#hufflepuffkillianjones

“Jones,” she replied.

He hadn’t giver her enough space to set her bag between them on the bench, and Emma reluctantly admitted to herself that it would have been a cowardly move to put it there, anyway.  She slid onto the bench beside him and set her bag on the floor next to her.  She bent over to pull her portion of their report out of her bag.  As she did so, Killian slipped his right arm around her shoulder, brushing her hair back so it didn’t fall in her face as she rummaged in her bag. 

Emma honestly couldn’t decide if he did it to be considerate or to put his arm around her.

Maybe it was both.

Either way, she found her notebook and sat up. 

Killian let his right hand rest on the bench next to her right hip, so his arm almost created a backrest for her.  The closeness was familiar, but didn’t seem to intimate, so she made no comment.

Looking around, it seemed the other Hufflepuff boys were just as invasive of their partners’ personal space as Killian was of hers:  August was idly playing with Belle’s hair (and she knew they weren’t dating), and Graham and Ruby were practically sitting in each other’s laps, they were so close to one another, whispering animatedly and grinning like small children.  Those two weren’t dating either, at least, as far as Emma knew.  And Ruby was affectionate, herself, so, maybe a Ruby and a Hufflepuff would just naturally be snuggly. 

Professor McGonagall arrived then with four students in tow. 

Emma was surprised to see Robin, from her own house, and three Slytherins filing into the classroom and finding themselves seats.  Jefferson surveyed the room with the amused little smirk he always seemed to wear, Regina held her head high and glanced at the other students once, sweeping her eyes over them as if she were some kind of queen, and Ashley was mild and meek as ever as she trailed behind Regina.

McGonagall explained that they would be joining the class, starting with the second assignment and would just watch the first set of presentations.

McGonagall then started calling for partners to come forward.  Each pair of students got up and gave a presentation about their assigned story, and then students and the professor asked questions.  

Once everyone was done, she announced that partners would be reassigned to include the new additions, and no one would be with their previous partner or another student from their own house.

She called out pairs and students shuffled around.  At the end of the assignments, only Jefferson seemed pleased, sitting next to Emma.  Everyone else looks disappointed in their given partner.

Killian and Belle were frowning at each other thoughtfully.  Ruby was eying Robin, who didn’t to mind his assignment, though he kept looking over at Regina, who was scowling from her place next to Mary-Margaret.  Graham and Ashley were exchanging polite pleasantries, while August and Ariel shook hands and nodded at each other.

Another round of paper envelopes was distributed. 

Jefferson handed the packet to Emma, who opened it without fanfare.

“Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” she read, frowning as she lifted her eyes off the paper to look at her partner.  He was grinning at her.

“Have you read it?” he asked.

“No,” she said.  “I’ve seen a couple movie versions, though.  Have you read it?”

“Surprisingly, I have,” he said.  “I even have a copy you can borrow.”

“Oh, great,” she said.  “Thanks.”

“When should we meet?” he said.

“Are you free on Wednesdays?” Emma asked.

“Alas, I am not,” he said with an elaborate frown.

“Friday afternoons?” she queried.

“That I can do,” he said. 

.

On Wednesday morning, Emma was sitting in the library, studying.

The chair adjacent to her pulled back, and then Killian Jones dropped into it, laying his crossed arms on the table as he looked at her.

She cocked an eyebrow at him, but he just grinned and sat up straight, lifting the dog-eared copy of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland from the stack of books and papers on the table.

“Wonderland, then?” he said.

“Uh, yeah,” she replied, rolling her eyes, “obviously.”

“Did you get a film, this time?”  he asked innocently.

“Two, actually,” she said.

He nodded.

“I heard there’s one for the story assigned to Belle and myself, too,” he said.  “Do you think you could procure it?”

“What’s your story?” Emma asked.

“Beauty and the Beast,” he replied grandiosely, gesturing with one hand as if proclaiming the title across a marquee.

Emma nodded, then she laughed.

“What?” he said, looking self-conscious.

“And your partner is Belle?” she snorted.

“Aye,” he said.  “Why does that amuse you?”

“You’ll understand when you see the movie,” she said with a smirk.

“So, you’ll get it, then?” he asked, looking hopeful.

His eyes were so blue and intent.  Emma had to look away, and she felt the color rising in her cheeks.

