New Romantics | Hermione Granger Book IV

|40| Chapter Forty

F O R T Y

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Saffron very much so felt out of place at the Charms Club. When she walked into the spare classroom that Amanda used to put the class on, Saffron was met by many a stare. Due to the small numbers in the club, they were a tightly-knit group. It was pretty much the same group of people that Saffron had encountered the few times she had attended the meetings with Olly in her second year in school. On the Ravenclaw side of things, Olly, Padma and Terry were still in attendance whilst Lisa was a notable absentee. But Brynn was there now, beside her Slytherin friend Daphne Greengrass. Then Ernie MacMillan from Hufflepuff was there too. 

The second Saffron walked into the classroom she regretted it and wished she had been patient and waited until Monday to speak to Amanda. However, that regret vanished the second Olly opened his mouth to greet her.

"You came!" He exclaimed, his eyes wide in a mixture of amazement and shock. He had a broad smile on his face that Saffron couldn't help but smile at. He truly had a way of making her feel comfortable in uncomfortable situations. "Wow, colour me shocked, Saffron Mitchell at Charms Club again. It's a miracle!"

Saffron was surprised because it was like everything had gone back to normal for the pair of them. In the sense that in Divination, she had noticed a difference in Olly. He was fidgety and much quieter, seemingly having lost the confidence that he always used to carry with him wherever he went. Now, however, he exuded confidence as he beckoned for Saffron to sit next to him and his friends. She did so, taking a seat next to Padma as Olly was already in between her and Terry.

"Two years later, I'm here," chuckled Saffron, offering Brynn a smile from across the room. 

"What brings you here?" Olly asked her enthusiastically.

"I--" said Saffron slowly. How was she going to spin it to him? She couldn't give him the true reasoning behind her sudden reappearance at the Charms Club she had stopped attending almost two years ago. She opted for the easiest and most believable lie she could think of, she just wasn't sure they would believe it. "Honestly, I sort of missed coming. It was really useful and... and just fun, really,"

Saffron had to blink so as to not roll her eyes in spite of her stuttering.

"Oh, really?" said Terry in falsified interest making Saffron's eyebrows twitch. "That's interesting,"

"Sounds like a good reason to me," Olly nodded at her and Saffron noticed he was looking determinedly away from Terry. "Well, we're glad you're back. It's nice to have a fresh face in here, last year it was really just the six of us and Lisa. But she can't make it tonight, too much homework apparently,"

"Is Miss Endacott coming?" Saffron asked the three Ravenclaws curiously, desperately hoping that Amanda hadn't gotten someone else to run the club for her that evening. 

Padma nodded her head. "She should be here any minute now, we're all just a bit early,"

As if on cue, Amanda walked into the room and greeted the class as she usually did. But when she noticed Saffron, her mouth widened happily. 

"Saffron, nice to see you again," Amanda nodded at the girl approvingly. "You chose a good night to join us, as I've decided today is the day we're going to learn shield charms,"