Chapter 83 - Fist Fight Ⅲ (1/2)
Rowan sighs to herself as she makes her walk back to the Slytherin common room area as she recalls her conversation with Lily in a corridor. ”Thanks for sticking up for me,” Lily said.
”That's what friends are for,” Rowan distantly replied.
Lily bites her lips and says, ”Did I do something wrong, Rowan? It's just I've had the feeling that things have been off between us since that day in the library.”
”It wasn't you,” Rowan said with a bit of a frown. ”I was just frustrated that day, that's all.”
”So, we're still friends?” Lily timidly asked.
”We've always been friends,” Rowan said with a slight smile.
Beaming, Lily hugs Rowan to her surprise, who awkwardly pats Lily on the back. Finally, Lily releases Rowan to much of her relief. ”I'm glad. Want to have lunch tomorrow?”
”Mm, that would fine,” Rowan said. ”Well, we better get going it's getting late.”
”See you tomorrow,” Lily said as she darted up to the great stairs to the Gryffindor tower.
Maybe, it was just Rowan, but she wondered if was best she slowly distanced herself from Lily and the rest of Gryffindors. It would be the best choice for the future if she had to keep up with the pretense of being a pure Slytherin. But a part of her was very reluctant to do so, because just maybe, she'd grown fond of them all, after all. And besides, she still had plenty of time to do so if need be and with that lie, she convinced herself to leave things be as they were for now.
Sighing to herself, Rowan mutters, ”Doxy,” for the dungeon wall to swing open. Stepping inside, Rowan almost bumps into Wilkes who was pacing before the door.
”There you are!” Wilkes smugly said as he pounced forward towards the object of his interests.
Taking a step back, Rowan warily says, ”I already got detention from Professor Slughorn.”
”Yes, I heard,” Wilkes said with a twinkle in his eye. ”I knew that sooner or later you and Severus's true colors would show.”
”Everyone has a dark side, Wilkes,” Rowan drily remarked. ”Some more than others, that's all.”
”Yes, I know,” Wilkes said with a glittering smile that caused Rowan to take another step back until her back was against the wall.
Without any hesitation, Wilkes without any embarrassment pins Rowan to the wall as his hand against the wall stops her from fleeing. ”Wilkes?” Rowan drily croaked as a strange glowing light could be seen in Wilkes's eyes.
”I thought that we already had a conversation about personal space, Prefect Wilkes,” the cold voice of Narcissa snapped.
”OW, OW!” Wilkes cried out as Narcissa painfully pulled him away by the ear.
Wincing, Wilkes pulls away and rubs his red ear. ”I was just teasing her, Narcissa,” Wilkes complained. ”I was just going to congratulate Rowan for defeating her foe without a single bruise. I mean she's a girl, you know. Those kinds of things are rather impressive.”
”Yes, well, no matter how impressive her feat was,” Narcissa growled. ”It was highly inappropriate and against another fellow Slytherin 1st year.”
”Yes, Narcissa,” Wilkes obediently said as Narcissa sternly pointed for him to return to studying with fifth years. Very downtrodden, Wilkes slinks away and back to the fifth years, who didn't even bother to console him as they had more important things to worry about.