Chapter Seven - Everything Ties Together in the End
Carefully measuring out the honey for the potion, I looked over at Nate, whose tongue was sticking out of his mouth as he read the instructions Slughorn had give us on the board. I had copied them down into my own notebook, so I could just read them as I looked down at the cauldron without having to strain my neck from going back and forth.
"Merlin, this is going to take ages," Nate groaned when he finally began to pick up a knife, trying to cut up the dandelion roots to the standard eighths of an inch necessary for the potion. Trying being the key word. I just rolled my eyes.
"I have showed you a million times how to do it the most efficiently," I mumbled as I gently took some lacewing flies and sprinkled them evenly through the potion. I mentally noted that I had to stew this portion of the potion for twenty one days for full potency, and I'd have to add in the honey as soon as the lacewing flies reached the bottom. I had already added the dandelion roots, and long since prepared my other ingredients to add in.
"Iz, you suck," Nate said as he nearly cut himself with his knife. I looked over at him, and almost laughed at the way he was cutting up his roots. He looked like a five year old being given a plastic knife trying to cut at a carrot. Shaking my head with a laugh, I looked down at my potion. It should take a good minute for the flies to reach the bottom since the potion had long thickened, and knew I could cut his roots to size in thirty seconds. Quickly taking his cutting board and knife, I carefully cut the roots to size, before shoving them back toward him.
"You should always get your stuff together before starting the potion you idiot" I said, reminding my twin brother, yet again, as he fretted to get the roots in the cauldron before the moondew and water concoction came to a full boil. I looked back over at my potion and deftly poured the honey in, the direction of it going in a full clockwise circle before gently evening it out over the potions surface with a flick of my wrist.
"You know I'm dreadful at potion making," Nate pointed out as he began to stir his potion in a clockwise motion. Sighing, I stopped his hand and directed it in a counter clockwise circle. He grinned sheepishly.
"Good thing you're my partner, right?" He said with a bat of his eyes, and I laughed.
"Oh Natie. What would you do without me?" I said sweetly as I added a quarter of a cup of the standard ingredients into the potion. Bringing out my wand, I quickly covered the cauldron and lowered the fire to a low-medium setting.
"Die," Nate deadpanned as he wrestled with stirring his potion and opening his lacewing flies jar. Handing him my already opened one, he just winked as he began to finally get himself together.
"Good thing I'm around then," I said before cleaning up my area. Packing away my knives, I sneaked a peek at Harry and Ron working together. I smiled slightly when I realized they were both bickering over how many times the other had stirred their potion and how many times they were supposed to, and laughed when I realized Ron's potion was taking on a sky blue hue.
"Ron, you're going to want to start over, your potions all wrong," I said with a snicker, and Ron looked at his potion before swearing under his breath, immediately scanning the board for tips to correct the potion. Harry just grinned.
"Your brother owes me five galleons," Harry called out to me, and I nodded.
"I'll make sure he coerces Nate into giving him money," I said, and Ron just glared at me as Harry made his way to the potion storage closet.
"He owes me money from a bet from fifth year," I pointed out, and Ron looked even more lost.
"No way in hell am I still paying you back for that, you asshat," Nate said as he topped his own potion, and I just rolled my eyes.
"It's not my fault you thought Ron would have the balls to ask Hermione out back then," I commented as I grabbed my bag. Ron's ears turned a pink reddish color, and he just glared at us.
"You're both so damn embarrassing," Ron swore under his breath, and I just gasped.
"Ronald! I am not embarrassing. Nate is," I said with shock, and Ron just shook his head.
"You two," was all he said before pointing his wand to his cauldron and muttering an incantation to empty it. He began to start all over again with his potion, and I felt someone sneak up behind me. I was a bit too slow to turn though, and suddenly a pair of hands covered my eyes. I stiffened.
"Mate, be careful. Remember when McLaggen did that our fourth year? Bells slammed her elbow into his erm... Well, I don't believe he'll be able to have any children now," Nate snorted out, and I just frowned. It was a guy, I could tell that much. The smell of the ocean and peppermints instantly alerted me to who it was.
