In The Shadow of Our Choices

Chapter 80: Sand & Snow

Andrew

"Okay," Andrew said, raising an eyebrow. "Distract me then."

He expected for her to be surprised, perhaps taken aback, but no. She grinned.

"Finally!" She said, clapping her hands together. "Right, get your stuff together."

Andrew's jaw dropped slightly at her response. He silently cursed himself. Bluff? Of course she wasn't bluffing - this was Aria Blackwell, who somehow always managed to keep him completely wrongfooted. With a wave of her wand, the flying books came in to land on the stack. Aria turned expectantly and frowned, seeing him still standing frozen in place.

"Go on, get your stuff," she said with a little shooing motion. "We've got rules to break."

He felt his face flush and his mouth go dry, and he echoed, "Rules... to break?"

Aria burst into laughter, which she quickly stifled, and fanned her face with her hand.

"Oh Merlin, get your mind out of the gutter," she said, grinning. "No, I just meant that there's a few locked doors to circumvent."

Andrew was once again riddled with embarrassment, hiding his blush by turning to pack his things into his bag. He'd heard the rumors, of course. What else was he supposed to think when she wouldn't stop flirting with him? Still cursing himself under his breath, he swung his bag onto his shoulder and turned resolutely to face her.

"Alright then, one distraction coming up," she said, beckoning him to follow as she started through the shelves. "Follow me."

He made a point to follow her, rather than walk beside her as one might an equal. The rumor mill was already aflame with news from the previous night, and he didn't particularly feel like adding to it. That said, walking behind her came with its own dangers. As she led the way out of the library, she pulled her braid over her shoulder and began to carefully unweave the pieces.

"What are you doing?" he asked, watching her fingers comb through one set of twists, then the next.

She shrugged. "It was starting to give me a headache."

As they wended their way through the stone corridors of the castle, she reached the top of the braid and ran her hand through her now-freed hair a few times, getting it to lay right. Andrew tried his best to keep his gaze averted from her newly undone hair, as the sight of her long locks cascading down her back was both mesmerizing and distracting.

She had them cut across the transfiguration courtyard, despite the chill wind that whipped their robes today, to the History of Magic classroom. Being Sunday, the door to the room stood closed and revealed only rows of empty desks when opened. Aria strode in as if she owned the place, with only a cursory look for Professor Binns. Andrew followed more slowly, glancing around. It had been quite some time since he'd been in the room, having dropped the class as soon as he could. Even when he had taken it, there had been a few days when he'd skived off, if he was honest. Today, however, the room lacked the usual brightness and warmth. The candles were unlit, and the stained glass windows strained the already dim, grey sunlight into nothing more than a haze that left the room with a distinctly empty air.

"What are we doing here?" Andrew asked quietly, feeling the hush of the now-broken silence.

Aria flicked her eyes to the hallway door, then back to him, and raised her finger to her lips with a wink. She skirted Binns' desk to a door Andrew had always assumed led to his office, and tapped the doorknob with her wand. He heard a distinct click as the door unlocked. Aria shot a grin at him, then swung the door open. At first, it looked like nothing more than another corridor on the other side, but as she shepherded him through, shutting the door behind them, Andrew sucked in a sharp breath.