Veela .|. H. J. POTTER

4: shoelaces and sausages

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𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬

unexplainable and bygone habits

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˗ˏˋ 'ˎ˗

On the fourth day of Veela's stay at the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey had declared her healthy enough to join her peers in the Ravenclaw Tower again but Veela had politely declined the offer.

Having never even left the large room they called the hospital wing, Veela was frightened to leave it and stay far away in a tower with people she had never seen before. She figured that not a lot of people experienced severe memory loss as she did so the possibility of stares and overall lack of understanding were not off the table.

And above all, Veela just couldn't find a reason to feel comfortable with them - to find a hint that would tell them she could trust them. In fact, not any of the people she visited gave her that feeling.

Except for Harry maybe. Harry was nice and understanding and so immensely awkward that there was simply not a chance he was pretending.

Truth to be told, Veela was perhaps looking forward to him visiting her again. This was a brand new day, the first day Veela took a shower in the bathroom attached to the hospital wing since she could remember and the first day she dressed in clothing she was told were hers. 

Just like in that memory in the blue room, Veela was given a skirt but it was grey this time, topped with a white blouse and a blue tie which were mostly covered by a grey jumper.

Madam Pomfrey heaved a sigh when she first saw her and told her she looked lovely. It felt nice to hear that.

Rather than leaving the hospital wing for good, Harry and Madam Pomfrey had planned for her to walk around Hogwarts today, to experience the castle again and hopefully awaken some deep-rooted memories. They had asked her if she was alright with it, having Harry tour her through the school, and after a wee bit of consideration, Veela agreed.

Madam Pomfrey had told her multiple times how experience unlocks the farthest memories best so Veela was incredibly curious if a walk through the castle would trigger anything. Plus, Veela was keen to see the castle itself, having already imagined wicked things about it from what people had been telling her.

That same morning, Bill Weasley had already been taken from his hospital bed for a walk around the Hogwarts grounds for some fresh air so it was just Veela who sat on the edge of her bed when Harry walked in with Ron and Hermione on his tail.

They immediately spotted her, dangling her legs over the edge, hands under her thighs and shoulders slumped. Harry knew that to be a pose of worries and tension. She was nervous about seeing the world - she might even be nervous about not remembering anything when Madam Pomfrey was so sure she would.

"Hey, Veela," Harry smiled brightly, his eyes searching for her mood and response. He wanted to adapt to however she was feeling and make her as comfortable as possible.

"Hey," Veela looked up and gave him a tentative smile.

Harry couldn't feel his legs for a moment at the sight so he quickly grabbed onto the railing at the foot of the bed across from Veela.

"Er - this is Hermione," Harry cleared his throat and pointed at the bushy-haired girl he had brought with him. "And Ron here."

The two smiled at Veela, keeping their respective distance. The urge to stand or sit closer to her was odd when the girl looked at them without a flash of recognition.