Author's Note: Heyy, look at that, I'm back! I hate ninth grade. I have a big bunch of homework to do in these two freakin' days. I have a cold.
Yay life.
ᗩ ᒪETTEᖇ ᕼOᗰE
"Er - we have issues?"
Ariana was having an internal battle. 'What do I say, what do I say?'
"Ummm..."
She mentally kicked herself all the way to London. Why the hell did she say that? That just makes it sound like they have multiple issues!
Cedric's eyebrows were raised slightly while he tried to read her. She had too many emotions flashing across her face. Anger, confusion, frustration, and others he could not interpret. None of the ones he could understand were reassuring him in any way.
"I - no! We don't have any issues," Ariana hurriedly exclaimed. "You're my...friend."
When she said the word 'friend', she sounded so upset that Cedric felt like his heart had just been run over by a stampede of elephants. And deer. And zebras. Add some buffalo. And wildebeest too.
"Oh," he said in a broken voice.
Ariana's eyes widened. "No, Cedric, it's not like that! I was just thinking of what to say, and - and - we don't have any issues, Snape just doesn't understand..."
Ariana had a fleeting image in her mind of Snape trying to cast spells with an asparagus, then give up and starting to munch on it instead.
She shook her head desperately, trying to get rid of the thoughts that would make her laugh in the one moment she knew she should never even think of laughing.
"He...didn't know! He just thought that we don't get along because of that accident in Potions," she added. "But we do!"
Cedric's expression softened a bit. He removed the deer and zebras, as well as the buffalo. But, the elephants and wildebeest remained.
"Then, why did that accident happen in the first place? And, it's not just that. It's literally almost every single Potions class we've had so far. Someone who was so amazing at Potions back in June can't just drop to being between Outstanding and Acceptable, especially during O.W.L. year.
"Unless it has something to do with that persons partner." Cedric finished. "I admit I am not the best a potions, but I still wouldn't blow up my cauldron..."
Alexis, Anthony and Austin were all awkwardly standing behind Cedric, trying to start conversations with each other to try and pretend to block out Cedric and Ariana's conversation.
"I was distracted." Ariana blurted.
She had never wanted to drown herself more.
Cedric furrowed his eyebrows and said, "You've been distracted for two months? In the classes I'm your partner? And by what, exactly, have you been distracted?"
You
Cedric's pupils dilated and that was when Ariana realized she had said that out loud.
Alexis, Austin and Anthony were no longer trying to ignore them.
Fighting the biggest blush in the history of blushes, Ariana somehow added in almost a whisper, "...know exactly what."
Cedric's eyes sort of went back to their normal shape and size, then he shook his head, indicating that he didn't know.
Ariana thanked God with all her might that she'd managed to think of this.
"You know, my favourite colour?" She breathed.
Cedric was still really confused.
Ariana sighed in frustration. She was so glad that she didn't entirely lie to Cedric. She did think about Morgana le Fay and all too. Just very little. Very little compared to him.
"My favourite colour is purple." She said, emphasizing the word 'purple'.
"What does that have to do with this?" Cedric exclaimed, at the peak of confusion.
"Oh my God." Ariana groaned.
"Uhh...do you remember that interesting purple mist we saw on our first day back here at Hogwarts?" Ariana said, giving Cedric a look that clearly said, 'You'd better understand this now, boy.'
Realization dawned on Cedric, while Alexis, Austin and Anthony were just as confused as they were before, if not more.
"Ohhh." He said.
"Yes. Ohhh." Ariana repeated, giving him a glare to make the excuse seem more convincing.
"But then why just with..." Cedric trailed off.
"Not just when we're in the same class, I think about that in literally almost every single class. Not all of them are as disastrous as Potions." Ariana said, assuming that was what he was going to ask.
"Right." He said, and Ariana was pleasantly surprised to see a pink tinge to his cheeks.
This was working even better than she expected.
"Well, I'll...umm...see you later today, I guess." Ariana said awkwardly.
She slid off her bench, almost forgetting the apple. Grabbing it in a swift motion, she passed the four Hufflepuff's, gave them a wave, and had to control herself from sprinting out of the Great Hall. Instead, she subtly speed-walked.
As she left the Hall, Cedric thought he could remove the elephants, but the wildebeest remained.
