𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑢𝑝𝑜𝑛 𝑎 𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚 \\ 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗷. 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿

𝐿𝑋𝑋.

— ✩ ☽ ✩ —

𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙮

— ✩ ☽ ✩ —

BEFORE HARRY WENT to see Dumbledore that evening, he sat with Caroline, watching her struggle to draw a star chart for NEWT Astronomy, her favourite class. She inhaled sharply, crumpling her parchment and throwing it into the fire. "Want some help?" Harry asked, sitting on the sofa in the common room beside her, reading over his tattered Potions textbook.

        "No." Caroline denied, grabbing another piece of parchment, dipping her quill in more ink.

        Harry watched her trash two more before he took her parchment stack and quill from her. "What am I doing?" he asked, taking a look at her textbook and getting lost in it.

        "Annoying me." Caroline said, wrapping her hand in the elastic Madam Pomfrey gave her to wear to still her wrist and control the tremors.

        "Helping you, because I love you," Harry corrected, forcing Caroline to crack a smile. "What am I drawing?" he asked once more.

        Caroline explained what he was doing, and together, they managed to complete her star chart. They put their work away, and Caroline walked Harry through the corridors to Dumbledore's office, parting ways when it was time. Caroline walked back to the common room, her hand still covered in elastic material. It helped, but it wasn't practical.

        She grabbed her bag from the couch, beginning to make her way upstairs to her dorm when a girl stopped her. "Caroline, hi." Romilda Vane said, her dark hair fluffed over her shoulders.

        Caroline turned, finding the girl standing behind her. "Hi? Do you need something?" Caroline asked, her social battery drained.

        "I was just wondering... are you dating Harry Potter?" the question Romilda asked took Caroline by surprise, her face showing it.

        "Uh, yeah. Since December, why do you ask?" Caroline returned, looking to see if any of her friends were around to witness this exchange.

        Romilda stuttered before she came up with an answer. "No reason, I was just curious. Goodnight." she walked away before Caroline could say anything else.

        Caroline walked up to her dorm, opening the door to find only Hermione inside. "Weirdest thing just happened." Caroline said, placing her bag next to her bed, climbing onto it and holding her cats.

        "As weird as Harry doing well in Potions?" Hermione asked, scanning through her textbook from the infamous class.

        "Weirder, oddly enough," Caroline said, gaining Hermione's attention. "Romilda Vane asked me in the common room if I was dating Harry."

        Hermione put her book down, confusion overtaking her face. "I thought the people going after him would be from other houses. Hasn't Romilda seen you two together in the common room, every day?" she asked, Caroline shrugging.

        "Well, after Pugface, my hand, Harry having secret meetings with Dumbledore and Romilda, I think my head is spinning." Caroline collapsed against her pillow, Penny and Marie against her neck.

        "I don't know how you didn't punch Pansy today. I would've." Hermione said, lying back against her own pillows.

        Caroline held up her trembling hand wrapped in elastic. "I'd miss." she monotoned, Hermione chuckling quietly.

        When Harry came back, Caroline was in her pajamas, but she was waiting in the common room for him. "Hey, beautiful." Harry said, kissing the side of Caroline's head sweetly as he sat down beside her on the couch, fixing her satin cap.

        "Watch out for Romilda Vane." Caroline said instantly, not putting her book down.

        "Why?" Harry asked. He was clueless to everything, so Caroline had to warn him.

        "I don't entirely know. Just... watch out," Caroline looked over at Harry, his arm falling around her shoulders. "Tell me what you did with Dumbledore before I fall asleep." she said, and Harry instantly started telling her what had happened, leaving out no details as he spoke animatedly. When they went to bed, Caroline slept, waking from a nightmare and spending a few hours awake before she talked herself back to sleep. It worked well enough.

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