Author's Note: Apologies for the delayed chapter—I was moving over the weekend!
Chapter 38 – Whistle For The Choir
So if you're lonely, why'd you say you're not lonely?
Oh, you're a silly girl, I know, I heard it so
It's just like you to come and go
And know me, no, you don't even know me
You're so sweet to try, oh my, you caught my eye
A girl like you's just irresistible
Sam and Isabella had been dating for ten whole days. And it had been sheer bliss.
Sam had never realised what he had been potentially missing out on by his focused pursuit of only Rose for the past five years. He had never realised he had been overlooking opportunities to be with girls who actually wanted to be with him, and how truly incredible that could feel. Not that there were any other girls who could possibly draw his attention away from Isabella.
Isabella. Her name was like a spell in itself. One word to make him feel deliriously happy without fail.
Sam supposed he didn't really have anything to compare it to. Taylor had been the only other girl he had officially been in a relationship with, but he realised now just how completely not a relationship that had truly been. There hadn't been any emotion there—they had never even kissed, or held hands, or anything. It had just been a couple of months or so where they had hung out alone and talked a lot more than they ever normally would have. Taylor had been very emotional at the time, and maybe he shouldn't have let it even go as far as he had, but Sam hoped there were no hard feelings there.
All the Gryffindors, in truth, seemed to be completely supportive of his relationship with Isabella, Taylor included. Sam was wondering if, maybe, he should even introduce them to her formally soon. But something kept him holding back. He and Izzy seemed to almost exclusively hang out just the two of them. He hadn't yet met any of her friends either, but for some reason, the thought of trying to assimilate Isabella into their little group made him feel… reluctant.
Sam couldn't pinpoint why. They all knew they were dating, and they'd all shown support towards her, but it was like he wanted to keep them separate for fear of something unknown. Maybe he feared they wouldn't get along, or maybe, if they got to know her, they would find some flaws he had previously overlooked.
But none of that really seemed right. Even still, he had an unshakeable feeling that, for a while at least, he should keep Isabella just to himself. Everybody knew they were dating anyway—it wasn't like they were pulling a Rose and Scorpius and keeping it a secret. Perhaps it was just that everything was so far going so perfectly as it was—so why spoil the formula?
Sam felt anxious as their first Prefect meeting since they had become an official couple loomed ever-nearer. He wondered how the dynamics of the meeting room would change now that they had declared themselves to be boyfriend and girlfriend. Would James be teasing and inappropriate? Would Scorpius make some snide, diminishing comment? Would people be watching, giggling, scrutinising them? What would Henry say? Sam had never really formed much of a relationship with the boy, and he supposed he really should now that he was dating his twin sister.
But all of that worrying came second to one, overriding fear that consumed it all, and Sam knew it. It was Janey he was worried about. Of course it was. It always was.
She had been particularly standoffish with him ever since the stupid mishap with the Hufflepuff guy, biting her tongue around him or else flouncing off, but how could he be sure she would continue this streak with Isabella around? Even in their scheduled patrols, she had been making sure to put as much distance between them as possible, and it had been oddly refreshing, if not a little unnerving. But what if she made some nasty, taunting comment in front of Isabella or even directly to her? Sam knew he would not be able to keep his cool.
And with that many pairs of eyes on them, including Professor Bobbin and Isabella herself, Sam knew that wasn't how he wanted to present himself.
He would simply ignore her, he decided. Janey couldn't get under his skin—not if he didn't let her.
Sam and Isabella attended the meeting together, walking through the corridor towards the room hand in hand, a united front. Sam wasn't ashamed to call Isabella his girlfriend, and he wanted the school to know that he wasn't shying away from letting it be known. He doubted he would get to sit next to her or spend much time with her in the meeting itself, but at least they had that time together before and after.
Sam was incredibly surprised to find an already furious Janey standing outside the door to the meeting room, with her arms folded and daggers in her eyes. He dropped Isabella's hand immediately and felt his girlfriend's surprise at such an action.
"Where the hell have you been?" Janey demanded without any leadup or warning.
Sam was so shocked that he didn't know what to say.
"I waited for you for ages," she insisted. "And after all the flack you gave me about not showing up!"
