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Chapter Text

As I opened my eyes a large blue screen showed brightly above me.

You have died

“A fuck.” I said, with less emotion than one might expect. If the big blue screen was to be believed, then I really didn’t feel all that bad about it. Weird.

The words on the transparent screen flickered and new ones appeared.

You have been given one chance at another story

Which will you choose

I moved forward, barely aware that I had been standing. As I got closer to the screen the words changed again and suddenly a list flashed forward. I scanned across the words and was surprised to find that they were all book titles- all of which I had read. 

“So… I choose a story?” 

The screen flashed again.

Yes

I nodded slowly. “Okay…. So I choose a story, and whatever one I choose I get to be a part of?”

The screen flashed again but displayed the same word; yes

“Alright so I’m dead, and now in this afterlife I get to jump into a story that I read while I was alive? I know I should be more freaked out about this, but I’m just gonna go for it. This is probably just the intro to someone’s fanfic anyway.”

The screen switched again and this time it went back to the book names. Scanning through them again I crossed a series of books all listed together and I felt my heart start to race. Oh, I knew what I was going to choose.

“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban!” I called out triumphantly.

Is that your final choice  

“Hell yeah! It's by far the best in the series.”

The screen flickered again and a new display showed. At the top it read choose who you will be.  I looked at the new list below the title, and it seemed that everyone that could exist in the story was listed, from Harry all the way down to Crookshanks. I tapped my chin, scanning again through the names.

“Can I go into the story as myself?” I asked to the all knowing screen.

Yes but there will be limitations

“Limitations? Like what?”

As an outsider you will have a greater impact on the outcome of the story

Mmmm, that didn’t seem like a limitation. The words changed again.

If you make too many changes, the ending of the story will change

“Ohhhh, so you’re saying if I mess with the story then Harry might not defeat Voldemort?”

Yes

Hmmmm… so the limitation  came because if I didn’t hold back then I might ruin the happy ending. Not that the ending of Harry Potter was so happy, but they did defeat the bad guy. If Harry didn’t end up killing Voldemort, or worse was killed himself, then I could basically destroy the whole wizarding world….

“I still would like to be myself though… maybe if I just choose to be in a different year than Harry Potter then there won’t be any problems. Actually yeah I think that’s a good idea- I didn’t want to have to be 13 again anyway.”

When I turned my focus back to the screen I noticed that it had changed to a character stat page- which was so fucking cool. It was like real life dead Hogwarts Legacy or something.

Similarly to a video game there were only so many traits that could be applied, which was a bummer but whatever. I reached out to try to mess with the dials and the magical blue screen was apparently a touch screen. As I moved things around I noticed at the bottom a little section that was titled family.

“Family? Like, I have a chance to have a whole new family? Uh I don’t know if I really want that… I mean I’m coming in at 15 and I feel like that would be kinda weird… can I just be like an orphan or something?”

You choose to have no family

“Yeah, I mean I had a great one while I was alive- and I feel like it would be a disservice to try to replace them.”

As soon as I finished talking the screen changed and my mouth dropped open. Suddenly I had a LOT more stat points to give out. Apparently not having a family was going to set me back or something and this…. thing…. needed to compensate for that. Whatever, that was fine.

When I finished my stats I was basically top tier. I was maxed out on spell work, beast connection, potion making, money, health, stamina, and flying. I actually didn’t care that much about flying but I had the extra points so I figured I might as well. Once I finished building the strongest version of myself the screen switched again. On the top of the screen it read character descriptions and basically just listed everything physically about me or what would be the 15 year old version of me in this story. 

Name: Juniper Gray

Age: 15

Birthday: January 18th 1978

Eye color: Dark blue

Hair Color: Sandy Blond

Skin Color: White

Nationality: American

Height: 5’ 2”

Weight: 110Ibs

The only thing that wasn’t filled out was the last section that said; House

“Oh is that like my Hogwarts house? Do I have to choose it now? I was hoping that I would get to be sorted.”

The character description went away.

You choose to be sorted in the story

“Yes.”

This choice will change your backstory

“Change my backstory? How?”

The screen didn’t move. No answer apparently.

“Well I still want to be sorted if that’s fine. I’m okay if it changes my backstory.”

The screen went back to the character description, the section labeled house now with a question mark. I looked over it all again, feeling satisfied with everything that I saw. I held out a double thumbs up and watched the screen flicker again.

Once entering you cannot make any changes to your story

Are you satisfied with what you have chosen

“Yup! I mean, I didn’t get to make any choices before starting my last life so this is already way better. Or wait, did I make those choices and just not remember?? Is this the matrix???”

The screen flickered.  No

Once entering the story your life will begin again and will end at death

So did that mean I could keep on living even after the book ended?? Or did that mean I was just going to die at the end of the story??

Entering the story as yourself means you may make choices that change the story's outcome  

You have three warning before the ending will no longer play out as written

From the corner of my eye I saw something start to glow, and looked down at my arm. A bright blue light, similar to the light the screen gave off, now glowed on my outstretched forearm. When it got too bright to look at I closed my eyes and turned away. As the blue faded I turned back to see three perfectly made squares tattooed on my arm. Or, at least they looked like tattoos- maybe that was just like my skin changing or something.

If you make a choice that may alter the story an X will be placed in a box 

Once all three boxes are filled then your story will no longer follow the pre written path

“Wait, why have three boxes? Isn’t that technically only two warnings? If I get a third then that means things will be changed.”

The screen went blank.

No

“Oh… so after the third one nothing changes, but any choice after that can change things?”

Yes

“Oh okay cool, I got it now.”

Are you ready to begin your story

I sighed, looking down again at my arm. Three, technically two, warning. I could make two big changes in this story and not fuck things up too badly. I truly hoped that it wouldn’t even begin to be a problem. Since I planned to be two grades ahead I shouldn’t have any trouble keeping enough distance from the boy who lived to stir up trouble- right?

“I’m ready!” I called out confidently. 

I watched in amazement as the blue screen started to dissipate, pixels starting to break off and float away. Then I looked down and saw that my body was doing the same thing. Piece by piece I was turning that same shade of blue and floating away. I closed my eyes tight, not sure what to expect next.

After a long moment I opened them again and gasped as my new surroundings hit me. I was standing on a street corner, the darkness of the hour dissipated by a singular street lamp. I looked around, totally confused, noticing that my arm was outstretched. As I pulled it back I examined the long piece of black wood that held tightly in my grasp. Was this a wand? It was so basic looking it reminded me of those kiddie magician wands.

Before I could do much else there was a loud bang that made me jump and grabbed my attention. All of a sudden there was a bright light being carried by a triple decker purple bus. I watched in awe as it moved up towards me- I had never even seen the classic British red tour bus, let alone the Knight Bus!

As the large vehicle came to a stop, I watched with amazement as a teenage boy stepped out.

“Welcome to the night bus, emergency transport to the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this evening. Now where is it you would like to go?”

Still shocked, it took me a moment to answer. With the pause Stan dropped his air of formality and looked me up and down. His eyes lit up a little as he registered my presence, and it gave some weird vibes. 

“Ah I’m surprised to see a pretty girl like you out stranded- you looking for somewhere to stay?”

Ew. The pedo vibes were enough to jog me back to this reality. Seems some males were the same no matter what story you were in.

“I have a place to stay thanks, I’m just looking for a ride to the Leaky Cauldron.”

“Well then step aboard,” The guy said with a smile. He held his arm out towards the entrance of the bus.

“What do I owe you?”

“Ah this one is on the house- maybe it will make you want to use our services again.”

Stan winked and I had to force bile from coming up. This guy had to be at least 19 right- possibly older? And he was hitting on a 15 year old… didn’t matter who you were or what you looked like, if you did shit like that you were gross. Only date people in your school kids. 

Before stepping forward towards the un-inviting smile I checked around me. I didn’t have any bags with me except for, it seemed a small side bag around my shoulder. With nothing else to grab I moved forward, stepping as far away from the purple uniformed guy as possible. 

Everything inside the bus was just as I imagined; the high ceiling, the wonky driver, the beds as seats, the black haired boy- I did a double take. It seemed that the start of my story had dropped me at least three chapters into his-

“Ah that’s Neville Longbottom,” Stan said, coming up behind me and making me jump. “Don’t worry he don’t bite.”

Lowering my head I moved quickly away from the conductor and towards the bed he gestured towards. It was one ahead of the nervous looking 13 year old, and way too close for comfort. I felt my heart hammer in my chest.

Everything had happened so fast- I hadn’t expected Harry Potter to already be on the bus! Well really I hadn’t thought anything at all. Even the location of the Leaky Cauldron had just come out naturally and without much thought. But that was his destination, a destination we were apparently traveling to together. 

I clutched my wand tightly in one hand, the other strangling the strap of my bag. My heart was beating so forcefully I was barely even able to feel the bus start to move forward.  I needed to get a hold of myself!! This was my life now! 

But it wasn’t just the fact that one of my all time favorite stories was unfolding before me. It was also the three black squares that were inked onto my arm- the top of one poking out from my sleeve. I had chosen my age as a buffer from getting too close to the boy who lived and now as fate would have it he was right behind me. Not only that but we were going to be staying in the same inn because I didn’t know anything in London outside of Harry Potter references. 

“So you meeting up with someone?” Stan asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Uhh no, just going to get my school supplies.” I probably should have lied and said that I was meeting up with someone, but hopefully the fact I was still in school would deter him enough.

“School supplies? You’re not tellin me you’re still in school??”

“Yup. Definitely still in school.” I had to suppress a grin watching the horror cross his face. At least he had the decency to be appalled by his own behavior. 

Stan mumbled something about needing to wake up another traveler, and moved quickly up the stairs to the side. I chuckled as I watched him go, glad that there wasn’t going to be anymore cringy flirting to deal with this ride. 

“Do you go to Hogwarts?” A voice sounded behind me. I turned to see a nervous looking Harry who seemed to have let the question slip out accidentally. 

I really shouldn’t talk to him… but he looked so out of place. If things really played out as written, Harry had just blown up his aunt, run away, seen dog form Sirius Black, and then got picked up by the bus. It seemed like maybe he needed a distraction from his troubles, or at least a friendly face outside of Stan’s…. Going to school with him was her life now anyway- she needed to learn how to interact with him occasionally while sticking to the story.

“I will be.” I replied with a smile. “This will be my first year.”

I watched the nervousness fade away and turn into curiosity, his eyes looking bright behind his circle glasses.

“Your first year? You look older than eleven though.”

“That would be because I am. I’m fifteen actually.”

“Fifteen? Then how will this be your first year at Hogwarts?”

I paused for a moment, not really sure how to answer the question. I had yet to figure out my back story. Seems I needed to be vague. 

Steps sounded overhead and Stan reappeared, followed by a tired looking wizard. The bus came to a halt, and the man left. Once the doors were closed the bus sped off again. Stan turned to us to let us know our stop was next, and then went up to the driver in an attempt to avoid more awkward conversations. I turned back to Harry.  

“Think of me like a transfer student. And what about you? I’m assuming you go to Hogwarts?”

“Yeah I do or erm I did..” The black haired boy looked down, the previous worry coming back to his face. Awe, poor Harry, didn’t realize he was the main character yet. You can never get rid of the main character.

“Well I won’t pry, we all have our troubles.” I held my hand out. “My name is Juniper by the way. Yours is Neville right?”

Harry’s cheeks flushed pink as he reached out to take my hand.

“Y-yeah” He stammered, looking embarrassed. 

The bus stopped again, arriving at the Leaky Cauldron. Stan re-emerged from his hiding place to walk us to the door. As the two of us stood, I turned quickly back to Harry, flashing him a smile.

“Hey maybe I’ll see you around? And if I do, you can let me know your real name.” I winked at him as I turned to leave. 

Without any extra luggage I stepped quickly out into the night. As I reached the pavement I saw just off to the side a stout man wearing a bowler hat. I nodded politely towards The Minister of Magic and then quickly hurried off towards the inn. The interaction with the main character on the night bus was enough for me- there was no way I was getting involved in this next mess.

--

I was more than a little surprised when I woke up the next morning, the birds chirping outside of my room as my wake up call. It took me a moment to remember everything as I sat up, looking around my room in the Leaky Cauldron. When it all came back a huge grin grew on my face- I was really here!

Really here as in the Wizarding World, not so much the Leaky Cauldron. Sure this place was iconic in its own effect but like, it wasn’t that nice. I had just gotten a basic room, even though it seemed I had more than enough money to get the nicest room they had.

When I went inside the previous night I had taken a moment to look through the bag at my side, wondering if the wealth I had cranked up in my stats was in there. To my surprise the first thing I pulled out was a gold coin, and basically an endless amount followed. The bag seemed to be an undetectable extension charm of sorts. I wondered if there was anything else other than money inside, and as soon as I reached in next it changed from endless coins to a single paper.

As I pulled out the page I saw that it was an opened letter which read;

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Due to your particular circumstances, we will be preparing a place within our program so that you may begin your 5th year of study. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1 September.

With my acceptance into Hogwarts and a bag full of money, I moved happily forward towards the front desk of the Inn. I made arrangements to stay in a room for the rest of the time until school, which according to the calendar on the desk was three weeks. With what I assumed were Galleons, I paid for my stay and followed the worker towards my room. As soon as I was in I jumped onto the bed and promptly fell asleep. Yeah I was super excited about everything, but that excitement took its toll. 

When I woke the next morning that same energy was back- and continued for the rest of my stay at Diagon Alley. Everything about being in this magical shopping center was great, and looking around at all the shops had already fulfilled so much of my fangirl heart. Seriously if I died before I even made it to Hogwarts I could die happy- this place was that cool. Universal Studios just could not do it justice.

As I walked around the shops, collecting all I needed for the upcoming year, I was almost totally without worry. Most people didn’t even bother to notice some random girl walking around, and thankfully there were no more Stan Shunpikes to deal with either. Yes the only thing that had me stressed at all was- Harry Potter.

Since the boy was no longer worried that he was getting expelled, he seemed to be a lot more eager to talk. Initially I had planned to try to avoid him as much as possible, because I wasn’t really sure how much I could interact with the main character before I did something that was deemed an interference. Unfortunately though he always seemed to always catch me when my guard was down. The first interaction was just the first morning, when I was trying to enjoy my breakfast in peace. 

“Good morning-” Said a chipper voice. As I turned to see who was talking I choked on my drink and ended up spitting it out across the table. 

Harry, who was looking rather content before, now seemed a little bit wary. He looked towards me, and then over the table which now held the contents of my mug.

“Sorry-” I coughed, trying to regain some semblance of composure. “My drink went down the wrong pipe.”

“Uh that’s alright,” Harry said awkwardly, looking again over the mess I had made. “Is it alright if I sit down?”

“If you can find a dry one then go for it.” I said, coughing more as I tried to clear out whatever was left in my throat. Once I had cleared it all and could breathe fully again I turned towards the boy, who was sitting rigid in his seat across from me.

“You seem more relaxed than you did last night; did a good night's sleep send away your worries?” I tried to send him a reassuring smile, if only to try to let him know I wasn’t about to choke again. I also decided to push the mug away for good measure.

“Actually things got sorted out last night so yeah I am feeling better.” He showed a small smile.

“That’s good to hear. So does that mean you can tell me your real name now?” I leaned forward and raised an eyebrow towards him for dramatics. I hoped maybe my theatrics would make him laugh, but instead he just blushed. Man it was way too easy to tease 13 year old boys.

“Oh, yeah sorry about that… How did you know anyway?” He asked, looking away, his cheeks still pink.

I shrugged. “You just don’t really look like a Neville.”

Harry gave a small chuckle, that was more just blowing air out of his nose- which I totally counted as making him laugh.

“I’m um, I’m Harry Potter.”

The way he said it was almost like he was bracing himself for impact. Seems the effects of people finding out who he was had definitely made an impact on him. Poor kid. Well I wasn’t going to make a big deal about it- even if on the inside I was fangirling like crazy to hear the Harry Potter tell me his own name. Legendary. 

“Nice to meet you Harry.” I said with the most calm smile I could muster. “Do you remember my name or should I introduce myself again?”

The boy looked a little shocked- probably surprised to be able to say his name for the first time since realizing he was a wizard and not have the other person freak out. He stared at me for a moment more, but then seemed to remember himself.

“Oh uh, you said it was Juniper right?” A huge grin broke across my face.

“Yup! You can call me June though.”

Harry smiled. “Okay, nice to meet you June. So you said yesterday that you are going to Hogwarts right?”

“Yup!” I said, reaching out towards my drink. I may be really pushing it trying to take another sip, but I was ready to risk it.

“And as a 5th year? How or erm can I ask how that works exactly?”

I took a long drink from my mug, glad of the excuse to not talk. Thankfully I had come up with some semblance of a story before heading down this morning. I wasn’t sure if there was actually a backstory I needed to follow, or even how I would find out if there was one. I figured it would be a good idea to have something to say for questions like this though.

“I guess you could say I’m like a transfer student.” I said slowly, bringing my mug back down to the table. 

“Oh, yeah I guess that makes sense. So did you go to a magical school somewhere else?”

“Something like that,” I said with a smile. “I did study magic in America, but not from a school like Hogwarts. And that’s all I’d really like to say on the subject.”

“Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to press-”

I waved my hand at him, dismissing his apology. 

“It’s fine, I get you’re curious. I’m sure you won't be the only one.”

There was a moment of awkward silence between us as Harry seemed to struggle with whatever he had been feeling. 

“So you’re from the states?” He eventually asked, which made me smile. 

“Yup! New to Europe, new to England, and really new to this whole wizarding community as a whole. This is kind of my first time being with other people with magic.”

“Oh really?? So this is your first time at Diagon Alley?” He looked pretty excited. “Do you want me to show you around??”

How was I supposed to say no to Harry freaking Potter showing me around Diagon Alley for the first time? Tampering with the story or not, there was no way I could turn that down. Nothing important happened in this part of the book anyway so as long as I steered clear of sensitive topics I figured things should be good.

And for the most part things were okay, but I started to feel nervous that if we continued to spend more time together, it wasn’t going to stay that way. I mean, the more time together meant the likelihood that I did something to fuck it all up went up as well right? It was just simple math.

So after the first day, although it had been a lot of fun, I had to start trying to avoid Harry Potter. I didn’t want to be rude though, so I thought I’d plan to see him at least once a day. It didn’t really matter though because all my efforts couldn’t seem to fight against the protagonist. He found me everyday on his own, even when I was trying my best to be invisible. He always seemed to catch me off guard by popping up when I didn’t even realize he was around.

As time went on it seemed he found me at the most opportune times as well- opportune for him that is. About a week out from term starting, when more people started showing up, Harry seemed to find me right when his other classmates were around. One time I had been looking at books tucked away in a corner at a bookstore, when the lightning scarred boy made his greeting. When I looked up I saw he had turned to talk to Seamus Finnegan, who had apparently been standing right by me.

By the last day of my stay I had been introduced to what felt like Harry’s entire year at school. Well, okay maybe at least most of the Gryffindors. Harry had been more than willing to make all the introductions, which was kind of stressful but also fun. Meeting the actual Neville Longbottom had been easily manageable, but mostly because he hadn’t said anything. When Harry had gestured towards me the other boy had just straight up frozen, not able to utter a single word.

I was hoping that maybe I would meet someone in my same grade before school started, but it wasn’t working out. After seeing Harry for the first time I realized that the movie actors I had in my head for each of the characters were not actually what they looked like. Some looked close, like Neville looked a lot like young Mathew Lewis if he was blond, but it was still not the same. That being said, I had no idea what any of the 15/16 year olds from Hogwarts looked like.

Well technically that wasn't true- I knew that if I saw the Weasley twins I would be able to recognize them, but I hadn’t seen them either. Thinking back on the plot of the 3rd book, the Weasley’s didn’t get to Diagon Alley until the day before they needed to leave for the school- which evidently was today.

June: Never Ending Story- Limahl

Harry: We Didn’t Start the Fire- Billy Joel

Chapter Text

I was sitting outside of one of the little shops, tucked away off to the side of the building. I had a good view of the cobblestone road, while being enough in the shadows that I wasn’t seen. This had been one of the only places where I had successfully hidden away from Harry Potter, well outside of my room. It was cool and mostly quiet, and great for people watching.

The goal initially was to spot out some Weasleys, but after a few minutes I had given up and instead started reading. I had gotten all my books and supplies for school the first week, and had since been enjoying using them. The books were SO interesting and I had spent a lot of my days reading. My favorite so far had been the real life book “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” by Newt Scammander. Before coming to this world I had LOVED learning about the magical creatures in his world and now I had the real in depth guide. 

Outside of the books though, my wand had been especially exciting to get. The experience was full of excitement and wonder- and just a tad of anxiety due to the infamous boy who lived who had tagged along. I had a wand given to me as I started this story, but I still wanted a chance to have one choose me.

After the chaotic but entertaining chance to test new ones, I ended up with a wand made of cherry wood, 12 inches long, and had a very interesting core. It was made of a dragon heartstring AND a kneazle whisker. Olivander said it was made on order, but that the person never came to pick it up. It was amazing to hold, and moving it around was the first time I had ever actually done magic. When I waved it, blue light shone out of it, the same color of blue from the mysterious screen.

Now that I had a wand truly of my own, I had taken to reading through all my textbooks to try to get a handle on my new ability. I had maxed out my stats on spell work, but I probably still needed to at least know the names of spells to use them. Having just been a huge fan of the world of Harry Potter I knew a lot, but still needed some practice.

So as I sat in the small alleyway I read my transfiguration textbook, looking through all I needed to do for the upcoming year. Thankfully I had also played Hogwarts Legacy more than once, so I felt like I would have a pretty good handle on my 5th year. Hopefully it would work out well enough when I had to take my OWLs.

As I read, the sounds of the street around me, which had been all but white noise, suddenly clicked into focus as I heard a familiar name. I looked up from my book, scanning quickly to see who had called out Harry’s name- and then I spotted them. Not too far away waving excitedly was a boy with bright orange hair, and a girl with a mess of brown so wild I couldn’t even see her face. In just another second Harry also came into view, running towards his friends and completing the golden trio. 

Smiling, I listened to their happy chatter- they were so freaking cute. I had to fight the urge to jump up and squeeze all their little faces. It was so adorable. Really they weren’t that much younger than me now, but they still seemed so little. All my time talking with Harry had really solidified the fact he was a really cute kid, made even cuter by his friends.

After they got the whole, blowing up your aunt thing out of the way the conversation seemed to change. 

“Hey there’s someone that you have to meet!” Harry said, very animated. I leaned in a little closer. “I met this girl who is coming to Hogwarts for the first time, but in her 5th year.”

“Her 5th year??” Ron said, sounding shocked.

“Is she a transfer student??” Hermione asked quickly, leaning in towards the other boy.

“She said it was something like that,” Harry replied quickly. “But she didn’t go into much detail. Anyway she’s really cool. I’ve talked to her almost everyday since being here and I think you guys would like her.”

“What’s her name?” Hermione asked.

“Juniper Gray, but she said to call her June.” Harry then went into a bit more detail about me. It was kind of awkward to eavesdrop in on, but it's not like I could leave now- I was invested. 

“Wow, a 5th year girl. I can’t believe you’ve gotten close to someone two grades above us.” Ron said a little dreamily. 

“What do you mean?” Harry asked quizzically, and I had to hold in a laugh.

“Ah well you know, she’s older.” The redhead replied, as if that answered the question.

“What does that matter?” Hermione said, putting her hand on her hips. “Harry talks to Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell all the time, and they’re older.”

“Ah well that’s different- they’re on the same quidditch team.” Ron said indignantly. 

“So?” Hermione replied in a huff.

“So, this is different.” He replied, still not giving an answer. As I looked at them from a distance I thought I could see some pink start to shade Ron’s cheeks, but I couldn’t be sure. 

The conversation eventually steered away from me though, and eventually the golden trio left to go look at some magical creatures. If memory serves, this is when Hermione got her cat, that honestly was the real hero of this story.

Once the 3rd years were gone, I slipped away from my hiding place and walked in the opposite direction. The trio reminded me about my own new pet; a long eared owl I named Bunny. Not really sure why I got an owl, not like I had anyone to send letters to, but it just seemed like the right choice. Anyway, I had already gotten what I needed to care for her, but I still didn’t know much about owls in general. I had the Newt Scamander book already but I decided to head to the bookstore to see if they had any literature on pet care specifically.

It was a lot busier now with everyone looking to cross off their lists for school. Thankfully most everyone was busy focusing on the beast books that Hagrid listed for his class. I had been more than a little relieved to hear that 5th years were using a more standard textbook in preparation for their OWLs. 

As I moved to a more deserted part of the store, and scanned the shelves looking for something about Owl care. When I finally found the section I saw that the book I needed was on a shelf a bit too high to reach. I looked quickly to both sides, nervous that this was a little bit too perfect of a set up for a meet cute scenario. It felt like this story was bound to put even my life into little troupes. As excited as I was to meet the Weasley twins, I didn’t need any romantic energy from them at this point. I had already decided I would avoid dating anyone my age for the sake of keeping the storyline intact. 

Of course I wasn’t against romance in general, but I figured I better just get to know my peers before I tried for something more. I mean, how awkward would it be to have a breakup with someone in your own house and have to be with them everyday for the next three years. Not that I thought I was going to be in Gryffindor, honestly I had no idea.

After first checking that there was no red hair in sight, I started looking for a stool or ladder- anything to give me a boost. There wasn’t anything so I decided to just reach for it. I could maybe use magic but that still made me a bit nervous, so instead I stood on my tiptoes, reaching up towards the bird book. I was about to chance climbing up on one of the shelves when a presence moved in behind me and a hand reached out above me.

As the mysterious person pulled the book down, moving a pace away, I turned to see who it was this story was putting in my path. As I turned my eyes went up to the face of the hottest guy I had ever seen. Never in my life had I seen someone that was so violently my type- my brain could hardly compute.

He was tall with a head of clean cut brown hair that was pushed to the front. He was well built, with a really commanding presence. He looked so strong and so handsome I wanted nothing more than for him to push me up against the bookcase and harshly put his beautiful lips onto mine.