How could he do that to her with just a look and a couple of words? 

“Yeah,” she said, clearing her throat.  “I think I can manage that.”

“Excellent,” he said, smiling as he leaned forward to rest his chin on his fists.  “Thank you, Swan.”

“It’s no problem,” she said, dismissing his gratitude. 

Emma tried to refocus on her potions homework, but his presence was a distraction.  She frowned at the equation on her parchment.  There was something about the amount of varying the amount of monkshood in a potion when using fresh versus dried, and she just couldn’t seem to remember what it was.

“Would you like some help?” Killian said softly.

She looked up to find him still watching her with that open, intent expression.  There was no mockery or conceit in his eyes, just an honest offer of assistance. 

Emma sighed and ran her fingers through her hair as she decided whether to shut him out or accept his offer.  She chewed on her lip for a moment as she searched his eyes.

“Yeah,” she said finally.

His eyes crinkled at the edges as he smiled.

“Well, you’re in luck, then, love,” he said, his grin widening by the seconds.  “It just so happens that I received an Outstanding on my O.W.L. for Potions.”

“Oh, yeah?” she said, grinning back at him.

“Budge over,” he said, pulling his chair around the corner of the table to sit beside her. 

She did so, scooting her chair to make room.

Once he was settled beside Emma, he put his closer hand on the back of her chair, not quite touching her, then he tapped the page of her potions book with one long finger of his other hand. 

“Monkshood,” he said, his voice taking on a hushed, confident tone.  “Do you know its other names?”

He looked at her expectantly but patiently, and she felt her chest tighten for a second.  She tore her eyes away from his and racked her brain.

“Uh, uh, aconitum,” she said, having a little trouble finding the word.

“Aye, that’s one of them,” he said, nodding.  “Tricky thing, that plant.  Behaves very differently fresh and dried…”

Killian spent the next hour helping Emma with her coursework.

.

On Friday afternoon, Emma met briefly with Jefferson, and they planned to get together in Hogsmeade to watch the videos she’d procured. 

On Saturday, Emma found herself standing outside the Three Broomsticks again, just as she’d done two weeks before.

It was still cold, but the Valentine’s decorations had been taken down.

 Emma was only mildly surprised when she caught sight of her partner, who was chatting animatedly with Killian Jones as the pair walked toward her.  It seemed Killian had invited himself along to watch the movies.  Emma thought back to their brief conversation about the films on Wednesday to see if she’d said anything to lead him to believe he was invited.  She had gotten the movie he’d ask for, but she hadn’t told him when or where she was meeting Jefferson.  He must have gotten it out of the Slytherin seeker, then.

Emma nodded at Jefferson before raising an eyebrow at the perpetually-disheveled Hufflepuff.

They both grinned at her.

“Good morning, Swan,” Killian said, stepping forward.

“Morning,” Emma said cautiously to both of them.

“Shall we go to our usual spot?” Killian said with a wink at Emma.  He was standing so that Jefferson couldn’t see him face. 

Emma cocked her head to the side.

“Sure,” she said warily.

Killian was acting strangely, and Emma wasn’t quite sure why.

“Lead the way, partner,” Jefferson said, stepping up to Emma’s other side and offering her his elbow. 

Emma looked between them incredulously and then rolled her eyes.  With a sigh of exasperation, Emma stomped between the two boys and headed toward the lake.

When they arrived at the tree where Emma and Killian had sat before, Killian laid out a blanket again.  Emma sat down and immediately found herself sandwiched between a Slytherin and a Hufflepuff.  She studiously ignored them while she retrieved the DVD player and clamshell dvd cases from her bag.  When she looked up at the two boys, Jefferson was frowning.

“What?” she said.

“I’ve no interest in cartoons,” Jefferson said. 

“Okay,” Emma said carefully.  “Well, this one’s live-action.”

She held up the case for the 1985 musical Alice in Wonderland television special that her orphanage had played nearly every day while Emma was young.

“Delightful,” Jefferson said with a tight smile.

“It’s also three hours long,” Emma cautioned.

The boys exchanged challenging looks, seeming to be silently daring each other.  It made Emma roll her eyes again.

She popped the DVD into the player and started the film, fast-forwarding through the opening credits until the first scene began with Alice and her sister sitting in their garden.