"What are you talking about?" Sam asked, completely astounded. He was at the meeting—correct time and place—perfectly on time. In fact, he and Isabella were a few minutes early! "I'm here," he pointed out.
"But you weren't there," Janey snarled, not relenting in the slightest.
"Where?" Sam asked dumbly.
"At the common room!"
Sam felt momentarily guilty. He supposed he hadn't let her know that he would be attending the meeting with Isabella rather than walking with Janey from the Gryffindor Common Room like they always had done. It had slipped his mind that he was unintentionally changing their planned routine. But he also hadn't realised that she would even care. It wasn't like she hadn't done it countless times.
It was that thought that morphed the guilt into anger. "I never said I would be," Sam said coolly.
Janey just scoffed.
Sam was feeling defensive. How dare she make him feel guilty for changing their plans when she had never had any qualms about doing so herself? And at least he was there! It wasn't like he had just abandoned her entirely like she had done to him.
"I just think it's rich," Janey went on, "that you act so entitled about me keeping to the schedule and acting as a team, and yet, you can go off and do whatever you want to do anyway." She accompanied this with a dirty glare aimed at Isabella, very pointedly looking her up and down like she was something disgusting.
Sam was fuming, but he was painfully aware of Isabella still awkwardly standing by his side. He would not lose his cool.
"Hypocrite," Janey snarled at him. But thankfully, before Sam could even think about responding, she had stormed into the meeting room by herself.
Sam felt only minimally more relaxed.
"Geez, why is she always so mean," Isabella said distastefully.
"I'm so sorry, Izzy," Sam apologised, outraged at how openly rude Janey had been to her without any need for words. He didn't care what she said to or about him, but taking shots at Isabella, even without needing to say a word, was crossing a line. "She's just got this insane hang-up because she thinks I ruined her relationship or whatever."
Isabella cocked her head with sharp confusion. "What?"
But Sam was aware of others approaching the room from down the corridor and decided it was best not to delve into it right then. "I'll tell you later," he promised, taking hold of her hand once more and offering a reassuring squeeze.
Isabella beamed at him in response, and Sam's anger melted away instantly. Janey simply couldn't get to him when he had Isabella around. She couldn't get under his skin anymore. He wouldn't allow it.
Sam and Isabella walking into the room with clasped hands did not go unnoticed by the people already sitting in there. Sam noticed, rather smugly, Scorpius Malfoy's slight widening of eyes, and this only gave Sam a swelling of confidence within himself. Take that, you arrogant prick, he couldn't help but think. Whilst Scorpius was desperately kissing random redheads without consent in a pathetic attempt to get over Rose, Sam had actually succeeded and moved on with a beautiful, kind, and smart Ravenclaw. He knew he shouldn't consider his new relationship status any kind of selfish one-up on a guy he shouldn't have cared so much about, but it did feel rather satisfying. Even Ebony's curious gaze gave him an ego boost.
It was only Professor Bobbin's amused surveying of the interaction that caused Sam to drop Isabella's hand once more. "Sam," she said in delight, and for one horrifying moment, he thought she might make comment about him and Isabella. But she then addressed another—one who was scowling from where she was hunched down in her chair, arms still stubbornly folded. "Janey. It's good to see you both. And in record time!"
Sam and Janey unintentionally looked at each other. Perhaps they should have felt proud, satisfied, united, but instead, it appeared they both seemed bitter. Janey looked away first. Neither of them responded to Bobbin's praise.
"Can we get this thing started?" James asked in a bored voice. "Some of us have plans."
Bobbin frowned. "James, your plans consist of being present at this meeting—and then returning to your dorm before curfew."
"Oh, for sure," James agreed. "That's what I meant. I am incredibly eager to get back to my dorm and have a good night's sleep—and certainly not take any detours via the fifth-floor broom cupboards."
Sam noticed Ebony smirk. He dreaded to think what went down in the fifth-floor broom cupboards. And he wondered if Isabella was the kind of girl to whom such delinquent behaviour would appeal.
Bobbin looked both flustered and irritated by James' remark but chose to ignore it. "Well, if everybody takes their seats then we can begin."
