PLEASE VOTE AND COMMENT

It had been two days since Y/N Kane had vanished from Hogwarts, her sudden trip to Ireland leaving her friends—Mattheo Riddle, Theo Nott, Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, and Enzo Berkenshore—completely in the dark. The fact that she hadn't communicated much since she left was enough to unsettle them all. The boys had assumed it was just a break, a much-needed retreat from the chaos of school and their ever-demanding lives, but as the silence dragged on, the concern grew heavier with each passing hour.

Mattheo was the most anxious, constantly checking his phone and the usual messaging charms they used, hoping for an update from her. Her last message was brief—I'm in Ireland, arrived safely, settling into the castle, will talk soon. Love you all. That was it. No details. No information. Just a vague mention of a castle.

By the second day, worry was setting in. Mattheo tried to tell himself that Y/N was just taking time for herself, but it didn't feel right. Y/N wasn't one to just vanish, especially without a word or a proper explanation.

The boys had tried to distract themselves with their usual routines—classes, training, and the like—but their thoughts kept drifting back to her. They missed her energy, her sharp wit, her presence in the common room, and even the playful banter they all shared. It was too quiet without her.

"I don't know about you lot," Mattheo said, looking up from his phone during a lunch in the Great Hall on the third day. His eyes were dark with worry. "But I don't like this. I haven't heard a word from her. No owls, no messages. Nothing."

"I'm sure she's just enjoying the peace and quiet," Enzo offered with a reassuring shrug, but his eyes betrayed his concern. "She's always been good about taking breaks when she needs them."

"Yeah, but this is different," Mattheo replied, his voice tight. "She hasn't even sent a picture or a letter, nothing. She said she was going to a castle, but why is she so quiet? I mean, we're talking about Y/N. She's not one to just drop off the map without telling anyone."

Draco, who was usually the skeptic, raised an eyebrow. "She's a Slytherin, Mattheo. She's allowed to be mysterious. Maybe she just wants some time alone."

"I agree with Draco," Blaise chimed in, not looking up from his meal. "She probably just wants to enjoy the luxury of being away for a bit without us bombarding her with questions."

"But she always lets us know she's safe," Mattheo argued, his voice low with frustration. "This isn't like her."

His friends exchanged uneasy glances, but they didn't want to make it worse by adding fuel to Mattheo's fire. They ate in silence, but none of them could fully shake the growing unease. Something didn't feel right, and as the hours passed, Mattheo found himself pacing around the common room, waiting for a message, an owl, anything.

Day 3:

The following day, after a restless night, Mattheo awoke to a notification on his phone—Y/N had posted something new on Instagram. He felt a flicker of hope that she was finally communicating, but as soon as he opened the app, that hope quickly mixed with confusion.

It was a photo of Y/N, dressed in a stunning gown, twirling in an opulent, ancient ballroom. The gown was delicate, flowing in the light breeze, and the grand stone walls around her seemed like they belonged to another time. She looked as serene and carefree as ever, spinning gracefully as if the world outside the castle didn't exist.

The photo was beautiful, no doubt, but it raised a hundred new questions. Y/N had been in Ireland for days, and here she was, seemingly in a foreign castle, surrounded by grandeur, with no word of where she was. The post was too perfect, too tranquil, and it made Mattheo feel even more uneasy. She hadn't mentioned the gown or the castle. She hadn't told them she was staying in some place so lavish.

"Do you think this is a joke?" Mattheo muttered, showing the photo to the others. "Why post this now? She could've just sent a quick message instead of posting an entire photo of herself in a gown."

"I mean, she looks happy," Theo said, his voice calm but guarded as he looked at the image. "But yeah, why post this and not just tell us where she is? That's not really like her."

"Maybe she was just too caught up in whatever she's doing," Enzo suggested. "A break's a break, and sometimes people don't want to keep everyone in the loop."

Blaise nodded, but he didn't seem convinced. "I don't know. The fact that she posted something like this and didn't send any direct messages? Feels a bit... off."

"I think we need to give her space," Draco chimed in, pushing his food around on his plate. "If she wanted us to know more, she would've said something."

Despite the calm facade, Mattheo couldn't let go of the gnawing feeling that something wasn't quite right. The post had been beautiful, yes, but it also felt... deliberate. Y/N was a private person, but this level of detachment from her usual self seemed odd. She had always kept them in the loop, shared the little details, even when she needed time away. But this?

Mattheo's gaze remained fixed on the phone screen, the picture of her in the gown still staring back at him. "This isn't normal."

Day 4:

As the fourth day passed, their worry shifted from just confusion to genuine concern. Y/N hadn't posted again until later in the afternoon. When Mattheo opened his phone to check for any updates, he saw another post from Y/N. This time, it was a video.

In the video, Y/N was running through a sprawling garden. The gown she wore billowed around her as she ran, her laughter echoing through the frame. She appeared free, unburdened, and more carefree than she had been in a long time. It was as if she had shed all the weight of the world, letting the wind carry her away, and yet, it felt so distant. It was like watching someone you knew, but not the Y/N you were used to.

She didn't say a word in the post. There was no caption. Just the peaceful image of her, running in a garden, spinning, laughing.

"What the hell?" Mattheo muttered under his breath. "Why is she posting this?"

"She looks happy," Theo said softly, watching the video over Mattheo's shoulder. "Maybe she just wants to be left alone, and this is her way of telling us she's okay."

"She's clearly not hurting," Draco added, but there was an edge to his voice that suggested he wasn't as convinced as he wanted to be. "But why not just tell us that?"

"I don't know what's going on," Mattheo admitted, feeling both helpless and frustrated. "But this is... strange."

That evening, after hours of silence, Mattheo couldn't focus on anything. He was supposed to be studying, but all he could think about was Y/N. He couldn't stop replaying the videos and the photos in his head. Each one felt like a breadcrumb, leading him to something, but it didn't make sense.

Finally, he received another notification from her, but it was a picture this time. Y/N was lying in a large, canopied bed, her face turned toward the pillow with her eyes closed. The photo was oddly intimate, yet serene, as though she had taken a moment to pause everything. No smile, no energy—just a calm, almost vacant expression. The caption read simply:

Taking a moment to breathe. I'll be back soon.

Mattheo stared at the picture for a long time. He had a thousand questions, but none of them were answered by the photo. It was almost like Y/N was telling them everything and nothing all at once.

"She's shutting us out," Mattheo murmured, his voice thick with frustration and worry. "She's doing this on purpose. She's pushing us away."

"Maybe not on purpose," Blaise said quietly. "Maybe she just needed to truly get away. But she's letting us know she's okay. She will come back."

Enzo leaned back in his chair, staring at the screen. "It doesn't make sense. I've never seen her this distant."

Mattheo didn't reply. He couldn't. The uncertainty gnawed at him, his mind racing with thoughts of why Y/N had been so secretive, so distant. She had always been open with them, even when she needed space. But now? It felt different.

He didn't want to admit it, but he was scared. Y/N had always been the one who could face anything, who could juggle the chaos of their lives while making it seem easy. But now... now she was somewhere distant, and he couldn't reach her.

As the days stretched on, the boys tried to be patient, but the unease never left. Mattheo couldn't shake the feeling that there was something she wasn't telling them, something important. They just didn't know what it was.

Y/N was coming back, but the questions remained. Why had she disappeared so suddenly? What was she hiding? And when she did come back, would she be the same Y/N they all knew—or would the distance she had created between them become something permanent?

The silence was deafening. And it was far from over.