Eventually, to my huge relief, the rest of the school got bored of gossiping about Wendell Rosier. They moved on to other topics: Hogwart's couples, Quidditch and complaints about the teachers. I was still worried about Dora though- she was trying to act like her usual cheerful self, but every once in a while the façade would slip and she would shout or look as though she was on the verge of tears.
I was worrying about her as one Friday night, as I patrolled the corridors on Prefect duty. I was in my own little world, so it was a surprise to come around the corner and nearly bump straight into Ted Tonks. We both stopped walking, and there was an awkward moment as we both tried not to remember our encounter by the lake.
"Uh- hi," he said, politely.
"Hi," I said, not quite able to bring myself to sound rude.
"Looks like we both drew the short straw, then," he said.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Prefect duty on a Friday night." He pulled a face. "You know- we're teenagers, we should be out partying or something."
"Right," I said. "Well, I don't think I'd be partying in any case."
"No, me neither," he admitted. "I'd probably just make an excuse to go to bed early so that I could read under the covers. I'm pathetic."
"I think you've just called me pathetic," I said.
"Sorry," he said. "But it's not pathetic if you do it- you're a pretty girl. You can get away with it."
"Right," I said. I couldn't help but smile.
"Sorry- too cheesy, right?" he said.
"Yes," I admitted. But I smiled. Then, suddenly, I remembered who he was: a muggle born. I shouldn't even have stopped for him. "Anyway, I should get on with my patrolling," I said stiffly.
"Yeah- if we can't have fun, we'd better make sure that no-one else can, hadn't we?" He grinned. "See you around."
I managed not to smile back, but it was difficult. "Yes, bye," I replied, after a few moments pause. I pushed past him in the darkness and on into the corridor beyond. I didn't see him, or anyone else, for the rest of my patrol. A traitorous part of me was disappointed. I sort of liked Ted.
Dora was still up when I got back to the dormitory, sitting by the dying fire with a book.
"Hi," I said, sitting down on the armchair opposite her.
"Hiya," she said. "Guess what? Evan wrote to me- he wants to meet me in Hogsmeade this weekend!" She looked happier than she had in ages.
"Great!" I said. I was glad that she was happier, although a little disappointed as well. It meant that I would have no-one to go to Hogsmeade with: Cissy would be going with her new boyfriend (as she couldn't wait to tell anyone who would listen), and I didn't think that I could stomach a day of tagging along with Eugenia and Katherine. "Any reason?"
"I don't think so- he just wants to talk. He was so distant over the summer, I was sure he was wrapped up in something dodgy. But I guess I was just worrying too much- it was probably just a phase."
I didn't point out that meeting Dora in Hogsmeade didn't mean that he wasn't involved in anything dodgy- it was too good to see her happy again. "That's great!" I said.
"I'm not meeting him 'til the afternoon, though, so we can still go round the shops like we planned. Oh, I can't wait to get into Honeydukes again!" Her eyes shone.
"Mmm, yeah," I agreed. "I'm not sure how many more ARithmancy lessons I can get through without getting some sugar quills."
"And it's so long since I've had gummy flobberworms!" Dora said excitedly. "Ooh, and I can get some cream bombs, and Mugnut Crunch! Anyway," she shut her book with a snap. "I think I'd better go to bed. I was only really waiting up to see if you got back safely."
The two of us brushed our teeth and went to bed, and I drifted to sleep with my head full of dreams where Tonks and I wandered the beautiful grounds of Pemberly Place in bright autumn sunshine. I woke up disgusted with myself- but nonetheless, a part of me looked forward to Friday night Prefect duty for the rest of the week.
When Friday evening finally came, though, I did everything I could to put off leaving for duty. I spent ages in our dormitory: changing my socks and robes, rearranging my drawers, arranging the books on my bedside table more neatly…
"Meda, aren't you supposed to be on Prefect duty tonight?" Dora snapped, as a stack of textbooks I'd just built came crashing down loudly. "Do you need to do that now?"
"Yeah," I said. Then I took a look around me and realised what I was doing. "Actually, no. You're right." I saw the time displayed on the clock and panicked. "Oh no, I'm late!" I was setting a terrible example to the lower years. I jammed the books I'd spent the last twenty minutes arranging so carefully into my trunk carelessly and slammed the trunk, ignoring Dora's complaints, and all but ran to the corridor where I was supposed to be beginning my patrol.
Once I got there, though, I realised that there had been absolutely no need to rush. Nothing happened for most of my patrol: I walked through the dark corridors without encountering so much as a ghost's quarrel. And then, just as I thought (with a mixture of disappointment and relief) that I wasn't going to see him, I came around a corner and nearly walked straight into Ted again. My heart leapt.
"Hey," he said. "Fancy meeting you here." He winked.
"Hello," I said. I realised that my face had broken into a smile on seeing him and forced it into what I hoped was an unconcerned expression. "How're you?"
"Great, thanks," he said. "I was wondering- I know it's quite short notice, but do you have any plans for Hogsmeade this weekend? Because if you don't, there's a really cute bookshop with a coffee shop attached that does amazing flapjacks. But if you've already made plans, that's fine too. Obviously. I mean, I expect you have, so yeah."
I couldn't help but grin at his rambling. "No, I'm sorry- I'm going with a friend."
"Oh, that's fine." A curious mix of relief and disappointment flashed across his face. It occurred to me that he could really do with learning to hide his disappointment. "Well, maybe next time. But only if you'd like."
"I'd lo-" I began to say I'd love to, and then remembered who I was talking to. Why was it so easy to forget that he was muggleborn? "Maybe," I said, more coldly. I knew that the right thing to do was to walk away without a backwards glance, showing him just how little I cared for people like him. But I didn't. I stayed, and found myself spending a few more minutes chatting to him.
Eventually, we both remembered that we were supposed to be patrolling and went on our way. I passed the rest of my patrol with a wide grin on my face, and for a few minutes I was just another teenage girl with a crush. It was a nice feeling- but of course, it couldn't last.