Secrets & Slytherins

Chapter 27: Curiosity

Grace spent the remainder of the afternoon writing an essay for Charms in her dormitory. She sprawled out on her bed on her stomach, gliding the quill across the parchment quickly.

Homework was a great distraction from the bigger problems she had going on, like the overwhelming weight of guilt in her chest. Why did she have to make things so difficult for Ryan? She was his girlfriend. She was supposed to do what he wanted. Why did she need so much convincing?

Grace sighed, closing her textbook after she scratched down a few final words, setting down her quill on the nightstand next to her bed. She stood up, walking towards the window where she could see the sun just about to sink beyond the rolling hills, never to be seen again until the morning.

Her eyes scanned the grounds, gazing over grassy hills and stone pathways. Not many students were walking around outside. After a long day at Hogsmeade, most could be found huddled around the fireplaces in their common rooms. Grace started to turn back around until she caught a glimpse of Noah walking up from the Black Lake and towards the castle.

She pressed her hands up against the window, curiously peering down to get a better look at him. She gently leaned her forehead on the cool glass. Why did Noah always seem to be out there? She had noticed him by himself on the grounds multiple times, usually when she went to escape whatever troubles she had caused herself on any given day. Not that it was against the rules for him to walk around the Hogwarts landscape, but his behavior seemed to have a motive. Ryan told Grace many weeks ago that Noah had secrets. Was that really true?

"What are you up to, Noah?" Grace mumbled to herself, watching as he disappeared into the castle. She stepped away from the window, heading downstairs to the Gryffindor common room to join the others. She instantly heard the crackle of the fireplace and relaxed conversations. Friends were gathered on couches laughing together, others were playing games at the scattered tables, while some were catching up on homework in quiet corners.

Grace spotted Ginny sitting next to Dean Thomas, his arm draped around her shoulder. The girl had a smile on her face, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Grace knew she always had a thing for Harry Potter, but she seemed to be having fun with Dean. As long as she was happy, that was fine by Grace.

"Up for another butterbeer?"

Grace spun her head towards the direction of the voice.

"One today is enough for me, O'Connor," she replied, staring up at Jake with disinterest. She finally got a second without Ryan and now she had to waste her time talking to one of his friends?

"I get it. Too much sugar, right?" Jake asked, an eyebrow raised slightly. "You have to keep that nice body of yours looking-"His eyes raked over her, making her shift in her place. "-Just. Like. That."

"Excuse me?" Grace furrowed her brow, shooting a glare up at the seventh-year.

"You heard me. Carrow's a lucky guy."

"Yes, he is," Grace said flatly, glancing at Ginny out of the corner of her eye. She was so uncomfortable. Grace slowly inched back toward her friend. "I'll see you around," she told Jake, hurrying over to Ginny.

"You sure will," muttered Jake, the ends of his lips tugging slightly upward.

Grace plopped down on the couch next to Ginny, taking the opportunity to talk to her since Dean was busy having a conversation with Seamus Finnegan about magical pyrotechnics.

"You alright?" Ginny asked with a laugh. Grace must have looked flustered.

"I swear my life can't get any more complicated."

"You're not the only one," Ginny mumbled. Grace followed her friend's gaze, landing on the boy with messy, jet-black hair across the room.

"Are you and Dean okay?" Grace whispered just loud enough for Ginny to hear.

"We're fine," she nodded enthusiastically. "Never better, actually." She tore her eyes away from Potter.

"You've helped me in the past. Just let me know if I can help you, too. Okay, Gin?"

The red-headed girl nodded before adding, "I clearly didn't help you enough if you're still with that asshole."

"He's been better," Grace explained in a hushed voice. "I'm happy. I really am." She repeated those words so often in the mirror that they rolled off her tongue flawlessly.

Ginny, quickly changing the conversation before she fought Grace any more about Ryan, started, "Slughorn invited me to a Potions club or something. I don't really understand it. Apparently it's called the Slug Club. Kind of clever, actually. Did he invite you?"

Grace shook her head. "You probably have to do well in his class to get an invitation. I'm not exactly a Potions prodigy."

"Don't worry. I'm sure it'll be totally boring," Ginny laughed. "Although..."

"Oh, Merlin. What are you on about now?"

"I'm almost certain Noah will be invited. He's amazing at Potions," explained Ginny, a slight smirk on her face. "I bet the thought of him in the Slug Club will be a little incentive for you to boost your grade."

"I have a boyfriend, Gin," scoffed Grace. "And he has a girlfriend."

"Yuck. That blonde bitch I saw him with a few weeks ago? She's worse than pugface."

Grace tried to stifle a laugh. "I haven't really spoken to her before." She thought back to the first time she met Rachel Avery. The Slytherin girl's fingers were interlocked with Noah's.

"Don't waste your time. Ron told me that he heard bad things about her. She's manipulative."

"That's awful," Grace sighed, lowering her gaze to her hands. Noah didn't deserve that type of relationship.

"Yeah, you and Noah have a lot in common when it comes to picking shitty significant others," Ginny said with a shrug.

Grace snatched the pillow next to her, hitting her friend in the back of the head with it, laughing loudly. She let the pillow rest on her lap as Ginny turned back to Dean.

Grace stared into the fire. Noah was smart enough to get out of a bad relationship, right? She wasn't too worried about him, but it wasn't worrying that kept Noah in her mind all the time. Curiosity lingered in Grace's head more than she'd like to admit.

And there was just so much she didn't want to admit.