004. ╱ 🦋⠀⠀ ❝ self esteem issues. ❞

THE MORNING OF THE MATCH DAWNED COLD AND CLEAR. Layla was nervous because she hoped everything would turn out well for Ron, though she had a faint feeling that the Slytherins would do anything to make him feel bad. She hated them.

⠀⠀The Great Hall was almost bursting at the seams when they arrived; students were talking louder than usual and the atmosphere was full of life and excitement.

⠀⠀When she and her friends passed the Slytherin table, the noise level increased. The brunette was surprised to see that Harry and Ron were coming in as well, and she saw that the snakes were going crazy and that, in addition to the usual green and silver hats and scarves, everyone was wearing a silver badge in what looked like the shape of a crown. Curiously, many of the Slytherin students waved at Ron, laughing their heads off. The Hufflepuff tried to read what was written on the badges, but failed.

⠀⠀"He must be very nervous," Layla said, moving her fork and looking at the red-headed boy. Ron didn't seem to be concentrating on his food or what was going on at the moment, despite Harry's attempts to get him to eat.

⠀⠀"Go and give him a good luck kiss," Megan laughed, and she gave her a dirty look.

⠀⠀"Don't be silly, Meg."

⠀⠀"I think it's a great idea, and more so for him," said Wayne, watching as Luna Lovegood approached, and she had obtained a life-size lion's head cap and was wearing it precariously on her head, without any pity despite being laughed at.

⠀⠀"You should have made one like hers," the blonde clicked her tongue, watching the whole thing with amusement despite the dirty look she got from Layla.

⠀⠀They saw Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell go with them, and then leave. She knew this was her chance to go, so she got up determinedly from the table and made her way to the Gryffindor's, to the excited looks of her friends and curious onlookers from other houses.

⠀⠀She sat down next to Ron, with Harry, Hermione and Ginny across from her, and waved. The three of them waved back and started talking to each other, probably leaving her to talk to the red-headed boy.

⠀⠀She looked at him carefully, as he looked at her. She felt butterflies all over her body as his blue eyes connected with her green ones, a strong connection between them just by their gazes. She smiled unconsciously, and he returned the gesture.

⠀⠀"I came to wish you luck," she muttered a little embarrassed, as she saw the not-so-discreet stares of the Gryffindors in front of her.

⠀⠀Ron's cheeks instantly turned red.

⠀⠀"I... uh, thank you very much, Lay, really. I'm very nervous actually," he ran a hand down his neck in embarrassment.

⠀⠀"No!" Exclaimed the brunette in a louder tone of voice than usual, so that some of the students looked at her sideways; she blushed and continued to speak softly. "I mean, you shouldn't, you'll do excellently, I'm sure."

⠀⠀As Ron was about to reply, the owls began to arrive, and she remembered that it shouldn't be long before the boy's owl arrived. Sure enough, it landed on the table in front of him, and as he got a good look at it and —surely— recognised who it was from, he blushed even more. Layla fell silent and looked at the envelope with mock curiosity.

⠀⠀"From your family?" She asked innocently. Harry, Hermione and Ginny looked at each other, telling the brunette that it wasn't, but she pretended not to notice.

⠀⠀"Uhh, yes, of course," and he put the letter in his uniform pocket, still blushing.

⠀⠀"Oh, well, I suppose you should go, shouldn't you?" She turned her gaze to Harry, and he nodded. "So... good luck, Ron."

⠀⠀She gave him a kiss on the cheek, very close to the corner of his lips, leaving the redhead the same colour as his hair. The boy smiled unconsciously, and when Layla pulled away, he gave her another kiss as well, just as close to her lips, making her blush.

⠀⠀She was speechless as she watched Ron's three friends look on in excitement, and stood up when she finally snapped back to reality. She smiled at him and walked away from there straight to her table, feeling butterflies all over her body.

