𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨-𝙧.𝙖.𝙗

𝟭𝟵-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

JO FEELS A BIT UNTOUCHABLE. She floats down the hallways. She smiles without realizing it. She gets an E on her next Defense essay. McNair has a bruised eye and swollen lip. No one dares to come near her.

She also has this sort of buzz in her; a low humming, an endless vibration in her chest, nerves of excitement lingering in the tips of her fingers, a head full of clouds and pink sunsets. She can hardly even recognize herself anymore-Jo looks in the mirror and doesn't see dark bags or a dissatisfied frown, she sees a blush in her cheeks and an unfamiliar smile. It's almost nauseating. And despite the fact that she doesn't crawl into her own bed until the sun is about to rise, she feels awake, constantly, like that constant buzzing she feels is making her too excited to sleep, to even shut her eyes.

It grows every night.

Jo thinks about Regulus a lot as well. That's not something particularly new to her, but it gets worse. She thinks about him in class, during practice, in her dorm. She counts down the minutes until Potions. She steals glances in the Great Hall when she thinks no one will see. She sneaks out of bed earlier. She bites down on her tongue to keep her from bringing him up in almost every conversation she's in.

And Jo doesn't really see any relation between him and her change in demeanor-that's still a mystery to her. She just chalks it up to the way the sun's out for longer, how Quidditch practices are warmer, that she can sit in the courtyard and feel it on her skin.

And as she sits in the Ravenclaw common room, Alice braiding her hair and Hestia resting her head on Jo's lap, she thinks about how good she feels. She thinks of how she laughs more and how she's started holding Dorcas's hand as they walk from class to class again. She thinks of her rising grades and how she's playing Quidditch better and better. She thinks of Regulus and how she can still slip down for a quick visit because, even though he's not expecting her, the more time she has with him the more she values it and suddenly nightly walks and Potions and now library study-sessions don't feel like enough.

"Jo," Dorcas calls from the armchair opposite her, drowning in a blanket and with a mouthful of Pumpkin Pasties, "you paying attention?"

She blinks, dragged down from her thoughts back down to the floor where she sits. Suddenly, Jo is aware of the way Alice's fingers work through her hair, brushing against her scalp, of the weight of Hestia's head on her lap. "No," she responds after a moment, blunt in delivery.

Dorcas scoffs, rolls her eyes. "What are you thinking about over there?"

"Nothing."

"What is going on with you?" Emmeline questions from her spot next to Dorcas, eyes narrowed. "Just sitting there smiling and not saying anything."

Jo didn't realize she was smiling but when Emmeline points it out, she feels the soreness in her cheeks. "Isn't it obvious?" Alice chimes in from behind her as she sits on the arm of a sofa, "Jo's in love, clearly."

This elicits shocked laughter from Hestia, who rolls her head to stare up at Alice. "What?" she questions, perplexed, as if the idea of Jo being in love is so foreign it's inconceivable. And for whatever reason, Jo is offended by this before she remembers what Alice just accused her of.

She stares straight ahead, dizzy smile now replaced with a harsh scow. "I am not," Jo insists, arms crossed over her chest.

But the room seems taken with the idea. Emmeline leans in closer, smiling broadly while Dorcas has the decency to try and suppress hers. "Who is it?" Emmeline presses, practically squealing as she stares Jo down, almost ravenous in her quest for information.

"I am not in love with anyone," Jo insists once more, feeling absurdly childish as she does so. Her heart is hammering against her chest, and she thinks her body is reacting in a way her mind can't understand.