Chapter Text
The chill of a brisk, autumn night caused a shiver to rattle Lolly Honeyduke's bones. She had grown up near Hogwarts, in Hogsmeade, so the weather here was typically something she was accustomed to. However, she couldn't shake the feeling that the night breeze drifting through the Astronomy tower wasn't the only thing her intuition was perceiving.
Lolly popped a lemon drop candy into her mouth and did her best to focus on Professor Shah's lesson, but the distinct feeling of being watched refused to let her. She rolled the sweet to her other cheek, savouring the sugary goodness before sneaking a glance over her shoulder.
Directly behind her sat her Hufflepuff housemate, Adelaide Oakes. Adelaide's nose was firmly in her Astronomy book, a quill and parchment hovering nearby. sketching detailed notes and star charts.
She moved her gaze onto the next row back. Sebastian Sallow was leaning over to whisper something to his fellow Slytherin, Ominis Gaunt. Neither were looking at her. Not that Ominis would anyway, being blind. Lolly briefly wondered how he was even able to study stargazing and made a mental note to ask him about it later.
Finally, her blue eyes narrowed as they landed on a spot of unruly red hair with mischievous eyes and a freckled nose. Garreth Weasley shot her a crooked grin and a wink.
"Ugh!" Lolly huffed to no one in particular, turning back to face forward.
Best friend or not, he had some nerve acting as if she wasn't still cross with him for nearly getting her in trouble with Professor Sharp in Potions earlier that morning!
Unfortunately, the sigh she intended to be under her breath was louder than she thought.
"Care to share your disdain for constellations with the rest of the class, Ms. Honeyduke?" Professor Shah's no-nonsense voice stopped in front of her seat.
Lolly glanced up with a meek blush, and her pink, ringlet curls bounced against her shoulders as she shook her head.
"Come now! I do like to encourage a lively debate amongst my students. If you have an alternate take on how the constellations came to be, I would greatly like to hear your theories." The stoic woman tapped her foot as she waited for an answer.
Her face reddened further, upset at herself for letting him distract her… again.
She struggled to remember what her teacher had been saying. Something about centaurs being the first to discover the constellations… but the origins of them being unknown, although several hypotheses were posed. However, at this very moment, Lolly could not think of a single one. So, she opted for a lie.
"I'm sorry, I hadn't meant to interrupt, Professor, but I wasn't expressing disagreement. This lemon drop simply left much more of a sour taste in my mouth than I was expecting." She knew it wasn't polite or proper, but spat the candy into her handkerchief anyway, figuring it would help prove her point.
Sure enough, Professor Shah sniffed and turned back to the blackboard.
"Very well, Ms. Honeyduke. Perhaps we should refrain from partaking in sweets during class time." Her tone said the suggestion was clearly non-negotiable.
"Yes, Ma'am." She sighed and stuffed the handkerchief back in her pocket, silently lamenting the waste of a perfectly good sweet as the lesson continued.
"As I was saying, while ancient centaur texts are the first recorded study of the stars, the constellations' common names are actually attributed to ancient Greek and Roman muggles. These terms are used in both magical and muggle studies of the night skies to this very day. Now, please open your star charts to the Lyra constellation…" The rustling of parchment filled the classroom.
Lolly couldn't help squirming in her seat as she continued to feel a stare boring into the back of her head. She glanced back again, and sure enough, Garreth's eyes brightened when they met hers. He mouthed something that she couldn't make out.
'What,' she silently mouthed back, her eyes darting to the side to make sure the teacher's back was still turned.
His lips moved again, but she still had absolutely no clue what he was trying to say. She shrugged at him and shook her head.
Suddenly, a quill poofed into existence in front of her and scribbled on her parchment.
Will you be my-
The quill's message was cut off as Professor Shah's wand pinned it to the wooden desk. Lolly gulped as she watched the little quill struggle to get away. It was silly really, she knew objects didn't feel pain, but she couldn't help feeling sorry for the poor thing.
"Passing notes now, are we? I must say, Ms. Honeyduke, you are on quite a roll today."
Word got around quickly at Hogwarts, and Professor Shah's tone indicated she'd already heard about the incident in Potions. Lolly shrunk back under the woman's disappointed stare as a wave of snickering could be heard amongst her classmates.
"Um-"
"Actually, that note was mine, Professor."
Lolly blinked and turned toward the unexpected voice of her saviour sitting at her right.
Amit Thakkar, a fifth year Ravenclaw, was smiling sheepishly at their teacher. The professor's face softened in surprise.
