Chapter Six - Remus , Smoothtalk and other catastrophes
Leftosaa , rightosaa , turn and get a smilu ! Das ist fuer Sany und ihre subtilen Flirt-methoden . Mein tiefes Mitleid an alle , die bereits wieder schule haben . Und Harriet ist ein ziemlich cleveres Ding , haett ich nicht von ihr gedacht ...
" Your ... boyfriend ? Me ?"
Remus looked at Harriet incredulous . A fly zoomed past his ear , reminding him of one of the muggle flying machines he had seen in London . Those had made an enormous racket too . He stared at her for some time , an uncertain smile spreading over his face : " Oh okay ... This is a joke , right ? You're joking ! Ha ha ..."
He looked around , waiting for someone to come out from behind the bookshelves laughing .
Harriet blushed . Why was everybody thinking this was a joke ? " No , I'm serious . I really like you ."
Oh , this sounded so stupid , she thought , like she was talking to a pet .
" Listen , Remus ..." What was wrong ? In her imagination , he would have kissed her already and she would be happily in his arms . How long was he going to wait ? She hesitated for a second and then slowly reached for his hands .
" Be my boyfriend . Please ."
He stared at her hands dumbfounded . There had to be a catch somewhere , he thought , his mind racing furiously , this was totaly crazy . Why should a girl want him to be her boyfriend ? Him ! But as he looked up into Harriets hopeful blue eyes , he slowly understood that she was indeed serious . Suddenly he felt a flicker of pride inside him . Harriet loved him ! He actually had someone who wanted him .
No , don't be silly , Remus , he scolded himself suddenly . She has a simple crush on me , he corrected himself quickly . It's nothing real .
He staid silent for some seconds , wondering what to say to her . It was extremely difficult to reject her plea without hurting her feelings , but impossible without giving an explanation that would satisfy her .
" Harriet ..."
He wanted to clear his throat to make his voice sound more dignified , but started choking .
" Er .. well , I'm flattered ... You are .. er .. a really pretty girl ."
The words sounded strange refering to her . He had the feeling they weren't meant for her . He felt as though he was lying , which didn't make sense . Harriet was very pretty , he knew that . Still , he felt he was not being truthful . And then he understood that the words simply expressed the wrong meaning , as she started to beam radiantly . Instead of gently rejecting her he was leading her on . He felt as if he was in a strange dream .
Harriet felt as if she was in a dream . No , this was more then a dream , this was heaven ! In her dreams , she had always skipped the long part where Remus told her what she meant to him and came right to the important point where he'd say : " I love you more then you will ever know , Harriet ." and wrap her in his arms .
This time , he was actually telling her about his feelings in length . As she watched him stutter around , she felt she liked this better then the quick version . Nothing beats the real thing . And there was something else that made her relish the situation even more .
Out of the corner of her eyes , she saw how Mavery Venting , a Slytherin girl , and her friends were closely watching them from another table . Mavery and Harriet did not get on extremely well . Both looked alike , blonde with blue eyes and in general the same type with equal likes and dislikes . This should have made them friends , but it was actually the reason they didn't like each other . No stunningly beautiful girl is keen on having a rival .
Harriet could not restrain her grin . Mavery was going to go wild ! Winning Remus and defeating Mavery on the same day , what had she done to deserve such luck ? She looked back at Remus with deep satisfaction .
He was still struggling to find words , blushing deeper by the minute , and Harriet felt the need to help him ease everything up . Furthermore , if he was quietly talking to her , Mavery couldn't hear anything . She squeezed Remus' hand , causing him to blush even more , and gazed at him affectionately . And then she caught sight of the very thing she needed ...
Remus didn't know what to make of Harriets sudden grin . All he had said was how nice it was of her to like him . Over her head , he could make out Madame Pince , the librarian , staring at him suspiciously .
If Harriet would start crying when he had finished , Madame Pince was sure to give him the most severe punishment she could think of . Not because of Harriet's hurt feelings , but because of the noise annoyance . Somebody squeezed his hand and he looked into Harriets affectionate face . Before he knew what was happening , she suddenly waved to someone behind him . He hurriedly turned around on his chair to see Sir Nicholas de Mimsey-Porpington drift towards them . Great , now what ? He would have to break Harriets heart in front of the Gryffindor house ghost .
Harriet smiled up at Nick and slightly moved to the left , so Mavery would have a good view . " Hello , Sir Nicholas ."
" Hello , Miss Vane , Remus . How are we today ?"
Remus could only nod , lips clenched .
" It must be horrible , learning here while there is such a lovely weather outside ."
" Yes , you're right . I said that earlier already , didn't I , Remus ?"
Again , Remus lips twitched , but he staid silent , barely nodding . Nearly-headless Nick however did not notice his strange behavior , for his eyes had just fallen on Remus' hand , holding Harriets' . A sudden twinkle in his eyes showed that he had put two and two together .
With new interest , he looked at Remus . " But I see you two aren't here to learn ..."
Harriet giggled and winked at Nick . " Yes , we had other things to talk about . And now we've cleared everything ."
" I see .." he said , grinning mischieviously . " Well done , Remus ! Congratulations both to Harriet and you ! You two make a lovely couple ."
With that , he cocked his head to the side and slapped Remus on the back .
Panic crept up Remus' spine and that was not because of Nick touching him . Ten minutes ago , he had thought that things could possibly not get any worse . But everything was getting worse ...
