Atheyas

𝟐: 𝖓𝖔 𝖓𝖆𝖒𝖊𝖘 𝖊𝖝𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖓𝖌𝖊𝖉

              A looming glow invaded the room; darkness turned to soft shadows. A low-level crisis began. The day was about to break free.

            "I said to wake her up!" a voice hissed. "Look I don't know her name!"

            "So I have noticed." She was hearing familiar voices, but her heavy eyelids permitted her from opening her eyes. He turned to face her in attempt of waking her up again. Instead, he ended up observing intricate actions of hers. Like how her lashes fluttered and her lips curled as she took hold of her coat and enveloped herself in it like a hug, hoping to find the perfect balance of warmth and coolness. The drool at the corner of her mouth did not go unnoticed too.

            It was half-past four in the morning. At times like this, the weather would be chilly but for odd reasons, the library always made him feel so much warmer than he usually did. His thoughts were interrupted by the young witch's groans. "Ow!" He broke free from his mini daydream and looked up to see her rubbing her arm. Her eyes were half-open as Madam Pince poked the young lady's arm with her wand.

            "Good to see you, Madam Pince," she yawned, having a lopsided smile on her face before burying her face back into her hands, face on the table. "Good morning, darling. I see both the star trouble-makers have met. I suggest you return to your homes respectively. I will have a little chat with the both of you first thing when school reopens," the librarian instructed, gesturing for them to leave immediately.

            The young woman muttered something under her breath and opened her eyes groggily. "I thought we had a deal, ma'am," he whined. "That deal ended when you smeared my books with chocolate, young man. Now scramble! Both of you," Madam Pince chided. "C'mon." He nudged her, offering his arm for her to cling on to in her sleepiness. Her back hurt from sleeping in the same position but she did not want to seem immature, like a 5-year-old child dependent on her parent to carry her to bed whenever she slept off in an unknown place.

            "I can walk on my own, thank you," she snapped, shooting him a glare. Well someone was cranky. The act of being mature didn't last long when she lightly stumbled, getting up from the chair. His hands immediately grabbed her, ensuring her stability. "I'm okay, I'm okay," she composed herself, looking at him both her hands thrown in the air, as she made her way to the exit. "See you soon, ma'am. I've missed the restricted section," he winked, kissing Madam Pince on the cheek lightly before rushing behind the young witch.

            As soon as she walked out the doors of Hogwarts, she was hit by a wave of chilling air that crawled up her spine making her shiver. She could smell the fallen leaves and berries in the air around her. Wrapping her jacket, she hugged herself, in seek of more warmth. What was she waiting for? A romantic cliche? For him to come and ask for her name so that they'd meet again? He was too charming for that and by the looks of it, he seems like a player, she thought to herself. Just as she began treading a path, "I guess this is goodbye," a voice proclaimed from afar.

            She turned around and found his tall silhouette walking towards her in the dark. "I guess it is," she smiled, looking up into his eyes. "I had a great time last night," he admitted. "Yeah, me too," her voice soft-spoken, looking down at her boots that crunched a bunch of leaves beneath it. Please ask me for my name, she silently prayed to herself. He peered down at her. He wanted to ask for her name so badly. He wanted to hear her say that she would love to see him again but at the same time, the attachment was unhealthy. Well, at least to him.

            She gazed up at him, in hopes that he would continue the conversation. Perhaps, invite her elsewhere. He looked magnificent standing under the moonlight. His features were enhanced by the pale light of the moon. A small part of her wanted this to last but she knew he only spelled trouble, just like she did. After a few seconds of hung-up silence, she broke the ice. "I'll take my leave now," she said, giving up on waiting for him to make a move. Before he could change her mind, with a last wave of goodbye, she evaporated into the air, leaving him to stare at the pine trees. 