I stepped forward and tried to turn, his smell making me feel a bit dizzy from remembering that night when I was piss drunk and all over him. Unfortunately, I forgot about the hot cauldron and tabletop in front of me. Suddenly a fiery hot pain bit my arm, no pun intended from my previous incidences with vampires, and I shrieked. Pulling my arm back from the blazing counter top, I quickly stepped back, and was met with Harry. I was guessing the force of it made me stumble to the side, seeing how I ended up tripping and landed right on the ground. A small yelp left my mouth as the room became a blur, and my head hit something hard. My eyes screwed themselves shut, and I couldn't help but curl in on myself as pain radiated through my body from the burn and collision.
I was really hating all these coincidences happening, was my last thought before all the yelling and shouting dissipated from my mind, and everything turned black.
"She'll be fine. She's currently drifting in and out of consciousness Albus."
"How is the burn?"
"-But was completely healed Minerva. Any more concer-"
"-Way to sedate her-"
"No – A sleeping drought raised the hazard of her asphyxiating on it, so we have her on a dri - minds way of handling the fall and-"
"-E here until she wakes up, and a day after I'm expecting."
"Correct. Unless more complications -"
I silently groaned to myself. The broken conversations had wormed their way into my dreams, and making things less fun, more sharp. I didn't want sharpness. I wanted things to be fluffy and soft, for everything to be warm and relaxing. They had been going on for what seemed like hours. But my dreams went on for what seemed like days.
They were pleasant, and never of more than one thing. Sometimes I saw me and Nate playing as kids, and others I saw my mum and Rosalie playing in the backyard, or gardening. The dreams were scattered visions of what have been and what could have been. I saw little kids with black hair and violet eyes. I saw my parents wedding. I saw my mum waving at the camera at her Hogwarts graduation, my dad snaking an arm around her while Rose watched amused. I saw me and Nate cleaning the hospital wing with elbow grease instead of magic our fourth year when Filch caught us trying to make an aging potion for Fred and George. I watched as me and Nate went with Ron and Hermione for our first Hogsmeade visit, with me clinging on to my purse which Harry was latched to so we wouldn't lose him in the crowd under his invisibility cloak.
All these memories passed me by, and I couldn't help but smile. And then I saw an eleven year old me and ten year old Ginny jumping on our beds when I went back home for the summer after my first year at Hogwarts. I saw us making sand castles on the shores of a beach home Aunt Muriel lent us one year. Everything seemed so bittersweet at that moment.
I somehow knew the options narrowed down to two for our relationship. She'd resent me if the time came where Edward left her, or she'd be ripped right out of my life if he didn't and changed her. That's when the thought of losing Ginny came to mind. Not just losing her as a sister, but as a person. My heart felt ice cold at the thought of it. She'd hide who she was from us, for as long as she could before she 'offed' herself. Mum and Dad would be devastated. Everyone would be. I would be.
Shaking my head, I tossed and turn, trying to get back to the happier things. Running around as a kid. First time on a broomstick. The little things that went a long way. I wish I could have stayed longer, but that's when I heard yelling. It started getting louder and louder, pounding the sharp breaks of syllables into my head. Some substantial time had gone without any of the voices, and I liked it this way. It was nice and warm wherever I was, and it was comfy. Cozy. But, obviously, I wasn't allowed to be happy for too long at any moment in my life, because it was at that point something heavy crashed into the floor or wall, creating a sound alike to a gun being shot.
It tingled and prickled for a few seconds, before the feeling slowly dissipated. But, the voices were louder now. My head began to throb again, and my hands immediately flew up to it, trying to alleviate some of the pain. That's when I felt something prick my wrist, and I screamed. I sat straight up, and my hand searched blindly for the wand that wasn't there. My eyes had opened wide in the process, to only shut and screw up from the sudden burst of lights and colours everywhere.
"You're finally up," I heard Rosalie murmur, and sat up in bed with my eyes closed. They stung a bit from the sudden assault of bright light, and I could feel tears starting to well up.
"Isabella?"
I cocked my head to the side to the sound of Carlisle's voice, and realized he had been in the prior conversations I had heard go on. Then I realized I must have been in the hospital wing; the sheets had the same generic feeling all the beds that I had been in... And trust me to know the feeling of at least half of them after all the shenanigans me, Nate, Harry, Ron, and Hermione got into.
