What Is This "Love" You're Talking About (Love Doesn't Lie Sequel)

Chapter 38: Trouble in paradise

Chapter 38: Trouble in paradise

It was a short schoolday for the Ravenclaw third year students. Elizabeth and Isobelle were already excitedly talking about the upcoming Hogsmeade visit, especially since this was their first time going to Hogsmeade, but also because Narcissa had a date to get ready for. Narcissa wasn't really paying attention to the conversation that took place next to her as they walked through the corridors towards the Ravenclaw tower, her mind someplace else. She was caught off guard when she bumped into someone and dropped the two books she had been holding. She quickly bowed to grab them as she told the unlucky person, who was a victim of her wandering mind, a 'I'm so terribly sorry.'. The person grabbed her books before her and handed them over. Narcissa looked up and stood face to face with James Potter, the last person she wanted to see right now. 'Oh.' she managed to get out. Elizabeth and Isobelle looked at the two of them, both with confused expressions on their faces as they watched the awkward exchange. 'I've got to go.' Narcissa muttered before quickly taking off.
'Ho there!'
Narcissa didn't listen and kept on walking in the same pace until Elizabeth took her arm and turned her around. 'Are you okay?' Elizabeth asked, concern washing over her face.
'I'm fine.'
'It doesn't look like you're fine, what in Merlin's name was that?' Isobelle asked, having caught up with the two of them.
'Nothing.'
'We want to help you, but that's only possible when we know what happened.' Elizabeth said.
'Nothing happened.'
'Narcissa, we're not blind, something happened during the summer that upset you. You can't even look at the guy.'
'It's not just the summer.'
Elizabeth and Isobelle exchanged a look before turning back to Narcissa. 'Come on, let's go to our room where it's more private to talk.' Elizabeth said, taking Narcissa's elbow and pulling her with her to the stairs. The three girls walked up several flights of stairs before they reached the Ravenclaw Tower. They made their way up to their room and sat down on Narcissa's bed. 'Now, tell us, what exactly happened?'
'It was really odd. It started two months before the summer break. I was walking back from Quidditch training with Christopher, chatting about something irrelevant when we walked into James. He seemed to have something on his mind and I figured I'd ask him later when Christopher wasn't around, but then Christopher asked him whether he was feeling okay because he was looking rather pale and all of a sudden he went off on Christopher. I had to jump between the two before they would start throwing punches at each other and let's be honest, James would've gotten hurt real bad if I had done nothing. I told Christopher to back off and asked James whether he was alright but then he went off on me, yelling at me that he could take care of himself and that he doesn't need a, and I quote, "little girl's" help. He was literally scolding me for helping him out. So I walked off without saying anything else to him. I didn't know what to do with him and figured the best way to handle this situation was by giving him some space to get his anger out of his system before trying to talk to him again. Somehow he interpreted this as me choosing Christopher's side and that really bugged him. Since then he's been acting really weird towards me. I haven't heard from him all summer and every time his parents came over, he stayed home with some sort of excuse. The times we went to the Potter's he seemed to have an excuse ready to slip away and go somewhere else. So at the platform was really the first time in months that I saw him, well- not really saw him, because I can't even look him in the eyes anymore without feeling guilty, even though I have nothing to feel guilty for.' Narcissa sighs.
'I thought they had some kind of secret fling during the summer.' Elizabeth mutters to Isobelle, who was sitting closest to her.
'What?' Narcissa asked.
'Nothing.' Elizabeth shook her head. 'So James hasn't even tried to contact you after that odd thing with Christopher happened?'
Narcissa shakes her head. 'He's been avoiding me and I don't understand why.'
'Perhaps he likes you?' Elizabeth suggested.
Narcissa looked up at her and furrowed her eyebrows. 'I don't think so.'
'How do you explain him going off on Christopher and then ignoring you all summer?'
'I don't know, perhaps he wasn't feeling well?'
'Was Christopher rude to him?' Isobelle asked.
'No, not at all, he was really nice.'