Once the two had retreated a past the front doors of the castle and made it to the banks of the frozen lake, Marianne let go of Bog's arm. The moment her grip released, he shot past her. She watched as he progressed, hands forced back into his pockets, to the nearest tree. He simply stood in front of it for a moment, staring blankly. But then, all at once, his wand was out and he yelled "Diffindo!" pointing it at the poor things trunk.
A loud crack echoed through the open field as a large chunk of bark and wood flew aside. His breathing was heavy and she could see him tremble. It took a moment for Marianne to summon the courage to speak up. "Are...are you alright?"
At the sound of the question, Bog swung his foot violently at the tree. "No, I am not actually." he hissed.
But after a moment, he sighed. His wand arm dropped to his side and his body seemed to slump. Marianne couldn't help but look a little pained by whatever was bothering him. She searched for anyway she could comfort him. "Look, uh." she started, scratching her arm in a somewhat nervous manner "You don't have to talk about it or anything, well, unless you want to. You really don't have to, I mean…"
She was getting flustered. She didn't want to force him to do anything, she just wanted him to cheer up. Fidius had turned around and was looking curiously at her. "Just uh," she was stumbling over herself "Just...oh bugger. Whichever one is the one that makes you stop looking like a sad lump, alright?"
She could feel her cheeks growing hot yet again. Usually, Marianne was pretty straight forward. She didn't care if she offended anyone because she was being honest, and, well, honesty was the best policy, right? If someone asked her opinion, she'd say it. She spent so much time worrying and trying to make Roland like her, the moment he had broke her heart, she stopped all together. Yet, here she was, standing in the snow out with this sullen boy, doing her best not to upset him even further.
Bog didn't smile, but his expression softened a bit. He reached up with his empty hand to scratch his head. "You really don't want to know why I'm nineteen and still in my sixth year?" he asked, his voice wavering slightly.
"Well, sure I'm curious." she admitted plainly "But if you don't want to talk about it, it's none of my business. I'm sure you have your reasons."
There went his eyebrow, attempting to find its way into his hairline. Marianne was starting to feel uncomfortable. His eyes had a way of seeing straight through you. She could feel a slight tremble raise in her body. She was doing her best not to break eye contact. Fidius looked suddenly concerned. In one swift motion, he slipped his robe off.
The girl looked fearful and took an awkward step back. "Hey, woah there mate!" she sputtered in her confusion.
But Bog had strode forward. All at once, he reached around her, whirling the robe. It came to a rest on her shoulders, his hands pulling it forward to cover her. Instantly, Marianne felt warmth crawl into her body. The trembling began to weaken. In the rush of the moment, she had forgotten it was winter and that it would be below freezing outside. Instinctively, she reached up and pulled the robe around her.
She looked up with the intention of thanking him, but, as her eyes trailed upward, she felt her words catch. When had he gotten so close? She was eye level with his collar bones, seeing every breath he took in the rise and fall of his chest. His neck, where his adam's apple quivered with every sharp swallow. His lips, thin and pale, but soft and inviting as they parted slightly to draw air. Then, there they were. The cold air was not what made a shiver shoot through Marianne this time, but instead, the chilling azure of Fiduis Bog's gentle gaze. She felt something thud hard against her rib cage.
She felt her mouth starting to slack. Quickly, she ground her teeth, forcing a small amount of composure. "Why on earth did you lead us out here?" Bog finally asked, concern still etched in the small lines around his eyes "Don't you have some kind of thing with the cold?"
She flushed slightly. "I, well…" she floundered "I was trying to put as much distance between us and that cock up of a group."
She jabbed a thumb quickly over her shoulder. "I guess I figured they weren't gonna follow us out here or something." she continued, sheepishly.
Boy, she sounded like a right duffer. She cocked a slight smile, trying to mask her shame. "Worked though, aye?"
Fidius continued to stare for a moment. Why on earth was this girl putting in so much effort? She was standing here, practically freezing to death, trying to cheer up someone she hardly knew. He couldn't help but feel a little flattered by the gesture, even if she was just being kind. "I suppose it did." he breathed, letting go of her shoulders.
He ran his fingers through his hair, before letting out a long sigh. "Well, if we aren't going back to the great hall, we might as well whole up in the library."
Marianne frowned slightly. "What about breakfast?" she whined slightly.
She really was hungry. So much so, the moment the words left her lips, her stomach growled loud enough for Bog to hear. A moment passed. A low snort escaped from the Slytherin and, within seconds, a large, toothy grin plastered itself across his face. Marianne pouted slightly at the boy's sardonic expression, but she couldn't hold it for long. She felt herself smiling. Somehow, even if it wasn't a very attractive one, his grin was infectious to her. Maybe it was the way it seemed to light up the space around them. "Not to worry!" he assured "I have provisions to last us till lunch."
He patted his school bag, his grin widening. "Well, what are we waiting for then? It's bloody freezing!" she shivered, and grabbed him by the sleeve "Come on then!"
Bog felt the tug pull him forward as the smaller girl yanked him toward the steps to the castle. He really wasn't sure why he felt so content. Maybe it was the fact that someone, other than his mother, had not only tolerated but willingly spent time in the same room as him for more than five minutes. Maybe it was the relief that someone did so without needing to hear every single detail of his life. Maybe it was the fact that this same person also happened to have incredibly pretty eyes.
Whatever it was, Fidius was pleased to have this stalky gryffindor dragging him about the castle. And he had no intention of changing the arrangement anytime soon.