"Y-yes?" I asked, my throat catching on the first letter. I frowned slightly at how strange it felt to be talking, my throat feeling dry and raspy. I felt someone gently push a glass of water into my hand, and I took a tentative sip. Suddenly, my throat cried out for more, and I gulped more and more down. I heard a small chuckle.
"Bells, there's still more. That's not the last glass of water at Hogwarts," Emmett teased, and I opened my eyes slowly. Blinking rapidly, I saw the half of the Cullen family, in the middle of doing different things. But, they all were looking right at me. The only one who wasn't was Rosalie, who looked absorbed in her Witches Weekly magazine. Carlisle had a needle in hand with a watery light blue looking substance, and my fingertips ghosted over where he had just pricked me. There was no blood, so I reasoned to myself that it hadn't gone too deep.
"You fell and nearly split your head in half," Rosalie said, turning a page delicately with her index finger before looking up at me. "Gave Potter and Nate a scare, that's for sure."
I groaned inwardly, and sighed. Carlisle gingerly took a step near me, bringing out a stethoscope and a flashlight. I raised an eyebrow at the muggle medical objects, and he just sighed.
"I'm not exactly up to par with many healing spells yet," Carlisle explained as he tipped my chin up with his finger. He waved the flashlight in front of me, the light slowly becoming more and more unbearable as the seconds ticked by. Just when I thought my eyes were going to explode, he clicked it off.
"Amazing it works on school grounds. Professor Flitwick did a fine job of enchanting the thing," Rosalie commented, and I turned to her, my eyes blinking rapidly from the assault they had been put through.
"You look pissed," I mumbled before taking a sip of water. Rosalie just grinned maniacally. It was one of those grins you plastered on, the kind that made someone know you wanted to rip their throat out. I was about to ask her what was wrong when Carlisle began to ask me questions.
"State your name and date of birth, year and house. State your current surroundings, and then name at least three of us in the room," Carlisle rattled off, and I nodded. The pounding in my head was beginning to cease, but it was still disorienting and I was struggling to remember word for word what Carlisle had asked me.
"Isabella Marie Swan, born September 13th, seventh year in Gryffindor. Hospital Wing. Carlisle Cullen, Rosalie Cullen, and Emmett Cullen," I said carefully, my head not appreciative of me talking. The pounding was a dull thud in the back of my head at this point. It wouldn't have been too bad if it hadn't been continuous.
"Good." Carlisle nodded, and looked down at his wrist for the time. "Well, you've been in and out of consciousness for three days. We would have administered a sleeping drought to alleviate you of that orally, but we couldn't run the risk of you asphyxiating on it. Madam Pomfrey and me talked, so you were kept on an IV with a diluted version of the potion. Not as potent as it would have been in its original form, but it kept you from coming in and out as often as you had been. You fractured your skull when you hit the stone flooring of Professor Slughorn's classroom, and the burn you acquired on your right arm wasn't mild either. We managed to mend your the fracture quickly, and Madam Pomfrey took care of your arm so it wouldn't scar. The only issue we had was brain damage, which is evidently isn't a huge concern anymore. I expect your having discomfort in your head, so we'll just give you a numbing potion for that. Questions?"
I looked down at my arm, and he was right. There was a patch of skin that was pinker than the rest, but I could tell it was just irritated and more likely just reacting like an infant's skin would to new material. I frowned.
"Three days?" I asked, and Carlisle nodded.
"Luckily it was Friday, so you've only really missed one school day Bella," Carlisle told me before disappearing out of sight. I blinked, and suddenly, he was back with a cup filled almost to the brim with a purple coloured brew of what I could only guess as the numbing potion he had talked about. Stupid vampire speed.
"And here's the potion I wa-" Carlisle started to say, before Rosalie got up and took it from him. She shook it slightly, and looked at it a bit confused.
"Carlisle, this isn't a pure numbing potion," Rosalie said with hesitation, and I frowned. Squinting my eyes, I nodded. The texture was all wrong for one ; it was thinner than what it should have been, and was a lot less sluggish than the original potion had been.
"It's not... But wha-" I started to say, before I had a faint idea of what it was.
"Rose, what's the only substance that is odorless and colourless that you can put into drinks?" I said, and she frowned before grimacing.
"Carlisle, who made this?" Rose inquired, putting the potion in a trash bin before making her way to the office space. Carlisle shook his head.
