Early spring, 1885 [5th & 4th year] — Hogwarts Grounds

She had never expected so much to have come of an OWL Astronomy project as this. A term-long project in a subject she didn’t see much use for had turned from expected boredom into something quite different. It had been a fun joke at first, the two Effies being partnered, she and Miss Woodcroft in the year below. But then... working on their seasonal sky-mapping in the Astronomy tower once a week in the evenings and meeting up to research in the library during the day every fortnight or so had quietly become Effie’s favourite moments.

They had almost finished the written essay portion of their project – they were just in the fine-tuning phase – and because spring had finally arrived, they had swapped their usual library desk for a grassy spot under a tree in the grounds. It was absurdly picturesque today – the sky a bold shade of blue, the tree in blossom above them, and every so often the breeze shaking a stray bloom loose so it drifted down to decorate the other Effie’s hair. (She had spent probably too much time, in the last few months, thinking about Miss Woodcroft’s soft dark hair. She was – in deep.)

“We’ll be able to finish up the rest of this by next week, probably,” Effie remarked, pinning their pieces of parchment under a library book so nothing blew off in the breeze before they packed away. Neatly ahead of schedule; she would have been pleased, if only she wasn’t desperately going to miss spending all this precious time with her. “I think we make a good team, Woodcroft,” she said offhand, trying her best to be teasing, to be – casual.

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Effie May Woodcroft

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Effie hadn't even liked Astronomy. It didn't seem the most practical subject to study–it wasn't as if anything they did here could effect the stars. Why should they bother with things like that when they could focus more on transfiguration and charms? Things that actually did something. Which was why it was a surprise that as she worked on this project with the other Effie, she found she didn't mind so much. And after a while, she had even begun to look forward to their meetings.

The younger Effie wasn't the strongest writer, so she had really leaned on the fifth year during that portion of the project. It hadn't seemed like she minded, which was a relief. There was nothing she hated more than being a burden. Though even knowing that, it didn't keep her heart from pounding everytime the other girl was near–or from tapping a frantic rhythm when their hands would brush while they worked.

"Seems that way," She replied with a grin–both to them finishing next week and to them making a good team. Completely oblivious to the blossoms stuck in her hair, she began to stopper their ink wells. A twist in her gut made her frown. She didn't particularly like the idea of this project ending. She flicked her dark gaze up to Effie's face and said almost wistfully, "I think you've even made me enjoy Astronomy, which is something I never thought I'd say."

  

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Effie wished her stomach had a better grasp on reason, because it swooped wildly at Miss Woodcroft’s compliment as well as if it had been a grand romantic declaration. Her face could stand to to be more sensible too, probably, because her mouth curved up into a broad, giddy smile in spite of herself. “I’ll wear that like a badge of honour,” she said proudly, playful.

But she could feel the window rapidly closing, the planets reverting to their usual, less thrilling orbits, and every screw of the inkwells made the pang of it a little worse. Effie bit her lip. Really, the best thing to do would be to do nothing and gracefully let things go – but, Effie was looking at her and she didn’t want her to stop. So, impulsively, she admitted: “And I’ll miss this.”

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Was it just her, or had the air... shifted? It had gone from light and playful to something else. Something she didn't quite have a name for. Her cheeks warmed, delighted that Effie seemed to have enjoyed their study sessions just as much as she had. Did this mean they were friends now? She hoped so. Spending more time with Miss Clarke sounded like something she would want to do. Frequently.

Ignoring the fluttering in her stomach, she asked curiously, "The assignment?" Did she mean she'd miss this particular essay? Or.. studying together? Maybe she didn't realize Effie was open to meeting without classwork?

  

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The assignment? In a way, she supposed so – things would not be the same again. If they were grouped together again, there might be other people there – and she would be at NEWT level next year, so they wouldn’t have the same overlap as this again. And fine, they were maybe friends now, or friendly enough that she would get to spend time with Miss Woodcroft still, exchange smiles in the corridor or perhaps study together in the library – but they wouldn’t be like this. Alone, in their own little world.

Miss Woodcroft’s cheeks were pink. That had to be a sign that she wasn’t misreading this, wasn’t it? That perhaps she felt these more-than-friendly feelings, too? “You, mostly,” she admitted gravely, because whatever more clever thing she wished she could have said instead hadn’t come, and she had already blurted out her honest feeling in its place. She could feel her own face warming, could feel her heart thumping out of her chest; her fingers were still fumbling with the inkwell, nervously trying to screw the lid on the wrong way. Did the other Effie understand what she meant?

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Effie May Woodcroft

"Oh!" had popped out of her mouth before she'd fully had time to process. It had been soft and surprised. The swoop in her belly either meant she was delighted, or she'd eaten something that hadn't agreed with her. The blush that spread to her ears and the bashful smile on her lips had her thinking it was the former. "I'll miss you too," she said shyly, her gaze dropping to the inkwell that the older girl was currently struggling with.

Without thinking, she leaned closer as her small hands shot out to assist. Their fingers brushed. Effie's skin was soft and warm, and Effie May found her hands lingering rather than being helpful. She peered at the taller girl through her eyelashes, noticing just how pretty the freckles dusting Effie's nose and cheeks were. They could have been constellations in the night sky. There was even one that was just at the edge of her lip. The fourth year found herself wanting to touch it.

  

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