Love Potion

Back at Greamelts

The next morning I was violently wrenched from my slumber by the usual morning ritual of the clanging of pots and pans, and I woke up with dizzy bubbles in my head. I was dreaming of something nice: something about a big sparkly lake, with a floating car and a giant man and a plesiosaur, and a rock with comic books... the whimsical image soon left my head as I dopily lumbered into my uniform. Back in the air, the weather had drastically turned pester-cold, so I wore a jumper as well as my robes, and a pair of old flares that Fae had given me that day with the jewellery. I thought they looked good on me.

I was last to leave the bedchambers, and when I entered the commonroom I found a surprising sight.

The harpy, Hester Lullaby, was there, sat slouched over a pouffe with her head in her brawny hands. Her wild hair was particularly wild. Her wings draped against her sides like dusty curtains. A sniffling sound was actually coming from beneath her muss of hair. It was a strange sight: seeing this gorilla girl sniffing in her hands when she's alone in the commonroom, when everyone else had gone to breakfast, or so she thought. So she can hide the vulnerability of emotion.

Like everyone else, I was rather intimidated by her. But seeing her now reminded me that she is just the same as the rest of us.

And right now, I can't exactly ignore her.

"Uh... are you alright?" I asked with considerable timidity.

She looked up sharply, with a sharper intake of breath. She seemed to consider the situation for a moment before sitting bolt-up and sniffing like she hadn't just been crying. She quickly adopted her usual firm and fierce facet. "Yes. I am fine," she said in her deep, woody timber, with a finality of tone.

I swallowed. It wasn't the first awkward situation I'd walked in on her on, but admittedly, this was better than the last time. I bit the inside of my cheek. "Are... are you sure? You look like you were just... crying..."

She looked at me with hard eyes of steel, as if the very inclination that he she had been crying was a major insult to her. "I was not crying."

I didn't know what to say. Did I push it? Did I leave it? She had never been kind to me, but she was never kind to anyone, other than her brother. Even the boy I had first seen her with, here in the common room during lesson, she didn't glance at in the hallways or in lessons. I suppose friendship wasn't a special thing to her. I don't know. I don't know anything about her. And I don't know what to say now.

"It... looked like you were crying..." My face strangled itself into a panicky smile. FUck. Are you an idiot, Cosmo? Are you an idiot?

Hester gunned at me with a look of pure hostility. She stood up, and though she was a way away, her wide shoulders and brawny limbs and mighty wings all seemed to combine together to make her tower over me like the monstrous being she was. Her voice next was guttural and more low than usual. "Do you have a thing for imposing on other people's business, girl? Are you deliberately spying on me? Hester, the scary harpy with the wings and mean face and her equally scary twin brother? Want to know why they don't talk to anyone? Hoping to find a tragic past? Or do you just nose off of anyone's drama? You know, you snuck on me in something private the first time we met, and again now. Are you a frinxing creep?"

My voice was lodged in my throat, and I couldn't cough it up. What did I say? What did I say?

"I-I'm sorry," I managed to croak out, "I'm not spying on you. I'm sorry. I just wanted to know if you're okay. Of course you are. Sorry. I-I'll get to breakfast."

I hurried past her, making sure to wound around so not to brush her slowly spreading wings, which were large enough to expand over the room.

I glanced back quickly before I went through the door, and saw that she was deeply gazing at me, her eyes heavy as lead, but I could never be sure of what.