"Alexander, this is ridiculous."
"No, this is fun."
Mia and Alexander were standing on a fifth-floor corridor, peering around the corner to see if anyone was there.
"We could easily get –"
"Don't worry," the Gryffindor put a hand on her shoulder. "I did the calculations, or chances of not getting caught are pretty good."
"Is that so?" Mia raised her eyebrows. "What results did you get?"
"It's basically fifty-fifty," he shrugged. "We either get caught or we don't."
She gave him a look of disbelief. "I swear –"
"Come on," he cut her off and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards a certain door.
He pushed the door open, then closed it after they both got in successfully. Mia took a look around the classroom, the corners of her mouth turning upwards in the process.
"I thought we would go to a deserted classroom."
"Yeah, that was the original plan," Alexander nodded. "This should be a lot more entertaining, though."
They were standing inside the Art Classroom which was filled with easels. He walked up to a cabinet and took a canvas out, then he placed it on one of the easels and turned to Mia with a grin on his face.
"Well, what are you waiting for? We better get to work."
Mia let out a sigh, then she walked over to the cabinet and looked inside. She took out two paintbrushes and some paint before joining Alexander. She gave him one of the brushes, then turned her attention on the plain canvas.
"Should we paint the two of us in detention?" She asked, making him chuckle.
"Don't be so negative, Birdie. Remember, fifty-fifty."
"You're a Quidditch captain, shouldn't you be more responsible?" Mia raised an eyebrow at him.
"There's still time until our first match, it's okay if I get a detention."
He dabbed his paintbrush into some red paint, then painted some lines on the canvas.
"What is that supposed to be?" Mia tilted her head.
"Nothing," Alexander shrugged. "Just choose a colour and do whatever you like."
"That sounds like a waste of paint and canvas," she frowned.
"Come on, loosen up a little," he nudged her.
"As you wish," she said quietly, then put her index finger in some blue paint and wiped it off on his cheek.
Alexander looked down at her with a shocked expression on his face. "Oh, you didn't..."
"It compliments your eyes quite well," she smiled innocently.
"Then it must compliment yours too," he grinned.
Before she could escape, he took some of the same blue paint and smeared it across her face.
"Hey, that's way more than I used!" She complained.
"Oops?"
Shaking her head, she put her paintbrush in the blue paint, then started circling it around on the canvas.
"There you go!" He smiled proudly. "What a beautiful mess, I love it! Let's make some purple."
He took his brush with red paint on it and painted over Mia's circles.
"Back off, Stone! This is my side," she said, pushing him away.
"Alright, Malfoy. Let's see whose side turns out better, then," he gave her a challenging look.
"A competition?" Mia's eyes lit up. "Oh, you're on!"
"May the better artist win," Alexander bowed jokingly.
"What's the prize?"
"You get to brag about winning."
"Not much, but I'll take it."
With that said, she took her wand out and created a barrier at the middle of the canvas so they couldn't see each other's works.
"Is that really necessary?" Alexander groaned.
"Yes," Mia said seriously, then turned her attention on the canvas and got to work.
After about five minutes, the Gryffindor decided to break the silence.
"My apologies, Birdie, but there's no way you can beat this," he said confidently, making Mia scoff.
"You wouldn't say that if you saw my masterpiece."
"Okay, Mia-langelo," he rolled his eyes with a smile.
Fifteen minutes later the Gryffindor put down his paintbrush and crossed his arms over his chest, nodding at his work.
"I think I'm done," he announced.
"Me too, just a few more seconds..." Mia squinted her eyes as she did some finishing touches. "Okay, done."
"Can you take this down now?" He gestured towards the barrier.
"No, I'll look at yours first," she said.
"Why mine?" He frowned.
"Because I said so. Now show me your work."
"Fine," he gave in. "Come here, then."
Mia left her side and stepped closer to Alexander, staring at his painting. He only used red paint.
"Is that a –"
"A heart, yes," he nodded happily.
"You – you painted an actual human heart?" Mia asked in disbelief.
"Well, I had a lot of red paint and the first thing that came to mind was a heart, but I wanted to paint something realistic, so there it is," he explained.
"If you wanted to be realistic, then you should have used some blue and purple as well."
