Cheekbones

God, those cheekbones. Those perfectly sculpted, damnable cheekbones. No one had any business walking around with cheekbones like those. Wars could be justifiably fought over those cheekbones.

"You're staring again."

I shot a glare to the person to my right, who was looking smug despite the fact that her eyes were trained on her textbook, propped up against a jug of pumpkin juice.

Well, what did she expect me to do? NOT look at those glorious cheekbones? And put my eyes where? His very broad chest maybe…

"You're hopeless."

I relocated my eyes back to Skye again. "Aren't you supposed to be studying?"

"No actually," she turned her own eyes on me. "I just have this here to keep people from talking to me."

"Well maybe you should take your own advice," I offered with a glower.

This drew a low chuckle from my friend. "Just ask him out. You're practically already dating."

My back straightened. "We went to the Ball together. And we went on that date on Valentine's Day. But that hardly constitutes dating."

We'd hung around since, but never in a romantic way. I mean…there was sometimes moments when the air sparked with electricity when we were around one another. Like when we caught each other looking, or when our faces were close to one another. But he'd never officially asked me out, and I hadn't broached the topic either.

It was at that moment that Barnaby stood from the Slytherin table. He made a comment to a peer as he left and passed the Ravenclaw table. And then approached the Gryffindor table.

"Hi Alice," Barnaby Lee smiled, stopping briefly.

"Hi Barnaby," I said breathlessly. My cheeks flushed, feeling like I was caught with my hand in the cookie jar, despite Barnaby having no clue what I was doing to him in my mind.

"Good morning, Parkins"

"'Morning."

"See you in Potions?"

I nodded dumbly before he turned and left the Hall.

"Wow. That. Was embarrassing."

"I don't need your commentary," I snapped.

"You're the Curse Breaker. Curse. Breaker. And you're afraid to ask out a boy?" Skye had a way of looking both exasperated and confused at the same time.

"I don't have to worry about curses rejecting me," I muttered. Curses were very attracted to me, in fact.

Skye closed the book she'd not been studying, cramming it into her bookbag. "He's not going to reject you. Poor boy worships the ground you walk on."

Before I could comment on her gross exaggeration, she was walking through the doors of the Great Hall.

I frowned. I wanted to believe her, of course. But I was just me. Weird, trouble-attracting me. And he was Barnaby Lee. Handsome, talented, loyal, tender hearted, muscular… I dragged myself from the inevitable daydream. But seriously. If Ismelda had managed a crush on him, he was clearly perfect.

Skye was right. I was hopeless.

I sighed, grabbing my own bookbag from the bench and marching out to meet the day.

Entering the frigid Potions classroom, my eyes swept over the desks. I was both relieved and perturbed to find Barnaby sitting alone. The thought of sitting next to him made my heart leap, like it always did when I was around the Slytherin, but it also took away an excuse to prolong my romantic request.

'Brave indeed' I thought bitterly, second guessing the House I had been sorted into. Remembering that one can only be brave if they're facing something they fear, I, like a true Gryffindor, sucked in my fear and marched over to the desk.

"Hey Barnaby," I said meekly, sliding onto the seat beside him. "Anyone sitting here?"

"Just you," he chirped with a smile. He looked like he wanted to say more, but Snape swept into the classroom, immediately drawing the students' attention.

Nearly three-quarters of the class was complete before I tried again.

"So, hey, do you have any plans this weekend?" I ventured, dumping some dandelion root into my potion. I flicked my wand to stir the potion once.

Barnaby seemed to chew it over in his mind before responding. "Nothing. I was going to help Professor Kettleburn with some newborn nifflers, but that shouldn't take long."

"Great. Um. I just-Um…"

'Spit it out!' I chastised myself. The words were so easy, and yet I felt like I was choking every time I tried to say them.

It really shouldn't be such a big deal. We had already spent time together at the ball and on Valentine's Day. But somehow this was different. There was no event bringing us closer together. There was no expectation that I should pick someone to bring with me. This was wholeheartedly a display of affection; and admission of my feelings.

"Uhh, Alice?" Barnaby's voice pulled me from my thoughts. "Is your potion supposed to be smoking purple?"

Stomach dropping, I turned my full attention to my cauldron which was, indeed, belching out a thick purple smoke. I'd been so distracted, I'd forgotten to stir it a few more times. Before I could control the situation, my cauldron gave a great shake and emitted a dark green sludge, which covered any part of me that was not protected by my desk.