⠀⠀Back at her table, she saw that all the Slytherin badges on the table said 'Weasley is our king', and she had an unpleasant feeling that this could not bode well.

⠀⠀"I can't believe you did it!" Megan exclaimed excitedly as Layla sat down at the table. She still had a blush on her cheeks and wiggled her foot nervously, more so when she saw Ron discreetly read the letter and leave the Great Hall with Harry.

⠀⠀"Oh, I'm so embarrassed... What if he thinks I'm too intense?" She asked worriedly, running her hands over her cheeks in an attempt to control her redness.

⠀⠀"Lay, he enjoyed it! He even did the same thing," Wayne replied mockingly. "You're two fools in love who don't realise..."

⠀⠀In the stands, already seated with the students of her house, she couldn't help but get angry when she heard the Slytherin chanting.

⠀⠀Her face was red with fury, and she was about to run off to the snake stand, but Megan told her not to because she could be punished.

⠀⠀She reluctantly stayed in her seat hoping that Ron would ignore it: something that was almost impossible, as the Slytherins seemed very determined for him to just listen to them.

⠀⠀Suddenly each team came out of their tents, and the respective captains, Angelina and Montague, came together and shook hands. Mrs. Hooch put her whistle in her mouth and blew.

⠀⠀The balls were then released and all fourteen players took flight. Layla (as much as she wanted to pay attention to all the Gryffindors) couldn't keep her eyes off Ron, who was darting towards the goal hoops.

⠀⠀All the players were doing their best to catch the bludgers, dodging them and darting around the pitch. Lee Jordan was narrating the match, but the brunette had eyes and ears for nothing but watching Ron dodge and protect the Gryffindor hoops. Then Lee paused to listen, and the song rose, loud and clear, from the sea of green and silver of Slytherin in the stands.

⠀⠀"...It's going to be the first test for Weasley, the new Gryffindor Keeper, brother of beaters Fred and George, and a promising new addition to the team... Cheers, Ron!" But a collective shout of joy erupted from the Slytherin zone: Ron had launched himself in desperation, arms in the air, and the quaffle had flown between them and gone clean through the centre hoop of the Gryffindor goal. "Slytherin have scored!" Lee's voice rang out over the cheers and whistles of the crowd. "Ten-nil to Slytherin? Tough luck, Ron."

⠀⠀The Slytherins chanted even louder.

⠀⠀"...Gryffindor is back in possession of the quaffle, and now it's Katie Bell running up and down the pitch..." Lee shouted bravely, though the chanting was so deafening that he could barely be heard.

⠀⠀They were still playing and singing. Layla couldn't believe what was happening, and wanted to stop it several times by going to the Slytherin stands, but Megan wouldn't let her, as much as she wanted to.

⠀⠀But twenty-nil was nothing, and she believed that Gryffindor still had time to come back from behind or to catch the snitch. But Ron let himself score two more goals, and watched as Harry began to search desperately for the snitch, spreading the feeling to all the students.

⠀⠀Then the lions scored a goal, and the roars of Luna Lovegood's ridiculous lion's head hat could be heard amidst the cheers from the stands. Layla was shouting madly, cheering Ron on, trying to get him to stop paying attention to the snakes' song and focus on the game.

⠀⠀A couple of minutes later, she watched as the dark-haired descended, surely seeing the snitch, with Malfoy at his heels. Harry pulled the broom upwards, imprisoning the unruly snitch in his hand, and the Gryffindor fans shouted with satisfaction...

⠀⠀They were saved. It no longer mattered that Ron had let himself score those goals, no one would remember it because Gryffindor had won. But then a bludger hit Harry hard in the lower back, and he fell off his broom. Fortunately, he was less than two metres off the ground because he had come so low to catch the snitch, so it wasn't a high fall. Immediately there was the shrill whistle of Mrs. Hooch, a roar in the stands made up of whistles, angry shouts and boos.

