It's so simple but we can't stay

“Patience and I aren’t friends,” Alice quickly retorted. “In fact, I can’t stand patience. Patience either gets you killed or makes life super boring. But that’s more of a me, thing, and not really a logical way of thinking. So…” Alice shrugged, eyes looking down at the potion that continued to bubble and brew as her hands went to tapping lightly on the table in an unknown rhythm. It was then that she looked up just in time to have Jules’ gorgeous gaze land on hers as she spoke the next sentence.

Just like that her throat felt tight and she didn’t know why. More-so than that she didn’t want to know why. Clearing her throat, she looked back down at the potion and decided that she should probably respond to Jules in some way. “And here I thought that Gryffindors weren’t perfectionists. I’ll have to write that one down in the new manual.” She joked, well, at least she hoped it came off as a joke. She was horrible at jokes.

Alice felt her body immediately freeze at the talks of flying. She had remained safely on the ground all these years, there was no way in hell she was going to be up in the air on some stupid ass broom. “You know, I doubt even the prettiest girl at Hogwarts could make me get on a broom.” She didn’t realize what she’d implied as her gaze turned back to the potion that was now bubbling the correct color. “Oh hey it looks like that’s done!”

Jules snorted, shaking her head lightly at Alice’s joke while internally basking in the fact that Alice had totally just inferred that she was pretty. “Good one...and you’re right, we’re not. Or at least, I’m not...” There was more she wanted to say, but that was for another conversation, at another time. She wasn’t about to jinx the moment they were having by getting too deep or by saying something stupid. “Just cause I don’t take the time to make things perfect doesn’t mean I can’t see perfection when it’s right in front of me.” So much for not saying anything stupid. 

“Wow even for me, that was bad,” Her eyes widened and Jules chose that moment to look away and down at the potion. “And you’re right, potion’s done so I’m just going to put it in a bottle and then...” She looked away and gestured towards Professor Wayne who already had a couple of bottles of the calming potion on his desk from the more keen students in the class. It wasn’t a category she’d put herself in, but she was still glad that they’d made good time considering their late start. “Did you wanna get started on packing up while I do that?” She suggested, wanting to give Alice an out if she’d made her uncomfortable. 

Cause I’m me and you’re you. Alice rose an eyebrow at that explanation because for the first time in her years on this planet, she’d never heard something sound more simple or more complicated than that sentence. Not only that but it also sent her heart into overdrive just that much more, not that she’d let Jules see or realize that fact. As Jules continued to help with the potion, aka pretty much do the whole thing, she watched the other blonde as she worked. She was meticulous, making sure that everything she did was done right, correctly, perfect. It was hard not to get lost while watching her, wondering things that she shouldn’t be wondering. 

But how could she not question this girl? How could she just sit there, silent as a lamb while this girl was next to her and helping her more than anyone else had ever tried to. Alice couldn’t possibly begin to understand why Jules was trying to be her friend, she couldn’t really understand why any of them were, if she were being honest with herself. It’s not like she was that good of a friend or even really knew how to maintain a healthy relationship. Her brother had always laughed at her, saying she’d figure it out one day but what if that day never came?

With a sigh, she let her chin rest in her hand as she stared wistfully in Jules’ direction for several moments. A loud bark of laughter came from their corner and Alice didn’t need to glare at her friends to know that it was them. Shaking her head, she began to draw patterns on the tabletop with her finger. “So… Is it almost done? Potions take so long.” She half-whined with a groan before letting her head lightly bump against the table for several seconds. “I just don’t understand why potions have to be so tedious. I would rather go outside and fly. And I hate flying.”

Her ears burned from the comments and laughter she could just about make out over the general din of the classroom. Most of the time she counted herself lucky for the friends she’d made at Hogwarts. But in that moment she really wished they’d disappear. It wasn’t so much for her own benefit as much as it was for Alice’s but Jules mostly couldn’t see the need to make such a big deal out of wanting to reach out and befriend the Ravenclaw that had remained so elusive in her life, despite their shared friendship circle.

“You know what they say about patience, right?” Jules stilled her hands long enough to look over and make sure her eyes met Alice’s. “Good things come to those that wait.” Were they still even talking about the potion? Cause really, her words applied to more than just the concoction bubbling away in front of them. “I mean... I guess I really like the sense of accomplishment when it’s done? It’s like working on a project, except I know immediately how it turns out,” she offered, giving Alice an out if her casual flirting wasn’t wanted.

Jules kept talking, kept asking, kept reaching for answers that Alice was more than willing to keep hidden for the rest of her life. Libby was looking at them from the corner, clearly seeing the discomfort on her friends face, smacking Matt’s arm as she nodded at the pair. Flora was too busy in her own potion to be paying attention but Matt and Libby were now very attentive and attuned to the energy that was literally flowing off of Alice in waves. 

