for editing

REALLY CUTE SCENES THAT I LOVE BUT CAN'T FIND A PLACE TO FIT :((((

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"Hey," said Harry, catching up and slowing to a leisurely pace beside Ariel. "Snape was more of an asshole than usual, wasn't he?"

"He's always been a dick." Ariel shifted her bookbag on her shoulder, smiling.

"Yeah, you're right, but I reckon Snape was more 'Mr. Potter' today than usual." Harry supplied this with an embarrassingly poor re-enactment of Snape's sneer. He also contorted his face into a disapproving frown, which was hard to do when he was smiling so much, and making his cloak swish.

Ariel laughed. "Is that supposed to be Snape?"

"Who else would it be?" Harry rubbed the back of his neck, letting the smile pop back onto his face. "He was a total prick today. I mean, you and I have both heard McGonagall threaten to shove a broomstick you-know-where, but I never thought I'd live to see the day..."

Harry trailed off, confused.

Ariel's face had faded away as the corridor was suddenly plunged into a thick white fog. Harry blinked rapidly, scrunching and then opening his eyes. Nothing changed. For a delirious second, he thought this might be one of Peeves' pranks, but it seemed rather tame, didn't it?

"Harry," came Ariel's voice, light with laughter. "Hello?"

"Ariel?" Harry called, blinking more and squinting through his glasses. "What happened? Has someone put a Charm on the corridor or —"

"Dude." The sound of her laugh was much closer now; Harry felt his heart quicken. "Your face."

"What? What's wrong with my face? How can you see me?"

"Woah, woah, calm down." She must have been only a few inches from his face; Harry really wished the fog would clear. "Nothing's wrong with your face. It's just — It's your glasses."

"My glasses?" Harry asked, the corner of his lips twitching into a frown.

"Yeah..." Ariel laughed again, somehow even closer. "They got all steamed up from class."

Suddenly, warm hands were near his face. Harry instinctively flinched, but regretted it when he felt Ariel pull away.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly.

"No, it's fine," Harry assured her, still trying to get his bearings. "I can't see shit, though."

Ariel sighed humorously. "Here, just give them to me, dude. I'll clean them off for you."

Harry felt her hands on the rims of his glasses again, though more cautious this time around. He forced himself to slow down his breathing as she gingerly pulled the lenses from his face, humming under her breath, so close he could feel a few curls of her hair on his arm as the world sharpened back into focus.

She seemed to hesitate for a moment, holding his glasses in the air in front of her. Her hands were halfway up his chest, Harry looking down at her and Ariel looking up at him. They were suddenly face-to-face, nearly nose-to-nose, both increasingly aware this was the closest they had ever been. There was infinite possibility in that quiet, sudden moment. Harry could have done so many things, and so could she, and they both knew it. There was no way they couldn't know; the air itself seemed to be on the edge of its seat, waiting for one of them to do something.

Like she had just been slapped across the face, Ariel jerked her head back and dropped her eyes down to the glasses, momentarily forgotten in her hands. She was avoiding Harry's eyes, and he sighed, trying to make it sound humorous rather than disappointed.