“Is this what you were reaching for?” The boy asked, with a Scottish accent that made my knees weak. I couldn’t even get words to come so I just nodded and held out my hands.

The boy smiled, and that about ended me. He put the book into my hands and then turned to leave. My brain was still barely functioning, but as he started to walk away it kicked into gear.

“What’s your name???” I basically yelled it out, and a lot louder than I should have. More than the boy turned back to look at me, and it made my face feel hot.

“Uh Oliver,” He said hesitantly, probably thrown off by my dramatics. 

My heart beat painfully hard as he said his name in his beautiful accent. That’s it, this was my husband.

“Thanks Oliver,” I said happily. I tried to give just a demure little smile, but I’m pretty sure it was a huge ass grin. “I’m Juniper by the way, but you can call me June.”

He smiled again- my poor heart. “Nice to meet you June.”

Then someone called out his name and made him turn. He yelled back that he was coming, then turned back and sent me one last smile before he walked away. When he was totally out of sight I dropped unceremoniously to the ground, the book held tight against my chest. 

Man even if this book was shit I was going to have to buy it and treasure it for the rest of my life.

--

It wasn’t until I was on my way towards dinner that I finally did run into Weasleys, and of course Harry. After meeting Oliver, I had just gone into my room and daydreamed for the rest of the afternoon. I probably would have been there until I fell asleep, but my stomach protested. I had only made it a few feet out of my room when I ran into basically the whole Weasley lot, Harry leading the way with his two friends.

“June!!” Harry said happily, his face lighting up as our eyes met.

“Hey Harry, and uh company.” I replied, awkwardly looking around at the lot. There were so many heads of red hair it was hard to know where to look. Not to mention Hermione’s hair blocking out most everyone at their middles.

“Ah this is who I was telling you all about-” Harry started, but was quickly interrupted by one of the heads of red hair moving forward.

“Hello there June, my name’s Fred-”

“And mine is George,” Said the other twin, moving up right after the first. 

“No need to worry about any of these lot,” Fred added, waving his hand towards his family the other two Gryffindors. “We hear you’re starting as a 5th year- that means you’ll be the same grade as us!”

“Oh yeah?” I said with an eyebrow raised. This interaction was somehow exactly what I expected from the Weasley twins. The two of them were now standing right in front of me, blocking anyone else from view.

These two redheads didn’t look much like the Phelps twins. Rather than tall and lanky, they were stocky and shorter than I expected. Their hair was a flaming red orange with a bit of a curl to it. It was already very evident that they were a mischievous duo, and I knew that getting to spend the year in school with them was going to lead to a lot of trouble, but also a lot of fun.

“Yup! So you should stick with us, we’ll show you the ropes.” George added, flashing a bright smile.

There was some movement in between the two as Harry seemed to try to push his way back to the front. Fred very quickly reached his hand over, shoving the boy's head back while not even looking. It made me laugh, watching them treat the main protagonist as if he was just another little brother- adorable.

“Well I will keep that in mind.” I said with a smile. “But if you guys don’t mind, I was hoping to go get some dinner before the night ended so if I could just-”

I tilted my head to the side, looking to see if there was any room to squeeze past the group. The hallway was not large, and there were I think seven of us standing there so not much wiggle room. It seemed the twins were going to take the task upon themselves though and started shoving the rest of the group to the side.

“Right this way-” Fred said, extending his arm in the direction of the other room. 

I laughed again, moving forward past the squished group. I paused a moment to look behind the twins, the top of I assumed Ron’s head only visible. 

“I’ll talk to you later Harry,” I called, moving away, the twins following right behind.

“See you!” The black haired boy called. I looked over my shoulder to see him now visible with some distance between us. I smiled and waved, and he returned the gesture.

--

I could hear people moving around outside of the train, but I was content in my more quiet space. I had gotten on the train not that long ago, happy to be away from the crowd growing out on the platform. Yeah I wanted to experience the magic of boarding the Hogwarts Express with all the students, but at the same time the loud whistle gave me a headache and there were like 100 owls hootings so I passed. 

I had come to the station on my own, much to the disappointment of the Weasley twins. They had invited me along with them, offering me a spot in one of their cars without even checking with a parent to see if it was okay. I declined, although I had to admit I was pretty happy they seemed to like me enough to want to spend more time with me.

They had followed me to where I had my meal, and they stayed while I ate. It would have been weird, but they were very lively company. With all the back and forth there wasn’t even a moment to feel awkward or out of place- it was really nice. We talked until I forced my way into my room, telling them I needed to pack for the trip ahead, promising I would see them on the train.

I had decided to wake up extra early to beat the rush of people leaving for the station- and also not get caught up in the Weasley departure. I had been serious about not wanting to go with them to King Cross. Not only did I not want to intrude, but I also had some things I wanted to do on my own. Since I only had myself to rely on once I got to school, and needed to make sure I had a few more essential things from the muggle world before they were out of reach.

So now I sat in my compartment, headphones on, listening to a cassette tape of Queen songs. Yup, that's right, I had gone out and got myself a Walkman- it was pretty high on my to do list. There was no way I was going through an entire school year without being able to listen to music- magic or not that sounded like hell.

Really I had set out in the morning to find a CD player; those were a lot more popular right now, but I had come across the Walkman first. I hadn’t even gotten far out of the Leaky Cauldron when I walked by a record store that was also selling cassette tapes. Apparently they were just really into music that was going out of style. They had a huge selection of tapes though so I felt pretty satisfied once I bought what I hoped would fill me for the year.

After the little excursion and all my muggle essentials bought, I got a cab and went to catch the train. It was a bit of a hassle with a big ass trunk and caged bird, but I managed. The cab driver and most of the store workers seemed confused, but the guy working the record store was pretty chill about it- probably saw a lot of odd shit being so close to Diagon Alley. 

My song switched from Man on the Prowl to I want to Break Free and I relaxed more into my seat. I closed my eyes and leaned back as I reached down and turned up the volume. This was one of my favorites and I wanted to enjoy it. 

It had been a wild few weeks of adjusting to this world, and although I LOVED being here, I also missed my past life. Things had changed fast, and I barely had time to process it all. But listening to a song that I loved before really helped me move through my feelings. Hearing Freddie Mercury's voice sing those beautiful notes just hit different ya know?

“Excuse me-” A voice called loudly.

I opened my eyes, slightly glaring up at whoever was ruining my peaceful moment. Unless this was the hot guy from the bookstore I was probably going to throw hands. Okay not really, but like I was still pretty annoyed. 

The annoyance dissipated pretty quickly though as surprise took over. There standing above me was another redheaded boy; for sure a Weasley but not one of the twins. This one was tall, thin, and amidst the many freckles on his face sat a pair of glasses. Oh that means this could only be-

“Percy Weasley-” The older boy said, holding his hand out to shake. 

He looked so damn serious that if I didn’t know who he was I could have guessed he was a cop ready to arrest me or like a judge ready to pass judgment. I moved down to my cassette player, paused my song and slid my headphones down to my neck. Then I reached out and shook his hand, raising an eyebrow towards the boy.

“You are the new student, correct? The one transferring as a 5th year?”

“That’s me.” I replied, dropping his hand and sitting back in my seat.

“Ah yes well, as head boy of the school-” he moved his shoulder forward, making the badge pinned to his chest more visible. “-I wanted to introduce myself and let you know that if you need help with anything while you are adjusting you just need to find me and ask.”

“Well that’s really kind of you- did you like, get a letter about me or something?”

“Uh well no,” Percy said, his cheeks turning slightly pink. “I just, I was there in the hallway last night when you went off with my brothers. I just wanted to make sure you knew that there were more helpful people at this school than Fred and George.”

“Ah, I thought the last name sounded familiar! I guess the hair should have given it away though, I mean there’s not many people I’ve met with such a beautiful color like yours.”

I tried so hard to suppress another grin as the blush grew darker on his face. While I was mostly teasing him, it was still true that their hair color was beautiful. It literally looked like the color of fire, it was amazing. 

“So is it just the three of you? Brothers I mean.” I asked, trying to look as friendly as possible.

“Oh well,” Percy said, taking a seat across from me and dropping the formality a bit. “I have two older brothers that are already off doing their own thing. Then there’s Fred and George who are 5th years like you. Then I have a younger brother named Ronald who is a 3rd year, and lastly there’s my sister Ginny who is a 2nd year.”

“That’s so fun that you can go to school with four of your siblings! You probably don’t ever have to feel homesick when you have family so close.”

“Oh yes,” The head boy replied with a little snort. “Homesickness is not something I’ve ever had to deal with. If anything I wish I could be a little farther away-”

“Now that’s just rude.” Said a voice at the compartment door. 

Both Percy and I turned to see Fred and George standing there at the opening, which had apparently been left open.

“One day you’ll miss us so badly you’ll be begging us to come visit.” George added, pushing his way into the compartment. He plopped down next to his older brother, wrapping his arm around his shoulder.

“Yes, and we will get a letter that is tear stained, telling us how you wished you had valued the time you spent with us when we were all at school together.” Fred added, taking a seat next to mine. He winked as he turned to me.

“Ugh, get off-” Percy snapped, throwing George’s arm off and standing back up. The twin both chuckled as the older boy wiped his robes for any residual grime.

“So has the new head boy already been trying his luck with the new student? I say Percy, at least let her get sorted before you ask her out.” George teased, also sending me a wink of his own.

“I have- that’s not-” Percy stammered, his face getting even more pink than before. “I already have a girlfriend.”

“Well we wouldn’t put it past Mr. Humongous Bighead; wouldn’t two girlfriends really put you a step above the rest?” Fred said with a devious grin. Percy’s face turned from pink to red.

“Knock if off you two,” I finally interjected, afraid the heat from Percy’s blush would do damage to his brain. “He was just helping me feel welcome, and I appreciated it.”

I sent a reassuring smile to Percy, who calmed back down to a safe shade of rose. He brushed his robes out again, and turned swiftly to the door. Before he walked out though he turned back to them.

“Oh, I didn’t get your name though.”

“Awe come off it Perc- Harry only mentioned it fifty times during dinner last night.” George said, leaning back on his now fully empty seat.

“Well I don’t know what she would want to be called by!” Percy retorted, a bit of fire to his words. 

“Juniper Gray,” I said, hoping to put out the flame. 

“Well, it's nice to meet you Juniper. I hope you get sorted into Gryffindor, but even if you don’t, I will see you around the school.”

I smiled and nodded, watching as the head boy closed the door and headed down the hall. This family was kind of a lot of work, but in a good way.

“What house do you think you’ll get sorted into?” Fred asked, leaning in towards me.

“You guys asked that last night and I already told you guys I don’t know.” I replied, reaching out and shoving the boy away. He chuckled, but then moved right in close again.

“Well it's not Slytherin, that’s for sure.” George said, rubbing his chin dramatically. “You’re way too nice to be sorted into there.”

“Well from what you described yesterday of all the houses, I assume you are right. But I think it has more to do with my lack of ambition and less me just being nice. I’m sure there are nice people in all the houses.” I replied, thinking back on the previous night’s conversation. The twins had gone into pretty long details about the sorting ceremony and all the houses- wanting to see what house I thought I’d be placed in.

“Well for the first time in my life I agree with Percy- I hope you are sorted into Gryffindor.”

“Agreed.” George added to his brother's comment. “Anyway Fred, we better go find Lee. We said we would meet up with him before we headed off.”

“You go ahead,” Fred replied, shooting a glance my way. “I’ll keep our new friend company, and then bring him back here and we can all sit together.”

Some sort of knowing look passed between the two, which I could only assume was some secret twin telepathy. But George did end up leaving, saying he would be back soon with their other friend. Once he was gone Fred moved back in towards me.

“What’s that you got there?” He asked, pointing to my Walkman.

“Oh, it plays music,” I said, shoving him over again. “I bought it on my way to the station.”

“That little thing plays music?” Fred questioned, looking genuinely surprised. 

“Mhmm, do you wanna hear?” I twisted towards my side bag, searching for what I needed. “I bought a pair of double headphones, so we can listen together if you want.”

I pulled them out and switched them with my current set. Then I turned towards Fred and placed one of the new sets on his head and over his ears. He seemed even more surprised once they were on, reaching up and feeling the tufted speakers.

“Okay now let me just get a good song-”

I quickly placed my own set on and moved back to my bag. This seemed like the boy’s first experience with muggle music so I had to make it memorable. As I thought about my new cassettes they suddenly appeared before me in the bag. I scanned through them, trying to decide what would be the best. I could rickroll him- but no. If I had to guess I’d bet he’d like some hard rock, but I didn’t have much to choose from.

“Oh this will be perfect!” I exclaimed, pulling out another one of my personal favorites. I switched it out for the current cassette and rewinded. When it was all ready I turned to the redhead, my excitement I’m sure very evident on my face.

“Okay this is technically a bit old by now, but it's a classic! So don’t say anything- just wait until it's over before you talk okay??”

Fred looked down at me with a smile, obviously very amused at this point. He agreed though and so I pressed play. As Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing started to play I sat back, ready to enjoy another great song.

June: Don’t Stop Believing- Journey

Fred: Don’t Stop Believing- Journey

Chapter Text

My feet dangled off the stool as I took my seat, the entire hall of students looking right at me. Normally I wasn’t someone to shy away from attention, but this was like waaaaaay too much to handle. Flitwick needed to get that hat on my head otherwise I was going to pass out- seriously what was taking him so long????

Thankfully the train ride into the school had been less strenuous- even with the dementors on board. No one had passed out in our compartment though so it wasn’t that big of a deal. A little toe head did run in screaming when the lights had turned off, but that was the highlight. No it was rather lowkey, with Fred insisting we listen to more music in between talking to George and Lee Jordan. 

I felt pretty nervous for Harry, but I didn’t feel like there was anything that I could do. I was still nervous about the whole, changing the story stuff and the dementor encounter was a pretty decent part of this one. I didn’t see him after we got off the train either, and even as I looked through the red table his jet black hair was nowhere in sight.

Scanning for more familiar faces though did help to ease the tension building up inside of me. At this point I only knew Gryffindors so I focused down on their row. My eyes jumped from each head of red hair until I got to, who I thought was Fred. He was looking at me and when our eyes met he waved frantically towards me. It looked like he was a first grader trying to get the attention of a friend and made me smile. 

I put a hand out to the side and wiggled my fingers at him, which made him break out in a huge grin. He leaned over across the table, hitting whoever was sitting across from him. I looked over, expecting to see George, but instead saw the guy from the bookstore that made my heart once again do full on break dancing moves. I started to lift off my seat to get a better view of him, but then something moved down over my head and covered my eyes. Great, now he puts the hat down.

Everything was dark and soundless since the hat was so large it went down past my ears as well. For a moment there really was nothing, and I thought that maybe I was going to have to call out or something- but then there was a voice.

“Well it seems you are a bit older than the others.”

The voice sounded loudly, but it seemed more like it was in my head. Ah fuck this was so cool. A hat that uses legilimency- so awesome.

“That’s right, I’m a 5th year,” I thought, assuming the comment was not rhetorical. 

“Starting as a 5th year, well that is unique isn’t it.”

“Actually I know you’ve sorted 5th years before, although sadly I am not as extraordinary as those students were.” Everything was cannon right? Hogwarts Legacy surely had to be taken into effect.

“That is true,” The hat said with a hum. “But I don’t think you are as ordinary as you say. I see much inside of you; resourcefulness, wit, bravery, loyalty…. Where would be the best place to put you?”

“Actually Mr. magical Hat, sir” I added, fidgeting slightly in my seat. “As much as I would like to know where I belong, I also need to make sure I’m placed somewhere where I can do the least amount of damage. I don’t want to interfere in other people’s stories.”

“Not interfere?” The voice questioned. 

“This isn’t my story, and as much as I love that I’m here at Hogwarts, I don’t want to risk anyone’s future. So please put me somewhere where I can keep everything safe.”

There was a moment of silence, and then I heard a low hum. Then the voice sounded loudly again.

“Yes I think I understand now, and I wish you luck on your journey.”

I was about to thank it but was cut off by a loud voice sounding outside of my head.

“HUFFLPUFF!” The hat called out, and even through the covering I could hear the table just at my left start to cheer.

As the world came back into view the yellow table was up in arms, cheering as if they had all just collectively won the lottery. Seemed a little much, but it felt good nonetheless. I felt my cheeks warm as I jumped off my seat, moving over to my new house table. I was going to take a seat up front with all the new little first years, but then someone a bit farther down the table waved me down. They motioned to come over by them, so I willingly obliged. 

Once I took my seat, that looked like it had been squished around to make, I looked over at the owner of the hand. Now the Gryffindor boy from the bookstore was attractive, but I knew that was more because he was made up of all my ideal qualities. To the general eye he probably wasn’t as hot as he was to me. But this guy, the one who was now smiling at me, was probably the definition of conventionally attractive .

The boy had dark brown hair that was somehow the perfect amount of wavy. It moved up and down on his head making the ideal texture and volume. His eyes were bright gray that looked like the clouds above a stormy sea at sunset, reflecting the setting sun. He had perfectly straight teeth that were almost blindingly white. He also had dimples that just added to the charm of his smile.

Although this guy looked different than the actor in the movies, I knew right away who it was. What other devilishly handsome Hufflepuff could it be??

“Welcome to Hufflepuff!” He said brightly, almost taking me out with his looks. “I’m Cedric Diggory.”

“Juniper Gray,” I said, smiling with my eyes squinted so I could look at him. “You can call me June though.”

“Nice to meet you June. Wow I can’t believe you are starting as a 5th year, that must seem quite daunting!”

I shrugged. “Sure, but I’m just happy to be here.”

“Ah, a true Hufflepuff,” Cedric said with another smile- I needed to invest in some sunglasses if I was going to be around his boy.

Now that the sorting was done, there was a lot more chatter than started to fill the hall. The yellow robed boy started to say something else, but I was distracted by all the voices around me. It was so crazy to really be sitting here in the great hall, with my own house- with all the other houses around me. As I scanned around I looked at the red table right next to us and saw the fiery red hair from before.

Because of where I was sitting, Fred was a little bit aways across my table and at his own, but I could still see him pretty well. He looked like he had been trying to get my attention, but I had just noticed him. He looked… almost, a little sad. There was a smile on his face still, but it wasn’t as bright as it had been even earlier today .

I lifted up my hand and wiggled my fingers the same as I had when I was sitting on the stool. My heart lifted a little as I saw his smile turn much more genuine. The person sitting across from me shifted a little so the Weasley twin was blocked. At the same time we leaned our heads over so we could see each other again. I giggled as his head popped into view, but my attention was quickly diverted to the god-like face that was now visible. 

“Do you know the Weasley twins?” Cedric asked at my side. I was barely able to comprehend his words though, my mind was so clouded by perfection.

“The Weasley twins?” I asked absentmindedly, turning slowly over to him.

“Yeah, isn’t that who you were waving to?”

I was now looking at him, his gray eyes coming more clearly into view. 

“Oh uh yeah, I met them while I was staying at the Leaky Cauldron yesterday.”

“Oh, so you didn’t know them from before?” He questioned, an eyebrow raised. Before? Before what? Before Hogwarts maybe?

“No, I don’t know anybody. I came here from America so everyone is a new face- speaking of which, do you know who that person sitting across from Fred is?”

Cedric leaned towards me to get a better look. His hair was barely an inch away from my face and I got a whiff of what I could assume was his shampoo or hair gel or something. It was very earthy, like pine or a scent similar. From a distance it was probably nice, but having it all in my face had me almost gagging is was so strong. 

“Oh, the guy with the brown hair? That’s Oliver Wood.” He leaned back and looked at me- my eyes went wide.

“Oliver Wood??” I asked in disbelief. Of course! Why had I not realized it??? What other Oliver was in the story?? Damn- if I had realized maybe I wouldn’t have tried so hard to push against Gryffindor house. It must have been his gorgeous face, it stopped my brain from working correctly. 

“Yeah, he’s the captain of the Gryffindor quidditch team. Decent guy, good player too.” As Cedric answered he raised an eyebrow again at my expression. “Why do you ask?”

I felt my face start to warm. “Uh I met him in Diagon Alley too, but I didn’t get his full name.”

Just then, someone at the front of the room started talking, and drew both of our attention away. Listening to Albus Dumbledore was pretty awesome- guy was like the best public speaker I had ever heard. Still, it wasn’t enough to keep my full attention. As he spoke I kept turning to the side to see if I could catch another glimpse of Oliver, but I couldn’t see him past Fred.

When Dumbledore called the feast to a start I found myself distracted enough that I gave up looking for Oliver- for a time at least. The house elves here were literally top tier chefs, even the fact that this was British food was made bearable because of their cooking. As we ate Cedric and I happily chatted together. He really seemed like a nice guy, I totally got why everyone was basically in love with or wanted to be him the fourth book- to me though he just didn’t do it for me Oliver Wood did though.

Eventually I went back to trying to catch the older boy’s eye, but it was futile. I was too short and there was too much distance. Maybe when everyone was done eating I could hurry over there before that section of the table left and get Fred or George to introduce me to him officially.

“So you’ve never studied at a magical school?” Cedric asked, bringing my attention back to our conversation.

“Nope. I did go to muggle school obviously, but anything I know about magic I learned on my own.”

“That’s so interesting- was there just no school close enough in America or?”

I shifted awkwardly in my seat. “It's uh, complicated. If its alright with you, I’d rather just leave it at that.”

“Oh I’m so sorry!” Cedric said quickly, looking quite apologetic.

“It's fine!” I said, wanting to stop his train of thought before he felt too bad. “Seriously it’s fine, you didn’t know. Maybe instead you can tell me about yourself- like if this is also your first year at Hogwarts.”

From the look on his face it seemed like he wasn’t quite ready to drop the apology, but my stupid question did make him crack a smile. He gave in eventually though and started talking about his time at Hogwarts and his family. Cedric also went around the table and introduced me to all the other kids in our grade- a group with so many smiles it was almost unnerving. 

When the feast had ended, Dumbledore got back up and talked about some more beginning of school stuff. This time I really wasn’t listening at all as I planned my route to get to Oliver Wood. If I stood up right when the old looking wizard was done talking I could run over to where Fred was before they left and try to facilitate the conversation. Everyone will walk towards the doors so maybe if I move towards the front of the room and run around I could get to them faster-

Dumbledore called for everyone to head back to their dorms. Immediately I shot up, hearing Cedric say something about showing me where our common room was, but I was already on the move. I made it about a third of the way down before the flow of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students was too much to fight against. Feeling a bit of panic I turned and stepped up onto the bench and across the table- there was no food anymore so it was fine.

There were a bunch of younger students that watched with wide eyes as I jumped down on the other side. I turned triumphantly right to head to my target, when I crashed into someone who was going the other direction. The other person stayed standing but the force was enough to knock me onto the ground. The world was spinning a little bit, but once I came to I could hear someone calling my name.

“Harry?” I asked, looking up at the bespectacled 3rd year. He was standing just above me, the crowd of yellow and red moving past us.

“Are you alright?” He asked, reaching out a hand. I took it and got to my feet, the world a little dizzying again.

“Yeah I’m good, who did I-” I looked to see who I had crashed into to see if they were okay, but seeing the tall head of red hair above me stopped my search.

“Sorry,” Ron said, looking sheepishly down at me.

“Ah no, I’m sorry. I was the one jumping off the table so I feel like that’s on me.” I replied, waving away his apology. I smiled towards him, trying to reassure him, and then looked back over at Harry.

“Why were you jumping over the table?” The black haired boy asked, a small grin growing on his face- it was rather absurd wasn’t it? Groups of younger students started to push past us.

“Ah I was just trying to get over to uh Fred before he left the hall.” I said quickly, my cheeks starting to feel warm. “But I’m sure he’s almost out the door by now anyway so I didn’t really go about this very well.”

“Did you need to talk to him about something?” Harry asked.

I shook my head. “I mean, not really. Anyway, why were you guys going this way?” I jerked my thumb backward, the direction the golden trio had apparently been heading. You know technically if they had just gone to head out the door I might have made it…

“We were going to talk to Hagrid- oh!” The boy looked around to his sides towards his friends. “This is Ron and Hermione by the way.”

I smiled towards the other 13 year olds, getting a good look at them for the first time. Ron was taller than me, honestly taller than probably everyone in his grade. He had the same hair as his brothers but like described in the book his face was more unique. Hermione had her signature mess of brown hair that was honestly quite beautiful in its own regard. The girl had a dark complexion especially as compared to her companion, who was so paper white despite apparently spending the summer in Egypt.

“It's nice to meet you guys, Harry mentioned a lot about you when we talked over the summer. I’m June by the way.”

“It's nice to meet you too,” Hermione said with a smile.

“Do you want to come with us?” Harry asked, jumping back into the conversation.

“Come with you?” I questioned, unsure of what he meant.

“To talk to Hagrid; he's the games keeper and the new Care of Magical Beasts professor. He’s honestly great, you’ll really enjoy meeting him.”

I shrugged again. “Sure, why not.” I had already lost my chance with Oliver today so why not give in.

Following the golden trip through what was left of the crowd we made it to the head table. There sat literally the biggest dude I had ever seen. He looked terrifying from a distance, but as soon as he started talking I immediately felt attached. Hagrid was like this giant teddy bear or like studio Ghibli’s Totoro- you just wanted to squeeze him. 

As the big man talked about his excitement for his upcoming teaching assignment I got a big pit in my stomach. Things didn’t end so well with Hagrid’s teaching. It had been hard to read about Hagrid’s class- how things were going so well and then they kinda crashed and burned. Then he basically lost the fire for teaching all together which was even harder to read. The pit turned into a knot and kept twisting over and over. When the big man eventually bid them goodbye I felt like I was going to be sick.

“Ms Gray!” A voice called out as the four of us moved to leave. Turning I saw an older witch wearing all green walking towards us.

--

“This is impossible!!” I yelled out, banging my fists on the table.

“What’s impossible?” Cedric asked, looking startled.

“This!” I gestured over to the Gryffindor table.

