[Courtyard] Skies of purest blue

[Girty Hubbles]

Summer was here, there was no question about it. The skies were the purest of blues and there was not even a wisp of a cloud to pollute it, this was most likely influenced by the fact that there was no wind…everything was motionless there was no sound of the rustling trees, it whistling trough the archways in the courtyard, there was only silence.
For Girty it seemed like time had stopped and the silence only seemed to grow around her and she soon feared that motionless would consumer her and she would be lost into the void. Although when you put things into prospective it might be a good thing just to disappear and leave this world behind. The stress from her final exams was showing by her lack of hunger and sleep, the full moon was also approaching and that was never an exiting time for Girty, she counted down the days with dread when the sphere was full.

Leaning back on the bench Girty looked at some weeds that were growing through the cracks in the pavestones of the courtyard. They had struggled so hard to break trough only to be trampled on by rushing students or ripped up by the birds…Girty too was struggling, the decision that was weighting heavily on her heart and with every day that passed by it just grew even more. At some point she was going to have to make a decision which would affect her life as well as two others and as always it was the other two she worried about more as one of them would have to be rejected.

Letting out a loud groan Girty took to looking at the sky once more and watched as a group of birds chased each other around, there twittering growing louder and louder, she then heard the sound of students laughing down across the castle grounds and then felt the cool refreshing breeze accompanied with the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind. It seemed that the castle had suddenly come back to life and Miss Hubbles could not help but smile as things suddenly became clear in her head, the words of advice she had been given over the past few weeks all fell into place and she could breathe once more.

[Alex Doyle]

Alex had spent most of the morning in the Library, catching up on all the homework he had once again left until the last minute. Alex had been in there with Tina, another Ravenclaw and also Steph's best friend which at first was kind of awkward as Tina wanted to talk about Steph to him. Apparently the poor girl was still head over heels for Alex. Alex had simply told Tina that he was here to work, not to talk about Steph, which Tina seemed to understand as the two trustled through their homework.
It took them at least two hours to get through half of it, by which time Alex told her he was giving up for the day. Tina also gave up as the two of them packed and planned to come back again tomorrow and study with each other. It was always better studying with someone else, at least you had someone there to make it at least a little bit sociable.

As the two left the library, Steph was waiting outside for Tina, "Hey Steph," Alex smiled at her, the two were talking again which was a good thing as Alex did miss her friendship. Steph was alright once you got to know her, it was just if you were involved with her she became extreamly possessive. "Hi Alex, you left things until last minute again?" Alex laughed and nodded, Steph punched him on the arm and called him a dope. Which he knew he was, Tina on the other hand was eyeing the two suspiciously, and Alex couldnt help but grin.
The three of them made thier way outside, going past a lot of students, Alex getting a lot of envious looks since two girls had their arm through either one of his, Alex on the other hand felt uncomfy and felt like he was walking like a penguin, "Sorry girls, but im going to have to ask you to let me go, I cant walk properly" This made the two girls keel with laughter, though Alex didnt see what was so funny about it.

As they made their way down the stone steps and out onto the courtyard, Alex sighed happily as he realised what a beautiful day it was, "And to think, we spent most of it in the library, hey" Alex said as a first year knocked into him and fell over, bending down and helping the poor kid up, his eyes fell on the crest, he was a Hufflepuff, which of course made him think of the girl who seemed to be avoiding him as of late, "Watch yourself, not everyones as nice as me you know" He gave the lad a smile, who seemed to blush that an older year was talking to him, apologized quickly and ran off, looking at the two girls he said, "Am I really that intimidating?"
"No, its probably just your facial hair, makes you look like a rogue in school robes" Steph replied sticking her tongue out at him, the word rogue however, touched a sensative area in Alex's mind and he gave a small 'pfffft' to her, which made Steph raise her eyebrows as the three of them walked over the courtyard.

As the three walked over the grass, passing numerous students and many, "Hi Alex's" off people and, "Hey beautifuls" to Steph and Tina, Alex had a sudden urge to look to his left. As he did, he saw someone, the one person he was sure was trying to avoid him. He hadnt realised he had stopped, Steph was trying to tug him towards the lake, "Come on Alex, we can relax by the lake with the rest of the Claw's who are going to be there." Alex had had a sudden change of heart about going to the lake, "Steph, you two go, I'll meet up with you later, theres something I've got to do" Alex smiled at Steph who gave an uncertain, "Alright then" and walked off.

