"I like the show
And can I say that you're the prettiest girl that I know
Or will ever know
So give me your hand
Got a record on the table and I think it's gonna make
You wanna let go
An opportunity to get a little wild, baby can I get a smile,
Damn I hope so"
-Give me your hand, The Ready Set
****
"I'm not exactly sure what you've done to that Ministry official, but I will advise you to stay under the radar. Maybe actually reprimand certain students and their antics, or else I believe you'll be expelled quicker than you were from Beauxbatons," Snape reprimanded Harper as he tucked his wand in his robes. "I do admit that you're occlumency has improved."
Harper sighed, the room was spinning around her. Her stomach lurched, threatening to spew her breakfast all over the floor, ignoring Snape's commentary. "Why am I so sick?"
"I had to be a bit more intrusive to see where you stand," the slight cracking of his neck was the only indication that there was more to that statement.
She pursed her lips.
That's a lie.
Snape didn't react, there was no twitch of his eye or anything-Harper knew he was still lurking in his mind, so why wasn't he reacting to her comment? He placed a vial of pepper-up solution on his desk, waving his wand, the office door opening. "You're free to go, Miss Nonemacker."
"Why are you lying?" Harper asked, getting to her feet, her knees buckled slightly. "Occlumency has never hurt so much before, just been exhausting. Now I feel like I'm going to faint."
"Yes, being a naturally gifted legilimens does make occlumency a touch easier, but there are limits and you've reached them. That's is all."
She held up a shaky finger, "it's not normal for me to be this sick. A migraine, yeah. But I'm going to faint at this rate."
The room was silent aside from the long release of oxygen from Snape as he sighed, his face staring at his desk. "The situation of the world is not normal, Miss Nonemacker."
She reached for the small vial, turning it around in her hand with a frown. "He knows about me then is what you're saying. This wasn't just a random test to check how much my occlumency is intact, it was to see if I could handle torture should I get taken."
Snape didn't speak a word, pocketing his wand in his robes, he left the room and her behind. Harper scowled hurrying after him, uncapping the pepper-up solution and downing it, the shakiness of her body slowly ebbing away as the peppermint tasting potion was absorbed into her bloodstream.
"Oi! Professor! I'm not done speaking with you!" Harper shouted after him, following fast on his heels.
He ignored her completely. waving his wand at desks as he passed, making cauldrons situate themselves in the empty spaces.
"If I'm going to be kidnapped can you at least warn me first?!" Harper was shouting, Snape shook his head, she could feel his eyes rolling in his head. Turning on his heel he towered over her with a sneer, she gulped as she came to a dead stop, stammering as he scowled.
"You shouldn't make light of the situation Miss Nonemacker, what I'm doing is a curtesy. Should you truly fall into the hands that only seek to destroy your mind for their gain, it would be a disservice to not give you a fighting chance."
Harper opened and closed her mouth as he continued to glare at her, "a disservice to who exactly?"
He turned on his heel, continuing out of the room and into the corridor.
"Professor!" Harper stopped in the middle of the corridor.
"Miss Nonemacker, I beg of you to take your situation seriously," Snape stopped, looking over his shoulder. The pepper-up solution that let a warm feeling was suddenly a ball of ice in her chest as he walked toward her.
"I am," she whispered, her voice small as she shook. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as a sob left her throat.
"Don't forget the newest educational decree: professors are prohibited from providing information outside their subject matter. I am merely the potions master of this school, nothing more," Snape called over his shoulder, walking off again.
She clenched and unclenched her fists, tears falling down her face as she stood in the middle of the corridor unable to move. Fear seeped through every pore, she swallowed her spit, putting her hair in a loose bun and looked around, she wanted to scream but her throat was closing in on itself.
The silence of the dungeons made her feel small, her mind was a tornado of thoughts scattered about, her feet slowly led to her office for a bit of chamomile tea.
When she got to the door, she heard multiple voices on the other side, she didn't want to enter. The last thing Harper wanted was to cry in front of multiple people, she just wanted to make her tea and find her way to George or Sybill. Before she could back away, the door swung open, Victor was grinning at her until he took in her tearstained face.