Sam realised he and Isabella were both still awkwardly standing outside the ring of chairs, and further so, that they would have to separate to take their seats. He was also painfully aware that there were a lot of people watching him and who would be scrutinising how he chose to depart Isabella's side. He wouldn't be so bold as to kiss her, so instead, Sam merely dropped his voice to a low murmur. "I'll meet you after."
She smiled at him encouragingly, and the two took their respective seats. Sam felt both hot and cold as he slid into the empty seat beside Janey. She made a point of refusing to look at him or acknowledge him in any way. God, was she still just angry about him seemingly stranding her in the common room earlier or had he unknowingly done something else to piss her off? Well, he neither knew, nor cared, and that was how he stayed for the remainder of the meeting.
As the meeting concluded, Sam was temporarily distracted by the rather distressed way Professor Bobbin observed James and Ebony as they made a hasty escape through the door, both of them wearing mischievous grins the likes of which suggested they were about to engage in something not entirely becoming of what the badges they wore on their robes represented. But then Isabella was by his side, and nothing else mattered.
"Hey," she greeted, and his heart did a somersault. "You ready to go?"
Sam was about to reply in the affirmative, eager to return her to the Ravenclaw Tower and share another sweet, goodnight kiss, but before he could do so, an unexpectedly snide voice cut across him.
"Best not dally too long. It'll be curfew soon, and you wouldn't dare want to disrespect the title you hold in such esteem, now, would you?"
Sam turned to glare down at Janey. He hadn't even heard her approach, certain she would have already slinked off back to the common room alone.
"What?" he snapped.
"I'm just saying," Janey went on ruthlessly. "By the time you've walked to the Ravenclaw Tower and then all the way to the Gryffindor Tower, you'll already be pushing it to make it back in time for curfew. And that certainly wouldn't allow any time for"—she offered a sickeningly sweet smile—"dallying."
"I'll do what I want," Sam replied curtly.
Janey's sarcastic smile didn't falter. "But we're a team, remember?" she insisted. "We're supposed to have each other's backs. If one of us fails then we let the other down, and that would be just—completely unforgivable."
Sam had to shake his head in anger to stop him biting back at her. He knew what she was doing—of course he did. But it was completely different. He had only been on at Janey because she had genuinely been sullying both of their reputations as Prefects, and she was being spiteful for no reason.
"Well, as you care so much about our reputation as Prefects then you can go back to the Tower by yourself so at least one of us isn't breaking curfew."
Janey's smile finally slipped, and now she was back to that familiar glare.
"Sam," Isabella said awkwardly by his side. "You really don't need to—"
"It's fine," Sam irritably insisted before she could even finish the suggestion. He was going to walk her back to the Ravenclaw Tower. Of course he was. Isabella was his girlfriend—he didn't care what Janey said.
Janey didn't look at all placated by Isabella's attempt to intervene.
"But we can hang out tomorrow," Isabella tried again.
"No, Izzy," Sam said impatiently. He noted how Janey narrowed her eyes at the use of the nickname and Sam felt annoyingly self-conscious. Why couldn't she just go away? "I am going to walk you back," he said firmly, speaking to Isabella but glaring at Janey.
"You can't 'hang out' tomorrow anyway," Janey said, refusing to back down. "We've got an evening patrol."
Sam scowled. He had completely forgotten about that. "Well, we'll find time," he answered sweetly, mimicking her own tone from before. He was not going to let her win this petty battle she seemed intent on engaging in.
"You wouldn't want to miss it, because you'd just hate to have a detention, wouldn't you?"
Sam opened his mouth, but Isabella was speaking again. "Tomorrow is bad for me anyway—I've got that essay to finish."
Sam respected that she was only trying to keep the peace, but he also wished Isabella would let him handle it. He was not going to let Janey have her away—especially not given that she was only being difficult in order to get back at him somehow. She didn't really care—she was just being vindictive—and he didn't want sweet Isabella to make him look like Janey could exert any kind of control over him.
"We have the afternoon," Sam said to Isabella, opting to ignore Janey entirely.
But she wasn't having it. "No you don't," she went on ruthlessly.
Sam glared at her again. "What?" he snapped.
"Quidditch practice?" Janey reminded him, looking arrogantly delighted. "Remember they swapped the schedule so we're playing first instead of Slytherin? We have our first match next week, genius. James will never let you bail."
