I stared at the ceiling ahead of me, my eyes tracing the long crack that split down the center of our dorm. My notebook was laid beside me and my arms loosely by my sides. My thoughts however were completely somewhere else, mainly circling around George Fabian Weasley.
"To write an essay you actually have to, you know, write?" Alicia teased me from where she was sat at her desk. "And you're no better, Angelina."
"How can they possibly expect us to focus on school with all that's going on!?" Angelina sounded exasperated as she flopped backwards over her bed, letting her black hair hang just above the floor. "It's hard to get excited about Sneezewort when in a few days two of our friends will be competing in a deadly competition!"
The three of us erupted in laughter as the door to our dorm swung open. "Let's get some studying done!" Katie smiled, textbooks in hand. "Leah, George gave me a letter to give to you."
"Thanks." I smiled, instantly ripping into the letter. I was so thankful for the Weasley's allowing me to use their owl occasionally. We found in past years that sending mail to Hogwarts the regular way took months. So when the Hogwarts owls were busy, I sent letters to my dad through Errol. Errol didn't seem to mind flying just a little past the Burrow every once in a while and I was sure to bring him lots of special treats to keep him happy.
'Leah,
I have missed you dearly, darling. Ms. Baker next door has been sending me so many casseroles I may be sick if I even see another one. She worries about me here on my own so she's been coming over for the occasional tea. Also, that calico is still coming by the back porch. So I do have a friend for breakfast and dinner, too. But that's about all that has happened on my end since you left for school.
I'm sorry to hear that you are missing your friends now that you've started N.E.W.T. level classes but you should be very proud of yourself. Though I imagine Fred and George's grades have slipped...
Enjoy the tournament and I'm sure your friend's Harry and Cedric will do just fine. Write me back as soon as you're able to with your new course load.
Much love,
Dad'
I grinned down at the paper in my hand and pictured my dad hunched over the desk in his study, writing away. I'm relieved to hear that he's getting some company while I'm gone. Normally he just throws himself into his work.
I wrote him back a quick response and decided I would drop it off to Errol after lunch. He would probably enjoy a bit of bread crust if I could get it.
* * *
I took a bite of my mashed potatoes, my mind still on my school work as my friends chatted around me. The school day had actually gone really well. I'm rather on top of my work this semester despite the rigorous class load. The only thing that drew my attention away from my blank stare was a tap on my foot. I looked up and met eyes with George from across the table, his eyebrows furrowed. 'You okay?' He mouthed.
I blushed slightly and nodded, offering him a smile. I wish my cheeks wouldn't flush every time he interacted with me. I'm still surprised Fred hasn't noticed any changes in our behavior—but they've been pretty busy with something on their own. They won't tell me anything about it, but I've caught them whispering over a letter many times in the common room. Every time I've said something about it they have quickly changed the subject.
I jumped slightly when Ron plopped down beside me. "Hey." He muttered, stacking a mountain of food on his plate.
I furrowed my brows and my eyes flitted over to where Harry was sitting a few people down. His gaze was on his red headed friend for a fleeting moment before he angrily stabbed at a cooked carrot on his plate. "Not that I don't love your company, Ronnie—but are you really still mad at him?"
Ron scoffed and took a bite of a sausage. "Of course I am. He should've at least told me.." He mumbled the last sentence before squaring off his shoulders. "I'd really rather not talk about it."
"Fine, fine." I gave in, letting him refill my cup with pumpkin juice before filling his own. "Thanks."
He only nodded, running his fingers through his bangs to push them away from his face. He stayed silent for the majority of the dinner and only spoke up when someone addressed him directly.
I followed my friends out of the Great Hall, Fred and George talking animatedly to me about a new product they had found at Zonko's over the summer.
"So are you coming with?" Fred grinned down at me.
"We figure we could put the Frog Spawn Soap in the sixth floor bathrooms." George added. "But we'll need you to place a bar in the girl's bathroom."
"Don't want girls getting the wrong idea that we're a pair of right perverts." Fred explained even further.
