Unfathomable Desire

Chapter 30

I made my way to the Gryffindor common room, feeling lighter and happier than I had been in a long time. I plopped myself beside Fred on the sofa near the fireplace, much too focused on my time with Severus to pay any attention to their conversation. Fred was speaking to George, while Mack sat opposite of us, reading a newspaper. I stared into the fire that warmed the space around us. 

"Did you hear?" I looked up to see that Fred was talking to me. 

"Hear what?" I asked, coming back to reality.

"About the prisoners that escaped from Azkaban," Fred said, nodding towards the paper Mack was reading. 

I glanced at the paper, trying to process what he was talking about. "Azkaban?" I said slowly.

"The wizarding prison," George said.

"I know what it is, George," I said without looking away at the paper. 

"Mass breakout," Mack said. "Ten prisoners escaped, including Bellatrix Lestrange." 

"Apparently she was one of you-know-who's loyal followers," Fred said soberly. 

"Wickedly terrible, evil Witch," George added.

"How did they escape?" I asked.

"I reckon they don't really know," Fred said. "Mack?" 

"Fudge is blaming it on that Sirius Black block," Mack said, continuing to read the paper. 

I noticed Fred and George share a concerned look. "How could Sirius Black pull that off?" I asked slowly.

"Dunno," Mack said. "But he's dangerous, isn't he?"

"Fudge just wants the people to think he knows what's going on," Fred said. "He doesn't want people thinking you-know-who is back." 

"So you believe he's back?" Mack asked, finally looking up from her paper.

"You don't?" I asked. 

"I like to think that he's not, but I know I'm just lying to myself." 

"You are," I said. Mack looked at me curiously. "Lying to yourself. You are." 

"OK..." Mack said while raising an eyebrow. "Wait," Mack sat upright suddenly, her eyes examining me intently. "What the bloody hell is on your neck?" 

Mack got up and reached across the table and used her thumb to rub my neck. My hand quickly shot up to hide the bruises.

"Those are hickeys!" Fred exclaimed.

"They're not!" I shot back.

"Yes, they are," Mack said, sitting back down. 

"Who's the lucky man?" Fred winked at me.

"No one," I said. I could feel my face going red.

"Is that where you were during dinner?" George asked, smirking. I couldn't help but wonder if he got over his crush on me. 

"WAIT!" Mack exclaimed loudly. A couple of people turned to glance at us and I sank deeper into my seat. "Corey was at dinner, I saw him." 

"OK?" I said, trying to give her a look to shut her up.

"You told me you were snogging him, I mean, before your argument." Mack looked like she just solved the world's greatest mystery. "If not him then who?" 

"Mack!" I said, a tone of warning in my voice.

"You were snogging Corey?" Fred inquired.

"These hickeys could be from awhile ago," I piped in.