Alex walked over to the bench slowly, getting many more "Hey Alex's, Doyle's and Lex's" thankfully nobody called him Xander he hated that. As he got to the bench he suddenly began thinking was this a good idea as he looked upon the face of Girty Hubbles. He didnt say anything for a while, it felt a little strange, there was an awkwardness between them both that had never been there before and Alex did not like it at all. "Whatcha staring at?" He asked in his fun-loving Alex voice, and the grin on his face hid any signs that he felt awkward.

[Girty Hubbles]

For some reason Girty had not recognised the voice of the person in front of her, it had seemed to long that they had actually talked. (All be it only a few days) Still not turning her gaze to the male in front of him Girty kept her gaze fixed on the birds flying above them in the blue sky, but as one of the birds made a particular low swoop Girty saw the Ravenclaw standing in front of her.
Quickly in the vain hope that Alex did not notice that Girty had not looked at him she tried to compose herself the problem was she knew she could not look at him straight in the face. Her stomach was tying itself into knots and she was sure her heart was about to explode out of her chest.

“Clearly not you.”

Laughed Girty playfully trying to use humour to cover up for her uneasiness, she knew that she would have to look at him soon and the birds she had been watching were being small black dots on the horizon. It was time.

Lowering her to its normal resting position it took Girty a little while longer to actually met Alex’s gaze and return his charming smile. But as she did this she could feel the bad air between them, she was putting this act on just as much as Alex was they had been doing every since that day on the hill. Her smile soon faded and with a small sigh she looked around at the other students in the courtyard hoping something would give her some inspiration to strike up a conversation with someone she called her best friend.

“Do you want to sit down?”

Out of everything she could have said, out of all the thoughts that were buzzing in her wild mind she had to ask the most formal and boring of them all, she even said in such a hostile way that she was sure a person with only one leg would rather stay standing. If there had been a brick wall with in reach she would have been banging her head against it so instead all she could do was look on at Alex with a small smile on her face trying in vain to hide her nerves.

[Alex Doyle]

"I can see that"

Alex replied, trying to keep his voice light but the tension was slowly creeping into it. It seemed like an age since they had seen eachother, but it seemed even longer since they were both comfy with each other. Alex wasnt about to tell her he had spoken to her brother either, though for some reason he doubted he needed to, he was sure Dan would have said something. He licked his lips as they had gone dry and he felt like his throat was clamping on itself. He usually never found it hard to talk to the Hufflepuff, but she wasnt making it easy for him either.

He looked behind him to the direction of the lake, maybe he should have just carried on walking with Steph and Tina instead of coming over to Girty. He didnt want to make her feel uncomfy, but now he thought about it, what else did he expect?

Finally she seemed to be able to look at Alex, though he could tell her gaze was forced, as his was, the smile creeped off his face and he had an overwhelming urge to just turn and walk away, but he couldnt seem to move his legs so instead he seemed to stay stationary. He heard her formalised question and the hostility in her voice, it made him wince, So this is what we've become? He thought to himself, Just people who are awkward and uneasy, this is what seven years of friendship has turned into.

"Im fine standing" He replied, "I cant stick around anyway, theres a bunch of Claws meeting by the lake for a bit of a splash and get together, I said I'd go down today"

If she asked him to stay with her, of course he would have, but he had a nagging feeling she wasnt about to. Alex sighed, he wanted to ask how she was, but he knew the answer, he wanted to ask what she'd been upto, but he knew the answer. Things were tense between them, awkward and it wasnt good. Alex began to rethink his situation, his future and his plans all in that one instant second.

[Girty Hubbles]

She knew it, not even a one legged man would sit down with that manor of greeting and even though she had braced herself for his answer Girty could not help but feel slightly rejected. It was all her own doing, this whole situation was all her fault and it was up to her to make everything work again, she had the decision to make.

At the mention of other students Girty followed Alex’s gaze towards the lake and saw a group of students laughing, joking and just being happy. It was then when her eyes fell on a blond, female Ravenclaw who was receiving shouts of welcome from her friends by the lake. It was then Girty felt a pang of jealousy spread through her as she thought about Alex spending time with her by the lake. Trying to find her tongue Girty turned around to face Alex, finding it hard to keep the bitterness out of her tone.

“Well sounds like you have a fun afternoon planned. I will not keep you away from Stephanie anymore then I have done already.”

It was not her place to leave seeing as Girty had been the one to be here originally and her peaceful afternoon with just her and her thoughts had been ruined by the appearance of the actually person she had been thinking of. When Alex was not around she could pretend everything was alright between them, she could tell herself everything would be alright, that he was the one…but now, how could they be together if they could not even look at each other.

