"I really don't have time for this," Regulus muttered, trying to locate an exit. It was futile, since this parlour did not have two doors.
Aoife stared at this new wizard curiously. He seemed quite eccentric in a way, (given that she hadn't actually seen wizards in robes). His caramel brown skin was covered with a sheen of sweat, as if he'd run all the way till here. Quickly pushing his black hair out of his eyes, he walked towards Regulus with purpose, a determined glint in his eye. Regulus started to back off slowly, trying to get around this newcomer.
"I know what you're trying to do, Regulus. It won't work," Shafiq said. "I just want to talk."
"Later then," he snapped curtly. "Talk to me later."
Shafiq opened his mouth to argue, but was cut off by Regulus. "Belladonna, a word?"
"Later, Regulus," she replied crisply. "You both have a meeting to attend."
Regulus looked quite unwilling to leave, but when Aletheia gestured for them to come, he followed grudgingly.
"Bye, Cinderella," Aoife hugged Sirius. "See you later."
It seemed as if Shafiq noticed her just then. His eyes went as round as saucers, and he ran a hand through his hair in wonder. It seemed as if he'd recognised her, but Aoife could swear on her life that she hadn't seen him before.
Deciding to address this later, Aoife too followed Regulus out, leaving Sirius to interrogate this newcomer. (He'd seen the look. He isn't as blind as you think. Yes, you.)
*****
"Who is that person?" Aoife asked Regulus, just out of Aletheia's earshot.
"Nobody to worry about," he answered, jaw clenched.
"Are you hiding something?"
"Yes," he snapped. Aoife didn't ask anything then, but surveyed Regulus as if he was on display at a curiosity shop. An antique, unsolvable puzzle.
Regulus refrained from saying anything, unsure about his temper. It grew quite capricious on seeing an unfaithful friend.
Or maybe he was stretching it too far ...
Shaking his head to dismiss these thoughts, he decided to focus anywhere but on the woman in front and the woman next to him. With nothing to distract him from Aoife's searching gaze, he took to contemplating the heavens.
Early morning mist still clung to the trees, and made the sky a bit hazy. It sun had not risen fully, but was creeping its way up, warming anything and everything it could touch. The twittering of birds filled his ears, and as the soft wind blew through his hair, he felt serene, tranquil. The dew-soaked grass completed this picture of perfection. He hadn't felt so good ever since his 6th year had started.
He chanced a glance to his left, just to catch a glimpse of Aoife. She'd stopped staring at him, and seemed to soak up the early morning peace, just like him. Her curly hair danced in the slight wind, her eyes closed as she took a deep breath. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. Her beaten-up sandals, artsy jeans and customary denim jacket, her beautiful red hair, her evergreen eyes, the way she smiled and laughed so easily, the way she took everything in her stride without batting an eye, the way she came off as clumsy and socially inept but still so cute, all of this was so simple, so effortless on her, yet so complicated to make out.
Just as they were nearing the gate, Aoife's green eyes met his. They widened in shock, and she seemed to say something he couldn't make out. Suddenly, he was brought to an abrupt halt by a mouthful of bark. He'd walked headfirst into the Sycamore tree.
"What were you saying?" Regulus asked her, trying to ignore the fact that he'd just bumped into a tree because he'd been gaping at her. Aoife stifled a laugh, but it came tumbling out anyway.
"I was telling you to watch out for that tree," she wheezed, trying and failing to stop her laughter.
"It's not funny," he scowled, though his lips betrayed his feelings by twitching slightly.
"It so is."
"Will you lot stop flirting and hurry?" Aletheia's irate voice startled them.
"Coming Theia," Aoife answered, quickly walking away to hide her blushing cheeks. Regulus followed her, confused about their dynamics. Was this a harmless crush? A mad infatuation? The beginning of a relationship or of a never-ending friendship? Was it more than all that? Something special, something different?
Regulus halted next to Aoife, just outside the gate. Belladonna muttered something, and they felt as if they were dematerialising.
It was finally time to face the creatures who lurked in everyone's nightmares, face-to-face. The only problem was that all three of them were seriously rethinking their life's choices.