ALOHOMORA | CEDRIC DIGGORY

46〝forty-six〞

SO MUCH COLOUR HAD RETURNED to Ellis's cheeks that Madam Pomfrey had little grounds to detain her much longer after the final bell of the day had gone. Cedric had already departed, but what did that matter? He had always been omnipresent in her head anyway. As Ellis wandered down to the Great Hall for dinner, consciously stifling the spring that would otherwise be in her step, it was almost as if he was right next to her. Ellis thought she might be delusional.

All things considered, she had not been quite so happy, and in a long time; she had not been quite so happy at all—not in this way, in any case.

Lockhart's decor had yet to be removed, so Ellis snuck two chicken legs, some carrot sticks, chips, and a goblet of pumpkin juice into her bag (thank Merlin for wizarding knapsacks and their Undetectable Extension Charms) and hurried up to the Astronomy Tower. Immediately, the jarring pink walls didn't seem so bad in comparison.

"Now you bring food up here?!" screeched the Baron; he was in such disbelief that his usual deep voice had become shrill. "This is getting way out of hand, missy..."

And Ellis had to endure a whole half hour of mournful complaints injected with the more-than-occasional derogatory remark of her tactlessness while she picnicked. She knew she had it coming, though. She had been so happy it had completely slipped her mind that ghosts couldn't eat (or else she would have gladly shared her food to placate him, the mention of which would have, in all likelihood, resulted in a retribution much more disastrous than a thirty-minute telling-off, she reckoned). Nevertheless, she couldn't help be blithe.

"What on earth are you smiling about?" said the Baron indignantly. "I'm berating you over here. The least you could do is look the part."

Ellis swigged her pumpkin juice and wiped her mouth.

"He asked me to be his girlfriend."

In an instant, all anger evaporated from the Baron's expression, to be replaced by ecstasy so ultimate Ellis regretted not having opened with this—though only momentarily: because then his complaints would be of something else, which wasn't necessarily better.

"That's m'boy!" he hollered, punching a pearly fist into the air. His elation manifested for a while, but then he swooped down on her abruptly, his translucent eyes barely inches from her own and narrowed in suspicion. "What did you say?"

The Baron was definitely too shrewd to be duped.

"I didn't say anything," said Ellis frankly.

"What do you mean you 'didn't say anything'?" he sneered.

"The bell rang."

The Baron's mouth fell open and he gaped at her, dumbfounded.

"The bell WHAT?!"

"What can I say"—Ellis gave a shrug—"bells like me."

"Then, what happened?!" demanded the Baron furiously. "He couldn't have let you off that easy. He wouldn't have!"

Ellis chuckled. The Baron could see through people like people could see through him, literally.

As if on cue, Ellis' watch began belting out from inside her pocket:

"You're late!
You're late!
Quidditch does not deserve to wait!
No time to say 'Hello,' good-bye!
You're late! You're late! You're late!"

The Baron glared a piercing, don't-you-dare sort of glare, to which Ellis reciprocated a cheeky grin and shot for the stairs. For the very first time, the Baron plunged through the floorboards, pursuing her as she went.