Transforming a Friendship PV Serena Closed

For many months last year, her friends knew her to be the girl that would sneak in late or barely make it in time for class. However, since that night where she ended up in hospital... everything changed. She was no longer the same person. Serena was now among the first to turn up to every class, even the boring ones that she hated. She sat in the far corner, trying to avoid people. The Head Girl always sat in the far corner of the classroom these days. It was easier to avoid people's eyes if they could not walk past you. It was easier to keep your head down in the books if they did not pass you and say hello. No one wanted to shout her name out from the other side of the class when a teacher was present, it was the safest spot to go to avoid people.

Believe it or not... Serena had become studious. She had learnt her lesson the hard way. The night of the campout, the night in the hospital, everything had taught her something important: she needed to be stronger, braver and more knowledgeable if she wanted to even survive in this world.

Serena grabbed her bag, pushing the textbook, parchment and quill on her desk into it without much thought. She just stuffed it all in, threw her bag strap over her shoulder and started to walk out as she closed the bag. Busy closing it, she did not notice that she had almost walked into someone until she was right in front of him- "Ah- Sorr-... Ben..." She started as she looked up to see the familiar Ravenclaw standing in front of her. She had not spoken to him in months... He just seemed to disappear. 

"Hey... I haven't seen you in uh a while..." She replied, unsure of what else to say at this point. It hurt a little, to be honest. Her best friend seemed to disappear right around the same time that she had gotten hurt. It sucked, not having her best friend to talk to about everything. A lot happened that night. She lost another friend around then too but at least she knew why. She had no idea what she had ever done to Ben but he just seemed to disappear... 

Ben smiled for what must have been the first time in months. A swirl of pain still made up most of his existence right now, but seeing his good friend made him happy for that brief moment. Their adventures had always been fun. He was reminded of that teapot he once tried to turn into a rabbit. They had chased it through the grounds, caused fires, caused pain... but in the end they could laugh about it. It was an experience that began their real friendship. Back in the days when the worst thing Ben could imagine was being caught with his failed spell. That would have been a nice problem to keep. Now his life had been flipped over completely. Did Serena know what was going on? She was well connected after all...

"Yeah, I'm... I'm sorry." He apologized simply, remembering what the mask had done to her and his role in it as well as how he had avoided her as a friend. "Are you okay?"

The mask was gone now, yet the connection was still there. Ben could feel the masked figure lingering within his mind. It both was and was not him. The summer had helped him split it away from himself even more. His best friend at least did not seem angry with him outwardly. Was she still his best friend? It wouldn't be fair to expect much after all his time away. Not to mention the mask shenanigans. All he could now was wait and see what she did.

Serena was unaware of what had happened between the two of them. They were friends, great friends. They shared moments together that she would remember for a long time to come. There was a time when she wanted to adopt a teapot bunny and hide it in her dorm rooms because of him and honestly, she probably would have if she could. Sadly, she imagined that sort of thing would get the pair of them in trouble and did not do it. 

However, something happened. She was not sure what. Perhaps it was her own fault... She had not seen him around for a little while. And then the camp out happened. After that, she distanced herself from everyone. Maybe this was all her fault. "... Y- Yeah, I'm fine. N- no, don't be sorry... It was my fault." She apologised, for not looking at where she was going - because she thought that was what he meant. 

The Hufflepuff tugged on her sleeves a little, unsure of what to say to him. After all of this time, what really was there to say... She sighed internally, accepting blame for their distance and deciding to calm down her nerves. She felt awkward and nervous around him right now but, she needed to be brave. Steadying herself as best as she could, she looked at him, "How are you? How have you been? I... I'm sorry I haven't checked in..." She replied slowly, clearly unsure of what she ought to be doing in this situation.

Did she know he was the masked man? No. Did she know he was the reason she lost another friend? No. Did she know he had hurt so many people, albeit in a way out of his control? No. Little Serena knew nothing...

It was her fault? She obviously did not understand what Ben had been doing the last few months. That was possibly a good thing but it was a truth that would get to her soon. Then she would hate him. Everyone else hated him. Ben figured his old best friend would be no different considering what he had done to her. He would have to tell her before whatever rumors reached her first. Ben hated that he had hurt her. He was losing everyone though and maybe that was for their own benefit. The mask lingered in his brain despite being gone for months now.

"You don't know...?" He still could not believe she had not heard. "The masked figure, the disappearance, all of it... it was me."

Ben was nearly whispering when he admitted what he was to Serena. She deserved to hear it from him but it was tough to say out loud. Details did not matter as far as he was concerned. If she pressed him maybe he'd allow a little more but he had no desire to spill all the pain forward again. He had not even told his parents about it. They would have pulled him out of school so fast...

"The mask it... controlled me..," he choked out after another moment. "It's gone now but... I still feel it sometimes. I did not mean to hurt you or anyone else..."

The Hufflepuff may as well have changed her name to 'oblivious' because that's really what she was. She was super oblivious to everything. She did not know. She knew nothing. Serena quirked an eyebrow a little as her old friend started to talk, questioning what he meant. "What?" She started, unsure as to what he was talking about. He seemed a little confused as to how she did not know, in all honesty. Like a good friend, he filled her in and as he did, the colour from her face immediately started to drain. It paled in an instant. 

