The following morning, she and Eowyn waited for the twins in the emptying Common Room before all four of them went down to breakfast. The snow that had fallen the night before now lay accumulated in cotton-like patches on the many windowsills they passed, the crystals frosted due to the cold wind blowing outside. A crowd of students had formed at the entrance of the Great Hall, the students at the back jumping and rising to the tips of their toes to try and get a better look at the small enchanted bulletin board, muttering loudly among each other.
"What is that about?" Elladan said as they reached the ample sets of doors, his silver eyes looking directly at Eowyn, as if he expected her to know. Ewoyn only shrugged in return, even though her face gleamed with new-found curiosity, leading their way towards the long Gryffindor table.
Large plates and trays were filled with an assortment of eggs, bacon, ham, fresh toasts and many other things nearly overflowing from them, making her mouth water and her stomach churn. Sigrid was the first one to sit down, taking a toast from the closest tray and biting into it before she could even place it on her plate.
"Hey, you!" She hard Elrohir call out while he sat down next to her, glancing at a scrawny looking first year Gryffindor passing by, who nearly jumped in surprise at the unexpected address.
"Me?" The small boy stuttered, hazel eyes going wide as he pointed to himself with a pale shaky finger, his too large front teeth biting at his lower lip. The boy looked positively a strange in between scared and in awe at being addressed by one of the twins.
"Yes, you." Elrohir breathed out almost exasperatedly, seeming too content with the look the poor eleven-year-old was throwing him. And they were only fourth-years, she certainly did not want to see how much the twins would enjoy it once they were in their seventh year. "What's on the bulletin board everyone is looking at?"
"Oh, that." The boy visibly deflated with relief, and Sigrid could not contain a chuckle as she understood that the boy had most probably half expected the twins to be about to prank him. "It just says the date for this year's Yule Ball. It's a shame us first years aren't allowed to attend yet."
"Well, too bad for you." Elrohir commented quickly, nearly interrupting the first-year boy who merely looked down at the floor and hurried away before anything else could be asked to him.
Sigrid smacked Elrohir hard in the shoulder, throwing a deathly glare at his twin who was laughing loudly nearby. "Don't be mean to him!"
"He already ran away." Elladan was the one to answer in between his chuckles. "It's not our fault he was so scared."
"Yule Ball?" Eowyn chimed in as she rested her pointy chin on her hand over the table, her grey-blue eyes sparkling almost too excitedly. "So there's one this year! There hasn't been one since our first year."
"Well, someone is excited about going." Elrohir smirked, eyeing Eowyn with a look that she knew could only mean she was about to be teased mercilessly. "Have a date already?"
All around them Sigrid could hear students huddling up in groups and whispering vigorously among themselves at the four long tables. Not far to her left, a group of Ravenclaw girls were giggling behind their hands in a way Sigrid found utterly annoying and unnecessary. Still, she herself could not hold back a spark of anticipation at the prospect of the grand Christmas ball, for it seemed that now that they were fourth years they would finally be allowed to attend. And then Elrohir had mentioned the issue of dates and her stomach had tied in tight knots, making her drop her half-eaten toast, no longer too hungry.
"No, I don't. Nobody has one yet!" Eowyn bit back at the younger twin, whose eyes only gleamed all the brighter. "And if I did I wouldn't tell you."
"Scared nobody will ask you?" Elrohir replied, nearly swallowing a fried egg whole as he spoke, only receiving a hit from Eowyn in return.
Oh, Sigrid was. She dropped her eyes to her own plate for a second, trying not to think on what Elrohir had just said. What if nobody asked her? That would be entirely too humiliating. No, she would not think of that yet.
"Nobody will ask you with that beautiful temper of yours!" Elrohir muttered as he rubbed his arms where Eowyn had hit him presumably a little too hard.
"Oh, I know who you are dying to ask, Ro." Sigrid could barely contain a laugh as Elladans' silver eyes gleamed mischievously at his twin from across the table, nearly chocking on her pumpkin juice.
