Chapter Six
Pandora's sticky hands clutched the two glass vials as she paced nervously. Each time the door opened she jumped; and each time she saw who it was that entered, her shoulders sagged with disappointment. She was growing more and more anxious as well as impatient. Finally, the door creaked open and Bridget answered.
"Hey," Bridget greeted.
"I've got them right here," Pandora said quickly, handing her the two potions.
"You're the best!" Bridget accepted them eagerly, her eyes widening.
"Just be careful, okay?" Pandora reminded her.
"Of course," Bridget dismissed her with a wave, her eyes hungrily scanning the two differently colored liquids. "Which one's which?"
"The blue one will relax you and the pink one should give you energy."
"Sweet!" Bridget took a swig of the blue potion. A dreamy look came over her and she gazed at Pandora happily. Pandora noticed dark circles had formed under Bridget's eyes. As she opened her mouth to mention it, they spotted Viola standing against the corridor wall, her finger twirling in her dark hair as she spoke to a Ravenclaw boy.
"Oh yeah, I love to play Wizard's chess! It's one of my favorite games. I definitely think it should be a sport!" she was lying through her teeth, and it made Pandora and Bridget giggle. Viola spun around, hearing their chuckles approaching. She ignored them, looping her arm through the boy's and skipping to class with him. The two friends followed them into the Charms class. As Viola chattered away with him and Bridget began taking notes, Pandora found herself gazing off into space. She spotted Harry from across the room, bent over his book and attempting to cast a spell. He looked up and caught her eye. His face immediately broke into a smile. She found herself grinning back.
The smile stayed on her face throughout the day. She found herself humming as she cast levitation spells and even singing while she brewed potions. As she sauntered to lunch, she felt lightheaded and ridiculously blissful. Her hair swished behind her and she was antsy, ready to jump on a broomstick and fly across the world rather than sit still and eat lunch. As she began to eat, Draco slipped into the seat next to her.
"Pandora," he was quick to switch to his "business" voice. "I was looking for you this morning during breakfast."
"Sorry," she apologized quickly, feeling Viola and Bridget's eyes focused on them, holding their breaths as they waited to hear what he was going to say next.
"I got a message in the mail today. My family will be having a little party this weekend. Your family is invited, of course, so since you and I both have to go, we might as well go together." He stated it simply. She could see, out of the corner of her eye, Bridget nudging Viola, smiles on their faces.
"Okay, that should be fine," she replied, turning back to her food.
"Alright then," he got up and stalked off. He wasn't even a foot away before Bridget and Viola squealed.
"You guys have a date!" Bridget yelped.
"You have to let me pick your outfit," Viola demanded.
"Whoa, whoa," Pandora raised up her hands in defense. "Guys, it's not a date."
"It totally is," Bridget insisted.
"Yeah, he's only been trying to get with you since first year." Viola said.
"Why deny it?" Bridget asked.
"You two are meant to be together," Viola's eyes were wide with excitement.
"Absolutely not!" Pandora screeched, feeling her face redden with embarrassment.
"You two are destined for each other," Bridget told her informatively, as if she was spouting off the steps to a potion. "You both come from powerful families. It's like, law."
"After all," Viola piped up. "In a monarchy, a princess doesn't marry anyone short of a prince, otherwise how else will she rule the kingdom as queen?"
"A real queen doesn't need a king by her side," Pandora interjected. Both girls rolled their eyes in frustration.
"Whatever you say, Pandora," Viola said.
"When you two get married, I expect to be maid of honor." Bridget remarked.
"Uh, no! I should be maid of honor!" Viola turned to her. The two began to bicker back and forth, listing reasons as to why she should be chosen. Pandora groaned and stared off into space, her mind fluttering to a new topic. She picked up her cup of pumpkin juice and spotted Harry from across the room, practically miles away. He caught her eye and lifted up his cup of pumpkin juice to her, as if offering up a toast. She lifted up hers as well, a smile creeping onto her face. He winked at her before taking a sip. She bit her lip to stop the smile from showing, but he spotted it immediately. Free elf. He mouthed to her, a sparkle in his eye. Shut up, she mouthed back, taking a quick sip and looking around to make sure no one had noticed. She caught his eye again, and he mouthed, later? She nodded. The two took a sip simultaneously, and then turned back to their friends and back to their separate worlds, pretending that the small, meaningful interaction hadn't occurred.
