Elena was mulling over her timetable while eating scrambled eggs. Professor Slughorn had just handed them out (the timetables, not the eggs). He had chuckled at Elena's.
"Quite a full load you've got this year, eh? One more course and we would have had to put you down for a time turner! Oh, and by the way," he had remarked as he pulled a thick square of parchment from his robes. "I'm having a bit of a get together week after next-very low key; you don't have to stay for long. I know how you get about time away from your school work, Miss Ryan!" He had chortled as he moved down the Slytherin table.
She took a slice of toast from a stack in the middle of the table, and as she chewed she wondered if she ought to take another course. She very much wanted a time turner, but didn't think she could handle any more homework than she would already have.
"Good morning."
Elena turned her head slightly to see none other than Adam Bathurst taking the vacant seat beside her. A group of fifth year girls a little ways up the table tittered angrily. Elena took another bite of toast. She realized after doing this that saying "good morning" back would be impossible, so she opted for waving hello with her free hand.
"Quidditch tryouts are at the end of this week," he said, using his fork to steal a bit of egg from her plate.
Elena frowned, swallowing her toast and replying "I'd figured. You mind getting your own food?"
"Nah, I'm good." He smiled at her, taking another bite of scrambled egg.
She supposed this was some sort of flirting, but thought it rather annoying. She pushed the plate toward him and grabbed another piece of toast.
"I was hoping you would come."
"What, to watch?" Did he want her to come and watch him? That seemed horribly awkward. Or perhaps he thought she was coming anyway to support Jasmine? Was that expected? She bit into her toast.
"No, Elena, to try out." All flirtiness was gone from Bathurst's face and he looked quite serious.
"I'm sorry, but I haven't the time." She actually was sorry. She missed flying. But she had to keep up her school work. This year and the next were essential.
"Elena, you were a brilliant keeper, and that was as a fourth year. And with Collins gone, the team needs you more than ever." He leaned forward so his bright blue eyes met hers, even though she had been avoiding his gaze. "I need you more than ever."
Elena was saved from responding by the return of Professor Slughorn. "Mr. Bathurst! Lovely morning, lovely morning, I have your timetable here somewhere-ah, here it is! No problems that I could detect; your O.W.L. scores are all satisfactory." The portly old man drew a leaf of parchment from his steadily shrinking stack before looking worriedly at Elena. "Miss Ryan, you're all flushed. Are you quite all right?"
Adam held Elena's gaze before she turned away, muttering "I'm fine, Professor, thank you." Adam turned to Slughorn and gave him a charming smile. "Thank you, Sir. There weren't any conflicts?"
"Oh, no, none at all," said Slughorn cheerily, starting to walk off before he suddenly turned back around. "Almost forgot!"
"About your get-together week after next?" asked Adam, smile still in place. Elena slipped her invitation into her bag as subtly as possible. Adam had been trying to get his own invitation to Slug Club parties for years, but as his family history was lackluster and Potions wasn't exactly the Quidditch Captain's best subject, Slughorn never seemed all that interested in extending an invitation. Elena doubted this was common knowledge, however. Adam never acted as though it bothered him, and only brought it up quite subtly or when not many were within earshot. It was only after seeing him be brushed aside several times that his desperation became obvious.
"What?" said Slughorn, confusion momentarily distracting him. "No, no! Though I'm sure Miss Ryan here wouldn't object to the House Quidditch Captain being her plus one, would she? No, I'm sure not..." He trailed off a moment before recalling what he was going to say. "It's about your Alchemy class-this applies to you as well, Miss Ryan-slipped my mind earlier, but the beginning of the school year is so terribly busy, as you know. Since only eight students showed interest in the class, all four Houses will be taking the class together, and not just the two, as is customary. Just thought I ought to tell you, so as to avoid confusion."
"Is that unusual, for N.E.W.T. level classes?" asked Elena, trying to distract Adam from the Slug Club party.
"A bit, yes," said Slughorn, peering around the hall distractedly. "Not unheard of though, when the demand isn't very high. Why, when I first returned to teach here the very same situation occurred, although that was due to a bit of a mix up about the O.W.L. score required to take the course; my predecessor set the bar a bit unrealistically high, you see." He spotted someone approaching and his attention was lost completely. "Ah! Miss Eaton! A late sleeper, as always!"
Jasmine approached lazily, rubbing her eyes as Slughorn adjusted her schedule, taking off Herbology and adding Transfiguration. Her raven hair was sticking up in several directions and her tie was done up wrong, but she still looked unfairly attractive.
She collapsed into the seat opposite Elena and stole the plate of eggs that the others had abandoned. She shoved her timetable towards Elena without looking at it. "Have we got anything together?"
Elena took the parchment, holding it and her own schedule side by side. Adam leaned toward her, reading over her shoulder. She felt his breath hot on her neck, which was quite uncomfortable. After a moment, she passed Jasmine's timetable back. "Charms, Potions, Transfiguration. The usual, you know. Oh, and Advanced Arithmancy."
Jasmine groaned. "Arithmancy! What was I thinking, taking Arithmancy?" She shoveled scrambled eggs into her mouth. "At least I've got a free period first thing," she said around her breakfast.
"We don't, I'm afraid," interjected Adam before Elena could respond. "We've got Alchemy first thing. Speaking of which, we'd better leave, Elena." He got up from the table, slinging his bag across one shoulder.
Jasmine raised her eyebrows, eyes wandering to Adam then back to Elena, who rolled her eyes, shooting her friend a look that said I'll get you for this.
"So, about those Quidditch tryouts..." Adam said, his tone playful but his expression serious.
"Adam, I'm sorry, I really am, but what I told you last year still stands. I'll be far too busy with school work to worry about Quidditch." She quickened her pace, hoping to leave the conversation behind.
He was much taller than her, unfortunately, and kept up quite easily. "C'mon, Elena. Just try to fit it in? Tell you what, I'll train a reserve Keeper! So if you're feeling particularly, um, overwhelmed or something he can fill in for you in practice, maybe even a match!"
Halfway down the stairwell leading to the dungeons where Potions classes were held the pair veered off into a narrow hallway that Elena had never been down. She did, however, remember occasionally seeing puffs of oddly colored smoke drifting out of it on her way to Potions classes over the years.
"If you're going to train a reserve Keeper, why not just train a Keeper?" retorted Elena, exasperated.
"Because," he said, grabbing her arm, stopping her just short of the classroom at the end of the dank hallway. "No other Keeper even comes close to your talent. I know, I ran try-outs last year; even Collins is rubbish compared to you."
"Now, see, I might actually think you meant that if I didn't know that you fancy me-" She ripped her arm from his grip. "And are completely desperate!"
"Elena-"
"You've heard my answer, several times now. Would you just leave me alone already?"
Elena dashed into the classroom. She quickly saw that the most of the other students were already there, and that they were to be seated in pairs. To her right, she saw an empty seat next to a blonde Hufflepuff boy, and quickly sat down. She could still feel where Adam had gripped her arm. Her hands were clenched into fists to hide the shaking.