"She's here." Eowyn whispered in an excited voice, having turned around and quickly scanned the Ravenclaw table with those eyes of hers who never seemed to miss anything. "Why not ask her now?"
"you can't be serious?" Elrohir looked alarmed under the taunting gazes his twin and friend were throwing him, a second away from scurrying out of the Great Hall and hiding away in the Common Room.
"Are you scared she'll say no?" She could not contain herself from teasing Elrohir as well, only managing for the younger twin to glare fiercely at her under the laughter of his twin.
"She won't be able to say no to me." He defended himself, even though he did not look as confident as he tried to sound, only making her shake her head lightly.
"Then ask her now, if you are so sure." Eowyn nudged him with her elbow, her mild grey eyes turned back to glance again at the long Ravenclaw table where minutes before Sigrid had caught sight of Sofina Wyne. The petite blue-eyes girl sat talking with a bunch of other girls, her shoulder long blond hair as usual tied up in a tight perfect ponytail.
"Are you mad?!" Elrohir was looking at Eowyn as if she had suddenly grown a third head, the egg that had been sitting on his fork dropping to his plate without him even noticing. "She's with her girl friends!"
Sigrid shook her head, fighting back a laugh as her brown eyes focused once more on the plate before her, not really listening as the twins continued to argue. Her eyes almost imperceptibly traveled behind her to glance at the long Slytherin table, not knowing from where her curiosity came from and yet not able to stop herself. Once again, she was disappointed. She found the younger Lasgalen sitting next to one corner, talking to a group of young Slytherin boys his age, large blue eyes, so similar yet so drastically different from that of his elder brother, gleaming in echo to his warm smile. The elder Lasgalen was once again nowhere to be seen.
Minutes later she found herself following the twins and Eowyn to the suffocating Divination classroom- something that resembled more of an enlarged attic really- sulking and complaining as they were once again instructed to read the future into their teacups. Why had she even continued taking Divination? She hated the subject. Everything about it seemed absurd. And yet the quiet chatter and whispers about the coming Yule Ball did not stop during the entire class, nor during the long period of Transfiguration that followed- where McGonagall kept throwing an exasperated glare at any student she caught whispering in her class, managing for Eddelina Costa to accidentally set her book into flames because she had been too distracted gossiping with Saturna Blackbourn to pay much attention to the instructions given. Even during Herbology, Felicia Wills, a tall brunette Hufflepuff– one of the prettiest girls in Hogwarts according to the twins, and one of the nicest, according to Sigrid- managed to get detention from Professor Sprout, her own Head of House, for not being able to remain quiet and pay attention during the lesson.
Luckily the excited chatter and whispers that filled the corridors and classrooms in the castle seemed to at least dim down a little as classes ended and the hungry, tired students made their slow march towards the Great Hall for dinner. Not that Sigrid had any interest in joining their friends where she knew conversation would once again trail around the Yule Ball, which they had learned was still nearly three weeks away.
And yet, her stomach once again tied into an uncomfortable mangle of knots, dreading and at the same time anticipating her meeting at the library. She had not caught a glimpse of the elder Lasgalen all day, not even during lunch time at the Great Hall. Perhaps there was a chance he would forget their meeting and not show up at the library? Part of her whished for that to be the case, and yet, oddly enough, part of her felt disappointed at the possibility. She was only glad that Eowyn seemed to have forgotten all about the Slytherin Seeker that day, no longer complaining about how unfair it was for his father to argue with Dumbledore about making his son attend detention.
"You are going to the library, I assume?" Eowyn said to her as they made their way back into the castle from Care of Magical Creatures. Sigrid had to admit that Hagrid was a good teacher, and yet she could not understand how anyone could call giant scorpions whose horns exploded in electric shocks and fire when touched 'cute'. At least Eowyn's disinterested voice indicated that her friend would not give up much of a fight today.
"Yeah." She shrugged, trying to sound casual and ignore the knot tying her stomach painfully. "We have a lot to read for Charms, in case you have forgotten."