“The other table?”

“It's what's not at the other table.” I said testily, dropping down to my seat. “He’s not here again!”

“Oh, you’re not talking about Oliver Wood again are you??”

Of course I was talking about Oliver Wood! That’s basically all I had been able to think about for the last few days. After the first evening, I had tried at every meal to find Oliver again and had zero luck. He had either eaten before I got there, not shown up at all, or come in right as I had to leave. So far I also hadn’t been able to find him at all in the halls, and even when I went to visit Fred and George in the Gryffindor common room he was totally missing. At this point I was afraid that he was just straight up avoiding me! 

“I tried ALL DAY yesterday to find him.” I grumbled miserably. “The whole Saturday spent wandering around searching and nothing- absolutely nothing.”

“Yes I know, I was with you for most of it.” Cedric replied, a bit more cooly now. He had turned his body so that he was facing me, a look of controlled patience evident on his face. 

Cedric had initially offered on Saturday to show me around the school since we didn’t have classes. I wanted to agree, but I didn’t want to drag him into what I was actually planning to have be a search for Oliver Wood. The Hufflepuff had already guessed my intentions when I was scouting someone out at the Gryffindor table every meal. I was kind of embarrassed about it, but he didn’t make it weird at all. He even assisted in my lookout as we ate, although I felt it was rather half hearted. 

When I told him I actually wanted to wander around the school in hopes of running into the Older Gryffindor boy, he didn’t seem dissuaded. He even said he would show me where Madam Hooch's office was and where they stored the quidditch equipment. It was so nice of him, even if we weren’t able to find Oliver.

“You know,” Cedric continued, looking over at me with those beautiful eyes. “There are other good looking quidditch players in this school besides Wood- even good looking captains!”

“Ew no, I saw Marcus Flint already, he’s not that good looking.” I replied crinkling my nose. One of the times I had gone to the quidditch pitch to hopefully spot Wood I had instead run into the Slytherin captain. He had tired his hand at flirting but it was hard to get past the smell…and his teeth…. And the scary look in his eyes…

“That’s not who I was talking about.” Cedric replied flatly.

“No one else is like him though!” I said, mostly ignoring his comment.

“How do you know? You haven’t been able to talk to him.”

“I know!! And if I don’t get a chance soon I am going to go insane!!” I gripped my hair with my hands, feeling already on the edge of said insanity. I was at Hogwarts, a school of actual magic and all I could focus on was Oliver drop dead gorgeous Wood.

“Well unless you’re a quaffle, I don’t know if you are ever going to get his attention.” Cedric said, sighing, turning back to his breakfast. “So you might as well find something or someone else to occupy your thoughts.”

“Hey that’s right-” I said quickly, an idea barreling through my brain. “Oliver likes Quidditch right?”

“Probably more than anything else,” the Hufflepuff replied, looking away from his food again. “I mean, the only reason he and I have even talked is because we are both players.”

“Then that’s it! All I need to do is become a player!”

“What?” He moved back towards me, his eyebrows knit together.

“You said there are openings on our house team right? A chaser and a beater?” I asked, my heart starting to beat excitedly.

“Uh yeah I did say that but-”

“Then all I have to do is have you put me on the team, and then Oliver will be forced to see me! We’ll even get to play against each other!”

“But June-” Cedric said, cutting in. “You said you haven’t ever played quidditch before.”

“And I haven’t”

“Have you ever even ridden a broom before?” He asked uncertainty. 

“Nope! But I could probably figure it out before tryouts.”

“Which is next week!” He replied loudly before dropping his voice back down. “June, I know you want to get closer to Wood but are you sure quidditch is the right answer?”

“It's the only answer, Cedric don’t you see? The only way I am going to get his attention is if I am on our team. Okay I have to go-” I reached forward, grabbing a piece of toast and shoving it in my mouth. Then I got up and started to move away.

“Where are you going??” The boy called out, no doubt looking bewildered.

“To practice!” I said back.

“Practice? Well if you just wait I can-”

“No! You’re too nice, you won't be impartial enough to help me. Plus I don’t want you to see my flying until tryouts.” I started moving forward again.

“I can help!” He yelled back, but I didn’t answer. I just waved goodbye, going to find the only Gryffindor who was somehow always around.

--

I wiped the sweat off my face as I slowed down on my broom. I thought that maybe since you didn’t have to actually run or anything, flying wouldn’t be that physically draining, but I was wrong. I wasn’t too tired though, my amped up stats on stamina made sure of that, but I could still tell that this was a lot of work. But with the high stamina and flying skills this was pretty easy- and a lot of fun. 

“Have you really never flown before?” Harry asked from his perch on his broom. He looked impressed, which made me feel pretty good.

“Nope! First time. Okay now can we try it with the ball?”

“Quaffle” Harry corrected me.

“Yes, quaffle. I want to try dodging you and then scoring.”

In the madness of my plan, I had considered asking Fred and George to help me practice, but then decided against it. Those two were on the opposite end of where Cedric was. The Hufflepuff was super nice, sometimes to the detriment of himself. He probably wouldn’t be very honest about where I needed to improve. The Gryffindor twins though would have lost their shit laughing if I had done something stupid, and I didn’t need that to deal with either.

The only other person I knew who played quidditch was Harry, and so to the boy who lived I went. I was still a little bit nervous about interacting with him, but as the week had gone on I was feeling less stressed. Nothing I had done so far had given me an X on my arm- and I had really stretched things earlier this week….

We practiced for a large chunk of the afternoon, and probably would have kept going if some of the Slytherin team members hadn’t come on to the field. Marcus Flint was there, looking as… unkempt as ever. Honestly his looks would be fine, but really what sent me off against the boy was the way he looked at me. It made me feel so uncomfortable everytime, like he was trying to imagine me naked- creepy as fuck. 

“I don’t think the school brooms are terrible,” I said as Harry and I walked up towards the castle. “But I think when I go to Hogsmeade I’ll get a broom of my own.”

I thought for sure Harry would then start chatting about the newest broom to come out- the Firebolt, but he was silent. On more than one occasion he had brought up the broomstick during their time over the summer, but now that it was actually a topic of conversation he didn’t say a word.

“What's up?” I asked, tilting my head to get a better look at his face- he looked pretty down.

“Ah it's nothing,” He said quickly, turning to the side.

“I mean if you don’t want to talk that’s fine, but it's obviously not nothing.”

Harry sighed, his shoulders dropping down. 

“I didn’t get my permission slip signed to go to Hogsmeade.” He said quietly. Ah yes that was right, he had blown up his aunt before he got his uncle to sign. On top of that, everyone was so scared of Sirius Black hunting Harry down they didn’t want him to go. Little did all those people know this was probably Harry’s safest year at Hogwarts, all things considered. 

“Ah that sucks man.” I replied, reaching over and patting him on the back. “Actually come to think of it, I technically haven’t either.”

“You didn’t get a parent or guardian to sign your slip?” Harry turned to her to ask.

“No, but I also don’t think I got a slip. Maybe you only need them in younger grades? I dunno, it doesn’t matter anyway because I don’t have anyone who can sign it.”

“What do you mean?” 

“I don’t have parents or a guardian.” I replied flatly. I went to keep moving up the path, but Harry stopped.

“You don’t have any family?”

I turned back and shook my head. “No, it's just me. I guess I better talk to Professor Sprout about it, I think in cases like this the school technically takes guardianship of me.”

We continued walking, but I could feel Harry’s eyes continuously looking over at me. I had just given him more of my background than before, one I had said I didn’t want to talk about. Thankfully he didn’t ask anymore questions- not like I could answer them if he did.

When we parted ways I could tell there were a hundred questions he was holding in, and it made me smile. I would need to figure out my backstory soon, I could hold Harry off but maybe not for much longer. It would also just be good information to have. As I trekked down towards the Hufflepuff common room I made a mental note to go and talk to my head of house and maybe set up a meeting with Dumbledore if that was allowed- he would probably know something right?

When I tapped the rhythm on the barrels I was met almost immediately by Cedric, who had been working at a table nearest the doors.

“How did it go?” he asked, getting to his feet.

“That- is a secret.” I said with a smile, moving towards the girls dormitories. I probably needed to start doing homework, but for sure I needed to shower first.

“You won't tell me anything? Will you tell me who you found to help you practice?” the boy asked, following after me. 

“Nope, it's all a secret. So you will just have to wait to pass judgment at tryouts.” 

I could have just mentioned the younger Gryffindor boy had helped me, but it was more fun to tease him. As I continued forward I heard shuffling and Cedric’s face popped up quickly before me. He smiled at me so dazzlingly it was blinding again.

“Please won't you tell?” With his tone of voice and that beautiful smile I would assume he had never not gotten anything he asked for. That was by far one of the most deadly- heart stopping combinations I had ever seen. Too bad for him I was crazy and that shit didn’t work on me.

“Nope.” I replied, reaching out and booping him on the nose. “Now I am going to shower and when I come back we can do the Charms homework- unless you’ve already got that done.”

Cedric sighed. “No, I was waiting for you to come back before I started.”

“Nice- okay I’ll see you later.” And I went up the stairs, happy that no boy was able to follow.

June: Somebody to Love- Queen

Cedric: Happy Together- The Turtles

Fred: Come On, Eileen- Dexy’s Midnight Runners

Chapter Text

Standing outside of the large pens my gut was twisting in knots like it had last week. I had convinced Hagrid to put this lesson off for the first week, but he was dead set on doing it this week. Up to this point I had done everything I could to help him prepare, so now it was just up to prayers and luck. 

After the first time talking to the half giant, I had met with Professor McGonagall in her position as Deputy Headmistress. Since this was my first and fifth year at Hogwarts, I had to meet with her to set my schedule. I had thought all summer here about what classes I wanted to take, but after talking with Hagrid I had decided to make some changes. 

Of course I was enrolled in all the required classes; potions, charms, defense against the dark arts, herbology, history of magic, astronomy, and transfiguration. As far as electives went though, I decided I was going to change things up. I asked the deputy headmistress if along with taking the normal Care of Magical Beasts class if I could also be a teaching assistant for the younger classes.

It took a lot of convincing, but eventually McGonagall agreed. She was skeptical that I didn’t know my material, but I didn’t max out in Beasts on my stats for nothing. Not to mention I was a huge fan of Fantastic Beasts and where to find them- I mean if Newt Skamander had his own book (instead of just a movie) in my previous life I may have chosen to jump in there instead!

Apparently the request to TA wasn’t that strange, so it was easy to arrange. It was decided that I would help Hagrid cover all of his year 3 classes, and also come in to support when needed in other classes. Since I was only in year 5 I couldn’t do much with older grades, but the two lower grades from me were fair game. 

Hagrid had been hesitant about it, especially when we met for the first time before his first class the next day. When he told me his plan about introducing his students to Hippogriffs I worked really hard to discourage him from. Of course, I didn’t say he should never do it, that would probably be enough to earn me my first mark on my arm. Rather I just said it should wait until he gets to know all his students a little better and also gave them some background knowledge on the beasts. 

Seemed he felt he knew his students well enough by week two, so here we were. We had spent only one class preparing…. hopefully with even just that bit of time the school governors wouldn’t be as hard on him for the soon in coming mishap. Obviously Lucious Malfoy would still be pissed, but what could I do?

So far it seemed things were playing out just the same as they did in the original story… probably for the best. Although I wanted to help Hagrid avoid a hard time, Buckbeak taking a chunk out of Draco was necessary for the story. And to be honest, the young Malfoy boy was such a little shit I was kinda looking forward to it.

The toe head had been quiet towards me, maybe remembering the fact he had come into my compartment on the train screaming like a baby. Whatever nervousness he had though was long gone by even the second week, and I wondered how any of the teachers were able to manage him. Dude was a bitch baby. When Hagrid started the lesson Draco immediately turned to his friends to start talking. As the teacher's assistant I made sure to do my job and hover over them, reminding them they had a lesson to listen to. They grumbled as they turned back to Hagrid, but it didn’t seem like they were listening still. 

When Hagrid brought Buckbeak out everyone gasped, and even I staggered a little. Yeah I knew a lot about the animals of this world, just on my own study and with what I could quickly learn from the help of stats. Seeing them in real life though…. That hypogriff was fucking massive…

I moved quickly up to the front, wanting to give extra support when Harry went to approach it. It seemed the half giant had a change of plans though and instead offered me the chance to introduce myself. I didn’t want to look as nervous as I felt so without question I moved forward, dropping low to the ground. I felt like I had only hung my head for a second when the big bird horse also dropped its own- thanks heavens for my stats.

With my little demonstration over, Hagrid then offered it over to the class, in which Harry agreed. Looking to me with apprehension he moved forward. I tried to give him a reassuring smile as I stood to the side of the great beast. Things were going fine, until Hagrid insisted the 3rd year ride the animal, in which I decided to step in.

“Why don’t I ride with him?” I said, moving next to the actual teacher. “Or, that was probably your plan right? Because asking Harry to ride on his own an animal he is just learning about would be crazy.”

“Erm, yeah of course. And June is ridden em before so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Mhmm.” I said with a nod of the head, hoping that the lie wouldn’t show through my eyes.

As Harry and I clambered on, him in front and me in back, I felt a whole new set of nerves. 

“Hey Potter-” I whispered, leaning into him. 

“Yeah?” He said, cocking his head back.

“Just so that we are on the same page, I’ve never ridden a hippogriff before-”

“WHAT??” He said loudly enough that I heard Hagrid turn. I hit him in the back, attempting to quiet his next words.

“Quiet!” I hissed, looking quickly back at Hagrid to nod that everything was fine.

“Why did you say you had ridden one??” He whispered, sounding worried.

“Because I thought Hagrid sending you up here on your own would make him look like an unfit teacher. I’m already worried about this lesson being too much-”

I stopped talking as the half giant moved up beside us, asking if we were ready. I nodded but Harry just sat rigid. Hagrid took my answer as enough and with a loud whistle Buckbeak started off at a run. Harry and I leaned forward, trying to get hold of anything to keep us upright. When the beast kicked off the ground I wanted to scream, but my voice was lost in my throat.

Once we were gliding, my stomach settled down and I found that it really wasn’t as bad as I had been expecting.

“This is pretty cool!” I yelled out, the wind whipping through my hair. My voice didn’t sound very loud but I was sure Harry could hear it.

“I think I prefer a broom!” He yelled back, gripping around Buckbeak's neck for dear life.

I laughed loudly and held my arms out, similarly to how this scene was portrayed in the movies.

When we landed back down with the class, there were lots of clapping and cheers. Hagird looked pretty happy about it too, and gave me a big slap on the back as I walked over to him. It was a friendly gesture but he was so fucking big and strong I would have basically fallen flat on my face if Harry wasn’t standing right infront of me to crash onto.

“Sorry-” I said, getting to my feet.

“No worries.” He replied quickly, staying turned around. I thought maybe he was blushing but all I could see clearly were his ears, which were very pink.

Now even though this part of the lesson had gone well, it seemed my efforts still couldn’t affect the story. Again, for the best, but it was a shame. I suggested to Hagrid that before he let the class loose he reiterated that they needed to show respect to the beasts both in word AND action. We had covered this in the previous class, just Hippogriff theory, but you could never be too careful.

I was hovering around Draco and his friends, who had come up to see Buckbeak- much to their annoyance. I was distracted though when a Slytherin girl tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I’d help her approach one of the other bird horses. As soon as I turned away it was like everything changed. Malfoy was saying stupid shit, I turned back and watched in slight horror as Buckbeak stood on her hind legs and swiped at him from the front.

Alright I take back what I said about wanting Draco to get hit- it looked pretty rough. As Hagrid hurried to take him to the hospital wing I gathered a rather disturbed looking class together. Maybe I could at least get ahead of the drama. 

With what grace I could muster I said what happened was a horrible accident, but that if the rest of them wanted to avoid the same encounter they needed to pay attention in class. The Slytherins looked a bit annoyed at my words, but let's be real, they were the truth. If blondie had just done what Hagrid had instructed him to do he would be fine. 

The issue would be though, should we really expect 13 year olds to be making perfect choices all the time? Like, they were going to fuck up, its inevitable. Is it then Hagrid’s fault for not putting in more safe guards? I mean, this was a magic school- I am pretty sure hazards just sorta come with the acceptance letter. We are cool letting them re-pot plants that can cause death, but an incident with a hippogriff is no good? Gah I don’t know, this was way above my pay grade (which I might add is zero).

--

I had my head down on my desk at transfiguration  as I heard the rest of my class file in. After dismissing the 3rd years I went straight to McGonagall to tell her what happened. She had gone rushing towards the hospital wing, leaving me to sulk alone in her classroom. I had her class next so I figured I might as well stay and wallow. I know I shouldn’t be so upset- I mean I knew it was going to happen, but still.

I heard, and felt, someone move in next to me. Assuming it was Cedric, who in our previous lesson was my seat mate, I turned to say a woeful hello. I was surprised though to see a head of red hair instead of the dark brown.

“Something got you down, love?” Fred said with a slight grin. It felt like the question was half sincere, half tease.

“I’ve got problems Freddie.” I replied, moving my head back into my desk.

“Care to share?” He asked.

“A hippogriff took a chunk out of Draco Malfoy’s arm in my last class.” I said still into the desk, my voice sounding a big muffled. 

“For real? Ha! Well that doesn’t sound like your problem.” 

I turned back to look at him, and he was grinning much more broadly now. Maybe it was because the older twins weren’t as close with the grounds keeper, or that they didn’t know Draco well enough, but I didn’t feel like Fred was going to understand the gravity of the situation. If I hadn’t known what was coming I may not have felt as worried as I did now.

“Hello Weasley,” came another voice into the conversation that made my head finally move off my desk. I looked up to see Cedric standing just in front of us; a smile on his face that didn’t reach his eyes. “Do you mind moving so I can take my seat?”

“Actually I do mind.” Fred replied, his mischievous grin faltering ever so slightly. “June was just in the middle of telling me a story.”

“Well class is about to start, so I’d like to get my stuff ready.” The Hufflepuff’s tone was polite and kind, but that was not the vibe he was giving off.

“ Well, it's not like we have assigned seating anyway- what if I am choosing to sit here today.” Fred countered, looking smug.

“ Well - it's common knowledge for everyone to sit in the seat they choose on the first day unless otherwise discussed.”

Ugh. I was not in a good enough mood to deal with this.

“You can just take my seat Ced,” I said, reaching down to grab my bag. “I’ll go sit by George-”

“No!” They both yelled out at the same time. It would have been funny if I wasn’t still so bummed out from my last class.

Eventually Fred gave in and moved back to sit by his brother. Cedric waved what seemed kindly to the Gryffindor as he walked away, but again, the gesture didn’t meet his eyes.

--

As class ended I stretched my arms over my head, arching my back. “Damn, double transfiguration is no joke.” The double class had required so much focus and work that I had totally forgotten about my earlier troubles.

“You say that as if you didn’t manage to vanish your entire teacup.” Cedric said with a smile, pushing his shoulder gently into my side. I wobbled a bit but stayed upright.

“Just because I can do the spells doesn’t make two hours feel any faster.” I replied, giving him a shove back. His smile broadened as I made contact with his shoulder.

“Are you headed to dinner right now?” 

I shrugged “Yeah I guess so, why?” 

“Well I was wondering if you wanted to walk with me to the common room to drop off our books first.” 

Cedric didn’t know that my bag was basically an endless abyss that could hold my entire life, so I didn’t actually need to ever drop anything off. He looked so eager though. I was going to agree when a couple sets of red robes moved up in front of us.

“Want to come with us to dinner?” Fred asked, making sure to lock eyes with me.

“Yeah you can sit at our table!” Said Lee happily from beside George.

From the corner of my eye I could see Cedric simultaneously droop and flare. For a guy who seemed to always be happy-go-lucky he was really getting himself riled up today. 

“Actually I’m going to head to my common room to drop my stuff off, so maybe next time.” I said with a smile, trying not to react to the Hufflepuff boy who immediately perked back up.

“Well actually I was also going to ask-” Fred began, leaning in over the desk towards me. “-if you wanted to study with me tonight in the Library. If you agree then we could leave after dinner so you should keep your books.”

It was only a split second but I saw the Weasley boy’s eyes flick quickly over to the other boy next to me. Honestly I would have been excited to get to hang out with just Fred, but not if he was just using me as an excuse to egg on whatever little rivalry these two had going on. 

“I don’t have homework in this class.” I said, a bit more haughty than I normally would have. “If you remember McGonagall said I didn’t need to do the reading because I was one of the few who accomplished the spell.”

It brought me more than a little satisfaction to watch Fred’s face falter. Seems he wasn’t expecting such a sassy reply.

“Well we don’t have to study transfiguration, surly there’s something-”

“I’m going to go drop my books off.” I said, cutting him off and standing up. “So I’ll see you later.” 

Before I left I made eye contact with Cedric first to make sure he was ready to go. I was surprised to see that he was already standing as well, looking ready to follow. Then as I passed a bewildered looking Fred I looked over at George and Lee and winked. The two of them stifled a laugh as the other twin turned towards them.

“You’ll see me later, like in the library?” The redhead called out as I briskly moved away.

“Goodbye!” I called back, hearing now audible snickers from the other two Gryffindors. 

As we moved out of the transfiguration courtyard and back into the castle I slowed to a normal pace- no need for an aggressive walk now that we were alone. 

“He’s kind of a git.” Cedric said, taking me totally by surprise. Not that Fred didn’t deserve it, but was that comment really coming from the Hufflepuff??

“Oh hold on, did Cedric perfect Diggory just talk shit on someone?” I said, hand covering my mouth to add to the fake dramatics.

“I’m not perfect.” He replied, his cheeks turning a little pink. He reached up to pull my hand away from my mouth but I moved it out of the way and brought it right back up.

“Wow, you’re so perfect you don’t even realize it- you’re just that humble.”

He furrowed his eyebrows in what I knew as his normal level of annoyance. His cheeks also continued to get darker. 

“I’m not perfect. You just haven’t known me for long enough- I’ve got plenty of flaws.”

“Oh really?” I replied, moving my hand now down to my hip- I was feeling a challenge coming on. Seems my little flare up from Fred was still burning. “Ced, when that first year spilled her drink on you this morning at breakfast you apologized to her. ”

“I didn’t want her to feel bad!” He said incredulously, as if that would have the normal reaction.

“And then when you took off your vest because of the mess and just had your white shirt and tie on you literally made a girl from Ravenclaw swoon so hard she passed out.”

“Her passing out was totally unrelated.” He replied quickly, his face getting more red by the second. I suppressed a giggle, but couldn’t hide the grin.

“Face it Diggory- you’re the most perfect guy in our grade, probably in the whole school. The sooner you come to accept it the easier your life will be.”

I started walking again in an attempt to hide the chortles that were starting to slip out. You would have thought the boy was in Gryffindor house by how crimson he was at this point. It was hilarious seeing him so flustered, especially since I knew that he knew how good he was. He had tried to use that dazzling smile on me too many times already to not know.

I thought spending time with someone as perfect as Cedric Diggory was going to be more difficult, but it really wasn’t. As conventionally attractive as he was, I thought for sure he had to be faking at least some of this good guy act. I mean, no one could actually be that chivalrous all of the time. I thought that when it inevitably came off as fake I would start finding it harder to have him around, but it had yet to get to that point.

He just seemed like a really good dude. He was almost always smiling, and spent most of his time walking through the halls waving as the multitude of friends he apparently had. From 7th years to new 1st years- the guy seemed to know and be liked by everyone. He was nice to basically everybody- well, except it seemed the Weasleys or more particularly, Fred Weasley.

“That means you think I’m more perfect than him right?”

I turned to my side where he had just caught back up to. He was still red faced and not quite meeting my eyes.

“Who?” Was he talking about Oliver Wood? Hopefully not, he might be kinda disappointed by that answer.

“Weasley.” He replied in a cough, making the words barely understandable. I could press him to tell me again, but if his face got any hotter it might melt.

“More perfect than the Weasleys? Hmmm…” I said tapping my chin in thought. “Well, I guess I would have to say yes in all areas except a sense of humor. Your jokes are quite terrible.”

He met my eyes, finally, and looked a little hurt. I couldn’t keep my laugh in this time as I reached up and messed with his perfect brown hair.

“Oh come on, you can’t be nice, gorgeous, smart AND funny- that just wouldn’t be fair to the world.”

--

“You aren’t dating him are you?” Fred asked right as I took my seat next to him- as if we had already been discussing whatever topic he had on his mind. 

I had decided I would meet with him, if only so I could try to figure out the details about this Diggory/Weasley drama. I was pretty interested, but after our little “perfect” talk earlier Cedric seemed more than eager to keep our conversation away from the redheads. It didn’t help that he seemed to be so damn good at distracting me that I had forgotten all about it until dinner was over.

“Dating who?” I asked, giving him a weird look. 

“Diggory, you two aren’t dating are you?” Oh, it seemed the topic of Cedric was already up for discussion. Yeesh, these guys were obsessed with each other- honestly it was kinda gay (not that being gay would be a problem but like damn just kiss and get over it already).

“Cedric? No, of course not.” I watched with surprise as the redhead relaxed back in his seat. Did he really think he was such a bad guy the idea of us dating made him that tense?

What was up with this beef? The Hufflepuff wasn’t really mentioned in the original story until I think the third book. Really not only until book four do we learn more about him. But as far as I remembered there was nothing outright said about anyone having issues with him, well except maybe a jealous Harry.

“Why don’t you like him?” I asked, dropping my bag and turning my full attention to him. If there was dirt I wanted to hear it and Fred seemed like a direct approach kinda guy. 

“Oh, well he’s fine enough I guess.” Fred said with a shrug. “I mean, I do think it's rather annoying how everyone thinks he’s so perfect, but like he’s not a bad guy.”

“Well he kinda is perfect so-”

“He is not perfect.” Fred replied flatly. I smiled at the similarity between the two conversations.

“Mmmm, I’m not sure there are going to be many people who share that same opinion, I mean even Snape seems to like him.” 