Pushing herself off the bench Girty looked over at Alex and managed to summon a small smile, she even tried to say goodbye but it ended in a low whisper. Her words were choked by emotion and she had to break his gaze as she did not want Alex to see the look of a broken hearted jealous lover.

[Alex Doyle]

"Steph has nothing to do with it"

Alex's tone was hurt. He could not believe she thought he wanted to spend time with just Stephanie. Where had this suddenly come from, he knew that Girty and Steph werent exactly what you would call friends, in fact he knew Steph pretty much despised Girty and he knew Girty wasnt exactly fond of Steph, but there was no need for that kind of tone.

Alex could hear the bitterness in her voice unmistakeably and it seemed as though she wasnt even trying to hide it. Alex shifted his weight on his feet. The tension mounting between the two of them was unreal. He had come over here to try and talk to her like he used to, and all he got was a snippy comment with a hint of bitterness, not exactly his favourite recipe.

"There is a fun afternoon planned, but its not Steph i'm going there for, and I thought you of all people would know that"

Alex hated this, he hated the tension and he hated the biteful comments. All he wanted to do was be with her, but he couldnt if she was going to act like this. Alex looked towards the ground, he wasnt sure he could be with her, there was too much tension around them, and now, more than ever, Alex had wished that kiss never happened, he had wished he had never told her about his feelings. He knew he should have kept them hidden, but it was spur of the moment and Alex couldnt keep his mouth shut, and now this was the price for one minutes happiness.

Alex watched as she got up off the bench and saw the manage at a smile in which he could not return. She muttered her goodbye, but it was more of a choke and he couldnt bring himself to look at her, he was afraid of what her face might tell. Alex's own voice was caught in his throat, lately he found himself wishing he had never gone upto that hill, then maybe she would be happy with Simon and he would, well he would just carry on as normal. It was nothing new to him, carrying a smile when he used to wish he was the one with her, was what he was used to. This wasnt.

"All you need to do is ask"

He forced himself to look at her, his jaw muscles were clenched as though he was trying to stop himself from saying anything he might later regret. Maybe Jay was right, maybe he should have let her come to him, but like an idiot, he couldnt just leave her alone could he? Alex couldnt save them both from this heartache they were feeling. He couldnt protect Girty from himself, so how could he protect her from anything else? He couldnt, but maybe Simon could.

He would leave if she asked him to, he would stay if she asked him to. He would probably jump off the tallest tower in Hogwarts if she asked him to. Though he wasnt trying to fool himself thinking she would. If they could get through the next couple of months in eachothers company, then there was a chance they wont see eachother again as Alex was rethinking his career now. Maybe he would go and work with Dragons somewhere, even though he didnt relish the idea of burn marks and goodness knows what else. Or maybe he would just stay at home and help his father with his new ranch. Who knew?

[Girty Hubbles]

“Ask what?”

Snapped Girty, her eyes were a flame as she spun around to look at Alex. There was a blur of yellow as the Hufflepuff robes billowed around her ankles and turned inside out, she longed to sort it out and tidy herself up but there was something more important at hand then appearance to the rest of the world.

“Do you want me to ask if you and Steph are together? That everything you told me on the hill was a complete lie?” Girty took a step closer to Alex and dropt her voice into a lower whisper suddenly becoming aware that the students around them were peering over their books and looking over towards them. “Maybe I should ask what the hell has happened to us…we…I never argue with you.”

Girty had to correct herself as she was the one doing all the shouting and arguing, Alex was just standing there absorbing everything that Girty throw at him. As she looked upon him her heart became stricken with guilt as she looked upon his cute features, even when showing signs of depression he still looked perfect.
The Hufflepuff could feel her cheeks go warm as they flushed a pale pink as soon as this though crossed her mind. Alex had this ability to make her feel all the ranges of emotions in seconds and she knew that at the end of it all she would forgive what ever he did because she cared so much for him.

He was the one….

“I…you should go to your friends, they will be wondering were dear old Alex has got to.”

[Alex Doyle]

Alex winced as she snapped at him. He was aware all the students around them were watching them, he didnt even like to think what they thought of him, just standing there, letting her yell at him for no apparent reason. Alex wasnt even sure what he had done to make her act like this towards him. Even though he knew he hadnt done anything wrong, he felt like he was the one to blame, maybe that was because Girty seemed to be blaming him, or maybe that was because he blamed himself.