"I haven't forgotten." Eowyn muttered with a sour expression on her face, as if being reminded of homework was already ruining her appetite, and Sigrid immediately regrettied the lie she had chosen. "I'll have to do that tomorrow before class."
"See you later at the Common Room?" Sigrid called back as she started to make her way through the thick crowd of third years descending from the Divination tower, who were flocking the enormous entrance hall.
"Yeah, sure!" Eowyn waved at her, jogging a couple of steps to catch up with the twins, who were already making it through the Great Hall's large open doors.
Just as she had expected the library was nearly empty a she pushed the thick wooden door open, Madam Pince peeking over one of the shelves at her before continuing sorting through heavy tomes. It was comfortably quiet in the large darkened room, free of the many low whispers that coated it during the day, where students worked frantically to get their assignments done in time.
He was already there. She swallowed once, trying in vain to keep her nerves under control as she purposely walked in his direction. He was sitting at the same table he had picked last time she had shared her notes with him, farthest from the bight comforting fire and instead underneath a long mullioned window. He had not looked up as she approached, his icy blue eyes focused on a thick open book lying at the table in front of him, his long silvery hair falling like moonlight over his perfectly muscled shoulders.
"Hi." She whispered as she dropped her bag carelessly on the floor next to her, pulling back the chair right in front of him. For once she decided that fighting again over his table choice was not worth it, not sure as to why he liked that window so much. The view was one of the poorest ones in the entire castle.
His eyes looked up to meet hers, cold blue irises that she was sure could turn anything into ice, always as expressionless as his face, his hands slowly closing the large book he had been reading. 'The Wizard's Guide to Flesh-Eating Plants and Vines' read on the pristine looking cover as he casted it aside in a slow elegant move.
"Herbology assignment?" She asked him shortly, nodding her head in the direction of the discarded book. If that was what was in store for her during her sixth year she was really starting to reconsidered ever wanting to pass her Herbology O.W.L. next year. She did not look forward to anything that had the word Flesh-Eating on it.
"Yes." He said, throwing the book a reproachful look, as it had somehow been rude to him, one of his perfect eyebrows arched at her. "Due Wednesday."
"I didn't know you were taking Herbology." She murmured, somehow not able to imagine his tall regal figure down in the Greenhouses with Professor Sprout. The Hufflepuff Head of House must barely reach his elbow in height.
"Why would you know? You have never asked." His velvet lined voice was once again cold yet not hostile, merely disinterested, unreadable.
"What other classes are you taking?" She found herself asking before she could stop herself, watching as that perfect eyebrow rose high on his forehead again, piercing eyes studying her.
"Anyway-" She started with a slight shake of her head when she thought he would not answer her question, and was surprised into silence when his low peaceful voice echoed through the space with its usual calmed tone.
"Charms, Transfigurations, Arithmancy, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Potions." She stared at him as he spoke, for a second slightly taken aback by the fact that he had replied at all. And yet, his face was still as expressionless as ever, a perfect heavenly statue carved in cold hard marble.
"Er – Right." She muttered quickly, hating that she could not find anything else to say as she used that precise moment to dig her hands into her school bag and pull out her worn and battered potions notebook. All the while she could feel the piercing weight of those icy irises staring silently at her, making her incredibly uncomfortable.
"This-" She said pointing at the beginning of a page near the middle of her notebook "-Is what you missed."
He nodded his head, his eyes looking amusedly at the page she had indicated, a smirk she despised so much curving on his lips as he took in her messy handwriting and the many crossed-out words in the page.
"You make many spelling mistakes, I can see. It's barely readable." His voice mirrored his smirk as he spoke in that tone that made anger boil through her veins.
"I make those on purpose just to make your task of copying them harder." She smirked in return, the words out of her mouth before she could realize it, yet she felt proud for them. If he wanted to insult her and outsmart her with his witty comments, she could play along.
And yet, to her utmost surprise, he laughed. A single chuckle left his mouth, the sound once again reminding her oddly of silver bells, for a second breaking through his ice cold façade before he was once again that perfect stone statue. "Of course you do."
