Disclaimer: I wrote a letter to J.K asking for ownership of Harry Potter. I'm still waiting on that reply.
"Can I walk you to class?" Albus asked, catching up with Arianna after breakfast. Arianna laughed.
"Well, I can't stop you from walking with me to my class, but no, you can't walk me to class," she smirked, laughing at the expression on his face.
"You're like one big mood swing," Albus accused in exasperation.
"No, I'm not," Arianna snapped, then laughed when she realized that she appeared to be having another mood swing. "No," she said more calmly, "it's just you that I'm like that around."
"Why do you think that is?" Albus asked, walking quickly to catch up with her as she began towards her class. He couldn't help grinning at some of the confused looks they got, just at the fact they were walking together, seemingly getting along. Arianna thought about his question for several seconds.
"Because I don't trust you, and you've still managed to learn too much about me," she finally decided, feeling as if that summed up her feelings for him fairly accurately.
"And why don't you trust me?" Albus challenged with a grin as her pace slowed down while she spoke to him. Arianna thought about that for a while too.
"Because I'm not supposed to,"she told him. "I've been always told not to trust you, and so I don't. I'm working on that."
"Trusting me, or doing what you want, not what your told?" Albus clarified, once again pushing his boundaries. Well, he had always been like that whether with his parents, siblings, or prospective girlfriends. NOT that she would ever be his girlfriend. Albus shook his head inwardly. This was a conquest. He needed to remember that. He couldn't afford to go soft, not with Hugo working towards a similar goal. Their families might be well off, but two hundred galleons was still a lot.
"Let's do something tonight," he suggested when the silence became awkward, acting on pure impulse now. Arianna finally turned to him, as if he had dragged her from a deep stupor. In fact, she had. She had been contemplating what he had said. What if she was only so hostile with Albus because she had always assumed she should be?
"Like what?" she asked warily. "Because if it involves a broom closet, empty classroom, or anything of the sort, I will hex you, and you will never have children," she promised.
"Don't be so defensive," Albus sighed. "It's not becoming."
"I'll tell you what's not 'becoming,'" Arianna snapped, becoming angry now. "Your constant need to point out my short-comings or accuse me of something!" Albus sighed, nodding reluctantly.
"You're right," he said, a hint of a smirk playing at his lips. "Would you like me to point out your utterly charming qualities?" he asked. "You're very pretty," he began, his smirk full blown as she blushed.
"Fine, fine," Arianna sighed as they reached her classroom. "What are we doing tonight?" she asked impatiently. Albus grinned widely, though he hadn't actually expected her to agree to it.
"Let's go to Hogsmeade," Albus suggested, laughing at the worried expression on Arianna's face.
"B-but what if we get caught?" Arianna asked nervously, biting her lip, apparently undecided as to whether or not this was a stupid idea.
"I've got an Invisibility Cloak and a good knowledge of secret passageways," Albus shrugged, not terribly concerned. "Come on, it'll be fun," he said.
"Right," Arianna muttered. "Oodles of fun," she confirmed. "So, where-"
"I'll meet you outside your common room at eight," he suggested, cutting her off, already running late for class. "Sound good?"
"Sure," she sighed in response, wondering why on earth she was getting herself into this. She knew it was a bad idea, so why do it?
She went through classes the rest of the day a complete nervous wreck for no apparent reason. She wasn't trying to impress Albus, that would be ridiculous. Now she was back in her dorm, looking frantically in the mirror.
She had never met someone so critical of her as Albus. He had never said anything bad about her appearance, but she felt like it was the only thing she could really do something about, and, however childishly, she wanted to at least throw him off a bit. She grabbed a black skirt, falling well above the knees and a teal blouse. She was never one for makeup, so she just brushed on the least bit of mascara, heading downstairs. So maybe there was nothing she could do.
"Hey," Albus greeted , throwing the Invisibility Cloak over the two of them quickly, not before letting his eyes linger on the amount of her skin showing. "Let's go," he suggested, his hand on her back as he led her towards one of the many secret passages, through it, and then into Hogsmeade, where he pulled off the cloak. He took her hand, pulling her towards the Three Broomsticks.
"Butterbeer?" he asked her and she nodded, a small smile on her lips. He got up to go give his order to the bar maid, smirking at the fact that no one ever questioned how he was out of school. The benefits of being a Potter really were endless..
I know it wasn't super exciting! It gets good next chapter, in my opinion!
Read and Review!!!!
Cunning and Ambition.