Then I Met You [D.M.]

Year Two: Astronomy

She had spent the first few minutes writing a letter to her parents, then reading a book, then getting frustrated at her lack of focus on said book. She was too preoccupied with thoughts of Draco Malfoy.

She couldn't get a good read on him; did he hate her, a simple muggle-born witch? Or was there something else, something deeper? There must be, why else would he care to ask her what she thought?

Her head felt like someone had grabbed her and shaken her silly. There was a dull ache behind her eyes, and she found it difficult to focus on much. Which proved to be a problem when class finally started.

All the Hufflepuff and Slytherin students entered at once, their footsteps loud against the metal spiral staircase. Violet stood up as quick as she could, turned to lean over the railing and act as if she hadn't been there for so long.

"There you are!" She turned to see Hannah, Aimee trailing behind her, "Where'd you go?"

"Sorry, wasn't feeling well." It wasn't a total lie, "Went to see Madam Pomfrey. Sorry."

"It's alright, feeling better now?" Hannah asked, her brow creasing in concern.

"Yeah, a bit. Ready for the quiz?"

It was easy enough to change the subject, especially when Aimee started rambling on about how she wished she'd had more time to study. She would, of course, pass the quiz easily.

It only took an hour for everyone to finish the quiz, so Professor Sinistra insisted they all take the extra time to get a head start on their homework- finding and charting the Andromeda.

With the help of Aimee, Hannah and Violet were able to complete the work quickly. They were some of the first students to gather their things and leave, but not before collecting their graded quizzes. The three girls made their way down the spiral staircase slowly, exhausted, as it was nearing midnight. They barely made it to bed before they collapsed.

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Violet elected to sleep in the next morning, as she had a free period after breakfast. None of her friends dared to wake her, as they knew she could be grumpy when woken up. And so she slept through breakfast.

It was almost nine when she finally woke up. She was surprised she'd managed to sleep so late, as she usually woke up before eight any other day. A habit she'd formed the previous year, so that she wouldn't miss breakfast.

She knew that, even if she rushed, she'd never make it to the Great Hall on time, so she took her time getting ready. Despite having a full nights sleep, she was still exhausted and could barely focus. No matter how hard she rubbed her eyes, they simply wouldn't stay open. She wondered if she really was coming down with something.

She threw her bag over her shoulder as she trudged out of the girls dorms, hoping someone might have saved her something to eat. Just as she got to the bottom of the steps in the common room, Cedric rounded the corner, nearly knocking into her.

"Woah! Sorry, you alright?" He asked.

Violet barely reacted, "Yeah, 'm fine."

"I brought you something, since you slept through breakfast..." Cedric handed her the plate, which held toast with jam, fresh fruit, and eggs, "You sure you're alright? You don't look so good."

"Astronomy," was the only answer she gave before taking the plate, "thank you."

She moved to sit on one of the couches, most of which she realized were empty.

"I've got to get to class. I'll see you at lunch?" Cedric leaned over the back of the couch, reaching around to feel Violets forehead. When he decided she didn't have a temperature, he pulled away.

Violet had already eaten half the plate when she finally looked back at Cedric, already feeling better, "See you at lunch. Thanks again, Ced."

He nodded before taking off, the warning bell ringing in the distance.

"That was sweet of him." Violet nearly jumped out of her skin when she realized someone was sitting on the other end of the couch.

"Caroline!" She gasped, "How long've you been there?"

"The entire time," she laughed, "You and Cedric, huh?"

"What?" Violet choked on the toast she'd been chewing, "No! He's just..."

"Sweet on you? Fancies you?" Caroline rolled her eyes, "Why not put the boy out of his misery and admit you like him?"

"I don't. At least, I don't think I do." Violet hesitated, but Caroline gestured for her to continue, "Everyone says I should, so I should, right?"

"Ah," Caroline's eyes softened, "Cedric's smart, funny, and cute. But Vi, just because others say so, doesn't make it true."

Violet was trying not to get upset, but she couldn't help it, "Yeah.. It's just, everyone says he fancies me, so why don't I fancy him back?"

"We can't control our hearts." Caroline replied, and Violet could hear longing in her voice, "We can't help who we do, or don't, love..."

She trailed off, her eyes turning glassy before she blinked back into focus.

"Caroline..." Violet reached out, but the blonde stood up and moved out of reach.

"I'm going to go get my things. Transfiguration starts soon."

It didn't start for another half hour, but Violet decided not to push her friend. If Caroline wanted to talk about whatever was going on, she would. She probably just needed some space.