Alex snapped his head up when the sentance came out of her mouth, 'Me and Steph?' He thought, Alex and Steph werent together and hadn't been for over eight months now, and that wasnt likely to change, he didnt want that to change. The only person Alex wanted was the one stood infront of him having a good old scream at him. Alex lowered his gaze back to the floor, letting her get this out of her system, feeling lousy at everything she said because he knew he didnt deserve these words of harshness, and yet he was stood here, letting her say it all to him, as though he did deserve it.

As though he had done something to deserve it.

"You know we're not" Alex said quietly, emotion clear in his voice and he wouldnt bring himself to look at her, he couldnt, not now. She had said he lied to her about what he said on the hill, and that hurt him more than she would ever know. Alex didnt lie, and he would never lie about his feelings. Why would he be going through all this right now, if he hadnt meant what he had said? It would have been pointless. He couldnt even bring himself to tell her she should know it wasnt a lie, because the thought of her actually thinking it was hurt him in a place he had only recently realised could hurt. He wouldnt even look at her when she came closer to him. What had happened?

"I dont know"

That was all he could muster for her final question. He didnt know what had happened, but they seemed to be falling apart and the more Alex tried to hold onto her, the more she seemed to be slipping away from him. He loved her, nothing short of it, and yet, he wished he never told her. He didnt know what would happen from here on, he didnt know if they would carry on arguing, if they would forget it and be friends, he didnt even know if she wanted him near her anymore. If she didnt, he would leave her alone.

"If thats what you want me to do"

He had winced once more when she had said, "Dear old Alex." He brought his face up to look at her, the pain on it was evident, but most of it had come from her saying he lied. She knew him better than that, or he thought she did anyway.

[Girty Hubbles]

Girty could not believe she was jealous of Alex’s ex, she knew just as well as anyone he would not go back to her, not after everything that had been said. This reaction only confirmed Girty’s worst fears that she was falling more and more for Alex with every day that passed, but for some reason this did not seem to stop her want to take her frustration out upon him. However as he raised his head to look at her she could not help but feel guilty for what she had said. He looked disheartened and miserable and Girty knew her friend well enough to know what it was; if Alex had accused her of lying she would feel the same

She wanted to apologise for saying what she had done but the problem was that when she opened her mouth to talk once more Alex spoke and for some reason, once again frustration clouded Girty’s response. It was clear that a lot like her brother she was masking her pain with stronger forms of emotion and that was anger and depression.

“What I want?” Girty found it hard not to start laughing in his face at the sheer level bemusement that even after everything that had been said and done he still cared what she wanted. “Alex how is it up to me? If you go down to the lake with your Ravenclaw friends then go, or if you want to carry on hearing me rant away at you then please stay.”

The end sounded a little more desperate and pleading then Girty had originally planned. She did not want Alex to leave her really. She missed his company, their conversations, his smile and most importantly the laughter. She half whished she could start this meeting over once again that she could run out of the courtyard, compose herself and walk in as if nothing had happened…they could be normal again.

[Alex Doyle]

Alex just stood there, his eyes fixed to the floor as though something was interesting him there. He breathed in deeply and forced his head up to look at Girty, of all the ways their friendship could have gone, this how it had turned out. He couldnt believe that Girty thought there was something between Alex and Steph again, Steph was a good friend of Alex's and that wasnt about to change. He valued his friends, and therefore he valued Steph too, he wasnt about to say I'll stop talking to her for you, it wouldnt be fair on Steph.

"Its upto you Girty because," Alex sighed and looked down at the ground, not speaking again for a while and just letting the silence creep back upto them, people were still staring at them but Alex no longer cared. It wasnt in his nature to care what other people thought of him anyway, he couldnt fight this battle anymore than what he was already doing, and if he was honest, it was wearing him out. Alex was losing his energy, this fight consumed him and he knew he needed to stop letting it. He couldnt keep fighting for her if she wouldnt let him.

"Because, If you tell me to walk away now" He looked at her and locked his gaze showing he was being serious, "If you tell me to walk away, I will walk away and leave you alone." He knew somewhere inside him that this was probably the best course of action. Everything he once knew was gone, it was a strange world he found himself in, and he found himself powerless to it. This new world seemed to enshroud him. All he wanted was to break free of this weird world and get back to how it was.

He averted his eyes, looking towards the floor once more. The world has spun upside down on him that day at the hill and he hadnt realised until now. He spent so long searching for himself, but he couldnt find himself all he found was emptiness, she stared at him like he was a stranger at times, and that made the void inside him grow. "If you dont want me to leave you, then tell me!"

