April 1999

I laughed as I walked with Michael to Divination. We had been sitting together every lesson now, and when Anthony came back to classes after being sick he said he didn't mind and sat with Luna. After that lesson Luna came up to me and said that she approved of him and then ranted about fate or something. 

"I wonder what we're doing this lesson," I said as we sat in our seats.

"She said something about revising ornithomancy." I looked at him bemused and he laughed. "It's the study of reading omens from the actions of birds."

"Oh right." 

Trelawney swooped in and she smiled at each of us in the room.  

"I have some good news for you all. I've had a premonition that you will all have an illuminating weekend. However, I've got other news which might be bad for some," she quivered, "I am assigning a project today, on one of the most important topics of N.E.W.T level Divination. That is, ornithomancy." A few people sighed and I saw Luna smile behind me. 

The class went on with Trelawney going over the topic as she had taught it last October apparently, I wasn't here so I had to listen extra hard. 

Hearing her talk for the whole lesson was an exercise. It was difficult listening to her normally, but when she spoke in paragraphs, her tremors made me feel anxious, like bricks were resting on my chest perpetually. It made me uneasy and as I walked out of the classroom I moved at a slow pace. Michael noticed and nudged me.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, whenever Trelawney talks a lot it makes me a little tense."

"At least she stopped saying that something bad was going to happen to you."

"That's because it's happened." He didn't know how to reply so I spoke again. "Um, so when do you want to do the project?" Trelawney's project was to write a paragraph about what ornithomancy is, and then go outside and apply it. We had to observe birds' actions and then interpret the omens, and then we had to write a report about what we saw and what it meant. It was a lot but we had a week to do it, and it was due next Friday. 

"I'm busy today, but we can spend the day tomorrow and do it."

"Busy on a Friday night? Do you have date or something?" I asked and I looked ahead of me as we walked down the stairs. 

"Do you expect me to have a date?"

"Well, no, but you were vague."

"Ah, well if you must know I'm hanging out with Anthony." He said and we'd reached the end of the stairs, we had to go opposite ways.  "I don't date anymore," he added and walked away. 

<><><><><><><>

I had slept in my room and everyone was going to Hogsmeade today so I was woken up by the girls getting ready and leaving. I had fallen back asleep and now I was awoken by my door being knocked. I got up, my eyes still closed and I opened the door, yawning and rubbing my eyes. I heard a familiar chuckle and I blinked a few times to get rid of the blur and saw Michael using his arm to lean on the door frame. 

"Did I wake you up?" He smiled.

"Um, well, yes."

"Did you forget about our project?"

"Oh rats, yes, sorry. Come in." I said and he walked in, closing the door behind him. He gave me a once over and stopped at my torso, I looked down and noticed I was wearing extremely short shorts, and his jumper that I had kept. 

"Nice jumper. Do you wear it a lot?"

"It's comfortable."

"Sure." We stood for a moment, looking at one another. 

"I'm going to get dressed."

"Okay." He stayed where he was and I just looked at him.

"You might want to turn around."

"Right because I haven't seen you naked before," he said, sarcastically of course.

"Well we're not together so it's not appropriate."

"No, no I understand." I had been dressing during our bickering and settled on baggy clothes. I left his jumper on but put on a bra underneath and then I replaced my shorts with joggers. I slipped on my sneakers and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Okay," I said, he smiled, giving me a once over. 

"Get some ink and parchment." I did as he asked and then we walked out heading outside. It was a crisp day yet there wasn't a cloud in sight and although the sun was shining, it was still really cold. I let my sleeves fall longer than my arm so I could scrunch the hem in my hands, to keep me warm. 

"So you do just want to start the paragraph and then observe," I said and he turned and looked at me but didn't answer. "Okay, let's start the paragraph shall we? Over on the rock." 

I went and sat on it, opening the parchment and beginning the overview of Ornithomancy. I wrote several sentences and he had come and sat and just watched me. I handed the paper over to him and read what I wrote, then he added a few more sentences. I took the paper back to see what he added. 

"Do you approve?" He asked. 

"There's nothing to approve we're doing this together. Plus I know you're smart so I didn't have to approve." He chuckled.

"Alright, I guess all we do now is look at birds."

<><><><><><><>

It had been hours and we haven't observed much. We both jotted down a few things but nothing that interesting. Then Michael jolted up. 

"What is it?" I asked, sitting up from where we were both lying. 

"That bird over do you see? The movement is the main thing we're trying to find."

"I can't see, where are you looking?" He laughed and aimed my head. "I still can't see."

"My goodness Davina," he grabbed my hand, cold as always, and he aimed my pointer finger at a certain bird in the sky and I saw. I grabbed the paper and wrote it down, then I jumped off the rock. 

"We got what we needed." He got down too. 

"We still have the report to do. You can come to my dorm and finish it."

"What's wrong with my dorm?" I seemed to have answered my own question. 

"Do you want to go now?"

"Well, other people will see me." I said, looking down at my baggy clothes. I felt I looked stupid.

"What's wrong with that? I'm seeing you."

"Yes, but that's different."

"It is?" He questioned, smiling. "You look fine Dav, more than fine. Adorable."

