Stay With Me || Garreth Weasley

A Near-Death Experience

The tutoring sessions continue.

On Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings, Garreth says goodbye to his friends, mentally rehearsing excuses for not doing your assigned homework, and makes his way to the agreed meeting spot. You both decide to change it frequently – sometimes in the library, sometimes in unused classrooms, and once or twice in the Great Hall, after dinner is served and the house tables are cleared of crumbs and spillages. And although he peddles his whoopsies, I missed a few questions by accident, you see through the lies and scold him for laziness anyway.

It becomes... somewhat of a strange routine, and even stranger, he accustoms to it quite naturally. His friends get used to hearing your name – Prim – mentioned in daily updates. One time you actually come up to him outside the required hours, before he sits for lunch at the Gryffindor table with Leander, Natsai and Cressida. You stall awkwardly for a moment, unwilling to interrupt his conversation.

"'Afternoon, Prim," he pipes when he sees you – then notices your closed expression. "What's the matter?"

"I'm sorry, I— have to reschedule tonight's session."

"Oh." To be honest, he's not that disappointed, but it does make him sad to see you clearly put out. "Why? What's wrong?"

"Just some family issues, is all. I have to sort it this evening. Would you be willing to meet tomorrow instead?"

Though curious, he decides not to pry.

"Or, and here's a crazy thought... we cancel it."

"Not a chance."

"Tomorrow it is. Good luck with your family things."

"Work on your transfiguration spells in the meantime."

You go then, back to the Ravenclaw table, and Garreth takes his seat. He notices then that Leander, Natty and Cress are staring at him. Grinning.

"What?"

"That's your study buddy?" Leander wiggles his brows. "She's cute."

"She sets me homework."

"... All right, less cute."

Natty elbows him. "Don't be mean."

"I may not be into swots, but if Garreth really gets off to the sadistic torture of history essays, fair play to him."

"Eat an entire Dugbog, Prewett."

"Having said that," Cress cuts across the boys, expectantly steepling her fingers, "we would like detailed descriptions of your alone time together. You know, for research purposes."

When they all await his answer, actually serious, Garreth scoffs. "You lot are mental. I make a new friend and you instantly think something else is going on?"

"Yeah," says Cress, "because you're you."

"Don't know what you mean."

"When you fancied Nerida Roberts," says Leander, "you just happened to stumble upon her at the boat house. Every day. That wasn't a coincidence, was it?"

"That was a long time ago!"

"It was literally last year."

"You're one to talk, Mr Fancy Every Girl Who Looks at Me Twice," Garreth remarks. "Prim and I, we're just studying."

"Oh, that what people call snogging nowadays?"

Leander narrowly dodges the bread roll. Garreth doesn't keep entertaining their silly notions – his friends have a penchant of taking the mickey out of everything. They don't really believe anything untoward happens in your tutor sessions...