Winger and Walker

Two: Double Potions

Charlie Weasley sits across from me in the Great Hall, early in the morning, many students not even awake yet. His hair is tied and mine is loose. His robes are mussed and scarlet and mine are neat and emerald. Our heads are close together, the note from last night between us.
     "I don't understand," he says, his red brows furrowed. "You've never gotten a note like this before. It's not signed by R. D'you think it's addressed directly to you?"
     I shrug. "I mean, who knows? They haven't always been just for me. For all we know, it means nothing at all. I'm not sure whether to act on it or not."
     Ever the Gryffindor, Charlie says, "Better safe than sorry, right?"
     I bite down on my lip— a rather tragic habit, if I do say so myself. "Maybe. Maybe I'll just... keep an eye open, for now. Watch people. See if anything strange happens or if anyone is acting suspicious."
     "Does anyone else know about this, besides you and me?"
     "Barnaby was with me when I opened it. And I told Merula before we went to sleep."
     "And you're sure you can trust them both?"
     My expression turns grave. "With my life."
     "Did someone say my name? Or am I hearing things... again." I jump at the interruption, but it's only Barnaby, looking as if he dressed himself in the dark. There are dark circles under his eyes— he didn't get much sleep. "Oh, hey Wist! Hi Char— oh my Merlin, are those breakfast pastries?"
     He sits himself down next to me and immediately begins stuffing his face with breakfast. I watch him for a moment, transfixed, wondering just how much he can really eat before he can't take it anymore. I am lost for a minute, and then Charlie clears his throat.
     "Maybe I ought to go, Wisty," he says, and his eyes linger on Barnaby. "More people are coming in and I'm, as they say, fraternizing with the enemy." He laughs aloud at the ridiculousness of the statement, even if deep down, we both know the House feud runs deep. "Besides, I said I'd help Ben out before Potions class. I'll see you then?"
     "Ben Copper?" I raise an eyebrow, and try not to laugh. "He still shacking up with Rowan Khanna?"
     Charlie shoulders his bag and makes a face. "You laugh, but they're weirdly perfect for each other. I'm not sure anyone else could handle either of them. Rowan usually helps him with Potions, but I guess she's not around today. He won't have her in class with him anyway."
     I smile. "Go on and do your duty then, Weasley. I'll be watching you in Snape's."
     He flicks my shoulder, all playfulness. "Bye, Walker."
     Barnaby is watching me, chewing on a pastry. "I haven't seen Charlie over here in a while."
     I nod, picking at the food on my plate. I haven't touched any of it. "I know. But I had to talk to him about that note."
     He frowns, setting down his food. He reaches for my hand, and I am comforted by the action. His hands are large, and warm. "Whatever it is, we'll figure it out, Wist. I'll protect you. You know that, right?"
     He is oddly serious, looking me in the eye. He's worried, too worried. "Barnaby..." I whisper, and my fingers almost reach to touch his eye, where his dark circles still stand out. "You didn't sleep much, did you?"
     "I couldn't," he says. "I just kept thinking about you and the note. I feel like I need to do something."
     I shake my head. "Nothing needs to be done for now, okay? For now... I just want to eat breakfast and spend time with you before we have to go to Potions."
     It doesn't take him much convincing. He obliges, and his smile is so contagious, I can't help but smile back.

