The One That Got Away

The rest of the night was a blur for Quinn. 

She remembered eating until her stomach felt like it would split at the seams and walking the seemingly endless staircase to Ravenclaw tower with Lyra, Luna, Cho, Padma and Andrea. She had stood in the center of the common room with her jaw on the floor as she took in the constellations shining on the ceiling and the thousands of books that lined the walls. 

When she finally let Lyra drag them to their room to show her their room, Quinn had immediately fallen asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. 

The next morning she woke up to the sounds of the other girls snoring. She quickly got dressed into the Ravenclaw robes that had appeared at the foot of her bed during the night. She tip-toed out of the room to the common room where she picked a new book from the Ravenclaw shelves to start. 

“Good morning Quinn!” Luna happily exclaimed, causing Quinn to jump and drop the book. She heard the book grumble an obscenity and she quickly apologized to it. “Sorry if I startled you, not many of the other Ravenclaws are early risers.” 

“It’s okay, Luna,” Quinn smiled, “Do you think you could give me a quick tour of the school before breakfast? I’m nervous that I’ll get lost.” 

Luna dreamily smiled and led her out of Ravenclaw tower. 

Luna Lovegood was a strange tour guide. 

She would point out classrooms but also corners to stay away from because of the bad ‘energy’ they gave off. 

They finally made it outside to see the Black Lake, which was sparkling from the rays of the rising sun. Luna picked a shady spot under a tree near the lake and Quinn sat next to her. 

They sat in a comfortable silence when suddenly she heard loud screams coming from the castle. Quinn began to hide, worried they would get detention, but Luna just smiled.

“It’s just a Slytherin tradition for the first day of classes,” Luna smiled as she pointed to a group of students running from the castle. 

Quinn couldn’t help but giggle at the sight of a group of Slytherins sprinting towards the lake, taking off their robes and ties as they went. She watched Malfoy, the Nott boy and another student she didn’t recognize, running at the front of the pack. Malfoy and Nott were already down to their boxers as they jumped head first into the lake. Other Slytherins joined in, while others watched from the comfort of the shore. 

“Whoever gets a lock of mer-hair first is said to have good luck all year,” Luna said as she cheered on the students. 

Quinn watched as the students trashed around until a pale hand shot in the air with a handful of hair clutched in his hand. Quinn saw the Nott girl and Pansy cheering Malfoy on as he exited the Lake. Theo and the other boy lifted him onto their shoulders as they chanted. Quinn felt herself smiling at the sight of pure joy on their faces- innocent and happy to be back at Hogwarts. 

She couldn’t help herself cheering along with Luna even though they were outnumbered by Slytherins. As they let him down, Malfoy caught her eye just as she was looking at the water fall from his chest. She turned red when he caught her but she saw the small smirk that he sent her before remembering who she was. 

“Hey, Luna,” a Slytherin boy with a dark complexion and a shy smile approached the Ravenclaw girls, “how was your summer?”

Luna’s smile grew even bigger, “Hello Blaise. It was quite wonderful, actually,  my father let me write my own column for the Quibbler.”

“I read a couple of your articles. I really liked the one you wrote about Muggle tarot cards,” Blaise said, blushing as soon as he realized what he said. 

“Blaise, I didn’t know our Ravenclaw bet was still in effect,” Theo said as he hopped onto Blaises back. Blaise, unamused, tried to shake him off but Theo just wrapped his limbs tighter around him. “If it is,” Theo looked Quinn up and down, “I call dibs on the American.” 

Quinn rolled her eyes as Theo winked at her. “What about Andrea?” Blaise mused, “I thought you still had a massive crush on that bookworm, even though she has no interest in you, whatsoever.”

Theo blushed and finally got off Blaise’s back, “You’re no fun, Zabini.” 

Theo did a quick drying charm on the pair and they started to put their uniforms back on. Quinn swore she saw Luna dreamily staring at Blaise’s body as he quickly dressed himself. 

As soon as Theo had his shirt and pants on he sat next to Quinn, leaning his head on his palm. “Are you two planning on coming to the Slytherin’s Annual Welcome Back party?”

“I didn’t think you were allowed into the other houses,” Quinn asked Theo, trying to get a bit closer to him as she saw Malfoy glaring at them. 

“You’ve done your homework, American, but what they don’t put in Hogwarts: A History is that we make exceptions for getting wasted,” Theo said leaning closer. Quinn glanced over to see Malfoy rolling his eyes as he tied his tie around his neck. 

Theo glanced over too and smiled, “Uh oh, Calloway, if that’s where your head’s at the first day of classes, you’re gonna have one hell of a time at Hogwarts.”

Quinn tore her eyes away to look back at Theo, “What do you mean?”

Theo just grinned and stood up, “Malfoy still hasn’t gotten you back yet.”

As if he was summoned, Malfoy appeared next to Nott. “Look what we have here. A peeping-Tom,” he smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. “Can’t get enough of me, can you, Calloway.” 

“I was going to say, you’re blocking my view of Nott, actually,” Quinn replied.