Turning her head ever so slightly, Jules caught track of Matt and Libby staring at them, and directed a scowl in their direction, making it clear that she didn’t need an audience. But Alice was right. Their mutual friends really did have a way of weaseling their way into everything so it didn’t surprise her that they’d managed to wrangle a friendship out of Alice just by sheer persistence. “I get that. I’ve been trying to give them the slip for four years and I think we’re well and truly stuck with them. But you know...now that I know you don’t hate me, you’re not exactly going to be able to get rid of me either. Cause I’m me and you’re you and I’d really like to get to know you.”

It wasn’t that she had something against Jules per se… It was just, well, Jules was scary to Alice. Not in like a, hide under your bed serial killer kind of way. Jules was warm and bright and kind and–everything that made Alice afraid. Her father had been all of those things and then he’d just disappeared, left without a trace. Sure, there were those elements in Penny and Libby and Matt and the rest of her group. But those relationships had been enforced on her and she let them get as close as she possibly could without feeling overwhelmed. Well, that was a lie, she always felt overwhelmed. Her mum always said as she matured, it would be easier. Something about that sounded very untrue.

For the last couple of minutes Jules had been working on autopilot, already knowing exactly what to do after she’d skimmed the instructions at the start of the class, while guiding Alice gently through the process. They worked well together, although Jules more than a little aware of the fact that Alice was barely taking any of it in. Jules didn’t see it as a problem though. They had a year to figure out how to make potions more bearable for the Ravenclaw, and Jules had every intention of enjoying that year.

Her eyes remain widened, not really knowing what to say as she stares at Jules, her jaw slightly dropped. Luckily for her, the moment was passing by rather quickly because Jules was talking about the assignment that they needed to do, her brain recognizing the word ‘calming’ and then her brain stopped and her mouth just picked up where it left off. Someone, anyone, please end her now for what was about to leave her mouth. “Calming, eh? Good. I could use a good calming potion right about now. I’m the least calm person at this exact moment. Can we drink the calming potion thing after we’re done with it? I mean, when I don’t butcher it?”

“Sure we can drink it, but none of that, okay?” She did the whole self-deprecating thing from time to time too, but the difference was that most of the time she didn’t mean it and given Alice’s tone, that wasn’t the case in this situation. Which was why her next move was to put a stop to that. “I mean, I did volunteer to swap with Conrad, after all. So if anything you’re the one who’s stuck with me. Although, I don’t know about you but right now I think you’re in a better position than you were in 10 minutes ago. That could just be me though. You do seem to have that thing against me.” 

Jules soon sat down next to her, Alice looking at her potions book and tracing circles into the worn cover with her index finger, wishing she were anywhere but here. But she knew that the deal was struck, Jules was her partner in potions now and it couldn’t be undone. She just had to suck this one up and get potions over with. Taking in a deep breath, Alice looked over at Jules and gave her a timid smile. All she seemed to be doing lately was awkwardly smiling at the girl, knowing that she should probably try speaking.

Not that she really needed to in that moment, because Alice was trying and kind of failing at trying to start a conversation with her. If it had been anyone else, Jules would’ve jumped in and attempted to steer the conversation in the right direction, to save them from tripping all over their words. But this was Alice, and therefore it was the cutest thing Jules had ever seen in her life and for a moment she was rooted to the spot, unable to intervene even if she’d wanted to. Only when Alice finally seemed to run out of words did she realise that she needed to say something and Jules said the first thing that came to her mind. “You’re cute.”

Jules smelled nice and Alice hated it. Not only did she smell nice but she looked nice and smiled nice and sounded nice and–Merlin, how the hell was she supposed to concentrate on potions at all now? Blinking slowly, Alice struggled to remember exactly what Jules had said as she sidled up to her but it was all forgotten because Jules was right here, right smack dab beside her and all proper thought had flown out the window. “I’m Alice.” She spoke in a breath, her voice cracking slightly at the tail end of saying her name as she pointed an index finger towards herself.

Which probably wasn’t the best plan ever considering how easy it was to lose track of time when she looked at Alice. Jules wouldn’t exactly call it a crush because crushes were kinda lame, and it’s not like she even knew Alice that well either, but then again there wasn’t a word for “I think she’s cute and I wish she’d talk to me. And I like it when we have classes together because it’s easier to subtly glance at her and - Jules why are you such a freakin’ creeper, dammit”.

