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Caroline sat in the library, scribbling busily on her star chart for astronomy. Books had been placed carefully around her so she could view every page she needed at the same time. It was pretty exhausting work, but she hadn't noticed, she was just enjoying herself. The homework was due in two weeks, yes, but she had completed everything else she needed to do for the next two weeks so thought there was no harm in keeping on top of things.
And she wasn't just working on an ordinary star chart, no, but a model of a Renaissance star chart from the fifteenth century. They had been tasked with researching star charts from eras of their choice and then write an essay about it. She felt that actually being able to visualise and write on her own star chart could really help, so that's what she had been spending her whole Saturday on so far. She sighed and circled an important note on the chart. This might take a while.
Tyler walked in, spotting her and jogging over.
"Hey," he said, plopping down on the seat opposite her.
"Hey."
"Whatcha doin'?" He asked, leaning his chin on his hands as he looked at her.
"Working," she said, before looking up at him with a soft smile. "Is there anything you need, Ty?"
"Just company."
She cocked her head at him in confusion, taking in the sad look on his face. It was a Saturday, where was everyone else? But she didn't say anything, just nodded. Perhaps something had happened and he just wanted to be with someone who wouldn't ask questions.
"You can do some work too, if you want," she said gently, looking. back down at her book again.
"Cheers," he grinned, rummaging about in his bag and pulling out some papers. "I need to go through the transfiguration test."
"Oh yeah, I did that yesterday. 'Theories of Transubstantial Transfiguration' helps with some of the answers."
"Oh, really? Thanks, I'll go look for it," he stood up. "Be right back."
She nodded before looking back down at her chart. She bit her lip as she analysed the constellations and patterns on the style of the chart before nodding triumphantly and pulling out a fresh piece of parchment to start the essay.
Between the early fifteenth and the early seventeenth centuries, star charts progressed from imprecise, often decorative illustrations based on medieval manuscripts to sophisticated map projections with systematized nomenclature for the stars.
She nodded, peering at one of her textbooks for a moment, before continuing.
The reimportation into Europe of technical classical muggle texts such as Ptolemy's Almagest, as well as Islamic works such as Abd al-Rahman Abd al Sufi's constellation maps, appears to have played a significant role in this transformation. By the early sixteenth century-
"Hey, Carrie."
She looked up to see Julian sitting beside her.
"Oh, hey," she smiled at him. "What's up?"
"Just wanted to come see my beautiful girlfriend," he smiled, pressing a kiss to her lips. "Wanna come hang out? Maybe...find a free broom closet?
Caroline laughed, "right."
"I'm being serious," Julian smirked, stroking her arm.
Caroline wanted to make a witty remark about Sirius Black but decided against it. Julian probably wouldn't find it too funny.
"I'm working, love," she said, nodding to all the books round her.
"You don't have to do this work, come on."
"I'm also keeping Tyler company," she said, remembering the look on her friend's face when he asked to just be with her.
"Blow him off, come on, you hang out with him all the time," Julian said, seemingly getting more frustrated.
"I'll hang out with you another time, okay?"
"Carrie," he groaned.
"Julian," she mocked, giggling at him before touching him on the shoulder. "Just let me work-"
He shrugged her off, before standing up, "you know my friends were right."
His friends? What arsey thing had they said now? To be fair, she was probably there when they said it. Was it the thing about studying over sex that they said at the end of fifth year?
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You don't have time for me, Caroline, you'd study over hanging out with me any day," he said.
"That's not true-"
"Oh yeah, sure," he scoffed.
"It's not true, Julian, I hang out with you all the time when I could be studying. I prioritise you loads," she said, because that was the truth.
She felt her heart sinking. Is this really what he thought of her? Was she really that bad of a girlfriend?
"It's not enough, you know normal girls would-"
He stopped himself, but the damage was done and they both knew it. Normal girls? She knew she wasn't normal but it had never been said out loud before, and now she heard someone say it - her boyfriend say it - she felt unable to breathe. She just stared at him, her eyes wide. Don't cry don't cry don't cry.