"Really now, Amit? I'm surprised at you. You're my best student this year."
Lolly glanced around to see some of the other students rolling their eyes and whispering to each other. She didn't dare comment, waiting to see the outcome along with everyone else.
"I'm sorry, Professor. I couldn't help noticing Ms. Honeyduke struggling a bit with her notes. Since Astronomy is my strong suit, I was inquiring if Lolly wanted to be my Astronomy partner. I apologize, I thought using a quill would be less disruptive. I should have waited until after class."
The words might have sounded boastful coming from any other student, but Amit's voice only showed a soft sincerity and a genuine desire to be helpful. He gave a slight bow of his head while Professor Shah inspected the parchment.
Lolly sat there in shock. She had barely spoken basic pleasantries to Amit in the past. Yet here he was coming to her rescue.
Her cheeks darkened to match her pink hair as she realized both he and the teacher were glancing at her notes in concern. She hadn't thought they were that dreadful…
"Very well," Professor Shah passed the parchment back to Lolly with a sigh. "You would be wise to take Mr. Thakkar up on his offer. His knowledge of the stars is impressive and will be a great help when studying for the exam."
"Thank you," Lolly smiled at her neighbor and awkwardly offered him the quill they both knew wasn't his.
He simply pocketed it with a nod. "Happy to help."
Before they could converse further, the Professor clapped her hands. "All right, class! We will be continuing this lesson on the observation deck! Follow me, and make sure you bring your telescopes!"
Lolly's heart sank again as she remembered exactly where her telescope was... clear across Hogsmead, tucked away safely in a trunk at home, in the little flat her family lived in above Honeyduke's sweet shop.
She sighed and waved her wand to put away her notes. It seemed the stars couldn't be further out of alignment regarding Lolly's luck with Astronomy, as usual.
"Missing something, I see." Amit chuckled.
Lolly's instinct was to be offended, but his tone was kind and really she had no one to blame but herself for this one. The two fell in step beside each other as they made their way further up to the observation deck.
"I'm sorry, I'm usually not so ill prepared. Seems I've been off ever since Potions class this morning," she said with a slight grumble.
"Ah yes, I had heard about the incident with the fwooper feather."
Lolly wasn't surprised. It was a large school, but the portraits were all terrible gossips.
"Why did you do it anyway? I'm sure you're well aware it's best to stay in Professor Sharp's good graces. They don't call him Sharp for nothing."
Lolly let her pink curls fall forward to hide the blush dusting her cheeks, pretending to concentrate on her steps.
"We'll call it a lapse in judgment." A flash of olive green, puppy-dog eyes surrounded by freckles invaded her memory and made the skin of her neck flush. "Anyway, I think Sharp is just his given surname."
"Huh, interesting. I wonder if he's lived his life trying to emulate a personality to match it? Either way, can't really imagine him as a child picking daisies for Mum, now can you?"
The peculiar image made a giggle leave Lolly's mouth. "No, I certainly can't."
"Well, you're in luck! I've just gotten a brand new, top-of-the-line Celestia Contemplar! So as it happens, my old telescope is no longer in use. It's still a decent model; be a shame for it to go to waste gathering dust in the classroom storage cabinet. I'd be more than happy to lend it to you."
They reached the top of the stairs and Amit finished his offer with a polite bow. Lolly wasn't sure if it was a cultural habit or if Amit simply preferred formality. She curtsied to be safe.
"Thank you, Amit! That is very generous of you."
"It's no problem whatsoever! I'm honestly glad it will still be getting the use it deserves. There's a certain aura of melancholy surrounding unused objects, don't you agree?"
Lolly nodded. "Oh absolutely! I thought I was the only one who felt a particular sympathy for objects. It's nice to find a kindred spirit."
Amit smiled and the two moved toward an open area of railing on the observation deck. He began setting up his telescope, and Lolly was surprised when he offered it to her first.
"Me? But what about your old telescope?"
"Well, given that we're already all the way at the top of the tower and it's back down in the Astronomy classroom, I don't mind sharing my new one for tonight," he explained with a laugh. "Unless, perhaps, you were looking forward to the exercise?"
The thought itself made her legs feel achy already. She had a particular bone to pick with the founders of Hogwarts for creating so many staircases. Even muggles figured out how to make lifts work, and they didn't have magic!
Lolly shook her head and turned her back to the stairs for good measure. "No, thank you!"
