With great effort, Harley descended the last of the stairs and left the stadium.
Outside, the night was as thick as ink. Only the magical searchlights from the direction of the pitch provided faint illumination, barely outlining the indistinct contours of the tent area.
The air was filled with a medley of strange scents: the rich, mellow aroma of Butterbeer, the mouth-watering smell of grilled sausages, and an indescribable, mysterious floral fragrance all mingled together, creating a unique and captivating blend.
Due to several consecutive days of rain earlier in the week, the stone path had become somewhat slippery, now covered with a thin layer of moss.
Harley's eyelids grew heavier, her steps began to falter, and her mind was filled with the spinning trajectory of the Golden Snitch and the exhausted face of the Scottish Seeker.
"Thud—"
Her foot suddenly slipped. Harley felt like an out-of-control flying broomstick, uncontrollably falling backwards and sideways.
Faced with this sudden mishap, she had no time to react. She could only instinctively squeeze her eyes shut and twist her body as much as possible, hoping to brace her fall with her elbows on the soil beside the path rather than crash directly onto the hard stone.
Surprisingly, what finally caught Harley was not the hard earth she had imagined, but a warm and soft embrace that also carried a hint of cool, delicate fragrance.
The moment her cheek touched the skin of the other person's neck, a wonderfully smooth, silky sensation like satin spread throughout her body. Immediately after, she heard a clear, pleasant, yet urgent gasp from above her head, which cut off abruptly, like a beautiful silver bell being suddenly silenced mid-air.
Harley snapped awake instantly, opened her eyes, pushed herself up, and looked down at the figure beneath her, meeting a pair of ash-blue eyes that were extremely close.
Alexandra's platinum blonde hair was splayed on the ground. Her silver-blue silk robe was wrinkled under their combined weight. Her normally proud and aloof face was flushed with an unusual blush, spreading from her cheeks all the way to her earlobes, like red plum blossoms suddenly blooming in the snow.
"You..."
Alexandra's voice was somewhat strained. In her ten years of life, she had never been in such a disheveled state! All her family's etiquette had been utterly discarded thanks to this little wretch on top of her!
But the daughter of the Snape Family was someone her father had instructed her to befriend... Thinking of this, Alexandra could only forcibly suppress the anger in her heart. She stiffly extended a hand to push against Harley's shoulder, preventing her from getting too close, and her tone of reprimand turned somewhat petulant. "Don't you watch where you're going?"
Harley tilted her head, not quite understanding the necessary connection between slipping and watching where one walks.
Seeing Harley's confused expression, Alexandra's blood pressure spiked. Is this girl an idiot... and how long does she plan to keep lying on top of her!
Harley and Alexandra were far too close. Harley's red hair drifted against Alexandra's neck, and Alexandra could clearly smell the perfume in her hair. She could see the other girl's trembling eyelashes, like startled butterfly wings. She could even feel, through their closely pressed bodies and the thin silk, the two hearts beating rapidly and inappropriately fast, transmitting a disquieting frequency.
"S-sorry, I'm just so tired... By the way, why were you following me?"
Finally coming to her senses, Harley got up and sat on the grass nearby, asking curiously.
Alexandra also sat up straight, flusteredly tidying her disheveled hair. The hem of her silver-blue robe was stained with grass, making her look less lofty and more adorably discomposed.
"None of your business—"
Her voice rose a little but held no real threat, sounding more like she was trying to hide something.
Alexandra would certainly not tell Harley that she had followed her out of the private box because she wanted to talk to her.
"...You're blushing."
Harley blurted out, her green eyes sparkling with surprise.
This was the first time in two days she had seen Alexandra lose her composure—this paragon of pure-blood elegance and calm, who always sat with a straight back and only occupied the front third of a chair no matter how tired, now looked like a little girl whose secret had been exposed, her ears completely red.
"I am not!"
Alexandra's voice suddenly turned sharp, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
She instinctively raised a hand to cover her cheek. The cool touch of her fingertips against her burning skin only flustered her more.
W-what a disgraceful state to be in!
With eyes slightly moist, Alexandra glared fiercely at Harley—how infuriating, this wretch had seen her in such a mess. If she had her wand, she'd definitely cast an Obliviate on Harley!
Harley couldn't help but laugh. She suddenly thought Alexandra's flustered look was rather cute—like the little white stoat she'd found during a spring outing, trembling with fear yet puffing itself up to look fierce.
"Alright then, Miss Malfoy who is not blushing."
Harley deliberately drew out her words, a mischievous glint in her green eyes. "Are you hurt? Should I help you to—"
"None of your business!"
Letting Harley help her would mean giving the other girl even more opportunities to see her in a disheveled state. Alexandra would not allow herself to continue losing face in front of Harley.
Her voice even cracked slightly. "Y-you, just go!"
Harley raised an eyebrow, stood up, and said, "Alright then... I'm going back to rest. I wish you pleasant dreams tonight."
Alexandra remained rooted to the spot, watching Harley's retreating figure disappear around a corner of the tent area, the silver-blue robe swaying gently in the night breeze.
She raised a hand to touch her still-warm cheek. Her fingertips still held the lingering warmth from Harley's touch—carrying the sweet scent of Chocolate Frogs and the smell of grass, surprisingly not unpleasant.
In the distance, the stadium suddenly erupted with deafening cheers—probably some team had scored a Quaffle and turned the tide. But Alexandra couldn't hear any of it. Her mind kept replaying that moment just now: Harley's sleepy green eyes, her fragrant red hair brushing against her neck, and her own uncontrollably accelerating heartbeat.
"Miss Alexandra? What are you doing here?"
Alexandra's friend, Pansy, who also belonged to the sacred twenty-eight, walked over from the tent area, looking drowsy from just waking up.
"Huh? Why is your face so red? Are you feeling unwell?"
Alexandra snapped back to reality with a start, glaring fiercely at Pansy, the blush on her cheeks deepening.
"You're seeing things, Pansy."
She tugged at her robe, trying hard to regain her usual haughty demeanor. "I just came out for some air. If you're heading to the pitch, hurry up. The score just changed again."
Alexandra turned and walked away. The hem of her silver-blue robe brushed past Pansy's ankle, carrying a gust of hurried wind.
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