            Silence was the only thing that greeted her when she landed in the Potters'. Everyone was asleep. She sighed and took off her boots, placing them on the shoe rack. In hopes of not waking anyone up especially James who was passed out on the couch in his room, she tried to quietly tip-toe to the guest room. She assumed that Lily would be sleeping too, considering that it was already five in the morning. Her hand found the door of the guest room, and she turned the knob slowly as to not wake her roommate. She peeked her head through the door and much to her surprise, the lights were still on.

            She entered the room and left the door slightly ajar. "You're still awake?" Laav asked the obvious, walking past Lily who sat in front of the dresser, organizing all of Laav's personal belongings. "You disappeared last night," "I was at the library..." Laav swung her purse onto the couch. Lily turned around and scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous. You don't read." "...with a guy," Laav completed, referring to her sentence earlier, whilst taking off her coat. "Are you sure you read?" Lily teased. "Laav?" A groggy voice called out from the corridor.

             He had heard someone walking past him but wasn't sure if it was her. He was waiting for her all night, worried that it was late and she wasn't safe. "In here, James," she replied, earning a sigh of relief from him. "So tell me about this guy," Lily asked, eager to know more about the man who got her good friend to go to the library. Laav chuckled. "Well, he was really attractive. So I agreed to go on a midnight rendezvous," she grinned, unscrewing her earring that she was dying to take off. "He read to me in the library, fell asleep, and then we got caught by Madam Pince," she laughed, a huge grin on her face.

            It's been long since she got into trouble. It felt good to be back home. "You got caught?" Lily asked worriedly, her motherly attitude showing. James laughed at the fact that Lily was more worried about getting in trouble other than her friend going out with a stranger. It was important that she was happy but he wanted to know more about this man. Her safety was his priority. After all, she was his childhood friend and he was protective over her but before he could question her, Laav was all ready for bed.

            "Anyway, I'm heading to bed, it's 5 a.m.— accio clothes—" she twirled her wand, changing her outfit to pajamas. "And I have errands to run tomorrow," she added, jumping on the bed. James decided to save the questions about the mystery man for tomorrow, being worn out himself. "Goodnight, girls," he smiled before closing the door. "Night, James," the both of them answered in unison. "Now, tell me more about this guy," Lily squealed excitedly, jumping into bed with her friend.

            Meanwhile, at 12 Grimmauld Place, Regulus was up waiting for his elder brother's arrival. Thinking that no one would be up, Sirius quietly headed to the living room for a quick smoke. "You're home early." The elder sibling looked up, surprised at the sight of his brother awake at an odd time. "Where did you escape to last night?" Regulus questioned cheekily. "I was at the library," he answered, drowning his thoughts by pouring himself a glass of scotch. "With a girl," he confirmed, after a while. "It's a miracle that Sirius Black brought a girl to the library and not to the bedroom," Regulus said warily, looking at his brother. "Well, how is she?"

            Memories of last night's events replayed in Sirius' mind. "She asked me to read to her, Reggie," he grinned, turning towards his younger brother. "No, I meant how did she look like?" Regulus laughed. "Oh, well. She had jet-black hair, a deep set of dark brown eyes, and she was olive-toned." It was the first time Sirius had described a person in detail, and not just about their body. "When are you seeing her again?" "Sadly, I won't. We didn't tell each other our names," Sirius placed the cigarette between his lips. He was trying his best to not show that he was slightly disappointed about this whole ordeal but Regulus caught on to things pretty fast. "A mysterious girl... library... sad that you're not seeing her... are you catching feelings?" Regulus teased. Sirius immediately let out a chuckle. "You know I don't do feelings," he denied.

            As much as Regulus was joking, he knew his brother pretty well. "I'm not an idiot, brother," he protested. "Don't you have to prep for our big day tomorrow? Sirius shot back, in hopes of diverting the topic. Regulus sighed and got off the table sat on. "You'd have to stop running from your feelings one day." Sirius was dreading this conversation. He turned away.

"Maybe someday I will."