⠀⠀No one could accurately describe what started to happen down there, because Layla only saw Malfoy shouting something, and then suddenly Harry and George pounced on him, starting to hit him. Megan again held her by the arms to stop her from running out onto the pitch, because she wanted to go and see Ron: he must feel terrible.

⠀⠀Mrs. Hooch forced Harry and George to leave, and they stormed out of there. The brunette, ignoring her friends' calls, ran off towards the tent where she saw Ron enter. She apologised to several students she had accidentally bumped into, but didn't care just to get there.

⠀⠀Fred raised an eyebrow at her hesitation to enter, and approached her.

⠀⠀"If you come to see my brother, he's inside. It's now or never," he suggested with a smirk. Layla turned to look at him and blushed. "By the way, where's Megan?"

⠀⠀"Oh, I, she," she began to stammer, giving a not inconspicuous glance at the stand where she had been five minutes before, "should be with the other Hufflepuffs, I suppose."

⠀⠀The redhead nodded and left, probably in search of her blonde best friend.

⠀⠀Breathing slowly, she opened the entrance to the tent, and saw Ron throwing his uniform courageously into a corner, oblivious to her presence. She looked around, and cleared her throat. The Gryffindor looked at her and blushed.

⠀⠀"Lay...," he murmured, approaching her. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

⠀⠀She shifted her foot nervously and looked Ron straight into the blue eyes she loved so much.

⠀⠀"I came to see you," she said softly, blushing even more. She took the redhead's hand and forced him to sit with her on the bench over there. "You won."

⠀⠀She wanted to smack herself for saying that, since it was obvious. The boy nodded, and ran his hand down his neck nervously.

⠀⠀"I did a terrible job," he admitted, looking away from her, and waved his hands as if he was very sorry. "I didn't manage to stop any... I, I'm a mess, Lay, I should quit..."

⠀⠀"No, Ron," the brunette interrupted him, taking him by the hands and giving him a squeeze. "Don't say that, okay? It was that stupid song that made you lose your concentration, but you're doing really well... Ah, remember I saw you at the tryouts, and you did great."

⠀⠀"It was luck, I guess," he shrugged, "because I've seen I'm no good at this, Lay."

⠀⠀"Ron, you're not going to change my mind," she threatened him with her finger, "and don't even try."

⠀⠀The red-haired man smiled half-heartedly and nodded.

⠀⠀Layla didn't know what to do to make him feel better, because she knew the game had made him feel terrible, so she gave him a quick hug, surprising him, and stood up while holding his hand.

⠀⠀"Let's walk."

⠀⠀She pulled him out of the tent at the back, and made them start running in the direction of the Black Lake, to try to distract him.

⠀⠀Moments like this, improvised, were what Layla wanted most. That nothing was planned and that everything that could happen would be surprising and exciting.

⠀⠀She really was falling in love with Ron Weasley.

⠀⠀But it wasn't the same as what she had felt from first to fourth year: simple infatuation. That feeling, over the course of just a few weeks, had evolved in an incredible way, forcing Layla to see that it wasn't just a childhood crush, it was so much more.

⠀⠀To her, love was the purest and most beautiful feeling there was. She had seen it in her parents since she was a child, in the muggle films she used to go watch to the cinema, in the amusement parks when couples passed by her; and all they saw at that moment was the person next to them. The Hufflepuff had truly longed to experience it forever, and when she finally felt it, even though it was scary, it was more the desire to nurture that love.

⠀⠀When they were sitting on the grass, she devoted herself to looking Ron straight in the eye: it had become her favourite thing to do these days. She loved losing herself in the blue of his eyes, which seemed to teleport her to a different place, where only the two of them existed.

⠀⠀"Is there something on my face?" Asked the blushing red-haired man as he felt the brunette's piercing gaze. She chuckled and shook her head.

⠀⠀"No, just..., nothing," she regretted, and also blushed like him. "I, uh, tell me something."

