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'WITH HER'
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♡

However, just as the words left Ella's mouth, Mina noticed Josiah's expression drop as he looked to the entrance of the Great Hall.

Following his gaze, lifting her head from resting upon her arms, her heart began to throb painfully as she spotted Harry walking into the hall with Heather by his side.

The two were talking feverishly; giddily, as they made towards the Gryffindor table. The blonde laughed at something he said and nudged his side playfully. Even from afar, Mina could see the hint of pink on his cheeks—and he didn't so much as glance at her as they walked past the three Hufflepuff's, seemingly in their own little world.

"Oh..." she heard Ella say quietly. Mina felt their sympathetic gazes switch to her as she watched the two sit down beside each other rather closely. "Mina—"

"I'll see you guys later," she said shortly, quickly standing and slinging her bag over her shoulder. Mina walked away before they could console her; leaving the toast untouched on her plate as her stomach twisted—but not from hunger.

Blinking quickly, staring at the floor, Mina felt the air around her get denser in the Great Hall, and she was almost outside the doors when she heard a new voice say her name.

Turning around, Mina spied Charlie waving at her from the end of the Ravenclaw table. He stood and did a small jog to catch up with her.

"Hey," he said once close enough, smoothing down the back of his blond hair. Mina smiled tightly, swallowing down the lump growing in the back of her throat as she caught eye of Harry and Heather again over his shoulder.

"What's up?" she asked, pulling her eyes away from them. Charlie was biting on the inside of his cheek seemingly out of nerves.

"I was just wondering if you, um," he started, but hesitated as though deciding what to say. "...had started the History of Magic essay? The one Binns set us the other day?"

"Shit—" Mina's started, but covered her mouth on instinct. She'd grown up around strict rules for swearing—if her mother were in ear shot right now, she'd be exiled from their family—but Harry's habit of reacting with profanities had seemingly rubbed off on her. Luckily, Charlie wasn't her mother under the effects of polyjuice potion, and he laughed it off. "We have to write an essay?" She asked, her eyes wide.

"Yeah, it's due first thing Monday," he said, and she internally groaned at herself, as usually she was on top of assignments as soon as they were handed out.

"Merlin," she breathed. "I can't believe I missed him set that!"

"It's understandable, I mean, Binns isn't the most engaging professor there is," Charlie laughed a little, and she smiled, glancing over his shoulder again. Her brow furrowed a bit as she caught Harry's eyes flicker away from their direction. "Mina?"

"Hm?" She looked back to him.

"I was just asking if you maybe wanted me to help you with it some time in the library? To help you get it done on time?" he asked, adjusting the strap of his bag to hang higher on his shoulder. "The essay, I mean."

"Oh," she blinked. This was probably the most he'd ever spoken to her before. "Yeah! Sure," Mina smiled, nodding. "Sounds good. Does this afternoon work? Four?"

"Yeah!" He grinned, but cleared his throat. "Yeah, that works...I'll see you then, then." Charlie said awkwardly with a sheepish smile, and she returned it.

"See you."

He loitered for a moment, fiddling with his hands, before giving her a nod and shuffling back to his seat at the Ravenclaw table. Before leaving, Mina glanced back to Harry, but his back was facing her now.

. . . . .

"YOU'RE LATE!" Harry cupped his hands over his mouth to amplify his voice as he caught sight of her running onto the pitch. He laughed to himself as the wind blew her hair around.

"I'M SORRY—!" Mina yelled back, running over the grass to him. She dumped her shoulder bag on the ground beside him as she reached his side; struggling to catch her breath between words. "I was...studying with Charlie...and lost...track of time," she panted, and flipped her hair upside down to tie into a ponytail away from her face.

"Charlie?"

"Yeah," Mina said, tightening the ponytail, squinting up at him from the lowering sun in her eyes. "You know—Charlie Donahue? The Ravenclaw?"

"I know who you mean. What were you doing with him?" Harry asked nonchalantly, and she looked at him bemused.

"Studying, I just said that. There's this essay for History of Magic and—"

"You look a little pink to be just 'studying' with him, hm?" He mused lightheartedly, leaning back on the wall of the broom shed with his arms crossed, narrowing his eyes suspiciously, and Mina scoffed.

"Because I lost track of time and ran down here!"

"Mhm," Harry hummed. "Yeah, okay. Sure."

"I'm serious!"

"No, Sirius is my godfather," he grinned.

Harry tossed her the broom she'd be using for their lesson; a different one than last time, given that it was probably smashed to pieces somewhere after she abandoned it mid-air in the storm. Mina caught it, and the two started walking to the centre of the pitch.

"Oh—! Oh my god, I almost forgot to tell you! Heather said yes to me asking her out!" He said excitedly with a smile that reached his eyes. "We're gonna go to Hogsmeade this Sunday, and I think we could go to the Three Broomsticks and get butterbeer and then we can walk around and go to Zonko's and everything!"

"That's so good!" Mina shared his grin. Harry was too preoccupied as he spoke to notice her faltering smile.

"She sat with me at breakfast and everything! Thank you so much for helping me with it—I know you didn't really want to but—"

"No, no, it's okay," she assured him, and he smiled wider as they reached the middle of the pitch. Mina warily eyed her broomstick.

"Don't worry—we won't have the same...issue as last time," he chuckled, holding up his Firebolt, and motioning to the clear day. "You'll be able to do it this time."

