Acceptance: Hogwarts Legacy Continued

Chapter 60: MC- someone you like

The rest of October came and went in a blur. The days were chaotic, but things were slightly more tolerable. Diana didn't feel as empty as she had at the beginning of the month and she felt like she could better handle everything that life was throwing at her. She had hoped that it was a sign that she was better accepting herself, and maybe that did play a role, but she knew the biggest difference was with Sebastian.

The slytherin boy had gone from being the ever looming untouchable presence to just being absent. He still came to their shared classes, mostly, but he seemed to have moved his focus away from her. He continued to avoid her generally, and they didn't speak- but there was also no more catching him staring. She still missed him a lot, but without his persistence of being near but isolated, she felt she could breathe again.

Now the challenges of each day felt much more mundane and manageable. Classes were still hard and research for Anne was still daunting, but nothing felt as heavy. She also felt bolstered by Ominis, who she now got to spend even more time with. He seemed to be filling in some of the gaps left by Sebastian, things like waiting for her outside of her classes, studying in the library, or even once sitting with her at the hufflepuff table for a meal (although that one seemed to be too much for him and it was not a repeated event).

She also managed to continue some of her adventures with Poppy. They had gone out to check on the Snidgets after reaching out to Elek. It was great to see the beautiful birds thriving and almost to their full size. On their way back they talked about starting up a search for poacher camps. The younger girl wanted to take out as many in the valley as they could. They even discussed starting an anti-poachers club at the school, thinking others may want to help in the endeavors.

Diana felt like this was one of the happiest times in her life- while also not totally feeling happy, if that was possible. Things weren't perfect and she often caught herself feeling down about what she couldn't control. But at the same time there were things she was looking forward to, and she felt that she had also found people who really cared about her. Was this just what life was supposed to be like? Honestly she didn't know, but it was still better to the life she had grown up in, and that was worth something.

She hadn't thought much about her childhood recently- that too felt like a burden that didn't hang as heavy. There were so many times as a young child that made her feel unsafe, unloved, and disposable. Now she was in a place that was the epitome of safety, closely knitted within a group of people who cared for her. Life at Hogwarts also came with its own set of discomfort, but right now she felt it was well worth the price.

There was a tap on her shoulder that made her shiver and pulled her from her wandering thoughts. She tried to relax her body from the touch before she turned to face whoever it was. She swiveled from her seat in the Library and was face to face with... someone...

"Diana Sharp, right?" The boy in Ravenclaw colors asked.

She nodded her head and tried not to let the confusion she felt show on her face. She did not know this boy, maybe she had seen him before but she definitely didn't know his name.

"I'm Marucs Barns-" he held out his hand to her, but pulled it away just as quickly. His face started to turn red, likely from embarrassment. Diana just looked up at him from her seat, a sinking feeling in her gut as she realized what was happening- again.

He cleared his throat "Look I know we haven't been introduced, but if you didn't already have a date to the New Years Eve Ball I was erm wondering if you would go with me."

She stared at him for a moment longer before replying "No thank you."

"W-why not?" He seemed a little flustered, but she thought it was pretty brave of him to ask. Most of the other guys she had this conversation with had just turned and ran away after she declined their offers. While she would prefer this conversation to end quickly, his desire to know more at least made her feel like he actually cared, at least a little.