Antares

Chapter Twelve ~ Almost Perfect

The day was everything a day in late May should be. Puffy clouds were in the sky, floating there like they were in a sleepy daze. A moderate breeze was fluttering the coming blossoms, carrying their sweet aroma to where ever the wind blew. The grasses of the Hogwarts grounds were the most spectacular. The whole lawn was a healthy emerald green with not a hint of a yellowed blade.

It was hard to not take advantage of this refreshing scenery. Quite a number of the students had come out and chosen to study or relax somewhere on the grounds. All around there were people sitting by the lake, under willowy trees, or on the benches. There was not a house scarf to be seen anywhere, which was very good indeed. Everything seemed to be alive, but in the midst of the vibrant colours and scents, there was still something nipping at Aki's brain that prevented her from fully enjoying the exhilarating outdoors.

The thought, even when it grazed her mind ever so slightly, gave her shivers. Not only was she defying rules, but she had also specifically promised that she wouldn't go against those rules. Now that she had broken a promise, there was a loss of trust too. Trust from someone she had known for a long while and was fond of.

She couldn't help it. Aki had been thinking about doing it for days now. It was hard to be so restricted in such an insignificant thing, but Victoria did seem greatly strict about the issue, so Aki tried abiding by it for as long as she could.

After all, Victoria was her best friend.

Though, if she only knew what was going on now, there was no telling what she would do. Aki hoped that it wouldn't be drastic; she hated the thought of losing Victoria.

Aki had left her in the common room and lied that she was going to the library to find a book. Victoria told her not to be long, since she wanted to study Dark Arts with her. That must've been about fifteen minutes ago.

At this moment, pretty much all of Aki's housemates were in the tower. The Ravenclaws had an annual tradition around exam time where every student in the house would gather in the common room and study with one another, the older students sometimes assisting the younger ones. It was a fun tradition with many good times that lasted into the early morning. Today, being Saturday and exams starting that Monday, was the day of that tradition.

However, here Aki was, not inside with the rest of her Ravenclaw peers, or doing a lick of studying. She was outside, strolling the grounds, with the one person she absolutely was not supposed to be with.

"I really don't see why Madam Hooch doesn't let me have a key to her office," Oliver griped. "Doesn't she know what a pain it is to find her so that I can get the Quidditch balls for practice?"

"Oh... really?" said Aki inattentively, craning her neck to scan around.

"Absolutely! Sometimes, when I want to practice on my own, I have to search the whole ruddy school for her! She runs off to Merlin knows where, and I end up wasting as much as half an hour of good practice time to--"

"Err... hey, Oliver..." she interrupted quickly, "do you mind if we..."

Aki stopped and bit her tongue. She really didn't want to end off her sentence with the words, "Go somewhere more private" for fear of giving him the wrong idea. She desperately wanted to go somewhere not as overt, though. Anyone, at anytime, could spot her in an instant. She rethought carefully but as quickly as she could.

"I mean... you... ah... you fancy a visit to the Quidditch stadium?"

Oliver's eyes positively lit up and he looked like a boy about to gorge into a mountain of chocolate. He nodded frantically and beamed brightly. She laughed nervously at his excitement, and in the blink of an eye, Oliver was already heading off in the direction of the Quidditch stadium. She scurried to keep up, the whole way looking over her shoulder or keeping her head down. Oliver, on the other hand, was marching proudly and couldn't stop grinning.

Several young Slytherins passed by her and Oliver, cavorting and chasing each other. They didn't seem to be at all stressed about the looming exam period. Lucky buggers and their piss-easy first year exams.

"The Quidditch pitch is a great place to get some thinking done," Oliver announced. "Especially in the mornings. You ever been during the mornin's?"

"Err... no."

"Ah, it's wonderful!" he rambled. "The feeling of fresh grass under your feet... it's energizing!"

"You go there often?" she asked.

"When it's warm enough out. I've missed the feeling all winter!"

"You must've been there a lot in the past couple of weeks, then."

"Oh, yes! In fact, just last Tuesday I came up with the most incredible Quidditch play--"

"Really?" she cut in suddenly. "Can I hear about it?"

Oliver guffawed like it was the silliest thing he had ever heard.

"I can't be doing that! We do have a game next week against the Ravenclaws!"

"Just a little detail--"

"No, I won't be doing that," he stated blankly. "Speaking of the game against the Ravenclaws, I'm looking forward to how Potter plays out. He's been making me nervous these past couple of days, telling me he wants to resign the team."

