Hateful Desire

Chapter 54

"Any yourself?" I hear her ask.

I move my yes back to her, "Oh..." I run my hand through my hair, "Potions. We have a thesis paper due in the morning."

Her lips form to an 'o' as she nods.

"Haven't been able to focus on it though..." I shrug.

"Oh, do you need me to move elsewhere? I don't mind looking more towards the front of the library." She immediately responds.

I shake my head, "Oh shit, no that's not what I meant!" I try and reword my previous statement. "I didn't mean 'oh shit'...I..."

I rest my head in my hands giving up on trying to be polite and make conversation. I never really talk to anyone outside of my house, this is new.

It's not usually anyone outside of Slytherin talks to me either so it's not like I am an asshole or anything.

She starts to giggle, "It's alright." She moves a piece of hair behind her ear, "Let me know if you need any help, I would be happy to."

"Know anything about Draught of Living Death?"

She tilts her head slightly, "No.."

I purse my lips and shrug looking back down at the parchment, "Neither do I."

"But I would be willing to learn."

My eyes flash back up to her as she sits there silently with wide eyes.

"I wouldn't want to pull you from your own obligations." I say shaking my head.

She closes her textbook, "No worries, I was just getting a head start on this."

I feel myself in a place where I haven't been before. I assumed this was just, you know, some small talk that wouldn't turn into having to talk further.

I thought my lack of social skills while sober would continue to hide and we would both go our separate ways. But now I am stuck here in the library at the same table as the Weasley girl as we are about to do research together.

"Hand over your Potions book." She says reaching over to me.

I agree and turn to my bag, taking my textbook out and placing it in her hands. If she can help, then the sooner I can meet Draco and Blaise down at the Quidditch pitch.

I watch with intrigue as she flips through the pages turning to the table of context. I can tell she found the potion because she quickly starts filling though the book looking for a certain page number.

"Ah, here!" Her finger points to 'Draught of Living Death'. "Draught of Living Death is one of the most authoritative potions in the wizarding world. Not for its power to cause serious harm, but for how close to death it brings you."

I continue to say silent as she reads, "The potion brings you to such a deep sleep where the user is in almost a death like trance. The story is told that a wizard prince used Wiggenweld Potion to awaken a princess who had been given the Draught of Living Death by infamous Hag Leticia Somnolens."

I feel my attention to be completely and utterly on Ginny and her words. No distractions around me are causing me to turn away or tune out.

"The wizard placed the Wiggenweld on his lips, kissing the princess causing her to awake from her death-like slumber."

She looks up from the page turning to me, "Does this sound familiar?" She asks.

I nod, "We are planning to brew the potion this term, I think I recall that story."

"What are you needing to write about?"

I lick my lower lip, "It is a thesis, we need to prove if the potion is a positive or negative to the wizarding world."