She lowered her eyes to her own work, once again oddly at a loss of what to say, merely throwing him a half-hearted glare. Instead she picked up her quill, watching him as he did the same, starting to copy her notes in his neat perfect calligraphy on a blank piece of parchment. And it was then that she noticed. His left hand was no longer bandaged, not even showing signs that it had ever been, and had she not seen it with her own eyes the previous day at their potions lessons, she would have never believed it had ever been hurting him.
The skin looked as flawless as it always did, not a single mark or scar or anything present on it, as he used both of his hands with equal ease. She also noticed that he no longer looked as tired as he had the previous day, his skin his usual pale color, yet no longer looking unhealthy, the shadows under his eyes gone. She wanted to ask him about it, wanted to ask what it was that happened to him, and yet decided against it. For the moment, she would not ask.
"You do make so many mistakes." He muttered once again amusedly as he shook his handsome head, as if he found it funny to provoke her, eyes narrowing as if trying to decipher something in her notes.
"Well, Snape speaks fast." She defended herself as she glared at him once more, knowing that it was a blunt lie. Nobody spoke slower or dragged words more than Snape. And yet she was slightly thankful that he only chose to raise a perfect eyebrow at her once more instead of commenting on it.
"Did you hear about the Yule Ball?" He changed the topic of the conversation, eyes once again not looking up at her as his face remained as disinterested in the topic as his voice. And yet she could not understand why his sudden interest in small talk once again.
"Of course I did." She muttered, knowing now for sure that he must have taken it as a personal goal to annoy and torture her to no end. "Everyone did"
"Are you going?" He asked again, and she once more felt perplexed by his words, even though he still sounded as disinterested in the Ball as before.
"why do you care?" Her words came out a little harsher than she had expected them, and yet she swore she saw that familiar smirk gleaming concealed in his glacier eyes, as if he had been expecting that same answer. "It's not as if we are friends."
"Oh, we are not friends." He replied in that same humored tone that always managed to make her want to glower at him fiercely, still sitting tall and royally right in front of her. "You have made that very clear."
"Good." She snapped back, hating how she could feel those stunning ice colored eyes piercing through her as if he could read each and every single one of her thoughts. "And, no. I am not going to the Yule Ball."
What? From where had that come from? And yet her voice had sounded so sure of herself that she was almost proud she had not let it slip that it was a clear big lie. Ice blue eyes lifted in her direction, all the weight of them scrutinizing her for a long moment, silent, expressionless. And then, his lips curved up, that smirk returning to his face as his eyes gleamed almost too brightly at her, too full of enjoyment.
"You have no one to go with." He spoke each word almost as a victorious whisper, as though just realizing them as they left his mouth, seeming to have known he had dotted right on target. She could nearly feel the laughter in his voice, and for a second she was sure she hated him as much as the twins and Eowyn did, and she could understand now why.
"That is not the case!" She nearly snarled at him, who immediately raised both of his hands defensively in the air, in a gesture of peace.
"Really?" He asked, clearly not seeming to believe her, that eyebrow that she wanted to snatch out of his face once again arched at her. "Who are you going with, then?"
"I said that I am not going." She clarified, stressing each and every single syllable, wondering if she should not just snatch her notebook from in front of him and storm out of the library.
"You really ought to socialize more, Bowman." He whispered, his voice that regal tone that she was sure younger students would gape at, his eyes not looking up from his piece of parchment where his exquisite expensive-looking quill danced. "You are always so bitter."
"You are telling me about socializing?" She could not hold back an incredulous laugh from leaving her lips, earning a fierce glare from Madam Pince that forced her to lower her tone before continuing. "You. Who barely have any friends at all!"
"At least I have someone to go to the Yule Ball with." He replied, his voice always that perfectly calmed, perfectly gentle tone, and she didn't understand why her stomach sunk so deeply as it did when she understood that of course he would be taking his girlfriend to the Ball. She could already picture her, her slim perfect figure in the probably the most beautiful and expensive dress in the Ball, twirling from his arm. And still, why did she care about it? He was infuriating! Had just mocked her to no end!