"Potter!" she spat out. "Don't even talk to me about Potter!"

"Why not?"

"I'm still annoyed at him for losing one-hundred and fifty points from Gryffindor!"

"What do you care about points from Gryffindor?" he asked, elbowing her in the side.

"You were beating the Slytherins!" she whined. "And now this Potter probably threw away any chance you had to steal the House Cup from them... for once! Aren't you the least bit upset?"

"Nah..." he said very nonchalantly.

"How can you not?"

"See, what will happen is that Potter will win our game against you Ravenclaws next week. Our win will add to our points, which will more than make up for the ones we lost! It's simple!"

He sure was cocky about the guaranteed win against the Ravenclaws. Aki gave him a slight scowl, but Oliver didn't notice as he was grinning foolishly at the idea.

They had now reached the Quidditch pitch. It was breathtaking to see the empty seats that seemed to stretch to infinity, all under a perfect sky.

"Beauty, isn't it?" Oliver said grandly, standing tall and glancing around.

"It's hard to believe," Aki responded.

"What is?"

"That all these seats will be filled next week."

"There isn't a place more incredible in all of Hogwarts than right here."

"It really is brilliant. You're lucky you have such a place."

"You don't?"

"No. Not at Hogwarts, at least. Well, maybe if you count the place at the supper table that's close to the plate of jam doughnuts..."

Oliver gave her the most thoroughly confused expression she had ever seen.

"Never mind. I don't."

She looked away from his puzzled eyes, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"So, uh, this is a nice place..." she recovered.

"Very nice," he agreed, inhaling a deep breath.

"Hey, uh... where do they keep the brooms?" she asked, brimming with excitement.

"Just over there in the shed," he informed, pointing across the pitch.

"Can I have a look?"

"Why? They're just old brooms. Potter's Nimbus isn't in there if that's what you're looking for."

She shot him a murderous glare for mentioning Potter again.

"Sorry."

"Don't wanna see Potter's broom!" she carped. "Just... wanna see 'um, that's all."

"Oh, alright, " he moaned.

Oliver pursed his lips at the way she was nudging him to hurry and show her. With Aki trailing, he moved across the pitch to the shed and opened up the door. It swung open with a shrill creak, causing her to wince. The bright sun poured into the shed and expelled the black darkness within. Aki peered in from behind Oliver, almost cautiously.

There, on racks and on shoddy shelves above those racks, were all varieties of broomsticks. Shiny broomsticks, old-looking broomsticks, broomsticks without handles, there were all here. The ones that were still in good enough condition to ride were on the racks, while the shelves consisted mainly of the damaged ones.

Aki came out from behind Oliver, not taking her eyes off of the brooms. She had never seen so many gathered in such a small space like that. One could do some serious poking with all those broomsticks.

The bottom of her shoe scraped across the concrete floor as she took a step into the shed. It had a kind of musty smell to it, which she noticed instantly. She glanced around to the cobwebs in the ceiling corner and snapped broom handles lying on the shelves. Aki found herself wondering if she could still fly a broom if it didn't have a tail to it.

"I remember when I first got to try flying on a broomstick," Oliver remarked, joining her in the shed. "I remember it as clear as day."

"Oh?" she said, spinning to face him. "When was that?"

"I was eight years old... grampa let me try his and I've loved it ever since..."

"Hum. My first time was much later than that."

"During first year when we all got to learn together with Madam Hooch, right?"

"Exactly," she confirmed, clicking her tongue. "I remember that as clear as day, too."

"It was a good day."

"I remember you," she said, poking him in the shoulder lightly. "You were the best flier in the class."

"No..." he said quietly, grinding his foot into the floor and trying to hide his bashfulness.

"You were! You could go so fast and high without losing your balance, everyone thought it was brilliant."

Oliver smiled as he revisited the memory. That warm September day where he stood staring at the broom, waiting for the moment when he would be allowed to touch it. Then when Madam Hooch finally allowed them to mount their brooms, it was one of the most thrilling experiences of his life. He glided through the air so naturally and with such agility. He teared up as he cut through the sky, but whether that was because of the wind whipping his eyes or because he was so overjoyed, he couldn't tell.

"Well," Oliver said, mood elevating the longer he thought about the day. "I'll bet you did fine on your flying as well."

"Hmmph!"