“That’s because he plays up to him!” The boy said loudly, throwing his hands into the air. A torrent of shushing sounded around them.

“You don’t even have potions with us.” I said, in a dramatic whisper to accommodate the environment. 

“Yeah, but it's the same with our other classes.” He said sourly, but at least this time quieter. 

As much as I wanted to keep pressing the issue, I also didn’t want to deal with a grumpy Fred, and I felt bad just getting the tea and leaving. I guess we could end the conversation here. I’d log this info and think about it later. 

“Where’s George?”

He paused before he answered, maybe unsure if he wanted to drop the subject. “With Lee,” 

I had started to pull my DADA textbook out of my bag, but stopped- a thought coming to mind.

“I hope you don’t mind me saying so, but just from what little I have interacted with the three of you, Lee seems to be a bit closer to your brother than you.”

“Well, aren't you an observant one?” The boy replied, looking at me with that sly grin, and malice from before disappearing. “Yeah we’re all close, but those two have a bit of a different…. bond.”

“I see-” I said slowly, trying to pick up all that the guy was putting down. “Does that ever make you feel left out?”

He shrugged. “Sometimes I guess, but I mean I don’t fault them for it. The three of us do lots anyway, and George and I are twins so we’re basically inseparable- which reminds me.”

He moved forward, getting ridiculously close to my face. I scooted back on my seat, giving some distance from his scrupulous look.

“I’ve been meaning to ask- how do you always know it's me?” His eyes were still piercing.

“What do you mean?”

“My mum can’t even keep George and I straight all of the time, but you have yet to mistake me for my brother. How do you do it?”

I paused, searching my brain through our encounters. I mean, I had only known the twins for like five days. Sure I had talked to Fred everyday but that still didn’t amount to that many interactions.

“I dunno, I guess I’ve just been lucky. It's still early days though, I’m sure I will eventually slip up- I mean, not that I want to, but it's true you guys are spot on identical.”

He looked at me skeptically for a moment more, but then he learned back in his seat. He didn’t break eye contact the whole way, the same suspicious look on his face. It made me giggle, and eventually he broke into a grin as well.

“So are we studying or what?”

“Oh that was just a pretense-” He said, lazily waving his hand. “I more just wanted to spend some time with you.”

“Why am I not surprised?”

“We could listen to music.” His tone was nonchalant, but I could see the excitement in his eyes. 

First it was the train, and then we had listened during the last weekend while I had been staking out in the Gryffindor common room waiting for Wood. He had asked actually another time, but it was via note in the middle of class so I had to pass.

“I’m still surprised you don’t listen to music on your own,” I said as I reached into my bag to find the player. 

“Yeah well like I said there’s nothing like your walking man for wizards. I don’t know why though- it's way better than using the radio for the Wizarding Wireless Network.”

I snorted at his attempt to name the Walkman, but I didn’t correct him. It was so funny to hear the mispronunciations, and I was pretty sure he was doing it on purpose anyway. I noticed it last week, but whenever he said or did something to make me laugh he always tried the same things again later. Maybe that’s just what made him a good comedian- he knew how to cater to his crowds. 

I’m sure I was pretty easy to read too- I feel like I spent most of our time together laughing (well that or being annoyed). Whether we were with his brother or not, I found I was always smiling. Even when we aren’t technically together he still makes me laugh- like earlier this morning at breakfast (after the Cedric debacle) he had gotten my attention by throwing a grape across my table at me. When I looked up I saw that he had managed to stack a whole pile of grapes onto Hermione’s head without her noticing.

The sight had literally sent milk snorting out of my nose, much to the dismay of Cedric who already had to deal with spilled fluids already. After cleaning out my mess I had gone over to them and removed all the grapes before the younger girl had noticed. While the sight had been hilarious, I still wasn’t going to let them get away with the mild bullying. See- laughing and annoyed all in the same moment.

As soon as I pulled the cassettes Fred scooted his chair right over to me. I grabbed the player and put everything in. Before I even turned to hand him his headphones they were already out of my hand on onto his ears. Smiling, I put on my own and pressed play. 

We were going through all the Queen songs right now, which felt appropriate seeing as the the two of them sorta shared a name. It made it feel even more fitting when I called the redhead Freddie. Right now it was Friends will be Friends, which wasn’t on of my top 5 Queen songs, but of course it was still good.

Outside of joking around with him, listening to music was beginning to be one of my favorite things I did with Fred. It was so fun to get to show someone else one of the things that I loved, and to even more so when he was so enthusiastic about it. 

The music was a good distraction- honestly this whole day was filled with distraction. Everything distracting me from my true purpose- Oliver Wood- which was surprising. The fire I had behind getting closer to him still hadn’t gone out, but between the incident with the 3rd years and these incessant boys I almost didn’t have time to think about him. I wasn’t done with my plans yet though; even with distractions I was still going to get my man.

June: Friends will be Friends- Queen

Harry: Stage Fright- The Band 

Cedric: Something- The Beatles

Fred: Jealousy- Queen

Chapter Text

As the crowd of students filtered into the room and the noise increased, suddenly the food on my plate was no longer looking edible. My stomach twisted into knots and the chatter seemed too ridiculously loud. Ugh, I was so nervous.

But why? I knew that tryouts would likely go well. Between my flying skills, practicing with Harry, and the fact that Cedric might be too nice to deny me the spot- I should be fine. Unless there was some magically wonderful first year trying out for chaser I should have this in the bag. If anyone else was that good they would have already tried out and been on the team. I mean, logically speaking I could have high hopes things would work out for me.

No, I wasn't truly nervous about the tryouts, rather the implications of what making the teams meant to me. Getting on the Hufflepuff quidditch team so far seemed to be the only way I would even have a chance speaking to Oliver Wood. Just existing in the same school apparently would never be enough to catch his attention. If you weren’t talking quidditch then you might as well have not been talking.

It didn’t help that everyday seeing him from a distance was just making me more and more desperate. It was the end of the second week and at this point everytime I even caught a glance of him in the hall my whole heart felt like it was going to explode. Not to mention the dreams I had basically every night of the larger boy pinning me down on my bed and doing things that woke me up with a mad fever. If I didn’t have a chance to have his damn mouth on mine I was going to go berserk. So maybe this all was a mix of nerves and just unbridled horniness. 

“Are you ready to go?”

I turned towards Cedric’s beautiful face that looked way too perfect for this early in the morning.

“I really hope I make this team, if not I’m going to have to take up running or something.”

“Why?” He asked, tilting his head.

“I’ve got way too much pent up um energy… and maybe something else. I mean if I don’t get some of this out I may make out with the next person who comes along.”

“Hey Diggory!” A voice called that made us both turn. The Ravenclaw team captain Roger Davies, who was also in our grade, was walking up. “Madam Hootch wants to talk to you before tryouts start-”

There was a big whoosh and Cedric had suddenly jumped up from the table and was already pulling the other boy away before I registered what was going on. 

“Alright why don’t we both go!” The Hufflepuff said loudly, grabbing Davies arm and leading him away. “I’ll see you at tryouts!” 

He called the last bit back, turning to meet my eye. I barely managed to get my hand up to wave goodbye before they were out of the great hall. That was weird behavior for him.

I gave up on my food not long after, deciding it would be a better use of my time to get ready and distract myself with another friend. Without Cedric around, there weren’t really any other Hufflepuffs to hang out with in our common room- even with roommates. It almost felt like any character that wasn’t named within the original story was impossible to grasp onto. Everyone was nice, but still distant.

It was a Saturday in the early afternoon now and yet I couldn’t seem to find anyone around. Of course Oliver Wood was nowhere in sight, but I couldn’t locate the Weasley twins either. None of the other Gryffindors that I was starting to get to know like Angelina or Lee were around either. And it seemed for the first time that Harry freaking Potter was MIA.

With no one to talk to and nerves and hormones making me antsy I decided to just head to the pitch. If there was no one to talk to I could at least buy my time by warming up. I was already dressed in an old jersey Cedric had let me borrow to practice in, but when I came to the field I went into the changing rooms anyway. 

There was no one else there, which wasn’t surprising. I didn’t know how many were trying out, but I didn’t think it was that many. I told the Hufflepuff captain in person that I was signing up so I never looked at a sign up sheet or anything. The whole actual team was supposed to come to this though, but they probably wouldn’t show up until it was actually time to start.

As I moved to head onto the pitch I was blocked by a body standing in the doorway.

“Ah June, you’re here-” Cedric said, sounding a little flustered.

“Yeah, figured I’d get a few extra minutes warming up.” I looked him up and down. “You good?”

“What? Oh yeah, yeah no I am doing great.” His own eyes looked me up and down a little nervously.

“You sure about that?” 

Cedric sighed. “Actually- there’s a group of people who came to watch our tryouts. Technically they’re allowed to be here, but I don’t like it. I tried to get them to leave, but they wouldn’t budge.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I can go try to yell at them if you want me to.” Getting rid of some Slytherin dick heads would be a good way to get out some of this pent up emotion. Well, that was assuming they were Slytherin.

“I’m more worried about you! I know you were nervous about having anyone see you fly.” 

Awe, he was worrying about me- that’s so sweet! He got all flustered with those people outside because he didn’t want me to have a hard time. Maybe he had other motives as well, actually now that I think about it I was sure he did- but still. With a smile I reached up and patted him on the cheek.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. But if you think it will make things harder for the others I am still willing to go yell at them.”

He looked a little more flustered from my touch, but I was surprised when he seemed to lean into it. Physical touch must be a love language for him because dude seemed to be relishing in it- it made me want to help him even more. 

Before I dropped my hand I moved it higher and ruffled his perfect hair. Then I moved swiftly around him before he could protest. As I walked out onto the pitch I tried squinting to see who it was that was sitting up high in the stands. They were too far away so instead I ran over to the stack of brooms laid out by the other quidditch supplies.

As I increased in altitude the group of people became a bit clearer. Then suddenly I was able to make out four heads of red hair among the group of spectators.

“What are you guys doing here!” I called out, my voice then started cheering in the group.

“Harry told us you were trying out!” Fred said with a grin, running over to the edge of the stands to meet me.

As I stepped down on the seats I saw a very happy looking Harry Potter standing next to his best friends. Behind them were George, Lee, Angelia Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, and Percy Weasley. Even though it was a small group I wasn’t surprised that Cedric was concerned- I had no doubt this group could get rowdy. 

“Just because I am trying out doesn’t give you guys a reason to be here!” I replied, my smile growing ever larger.

“We came here to support.” Responded Percy, who was trying to show that dignified air, while also seeming pretty excited. “Just because you aren’t in our house doesn’t mean we can’t be there to cheer you on.”

“Wow that was quite elegant Perc,” George said, tipping the side of the other boy’s glasses so they wobbled on his nose.

“We want to be your cheering section.” Harry finally said, drawing my attention away from the Weasleys.

“Well I did tell Cedric I would come yell at your guys to go away- but I guess as long as you don’t boo anyone it should be fine.” I grinned around at all of them, and noticed Fred roll his eyes.

“Ugh yeah Diggory was already up here telling us we were going to be too distracting for you. But if you’re as good as Harry says you are then there really shouldn’t be an issue.”

“Hey that’s right!” I rounded back on the black haired boy. “You weren’t supposed to tell anyone I was doing this!”

His cheeks started to turn pink. “Well I didn’t, until today. I figured it would be fine since people would find out anyway. Then Fred suggested we all come watch, so we got up here before you could notice.”

I glared towards him, squinting my eyes- but there was no malice behind them. Honestly I was just happy to be surrounded by friends again that I didn’t care. And the fact that I felt I could call them all friends now made me feel pretty happy too. You had to be more than just a casual acquaintance to come and do something like this right? Even Percy, who I had really only talked to once or twice since the train, felt like a friend.

I thanked everyone again for coming, and before I flew back down I turned back to Fred. He was still standing around as everyone else went to sit back down. He had that sly grin as always, apparently very pleased with himself for this whole thing.

“I will be getting you back for this.” I said, trying to sound mad, but I couldn’t quite fake it.

“Oh I would like to see you try love.” He said with that same smile. “Good luck today, although I’m sure you won't need it. Diggory would be an idiot not to have you on his team.”

“You haven’t even seen me fly.” I said, squinting my eyes and pointing a finger at him. 

He chuckled. “I told you, if Harry says you are good then you’re good. Now you better head down, looks like the rest of the flying Badgers are coming out.” 

I turned and saw that some people in the yellow quidditch jerseys were heading onto the field. 

“I’ll see you after!” I said brightly, getting back on my broom.

“See you then.” 

Heading back down to the pitch I felt a lot more lighthearted- being with all of them was way more effective for my nerves than screaming ever would have been. Now I was ready to take on anything! I turned back to Fred, who was still watching me on the edge of the stands. I wiggled my fingers at him and I saw him laugh and wiggle his own back.

Back on the field Cedric was there waiting with all the equipment, looking on edge still. When I touched down he jogged quickly over to me.

“Are you going to be okay with them there?” He asked, his eyes searching me for some sign of distress.

With the same huge grin I had been sporting for the last little bit I jumped up and threw my arms around his neck. I was hanging for a moment, until he stooped down and the tips of my toes touched the ground. I squeezed even tighter and then stepped away. My face felt a little warm from the embrace, but it was nothing compared to the red of his.

“I am so fucking lucky!!!” I yelled out, startling a few of the other yellow clad people who had since made their way onto the field. 

“L-lucky?” He stammered, taking a moment to find his voice.

“Yes!” I replied confidently, moving forward again and placing my hands on his shoulders. “I am at the best school, surrounded by the best people, and I am going to take this energy and show you I am the best chaser for this team!”

--

“Hey Cedric, look at this!” 

As soon as I spotted the boy across the room I immediately ran over to him. He looked up and grinned, his gray eyes lighting up even more than usual. As I made it to our shared desk he held out his hand to take the paper that I was waving around.

“What is this?” He asked, moving the page around to try to make sense of the content.

“Game strategies!” I said happily, taking my seat next to him. “I was working on it during last class- I don’t think it's any good but I’m still excited my brain wants to think about it!”

He chuckled as he placed the page on the desk. It had Xs and Os with a dizzying amount of arrows directing them around. It really was quite unreadable, but I had done my best. I was just so happy about how naturally thinking of quidditch was coming to me. Now if this really did give me the chance to get closer to Oliver Wood I wouldn’t have to fake my excitement for it.

It had been almost 5 weeks since I had made the Hufflepuff quidditch team, and Cedric wasted no time getting me and the new beater integrated with the rest of the troupe. Since we were the only team with new players we got to start practice a week earlier than everyone, and our captain had made sure to take advantage of it.

Outside of classes I tried really hard to eat, sleep, and breathe quidditch, but it was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. I had a lot of fun flying, but the sport itself wasn’t as entertaining. I really wasn’t a hugely competitive person if I didn’t really care about something, and I just didn’t care about quidditch yet. I wanted to care though, so in all my spare time I tried to pick my quidditch friend’s brains.

With the help of Cedric, Fred, George, Angelia, Alicia, and on occasion Harry, I was starting to get a better understanding of it all. Now especially it was exciting to see some evidence of my brain developing some sort of attachment to it. Instead of just daydreaming about Oliver Wood like I usually did during down time, I had tried to come up with game play strategy.

“I’ll look it over and see if there’s anything we can use.” Cedric said with a big smile. It was still utterly dazzling, but my eyes had acclimated to it at this point.

“That’s alright, you don’t have to. I can’t even make much sense of it so I’m not sure if you will be able to.” I went to take the paper back but he quickly scooped it up and put it in his bag.

“So it sounds like you still had a lot of downtime as a teacher's assistant again- has Hagrid still not moved onto other things?” The boy asked, skillfully changing the subject.

“Ugh, yes. We have been talking about flobberworms for weeks now and I’m starting to go mad. I know he’s nervous about moving onto something bigger but I wished he’d take the leap.”

Everything with Buckbeak had really thrown Hagrid for a loop as a teacher- just like it had in the book. I had hoped that doing a bit more prep work would help him see that it wasn’t really his fault, but it didn’t work.

“I’m glad there is a set course schedule for us though,” Cedric added. “If it wasn’t for our OWL year we might also be stuck talking about flabber worms.”

“ Flobber worms.” I corrected, giggling a little at his attempt. “And you’re right. Actually tomorrow during our class I am going to try to convince him to let me take on some lessons on my own. I’m allowed to do that occasionally so that he can assess the students' learning from a different perspective.”

“Well I hope he agrees. But if he doesn't, don't let it get you too down. You don’t want to start off an exciting weekend off on the wrong foot.”

“Exciting weekend?” I said, lowering my voice. McGonagall had just come out of her side room and was heading towards her desk. “I thought we didn’t have practice since Gryffindor and Slytherin are playing next week.”

“I’m not talking about quidditch,” He whispered, our teacher beginning the lesson. “I’m talking about your first trip into Hogsmead.”

“Oh yeah!” I cried loudly, drawing the attention of the room. I felt my face warm as McGonagall gave me a long stare. “Uh, sorry.”

I might have gotten some points taken away or asked to do something in front of the class- but I was saved from the door bursting open. There in the doorway were the Weasley twins, looking and sounding like they had run all the way here. They quickly drew away the strict lady’s scorn and I was saved. 

Both got a stern lecture on time management and points deducted. As the boys took their seats and McGonagall turned back around I poked my head out a little to get their attention. Fred looked up after placing his bag down and grinned as I wiggled my fingers at him. He checked quickly over at the teacher before gesturing towards me. His movements translated to something like; you-me-talk-later. I nodded and turned back towards the lesson. 

When the two hours was over and almost everyone in the class had managed to transform their toad to a teacup- Fred made his way over. Right away both boys started giving off the same energy they seemed to exude when they were in the other’s presence. It had started in this class a few weeks ago and seemed to only get stronger.

“I like your teacup-” The redhead said with a grin. In response I proudly held up my blue and white porcelain cup. Its beautiful design had even gotten me extra points for Hufflepuff from our teacher, and I was feeling really proud about it.

“Thank you! I am a little  sad McGonagall is going to turn it back, but I guess I’d be pretty upset if I was a toad and got stuck as a cup for the rest of my life.”

“I think any creature would feel lucky to get to be your beautiful cup.” Cedric added, sending me a kindly smile. Fred and I both rolled our eyes- me more playfully, but the Gryffindor looked genuinely annoyed. 

“ Anyway- ” Fred continued, “I wanted to ask- do you already have plans for this weekend? It's a Hogsmead weekend and I was thinking I could show you around!”

“Just you?” I said, tilting my head to look over at George and Lee who were busy talking on the other side of the room.

“Well mostly, but I’m sure we will meet up those guys later-”

“I can come.” Cedric cut it, pulling both our attention.

“You wanna come?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at the other boy. I didn’t think Cedric would ever willingly choose to spend his free time with the redhead.

“Sure, I mean why not.” His smile looked lighthearted, but his eyes looked much more serious.

“I don’t think you’d like to come mate. ” Fred said, really enunciating the last word. “I mean, I plan to show her places like Zonkos, the hogs head, and even the shrieking shack- that’s not really your scene.”

“I’ve been to Zonkos.” Cedric replied defensively. I was suddenly gone from their views, their eyes locked onto each other in some weird staring contest.

“Really? You seem like someone who fancies Honeydukes rather than Zonkos.” I knew that was supposed to be a diss, but hearing the name of the candy shop made me excited. 

“Oh I wanna go to Honeydukes- is that not one of the places-” I stopped my question as Fred cut me off.

“No we’ll go to Honeydukes,” He said quickly looking back over to me. “We can go wherever you want. I just also want to show you some of the less frequented places- places that most people choose not to go.”  Mmmm I didn’t think Zonkos was considered less frequented .

“Well maybe there are places that I can show her too!” Cedric said, getting to his feet. “I mean, I bet you haven’t ever been to Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop.”

“Only because I value my self respect!” Fred spat back.

“Yeah or it's more like you have never had a girl to take there.” Cedric said with more ferocity than I had ever heard from it. It was mild, for sure, but coming from him it seemed scary.

“Damn guys if you are going to be like this I don’t wanna hang out with either of you. Maybe I’ll just skip the trip and chill with Harry at the castle.”

“NO!” They both yelled out, making me roll my eyes for real this time.

--

Our afternoon at Hogsmeade proved to have both boys more well behaved than they had been in class a few days ago. There was still some bickering, but most of it was done when they thought I couldn’t hear them. When I would turn back around to them in Zonkos or Honeydukes they were smiling as if the squabble hadn’t been totally audible. But now, as the three of us stood on the outskirts of the spooky looking house, there had been nothing coming out of the mouths of the boys behind me.

“I don’t think going into the shrieking shack is really a good idea. I think most people just look at it from out here.” Cedric said, finally voicing the thought I knew he had been holding back.

“Yeah, I think Diggory might actually have a point- which the fact that I am saying that should be significant to you.” Fred added, much to my annoyance.

“Mmmm yes, significant, but not enough to dissuade.” I turned back towards them. “You guys don’t have to come, actually it may be for the best. All the signs around make it look like I’m not supposed to go in there so could you guys keep watch?”

The truth of the matter was though, I actually didn’t want to go with them. What basically everyone thought was a haunted house was actually more of a safe haven. It once housed Remus Lupin, and now it's where Sirius Black hid. And its current occupant is what had me so interested in it. Also side note- Hogwarts was haunted right? I mean ghosts just lived there day to day and yet that was fine? Obviously being haunted was not the issue here. 

“You’re going in alone??” Cedric asked, quickly jogging up to stand next to me. 

“It's fiiiiine, I’ll only be there a minute.” I reached up and patted his cheek. “Just be my lookout okay? You too Fred-”

I looked over to the redhead and after a long stare he nodded his head. With a smile I went back to jumping over the fence and started making my way over. I could feel their eyes burning into my head, but I didn’t look back. I didn’t want them to even think I was nervous- which I mean I was, but not for the reason they were thinking.

I was nervous because I was maybe going to be pushing against the storyline again. At this point though, I had managed to manipulate Hagrid’s classes, join the quidditch team, and live my life day to day without getting an X. The fact that nothing had happened yet kind of emboldened me to test my limits a bit more than I would have even just two months ago.

Now, I wasn’t a huge Marauders fan, I mean I read some fanfiction but I wasn’t a die hard. But the idea that the Sirius Black was staying in that broken down house with only what scraps he could find as a big ass dog….. I couldn’t just do nothing!!!! He was kind of one of the coolest people in this whole franchise and deserved so much more than he was dealt.

So, here I was, trekking up towards the shrieking shack in hopes that I could set out food nonchalantly for him to find. Fred, Cedric, and I had eaten lunch with a few other people at the Three Broomsticks, and I ended up storing more than half my meal away in my bag. Maybe Sirius wouldn’t think it was too weird finding random ass meat pies just chilling outside. 

As I got closer, I started looking for some believable drop spots, when I heard some rustling in the foliage right nearby. I spun quickly, hoping maybe one of the boys had just decided to spy on me or something- but when a big mass of orange jumped out I almost pissed myself.

“Fucking hell!” I said breathless, clutching my chest. My adrenaline had shot up and dropped right back down when a huge cat jumped out of a bush.

But wait, that wasn’t a cat- that was a kneazle. Or, well it had to be part kneazle at least. Since teaching in the care of magical beasts class, taking the class as a 5th year, and just generally spending lots of time studying the magical beasts- I had really grown fond of the cat-like creatures. Being with them in my class was my favorite. Maybe it was because my wand held a knealze whisker or that I just liked cats in general, but the cat-like beasts really seemed to take to me as well. I had to basically bribe them to stay in the pens after working with them because they wanted to follow me out.

In the original HP story Kneazles weren’t really talked about, but it was in basically every other part of the franchise. In Fantastic Beasts they are mentioned and in the Hogwarts Legacy game you could even have them in a vivarium. In this story though the only time they are mentioned is when Hermione’s cat came along.

“Are you Crookshanks?” I asked the cat, crouching down into a squat. 

I reached my hand out towards its ginger hair and waited. It eyed me up and down- and I felt seriously judged. Then it seemed to think I was okay and got close enough that I could pet it. When I got the chance I looked at the tag hanging on its neck.

“You are Crookshanks!” I said happily. “I know your owner- Hermione Granger. I heard you’ve made quite a fuss between her and her friends. I don’t blame you though, you were just doing your job.” 

I had heard from Fred on our way to town that this cat had made an attempt on Ron’s rat. At my words the orange cat began to purr, and I got the distinct feeling that he could understand me. I had that same feeling when I was aimlessly chatting with the other Kneazles in class. I knew they were intelligent, but I also had this feeling that there was some other sort of connection that we had. It was probably wishful thinking though, I mean I was just a side character- off putting my nose where it probably didn’t belong.

“Hey, maybe you could help me with something-”

I turned and started going through my bag. The cat moved up against me, probably in protest of a lack of pets but I kept searching. When I found my food I also pulled out a piece of paper and quickly transformed it into a square of fabric. I tied the food up so that it wouldn’t dump out and turned back to Crookshanks. 

“I know there’s a dog that’s been living around here, and I was coming by to leave some food for it. But don’t worry, I haven’t said anything to anyone about there being a dog- it um seemed kinda skittish so I figured it didn’t like people. Not that you would worry or I mean that is if you have also seen the dog-” I stopped, trying to get ahold of myself. 

This felt kinda dumb, but I wanted Sirius to get the food, and also didn’t want Crookshanks to think I was suspicious and tell Sirius. I set down the little makeshift bag.

“If you happen to see the dog could you um… could you let it know the food is here? Or maybe just make sure no one else eats it? You could have some I guess, but I know Hermione takes good care of you. Anyway, I’m going to go-”

I got up and gave the cat one last pat before I walked away. I felt stupid, but hopefully I didn’t fumble. I knew that the creature could talk to Sirius in his dog form, and I knew they were already in contact but… man what the hell was I doing?

As I made my way back I couldn’t help but look over my shoulder. As far as I could tell the cat, and the bag were gone. Maybe Crookshanks was going to bring it to Sirius- that’s at least what I was going to convince myself would happen. With a little  bit more delusion in my step, I quickly made it the rest of the way back to my friends. 

