Haven .|. H. J. POTTER✔

Chapter eight

"A tower?" Ron exclaimed loudly from the Gryffindor table. 

"Yes, a tower, Mr Weasley," Professor McGonagall nodded. "A tower on the north side of the castle, looking out over the Quidditch Pitch,"

Several noises of excitement flew through the room. There were quite a few Quidditch players in their year and they were all very good. Haven quite liked watching them play.

"I can assume you will all like to see it," Professor McGonagall continued as she took a step towards the big doors to the Entrance Hall. "Follow me," 

Every one of the eighth-years stood up from the benches and hurried after Professor McGonagall. With fast paces, she led them up the stairs. Draco Malfoy walked in front of Haven which caused a great urge to make him trip rise within her but she repressed it, thinking it might not be the best thing to do on the first day back at Hogwarts. 

Haven wondered what the tower would look like, if it had just as a beautiful view over the Hogwarts grounds as the Astronomy Tower did. The kitchen was quite close to the Hogwarts grounds so the view from the Hufflepuff common room wasn't very ideal. Plus, the big amount of plants and flowers that stood on every surface and hung on every wall made her sneeze so she wasn't exactly going to miss that common room all the much. It did make her feel at home over the years so getting used to this new eighth-years' common room was going to be a challenge. 

The other eighth-years were cheerfully chatting with each other. Well, most of them. Haven noticed Harry keeping himself absent from whatever conversation Ron and Hermione had with Dean and Seamus. He just walked a little in front of them with his hands buried in his pockets once again. 

Just like before, in The Burrow, when they all got drunk together in the living room, Harry felt Haven's eyes on him. He didn't directly look at her but he could tell her gaze was trailing lower - maybe towards his neck or shoulders. The knowledge of someone as effortlessly beautiful as Haven having their eyes on him gave him a sudden confidence boost. He might not be together with someone right now but he had all year to change that - to make new friends or kiss someone. 

Harry tried to date in the four months after the battle but it never went further than a stray kiss and he hated them all. It eventually led Harry to believe he might just not be attracted to people at all but Harry was slowly but surely letting go of that thought. Especially when he saw Haven go through her hair with her hand, flexing her biceps. He wondered if she played Quidditch. 

As they went up the many stairs, both Haven and Harry noticed the lingering gazes on each other. It was mostly curiosity, maybe a little admiration of certain features - though if anyone asked they were sure that little detail wouldn't slip from their tongue. When their eyes met every once in a while, Harry felt the urge to bite down on the inside of his lip from an unexplainable frustration. Harry wasn't sure who or what he was frustrated with but Haven's lingering glances awoke something in him that he couldn't quite put his finger on the exact sensation.

"Careful, Harry," 

Hermione's warning voice got his mind back to the present, much less pleasant than wherever his thoughts led him before. He only then noticed that he nearly tripped over the small set of stairs which Harry knew was in the secret corridor behind the tapestry. Did they already go through there?

The students were forced into a line to get through a narrow staircase. Due to unlucky circumstance - and Ron making Hermione get in front of him with a little flattery that had Hermione giggling in no time, something Harry didn't even know Hermione was capable of - Harry ended in the line behind Haven. He forced his head down as he walked up the stairs behind her, solely fixing his eyes on the space between their feet.