Oliver had obviously forgotten the fiasco that was her first flying lesson, or was at least sparing her feelings. She wasn't the worst flier in the class, but Aki had looked just as silly with the way she was whimpering at seven feet in the air. She flew for maybe ten minutes, then spent the rest of the time hovering just a few inches off of the ground. Madam Hooch had to keep bugging her to go higher, but Aki just kept countering with the promise that she would as soon as her "leg cramp" subsided.

"Was it obvious that it was my first flying lesson?" she asked, shrinking.

Oliver studied his feet and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Err... no, not that obvious..."

For that split second, Aki felt a little less embarrassed. That is, until she heard Oliver snort and snicker under his breath. He was humouring her!

"You pouf!" she exclaimed, slapping him on the arm.

"I hope you've improved your flying since then!" he said after a hearty laugh.

"Just a little," she answered, laughing a bit herself. "I can go up higher now, but it still scares me if I go really fast."

He grinned crookedly and jerked his head towards the rack of brooms.

"Care to give it another try?"

"Oh, my no!" she cried. "Not today!"

"I think you do! Why else would you want to see the brooms?"

"Just curious! That's all!" she insisted. "Look! You've got all different kinds here..."

She started at the rack behind her and ran her fingers over the broom handles as she walked past them.

"Cleansweeps... Comets... Moontrimmers..."

Aki knocked her knuckles on some of the more newer-looking brooms to test their resistance.

"Shooting Stars..."

The mere mention of the classes of brooms got him strangely aroused. The smile on Oliver's face was growing wider with each broom she named off. Most of the people who were around him regularly knew better than to bring up that subject in front of him, but any moment where he could get away with talking about broomsticks, by gum, he was going to seize it.

"Here!" he blurted out. "Let me show you something..."

Oliver bounded over to the broom rack and poked through the selection while Aki looked on, puzzled.

"Whassit?"

"A Tinderblast," he replied, inspecting a broom closely before putting it back. "There's one somewhere here..."

"Ooh! A Tinderblast!" she said zealously, now nosing through the brooms herself. "They don't have those in any shop where I live!"

"It's brilliant!" he praised. "It's one of the older brooms, but it's still in better condition than most of these newer ones..."

"Have you ever ridden one?"

Oliver abruptly stopped his searching and stood up straight. He stared off to the side with a gravely serious look on his face.

"Oh..." he groaned. "I can't..."

"Why not?" she curtly asked.

He shook his head solemnly.

"If I scratched it or chipped it, I don't think I'd be able to live with myself."

"Oh..." said Aki doubtfully. "I see..."

"I dare not..." he reiterated, "those old brooms, you must be careful with them!"

"Be nice to ride a rare antique like a Tinderblast, I'll bet," she said, bending down to check out the tail of a random broom. "Well, rare for me, anyway."

"Did you know that the Tinderblast was released about fifty years ago?" Oliver hashed out, feeling vitality surge through his veins with every piece of information he revealed. "Clearly, it was a good broom, since it was quite a while before another model was released after that! I think I remember reading somewhere that during the year of their famous 1956 win, the seeker for the Caerphilly Catapults was riding a Tinderblast! Rumour has it tha--"

There was a sudden howl of wind from outside. Before Aki could follow the noise, a deafening clang rung throughout the hollow shed, then they were enveloped in darkness.

"What's going on?!?" Aki said, jumping up.

"Hmm... the wind must've blown the door shut," Oliver observed.

"We're not... we're not... trapped in here, are we?" she inquired nervously.

"Now, now, don't panic. I'm sure the door isn't locked."

Aki tried to make out anything in the black-as-night shed. Dark, enclosed spaces with possible rats hanging around were not her favourite spot, and being trapped in a smelly shed for God knows how long did not sit well with her. Especially now that Oliver was being so quiet, it made it seem as if she was alone.

"Oliver..." she whispered shakily. "I can't even see my hand in front of my face!"

Aki could feel the little whoosh of air when she flapped her hand in her face, but she definitely could not see it. She squinted and strained, but it was impossible to see anything more than darkness.

She began wondering where the bloody hell Oliver was, and why he wasn't saying anything. Her left hand darted out and felt around on her left side, but her hand kept closing on nothing but air.

"Oliver?"

"Yeah?"

"Where are you?"

"Just here!"

"Here?"