Double Potions with the Gryffindors is always nothing if not entertaining. As usual, my partner is Merula, who scurries into her seat next to me at the front of the classroom with an obvious huff. Students are still slowly filing in.
     "Tough morning?" I ask her as she slams her cauldron on the desk, before folding her arms across her chest.
     "Stupid Gryffindors," she mutters under her breath, staring at them as they file into seats behind us. Charlie Weasley tosses me the quickest of waves, carting a terrified-looking Ben Copper behind him. "Stupid Gryffindors and their stupid faces."
     I quirk a brow at Merula's vague explanation. "What did they do this time?"
     Her fists clench. "Couple of seventh year Gryffindors got at me because I was stupid enough to almost talk to Haywood. They're real lucky I had to get to class, else I woulda cursed them with boils for the rest of their miserable lives—"
     "Cursing Gryffindors?" Ismelda Murk makes her entrance in her usual fashion, intrigued by all things dark, setting her cauldron up next to Barnaby, her usual partner. "Can I join?"
     I laugh, rolling my eyes. "Nobody is cursing any Gryffindors. Not yet, anyway."
     Ismelda deflates instantly, sinking into her seat. Her eyes land on Barnaby, as if just now noticing him, and flashes such an uncharacteristic smile that it looks awkward on her. "Oh... hi Barnaby." Her voice gets higher pitched, her fingers tugging on a strand of thin black hair.
     Barnaby smiles back, giving her a tiny wave. "Hi, Potions-Buddy!"
     She gives an over dramatic giggle, and Merula reacts with a rolling of her eyes that only I can see. I can't help but smirk.
     Potions goes about as it usually does, with Professor Snape intimidating the Gryffindors so fiercely that they wilter under his gaze, most if not all having extreme difficulties with today's Potion. Points are given to his favorite Slytherins, and many points taken from slacking Gryffindors, so much so that Ben Copper nearly bursts into tears in front of his ruined and improperly bubbling potion.
     Merula and I laugh behind our hands at the scene— it is far too easy to giggle at a cowardly Gryffindor.
     Nearing the end of the Double Potions period, Merula and I are given a slight rest, our potion finished and marked as perfectly well done, ten points to Slytherin rewarded. She sits back, hands folded and resting on her head. "Too easy," she says. "You'd think Copper would get a potion right by now, d'you think? We're only on our fifth year."
     I giggle. "I'm not sure he knows his way around anything, quite honestly. I heard him and Khanna are together."
     Merula chokes on air, hardly attempting at all to stifle her laugh. "You don't say? Khanna, that Ravenclaw buzzkill? You think she'd teach him a thing or two."
     "No, just hands him off to Weasley to babysit, I s'pose."
     Behind us, a ridiculously loud clang shakes us out of our conversation, the entire classroom spinning around. Ben Copper has dropped his cauldron, leaving his ruined potion rolling across the floor.
     "Useless!" Professor Snape yells, and with a wave of his wand, the spilled potion disappears. "Absolutely pathetic, Copper, another ten points from Gryffindor for plain carelessness. And Weasley! Watch him closer next time."
     Both Charlie and Ben Copper are red in the face, but Ben isn't looking at Snape. No, he's looking at Merula, and at me. The look in his eyes says it all.
     "He heard us," I whisper to Merula, a strange feeling twisting in my gut. "Copper, he heard what we said about him."
     Merula waves this off, looking unbothered. "Oh, who cares? Maybe it'll compel him to work harder next time."
     "Professor Snape?"
     A voice I've never heard before, deep and like honey, strangely close to me. And yet, I hadn't heard the footsteps that should've come with it. The Ravenclaw boy from yesterday stands next to our table, only inches from me, and I see him in detail. The tan of his skin, his slender fingers, holding a tightly wound scroll, how he isn't that tall and how light he is on his feet. I never even heard the door to the classroom open— how in the world did he do that?
     "This is from Professor Sprout, sir, she said to deliver it to you," he says. He is speaking clearly, but it's still hard to hear him.
     Snape takes the scroll, hardly even looking at the Ravenclaw boy before he waves him out of the classroom. The boy wastes no time, and I stare as he goes. And then perhaps even stranger still, he stares back at me.
     Odd, almost yellow eyes, resembling those of a hawk, stare at me, meeting my gaze, and he doesn't let go until he's outside the classroom, away from my line of sight. The door closes behind him far too silently.
     Four words echo in my thoughts, suddenly.
     "I'll be watching you."
     I don't even remember class ending, the next thing I know, I'm walking besides Merula as we head to Ancient Runes. I don't mention to her the Ravenclaw boy. I know exactly what she would say. She would want to follow him immediately. And I'm not quite ready yet to go all in— not without talking to a couple people first.
     Barnaby and Ismelda walk in front of us, far too ahead to hear us, as Ismelda practically drags him through the halls. Merula snickers. "She's far too obvious. Ought to tone it down a notch."
     I blink. "Ismelda? About what?"
     "About her crush on Barnaby, are you blind, Wist?" she sneers. "Just look at her! She told me a couple days ago she thinks she likes him, but I didn't think she'd get this clingy and girly and weird."
     An odd feeling stirs inside me, and I swallow a rock in my throat. Ismelda has a crush on Barnaby. No big deal. She's allowed to have a crush on whoever she pleases. "Yes, because you've never had a crush on anyone," I retort, thinking of perfect Penny Haywood.
     Merula stomps her foot. "I do not! I never have! Haywood is stupid—"
     "Again," I smirk, "I never mentioned a name."
     Merula goes red, and doesn't speak for an hour.