Amit chuckled again, "I don't blame you at all. If only apparating was allowed in the school."
"...and not only limited to seventh years." Lolly sighed, but offered him a small smile. "I find myself once again in your debt, Amit. Thank you again for your generosity. I shall be sure to take extra care with both of your telescopes." Her curls bounced as she curtsied once more, then she paused. "Um, please don't take this the wrong way, but seeing as how we are barely acquainted… may I ask why you’re helping me? Not that I'm ungrateful!" she finished in a rush.
Amit grinned and pulled Garreth's quill free from his robe pocket, passing it to Lolly.
"Perhaps people were simply meant to be kind to one another."
"What a lovely sentiment!" Lolly beamed. She took the quill with a slightly exasperated shake of her head and a soft chuckle. "Thank you, I'll see this gets back to its rightful owner."
Her fingers lingered over the smooth, brown feather before she put it away. A tiny smile parted her lips as she thought about the quill's owner.
Garreth Weasley was certainly the most mischievous, troublesome, daring, and silly boy she had ever known. However, he also happened to be the brightest, happiest, and the most caring person she'd ever met as well. He was her best friend and very dear to her heart, in spite of his penchant for boredom and mischief.
She twisted the soft, brown feather quill betwixt her forefinger and thumb. A light flush in her cheeks surfaced as her mind wandered to how close they'd gotten over the last two years. Close enough that sometimes, she thought that the line between friendship and something more was a little blurred…
A new guilt started to claw at her chest. She'd been avoiding him today ever since Potions. Maybe she should-
"A lovely sentiment indeed."
Amit's continuation of their conversation snapped Lolly from her reverie and she nearly jumped, internally scolding herself for drifting off in a daydream mid-conversation like that. It was quite a rude habit she needed to break.
"It's something my grandfather always said…" he trailed off with a smile, and kicked at a protruding nail in the wooden floor.
"Anyway, I've also seen your own kindness amongst our peers and forgive me for being so bold, but I had a thought that a person like yourself is someone I would like to be friends with if you are agreeable to the idea."
"Oh! Y-yes of course!' A bright, genuine smile found its way on her face. "I love making new friends! I-" Lolly paused and crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow as her smile shifted into a grin. "Hang on a moment… this is about the cinnamon biscuits I passed out in Charms class, isn't it?"
"Perhaps." He casually avoided eye contact and busied himself with looking through his telescope.
A new wave of giggles found their way past her lips and she flicked her wand to produce a pretty, yellow paper bag filled with cinnamon treacle biscuits. It floated down in front of Amit's view and he pulled away from the eyepiece with a start.
"All you had to do was ask, silly! But I will gladly accept your friendship all the same. Here you are! It's the least I can do as a proper thank you for your help." She leaned closer to whisper, "You may want to put that away before Professor Shah thinks we're sneaking treats in class again."
They both leaned to look past a wooden pillar. The professor was currently occupied assisting another student with reading her star chart, and didn't seem to have noticed them. Better to be safe than sorry though.
"Good idea," Amit's warm smile brightened as he pocketed the treats. "I expect these will be divine with tea later! I have certainly never known a Honeyduke's creation to be a disappointment."
"Well, they aren't officially on the menu. Not yet, anyway. But I do like to experiment!" Lolly's eyes sparkled as her thoughts turned to visions of sugar plums.
A childhood spent in a magical sweet shop was certainly a topic of envy several of her classmates had expressed to her on more than one occasion. Lolly was forever grateful for it, and she couldn't wait to help run the shop someday! She was already pretty skillful as a kitchen witch, and her absolute favourite hobby was experimenting with new recipes and sharing with her friends!
Garreth was of a similar mind in his potion crafting endeavours, but general consensus was that Lolly's recipes were safer to consume. And much tastier.
Her partner's chuckle once again pulled her back to reality.
"So, I've heard."
"If you're again referring to the incident this morning in Potions, I was honestly barely involved. That was Garreth's experiment run amok," she huffed.
"Alright, I'll give you that. Fireworks in a cauldron had Weasley written all over it. However, the rest of us know better than to go along with his hair-brained schemes. What was he even trying to make this time?"
Lolly sighed. "I've no idea. He said it was a surprise. I suppose he wasn't wrong about that, it certainly surprised the whole class, Garreth included. He still won't tell me what his intentions were."
Amit was thoughtfully silent for a moment as Lolly took a turn looking through the telescope to examine the stars above.