"Hello beautiful, you have some guests today!" Victor swung the door wide, over his shoulder Angelina and Joy were sitting at her desk.
"You alright, Harper?" He lowered his voice as he asked. She shook her head in response, Victor frowned, patting her arm gently.
Harper closed her eyes for a moment, sighing heavily and entered the room, she gave her best wave to her best friends who immediately knew something was off.
"I'll leave you three to it!" Victor waved them off, Harper moved to the fireplace, tapping her teapot with her wand, wanting to make some calming tea.
"What happened, sweetie?" Joy asked, coming to sit beside Harper on one of the chairs, Angelina bringing over Harper's chair from her desk.
"He knows," Harper breathed out.
"Who...." Joy and Angelina looked between each other, Harper's body shook violently as she let her sobs echo around the room, fully crying into her hands as the weight of the world crashed around her. The pure terror that coursed through her body made her nausea even worse.
Why hadn't she just left with her parents? Was she even safe here? She knew the castle had amazing enchantments to keep the students safe, but honestly she only wanted to see her friends one last time, what if it was all a bluff?
It was always apparent that should Voldemort return, her existence would be revealed in time. Harper didn't know the extent to his return, had he just been alive in hiding for years or what, but she knew if she returned to the world of the living she would consume as much media as possible. Harry had told her that there were a lot of people in that graveyard last year when Cedric died, people that also saw the Skeeter article, the information was out there and easily obtainable.
There was always a small voice in the back of her head telling her he knew since Harry returned with Cedric's body last year, there was no way he didn't.
But now to have it confirmed sent her into a panic attack.
Why can't I have one nice thing? Just one?
Joy and Angelina poured the tea, opening the tin of lavender cookies and wordlessly waited for their friend to calm down. Angelina pulling Harper into her side, the girl shaking like a leaf as she sobbed.
"How did you lot get in here?" Harper sniffed, wiping her eyes.
"Victor let us in, Umbridge really has you two working a lot more. So we wanted to check in on you," Angelina explained. Harper nodded slightly.
Since the Gryffindor and Slytherin quidditch match a few weeks ago, Umbridge released a slew of decrees that Harper was having a hard time keeping up with. Her most major decrees involved her now having the supreme authority over punishments and removal of privileges, and another decree that forbade professors from giving information that didn't pertain to their subject which Snape just tossed in her face like a joke. Harper felt like she was working twice as hard as Victor most days to avoid the ire of Umbridge and continue to keep her badge, one of the last things she was desperately holding onto at this school.
"How about we finish our tea then do some assignments?" Joy offered, "I could really use the brainy Head Girl's heeeellppppp!"
Harper gave a slight nod, her tears still falling as she tried to smile.
Snape only confirmed her suspicions.
I'm just biding my time here
"Harper?"
She looked at Angelina and Joy who were patiently waiting for their friend to come out of her thoughts.
"George was telling me that he wanted to surprise you tonight, something about the astronomy tower," Joy was grinning excitedly.
"Don't ruin surprises like that!" Angelina frowned, prodding Joy's side.
"Well, I think it would be nice to have something to look forward to, get her mind off things," Joy muttered, deflating slightly.
"That's really sweet of him," Harper whispered, her voice was small. She walked over to her potions area, looking at the basket of vials she needed to toss. Her hand picked one of the vials up, uncapping it, it smelled like smoke from a lit matchstick, cinnamon and broomstick wax to name a few. She smiled, the only constant light she had was her feelings to George, the bloke who would stop at nothing to make her smile.
"I just hate my lot in life, I didn't ask to be naturally gifted with legilimency. I only wanted to be good with the second sight like my aunt....I never asked for this intrusive curse. I didn't ask to be a target of a Ministry official and a mad man bent on destroying wizarding society. I just...." Harper held the vial up to the light, the mother of pearl sheen moving slowly around. "I want to be normal, I want to be able to walk down the halls not holding my breath as I wait for the judgmental looks or the random scattered thought all because I wasn't using occlumency for a split second."
"We love you, Harper. I know it seems bleak right now. But just think of the incredible things you've done here, there are people here who love you."
