Becoming a Sallow

Pilot [One]

Tessa Wilkes

"He's staring at you again."

She sighed in frustration at his whisper, glancing up from her notes to read what was written on the board before looking back to her parchment, writing it down.

"I do not know why you continue to tell me this, Andrew, there isn't much I can do about it." She whispered to her friend, without looking at him or the person who was staring at her. What Andrew didn't know was she could feel his gaze on her, and it made her feel... dirty. As if she needed to scrub every inch of herself clean just from being under his gaze.

Which was rude. She shouldn't have such thoughts. Back in fifth year, they'd been such good friends, then sixth year he seemed to become a bit more aggressive, and now, even after being rejected so many times, had resolved to staring at her until she acknowledged him. Then would ask her again.

"He's a brave one to be doing it so openly," Andrew muttered.

"From what I've learned, Gryffindors are known for their bravery," Tessa murmured, her eyes finally meeting the green ones that had been staring at her.

Garreth grinned easily the moment she gave him the attention he wanted. She nodded in his direction before turning back to her notes. She'd regret that. Soon.

"Now he'll be damn near insufferable," Andrew muttered, tsking at her for even looking at him.

"Andrew, why is it you tell me he's staring if you do not want me to look back? Why not allow me to be blissfully unaware of it?" 

Andrew gave her a sly grin. "Ravenclaws and 'ignorance' do not go well together. Don't act otherwise."

She grit her teeth at the word choice but said nothing. He was right.

She nudged him gently and stood to gather her things as Professor Binns dismissed them. She felt him moving closer to her and hated it. "Andrew, do not leave me." She whispered.

"Of course not," he murmured in return, sitting on the table as she continued to gather her things.

"Tessa!" His voice hadn't changed over the years. Still warm and happy, carefree. Like nothing got to him. His persistence to her constant rejections was even more proof of that.

"Garreth, good morning," she greeted without a smile. No mixed signals.

"Weasley," Andrew greeted easily, sliding off the table as Tessa straightened and pulled her bag over her shoulder.

"Larson, do you mind if we have a moment?"

"Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of Andrew," Tessa told him, not unkindly. "We can all walk and talk."

Garreth looked a bit put off by this, but found his familiar smile and started to walk beside her, a bit too close for her liking as they exited the classroom.

"Did you have a good winter holiday?" He asked, and Tessa looked at him in surprise. He never asked about her, he mostly just jumped straight into asking if she'd go on a date with him.

"It was uneventful," she supplied, thinking to her parents who had made sure she brushed up on all of her lessons, quite desperately. She'd received many lectures and lessons on how she'd been slipping in her arts, dancing in particular, and they said that her cooking had also gotten subpar, implying that the servants could do better. Tessa had felt that particular blow, considering cooking was one of her favorite things to do.

They'd rushed her into society, instead of having a ball or party for her, just started having her appear at all the holiday balls as a young woman who was now available. She could only guess as to why her parents were suddenly so excited on her being married off, but she knew better than to question it. They had groomed her up for this moment. She just wasn't sure why they were only picking muggles.