𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 | 𝐡. 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫

𝟔𝟐 - 𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐭𝐰𝐨, 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞

𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙊𝙥𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙖 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙤𝙣 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢, she would always be tired, bloody and desperate for a hug, something he was always there to offer, but given it was a Friday night he found himself accompanied by Hermione and Ron also, he didn't mind but he also did appreciate the alone time with Ophelia, a chance to relay how she was feeling and recap things over the day.

And she didn't disappoint, arriving just after half-past nine, she was carrying her shoes in her uninjured hand as she padded across the common room in her socks.

"I hope you weren't walking barefoot throughout the castle," said Hermione nodding to her feet, Ophelia looked down at her feet and shook her head.

"No I only took them off to be quieter, I could hear people talking near the stairs and I wanted to slip past them... anyway, what've you been up to?" asked Ophelia as she sat down beside Harry, his arm raised and she tucked herself into his side naturally as he began to run his fingers through her hair absentmindedly.

"Well I've been trying to do my Defence Against The Dark Arts homework but it's practically impossible to write theory about theory! ugh-!" said Hermione, lifting up the offending textbook aggressively.

"I'm sure you'll find a way," said Ophelia, feeling Harry pressing his lips to her temple as she smiled to herself, closing her eyes to the sensation, ignoring the dulling ache of her hand.

"I don't know how we're ever going to pass our O.W.L.s in Defence Against the Dark Arts without any practice! That Umbridge woman is so..." began Hermione, looking at the three of them on the sofa, she caught Ophelia's eye as she said in a serious tone, "We've got to do something about her."

Ron breathed out a sigh, but sat forward.

"Yeah, well, poison should do the trick... could you get any Phee?"

"I could I've practically got an alphabetic inventory of what Snape has in that supply closet of his since I have to dust it before his majesty arrives... I could try a sleeping one, make it look natural-"

"Oh my - I didn't mean kill her!" said Hermoine absolutely mortified.

"Well maybe I did, you don't know." said Ophelia mischievously, closing her eyes as Harry wrapped his arm around the bare waist underneath her shirt to tug her closer to him, she wanted to know what he was getting at but at the same time she didn't mind the fluttery feeling it was giving her in her gut.

"Not her... I meant her teaching. We're not going to learn anything in that class." said Hermione, waving the book in the air, "This is a useless waste of paper."

"Yeah, that's true." murmured Harry, as Ophelia traced the bones on the back of his hand, he swallowed thickly as she brushed some of her hair out of the way innocently, yet he could catch a glimpse of her cleavage through the undone couple buttons. He swallowed again and turned to look at Hermione properly so he didn't pay attention to the swirling mist in his mind.

"Anyway, I thought we should do it ourselves," said Hermione

"Do what?" asked Ron

"Defence Against the Dark Arts. We'd teach ourselves," said Hermione

"I think you're onto something there," said Ophelia, just as Harry simultaneously murmured, "I don't know..."

There was tapping against the window, as everyone looked up, Ophelia sat up a little to catch a glimpse of Hermes who was hovering by the nearest window. Harry grabbed ahold of her waist and put her back down against him, his mouth going against her ear as he very briefly whispered.