Why had Ariana Sagewood sounded so unhappy when she said they were friends?
"Hey, Cedric," Anthony called. "The last batch of students is leaving, we'd better run to catch up."
And just like that, he and his friends were racing to Hogsmeade.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The second the doors to the Great Hall closed behind her, Ariana had broken out into a marathon level run, leaping onto the staircase in the Entrance Hall in under five seconds. Her half-eaten apple still clutched in her hand, she swiftly maneuvered her way past the few students that remained or had to remain back from Hogsmeade in the hallways.
Finally reaching the entrance to her common room, she doubled over, hands on her knees and panting hard.
"Oh dear. And what exactly have you done now?" The Fat Lady's exasperated voice asked.
"Oh, nothing!" Ariana managed to say in a breathless voice, waving her hand in the air for extra effect, still bent down.
"Mhm, sure. Password?"
Ariana looked up, her cheeks even more red due to the running.
"Fortuna Major."
Once she entered the common room, she saw only a few students there. Most were in Hogsmeade, and the ones who decided to stay behind were either at breakfast or somewhere in the school. First and second years were probably outside, exploring more of the grounds, and some were there, in the common room, looking very sullen.
'Well, at least all your friends are with you.' Ariana wanted to shout.
Instead she speed-walked to the girls' dormitory staircase and jogged up to the top, where her Prefect Dorm was. She went inside and closed the door behind her, sliding down to the floor, her hands covering her face. She had dropped the apple beside her.
She let out a muffled groan.
"That was way too close," she murmured.
Slowly, she lifted her head and glanced around the room. Her blue eyes sparkled slightly when their gaze rested on the desk. Particularly the parchment and various bottles of ink on top of the desk. Using her hands to push herself up, she walked over to it and sat down on her chair. It was time to write a letter to her mother.
She opened a bottle of her favourite purple ink only to be disappointed when she saw it was practically empty. Making a mental note to buy some when she went to Hogsmeade, she took her second favourite shiny black ink instead, and pulled the blank square of parchment towards her. Dipping an eagle feather quill into the bottle, she started writing:
Drying the ink with a quick charm, she slid open a draw and retrieved and envelope. Once it was sealed, she quickly wrote her mother's name on it and took off for the Owlery. Before she exited her room, she noticed the apple on the ground in front of the door.
"I can't eat that now," she muttered.
Deciding to see if any owls wanted to try an apple, she picked it up in her free hand and left the common room.
She didn't meet anyone in the hallways all the way to the Owlery, for which she was incredibly thankful.
As she went in circles on the spiral staircase, she admired the view of the grounds from where she stood.
Finally reaching the door, she gave it a shove and walked into an open tower where hundreds of owls fluttered about. There was a distinctive hoot and a fluffy white owl swooped down onto Ariana's shoulder, accompanied by another white owl.
The two were almost identical, the only difference being that Frostbyte was fluffier and purer white than Hedwig, and their eyes. Frostbyte's were a deep and beautiful blue, whilst Hedwig's were a bright yellowish orange.
"Hey birdies!" Ariana cooed.
"Did Harry come visit you earlier?"
The owls only hooted in response, so Ariana could only assume that he had come, like he said he would.
"Frostbyte, I've got a task for you," she said as the owl nipped affectionately at her ear and hooted.
Ariana held out the envelope. "It's for mom," she said. "And please try delivering it as fast as you can. It's important."
Frostbyte took the envelope in her sharp beak, and with one last cuddle against Ariana's neck, she spread her wings and took off into the early afternoon sky. Ariana walked over to the railing, now having Hedwig nestled against her shoulder, and watched until Frostbyte became a small white speck in the distance.
"You want an apple?" Ariana asked Hedwig, holding the half-eaten apple out towards her.
Hedwig appeared to be looking curiously at it. Then, in one swift movement, she flew off Ariana's shoulder and clutched the apple in her talons, soaring off up high to where her nest probably was.
"Well, that went well." Ariana shrugged.
With a final look at the spot where Frostbyte had vanished, she turned around and waved a goodbye to all the owls in the Owlery, leaving through the great wooden doors.
AN: I'm back! Don't ask me how I managed to write this between all my homework, but I did it for you guys! Hope you like it, please don't forget to vote and comment!
Love,
Astraea <3