If I May Be So Bold (A Harry Potter Universe Fanfiction)

14.

October 2034

ELLA

Ella was extra quiet in choir on Saturday afternoon. She couldn't get her mind off what might be coming that evening. She didn't know what Henry was expecting. Did he really just want her to show him the way back to that corridor? It hadn't seemed like it.

He'd looked at her like he was thinking about something else.

It had been nearly two months since he'd kissed her and they'd not come anywhere close since, but the way he'd spoken had just seemed like it wasn't only friendly.

Professor Whitby was talking about their big winter concert coming up. It always took place the last weekend at school before the Christmas holidays. They performed once at the school for the rest of the students and the teachers and then they went to Hogsmeade to perform for the villagers and parents.

Logan passed the paper they'd been writing on back to her. She'd been so distracted, she hadn't been as into their conversation as usual, but she looked down to read what he'd written this time.

You should audition.

She looked up at Professor Whitby. She'd zoned out again, but he had moved on to talking about the solos that were available to audition for. Ella had never auditioned for a solo and she had never planned to either.

Absolutely not, she wrote back.

Why not? You'd get it.

I want to throw up just thinking about it.

I'll audition for the tenor one if you do it.

You're more than welcome to, but there's no way I'm doing that.

Well now you've made it my personal mission to talk you into it. This time, Logan passed the paper back to her with a smug smile like he'd already won.

She just mouthed "good luck" at him. She'd never do it.

—-

Ella couldn't eat. Her mouth felt dry and her stomach was in knots and the noise in the Great Hall was way too loud.

She kept looking up at the staff table like her dad would be there, but it was a Saturday. He was home. It was always a little sparse up there on the weekends. This was a good thing, because if he had been there, Ella felt certain he would have zeroed in on how pale her cheeks looked and told her to go see Aunt Raigan.

She'd sat with her back to the Ravenclaw table on purpose so she wouldn't accidentally look up and see Henry, wherever he was sitting, but now she regretted it, because she had no idea if he even remembered suggesting that they meet tonight. They hadn't talked since that afternoon in the corridor a few days ago. They weren't partners in charms anymore, so there hadn't really been an opportunity.

Maybe if she'd been able to see him, make accidental eye contact with him, she'd have been able to tell whether or not he remembered.

She'd finally told Iris and Kyrie earlier that day. She hadn't been able to think of a way to avoid them noticing her walk away with Henry Parker. Not when everyone was leaving the Great Hall in a big swarm.

She'd asked them to please keep their comments to themselves until after so she could decide how she felt about it on her own, but she hadn't been able to stop them from looking at each other with these big stupid smiles or from peering over at the Ravenclaw table every few minutes.

When dinner was over, Iris just waggled her fingers at Ella and said, "Have fun!" in a low sing song voice, then she and Kyrie hurried off, giggling, back to the common room without her.