Both Fred and Cedric ran up to me as I came closer, the hufflepuff even gracefully jumping over the fence to meet me. The other boy, not having as long of legs, waited outstretched over the wall. They both seemed utterly relieved, as if I hadn’t only been gone for less than 10 minutes. It all fared better for the atmosphere though and there wasn’t a single bickering comment our entire way back to the castle. 

--

That night, as I laid next to my friends on the hard floors in the great hall, I was feeling relatively peaceful. Everyone else was in a bit of a panic about Sirius Black breaking into the castle and having to be thrust out of bed. I however was just hoping that after Sirius made his visit to the castle he hopefully had a decent meal waiting there for him when he got back.

After the eventful day, the story played out as expected with the Fat Lady reporting Black had tried to get in. Once the news spread, all the students were brought into the great hall to sleep while the castle was searched. Cedric, who of course was also one of the Hufflepuff Prefects, had seemed extra stressed with the job of guarding the doors. I think the stress came more from not being able to try to help calm younger students down. Every time a first year would show an extra loud sign of distress he would poke his head back inside, trying to see who needed help. 

Although I was spending most of my time before bed staring at Oliver Wood, who was finally in the same room as me again, I couldn’t help but notice the Hufflepuff. Seeing my friend so torn on his duties compelled me to try to lighten his load, and tear myself away from the eye candy. 

I went around to anyone who seemed to need reassurance, and I thought I was doing a pretty good job seeing as I wasn’t actually nervous at all. If anything I had to try to hide my excitement that I had been in the same building as both members of Wolfstar at the same time- it was almost as great as being close to the Gryffindor quidditch captain. 

Eventually Fred came by to help too, but his methods of calming were more distraction based rather than reassurance. He took to silly little muggle magic tricks and pulling pranks on Percy- all of which made the younger kids giggle. Once the Head Boy had enough of the tomfoolery he called for lights out and we went back to our spot.

“Where did you learn muggle magic tricks?” I asked, getting into my sleeping bag next to Fred.

“Zonkos,” He said with a grin, propping his head up on his arm. “They have a little section with silly muggle stuff like that. It's never been high enough caliber for George and I to really use it, but I guess it came in handy today.”

“Indeed it did- I can still hear those little Ravenclaws laughing.”

He smiled even wider, but it was lost to me when the lights went out. We talked for a bit longer, but eventually Percy came by, probably to get back at his brother, and hovered for a while so we had to stop whispering. I assumed Fred had fallen asleep because when the Headboy finally walked away he didn’t answer my attempts to talk.

Even though I wasn’t feeling nervous I still had a hard time going to sleep. Really I was still all amped up from getting to see Oliver. It was heart wrenching to know I had been at this school for like three months and STILL hadn’t talked to him. At this point it had been so long since our first chance encounter I felt like I couldn’t use that as a jumping off point if we ever ran into each other. He was still so great to look at though, even if it brought dirty thoughts that were pretty awkward to have with a room full of people.

As I tried and failed to get my brain to think of anything else, the doors to the great hall opened quietly and I turned to see the prefects move back into the room. They were followed by Dumbledore, who glided past students as if he was a ghost. I tried to follow the old man, wanting to try to hear the conversation I knew would follow soon with Snape- but I was distracted by a blinding light in my eyes.

“Sorry-” Cedric said in a rushed whisper. He moved his glowing wand away from my face and stopped the spell. Then he rolled out his sleeping bag on the other side of me and quickly crawled in.

“I didn’t wake you did I?” He shimmied his bag closer to mine so that he barely needed to make a sound to be heard.

“No, I was already awake. I’m um, having a hard time falling asleep.” I hoped that he wouldn’t be able to see the pink that probably glowed on my face.

“I’m sure you’re not the only one- this whole mess with Sirius Black is really quite scary.”

“Yeah, no totally-” Oh for sure I was just going to have him think it was because I was scared- that was a much better option than the truth.

“I saw you going around and talking with the younger students. That was really good of you to help them, especially if you were feeling scared as well.” I couldn’t see his eyes, but I just knew they were sparkling.

“Ah no don’t say that- that makes me sound way better than I am. I was glad to help them, but I mostly did it because I saw how worried it was making you. I knew you wanted to be in here trying to help so I just tried to do what I thought you would.”

“You did it because of me?” He asked, sounding a little shocked.

“Well yeah, I mean, I gotta help mister perfect prefect.”

Cedric snorted and I couldn’t help but chuckle. We got silent though as Snape swept into the room, his dramatic cape billowing in the candle light. I turned to where I could see the two professors now in conversation. If I strained my ears maybe I could make it out-

“Is there anything I can do to help you feel less scared?” The boy whispered, drawing back my attention. 

“Oh uh, I’m not sure.” Again, I wasn’t actually scared. To be honest though having Cedric come by me had been a decent enough distraction to get my mind out of the gutter. He was always really good at captivating my attention- he never seemed to run out of things to want to talk about. I’m sure if I had actually been scared, he would have been really great to have around for that as well. 

“Actually-” I started, reaching out to pat his cheek. “Having you close has been a big help already.”

Before I could pull away I felt his hand over mine, squeezing it tight. It felt cold- probably from standing out there with his wand out in high alert. After a moment I expected him to let it go so I could bring it back, but instead he moved it off his face and brought both down between us. I layed, a little confused, as our hands sat clasped in the little space between our sleeping bags.

“If having me close helps, then let me do this until you fall asleep. I mean, if that will be helpful to you-”

Awe- what a fucking cutie patootie. In lieu of a verbal response I squeezed his hand, and he squeezed it back. It didn’t take too long after that to fall asleep, and when I woke up somehow our hands were still tightly held together.

June: Get on your Feet- Gloria Esetfan 

Cedric: You Can’t do That- The Beatles

Fred: Lounge Act- Nirvana

Chapter Text

“What do you mean we are playing Gryffindor this weekend??” Cedric asked, his face turning a little red.

“Exactly that- we are playing Gryffindor this weekend.” I replied coolly, although I was feeling pretty miffed myself.

I knew, obviously knew, that Slytherin was going to try to weasel out of the first game, but when I found out it still boiled my blood. I did at least find out sooner than I expected though, so I guess you could count that as a plus. I kinda wished the news had come from a better messenger but what can ya do?

The afternoon after the Sirius Black debacle, I had been approached by Marcus Flint. Classes had been canceled for the day thank heavens, so he had found me on my way back to the castle after meeting with Hagrid. I had taken the opportunity to really fine tune the lessons that I was going to teach this week- which he was kind enough to agree upon.

I was surprised to see the Slytherin captain though- he had kind of just popped out of nowhere. He still had that horrible look in his eyes when he spoke to me, but that was almost totally forgotten when he dropped the bomb that we would be filling in for them in the matches.

“But why didn’t he come and talk to me? I mean, I’m the captain for merlin’s sake- that’s how these things are done.” Cedric ran his hands through his hair, looking his version of annoyed.

“I’m pretty sure he just wanted to score some points with me.” I replied, sitting back in my chair in our common room.

“Score points?” He looked bewildered.

“Yeah you know, he wanted to get on my good side. I think he’s been trying to build up to asking me out for a while, and I figure he thought this would really seal the deal when he did.”

“Flint is going to ask you out??” Now he just looked horrified.

“I hope that’s all he asks- honestly everytime he looks at me I know he’s thinking about asking to do a lot more than just go out on a date. Not that I would EVER agree though. But hey, at least that means we found out sooner than we would have about all of this. When he told me not to tell anyone else but you because he hadn’t talked to Madam Hooch about it, I literally turned right around and found Harry to tell him.”

“You told Potter? Why not Weasley?” The look of horror shifted to curiosity.

“I feel like if I told Fred he would just start freaking the fuck out-” Also why I didn’t use it as an excuse to talk to Oliver. “With Harry though I knew he’d stay level headed enough to finish hearing me out. I told him to tell his captain, but that they should pretend they don’t know until Flint tells them in person.”

“That’s a good idea, I mean having Marcus Flint being interested in you is one thing but having him as an enemy is another.”

I tilted my head towards my captain. “Now what would you know about having enemies?”

“There are people who don’t like me, you know.” He crossed his arms as he said it, as if it was something he should be proud of.

“And by people do you mean Fred Weasley?” I asked, grinning at his little pout.

“Okay back to the point-” The boy said, getting to his feet and totally ignoring my question. “We gave up our practice last weekend so that Slytherin could take it, so now we are going to have to train extra hard for the next few days.”

“More importantly-” I added, getting to my feet and walking up to him. “-is what song will we be playing when we come onto the field?”

“What?”

“I was going to ask you about this when our first match was coming up, but now it's at hand. I want to know- what music plays to bring us onto the field.”

“Oh um,” He scratched his head. “I don’t know if we have any. I guess sometimes the band sometimes plays, but other than that it's just cheers from the stands.”

“What??? No but we have to have music! I mean it sets the tone for the whole game!”

“Match.” He corrected. “And I mean, if you think it will help you’re more than welcome to find something.”

“Great! Okay, I’ll see you later.” I immediately turned and started heading towards the exit.

“Hey where are you going?” he asked frantically, reaching out to grab my hand to stop me. “I thought we were going to plan a strategy.”

“You do that,” I replied, squeezing his hand. “I’m garbage at it anyway. I’m going to go find Lee and figure out how I can get my music to play over the speakers!”

--

I sat hunched over my star chart, grumbling as I mapped out the Ursa Minor. I was so stuck within my own thoughts I didn’t hear the footsteps approaching or even feel the face that moved in right by mine.

“Something got you down, love?”

I about jumped right over the astronomy tower railing I was so scared. I mean, okay I wasn’t that close, but at least my tormentor had the sense to grab onto my waist before I fell over.

“What the hell, Weasley!” I said, shoving his hands off from my side once I was stable.

He chuckled. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were feeling so jumpy. I only wanted to see what had you mumbling to yourself.”

“Okay well next time tap my shoulder first or something.”

“Goodness, seems Ms Gray here is already putting you at arm's length in preparation for our match this weekend.” George said, walking up with Lee. He winked at me.

“Is that true Junie, are you really distancing yourself from me?” Fred pouted out his lip and tried to make the rest of his face look sad. 

I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t help cracking a smile. 

“You better not get on their bad sides,” Lee said, moving over and draping his arm around my shoulder. “They are the beaters after all- one bad look in their direction and the next thing you know you’ll be in the hospital wing.”

“Hey!” Both twins called out, apparently disgruntled by the insinuation. This actually made me laugh.

“So anyway June, did you find a solution to our little problem?” Lee asked, pulling me in closer.

I slumped my shoulders. “No, nothing I’ve tried is working.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Fred asked, walking up and moving his friend's arm from around me. Lee gave him a wolfish grin, but the redhead just shoved him out of the way and placed himself in the same spot.

“What I was so fixated on before you almost sent me to my death.” I said, now removing Fred’s arm from around me. “I wanted to play a song over the speakers when my team came out, but we couldn't figure it out.”

“A song??” Fred asked, perking up even more. “Like from your collection?”

“Yeah my tapes, but nothing is loud enough. You’d think we could finagle some magical way around it, but nothing works.”

“That’s a bummer,” Said George, moving over to look at my abandoned star chart. “You’ve got these mapped out wrong.”

“Ah shit really?” 

I moved over to where he was and looked to where he was pointing. I quickly peered back into my telescope and realized that he was right. I didn’t think either of the Weasley were much interested in the subjects at school, but apparently Geogre was quite the astrophile. He offered to help me, but I declined. Right after he asked, Professor Sinistra said those who were done could go and I didn’t want to hold them up.

It had been stormy the last few days, but had unfortunately cleared up this evening just in time for class. Even with a clear sky though I couldn’t keep my focus enough to quickly chart the stars as I should. 

I walked back towards the Hufflepuff common room on my own about thirty minutes later. Fred had said he would stay, but I made him leave with his brother. It was lonely now, but I could manage. Cedric had missed the class because of a prefects meeting- ones that were happening more often because of the whole Sirius Black stuff. Actually I didn’t really mind walking alone though, it gave me more time to think.

I still didn’t know for sure what song we should use, but it wouldn’t matter if there was no way to play it. I really really wanted to get something to work though. In my last life there was this trend where people shared songs they thought different quidditch teams would come out to. People always chose songs like Lion by Saint Mesa for Gryffindor, or Real in Rio for Ravenclaw. In my current state though I was limited to songs that had come out before 1993.

But again, none of my ideas would matter if there was no way to get it to broadcast over the speakers. I had tested it out with Lee more than once this week and it had all been quite disappointing. 

I needed a boom box or something. Actually I had thought about buying one when I was getting my music before coming to Hogwarts. I wasn’t sure how I was going to carry it though without putting it directly into my bag- which wasn’t really going to go well with the muggle store clerk. I was really regretting that decision now though.

“I just wish I had a boombox.” I grumbled as I walked by myself through the hall.

Suddenly there was a loud scraping sound and I whipped my wand out towards the noise. What I saw though wasn’t Peeves causing shit or some other person causing havoc- no what was there before me was a door.

My heart started to pound as I moved towards it, was this really happening to me? I looked around at where I was- yup there was a tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy's dancing trolls. When I turned the knob and walked inside I was suddenly surrounded by every muggle form of music player that existed at this point in time. There was a music box, phonograph, gramophone, all types and sizes of radios, stereos, turntables, record players, and of course-

“Boom box!!” I yelled out, running towards the beast of a machine. 

It looked like it had been here since the 70s it was so covered in dust. After brushing it off I turned to my bag to grab a cassette to test it out, but noticed there was actually a pile just off to the side. Feeling even more excited I started to search through the pile, finding songs that I didn’t even have!

As I flipped through each little rectangle I came across a title that again wasn’t in my collection. This was it though- this was the song for my team. With shaking hands I put the cassette into the slot and pushed the little door closed. I pressed down on the button and when the song started playing I screamed out in excitement.

“I FUCKING LOVE MY LIFE!!!!”

--

Standing here at the precipice of the field, hearing the cheers of the crowd, the storm barreling around us- I almost forgot that this was a game written as part of a story. Experiencing this scene like how I was could have fooled me into believing this had never happened before. Even knowing how things would likely play out it still felt like anything was possible.

“Are we ready?” Cedric said, turning to look at me and then behind to the rest of our team.

“Wait!” I said quickly. “We have to wait for the song.”

As if on cue I could hear Lee’s voice over the speakers (or whatever they used honestly neither of us knew how it worked). Even with the wind and rain he could still be heard. He had just called out the Gryffindor roster as they came onto the soggy field and now it was our turn.

“Before we get to see the contenders, with their new beater and spit fire chaser, let's set the mood!”

There was a crackling and I assumed Lee was bringing the mic over to the boombox that we had set up (thankfully equipped with batteries). I had placed an Impervius Charm on it last night, knowing the rain wasn’t going to let up, so hopefully that kept it working.

There was a click and suddenly “Take on Me” by a-ha, started playing around the stadium. The cheers died out for a moment, but then increased ten fold. I broke into a huge grin as I turned to Cedric, feeling the adrenaline start to pump through me like never before.

Our captain looked a little bit confused at first, but then he was smiling just as broadly as I was. His eyes were bright as he turned towards me, his head bouncing to the beat- it was fucking adorable.

“I love it!” He said happily, and I could hear the rest of the team giggling their agreement. 

Truly this song was a great pick for our first match full of optimistic little Hufflepuffs. The techno beat was happy and bright, but also really pumped you up. It seemed to radiate through the air, battling the dreariness of the storm. Hopefully this would help to keep our spirits up in less than ideal circumstances. 

When the chorus was about to start I nodded over at Cedric who smiled brightly again and walked out of the locker room. Immediately his perfect hair started to droop as it began being pelted with rain. As I followed along after, the two braids that held my own hair back started to feel a lot heavier.

The crowd went NUTS when we stepped out, obviously enjoying my choice in song as well. It was hard to really see much through the storm, but even from the ground you could make out lots of blurs of red and yellow. Once our captain took into the sky we all followed, the words of the song calling all around us. 

The song got a little bit quieter as Lee moved back onto the mic and started calling off the roster. When he named Cedric as captain and seeker there was a hoard of girls screaming. Honestly I thought I might have lost some hearing from the high pitched squeals. I circled around the field like everyone else was doing, but stopped when I heard my name.

“And Hufflepuff’s second new player is Juniper spitfire Gray who has the position of chaser. Her fire and tenacity is something you might not expect from a Hufflepuff, but you can expect to get blown away by her energy, if not by the storm.”

I looked through the rain towards where Lee was supposed to be announcing, to try to understand what the fuck he was talking about, but my attention was pulled away. The crowd had cheered for me just as they had my other teammates, but there was an especially enthusiastic section. For whatever reason, the Slytherin section of the stands was going wild. 

It was hard to see through the shower, but as I flew a little closer I saw that most of the house was decked out in yellow- my number weirdly very visible all over. It was being held up with signs that were almost being ripped out of hands from the wind, on jackets, and maybe even on faces? I couldn’t tell for sure on that last one, but I didn’t feel like getting closer to check.

“What the fuck?” I said out loud.

“Seems like you’ve caught Flint’s eye.” Said a voice  basically yelled out from behind me. 

I turned to see a rather hunky Fred Weasley. It caught me a bit by surprise, and stopped me in my tracks. Both Weasley twins were attractive guys, but something was different. Maybe it was his matted down hair, the athletic vibe, the way he was gripping his bat, or the tightness of the uniform… Either way it made me want to drop everything and find Oliver Wood so I could see how he looked in the wet Gryffindor jersey.

“Caught his eye?” I called back, finally coming out of my daze. “You mean he got everyone to wear my number?”

“Yeah, we heard them talking about it at breakfast this morning. He had some… other choice things to say about you as well.” Even with the rain I could see Fred’s eyes turn dark as he said it. The thought of the Slytherin captain talking about me to others just made me want to gag though.

“Gross.” I said, my nose upturned. “I’m gunna need to tune them out, I definitely don’t want to be encouraging those behaviors.”

Not that it was going to be hard to tune out the crowd today, as the breeze picked up I wasn't sure if that was the howling wind I was hearing or the crowd. Fred’s look got a little lighter at my words, but I could still tell whatever Marcus Flint had said earlier had really bothered him. But I didn’t really have time to worry about that now. Below I could hear Madam Hooch’s whistle, calling the captain to come down to shake.

“Hey, where’s Harry??” I said a little frantically. Although this whole thing felt surreal, I still wasn’t able to forget what actually happened in his game.

“Harry? Oh um,” He put his hand over his eyes as a shield from the rain and looked around the field. After a moment he pointed up and to our left. “I think that’s him.”

I looked up, getting met with a drop directly in my eye. As I rubbed it away, I shielded my eyes until I spotted the red clad player not too far away. 

“Good luck today-” I called back to Fred, sending him an encouraging smile. 

“You too spitfire.” He replied with a devious grin.

My smile dropped and I flipped him the bird as I turned away, his laughs echoing through the wind. I flew quickly over to Harry who seemed a little startled when I popped up in front of him.

“Good luck today Harry,” I said loudly, trying to now match the level of the ever blowing wind.

“Oh, you too.” He yelled back, a nervous smile on his face. 

He was probably nervous because of the less than ideal circumstances of the game, but little did he know there was a lot more he would have to worry about. Feeling a pit sink deep in my chest I pushed my broom over until we were side by side and threw my arms around the (only slightly) smaller boy’s neck.

“What was that for?” The boy asked as I pulled away, his nervousness changing to bewilderment. 

“I just, I mean I wouldn’t be here without you and I just want you to know I’m grateful. No matter how the game ends today I want you to know I think you’re the best.”

Harry’s smile was more genuine this time, but it didn’t last because the whistle for everyone to take their positions sounded in the air. Rather begrudgingly I flew down to my spot, waving at Harry until he was a blur or red in the rain. 

--

As the game played on, true to the story, right as Harry and Cedric had been going for the snitch a dementor had made its way onto the field. I had almost missed the entire thing I was so engrossed in trying to score points on Oliver Wood I was barely aware of anything else. Getting to be so close to him, watching that fire of passion for the game burn brightly in his eyes, and then sending the ball past him through one of the hoops was suddenly the most exciting and frankly erotic thing I had ever experienced. 

It so happened though that I had missed catching the quaffle as I dodged a bludger, and ended up catching a glimpse of the yellow and red seekers whiz by. Even with the adrenaline of the game and the confusion of the storm my brain still connected right away to what was happening. Without much thought after that, I began my own race after them, afraid of what was about to happen next.

They were already too far ahead though, and by the time I was there Harry was already falling off his broom. With a madness to my pace I spend forward through the rain and through the horrible dark feeling in the air. I knew that the dementor was close by, but my brain could think of nothing other than getting to my friend.

In the back of my mind I was sure I knew that Dumbledore would save him, but watching him fall there before me…. I couldn’t just do nothing. So with a speed I felt I could only have because of my pre-chosen stats, I made it to him; before he hit the ground, before anyone could cast a spell towards him.

What my big hero brain didn’t account for though was how I was going to catch  probably 120Ibs of freefalling weight through the sky. As soon as I reached a spot below his trajectory I was immediately also taken out and the both of us started falling. THANKFULLY other people were using their brains and the two of us were magically stopped before we both lost our brains from impact.

When we were slowly magicked down to the ground I moved over quickly to Harry and cradled him in my arms. Again, I knew he was okay but that didn’t stop my mind from feeling like he was dying. Never before had I felt a fear like this, and maybe it was multiplied because of the dementor, but it took over my entire body and soul.

The rest of the events were kind of a blur. Cedric was the first to get to us since he had been right there with the snitch. He looked as shaken as I felt as he immediately dropped down and threw his arms around me. You would think having another person in the mix might make things feel warmer, but even with another person’s body heat everything just felt icy and cold.

Eventually other team members dropped down, including Oliver Wood. Everything felt so terrible I couldn’t even enjoy how me and the Gryffindor captain were only a head apart as he crouched down next to Harry. Instead I just wordlessly agreed to hand him over to the older boy, who then started taking him right away to Madam Hooch, who was running over to us.

I watched as more adults started showing up and Harry was whisked away towards the school. Then suddenly an ache started to build in my head and shoulder, that pounded as steadily as the rain. I reached up to my head, just above my eyebrow and was surprised to see blood as I pulled my hand back.

“You’re hurt-” I looked up and was also surprised to see Fred standing there above me. When did he get here? “We need to get you to the hospital wing too.”

“I’m fine.” I said blankley, although the pain now starting to radiate down my arm felt less than fine. 

“June you need to be seen, your bleeding down-”

“I said I’m fine!” I barked back at Cedric, who had moved over from my side to add his concern. 

As soon as I saw his eyes though, laced with concern and fear, whatever wall I had been building to keep the pain at bay broke down. Tears filled my eyes and now the world was even more of a wet blur.  It was so strange, these things I was feeling. Surly Dumbledore had sent the dementor away by now. Why were my emotions so off the chart?

My legs didn’t hurt at all, but I ended up being carried back anyway. I was such a sobbing mess I couldn’t even get myself to stand. There was a moment of back and forth bickering between the two boys on who was going to take me, but Cedric as my quidditch captain won out.  As we moved forward I leaned my now painfully throbbing head into his chest in some attempt to feel comfort and warmth. Everything still just felt so cold, I was starting to shiver along with all my other pain. 

Eventually we made it up to the castle, but I don’t remember much of the trip. Part of me wished that I had been lucky like Harry and been able to pass out, but that wasn’t the case. I mean, I’m sure the lightning scarred boy probably wouldn’t have said passing out was lucky, but it felt easier in that moment than enduring the cold. 

The hospital wing was already getting crowded with people, as most of the Gryffindor team was already there and so were the rest of the golden trio. They were crowded around another bed, which I assumed was Harry’s.

 As I got placed on my cot Madam Pomfrey went right to work, seeing as I was her only conscious patient. Cedric stayed right off to my side, Fred moving in right next to him as he walked up. Both were still soaking wet in their jerseys, making a swap around my bed from all the dripping. 

Apparently the impact from trying to catch Harry had left me with a dislocated shoulder, some minor fractures on my arm, and a nice cut across my forehead. Healing magic was pretty cool, and despite how uncomfortable I was feeling before it didn’t take long for most of the pain to subside. The cold eventually went away too after the iconic chocolate was handed out to literally everyone in the room.

Once my body was able to get warm again I felt like my emotions were starting to come back down. The anxiety and subsequent release were flowing away probably not unlike the pools of water that slid down the school grounds from the rain. Finally I stopped crying and was able to look over at my two friends and give them a reassuring smile.

“I don’t think I’m really cut out for quidditch,” I said.

I watched as the apprehension broke across their faces at my joke, and suddenly the air between us felt a lot lighter. Then almost at the exact same time they both lunged forward to hug me. It was kinda awkward because they both made contact at the same time and it just about knocked me off the bed. Madam Pomfrey saw and was at them right away to give me space. Cedric moved back right away, but Fred continued to hold on until he was literally torn away by the nurse.

Now that things weren’t in pain and my brain was feeling better I asked if I could leave to go and shower. The nurse was hesitant, but just staring at my dripping vestige was enough to convince her to let me go. I did have to promise to come back as soon as I was done, and that I needed to keep my arm and shoulder lower than my head for the rest of the day. So dripping wet and in a sling, I walked towards the quidditch pitch.

Ideally I would have just gone back to the common room, but I wasn’t really ready to face a torrent of questions from the ever very chatty Hufflepuffs. It might mean that I got wet making my way back up, but whatever- I could just layer up. Not that I was alone though, both Cedric and Fred walked back with me- both hovering to my sides as if I was about to fall again.

Truly I felt like an idiot for going after Harry. I didn’t make anything better for anyone and instead made things harder for myself. Why on Earth did I even try? I knew how the story was going to play out- I knew before the game started how things would go down. On top of that, I wasn’t supposed to be messing with the story anyway. What if I had accidentally caught the dementors attention away from Harry and he never passed out- I mean sure that would be great for him, but I could be really fucking things up in the long run.

