Hogwarts Is My Home

16: Herbology Class

 It wasn't until the following Tuesday, during Herbology class, that Grady finally made the decision to actually talk to Aiden Owens. Grady shared a table with Took, Abby, and Kristen. Aiden was one table over with Ryan Tanner, Moira McCrae, and Hannah Wood.

Abby and Kristen chattered happily throughout their work with the Screechsnap about the upcoming Hogsmeade trip. Grady barely paid attention. He kept glancing over at Aiden and thinking about the Gryffindor's most recent bout with an intimidating person. At least, from Grady's perspective the person in question had been intimidating. It had occurred just the other night at chess club, which Grady and Aiden were both members of, though they had never played together. Maddock Witte, the Ravenclaw prefect, had been mocking Aiden for his evidently "creative" strategies. Whilst Grady would have crumpled under the older students' jeers, Aiden had been entirely unruffled.

"I don't understand how he does it," Grady muttered to himself as he pruned away a dead branch off his Screechsnap.

"Who does what?" Took asked. He was carefully adding the proper amount of fertilizer to their bush.

"Aiden Owens. He's always so...unbothered by things."

Took glanced over at Aiden. "Oh, you mean like the Maddock Witte incident?" Took had been present at chess club and had also observed the Ravenclaw prefect bullying, or attempting to bully, Aiden.

"And with Professor Volkov, who is way scarier than Witte," Grady asserted.

"I don't know, mate. It's just his way."

"Well, I'm going to find out," Grady said, setting his jaw.

Took shrugged. "Good luck."

At the end of class, Grady hastily washed the dirt off his hands and put his tools away. Aiden was nearly out the door already when Abby and Kristen put themselves in Grady's path.

"Grady, what are your plans for the Hogsmeade trip this weekend?" Abby asked with a sweet, hopeful sort of smile.

"Um, I'm not sure yet," he answered distractedly. "Excuse me." And he hurried out of the greenhouse, missing the disappointed expressions on the girls' faces. It didn't take him long to catch up to Aiden, as the sandy-haired Gryffindor walked without a care in the world, as if hurrying had never occurred to him as something that needed to be done. Ryan, Moira, and Hannah were all still with him, and Grady hesitated as he approached. Then he mustered up his courage and called out to him. "Hey, um, Owens?" The Gryffindor turned to look at him, raising his eyebrows expectantly. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"For just a minute? That won't be a very long talk," Aiden said with a cheeky grin.

"Okay, a few minutes then," Grady amended. Moira and Hannah were both looking at Grady in a way that made his cheeks burn. "In private?"

Aiden's eyebrows rose again, this time in surprise. "Sure," he said, glancing at his friends, who took the hint and walked away, Moira and Hannah, for some reason, giggling as they went and casting glances back at Grady, which only made him blush harder.

"What's up?" Aiden said nonchalantly.

"Well, first, I'm not sure if you know me. I'm Grady Morgan, and I'm in Hufflepuff," he said lamely.

"Sure, I know you," Aiden said with an easy smile.

"Oh, okay, well..." For some reason, that had made Grady inconceivably blush even more. He supposed he must look like a tomato with hair. "So, what I wanted to ask you is... how... how do you... do what you do?"

Once again, Aiden lifted his eyebrows. "Sorry?"

"What I mean is..." Grady fumbled for words. "You never get flustered. You always keep your cool."

"I take it you get flustered a lot," Aiden observed. "You're flustered right now."

Curse his cheeks for turning so red! Grady looked down at the ground and Aiden put a friendly hand on his shoulder. When he looked up, he realized, to his surprise, that he was almost at eye level with the Gryffindor. He had always thought Aiden was quite a bit taller, but now Grady realized they were nearly of a height.

"Listen," Aiden said. "I've got to get to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Why don't we meet up this weekend at Hogsmeade and we can talk more? Say, Three Broomsticks at 11?"

"Oh, okay," Grady said with a nod. "Yeah, sure."

"All right then." Aiden gave him a wave and a wink and headed off to the castle. Grady watched him go for a moment, then he looked at his watch and realized he was nearly late for History of Magic. He quickly dashed off, thinking the whole way that he couldn't wait for Saturday to arrive. 

A/N: I need to know your thoughts on Grady and/or Aiden. Please share!