"Hmm, it seems to me his intentions are quite clear," he mused. Amit shook his head with a chuckle at Lolly's puzzled expression. "Maybe it's just because the Celestia Contemplar allows me to see things much more clearly than everyone else. Speak of the devil…"
Amit nodded Lolly's attention across the observation tower to a tall, brooding ginger leaning against the railing with his arms crossed. Garreth looked as if he had eaten a sour plum.
"What's gotten into him, I wonder?" Lolly mused.
"I expect it probably has something to do with the note he was writing you in class."
Lolly thought back to his sprawling handwriting on her Astronomy notes.
'Will I be his… what?'
Her mind tried to fill in the blank. It couldn't be 'friend.' She was already his friend, his best friend in fact! He knew that. Possibly 'astronomy partner'? She thought it was strange of him to ask that though; he knew she struggled with Astronomy, they had spoken about just this morning at breakfast. 'Potion tester' was most probable. But again, it was rather strange he was so eager to ask during a lesson. Especially since he already asked it of her practically every time they spoke. Lolly's cyclical thoughts wandered back to 'friend.' Suddenly, another possible word preceding it sprang to mind and made her blush.
"No, he can't have possibly meant to ask me that…" she muttered, not realizing the thought was said aloud.
"Perhaps you should just ask him."
She jumped when Amit answered.
"W-what?"
Amit couldn't hold back a soft chuckle. "You know, you seem to get lost in your thoughts quite often. I do as well at times, but I've often found answers to my questions are best confirmed from the source. You should ask him."
Lolly was certain her face turned as red as a radish.
"I can't ask him to be- …that!" she exclaimed.
Amit tilted his head, confused. "Huh?"
Lolly paused and then realized she wasn't sure how much of her thoughts Amit had heard. "Wait, what did you think I should ask him?"
"...what his unfinished note meant." A curious amusement sparked behind his dark eyes. "Why? What did YOU think that I thought you should ask him?"
Lolly shook her head and took longer than she liked to admit to unravel the question.
"Uh, nothing! I have absolutely zero thoughts and that is why you, my new friend, are a top-of-the-class Ravenclaw, and I am simply a Hufflepuff trying my best."
Truth be told, Lolly was rather proud of her house, but she would gladly lean into a stereotype to avoid further embarrassment at the moment. She wasn't quite sure it was working. Her neck still felt very hot.
Amit seemed to sense her reluctance to continue the subject and simply nodded.
"Alright, I'll leave you to puzzle that out for yourself then. You haven't much time to think on it though. He's coming over."
Lolly jerked her head up and sure enough. Garreth was marching his way over to them, narrowly ducking in time to avoid crashing into one of the tower's support beams. He didn't stop until he was close enough for her to smell the hint of herbs and fireplace ash his robes always seemed to have. Today the herbal scent was very… foral. Lillies perhaps? The blush worked its way to the tip on her nose when he leaned in to whisper in her ear.
"Lolita, is this man bothering you?"
She took a step back in surprise and frowned. "What? No, of course not! Amit has been perfectly pleasant and a welcome friend this evening. Especially considering yet another one of your antics with a feather nearly got me in trouble again just now!" She huffed and reached into her pocket for his quill, shoving it into his hands. "Why would you think that?"
"You looked distressed. Was a rather unfitting look on your usual cheery face. Much like this one." Garreth tapped her nose with a laugh as she continued to frown at him, completely unbothered by her apparent annoyance.
"Garreth, don't be rude!" She pushed his hand away with a sigh and turned back to Amit with an apologetic smile. "I'm not sure if you've both officially met, but I don't believe introductions are necessary."
"Pleasure!" Garreth stuck out his hand toward Amit and casually draped his other arm over Lolly's shoulders. "Sorry for making assumptions there, mate. I just know Lolly here is usually much too nice to say if anything is bothering her."
Amit shook his hand with a warm smile. "No offense taken, my friend."
"Well, I'm taking offense!" Lolly shoved Garreth's arm off and turned to him, standing on tiptoe to wave a finger in his face. "You've some nerve, Garreth Weasley! If I'm cross with anyone, it's you!" A clear of the teacher's throat and a stern look caused her to lower her voice to a hiss. "You nearly got me detention this morning!"
Amit's eyebrows raised and he couldn't help grinning at the two. "I don't know, mate, Lolly seems perfectly capable of saying when something is bothering her."
Garreth had his hands up in surrender. "I already said I was sorry about that! It shouldn't have gone that way, honest!" She turned away from him with her nose in the air, as he continued to beg for her forgiveness. "Oh c'mon, Lol, are you going to hate me forever?"