Theo just laughed as Draco seemed to get more aggravated. “Don’t think I forgot what you did in the robe shop,” Malfoy replied between gritted teeth.

“Seems like you’re the one who can’t get enough of me, Malfoy,” Quinn smiled as she stood up, grabbing her bookbag, “You’ve got something on your shirt.”

Draco looked down and Quinn leaned into his ear, “Made you look,” she whispered, pushing past him to Luna, who was counting Blaise’s nargles, “I’ll see you at breakfast, Luna.” 

Luna waved as Quinn walked back to the castle, and gave a quick glance back at Draco who’s gaze  had never left her.

*** 

“Double Potions with the Slytherins on Fridays?!?!?! You have got to be kidding me,” Padma groaned as she looked over her schedule.  

“At least you don’t have Double Advanced Arithmancy after lunch,” Andrea sighed as she examined her own schedule.

Padma rolled her eyes. “Well, that is your own fault for picking the hardest elective they offer at Hogwarts.” 

“At least I learn things in Arithmancy, how’s those Divination classes going for you, Padma?” Andrea asked between bites of a scone. Padma just rolled her eyes. 

Harry and Leo appeared in front of them and took seats across from Quinn. Lyra leaned over to Harry to give him a peck while Leo made gagging sounds. 

Lyra and Harry swapped schedules, “Looks like we have Charms together this morning,” Harry said examining Lyra’s schedule. He cringed as he read on, “Glad we’re with the Hufflepuffs for Potions this year, good luck with that Friday class.”

Padma sighed dramatically and put her head on the table. 

Leo snatched Quinn’s schedule while she was drinking pumpkin juice. Before she could protest, Leo took a quill and marked all the classes they had together. He handed it back to her and stood, saying “Save me a seat in Charms and Herbology today,” as he walked out of the Great Hall. 

Quinn just rolled her eyes and put her schedule in her pocket. Lyra said goodbye to Harry and turned to Quinn, “Alright what is going on with you and Leo?”

Quinn innocently peered over her oatmeal to see Lyra’s concerned frown. “Nothing, he’s just being a sleaze.”

Lyra narrowed her eyes at Quinn, shaking her head. “Look, Quinn, I know my brother. There’s a difference between him flirting and him flirting.”

Quinn just stared at her, unsure of how to reply. Lyra huffed, “Just, promise me you’ll handle his feelings gently.”

Quinn gave Lyra a reassuring smile, “Of course, Lyra.” Lyra nodded and returned to discussing her schedule with the rest of the Ravenclaw girls. 

Quinn found herself slowly scanning the Great Hall until she landed on the blonde that seemed to have not left her mind since that early morning dip in the Black Lake. 

She watched as he silently ate his breakfast while Theo, Blaise and Pansy had a heated discussion. Lucy, the newest addition to the Slytherins, also sat in silence, almost motionless, as she watched Draco from the corner of her eye. Another Slytherin she didn’t recognize kept trying to get Malfoy’s attention but he seemed to be purposefully ignoring her. Quinn watched as he absentmindedly twirled one of the rings on his finger when he suddenly stopped to look at Quinn. 

Quinn nearly choked on her juice when he caught her so she covered it by standing abruptly and grabbing her bag and mumbling that she wanted to introduce herself to Professor Flitwick. ***

Quinn saved Leo a seat in Charms. Leo sat in the chair next to her, and watched her organize her supplies. She was pulling out a new quill when she felt him laugh.

“What?” Quinn asked, annoyed.

“I can’t believe I thought you’d be in Slytherin, you’re such a nerd,” Leo scoffed, smiling at her tidy notebook. 

“I will not be made to feel bad for caring about my education,” Quinn mumbled, suddenly feeling annoyed by Leo’s habit of dissecting her. 

“Spoken like a true Ravenclaw,” Leo said as he pulled out a crumpled piece of parchment from his book bag and began drawing. 

Throughout the lesson, Quinn took detailed notes, even though Flitwick was going over things she had learned at Ilvermorny. Leo continued to sketch, seemingly not listening to the lesson. When Flitwick dismissed them, Leo handed Quinn a drawing of her taking notes before asking for the notes.

Quinn rolled her eyes and stood abruptly, collecting her notebook. “No.” 

She began to leave for her next class, with Leo running after her, “You forgot this,” he said, placing his drawing into her bag as she walked, “and I’ll just ask Hermione. And if she says no, I’ll ask Ron tomorrow after he gets them from Hermione.” Leo winked and walked down a separate corridor. 

The rest of the day was mostly free of Leo Black. 

Quinn attended the nap-inducing History of Magic class with Phoebe dozing off next to her and then Care of Magical Creatures where Padma had accidentally sent a hippogriff into a rage. Quinn began to feel herself finally falling into step with a new normal until lunch. 

A group of owls began to swarm the Great Hall, dropping letters and packages to the students. Her heart dropped when she realized she would never get a letter from Aunt Kendra again, asking her questions about her classes and her current reading list. She scribbled a short note to the Weasley’s and gave it to Ginny to put with her letter.

