Impossible Love

Chapter Two – The First Feast

With the Sorting Ceremony over for another year and a batch of wide-eyed first years sorted into their new houses, the start-of-term banquet had begun in earnest. Golden plates and goblets were filled and thousands of candles floated above the tables, illuminating the hall. The Great Hall had been restored to its former glory since the end of the Second Wizarding War, and the enchanted ceiling reflected the cloudless night sky.

Hestia reached across the table to help herself to more roast potatoes.

"So let me get this straight," she began as she piled more food onto her plate. "You pretended to be a Professor, flirted with Neville Longbottom and you're only just telling me this now?!"

Lara signed deeply.

"I didn't pretend to be a Professor … he just assumed and I didn't correct him," Lara explained. "And I didn't realise he was Neville Longbottom…"

Lara was interrupted by a disbelieving scoff from Hestia.

"Really I didn't. He just said he was called Neville, and I didn't make the connection."

Hestia raised her eyebrows at that and pointedly turned her head to stare at the High Table. Professor Longbottom was sat between Hagrid and Professor Flitwick; he was enthusiastically chatting to his former teachers and seemed to look anywhere in the Hall except at the Hufflepuff table.

"How in the name of Merlin did you not make that connection?" persisted Hestia. "When McGonagall announced his appointment, it was all over the Prophet."

Lara had been pushing her food around her plate, unable to eat, since the conversation began. With a decisive glance up to the High Table, she placed her knife and fork together on her plate, incapable of ignoring the feeling of nausea that had been with her since the eventful train journey.

"Well that might have been the case, but my mum doesn't get the Daily Prophet. Muggle-born, remember?" offered Lara by way of an explanation. "I knew that he seemed familiar; I just didn't think it was because of his war hero status. I would have recognised Harry Potter - Neville was just so friendly and so … I didn't stop to think."

Hestia looked over her friend with a new curiosity. Lara's face was generally like an open book with her feelings written in bold ink all over it. Tonight was no exception. It was clear from her face that Lara felt intensely embarrassed by proceedings on the train, yet Hestia also detected something else in the face of her best friend…

"Oh. Wow. You actually were flirting with him, weren't you?" Hestia's eyes widened in surprise at the realisation. She'd only been joking earlier on.

Lara half-grimaced, half-smiled.

"Yes, is that so bad?" she admitted.

"Erm, no?" said Hestia, with her voice rising questioningly as she sought to lesson Lara's feelings of embarrassment. "Look, I guess it could be worse. You could have done more than flirt with him."

Lara looked at her friend's smiling and mischievous face and laughed.

"Considering the second conversation took place with Jamie Burke in the compartment, more than flirting would be wrong on so many levels." said Lara.

Lara and Hestia were silent for a moment, whilst that particular mental image hit home. In unison, the laughter began, and the girls were soon gasping for breath and struggling to regain their composure. Their classmates, unaware of the joke, looked at them with bemused expressions until the newly-arrived towering desserts captured their attentions once more.

Having relieved some of the tension, Lara placed a slice of chocolate cake on her plate, resolving to try to eat something at least. She was about to place the first spoonful in her mouth when she sensed the presence of someone behind her. A scent that was woody and citrus and masculine filled the air.

"At least you're eating something now," Jamie said. "Although I'm not sure that could be called a balanced diet, Hepworth."

Rolling her eyes, Lara placed the spoon back down to her plate and turned around.

"Do you want something, Burke?" said Lara. "Or are you merely here to interrupt my dessert?"

Jamie smirked at her.

"There are a number of things that I want … but I'm just here to pass a message on. McGonagall wants to see us after the prefects take the students up to their common rooms."

"Oh. Alright. Thanks for letting me know," said Lara awkwardly.

Message conveyed, Jamie made his way back to the Slytherin table. He was aware that a number of female eyes observed his progress across the hall with interest.

"It's good to see that Jamie is his usual friendly self this year," said Hestia with sarcasm.

"Tell me about it," replied Lara. "The cheek of him to practically tell me I should eat healthier. We can't all be toned athletes like he is."

Lara resumed eating her chocolate cake with vigour. Nobody at Hogwarts got under her skin quite like James Burke did. During the last few years in particular, she never knew which Jamie she would be dealing with. At times he was almost sweet, but the rest of the time it was as if he couldn't suppress the smirking, vaguely sadistic side to him. He never did anything specifically to Lara. She just always felt as if he was trying to tease her and provoke a reaction, even when he was being nice. Lara had been trying to give back as good as she got, yet every so often it was as if Jamie switched the rules of their bickering and she felt clueless once again. Like today, there had been flashes of sweetness and swathes of arrogance. It was enough to give a girl a headache.

When everyone had finished eating, the desserts disappeared once more and Professor McGonagall stood to her feet to address the school.

"Before you head off to your dormitories for a restful night ahead of lessons resuming tomorrow, I have a few short announcements to make.

