Courage

-91-

Book: Courage
Chapter 91
Word Count: 8196

"Want to talk a walk in the grounds?" Dean asked Layla one Saturday, two weeks after everything had changed.

"No, thanks," Layla said sweetly. "Have to go to the library and study."

"Right," said Dean with a smile. "See you later then." He leaned in for a kiss, Layla presented her cheek, and he gave her a peck and a smile and went off with Seamus, who had taken to shaking his head at Layla and Dean's interactions. Between Seamus' constant bewilderment and Parvati's evil eye at Layla's behavior, Layla was amazed that Dean didn't seem to think anything was amiss.

As she dragged herself to the library, she returned to a suspicion she had weeks earlier dismissed but which was now looking more and more possible: Dean knew exactly what she was thinking and was daring her, absolutely daring her, to make the first move down the road to their break-up. They had begun playing a game of relationship chicken, and Layla was determined not to lose. She hated to lose. She was going to wait him out and force him to make the first misstep, logic and reason be damned.

"We need to talk."

Layla spun her head around. Hermione. Grabbing her arm, Hermione dragged Layla from outside the library and pulled her into an empty classroom, closing the door behind them.

"Now," Hermione said as Layla seated herself on one of the desks. "I've been giving this a good deal of thought," Hermione continued. "There's been a distinct change in you. I was thinking about the day Ron was poisoned, and though I admit to being a tad emotional, I wasn't catatonic. I mean, Ginny was worse, understandably. Anyway, I took note of the casual back and forth you and Harry shared even while discussing what happened to your brother."

"Hermione," Layla said, "what are you going on about? Harry is my best friend. Having a casual conversation together happens at least five times a day. How does that particular conversation prove—?"

"You were so casual," Hermione went on, "that one might even call it flirtatious."

Layla crinkled up her nose at this.

"Flirtatious?" she said. "I don't remember anything flirtatious. Unless, of course, you're thinking of all the different theories we came up with as to who might have been trying to murder Ron. I could see that being flirtatious. If you're a couple of psychotics locked away in Azkaban."

"Flirtatious," Hermione repeated firmly. "Definitely flirtatious. And also, you spend almost no time with Dean anymore. You're always running off to the library and sitting with us instead of him at dinner, or if you sit with him you never speak with him."

"Just how closely have you been watching me?" Layla asked, picking at her nails.

"I started paying closer attention when I noticed that you don't even let Dean kiss you anymore."

Layla could feel herself blushing as easily as she could see the grin spread across Hermione's face.

"If you gave him any more of your cheek instead of your lips, he'd swallow your earlobe."

"Maybe," Layla said hotly, stomping her own foot now as she turned to leave the classroom, "that's where he's aiming for!"

"But let me tell you what the most compelling piece of evidence is," Hermione said.

"Before you do, let me ask you something," Layla said, turning back to face her best friend. "Just who do you think is trying to overhear us that you had to drag me into an empty, out-of-the-way classroom?"

"You never know."

"We could've had this conversation in the common room or the library, where I was heading! That's all I'm saying."