As Quinn was leaving the Great Hall, she heard someone calling her name from down the hall. She turned to see Harry trying to catch up with her. “Hey, Harry.”

Harry smiled, “How was your first night at Hogwarts? Congratulations on Ravenclaw.”

“Thanks, Harry. It was good, I’m starting to adjust to the new school,” Quinn gave him a soft smile, trying to hide the sudden feeling of grief she felt intruding her body.

Harry seemed to understand, however, and he just nodded, “Professor Dumbledore wanted me to ask you to come to his office during your free period after Herbology.”

Quinn frowned. She wasn’t in the mood to discuss muggle transportation with the Headmaster today. “Why?”

Harry just shrugged, “I’ve learned to stop asking that when it comes to Professor Dumbledore.”

Quinn just nodded, she felt a knot closing in her throat, which Harry seemed to sense. “Do you want to walk to Herbology with me? I can introduce you to Professor Sprout.”

Quinn nodded and they began to walk towards the greenhouse. After a moment, Quinn decided to break the silence, “Do you see the thresals?”

Harry stopped in place before regaining his composure. He nodded. “I hadn’t seen them before this year, but I guess Cedric…” he trailed off, clearing his throat.

“I’ve read about them before, but I was still shocked that I actually saw one,” Quinn said quietly as they walked down the hall, “I guess it hadn’t sunk in until I saw it.”

Harry nodded. “When Luna told me what they were, I was overcome with this feeling that… what I saw out there… with Voldemort, completely changed me as a person.”

“I read that muggles believe that trauma can permanently alter your brain chemistry,” Quinn said, “I guess that’s what the thresals are trying to tell us.” 

They were standing outside of the greenhouse now. Harry nodded and reached his hand over to pat her on the shoulder awkwardly. He laughed, “I’m sorry, usually people are trying to comfort me, not the other way around."

Quinn smiled sadly, “I guess we have that in common.” 

Harry cleared his throat, “I better go save a seat for Lyra.” He gave her another smile as he entered. 

After introducing herself to Professor Sprout, Quinn found an empty table at the back of the greenhouse. She found herself praying to Merlin that Phoebe or Ginny sat next to her before a stranger made it their mission to ask her questions about America and Ilvermorny. 

Herbology was one of the only classes that was with all the fifth years in all four houses, and Padma had made it sound like classes with the whole grade were filled with drama, teenage angst and competition. She already missed the laid back class she had with the Hufflepuffs that morning when the worst that happened was Phoebe drooling on her robe. 

Quinn tried to calm her growing anxieties with the book she picked up from the Ravenclaw common room, but a few pages in she realized she had already read it. She sighed and looked up just in time to see Draco Malfoy plopping into the seat next to her. 

“You have got to be fucking kidding,” Quinn groaned. Malfoy laughed as Quinn’s hand shot to cover her mouth. “I didn’t mean to say that out loud.”

Malfoy just smirked and put his feet up on the table, “You didn’t think you’d get rid of me that easily, did you?”

“You’re infuriating,” Quinn grumbled. “I don’t understand why you’d choose to sit next to someone who clearly dislikes you.”

“You dislike me?” Malfoy laughed, crossing his arms, “Oh, Calloway, almost every student and professor in this school dislikes me, and you definitely do not dislike me.”

“Americans are just more vocal with our displeasure,” Quinn shot back, pulling her bookbag on the table and grabbing her notebook and quills. 

“Are you as vocal with your pleasure, too, then?” Malfoy whispered, causing a chill to run down her spine. 

Quinn was just about to respond when she saw Leo entering the room. He spotted them almost immediately and his face went as rigid as stone. Malfoy, just as quick, saw the look Leo gave them and proceeded to lean even closer to Quinn’s ear. “Seems you’ve chosen which side of the family you prefer.” 

Quinn watched as Leo clenched his fist and begrudgingly sat next to Pansy Parkinson, who looked just as annoyed to be sharing a table with the Gryffindor. 

Malfoy chuckled and leaned back into his seat, ever pleased with himself. Quinn tried to shake it off, but she could already feel the stares her Gryffindor and Ravenclaw friends were giving her and Malfoy. She sensed another lecture about the dangers of Draco Malfoy in her future.

Professor Sprout began the lesson as Quinn tried desperately to calm the nerves that were raging with every minute that passed. She felt like a heavy stone was placed in her stomach, and that stone was rooting itself into her bones, causing weeds to grow into her lungs, into her throat. 

Quinn tried to regain her composure, she looked at her hands, which were shaking, and tried to count on her fingers five things she could see. But her vision continued to cloud over, and bile began inching its way up her throat. 

She heard the scraping of stools, as her classmates stood to grab supplies from the back of the greenhouse. As they passed, she tried to focus on the leather of her school shoes but suddenly a green-slime-like substance appeared on them. 

Quinn abruptly stood, gasping at the slime staining her shoes as she watched it grow up her legs, tying her knees together. 

As she fell, she saw Lucy Nott covertly putting her wand back into her knee-high socks.