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Lexa had been practicing for what seemed like hours now, trying over and over to get up the strength to cast the 'Riddikulus' spell towards the Boggart once it had taken form of her biggest fear.
However, every time it took form, she'd clamp her hands over her eyes and produce a fake laugh, quickly using her wand to push the non-being back into the dark confines of the wardrobe.
While she had technically gotten rid of it, Professor Indra would definitely not let her pass her exam if she couldn't actually cast the spell specifically designed to aid in the defeat of a Boggart.
She was absolutely livid with herself. How could she, a Ravenclaw with a perfect grade thus far in Defence Against The Dark Arts, be unable to cast a spell that even the below average students could muster up. Her frustration was not aiding the situation, the feeling only building every time she failed to gain the courage needed to discard of the non-being.
In order for Lexa to even think about being able to manufacture such a spell, she'd need to try not to lose all sense of concentration once the Boggart took its form, something that she'd been unable to do since she'd starting practicing over an hour ago.
Taking a deep breath, she turned to face the wardrobe again, her wand at the ready. The non-being appeared, constructing itself into the object that caused her the most distress. She seemed to freeze at the Boggart's appearance, once again using her hands to shield herself from its presence.
Just as she was about to laugh, she heard the spell being cast, a small giggle following it, the sound of the wardrobe door slamming shortly after.
The first thing Lexa noticed when she looked up was the Gryffindor robes and blonde hair, but quickly turned away once she observed that the girl was trying, but ultimately failing, at stifling her laughter, causing the brunette to scowl.
“I'm sorry, I – I just, I can't believe your biggest fear is a butterfly.” Clarke stated, before laughter found its way out of her yet again.
Noticing Lexa's distress, Clarke's smile diminished, a look of guilt embodying her features.
“I'm sorry.” she murmured, fiddling with her hands absent-mindedly.
Clarke hadn't meant to interrupt Lexa, she'd just needed a quiet place to study, away from the noise of the Common Room. Clarke had met Lexa several times before, due to their mutual friends, but had never really spoken to the girl one on one before.
However, the blonde was quite intrigued by her, not only was she absolutely beautiful, but the girl was smart, driven and had this certain confidence about her that just appealed to Clarke in a way that she couldn't describe.
Clarke sat at the vacant desk, flipping through her copy of 'Charms of Defence and Deterrence', settling on the small chapter dedicated to Boggarts and how to defeat them.
“You know, the best way to conquer a Boggart is to confuse it. Having more than one person facing it, well baffles it. It'll take on the form of an amalgam of both fears combined, making it easier to vanquish.”
Lexa turned to face Clarke, the brunette fiddling with her wand in an attempt to calm herself.
“I do not require any assistance.” she huffed, turning back to look at the wardrobe warily.
“It seems like you do.” Clarke replied, her eyes never leaving the book in front of her, but a small smile gracing her lips.
Clarke stood up, making her way towards Lexa, feeling the girl beside her tense at her close proximity.
“It's nothing to be ashamed of you know.”
“What, the fact that I can't cast this spell, or that my biggest fear is of the world's least scariest insect?” she groaned, putting her hands up on her face once again.
Clarke sighed gently, placing her hand comfortingly on Lexa's shoulder.
“Not to be rude or anything, but why butterflies?” she asked softly, moving back slightly when Lexa dropped her hands back down to rest by her side.
“When we went into the muggle world for my 4th birthday, we visited the zoo. The butterfly enclosure, well when I went in there, for some reason they just, swarmed.” she said, shuddering at the memory.
“Ever since then, I've just been petrified. I hate butterflies. So you can imagine that when the Boggart takes its form into that of a giant butterfly, I can't handle it, and yeah.” Lexa concluded, leaning into Clarke's shoulder, the act surprising her.
Clarke rubbed Lexa's lower back lightly, trying to calm the girl without overstepping too many personal boundaries. Octavia often complained that Lexa 'didn't do hugs',
(seriously Griffin – girl sits there like a statue when we're watching a movie, it's uncomfortable)
and while Clarke was definitely one to cuddle in this type of situation, she didn't want to agitate the girl any further.