I was still blinking in disbelief when Snape loomed over me, his lips twisted in such a way that I knew he was not pleased with me. His arms crossed over his chest as he glowered down at me.

"Have you forgotten how to count, Fawcett?"

"No, Sir," I mumbled and set to work cleaning myself and my station. Barnaby offered to help but I told him to finish his potion; no need for us both to get zeroes today.

I wasn't quite finished by the time class adjourned; this slime was ridiculously sticky. So when Barnaby packed up his bag and left the classroom, I was unable to follow and, therefore, unable to complete my mission. Skye was nice enough to stop by my desk on her way out.

"You'll see him in Charms this afternoon. At least you're less likely to blow up something there," she whispered in my ear. I shot her the dirtiest glare I could muster, but she left chuckling under her breath.

'So, Barnaby…you, me, a good time; free this weekend?'

'Do you want to hang out this weekend?'

''Are you free this weekend? I thought we could spend some time together.'

My previous class was Transfiguration, so I had had no time to plan how I was going to broach my date idea to Barnaby. I was still playing with words in my mind as I entered the Charms classroom. I was worried that winging it would cause me to clam up. I wasn't off to a great start in Potions prior to my potion exploding.

Planning for the best, however, I rushed to take a seat in the very back row. It'd be easier to speak back here. I proceeded to shoo away anyone who tried to sit next to me and kept my eyes glued to the classroom doorway, ready to call Barnaby over the second I saw him.

Having heard me call his name the very moment his feet passed into the room, he smiled and made his way over to me.

"Hi again," he grinned, setting up for class.

"Hi again," I said lamely, already growing nervous. I'd much rather be fighting ice knights right about now. "So, um, about what I was going to say in Potions-"

"Good afternoon, class," Professor Flitwick greeted, climbing onto the pile of books he used to achieve a height sufficient to visualize the entire class. Barnaby's attention slid to him and I cursed under my breath.

I received my next chance about twenty minutes later. We were practicing Scourgify and my once dirty plate now sat shining on my desk. When I turned to speak to Barnaby, however, he seemed to be having a bit more difficulty.

"I can't get this charm to work," he said with frustration once he noticed my attention. He attempted the charm again, but nothing happened to his dirty plate.

I frowned. "Show me that again."

He did so. I nodded to myself.

"Your wand movement is a little off," I remarked. "Here."

I leaned over, placing my hand on his wand hand. I guided his hand with mine as he said the incantation and this time, success!

He grinned broadly. "I did it!"

He moved his head to look at me and it was then that I realized just how close I was to the boy. Now that he looked at me, our noses were almost touching. My breathing shallowed and I became acutely aware of my surroundings.

His eyes were even more captivating up close. There were flecks of gold in those beautiful, bright green irises. His scent enveloped me; a warm almondy scent that brought comforting memories to the forefront of my mind. I tried to focus on those memories to keep my eyes from drifting to his lips and wondering just how soft they were.

I couldn't be sure if my eyes betrayed me or not, but either way, the air around us seemed to grow thick. Was the atmosphere electric, or was it just me? Was I imagining the intensity in his eyes or was it actually there? It took my breath away and I forgot how to breathe.

"Barnaby, Alice, it seems you're doing well!"

The air around us seemed to pop like a bubble and we jerked apart. Were my ears deceiving me, or did Barnaby just take a sharp inhale? I'd let my mind go over that later. For now, my eyes turned to Professor Flitwick, who was inspecting our plates.

"Yes, S-Sir," Barnaby stammered. "Alice was helping me with the wand movements."

With a flick of Flitwick's wand, our plates were dirtied once more. "Show me."

I raised my wand, but my eyes darted in Barnaby's direction, just as he glanced away. I turned my attention back to my plate.

"I think you're being dramatic. Eat your pudding," Skye said dismissively from my right.

Head on the tabletop, I frowned at the bowl beside my head. "I don't want my pudding."

My companion rolled her eyes. "Why didn't you just ask him out today?"

"I tried!" I moaned. "Clearly, fate is keeping us apart."

"That or you," Skye nodded towards the Slytherin table. "Go over there right now."

Yeah right. Like I was going to let myself look like a stuttering idiot in front of Merula and her cronies. Might as well give up and resign myself to a life of loneliness. But just as all seemed hopeless, someone tapped on my shoulder.