The sadness in his voice made her turn back to meet soft, green eyes that were wide enough to drown in.
"No, of course I won't." She sighed as his signature smile returned. "Never hated you from the start, you cotton-headed ninny muggins."
Garreth threw back his head with a laugh. "That's a good one! However, I'm still partial to what you called me at breakfast this morning. 'Floppy-wanded dementor buggerer' I believe it was."
"Ouch, remind me to steer clear of your bad side with a tongue like that." Amit joined in Garreth's laughter. A new blush settled on Lolly's face but her giggle joined theirs.
"I'm never really angry when I swear," she assured him. "It's more a term of endearment really…" Her tone was sarcastic but her eyes flashed over to Garreth who was suddenly fascinated with the floorboards, and grinning ear to ear.
Suddenly Professor Shah's clap pulled their attention.
"Well done, class! That about wraps up all the time we have for this evening. Professor Onai has predicted clear skies for the rest of this week, so you should all have plenty of time to complete your assignments by Monday. You should have all chosen partners for the assignment, please come see me if you are still in need of a partner. Class dismissed!"
Lolly turned back to Amit as he began to put away his equipment.
"I'm sorry, we didn't get much stargazing done at all, did we?"
"It's alright, can't be helped really. Class time is usually much too short to get any real work done anyway. Here," He pulled out his wand and a bundle of parchment, casting a quick, Geminio! A new bundle of parchment appeared, identical to the first. "Here's a copy of my notes. They should help you prepare for the exam."
"Brilliant! Thank you, Amit! You truly are a lifesaver." She took them with a grateful smile.
"It's honestly no problem at all." He stood and took a glance at Garreth before continuing. "Um, I plan to do some studying tomorrow night as well, down at the old ruins just east of here. There's some fascinating old star chart tables there, centaur made. Thought it would be a unique topic for our Astronomy project. We can meet up to work more on it then if you'd like."
"Old centaur ruins? That sounds like a wonderful idea!" Lolly's candy-pink curls bounced as she skipped in place. "I shall bring the snacks!"
"Fantastic! I definitely shan't discourage treats," Amit grinned. "I'll see you tomorrow evening then. It was a pleasure to officially meet you both." He waved to Lolly and Garreth, and followed the rest of the class back to the warmth of the inner castle. They were quickly the only two left on the observation deck.
Another sharp breeze seemed to cut right through Lolly's cloak. She shivered and turned to tell Garreth they should return as well, but he was back to his strange sullen pacing.
"What's gotten into you, then?"
He didn't answer right away, but she patiently waited, rubbing her arms for warmth. Her breath came out in small puffs of frost, and her giggles seemed to finally break through his mood.
"Look! I'm a dragon!" She sent a few more puffs floating his way with a smile.
The sparkle in Garreth's eyes returned as he laughed and then sobered to look at her with complete monotone seriousness. "Absolutely terrifying. Someone call the dragon tamers. Call the Ministry. I- AGHH!"
Lolly shoved him off balance with an embrace around his waist, and they both tumbled to the hard floor, out of breath from laughter.
She had missed this. Granted, she'd only avoided him for a single day, but Lolly hated being cross with anyone, especially her best friend. Sure, his hair-brained antics nearly drove her crazy sometimes, but she could count the number of real arguments they'd had on one hand. Her heart just didn't feel the same without his silliness and goofy grin by her side.
"I always knew a dragon would be the end of me," Garreth said with a chuckle as he panted to catch his breath.
They both laid there next to each other for a moment, starting up at the stars.
The back of Lolly's hand was quite warm pressed next to his. Her little finger twitched as she considered seeking further warmth and grabbing his hand outright. Before she could work up the nerve, he sat up.
"I've been meaning to ask you a question, Lolita." He pushed his unruly hair back out of his face.
Lolly sat up in surprise. He only called her by her full name when he was teasing, or for the rare serious conversation. Judging by the crease between his copper brows, she had to assume it would be the latter.
She swallowed the nervous butterflies threatening to break free from her chest. "Ask me what?"
"Will you… um…" he gripped at the back of his neck and coughed.
Perhaps it was a trick of the dim light in the tower, but Lolly could've sworn she saw an emotion there behind his eyes that she rarely ever saw in the Gryffindor. Fear. She didn't like it. Not at all. Not one bit.
"Garreth, what's wrong?"
