the flower dancer // quirrellmort

7 • of moonlight and owls

Serenity.  There was nothing better.

Quirinus Quirrell found it in the smelly, dirty tower fittingly named the Owlry.  Dozens of owls were perched all around him, watching him curiously.  But Quirrell came up here in the middle of the night all the time.

Everything was peaceful at night.  There were no noisy students covering the grounds below, and there was the faint sound of crickets in the distance.  Even the air was nicer, calmer.  Quirrell wanted to simply exist here forever: no people to torment him, no grades to stress about, and no him. 

After a while, he could hear footsteps tapping on the stone stairs, but he didn't stir.  He knew who it was. 

"Hi," a soft voice said in the dark.  The moonlight seeping in illuminated her face: it was Myrtle Warren.

"Hey," Quirrell responded without moving.  He could feel his body relax even more in her presence.  In the few days since the school year properly began, they had become better friends than they ever had been before.  He felt like he'd actually done something right for once in the social department.  The prospect made him elated; having a true best friend was something he had never gotten to experience before.

Myrtle moved to sit down next to him.  "Aren't you cold?"

Quirrell kept his eyes fixed on the starry sky.  "Yeah."

Without a word, Myrtle nudged him and held up his brown jacket. 

"Why do you have this?" Quirrell asked with a chuckle, grabbing it and swiftly putting it on.

Myrtle smiled.  "You never bring it."  She paused, taking in the tower.  "It smells like shit."

Quirrell laughed.  "You say that every time," he said, lightly shoving her. 

"I don't know how you do it, Q.  My nose would've fallen off by now if I came up here nearly as much as you." She leaned her head on his shoulder.

Quirrell wiggled closer to her, letting his arm wrap around her.  "You get used to it, I promise.  I've been coming up here since second year."

"So what's wrong?" Myrtle asked quietly.

Quirrell furrowed his brows.  "What makes you think something's wrong?"

He felt her shrug.  "You seemed distracted at lunch.  Like something's troubling you."

God, he appreciated her so much.  Having a real friend was just amazing. "Just Tom Riddle stuff," he answered calmly.

Myrtle nodded.  "Oh yeah.  How's Potions going?"

He sighed.  "As well as you could expect with a partner like him."  A few owls seemed to hoot in agreement.  "At least today he didn't leave early."

She chuckled on his shoulder.  "I don't know what's wrong with that boy."

"I don't think there's anything wrong with him," Quirrell replied quickly.  He was suddenly surprised that he had said that without thinking.  "He's just... closed off.  And moody... and angry.  He's got walls." 

"He's above everyone," Myrtle said, shifting.  "He's so confident that he's better than you, but he's not better than anyone."

Quirrell sighed, thinking.  "Maybe he's overcompensating.  You know, like acting confident to cover up that he's actually not confident."

"You love giving assholes second chances," Myrtle hummed.  "That's one of the reasons I know you must be better than Tom Riddle."

Quirrell shrugged, but didn't say anything more.  He wished he could stop thinking about Tom Riddle.  People like Tom really shouldn't be given the time of day by him, but he couldn't help it.  "How do you know I never bring my jacket?" he asked, changing the subject.  "What, do you stalk me?"

Myrtle laughed quietly.  "No. I just happen to notice you."

Quirrell felt his chest warm as he studied her figure, darkened in the night.  "No one notices me unless they want to terrorize me," he said softly.

For a moment, the only sounds were their breathing and the funny owls.  Then, Myrtle chuckled hollowly. "Everyone sucks."

"Yeah, most people for sure," Quirrell agreed softly. "Not the owls except for when they're shitting everywhere." He kept his gaze on her. "And not you."

She just smiled at him and looked back out at the stars.  He wanted to be in this moment forever, so he never had to go back to Potions again.