Cast yourself (you are the spell)

Chapter 57

"Is something wrong?" Rose asks.

Hope reaches for her goblet of pumpkin juice and brings it up to her lips, just for a moment, so she can collect her thoughts, before she takes a small sip and sets it back down.

"No," she says, very convincingly, trying to force the arrogant smirk that once came so easily to her, that came to her practically at birth, at every damn moment in her life except for this one, before she learned the truth:

That it all means nothing. Her blood means nothing. Her pride means nothing. Her family means nothing.

The smirk doesn't come, though.

"No, of course not."

Later that night, Hope silently slips out of the Slytherin common room, sneaking past the portrait of the snake. He hisses at her as she tries to leave and Hope rolls her eyes.

She knows that Hufflepuff is throwing a party to welcome in the new term after break, so the common room is mostly empty, apart from a student or two studying by the fireplace. As it stands, Hufflepuff was the only house not to participate in the prank war, so naturally most of the older students are attending the party. Hope also knows that it's ending soon, so she needs to leave before her friends come back.

Earlier, Josie asked if they could meet in the fourth floor's main corridor after class.

Hope is careful to keep her footsteps light, well aware that it's nearly past curfew and she'll receive detention if caught out this late. It only takes her a few minutes to reach the right hall and she grins when she sees the other girl.

Unlike Josie, Hope hasn't taken the time to remove her school robes, but the top two buttons of her shirt are undone and the tie around her neck is knotted loosely.

"Hey."

She tries to tug Josie into a kiss, but Josie only dodges her lips and kisses her cheek before pulling away. Hope hides a petulant frown.

"Hi," Josie says back. "I got you something."

Her voice takes on an almost self-conscious note as she pulls out a folded bundle Hope hadn't noticed before, handing it to the pureblood with something of a shy smile.

"Oh." Hope has to clear her throat to speak. She absently wonders if she forgot a special date or anniversary, but she's pretty sure she didn't. They've only been officially together for like a month, right? Right. "Thank you."

It's a forest-green sweater, warm and soft in Hope's hands. She doesn't recognize the brand, so she thinks it must be muggle made.

"Do you like it?" Josie asks nervously.

Hope slips off her robe and tugs the sweater on over her button up, so that the white collar of her shirt peeks out from underneath.

"Of course." Hope grins, but then she catches the guilty expression in the other girl's eyes.

"Wait." Her smile drops. "What are you hiding?" Hope asks, a frown now playing on her lips. She tilts her head to the side, studying Josie closely. After a moment, she hears a suspicious animal-like noise coming from behind Josie's back. The girl straightens up and tries to muffle the sound, but it's too late.

"Josie," Hope says softly. "You didn't."

"I know," Josie sighs, before she finally drops the act and comes clean. "I shouldn't have."

She reveals the purple ball of fluff she'd been hiding behind her back: their morphstone, or as Hope likes to fondly think of him, Ugly.

Of course, the bloody bastard is asleep. No surprise there. He's even snoring, too.