𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗸, harry potter

˗ˋ 94

CHAPTER NINETY FOUR
✧
-: fifth year :-

── IN WHICH AVIANA
SEEKS HIM OUT

. . .

Aviana didn't seek Harry out straight away. She was exhausted and besides, she had sat through Draco's whining, complaining and expressions of utmost glee - news had come, quite quickly, that Harry, Fred and George had been banned from Quidditch by Umbridge, and Aviana was more than sure that he wouldn't want to see her as that news settled in, and so instead, she went to bed.

She didn't leave her dorm for much of the Sunday following, needing to catch up on all the classwork and homework that had built up over the past week, when Quidditch had taken priority over all else. She got her meals straight from the kitchen, and on any occasion that she saw Draco was a moment of tension, as he seemed to look confused and as though he wanted to say something until Pansy whispered something in his ear and called out to her. She said nothing, and passed them by.

When the evening came, she left them behind in the the Common Room, huddled around the fire and speaking in low voices and began to climb up through the castle, reaching the Gryffindor portrait in no time. Leaning against the wall beside the Fat Lady, she waited for only a moment or so before Seamus and Dean appeared, talking vaguely about something remotely related to Harry and Dumbledore's Army. She watched, gaze like a hawk and it wasn't long until the two boys noticed her.

"Yes?" Seamus asked, expectantly.

Dean nudged him. "I'll get Harry." He said, telling the portrait the password and Aviana watched as the frame swung forward. "Harry," she heard him say as he stepped in, Seamus following behind, "you have a visitor, she's-"

And the portrait swung closed, and she was left to wait all the more. It didn't take long, no more than a minute or so, and Harry stepped out, expression unreadable.

"Hi." She said, softly, as the portrait came to close. "I was wondering if you wanted to come down to the kitchens with me. I need to get dinner."

Harry nodded, taken aback by her tone. "Yeah." He said. "Okay."

They fell into step besides one another, taking the moving stairs back down through the castle and towards the kitchen, in initial silence. "What happened after Hooch sent you to McGonagall?" Aviana asked, as they neared the Grand Marble staircase.

"Umbridge appeared." Harry replied, dully. "Said something about Education Decree Number Twenty-Five... Fudge just signed off on it, she can strip pupils of privileges or something."

"Regardless of the teacher?" Aviana blinked.

"Couldn't believe that she, the High Inquisitor, had less power than the 'common teacher'." Harry scoffed. "Banned me and the twins from Quidditch."

"Oh, Harry." She murmured, in a voice so soft it sounded entirely foreign to him, and he stopped in his tracks, a step down from her, and he looked up at at her. "It's not fair." She added, in that same tone, so soft, so welcoming, so unlike herself.

"No." He shook his head. "It's not. Have you eaten dinner yet?" He asked and when she shook her head slightly, mirroring his own actions and reaching for her hand, pulling her down the last few steps into the Entrance Hall, that was all but empty of a few students, as well as Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout talking quietly to one another, taking careful glances around, overtly aware of their surroundings.

"Good evening, Mr Potter, Miss Rosier." Professor Flitwick said, evenly, when he spotted Harry watching them. "Congratulations on the match, it's a shame to hear that you'll no longer be on the team."

"Evening." Harry replied, offering an effort of a smile. "Yeah." He added, hoping it was more than obvious that he didn't want to speak of it.

"And wonderful playing from you, Miss Rosier." Sprout added and Aviana nodded, looking minutely uncomfortable under the attention of the two teachers, tugging slightly on Harry's hand. Thankfully, Professor Sprout continued, resolutely turning back to Flitwick and their conversation. "Have a good rest of your evening." She said, and the pair of them continued on their way.

"What does that mean?" Harry asked in a low voice, as they began to make their way down the stairs to the Hufflepuff portion of the dungeons, which was well-lit in amber light, and covered in cheerful paintings depicting elaborate foods and dishes.

"Everyone is well aware of Umbridge's new power." Aviana replied. "They're worried, of course, because it's obvious that the woman already has it out for several teachers... not that they should be, Flitwick, at least, is one of the most competent teachers we have here. He won't be bothered by any of it... but his co-workers will." She shrugged, bringing them to a stop before a large, silver-framed portrait of a fruit bowl.

Aviana reached up, tickled the rather small - by comparison to the banana and apple beside it - green pear, which seemed to rise up and warped into a door handle, which she reached forward to open. "Close it behind you." Aviana instructed, and as Harry fussed about with it, she entered further into the kitchen. "Good evening, everyone." She hummed. "Dobby, glad to see you, how's Winky?"

"Bit better, Miss - and you have brought Harry Potter with you!" Dobby looked quite excited. "Have you not eaten either, Sir?" He asked.

"I have, thanks Dobby." Harry watched quietly as Aviana went about her business, greeting each house-elf as she went with only a slightly scathing comment about their work, much nicer than she was usually, before coming to stand before another house-elf, whose rag was a distinct, although still much duller, shade of green than the rest of them. "Who's that, Dobby?" Harry asked.

"One of Miss Aviana's house-elves. Miss Aviana does not like eating in the Great Hall, and as Zolly came from her household she is able to make meals that she likes." Dobby replied dutifully. "Did Harry Potter find the Room of Requirement?"

"I did, thanks." Harry nodded. "It's been really useful."

Aviana straightened up. "Harry, do you want a cup of tea?" She asked. Harry looked confused for a moment, before recognising the expression on her face and nodded his head hastily. "Milk and sugar?"

"One spoon of sugar, normal amount of milk." Harry replied, as he was ushered towards a small table near to the back of the rather expansive kitchen, that only spanned further as he passed beneath a rather ornate archway and found himself in a room that mirrored the size of the Great Hall, with each of the four tables too. They were clear now, but if Harry could correctly remember, the house-elves would place the food on those tables and it would eventually be transported up to the tables above. "Here?" He asked, directed to one of the tables, the one on the far right; the end of the Slytherin table.

Dobby nodded. "Miss will join you in a minute."

And Harry was left in the depths of the Hogwarts' kitchens.

✧

a/n
happy valentine's day!
<333