UnExpected

Chapter 15

Every night, after his detention, Harry would find pages of notes littering his bed. And every day after those nights he tried to get a hold of Buffy...when he could find her, or when he wasn't guarded by Hermione and Ron, or when he wasn't busy with homework, or when he had a moment's peace. So, it was pretty fair to say that his intentions hadn't exactly been followed through.

Completely wrapped up with everything going on around him, Harry barely had time to realize that the end of the week had arrived. With great relief. His detention with Umbridge had finally finished. He was finally free from the wretched toad. Though the back of his hand was now firmly imprinted with the wretched words that wouldn't smooth over. Only Ron knew about Umbridge's special detention after they had caught each other going into the common room in the late hours. Ron revealing he had been practicing on his own to try out for Keeper, and Harry revealing his torturous secret. Making Ron promise not to tell anyone. But again, all that was all over.

Now here he was, up early the next morning, on a Saturday, while the rest of his housemates lay sleeping. Most of them exhausted from last night's celebration of Ron making it as Keeper on the Quidditch Team. But not Harry, who was currently sitting in his favorite squishy chair in the common room as he put the final touches on his letter to Sirius.

Today should've been a sleep-in-day. For all those who weren't Buffy anyway. As soon as sunlight seeped into the room, and forcing herself to remain awake, she got up, cleaned up, got dressed, grabbed her bag, and headed out. Hoping to sneak out of the Tower unnoticed.

Signed, sealed and ready to be delivered, Harry was just making it toward the portrait hole when he heard footsteps. Turning around, he immediately froze when he saw Buffy coming into the room. His eyes growing wide and his every thought flooding away.

Buffy stopped halfway in when she saw him. She tried not to let his eyes intimidate her, that, or the fact that they were in the same quiet room and very much alone. Filling up her every nerve with butterflies. But it was a daunting task to say the least.

Shifting her eyes nervously away, Buffy shyly began to walk toward him. With her arms crossed, she slowly rubbed her hands against her upper arms just for something to do. He was so close and she could practically see all the emotions running through his eyes. While her emotions did nothing but knot and flutter her stomach.

Harry saw her walking toward him, and slowly he began to move, to meet her halfway. His eyes never wavering from her face. Slowly taking in every matured detail. He noticed her lips and then her eyes that looked oddly different. They were still the same hazel green he knew of, but they held something he had never seen in her. Something he couldn't quite place. She hadn't really grown that much taller, but then again, she had always been small for her age. There were a lot of little things that were different about her, the ones everyone goes through with age, but she still looked like Buffy and that brought him a strange sense of relief.

"Hi," he breathed out, still mildly dazed as they reached each other.

"Hi," she said smiling nervously.

As far as first words went they weren't too shabby. Not noteworthy, but a good start. Then there was the awkwardness. Not knowing what to say, what to do. Avoiding eye contact. Waiting for the other to brave it and continue.

Something they should've left alone.

"H-how you've been?" Buffy stuttered.

It was going so well, it really was, and with those three little words, it all went to the pooper.

"How have I been? How've I –!" A sudden anger rose up within Harry. All those months of pent up hurt and fury exploded with one little question. "Why are you suddenly wondering about that now?! Why does it suddenly matter to you?! If you hadn't been so selfish, you would've known how I've been!" he snapped. "Don't start pretending that you care, Buffy. It's obvious that it doesn't mean a thing to you. That anything means a thing to you."