In the evening I picked some rosemary in Mrs. Cole's garden.
"What's this about?" the woman asked in surprise. "Why do you suddenly need rosemary?"
"One girl asked for it," I explained. "I promised to bring it tomorrow."
Mrs. Cole raised an eyebrow. And then, seeing her confusion, I briefly described the details of my meeting with the girl in the shop.
"…A Frenchwoman?" she asked again. "The one who's staying with Madame Dubois?"
"I think so."
At least, I doubted that in this small English village there would be another French family.
"Hmm," she shook her head. "A strange family. Madame Dubois has lived here about five years, but she doesn't talk to anyone. They say she's a rich widow. And her granddaughter sometimes comes to visit her during holidays."
I nodded, wrapping the rosemary in a damp cloth.
"Is it alright if I bring this to her?"
"Of course, take it. A good deed!" the woman nodded approvingly.
That night I couldn't fall asleep for a long time.
I stared at the ceiling and thought about our meeting tomorrow. Why was it so important for me to see her? And why was my heart pounding just from the thought of it?
"Stop it," I whispered to myself. "You don't even know her. She's just a pretty girl. That's all!"
Really. As if before this moment I had never met pretty girls! And why was I reacting like this only now?
Although I tried with all my strength to suppress these suddenly appeared strange emotions, inside me something was still singing and trying to break free.
The next morning dragged on endlessly for me.
I finished all the work at the stable in two hours, helped Thomas repair the harness, cleaned Daisy until she shone — and still an entire eternity remained until our meeting.
"…You're on edge today," even Thomas noticed. "Did something happen?"
"No, everything's fine," I waved it off. "It's just… I need to meet someone today."
"And who might that be?" the stableman narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Just… just an acquaintance!"
Thomas looked at me carefully for a while, then sighed.
"Well then go," he grumbled. "The horses will wait."
"Really?"
"Look at you. Go on, hurry up before I change my mind!"
"…Thank you, Mr. Binns!"
In the end I dashed off like a bullet and ran from the stable, because the old stableman's kindness was not eternal.
I arrived at the shop ten minutes before the appointed time. Toby glanced at me suspiciously, but said nothing.
Elinor appeared exactly at noon.
She was wearing a light dress, with a basket in her hand, and when she saw me she smiled in such a way that my knees almost buckled.
"You came!" she said. "I was afraid you would forget."
"I promised," I handed her the rosemary. "Fresh, I cut it yesterday evening."
"Thank you," she took the bundle and smelled it. "It smells wonderful. Grandmother will definitely be pleased!"
We stood by the entrance to the shop, and I was frantically trying to think of what to say next. But Elinor got ahead of me:
"Do you live here? In this village?"
"Yes, I live with Mrs. Cole."
"And where do you work? Sorry for the curiosity, it just seemed interesting to me."
"At Thomas Binns's stable," I answered. "Maybe you've heard of the place."
The girl seemed encouraged when she heard my words.
"Horses are wonderful. I love them too!" Elinor smiled. "In France we have a riding school at Beauxbatons. I sometimes go there."
"Beauxbatons?" I repeated. "That's…"
"A magic academy," she said simply. "You do know about such things, right?"
I froze.
My throat went dry in a single instant.
"You… you're a witch?" I asked, somewhat stunned.
"And aren't you?" she narrowed her eyes. "Grandmother told me that there's an unusual girl living in the village, whom many people talk about. And I immediately understood that it was you."
Honestly, right now I was at a loss.
I didn't even know what to answer her. Maybe just run away? Or confess? Lie?
"Don't be afraid," Elinor said quietly, noticing my reaction. "I'm not a threat to you at all. It's just… it's so boring here. I don't even have anyone to talk to heart-to-heart. And you seem like a kindred spirit to me."
She looked at me so openly and sincerely that suddenly I stopped being afraid.
"A kindred spirit…?" I only repeated, swallowing.
"Yes. Don't you feel it?"
Well, honestly, I had also felt a strange stirring feeling when I met this girl. But I wasn't sure whether there was really something mystical in it, like meeting a so-called kindred soul.
I hesitated for a while longer before answering her at all.
And apparently noticing my confusion, Elinor decided to take the initiative completely into her own hands.
"Would you like to take a walk?" she suddenly suggested. "I know a beautiful place by the lake here. You will definitely like it."
I hesitated for a second.
And then I remembered that Shacklebolt was nearby and that he was watching over me. Nothing should happen. And besides, I had the right to at least such a small joy.
"I would," I said. And that was said more by my heart than by my mind.
And together we went toward the lake.