In Another Universe

Chapter 10

After finishing a filling breakfast with his friends, Weasley headed toward the physics lab, walking through campus happily. The clear morning forecast a good day, and as he pushed open the heavy door to the physics lab, he continued to feel optimistic about the day. Maybe he'd cross paths with Granger later in the day, and then he'd finally well up the courage to invite her to spend time with him— but, whatever Ginny, said, he thought it was pretty understandable that the urgency of asking her to breakfast had dissolved with the touch of his hands on her soft skin.

However, his train of wishful thinking was interrupted when Michael Corner, a fellow physicist and the only lab mate he really got along with, came up to him with a small envelope in his hand:

"Hiya, Ron," he said, handing him the envelope. It reeked of perfume, Weasley noticed, and wrinkled his nose as he turned it in his hand. "This came for you. Some chick named something Brown, dropped it off and asked me to give it. She asked me whether you'd be long so she could talk to you, but I said I didn't know when you'd swing by, so I offered to deliver a note for her instead."

"Good man," Ron said, shuddering to think about how little he would've liked to be face to face with Lavender so early in the morning. "So she didn't have this note ready?"

"No, she straight up pulled out the envelope and the note and scribbled it here. She came prepared, that I'll tell you," laughed Corner as Ron ripped the envelope open and pulled out the note.

Ronnie,

It was so nice to see yesterday at Granger's session! I know you're busy (that's my little physicist) but I would love for you to take me out sometime soon— especially after Katie Bell's party, where your sister cut our time short, but I'd love to keep going. ;)

Anyway, call me?

XX,

Lav

At the bottom of the little note, a phone number was etched with precision, and there was something resembling a lipstick kiss at the bottom right corner.

"She kissed it?" Weasley asked, turning to Corner. "And you thought you'd leave that out when telling me about how she wrote it here?"

"Thought that was something for you to find out, Ronnie," Corner teased him, and Weasley swatted him with the envelope. Ron crumpled the note and stuck it into his pocket, and he and Corner went to the coathook next to the door, where they both pulled on their labcoats. "Anyway, the real question is, who uses text emojis in a written letter? You could just draw the winky face yourself..."

But Weasley wasn't listening anymore: when he'd looked over at his table in the corner, the usual jumble on top of it was much smaller than he recalled. And that wasn't good because under the mess were—

"My samples," he said quietly, the full weight of the implication on him. "My samples are missing."

He left Corner badmouthing Lavender by himself, traipsing through the lab tables to make his way to his. When he got there, he realized his fears were true: right where he'd left a few closed samples, for which he'd sacrificed his eyebrows yesterday, was an empty spot.

His heart caved inward with hopelessness— and then he heard someone snickering. He jerked his head upward, almost instinctively, and found McLaggen smirking at him smugly. "Looking for something, Weasley?" he asked in mock concern, and the rest of his table snickered along with him.

"It's not funny, McLaggen," said Weasley coldly, resisting the urge to go up to him and sink his fist in his face. "Give me back my samples."

"Who says I took them?" McLaggen said, feigning an ignorant expression and causing his companions to laugh even harder.