I waved goodbye to Fred, with my good arm, as we got to our locker room. Once we parted he started to jog towards his own, probably sick of being wet and cold. The room was empty, the rest of our team already cleaned and headed up to the castle. We had passed most of them on our way down, all looking relieved that I was alive and mostly well.

 I went to my locker, pulled out my stuff and shuffled over to the girls shower. As I started to attempt to take off my jersey I realized that it was not going to work, even with my sling off.

“Fuck.” I said to myself and then called out “hey Ced, I have a problem.”

“What???” He called back frantically, and I heard him crash into something on his way over to where I was.

“I’m fine!” I yelled back, hoping that would calm him down enough to walk the rest of the way. “But I can’t get my shirt off without raising my arm.”

“Well don’t raise it! Madam Pomfrey said to keep it below your head.” I could hear him now at the edge of the shower room.

“Yes I know, that’s why I’m talking to you. I need your help. Will you come in here and help me take it off?”

“You want me to help you take your shirt off?” He said it in the same kind of tone that reminded me instantly of my voice when Hagrid had asked me to clean up the poop out of the creature pens earlier this week. Was this task really as bad as cleaning up wet mooncalf shit?

“It shouldn’t be that bad, I have my sports bra on under so it's not like you’ll see anything.” I mean, he would be so lucky, some guys in school would kill for this chance. 

“Don’t you need that off too??” He sounded like he was going to be sick.

“Yeah but I’ll just shower with it to make things easier. Once I get to the hospital wing I can just have the nurse help me.”

“I don’t know if I can….”

I was feeling rather frustrated now. It's not like I wanted to not have use of my arm. “Well you are kind of my only option, unless you wanna go grab Fred from the Gryffindor-”

“I can do it.” He said quickly, finally moving into the shower room. 

Despite the fact that I was obviously still fully clothed, Cedric had his face covered when he walked in. If I wasn’t so tired and just done I would have thought him shuffling in with his hands over his eyes as funny. But now I just wanted to be in warm water, washing the mud off my clothes and skin.

“I’m over here.” I said as Cedric started making his way to my left. He peeked an eye out and then moved back in my direction. “You know you are going to need to open your eyes to help me.”

“I just don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable-” He said, looking out again from his fingers to make sure he was in the right place.

“The only one uncomfortable in this room is you. Seriously if this is too much I can just go ask Fred-”

“No no, if you’re fine then I’m fine.” He slowly moved his hands away from his face, again revealing me fully clothed in my quidditch uniform.

“It's the long sleeves.” I said sticking out my good arm. “They’re wet so it's sticking to my skin and it's too hard to get off.”

“So you just want me to pull it off?” 

“Yes. Just grab the cuff and I can pull this one out.”

With some hesitancy he reached his hands over and touched the yellow jersey glued to my arm. He held the opening and I pulled my arm. It really felt stuck so it took a few decent tugs before it was finally free. With one arm out I moved to grab the material to pull it over my head, but Cedric was still holding out it. As I looked over at him our eyes met and his cheeks flushed pink.

“You can let go now.” I gave my jersey a little tug.

“What? Oh yeah no I’m sorry-” He dropped my sleeve as if it had burned him. I smiled, unable to hide my amusement at his reactions. 

Cedric was adored by probably most of the girls at this school, but that didn’t stop him from being the embodiment of a gentleman. I know I was annoyed because he seemed so appalled to have to help me change, but he probably would have responded like that about any girl. Even now that barely any of my toro was visible he had turned his head so his eyes were looking up.

With some expert maneuvering I got my head out of the wet material and now all that was left was my other arm. I was going to tell Cedric he was good to go and that I could figure it out from here, but then he coughed and got my attention.

“If you’re okay with it- can you let me help with the other arm? I would hate for you to accidentally pull it off too fast or hard and hurt yourself.”

“Oh, um yeah I guess that’s fine.” I felt pretty confident that I could do it without much trouble, but I guess a little extra help wouldn’t kill me.

He moved closer again, his eyes looking somewhere above my head. I turned to the side, putting my not good arm in front of him. With what seemed like a pained expression he brought his eyes down to my shoulder. When he reached up to grab the material bunched there I noticed that his hands were shaking a little. I looked from his hands to his eyes and some weird feeling settled in my chest.

“You really scared me today,” He said quietly as he began to pull.

“I’m sorry,” I replied just as quietly, turning to look away.

He pulled down my sleeve so slowly it almost felt like the moment was in slow motion. Everytime he bunched the material so that he could pull it lower, his fingers brushed against the skin on my arm and it made me shiver. The first time it happened he froze and looked right into my eyes to make sure he wasn’t hurting me. I reassured him I was fine, but for some reason it only came out in a whisper. 

With his head so close to mine I got that now all too familiar whiff of his hair gel. I had seen him pull it out of his bag before to fix his hair and saw on the label that it was the pine I had smelt the day of the sorting ceremony. But maybe it was because the rain had likely washed most of it away, but it didn’t seem as potent as it usually was. It was subtle now, so much so that it made me want to get a little closer so I could smell it better.

By the time my jersey was finally off my arm was covered in goosebumps, my brain was full of the scent of pine, and my heart was beating a bit too fast for comfort. He turned to the side and shook out my shirt and folded it up. Then he turned and stepped forward to hand it back to me. When I took it I looked up and our eyes met. We weren’t very far apart, and suddenly the goosebumps moved from my arms to all over my body.

“I’m going to shower now.” I said, our eye contact not breaking. Then something flashed across his gaze and he took a step back, his face turning red.

“Oh yeah of course- sorry I, I don’t know-” He started stumbling over his words until he seemed to get a hold of himself. “I’ll just be out here, if you need me just call out again.”

“Okay. Thanks for helping me.” I smiled over at him, but he just turned away.

“It's no problem. Please let me know if there’s anything else.” He said it as he walked out of the room, much more quickly than he had walked in.

With him gone I was suddenly more aware of the cold and my body broke out in goosebumps again. I shivered and quickly moved over to the showers. It took awhile to get my body to calm down, but eventually the warm water was able to wash away even my most uncertain feelings.

-- 

WHAT IF CEDRIC WASN’T THERE TO HELP IN THE LOCKER ROOM?

I waved goodbye to Fred, with my good arm, as we got to our locker room. Once we parted he started to jog towards his own, probably sick of being wet and cold. The room was empty, the rest of our team already cleaned and headed up to the castle. We had passed most of them on our way down, all looking relieved that I was alive and mostly well.

We had only been in the room for a few moments when Madam Hooch’s voice called in, asking Cedric to come talk to her.

“You’ll be fine without me?” Cedric asked as he headed to the door.

“Yes yes, don’t worry about me. I’ll just wait around for you to be done.”

“Okay, but it might take awhile. I asked to talk to her because of how the game ended. I’m hoping she can convince Wood to do a rematch.”

“Ah well, good luck then.” I said with a smile. I knew Oliver wasn’t going to agree, I don’t know if his pride was going to let him or at least that’s how the book made it seem.

When Cedric left I went to my locker, pulled out my stuff and shuffled over to the girls shower. As I started to attempt to take off my jersey I realized that it was not going to work, even with my sling off.

“Ah fuck.” I grumbled, trying again to finagle the wet material off my good arm. As I moved the other to try I pulled too hard and sent a shooting pain through my shoulder. I grunted, massaging the area to try to lessen the tension.

I walked back out into the locker room, looking without much hope for someone to help. How long was Cedric going to be gone for? I mean, I could just wait for him to get back. Just the thought of waiting more made my skin start to itch where the mud was sticking particularly thick. I could just try to slice the jersey off with magic, but I felt like maybe that was going to be pushing it today.

With a sigh I headed out the door onto the field and over to where the Gryffindor locker room was. If I was lucky then Fred wouldn’t have started his shower yet and he could help me pull my arm out and I could be back on my way.

When I walked in I saw that basically everything was the same as the Hufflepuff locker room, it's just that everything was red instead of yellow. I had only taken one step into the room when I called out, my voice echoing all around.

“Fred?” 

No answer.

“Hey Freddie” I yelled again, taking another step in. It felt especially weird being in here while I was wearing an opposing team’s jersey.

I moved around the room, calling out the Weasley’s name until I heard the sound of water falling. Damn, he was already in the shower. I moved over to the boys shower, and stood at the door. 

“Hey Fred-” I yelled out and immediately the water turned off.

“June?” He called out unsure.

“Yeah, sorry for the surprise, I just need your help with something. It can wait until you're done though-”

“You’re not hurt again are you?” I could hear him walking over to me, and suddenly his head was poking out of the door. I looked up to him with wide eyes, his bare freckled covered toros coming into view as steam billowed around him.

“Fred!” I yelled out, covering my eyes. “Do you even have a towel on?!??”

He chuckled. “No, I had to make sure you weren’t hurt again.”

“And what if I was! You were going to help me naked???” I kept my hands over my face.

“I guess so- why, is that a problem?” 

I could hear him taking another step out of the door and felt my face get hot. His teasing was not helping at all either. I knew he was a shameless flirt but was this really necessary??? With my eyes closed I reached out with my good hand, finding his chest and pushed him back into the shower room.

“I said I could wait so go at least get a towel on before you come out here-”

He laughed more heartedly as he moved back in, and once he was I felt for the door and closed it. With the boy gone I finally opened my eyes, the Gryffindor red lockers coming back into view. My face was still warm as I turned to look down at my hand. When I pushed him back I had pressed up against what I assume his torso because it very evidently felt like abs. It was kinda surprising feeling that much muscle, but I mean earlier during the game with his jersey tight on his skin I knew that he was actually pretty fit.

Both Fred and George were pretty stocky, but most of it seemed like muscle. I guess that was the kind of build that was expected for a beater. It was one thing though to see his build through a wet jersey and another just exposed right in front of you. It was pretty attractive though I couldn’t lie, especially with the freckles that seemed to cover his shoulders all the way down to-

Gah no, why was I even thinking about this? I rubbed my hand across my dirty pants a few times, trying to get the feeling of his skin to go away. Then I worked on trying to bring down my blush so that when he came back I could at least look more composed. I didn’t have to wait much longer until I heard Fred making his way back over to the door. Even though I wanted to not react, I couldn’t help but turn away when the door opened.

“So did you just miss me or?” I rolled my eyes, but I still didn’t look over.

“Are you wearing clothes?”

Fred did a big dramatic sigh. “Yes.”

Slowly I turned my head and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw he indeed was. He had on a red t-shirt and a pair of sweats that looked much more cozy than his previous mud stained clothes. My eyes lingered a little bit too long at his toros though, wondering how low the freckles actually went. 

“I mean I could always take them back off,” He said with a grin. I felt my cheeks start to warm again, but I didn’t want to let him get to me.

“Actually, I need you to take my shirt off.” The utter confusion and shock that crossed his face was really satisfying and I felt like I had evened the score. 

“I can’t get my arm out of my sleeve-” I held out my good arm, “without making my shoulder hurt. If you could just help me pull my arm out I can be on my way.”

I watched his face drop slightly at my words and I was suddenly worried that maybe I was asking too much.

“You did hurt yourself again didn’t you?”

“Oh, uh I mean just a little bit. I’m fine though, no lasting damage. But if you help me pull my sleeve off I shouldn’t have any more issues?”

He raised an eyebrow, “Shouldn’t?”

“Yeah, but I mean, I can’t predict the future.” Technically.

“Alright, let's go.” He started to walk away, moving towards the door.

“Wait, where are you going?” I asked, quickly running after to him.

“To The Hufflepuff locker room.” He said coolly, taking a quick detour to his locker to grab his jacket. 

“What? No, you don’t have to go all the way over there to help me. You can just pull my sleeve off now and I can just head back over.”

“Yeah and then find out you hurt yourself getting the rest of your jersey off or putting your clothes back on? I’m not sure after today I can quite trust you to take care of yourself.” 

He moved out onto the field, pulling up his hood as he went. I trailed behind him, starting to feel a bit annoyed about this whole thing. If he would just listen to me I could have already been in the shower by now.

“I can take care of myself- and I don’t really appreciate you insinuating that after one accident that I can’t.”

“Technically two.” He said, not even turning around to look at me as he spoke. “First you go and dive to save Potter and then you hurt yourself again trying to take a shower. Honestly I don’t know how you even managed to stay alive for so long.”

“That was barely anything!” I said, stopping behind him into my locker room. I knew he was egging me on, but I was so tired it was hard not to fall to it. “Are you seriously going to hold my attempt to undress against me?”

“You leave me no choice.” He said just as calmly, and it made me want to hit him on the head with a beater bat. “Now lead the way-”

I rolled my eyes as I passed in front of him, wishing I had just waited for Cedric. Sure I might have been waiting for longer, but I’d have been less annoyed…. and embarrassed. I walked into the shower and up to where I had laid my clean clothes and towel. I spun towards him, my arms crossed (as much as they could be with my aching shoulder).

“Okay, now help me pull off my sleeve, and then leave.”

“Goodness, so bossy for someone who came to me looking for help.” His overdramatic tone was about to send me over the edge. “Careful not to get too riled up, you might end up getting over emotional and do something reckless again.”

“Okay, this was a mistake.” I said plopping myself down on the bench where my things were. “I’m just going to wait for Cedric to get back- you can leave. I’d say I was sorry for making you come all the way in here, but that was your dumb choice.”

“Ah Junie don’t be like that-” Fred reached out an arm but I swiveled around so my back was to him.

“No. If you’re going to be a dick I don’t want your help. Go find someone else to annoy.”

I was feeling pretty heated, which in of itself was the worst because it was making me feel more tired. I felt like I had been running on empty for awhile now, and I just wanted a warm shower and to clean mud off of my skin and this mother fucker was making me so mad! All his stupid comments about not being able to take care of myself and his stupid muscular body.

When I felt his arms move around my shoulders I flinched, but he put his weight down on me so I couldn’t jump up. When I tried to turn my head to see what the hell was happening I was blocked by a head of wet red hair that brushed against my cheek. Fred tucked his face into the crook of my neck and tightened his arms around me.

“Don’t do it again.” He said quietly. Between the low volume and the fact his mouth was pushed into my jersey I barely heard him. 

“Do what??”

“Don’t do something that reckless again.” He turned his head as he said it so that I could feel his warm breath on my neck. Despite the heat I was suddenly feeling my body still broke out in goosebumps. 

“No promises.” I said, turning my head away from his. When I felt him tighten again I let out a sigh. “Okay, maybe I will promise not to dive for anyone on a broom ever again.”

“I’ll take it.” He said, snaking his arms away. It suddenly was a whole lot colder.

Fred moved around me and before I could even stand he reached over and started to tug at the opening of my sleeve. I stuck out my arm and after a moment felt the stiff and cold fabric move over my skin. Once it was finally off my arm I reached up to grab my the material bunched at my shoulder, but the boy beat me to it as he stooped down.

He carefully lifted it over my head, his face a total deadpan. It was odd to see him so serious and it sent another wave of goosebumps over me- or maybe that was just the chill from my shirt finally being off. There was a plop as he dropped the soaked through jersey to the ground, and I got up from my seat.

We were less than a foot apart, but for some reason the distance seemed a lot bigger. We stood there, just looking at each other for a few moments. He wasn’t that much taller than me but I still had to tilt my head to meet his eyes. Although they looked like the normal brown eyes that I knew, somehow his gaze seemed different.

“Thanks,” I said, trying to put a genuine smile on my face, but it felt weak. “I can take it from here.”

I saw something change in his expression and the mirth that was normally present came into view again. 

“I can help you with those too if you want.” He gestured to the rest of the clothes on my body, and right away the tense atmosphere dropped. I reached down, grabbed the wet yellow long sleeve and whipped it across him. He yelped out in pain, but it sounded more like a laugh honestly.

“Get the fuck out of here.” I said, raising my arm to whip him again.

A smile crossed his face as he moved out of the room, but when he turned back to wiggle his fingers goodbye I could see the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

June: Stand By Me- Ben R. King

Cedric: Bridge Over Troubled Waters- Simon and Garfunkle

Fred: I Can’t tell you Why- Eagles

Chapter Text

I moved quickly down the small spiral staircase that led away from the headmaster’s office. I had finally managed to secure a meeting with Dumbeldore, although I think I only got it because he wanted to check in on me after the incident yesterday. Not that I had really tried that hard to talk to him, it wasn’t something I was that worried about anymore.

It was weird talking to him, mostly because I suddenly got mixed feelings about the man. He was awesome and awe inspiring- but there was more to his story. As much as JK Rowling wanted you to like Dumbledore, I couldn’t help but pick up on his less than ideal qualities. I mean, who on Earth would let a kid go for so long without telling him who he was and what he was destined for? I think Harry deserved better.

That wasn’t the topic at hand though, and once he was done making sure I was physically well I got into what I needed to know. I asked what information he had received about me before coming to the school, and thankfully he willingly shared.

So, my official backstory according to Hogwarts- I was orphaned in America without any formal training of magic. The American magical school; Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was never able to get in contact with me to have me attend there. Apparently though I had traveled to Europe in search of information about my family who had citizenship there, and that's when Hogwarts found me.

It was a bit confusing, but I couldn’t really push it. I just nodded my head to what he said and thanked him for telling me. How was I supposed to ask more questions when I was supposed to already know all this? Whatever, if that’s all anyone knew then I could just come up with the rest myself if I ever needed to. 

With my backstory somewhat set I left his office, glad to be away from his icy blue eyes. It was somehow even more unnerving that Cedric’s could be at times.

When I made it back to the common room the air was not as lively as it usually was. The atmosphere was usually warm, bright, and full of chatter. Now though it was very quiet and rather dim. The reason for the current somber attitude was my quidditch teammates who were all huddled together looking sad. I had left with them looking all down and it seemed nothing had changed.

“Alright, this isn’t going to do.” I said, walking up behind the chair that Cedric was in.

“What?” The brunette asked, leaning his head back to look up at me.

“This!” I gestured towards the group. “This sadness yall are stuck in. We played a great game yesterday but you guys are acting like we were destroyed. I mean, we even won!”

“It wasn’t a true win.” Cedric said grumpily. “I tried everything to get Wood to agree to a rematch, but he wouldn’t. Said I caught the snitch fair and square.”

“Well you did catch it.”

“Yeah, but would I if Potter hadn’t run into the dementor? It wasn’t a fair game at that point so I feel like we cheated.”

“You didn’t cheat.” I said firmly, reaching down and messing his hair. “And even if we hadn’t won we still played a great game and we should be proud of that. Both teams played well despite the horrible weather. We should celebrate that!”

“Do you mean you want to have a party?” Our new beater asked.

“Yes! Let’s have a party, and let’s invite the Gryffindor team. We won't celebrate our victory, just that we both played a great game. We all deserve to enjoy that, especially after how it all ended. Everyone made it out alive and I call that a win!”

There was a low chuckle from the group, and the vibes were instantly lighter.

“You know what, June is right.” Cedric got to his feet. “We did play great yesterday, and I was so proud of how well we worked together for our first game. We were thrown in at the last minute and still we gave it our all. We’ve wallowed in sadness for long enough- let's get our Hufflepuff spirit back!”

Everyone on the team cheered, and so did some of the other house members around us. It was decided- we would host a party not because we won, but rather because we all did our best. Hearing that outloud really made us sound like Hufflepuffs.

It didn’t take too long to get everything in order, and by the evening there was a lively atmosphere back in our common room. I had gone right away to talk to Fred and George, who then made it their mission to get everyone on their team to come. I honestly didn’t know if they were going to get everyone to come, but I had hope.

Now I know it may seem like I had ulterior motives with this, but honestly I didn’t. Although I did really REALLY hope Oliver Wood would be in a good enough mood to agree to come, I knew there was a chance he wouldn’t. There would be other opportunities to talk to him, which was crazy for me to think, but team morale was more important right now. 

It was a little into the party when the Gryffindor team showed up. There was a loud thud on the common room door and I ran over to see who it was. When I opened it, the team was there standing a ways back. I smiled at Fred who was in the front with his twin and then looked down to see that he was missing a shoe.

“Did you throw your shoe at the door?” I asked, an eyebrow raised.

“Yeah well if you try knocking you get squirted with vinegar and I wasn’t chancing that.” He used his wand to summon the shoe back, which had been lying to my left.

Once the boy had both feet covered again, the whole group started to move forward. I stood at the entrance, ushering them in and greeting each member as they came by. Fred and George came in first, and of course had brought Lee along with them. They were followed by the three female members and then bringing up the rear was Harry. I was happy to see that the black haired boy was looking much better, and that he had also brought his friends- who I made sure knew they were also invited.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione all looked so shocked as they stepped into the room. I guess most students didn’t venture into other houses’ common rooms. As far as I remembered from the books this was the only time the three of them had ventured out, outside of the polyjuice debacle the year before. I guess eventually Harry would make his way into the Ravenclaw tower, but that was thankfully a few years away.

“Pretty cool right?” I said with a smile as I watched them take in the room. “We even have a secret snack room that I can show you guys.”

“Wicked-” Ron said with a dreamy air.

I chuckled and was about to follow them inside when I heard someone call out from down the hall. I stepped back, stopping the door from closing and looked out into the corridor. My brain and heart stopped working as I watched Oliver Wood jog lightly up to the door as if he was late to catch a bus. He stood before me, looking a little uneasy but with the same majestic energy I had witnessed that day in the summer.

“Sorry I’m late.” He said awkwardly, his Scottish accent as present as ever. “This is where the party is right?”

“Party?” I said stupidly, looking up at his beautiful hazel eyes. My brain had short circuited and my heart had long since collapsed. 

The taller boy opened his mouth to say something else, but a voice came from behind me.

“Are you going to stand at the door all night?” Fred said, walking up and placing his elbow on my shoulder. When I didn’t answer he leaned over so that he could actually see out the door and looked shocked to see his captain standing outside.

“Oliver!” He said happily, leaving his perch to go over to his captain. “I thought you said you weren’t coming!”

“Changed my mind.” The other boy replied, his beautiful voice echoing around in my head.

“Well don’t just stand out here then, the party is inside. ” 

Fred turned to me, his smile bright and cocked his head. Maybe he was wondering why I was still just standing there staring and not leading the way in. He leaned in more, blocking my view from the Greek statue before me and snapped me out of my trance.

“Gah sorry-” I said quickly, my face instantly heating up to a million degrees. I stepped aside so they both could walk past. I knew that Fred was likely giving me a funny look, but I refused to meet his eyes.

The two Gryffindor boys walked in towards the crowd, which I realized was a lot louder than I remembered. Or maybe I just had shut it all out when the Oliver vision took over. I waited back by the door for another minute, trying to gain some semblance of composure. He was here- he was actually here. This was it- this was my chance. 

--

With how much I played up talking to Oliver I don’t think anyone would be surprised that it took me so long to get up the nerve to try to talk to him at the party. What I should have done was followed him right in and got to work making myself known, but I was too nervous. After finally getting it together enough to rejoin the party I headed straight over to the golden trio, who were the only ones not standing in the group that housed Oliver Wood.

It's kinda funny that I felt more comfortable talking with Harry and his friends than I did the boy I was pining after. When I first came into this story I was almost too scared to even look at the lightning scarred boy, let alone mingle with him at a party. But now he and the other two third years were totally safe to me, and with their help I was able to tap back into my usual social self.

“Okay. I’m going to do it.” I said, taking a swig from my drink. It was just pumpkin juice, but the action made me feel a bit more self assured. Don’t underage drink- it's bad for your brain development kids.

“Do what?” Hermione asked curiously.

“I’m going to go over and talk in that group,” I gestured over to where the rest of Harry’s team was, along with Cedric and a few of my other team members.

“Why is that such a big deal?” Harry asked, his eyebrow raised. “Fred has been calling you over for the last ten minutes.”

“Yeah aren’t you all friends?” Ron asked, his mouth full from whatever treats he had chosen from the snack room. The party had tons of food, but the stuff in the secret room was pretty awesome too. Hermione reached over and swatted his arm and said something about having better manners. Harry and I both chuckled, but I wasn’t listening fully- I was still trying to pump myself up.

“You do seem like you’ve been avoiding them,” Harry added, apparently wanting an answer to Ron’s question. 

“I’m just nervous, that’s all.”

“Nervous? But you know them all, they were all there at your tryouts.” Ron said, his food gone this time. 

“Not all of them, OliverWood wasn’t there-” Hermione added. “I remember because I heard George asked him to come before we left and he said didn’t want to make anyone nervous by being there. Then when the Hufflepuff captain came up and said we were going to make you nervous Fred got all hot headed about the school captains all being daft in the head.”

Damn. The memory on this one.

“Well technically he was right- having him there would have made me nervous beyond belief.”

“Why?” Both boys asked in unison. Hermione on the other hand just got this big grin on her face.

“Really? Oliver Wood? Do you two know each other?”

“I wish! I met him by chance in Diagon Alley and have by trying, with zero luck, every since to try to talk to him.”

“Wow since the start of the school year!?” The girl asked, her eyes wide and sparkling with excitement. “Have you really not spoken once since then?”

“He technically talked to me at the door- does that count?”

“What are you two on about?” Ron asked, looking between me and his friend. 

“Ah don’t worry about them,” the brunette said dismissively. “You should go over now though, I mean you’ve waited this long.”

I ran my hand through my hair. “You’re right, I need to do this. Okay guys, wish me luck!”

I turned from the two bewildered looking boys and gleeful girl, trying to force myself to keep going. Hermione was good moral support; for a 13 year old she really knew her stuff. Now I had someone to keep me accountable, which was nice. Yes, I was going to do this, I was going to talk to Oliver Wood.

Although basically the entire Hufflepuff house was at this party, the Gryffindor team only seemed to want to mingle with the other quidditch players. Which, you know that was fair; this whole thing was set up on the pretense of celebrating our game. The group had all the red players, minus Harry, and adding Lee Jordan. Then there was Cedric along with our new beater and the other chaser. I didn’t see my other team members, but it didn’t really matter.

They were all sitting together in a little circle of arm chairs and couches, everyone chatting happily amongst themselves. Before anyone noticed me I took a deep breath and willed myself forward. I stepped in in between the chairs occupied by Lee on one side and Angelina on the other.

