Stories from the Vault - Hogwarts Mystery One Shots

Aftermath of the Festival of Romance

Sarah awoke late the morning after the Romance Festival to feel the uncomfortable weight of an ordinary day following an enchanting evening. She sat up, her eyes drifting to her bookshelf. She'd hung her flower crown on the corner next to the heart ornament Barnaby had given for Valentine's Day and a picture she'd spellotaped to the wall of her and Barnaby at the festival. Heat flushed her face as she noticed their photographed versions...greatly enjoying each other's company.

"Er..."

"They've been at it all morning," said Rowan from where she sat on her bed, open text-book in her lap. "Could you stop yourself? It's distracting."

Sarah walked over to the wall. "Oi," she told the picture Barnaby and Sarah, giving the photograph a poke, "that's enough of that. You're out in the open where anyone could see you."

The couple broke apart long enough for picture-Barnaby to give a cheeky wave, then he resumed snogging picture-Sarah.

The real Sarah rolled her eyes, but couldn't stop the small smile from forming.

Rowan closed her book and stood up to stretch. "They imitate their real-life counterparts, you know. You sure you and Barnaby didn't get up to more last night than you told me? You wouldn't be the only ones."

Sarah had already heard rumors of couples sneaking off after dinner for some quality alone time, apparently Talbott and Penny weren't seen all evening, but she and Barnaby had remained with Rowan, Diego, Charlie, and Tonks until they'd all parted ways for bed.

"No, I swear," said Sarah. "He kissed me on the cheek, we held hands for a bit. We didn't do anything else."

"Well," said Rowan, her eyes flashing mischievously, "it looks like you wanted to."

"Shall we go down to breakfast," said Sarah, more to shut Rowan up than anything else.

As they entered the Great Hall, Sarah noted with amazement how one social event could change the entire atmosphere of the school. There weren't many people in the Hall. Sarah supposed most people were choosing to sleep in after the night of frivolity, and those who did come to breakfast seemed less energetic than usual.

The awkward tension settled on Sarah like a film as newly formed couples tried to get to know one another, newly broken up couples tried to get over each other, and couples that didn't know what they were tried to avoid each other, leaving everyone who hadn't attended the festival to gaze around in wonder of what on earth happened last night.

As the girls took their seats, Sarah searched the Slytherin table for Barnaby, but didn't see him. She wondered if he was on the black lake enjoying a morning swim.

"There's the festival ambassador," said Charlie. "Care for some porridge, your highness?"

"It's back to plain, lowly Sarah now," said Sarah scooping porridge into her bowl. "I've left my ambassador days behind me. How'd things go with you and Emma Rose?"

"We had a good time, but decided we're better off as friends," he said. "Apparently, she found my dragon facts quite dull."

"You don't need that kind of negativity in your life," said Sarah.

"Exactly," said Charlie, grinning with a mouthful of toast.

"I think that's how most of our friends left things," said Rowan, "apart from Penny and Talbott. They're officially dating now." She grinned.

"What about you and Diego?" Sarah asked her. "Are you going to see him again?"

"I don't know," said Rowan, her eyes flitting about nervously. "He was really lovely too me at the festival, but I'm not sure if see each other as more than friends. Time will tell."

"And you and Barnaby?" Charlie asked, buttering another piece of toast. "You two announced your engagement yet?"

Sarah dropped her spoon into her porridge with a nervous laugh.

"He's completely in love with you," added Rowan, "It was adorable too watch." She giggled.

Sarah jolted up from the table. "I'm gonna go for a walk."

She scurried from the hall and away from her friend's teasing laughter.

She marched down to the black lake, hardly noticing that the heat wave finally seemed to have broken and the weather was acting as it typically should in Scotland in April. The sky was a murky gray and the clouds looked full and ready to douse the landscape any minute.

Sarah sat down at the edge of the lake and hugged her knees to her chest to protect herself from the chill. It was only then that she noticed that in her hast to leave the Great Hall, she'd traipsed all the way to the lakeshore clutching a piece of toast.

She tossed it as far out as she could. It landed on the black surface, and she watched it bob along absentmindedly until the water's surface was broken by a huge, purplish tentacle. Sarah gasped as the tentacle wound around the toast and pulled it under, leaving nothing behind but rippling water.

"I told you, he's friendly," said Barnaby. He sat down beside her. "Hi," he said with his contagious smile.

"Hi," she said. "Where have you been?"

"Slept in," he said through a stifled yawn. Sarah looked closely at him and saw the signs of sleep still on him. His eyes were a little puffy and his hair was a shaggy mess. "I haven't slept that soundly in ages. No bad dreams or anything."

"Do you usually have bad dreams?"

"Not too bad. Usually just of being back home." She frowned at him, hating his family for the way they treated him. Before she could reply, he changed the subject. "Sinistra gave you a copy of the photo she took of last night?" Sarah nodded. "In your photo, are we as...handsy, as we are in mine?"

Sarah laughed. "Yes! I'm going to have to take it down from my wall."

"Picture Barnaby's a lot braver than real Barnaby," he said. "I like him."

Sarah laughed, and they settled into an easy silence as they watched the lake. Sarah marveled at the way Barnaby's presence could somehow excite her and calm her at the same time.

"So, what now?" he said after a minute.

"Things go back to normal, I guess," she said. "I need to work harder to get the vault opened. I'm waiting on Jae to provide me with cursed boomerangs and Badeea to finish her painting so I can cause a meteor shower just in time to pick a fight with a mountain troll."

"I know I'm usually the one who struggles with words, but I'm pretty sure you don't know what the word 'normal' means."

She chuckled, then jumped a little as he grabbed her hand. She looked from their joined hands up into his questioning face.

"Is this normal now?" he asked.

"I guess it is," she said, closing her fingers around his.

Yes, it was time to get back to work. Time to worry about OWLs and saving the students trapped in the vaults, to face the wrath of Snape and the uncertainty of Rakepick. Sarah smiled, and rested her head on Barnaby' shoulder, allowing him to kiss her on the top of the head.

It all seemed less daunting now.