"Nothing! No, nothing's wrong! I, uh, I just wanted to ask if you would be my Astronomy partner," he asked in a rush, avoiding her eyes. "Um, I got stuck with Clopton, and he reeks of too much hair pomade."
"Oh." So that's what his note had meant. She pushed down the remaining butterflies and firmly stamped them out, feeling utterly ridiculous as she fought off a blush. "I-I'm sorry Garreth, but Amit already offered to be my Astronomy partner."
"I know. Switch." His lip stuck out in a stubborn pout that nearly made her laugh.
"I can't just switch! Amit was kind enough to offer his help, and you know how badly I've been struggling with this class," she sighed.
Garreth scrambled to his feet and offered her a hand. He pulled her up easily and Lolly found herself distracted once again, this time by tingles running up her fingers from where he gripped them. That couldn't possibly be normal. She frowned but he showed no signs of letting go.
"C'mon you're about to turn into an ice lolly." He chuckled and pulled her toward the stairs. "Your nose is all pink."
He shrugged off his robe as they descended the stairs and draped it over her shoulders. The warmth immediately sank straight into her bones and she couldn't help inhaling the wonderful scent of mallowsweet coming from one of his pockets.
"Sooo… about switching partners-"
"Still on that, are you?" Lolly interrupted him.
"I tend to be rather single-minded when I have a goal."
"Oh, I'm well aware." A wry smile graced her lips as they stopped in front of the Astronomy classroom. "You pestered me to get you some billywig stings from the shop for three days straight. Hang on a moment, I've got to grab something."
She marched into the room and began opening cabinet doors to look for the telescope Amit said she could borrow.
"I swear, Lol, you'd leave behind your own head, even if it were a Remembrall," he teased, leaning his tall frame against the classroom door.
"I didn't forget something this time!" She paused. "Well, I suppose that's not entirely true. I forgot my telescope at home, and I'm planning to collect it this weekend once I can get to Hogsmeade, but in the meantime I shall need one to work on this assignment during the week. Amit said he would lend me his old one and it's somewhere here in the classroom."
Lolly moved to another cabinet to peer inside, unbothered by the huff Garreth didn't try to hide.
"Really, Garreth, a little patience for once in your life won't be the death of you. This would also go faster if you helped me look, Broom-head."
"Broom-head?" He raised an eyebrow but pushed away from the door frame to help her search. "Tsk, you're losing your touch."
"Would you prefer 'son of a bludger?'"
"I would prefer to spend what's left of the evening fixing my recipe… I almost had it."
"Well, I'm certainly not stopping you," she said and bent to look in a drawer.
He let out a long sigh as he closed another cabinet with no luck. "...have you tried Accio?"
"I can't very well say 'accio telescope' in a castle full of them in the possession of other students, now can I? There are probably several in this room alone."
"Well, how do you even know which is his?"
She paused.
"Lolly, you have no idea, do you?"
Her head fell, defeated. "...no."
She heard Garreth inhale sharply and then sigh. "Do you have any classes with Amit tomorrow?"
Lolly thought for a moment and let her head fall again. "I don't think so."
Garreth made his way across the room and lifted her chin with a chuckle. "Chin up, Buttercup. You won't need it during the day anyway, and I've got History of Magic with Amit in the morning. I'll ask him for you." He walked back out into the hall with a wide-eyed Lolly trotting along to catch up.
"Really?!"
"Of course. For a favor." His mouth twisted into a mischievous smile.
Her eyes narrowed, suspicious. "What favor?"
"You ditch Amit tomorrow tonight and keep me company instead."
"Garreth, I really need to study," she pleaded. "Amit and I have our project to work on as well."
"We can absolutely study!" She rolled her eyes at that suggestion, but he persisted, "And you won't need to do a project with Amit because you'll be my partner anyway."
"You are completely incorrigible." Lolly folded her arms as they made their way down the grand staircase, waiting on a section to move them to the west wing.
"That's what Professor Sharp said when he finally let me out of detention earlier to go to Astronomy," he laughed. "Never thought I'd be thankful for a night class."
Garreth turned back when he noticed Lolly's footsteps had stopped.
"Lol? What's the matter?"
A lump formed in her throat and her brows furrowed. Truthfully, Lolly had deserved the detention every bit as much as Garreth. She was the one who took the fwooper feather without permission, and the only reason she'd been let off the hook was because she was honest about it. She just had such a hard time saying 'no' when Garreth looked at her with those excited, sparkling, peridot eyes.