Blinking, I sat up, peering to my left to find a boy watching me awkwardly. He appeared young, probably a first year. Thanks to his robes, I identified him as a Slytherin. I watched him expectantly.

The boy thrust a scrap of parchment in my face. "I was supposed to give this to you."

I took the parchment and the boy immediately left as fast as he could without appearing frantic. I wondered what Slytherins were telling this boy to make him that uncomfortable with my presence. I made a note to speak with Merula about it. Telling fantastical stories about me sounded right up her alley.

But I pushed that all to the back of my mind and unfolded the small scrap of parchment in my hands. I recognized the scrawled writing at once.

Meet me at the lake house.

I immediately glanced to the Slytherin table to find Barnaby absent. I stood up so fast that I knocked my knee into the table, disrupting all the dishes in my vicinity. Catching her pumpkin juice, Skye shot me a glare, which I ignored. Without a word, I hastened out of the Great Hall.

The sky was gorgeous, a canvas of oranges and pinks. I concentrated on the world around me as I made my way down the sloping lawns to the lake house. Listening to the chorus of crickets and the rustle of the bushes and trees was preferrable to focusing on my quickly beating heart.

What could this meeting be about? Did he want to talk to me about the moment we shared in Charms? Maybe he noticed how pathetic I was and wanted to tell me he had no interest in me? My stomach flipped uncomfortably. Seemed kind of cruel to make me walk all this way just to be rejected.

Could I dare hope that he noticed what passed between us and wanted to pursue it? My heart gave a little flutter at that. I tried to shut the thought down though. I couldn't afford to get my hopes up.

Reaching the lake house, I stopped before the door. Emotions fought for dominance within me. Nervousness, anticipation, dread, hope. I tried, and failed, to take a calming breath, then opened the door and stepped inside.

My eyes swept over the area and I spotted Barnaby sitting on the pier, his feet nearly skimming the water. My arrival caught his attention and he peered up at me. Smiling, he waved me over. That was encouraging.

I made my way over to him. As I reached him, he held his hand out. I took it, my heart fluttering in my chest, and he helped me sit down beside him.

Neither of us spoke at first and the only sound around us was the lapping of the water against the dock. I wondered if he could hear just how frantically my heart was beating against my ribcage. I was almost afraid to breathe, especially as the silence stretched on.

He took a few moments but, finally, Barnaby spoke. "You got my note."

"I did."

Barnaby shook his head. "Sorry, that was a stupid thing to say."

I huffed a laugh and bumped my shoulder into his. It was then that I noticed how tense Barnaby had been because I visibly noticed him relax. Was Barnaby nervous?

"Sorry I dragged you all the way here," he continued.

"I don't mind," I assured him. "It's peaceful here."

He nodded. "I always liked it here. Helps me think."

It was silent for a moment before I ventured, "What did you come down here to think about?"

Barnaby frowned. "Whether or not I was stupid to ask you."

"Ask me what?"

"If you'd go out with me this Saturday."

I blinked. "What?"

Barnaby turned his body so he could see me better. "Would you like to go out on Saturday? You know…as a date?"

Was I dreaming? Did Barnaby Lee just turn those bottomless green eyes on me and ask me to go on a date? It must be true, because he was staring at me expectantly.

It was when I tried to answer that I noticed I had forgotten to breathe. I let out a whoosh of air I didn't realize I'd been holding. His question gave me courage and I smiled. "I've been trying to find a way to ask you that all day."

This caused his lips to quirk into a smile. "Is that what you were trying to ask me this morning?"

"Before my potion exploded? Yes."

He chuckled. "You could have just asked me quick instead of losing your focus."

"I was nervous," I huffed.

He smiled endearingly. "You never need to be nervous around me."

Butterflies fluttered in my stomach and I couldn't help the stupid grin that slid onto my face. "Noted."

Still smiling, Barnaby clambered to his feet. He held out his hand again and I took it, allowing him to help me to my feet. As he did, he placed a chaste kiss on my cheek. That alone stole my breath away.

Was this what it would be like to be with Barnaby? Would he be able to thrill me just by holding my hand? I couldn't imagine what kissing him would be like. I couldn't wait for that moment. Couldn't wait to call him mine.

And what else would be mine?

Those cheekbones.