"...I dunno," Mina sighed, picking at the rough wooden handle of the broom. Her mood had been declining since Heather had walked into the Great Hall with him that same morning; the lump in the back of throat growing steadily throughout the day. "It's, like, I'm fine when I'm on the ground, but then I get up high and I just freak out," she looked up, hating the emotion that made her voice waver, to see him looking back at her with a concerned gaze. She looked down again. "I just—I don't think I'll be able to fly. I know I lost the bet but I really just...I don't know if it's worth teaching me anymore."

He was quiet for a moment. Mina glanced up again. She watched as his eyes flickered between both of hers before reaching over and taking the broom from her hold, and dropping it on the grass.

"C'mere," Harry said, and she stepped closer.

He held out his Firebolt. Mina looked up him, and he motioned for her to take it, so she did. It was longer than the other broom, and heavier; a professional one, and it felt wrong holding it as someone with zero flying talent.

"Mount it," he said. She didn't.

"Harry—"

"I'm not gonna make you ride it, just mount it."

She did.

"You're scared of heights," he began, and started pacing around her in a circle, feigning an all-knowing-authority-figure persona, whilst Mina stood there; half amused, half confused.

"...Correct," she said.

"A wise man...once told me..." he used pauses for effect, and she raised her brow. "That fear...is bullshit. Absolute bullshit. Complete, utter bullshit."

"Does this wise man go by the name James Potter by any chance?"

"No comment," he said, and she stifled a laugh. "When I was three and learning to fly on my little toy broom, I was scared of it just like you. And my dad—I mean, the wise man—wiped my tears, put a hand on my shoulder, and said...'Harry, mate, what you're feeling is fear, and that fear is bullshit. Absolute bullshit. Complete, utter bullshit. You can do this.'"

"Your dad said that to you when you were three years old? So that's where you get your foul mouth from," she mused as he continued to pace around her.

"Not the point," he said, but she caught the amused smile on his face. "Now, Mina Lee. Minny. Mina Mouse."

"Just Mina."

"Mins," he stopped pacing and stood before her. "I want you to look your fear in the eye and tell it that's it's 'bullshit. Absolute bullshit. Complete, utter bullshit' , just like the wise man. Got it?"

She failed to keep a straight face and started laughing. "Is that what you say to yourself before every quidditch match?"

"Say it! I'm serious," he said with a smile on his face.

"No, Sirius is your godfather."

"You're such an arse," Harry laughed, and she grinned. "Fine. At least say it in your head."

"Okay..." she paused for a moment. "...done."

"I know you didn't say it!" He complained. "Actually do it this time. Close your eyes, and repeat after me in your head...fear is bullshit."

Mina gave him a look, but knowing he wouldn't give up until she did it, closed her eyes.

Fear is bullshit, she thought.

She heard Harry step behind her. "...absolute bullshit..."

Absolute bullshit, she repeated.

Mina felt her heart accelerate, but kept her eyes shut, as she felt him stand a lot closer behind her, moving his arms over her arms. He pushed her hands with his down the handle of the broom a little.

"...Complete...utter...bullshit," his voice was right by her ear as he spoke. She felt her breath catch at Harry's proximity; feeling his chest press against her back as he seemed to lean over her.

Complete, utter bullshit.

Mina opened her eyes, and was only able to comprehend that they were both on his Firebolt once he'd kicked off from the ground.

"HARRY—!"

His hands were further up than hers on the handle to direct them, and she would have felt completely unbalanced if his arms weren't pressed against hers, keeping her securely in place.

Mina squeezed her eyes shut and lowered her head as he rose them both higher and higher into the air; her knuckles turning white as she clutched the handle, flustered by his closeness and the heights they were reaching.

The wind blew in her ears from seemingly every direction as Harry flew faster, and his voice met her ear as he leaned over her shoulder.

"Open your eyes!" he said, and she vigorously shook her head like a little kid. He laughed. "Come on! Fear is bullshit!"

Mina opened her eyelids a little, peaking through them, but they widened substantially as one of the tall stands on the outskirts of the pitch came closer and closer directly before them. They were headed straight towards it, and she screamed, but he dodged it just in time; laughing at her reaction.

"THAT WASN'T FUNNY—!" She laughed, squinting her eyes from the wind as he flew back within the sidelines, cutting the corners as he did a lap of the pitch at the Firebolt's top speed.

Despite her arms shaking and the anxiety pumping through her veins, Mina started to understand why he liked flying so much. The wind made her face flush, and the exhilaration she felt was almost addicting, because she was afraid of heights—but here she was on a Firebolt doing laps of the pitch!—Although, this exhilaration could've easily come from the way Harry leaned closer and rested his chin on her shoulder as they flew.

The sun began to set, and turned the pitch golden in its light as the sky became an abundance of dreamy pinks and purples. Eventually, after one last lap, Harry lowered the broom, and directed them back to the centre of the pitch.

Laughing breathlessly once they landed and she stepped onto the grass, Mina's shaky legs stumbled a bit, and Harry balanced her as he laughed at her laugh.

"Still wanna quit?" he asked, and she shook her head. But as soon as everything seemed perfect to Mina—everything from the sky to the smile on his face to the adrenaline she felt—this feeling of content melted as she spotted Heather walking onto the pitch.

Harry caught eye of her at the same time Mina did. Cheeks flushed pink from the wind, he spared her one last glance, his smile growing. "Mind if I—?"

"No," she cut him off, still catching her breath, keeping her smile up. "Go ahead. Really."

"Thanks—I'll see you later!" he said happily, and turned around. Mina swallowed guiltily; watching miserably as he ran up to Heather and started the walk back to the castle with her instead.

♡

a/n:
OKAY BUT I LOVED WRITING THIS CHAPTER SO MUCH
-g