"Guess she must be the luckiest girl in Hogwarts, to get to go to the Ball with such wonderful company as you." She bit back, feeling rage poisoning her veins with every word, a pang of guilt forming in her stomach as she thought that perhaps in her ire she was being too harsh, but he did not look offended at all by her words, merely once again looking entertained.
"Get up." He commanded suddenly, eyes looking slightly bored as he rose to his feet, throwing his quill and parchments hastily in to his bag.
"What?" Was all that left her mouth, suddenly stunned as he too packed her books into her own bag, her previous rage suddenly vanished to be replaced by utter confusion.
"Get up." He repeated in that same commanding voice, icy eyes glancing at her as she immediately rose to her feet, not knowing why the mere tone of his voice made her instantly obey. Was he angry with her? Oh, she had definitely done it this time. He must be furious at her words. And yet his voice had not sounded angered at all.
"Follow me." Was all he added, his feet already walking out of the candle-lit library on long strides, making her have to run to be able to catch up. He has rushing through the empty corridors of the castle, not even seeming to pay much attention as he expertly turned left, then right, then left again, then down a wide set of stone steps, as if he knew the way all too well.
"Where are we going?" She whispered as she followed his silvery head down another large staircase, having the feeling that they were headed towards the castle's dungeons, her heart half-racing in her chest at the prospect of a professor catching them walking through the corridors at night. It was not yet after hours, so they would not be in trouble, and yet she could not help but worry about it.
"To have fun." He replied without so much as turning to glance in her direction, taking left on another wide corridor that this time held no windows. Oh, yes, they were definitely near the dungeons now, she could feel the air getting thicker and humid as they walked.
"Fun?" She questioned, not understanding what he was saying, or where they were headed.
"Yes, Bowman, fun. Have you ever heard of that?" He turned to face her briefly as he walked in a quick pace, icy blue eyes once again smirking at her perplexed expression. "You are in desperate need of having some fun without feeling the need to be calculating and wary and cautious about everything. You get angry too easily."
"I do not get angr-" She stared to hiss in return, only to fall silent as his eyes turned to glare at her with a look that said 'see?'. Still she wanted to tell him that he was the one who was always cautious and hostile and everything else, not her.
He suddenly stopped, making her nearly run into his back in surprise, having to catch herself just in time. For a second she was once again confused as she found him staring at a blank stone wall in a dead-ended corridor. Even the air smelled of water down here, the grim greenish light bouncing beautifully over the emerald lining of his Slytherin school robes.
"Wait here." He instructed her, once again in that velvet coated calmed voice that left no hint as to what was going through his mind. "Stand where you will not be seen."
He nodded to the corner they had just turned, and she didn't know why she immediately obeyed, walking to hide behind the corner and next to a different corridor. She could barely see him, his tall elegant figure standing right in front of the stone wall. He whispered something, the words too low for her to hear and yet she could barely stifle a gasp as the stone wall suddenly slid open, revealing a narrow passage through which he slipped through. Her heart raced inside her chest, wondering at what would Eowyn or the twins say if they knew she was seeing the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room. Not that she would ever remember the way down here anyway.
Only seconds later she heard the stone wall open again, the grinding sound making her feel as if the whole castle was shaking. He came out of the narrow opening, his figure impossible to miss with his long silvery hair and tall regal stance, walking quickly in her direction. She jumped out of her hiding spot, wary, looking at him for a moment before her eyes fell on the item he held firmly with his right hand.
"No." Her eyes widened, crossing her arms defiantly over her chest as a pang of panic swept over her body at the sight of the broomstick he carried. It looked expensive, definitely the newest fastest model available by the looks of its elegant polished wood, even though she didn't know much about broomsticks to be able to tell. "No way."
"Come on." He signaled with a hand for her to follow, walking past her and rushing through the corridors nearly the same way they had come.
