If I May Be So Bold (A Harry Potter Universe Fanfiction)

39.

February 2035

ELLA

The following morning, Ella found she was a little nervous to enter the Great Hall for breakfast. She hadn't exactly told her friends what had happened yet. It wasn't that she was embarrassed, she'd just wanted to keep it to herself for a short while, to be able to mull it over in peace without anyone else's commentary. Then that morning there had been the other girls in their dorm as they all got ready and she just hadn't known how to bring it up without getting everyone else involved.

At first, it seemed like everything was going to be fine. She'd get through breakfast, tell them when they walked out to herbology — it'd be quieter outside, less chance of being overheard. But then Ella started to notice people whispering to each other around the room and she could have sworn they were looking her way.

"Are you even listening?" Kyrie asked after a minute and Ella looked up at her.

"What? Oh— sorry. I didn't sleep well last night. I'm a little out of it."

She and Iris looked at each other. "I was saying you're acting kind of funny."

And that was when Juni arrived. She sat backwards on the bench next to Ella, looked at her seriously, and said, "Do you have thing going on with Logan Pickering?"

Ella looked at her, not sure what to say.

"I mean I already knew you liked him and everything, but like... is it an actual thing now? Because people are saying they saw you together last night."

Ella thought about the handful of people they had passed in the corridors, at least one of whom had seen them holding hands. She hadn't paid much attention to who any of these people were at the time, but thinking back, she was pretty sure one had been a Ravenclaw.

"I mean," she said slowly, "I don't know if it's like a defined thing, yet."

"But there's something going on," Juni said. "It's not just you wanting something to happen."

Ella didn't even have to answer. Juni could read it right off her face.

"Oh my god," she whispered and she scooted closer.

Kyrie and Iris were at attention now, too.

"Did you kiss?" Juni said, keeping her voice very low.

Ella barely nodded, willing her friends not to make a big scene. Juni, at least, was being relatively discrete, which was surprising but a relief.

Juni smiled big, squeezing Ella's knee.

"Why didn't you say anything last night?" hissed Iris.

"I don't know," Ella said. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. "I just wanted to process it first."

Kyrie had started craning around to look at the Slytherin table.

"Oh my god, stop that," said Juni. "You're being so obvious."

Ella had never been so grateful for her sister before.

"Does Dad know?" she asked.

Ella shook her head. "He will soon if people are talking about it like you said."

"You have to tell him," Juni said. "Before everyone else does."

"I know," Ella said miserably. She took a half glance at the staff table. With her dad being on duty this week, he'd been there every morning at breakfast. She looked away quickly. He had a habit of making eye contact with her when she looked that way. Her stomach felt all jumpy at the very thought of telling him any amount of what had happened last night.