𝗷𝗮𝗻𝗲, harry potter

˗ˋ 09

CHAPTER NINE
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-: fourth year :-

── IN WHICH SHE OFFERS

. . .

The hour that the pair spent sat on the grass in the shadows of the tree was rather calming, Jane opening her bag to pass Harry his lunch, ignoring any protests that he had. "Angela seems overjoyed to be cooking for more than two people, you should've seen her face when Flora asked." The Everleigh girl brushed off his objections.

"Still, I can feed myself." Harry grumbled. As much as he appreciated it, there was something about the idea of being pitied by her that he absolutely hated. But he was grateful all the same.

"Says the boy who couldn't eat breakfast because he was too busy making it. Or the boy who came out yesterday with nothing but that weird book." Jane wasn't saying it in the taunting way, but instead the more caring way - from what Harry could see, that appeared to make up a lot of her personality.

After lunch the girl seemed a lot more energetic, practically bounding ahead of Harry, map fluttering in the wind as she continued on, humming to herself as she continued on. "You need to loosen up Potter, have some fun." She sang, twisting back to look at him.

"Do I really?" Harry looked apprehensive, Jane stopping and waiting for him to catch up. When he came to a stop beside her, she thrust out the map in front of him.

"You choose where we go next." Jane shrugged, glancing around before rather gently grabbing Harry's wrist, dragging him over to just past the path, where the grass grew higher and the green was dotted with beige and the purple of clover flowers.

All of a sudden, Jane had pulled Harry down into the summery haze, the greenery tickling the bare skin of his wrists and ankles. "Woah-" He breathed out, only slightly winded by the sudden drop ( it really shouldn't have done so, there had been far worse steep descents when he had been playing Quidditch ).

The way she had pulled him down had them almost fully laid against the grass, nature acting as a soft cushion. Jane pushed herself up onto her elbows, reaching and carefully pulling the discarded map that had fluttered out of Harry's grasp whilst falling.

Sitting up just a little but more, she opened it up, laying it over Harry's knees. He watched her with a sudden spark of interest, eyes glittering in the sun. "You choose. We can go anywhere, doesn't matter whether it's on the map or nowhere to be found." Jane suggested, playing with the corner of the map.

"Me?" Harry frowned. He had no idea, never had the privilege of being able where he could go whilst he was back in Little Whinging. He knew the basic area, but had never dared to go too far on his own. And when he wasn't on his own, he was with the Dursleys, who had been forced to settle with the idea of controlling where he was - they didn't have the power to be able to constrain his actions.

"Yes. I chose today, so you can choose tomorrow. It's no fun being the one who picks where we can go all the time." Jane shrugged, grey eyes bright as she smiled at him. "We could take it in turns. I might have suggested it, but I shouldn't be in charge."

"Oh.." Harry trailed off. This was almost weird for him. He had never had this control outside of Hogwarts. At school he had the ability to go wherever he wanted. But even when he was at the Weasleys, or anywehre else away from Hogwarts, there had always been restraints.

"What's wrong?" Jane asked when Harry didn't answer. She rolled over closer to him, tilting her head as she peered up at him, pushing herself up so she was fully sat up, grass being pushed down into the shape of her hands.

"Nothing, just not used to it I suppose. I've never really been able to do this sort of thing." Harry shrugged. "Like being able just to go anywhere. I don't know where to go, I'm not sure."

"That's okay!" Jane didn't let a moment pass between his words and her own. "You don't have to choose right now, it can be another time." She smiled, watching as Harry frowned then nodded. "In that case.. maybe we can go on this one?"

Jane leaned forward, shoulder brushing against Harry's as she did so, flowery mesh material flattening between them. Just like the day before, a single finger traced along a path. Sounds good?" She asked.

Harry nodded, looking down and pushing up his glasses before they could slip off of his face. "Any requests food-wise? Any particular sandwiches.. or sweet food maybe?" Jane tilted her head as Harry looked up, eyes brushing over the horizon of green and blue.

"No preference... you don't have to bring me food either if it's a problem." Harry muttered, still not extremely used to the idea of someone being so freely kind to him.

"It's no problem, like I said Angela is far more than happy to cook. And besides, now that I have more freedom I can bake more, so it'll be fun to have someone to bake for." Jane beamed, twisting the ginger curls the tumbled over her shoulder with her fingers.

And Harry returned her smile.

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