Alex snapped his head up, she was another one he searched his world for. Though she seemed even harder to find than himself. Didnt she understand, everytime he tried to tell her, the words just werent there. She was standing right infront of him but he couldnt touch her. He couldnt reach out for her and pull her to him like he wanted to. He had taken so many chances in the seven years of knowing her, he had done so many things for her and she had never even realised.

She would always be his best friend, his only girl. Even if they were never in one anothers company again.

[Girty Hubbles]

Girty never handled silence very well when she was with people, in her opinion unless they were under strict orders to be quite then at least someone should be making some background noise. But here they were Girty and Alex, standing face to face in complete silence and it was not like they did not have anything to say, the problem was finding the right words to use. Her nerves had not stopped and it took Girty a long time to make sure that her breaths were steady to keep a calm composure the problem was her voice and looks in her eyes were letting her down.

Slowly Alex began to talk and Girty met his gaze and it felt just like an ice cold blade going through her heart. Her eyes blurred and she could not longer focus on him, the feelings of rage started to pass, there was no way she could stay angry at Alex, not when he looked like this. When he lowered his head to look back at the floor it gave Girty a few moments to compose herself and come to the decision that they had both been waiting for these past few days.

“Alex if I told you that I wanted you to stay here with me forever I know you would not believe it. But what…what if I broke it off with Simon tonight…I hate what this has done to us.”

Alex was a Ravenclaw he should have been able to pick up on the hint that Girty was choosing him; he was the one she was going to give it a go with. She knew things would be hard; they always were when Girty was in the picture with her extreme mood swings and midnight outings when the moon is full. But Girty was convinced that Alex’s feelings did run deep and she cared for him as much as she did with anyone else in her acquaintance.

[Alex Doyle]

The silence between them was becoming increasingly uncomfortable and Alex wanted to scream really loud, at least then it wouldnt be as silent. Even the courtyard was silent as the few students left in the courtyard were still watching them, Alex lost his patience, something he never did and snapped to them, "Havnt you nosy lot got anything better to do!?" Though as soon as his little outburst was over, he looked down in shame as the first years ran off as though in fear of Alex.

"What?"

The sentance he had longed to hear from her, came out. Though it had taken him completly by surprise. Alex was dense sometimes, but he knew what she had meant, she was making her choice, and if Girty hadnt been yelling at him before, he would have pinched himself to tell the difference between the dream world and reality. Alex's mouth was hung open in a small -o- shape, he was shocked, sure this was the answer he had hoped for, but he couldnt believe she chose him over Simon, a bad boy Rogue. Breakthrough? I think yes!

He took a step towards Girty, though he was confused for a moment ago she had been yelling the sky down at him, now she was telling him she wanted to be with him. Alex never had, and would never, understand girl's logic. He stopped just short of her, and since he was taller, he had to look down ever so slightly.

"Im with you forever anyway Girt, whether you ask or not" He gave her a weak smile, "It doesnt matter about distance between us, whether we talk or not. A part of me will always be there"

The thing was, if she said jump, Alex would reply how high? Things were difficult between them right now, quite awkward, but Alex knew what he wanted and he was finally understanding what she wanted.

"I hate what it's done to us" He sighed and looked back at the floor. A few weeks ago they would have laughed at people in this situation, but now he was in it himself, he didnt find it funny at all. "But I dont want you to break it off with Simon just because its what I want," he took her hands in his and gave them a squeeze, as soon as he touched her, his heart leapt, "I would prefer you to do it, because you want to do it." He gave her a smile, "Because you want to be with me"

[Girty Hubbles]

Girty raised her eyebrows with interest as Alex started shouting at the near by students. She had never really seen this side of the Ravenclaw in a very long time, she had forgotten it had existed and in a strange way she liked it. It showed a fire inside of him that was strangely attractive and different from how he normally was, he was acting very rougeish.
Trying to stop a far off look from appearing on her face Girty looked down at the floor focusing on a line of ants as she tried to keep her composure, however this did mean she missed the look on Alex’s face as he finally worked out what Girty had suggested.

But as Alex moved closer Girty raised her head and held her breath, her heart was pounding so fast, she could not believe she had made up her mind and already told Alex. It was a blur, in fact a blur was slower then this, it was as if the whole world was moving at the speed of sound and Girty and Alex were stuck in limbo, a place where nothing else mattered apart form each other.