"What do you think you are doing with that?" She eyed the broom as if it was a dangerous object capable of casting the worst, most torturous Dark Magic. And yet, she followed him, not keen either on the idea of being left behind down by the Slytherin dungeon alone.
"You are going to fly it." He replied matter-of-fact-ly, as it was the most obvious thing in the world, only making her eyes widen more as she struggled to catch up with him.
"No!" She said sternly, trying to make her point as clear as possible, not knowing why she continued to follow him now down the snow covered grounds towards the large Quidditch Pitch. She should just head back and return to the Gryffindor tower. And yet, she followed him. "I will not do that."
"Why not?" He asked her lightly, stopping his march right in the middle of the snow covered pitch, turning around to face her.
The Quidditch Pitch was completely empty, as she he had no doubt known it would be, no House holding practice that night. It occurred to her then that she had never been there before. Not in the field itself, only always at the seats piled up for students to watch. She could not help as her eyes almost immediately turned up, looking at the two pairs of three hoops stretching tall at either end of the filed, suddenly looking way taller from down here.
"Because I hate flying. I have told you that." She replied, trying to stress her words firmly, her eyes returning to look at him. His skin looked as white and flawless as the snow pooling at their feet, making his hair look even paler than usual in the frail moonlight as those cold blue eyes stared at her for a long moment.
"Which I still believe is insane." There it was, that perfect eyebrow once more, taking a step closer to her as he spoke, still holding to his broomstick. "And you have only tried it once, you said so yourself. Try it again."
"No." She shook her head, watching in fear as he swung one of his long legs over the broomstick, ready to rise high in the air at any second.
"Why are you always so wary about everything?" She thought he would roll his eyes at her at the tone of his voice, yet he did not, his face always that calmed perfectly composed mask, so absurdly handsome. One of his long fingered hands stretched in her direction, inviting her to mount the broomstick behind him, and still she hesitated.
"What if-" She did not finish her sentence, part of her curious about mounting the broomstick behind him, yet the majority of her dreaded the thought of it, feeling nauseous only at the prospect of finding herself without her feet safely pressed on the ground.
"You will not fall." He seemed to have read her mind, his hand still stretched out to her, waiting patiently for her to take it. And she wanted to take it, feaedr it too deeply and at the same time wanted it.
"Not so brave for a Gryffindor?" He chuckled, and that made it, her eyes throwing him one last glare before she accepted his hand, letting him help her behind him as she almost reluctantly wrapped her thin arms around his middle.
"Ready?" He whispered behind his back to her, the soft iced breeze toying with his long silver strands of hair.
"No." She replied firmly, trying to swallow the fear that was pooling inside of her.
But he did not listen to her, seconds after stomping his foot on the snow and she felt life slipping out of her as they dashed abruptly upwards. Her eyes closed tightly immediately, trying with all of her might to concentrate on anything but the absence of anything solid underneath her now dangling feet, her arms tightening around his torso so fiercely she thought she would break at least one of his ribs. She opened one eye only a slit, feeling her heart jolt wildly as she looked how far below her feet the ground was, feeling as if she would pass out.
"Not so high!" She nearly yelled into his ear, crushing his middle all the more tightly. She was going to die here. She was going to die tonight. She hated flying. Now she could remember why.
"We are barely ten feet high." He complained with another light musical laugh, a sound that seemed so unlike anything she ever expected coming from him. At least one of them was having fun. And yet, she felt him expertly slow the broomstick to a stop.
"It is high enough." She replied, not able to make her voice sound nearly as steady as she wished for it to sound, closing her eyes again at the dizziness she felt from simply looking at the snow covered ground below.
"Can we move again now?" He asked her, not seeming to be enjoying sitting on a broomstick and remaining still on the air, when he could just dash around the air at unbelievable speed. Speed. Oh, no. She was definitely going to be sick now.
"Slowly." She warned him, bracing herself against the fear that continued to pool inside her stomach. "And I mean it, Lasgalen. Slowly."
