DEAD TO ME → (h. potter)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

"He's really nervous, y'know," he told her. Her eyes snapped to him again. Blinked.

"Really?" she said unsurely. Ron had the thought that she hadn't been this unsure about anything in her entire life.

"Yeah," he nodded, offering a sheepish look. "Running around... switching clothes... he tried to flatten his hair."

Indiana made a face. "Tell him to just keep it like normal, will you?"

"That your only message?" Ron asked, taking a step back into the Gryffindor common room. Indiana feigned a look of thought for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah, I think so," she said. Before he could close the entrance again, he turned his head and was met with Harry bounding down the steps, stuffing something into his pocket. He raised his eyebrows at him before slipping by and hopping out through the portrait hole.

"Indiana!" he said brightly once he caught sight of her. Harry felt his chest lift at the sight of her wearing his flannel. It was way too long on her, but she managed to rock it anyway. "Hi!"

The young woman clicked her tongue at him, one of her dark eyebrows twitching up at him before she took two strides forward with her arms raised. She brought her hands to his head and ruffled his hair around rather aggressively; he squinted as she did so, and only when she brought her hands down did he run a hand through his hair to fix it.

"There," she said with a hint of satisfaction to her tone, although he wasn't sure if she was joking or not. "Much better. Are you ready?"

"You messed it up," Harry frowned, fussing over his hair again. He probably looked like a mess; he wondered what she must be thinking. God, his first date with her and not only was he late, but he looked bad.

"I made it better," she told him bluntly, to his surprise. "Don't go gelling it or flattening it. It looks nice like this."

"Oh," Harry breathed out, the tips of his ears tinging pink. He wondered if there would ever be a day when even the smallest of compliments from her wouldn't prompt a reaction. "Okay."

"Okay," Indiana shot him a grin, flashing her white teeth, before glancing behind him at Ron and saying, "I'll have him back by no later than four in the morning?"

"Sounds good," Ron, to Harry's shock, smiled at them.

"Bye," Harry waved as he felt Indiana link arms with him, beginning to tug him down the staircase of Gryffindor Tower.

"Took you long enough," Indiana said teasingly, nudging him. "Y'know, Weasley isn't so bad."

"Oh?" Harry raised an eyebrow, an odd twisting in his chest. "That's... good..."

"Don't give me that. You've nothing to worry about," she reassured him. Scoffing, she said, "As if I'd ever show interest in a Weasley."

"Don't be mean," Harry scolded as they descended down another moving staircase, both of them subconsciously avoiding the trick steps. "They're like family."

"S'not mean, just preference," she smirked. "I'd date a Potter over a Weasley any day."

"Well — I mean —" Harry clamped his mouth shut and just timidly smiled at her. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me. S' just the truth," she shrugged, tugging him closer. "Okay. What did you have planned?"

✧✧✧

CHARMS CLASSROOM

1991

WHEN HARRY FOUND that his new Charms seat was directly beside Indiana Jones, he was initially frustrated. Ron was sitting only three rows behind him, and Hermione was across the classroom, leaving him with none of his friends to talk with. But after a good bit of thinking, he was sure he could make good of it.