Aki followed his voice and reached down low to her right. Within arms reach, sure enough, was a firm, solid body. Strange, there was something in her hand that didn't feel like any part of the body that she was used to. It was covered in robes, yes, but the shape was lumpy and all-out peculiar. What the heck was that?

"Uh... Aki..." Oliver said uncomfortably, "could you please not... touch... err... that?"

"What?" she said back, completely confused.

"My... ahrum... you're... touching... err..."

Oliver didn't have to finish, nor did he seem to have the capability to. Aki withdrew her hand as quickly as if she had just gotten snakebite. She heard him clear his throat and shuffle his feet somewhere in the dense blackness. This was what mortifying moments were made of, and she clamped her hand over her mouth and kept whispering to herself, "Oh my god!" She was thanking a thousand stars that it was so dark because, right now, her face was so red that she could've been mistaken for a giant blood-flavoured lollypop.

"Right... ahrum..." he stammered, fighting to make this any less awkward, "well, err, let's try to get out of here..."

"Err... right!"

"You're with me then?"

"Hang on."

Aki hesitated for a second before slowly grasping blindly for Oliver. Her fingers brushed his sleeve, and she daintily held the material between her thumb and forefinger. Hopefully, this contact was tame enough to not unsettle him after that clumsy grope that she just did.

"Err, I'm ready."

The scuffle of shoes filled the somewhat cavernous shed. Where ever the material of Oliver's robes pulled her, she went, not even having a clue as to where she was stepping. Neither did Oliver, she could bet.

"You have your wand?" he asked.

"Oh, damn it!" she cussed. "I left it back in the common room."

"Oh... that's alright," he assured, beginning to drag her somewhere to the left. "Let me try to find mi--"

Oliver must've taken only one step before there was a loud thump. Aki jumped at the noise and clutched his sleeve tighter.

"Oliver!" she gasped. "What was that???"

He didn't answer; he was unusually quiet. She felt her muscles tense up and a shiver shoot through her body.

"Oliver?"

Aki wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or even more terrified when she heard this low pitched groan because it sounded like a troll, irritated from being wakened from a peaceful nap.

"Oliver?" she squeaked.

"Sodding--!"

What came after were growls of pain and the sound of much gnashing of teeth. It felt like Oliver was hunching over, the way the robe sleeve was pulling her down.

"What's going on?" she demanded.

"Bloody--What are these anyway?!?"

There was a knock on wood, then a swish of robes.

"Lumos!" Oliver said aggressively. "Bloody shelves!"

"What is it???"

"Hit my 'ead..." Oliver said, "stupid things are in the way!"

"Ah, Oliver, can we... get out of here, please?" she said as politely as possible, extremely aware of the creepy shadows now present because of Oliver's light. Was that a beetle she had just seen moving across the floor?

He huffed and muttered a "Damn," before moving to the door, one hand holding out his lighted wand. After about five steps he stopped and his sleeve that was leading her jerked from her fingers. Aki saw fit to not hold on to it and gave him some space. Oliver grunted as he shook the door's handle; the dust between the door and the floor crunched.

"Sod it," Oliver grumbled, taking a step back from the door.

"Alohomora!"

An awful screeching noise, one of metal grinding on metal, echoed off the walls of the shed, making Aki pale and throw her hands over her ears. The blinding sunlight poured into the shed as Oliver pushed the creaky door open. Without deliberation, Aki shot past him and stormed out of the dusty shed. She returned to the middle of the pitch, immediately dusted off her robes, and raked her fingers through her hair frantically in case any spiders or roaches took advantage of her guard being down and nested in her hair. Oliver, in comparison, strolled out of the shed placidly, brushing his hands off.

"Oh God!" she wailed, jumping and shaking her hair vigorously. "What happened in there?!?"

"Like I said, door blew shut," he explained. "Then it got a little stuck when I was trying to open it, there."

"Yecch! I did not like that at all!"

"You were a bit scared in there, I see," he commented smugly.

"I was not scared, Oliver," she retorted harshly.

"Please. 'We're n-n-not... t-t-trapped in here are w-w-we?'" he imitated, cowering and looking like a bug before it was about to be squashed.

"I was... worried, is all. And I did not sound like that!"

"Of course you didn't. You sounded more scared is what it is!"

Aki shook her head bitterly at him, but she still couldn't stop grinning. Oliver grinned back and scoffed. It sure did feel good to let loose, for once. He had been worrying all week about the Quidditch game and, to a lesser extent, his upcoming OWL exams. Some diversion was just the thing he needed.