"Oh, come on!" Alexander scowled.
"I'm just saying..."
"Fine, let's see what you came up with, then."
"Alright," Mia nodded, then she stepped back in front of her side.
Alexander glanced at her painting, then he broke out in a gentle smile.
"It's the Black Lake," she explained before he had the chance to ask. "See, there's the Giant Squid," she pointed at the middle of the lake.
"I hate to say it, but I think you might be the winner," he smiled down at her.
"Might be?" Mia raised an eyebrow at him. "I am the winner, it's quite obvious."
"I love how humble you are," he grinned.
"What, should I lie?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm aware of my talents and I will compliment myself if I know I've done a great job. That doesn't mean I think I'm flawless, because I'm definitely not, I just have fewer flaws than others."
Alexander couldn't help but laugh. "You sure are confident."
"More or less," she mumbled, looking away from him.
Taking her wand out again, she took down the barrier from the canvas.
"Hey," the Gryffindor's eyes lit up suddenly. "Can I do something?" He asked, taking his wand out as well.
"Uh... sure?"
Alexander raised his wand and cut the canvas in half, then he minified both pieces so they became the size of a Chocolate Frog card. He took his own work in his hand and held it out for the Ravenclaw.
"Are you giving me your heart?" Mia asked jokingly.
"Maybe," he shrugged. "Will you accept it?"
"I don't know, I don't want to kill you..."
"Don't worry, I have another one," he put his free hand on his chest.
"In that case," she smiled, "I suppose I can take it."
She took the tiny canvas out of his hand and put it in her pocket, then she turned to look at her own shrunken piece of art. Sighing, she picked it up.
"Here," she said, holding it out for him.
Alexander gasped dramatically. "Are you sure?"
"Just shut up and take it before I change my mind," Mia rolled her eyes.
"I'm touched," he said as he took it out of her hand and put it away. "I will protect this tiny canvas with my life."
"Don't be so extra, it's not that important."
"Are you saying that my life is more important than your work?"
"Obviously."
Alexander opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by Mia, who put a finger up to his mouth to hush him while staring at the door intensely.
With a quick flick of her wand, she made the painting supplies vanish. Taking Alexander by the hand, she started pulling him towards a cabinet that had some space beside it and pushed him against the wall while pressing her own body against his. Before he could ask any questions, the door to the classroom opened.
Holding onto his shoulders, Mia pressed herself against him as much as she could, hoping that the cabinet was covering them both. She could feel Alexander's hands on her waist as he attempted to pull her even closer while he tried his best to keep his head down.
A few seconds later they heard the door closing. Mia waited a bit more to make sure they were alone, then she let out a relieved sigh.
"That was way too close."
"So are you," Alexander said in a low voice.
Her heartbeat quickened slightly as she took his words in and realised what position they were in. She tilted her head upwards to look into his eyes, her hands still holding onto his shoulders.
"I won't do anything if you don't want me to," he said quietly, "but you sure do make it hard for me."
"I hope you won't do anything without my consent. That would be really disappointing, considering the fact that I like you so far," she smiled.
Smiling back at her, he took his hands off of her waist. "I suppose we should get back to our dormitories."
"Are you an idiot?" Mia frowned. "They're obviously patrolling the corridors and you want us to waltz out there? I mean, if your goal is to get detention, sure, but otherwise we should stay here for a bit longer."
"Ah... you're right."
"Of course I am," she scoffed.
Smiling, he glanced down at her hands. "Are you planning on letting go of me anytime soon?"
"Maybe not," she shrugged.
"Fine by me."
Rolling her eyes, she took her hands off of his shoulders and walked over to the door, pressing her ear against it.
"Hey," the Gryffindor walked closer to her. "Have you ever even been in detention?"
"No, and I don't plan on starting now. I did give some detentions out, though."
"Right... why did you stop being a prefect?" Alexander asked curiously.
Mia froze. "Well... I had better things to do with my time."
"Is that all?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
She remained silent for a few seconds before turning to face him. "I think we can go now."
He stared into her eyes for a while, then sighed. "Alright, sorry for asking."
"It's... it's okay to ask, I'm just –"
"Not ready? Don't trust me enough?" Alexander took a step closer to her. "It's fine, Birdie. I get it."