⠀⠀"Like what?" Ron asked curiously, and raised an eyebrow.

⠀⠀"Whatever," she murmured, smiling sideways. "I just want you to be distracted from everything."

⠀⠀"Better tell me about yourself," he said, resting his head on his fist, and looking at her intently.

⠀⠀"What do you want to know?"

⠀⠀"Um, I don't know, don't you have any siblings?"

⠀⠀"No," she replied, grimacing. "My mum got pregnant once, but when it was three months old she had a little accident and lost it."

⠀⠀Ron's face paled.

⠀⠀"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," he added quickly, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze.

⠀⠀"It's no big deal," she shrugged, vaguely remembering the moment. "It hurt, but I'm over it, really... The one who still gets sad about it is my mum, just don't ever mention it in front of her," she muttered, smiling sideways.

⠀⠀And she hadn't forgotten. In all those years, her parents had tried many times to have another baby, but hadn't been able to. She regretted that, because she would have liked to have had a sibling to share everything with; for that reason she had always envied the Weasleys, there were so many of them that they had never spent their childhood alone and with no one to play with. Although she wouldn't have liked to have so many either, because it made Ron insecure, because his brothers had high positions and he didn't stand out much for it; she imagined that being made prefect had been a very important thing for him, even if he seemed to take it as a joke.

⠀⠀"Do you remember in second year they opened the Chamber of Secrets?" Asked Ron, probably in an attempt to change the topic of conversation. Layla laughed at that, but nodded.

⠀⠀"Of course! We had our final exams cancelled because of that," she recalled, her mind wandering back to those long days. "Also because I was afraid that the same thing would happen to me... being petrified became one of my biggest fears from that moment on," she remarked, saddened.

⠀⠀"Were you a fan of Lockhart?"

⠀⠀The Hufflepuff blushed at the memory, and nodded sheepishly.

⠀⠀She, not yet well accustomed to the magical world, had faithfully believed that Gilderoy Lockhart was a man of skill, strength and tenacity, who would fight anything that came his way. It wasn't until, thanks to his petty classes, that she realised on her own that he was a fake. She was very hurt by that.

⠀⠀"That's how I became friends with Mione," she told him, laughing. "I idolised him, Ron, I really did! When he used to say everything he knew how to do, I just pictured it in my mind and got excited... After my first class with him, I remember him saying to me when he read my answers to that stupid quiz: 'Congratulations, Layla. You're the second person to know everything about me, the only one before you was Hermione Granger'. And I thought: 'Oh, I must become friends with that girl', and one day I found her in the Library doing homework, I approached her and that's how we became friends."

⠀⠀Ron had watched the brunette intently as she told the story, paying close attention to her excited expressions and her hands that moved as she began to explain something she seemed to be very interested in saying. She didn't notice that, and only felt his intense stare.

⠀⠀"Well, I was going to tell you about what happened when Harry went into the Chamber and left me behind with Lockhart..."

⠀⠀"When he lost his memory?" She interrupted him, trying to hold back a laugh. He nodded, and began to tell her that anecdote.

⠀⠀The next day Layla found out that Harry, Fred and George had all been suspended 'for life' from playing Quidditch, obviously upsetting Angelina and Professor McGonagall, who, although she wouldn't show it, was very angry with Umbridge, as she was the one who decided it.

⠀⠀Ron had tried to resign from his position, but then told the girl that after the team's loss, they wouldn't risk looking for another person for the games.

⠀⠀"And tell me, Layla dear, what do you do with your free time?" Professor Umbridge asked her one day when she asked her to stay after school. She was worried, because she was afraid that she wanted to get information out of her about the DA.

⠀⠀"I, uh..."

⠀⠀"Drink your tea, it will get cold," the woman murmured with a giggle, inviting her with her hands. That made her wary, so she just pretended to drink without actually doing so.

⠀⠀"Thank you," she said nervously, "Well, I like being with my friends, doing homework together..."

