gritted his teeth, shoulders hunched. "Lando... it's not like that."Lando shook his head, his voice tight. "It sure feels like it." He gathered up the maps and a few stray notes, clutching them tightly as if they'll steady him. Carlos made no effort to stop him, watching as he turned away. I'm going to the lake. With or without you." He exited the library, not hearing Carlos whisper "I'm sorry." He sank back into his chair, head in his hands. The weight of the full moon, the secret clawing at his chest and the look on Lando's face- it was too much. He couldn't tell Lando, he couldn't. Not without ruining everything, but the thought of Lando going out there alone under the full moon- it sent an icy dread through his veins.