"James doesn't control me," Sam said darkly, hoping the boy in question was well out of earshot. Gryffindor had not initially been scheduled to play their first match until November, but a last-minute change had been made, meaning Gryffindor would be playing Hufflepuff next weekend. James had planned a gruelling routine in order to ensure they were ready.
"So you'd willingly compromise the whole team just so you can swan around with some Ravenclaw girl?"
Sam knew she was only using the same terminology he had used to describe her previous entanglement with Roman, but it didn't leave him feeling any less enraged. "Isabella is my girlfriend," he said in a dangerous voice, absolutely livid that Janey would dare to be so disrespectful when Isabella was standing right there.
For whatever reason, this declaration only seemed to cause Janey to look even more irritated. Perhaps because she had never gotten to the point where she had labelled anything with her former flame before it had ended, and it pissed her off that Sam and Isabella had succeeded where she had failed. Especially because, for whatever deluded reason, she blamed Sam for the demise of her short-lived romance.
"Sam," Isabella pleaded, clearly wanting to depart the tense situation. But she wasn't used to Janey, Sam thought—they couldn't let her win.
"We're leaving," Sam announced, still glaring at Janey.
"We'll be training every night this week," Janey reminded him calmly, but it was clear she was enjoying taunting him with the reminder. "So enjoy the next ten minutes, because that's all you'll have for a while."
Sam wasn't even going to dignify her with a response. Instead, he offered her one final, glowering look, which he only hoped conveyed how much he truly loathed her. And then, wordlessly, he took hold of Isabella's hand and steered her away, leaving the room, and Janey, behind.
Though not before she let out one last, sarcastic retort. "Thanks for being such a great team player, Sam!"
Sam was well aware that he had experienced his fair share of anger where Janey was involved, but the way she managed to so gleefully get under his skin without fail would always cause a surge of fury within him. Perhaps he should have felt embarrassed or self-conscious about the way he was storming through the corridor, practically dragging Isabella along beside him, but he didn't understand why Janey could never just let him be.
"Are you okay?" Isabella asked after a while. Her voice was almost enough to soothe him.
"I—yeah," Sam forced himself to say, recognising that he should probably lighten up a bit. "Janey just… irritates me. On purpose," he added. "She knew what she was doing."
"I don't get why she's so mean to you?"
Sam released a somewhat pained sigh. He and Janey had a long, tumultuous history. In truth, they had always riled each other. It wasn't like some singular, explosive event had occurred to forever alter their dynamic—they had always simply pissed each other off and very much played into that. He supposed he could pinpoint the most significant change to when they had become co-Prefects, but even before then, it wasn't like they had been friendly towards each other.
"She's just a horrible person," Sam answered spitefully. "And she's trying to punish me."
"What happened with her other relationship?" Isabella asked in a kind voice.
Sam guessed she was referring to what he had said earlier, and he supposed he did owe her an explanation. "Oh, she was seeing this Hufflepuff guy," he explained. "But she kept skipping meetings to hang out with him—that's why Bobbin gave me detention that one time."
Isabella nodded in recollection.
"And I caught her in the grounds with him right before we were about to have our last meeting, and, well, we sort of argued about it, and even though she came, I guess he ended things with her or whatever. She's trying to claim it's because I embarrassed her or because… because of some idiotic belief that we had some kind of history between us that he didn't want to get caught up in," Sam scoffed.
"What?" Isabella asked sharply.
"It's not true," Sam said quickly. "Obviously."
Isabella had turned slightly red, maybe embarrassed by her immediate response. But Sam didn't mind. In fact, he kind of liked it. Not that Isabella might have temporarily considered there was some kind of history between him and Janey, but because it seemed to have ignited a brief surge of jealousy—of protectiveness. And he liked that a lot. That she might feel territorial about him with regards to other women. It felt… flattering.
"Anyway," Sam continued, "She's obviously jealous of what we have because she's bitter about getting dumped, and she's trying to punish us for it. All that bollocks about being a team player…"
Isabella was smiling now, and Sam was starting to relax once more. No matter what Janey threw at him, as long as he had Isabella, she just couldn't get to him.