"Alright." He shook his head slightly, another bell like chuckle leaving his mouth, inclining himself forward ever so slightly as the broomstick started to move forward at a steady slow pace.
"Thank you." She breathed out a sigh of relief, letting her hold on his torso lessen slightly at the comfortable slow pace.
"You cannot possibly be enjoying this pace?" He muttered, seeming half-amused, half- annoyed at the painfully slow pace they followed. Even a running person would pass them by. She could nearly hear the frustration in his voice, as if wanting nothing more than to dash at full speed upwards as high as he possibly could. Bu then again, she guessed that for him, a talented Quidditch player, this pace would even be considered an insult. Not even Tilda rode this slowly.
And yet, something in him had changed, so imperceptibly she almost thought she had made it up. She could not tell how, or why, but it was as if the second his feet had been off the ground a large portion of the ice cold wall that seemed to always surround him had vanished, as if being on the air liberated him from a heavy weight that choked him and suffocated him when down on the ground. It was so confusing, so overly strange.
"Yes, I am." She replied, once again pronouncing her words carefully and clearly as if not to give him any ideas.
"Hold tight." He warned her, and for a second she felt her heart flip.
"No." She rushed to say, even though she did hold tighter, holding on nearly for her life. "No! Lasgalen! No! I mean it!"
She cried out in fright, her words utterly and completely ignored by the Slytherin Seeker, who suddenly made the broomstick dash nearly vertically upwards. She was too shocked to even think about closing her eyes as everything seemed smaller and smaller below her. The iced wind slapped furiously at her face as he zoomed wildly around the air, suddenly going forwards and flying through one of the goal hoops, a scream leaving her throat as she thought they were going to crash into it.
And it did not stop there, he went higher and higher, her heart threatening to stop beating as the forbidden forest grew into a tiny dark mass below her feet, the castle small below her, looking more like a dollhouse. She could not tell exactly how fast they were going but she was sure it had to be the broomstick's full speed, because it felt as if nothing could ever go faster than they currently were.
And then, as if making it his mission to frighten her to death, he suddenly headed for the lake inclining forward and making them drop almost vertically downward. She would have screamed but could no longer find her voice, feeling her stomach in her throat at the fall, the black mirror surface of the lake coming closer and closer and closer, and they were going to crash, they were to smash against the water and they…they turned, the broom flying straight forward once more, the water's surface only couple of meters below their feet, the broomstick slowing to a more enjoyable pace.
She let out a shaky breath she had not even realized she had been holding, amazed at the fact that she was still alive. Merlin, she was alive. And yet, for once she was happy to be flying, her legs suddenly feeling like jelly, and she knew she would not be able to stand had she been on the ground.
"Are you alright?" His voice spoke through the wind that still smacked across their faces, although gentler now that they had lowered their speed. She nodded her head, sure that her voice would not come out even if she tried to speak.
And yet, there was something else rushing through her body at the moment, as powerful and overwhelming as her fear, seeming to be quenching it, to make her senses sharper, every feeling magnified. Adrenaline. It was pure, intoxicating adrenaline. When was the last time she had ever felt this rush of excitement? This pure enjoyment at letting something go out of her control for once? And oddly, against any other reaction she had ever expected, even as her legs continued to shake like pudding, she laughed. And she could not stop, nervous trembling giggles continuing to leave her mouth wildly.
"That, was the scariest thing I have ever done." She spoke, her voice shaking as much as her legs and giggles, listening to his own suddenly carefree laughter ring on the air. Some distance below their feet, the black expanse of the lake stretched almost immensely, the pale moonbeams reflecting in odd silver swirls over its surface.
"It wasn't so bad." He called behind his back to her, and for the first time she found herself agreeing with him.
"No. I guess it wasn't." She shook her head, letting him guide the broomstick a little higher, going in a wide curve before seeming to be heading back towards the Quidditch Pitch.
"How did you learn to fly like that?" She found herself asking, not able to stop herself, her smile still wide as she continued to chuckle and squeal at any unexpected turn of the broom.
