There were only a couple of days remaining until the night of the full moon, Carlos and Lando had barely spoken a word to each other, their dorm suffocating with unspoken words. Charles and Lewis had noticed; Charles had tried to bridge the gap with lighthearted jokes, but they fell flat every time. Lewis quietly observed but made no comment.

Today was a lesson Carlos had been dreading for a while: Boggarts. Defence Against the Dark Arts was a favourite of his, yet today he wanted nothing more than to leave. Professor Brown had explained that the boggarts embody one's deepest fear, and the Riddikulus charm, was the key to disarming them. The students had each paired up; Carlos and Lando had been placed close yet were not directly partnered. Carlos, Lando noticed, was tense, shifting uncomfortably.

Once it was Lando's turn, he stepped forward confidently, but when the boggart shifted, he lost it. It had morphed into a student, its face covered, walking away from him, back turned, disappearing into the shadows. The image was haunting, the class exchanging glances.

"Riddikulus!" Lando forced out, the boggart stumbling, tangled in its robes, tripping and stumbling. The class laughed weakly, Carlos looking pained.

Eventually, it was Carlos' turn. He hesitated, Professor Brown watching him carefully. The boggart began to morph, a glowing orb hanging ominously in the air, glowing silver and cold. The class whispered, confused, "Why is he scared of the moon?" Carlos had frozen, his usual confidence shattered. His breath hitched, his fear raw and paralysing. He muttered out the charm, yet it had no effect, his fear overwhelmingly powerful. Brown quickly steps in, ending the lesson with a flick of his wand, but the damage had been done.

Carlos bolted out of the classroom as soon as they were dismissed, his face ghostly and his hands trembling. Lando began to follow, but hesitated, unsure if Carlos wanted him there.

He ran outside to the edge of the grounds, away from prying eyes, slumped against the tree at the edge of the lake, clutching his knees to his chest, struggling to steady his breathing.

It was Oscar that accidentally stumbled across him, he had heard the comments from his friends that witnessed what had happened. He was startled to discover Carlos, noticing his disheveled state. "You look like hell, mate."

Carlos didn't respond at first, keeping his head down, hair falling into his face. His voice came out rough and low. "Leave me alone, Piastri."

Oscar took another step closer then sighed, lowering himself to sit cross-legged a few feet away. "Yeah, maybe I should, but I'm not going anywhere, so you might as well talk, or we'll just sit here in this wonderfully miserable silence until dinner.

Carlos exhaled sharply, an almost bitter laugh slipping through his lips, but it caught in his throat. "You really can't take a hint, can you?"

Oscar shrugged, "Nope. Comes with being incredibly stubborn and annoyingly perceptive." There;'s a long pause, the distant chatter of students echoes across the grounds. Oscar waits, giving Carlos the space he seemed to need.

"I wasn't scared of the moon because of some silly superstition, Piastri," Carlos spoke, his voice barely above a whisper, eyes still fixed on the grass. "It's... more than that."

"You don't have to tell me everything, but... Sainz, whatever this is- it's eating you alive, and honestly, I'm- well, I'm worried about you."

Carlos met Oscar's eyes for the first time, startled by the raw sincerity. "You're worried about me?"

Oscar rolled his eyes, "Don't make me say it again, alright? I know we've never exactly been on good terms, but I'm not blind. You've been off lately, and I'm not the only one who's noticing."

"It's not something I can just explain, It's not that simple."

Oscar lent back on his hands, tilting his head up to the sky, his voice thoughtful. "Y'know, I used to think you were just cold. Like, deliberately pushing everyone away because you liked being alone or something."

"I'm not scared," Carlos visibly recoiled, Oscar looked unimpressed.

"Fine. You're not scared. But whatever you're hiding- it's heavy, isn't it? You're carrying it all by yourself."

Carlos' hands tighten around his knees, squeezing his eyes shut briefly. "I have to." The words hang in the air, brittle and fragile. Oscar didn't press further, simply nodding, as if he understood more than Carlos realised.

"Okay, you don't have to tell me. Not right now anyway, but you're not as alone as you think you are, Sainz." He pushed himself to his feet, brushing the dirt off of his robes. "Come on, let's head back before people start wondering if we've run off to duel in the Forbidden Forest again, or something equally as stupid."Carlos hesitated, but slowly rose to his feet as well. They walked back toward the castle, not speaking, but the silence felt lighter, less suffocating. As they approached the stone steps leading to the doors, Oscar glanced sideways at Carlos. "When- or if- you ever decide to talk... I'll listen. No judgement, no questions you don't want me to ask." Carlos didn't respond, but nodded slightly, enough for Oscar to notice. They stepped back into the warmth of the castle, leaving the chill of the evening air- and a fragment of Carlos' burden- behind them.