"Firstly, some of you may already have recognised our newest member of staff … I would like you all to extend a warm welcome to our new Herbology Professor, Neville Longbottom."

Whoops and cheers erupted at this announcement, especially from the Gryffindor table, as students craned to get a good look at their new teacher. Neville waved clumsily, looking around the hall at the sea of students in front of him. His eyes lighted on Lara, and his brows creased together in a slight frown.

"Secondly," continued Professor McGonagall. "Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Please see your House Quidditch Captains or Madam Hooch for further details.

"And finally, I am pleased to announce that this year's Halloween Ball will also commemorate 25 years since the end of the First Wizarding War, and we will be joined at Hogwarts by various Ministry officials to mark the event."

Excited murmurs greeted this piece of news as students speculated who would be in attendance.

"Now it is time to say goodnight," said McGonagall. "Prefects, if you could lead your Houses up to your common rooms…"

This was the cue which the prefects had been waiting for as they jumped to their feet to marshal students through the corridors and up to bed. The teachers also filtered out of the doors, leaving Lara, Jamie and Professor McGonagall in the Great Hall.

"Welcome back," said Professor McGonagall. "I trust the train journey was uneventful?"

"Erm …" started Lara.

"Yes, very much so, Professor," said Jamie in response.

McGonagall quirked an eyebrow at Lara's unusual bout of inarticulacy.

"I'm glad to hear it. Follow me," said McGonagall as she led the way swiftly out of the hall. "As Head Boy and Head Girl, you are representatives of not only your own houses, but the student population as a whole. You need to be approachable and accessible to students from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw as well as Hufflepuff and Slytherin."

They weaved through the now quiet corridors as the rest of the school settled in to their dormitories. They were on the fifth floor, and had just passed the statue of Boris the Bewildered, when Professor McGonagall came to a halt in front of an ornate door.

"In addition to being accessible to all students, you also need to hold meetings with prefects," stated McGonagall. "And you two need to be a team."

At this, McGonagall stared pointedly at the two of them.

"Professor, we know all this," said Jamie. "Is there something else you mean to tell us?"

"Yes, there is, Mr Burke."

McGonagall fixed her piercing green eyes on them and produced two identical sets of keys from her robe.

"This year it has been decided that the Heads of School will share a common area rather than separate accommodation," she stated as she placed one of the keys in the lock and turned it. "Welcome to your common room…"

She pushed the door open to reveal a large yet cosy room. Along the back wall, to the side of where they had just entered, was a great open fireplace with two comfortable tartan sofas in front of it and a soft rug covering the stone flags beneath. On the other side of the fireplace was another door with a key in the lock. The room was practically symmetrical if split down the middle of the fireplace, and each side also had a desk, chair, and bookcases as well as a spiral staircase leading up to a second floor. What was most breath-taking about the room though was the expansive window that faced them. The view stretched out from the shore of the Great Lake and into the bounds of the Forbidden Forest, with the mountains outside the grounds just visible in the encroaching darkness.

"We believe this space offers you both sufficient privacy as well as the opportunity to work closely in partnership with each other," continued McGonagall. "The adjoining room can be accessed from your living space as well as a separate entrance from the corridor outside. It will be an ideal space for meeting with the Prefect Team."

Lara's face told of her shock at this development. Whatever she was expecting Professor McGonagall to speak to them about, it certainly wasn't this. To spend her final year at Hogwarts in close quarters with Jamie was far from ideal. Although Lara did have to admit, the living space was beautiful.

"Miss Hepworth, here are your keys," said McGonagall, handing Lara one of the sets. "You'll find your things have been brought up to your room." She gestured to the stairs on the left-hand side of the room.

"Mr Burke, here are yours and again your things will already be up there," she gestured this time to the stairs on the right.

"I'll leave you both now to settle in."

McGonagall exited the room leaving the confused pair in her wake.

"Did you know about this?" Jamie demanded.

Lara was still trying to take in what had just happened and was running her hand along the mahogany desk to the side of her.

"No of course not," she finally replied. "I'm as shocked as you are. And none too pleased either."

Jamie was pacing up and down the centre of the room as if he'd suddenly been caged with his worst nightmare. Even his dark auburn hair seemed full of tension.

"Look," said Lara. "It won't be that bad, I guess. You've got your space; I've got mine. In between classes and duties and friends, we'll hardly be in here I bet."

Jamie stopped pacing and looked up at Lara. Then it was like the mask dropped back into place.

"Well thank Merlin for that," he said.

Without giving her a second glance, Jamie walked across the room and up his staircase. When he reached the top, he placed one of the keys in the lock and opened the door.

"Goodnight," Lara called up.

There was no response as Jamie slammed the door shut behind him.

Lara dropped her shoulders and sighed in defeat. If he was going to be like that all year, she doubted whether they'd last the year, never mind make a good team. Grasping the keys tightly in her hands, Lara climbed the left staircase to her room, hoping the bed was large and comfortable. Merlin knows, she needed a good night's sleep.