"Roxie, are you all right?" Hermione asked quietly.
"Huh?" Roxie mumbled distractedly.
"You seemed kind of sad last night and…well I thought I heard you crying."
"Oh I'm fine, yeah last night I was just a little… homesick I guess."
"Oh. Well if you ever want to talk, I'm here." Hermione gave Roxie a big hug. "So let's go down to breakfast now."
"You go on. I'll be down in a minute." Hermione gave her a quizzical look. "I promise. If I'm not down in ten minutes, then send up a search party or something." Roxie forced a laugh and Hermione gave a strained smile, then she left the room. Roxie sank down onto her bed. Maybe if I just keep telling myself that I don't like him, I won't like him. Or maybe if I just stop talking to him all together then everything will be all right. But I still have to complete the task. How can I do that to him? Roxie sighed and held her head in her hands. The tears were threatening to flow again. Roxie shook her head, trying to stifle the flow, and then she stood up. I've got to get myself together. I can't let anyone see me like this. She got dressed and then went down to breakfast.
"Hey Roxie!" Harry smiled and waved at her. Roxie smiled back at him. His smile is so…no don't think about him. Don't think about how perfect his smile is. How gorgeous he looks when his hair sticks up in the back. How I just melt into his deep green eyes. How I wish he would just hold me in his strong, muscular arms. This is hopeless. I can't ignore him.
"So what's our schedule look like today?" Roxie asked.
Hermione was the first to answer. "Well we have Potions and then a double Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"Oh joy. What a great day! First I get to see Mr. Hooknose and then I get to spend double the time with my 'favorite' teacher," Roxie said sarcastically.
"So tell me again why you hate Ms. Pravus," Ron stabbed the air with a fork. Bits of egg flew from the end.
"I don't hate her. I just don't think she's that great of a teacher," Roxie answered, trying to conceal the truth.
"We better watch out, she told Harry that she didn't hate him. Pretty soon she'll be flirting with the teacher too," Ron chuckled.
"I'm ignoring that last part, but how did you know…" Roxie started, but Ron cut her off.
"Girls aren't the only ones that talk you know." Harry blushed.
"It's nice to know that our conversations just stay between us." Roxie poked Harry playfully.
"Oh come on, it's not like you haven't told Hermione everything that we say to each other," Harry defended himself.
"Relax, I was only joking!" Roxie and Harry looked at each other. I'm glad we became friends. He's such a great guy.
"I hate to interrupt, but if we don't leave soon we'll be late for Snape's class," Hermione said, as she stood up. The other three followed her out of the Great Hall. Other students were getting up too. The four of them made their way to the dungeons.
Hermione attempted to seat them in the very first row yet again, but Roxie stopped her. "Please, you know that's not going to be easy on me." Harry and Ron sat at the table in the very back. Roxie threw her bag onto the table and with a little reluctance Hermione joined them.
"Wow Roxie! You finally got Hermione to move to the back. We've been trying to do that for years. Please, tell me how you've done it." Ron laughed. Hermione and Harry tensed. Harry made to stop Ron, but Roxie placed her hand on his arm.
"It's ok. I'm ok." Then to Ron, "Basically Snape said some things that he shouldn't have said and I am just not in the mood to sit right up there where is humungous nose can look down at me all lesson." Ron started to go into fits of laughter. Moments later Snape arrived and Ron ceased laughing.
"Wands away. Today will be a book lesson. Read pages sixty to one hundred. I expect a fourteen inch essay on my desk by the beginning of class tomorrow." Snape shot Roxie a nasty look and then moved behind his desk. He fumbled with some papers and then pulled out a quill and began to write. Next to Roxie, Hermione had already flipped her book open and her eyes were darting from one side of the page to the next. Harry looked at Roxie and shrugged. Roxie gave in and started to read. The pages were on the draught of living death. Roxie struggled through, attempting to read confusing word after confusing word.
By the end of the period, Roxie knew less about the draught than she had when she walked in. Ron had slept the whole period. Harry and Hermione, however, had both completed the reading and had started on their essays. "Great! When you finish you can help me with mine," Ron said.
"Help you yes, but not let you copy," Hermione chastised. Ron just rolled his eyes. The four made their way to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom where they spent the whole period discussing different types of curses. Roxie refused to make eye contact with Ms. Pravus and when she was asked a question she would speak only to her book. At the end of the lesson, they were assigned to write an essay on the counterjinxes for at least twelve of the jinxes that had been discussed. Great now, on top of everything else, I'm going to fail. How am I supposed to write a report on something when I don't even know what it is? The rest of the day was free so the four of them made their way up to the common room. Ginny was sitting, doing her homework at one of the tables.
"Are we ever going to have Quidditch practice?" she asked of Harry.
"If you're so anxious, go get the rest of the team and meet me down on the pitch in ten minutes," Harry laughed. Ginny hopped up and scurried off to go find Katie, Kayla, and Derek. "I was only joking."
"Well she took you seriously, so I guess we have practice now. Thanks a lot," Roxie groaned. She ran up to her room and grabbed her broom. Ron and Harry were already waiting for her when she got back to the common room. The three of them made their way out of the portrait hole. Hermione followed them.
