Kieran:
Lunch was over, and the weight of my responsibility settled back on my shoulders like a familiar cloak - uncomfortable but necessary.
I had been running from her for weeks now.
Not literally, of course. I was far too dignified for that, or so I liked to believe. But I had avoided meeting her - even when she personally came looking for me on several occasions, I arrived on time and left on time from classes, found excuse to avoid the Herbs and Potions class for the entire previous week.
Every time I heard her voice in the hallway or caught a whiff of her scent, my stomach twisted in ways I didn't have names for. And so, I avoided. Avoided her... avoided the truth of what I was feeling.
But that couldn't continue, not when it was beginning to impact my students.
I was not only one of the founders of the Academy, but also a Professor. And with that came expectations. Standards. Duties. So I was back.
