"Hey, Cece," he greeted quietly, trying to keep quiet.
Cecilia forced a smile onto her lips. "Hi, Jay. Thanks for the book," she whispered, taking the book into her hands.
Jay smiled, his white teeth adding even more charm to his smile. "It's not a problem. I'm always glad to help a friend." He obviously had his father's charm, and his mother's gentle ways.
Cecilia repressed a blush. "I hate being so short though."
Jay chuckled lightly. "Well, your height is quite becoming on you. Not all girls can pull off being short," he joked lightly.
Cecilia did blush after that comment. "Well thank you," she mumbled. "Um . . . I guess I should head back to the common room now."
"Well I'll walk with you," Jay said, taking the book from her. "And I'll even carry this for you. No reason a lady should have to carry something when there's a gentleman to do it for her."
Cecilia was sure her blush grew tenfold as they stepped out of the library. "Thanks," she mumbled, afraid her voice would crack.
Jay just kept smiling. He also had his father's very friendly attitude. "So, Cece, it's your N.E.W.T. year, and yet you don't seem nervous. Are you handling the workload well?" he inquired.
Cecilia felt her heart race again. Her commonly used nickname sounded so much better coming from him. "Um, I guess I'm doing ok. It's . . . well it's a bit daunting, but I'm managing."
"That's good. I'm personally a bit nervous myself for next year, but I just try not to think about it," Jay mentioned.
"I don't see why you should worry," Cecilia commented, trying her best to just sound casual and friendly. "You're probably the smartest guy around."
Jay shrugged, his smile turning sheepish. "Well thanks, Cece. But you're smart as well. You've been learning things about potions since you were a kid."
"Well that's because my sister's a genius with them," Cecilia said offhandedly.
"You really see Lily as your sister?" Jay questioned curiously.
Cecilia couldn't help but smile honestly now. Everyone but close family or friends always seemed a bit confused as to what she called Lily and Scorpius. Teddy was the only one who understood right off. "Well, yeah. She's always been looking out for me. Even before I was born. She took care of my brother, and loved him like an older sister, and she does the same for me. When I was little, at first I was never sure what to call her, because she wasn't really related to me, but she still felt closer than just a godmother. So when I asked her if I could call her my sister, she said she'd love it," Cecilia explained.
"But yet you call Scorpius your uncle?" Jay pointed out.
"At his suggestion," Cecilia said with a happy laugh. "He just said don't think about it, just say it. He's not the type to question everything, especially things like that."
"Is that why you always avoid Mitchell's feelings for you? Because you see him like a brother or cousin?" Jay guessed.
Her blush was now due to embarrassment. "You know about that?" she groaned.
Jay's smile was still kind. "Yeah, a lot of Slytherins do. It's kind of obvious."
"Merlin!" she groaned again.
"Hey," Jay placed a hand on her shoulder, "don't be embarrassed."
Cecilia sighed. "Look, it's not because I see him as a little brother or anything, because I don't. He's just a close friend. But that's it! I don't have feelings like that for him, that's all."