"Practice." He replied with a shrug, the view of the castle with its million tiny yellow-lit windows coming closer to them as they flew. "I got my first broom when I was five."
"Is it this one?" She asked, slightly taken aback by his voluntary sharing of any sort of personal information, for the first time her tone matching his, neither of them hostile or snapping at each other.
"Of course not." He chuckled at her question, as if suggesting that it was simply ridiculous, but then again, she knew nothing about broomsticks.
"What happened to that one then?" She gripped tighter to his torso as they flew upward once more, following the massive height of the Astronomy Tower.
"I crashed it." He admitted, making her let out a long laugh. "Against a big ancient tree in our backyard."
"Sounds like something I would have done." She muttered with a hardly concealed giggled as he carefully landed over the top of the Astronomy Tower, the tallest tower in Hogwarts, helping her down before dismounting himself.
Just as she had expected, her legs had indeed been turned to jelly, shaking and buckling as she let herself fall backwards upon the stone floor, her arms outstretched to her sides, taking in long breaths. She felt as if she had been mere inches from dying and had somehow miraculously survived. He laughed at her, his expression for once not blank, eyes slightly softer than their usual piercing sharpness, shaking his silvery head at her.
"And your father let you have another broom after you crashed the first one?" It was her turn to raise an eyebrow at him, still unable to control her sporadic adrenaline filled giggles as she took deep calming breaths, propping herself on her elbows to be able to look at him better.
"Yes." He nodded his head, smiling strangely at her as he studied her carefully, as it finding her entirely too odd for him to understand. "Although I was more scared of getting onto a broomstick again than he was of me crashing it for a second time."
"I do not believe that." She snorted at him as she sat up straighter, her limbs regaining some of their stability. Her hands pulled her school robes closer to her body. It was freezing out here. It would be a miracle if neither of them got a cold after flying like that in the ice cold night air only in their school robes.
"Oh yeah." He laughed at her one more. "He had to nearly tie me onto it."
"And then?" She looked up at him, finding nearly impossible to match the person standing right in front of her to the one she had nearly wanted to murder at the library only minutes ago. And oddest of all, he was still smiling at her, a smile that for the first time did not feel forced, cold or controlled, it seemed almost real, going charmingly higher on his right cheek than his left.
"I didn't crash it again, if that is your question." He completed his tale, letting out another strangely unguarded chuckle as he pulled her to stand on her feet. "I merely flew it for a couple of hours and then returned into the house and ate nearly all of Legolas' Christmas candy. He was only two, so he didn't even notice."
She laughed along with him, shaking her head as her hands carefully straightened her school robes, brushing away the few snow patches accumulating near the hem. Then, she followed him down the long spiraling steps and into the warmth of the castle. It was definitely late now, but perhaps she would manage not to get caught on her way back to the Gryffindor tower.
"I thought you said you did not like candy?" She realized what he had just said in his story, gazing at him curiously.
"I don't." He just shrugged his shoulders, walking beside her through the long spiraling steps.
"Goodnight, Bowman." He added as he turned left once they reached the landing of the seemingly endless staircase, turning onto a corridor that she guessed must lead back down towards the dungeons.
"Goodnight." She waved hand, finding herself slightly confused and strangely amused. Against anything she had expected, she had enjoyed the time with him, even though it felt so puzzling to her, so ungraspable. It had been fun.
"And we are still not friends." She added just as he turned his back to her, trying to sound as short as she usually addressed him, and finding that she could not.
"I know that." He did not turn around as he spoke, even though she could hear the smile on his voice, watching him disappear around a corner….
Here is chapter 11! I hope you enjoy it! Finally these two seem to soften a little…anyway the mystery will continue on with the next chapter! So many things to find out!
Thank you thank you thank you to: Amsim, Win Lockwood, VanyaNoldo22, It'sBeenARealSlice, Rose61393 and ErynielGreenleaf for commenting on the last chapter. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your comments and it made my day to know you enjoyed the chapter even those two only bicker at each other!
Love,
Elena