“Room for one more?” I asked, trying to sound confident and friendly but it came out a bit wishy-washy.

“June!!” A chorus of voices called out and I felt some more of my nerves melt away.

“Finally,” Fred said, his voice dramatically exacerbated. “I thought you were going to spend the whole party talking with my little brother. I was about to go and drag you over to us.”

“That seems a bit dramatic,” I said with an eye roll. As I spoke I tried to avoid looking over to where I knew he sat. “I’m allowed to talk to my friends at a party- I’m the one who asked your brother to come anyway.”

“Technically you asked us all to come.” George added in.

“Yeah and you’ve been neglecting us.” Lee said, showing me a pouty lip. “Terrible party host.”

“Terrible host? What are you talking about? I’m not the host, Cedric is. He is our captain afterall, and as far as hosting goes I know for a fact he is perfect at it- has he not catered to your every need?”

“He did get us all drinks,” Angelina said, raising her drink towards the Hufflepuff boy.

“Ah you are much too kind,” Cedric said with a grin, raising his own towards her. “Though I am happy to share the responsibility with you June, after all, this whole thing was your idea. Without your push our team would still be wallowing amongst ourselves in these very seats, rather than enjoying this lovely atmosphere.”

“Such an eloquent speaker,” Fred said in a mocking tone. If it had been anyone else in the group he was talking to I would have thought he was teasing, but it did not give that vibe with Cedric. Time to squash this before it ruined the mood.

“Indeed he is.” I said with a smile towards my captain. “I could listen to him talk all day except he gets stolen by a different girl every time I look away. I can see Alicia planning her own attempt at it now.”

The group turned to the Gryffindor girl, who had been staring very intently towards the Hufflepuff. Her face went pink and everyone started to laugh. Thankfully she was a good sport about it and played along when everyone started to tease. I let out a sigh of relief, glad that any awkwardness was avoided. I now needed to avoid looking in two directions of the circle though because I could feel Fred glaring at me from across the group. I did look over at Cedric though, and was surprised when our eyes met. He sent me his signature dazzling smile and it made me wonder how every person in this school wasn’t totally obsessed with him. 

--

“-I’m sure things will turn out better next time.” Hermione said sweetly. 

“Yeah, maybe.” I smiled.

I was walking my third year friends out of the common room, being the good co-host that I was. They had come to say goodbye to the group and I offered to walk them out. Cedric had also offered, but I made him sit- I needed some space from him at the moment. Hermione had asked for an update before they left and so I shared what little of one I had.

“I don’t really get what you see in him anyway, but I guess him being captain would be appealing-” Ron seemed like he would have said more but stopped when he got a hard slap on his arm from the girl to his left.

There was quiet bickering between the two, while Harry and I just watched. Then after a while he turned to me.

“We’ll see you later June,” he said, pushing his two friends on their shoulders and moving them down the hall. I waved goodbye, but the three were too occupied to notice.

At least talking with the golden trio had been enjoyable, that was one of the only positives to come out of the night. And really, as a whole the evening wasn’t so bad, but I was still rather disappointed. As much as this party had been about rallying up both quidditch teams, once Oliver had walked in the door my focus had definitely shifted. 

I really thought fate had been on my side too, just the fact that he had shown up at all had really bolstered my hopes. Unfortunately though it seemed fate could not fight against the insatiable efforts of the two worst cock blockers of all time.

Any chance that I had to talk to Oliver had been unceremoniously blocked by either Cedric Diggory of Fred Weasley. It was maddening and as the evening wore on I started to think that maybe they were doing it on purpose! 

If I ever turned to talk to the Gryffindor captain or answer something that he said, one of the two of them would cut right in- every. single. time. At first it was just Cedric, and I thought he was just trying really hard to make Oliver feel welcome. He would answer the Gryffindor right away and then steer the conversation onward. It happened so often that he was basically the only one talking to the older boy the whole night.

Then when I tried to change tactics and just attempted to say something to Oliver directly, Fred would cut in and either answer my question or just change the subject all together. I thought he was just being an ass like he often was; trying to monopolize my attention, but then I noticed he only ever did it when I directed it to his captain. 

Between the two of them I thought I was actually going to go crazy- and so when Harry came to say goodbye I jumped at the opportunity to get some space. When Hermione asked for an update I had told them the rundown of everything, and they agreed that the two boys were being weird. I still wasn’t sure why they were doing it, but it felt nice to know I wasn’t just going insane. 

When the three kids turned the corner I continued to linger out in the hall. It was starting to feel stuffy in there and the cool air from the corridor helped clear my head. I felt like I was getting gas lit left and right and it was super annoying. When everyone left I was going to confront Cedric about it, and then I’d find a time to chew into Fred tomorrow. 

“Stupid boys.” I grumbled, leaning against the wall. 

The stone felt cold on my back, but it did little to settle the range I was starting to burn. What was even more annoying is that Angelina was putting out obvious signs to Fred that she wanted to leave with him, and Alicia really was trying with Cedric too. Why couldn’t they have just gone and fulfilled their own fantasies instead of messing with my love life?? I got so sucked into my raging thoughts that I didn’t even notice the barrel door opening again.

“Why are you out here still?” Said a voice that stopped my rampaged thoughts in their tracks. I froze, and then slowly turned towards the beautiful owner of the adorable Scottish accent.

“Uh, it was getting hot in there so I thought I’d stay out here and cool down.” I tried to keep my voice as even as possible, but inside I was screaming. 

“Oh, well Fred and Diggory are looking for you inside-” Oliver said, pointing back to where he came from. As happy as my heart was to see him, and FINALLY have a chance to talk to him, hearing their names made me annoyed all over again.

“Let them. They’ve been driving me nuts all night.” I could feel myself getting annoyed, but I shook off the feeling. Fuck Cedric and Fred, I wasn’t going to let them ruin this for me again. “Are you heading out?”

“Yeah, I’ve got an early class tomorrow.” My heart sank. I knew he hadn’t actually come looking for me when he came out here, but I could still pretend. Even though I was bummed I still tried to show my most Cedric level dazzling smile.

“Well we will miss you, or at least I will. It was fun to hear you talk about the Quidditch world cup that’s happening this summer. I wanted to ask you more, but I always seemed to get interrupted.” I felt a flare of annoyance again but I pushed it down. “Oh, I’m June by the way- I don’t think we ever got introduced.”

I held out my hand, hoping I could end the night with some sort of physical contact. Even just a handshake could hold me over until I had another chance. 

“We were technically introduced-” he reached out and took my hand, making my heart soar. “Do you not remember meeting in Flourish and Blotts?”

If the hand shake had made my heart soar then these words had sent the organ to the moon. HE REMEMBERED ME??????

“Oh of course I remember you; you helped me get the book that I couldn't reach. I didn’t think you remembered me though.”

He shrugged and dropped my hand.

“I probably wouldn’t have, but then you were suddenly there getting sorted so I guess that helped me remember. And then I feel like I hear about you from everyone on our team all the time since most of them are your same year.”

“Oh that makes sense. Well you should have said hello if you remembered. To be honest, I have tried more than once to talk to you before this, but you were always nowhere to be found.”

“Ah yeah, I’ve been told I’m hard to get a hold of-” He rubbed his hand against the back of his neck. “-my friends are always complaining that I’m never around.”

“Mmmm quidditch captain and taking your NEWT classes- I guess that makes sense. You did make time to come tonight though so that’s something.”

“Yeah, I mean I almost didn’t but I felt that since my whole team was invited I should show support as their captain.”

While I would have liked for him to come because he wanted to see me, a win is still a win.

“And it wasn’t so bad right? I mean this is the first party I’ve ever helped throw here, but I still thought it went well.”

“Oh yeah it was great, I enjoyed myself.” Oliver smiled and my heart, which was still on the moon, had a spasm. 

“Well then maybe you won't feel as reluctant next time to accept the invitation,” I replied with a smile of my own. 

He shrugged again. “I dunno, parties aren’t really my thing.”

“Well, what if it was an invitation for a more intimate gathering?” 

I stepped off the wall as I said it, taking a step closer to the boy. Other than when Oliver had taken Harry out of my arms yesterday, this is the closest I had been to him since he had reached up to get me that book. My heart was beating so loudly I felt for sure he could hear, but I tried to keep my face calm and collected. 

Although I wouldn’t say I thought the 7th year was enthusiastic about our conversation, I still felt like the vibes were there. He seemed like he was a pretty quiet kid, well unless quidditch was involved in any capacity. So even though he wasn’t super chatty right now it didn’t dissuade me from wanting to shoot my shot. 

“Like with a smaller group?” He asked with an eyebrow raised.

“Mmm maybe, or maybe with just one person.” I was now standing just below him and our height difference was very apparent. He was so fucking tall and handsome I wanted to turn around and beat my head against the wall- but I refrained. 

“Like a study session?” 

Oh goodness…. It seemed like on top of not enjoying being social he also may not have been very good at it. You know, that made sense. He was probably so focused on quidditch that he hadn’t really cared about anything else like the obvious signs a girl was placing in front of him. That or he was just so good at dismissing me. Either way, I think if I wanted an answer I would need to take a direct approach. 

“No, not a study session. What I am talking about is a date.” I smiled up at him again. 

As I stood there I caught his scent and was immediately brought back again to that day in the book store. He smelled woody; it had been the same that day as well. It wasn’t strong like it was on Cedric, but it was still similar. He also smelled like freshly cut grass and honey. I assumed the grass was from always being on the quidditch pitch and figured the honey was maybe his soap? The mix of it all was intoxicating though and it bolstered my resolve even more. 

“A date?” He looked very confused.

“Yes- I want to know if you would say yes if I asked you to go on a date with me.”

It seemed to take a second for my words to make sense in his brain, but once they did there was a very physical reaction. As understanding flashed across his face as his eyes got wide and his face immediately started turning pink. He stuttered out some words that were almost unintelligible to me because of how thick his accent had become. 

Yeah I don’t think he was trying to dismiss me, I think he was just clueless. Man, I couldn’t imagine being this unaware of someone’s advances.

“You want to go on a date with me ???” It was also a little hard for me to understand this, but I worked through it. Seeing him this flustered was absolutely adorable and I liked it almost as much as when I made him mad, scoring on him during the game.

“Yes I do. Is that something you would want to do?”

“Ah I uh I don’t- are you sure- I don’t know if-” He stammered out a few more statements, each more jumbled than the one before. He finally ended on, “We don’t really know each other though.”

“And that’s why I want to go on a date.” I said happily, not getting dismayed by his response. “You seem to be a great guy and I’d like to get to know you better, and I think if you had the chance to get to know me you would find I’m not half bad either.”

His face was as red as his house was at this point and I was afraid that he might just pass out.

“I uh I know you’re not bad.”

“Oh?” I tilted my head, confused and surprised by his comment.

“Yes when you um, I mean you have to be a decent person to try what you did at the match yesterday.”

Now it was my turn to blush. With everything I had been feeling yesterday it hadn’t even occurred to me that Oliver was witnessing the fool I made of myself. I mean I couldn’t have cared less if the rest of the school saw me idiotically reach out to catch Harry, but the fact that he saw it…. I wanted to cover my face with my hands and hide the embarrassment away.

“Ah that doesn’t make me a decent person, it just makes me an idiot. I mean, I don’t know why I thought I’d be able to catch him. If it wasn’t for Dumbledore we would have both been cracked on the ground.”

“Well I think it was admirable,” He said a little more softly than before and it made my blush deepend. “I actually came tonight partially so that I could tell you that.”

Fuck. If I was taken out by a sniper or like a Death Eater or something right now I could die happy. He DID technically come to see me!! I coughed, trying to distract my body so I could gain some composure- I couldn’t let myself fumble this now.

“So if you think I am a decent person does that mean you’ll say yes to going on a date? I promise it doesn't have to be anything crazy, we could even just hang out at the quidditch pitch together.”

“You want to play quidditch for a date?” It seemed his surprise was overpowering the embarrassment because he looked a bit more calm now.

“What I want is a chance to get to know you better, so I am willing to do anything that will help you feel more comfortable with that. So if that means we are together on brooms then I have no issue with that.”

“We um, we don’t have to do that or I mean-” He paused, maybe attempting to gain his own composure. “Are you sure you want to do that?”

“Nothing would make me happier,” I smiled brightly. “So is that a yes?”

--

I just want to note that after June went back into the common room she ran into Fred and Cedric who had been looking for her. Rather than telling them where she had been she just wordlessly looked between the two of them, flipped them both off, and headed to bed.

June: I’m so Excited- The Pointer Sisters 

Fred: Don’t You (Forget About Me)- Simple Minds

Cedric: Walking on Sunshine- Katrina and the Waves

Oliver: Symphony no.9- Beethoven (Honestly I feel like Oliver is the kind of guy who like doesn’t have any songs in his head most of the time, but if he did it would be something like this)

Chapter Text

“Are you really going?” Cedric asked, his face stepping into view of the mirror.

“You ask that as if I haven’t been trying all year to have this chance- no thanks to you I might add.” I stuck the last bobby pin into the bun and moved my head from side to side to admire my handiwork. “How does it look?”

Usually when I was participating in athletic endeavors, like quidditch practice, I always put my hair into two braids. It kept my hair out of my face and didn’t whip around my head like a ponytail did. It was practical and still cute- but today I wanted to do something a bit more special. This time I did two dutch braids and then twisted the ends into two buns. This way I could still keep hair out of my face, but it showed I was putting in some extra effort. 

Cedric sighed. “It looks great, just like your hair always does.”

I flipped around, facing him rather than just looking at him through the reflection.

“You promise you're not just saying that? I still feel like I can’t trust you because when I asked you last week after practice if my hair looked bad you said no, but then when I looked in the mirror I looked like a Zouwu.”

“It wasn’t that bad-” He said defensively, but I pointed my finger out to him.

“Yes but it was still bad. ”

“Your hair didn’t look bad then and it doesn't look bad now. You look-” He paused for a moment and then added, “beautiful.”

I turned quickly back to the mirror, trying to hide the heat I felt from my cheeks. I wanted to say I was just nervous and so his words had more of an effect on me, but that wasn’t what I was reacting to. No really what I was hiding from was that look in his eyes.

“Well then I’m off.” I said confidently, turning back towards him. “Thanks again for letting me borrow your broom. Professor Sprout did say I had permission to head into Hogsmead this weekend to get a replacement for mine, but I appreciate you letting me use yours until then.”

“Of course.” He replied smiling, his eyes back to normal. “And speaking of which, did you want me to tag along with you when you go? I don’t think you should be walking out of the grounds alone after everything that happened with Sirius Black.”

“I’ll let you know. Maybe if things go well today I could convince Oliver to take me- but that may be a bit too much too fast for him. Whatever, as long as I get a second date I don’t care.”

Cedric stiffened, the same way he had every time I mentioned my date with the Gryffindor Quidditch captain. Seriously, why was everyone being so weird about this? 

“Don’t wait up.” I said, reaching up and patting him on the cheek. I wanted to quickly head out before there was another awkward moment between us.

I picked up the broom and headed out of the common room, stopping at the door to let people through and then making my way out into the hall. I really was so nervous, made even more so by Cedric being weird. Ever since I had told him about the date a few days ago he just kept acting odd. 

At first his behavior made me think that maybe there was something about Oliver that he wasn’t telling me, like that he was actually a pervert or was into feet or something. When I questioned the Hufflepuff about it though he would never give me a straight answer.

It was probably nothing though, right? I mean if Oliver Wood was actually a bad or creepy guy Cedric would have said something. I was pretty sure that it was just some fragile masculinity thing brought on by one of his quidditch players going out with the captain of another team. The fact that he wasn’t saying anything made me feel like he felt guilty about whatever it was because he knew it wasn’t actually justified. 

The thing is though, he wasn’t the only one being weird about it. I feel like anyone who heard about it or that I told all had something to say about the date. Most of the Gryffindor quidditch team had come individually to confirm that it was true. Angelina even asked if I had hit my head when I had taken the fall last week, but refused to say anything more when I asked what she meant by that. 

George and Lee kept giving me the third degree to find out more because they thought it was a joke, and Fred had been acting moody any time it had been brought up. It seemed he thought that maybe I had just been his friend to try to get closer to Oliver, but I made sure to shut that thought down right away. I don’t know if he believed me though because whenever his brother went to grill me about it he would get up and leave.

Some reactions had been positive though, although again a little strange. During one of the Beasts classes Hermione had come up and asked how things were going. She squealed with excitement when I told her the news, which wasn’t weird until she said not to mention it to Harry. When I asked why she just said he had been acting differently since I had mentioned it at the party- he and everyone else I guess. 

Then there was Percy who had come up to me out of the blue and wanted to confirm that I had really asked Oliver out. When I said that I had he had this huge grin on his face and started going on about how he had been trying to get his roommate (Oliver) to do this for years and that he couldn’t believe I finally convinced him. He also made me promise that if things worked out we would go on a double date with him and his girlfriend to which I awkwardly agreed to. 

It had been such a mixed bag all week but still- I was determined to come at this date with my best foot forward. After months of trying I had finally gotten Oliver Wood to go out with me and even if it crashed and burned for some reason I was going to bask in the glory of this accomplishment. Even just getting to talk to him a few nights ago had fueled my dreams like never before. Who cared that everyone was being really weird about it- I was going to enjoy myself.

As I walked out of the castle I breathed in the cold air, glad that the rainy weather had blown away. The ground still felt a bit soggy, but it would probably stay that way until it started to freeze over. I hurried down to the quidditch pitch, hoping to duck into the Hufflepuff changing room before I saw any of the Gryffindor team members.

When Oliver had agreed to the date I had wanted to set it up right away, since I was unsure of when I would actually get to talk to him again. Since we were just going to be at the pitch I suggested that we do it after one of his practices finished; that way he would already be there and ready. He agreed and so it was decided that after their practice Thursday evening I would hop onto the field. 

As it was getting later in the year, and because this practice ran late- it was already dark by the time I got down there. The stadium was enchanted with lights so that shouldn’t be a problem for the date. I was glad though that it could hide me from any of the red team making their way back to the castle. I didn’t really want to deal with any more weird comments right before the actual date.

When I got into my locker room I quickly changed into one of my practice jerseys. I put it on over the long sleeve t-shirt I was wearing for warmth and moved over to a mirror to make sure it didn’t look too lumpy. When I was satisfied with my reflection and grabbed my friend’s broom again and headed out to the pitch. 

At first I didn’t see Oliver, and my heart immediately dropped. He hadn’t forgotten had he? I mean, we hadn’t actually spoken since Sunday night so it was possible it slipped his mind. I had tried to talk to him again before now, but even with a date set he was just as elusive as before. I was starting to spiral when I heard someone call out, and I turned toward the voice. My dread turned to glee as I saw Oliver jog out of the Gryffindor locker rooms and move directly towards me. 

“Did I keep you waiting?” He asked, huffing a little as he came to a stop. “I was trying to talk to my team and I kind of lost track of time.”

I could feel my face stretching from how wide my smile was. Even if I hadn’t already read the Harry Potter books I would still know about the Gryffindor Captain's famously long winded speeches. I had heard almost every member of the Gryffindor quidditch team complain about them since practices started up.

“That’s alright, I wasn’t really waiting long. But I did think you had forgotten for a moment so I’m really glad to see you.”

“Oh I didn’t forget,” He said, letting out a big breath. “I feel like once I told my friends it was all they were able to talk about this week.”

“And you also didn’t forget because you were really excited for this time to get to know me, right?” 

I was teasing him, but I’m also not going to lie that comment kinda hurt, if that’s really the only reason he remembered. His cheeks flushed pink at my words though and my heart beat a little bit faster- seeing him get flustered was seriously way too hot.

“Y-yes” He stammered and I had to suppress a giggle.

“Well that’s good, because it would have been a shame if I had been the only one looking forward to this date.” I smiled as I watched the color of his cheeks deepen. “So do you wanna play? Or did you wear yourself out at practice?”

“Um we can play- is that what you want to do?” He seemed a little nervous about it, almost as if he was unsure if he should agree. 

“Yeah! I can reenact last week's game and then maybe you’ll have a chance at actually blocking my shots.” I walked forward and got onto Cedric’s broom. As I floated into the air I turned back and winked.

It was as if there was a switch that flipped inside of the boy and he immediately dropped the awkwardness from before. He hopped onto his broom and flew up to meet me, starting right away into how he thought our previous match actually went. 

--

We were up in the air for almost two hours, only pausing to get a drink or grab a ball. Once our “rematch” got going we kept at it until Madam Hooch made her way onto the field to tell us to get back to the castle before curfew hit. Oliver had been all apologies and seriousness about it, but once we were walking away from the coach I let out a snort of laughter and I saw him grin from the corner of my eye.

We each went into our separate locker rooms to grab or put away our stuff, and when I came out I was more than a little excited to see him waiting for me. I wasn’t sure if he was going to call the interruption the end of the date and just head up to the castle without me, so I was giddy that he stuck around.

“You know, you’re a pretty good player. I was really surprised at how well you did at our match because I heard this was your first year playing.” He made the comment and immediately I could feel my ego start to swell. It felt really good to have the person you were performing for praise said performance. 

“Thank you! I’ve been working really hard so that’s nice to hear- especially coming from a skilled player like yourself. I have had a lot of help though so I can’t take all the credit. Harry was nice enough to teach me how to fly on a broom and Cedric and the rest of my team have really helped me get into the game.”

“Wait, Harry taught you to fly?”

I smiled up at his bewildered face. “Yup. I wanted to try out for the team, but I had never even ridden a broom before. I met Harry over the summer so I asked him to help me out once the school year started. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about it but I really like flying, and I’m really starting to enjoy quidditch.”

“I can’t believe you had never flown on a broom before, I mean, you fly so well!” He looked over at me with wide eyes- even this look of surprise was so handsome it made me want to melt.

“Well if you think I’m good now, just wait until I get a broom of my own. I was planning to get one when it was the Hogsmead weekend, but I forgot. In the end though it was probably for the best, seeing as both mine and Harry’s brooms met quite gruesome ends.”

“Yeah I was really gutted when I heard about Harry’s Nimbus- that was such a great model.”

“Mmm agreed.” Now time to steer this conversation into getting a second date. “Actually, I got permission from my head of house to head into Hogsmeade this weekend and get a new broom, since the next game is between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.”

“Oh, that’s great then. What model are you going to get?”

“Honestly I’m not sure. I was actually wondering if maybe you would like to come along with me and help me decide. I’m supposed to bring someone with me for security purposes anyway, you know with Sirius Black and all. Anyway, I thought if today went well you might agree to spending some more time together.”

Oliver stopped dead in his tracks. “You want to do this again?”

“I do.” I said happily, not letting his question deter me. “I mean, I had fun tonight- did you?”

“Oh yeah, I had a really good time.” He sounded enthusiastic, but he still looked rather perplexed. 

“Will you come with me then on Saturday? I can free up my schedule so we can go whenever you’re available during the day. We’ll walk there, pick out the broom, and head right back- what do you think?”

He hesitated for a moment and I could hear my heart breaking, but I kept a brave face on. Did tonight not go as well as I thought? Or was the thought of a date outside the quidditch pitch something totally abhorrent? Fuck, I really wanted to spend more time with him- maybe I was pushing too hard though.

“Alright, that should be fine I guess.”

I wanted to scream out in triumph, but instead I just beamed over at him. I had secured date number two- and this was only the beginning.

--

I had to really fight to pay attention in class the next day- a mix of tiredness that turned into daydreaming. I had barely made it back to my common room last night before curfew kicked in, which was good because I had a feeling that Cedric would have reported me if I came back late this time. He seemed a bit bent out of shape once I was back, which was weird for him, but he was only human. 

I had been too excited to fall asleep last night and so I was paying the price today in DADA, which was a bummer because I enjoyed this class. Remus Lupin was a really good teacher and made even the most boring subjects sound interesting. Today was supposed to be even more riveting though because it was finally our turn to have a go at a Boggart.

Two days ago during class he had told us they found another one in the castle and so we would be switching gears. We had just started our unit on werewolves with Snape last week (his subtle attempt of exposing Lupin to the school while he was away), but now things were going to change again. I didn’t mind though, the reading on werewolves had been pretty gruesome. 

Last class we had gone over Boggart theory and learned about their banishing spell. Today though, with the Boggart moved to the classroom, we were going to put that theory to the test. 

“Hey June-” 

I snapped back into focus, turning away from the window and looking over at Cedric.

“What?”

“Professor Lupin said we are supposed to move to the center of the room now, he’s going to push the desks back.”

I looked around and saw that the rest of the class had gotten up from their seats and were all huddled together near the center of the room. I must have zoned out again and missed the direction. I quickly grabbed my stuff and followed my friend over.

“Are you doing alright?” Cedric whispered over to me from the back of the group.

“Yeah, just tired.” I responded wearily. “What about you? You doing alright today?”

“Oh yes, of course.” He whispered with a smile. “Although, I am a little nervous for this lesson. I can’t say I’m a very big fan of boggarts.”

Oh yeah. I must have been too out of it to really realize what we were doing. While this particular scene had been rather enjoyable to watch in the movies when Harry’s class did it, I wasn’t sure it was going to be quite as comical now. But actually, I wasn’t even sure what the shapeshifter was going to turn into when it was my turn.

“Feeling scared Diggory?” A voice called out that made us both turn. Fred was smiling mischievously over at us, George right at his side. Thankfully the snide remark had to be ignored because the Gryffindor had said it loud enough to attract our teacher’s attention.

“Alright, quiet down now.” Lupin called over the class. “Since we are a larger group I think we will have a go in two sections- that way you'll all get a chance. If you’re closer to the back of the room take another step back and we’ll have you switch about half way through.”

There was some shuffling as half of us moved away from the others. I stood in the back with Cedric and the twins and almost all the rest of the Hufflepuff class. It seemed the Gryffindors were generally more excited for this task.

“Have you guys ever seen a boggart before?” I asked, looking over at the three boys.

“Once, and I wouldn’t really like to repeat.” Cedric replied, now looking a little pale.

