Here's Chapter 2! I hope you enjoy :D

By the next day Albus had convinced himself that the only way to get Adessa to notice him (and get James off his back), would be to ask her to go to Hogsmeade with him on Valentine's Day. He told himself that when he saw her, he would just grit his teeth and do it. For the first time he found himself hoping that she wouldn't be in the Great Hall when he went down for breakfast; but sure enough, there she was, sitting with her book propped open against a jug, her blonde hair tucked behind her ears to prevent it falling into her eyes.

His heart jumped slightly when he spotted her, but his legs didn't seem to want to move. He stood, framed in the doorway to the Great Hall, until a square-jawed Slytherin pushed past him so forcefully that he fell headfirst into the Ravenclaw table. Feeling the warmth creeping up his face and neck, he pulled himself to his feet, brushing cereal off the front of his robes. He mumbled an apology to the scowling third year girl he had sprayed with cereal and made his way to the Gryffindor table. To his immense relief, James was not down yet; he could only imagine the look on his brother's face if he had seen Albus' fall. He slid onto the bench next to Lily who, out of pity for her brother, refrained from laughing. She patted his arm sympathetically and poured some pumpkin juice into his goblet.

"Well I don't think Adessa saw anyway, Al," she grinned, tilting her head towards the Ravenclaw table where Adessa continued to read. Albus huffed and slammed his goblet, from which he had been about to take a sip, down on the table more forcefully than he had meant to.

"You know too?" he asked, slightly annoyed that everyone seemed to know what he didn't want them to. Lily shrugged apologetically.

"To be honest Albus, you're not exactly hiding it well. Just…go over and talk to her, I'm almost certain she likes you."

"Almost certain?" Albus asked suspiciously, not believing that any such thing could be true.

"Well I'm not a Legilimens, am I?" Lily rolled her eyes and pushed her older brother off the bench. He stumbled on the hem of his robes and almost lost his balance. This time she did laugh; "watch out for tables!" Albus purposely hit her over the head with his bag as he headed towards the Ravenclaw table; it only made her laugh harder.

About three feet from Adessa Albus lost his nerve and veered off to the left in the direction of the doors into the Entrance Hall. Just before he reached the cool and quiet he heard his sister's mocking shout. "Coward!"

***

Albus seemed to run into Adessa much more than usual that day; on the way to class; walking back to the common room at lunch; going into the library to begin his Charms homework. I really must be a coward, he thought as he passed her in the Entrance Hall on the way down to the Quidditch Pitch for practise. After changing into his Quidditch robes he stepped out into the cool evening air and breathed in the fresh smell of the grounds; it was quite warm for February.

"Right Team, let's start with some quick laps of the Pitch just to warm up," Rachel called, the Captain's badge pinned to her chest glinting in the soft evening light. Albus mounted his new Meteor 2021, a Christmas present from his parents, and kicked off from the slightly muddy ground, revelling in the feel of the cold air whipping his face, his robes flapping around him as he climbed higher and higher, his untidy fringe blowing in his eyes. He soared around the perimeter of the Pitch, racing James, a scarlet and gold blur against the backdrop of the stands and, behind them, the gently waving branches of the trees in the Forbidden Forest. As he pointed his broom handle down and moved into a fast dive, gathering speed the further he flew, he heard the Captain's whistle sound somewhere above him and pulled himself out of the dive a few feet above the ground. Practise was about to begin.

***

An hour later, Albus had changed back into his school robes and was making his way up to Gryffindor Tower, broomstick on his shoulder. James had stayed behind to speak to Rachel; Albus had a shrewd feeling she was about to become his brother's new 'catch'. As he turned into the seventh floor corridor, he stopped still. Pausing to listen, he heard a girl crying quietly. As he passed the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy opposite a blank stretch of wall, he hesitated again. He could see a few strands of dark blonde hair behind a statue further up the corridor. It was Adessa. He turned automatically to head back the way he had come, but he stopped himself, Lily's shout echoing in his ears. Coward.

Taking a deep breath to steel himself, he forced his legs to walk forwards; they didn't seem to belong to him anymore, rather they were moving towards the statue of their own accord.

"Adessa?" he said, so quietly he was surprised she heard him. She looked up, startled, and jumped backwards, hitting her head on the stone wall behind her. "Oh, I'm sorry! I was just…are you…okay?" His lips stumbled over the words and he found himself mentally banging his own head against the wall in embarrassment. Adessa hastily wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her robes, avoiding his gaze. Not that it mattered; he was staring at her shoulder.

"Oh, it's you Albus," she tried to smile, "I'm sorry, I was just…hay fever-"

Albus looked up so fast he heard his neck crack and tried to hide his grimace of pain. She knew his name! Albus almost laughed in surprise, but remembering she was upset, stopped himself. Adessa tried to hurry away, still desperately wiping her puffy eyes on her robes. To his own astonishment, he reached out a hand and grabbed her arm; again he felt as though the hand was not his own, but that someone else was operating it for him. To his even greater astonishment, Adessa didn't try to pull away; instead she stood facing him, shivering, although the corridor was quite warm. Realising he was still holding her arm, Albus let her go and the two of them stood for a moment, neither knowing what to say.

"What's wrong?" Albus asked, thinking as he said it how pathetic it sounded. He couldn't help noticing how the tears in her eyes made them sparkle like jewels. They were a pale blue, so light they were almost grey. Like diamonds, he thought, before shaking himself mentally. Concentrate on what she's saying Albus.

"–nothing really…I'll be okay." She tried to smile but it looked forced. "I should get back to my common room before curfew…I'll see you around, Albus." Adessa turned and started to walk away down the corridor, away from Barnabas the Barmy and his dancing trolls, leaving Albus having a furious mental battle with himself. The brave (or foolish) side won.

"Hey, wait!" he called, actually reaching out an arm as if to draw her back. She turned and looked at him expectantly. "Do you…want to…I mean, you don't have to…just if you like….nah, forget it." Albus shook his head, feeling pathetic again, but Adessa laughed, although it was choked by tears.

"What is it?"

Taking a deep breath he forced himself to get the words out in one go. "Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me on Valentine's Day?" He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, letting the silence spread thickly. When he opened them again, it was to see her looking surprised but flattered.

"I'm sorry, Albus," she said sadly, looking genuinely apologetic, "but I can't."

And she walked away, leaving Albus standing alone by the statue. His insides had become numb, or empty, he couldn't quite decide which. After what felt to Albus like an hour, when some feeling had returned to his legs, he made himself set off back to the Gryffindor common room.

I bet Dad never had this much trouble with girls, he thought bitterly as he reached the portrait of the Fat Lady and clambered clumsily through the portrait hole.

Thanks for reading! Please review :D