Well, at least she recognised the fault was hers – and she had certainly grown up a little since the last time he’d seen her – or it was something about the dress she wore – but this perhaps wasn’t as terrible an inconvenience as it could have been, having her this close to him. Kristoffer was almost loath to let her go.

She seemed a little abashed, and a touch apologetic – maybe even a little nervous in his presence, Kris wasn’t sure. Nevertheless, a smirk crept onto his face at her awkwardness, at the situation, at the brief darting motion of her hand.

“Skipping classes now too, are you?” Kristoffer said delightedly, with an amused gleam in his eyes to say you little minx. Not that he was at Hogwarts to get her into trouble these days – not trouble like docking points or detentions, at least – but it did give him the temerity to echo her own touch at her shoulder, as if he was testing the dampness and not her boundaries. “Well, you should get yourself cleaned up,” he drawled, his hand sliding down to take her arm instead. “And perhaps I had better escort you –” somewhere more private “– lest you manage to fall over yourself again.” He paused pointedly for a moment, eyes on her, just to see if she would dare protest.

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