"Usually being called that would annoy me but right now I like it."

"Good. So, let's go."

"Fine." 

"You're so stubborn, I'll have to fix that." He put an arm around me as we walked back to the castle. "I also have to fix your perpetual cold hands."

<><><><><><><>

"You finished?" He asked. He was lying on his bed, having finished his half of the report, and I was at his desk doing my part, and struggling might I add. I glanced at the clock that read 10:24. We'd missed dinner and I hadn't even noticed how late it got. I should probably leave soon, if only I could finish this bloody report. 

"Almost. My eyes are blurry, and my brain has stopped braining," I complained and he laughed. 

"Here, I'll help you." He came up behind me and read at what I had done. There was only several sentences left to do but I didn't have the mental capacity right now. "Alright just write what I say." He spoke a couple sentences that I copied then I dropped my quill and yawned. He put his hands on my shoulders.

"Come on you're almost done." He rubbed my shoulders and I picked up the quill and scribbled the last few sentences. "Congratulations, you survived." I spun around on his chair and looked up at him where he stood in front me. 

"Well, that means we're done. I guess I should go."

"It's too late now, you can stay here if you want." He moved forward slightly and he stood so that his leg was in between mine. 

"It's fine."

"Alright, well, you haven't eaten."

"I'll eat tomorrow."

"We'll go eat now, come on."

"It's fine, I'll just go back to my dorm."

"Dav, you haven't eaten."

"I'll survive."

"No, that's it, you're eating." He lifted me and I practically yelped as I was hung over his shoulder. He opened his door and dropped me outside and we started walking out. 

"Michael, we'll get caught, it's after 10, we're not allowed out."

"But you were going to stroll back to your dorm," he said as we were out of the common room and sneaking through the halls. "Did you hear that?" 

We stopped walking so that it was quiet in order for us to hear. We both heard Snape's voice along with Filch's. The two people you definitely do not want to see after curfew.

 Michael grabbed my hand and yanked me into a closet, closing the door quietly behind him. I grunted having being yanked which made me fall on him, and he covered my mouth. 

We were listening to hear the voices fade so we could leave and once we heard nothing we both became very aware of our positions. Me, on him, against a wall, with his hand over my mouth. I opened the door and walked out, taking in some air. He joined and continued guiding me through the castle. 

We made it to the kitchens and he told me to stay put while he snuck inside. After several minutes he came out with two sandwiches on a plate. 

We hurried back to his dorm, thankfully without Filch or Snape lurking. We sat on his bed and ate. 

"Satisfied?" He asked. 

"With?"

"You're sandwich," he said, having already finished his. 

"Mhm, it's good."

"Good." He gazed as I finished mine, and I laid down on his bed - yawning -  as he sat upright against the headboard beside me. He was looking down at me when he questioned, "tired?".

"Mhm," I mumbled my eyes half closed. He put a strand of hair behind my ear as I curled on my side. He then got up and took off my shoes, putting a blanket over me carefully, and returning to his earlier position next to me. He looked down at me with an unreadable look on his face. 

"You okay?" I asked, opening my eyes wide to really look at him. This felt, so natural, so comfortable, I wondered what was holding me back from this warm feeling. This happiness. 

"Just fine Davina."

"Aren't you tired?"

"A little."

"Then lie down." He looked at me carefully, reading my face, then he replied with a grin. 

"Whatever you want sweetheart." I smiled and he laid down. I opened my eyes to see him opposite me, and I looked at him. His sharper features, darker eyes; he smirked, "go to sleep Dav."

"Okay." I closed my eyes again.

"Goodnight," he said

"Night, Michael."

<><><><><><><>

It was early in the morning and I heard mumbling, tossing and turning. I was confused as I hadn't had a nightmare in a while. Then I realised it was Michael. I sat up and layer of sweat had coated his skin as he shook from side to side. I put my hands on his shoulders, trying to wake him up.

"Michael," my hands were on his face and his breathing quickened. "Michael!" I raised my voice slightly and his eyes opened, a hand shooting up to where I was touching him, gripping my own hand tightly. Once he saw me, he loosened his grip.

"Davina?"

"It's me, I'm here." He was relieved for split second then he became frightened again. 

"I- I don't believe you."

"What do you mean? Michael, I'm here."

"No, no, I'm still dreaming, I have to wake up, let me out, I don't want to see it again, please." He was so vulnerable, and was almost begging. 

"Michael, you're awake, I promise you're awake!" I was practically yelling, and had casted a muffliato under my breath so no one came running. "It's okay, calm down." I held his hand and faced it to him so he could see. "Count how many fingers you have."

"One, two, three, four, five," he said, still frantic.

"Exactly, if you were dreaming, you wouldn't have 5." He sat up now, putting his head in his hands, his confusion fading along with that vulnerability.  

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I didn't think I'd have a nightmare with you here."

"So, I've had my fair share. The best of us do." I smiled and he relaxed a bit more, so I expressed my curiosity. "Do you have them every night?"

"Yeah," he deep breathed.

"You had uh, you had thought that you were still dreaming when I was here, does that mean I'm in your nightmare?"

"Yes."

"What's it about?" He deep breathed.