⠀⠀"Did you know that offering your services for homework is forbidden?" She interrupted her, looking her straight in the eye. She felt a little intimidated but didn't let it show.

⠀⠀"Of course, Professor," she replied confidently, not looking away from the woman's eyes. "But I don't offer my services. If you like to ask the other students... I don't take any money. Besides, I only help them: we do the same homework together, and I support them."

⠀⠀Professor Umbridge looked at her defiantly, but as she finished listening to Layla's words, she nodded slowly.

⠀⠀"You can leave."

⠀⠀She thanked her with a gesture, grabbed her backpack and left the classroom in a near-run.

⠀⠀In the corridor a couple of metres from the exit she ran into Ron, who was waiting for her. She blushed a little at that, but just greeted him with a kiss on the cheek as usual.

⠀⠀Without saying anything until that moment, they started walking together towards the Great Hall because it was time for lunch. The red-haired boy cleared his throat to speak.

⠀⠀"Did she say anything to you...? Did she try to punish you?"

⠀⠀"Surely," she replied, pursing her lips. "She questioned me about 'offering my services', in other words, doing homework, in exchange for money, and made it clear to me that it was forbidden."

⠀⠀Ron raised an eyebrow, not believing that. Layla thought the same thing: it was silly. Everyone she'd ever offered to help them with their homework knew she didn't charge.

⠀⠀"Who do you think could have told her that lie?" She shrugged, and they both entered the Great Hall and sat down at the head of the Hufflepuff table.

⠀⠀"I don't know, and I don't care to know... Whoever it was, I hope they realise that nothing serious happened with Umbridge."

⠀⠀Her gaze shifted to the Slytherin table, and she saw Roger Malone, Peter White and Draco Malfoy discreetly glancing in her direction and whispering.

⠀⠀Ron frowned in annoyance as he noticed the same thing she did.

⠀⠀"Do you think it was them?" He asked, looking at her. Layla leaned her head on her hand, and nodded half-heartedly.

⠀⠀"Roger's stopped bothering me since that time," she muttered, blushing as she remembered how the red-haired boy had defended her. "And well, White still bothers Wayne, but he doesn't give a damn... Malfoy, he's an idiot with no personality, he's only interested in himself."

⠀⠀"You couldn't have described him better," said Ron, laughing a little, but still looking in the direction of the three Slytherins.

⠀⠀They both continued to eat, under the watchful eyes of the snakes.

⠀⠀They were then joined by Megan and Wayne, who had managed to befriend Ron, so they didn't mind him eating with them. She decided not to tell them what had happened with Umbridge yet, although it was clear that they were waiting for the red-headed boy to leave before asking her, which wasn't going to happen so soon because they had both agreed to go to the Library after lunch.

⠀⠀When they were in the place, they went to a corner where nobody usually sat, and they liked it because they were not disturbed.

⠀⠀"I hope it wasn't them because otherwise..."

⠀⠀"We'll beat the shit out of them," Layla finished for him, laughing quietly. She took out her parchment, quill and ink to begin writing the essay Snape had left them.

⠀⠀"I won't let you beat their faces in," Ron muttered a little annoyed, pulling the same things out as she did. She couldn't help but laugh again.

⠀⠀"Oh, come on Ron," she teased, nudging him lightly with her shoulder. "Why not, is it because I'm a girl?"

⠀⠀"Yes, but no," he answered, looking at her mockingly. "Yes, because I would like to see you beat them up, and no, because they are evidently much stronger than you, and I would be afraid of you being hurt."

⠀⠀"Oh, don't worry about that, Megan can hit them freely," she said, suppressing a laugh, because she had remembered something very funny that had happened to both of them.

⠀⠀In the holidays before fourth year, the blonde had come to her house several times to pester her and ask her to accept her invitation to go to the Quidditch World Cup together, as according to her she 'couldn't go without her best friend', when in reality she just didn't want to be with her stepmother and stepsisters. Layla considered that a good excuse, anyway, but she didn't want to make her spend money on something she wouldn't enjoy, as she didn't really like Quidditch.