Unfortunately, Garreth wasn't so lucky, already being on his third strike of the day after starting class with a spitball aimed at Leader Prewett that Professor Sharp had the unfortunate luck of walking right in the path of when he entered the class room. And then he accidentally left a glove too close to the open flame under his cauldron and nearly burned down the classroom. The fireworks from Garreth's brew gone wrong were the last straw, and Lolly had jumped at how loudly Sharp lost his temper.
Ever the valiant Gryffindor though, Garreth twisted the truth to take most of the blame for her. That, combined with her honesty, got her off with a warning and a strong suggestion to stay away from 'that reckless ginger hoodlum.'
"Garreth, I'm so sorry you got stuck in detention again." Lolly couldn't stop the tears from pricking at her eyes. "If I hadn't taken the feather from Sharp's office in the first place, you wouldn't have had to go."
She startled and blinked when he threw his head back with a full laugh.
"Come now, you and I both know that wouldn't have stopped me!"
Lolly quickly wiped her eyes with the sleeve of his robe still wrapped around her as he continued.
"At any rate, even if the detention wasn't for the potion fiasco, I'm sure trouble would've found me elsewhere," he finished with a shrug and kept walking.
Her smaller pace quickened to catch up.
"Trouble doesn't find you, Garreth, you go looking for it."
He grinned as they turned into the corridor leading to the Hufflepuff cellar. Lolly didn't comment on the fact that his own common room was the opposite direction. She couldn't quite remember when him walking her to her dorm had become a nightly habit.
"And I suppose it was trouble I went looking for the day I found you?"
"It absolutely was!"
Lolly's mind went back to two years ago when, as third years, they were allowed to visit Hogsmeade for the first time. Lolly had gone straight home to Honeyduke's to visit her mum, and she had found Garreth hiding from a wrathful Mr. Zonko in the shop's cellar. The two had been practically inseparable friends ever since.
"You're lucky Papa didn't find you down there. He would've thought you were stealing and banned you from the shop for life."
"Exactly! This is why I get you to steal things from the shop for me. See? We make an excellent team!" He turned around to walk backwards and simply winked as she rolled her eyes.
"What you need, Garreth Weasley, is an angel on your shoulder." She shook her head with a sigh.
"Tell you what, Lolita Honeyduke," he teased her full name back at her and stopped walking. Her blue eyes went wide when he turned to corner her against the wall with a mischievous grin. "I'll let you be the angel on my shoulder, as long as I get to be the handsome devil on yours."
All the blood in Lolly's body rushed to paint her face red as his tall frame leaned over her with his hand propped against the wall above her head. Before she even had a chance to process why exactly her heart was racing so fast, a sudden realization dawned on her as his green eyes danced in the torch light.
She frowned, and scrunched her eyes shut, determined to resist the puppy eyes this time.
"I'm still not switching partners, Gar." She shook her head, exasperated, ducking out from under his arm as he snickered. "You already have me in Potions. Why do you want me in Astronomy too?"
Lolly's blush returned in full force as his eyebrows shot up and she realized how her question sounded out loud.
"I-I didn't mean, um-" her voice turned into a squeak the more flustered she became.
Thankfully, he laughed it off, no doubt thinking she was simply being her odd self.
"Alright, look, I didn't want to spoil the surprise," he sighed, "but what if I can give you the Weasley guarantee that you'll still do well on the next exam with me as your partner? Will you switch?"
She peeked an eye open.
"Garreth, I don't care if you found a way to sneak in an auto-answer quill, I won't use it!" Lolly crossed her arms and turned her head away from him with a "Hmph!"
"Really, Lolly! I'm offended. You think I would stoop to the level of cheating?" He clutched at his chest and took a dramatic step backwards.
"Yes."
"Alright, fair enough," he admitted with a shrug. "But of course, I know you're as honest as they come, so why would I waste my breath trying to convince you to? No, no. I have an extraordinary, legitimately helpful, study tool I've developed exclusively for Astronomy! However, I'm inclined to share this highly guarded secret with my own partner." He raised his eyebrows with a grin. "So, what do you say?"
"I say you're full of an awful lot of promises, Garreth Weasley, and I've yet to see any proof of them." She hadn't meant the words to sound so harsh and felt a tinge of guilt when his face dropped.
It only lasted a moment though, and once again, Lolly found herself entirely swept away by this boy's eternally sunny disposition.
"Proof can be arranged! I, uh, I just need to stop by the greenhouse in the morning and see Professor Garlick first. Find out where I went wrong..." He ran his fingers through his wild hair with a nervous chuckle.