Her previous spell of jealousy about Steph felt insignificant, non of it mattered anymore because she had Alex, he loved her and she…she cared greatly for him. Girty was certain that she would learn to love him, he was her best friend so the transaction could not be that hard, he already held a place in her heart that was greater then anyone else she knew and Alex was as such a kind person Girty was sure she would soon we swooning over him.

As he took hold of her hands this only reassured her, at his mere touch her heart skipped a beat and she could not stop a small smile spreading across her face, though his words were not all to reassuring from the raging battle that was starting inside of her. The seed of doubt that had been in her mind was there once more but she was convinced this time to not let it sprout and ruin everything.
Tightening her grip in his hands Girty looked straight into Alex’s eyes and let a soft smile spread across her features and then in a soft, light hearted voice Girty gave Alex an answer that came straight from her heart.

“My heart pounding so fast that can not be healthy for me, my stomach is tied into a million knots and it is a good thing you are holding my hand as it is keeping them from shaking. My mind is filled with a million thoughts all of them about you and I fear you are going to let go of my hands and walk away from me.”

[steph]

Steph was by the lake with Tina, sat under a tree as the other Claws around her were laughing and joking, she had known why Alex had not yet come, but everytime she went to go and get him, Tina pulled her back and told her to leave him. The problem was, Steph couldnt leave him, she was extreamly jealous of Girty and there was no way she was going to let her have Alex if she could help it.

This was winding Steph up, in her eyes the only girl good enough for her Alex, was herself, and Girty definatly wasnt good enough for him. She stood up and Tina knew what she was upto, "Steph!" Tina scorned, grabbing the brunette's arm and standing up, "Leave him alone, Alex has to do this." Steph narrowed her eyes and looked accusingly at Tina, which always made Tina shy away from her, "I will not leave it Tina! I will not let that girl get her filfty claws into Alex, have you seen what the little cat has done to him? She keeps hurting him Tina, and I'm not going to sit back and watch it happen anymore, now back off!"

Stephanie stormed away from Tina, pushing a load of first years out of her way with a bite of "Move it!" As she made her way from the lake and back upto the courtyard where she knew Alex was, with her. Steph was on the warpath, and anyone who knew her, knew when she was like this she was best avoided, her tongue was harsh and she knew exactly how to word things to get a reaction.

She found the two lovers together holding hands, which made Steffy furious inside. She listened to what Girty said next and it nearly made her hack. So she's not just content with hurting him like hell, she has to give him a glimmer of hope to hang onto to, does she like doing this to Alex?

"Now thats sweet" She said from behind the Hufflepuff, "Really touching too" She looked at Girty with accusing eyes, "Almost believeable, if you hadnt been looking so cosy with Simon yesterday." Steph narrowed her eyes at Girty, she really could not stand this Hufflepuff and she knew that Girty hated her too, looking up at Alex she said, "I cant believe you sold me out for this," She made it sound like they had planned a date or something, "You know we were supposed to go to the lake today, Alex. Or are you selling out your friends now?"

[Girty Hubbles]

Everything seemed perfect; Girty could not see how anything could go wrong from this moment. The seed of doubt had failed to germinate this time and her head was clear and it seemed like the best decision she had ever made in her short life so far. Girty hoped that the tension between them could now end, that they could go back to normal but for the first time in seven years be able to show their true feelings of affection for one another other. When she was with Simon in public Girty always felt uneasy when in public showing her true feelings, she would never kiss when other people were watching but when she was with Alex the whole world could be watching at them and she would not care.

But this moment of pure bliss, of looking into each others eyes and being unable to think of anything else but the other was ruined by a voice coming from over Girty’s shoulder. The cheesy grin of pure happiness that had appeared on Girty’s face soon vanished and at the mention of Simons name Girty winched almost as if Steph had just hit Girty.

The Hufflepuff’s mouth went dry and holding onto Alex’s hand even tighter in fear that he was going to let go. She dared not speak in fear her tongue would betray her so all she could do was look deep into Alex’s eyes and silently plead with him that it was nothing like it sounded. She had been with Simon but it was more as friends then anything else, she wanted to see how life would be with them just being good friends and nothing more and the day proved it was possible.

Lowering her gaze starting to fear the worst Girty hung onto Alex’s hand and moved to Alex’s side so that she could get a clear view of the Ravenclaw who had caused so much trouble over the years and was one of the only people in the castle Girty would not be able to sit in a room alone with as she knew she would end up ramming her wand down her throat. Although Girty did not want to seem too hostile to Alex’s friend Girty put on a fake cheery voice and greeted the new arrival.

“Afternoon to you as well Steph. Is it not a beautiful day?”