Chapter 6 Seduce Me
“Ginny, look at the posting. We are all in the same group for Telepathy with Professor Hannibal today,” Hermione said excitedly in the common room as she gestured the three of them to come closer. “What do you think, Harry? Now you can be in the same class with Ginny.”
Harry didn’t reply. Hermione’s tone with him was much better today. It was clear that Ginny had shown her the butterfly pin he gave her last night and told her that they’ve made up. However, he had a slight feeling of unease because he still hadn’t told any of them that he had met Aria before. Somehow, he could foretell that something would go wrong having the four of them together in the same class with her. He was desperately hoping that she would not get too friendly with him during class in front of Ginny or to give him any kind of special treatment.
The entire school day, Harry was still anxiously worrying about Telepathy class, which would take place after the Math class that they were in right now. As the bell rang, Ron immediately jumped out of his seat.
“Come on, Telepathy is next! I want to grab the front seat! Let’s go!” Ron shouted as he stormed out.
Hermione glared at him angrily, sensing why Ron was so eager to attend this class. She let out a deep sigh of disbelief and turned to Harry, “He falls for anything with a pulse, even if it is a teacher… Harry, did you hear what I said?”
“Uh? What? What were you saying?” he asked blankly.
“I said, Ron falls for anything with a pulse, even if it is a teacher,” she repeated in an annoying tone.
“Fallen for a teacher? I didn’t fall for a teacher! Why would you say that?” he replied nervously.
“No, I said Ron. Not you! What’s wrong? You’ve been so quiet all day,” she inserted.
“Nothing. Come on. Let’s go,” he muttered softly as he got up and followed her out. Hermione’s comment about falling for a teacher continued to float in his mind. Then he grinned faintly when he distinctly remembered how Hermione was once head over heels with a professor named Lockhart, the flaky Dark Arts teacher.
As Hermione and Harry stood at Aria’s classroom entrance, they could see Ron already occupying the front seats of the class.
“Come fast! I saved these four seats for all of us!” Ron yelled out enthusiastically, with Hermione shaking her head and rolling her eyes.
Harry truly wanted to hide at the back of the classroom, hoping that Aria would not notice him and the class would come and go. But from the looks of it, he may have no choice but to sit in the front with Ron.
“It’s like I’m invisible. What kind of boyfriend is this? Why can’t he be more like you, Harry? So sensitive…and caring for Ginny…” Hermione mumbled mistily.
“What?”
“She told me everything you said to her. You know, our nightly girl talk sessions! And that cute hairpin! She’s right. You do have great taste. Ron can’t fetch me a toothpick if his life depended on it,” she chuckled nastily, nudging his shoulder proudly. “You know…I’m really impressed with you. I never knew you’re such a smooth talker with girls.”
Harry was blushing with embarrassment and didn’t know how to respond. In his mind, he was just hoping that the other boys would also fight for the front seats. Thinking desperately for a way to go in late, Harry turned to Hermione, “Ginny’s not here yet. You go in. I’m going to look for her.”
“You are so sweet, Harry…always wanting to be with her. She must be held back at Potions or something. That stupid Snape! I’ll see you inside,” she called out as she walked inside the class.
As Harry wandered aimlessly in the quiet empty halls because all the students have found their classrooms, Hermione’s voice began to ring in his head:
“Fallen for a teacher…Why can’t he be more like you…You’re so sweet…so sensitive…”
“Harry?” a voice called out.
“Harry!” Aria grabbed his shoulder from behind and startled him so much that he dropped all his books. The sounds of his books crashing on the ground echoed through the empty halls.
“Aria…I mean…Professor Hannibal…I mean…” he blurted out as he quickly bent down to gather up his things, averting her gaze.
“Call me Professor Hannibal during school hours, Aria after school hours,” she kneeled down and helped him gather up his books. As she reached for his quill, her hand accidentally brushed against his. He quickly retracted his hand and started to blush immensely.
“Thanks, Professor,” he got up and muttered sheepishly, still trying to avoid her eyes.
“Why aren’t you in the classroom already?” she asked him as she got up from the ground and handed him his supplies.
Harry didn’t reply. He figured that with her telepathic powers, she would know his complicated and embarrassing reasons already by now.
“Listen, Harry. I promise I’ll stop invading your thoughts,” she said, her voice shaking slightly.
“What? I don’t understand,” he finally looked up at her.
“I really want to be your friend, you know…like Hagrid and you. You mean a lot to me. I’ve got no right to invade the privacy of your thoughts. I know you said you don’t mind me being what I am, but I think you deserve at least this. I hope you’re not mad at me for what I did to you at the Leaky Cauldron and the other day at the feast. I’m truly sorry.”
He gazed up into her green eyes, still assuming she would read his thoughts and find out that he didn’t mind. But all she did was gaze back at him, looking anxiously and waiting for his elusive answer.
After a very long pause, he finally said softly, “You were just trying to help me…but…I think I’ll like that.”
With a look of relief, she said cheerfully, “Thanks Harry. Listen, I’m new here. I don’t know this place very well. Hagrid, Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall are the only ones that talk to me but you’re more fun to be with. I was wondering if you can…show me around?”
Deep down, Harry wanted to say no, because he was worried about what Ginny would think about this. However, as he continued to gaze into her eyes, he heard himself say, “Okay. I’ll meet you in your class after school.”
With a look of pure delight, she walked closer and started to stroke his bangs gently. She gazed into his green eyes as her soft hands slowly played their way to his ears, then his cheeks and neck, with every touch more sensual and intense than the last, each one sending tingles down his spine. Harry stood motionless, clutching his books tightly across his chest as he tried hopelessly to avert her electrifying gaze. He wanted to pull away but it was as if his feet were glued to the ground. Not knowing what else to do, he abruptly shut his eyes. With his eyes now closed, he could feel her arms now dancing their way across his shoulders and gently pulling him closer, so close that their bodies were separated only by the pile of books still clutched tightly across his chest. His arms were beginning to feel pain as the load of books felt heavier and heavier, but he refused to let them go. Clenching his teeth in desperation, he emptied his mind and flooded it all with Ginny’s images. Then suddenly, he felt her bolting away from him hastily as his arms bounced off her body and his books crashed to the ground once again. As he quickly opened his eyes, he could see from the corner of his view, that Ginny was marching over to their direction.
When I See Only You by gossipweaver
Chapter Notes: Harry doesn’t know what he is going to do with Aria. All he knows is that he has to solve this dilemma alone because he certainly can’t confide in his friends about this.