NOVEL NEXT Chapter 16: Chapter 16: Still on that?!
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"Don't worry, I'll keep your secret," I say conspiratorially. "Unless you're secretly a spy for...oh come on, Hermione, I'm kidding." She purses her lips together and smacks me lightly on the shoulder for my efforts. I grin at that but decide to try and placate her. "You aren't really that good a liar, if it makes you feel better."
"And you are?" She says in challenge.
I chuckle at that. "Is there even a good way for me to answer that?"
Her eyes go distant for a split second, then she frowns. "I suppose not." We climb a few steps in silence. "Have you lied to me?"
I stop in surprise, consider my answer for a moment, then continue. "Yes, but not in a way that will ever knowingly endanger you or your friends. I can swear on that." I give a wry chuckle. "Don't you remember my lie about going to see McGonagall an hour ago?"
More steps in silence. "I could tell you weren't going to go, so that doesn't count. Though I suppose you did lie about having to go to her at all." She fixes me with a mock glare. "What about before that?"
I take a measured breath. "Yes, but my previous statement still stands."
"Not what I was hoping to hear."
"I'm sorry, but to say no would have been a lie, too. I've only been here for a day, I must have my secrets for now. I'm sure you have yours. And don't forget, we now share one of our own."
She looks at me surprised for a moment, then nods reluctantly. "You said you'd share what made you upset back there, eventually. Is that one of your secrets?"
"Yes." More steps in silence.
"Do you trust me, even though you know I have secrets?"
"Yes," I answered without hesitation.
"Why?"
"I don't know," I lied. "I just feel like I can, I guess."
"Really?"
"Yes. I assume you don't feel the same way about me?"
She remains quiet.
"It's okay, I don't mind."
"No, it's not that, it's just..." she trails off.
"No, really, you don't have to explain. I have a significant advantage over you; I can talk to teachers and other students that have known you for three years. You can't do a background check on me."
She looks startled. "Have you done that?"
I laugh. "No, except for Harry and Ron, and then I didn't even ask. You just come up a lot when we talk."
Her expression goes back and forth between interested and frightened. "Really?"
"Of course, you're their best friend."
"Probably about me bossing them or something."
"A bit, I won't lie. But more often it's just like you're one of them. Harry defends you fiercely if anyone goes too far."
"I...I see..."
"I wouldn't worry about it too much. Boys our age are stupid."
She raises an eyebrow at that. "Are you?"
"Yes," I say, again without hesitation. "Especially me. But the first step in recovery is admitting the problem, right?" Maybe I should actually take my own advice to heart.
~~~~~~~~~
"Oi, what took you guys so long?" Ron asks when we get over to them.
I put on a mischievous smile. "Sorry, we stopped and had a bit of a snog. Ow!" Harry and Ron's jaws drop.
"You prat," she says with a glare. Without taking her glare off me she continues addressing their question. "We couldn't find McGonagall...she wasn't in her office so we looked around."
"Snog is such a weird word to me," I say, rubbing my chin, "in the States we say 'making out' or something. Snog sounds kind of like a curse word. Like, snog off, you snogging snogger."
"Is he okay?" Ron asks with one hand blocking his mouth from my view and the other hand jerking a finger toward me.
"He won't be," Hermione says menacingly. "Now will you cut it out? People are going to talk."
"Why would people talk about you snogging him?" Harry asks loudly in a deeper-than-normal voice, and I laugh.
"Harry!" Hermione shrieks.
"Hey! Who's snogging Harry?" A voice behind them asks loudly, causing more heads to pop up to find out who's speaking.
"Wait, what'd you say about Professor McGonagall?" Ron asks in his normal loud voice.
"Oh my gods, Harry and Professor McGonagall?" A girl exclaims.
Harry and Hermione now look like they're going to vomit.
"What are you tossers on about?" Ron asks angrily. "That's ridiculous!"
"You're the one who said it!"
"I said nothing of the sort!" Ron yelled back.
"I agree, it's completely snogging ridiculous if you ask me," I say.
"What does that even mean?" Ron asks.
"Must be a Yank thing. Anyway, ohhh snog it, I'm tired," I say with a wide yawn. "You know, snogging magical exhaustion and all. Good night, lady, gentlemen."
Hermione throws a pillow at me, ruining my otherwise graceful bow.
"So wait," I hear Ron say before I'm out of earshot, "did you guys really—OW!"
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Once again I'm paralyzed with a moment of panic before I realize where I am. I wonder how long it's going to take for me to stop expecting to wake up in the real world, and then I wonder if hoping for that is a good thing or a bad thing for my sanity.
Harry isn't in his bed but Ron is still sawing logs...with a malfunctioning chainsaw. The other guys are still asleep, probably because they're used to it by now.
It isn't long before I'm up and showered, since with my nerves getting to me I don't dawdle too much.
Still, I come out to find Ron awake and sleepily getting dressed, so we head down to the common room together, where we find Harry and Hermione are chatting quietly.
"Are we still on for a bit of flying this morning?" Harry asks when he sees us.
"Absolutely!" Ron says excitedly, sleepiness washed away by the prospect of getting on a broom.
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