A Snake Among Badgers

“Great!” Andrew waved and jogged off to meet Kate. After they finally parted ways, reluctantly on his part at least, he wandered off to meet Echo again. Spotting her, he walked up behind her and draped his arm over her shoulders. “Hey!”

Echo had been walking toward the school again, though it was still quite a bit away (for a tiny village, it could feel rather big), when Andrew suddenly had his arm around her. She jumped in surprise and looked over, swatting his shoulder lightly when she realized who it was. Anyone else probably would have been hexed. “Warn me first!” she scolded. “But...how’d it go?”

“That would be great! If not, it isn’t a big deal though.” His arm rested comfortably around her, enjoying the closeness. He had always been comfortable with Echo, once she finally let him be her friend anyway. “Well, that’s definitely part of it. You do whatever your friend needs.”

“We’ll do it at some point, at least.” She smiled a bit and closed her eyes, completely at ease for once in her life. She was always grateful that she had Andrew in her life, glad that he pushed her when she tried to push him away. “Yeah? I guess that’s true, yeah.”

Kate blinked in confusion for a moment, but she thought she had seen Andrew and Echo talking before so she guessed he had told her. “Right. I’m excited about it.”

She watched her for a moment before nodding, pocketing her hands and tilting her head to the side. Kate seemed kind enough, if a bit ditzy. “Have fun,” she said, finally offering a small smile. “He’s excited, too.”

“That’s probably true.” Kate shifted almost uncomfortably as Echo looked her up and down. “I was just thinking about later. I’ll be sure to pay more attention though.”

She nodded and lifted her chin. “You’re off to meet Andrew, right?” She’d just left him to go wherever he was meeting her. Funny how she ran into her moments later. And if she was feeling defensive of her best friend, well. Oh well. She could be like that.

“Well thanks for that, and I’m sorry again about running into you. Daydreaming at the wrong times is one of my bad habits.”

“One you might want to get under control soon,” she said, looking her up and down. 

“Some cider. Nothing special.”

“You’re Chang, right?” Lucinda asked to fill the silence, which she was now saddled with.

Echo looked over and nodded. “Yeah, I am. You’re Talkalot. Hello.”

Kate gave Echo a smile. “Good. I’m fine too. No longer lost in thought, at least.”

She hesitated before returning the smile. “I suppose that’s good. It’ll keep you from running into anyone else.”

“You know, I usually don’t but you caught me off-guard this time.” Laughing sheepishly, he bumped her with his arm. The advice was really good, as long as he could follow it; sometimes it was harder than it should be not to overthing something. “You’re right, of course. I’ll just relax about it and enjoy myself and see what happens. I will - I’ll probably ramble some more at you.” He rolled his eyes and gave her a quick hug. “I should probably go but I’ll come find you as soon as we’re done and maybe we can walk back together too.”

“Good. It’s hard to do.” She laughed with him, bumping him back gently and looking over at him. “Go ahead, I’m always free to hear you ramble.” Echo hugged him back and smiled softly. “Have fun. I’ll see you later.”

“Now that I have your approval, we’ll have to figure out a time to do it.” He could just imagine what it would be like in the girls’ dorm - even in the common room or corridors, he heard a lot of talk of boys and other things that would count as drama and was glad his roommates were mostly quiet. His smile softened as she relaxed and he squeezed her shoulders gently. “What else are friends for?” There had been a time when he wasn’t really sure that Echo really considered him a friend but that was long past now. He knew she had his back whenever he needed it.

“Maybe before the Hogsmeade trip.” She smiled softly and rested her head on his shoulder, content to just stand there--even if the water was getting a bit chilly. “I don’t know,” she said quietly, looking up. She didn’t have many friends. “You tell me.”

“I am! I’m right a lot, actually. But especially in this case.” The rambling wasn’t that embarrassing this time, at least, and it did help clear his head a little. Not that he really knew anything else now, though. “That was a devious plan then, Echo. I guess I will,” he said thoughtfully; it wouldn’t be a good idea to think about it much now though because he tended to go overboard with things and he didn’t want to get all wrapped up in the potentials of a relationship and screw it up. “I don’t think you’ve mentioned it lately so feel free to  bring it up as often as you want. You’re mine too! Hey, want to get butterbeers or something later? I’m meeting Kate, like I said, but we should definitely get butterbeer before we leave.”

She chuckled as he continued to ramble, opening the box and eating one of the ice mice as she listened. “I can be devious. Never underestimate me.” Echo smiled a small smile and nudged him. “Don’t overthink it. Just let it take its course. If anything happens...well, it happens. If not, then nothing does. You’ll be fine either way.” She nodded and looked up at him. “I’d like that, yeah. Come find me when you’re done, alright?”

“Oooh, that would be fun! But it might be a bit much. I’ll just do the streaks of purple, probably. Unless I change my mind.” He dabbled his fingers in the lake water, forgetting his earlier protests, and laughed. It might be worth a detention to disrupt the girls, especially if it would cheer up his friend. “Yeah, I’ll see what I can do. Talking about boys …” He rolled his eyes. “I’m sure that gets old after a while.” Slinging an arm over her shoulders again, he shook his head. “You’re my friend and that’s just what I do for my friends. You’re worth it.” He held her gaze as he nodded, glad that she had actually asked him. He would have tried to figure out some way to check on her if she hadn’t but this was much easier. “Of course! Seriously, I’m glad to do it.”

“Purple sounds safest.” She smiled a bit and brushed the surface of the water idly, looking down and watching the ripples. She chuckled. “If not boys, some other drama or other. It gets tiring.” Echo jumped in surprise at the sudden contact, waiting a moment before leaning into his side and hugging him. He was probably the only one she’d be willing to hug, honestly. “Thank you, Andrew,” she said quietly, keeping his gaze. “Really.” It was nice to be worth losing sleep over for someone. If it came down to it...well, he’d be worth it too.

“But you never know they’re the special moments until they’re gone, you know? It’s sort of a bummer that way.” That was a question Andrew honestly hadn’t even considered. He and Kate had only just officially met. “I don’t know,” he said with a shrug. “I think I could like her because she seems like the sort of person I would get along with. I mean, I like her as a person already though, just not the other way. Now look, you’re making me ramble.” Shaking his head in mock irritation, he fished out a box from Honeydukes. “Well obviously I’ll share later, but I did also get your favorite. I almost forgot. Here!”

“I suppose you’re right,” she said, nodding as they walked. Echo looked a bit amused, listening to Andrew ramble. She didn’t mind when he rambled. It was grounding, almost. Maybe she had come to rely on Andrew a bit too much over the years. It was scary, almost. “Maybe that was the plan. I guess you’ll know in time, huh?” She perked up and smiled, taking the ice mice box happily. “Have I ever told you you’re my favorite? Because you are.”