"I can't. Snape is expecting me in his office and I'm hoping to get some extra help with my Everlasting Elixirs essay." I sighed, looking down at the bundle of papers in my arms.
"Oh, what? You think you're better than us because you're in that fancy N.E.W.T. Potion class?" Fred teased, wrapping both of his arms around my head and pulling me back into his chest.
"Freddie, you're suffocating me!" I gasped for air with a laugh, trying to wiggle free from his hold.
When I finally did, I jogged ahead of the two and gave a small wave as I dipped into the stairwell. It's smart to escape before they have the chance to mess with me any further. "Remember us when you're famous!" George jokingly yelled after me.
I couldn't prevent the smile on my face as I made my way down to the already lit office. Snape has probably begun to work on whatever potion we would be brewing today. With the upcoming Tri-Wizard Tournament he has been busy with various potions, mostly stocking up the infirmary in case something were to go wrong.
"Hello, Professor Snape." I chirped, setting down my papers on the desk in front of him before plopping down in the chair.
He looked up with his eyes though his head still pointed towards the first year essays he had been grading. "Good evening, Ms. Hadleigh. You seem awfully cheery."
I just shrugged as he finished up the last bit of marking. I began to sort through the pages of my essay, preparing the questions I wanted to ask him when he was ready for it.
"Is this what you needed my assistance with?" He set his quill down and gently took the parchment from my hands.
"Yes. I feel confident in the first half of my essay but I think my point gets stagnant...here." I flipped to about two feet in.
His dark eyes scanned over the pages, his expression unreadable. "It looks as though you make the same point twice." He continued to provide me with some extra information and I quickly scribbled down notes on everything he said. The information wasn't anything I had found in my Advanced Potion Making textbook—and I had read the same chapter at least four times by now. "Other than that I would say you have a very respectable start. Better than the other's I have reviewed thus far."
I tried to hide my smile as I regathered the papers he held out to me. A "respectable start" is high praise from Professor Snape. I organized the parchment into my leather bound binder.
My attention was drawn to the workbench as Snape began to set crates worth of ingredients onto the chipped wood surface. Small, purple blossoms peeked out from the jars and filled the room with a calming fragrance. The color was a nice contrast from the dingy room. "What is all of this lavender for?"
"Sleeping Draught." He explained, his eyes not leaving the work in front of him. "Not for you, Ms. Hadleigh." The corner of his lip twitched upwards.
I couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out. Never in my life did I think I would hear even an inkling of a joke from him. Especially not about his unorthodox method of testing potions when I was a third year.
For the most part we worked in silence and I sorted through the ingredients I would need. I reached over a small cauldron Snape had simmering, struggling to reach a vial of Flobberworm when a familiar scent traveled into my nose. The smoke after a firework is set off, the smell of Honeydukes when they've just made a fresh batch of sweets, and the unmistakable combination of vanilla and campfire that seemed to linger in the Burrow. All smells I had come to associate with a particular redhead. I took a deep breath, allowing the fumes to sink into my very being. My heart skipped a beat as my thoughts were filled with him. Maybe my little crush is far deeper than I imagined.
"If you are trying to stir counter clockwise, fantastic job—but the recipe calls for clockwise." Snape dragged me away from my fantasy as he scolded me with an eye roll. "Do I need to find someone else more capable of helping?"
"I'm sorry. I got distracted for a minute." I apologized, snapping my attention back to the potion in front of me. I instantly changed the direction of my stirring and the potion seemed to effectively settle.
Snape quickly caught on to what had distracted me and began to bottle the steaming cauldron. I couldn't help but notice that he held his breath when working with the potion, only inhaling once the vials had been corked. "I was brewing this in preparation for tomorrow's class—I hadn't a clue it would muddle up your mind so easily." His expression showed distaste as he went back to his work. "If you are truly serious about your studies, you will need to work on such school girlish behaviors."
Heat rushed to my face and I attempted to busy myself with crushing the lavender sprigs along with the standard ingredient.
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