Worthy of note - Barnaby x FemRowan [oneshot write promp

Barnaby was having a bad time, he had just burnt some bridges earlier in the day. Important bridges, bridges that absolutely shouldn't have been burnt. He's not quite so sure why he had taken a torch to those bridges, or if he's even using the metaphor correctly. Nevertheless, he was in a situation he didn't want to be.

"...And with that, class dismissed. Don't forget to review your notes and practice on your free time." Flitwick said to the class.
Barnaby looked at his notes depressed, he was a slow writer. Especially now that his hands were busted and sore. He looked around the classroom for anyone who could help him. Merula wouldn't help him, she still thinks he's a traitor; Ismelda would deny him just for the pleasure of asserting power over him; finally Anon wasn't an option, they had made sure of that...
Barnaby sighed, he had tried his best to follow Flitwick, but most of what the tiny professor said went past too fast, or Barnaby simply didn't know how to write down abridged. It seemed like everyone else could pick up all the important bits of information from the professor and only write those down.
He was about to bite the bullet and go beg Merula or Anon, but he noticed Rowan Khanna had stayed behind and was talking with Flitwick. The girl was Anon's closest friends and rumour has it, she is a competent witch. She just has to live in Anon's shadow, which makes it difficult to be noteworthy. Barnaby knew that better than anyone, he had lived that life when he was Merula's underling and he traded that to be Anon's.
But he was struggling with charms, so he absolutely had to try everything.
Rowan was just leaving the classroom when Barnaby walked up to her and tried to get her attention.
"Hey Khanna." Barnaby started casually. "Some class, eh?"
Rowan looked at Barnaby a bit surprised. The two had interacted before many times, but never without Anon present.
"Ah, hum... Yes." Rowan said.
"I was umm... Just thinking... You're very smart and..." Barnaby started and looked at Rowan, who was noticeably confused. She had a look on her face that Barnaby was more than familiar with, he saw it on everyone's faces when he was talking. Merula's, Ismelda's, Anon's and everyone's who was smarter than him... Which was probably vast majority. It made him somewhat self-aware.
"Look... I have a problem." Barnaby finally said.
"What would that be?" Rowan asked.
"I couldn't keep up with writing notes... Could you let me copy yours?" Barnaby decided to just ask, he wasn't getting any smarter.
"Oh... Uh..." Rowan was a bit surprised. "Sure, I guess?"
"Great!" Barnaby said relieved. "I would've asked Anon, but we have some... Issues we're sorting and well, most other students wouldn't help me either."
"Oh, what kind of issues?" Rowan asked curiously.
"Oh, just... Manly stuff." Barnaby said dismissively. "I don't know how to explain it."
"Does it have anything to do with your bruises?" Rowan questioned and looked at him a bit annoyed.
"Well, coincidentally, yes... But this was just a friendly scuffle, we'll sort it all out in no time." Barnaby tried smiling, revealing that he was missing a tooth.
"...Right." Rowan said not convinced.
Barbaby noticed the girl wasn't convinced and tried to think of a smart way to put it.
"Trust me, we're still the bestest of friends, and if you can't have a teeny tiny fight with your friend and forgive them, who can you?" Barnaby said trying to sound convincing.
"Well, I didn't notice any animosity between you two during classes, so I suppose it's just something primal and stupid, that I can't understand."
"Oh yes, we're really stupid about it... That's why we let our do the talking, because our brains  can't turn our feels into words." Barnaby said glad that it seemed like Rowan actually understood them.
She didn't, but she had already promised she would let Barnaby copy her notes.
"Alright... Let's go to library, we have an hour before next classes, copy your notes there." Rowan said and sighed.
"Great, I knew I could count on you. You've always been a kind and smart person."
Rowan blushed a little at Barnaby's casual compliments.


