Chapter 115. Beginning Classes

The next day, I ate breakfast with a deep frown. “What’s wrong? I would have thought you would have been excited for Care for Magical Creatures class today.” Draco asked, taking the seat opposite from Pansy and I. Just the word soured my mood even more, Pansy was quick to rub my back helping offset my worries with her gentle care. “Val was too busy to see Lucas yesterday…” Pansy explained to Draco while I thought back to last night.

***

Standing by the lake together with Pansy by my side, I embarrassingly tightened my grip on her hand she had given me to help offset my angst. “Thank you…” I muttered, thinking of both her doing this for me, but also for being okay with waiting for me to feel comfortable in telling her my condition. She smiled, pulling my hand closer to her, and letting it swing between us as she spoke. “Of course. I can’t wait to see the big guy.” I nodded in agreement, finally taking a deep breath, and pointing my ringing wand near the water, letting the chime ripple throughout the lake. If he was near any portion of it, he would know I was here.

I waited for a few moments, anticipation rising with each second. Slowly ripples began forming near the surface and I gasped with a large smile to see Val again. However, what appeared were the tendrils I had come to know as Abarrane. “Oh. Hi.” I embarrassingly chuckled, she was also a sight to see, a good friend and semi-caretaker of Val from time to time. She carefully slithered her tendrils up my held out arm, happily feeling me all over to ‘see’ me just like Gaynor.

I let out a few laughs from how it tickled in places while Pansy grasped my hand tighter, still a little uneasy of Abarrane. “*t’s *ood t* s** y*u.” She happily announced, however what she said next gave me pause. “U*f*rt*nantly Valdemar *s u*able to gr**t y*u.” I blinked a few times, thinking back on her slightly garbled words to make sure I heard her correctly. “He can’t see me?” I asked in parseltongue, ringing my confusion through my ringing wand. Abarrane patted my hand a few times to comfort me as she explained. “H* *s busy making friends.”

***

I took a breath while snapping myself out of my memory. “He’s making friends’ is all.” Pansy whispered, giving me a sidelong hug, lifting my spirits somewhat. I gave her a small smile as thanks. “But he always used to be so attached to me.” I complained, feeling as if I lost some part of him I would never get back. “He’s growing up.” Pansy said with a chuckle, seeing as the word stung, making me wince a bit at the idea. “You both are talking about him like you’re his parents.” Draco said with a scoff, making me jump in my seat.

I stifled a yelp in shock, my face burning, flustered at how fast things have moved between Pansy and I. After Pansy and I aired out our baggage, we both subtly admitted fondness for the other. With that barrier of my projected fears of her abandonment of me gone, I found myself more comforted in our moments of contact. With each time we touched, excitement filled within me; in a way I had never felt before about anything.

‘The closest I could portray it to was when my beast-’ I began thinking, but Pansy’s laugh broke me from my shameful thoughts. “I suppose it does sound that way doesn’t it?” She asked, glancing at me with a large smile. I gulped, my heart jumping at seeing such an amazing sight, one that I had ignored through my slanted view of her lack of patience with me. Now free to see things as what they were with Pansy, her expression seemed brighter in my eyes.

Unable to look directly at her, I focused down on my plate, eating my food while humming in agreement. Both Pansy and Draco laughed a bit before following my lead in finishing breakfast. Once we were done, and classes were soon to begin, Pansy and I looked at one another. Already sitting shoulder to shoulder, our hands were already grazing one another. Her large dark eyes looked up at me with some bit of anticipation, one that thrilled my beating heart to see. Unable to hold her gaze, I looked down at her lap, her left hand trailing a bit further away from her thigh towards me.

I slowly drifted mine to match hers, until the moment we touched. I froze, holding my breath while glancing up at her again. Her brilliant smile widened, as a soft giggle escaped her lips. I couldn’t help but smile as well, chuckling along with her as my fingers moved into her palm. Last night was sort of spur of the moment, and I was slightly worried I may be too excited. I had begun to not feel like myself, this overwhelming desire to be as close with Pansy as I could. However, looking at Pansy’s smile helped relieve me of my worries while adding new ones in their stead.

All of these new yet familiar desires I had grasps of before with Pansy and the only other girls I was close to. ‘Why was it so similar between them?’ With a slight twinge in the back of my mind, I shook off my nerves and smiled at Pansy while we stood from our table. Holding hands all the way to care for magical creatures class, we both kept glancing at one another, unable to stop ourselves from chuckling at the other.

“So… I wonder what Hagrid may showcase this time? It’s going to be hard to top a Hippogriff.” I pondered aloud, Pansy giggling at his lack of forethought in that idea last year. “Maybe it’ll be pixies. Or those bugs that sting makes people float. He might just float away the entire class!” We both snickered at the idea, seeing the plausibility in it, but in our laughter Pansy had missed a step. “Whoa!” I yelled, pulling her closer, now both of us almost hugging one another. “Sorry.” Pansy muttered, still giggling under her breath. My worry of smothering her dissolved, we had been very close before. ‘I’m overthinking it.’ I thought with a smile, tightening my grip on her, not wanting to let go.

***

Meanwhile, at the top of the steps behind them, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Chiara were all heading down for class. Lucas’ private cloak drew attention in the group as they descended the steps. “Ugh… Of course he has everything. Great in class, popular, and now a girlfriend.” Ron muttered under his breath to Harry, who felt conflicted. The sight grew slight envy in Lucas, already so close together with his obvious crush, Harry had nothing in common with Cho Chang. He found it impossible to even find her alone to talk with her, let alone get as close as everyone else was with others their age.

‘Case and point.’ He thought, glancing at Hermione and Chiara. Hermione had told both Ron and him about her starting things with Chiara. He could still remember the look of awe on Ron’s face, followed by a stupid, slightly lecherous grin quickly smacked out by Hermione. Harry held back a sigh, glancing at Hermione and Chiara holding hands, wishing he were to be as lucky as them to already be so close with each other. He patted Ron on the back in comfort, trying to ease his jealousy to avoid thinking of his own. “We’ll do just fine.” Ron snapped his head at Harry, squinting in distrust. “You’re not coming on to me are you?” They both looked at one another for a moment before bursting out into laughter, punching and shoving the other in hilarity.

***

Hermione and Chiara, ignoring their male friends roughhousing, couldn’t help but stare at Lucas and Pansy. Finally Hermione shook her head, forcing the image from her mind, and looking at Chiara. Chiara, feeling her gaze, matched it, an empathetic look in her eyes. Hermione couldn’t help but smile at Chiara’s constant care for her feelings above Chiara’s own. Her spirits were lifted, and her already excited heart, racing from holding hands with Chiara, soared as she hugged her. “A- Wha- Um…” She floundered in embarrassed shock, making Hermione giggle. She moved back, taking Chiara’s other hand in her own while squeezing both. “Let’s just… discover this first.” She offered, wanting them to find their own happiness before trying to complicate things. Chiara smiled and nodded in agreement, before both of them walked back down the steps. Both boys were staring absentmindedly, making Hermione glare at them, Harry instantly grasping at Ron while directing them both down the stairs slightly ahead of the girls.

Hermione was finding it slightly difficult to ignore Lucas, but now wasn’t the best time. If there was one thing she did learn from Pansy, it was that patience was paramount to relationships.