⠀⠀One day before Megan left for the World Cup, they had gone to a muggle ice cream shop in the neighbourhood where the brunette lived, to try to convince her one last time. When they were in the establishment, some boys had also arrived to order some ice cream, and while they were waiting for them, they had approached them both with flirting intentions; unfortunately their methods for that were very bad, in the worst way, because they had ended up saying that they had no reason to go buy ice cream alone, since 'that's what the man was for, and they should stay at home cooking'.

⠀⠀The only thing Layla remembers, without precision, was that Megan raised her left fist, because she was left-handed, and had broken the boy's nose for saying that stupid thing.

⠀⠀"I'll get you for this, you fucking bitch!" Exclaimed the boy as he walked out of the ice cream parlour while his nose was gushing blood.

⠀⠀The only thing her best friend could thank the boys for was that as they all left the place, their ice creams had been offered to the two of them, having already been paid for. 'Double prize,' Megan had scoffed as she excitedly ate the chocolate ice cream that the boy with the broken nose had paid for.

⠀⠀"You tend to get lost in your thoughts a lot," Ron muttered teasingly, causing Layla to blush. She went on to tell him about that experience, where he was surprised and laughed at her best friend's attitude. "I wouldn't want to make her upset with me..."

⠀⠀"You wouldn't really want to," said the brunette with a laugh. "It's scary... She and Wayne argue a lot, they both like to be right. Still, we're best friends, but it's very funny..."

⠀⠀"Does Megan like Fred?" The red-haired boy asked curiously, raising an eyebrow. She hesitated whether to tell him or not.

⠀⠀"Well... kind of. It's complicated, you know? I don't even know what she's up to with him."

⠀⠀"Because I found out that she did like him, but he wasn't interested in that way... Now she ignores him, but she has him eating from the palm of her hand. It's very strange."

⠀⠀"What you know is what she tells me," she snorted. "That's just it! I mean, I'm her best friend, she should tell me what she's supposed to be doing with the guy she likes... Megan is very complicated, but she's smart, she knows what she's doing."

⠀⠀"Don't tell Fred, but I'm team Megan," Layla couldn't help but let out a laugh but nodded.

⠀⠀"Your wish is my command."

⠀⠀They finished the day together. After standing in front of the Black Lake talking and laughing, they went to the kitchens to get something to eat, especially Ron, who hadn't eaten anything all day, and went for a walk around the castle in some passages that Layla didn't know about. He was a prefect, so he also had to make sure no one caught them in places that weren't suitable for students: Umbridge had a stupid thing about not allowing public displays of love, and even if they didn't, they had to be careful.

⠀⠀They almost ran into Roger Malone and Peter White, but Layla was smart enough to run out of there and drag Ron with her, otherwise he might pounce on them.

⠀⠀They didn't see any Gryffindors around, so she couldn't help but feel a little bad, but she tried to be optimistic that only Harry and George had been punished.

THE NEXT DAY SHE WOKE UP TO THE WATCHFUL EYES OF HER BEST FRIEND, something that scared the hell out of her and she thought she had something on her face or that she had something important to tell her. A night before she had come straight to sleep because she was tired, running away from Megan and Wayne with any questions, doubts or suggestions they might have about her relationship-not-relationship with Ron.

⠀⠀"So?" Was the first thing she asked as Layla got up from her bed, still a little sleepy.

⠀⠀"'So' what?" She countered, raising an eyebrow. She knew what she meant, but she was trying to prolong it.

⠀⠀"How did it go yesterday? I need you to tell me about Umbridge as well."

⠀⠀She was surprised not to see her roommates in the room, but decided to ignore it. Megan forced her to sit on her bed and closed the curtains.