"You have a bloke who would literally die for you, we're pretty awesome as well...you have good things in your life too," Joy added.
With a tear stained face, Harper nodded slightly.
"You're right," Harper's voice shook slightly. "But I just want a moment of happiness....why can't I just have one minute? For the past five years it's been: don't be yourself, lose the guy you fancy over dumb things, get bullied by old classmates, have the entire school find out inaccurate information about my ability, and a Ministry official bent on taking away all happiness just because...I just...I can't do this anymore! Sure there were good moments, but the bad is outweighing the good right now...I just..." She turned the vial around again in her hand.
"Would you like me to find George for you, H?" Angelina offered, there was a slight panic in her voice as Harper continued to think of all the bad things consuming her life.
"What's that, Harps?" Joy asked.
Harper felt a smile forming on her face, she gave a shaky breath. The potion was weeks old now, she'd been holding onto it to test out how strong the potency was after certain period of time. It must've been two months old by now.
Even a drop would knock me into a lovedrunk stupor....
"Something that'll make me forget what's going on for a second," Harper muttered to herself.
Downing the vial before the girls could stop their friend, Harper felt the warmth of the potion slowly fill her stomach and spread through her body. Her tears slowly stopped, her expression going from sad to a dreamy lovesick one, a smile plastered on her face. All thoughts on George and that goofy smile he always gave her that made her heart stop.
Angelina and Joy shared a look as Harper began to spin in circles, humming to herself.
****
George looked up from his essays with a scowl as the knocking on the door intensified. With a sigh he crossed the room, opening the door he found Joy holding the hands of Harper as she spun around in an awkward circle—their arms getting tangled each time Harper went to spin.
"Hello, please take her," Joy grumbled, trying to detach herself from the witch. "You're literally the worst, Harper!" Joy strained, uncrossing their arms and sighing.
"What's going on?" George laughed slightly, Harper's neck jerked at the sound of his voice. She turned toward him with wide eyes and a grin as she giggled slightly.
She's been crying
"I told you I'd bring you to him, now go on!" Joy said in an exasperated tone.
"What'd she get into?" He raised an eyebrow, Harper was grinning excitedly at him.
"We don't know," Joy huffed, "Ange and I were in her office and she was crying and the next minute she pops a cap off something and downs it. Now..." Joy shook her head, wiping the sweat from her brow with a sigh.
"Good luck!" Joy shoved Harper into George's arms and ran off.
"Everything alright, Harpsichord?" He asked, leading her into his dormitory.
"Yes! Perfectly fine!" She hummed, wrapping her arms around his bicep, her fingers tugging at the fabric of his shirt while she stumbled into his side.
"I thought we weren't meeting until later for dinner?" He smiled.
Harper nuzzled her cheek against his arm, sighing slightly, "oh that. Yes!"
George quirked an eyebrow as he watched Harper giggle, moving her arms around his neck. She pressed her full weight against him, causing his back to touch the door, giving a wide smile.
There was something off about her that he couldn't quite place yet. Her tear stained face didn't match the giddy laugh or smile she had.
"Are you alright, love?" George tilted his head to the side, running his thumb along her jaw, her eyes sparking with delight at the contact.
Harper fell into a giggling fit, pulling George over to his bed, pushing him over she gingerly moved to straddle his hips.
"Harper! What're you—"
"I like it when you use my name," Harper spoke in a breathy voice, bringing his left hand to her face, she gave a dreamy smile, pressing his palm to her skin as she hummed.
"No...no you don't actually," George stammered.
Harper smirked, biting her lower lip as she leaned down, interlacing their fingers together, she moved his arm above his head—her face hovering close to his. "I do, silly! I like anything you call me actually..."
From this distance the golden flecks seemed like molten liquid, morphing freely with the light brown of her irises in a hypnotic sort of way. George felt a lump forming in his throat as all thoughts left him, he'd forgotten how to breathe—how to speak. Harper continued to hover close above him, her forearms framing his head as her full weight pressed against him, taking both of his wrists above his head and trapping him beneath her. He was vaguely aware of her leaning closer, her nose touching his as she laughed.
