The halls of Hogwarts felt colder as Lilith walked through them, her thoughts a tangled web of uncertainty and quiet defiance. The weight of her father's letter lingered in her mind, its words pressing down on her like an iron grip she couldn't shake. She had spent so long toeing the line between expectation and rebellion, but never before had she felt this close to breaking free—or being caught.

The Slytherin common room had been suffocating that morning. She had felt the lingering stares, the unspoken curiosity radiating from Draco and the others. They knew something was changing in her, but none of them had confronted her directly. Not yet.

Instead of heading to the dungeons, Lilith found herself drifting toward the Astronomy Tower. It was one of the few places in the castle where she could breathe, where the watchful eyes of her housemates couldn't follow her so easily. The late afternoon sun cast long golden streaks across the stone floors, and as she ascended the winding staircase, she exhaled slowly, letting the quiet wrap around her.

But she wasn't alone.

As she reached the top, she spotted Elias Thorne leaning against the railing, his hazel eyes fixed on the horizon. The crisp autumn air ruffled his already-messy hair, and his Gryffindor tie was loosely hanging around his neck, as if he couldn't be bothered to wear it properly.

"Well, well," Elias said, turning his head slightly as he noticed her presence. "Didn't expect to see you here, Nightingale."

Lilith crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing slightly. "And yet, you always seem to be wherever I am."

He smirked. "Maybe I just have a talent for finding people who look like they need to get out of their own head."

Lilith scoffed, moving closer to the railing but keeping a careful distance between them. "Or maybe you just enjoy being a nuisance."

"Guilty," Elias said, his grin widening. Then, after a moment of silence, he added, "What's on your mind?"

Lilith exhaled sharply, fingers tightening around the cool stone railing. "Nothing that concerns you."

Elias studied her, the usual teasing glint in his eyes replaced with something softer. "If you say so."

The two of them stood there for a while, the silence stretching between them. The wind carried the distant sounds of the castle below—laughter from students, the faint rustling of trees, the occasional echo of footsteps against stone.

Eventually, Lilith spoke. "Do you ever feel like you were meant to be something else? Something other than what people expect of you?"

Elias tilted his head slightly. "All the time."

Lilith turned to face him, studying his expression. "And what do you do about it?"

Elias chuckled, though there was no real amusement in it. "I do what I want and deal with the consequences later."

Lilith huffed a quiet laugh. "That sounds reckless."

"Maybe," Elias admitted, "but at least it's my choice."

She turned back to the view, her grip loosening slightly on the railing. The thought of making choices for herself, free of expectation, free of the name she carried, was almost too tempting to consider. Almost.

"I don't think it's that easy for me," she said quietly.

Elias was quiet for a moment before he spoke. "Then maybe you just need to stop worrying about what's easy."

Lilith didn't answer. She didn't need to. The idea had already planted itself in her mind, refusing to be ignored.

As the silence between them stretched, Elias shifted slightly, his voice turning more serious. "I see the way they look at you in the Great Hall. The way Malfoy watches you. Like they're waiting for something."

Lilith tensed. "Draco watches everyone."

Elias shook his head. "Not like that. He knows something's different. And if he's figured it out, then others will, too."

Lilith's jaw tightened. "I know."

"Then you need to decide what you're going to do about it."

She turned to look at him, the wind tugging at the loose strands of her hair. "And what would you suggest, oh wise Gryffindor?"

Elias smirked. "Run away. Change your name. Live among the Muggles. I hear they have excellent coffee shops."

Lilith rolled her eyes, but despite herself, she felt the corner of her lips twitch slightly. "Tempting."

"Seriously though," Elias continued, his voice dropping lower, "you don't have to keep walking the path they laid out for you."

Lilith inhaled deeply, looking back out at the castle grounds below. The sun was setting now, casting a warm glow over the Forbidden Forest in the distance. It was beautiful. And for a brief moment, she let herself imagine a life where she wasn't bound by expectation, where she could be whoever she wanted to be without the shadow of the Nightingale name looming over her.

But reality was never that kind.

"I don't know if it's that simple," she murmured.

Elias didn't argue. Instead, he leaned against the railing beside her, his shoulder just barely brushing against hers. "Maybe not. But I think you already know what you want. You're just afraid to say it out loud."

Lilith swallowed, her throat tight. He wasn't wrong.

The wind picked up slightly, carrying away whatever words she might have spoken next. And so, they stood there in silence, watching the sun dip below the horizon, each lost in their own thoughts.