⠀⠀Layla lay back on her bed, because she was still sleepy, and her eyes were closing.

⠀⠀"If you fall asleep, I'll throw water on you," the blonde threatened her with her wand, and the brunette quickly sat up and told her what Umbridge had said and that she'd had a great time with Ron.

⠀⠀She couldn't help but sound like a fool in love, but she couldn't care less: she knew how she felt about Ron, and nothing was going to change that.

⠀⠀"Girl, you're terribly in love," laughed Megan. "And he's in love with you! But for Helga's sake, you're so absent-minded!"

⠀⠀"Of course he's not in love with me, Meg," Layla replied, blushing and shaking her head. "He's barely spoken to me for two months, it can't be possible."

⠀⠀"Lay, understand! Haven't you ever noticed how he looks at you? Merlin, child."

⠀⠀The brunette couldn't help but laugh at her best friend's annoyance. Megan had the complete opposite attitude to Layla, for where she was quiet and pitiful, the blonde was hyperactive and flirtatious by nature, and even more so after what had happened to her on a certain holiday, which had changed her so much.

⠀⠀"Better tell me how it's going with Fred," the girl changed the subject, leaning back on her friend's bed and hugging her pillow. "I don't even know what you're up to!"

⠀⠀"It's complicated, Lay, and you're too much of a good girl to understand," she replied thoughtfully, looking out the window through a small gap in the curtains.

⠀⠀The Hufflepuff was no fool. She knew that her best friend wasn't a white dove, and that she was far more experienced in subjects that Layla (certainly knew) but that weren't of interest to her yet. Fred was somewhat similar, and she couldn't help but notice that there was a great deal of tension between the two of them when they were together, where Megan would provoke and it was the redhead's turn to want more with her. The blonde's revenge was working to perfection, but she also knew it was a win-win, because she still wanted Fred, and she knew that despite not having something formal at the moment, it could still happen sometime.

⠀⠀"I'm not the Virgin Mary, Meg, but I just hope everything is working out for you," she said, and she nodded.

⠀⠀"Who is the Virgin Mary?"

⠀⠀Layla had to cover her mouth to keep from bursting out laughing, and went on to explain about Jesus and God, subjects Megan didn't know about because her family had always been entirely magical and didn't know about muggle things.

⠀⠀Lunchtime was quiet, and since they met in the Common Room with Wayne, they gave him updates on Layla's love life. It seemed that the two of them only lived for gossip, often leading to fights between the two of them, though they always ended up talking to each other again. The Hufflepuff boy seemed very interested in what was going on with her and Megan was grateful for that because it made for more conversation.

⠀⠀The brunette sometimes felt bad about telling him how it was going with Ron, because he still didn't dare to confess his feelings to the boy he liked.

⠀⠀"Lay! Hey!"

⠀⠀She turned back and saw Ernie Macmillan smiling happily, his hands behind his back. She couldn't help but be very curious, and even more so when she saw how Ron's gaze had fallen on her.

⠀⠀"Hey, Ernie, what's up?" She asked, trying to find out what was going on. The blond sat down next to her and took his hands off her back, showing her a quill she had seen in Hogsmeade and liked very much: it used ink on its own and it was coloured.

⠀⠀"Oh," was all she could say when her classmate held it out to her and she held it up blushing. She didn't like getting presents, especially since it wasn't very cheap, which was why she hadn't bought it that time in Hogsmeade.

⠀⠀"It is a gift..."

⠀⠀"My birthday was in June," she reminded him embarrassed.

⠀⠀"Oh, yes, I know... But I saw it and thought of you."

⠀⠀Her gaze strayed to the Gryffindor table, where Ron had stood up to the curious stares of his friends and was leaving in annoyance. Layla felt terrible.

⠀⠀"It's not necessary, Ernie, really," she tried to give it back to him, but he shook his head and put it back in her hands.

⠀⠀"If you try it, I'll tell Hannah to put it in your suitcase."

