Chapter Twenty-two: Candy and Aries

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Chapter Twenty-Two: Candy and Aries

Sunday morning was dismally dark. Clouds covered the sky, blocking out any hopeful rays of sun. The rain on the windows warped and distorted every view.

Having no homework, I decided to rise early. I snuck from the dormitory and down into the common room, shivering in the cold silence.

I settled in a chair by the fire and skimmed some books.

The buzz of life began to flood the room three hours and twenty-six minutes later. I sat up and WHAM- the figure behind me took a book to the face.

My eyes widened as he cried out, clutching his nose and reeling backward.

"Oh my Rassilo- I- sorry!" I stuttered.

"S'kay," he muttered, drawing his wand and bleeding profusely from his nose- his broken-looking nose. "Episkey!" he grunted, and with a flick of his wand his nose looked back to normal. He rolled his neck and scrunched up his nose at me.

"Um- why were you shadowing me?" I asked.

"Oh, just, I don't know. Hey, you're- wait, don't tell me- Amelia. Amelia- Anonymous? No, that can't be right. Um-"

"That's my name. Don't- what's the saying? Never mind."

"Well, I'd- um. Going now," he said, wringing his hands as if it were a nervous tic and spinning on his heel.

Eleanor popped up behind me like a silent groundhog.

"Well, that was a weird exchange," she said, making me nearly jump out of my skin. "Now I know what it sounds like when two people who can't seem to form an entire sentence decided to have a conversation." she added cheekily.

"Why do you people keep stalking me? And he's clearly- oh, what's it- crushing on me, rather inexplicably." I replied, ignoring her comment and rolling my eyes.

"Wait- really? You think so?"

"Oh, just look at him." In truth, I MAY have peeked- just a little- at his mind. Only when he lied about why he was watching me, of course.

"Well, anyway- someone's brought back magical sweets by the gallon from Honeydukes. They're saying it's a bunch of seventh years- I'm guessing you haven't had many magical sweets before?"

"No, I haven't. How'd you know?"

"I have my ways," she said with a swish of the hands. "Come on!"

She bounded down the stairs with me close behind. Sure enough, a great heaping mound of candy sat on a gently sagging table, kids clustering around.

I snared a handful of candy and hurried over to the table with Imogene- Eleanor was already guffawing loudly in her own group of friends.

Imogene gave me a little smile as I dumped a great big handful of candy into the table.

"What do you suggest?"

--

Imogene and I were deep in a game we had invented involving the sorting and subsequent eating of Bertie Botts Beans when the boy from earlier nervously approached.

"Hi- can I- uh, sit here?"

I waved my hand to indicate we had plenty of room. He flashed a smile and pulled up a chair.

"You're- Imogene Franklin, right? And Amelia, of course."

Imogene nodded shyly.

"Who are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

He wrung his hands again briefly. "Ari-um, Malfoy." he pointed a finger at Imogene as she opened her mouth to say something. "Don't- I- don't." He twiddled his hands about nervously for a moment, one coming to rest across his chin and the other on the tabletop. "I'm not a fan of the- y'know, um, family legacy. Name's Aries, actually, but that sounds kind of stupid." he tittered.

His every mannerism screamed nervousness but there was a certain steadiness to him. He was a mystery- and his mind was full of doors he'd placed unconsciously. Interesting.

"Yeah, we were just playing a game with the candy beans here!" I said to fill the silence. "C'mon, I'll show you!"

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