pink! - remus lupin

05 - stuff of nightmares

THE FEAST WAS EVERYTHING STELLA COULD HAVE HOPED FOR. Cameron watched in astonishment as she cleaned her plate, then reached over to get another scoop of potatoes. How so much food could fit inside such a small girl baffled him, it was definitely not what he was expecting. He sat there for a moment, still amazed before Stella spoke up, "You're catching flies, Cam."

Cameron blushed slightly at that, his adorable sensitivity shining through for a short moment. He cleared his throat, Adam's apple bobbing before he spoke quietly, "Oh, yeah, sorry uh, Stella."

Stella only laughed at his stuttering, not quite used to having this effect on people. It was funny how she wasn't used to it. So many males, females too, stumbled over their words every day when they saw her. Whether she was wearing her school robes on a weekday, or more comfortable clothing during a weekend afternoon, Stella was undeniably gorgeous, smart and genuine.

Her most noticeable flaw, though, was her tendency to draw away from people. It was in that way she was most like her father, introversion. As a small child, she had played with kids at the parkette around the corner from their cozy little home in the university town, coming home with her father each night with a new story. She soon began to understand what had happened to her mother, and in turn, began to become distant. She barely slept at night, no fun memories with friends clouding her anxiety, no love to overshadow her self-hatred. A broken yolk in a perfect shell, she was.

The previous night, though, had been a rare exception. She still didn't get much sleep, she never could, but she had something to ease her mind. Since they had met earlier that day, Cameron hadn't left her thoughts. He was soothing to her, while simultaneously making her heart race and her hands shake. Never before had anyone made Stella feel like that, but he did, and strangely enough, she quite liked it.

It surprised her, too. The last time she had even had the slightest bit of interest was months ago with the cute cashier at Sainsbury's, the last full-blown crush was in her last year of muggle schooling. Something about him, though, it just made her want to hold him until the early hours of the morning, yabbing about the quiz they were set to have the next day. She knew he would listen, too. Understand? Maybe not, but he would listen to her, and that was all that mattered to Stella.

~

The rest of the breakfast was spent in comfortable silence, the two occasionally sharing glances or catching the other staring, ending with both turning away with prominent blushes on their faces. They both knew nothing would happen between them for a while, but when they did, if they did, it would be something special. Awkward at first, of course, Stella had never been in a relationship, but it would be something.

Their first class of the day was near when Cam spoke up again, coughing awkwardly as he finished, "What do you have first, Ella?"

She swallowed her pumpkin juice before answering, "Erm, Arithmancy. You?"

"Muggle Studies. I don't suppose you take it?"

"No. I haven't much use for it, have I? Being muggleborn and all?"

Cameron just smiled for a moment, enjoying the simple conversation much more than he should've. Stella took that as her queue to leave, not because it was getting awkward, but she really did need to get to class. "I'll see you in Herbology later, I presume," she asked.

"I'm looking forward to it. Then lunch?"

"I'll be there," Stella smiled.

The morning passed as regular, with the added emphasis on OWLs from the professors. Stella knew most of them didn't like adding pressure to the students; Professor Slughorn had talked about it during a Slug Club dinner the year former. Nevertheless, they were essential to their success, and therefore must be taught.

Her Potions period passed quickly, given, she was barely paying attention and she truly had a knack for potions. As the class ended, she collected her belongings and ran from the classroom, leaving the rest of the students confused. Stella had always stopped to speak with Professor Slughorn after class, but she hadn't even hesitated before leaving the room that day. Stella didn't dwell on how peculiar it had seemed, though. She only had eyes for the future.

~

The greenhouses had never looked so welcoming as she crunched through the autumn leaves, the outdoor buildings appearing around the corner as she turned sharply around a stray cat- perhaps it had been a kneazle? Greenhouse 5 had been indicated on her timetable, so that was where she was headed. Stella entered the glass building excitedly, finding a place where she was sure no unwanted accompaniers would sit.

Cameron arrived just a minute later, obnoxiously loud friends in tow. The four seemed to know of Cam's plans, though, and they ushered him off towards Stella with wide grins when they saw her in her seat. They then sat at a nearby group of stools as Cam walked over to Stella shooting winks at the jealous group of female onlookers.

Almost as soon as he greeted Stella with a genuine grin of contentment did the whispers start.

"Cameron O'Connell, THE Cameron O'Connell, with- Stella McLeod?"

"Did he just sit with her? She's a literal nobody."

"Is it okay that I kinda like them together?" someone asked their friend, who seemingly agreed.

They paid no mind to them, though. Stella replied to him with a smile of her own, beautiful and glowing. The class continued as regular- well, not really, Stella didn't often have a partner in Herbology and found it significantly easier. 

The pair shared glances throughout the class, accidentally touched hands when reaching for more ink (which, of course, brought an even deeper blush to each of their faces) and spoke quietly to each other when they longed for a connection. It was the stuff of Stella's nightmares but for some unplaceable reason, it felt like a dream she never wanted to wake up from.

~

Hello loves! I hope you didn't mind the wait, my science project was way too stressful and time-consuming for me to get much writing done, but I pulled through! Cam and Ella are too cute for my poor heart, I think we settled on Calla for a ship name? You have no idea how hard it was to not make someone say, "I ship it," during the whisper bit. You all have to appreciate the amount of self-control it took. Have a great week!

Love, A

originally published October 28, 2019