Like a sweet post-battle melody, the wizarding world tries to guide its wounds towards healing, clinging to the fragile promise of a new equilibrium.
In the wake of the Battle of Hogwarts, ten years of calm have passed, giving the impression of a fr...
I blinked a few times, forcing my mind back to reality.
Aura's puzzled face came to me, and I realised we were in the library revising for our Herbology homework.
I was having serious trouble concentrating as my thoughts wandered between solving the riddle of Maxine Redwood's notebook and my secret affair with Mattheo, all behind Ethan's back.
Aurora Lovelace was clearly a keen observer. My thoughts were increasingly elsewhere these days, and I was finding it hard to pretend.
"Uh, yes, yes, of course..." I finally nodded, trying to get back to the task at hand.
She frowned. "You've been somewhere else for a while. Everything all right?"
Aurora was right. I was light years away from our Herbology revision, lost in a tumult of feelings and secrets, between Mattheo and my promise not to repeat what we'd done.
Unfortunately, Mattheo was insistent, and it was getting harder and harder for me to resist his temptation.
"Is it because of Riddle again?" she asked innocently, immersed in her own notes and parchments.
My heart raced.
"What?" I asked, dreading where this conversation might lead.
"Have you two been fighting again? I've noticed you've been out of touch for the last few days," she said, as she concentrated on her revisions.
I had to find a way out of this situation before she discovered the truth.
"No, of course we don't. But you know how it is with us. If we spend too much time together..." I left my sentence hanging, looking for a way to justify my evasive behaviour.
"...You end up killing each other," she finished my sentence, almost proudly.
I agreed, even if it wasn't quite right.
The truth is, when I spent too much time with Mattheo, we ended up having sex in an empty classroom or broom cupboard.
The idea overwhelmed me and I found it hard to breathe.
"Yeah, you could say that," I finally admitted.
"You're insufferable..." she laughed, shaking her head.
I pretended to laugh but wondered how much longer this charade was going to go on.
I started to pack my things and stood up. "I've got to get to the Quidditch pitch for training, see you later?"
She merely nodded. "Avoid killing Evergreen."
I chuckled at her words as I walked out of the library. "I don't make promises I can't keep."
I walked through the biting evening cold towards the Quidditch pitch. Although I didn't really feel the cold, I had enchanted my cheerleader uniform for protection.
As I entered the pitch shared by the Slytherin and Gryffindor players, I spotted Ethan, who grinned at me from the air on his broomstick, his effort-wet hair falling over his forehead. I waved back, then went to join my cheerleading team at the opposite end of the pitch.
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