Something Golden

7.

November 15 1995

"Can you go over the separation part again?"

"Granger, I can explain it as many times as you'd like but I can't understand it for you." I groan.

She pulls the end of the quill between her lips, eyebrows furrowing as I once again explain the process.

I've been kindly offering her small pieces of my knowledge on occlumency. Her mind spewing a thousand questions a minute whenever I do so.

Sometimes an insult or two is thrown in there, usually in regards to my credentials on the matter. I stay just at surface level so she doesn't feel my presence.

"He barely even pays attention in class, how am I supposed to believe anything he's even telling me is true? Probably bullies another student into doing his homework for him."

Low blow Granger.

"I do my own work."

"What?"

"Nothing. Shield not block." I say, pointing to her paper.

"What's the difference?"

"Everything. If you go about occlumency with a blocking mindset eventually it'll falter, your walls will break after a certain amount of pressure and persistence."

She lets out an irritated sigh before striking through her words and revising them with the correct ones.

Blaise and Theo have been up my arse about where I've been off to the past several nights. Their current theories are that I'm shagging some fourth year Ravenclaw and am too ashamed to admit it.

Pansy on the other hand has been more, how you say, getting on my last fucking nerve. You'd think she'd be too preoccupied with riding Inglebee's needle dick but alas she's managed to find the time to take note of my every move.

Make eye contact with some busty blonde in the corridor? Noted. How many times I sneezed within 24 hours? She sure as hell knows.

It's made my trip to the library rather grueling. I have to walk to the opposite end of the castle just so I can then lose her in the greenhouse.

As Granger and I are wrapping up for the night I inform her that I won't be able to meet in the library tomorrow.

Before she can lecture me on how I need to care more about our research I tell her that it's due to a late quidditch practice.

"We can meet at the pitch at 9:30."

"The quidditch pitch?" She asks appalled. "And what if your fellow teammates see that I'm waiting there for you?"

"Humble yourself Granger, they won't even notice you're there."

And if they do, if their eyes land on her for even one second it will be the last thing they ever look at.

"Very well." Her response full of attitude. "9:30."

The second I step into the common room I'm ambushed by both Daphne and Millicent. "Where have you been? We've been looking for you everywhere!"

"Apologies, let me just install a tracking device in my neck for you real quick."

Daphne rolls her eyes "It's Pansy." The distraught tone of her voice lets me know that it's something serious.

"What happened?"

"Jason-he-" Daphne shakes her head.

"Where is she?"

"Your room, she went to look for you-"

I push past Daphne and Millicent and head for my dorm. Opening the door I see Pansy curled up in my bed, Astoria by her side.