Stars in Her Eyes {Wolfstar's Daughter}

Chapter 77: Falling

Nell had been back over a week now and was slowly settling back into the rhythm if everyday life. Her concerns that everything would change with her friends now seemed less of a worry then she had initially thought.

Of course they were worried and Nell wanted to whack them at times for being so suffocatingly present, but she couldn't help but love them all that much more for their behaviour. Such as Ron refusing to let her carry any of her particularly heavier school books, sliding them out of her hands with a cheeky grin.

"I'll take these" he'd say, winking facetiously and holding them above his head any time she would attempt to get them back, only retuning them once they had gotten to their lessons.

Whilst Hermione took great care scolding any of her more destructive behaviours, taking every opportunity to throw something at her every time she caught her scratching at her newer scars.

"Leave them alone or they'll get infected!" She'd constantly say.

And of course, she was reading more books on lycanthropy than ever, constantly muttering to herself about how all the information was ridiculously outdated.

It was safe to say she'd never been more grateful to call them her friends. They cared about her, too much she thought, but never made her feel any different for having her condition. They hadn't adapted around it, they had adapted with it and yet never made her feel as if she was burden, a feeling which often ate away at her.

To them to she wasn't a burden, she was their friend. And the same way they reminded Hermione to sleep when she was studying before a test, or stopped Ron from forgetting every piece of homework he was ever set or made sure Harry didn't constantly forget his glasses everywhere he went, they looked after her around the moon. Not because it was a burden, but because they cared.

But Harry, it seemed, was affected most by the endeavour. He never wanted to be apart from her, as if scared something might happen and he wouldn't be there. He would make sure he was sat next to her everywhere they went, at every meal, in every lesson, and in the lessons they didn't share he would be late to his own just to make sure he could walk her to hers.

As much as Nell might have wanted to say it bothered her, him treating her differently in a way he never had before, she didn't seem to mind it as much as she thought she would. If anything his constant company was a comfort, just knowing he was always there beside her. Because sure enough, every time she finished a lesson, and was sure this would be the time he would finally give up his ridiculous attentiveness, the crowds of students would clear and sure enough there he would be stood waiting for her, often out of breath with messy hair and his glasses askew having run across the castle from his own lesson.

And every time she thought this would be the time he didn't show, and he did. And boy did she have to fight off a smile every time she spotted him across the hall, with a stupid smile across his own face at seeing her. And every time he'd take her bag and they'd walk through the castle together and Nell didn't know what to say except for that it was really nice and as guilty as she felt seeing him run back and forth for her, she wasn't entirely sure if she wanted it stop.

The only time it seemed to get a bit difficult was during quidditch practice, Nell felt confident enough by now to get back on a broom and play again but that didn't mean Harry felt the same way.

He must have been hit by at least six bludgers because of his inability to take his eyes away from Nell.

"Potter! Stop gawking at Lupin and get your head in the game!" Angelina yelled across the pitch, causing him to blush furiously.

And unbeknownst to him, across the pitch the thus unaware girl in question bowed her head in an attempted hide the blush crawling across her cheeks. In her defence it was very cold.