Starry skies and Gardenias

Chapter 103

Saturday came by, and Regulus still had no idea how Jefferson was doing whatever she was doing. He never saw her in the corridors, but she was always there for every class. She was the first one to arrive at the Great Hall, and leave within fifteen minutes, and then she would simply vanish again. 

It simply didn't make sense. 

Regulus was making his way to Slughorn's potions classroom for their 'training sessions'. He wasn't sure what to call them. All they did was make potions all the time, and yes, they were getting better at measuring quickly and understanding why the instructions are the way they are. It would be excellent for their O.W.L.s practicals, and even their N.E.W.T.s, they were even brewing advanced potions.

Regulus pulled the door to the classroom open, and saw Jefferson already sitting at her usual seat. 

She seemed to be drawing again. . .she did say that drawing was her hobby.

Regulus walked into the room, and closed the door behind him and took his seat beside Jefferson. 

Silence fell, which neither of them felt like breaking as they waited for Slughorn to arrive and start the class. . .Regulus suspected that they would be probably continuing their Polyjuice potion. It still had a few more weeks of brewing. 

His eyes fell on the girl beside him, and then to the parchment, she was drawing on. 

Jefferson had a way of holding the quill...she never seemed to get ink on her fingers. 

She was drawing a snitch. . .She was really good at drawing. 

Regulus leaned forward on his seat, and placed his head in his arms, and closed his eyes.

He could hear the faint scratching of the quill coming from hardly a feet away from him. 

The sound of the parchment moving under her hands . . .the quill was off the parchment now, and he suspected she was dipping it in her ink bottle. . .Yes, he heard that soft clink of glass as she shook off the excess ink. . .then it was back on the parchment again. 

Regulus turned his head, and opened his eyes, staring at the brunette beside him. 

She didn't seem to notice. . .or she did and was just pretending she didn't. He would never know.

"What's that?" he asked suddenly. 

Jefferson looked up at him with a questioning look. 

Regulus lazily lifted a hand and pointed at the chain that was hanging from her neck, with a silver pendant. A triangle with a circle and a straight line cutting through the middle. 

"I've seen you draw that symbol almost everywhere,"

"What do you mean almost everywhere?" Jefferson asked slowly.

"Well, it's there in the margins of your potions textbook, your Arithmancy notes, and when you doodle for fun," Regulus said offhandedly. "It is always that symbol. . ." he trailed off.

Jefferson didn't speak for a few seconds, then in a small voice, she said,

"How do you know that?"

It was only then that Regulus realised. 

She was right. How the hell did he know all that?!
. . .Because he was watching her, obviously. 

Oh, Merlin! He was watching her! 
What the hell?!

"I am just observant," he said haughtily, regaining his composure soon enough.

"I see," Jefferson said, in a tone that told Regulus that she didn't buy his excuse for one bit.