"Is everything alright, love?" He whispered, clearing his throat as he tried to center himself. If Harper kept this up he wasn't sure he'd be able to handle her atop him much longer.
"Mmm Hmm!" She nodded, giggling. Her hands gripped his slightly, George felt his breathing hitch in his throat, his palms beginning to sweat.
"I love your eyes," Harper whispered, beginning to kiss his cheek, slowly moving along toward his neck, his mind going blank at the contact.
"Harper, I—"
"I love the way your hair feels, it smells like cinnamon today and I—"
Harper leaned up, quirking an eyebrow at him as George laid dumbfounded beneath her.
"I just love you," Harper breathed, running her hands through her hair. George could only think of how beautiful she was.
"I love you immensely....What's gotten into you?" He nervously laughed.
"Nothing!" Harper giggled.
"Then what have you been up to until now?"
"Oh...this and that," she shrugged, removing her hair from her bun, the velvet curtain falling around her shoulders.
He continued to watch her speechless, he'd always thought Harper was pretty, that he was lucky anytime he caught her eye. With wide hips, an hourglass figure he knew he stared at way too long on some days. He absentmindedly found himself placing his hands on her hips, his thumbs hooking on her hip dips as she laughed, quirking an eyebrow at him. His fingers moved under her shirt, the contact seemed to send a chill down Harper's spine as she giggled, biting her lip as she continued to stare at him, her eyes filled with lust and an insatiable longing.
The longer they stayed in their compromised position, the more apparent it became that Harper was under a love potion.
"You're incredible, I love—"
George leaned up on his elbow, gently touching her cheek, holding her gaze-beneath the rosy cheeks and eyes filled with the lustful adoration, he saw the trails of her tears. His heart stopped momentarily as he frowned, running his thumb along her skin. The lovestruck look was making more sense over time. "You got your hands on a love potion."
"I did not!" Harper gasped, her hands resting on his stomach as she pouted.
"Then what're you thinking right now?" George asked, slightly nervous.
"You're handsome, brilliant, beyond clever, and the best person I could've met," she shrugged, biting her lower lip as she held in her laugh. She gave a breathy sigh, her lovestruck expression deepening the longer she stared back. "I love the way you smell like broomstick wax some days...."
"I smell like broomstick wax?" He couldn't help but laugh, Harper nodded her head vigorously with a grin.
"Sometimes it gets stuck in your jumpers," Harper's voice lowered, running her hands up his chest before she went back to kissing his neck. George's heart thumped madly against his ribs, he couldn't think of any words. The maddening sensation Harper was causing made his mind go blank for a moment while trying to get ahold of himself.
Harper smirked, she nudged his nose with hers—the warmth of her lips radiating across his skin. Her hands moved from his chest and slipped underneath his shirt, staying on his hips, the contact made his mind go fuzzy for a moment.
"I love you, George," she whispered, staring at him with a lustful look in her eyes, the golden flecks attempting to hypnotize him as she stared down at him.
The lump in his throat stopped all sound from leaving his mouth.
This isn't right
Carefully, George removed his hands from her hips and gently began moving, pushing her off his hips, immediately Harper's eyes began watering and her lower lip trembled.
"Do you not love me?" She whispered, tears began falling, her laugh became a strangled sob in her throat.
"I love you immensely, Harper," George soothed, reaching for her hands but she pulled away, her tears falling faster. George sat up properly, she seemed to shrink in on herself.
"No you don't!" She cried, louder this time, tears fell faster.
"I do! I do!" He reached for her wrists, leaning back onto his pillows he pulled her against him, Harper continued to sniff and pull away as he gripped her torso and shifted her upwards, looking into her eyes. "If you can behave, we can stay like this for a moment," he offered with a smirk.
Harper continued to cry, "you don't love me! You don't! Pushing me away like that is all the proof I need!"
"What'll prove that I do then?" George frowned, running a hand through her hair.
"You pushed me away! Of course you don't love me! You don't want me!" Harper was on the verge of hysterical crying.