"I started it, but Alice was the one who watched it brew and finished it," He said with a frown, and Rosalie just growled under her breath before storming into the office. Emmett looked a bit worried, and I did too.
"Alice, you spineless bitch, get out here!" Rosalie yelled, and you could hear a few things topple over and one or two heavy objects get thrown around. Just when Emmett was going to go check what was going on, Rosalie came out dragging Alice by the ear. Jasper and Edward followed soon after.
"You're a cheater," Alice whined, and Rosalie just pulled on her ear harder.
"And you're a bitch," Rosalie stated, and I could see Esme sigh.
"Girls, behave. Please," She said softly, and Rosalie shook her head.
"No. Your son and daughter over here have been bothering Bella. Your daughter just tried to trick her into answering any questions she had for her," Rose gritted out, and Alice shrugged.
"I was curious, and have been trying to talk to Bella for weeks. She hasn't responded to anything I ask," She said carefully, fixing her clothing. I snorted.
"I don't think poisoning me into giving you information would have done any good," I mumbled, and Alice just looked at me, her topaz eyes wide.
"Oh hush Bella, I didn't put enough in there for you to die. Just enough for ten minutes of you being truthful for once," She said pointedly, and I shook my head.
"Mixing veritaserum with the ingredients in that potion would have made me ill within five minutes of drinking it," I said with a huff, and she shrugged.
"You're in a hospital wing, you would have been alright," She commented, and Esme looked at her horrified.
"Alice Cullen, apologize to Bella at this instant! Honestly, I don't know what has come over you lately," She gasped out, and Alice looked pained.
"I lost my best friend, what else am I supposed to do?" Alice cried out, before shutting her mouth and putting a hand over it.
"I... I've got to go," The pixie sized vampire whispered, before running out at slightly faster than human speed. Jasper rubbed his temple.
"Sorry Carlisle, I should go after her," he said, and Carlisle just nodded. He was halfway out the door when he paused, and turned to look back at me.
"Bella... I. I'm sorry for what happened on your birthday an-" Jasper apologized, and I cut him off.
"Jasper, it's alright. I understand," I said with a small half smile, and he nodded. He looked like he wanted to say something else, and I looked at the door.
"So... She... Misses me?" I said quietly, and Jasper looked relieved that he didn't have to say anything that may have gone against what his wife's wishes were.
"She does. You were her best friend Bella... Things like that just don't go away... Alice is. Well. Alice. She doesn't know the exact best way to handle things, but in the end.. She really does mean well," Jasper said quietly looking at the ground, before turning to the door.
"Just talk to her," He said with his back to me, and finally walked out in hopes of finding his mate. I looked over at Rosalie, who looked a bit shocked. She quickly shook her head, before sighing.
"Bells, you're going to have to wait a few hours for another potion," She said, and I shrugged.
"Just let me sleep. The pain will probably get less intense by itself in that time frame," I pointed out, and Carlisle smiled slightly.
"If that's what you want. I... Apologize for that Bella," Carlisle said, and I just nodded.
"It's.. Alright. No harm done," I said truthfully, and Carlisle nodded before walking back into his office, Esme following suit after smiling at me. I looked down at my hands, which had tangled together. My fingers began to fidget, and it was silent for a moment or two, before Edward broke the silence.
"Well.. I've got to go, I was supposed to meet Gin ten minutes ago," He said quietly, and walked out. I glared at his retreating figure, before looking over at Rosalie. She sighed.
"You really should sleep you know," She said softly, and I nodded. My eyes had already begun to droop against my will, and I could feel my head screaming at me to get some more rest. I leaned back into the pillows, and closed my eyes.
"Good night Bells," I heard Rosalie whisper into my ear before kissing my forehead, and soon enough, as soon as I heard a door close in the distance, I was out like a match.
My head was feeling ten times better, but I wouldn't risk opening my eyes to only have the pain come back in full force. It was comfortable, laying in the bed with the covers bunched up around me. Warm. Safe. I heard the door open, but didn't give it much mind. Light footsteps sounded throughout the room, before I could hear someone pull up a chair next to my bed and sit down.
"You know... I always wondered if we had done the right thing," Alice whispered, just as I felt her cool hands gently surround my warm ones.
"I always thought you were the one for Edward. And I think that's why I let myself get close to you. There was no risk of having to cut off all ties and never see you again... And then have you die. Like all humans eventually do," Alice continued on, rubbing her thumb over my hand.