"Sorry Hermione, but you aren't exactly on the team," Harry said.
"Oh I know that. I just though I'd come watch you play. It might be interesting." Harry and Roxie gave each other a quizzical look. What is Hermione's sudden interest in Quidditch? The four of them made their way to the pitch. The other team members were already waiting there. Hermione ran over to the stands and sat down.
"Already following in Oliver's footsteps, calling practices out of the blue," Katie joked.
"Just get in the air," Harry said, mounting his own broom. Practice went very smoothly. Everyone worked very well together and they all knew exactly what they were supposed to be doing. When they landed Harry congratulated them, "At this rate I have no doubt in my mind that we will clobber Slytherin in our match." The rest of the team made their way towards the castle, but Roxie hung back. "You coming?" Harry called to her.
"I think I'm going to stay out and fly a little longer, by myself," she added as Harry attempted to turn around and come back.
"Meet you back in the common room later." And with that he was gone. Roxie flew around a while, trying to clear her mind. Flying gave her a sense of freedom. When she was in the air, she didn't have to worry about the task ahead of her. Unfortunately, it got dark and Roxie was forced inside. She was a few feet from the portrait hole when she was stopped. The blonde boy named Malfoy stood in her pathway.
"You happen to be in my way. Please move," Roxie said coldly.
"I will, but it will cost you. How about a kiss?" Malfoy leaned forward and sneered evilly.
"In your dreams."
"Fine then we will just sit here until you change your mind." He placed his arms on both walls and stood, blocking her way. What am I supposed to do? I can't use magic on him because he'll complain to a teacher.
"Ok I give up. Close your eyes and prepare for the best kiss of your life." Malfoy closed his eyes and leaned forward again. Roxie ducked under his arm and made her way to the portrait hole.
Behind her she heard him call, "I'll have you one way or another. No girl rejects Draco Malfoy!" Roxie scoffed and then pushed her way into the common room. Hermione, Ron, and Harry were sitting in chairs talking.
"So I see that no one has started any homework," Roxie pointed out.
"Fine, we'll start it now mum," Ron laughed. They all pulled out their books and started to write their essays. After about fifteen minutes of writing, Ron put his quill down."I don't know what the bloody hell I'm writing about!"
"Well maybe you should pay attention in class a little more," Hermione sighed exasperatedly.
"Can't you help me? Please!" Ron looked at Hermione pleadingly.
"I need to go to the library to find a book, if you help me find it, I'll help you with you're essay. Let's go." Hermione lead a disgruntled looking Ron out of the portrait hole.
"So, at the risk of sounding a little too much like Ron, I don't know what I'm writing about," Roxie looked up at Harry.
"Which essay are you working on?"
"Ms. Pravus's."
"Right, well come over here and I'll help you."
"Do I really look that easy Harry?"
"You bet." Roxie laughed and then sat down next to Harry.
"Oh please Harry. Save me. Help me through this difficult time." She batted her eyelashes at him.
"So first let me tell you the jinxes that we went over. I've got them in my notes somewhere…" An hour later, Roxie's essay was finished. She and Harry had had a nice time talking and joking about everything. This is just going to make everything harder.
"Oh thank you Harry. You're a life saver. What can I ever do to repay you?" Roxie joked. Harry rolled his eyes and then asked.
"Where did Ron and Hermione go? I thought that they would be back by now."
"Let's go find them."
"No."
"Why not? Obviously you're curious."
"Because I don't really want to go prying into their business. Besides lately I think that there has been something going on between them, so I figure I'll give them some privacy."
"Oh come on." Roxie pulled on Harry's hand, trying to get him off the couch. "Come with me." Harry gave up and followed her to the portrait hole. Just as they were leaving someone else walked in.
"What have you two been up to and why are you holding hands?" Ginny asked.
"What?" Roxie looked down, sure enough she and Harry hadn't let go since she had pulled him off the couch.
"Nothing. Roxie was just trying to get me to follow her," Harry explained. Ginny walked away, glancing over her shoulder suspiciously.
"Great, now the whole Gryffindor tower will think that we're going out." Roxie sighed.
"And would that be such a bad thing?" Harry gazed at her. Leave it to him to know exactly how I'm feeling.
"No, but umm….we were going to go find Ron and Hermione," Roxie nervously told him.
"Right." They walked in an uncomfortable silence all the way to the library. When they got there, they looked around, but there was no sight of a bushy haired girl or bright, flaming red hair. "They said they were going to the library right?"
"Yeah, Hermione said that they were going to go look for a book that she needed." The two of them walked up and down the aisles, glancing both ways trying to find their friends. "I don't know if they ever found that book, but they look like they're having more fun than any book could bring them." Roxie laughed.
"What are you talking about?" Harry was very confused. Roxie was laughing too hard to talk, but she pointed her finger beyond the row where they were standing. There, in the back of the library sat Ron and Hermione. Books lay strewn across the table, but they seemed to be forgotten. Ron and Hermione were locked in each others embrace, kissing.