I stood there, frozen stiff. My mind was still spinning like a top. What just happened? I asked my self. Did I actually kiss Ari...?
"Miss Perry," asked Professor McGonagall, her face emotionless and clam, "do you have any idea who could have poisoned you?"
Poisoned her? I thought questioningly, but then it all came back...Levia poisoned Ari with the water lizard, and now McGonagall wanted to know who.
Know who? Oops...I didn't tell Ari it was Levia....
"No, Professor," replied a breathless Ari.
Professor McGongagall's lips tightened as she turned to me. "And you, Mr. Weasley? Do you have any idea?"
I froze. I could rat on Levia...but the decision wasn't mine to make. It was Ari's.
"No, Professor."
Professor McGonagall sighed. "Thank you anyway, Mr. Weasley. If you find anything, be sure to report it to me immediately." She turned around and walked out of the portrait hole, leaving Ari and me alone.
Alone. I shuddered a little. It felt a little...eerie...standing there alone with Ari. The kiss told me everything I needed to know...she cared for me, or else she couldn't have kissed me like that. Right?
I needed time to think, to be alone. I cleared my throat. "I'm...going to give Hagrid his present."
Ari nodded, her deep blue eyes gazing softly at me. "Alright," she whispered.
I dashed to my dormitory and got the wrapped bundle from my trunk. When I came downstairs, Ari wasn't there - as if she disappeared. I trudged out the door, my heart heavier than before.
When Hagrid opened the door, cheerfulness spread across his face. "Charlie!" he exclaimed. "Good ter see yeh!"
"Merry Christmas, Hagrid," I replied, handing him his gift.
"Yeh shouldn't have!" he grinned. "I've got yer sumthin' for yer too."
I unwrapped a carving of a dragon in attack position, his eyes narrowed in anger, his nostrils flared, and his tail coming down in a crushing blow. "Thanks, Hagrid." I tried to smile.
Hagrid pointed to my cloak. "Who gave yeh that?"
I looked down and saw the dragon cloak pin that Ari gave me. Ari. Had I chased her away forever?
"Ari," I replied softly.
Hagrid smiled. "She's sumthin', ain't she?"
I didn't reply. I couldn't reply. Hagrid understood.
"It really depends on who yeh are, an' what the risk means to yeh. If it happened in the past, it doesn't have to happen to yeh. If love can grow, then who says that it can' reduce? It never really breaks. Friendships are solid ground - if it doesn' work out, then yeh can always try to return. But yeh'll never know what could have happened, an' yeh'll go mad wonderin'."
I sat there, soaking up the words, and I felt a little better...but what troubled me the most was trying to think of what went wrong with the kiss. We obviously were in love - even Hagrid could see that, and he only met Ari once. But the kiss felt awkward at the end...was it Professor McGonagall's fault? Did the kiss end unnaturally? I couldn't think of it.
I bade Hagrid good-bye, and was surprised when I saw that the sky was already dark. I had spent more time at Hagrid's than I had intended. I trudged slowly up to the castle, hoping to talk to Ari. The kiss was mind-blowing. She felt perfect in my arms - just like we were meant to be...but she was also a great person. She was funny, intelligent, athletic, a good listener, beautiful...the list can go on into infinity.
I was nearly attacked by a hoard of girls when I entered the Common Room.
"Charlie, I was wondering - "
"Charlie!"
"Charlie, if you are going to the - "
"I'd like to go to the - "
I made my way through the mob and saw a new sign tacked up on the notice board:
New Years Eve Celebration
Great Hall
New Year's Eve
A New Year's Eve celebration? I asked myself. This was the first time Hogwarts had one.
"So, Charlie, who are you taking?" inquired a curly-haired fourth year.
"Me," came a voice.
I wheeled around. Ari was standing by an armchair by the fire with a stack of books on its side. Her eyes were tired, as if she was reading all day. She caught my eye and grinned. I grinned back and turned to face the crowd.
"It's true." I affirmed.
The air was filled with grumbling, disappointed, and even hysterical girls, but my attention was on Ari.
Maybe our friendship wasn't as doomed as I thought it was.