"I never dreamed we would have found you here. But, you continue to surprise me. Surprise all of us. See, I know all about you now. Your past. The library proved to be a helpful place after all... Oh, Bells, why didn't you tell us? I know Rosalie doesn't know. She would have been raised hell with you by now," Alice mused softly, and I knew she knew about me and the prophecy. Sneaky vampire.
"I... I know it's your own battle to fight. It just strikes me curious that you didn't tell any of us. Didn't ask for help. If Rose didn't know Dumbledore, we never would have found you again. But then again... Edward never would have found Ginny," She said, her tone turning bitter towards the end.
"She's not you, I'll give you that. But, she reminds me of you. So much. Maybe it's because you're sisters... But, there's something more. I don't know what. Edward sees it too. I know you're upset over them. I don't like it myself. It's almost like biting into an apple that isn't quite ripe enough. Bittersweet. God, I just miss you Bella. I miss having a fashionably challenged best friend. I miss us... Also, darling, I'm a vampire. I can tell when a human is in deep sleep, and not just half awake half asleep like you are. Might as well open your eyes, it's quite dark in here," Alice said, and my eyes fluttered open. She was right. It was night time. Sometime past midnight I bet. I looked at her, and she leaned in slightly.
"You know, your eyes are still the same, even in a different colour. Astounding how they are," Alice mused to herself as she studied me.
"Alice..." I said, and she just shook her head.
"Let me talk a bit more. I know I've been horrid to you, I just... I guess I was taking out all my anger from you and Edward on you," She said with a sigh, and I looked at her, confused. She must have picked up on it, and looked out the window.
"You know, the Forbidden Forest is a... Dark, morose area. But, like the world, there are pockets of good in it. Your world is intriguing... But dark too. I'll keep your little secret Bells, but like the Forbidden Forest, things are bound to come spilling out of it's confines eventually," She said, and I couldn't help but appreciate how poetic she like to phrase things. I smiled sadly.
"Thank you," I said, and she just smiled back before getting up. Her hells made a soft click on the stone floor, and she was about to close the door when I spoke up.
"Alice, meet me Thursday outside by the lake to do some homework," I said as loud as I dared in the silent room, and the soft giggle I heard was a confirmation of our little study date. Turning to lie on my side, I looked out the window, and down at my watch.
Little clouds rolled in over the full moon, and I could only smile as I looked at it. I couldn't wait for it to start to snow here at Hogwarts. The snow blanketed everything, including the castle. It was a beautiful sight. Sticking my tongue out slightly, I bit down on it gently as I wondered what date it was. After some calculation, I realized it was the 24th of October. Next week would be Halloween, and then it would be November. It normally started to snow around mid-November, and I grinned at the thought of it snowing in as little as two weeks.
Closing my eyes, I also remembered I missed the meeting with McGonagall. Sighing, I knew she'd probably come see me tomorrow or reschedule it for this Friday to talk about whatever it was she wanted. And then the weekend would come, with the second Hogsmeade visit of the year happening on Saturday. And then on Monday, the Halloween Feast, with Slughorns party following soon after. And if any of the rumors were true, the Weird Sisters were going to be in attendance and playing. This week sounded like it was going to be a good one, I thought to myself as I watched the stars twinkle in the night sky.
I woke up to see Professor McGonagall sitting on a stool next to my bed, and she looked at me with an excited expression.
"Good to see you awake Miss Swan. Now, we were supposed to visit last Friday, but your accident made that impossible... Now, I trust Professor Slughorn told you of the award?" McGonagall said in her usual clipped tone, and I nodded.
"Good morning Professor. Yes, he did. Thank you, by the way. It's an honor," I told her, and she merely nodded.
"You earned it. Anyhow, now that we have that out of the way. St. Mungo's and Hogwarts have always worked together by means of our students who wish to go on to be healers. They have agreed to extend to you a guaranteed internship with pay upon your graduation from here, provided you have get all O's in your N.E.W.T exams. And- Are you all right Isabella?" McGonagall said, raising an eyebrow.
I touched my cheek, and felt a few tears stream down. I was going to reply, but my throat closed up and it come out as a strangled crying sound. I sniffed, and cleared my throat.
