Chapter 209 - Turned Down (2/2)
Rowan hadn't gone down the hall very far when she encountered the walking snogging pair of Wilkes and his paramour. Pressing herself against the wall, she waited until they safely passed past her, before shaking her head. ”It's a wonder they get around without walking straight into walls,” Rowan muttered to herself as she passed down the stone hall.
From the frosty windows, she could see the grounds were stark and bare as the black lake had frozen over even more, but still wouldn't be fully frozen until the first real snowfall, which could be any day now by the stormy gray clouds that seemed to perpetually hover in the distance. The dungeons, of course, had already begun to turn into frozen freezers but hadn't become unbearable yet. Not watching where she was looking, Rowan suddenly found herself slamming straight into someone.
They both let out a groan as Rowan glanced up as the angry retort in her voice froze. ”James?” Rowan finally said as she watched him rub the red bruise on his face.
”Oh, hey, Rowan,” James sheepishly said. ”Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going.”
Rowan didn't confirm that the was the case for herself as well, but instead says, ”Why were you so distracted?”
”Nothing!” James hastily cried out as his face began to flush like a tomato.
”Really?” Rowan said as she crossed her arms over her chest. ”I find that hard to believe given the steaming red lobster color that you're turning.”
”Fine,” James pouted as he crossed his arms over his chest. ”If you must know, you, nosey snake. I asked Lily to come with me to Hogsmeade during the next trip and she turned me down.”
”I'm not a nosey snake!” Rowan flatly snapped back. ”And why?”
”She's going with her friends,” James murmured back with unconscious relief heard in his voice.
”Well, there's plenty of more opportunities,” Rowan pointed out. ”And besides-.” Rowan's voice trailed off as she caught a face staring at her in the corner of the window's reflection. Whirling around, she turns and stares behind her, but she doesn't see anyone but the glimmer of a shadow hurrying away.
”Rowan?” James frowned as he too turned to stare in the direction she had so hastily turned to stare into. ”Is something wrong?”
”Must have been just a figment of my imagination,” Rowan lied, before saying, ”Anyway, I'll see you later,” before hurrying away. It wasn't her imagination, was it? But then again, she had felt that stare several times since her first year. Was someone watching her? But she'd never noticed anything unusual except for the disappearance of her scarf last year.
Somewhat unsettled for the rest of the evening, Rowan found herself distant and poking at her food. But if someone was watching her, why? And if it really had started in her first year, there wasn't any reason for her to be watched. She had stood out a bit, but nothing too unusual. Nor had she involved herself with Malfoy and them beyond October. Still, she resolved to be more attentive and see if she could catch her unknown stalker.