The morning was fresh and young when Melissa Finnigan emerged from the Great Hall having filled her stomach with a sizable meal that would provide energy until her rumbling tummy called for lunch. She’d been particularly anxious to get out of the Great Hall, her head ducking towards her food when she saw Gisele enter. She’d not wanted to contend with the obvious emotions of the other girl - especially so early. Instead she’d gobbled up the hot meal the House Elves had prepared and took an orange from the fruit bowl before stealing Spencer’s packet of Marlboro’s, hers having been smoked by herself and numerous others, and left the Great Hall for the grounds. That’s how she came to be out in the courtyard but it took far longer to get there than she’d first wanted, having been stopped by the Herbology professor who had inquired about her patch and then asked her to join him in the afternoon for some sort of experiment that would get her a few extra marks in the subject - something that appealed to Millie greatly. She promised to leave for the greenhouses after lunch and the man seemed to be content with that, so much so that he even patted her on the head and gave her a wink before shuffling off back to his classroom to prepare for a rowdy class of second years.
Millie found the world beyond the perimeter of Hogwarts to be somewhat coarse and unforgiving but the same could be said for the world contained within Hogwarts. As she lit a cigarette, Millie found no desire to return to the castle. She plopped herself down on the side of the fountain and slung her leg over, slipping her foot out of her shoe and letting it drop into the water. She smiled at the chill of it and flicked her foot underneath the surface of the clear liquid before turning her attention to the goings on in other parts of the courtyard. Her hand came to rest on her bare thigh, her shorts having ridden up, and she closed her eyes, just content to listen to the sounds of the birds flitting around the courtyard, communicating in their melodies. Millie’s smile grew and she found her heart warm with affection for the animals she believed to lead far simpler lives to her own. Her hand seemed to reach for her stomach, an involuntary gesture that, once she realised, made the smile drop from her face and her cheeks flush red with both embarrassment and dismay. She’d forgotten for a moment, just one.
Millie’s eyes closed again and she moved her foot a little more in the water, trying to clear her mind, trying to forget what had happened in the dungeons with Felix. She remembered, oh Merlin did she remember - how could she forget? How could she allow herself that luxury? She couldn’t, that’s what. She refused to forget, deciding that was better than admitting she couldn’t.
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