The two got to the library and Rowan sat down at the table put her notes in front of her. She had expected Barnaby to just take them, but instead the boy pulled a chair really close to her and started copying the notes. Rowan was a bit uncomfortable at how close Barnaby was to her, she was a bit shy about her personal space. Barnaby however seemed like he didn't understand the concept at all.
Rowan looked at what Barnaby had written down during the lessons and couldn't help herself but to judge the boy's notes a bit. He had written some unnecessary details down, like when Flitwick demonstrated the wand movement. The boy had described it in an unnecessary detail and completely ignored what Flitwick said about the pronunciation of the incantation. Which was the only thing you could have written down anyway.
"Uhh... Rowan?" Barnaby asked a bit troubled.
Rowan was snapped out of her judgemental assessment of the boy's notes.
"What does this mean?" Barnaby asked and pointed out at the incantation.
"That's phonetic script." Rowan said confused.
"Wow, I have no idea what that means and I don't know... Most of these letters." Barnaby said impressed.
Rowan realized that the boy didn't know how to write incantations.
"How does Anon write them down then?"
"Oh, he writes them down like you say them, like Wing ARR dium LeviOsa" Barnaby said.
"Does it do that for you, or for himself as well?" Rowan asked exasperated.
"Uhh... I don't know, he might write them with Phoenician runes like you." Barnaby smiled.
Rowan looked at Barnaby puzzled at how this... Actually, she thought she was being mean for no reason. Obviously Barnaby's skills lie elsewhere and it's not really such a stretch that Anon wouldn't write incantations phonetically.
"Give me that parchment for a second." Rowan said and took Barnaby's notes, she wrote the incantation the way Barnaby explained on his notes.
"Thanks, that really helps." Barnaby smiled at the girl.
Rowan blushed a little and turned away.
"You're welcome..."
Barnaby went back to copying Rowan's notes. Rowan was leaning on her hand and just watching the boy copy her notes meticulously. He even copied her corrections verbatim with the crossed out words. She found that a bit odd, but didn't feel like pointing it out to Barnaby.
"You have beautiful writing... Style... I mean your letters look nice." Barnaby said while copying her notes.
Rowan blushed, she hadn't expected to be complimented for something like that, and the clumsy way Barnaby said it made it seem so earnest.
"T-thank you, I always thought it was a bit plain." Rowan said a bit uneasily.
"No, it's great, I like the way you do that... Flick thing on your big As.'
Rowan smiled and was silent from then on, she just watched as Barnaby was copying her notes trying to copy Rowan's flourish on her capital A. She always thought Barnaby was a bit brutish, and she still thought so. But it was also worthy of note that he was also really earnest and seemed to work hard. She let her gaze wander on the boy for a while and admired how amazing the boy's muscular body looked. She immediately blushed and turned away. Thankfully the boy didn't seem to notice, he was just finishing her notes and carefully piled them back.
"Thanks, you really saved my butt." Barnaby laughed.
"You're welcome." Rowan said and smiled.
Rowan was quiet for a while and then decided to ask about Anon.
"So, about you and Anon." Rowan started.
"Don't worry about it, we'll have another meet and sort it out." Barnaby said and smiled at Rowan.



Few days went past, Rowan noticed she had started to stare at Barnaby during classes. It seemed like the boy had sorted things out with Anon, because they were both talking together and on friendlier terms. They did however both seem a bit more bruised. But Rowan didn't pay any mind to that, Anon hadn't mentioned it and Barnaby said they were sorting it out. She did however feel a bit disappointed Barnaby was back to copying notes from Anon. She hadn't expected Barnaby to bother her after every class, the boy seemed a bit too polite for that. But it still felt a bit disappointing that they weren't interacting together. At least not with other people involved.
Until one day after the classes Barnaby caught her leaving to common room alone.
"Hey, Khanna." Barnaby called out to her.
"Please, just call me Rowan."
Barnaby smiled and nodded.
"Rowan..." He tried. "Would you like to see something?"
Rowan was a bit surprised at the vague question.
"...Sure" She said a bit uncertain, what would Barnaby have to show to her.
"We need to go outside for this, follow me quickly." Barnaby said and took Rowan's hand nonchalantly.
Rowan blushed intensely, but was glad Barnaby wasn't looking directly at her. She let Barnaby take her outside to a place where they had care of magical creatures classes.
Kettleburn was also there and smiled at Barnaby and Rowan.
"Hey, Professor, is it fine that I show her to Rowan?" Barnaby Asked Kettleburn.
"Of course, she's been anxious while you've been gone." Kettleburn smiled at the boy.
Barnaby turned towards Rowan.
"I have been trying to think of ways to... Repay for your favour, I thought about things that I might be good at. That I could help you with... But honestly, I couldn't think of anything." Barnaby said.
Rowan felt a bit bad about Barnaby thinking so highly of her, but enjoyed the earnest compliment all the same. She rarely received such high praise... No one ever paid any attention to her while Anon was around.
"I don't know what to say, Barnaby." Rowan said blushing.
"Well... Anyway, then I thought of something I was good at, not as good as you, but still. Something I have been doing with Professor Kettleburn that not many know about... Well... I'll just show you." Barnaby said and lead Rowan to a pen.
Rowan couldn't believe her eyes, she made a strange noise that was somewhere between scream and high pitched sigh. She walked up to the pen and saw a tiny golden foal prancing excited at Barnaby.
"T-t-That's a..." Rowan stammered. "I never... I-i never thought I would ever see one."
"It's a baby Unicorn." Barnaby said smiling
Rowan felt like she was about to faint as she stared at the cutest creature she had ever seen, she knelt at the fencing and looked at the adorable little creature.
"Do you want to pet her?" Barnaby asked.
"YES!" Rowan screamed.
"Hold your hand out, let her come to you when she's comfortable." Professor Kettleburn said smiling.
Rowan carefully put her hand trough the fence and waited patiently for the unicorn to feel comfortable. The magical foal sniffed Rowan's hand for a bit and finally pushed her forehead into her palm. Rowan felt like she would faint when she was petting the cute unicorn.
"Barnaby has been helping me with her, I don't know where her parents are, Hagrid had been searching for them, trying to find out what happened." Kettleburn said.
Rowan looked at Barnaby.
"Thank you for bringing me here, this is amazing..."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it, I had been trying to think of ways to repay you... I was going to settle with a bag of chocolate frogs." Barnaby smiled at her.
"I'm glad you decided to bring me here instead, this is so much better than a bag of chocolate." Rowan said and petted the soft golden foal.