"I.. I just. Can't believe it?" I said, sniffing and wiping at my tears with my wrists. McGonagall instantly softened, and put her hand on my shoulder.
"Bella, you've earned it. The only person in your class that has done academically better than you is Miss Granger. She was also extended an invitation by the Ministry of Magic to intern in any office of her choice other than the Department of Mysteries after graduation," She said, and I looked up.
"I... Wow. Thank you Professor. For the news. And. Everything really," I sputtered out, and McGonagall just smiled.
"Well, I'll be seeing you in class tomorrow Miss Swan. You'll be discharged from here after classes end for the day. Professor Cullen told me to tell you since he was sure you'd get defensive and want to check out as soon as possible," my Transfiguration teacher told me, and I glared at the floor.
"He's right. Professor, I feel ten times better!" I exclaimed as I made my way to get out of bed, and she glared at me.
"Isabella, stay in that bed or I'll give you detention. You're still recovering from your spill, and unfortunately, it's the kind of injury that magic can't heal. You know brain injuries are as difficult to treat in the wizarding world as they are in the muggle world," Professor McGonagall said, her tone telling me she wasn't playing around. I sighed, and moved the blankets around so I was as I had been.
"See you tomorrow ma'm," I mumbled, and she beamed.
"Exactly. Have a good day Isabella," McGonagall said, before getting up and leaving. I mumbled under my breath about how ridiculous it was that I was staying in bed when I felt perfectly fine. It wasn't until I saw the tray of food on a table next to me that I realized just how I wasn't quite ready to walk up and down the whole castle when I near damn had to crawl back to bed with the tray in hand. My head had started pounding as soon as I had gotten up to start to walk, and I gritted my teeth as I laid back down, making sure my back was against the headboard as I situated the tray on my lap.
I was in the middle of chewing on my last piece of toast when the door opened, and I saw Nate pop his head in.
"Finally, you lazy ass. You've been asleep each time me and Harry snuck up here," Nate whined as he walked in, Harry following in right after. I glared at him.
"Sorry I nearly split my head open on the dungeon floor and had to sleep it all off. I'll choose to go through the pain consciously next time," I deadpanned, and Nate just rolled his eyes before bouncing onto my bed. He wriggled against me, looking for more space on the bed. With a small growl, I placed my tray on the closer night desk as I scooted over. Nate flung his arms out, and nearly hit me in the face.
"Oops," He said, and I just hit him on the arm.
"Harry, Bells is abusing me again," Nate whined, drawling out the a in Harry's name. Harry just laughed.
"It's not my fault you're being a bit more than obnoxious," Harry commented, and Nate just frowned while he latched himself on to me, his arms wrapping around my middle and legs hooking onto my lower half.
"But. But. I've missed her," my brother said, and I just sighed.
"You're an idiot," I told him, and his purple eyes just bore into mine.
"But you're my idiot," I mumbled, and he just grinned before kissing my cheek. He disentangled himself from me immediately, and hopped off the bed.
"You know, Slughorn bout had a heart attack when he turned to see you oozing blood all over his floor," Nate said as he picked a strip of bacon off my plate.
"Stupid hot counter top," I said under my breath, and Nate just laughed.
"You're just clumsy Bella Wella," He said as he polished off all of my bacon. Harry frowned.
"Nate, stop eating Bells food, she does have to eat breakfast too," he scolded my brother, and I shrugged.
"I'm not very hungry," I admitted, and Nate looked at me.
"You haven't been eating much lately dummy," He pointed out, and I frowned. A piece of toast or two during breakfast most days, maybe with a bit of bacon and eggs. Half a sandwich during lunch, with maybe a small handful of chips... I now saw his point. I shrugged again.
"Haven't been too hungry lately," I said, and Harry looked at me, a bit concerned.
"Bells, you have to eat more than just toast," he said with a sigh before sitting at the foot of my bed. Nate nodded while scarfing down my eggs.
"He's right," my twin brother said, the food in his mouth creating quite the show.
"I'm not going to if you keep eating with your mouth open," I teased, and he shrugged.
"Whatever, I do what I want," He said with a wink.
"Bells, you sure you don't want any more toast or anything?" Harry asked, and I wrinkled my nose.
"I'm okay for now," I said, and at the look in his eyes, continued with, "I promise if I get hungry I'll sneak to the kitchens."
