the guardian | h.potter

2.9

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— Finley stood in front of her mirror, checking her outfit. It was a dark dress with a sweetheart v-neck. It was an off the shoulder dress, that ended just above her knees.

Her hair was curled and pinned to the side. A necklace chained around her neck with jewels beading down. Her earrings dangled just above her chin.

Finley smiled at her appearance. She thought she looked pretty.

There was a knock on her bedroom door. Finley adjusted her dress one more time before answering the door. She opened it to greet Hermione.

"Hey, Hermione. You look lovely, absolutely stunning. Ron is missing out, big time."

"Robin! Oh my gosh, you look stunning! You're going to blow Harry's socks off!"

"Thank you, Mione." Finley grabbed her key, closing the door and locking it. She extended an arm, taking Hermione's as an escort. "Where's Harry?"

"He was still getting ready when I left. He was at Dumbledore's office for a while so he just started. He wanted to look his best for you."

Finley smiled at her boyfriend's antics.

The two girls walked into Slughorn's room, the table filling up slowly. Harry had already been seated, his fingers combing through his hair nervously. The action messed up his hair to its natural unruliness.

He looked up, sensing her presence. Finley smiled at him, him smiling back.

He stood up, letting her sit down beside him before he sat back down. "Fin... you're beautiful."

She blushed lightly, tilting her head down. "Thank you, Harry. You look sharp too."

"Well, it appears that most of us has arrived. Let's eat, shall we?" Slughorn toasted to supper before food popped up on their plates

The dinner was quiet and boring most of the way. Finley's and Harry's pinkies were connected under the table. It was the only thing keeping them sane enough throughout the meal.

Dinner finished after a full hour, of just awkward and bouncing conversation. It wasn't a whole bunch of conversations put together, it was one person speaking at a time.

Finley hadn't spoken in an hour. That was, until Slughorn asked her a question. "Miss Robinson. That's a fascinating last name, if I say anything. May I ask who your parents are?"

"Their names were Emilia and John Robinson. They died when I was 12." Finley spoke quickly, not liking the topic of discussion.

Slughorn noticed this. He switched to a different person after saying a quick, "Sorry for your loss."

She heard it time and time again. That's why she never liked speaking about it. It was raw for Finley, only because she never truly grieved. She just brushed it off, keeping up her strong persona and living.

She never even found out who the man was that murdered her parents.

"So, tell me, Cormac, do you see anything of your Uncle Tiberius these days?" Slughorn questioned the boy, after dessert had just been passed out.

"Yes, sir. In fact, I'm meant to go hunting with him and the Minister of Magic over the holidays." The boy answered cockily.

Harry and Finley shot each other a side glance.

"Well, be sure to give them both my best. What about your uncle, Belby? For those of you who don't know, Marcus' uncle invented the Wolfsbane Potion. Is he working on anything new?"

"Don't know." The boy shoveled more dessert into his face. His focus was only on his ice cream and the girl who sat next to Harry– Finley Robinson. "Him and Dad don't get on. Probably because my dad says potions are rubbish. Says the only potion worth having is a stiff one at the end of the day."

"What about you, Miss Granger? What exactly does your family do in the Muggle World?" Slughorn leant forward, scooping some ice cream.

"My parents are dentists." The room is silent. "They tend to people's teeth."

"Fascinating," Slughorn gasped. "And is that considered a dangerous profession?"

"No. Although, one boy, Robbie Finwick did bite my father once. He needed ten stitches." Hermione laughed, though, no one else joined.

It was, once again, awkward. That was until someone interrupted.

The door opened to a redhead girl– Ginny Weasley. Finley stared at her, concerned.

"Ah, Miss Weasley. Come in, come in."

"Look at her eyes," Hermione whispered to the two. "They've been fighting again, her and Dean."

"Sorry, I'm not usually late."

"No matter. You're just in time for dessert, that is, if Belby's left you any." Slughorn laughed at his own humor.

Finley caught Cormac's gaze on Hermione, licking his fingers seductively. She rolled her eyes at the boy's behavior.

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"Goodbye. Bye-bye." Slughorn wished farewells as the dinner ended.

"I stay. You go, wait for me outside." Harry told Finley through their connection. Finley's eyes held confusion, but she nodded anyway.

Harry smiled, pecking her lips. She went to leave, leaning against the wall outside as soon as she exited. Slughorn closed the door after her.

Finley scanned the hall, taking in each detail of the crevices and hanging pictures.

A boy rushed down the hallway. It was Draco. He seemed to be in a hurry.

"Malfoy?" She called for his attention. He halted, snapping his head around to face her.

"What?"

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" She inquired.

He rolled his eyes. "That is none of your concern, Robinson. Just mind your business and I'll mind mine." He spoke before continuing with his storming off.

After a few moments, Harry exited the classroom. As he walked out, he searched for Finley. She joined his side, walking with him back to her room.

"Why'd you stay?"

"Well..."

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Author's Note: not impressed with this chapter so I'll probably come back and fix it later
- J.S.