Lolly's nose twitched and she tapped her chin as she considered.
She liked Amit as a study partner, he was not only bright, but also a kind and helpful person. Merlin knows, Lolly's pitiful marks in Astronomy could certainly use his expertise.
Garreth was also kind and very bright himself, though he often tried to hide it behind jokes. And he was helpful at times, in his own way… but he was also certainly prone to high jinks. However, the more time Lolly spent with him, the more she found his ability to find fun around every corner to be quite charming.
She made the mistake of looking up. There those eyes were again, glimmering with a warm impishness that gave her butterflies.
Damn him.
"Alright, if you can show me proof that you have something actually helpful to my Astronomy studies, I will consider speaking to Amit about switching partners," she relented and offered her hand for him to shake.
He took it without hesitation and flashed her a smile that nearly left her breathless. A soft pink dusted Lolly's cheeks as his warm hand squeezed hers, and to her delight, remained that way for the rest of their journey.
They reached the Hufflepuff barrels all too soon, and Garreth casually made the secret knock to reveal the entrance to the common room. Lolly wasn't a bit surprised by him at this point, he seemed to know the castle better than anyone, even Deek. He leaned against a large keg of pumpkin juice as the door slowly appeared.
"Goodnight, Gar. Try to stay out of trouble," Lolly sighed with a smile.
"No promises. You just stay here and make sure you don't get into any trouble yourself. At least not without me." He flashed her one last grin as she stepped through the magical door, and the barrel shifted to close the room behind her.
Lolly sighed and took a moment to try and control her blushing face before making her way through the common room.
'What in Merlin's name am I going to do with that boy?'
She sighed and snagged a handful of cashews to munch on when a shrill voice stopped her.
"Traitor!"
She turned to spot a few of her housemates gathered around a game of gobstones, but the accusation from Lenora Everleigh was clearly directed at her.
"Excuse me?"
"How dare you wear another house's colors in here! I expect Helga is spinning in her grave!" Lenora stamped her foot, accidentally kicking a gobstone right into poor Arthur Plummly.
"Calm down, Lenora, look at what you've done!" Adelaide rushed to help clean Arthur's robes with her handkerchief, trying to shield her nose from the foul gobstone smell at the same time.
Lolly glanced down to see what all the fuss was, and she turned a pink bright enough to blend into her own hair when she realized she was still wearing Garreth's Gryffindor robes.
"Sorry for the outburst, Arthur," Lenora knelt to assist with the mess as well, but her sharp gaze turned back to Lolly. "It's just that, some of us Hufflepuffs were sorted here for our loyalty!"
Adelaide sighed and stood. "Come now, it's just a robe. It doesn't make Lolly any less a Hufflepuff.'
"Thank you, Adelaide." Lolly quickly shrugged out of the robe and carefully folded it. "I didn't mean to cause a fuss, I honestly forgot I was even wearing it. Astronomy got chilly and it was lent to me."
"Ahhh, so Garreth gave you his robes, did he?" Adelaide grinned and followed as Lolly walked toward the girl's dorm.
"Who said it was Garreth?" Lolly tried to fib, but failed.
"Oh please, who else would it be? He's absolutely enamored with you, Lolly!"
Lolly couldn't help the giddy smile that curled her lips as pushed open the fifth-year bedroom door. "You really think so?"
"Of course! You two are always thick as thieves between classes." Adelaide sat on her own bed, across from Lolly's.
Lolly sank onto the mattress with a heavy sigh.
"What?"
"I don't know. Garreth's so confusing sometimes. One moment I think he may see me that way… but the next I'm just another one of his mates, getting into trouble."
Adelaide gave a thoughtful nod. "He does seem a bit chaotic."
"That's the understatement of the century."
The two girls laughed, and Adelaide posed another question.
"Well, you might not be sure how he feels about you, but how do you feel about him?"
The familiar blush heated her cheeks once again and Lolly bit her lip. "I feel… butterflies. I honestly can't describe it any better than that."
"Butterflies are good!" Adelaide assured. "Anyway, I've seen the way he looks at you. You may not be sure how he feels, but I certainly am. I have a sense about these things. Professor Onai says I have a gift. Would you like me to give you a tarot reading?"
Lolly was tempted, but shook her head. She smiled and reached her hand out to brush across the red silk lining of his robe.
"No, thank you. I think I'd like to be surprised with where trouble leads me."