Basil’s heart was hammering in his chest. It felt like all the alcohol he’d consumed that night was conspiring to make him feel both light-headed and overly stimulated all at once. He looked at Nee, face red as a tomatoe, and felt his stomach turn over a little bit. “Er,” he stammered. “It was unexpected I think.” Yes, that was it. Unexpected. In reality, Basil had panicked at the first sensation and backed off, not letting himself feel fully and understand what was actually going on. He regretted that decision dearly now.

Running a hand through his hair, the Ravenclaw sat back on his haunches. “To be honest,” he admitted. “I think we should try again. I think I moved away too quickly to collect adequate data.”

---