𝗷𝗮𝗻𝗲, harry potter

˗ˋ 12

CHAPTER TWELVE
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-: fourth year :-

── IN WHICH HE HELPS

. . .

Jane was still laughing when Harry came to his senses and realised that he was also sat in the pool of water, his care to not get himself soaked discarded as soon as he moved to help her. He was guessing that she took this as an invitation to pull him down with her.

"I'm sorry." She giggled, moving over him quickly to get to a bit higher ground, water settling just below the neckline of her once cornflower-blue dress, now dyed an indigo and blotched with ruby and daffodil yellow flowers.

The laughter left her voice when Harry didn't reply, peering at him and looking worried. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry I shouldn't have-" Her tone was inflicted with panic, and Harry rushed to correct it.

"No, it's fine." Harry winced when the somewhat blurred expression on Jane's face didn't change, still looking worried and quite clearly doubting his claims. "Seriously, Jane. It's fine - I'm fine, it's all fine."

"Really?" Jane blinked, Harry nodding. He saw her physically relax, water twisting around her shoulders as her body moved. "Good.. good that I'm good, good that you're good." She smiled, sitting forward and jumping when she felt herself slip a little on the rock.

"Come on, let's get you out." Harry shook his head, laughter leaving his lips as he carefully made his way over to her, pulling himself to his feet. "That dress looks heavy." He commented, knowing how much of a difference the material being drenched in water would make.

"Believe it not, I didn't plan on going for a swim today." Jane joked, trying to push herself upwards, but the moss under her hands didn't hold up and she didn't get very far. "Oh-" The breath left her lips in a disappointed sigh, but when she looked up to Harry she had a smile on her face, although her cheeks were tinged pink with embarassment. "There's a picnic blanket in my bag, I don't have towels but that should do." She told him, as if urging him to push his way back to the large flat rock, basked in sunlight and holding her bag.

"I wasn't planning on leaving you there." Harry shook his head gently, moving carefully forward, walking slowly to make sure that he didn't slip. "Do you trust me?" He asked, and some unidentified emotion sparked in Jane's eyes at the words.

"With every inch of my being." Her words were joking and far too much to say that they had known each other for little under a week yet she didn't flinch as Harry lifted her out of the water. That seemed to be the only positive thing that came out of his time in the Triwizard Tournament; it enhanced the strength his had gained from being the Gryffindor seeker since his first year at Hogwarts.

"There." Harry said, placing her down as soon as they had managed to get off of the slippery rock, placing the girl down at the break between the dry rock and the gently rippling water.

"Thank you." Jane's hand had been resting on his shoulder, holding on a little too tightly for comfort. But when she had been settled down, she let go, patting the spot where her fingers had dug in. The material of her dress clung to her, the skirts wrapping around her legs and the once puffy sleeves sticking to her shoulders.

She moved over to her bag, leaving dark footprints on the rock. "I only have one blanket.." She murmured, looking back at Harry as she pulled it out of the bag and handed it to him. She shrugged off his questioning stares, wondering why she was giving it to him. "I can dry off in the sun." Jane explained, settling down on the rock with her legs stretched out in front of her, arranging the material.

"Thank you." Harry took the blanket, wrapping it around his shoulders as he sat beside her. "Are you sure?" He asked, pulling off his glasses and wiping them on the blanket, carefully putting them back on whilst trying not to poke himself in the eye.

"..Maybe." She sounded hesitant, but quickly shook it off. "I don't suppose you know how to plait hair? If this dries loose it will be a frizzy mess." She pulled her hand through her hair, cringing at the amount of knots her slender fingers encounted, rings not helping with the matter.

"I know.. sort of. I did it for a friend about a year ago.. I dunno if I still can." Harry offered. "I can try though."

"Perfect!" Jane was already moving, pulling the bag over with her, settling just by his legs covered in the picnic blanket. "I don't have a proper bobble.. but I have a ribbon?" She pulled a ribbon that perfectly matched the colour of her (dry) dress, only glancing back as she held it out to him.

Harry took it, placing it down and securing it with his leg to make sure it didn't fly away if a particularily strong breeze came. He suddenly felt rather guilty as he saw a layer of goosebumps covering her arms, and in a sudden movement, he had pulled her into the space he created between his legs, freeing his torso of the picnic blanket and covering her with it.

"Oh-" It was the second time such an expression had left her lips, and Jane twisted around, cheeks having taken on a rather rosy appearance. Harry could feel the top of his ears burning, and prayed that she wasn't looking too hard.

"It'll be easier." He mumbled his excuse, and Jane nodded, silently turning back around and letting Harry plait her hair. And it was comfortable, and she was warming up - and it seemed that her falling in the water had done some sort of good.

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