"Carrie, I'm-"
"I think it's time for you to leave, Hughes," Tyler said, coming out from behind the bookcase.
Caroline didn't even realise he was waiting there. He had probably been waiting for Julian to leave.
"Caroline, I swear I didn't mean-"
"Please leave," she said, not looking at him anymore.
"Just look at me-"
"Leave," Tyler stood in front of him, blocking his view of Caroline.
She heard Julian sigh before leaving the library.
"Are you okay?" Tyler asked.
"I have so much work to do."
He sat beside her and tried to put his arm round her.
"Don't," she said.
"Okay, okay," he said calmly, pulling away and sitting on the seat opposite her before silently beginning his own homework.
She didn't take her eyes off her work for the rest of the day. She didn't talk, she didn't feel like she could. Normal. Normal. She wasn't normal. She knew that. She had never seen it as that much of a bad thing but...the way he said it. He said it as if he was mad that she wasn't normal, as if it was something she should try and change. How could anyone love her if she was...if she wasn't...
"It's time for dinner, Caroline."
She looked up at Tyler for a moment before nodding. She collected up all the sheets of parchment she had written on, and went to put back all her textbooks. Tyler helped. They didn't say much to each other.
They left the library.
"Julian's a dickhead, okay?"
Caroline nodded.
"Don't think too much into what he said, he was being stupid."
"But it's true, isn't it? I'm not normal," she said.
"It's not a bad thing-"
"He made it sound like a bad thing."
Tyler sighed, "I know...and that's where we go full circle, because he's a dickhead."
"Yeah."
They got to the hall where a lot of people were already sitting. Caroline felt Julian's eyes on her from the Gryffindor table, but she ignored it, going to sit at the Ravenclaw table with her friends.
"Hey!" Eloise greeted them merrily, her cheeks going slightly pink.
"Evening, all," Tyler smiled at them all. "How's everyone doing?"
"Good," Archie nodded. "How are you after the whole...Alice thing?"
"Oh...fine..."
"What happened?" Asked Jane with a frown.
"Asked her out, she said no," Tyler shrugged. "It's alright, we move."
He had never told her that, Caroline thought. Maybe that was why he had come to the library.
"I'm so sorry," Jane said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You deserve better."
"Maybe," he waved his hand dismissively. "I distracted myself today in the library with Caroline so it's okay...and now I just want to eat my feelings."
"Good plan," Eloise smiled softly.
"Mr Hughes, incoming," Archie muttered.
"Oh dear," Tyler said, looking at Caroline who was just looking at the table.
Their friends looked at him, Caroline then Julian. What had happened?
"Caroline," he said, perching next to her. "Can I please talk to you?"
She didn't say anything, just raised her eyebrows at her food and forked a bit of chicken into her mouth. He sighed, glancing up at all her friends who were staring back at him hardly. Well, all her friends but Eloise, who was just staring at him.
"Can I talk to you alone?"
"Anything you have to say you can say in front of us," Tyler said.
Julian sighed before nodding and looking back at Caroline, beginning to speak gently, "Caroline, I promise you I didn't mean what I said back there. It just slipped out. I didn't...I don't think of you like...you know that I think you're amazing, okay?"
She gave him a duh look before looking back at her food.
"Please forgive me," he said quietly, taking one of her hands (which caused a few of her friends to hold their breath), "I promise nothing like this will ever happen again."
She looked up at him, "promise?"
"I swear," he said, lifting her hand up to his lips and kissing it. "Please forgive me."
She sighed, looking at his eyes indecisively before slowly nodding, "okay. I forgive you."
"Thank you," he breathed a sigh of relief.
"But never again, okay?"
"Okay," he nodded. "Love you."
She couldn't fight the smile that grew on her lips, "I love you too."
He grinned before leaving the table.
"I can't believe you just forgave him that easily," Tyler said, looking at Caroline in disappointment.
"I love him."
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