Since she was in the middle, Emma set the DVD player across her own thighs, near her knees.  When she drew her hands back, she saw both boys move in her periphery, each one looking like he was going to try to claim one of her hands when it was free. 

Emma choked back a huff of frustration and crossed her arms over her chest.  Her movement made Killian grin on her left and Jefferson scowl on her right.

She ignored both of them and watched the film.

.

Three hours later, Emma busied herself with removing the DVD from the player and putting it away while the boys on either side of her stretched and undoubtedly made some sort of macho display at each other behind her head.

“Shall we watch the other one?” Killian said when Emma sat back.  He had a nasty little smile on his face that he was aiming at Jefferson.

“I told you I’ve no interest in cartoons,” Jefferson replied shortly.  He turned to Emma.  “We could go somewhere to discuss this movie and work on our presentation for class.”

Both boys were looking at her expectantly.

Emma chewed on her lip for a moment.

“I think that’s a good idea,” she said to Jefferson, making him smile and Killian frown, “but we can do that back at the castle, too.  We can’t watch movies in the castle.”

The boys’ expressions shifted, so that Killian was grinning triumphantly while Jefferson frowned.

“Of course,” Jefferson said diplomatically with a curt nod of his head.  “Then I will see you back at the castle.”

He leaned closer to Emma and scooped up one of her hands, pulling it to his face to brush his lips over her knuckles.

Emma quickly shut her mouth when she realized it had fallen open.

Jefferson stood, nodded to Killian, and spun on his heel, striding off toward the village.

“What was that about?” Emma demanded once Jefferson was out of earshot.

Killian turned his ugly, forced smile on her.

She rolled her eyes.

“Does your device possess enough batteries to watch another film?” he asked, changing the subject and getting the terminology a little wrong.

“No,” she said, “but I brought extra batteries, just in case.”

He grinned, and then pressed his lips together.

“Would we be able to view the second Wonderland film and the one for my project?” he asked, searching her eyes.

“That’s another three hours,” she said, eyes widening a little.

“I have packed lunches,” he replied, looking down. 

He was bashful. 

Emma felt her mouth fall open again.

“Um,” she said, “uh, okay.”

He looked up, all bright eyes and pink cheeks.  His expression was so happy. 

Emma looked away, retrieving the spare batteries she’d packed and the animated Alice in Wonderland disc.  She got the player ready for the second movie while Killian rummaged in his own bag.

He produced a pair of paper-wrapped parcels tied with string, two bags of crisps, and an old-fashioned, ancient-looking flask.

She raised an eyebrow at him.

“It’s butterbeer,” he said with a cocky grin.  “The flask is enchanted.  It never runs out.”

He unscrewed the cap and took a long pull before offering the flask to Emma.

She took it from him, surprised at the warmth of it—warmer even than his fingers.  She sniffed the mouth of the bottle and found the sweet aroma of butterscotch.  Tipping the bottle to her lips, Emma found the threading damp from where Killian’s lips had touched it.  It gave her a little thrill that she tried to tamp down.

Hot, frothy butterbeer poured forth from the flask, and Emma gave a little groan of pleasure. 

Closing her eyes, she took a long drink from the flask, finding that it did indeed seem to contain more than it could physically hold.  She drank deeply, letting the hot beverage warm her from the inside.

When she lowered the flask and opened her eyes, she found Killian watching her, his adam’s apple bobbing in his throat.  His face was flushed again.

“Thank you,” she said, offering the flask back to him.

He nodded, brushing her fingers with his own as he accepted the flask back from her.

He offered her one of the paper-wrapped rectangles and a packet of crisps. 

She took them gratefully and untied the parcel, revealing a fat sandwich sliced along the diagonal.  Separating the halves, she saw the bright yellow filling between the bread.

“Coronation chicken,” Emma said, pleasantly surprised.

It was one of her favorites.

“Were you expecting bologna?” he asked with a little smirk.

Emma snorted at that, lifting half of her sandwich and taking a bite.  She savored the spicy curry flavor.

“Should we start the film?” Killian asked softly as he unwrapped his own sandwich.

“Oh, right,” Emma said, annoyed with herself again for forgetting the real reason they were out together. 

She started the film and scooted closer to Killian, leaning against him and angling the DVD player so he could see it better as they ate their lunch and watched the movie.

.

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