George sighed, shaking his head as Harper continued to cry. "Harpsichord, if we stayed like that any longer I don't know if I could've contained myself." Harper's sniffling stopped for a moment, George lifted her chin, his thumb tracing her lower lip as he smiled. "Now tell me how you got a love potion."
"Freddie and I have been looking into them, I had a batch sitting around," she whispered.
"What made you take it?" He smiled, he brushed away a few stray tears from her cheeks.
"I don't know," she blushed, the love potion seeming to ebb away slightly, or maybe it was her infatuation with him that made her answer his questions immediately.
"You can tell me the truth, love," George soothed, pressing his lips to her forehead gently.
Harper was quiet, gazing down into his eyes, a battle going on in her mind as she tried to rationalize what she'd done. The golden flecks were no longer a gorgeous liquid that sent a calming wave around him but hard and jagged rocks that seemed to push him away-her mental walls building up to protect herself. "I just wanted to feel...happy for a second," she pulled her lower lip between her teeth, shaking her head, "you make me happy..."
His heart stopped, her dreamy expression slipped from her face, he caught the regretful expression as Harper began to move away. "I'm sorry, I should go-"
"Harper. I want you to stay, please," he pleaded.
She shook her head, trying to move away but George wrapped his arms tighter around her torso and kept her against him.
"No, let me go," she whispered, seeming to come out of the love drunk stupor momentarily.
"Everything's fine, love. You don't have to go anywhere. I want you here."
Harper continued to pull away until she slid out from his grasp, getting to her feet, George grabbed her wrist as he swung his legs off the bed, turning her to face him. His breathing hitched when he saw how heartbroken she looked. The love potion effects seeming to ebb away slightly.
"You know how we test things, love. Always need someone to watch you for a reaction, so how about you stay for a bit?"
Harper gave a small smile, nodding slightly, seeming to come back to a rational version of herself. "I could go back to Joy...."
"Right, but she sorta pawned you off on me, don't think she wants you right now," he shrugged, the lovestruck expression came back to her face for a moment as she got lost in thought.
"No one does," Harper whispered under her breath, George frowned at the comment.
He reached for her face, pulling her to stand between his legs, kissing her forehead. "Suppose I'm no one then," he attempted to joke, his heart breaking.
Harper shook her head slightly.
"I'd love to hear more about how much you love me," George smirked, lifting her chin so he could look into her eyes. "Because I do want you, Harpsichord. So what do you say?"
Harper was quiet for a moment, the emotions in her eyes fought against each other as she chewed on her lower lip.
"So you do want me?" Harper asked, giving a small laugh.
George smirked, his hand pulling her face close to his as he nodded, "so stay for a bit?"
Harper let George pull him back on the bed, he closed his curtains around them before leaning back on his pillows, puling Harper back on top. Her expression had sobered slightly, her eyes didn't hold that dreamy look anymore. But she still had that giddy smile flitting across her face the longer she gazed down at him.
"How long is this supposed to last?" George asked, keeping his hand along her neck, his thumb making a circle just below her ear as he kept her close to him.
"I don't know," she whispered.
"You really did your research on this one, huh?" George chuckled.
Burying her face into his neck, George smiled before rolling them over so he was now on top, Harper seemed to be holding her breath as George hovered over her. Tears were quietly falling down her cheeks as she stared up at him.
"I'm sorry," her voice was soft as she choked out the words.
George was quiet for a moment, breathing deeply as he looked into her eyes as she patiently awaited his next comment. He had so many burning questions, but he didn't know how much longer he'd have Harper alone like this. Whatever had made Harper take the over potent love potion, George would wait to find out, if she wanted a moment of happiness then he would give her that moment.
I'd give you the world if I could, Harpsichord
"Warn a guy next time, would you?" He tried to joke. Harper blushed, her nails twirling the stray hairs at the nape of his neck.
"I love you," she whispered, her hands tugging the edges of his shirt, as she bit her lip.
"I love you more, Harpsichord," he smiled firmly pressing his lips to hers.
Harper's hands slipped under his shirt and tightened around him as their lips began to fight for control, Harper going into giggling fits as they stayed that way for a long time.