Charlie held his breath without meaning to as Sinnet leaned over the edge; it would be a terrible tragedy if he fell overboard, but well, there was no way in hell that Charlie was going to jump in after him. He swallowed as the Slytherin nudged him before he quickly shook his head because every word he’d ever learned was suddenly just a jumble of letters inside his brain.

“I – well…” Charlie glanced at Sinnet from the corner of his eye. “I can swim, yeah, but I don’t actually like water…” He trailed off with a shrug, as if it explained everything. “I mean,” he went on, because he didn’t want to seem like a coward or anything like that, “not like I’m scared of it. I just… don’t fancy it. That’s all.”

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Connor raised his eyebrows, trying to decipher what precisely Charlie meant by that. He didn’t fancy water. This seemed like a dangerous thing to admit, for a boy at a school like this, with so many unpredictable people: because once people knew what you didn’t like, what was stopping someone from mocking you for it, or using the knowledge against you? Hutton said he wasn’t scared, but his shrug was – not entirely convincing.

Connor first thought it a little stupid – what was water going to do if you could swim? You were hardly about to drown here; the lake tides weren’t even strong. But then – there were things he could be mocked or judged about too. He didn’t like sunlight, or strong smells, or the way his teeth looked when he smiled. He was too pale and attracted to the scent of blood and if people knew that, they wouldn’t care about anything else about him. He would just be – that kid.

So maybe he wouldn’t put Hutton through the same: maybe he would just file away the knowledge for himself, for now, and try and make a friend instead. “Right,” Connor said, with a slight nod. “Yeah. I get that.” He shot Charlie a smile. “I don’t usually like the outdoors, much.” He supplied, to make Charlie’s thing about water seem more normal.

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The more Charlie talked, the more he felt like he was digging his own grave – who in their right mind would agree to go into a boat to feed a giant squid before divulging that they didn’t like the water? Him, apparently. But if Sinnet mocked him, well Charlie would just avoid him because there were other people he could be friends with at Hogwarts who weren’t mean.

But Sinnet surprised him. Charlie blinked at him, his brow furrowing slightly like he wasn’t sure if Connor was being honest or just trying to be nice, but he didn’t challenge it. It would be nice to know people outside of Gryffindor. He didn’t say that, of course. He just gave a small nod, like maybe they were agreeing on something bigger than just a shared dislike for the outdoors.

And then when he smiled, Charlie couldn’t help but shoot him a grin back. “It’s not really that great. Too hot. Or too cold.” He confirmed with a nod. “My uncle told me about this hidden room that’s an indoor swimming pool in the late autumn and early spring. So if you ever wanna go swimming somewhere that’s not outside, we can try to find that room.”

Just three stones up and four to the left of the trophy room. If you tap it once with your wand, an archway should appear. That’s what Uncle Anthony had written. Charlie hadn’t seen if he was bluffing or not, but maybe soon, he could convince Connor it was worth checking out.

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   Connor Sinnet

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Connor’s grin edged wider when Hutton – understood the pact he supposed they had just made, to not make fun of each other for their... not fears or oddities, just dislikes. “Oh,” he said, intrigued enough by a mysterious room of any kind to leap at that offer. A swimming pool sounded a little implausible, but then – half of the things he had seen at Hogwarts so far were just as eccentric as that, so maybe it wasn’t so far-fetched. He was trying not to seem too excited – not enough to rock the boat, at least – but the enthusiasm was leaking out, just a bit. “Yes. We have to be the first people in our year to find that!”

(And then they could gatekeep the knowledge, for all Connor cared – it was the success he wanted, and maybe the secret, more than the swimming itself.)

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It was entirely plausible that Uncle Anthony had been lying to him and just trying to ease his nerves about being away from home for the first time, but Charlie believed that wasn’t the case. (Not that he would be angry if it was.) Connor’s excitement sure was infectious, and Charlie couldn't help the grin that tugged across his face; it helped too, that the boat didn’t wobble.

“Imagine it,” he said, because they were going to absolutely be the first in their year to find it, “it can be our own place. No prefects. No professors. Just us.” Plus whoever they trusted with the secret. They could do whatever they wanted there without fear of detention or being reprimanded for something dumb. Charlie turned bright eyes toward Connor. “Let’s start the search tomorrow.”

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