Oliver glanced down to his shoes and shuffled, gently grinding the tip of his shoe into the grass. She had lowered her head too, tucking strands of hair behind her ear, but peeking at him periodically.

Things got really silent, and the only thing to listen to was the whistle of the breeze. It fluttered the grass below them and the house flags that adorned the stadium. It whooshed through all of the empty seats, making an otherwise ghostly sound if one was alone, but when it was shared, it was more calming. The sun shone brightly down on them, warming their skin. It made the golden hoops down at the ends of the pitch almost blind those who looked directly at them. It was happy sunshine that brought smiles, and the realization that the dead of winter was officially over. Every aspect of the surroundings worked together to create one magnificent scenery. Everything was perfect.

Oliver was still trying to penetrate the earth with his foot. He was getting increasingly unsure of how to break the quiet. Aki raised her head a little to give a small glimpse to him; she noticed something brown on his forehead.

"Oh... Oliver... you've got a little dirt smudge there..."

"What?"

"Must've been from the shelves. Here, let me get that..."

Aki took a step closer to Oliver, and was surprised at how big a step she had taken. She wasn't sure how to react when she saw that she came to eye level with his chest. She had to admit; it did look good. All those years of playing Keeper had done him well. There was something about his simple black school robes. The way they clung to his broad shoulders, it just looked better today. Reminding herself of what she moved closer for, she looked up to his face. Oh Merlin, Oliver had noticed her scoping out his body. He didn't call her on it, but Aki still imagined boring things like History of Magic to keep from blushing.

She put her fingers to the smudge of dirt that shelf left when he bumped his head on it. Her nerves jumped when she first touched Oliver's face. It was such an unusual sensation that Aki flinched. She quickly recovered and hoped that he hadn't seen that. She stroked the dust spot lightly with her thumb.

Oliver looked on as she smeared away the mark on his forehead. She seemed to be doing it with such concentration, the way she was biting on her lower lip. Oliver smiled and laughed lightly, and she did the same. Those brown eyes of hers crinkled as she giggled and stared up at him. He always found it nice when she smiled.

They were both very close to each other, something that was hard to ignore. They had never been this close, standing face to face. There was nothing else nor no one else but each other, no other distractions. Miniscule details like their breathing were becoming more and more apparent.

Oliver brushed his hands on his trousers, and found that his palms were a bit moist. He couldn't explain it; he had looked at her a hundred times, but this was the first time that he was noticing something different about her. Her shoulder-length black hair blew in the wind which, to him, made her look something special. She may not have been a knockout beauty, but upon closer inspection, this simple girl certainly was cute. Her chubby cheeks, rounded nose, and an air that exuded naiveté were just endearing. Though her nosy disposition was somewhat repellent, Oliver saw that she was just curious about everything around her; a trait he had come to like. Something that most didn't get to see was that she had a good heart. She always accepted people as they were without judging them first. She let him be himself; something that others ridiculed or tried to change him for it. Oliver wasn't sure if it was the silence or something else, but his pulse was quickening and getting so loud that it was almost booming in his ears. He was feeling very strange indeed.

Aki felt it too. The smudge of dirt had come off long ago, but she couldn't stop stroking Oliver's face. She couldn't remember when she touched a boy and it felt so weird, so good; she didn't want to stop. It was hard to deny that Oliver was a popular, athletic Quidditch captain, but considering his line up of past girlfriends and Victoria's persistent warnings, Aki just accepted that they were never going to be anything more than friends. Until now, it was nothing significant when she was around him. However, this was the first time where Aki felt like there were imps hopping around in her stomach. His russet coloured hair that bristled on her fingertips every so often to his gentle brown eyes that gazed at her, it all felt so new. This wasn't the same obsessive Quidditch bloke she had come to know, this was just a boy who was determined and driven in the thing that he was best at. A boy she loved being with, and who made her feel good.

It seemed like she had lost the ability to think, because the only thing that Aki could do was gaze deeply at Oliver. It was like the world was floating away from right under them. Her fingers ran their way down his temple and caressed his cheek. She could feel the little pricks of stubble growing back. Oliver gingerly took her hand and peeled it away from his face. The way her small hand fit into his was so perfect. He brought it down to their sides and drew her closer.

"Oliver..." she whispered softly, "I..."

