When Fire Meets Gasoline | Wizarding World

chapter thirty-nine | moments that linger

He still held his glare when he paused before huffing a sigh. "I'll hear you out when I'm ready." With that, he turned back around and kept walking, not taking another glance behind him.

The others merely exchanged looks before Jacob, Violet, and Eliza followed suit. Oliver and Mary stayed behind long enough for her to give him a small smile. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," he replied. "Come on."

So they continued on to catch up with the others, with Mary tightening the grip on his hand.

*******

After much walking with no destination, the six could feel the soles of their feet ache with every step. Their stomachs began to rumble as well, much like the dark sky above them. So, they quickly agreed on heading back in the woods where they could guarantee their safety with all of the protective enchantments they would be able to cast over their campsite.

Once everything was set up, food was the next thing on their minds. They headed deep into the woods, weaving through the trees and listening to the rustling of the leaves and rumbling of thunder in the distance. Andrew did his best to keep as much distance between him and Mary, and Eliza went with him. Jacob and Violet were close by, swinging their intertwined hands back and forth, along with the occasional gaze and kiss the two would steal from one another. Oliver and Mary were ahead of the others, not saying much to each other.

The moment he grabbed her hand earlier that day, it became obvious to him that he found her attractive and his feelings were starting to take over. He thought at times his chest was going to explode, along with the words revealing his true feelings that could escape from his mouth any moment now. If that were to happen, then all he'd have to do is run farther into the woods and never look back.

At this point, it took all he could to focus his attention on finding food rather than the thought of having to keep himself composed around Mary.

As the two continued to tread through the woods, a few rabbits hopped by, which Mary made an attempt to use her wand to catch them. She let out a groan when her spell missed, causing the animals to pick up their pace and scurry away before another spell had the chance to hit them.

"Nice shot!" Andrew shouted in a sarcastic tone. "Just as rusty when we dueled last year!"

Mary's face grew hard, her nostrils flaring. "Jerk," she mumbled.

Oliver shook his head towards Andrew, then turned towards Mary. "I'm sorry," was all he could say.

"It's not your fault," she assured him.

"You're not rusty, you know," he stated.

She grinned. "Thanks. I was so close getting those rabbits, though," she said, flipping her hair back, then turning to face the boy. "Why don't you give it a shot?"

Oliver raised his eyebrows, then cleared his throat. "Well, there aren't any animals around."

She rolled her eyes playfully. "That's when you start looking for some."

"Right," he replied, nodding his head, twirling his wand in between his fingers. He could already feel her eyes on him as he glanced up at the trees for squirrels. Just when his neck was getting stiff, he refused to look back down due to his face now hot and red.

"Anything over there?" Jacob called out.

"Nothing!" Mary shouted back. "We're still looking!"

"Well, head back towards the campsite! The clouds are getting worse!" Violet warned them.