She reached out to grab Lexa's hand, intertwining their fingers as she pulled the brunette towards her desk, both sitting to look at Clarke's text book, their still grasped hands resting comfortably between them.
“You need to calm down first” Clarke explained, running her thumb smoothly over the skin of Lexa's hand.
“If you're not calm, you'll just keep losing all sense of concentration when it appears. The best thing to do, is to think of what form you want it to take when you cast 'Riddikulus'.”
Clarke turned slightly, locking eyes with the girl next to her.
“What makes you laugh?”
“I don't know” Lexa mumbled, resting her chin on her free hand.
Clarke nudged her playfully. “You've got to know what makes you laugh. I know what makes me laugh”
Lexa rolled her eyes, turning to face the blonde. “No offence Clarke, but I don't think sexual jokes are going to help me in this situation. It's much harder than that.”
“That's what she said” Clarke laughed, throwing her head back as she did so, causing Lexa to smile fondly.
Clarke settled down, noticing the amusement etched onto Lexa's face. “See, you thought that was funny” she exclaimed, smiling widely.
“You are funny, Clarke” she whispered, a slight blush settling on her face.
The blonde mirrored Lexa, bowing her head bashfully, the compliment making her cheeks heat up.
Lexa's face quickly contorted into one of deep thinking, the girl nodding solemnly once before rising up, her hand still firmly holding Clarke's.
“Can we do this together first?” she asked timidly, bouncing on the heels of her feet.
Clarke nodded, dropping their hands in order to pull her wand out of her robes, both girls instantly missing the close contact.
“I'm right here if you need me, okay?”
Lexa smiled briefly, nervous to fail in front of Clarke.
As both girls got into the proper stances, holding their wands ready, the Boggart made its appearance, randomly changing into many shapes rapidly, moving to settle into the form of a giant spider with eccentric butterfly wings.
Clarke stood still, looking over subtly at Lexa, waiting for the girl to cast the spell. She watched as Lexa's hand moved swiftly, the girl confidently speaking a loud 'Riddikulus'.
Clarke smiled as the hybrid form contorted, green hair spouting out of its skin, until it had turned into a little fluff ball, rolling around gurgling on the floor, causing Clarke to laugh at the amount of drool exuding from its mouth.
With another swish of her wand, the Boggart was pushed back into the wardrobe, leaving the two alone in the room once again.
“You did it, congratulations” she whispered, pulling Lexa in for a brisk side hug, before going to sit at her desk once again.
When Lexa gave her a confused look, Clarke gestured to the wardrobe, prompting the brunette to get back into her stance.
The Boggart appeared yet again, quickly forming into a giant butterfly, causing Lexa to visibly freeze at its configuration. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself, her eyebrows furrowing slightly as she did so.
“Riddikulus!”
Clarke stood up, watching as the butterfly seemed to swell, eventually popping and bursting into an extravagant display of fireworks.
Lexa turned to face Clarke, the girl smiling bashfully, holding her wand up proudly once the Boggart had gone back into the wardrobe.
The blonde ran over to her, pulling her in for a tight hug, feeling Lexa tense in her arms, but almost instantly relax into Clarke.
After a few moments, Clarke retracted from the hug, her and Lexa still in close proximity. The girls looked fondly at each other, Clarke's arms still resting on Lexa's lower back.
Clarke leaned forward, brushing her nose against Lexa's slightly, waiting to gauge the brunette's reaction. Lexa nodded lightly, pushing forward so that her lips settled onto Clarke's. The girls settled into a steady rhythm, only parting when air became a necessity.
Both girls settled into a comfortable silence, the pair smiling fondly at each other until Lexa bowed her head shyly.
Clarke put a finger under Lexa's chin, tilting Lexa's head up to give her another quick kiss.
“Hey Lexa?”
Lexa hummed, resting her forehead against the blonde's.
“You give me butterflies”