Aki couldn't find the words to finish her sentence. Oliver was leaning in closer, not being able to stare away from her mouth. His other hand glided down her robes and gripped her waist. His tongue slowly moistened his bottom lip, and she had to dig her fingers into his arm because her knees were about to give out. She knew what was coming, and she desperately wanted to submit to it. The consequences had no meaning; she wanted to do it because it was what felt right at the moment. Even if it was just this once and things weren't quite the same afterwards, if there was a single perfect moment to do this, it was now.

She took an unsteady breath in and brushed her fingers on Oliver's chin. With barely much more left between them, the heat emanating off of him made her tremble. Merlin, he smelled so good. The closer they got, even if it was hardly a sliver, the more incredible the sparks.

Then she felt it; their lips grazed. Just another second more before they would plunge into their first kiss.

"AKI!"

She gasped sharply and ripped herself from Oliver's hold. She spun around, while Oliver's head perked up. Both individuals met the voice, looking very guilty. The sight made Aki nearly collapse out of shock and dread.

Victoria was standing at the edge of the pitch, face like stone and carrying a big Dark Arts book. She was standing eerily still, her robes and hair flapping in the wind being the only thing on her that was moving. Though she was holding her textbook, Victoria still managed to have her arms folded across her chest.

The sight of her friend was like death was waiting for her right there. Aki couldn't do much but stare on, horrified. She made a noise in her throat that sounded like she was about to start blubbering at any second. She reluctantly turned back to him, and Oliver saw that her lip was quivering. The anguish in her eyes; it did look like she was about to cry momentarily.

"I-I have to go," she stammered.

"Aki... please--"

Aki deftly avoided his hands that were about to reach out to her. She withdrew a foot and shook her head sadly.

"I have to go."

Oliver only exhaled and nodded lightly. She stood there, staring at him; he could feel it. It was clear that she 'had' to go, but was very unwilling. Oliver wished that she would make up her mind. He wanted to be close to her again, and if she stayed any longer, he might just have to do that without bothering to ask first. As if sensing his thoughts and afraid of what her angry friend might do, Aki made a very despondent whimper, and rustled her feet. She scampered off, and it was then that Oliver felt a great emptiness, gradually billowing inside him. He lifted his head to the sky and breathed the cool air.

His own emotions were puzzling him; he didn't know what he was feeling. This was just a plain girl named Aki, the girl who had become his friend over the past couple of months. The same ordinary Ravenclaw who shared classes with him over the years and blended in with her peers. The same one asked far too many questions and went nutters when she saw jam doughnuts. He contemplated if he was actually getting feelings for this girl.

No.

Just a confusion of friendship for affection.

Yes, that had to be it.

Could it have been it?

Oliver wasn't quite sure.

~ ~ ~

As they walked through the grassy fields, Aki snuck a glimpse at Victoria. It was without a doubt that she was extremely upset. She was walking with her head held high, as usual, but it was the little things that made her rage apparent. Her eyes were straight ahead and narrowed from the wind, or rather, Aki wished it were because of the wind. Her mouth was closed, but the way her lips pouted and her jaw muscles jutted out, Aki concluded that she had her teeth clenched as well. With good reason, it must've been frustrating for Victoria to try so hard to protect her, and then have Aki completely ignore her attempts. Aki kept opening her mouth to say something, but was debating whether she'd want to hear Victoria's backlash. After a hearty mental debate, she got the feeling that the least she could do was express regret.

"I-I'm sorry, Victoria," she finally whispered timidly.

Aki watched Victoria's profile, but never received any acknowledgement for her apology. Victoria just walked on, gripping her textbook and remaining silent. It was very awkward to have unacknowledged apologies.

"How, uh, h-how did you know I was here?" said Aki, in the gentlest tone she could muster despite her intense fear.

Victoria said nothing, but at least she made some movement this time. Aki wasn't sure as to whether to take that as a good or bad sign, but she leaned more towards the latter.

Victoria, still keeping her mouth firmly closed, swept the inside of her cheek with tongue. It looked as though she was about to spit a nice wad, or perhaps launch into a furious lecture. Neither came, but the silence that endured was just as bad.

"Err... how's the s-studying coming along?" Aki tried again, wringing her own hands.

There was nothing to be said to that either. Victoria's nails scratched into the hard cover as she clutched her Dark Arts book tighter. She remained without words. In fact, she didn't say a single thing the whole walk back to the Ravenclaw tower.