Ben Eckenrode, the guy she had considered to be one of her closest friends at Hogwarts, just admitted to being the same guy that went around hurting students in the middle of the night. She had heard rumours of it. Not many but some. And as she thought about it, she realised she had seen this rumoured masked man twice. She was unaware at the time but it dawned on her later.

And now... her friend was telling her that he was that person? He was the one who hurt her friends? Her classmates? Her fellow students? His voice was not much louder than a mere whisper. It made her question if she heard him right. Serena opened her mouth, about to bark at him and question this statement he was making because it truly sounded ridiculous. But nothing came out of her mouth. 

Although she was unaware of it, her body automatically had taken a step back and her pale face was gaping at Ben now. Almost like she was scared of him. Ben continued to talk. He explained that the mask he wore controlled him. The rumours of the masked man were starting to make more sense... He did not mean to hurt anyone... He did not mean to hurt her? How did he hurt her?! "What are you- I don't understand... H- How can you be the one- Wha-" She questioned him without actually finishing any of her sentences. Her confusion was clear in her unformulated questions, "What mask? What do you mean it controlled you- I- You... You hurt everyone- you hurt me?" She last one was more confusing. What did he mean he hurt he-

Serena's gasp was soft as it dawned on her. It was like after months, the pieces of the puzzle started to fit together. "... W- what did you do- How did you hurt me?" Serena's words were quiet, but there was a sharpness to them that he had never heard from her. One that she did not even know she was capable of until recently. They were laced with an undertone of anger. 

Ben's eyes seemed to glaze over as he listened to Serena stammer over her words. When she finally seemed to stop spewing out confusion he blinked once before staring at the floor. His entire body was rigid now as he prepared to speak the truth. Memory was clear of only one time he hurt Serena physically. Once was enough though. She clearly had no idea. It was a bit odd to him that she did not know, but memory was never to be trusted in his case. Ben powered on with what he could remember while ignoring the barrage of questions.

"You and Siege. In the Hospital Wing." He said in a somber tone. "I convinced the mask to aim for Siege and not you, but I think he landed on top of you."

A cringe crossed the boy's face as he peeked back up at Serena. His movement was slow, hesitant even. Both eyes began to well up with tears again but he fought them back it seemed. For now he would maintain himself in this somewhat public space. For now. It seemed Serena was not one to listen to the rumor mills. Ben was pulling out all the pain once more just so she could know.

"I had little control... basically none. It even stopped me from having a personal life." His voice was stronger now, but there was an echo of pain there still. "I lost you, I lost Bloom... I lost all my friends. Figured... I'd tell you so you know why we can't be friends now."

As her former best friend spoke, Serena's face paled. Every single word he said hurt her like someone had reached into her chest, grabbed her heart and started to crush it. There was only one time that she thought she saw the masked figure that everyone was speaking of. It was the night after she almost died. Her memory was hazy at best. She had been under a lot of medication at that time to help with all of the pain. Her mind was sort of more preoccupied on the fact that she had her ribs slashed open, the bones in her arms crushed, blood being spewed out of her lungs... But that night, something else happened.

The student she saw in the hospital that night... A part of her thought she had imagined it, in the midst of all of the pain and potions she was consuming, she assumed she had made it up. Siege did not seem to see him there. But... now Siege's letter made sense too. Everything started to make sense.

That night, Siege had kissed her. She had no idea why he did it but she slapped him and immediately stopped him, despite the fact that both of her arms were screaming in pain when she moved them. He claimed it had been an accident in a letter that he sent before leaving Hogwarts but she never quite believed it. Not until this very moment. He was right. And she was wrong. Siege's accident was... Ben's fault?! Him kissing her was Ben's fault?! Her being angry at one of her closest friends for months was Ben's fault?! Her losing her friend was Ben's fault?!

No. It was hers. She should have trusted her friends better. She should have known... But in that moment, she blamed the wrong person. And it was not until now that the truth was finally out.

The Hufflepuff girl stood, on her back foot as she had taken a step back away from Ben without realising it. Her eyes were widened and mouth had fallen slightly open. The colour from her skin drained as she stared intently at him. She was not actually looking at him though. Her mind was busy racing with thoughts, trying to comprehend everything that was going on. 

Serena's eyes started to water, her hand shook, "You're the reason?" Her voice was barely above a whisper but it was laced with a sharp tone of anger that she could not hide, "You're the reason he kissed me?!" She barked at Ben, her face breaking into pain and confusion. She had almost died. She needed her best friends! Little did she know that she had lost both of them that day...

Tears started to stream down her face, "What the hell are you on about, Ben?" She stepped down, grabbing his shirt as she almost demanded a better explanation, "What mask? Where did it come from? What? Why did it do all of this? It..." She trailed off, thinking about how many rumours she had heard about the masked man hurting people. All of it was Ben. She did not understand. What he did to her was not as bad as what he did to others but she was angry for them too. "You're lying. Tell me you're lying." She continued, unwilling to believe her friend would do such a thing even though he had already explained that he had no control in the matter. It was almost her pleading for him to say it was not true. "What are you talking about?!" She did not understand. What was this mask he spoke of, where did it come from, how did it control him...