43 Thursday, October 31st

It was the day of the Halloween feast in the Great Hall. Classes had been cancelled, and many of the students were taking advantage of the fact to hang out with their friends, dress up, and get festive. Several others, albeit not nearly as many, were taking advantage of the chance to study.

Noelle had done the latter, still not in great spirits after everything that had transpired that week. She knew too that she would need to catch up after having missed Wednesday's lessons. She sat, propped up in bed, with her notes and books scattered around her. On her bedside were two envelopes, both unopened, having arrived the day prior. She hadn't brought herself yet to open them.

Tapping her chin with the feather of her quill, she eyed the mail. With a groan, she tossed the book in her lap aside and returned the quill to its inkpot, grabbing the first of the two.

She opened it in a rush, pulling the paper free of its casing. "From Professor Slughorn…" She realized, checking the signature at the bottom of the page first. Scanning the paper, she mentally facepalmed and tossed the letter aside, where it mixed in with her homework. "Great. My first dinner with the professor and I completely disregard it." Pinching the bridge of her nose she returned to her homework, though her thoughts were anywhere but. "I'll tell him I didn't feel well. If I apologize, I'm sure he'll understand, right?"

A few minutes ticked by and she realized she was staring at the same paragraph, having made no progress.

Margaret poked her head into the room. "Noelle. There's a boy asking for you."

Noelle raised an eyebrow, welcoming the distraction. "Who?"

Margaret shrugged. "Ravenclaw."

Noelle shoved her notes out of the way, clearing a space to get up. She pulled her hood up and walked past Margaret, hearing the girl keep pace behind. "Possibly Paul?" She wondered.

"Surprised anyone's friends would brave coming into the dungeons. Especially on Halloween." She made ghost sounds and giggled, stopping at the one of the couches and allowing Noelle to continue on alone.

Noelle stepped out into the hall and looked both ways, spotting a Ravenclaw cloak from behind. "Hey." The boy turned around and she felt her heart lurch. "Azraeyn."

He smiled and took a step towards her. "Hey Noelle. Since you didn't return my letter, I thought I would just come in person."

She turned away, eyes wide, glad for her hood. She thought to the other unopened letter on her desk and cringed. "What do you need? Is this about my missing the game yesterday?"

His footsteps faltered, and she felt, rather than saw, his frown. "No. I was just worried about you when you didn't show. I haven't seen you since Kade's party."

She couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up and out of her throat. "Yeah." She scoffed. "I imagine there's a reason for that."

"Anyways…" He trailed off, sucking in a breath. "Since you're obviously okay, I guess my next question is, are you planning to go to the feast tonight?"

She thought about it, having not decided yet herself. "No." She breathed. "Probably not." Even though it had been her decision, she still felt the disappointment sink down into her heart.

"Why not?" He stepped closer.

She chuckled again. "Well, let's see. My friends and I are on the outs, the guy I like knows I like him, I'm going to fail my classes if I can't focus enough to study, and half of my house is either out to get me, or doesn't care." She folded her arms. "Yeah, I think that about sums it up."

"What?" He stopped in front of her and she tilted her head down so he couldn't see her face. "I mean, the first two I get, but I don't see how one missed day will make or break you, unless you're playing hooky more than I know, and what's this about your house?" He lowered his voice.

"Nothing, forget it." She turned towards the door. "I'll see you when I see you okay?"

He grabbed her arm, gently, but with enough force to stop her forward momentum. "Hey. Talk to me." He reached for her hood and she found she didn't have the energy to stop him.

He gasped lightly on seeing her face. "Who did this? Your housemates?"

Noelle was surprised by the anger in his voice. "It's fine. It was just Malfoy and his goons teaching me a lesson."

"It's NOT fine." He interrupted, taking hold of her chin and looking at her sternly. "You need to tell a teacher about this and-"
"No, that'll just make it worse!" She pulled away.

"Then I'll talk to them!" He stepped towards her, blocking her retreat and trapping her against the wall.

She couldn't breathe with him so close. Her eyes wide, she watched him to see what he would do next. After a minute of silence as both of them took stock, he reached out and cupped her cheek gently.

"Was it magic?"

"Huh?" She stammered.

"Did they use magic on you?" He asked again. Her silence must have been enough of an answer, because he sighed. His hand was warm. "About that other thing…"

She raised an eyebrow. "What other thing?"

"The thing about you liking me?"

She felt the rest of her face grow warm. "I mean, I don't know that that truth potion was really functioning as intended. It-"

He smiled. "I like you too." He took a step away from her then, which was good, as Noelle suddenly felt the need to breathe once more. "Now, will you please come with me tonight to the feast?"

She nodded dumbly, processing their conversation. He smiled brightly, somehow ignoring her battered face, her blushing skin, and her obvious uncomfortableness.

"I'll see you there." She agreed quietly.

"Great!"

She watched him leave, unsure where the discussion had left them, but feeling warmth replace the disappointment and the ache that had filled her heart.