New Romantics | Hermione Granger Book IV

|83| Chapter Eighty-Three

E I G H T Y  T H R E E

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Hermione, Harry and Ron were adamant on going to visit Professor Moody the next afternoon, with a plan set to go to him after A History of Magic was finished. Saffron was all for it because she knew they could get answers this way. Moreover, Professor Moody himself was very keen for the teenagers to come by his office as it would provide him with the agency to control the narrative. He had them eating out the palm of his hands and he wanted to keep them there.

"Come on, he might be heading to the staff room for lunch," Harry said to them with a note of urgency, gesturing to the other three to hurry up. Saffron began to lengthen her stride but she stopped when she felt somebody tap her on her shoulder.

"Saffron, hey, can we talk for a few minutes?"

It was Olly. Pale and visibly exhausted, he looked at Saffron with a very forced smile and a look on his face that made it clear he was desperate to talk to her.

Saffron was confused. They seldom spoke anymore. They still sat beside each other in Astronomy and nearby in Divination but they didn't talk in those classes like they used to. Ever since the rejected Yule Ball offer, their friendship had changed. Saffron vividly remembered knowing that she could risk everything she had with him to get so much more. Unfortunately, the risk did not pay off. At the time, she said to herself that it was a risk she was willing to take and would have no regrets. However, all this time later, she regretted it tremendously and wished she could take it back.

There was a feeling of being unsure of what to say to him for Saffron seeing she was about to engage in another conversation however the look on Olly's face seemed sincere and serious. For whatever reason, he needed to talk to her and Saffron would talk to him, just after talking with Professor Moody.

"Can it wait?" Saffron asked him in a small voice. "I-- we have to talk to Professor Moody,"

"It can't wait," Olly shook his head vigorously and his eyes widened. "It has to be now, please,"

"Saffron, come on!"

Saffron looked over her shoulder to see that Ron had called for her from the top of the staircase they had walked up to get to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. Hermione and Harry were on either side of him. The three of them were waiting for her in confusion as they hadn't seen her conversing with Olly in a long time.

It was the pleading tone in Olly's voice that struck a chord for Saffron and she felt that she couldn't turn him away. He wouldn't have come to her if it wasn't serious and to do with her as he had many other people he could turn to if he wanted.

"I'll catch up with you later," Saffron called up to them.

"Are you sure?" Hermione gave Saffron an uncertain look.

"Yes, it's fine," Saffron replied. "Go on,"

Hermione nodded at her then the boys followed her towards Professor Moody's room again.

Saffron turned back to Olly to see that he was very appreciative of the fact that she was agreeing to talk to him. He took her by surprise by taking her hand and guiding her in the direction of a specific space.

"Olly, what's--?" began Saffron but Olly cut her off.

"We have to go out there, I don't want anyone to overhear us," Olly interjected firmly and Saffron furrowed her eyebrows in utter surprise at how he was acting. They went through the entrance courtyard and made their way to a large cluster of bushes. Olly pulled them open so branches would part and jerked his head to signal to Saffron to go inside.