He nodded, and Nate looked at my plate with a sad expression.
"It's... It's all gone. Cries," He said as he pretended to wail over the loss of the food that was now residing in his stomach.
"Go get more," Harry said, and Nate looked like someone had given him a puppy.
"You're right. Breakfast isn't over yet. Thanks Harry, seeyouguyslaterbye," Nate rushed through, running out of the room at full speed.
"He's going to kill someone one day going at that speed. I hope you know you'll have to take full responsibility for this Harry," I said with the straightest look in my face. Harry shook his head.
"You're his sister. You have at least seventy five perfect of the responsibility," He told me with a smirk, and I grimaced.
"Fifty fifty?" I asked, and he looked to be in deep thought.
"Fine. But if it comes down to it, we blame Ron," He said, and I just laughed.
"Blame Ronald it is," I said with a wink, and almost hit myself in the face. Why was it so hard for me to stop flirting with Harry? Harry blushed slightly, and looked out the window for a few minutes. It was silent, but not the awkward silence where you practically were begging on your knees for someone to come in and say something that would break it. It was a comfortable silence, the kind where you could smile and close your eyes feel so at peace with yourself and know that the other person could do the same.
I looked at how the sunlight came into the room, and saw how it bounced off of Harry. Before I knew what I was doing, I traced his profile with my eyes, and noticed how the light reflected off his eyes to make them seem like they were as deep as the ocean. Flecks of forest green, hazel, and even gray came alive, and I couldn't help but lean in slightly. Mentally slapping myself, I quickly leaned back and directed my eyes to my hands in my lap. My thumb fidgeted over my other hand, and took in a sharp breath when a third hand joined the pile.
"Harry, wha-" I whispered, still looking at my hands, when Harry shook his head and put a finger over my lips.
"Listen. Please?" He said quietly, and I just nodded. He smiled, and it was so infectious I couldn't help but smile into my lap. My hands looked like as white as snow when next to Harry's, and I thought of how nice they fit together.
"You know, I remember the first time I met you. Your mum had told you to stick close to Ron and Nate, and you ended up in our compartment after Ron went to go look for an empty one... You already knew that mine was probably the least empty," Harry said with a side smile, and I just rolled my eyes at the memory of my brother being insistent that there just had to be an empty compartment somewhere on the train.
"We all got acquainted, and me and Ron immediately hit it off. We all did, really. Then you found Neville's toad, and when Neville and Hermione came in, you immediately struck up a conversation with Hermione about Transfiguration and Neville started talking to Nate about Herbology and plants. It was one of the best days of my life, meeting you all," Harry trailed off, looking down at our hands. He looked out of touch, like he was reliving the day we all ended up becoming friends. The way me and Harry laughed our butts off when Hermione commented on the dirt on Ron's nose came into mind, and I laughed softly.
"That was one of the best days of my life," I repeated, and he looked up at me with a lopsided grin.
"After all these years, I keep thinking that the best day of my life was meeting you guys. But.. It wasn't until recently that that changed. It sounds a bit selfish, really, but... I don't care," He said quietly, and I couldn't help but stop the eye contact and look down at our hands. Please don't talk about the kiss, please don't talk about the kiss, Please don't talk about the kiss.
"I know you don't remember it, but I took you back to the dorms after the Hufflepuff party."
Please don't talk about the kiss. Please don't talk about this kiss.
"I thought it was all in my head, after you said you didn't remember."
Please don't talk about the kiss. Please don't talk about the kiss.
"But, I can remember it all so clearly."
Please don't talk about the kiss. Please don't talk about the kiss.
"You kissed me, and I kissed you back."
Please don't talk about the kiss. Please don- Damn.
"It was... The most amazing moment in my life Bells. I don't know exactly where the line between friendship and relationship blurred for us... But it did," He said, and lifting one of my hands with his own. Gently, he kissed my wrist, and I could feel tears start to blur my vision. I shook my head.
"Harry... You. Just. And. Ugh. You deserve... Better than me." I croaked, and he looked at me.
"Isabella Marie Swan. I love the way your laugh sounds like wind chimes in the spring. The way your eyes sparkle and light up whenever you smile. The way you seem to know exactly what you're doing because of your confidence. The way your eyes crinkle at the corner of your eyes when you smile. The way you're so loyal to people you love. Just... You," Harry said, and I could only shut my eyes tight.
