Chapter 12

The next morning, Al didn't eat breakfast with me as I thought he would. He didn't normally hold grudges at all, but if he did, they were short lived. I was ready to forgive him, but it seemed he wasn't ready to be forgiven. I would wait for him to work off his anger. I was sure it wouldn't take long.

I was wrong. He steered clear of me in class and was the first one out the door and the last one in the room, giving me no chance to talk to him. It went on all morning.

William found me in the crowd on the way to lunch. Although he was the reason for Al being mad at me, I was glad to see him.

"Hi," he said, his kind eyes sparkling.

"Hello, William," I said, trying to appear happier.

"You can call me Will, if you want," he said, looking at me sideways.

I nodded.

"Is everything alright?"

"Not exactly. Al and I had a row last night."

"Oh."

"Let's talk about something less depressing. How has your day been?"

Glad to change the topic, Will told me about a particularly funny incident in his Potions class. I was glad to be smiling again, and Will seemed pleased that he was able to make me laugh.

"Why, Mae, you look positively radiant!" Rose exclaimed as I sat down next to Ella.

"What are you going on about?" I asked.

"You're practically glowing! What's made you so happy all of a sudden?"

"Well, I was just talking to Will, and he-"

"Oh, so it's 'Will', now, is it?" I turned to see Al walk by, giving me a look that was a very good imitation of the "Slytherin sneer."

"What is his problem?" I asked, utterly at a loss.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ella asked, as if I should know. "He fa- OUCH!"

Rose kicked Ella in the shin from across the table. "Oops! I'm sorry. Muscle spasm. Now what were you saying?"

Rose gave Ella a meaningful look, which Ella returned with a glare. "I was saying, he, uh, f… forgot that big essay we had due in Ancient Runes, and on top of your row, it's put him in an awful mood."

I nodded, but I didn't believe her. I was sure she was about to say Al fancied me. I very much doubted it. I did know, however, that I had to talk to him. It was dreadful having him so angry at me.

The opportunity came at dusk when I saw him going to the owlry with a letter. By the time I got there, he was already inside. He couldn't leave without me seeing him. I took a deep breath to prepare, and then went inside.

Al was standing at the window, watching his owl fly away. He turned when I came in, furrowed his brow, and went back to looking darkly out the window. He knew he was trapped.

I took a deep breath, then pulled my necklace out from under my shirt collar so he'd know I still wore it. I reached out my hand and set it gently on his shoulder. I was afraid he'd shrug it off, but he didn't. Instead, without looking at me, he reached up and took my hand in both of his- a good sign. For a long time, we stood side-by-side and gazed out the window at the still, snow-covered land.

"I'm sorry," Al said, breaking the silence.

"So am I." I squeezed his hand.

"Does he make you happy?" He meant Will.

"Yes."

"Good. If he ever makes you unhappy, you can tell him he'll have me to answer to," Al said. I could hear the smile in his voice. Sure enough, when I looked he was grinning. I had his approval. I hadn't even known I was trying to get it, but it made me feel so much more at ease.

The next day, Saturday, I went to the library to find something good to read. I was so busy scanning the shelves that I didn't see Will, leaning on the bookcase and waiting to be noticed, until I was a few feet away. In the warmth of the library, he'd taken off his robe and rolled his shirt sleeves up. He looked incredibly dashing.

"Oh, good morning, Will," I smiled.

"You seem happy today," he said.

"I am. Al's not mad at me anymore," I replied, trying to read the titles on the higher shelves.

"This Al seems to have a big impact on your mood," Will said. "You two must be pretty close."

I nodded. Apparently, he expected me to say more. When I didn't, he said, "What I meant to ask was, are you two, you know…?"

"No! No, we're just friends," I said firmly.

"Ah," he said as if he didn't care, but I could see the relief on his face.

I spotted a title that sounded interesting, but even on tiptoe I couldn't reach it. I looked around for something to stand on.

"Let me," Will said. He narrowed the gap of space between us and reached up. He smelled of mint. Lovely. He looked up to see the book he was getting, but as soon as he had a hold on it, he turned his gaze on me and held it there for who knew how long. I could've stayed like that forever.

After awhile, Will cleared his throat. "Here," he said, handing me the book.

"Thank you," I said, blushing.

"Would you… would you like to go for a walk?"


Please review! Of course, all Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling. All other characters (aka Mae, Ella, etc.) are mine.