"And now she's going to try and stand in the way of us actually spending any time together," he said, the irritability creeping back in, though it was much more subdued. He was painfully aware that they were ever-nearing the Ravenclaw Common Room, and he was a little annoyed that they'd spent the entire walk talking about Janey. "She'll never let us get a moment's peace."
"Well, I guess it's a shame she's not still seeing that Hufflepuff guy," Isabella said lightheartedly.
It was like a lightbulb had gone off in Sam's head. "Oh my God, Izzy, you're a genius."
Isabella smirked. "I am?"
"Yes!" Sam said gleefully. "That's what we need to do—get her back with Roman!"
Isabella looked suddenly interested. "Roman Valentine?"
"Yeah," Sam said, wary of why his girlfriend now looked so intrigued at the mention of the older athlete.
"He's, err, I think he's already seeing someone else…" she awkwardly explained.
Wow, Sam thought involuntarily. So soon after he'd ended things with Janey? What a jerk.
"Henry knows him pretty well," Isabella said quickly, as though aware that having an intimate knowledge of another guy's dating habits would raise some questions from the guy she was currently seeing.
But Sam wasn't concerned with that. He couldn't stop thinking what an incredible scumbag it turned out Roman was. He knew he'd never liked him for a reason. Not that he cared about Janey… But still.
"Henry," Sam mused out loud, a sudden thought coming to his mind. "Is he single?"
Isabella looked rightfully startled.
"I was just thinking," Sam hurriedly explained, though he was laughing as he did so, "maybe, err, maybe he could take Janey out?"
Isabella looked only more startled. "You want me to set my brother up with her?"
But now that Sam had formed the idea, he couldn't shake it. "Think about it, Izzy, if she's thrown into her own, new romance then she'll be too distracted to bother us." He knew it was selfish beyond belief, but hey, maybe it would give Janey an ego boost after being burnt by Roman. It was a good thing all around! Well, maybe not for Henry…
Isabella seemed to be sharing the same thought. She had wrinkled her nose up. "I don't know if I could put Henry through that. She's so overbearing…"
"Look, I'm not suggesting he actually dates her," Sam went on. "I wouldn't wish that upon anybody."
Isabella snorted.
"But maybe he could just, like, talk to her a bit. Hang out some evenings, practise Quidditch—I don't know. Only for a bit so that she's too distracted to hassle us. Only whilst she's on the warpath. She'll get bored quickly, don't worry—she'll never actually stick around."
But Isabella still looked incredibly unconvinced. In truth, Sam felt like a bit of an arsehole for even suggesting it. He didn't even really know Henry that well, and now he felt entitled to ask him for degrading favours just so that Sam could get off with his sister? He just felt desperate. No one appreciated how vindictive Janey was—if they didn't act soon, she was going to hound them in the way she felt like Sam had done to her own situationship. And Sam couldn't let that happen. He wasn't going to lose the beautiful thing he had going with Isabella.
"I know it's a lot to ask," Sam said, now almost bargaining with her. "But maybe they'll actually get along? You never know."
"I find that hard to believe," Isabella said distastefully. "I'd like to give my brother a bit more credit for where his interests lie."
"Janey has a lot of… attributes," Sam said weakly.
Isabella eyed him suspiciously. "Like what?"
Sam gulped. How to sell the most unlikeable girl in the school as a desirable partner? But clearly a lot of guys saw the appeal there.
"She's, uh, good at Quidditch," Sam said after a moment's deliberation. "She's pretty smart—she can be witty when she's not being nasty."
Isabella didn't say anything, her lips pressed into a tight line not too dissimilar to the way Bobbin often looked at James. Sam felt nervous, though he wasn't sure why.
"I suppose people would think she's fun to be around. And she's… you know… attractive. I guess."
Isabella quirked an eyebrow, still saying nothing.
"It was a stupid idea—forget I said anything," Sam mumbled, for some reason now feeling incredibly uncomfortable in his own skin. As much as he wanted to be around Isabella, he also now had the driving desire to be completely alone. He felt scrutinised, exposed. Perhaps praising the attributes of another girl to your girlfriend wasn't the brightest idea he'd had.