"I cannot keep crying at every little thing," I mumbled to myself, and Harry laughed.
"I heard about you crying when McGonagall told you about the internship opportunity at St. Mungo's. Congrats by the way," Harry said, and brushed back some of my hair behind my ear. I let out a shaky breath.
"You make me go insane," I accused him, and he just grinned slightly.
"In a good way right?" He said with a wink, and I just shook my head.
"Harry... I just. I don't deserve this. At all," I told him quietly, and he sighed.
"Bells, you need to accept the fact that you're a lot more than what you think you are," He told me, and I could feel him scoot closer and closer to me. I took in a deep breath.
"You know, I'm not the heroine of this story," I said, and he just snorted.
"I'm not saying you are. But you're close to it."
I chewed on my bottom lip, and knew I had to tell him. I didn't know how he'd react, but I knew he'd think of me differently. He had to.
"I didn't ever plan on coming back," I said, and he looked up at me, confused.
"I had envisioned myself staying in Forks for a lot longer than I had. I would have left eventually, but... Not by myself," I said quietly, and cleared my throat. I knew I was close to just full on bawling, but I knew I had to spit out everything about the last year of my life.
"I... Fell in love. Stupidly. With... With Edward Cullen." I slowly pulled my hands out of his hold, and began to fiddle with them. "I thought he was... My world basically. I was ready to marry him, to run and never look back. I was blind. I.. I never planned on coming back. I was ready to live in the muggle world, forget about everything. Ready to leave Nate. Leave my family. Leave... You. All of you guys behind. I'm not proud of it. Oh, God no. Also, I remember the kiss. I just.. Didn't want to ruin our friendship." I added, trying to make more ammunition for him to use against me.
Harry looked down at my hands, and I sighed.
"Anyways. It wasn't until he left me that I snapped back to my senses. And... Then you showed up," I said, finishing my story. I shut my eyes, waiting for him to start to yell at me, or maybe even slap me. But, instead, I felt a familiar hand work their way over my own. I opened my eyes.
"Bells. What's important is that you're here now. I'm not going to say I'm a bit... I don't have a word for what it is. Also, I'm not that bad of a kisser for you to do that to me. But. You're here now," He said slowly, and I just looked at him.
"You're an idiot," I said with a nervous laugh, and he just chuckled.
"Does this idiot get to take you out on Saturday?" He said, batting his eyes. I groaned.
"You're going to regret it," I warned him, and he shrugged.
"I've done a lot of stupid things. I don't think this is one of them," He teased, and I just dragged him into a hug.
"You're too incredible sometimes," I mumbled into his ear, and he just ran a hand through my hair.
"You're too modest sometimes," he mumbled back. The door opened, and I saw Nate over Harrys shoulder.
"Finally! Mother of God, I've been trying to hook you two up since fourth year and the Yule Ball. Does this mean I get to have a little Potter named after me?" Nate said, grinning from ear to ear. He jumped around the room in a dance he must have just made up. I glared, and reached for a pillow. Just as I threw it, he took cover and fell on the floor.
"NURSE. NURSE YOUR PATIENT IS ATTACKING ME," Nate yelled, and Harry turned to glare at Nate.
"Nathan, get out. You're ruining the moment," Harry said, and Nate put his hands up.
"Just name a little Potter after me. Maybe Potter-Swan? Just. Name someone after me," He said with a wink, before running out just as I threw another pillow.
"Your brothers an idiot," Harry said just as I said, "My brothers an idiot."
We both laughed, and ended up laying on the bed together, talking about class. When it was time for him to leave for class, I sat up and hugged him. At the last minute, he kissed me on the cheek and ran out of the room. Blushing, my hand went up to where he kissed me.
Oh yeah, I thought. This week is going to be amazing.
And. Yeah. Hi. Fourteen pages on Word. WHOO. Sorry about the lack of progression by means of time here, but we'll skip over the next few days and go straight to Slughorns party with one or two flashbacks of the week. I'm getting there with the time. Schools stressful, but I'm leveling everything out and my time managements getting better. So my updates will span two weeks / a week and a half normally. Anyways. Yeah. Hope you guys liked this chapter.
-Lori