Ann woke to a bright, sunny room that smelled of liniment and something sweet. She blinked in confusion before the thought hit her.
I lost it. I lost it, and they all saw. They know.
She felt tears well up again, but before she could actually start to sob, a small neat woman bustled in.
"How are we feeling, dear? You've had a good night's rest, I daresay you're a little better for it. You really do need to eat more, dear- your friends said you didn't eat anything at dinner. You'll be going back to your dormitory today, just in time to start classes tomorrow." The woman bustled about, placing a stack of clothing on Ann's bed.
"Now, you just get dressed and run along. I believe the other students are at lunch."
Ann crept out of the bed and slipped into her clothes. She left the infirmary reluctantly, wishing she had never woken up at all.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
As she entered the Great Hall, she saw Ron waving to her. She hesitated, considering not sitting with them but off to the side, alone. How could she face them, any of thm, after last night?
She sighed. No, refusing to sit with them would be suspicious and would only lead to more questions she didn't want to answer. Harry was already curious, she knew. She'd have to be very careful around him- funny, though, she seemed to want to tell him things...
The three shot each other significant looks as she seated herself. The conversation stayed far away from the events of the night before, instead covering course assignments, Quidditch, and whether or not Moaning Myrtle would flood the bathroom by the end of the first week.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ann hurried out of the Hall after busying herself with a few slices of bread. She wanted to get away from the others before they started asking questions about why she hadn't eaten anything again.
"Ann! Wait up, Ann!" She flinched inwardly. Harry.
She turned to see the tall boy running toward her, his face open and friendly. "Where are you off to, then?"
She flushed slightly. "Umm..I-I don't really know. I just wanted to get some fresh air."
Harry grinned at her. "Sorry if we bored you with all that in-group stuff. You're the first new person in our year since we Sorted, so we forget you don't know all this stuff."
"There's so much I don't know," she murmured. "Everything is so different here, I just don't know if I'll ever get the hang of it." She shook her head dejectedly, staring at the ground.
"Hey." Harry stopped abruptly. "You'll be fine. Don't worry too much, okay?" His bright green eyes searched hers. She looked skeptical. "No, really. Look, if there's something you don't know or if someone gives you a hard time or something, just come find one of us and we'll help."
He grinned at her again. She had a sudden faint feeling in her knees, as if she had dropped off a cliff.
That smile, oh gods that smile! That smile is going to get me in trouble...
"Here, come on. You don't look reassured. How about a tour of the grounds?"
Ann shook her head. Harry's breath caught as her silky auburn hair swirled around her head.
"Why not? C'mon, I promise I won't bite you or leave you out in the Forest or something," he teased.
Won't he ever quit? Can't he see I'm afraid to be alone with him? Gods, all he'll have to do is smile at me, and I'll tell him all kinds of things, and then he'll hate me.
"Please? If you don't have fun, you can hit me. You can't beat that deal, can you?"
"Fine. Fine. I guess I need to be able to find my way around tomorrow anyway."
"Great!" He tugged on the sleeve of her robe. "Let's start outside- it's too pretty to be indoors."