"I just really want to be with you, Izzy," Sam pleaded as they finally came to a stop outside the door to the Ravenclaw Common Room.
They turned to look at each other. Isabella looked incredibly sad.
"I don't want anything—or anyone—to ruin what we have," Sam said, taking hold of her hands.
And at that, her hostility seemed to mildly melt away.
"Everything about you is so incredible, and I'm so happy with you. You're so kind, and smart, and beautiful, and I…"
Isabella seemed to lean in with eager sharpness.
"I think you're incredible," Sam repeated hesitantly.
Something steeled over in Isabella's stormy blue eyes. "Well," she eventually said, clearing her throat. "I guess I could talk to Henry but… I don't know if he'll go for it."
Sam felt hopeful nonetheless. "It doesn't matter anyway," he assured her. "Janey can't break us—nobody can. And I'll make time for you regardless."
"Yeah?" Isabella asked.
"Yeah," Sam vowed, giving her hands a squeeze.
"Okay."
Isabella seemed slightly more relaxed, but something about her demeanour towards him still felt off, and Sam worried that all the talk of Janey had rather sullied the evening. And wasn't that exactly what she had wanted? Another irritable surge of disgust for the blonde girl rose up in him, but he tried to ignore it.
"Goodnight, Izzy," Sam breathed, pulling her towards him so he could kiss her.
But something horrible happened. As Sam prepared to press his eager lips to hers, and recapture that sweet sense of bliss he now associated with kissing her, Isabella did not meet his mouth with her own. Instead, she had turned her head so that his lips brushed only the cool skin of her cheek.
"Goodnight, Sam," she said, tenderly enough but with a sort of bitter edge to her voice that he couldn't be sure whether he was imagining or not, slipping through the door and into her common room before he could even really process what had just happened.
Sam just watched her go in a state of shock, feeling incredibly confused and uncertain. He stayed there for a moment, staring at the spot she had just disappeared from, racking his brains for where the unexpected hostility might have stemmed from. Was she just annoyed about the whole Janey thing or had Sam done something wrong?"
He had just told her how incredible she was—how beautiful, and smart, and kind. Why would that have upset her?
Well, Sam supposed he would have to get used to that now that he was someone's boyfriend. It seemed girls did not get easier to understand even when you were officially dating them.
It was in somewhat of a daze that Sam walked back to his own common room, the spot on his cheek where she had kissed him tingling in a haunting sort of way. He made curfew in plenty of time.
It was a Saturday, and Janey was miserable. Ever since everything had gone down with Roman and Sam, she had been in incredibly low spirits, and it was frustrating her deeply. Why did she feel so hopelessly depressed by it all? She varied between plummeting depths of misery to insatiable bursts of burning anger with little to no warning.
It wasn't like she hadn't had relationships—or situationships, she thought bitterly—end before. And in truth, what she had shared with Roman had been so innocently undeveloped, so why did she feel like her heart had been ripped from her chest? It didn't even feel like it was about him as such. Sure, he was incredibly hot, and sweet, and charming, but losing him shouldn't have hurt any more than any of the other guys she had dated.
But Janey's emotions were a confusing mess, and she knew she was taking it out on people who didn't deserve it—namely her roommates. She was being unnecessarily hospitable with all of them, even more so than they were used to, and so she had been making an effort to distance herself a bit more.
Janey often opted for solitude. It was just easier that way—it allowed her to wallow in her own self-pity. She couldn't even bear to be around James and his exuberant energy, often escaping the common room to hang out in the library of all places. They were playing Hufflepuff at the end of the week in their first match of the new school year, which meant they would be undergoing a vigorous training regime for the week leading up to it. Janey's social battery was already drained, so she wasn't particularly looking forward to it, not least of all because she wanted to spend as little time as possible with Sam. It was just as well he was the one with the Beater's bat and not her…
Janey also felt particularly bitter about the upcoming match because it would be the first time she would be facing Roman since they'd ended things. She wasn't stupid, she had heard the rumours that he was already seeing somebody else, and that only made it all the more painful. Not that he had moved on already—she didn't care all that much—but because it only cemented the fear that he had not pursued a relationship with her because, well, of her, rather than because he just wasn't in the right place to date right then. It was hard not to take it personally, and it only made the rejection sting that little bit more.
