𝐇𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐭𝐡 - 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜.

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟔

Hiraeth Malfoy:

I stir awake in my bed, hardly even knowing how I ended up here. I sit up for a second before remembering that I was supposed to study with Jared last night. I must've fallen asleep, because I don't remember ever actually studying with him. The last thing I remember is me sitting down in the great hall writing down some notes.

I look at my bedside table, and notice a paper sitting on it. I grab it and read it.

You fell asleep by the way. I hope you don't mind that I carried you up to bed. You needed the sleep. We don't have class today, I suggest you sleep in.

- Jared

Now I feel totally awful about the fact that he had to carry me.

I rub my face with my hands as I fall back against my pillow. Jared really is too kind with me.

I quickly get out of bed, and then walk through the dorms until I arrive at Jared's. I knock on the door a couple times before opening it.

I step inside and close the door behind me, looking at him waking up in his bed. He rubs his eyes and looks at me while squinting.

"Hiraeth?" He questions in his raspy morning voice.

I sit on the edge of his bed. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

He sits up, looks at me, and then laughs.

"What's so funny?"

He points at my head. "Your new hair-do."

"You don't like it?" I say, playing around. I'm aware my hair looks hideous. I just got out of bed and didn't look in a mirror before coming here.

He laughs again and gestures me to turn around. He fixes my hair with his hands, being so gentle and patient with it, even though it's an absolute mess.

I turn back around once he's done and repeat my question. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

He shrugs.

"Seriously Jared, why?"

"I think you need the rest. You're always staying up way too late studying, you know that's bad for you, Hiraeth."

I shake my head. "I'm just trying to be a good student."

He rolls his eyes. "Please, you could be doing fucking nothing and still be a good student."

He gets out of bed and stretches, letting his black hair fall back from his forehead for a second. He's beautiful. He's shirtless and I can see the birthmark he has on his chest in the shape of a small heart.

"You're beautiful, Jared."

He stops and looks at me. "You are, sunshine." He says.

I stand up and hug him. I feel the skin of his chest on my cheek. "Thank you for taking me to bed, but please never do it again."

He pulls away from me. "I'm not just going to let you avoid sleep that you clearly need."

"I don't need it." I say.

He shakes his head. "So stubborn."

"My dad says I get it from my mom."

He laughs to himself. "I knew it had to come from somewhere. What do you wanna do today?"

I shrug. "I don't know. Maybe Hogsmeade, I haven't been in a couple weeks."

"Great idea. Go get changed and I'll meet you outside your dorm after I'm done."

I nod and head back to my dorm. I get dressed into a dark gray dress and put a cream colored cardigan on overtop. I slip on some shoes.

I fix my hair and makeup, then grab my purse. When I open my door, Jared is sitting right there next to it against the wall.

We walk to the great hall, stopping at the doors and looking in. "Do you wanna find Callie?" I ask.

He sighs. "Where could she possibly be?"

"Probably fucking someone."

Jared looks at me funny. "At nine a.m.?"

I nod. "She would."

He wraps his arm around me. "I guess it's just you and me, Raebie."

I roll my eyes at the nickname. Maybe one day I'll get used to it, but he's been calling me this for years. I'm starting to think i'm not capable of accepting it.

Once we arrive at Hogsmeade, I immediately get excited to shop. I drag Jared behind me by his arm.

"What are you looking for?" He asks me.

"Anything." I answer as we walk into a clothing store.

I drop his arm to look through the rack of shirts. I spot a very beautiful red shirt. I hold it up against my body. "Is this cute?"

"I think you look really pretty in red." He says.

"I'm asking about the shirt Jare, not about me." I tease. "But thanks anyways."

I decide to keep the red shirt in my hands.

He smiles and walks around the store looking through everything. I guess he's helping me look, because I don't know why else he would be looking through a women's clothing store.

As soon as I'm alone, I get attacked. Well, not attacked, but it sure does feel like it.

"Malfoy." Someone says.

I turn towards the voice and it's Preston. Uh oh.

He approaches me. "I have a question."

I stop everything I'm doing and give him my full attention.

"Would you wanna go out with me sometime?" He asks.

Somehow, I'm not surprised he asked.

"Oh, um- sure." I say.

He smiles. "What about tomorrow night."

"That works."

He smirks and walks away, satisfied with my response. That was very quick, yet so embarrassing.

"Oh, um- sure." Jared says coming up behind me, mocking me.

I cringe and turn around, he laughs. I glance down at his hands, and in that short interaction I had with Preston, he had grabbed every red shirt in the shop that was my size.

I cross my arms and give him my serious face.

He smiles without his teeth. "I'm paying." He says, grabbing the original red shirt I had in my hands and adding it to the stack he has.

"I'm rich, I can pay for myself." I say, reaching my arm out to grab the shirts.

"So am I and I'm paying, deal with it." 

I shake my head as he walks towards the register. Jared takes out his wallet to pay for all the shirts he picked out. While he was doing so, I counted. Fourteen red shirts.

The woman at the register looks at me. "What a nice boyfriend you have."

Jared laughs and hands her the money.

"Oh, um- he's not my boyfriend, he's just my best friend."

She looks shocked when I tell her. "He's not even your boyfriend and he's doing this for you? That makes him even nicer."

I smile. "He's pretty great."

When he's done paying, he doesn't even let me carry the bag. But when we get out of the shop, he laughs again.

"I've noticed that when you get nervous you really love to say 'Oh- um'."

I roll my eyes. "You're so annoying."