But then Alice had to go and somehow make it all worse by reintroducing herself to her, which only made their friends collapse with laughter until Professor Wayne intervened. The corner of Jules’s own mouth twitched but she refrained from laughing, and instead she chose that moment to stage whisper “I know. I’m Jules” before raising a hand and pointing at herself. It was kind of dorky, but then again she really dug dorkiness and Alice was the biggest dork she knew. Laughing at her now would only set her back another 3 weeks of possible interaction time. The teasing could wait for another time.

Slowly but surely, Alice felt the heat rise up from her neck to her face, embarrassment and shame all mixed into one. Reaching for her bag, Alice grabbed her headphones and put the earbuds in, wanting nothing more than to shut out the rest of the world as she waited for Conrad to eventually get his way, like he always managed to. And that’s why she had no idea that for a second time, Jules had gotten up from her seat and then volunteered to be Alice’s partner.

That’s why she still had no idea why Jules was looking at her after she felt someone staring. Giving the girl a small and yet awkward smile, Alice nodded in her direction as a greeting of hello, not realizing what she’d accidentally just implied to her own Professor and the girl she’d been actively avoiding for the past 4 years; the nod had meant a yes to them. Without even realizing what she’d done, Alice had just set in motion events that would change her life forever. Oh how funny a simple nod could be.

Within seconds, Conrad was coming up next to her, wrenching his book bag away from their station while giving her a glare causing Alice to pull out an earbud. “Try not to blow it up in her face, Churchill. Goldstein’s got a pretty face and smarts. Too bad I can’t say the same for you.” Alice was just about to bite back at him, or at least try to when she realized what he said. Blue eyes went wide as she spun in her chair to face the other blonde.

And Jules was still stunned and frozen in place until Conrad was headed back over to where she and Luke sat. “Uh Goldstein, you’re in my spot still.”  Snapping out of her daydream, Jules looked up and saw him stood in front of her. Quickly reeling off an apology, she shoved all of her belongings haphazardly into her book bag and shot Luke a look that hopefully screamed “I’m sorry and we’ll talk later”. Rising from her table, she hefted her bag over her shoulder and was about to walk off when Conrad’s hand found it’s way round her arm. “Hey Goldstein? Be careful. If I’d have known she was this bad at Potions I’d have saved myself the trouble from the beginning. No girl’s worth a Troll grade in anything.” 

Hence why, she’d just made another potion blow up in Conrad’s face. It had been a few weeks into the term and she knew he was damn well close to losing his patience about two classes ago. It had also been a little while since that group text with everyone. And her. Jules Goldstein. There was just something about her that made Alice lightheaded and even more flaily than she already was but she wouldn’t allow herself to find out why. Something about the girl just made her realize that there was something special and different there, something that could change her world forever. However, it wasn’t enough.

Alice wasn’t willing to let herself into the potential of feeling too much and then having things go poorly. She’d already let her heart be broken by someone who was supposed to love her unconditionally. Not that Jules would love her unconditionally–Jules was probably as straight as they come. Sadly, what Alice didn’t realize was that while she was rambling in her own damned head, Conrad was glaring at her before he slammed his hand down on his desk.

Standing up, Jules was about to open her mouth and heckle the other Gryffindor, but Professor Wayne got there first. “Mr. Walsh, please refrain from shouting in my classroom. If you have a problem please see me at my desk. The rest of you can go back to work, and that includes you Miss Goldstein.” Feeling slightly sheepish, Jules sat back down but kept an eye on Conrad as he walked to the front of the class to talk to Professor Wayne privately. While her bench was one of the ones closest to the front, Jules could only make out a couple of words, but she got the general gist based on what the idiot had shouted earlier.

Getting up once more, she told Luke she needed to get another ingredient - an obvious lie to anyone who’d read the instructions and therefore knew they had everything already, which Luke had but he simply nodded along and didn’t question it - and made sure to walk as slowly as she could. Yup, Conrad was definitely arguing with Wayne about the fact that Wayne didn’t think it was fair to split anyone up after three weeks, but in reality Jules knew he just didn’t like the boy and was being difficult on purpose - good on him. 

If Jules had any ideas about taking control as soon as they were within arms reach of a bed, they were shooed away by Alice pushing her back onto the bed and straddling her. All logical thought quickly followed, leaving her completely lost for words. Nodding along to her wife’s quip about pregnancy hormones, Jules found herself incapable of tearing her eyes away from the insistent fingers that tugged at her top, almost daring her to remove it. “Fuck,” she hissed, not able to keep silent anymore and pushed herself up to playfully kiss Alice. Yeah there were other emotions that were going to be brought on by said pregnancy hormones, but it didn’t matter because she was already one happy hero and spontaneous sexcapades were only gonna make things better. This was her life now and she bloody loved it.