𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 | 𝐡. 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫

𝟑𝟗 - 𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞

The period between the second task and the third task was particularly electrifying, as Fred and George had said "business is a'boomin'" with the bets, and people were now treating Harry with a level of respect that, to Ophelia at least, was rather delayed but well deserved, people weren't giving him odd looks in the corridor, and people had finally gotten used to Harry and Ophelia being an item, seeing the pair of them walking hand in hand down the corridors to class, in the library studying with their arms brushing against each other, glancing over the top of their textbooks in potions to have a non-verbal conversation, and just in general seeing the two about.

Harry Potter and Ophelia Le Fay

In fact, word had gotten round so fast, that Seamus swore he saw McGonagall pass Dumbledore a couple of Galleon coins over dinner, in fact, Dumbledore had been a lot more proactive in keeping his watchful and curious eye over the two of them while they were going about the castle.

That wasn't the only eye she noticed on her, Mad-Eye seemed to have dropped the need to make her class favourite but insisted upon having her being used first for to cast any spell he was teaching, especially the Imperius Curse, she had managed to shove off his attempts to control her will with such an ease his magical eye went wizzing around his socket.

He promptly made a note on his desk at that...she had been neglecting her wand recently as she saw no need for it other than for practical lessons and one day she had forgotten it, realising she was about to be called on, she quickly borrowed Harry's before sliding it back into his sleeve.

She wasn't sure she wanted to start putting it out there what her lineage was, perhaps it was best just to go about as normal? Pretending to struggle with potions when it was second nature to her, acting like she couldn't get the incantation right in charms so people didn't notice she was the first to do it.

Hiding a smile of satisfaction as she successfully brewed one of the hardest potions in the year, one that Snape himself raised an eyebrow to, which by her books was a sign from whoever was up there that she was doing great, to take it easy.

Harry was definitely used to Ophelia's closeness now, she was almost always nearby or within arms reach and he liked that, he would sometimes slip his hand up the sleeve of her robe just to put his hand on her, she didn't mind at all in fact she would turn her hand upright to go up his sleeve too, like an unbreakable vow... except there was no vow, just Harry's finger tracing invisible patterns on her forearm.

That's what he always missed late at night, when his nightmares got him up in a cold sweat, it was Ophelia who was always waiting for him downstairs in the common room, book in hand and cup of tea in the other. He had honestly never seen anything like it, it was like she was never tired, he knew she must be, with the occasional yawn or rubbing her eyes tiredly which he often smiled at, it was one of those things he always adored about her, how positively innocent she could look behind those big doe eyes, yet he thought perhaps it was still too soon, too young to say those three words... surely there was nothing else to be said, he had said everything in between except those three words.

He felt it and he meant it.

In fact, looking down at her as she rested on his chest with a book in hand reading it aloud, he knew in his heart he loves her, she had developed a cold and was all bundled up in his hoodie and the blanket he gave her, sniffling ever so often with a pink tinted nose, apologising every time she sounded too nasally, brushing aside the hair that had fallen in front of her face he kissed her gently on her feverish temple before leaning back into the couch, eyes closed as he tried to forget this horrid nightmares.

They had gotten particularly personal now.
They mentioned her, they mentioned Le Fay.
There was only one Le Fay left that was relevant enough to both him and Voldemort, and she was tucked neatly into his arms reading "Wuthering Heights." sniffling every so often and rubbing her nose irritably making it pink.