I Want to be Your First Choice, Harry Potter

Chapter Fifteen

He casts Expelliarmus, making the creature let go of me. He pulls me up to the surface as fast as he can by my waist. Once my head is above the water I start coughing up water that I partially inhaled while I was down there. Harry lifts me out before getting himself up out. I'm shaking uncontrollably. Ginny comes over with a towel and wraps it around me, Harry and everyone else asks me if I'm ok repetitively. Ginny says how sorry she is and feels terrible for asking me to do that. I say I'm good but really I'm completely numb. We walk back as quickly as we can without getting caught since it's past time we should be out of our rooms. Everyone tells me how blue my lips are and that I need to get by the fire as soon as possible.

Once we are in the common room Harry and I sit as close to the fire as we can. Ginny and Hermione go to sneak into the kitchen to get some hot chocolate to make for everyone. I don't want to admit it but that was a pretty traumatic experience for me to say the least. I always refused to go into the Black Lake since last year because of how Harry described it. While we were sitting by the fire everyone describes how they saw it and how they were confused for a second but then realized what was going on. Apparently Harry didn't hesitate to jump in after me.

-------------------------------------------------------

We are sitting in Potions class a few days later. The lesson is very boring. I rest my head on my hand as we listen. I barely got any sleep last night. I close my eyes for a moment and Harry nudges me.

"Don't fall asleep on me, Gab." He says.

"Quiet down Mr. Potter." Snape says. Harry rolls his eyes at him. All of a sudden I hear Snape mention Veritaserum. I know exactly what that is; it's a truth serum. I raise my hand and ask if we will be making any. He explains that whoever can write the best essay on it for homework will get their own vile. If I write the best essay I could definitely use it to my advantage. I ask Harry if he is going to try and get the vile. He says no because we have practice tonight and he doesn't have time for it. I tell him that I am going to try for it and he says that I will probably get it. He isn't wrong, I am the favorite and I do actually pay attention while most people slack off.

After all of my classes are over I head straight to the library to research Veritaserum and try to get the best grade on my essay. I can't help but hear two kids talking so loudly behind me. One of them mentions a ball, I listen longer and they say that there will be a ball for Halloween this year. A group of students had gotten together and planned it and the professors agreed to having it. In honor of Halloween it will be a masquerade. I really want to go but if Harry isn't up to it I will understand. I finish my whole essay just in time for dinner. It ends up being five pages long. I went into detail on how the potion affects the taker and how it is similar and different to other truth potions. I also explained what a truth potion is. I am sure I will get the vile.

Before leaving I ask one of the kids that I heard about the ball and the details and they say that all of the information is in a school flyer coming out soon, but they gave me a copy early just to be nice.

At dinner I sit in my usual spot next to Harry. I ask if after we are done I could talk to him privately. I want to ask him as soon as possible if he would want to go.

Once dinner is over I pull him aside in the hallway and tell him about it leaving out the Halloween part. "Listen Harry I completely understand if you don't want to go after I tell you this, be honest with me." I say not wanting to pressure him into anything.

"Just spit it out, Gab." He says eagerly.

"It's on Halloween." His normal hopeful looking smile fades.

"I just need time to think about it." He says looking down. He probably feels bad but I don't want him to. He always feels bad for things like that.

————————————————————————