Unspeakable

Chapter 29: Flutterings

Garreth smooth-as-icing Weasley.

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Anne stopped by Garreth's room again a few days later, her hand pausing nervously at the door as she went to knock again. Why did she feel nervous? This was ridiculous, he was just trying to help her, it wasn't a big deal. Yet here she was, her hand shaking a bit with anxiety before she finally knocked on the door.

Garreth opened the door quickly this time, smiling happily when he saw her. "Anne! I'm glad you're here, I just finished the first batch, come on in." He opened the door for her again, peeking his head out to make sure no one else was there before closing it again. He was paranoid about Sebastian snooping around and finding him with his sister... he'd rather not get punched in the jaw again.

"Oh it smells much better in here today." Anne chuckled at the sweet smell of lemons, mint and vanilla in the air.

"I'm glad you think so, because that's the smell of your potion." Garreth grinned as he passed her, his red lined robes waving behind him as he approached the small cauldron at the end of the row.

Anne couldn't help but think how everything about him seemed red. Red Gryffindor colors. Red hair. Red cheeks, except his eyes, which were a dark green color. Christmas?

She blushed at the thought, glancing away in confusion at herself. What the hell?

"Come over and you can try some." Garreth said, stirring the cauldron with calculating eyes to make sure it was mixed well. "If you like a flavor I can add more to make it more to your taste."

When she walked over he had piles of herbs around on the counter, and a few slices of lemon. She hadn't expected him to go this far, she had thought he would only remake the potion but without the nasty stuff. It looked like he was creating a whole new potion. Just for her.

Agh, why is her heart beating fast at that?!

She took the spoon and delicately tasted it, her eyes going wide. It... tasted really good! Lemon and vanilla and mint mixed together in an amazing balance.

"I-it's really good." She said in shock, looking up to him to see a warm smile on his face. She looked away quickly from that smile, her eyes wide as she felt feelings she'd never really felt before. This... was different. Very different from how she'd reacted to Ominis.

"I'm glad you like it." He said in satisfaction. "This is enough for two days, so you'll have to come back for a new batch every other day or so." He didn't add that he had purposefully made such a small batch. He could probably make one a week, but... he kind of liked her coming in and chatting with him. It was oddly comfortable to talk to her, like he didn't need the bravado he usually gave off. She was soft spoken and quiet, and it calmed him down.

"O-okay." Anne said softly, before giving him a small smile. "Thank you, Garreth. This will make things much easier."

Not to mention it worked shockingly well. Her stomach didn't even feel bad at all after taking that sip.

Garreth bottled up two vials of the potion, corking them before handing them over to her.

"Hey Anne," Garreth asked, "how about as payback for making the potions, you come with me to Hogsmeade for a butterbeer?"

Anne sputtered, dropping the spoon back into the cauldron in surprise. "Ah- what?" She blushed at the question.

"A butter beer. You, me." He pointed between them with a stunning smile.

Anne looked down at the floor in shock. Was this actually happening? Was he asking her out on a date? Maybe this was just a casual thing. "Uh... sure." She heard herself say, without even knowing she was saying it. Had she really just agreed to that?!