⠀⠀She bit her lip nervously, and nodded.

⠀⠀"Thank you," she murmured, giving a half-smile.

⠀⠀Ernie smiled big and kissed her goodbye on the cheek. But it wasn't like Ron.

⠀⠀Her face was completely red at that point, because that had attracted stares from many people in the Great Hall, including the snakes, especially Roger Malone.

⠀⠀She looked at her friends worried about Ron's reaction, Wayne was paying attention, but Megan was glaring at Malone.

⠀⠀She knew the red-haired boy wasn't rich, and it distressed her that he had felt bad that another boy had given him something 'expensive', knowing that he couldn't afford it. Hermione had told her about it once, and she knew that she would never want to distress him in that way (because she wasn't rich either), so she felt bad afterwards, unconsciously, knowing how much it might have affected him.

⠀⠀She stood up, leaving the quill in Wayne's hands, and left the Great Hall to look for Ron. She had hoped to see him nearby, and she wandered the corridors for the next twenty minutes, looking in every corner to see if she could find him, but no.

⠀⠀She hoped that the boy hadn't really thought things that were wrong.

⠀⠀Annoyed to find so many students staring at her curiously and whispering, she went back to the Great Hall hoping to find Ron or at least Harry and Hermione, but she had no luck. In fact, there were very few people there, not even her friends were eating anymore. She saw Ginny eating and reading a book about Quidditch, so she decided to go and ask her.

⠀⠀She sat down next to her and glanced at the book as if she thought it was interesting; which was a lie because Layla wasn't really into the sport.

⠀⠀"Is it interesting?" She asked her to start the conversation. The redhead looked up from her book and smiled at her.

⠀⠀"Yes, in fact, it's very good... Do you need something, Layla?" She asked in a non-rude way. The brunette blushed a little.

⠀⠀"Oh, yeah, so... I wanted to know if you knew where Ron was..., I, well, he left and..."

⠀⠀"That," said Ginny, smiling sideways and staring at her; she couldn't help but be intimidated by the look. "I heard Harry and Hermione say they were going I don't know where... so I can't help you, sorry."

⠀⠀She looked genuinely sorry. Layla nodded unconsciously and bit her lip nervously. She was afraid that Ron's sister would believe things that weren't true, and decided to risk explaining, even though she knew it wasn't necessary.

⠀⠀"I... I think he was upset about Ernie," Ginny raised an eyebrow, but didn't speak, "and I get it, I mean, I didn't ask him to buy me that, really, I don't even plan on using it because I think he likes me, but I don't... It's very complicated, actually."

⠀⠀"I understand, you don't have to explain," the redhead interrupted her with a laugh, looked at her curiously and leaned her head on her hand, still looking at her. "You're very pretty, I'm not surprised by that..., well I shouldn't tell you, they'll kill me."

⠀⠀"What...?" She tried to make out what the girl was going to say, but Ginny quickly shook her head. She grabbed her book and grabbed her arm without warning.

⠀⠀"Let's go study, shall we?" She offered, smiling and leading her out of the Great Hall and towards the Library. "I hear you like to go... it's a good time to get to know each other."

⠀⠀Layla was completely blushing. She was embarrassed to be around Ginny, because she was an intimidating girl, but in a good way, and although she did want to get to know her better, she was afraid she wouldn't like her.

⠀⠀She had to admit that the rest of her afternoon was a great time, despite the fears she had had hours earlier.

⠀⠀Ginny Weasley was a unique girl. She was funny, outgoing and very intelligent. She was grateful to have an immediate connection with her, because dealing with Ron wasn't easy, and she knew that more than anyone.

⠀⠀In the evening when she returned to her room, she knew she had to send a letter to the red-headed boy about the match situation. As the 'mystery girl' she had to say something to him, even though she had had a great evening the day before.

⠀⠀Layla just wanted him to feel good, because she really liked him.