" You smell great," I tell Samantha over breakfast. She smells of something more exotic than the usual slightly medicated soap and bubble bath we use at Hogwarts.
" I took a long bath somewhere quiet," she explains. " had to get rid of the stench of lake water."
" Well, it's definitely gone, where ever you went." I picture her on a tropical island somewhere, smelling of coconut and lime.
There's never time for a soak in the bath in the dormitory bathrooms. A quick dip in and out is all we ever get time for in the boy's bathroom. It's far easier to take a shower.
"Prefect's bathroom, remember?"
She tells me the prefect's bathroom is amazing. Everything is made of white marble including the swimming pool size sunken bath that is filled by water from what sounds like a hundred gold taps. There are also plenty of bath supplies that smell amazing. It even has a chandelier and a portrait of a mermaid on the wall. She tells me everything about it.
Oh, yes. I sometime's forget she is a prefect.
" I'm dating a prefect?" I jokingly ask.
" Your reputation's ruined." She jokes back.
" I have a reputation?" I ask. " Good or bad?"
" Terrible," she replies. I used to think myself quite cool. It seems I've melted.
I could spend all day chatting like this.
" Tell me more!"
At that moment Charlie joins us and my eyes focus on his prefect's badge and I wonder how the prefect's bathroom works. I can't remember seeing him queuing for the boy's bathroom this morning. Is the prefect's bathroom some kind of magically social distanced mixed bathing place?
" It locks from the inside," she explains, as if she can read my mind.
" What's that?" Charlie asks, helping himself to toast.
" The prefect's bathroom," Samantha explains.
" I didn't know that," Charlie replies.
" Bill told us, remember ?" She asks.
" He did?" Charlie replies as he continues to add food to his breakfast plate and some in his bag for later. He's usually good at remembering stuff. Watching him taking a picnic for later so he can spend his day outdoors gives me an idea. What he really needs is a sandwich to take away with him. I start experimenting with the food around me, bacon, tomatoes, toast. What if I was to add lettuce and mayonnaise? Would that work?
" Well, it was over a year ago," she replies, watching me making a sandwich. We love making sandwiches together.
" speaking of brothers how did last night go? Charlie asks. " Did you meet with Jacob?"
" Yeah," she replies and tells him how Jacob thinks what happened to Rowan is all his fault for letting Rakepick use him to gain power.
" Use him how?" he asks.
" He's a Legilimens," she explains, but before Charlie can ask anymore she suddenly remembers that she needs to go and see Beatrice in the hospital wing. She gets up and I stand. She kisses me softly on the lips.
" Catch you later?" She asks as she reaches down and squeezes my hand.
" I'll be in the library!" I joke and return a kiss before we separate, " looking up Legilimency."
" You might want to look up Occlumency whilst you're there."
" I feel a nap coming on already."
" Should I warn Madam Pince?" she teases.
" I'll try not to snore ," I tell her, although I think I'm more of a dribbler.
" I was thinking more about her books that you use as a pillow rather than her ears ."
Are you reading my mind, Samantha?
" Meet me in the Restricted section?" She asks. If she was reading my mind she doesn't let on.
" There's a restricted section?" I ask finding myself suddenly a little more interested in the library.
" Oh, yes," she replies as she leaves." You're going to love it."
Charlie looks up from his now empty plate.
" Don't forget we have Quidditch practice this afternoon," Charlie calls to her.
" I won't!" and with that she is gone.
Charlie turns to me.
" Remind me what Legilimency is?" I ask, wanting to see what Charlie knows. He's known Samantha longer than me. " I feel it's important."
" Ability to read minds," he replies. " Do you think it would help me get a date?"
I shrug my shoulders and wonder if it helped Samantha.
" What's your secret?" he asks.
" Secret?"
" You and Samantha are the perfect couple," Charlie replies, reddening a little. We are? I then wonder if Charlie is interested in someone.
" We got to know each other pretty well in detention beforehand," I reply. " You should try it sometime."
" You think I should get a detention? My mum would go mad. Probably send me a howler. No one wants a message shouting out to you during meal time.
" Is there someone you like?" I ask, thinking of what I could do to help Charlie.
Charlie shrugs, but scans the hall. He lingers on our group of Slytherin friends, Barnaby, Liz, Merula and was Ismelda.
" My brothers would never forgive me if I dated a Slytherin."
Barnaby and Liz both love their creatures. Merula likes her flying. Ismelda...well, could be difficult to find a common interest, but I heard her sister was a Gryffindor.
" None of us are perfect. Not all Slytherins are bad," I tell him. " Barnaby and Liz are two of the nicest Slytherins you could ever meet."
I think Charlie's cheeks redden a little more.
" Why don't you invite who ever it is to where ever you're going with your lunch. I could even rustle up something not made up from breakfast if you want impress or let you have some of my stash from Honeydukes."
Charlie rarely buys anything from there.
" I couldn't," Charlie replies.
" Consider it a gift," I reply, not quite believing I am giving away stuff.
" Thank you," he replies, watching the others.
Merula and Ismelda are leaving.
" Now's your chance ," I tell him. " just ask them if they'd like to go searching for bowtruckles or whatever it is you're looking for ?"
I imagine he's looking for evidence of dragon. Let's hope it's not dragon poo. Only Charlie would want to go on a date searching for that.
" I'll meet you outside the library with snacks for your date. Prepare to be impressed. Now go!"