God, she didn't know what she would do if they lost. She needed a win—any kind of win—but crushing the Hufflepuffs (and Roman) would feel particularly satisfying.
Janey was in the library that Saturday morning, savouring the last few moments of solitude she would be granted before a week of intense Quidditch practice—starting that very afternoon.
She was completely unprepared for when Henry Fontayne approached her.
"Janey?" he asked hesitantly, perhaps unsure it was really her. It was pretty early in the morning after all, on a random Saturday in October, and it was Janey. What were the chances that, of the few people scattered around the room, she would be one of them?
Janey was sitting in what had become her favourite spot—an armchair right beside a vast window that overlooked the grounds. She resented the fact that she now had a favourite spot in the library of all places. She didn't actually opt to do much studying, or homework, or anything, she just liked looking out over the grounds. It calmed her.
"Oh, hi, Henry," Janey said in surprise, recognising her fellow Prefect. "Were you—did you want to sit here?" she asked uncertainly. Perhaps she had unintentionally commandeered somebody else's favourite spot, but she was happy to vacate.
"Oh, no," he said in surprise. "I was just… coming to talk to you. I've never seen you in the library much before."
For some reason, Janey blushed. "I don't normally come on mornings," she lied. Well, it wasn't a lie—she didn't often come on mornings—but the unspoken implication was that she otherwise frequented it at any other time of the day. Which was also untrue. Not until recently.
"Are you studying for something?" he asked politely.
Janey was deeply confused as to why Henry had approached her. It wasn't like they had ever really had a conversation outside of Prefect meetings. But despite his unfortunate excuse for a twin sister, he was a pleasant enough person. He seemed kind.
"I was just about to," Janey lied, aware that she didn't have any books open in front of her to try and pretend like she had been. "I was just… enjoying the morning view of the grounds." Which actually was true, but she was worried it made her sound lame.
But at that, Henry smiled, clearly charmed. "It's pretty, isn't it?"
"Yes," Janey breathed, staring at him in a way she never had before. She supposed, because of Isabella, Janey had never really viewed Henry with much interest. He was very attractive though—in a sort of bookish boy-next-door kind of way. He shared the same raven-coloured hair as his sister, and it flopped over his forehead in a way that weirdly reminded Janey of Albus Potter. He had beautiful eyes too—a deep, midnight blue that was only enhanced by the Ravenclaw robes he often wore.
Janey didn't normally go for bookish boys. Ravenclaws probably made up the least-explored sector of her dating pool. She normally went for Quidditch players or cocky douchebags. And with a thrill, Janey remembered that Henry was also the former. And hopefully not the latter.
"Well, anyway," Henry said, offering her a smile. "I, err, actually do need to study, so…"
"Do you want to join me?" Janey asked before she could stop herself or really think about what she was doing. Her heart had picked up an irregular pace of its own accord.
Henry looked pleasantly surprised. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, of course," Janey assured him, indicating to the seat opposite her. She wasn't really sure why she'd offered—she had come to the library for solitude after all. But there was something about Henry—something she had previously overlooked—that had compelled her to offer. Perhaps a companion wouldn't be so bad, and she was thrilled that he seemed keen.
"Thanks," Henry said politely, settling into the seat she had offered.
Janey only smiled deeper.
"So what brings you to the library on a Saturday morning?" Janey asked in a playful manner, hoping he hadn't actually wanted to sit and study in silence.
But Henry didn't look put off by her small talk. "I don't know," he mused. "It's normally pretty quiet—pretty tranquil—and I like to get a good seat before it gets too crowded."
God, he was charming. Maybe not in quite as traditional and obvious a way as Roman had been, but Janey was starting to wonder whether she had entirely overlooked him due to his dumb sister. She suddenly wondered whether Henry was single.
"How very Ravenclaw of you," Janey said with a sly smile.
Henry looked down and laughed in a bashful way. He was very cute when he laughed, Janey noticed.
"Well, me and Izzy used to have a bit of a routine, but she, err, she's been a bit busy recently."