"I'll... I'll tell you someday..."
"And I can't wait to hear it," he smiled gently. "Until then, I'll be patient."
"Thank you, Alexander," she said quietly. "Well... I think we should go separately... Goodnight."
She took a last look at him, then she slipped out of the door and started walking back towards the Ravenclaw Common Room.
When she arrived, she noticed Sage sitting on a sofa, who was the only person in there. Sighing, she walked up to her and sat down.
"Welcome back," Sage smiled. "Will you tell me any details now, or did I stay up for nothing?"
Mia ran her hands through her hair. "I feel so bad right now..."
"What?!" Sage whisper-shouted. "Why, what happened?"
"I mean... he asked me something... but I didn't want to answer... and he was really nice about it... but I still left him there... I kind of regret it now... like, I know I can leave if I want to... and why would I have to tell him anything... I don't even know him that well... but maybe I want to know him... plus I can't deny that he's super attractive..."
"Do you actually like him, then?"
"Well... so far, yeah... I think so..."
"That's great," Sage grinned. "But why do you have paint on your face?"
"Oh," Mia touched her cheek. "We were painting."
"Makes sense," she chuckled.
"Wait, look," Mia put her hand inside her pocket and pulled the tiny canvas out. "He gave me his heart..."
Sage frowned. "Why did he only use red?"
"I know," Mia waved her hand, "but that's not the point right now. At least he tried his best."
The corners of Sage's mouth turned upwards as she gave her a meaningful look.
"What?" Mia asked.
"Sounds like you really fancy this Gryffindor..."
"I – well, he's definitely bearable... I suppose I don't mind his company..."
"You've met him like – what – two times?" Sage snickered. "I thought it would take much longer –"
"I'm not saying I love him," Mia interrupted her. "He's just... nice to be around..."
"Unlike James?"
"Why'd you bring him up?" She grimaced. "I was in a good headspace, thanks for ruining it..."
"Whatever," Sage rolled her eyes. "You should tell him how you feel. Guys are not good at guessing, you know. You better let him know."
"Since when are you an expert?" Mia crossed her arms over her chest.
"Just trust me, okay? Talk to him."
"I don't know," she said quietly while putting the canvas away. "I think it's too soon... yes, it's definitely too soon... I don't have enough knowledge about him... he might be pretending, you never know... I need to find out more..."
"He really doesn't seem like a bad guy, Mia. I think you can trust him."
"I'll just wait a bit more," she continued, ignoring Sage's words. "See if he does anything sketchy... not like I care that much, I have better things to focus on..."
"Okay," Sage let out a sigh as she stood up. "I think you need some sleep. Come on, I'd prefer if your brain didn't explode just yet."
"We have classes tomorrow!" Mia jumped up from the sofa. "I totally forgot! This is not good, Sage, this is not good! I must be able to pay attention in class, I can't allow myself to think about anything else –"
"Why not?" She raised an eyebrow at her. "Girl, you're already more than prepared for your N.E.W.T.s, you might as well have some fun with Alex."
"But –"
"Relax," Sage put her hands on her shoulders. "You like him. Stop lying to yourself. Talk to him. He likes you too. Don't be so paranoid. Have fun."
"How could I possibly like him after such a short amount of time, though?"
"It happens," Sage shrugged. "Isn't that what your dad wanted anyway? For you to get a boyfriend?"
Mia scoffed. "He didn't want me to just get a boyfriend, he wanted to set me up with Zane. Or at least someone he approves of, and I'm pretty sure that Alexander is not someone he would like..." She said, then she fell quiet for a few seconds before continuing. "Hm... You know, Sage, I might consider talking to him... Alexander, I mean."
"Do it," she nodded encouragingly. "And after you sort that out, you can help me."
"With what?" Mia furrowed her eyebrows.
"I need a Hufflepuff, remember? You have to ask Daisy to help me, I can't do it on my own!"
"Oh... yeah, sure. I could have asked her sooner, why didn't you ask?"
"I – never mind, just ask her for me, please. Can we go to sleep now?"
"Yeah, we should," Mia nodded.
The two girls took off and went to their dorm, leaving the Ravenclaw Common Room empty.