Janey felt her heart skip a beat and her body flush cold. "Oh," she said with a frown she wasn't able to suppress. She couldn't be sure if it was the mention of Isabella or the unspoken acknowledgement of her relationship with Sam that had irritated her more. Or, more likely, a combination of both. Either way, Janey didn't want to speak or think about either one of them.
"Are you quite close then?" she asked reluctantly. She really didn't want to talk about Isabella, but Janey was keen to continue her conversation with Henry, surprised by how much she was enjoying his company.
"Yeah, absolutely," Henry said. "But I guess… I suppose it was inevitable she would get a boyfriend at some point," he laughed. "And Sam seems nice."
Janey bit her tongue.
"I guess I'd rather they went off to be a couple together than insist on me being a third wheel."
"Are you not seeing anyone?" Janey couldn't help but ask, hoping it didn't come across as too forward. She really didn't want to talk about Sam or his relationship with Isabella—that was all.
A rush of pink flooded Henry's cheeks. "No," he said. "No, I'm, err… single."
Janey almost felt possessed to say, "Me too," but was able to bite her tongue in time. She wasn't trying to flirt with Henry. Her heart seemed to palpitate once more.
Was she?
Janey cleared her throat. "So what are you studying for?"
"Arithmancy," Henry said, some of the colour dissipating from his cheeks.
Go figure, Janey thought. Of course, as a Ravenclaw, Henry had opted for Arithmancy. Rose was the only one of her group of friends who took the subject. Janey loathed anything mathematical, which was, essentially, what Arithmancy consisted of.
"How is it," Janey asked, amused, "that you can be both into Quidditch and Arithmancy?" In her experience, the two didn't really go well together.
Henry's smile deepened. "Hey, there's a perfectly respectable correlation between the two. Quidditch is actually very logical when you break it down!"
"Not for me," Janey said, grinning too. "I just have to be the quickest and catch the Snitch—that's all there is to it."
"And you make it look so effortless," Henry praised before blushing once more.
Janey's heart seemed to soar. So he was aware of her prestige as a Quidditch player?
"Well, I'm hoping to continue my winning streak against Hufflepuff next weekend," she said coyly, unable to look away from his deeply blue eyes. He had very long eyelashes for a boy, but it suited him.
"I'm sure you will," Henry said kindly. "Don't tell anyone, but I'll be rooting for Gryffindor."
"Yeah?" Janey asked.
"Yeah," Henry said, still smiling. "You guys work so hard—you deserve it."
"Well, for all his flaws, James is a pretty good captain."
"I've no doubt."
"We've actually got practice later today," Janey went on. "That's why I wanted to get a moment of peace in before the intensity of this week begins. He's making us practise every night," she explained.
"Well," Henry said, and he appeared to gulp as he did so, his eyes briefly fluttering downwards as though he might be nervous. "If you ever get bored of all the training with your own team, and want a change, I wouldn't mind getting in some extra practice." He stared back up at her, eyes shining with a deep sincerity.
"Really?" Janey couldn't help but ask.
Henry smiled, never breaking eye contact. "I promise I won't expose all your tactics."
"No," Janey agreed, smiling coyly back. "I trust you."
For a while, they held each other's gaze, neither seemingly wanting to look away. Janey was completely awed. Henry Fontayne of all people? Why did she feel so… giddy? He was probably just being polite, she realised, but she hadn't felt so happy since—well—since Roman had first shown interest in her. And perhaps for the first time since he had ditched her, she actually felt… optimistic. Despite their striking resemblance, Isbaella was far from Janey's mind. As was Sam. All she could think about was the genuinely sweet boy sitting across from her in the library on that Saturday morning.
"What about tomorrow afternoon?" Janey dared to suggest. James never scheduled Quidditch practices for Sundays, and even though it meant she'd be doing a solid week of training, Janey found the anticipation of a one-on-one session with Henry greatly appealing.
Henry looked surprised but elated. "Absolutely," he enthused, and she felt like his excitement was sincere. "I, err, I'd love that."
"Okay," Janey said, still staring deeply into his eyes with meaning she wasn't quite certain of yet. "It's a date."
Author's Note: Title and epigraph inspired by The Fratellis' 'Whistle for the Choir'
To apologise for the delayed chapter (and because I won't actually be available to upload this coming Sunday either), have another!