“What did it turn into??” 

The Hufflepuff boy hesitated for a moment but then let out a sigh.

“I guess it doesn’t matter since you’re going to see it now anyway.”

“Oh can we guess?” Fred asked, his eyes bright. “I bet it was a mooncalf.”

“It was NOT a mooncalf.” Cedric said in a huff before George could get in his guess.

Fred gave kind of a maniacal laugh that got him a warning from our teacher. Once Lupin moved his attention back to the other group I turned back to the boy.

“So what was it then?”

“A Nundu.” I searched my brain for the creature knowledge I knew was there. 

“That’s the big cat right? Like a lion or no its like a leopard right?”

Cedric nodded his head. “I first heard about them when my dad went out to capture one that was trafficked into a muggle zoo when I was a kid. It had sent almost half of his department to Saint Mungos. Then the next day there was a picture of it in the paper, and I had nightmares for weeks.”

“But when did you see the Boggart?”

“Oh, my Nan had one in her attic a few years later and I was helping my dad remove it. When it turned into the Nundu I was so scared I fell off the ladder and was knocked out cold.”

“That’s horrible-” I said, reaching over to pat his shoulder. He looked up at me appreciatively.

“That doesn’t sound so bad.” Fred grumbled. I was about to slap him on the arm, but Lupin called for our attention again.

As we watched the first half of the class take on the Boggart I tried to figure out what it was I was going to see.  Although I had learned about a lot of scary beasts like Cedric’s Nundu, I wouldn’t really say I was scared of them. Honestly I didn’t really think there was anything that was a big enough fear for a Boggart to shift into. 

There were things that made me nervous or anxious, but I didn’t have this big overwhelming fear of something like spiders or dragons. My train of thought was stopped briefly by my hair whipping around my face from the tornado that blew around the room. Whose ever fear that was I felt was valid- natural disasters had always sounded scary. Now that I had magic though I didn’t think they would be too much of an issue.

On Lupin’s word the first group moved back and the rest of us stepped forward. The Boggart was currently a top spinning on the ground, changed from the tornado. One of my Hufflepuff classmates tripped on their way up and when they caught themselves they were standing in the front and quickly the Boggart changed into none other than Peeves the poltergeist. 

After a second of hesitation the yellow clad girl yelled out riddikulus and with a crack the ghost transformed from an apparition to a sheet floating in the air. It was like the ghost costumes from the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown and it was pretty funny. After a round of laughter someone else stepped up and the boggart changed again. By the time it was my turn I was facing a river troll turned large troll doll (the last person must have been muggle born).

Unsure but confident I moved forward and with a crack the boggart changed again. My confidence wavered as the spitting image of me stood just a few feet away. The other me was just standing there, staring… what the fuck was this? Although seeing myself there was unnerving I was more confused than scared. I wasn’t afraid of myself, actually I’d have to say I was my biggest fan.

I held up my wand, ready to cast the spell to whatever physiological distress my brain was apparently going through, but then I froze. The other me got a creepy smile on their face and reached over to the sleeve on their arm. I felt the blood drain from my face as the now sinister looking me lifted the sleeve and revealed three squares, and X in each of them. 

I knew that it wasn’t real, that it was a monster made to show my fear, but seeing all three Xs ran a panic through my body like never before. Suddenly the cold from the quidditch field last weekend moved in around me and I was frozen in place, watching the other me raise their wand towards me.

Then all of a sudden I was being shoved back, someone moving themselves in front of me. I would have fallen back but two large arms moved around me, holding me up. With wide eyes I watched from behind the person as the other me disappeared and instead in its place stood the largest big cat I had ever seen. It was tall and spotted, with glowing yellow eyes and smoke that billowed out of its mouth. The person now inbetween me at the beast held up their wand and shouted-

“Riddikulus!” And what was the terrifying Nundu was now a very squirmish hairless cat.

--

“Yer sure yer doin a’ight?” Hagrid said, reaching over to grab the last container of fire salamanders from my hands. I had been so out of it that it took my eyes a second to focus again on his face as I looked up at him.

“Uh yeah, I’m fine.” 

I turned quickly away, scanning the area to make sure I hadn’t left any other containers. We had finished the unit on the small magical beasts and Hagrid was taking them to a more desirable habitat until he needed to use them again for another class. I had been the one to teach the unit over the past three weeks and overall I thought it had gone really well, but I didn’t feel much like celebrating now.

“I erm, I heard wha happened.” He said, as he stacked the last one on his cart. He busied himself by tying them down, maybe for my own benefit. “Boggarts are nasty creatures. Dealt with more than one of em before.”

“Yeah, but I’m sure with everything you’ve seen it actually turned into something terrifying, and not something that would start gossip around the school.”

What was the use trying to avoid it? By now it was very apparent that everyone in the school had heard what happened. News spread quickly of the crazy new 5th year who had a Boggart change into herself. I guess no one paid enough attention to notice the tattoos on her arm, but if they did they obviously didn’t think it mattered much. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad if I had actually fought back, but instead I was on the verge of passing out and made it all that much more dramatic.

When I went to dinner, very reluctantly, yesterday evening I felt every eye in the hall on me. More than once I heard people whispering about it, and the younger students who had less tact would look over at me like I was some kind of crazy person. I didn’t even bother with breakfast today, and I was currently choosing to skip lunch and hide out with Hagrid.

“Nothin to be ashamed of.” Hagrid said, looking back over to me. “We all have fears and some of em make more sense to others and some don’t.”

“Mine barely makes sense to me.” I said quietly, taking a seat on one of the benches. 

The half giant didn’t say anything else, instead he turned back to the pile of salamanders and made sure they were secure. Once they were tied down he hitched up one of the thestrals he had brought over and got ready to leave. He offered again to let me tag along, but I declined. Technically I had a date today- if Oliver decided he still wanted to be seen with me.

I waved until Hagrid was totally out of sight, and then turned back to the outdoor classroom. I moved over to the empty pens, wishing that we hadn’t finished our unit on Kneazles. I really needed some animal comfort right now, and as fond as I was of Buckbeak, she was a bit too aggressive for my current state.

As I leaned over the railing of one of the pens there was a large meow and I jumped as something brushed up against my leg. I looked down with surprise as Crookshanks moved herself in between my legs.

“Ah, good timing friend.” I said, squatting down and holding out my hand. She gladly sniffed it and rubbed his head against it, giving me the go ahead to start petting her. I loved this cat. I jokingly propositioned Hermione the other day to let me keep her in my common room for a few nights, but sadly she declined. 

“Did that dog ever get the food I left? I’m heading back into town today to get a new broom so I thought I could leave some more. Maybe you could meet me over there again if you’re not busy.”

The big orange cat purred as I scratched behind her ears. I didn’t know if she was listening or just enjoying the attention, but it didn’t really matter. It felt nice to have another presence that really just did not give a shit about my personal life. 

In general I didn’t mind all the gossip though, it's just that right now it still felt like a lot after everything had happened. Actually I felt like when an issue or event was talked about it was way easier to move past. For example, I knew that when I was eventually together again with Fred and George one of them would make some off hand comment like how I was so ugly I was scared myself. Something that obviously wasn’t true but could still clear the air. That I could handle, but it likely wasn’t going to be that easy with everyone. And by everyone I mean Cedric.

Even though Cedric had stepped in to save me yesterday, I was having a hard time facing him. I knew that even though he was likely confused as to the shape the Boggart took, he was never going to ask, and that somehow made things feel worse. Like it was going to just be hanging in the air between us until I decided I was going to address it, and since it was up to me I felt inclined to avoid it as long as possible. 

All my other friends would probably be similar to Hagrid, just consoling me or trying to convince me it wasn’t that bad. All those reactions wouldn’t be bad, but really I wish it didn’t have to happen as all. I wish I could just explain to them that having three Xs on your arms was actually the scariest thing that could happen to any of them- but that wasn’t an option. 

I hung out at the beasts class for a while longer, just giving Hermione’s cat all the attention it wanted. Eventually I picked her up, and continued to pet her as I walked towards the quidditch field. It was about the time I had planned to meet up with Oliver, which was now holding second place in my unsettling feelings. I really didn’t know if he was going to show up, and not just because he might have forgotten. 

As I sat waiting on the cold grass the icy breeze blew through my hair, but I wasn’t that cold. It was the second week in November; getting closer to Winter, but Crookshanks was thankfully a really nice heater. I continued to stroke absentmindedly until I was startled by a presence that had moved up behind me. I might not have noticed, but the cat in my arms hissed and I felt a different kind of chill move up my spine. 

“That your cat?” Said a deep voice that made me flinch. I don’t know why the tone of his voice added to the creepy aura of Marcus Flint, but it really did.

“No, it's a friend’s. She’s just keeping me company while I wait.” I stood as I turned towards him, not wanting to have this guy looming so far down at me.

“Ah well, she’s really….” He paused for a moment, probably searching through what I felt like was a rather limited vocabulary until he settled on, “orange.”

I looked down at Crookshanks who I swear gave me a look that said “is this guy for real?” I had to suppress the smile, not wanting Flint to think it was because of him.

“She sure is. So did you just finish practice?”

He didn’t have on his quidditch jersey, but his hair was all wet like he had come from a shower. Also I hoped that he had come up from behind me because he was coming from the field, rather than to try to get the jump on me.

“Yeah, we just finished. We’re playing you guys in two weeks.”

The way this boy talked made it hard to keep a conversation with. He made lots of statements like this anytime he tried to talk and I just didn’t know what he expected me to say. I could make it through, but it was made even harder every time he looked me up and down, or when his eyes lingered too long on my chest- just like he was now. I moved Crookshanks up a little higher.

“Yeah, hopefully it goes better than the last match. I don’t really want to keep replacing my broom everytime I try to play.”

“Oh yeah, your broom. You had to get a new one.”

“I do, but I haven’t gotten it yet. I’m actually going today so here’s hoping Spintwitches Sporting Needs is stocked up. If I have to order a broom I’m afraid it might not get here in time. The school brooms aren’t great, but a few of my friends have offered to let me use theirs-”

“Are you going now?” He cut me off, his eyes eating into me again. I took an involuntary step back. 

“Uh going to get my broom now? Um not yet, I was actually waiting for someone.” 

“I can take you.” He said, moving forward so we were even closer now than we were before. Crookshanks let out a growl.

“That’s nice of you, but I’ve actually already asked someone to go with me so I’m going to pass.” Was that firm enough? I didn’t want to be mean, but I also wanted to make it very clear that I was not interested. Ugh fuck this, I should just be mean.

“Actually I am going with her.”

I spun around, Crookshanks' tail flying out to the side as I did so. The anxiety and trepidation that was starting to grow inside of me was quickly overtaken by a very different set of emotions. I don’t know if I had ever been so happy to see this handsome man- which was saying something because I was almost always VERY happy to even catch a glimpse of him. 

“You’re taking her?” Flint said, his eyes now finally leaving my person to stare indignantly at Oliver.

“Yes, this is where we planned to meet.” The Gryffindor looked from the other boy down to me. “Are you ready now?”

“Yes!” I said quickly. I moved to set the cat down on the ground, but Crookshanks instead leapt from my arms landing with grace and headed out across the lawn. 

“Alright then. See you in class Flint.” Oliver started walking away, not waiting for a reply and I followed right at his side. I didn’t even dare look back at the other boy, not wanting to give him any sign that I wanted him to be there in Oliver’s place.

Once we had walked well past ear shot, the taller boy turned towards me.

“I don’t want to say anything that may cause trouble, but I feel you best watch yourself when you’re around Flint.” 

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” I replied with a shudder, the image of the Slytherin boy’s cutting eyes coming to my mind. “Honestly the only reason I am tolerating him at this point is because I’ve heard he can make quidditch hell when he’s got a grudge. Once our match is over I’m not going to let him near me.”

“Ah well, that’s good then. If he gives you any trouble you’re more than welcome to come and talk with me about it. I’ve been dealing with him since we were first years so I might be able to help you get a handle on the situation.”

“Thanks, I’ll make sure to remember that.” He smiled down at me and it made my heart flutter. Seriously he was the hottest knight in shining armor ever. “And thanks for stepping in back there, if you hadn’t I might have resorted to using the cat to scratch his eyes out.”

“No problem. I’d say that would have been a pretty good way to get your point across though.”

--

The afternoon turned evening was wonderful, and I had long forgotten about creepy Marcus Flint as we made our way back to the castle. Spending time with Oliver was seriously so great, and even crappy things like stepping in mud or having to order in my broom didn’t seem so bad when he was around. The broom thing wasn’t that bad anyway though, they ended up giving me a loaner from the store while I waited so all was well.

We talked a lot about quidditch, which was no surprise. Our conversations really reiterated the fact that Oliver was a man of few words, except when it came to quidditch. I really didn’t mind though, hearing him get all passionate again about the upcoming world cup or even just his own team was music to my ears. I also loved that he just said whatever was on this mind, he didn’t sugar coat it at all. He didn’t hold back on his feelings and just shared his honest truth no matter what the subject was (although again, the subject was almost always quidditch). 

It was also really nice that the whole time we (he) talked I didn’t feel like the Boggart story wasn’t looming between us. I was nervous we’d have to move through, but it was like it didn’t even exist. It was really an enjoyable time.

He was also enjoying himself enough that when I suggested we have an early dinner at the Three Broomsticks he very readily agreed. I don’t think he really noticed that eating together was really bringing this date to the next level, but my heart sure did. I was barely able to get any food down I was so amped up. All for the best though, when we left I had more than enough to leave for Sirius. 

“Do you mind if we go the long way back? I want to walk by the Shrieking Shack.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Really? Why?” 

“There’s this stray dog I saw out that way and I wanted to leave it some food. I promise it won't take long.”

“Well, I guess if that’s what you want.”

When we got to the fence I made him stay and keep watch like I had with Cedric and Fred. Although he seemed pretty wary he wasn’t as on guard as the other two boys had been. I ran over as quickly as I could, not at all surprised to see Crookshanks pop out of the bushes. After the obligatory pets and scratches I made the makeshift bag of food again and was on my way. If the cat came back then that probably meant Sirius got it last time right?

When Oliver came back into view I saw he was leaning over the fence, looking out towards the eerie house. When he noticed me a smile crossed his face and I thought I was going to pass out right there. Man, how romantic would it have been if he had to carry me back to the castle?

“So, are you going to test out your new broom?” He asked, still smiling.

“You mean the loaner? I wasn’t really planning to, I mean you said it was a good one so I trust your judgement.” I climbed up over the fence and hopped down.

“Yeah but who knows how long it will take a Firebolt to get here, especially since it’s a custom order. I bet you’ll end up using the broom you have now in your next game.”

“You’re probably right, but I’m pretty sure Ravenclaw has practice Saturday evenings so I can’t fly around the pitch. I’m going to have to wait until tomorrow when I have practice anyway.”

“Why not try it right now??”

I wanted to say no, mostly because that would mean leaving him on the ground and making our time together shorter. Also, I had never actually flown anywhere but the quidditch field, I’d never even thought of going anywhere else. But the way he asked it- his eyes got all sparkly and his smile even wider. This was probably the most excited I had ever personally seen him and it stirred something inside of me. There was no way in hell that I was going to ever be able to say no when he gave me a look like that. 

“Okay, I’ll try it out, but on one condition.”

“What?”

“You have to ride with me.” 

Could a broom even support more than one person? Thinking back I was pretty sure at some point it mentioned more than one person riding together on a broom. Maybe in the 7th book when people were transporting Harry to the Burrow. Even though my broom was meant for racing it should still be fine holding two teenagers.

“You want me to ride with you?” Even in the darkening sky I could make out the pink that started to color his cheeks. It was the first time he had gotten flustered the whole afternoon.

“I do. I know you’ll probably say I wont get a real feel of the broom if I am riding with someone else, but I think I can understand enough until I practice tomorrow.”

Oliver hesitated before he answered, and I was afraid he was just having a hard time figuring out how to turn me down. I could handle this rejection though, I mean even if he said no then at least we still got to walk back to the school together.

“Okay.”

“What?” No. I must have misheard. He probably said no way right?

“Okay. I should probably be in back so you can be the one to steer-”

Before he was even done talking I reached into my bottomless bag and pulled out my broom- which I bet looked as ridiculous as it felt. When it was out I hopped right on, and then turned to him expectantly. I could basically feel my tail wagging, a little dog just waiting for the attention they wanted.

It seemed my very quick response took him by surprise, and it took him a few moments to work off the shock. Then my heart melted again when I saw the corners of his mouth turn up in a smile, and he hesitantly moved forward. I had to look forward because as he moved closer to me my face was starting to heat up like it had been blasted by confringo .

The few seconds it took him to take his seat on the broom felt like years as I waited. When I finally felt the heat of his torso press against my back my heart began to hammer harder than it ever had before. Then with even more apprehension he moved his arms around me and leaned forward so he was holding on to the broom just below my own hands’ grip. 

It was hard to sort out his body from just feeling him on my back, but it didn’t stop me from trying. I could feel his pec muscles push out a bit farther than the rest of him and I had to tighten my mouth to stop the drool from slipping out. His arms were like two tree branches around me, hard and large. I immediately was brought back to my ever frequently occurring dream where those arms pinned me down on my bed and then moved me around into unspeakable positions. 

It was a good thing my brain had gone on autopilot because I no longer felt like a functioning human being. My feet kicked up, and we began to hover- the rest of my being still dumbstruck on the ground. 

“Are you okay?”

I shook myself. “Yes, uh yeah sorry I’m fine. Just um, getting a feel of the broom.”

Okay, I needed to pull myself together. Yes Oliver Wood was sharing a broom with me, and yes I could feel the entire front half of his body pressed up against my back. But I couldn’t allow myself to look like a fool, and on a broom no less. No, this was another chance to show him that I knew what I was doing, and that I had put in my work on a broom.

With a new resolution I raised us up until we moved high above the trees, then I propelled us towards the castle. The broom actually was really good- way better than the school ones I had been practicing on.I even liked it better than Cedric’s. I felt like it responded faster to what I wanted it to do and just felt more like an extension of myself. 

(Image created by @carrie-tate on tumblr)

I leaned forward, wanting to see how fast I could make it go, and had to hold back a yelp when I felt Oliver lean in too. Fuck maybe this was a bad idea. I wanted to showcase my broom and impress this boy, but I also wanted to relish in the feeling of his arms around me. I knew I needed to focus on the broom though- maybe one day this would happen again, NOT on a broom.

When we eventually landed back down on the school grounds I was feeling pretty happy about my circumstances. This broom was great, and it was likely that my next one would be even better. I also felt like this date was a total success, which felt so great after coming off of a crappy past 24 hours.

“I think you picked a real winner.” Oliver said, taking a step off the broom and making the back of me feel suddenly so cold.

“I agree! Thanks for helping me choose it and also just coming with me today. I had a really good time.”

“I had a good time as well. I really enjoyed getting to look at the stock at Spintwitches, I haven’t been there in ages.” 

I put my broom back in my bag and we started making our way up to the castle.

“That surprises me. I would expect you to be there every Hogsmeade weekend, honestly I wouldn't be surprised if that was the only place you went.” Oliver chuckled and I had a hell of a time fighting off the demons inside of me to not reach over and kiss him.

“You’re not wrong, I basically do spend all my time there when I’m in Hogsmead. But, I haven’t been to town this year until today, and I didn’t end up going much last year. I’ve just been too busy.”

“Too busy to spend even just the afternoon away? Even last year? Damn Oliver, what are you spending so much time on???”

He chuckled again. “Quidditch and studying, but mostly quidditch. I really want to join one of the teams on the British and Irish Quidditch League once I graduate. If I want a chance of being recognized I need to at least have a school quidditch cup on my resume.”

I felt a little pit form in my stomach. “And this is your last year.”

“Exactly.” He looked rather stern now. “This is my last chance. I spend basically every chance I get planning out strategies or preparing for practice. I look through old articles of quidditch games and I think I’ve read every quidditch book in the library at least ten times over. It doesn’t leave a lot of time for hogsmeade weekends, parties, or even friends, but I feel like it will be worth it.”

I was already well aware of how much effort this guy put into his sport- I mean I think the whole school knew. What struck me now was the sincerity and determination in which he spoke about his goals. Yes he loved quidditch, but he was willing to do all that it took to make it a real part of his life and his future. He didn’t care what lengths it was going to take or what he would miss out on. It was admirable and awe inspiring- and I’m not going to lie it made me feel a little guilty. 

“It's amazing to hear you talk about your dreams. I feel like there probably isn’t anyone at this school who is as driven towards their goals as you are-” I hesitated, not wanting to turn this moment to me, but I felt I needed to say it. “I’m um, I’m sorry for distracting you. I didn’t realize what I was pulling you away from.”

“I was a bit stressed about it at first I’m not going to lie-” Well damn he really doesn’t hold back. “-but I’ve actually really enjoyed our um dates.”

When he said the word dates his voice broke a little and he coughed a few times after. I looked over and noticed that his cheeks were pink again.

“I’m so glad. I’d really feel guilty if I had used your time and if you had hated it.”

“No, I didn’t hate it. Actually they were probably the most fun that I’ve had outside of a match in ages.”

What I wanted to do when I heard that was fist punch in the air and jump up and down. What I actually did was smile, and hold in my breath to try to quell the excitement coursing through me. Oliver Wood had fun, and he had fun with me. Fuck, I was going to need to like run a few laps before I went to bed or I was going to be too wound up to sleep. 

“I had a lot of fun too. Maybe we could do something again, but I’ll leave the ball in your hands. As much as I’d like to push another date on you, I don’t want to interfere with your schedule anymore.”

I looked forward as I spoke, not wanting to see any form of relief cross his face when I said it. Deep down I hoped that maybe he would be disappointed that I wasn’t asking him out again, but I figured that wouldn’t be the case. I really wanted to impose myself on him, to push to be his girlfriend until he had to agree- but I was going to do that. I was crazy, but I also tried to be a good person and good people respected people’s time and energy.

“Maybe we’ll see each other around more though-” I couldn’t help but add. “I’m actually in your common room quite a lot. Fred and George invite me there pretty frequently, and sometimes after a rough quidditch practice I hang out there to escape my team.”

“Oh, yeah then maybe I will see you then.”

We finished the rest of the walk to the castle in silence, but not the awkward kind. I don’t know what he was thinking, but I was just trying to relish in this moment for as long as I could. I wanted so badly to be with this man, but after today I wasn’t sure that was going to happen. He had goals and plans and I didn’t think I quite fit in them. I also didn’t want to strain any semblance of a relationship by forcing my way in. 

Two dates is all that I had, but really considering the situation that was pretty damn good. I could be content with these two dates and then seeing him around school. I bet I could watch the Gryffindor team practice sometimes and see him more, and of course there were always game days. Maybe one day he’d see me as the one that got away and that gave me a little hope in my now heavy feelings.

“Thanks again for today Oliver.” I said, turning as we reached the castle doors. Once we headed in we would almost immediately split to head to our respective common rooms so I figured now would be a good time for goodbye. 

“Oh uh you’re welcome.” He smiled at me and it bolstered what little reserve I had left.

I was almost his same height since I was two steps ahead of him. So without having to reach, I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around his neck. I squeezed as tight as I dared, relishing the feeling of his body against the front of mine- way better than the back. I loosened my grip and before I pulled my head away I placed my lips on his cheek and kissed him goodbye. 

I didn’t look at his face before I turned back and headed inside. It was a mix of not wanting to see any horrible reaction, and also my face was starting to feel incredibly hot and I didn’t want him to see that. He stayed out on the steps as I moved inside and once I did I was practically running through the halls. I really was going to have to do laps, otherwise Cedric was going to think I was having a stroke.

June: Keep On Loving You- REO Speedwagon

Cedric: Stand By Me- Ben E. King

Fred: I can Dream About You- Dan Hartman

Oliver: Andante Apianato- Chopin (Eventually we will get this boy into some music from his century, but not quite yet.)

Chapter Text

After practice, everyone was feeling pretty on edge, including Cedric- which rarely happened. Normally when I felt exhausted after practice it was because I was so done hearing the positive reinforcement our captain rained down on us, and then the same comments the rest of my team members spit right back up. And it's not like I hated positive feedback, but I would say 70% of it was unnecessary fluff Cedric threw around because he felt so bad having to correct and critique us. Then of course because Hufflepuffs are the way that they are, the rest of the team had returned his encouragement ten fold. There is such a thing as too much positivity.

Today though, it seemed that Cedric wasn’t even able to come up with anything good to say about our practice. It had snowed for the first time this school year, and I guess that meant that now we all sucked ass. No one could catch any throws, no goals were stopped, and I got hit by a bludger so many times that by the end I grabbed the bat and whacked our beater across the back to even the score. 

It was as gloomy as the sky when we made our way into the locker rooms and it stayed just as heavy by the time I came out of the shower. When I went to get my stuff to leave I saw that Cedric was still sulking on the bench, a puddle formed at his feet.

“Hey cheer up Cap,” I said, walking over and patting him on the back. “At least we aren’t going to play this week.”

With the change of the schedule from Slytherin the previous match, things kind of got mixed around. We were planning to play the snakes this week, but then Madam Hooch realized that would set it up for Ravenclaw not to play a game until the new year. While I didn’t think our double play was too weird since originally in the story it would have been Slytherin not playing until the new year, the quidditch ref didn’t like it. 

So with some adjustments it was decided Ravenclaw would play Slytherin, that way everyone would have competed before the winter holiday. ( Also this author needed to make changes for the story line and didn’t think far enough ahead so just go with it okay). It was against the original story, but I didn’t question it much.

At my words Cedric looked up at me with the saddest puppy dog eyes that I couldn’t help but wince at. It had been two weeks since the incident in DADA and the Hufflepuff and I were back to normal or maybe even better than before. Just the day after my date with Oliver I had given in and confronted Cedric about it, wanting to clear the air so we could go back to how things were before. It stayed awkward for a few days, but then it suddenly felt like our bond was stronger.

I already thought of him as my best friend, but now the relationship felt deeper. He had seen me in a pretty vulnerable state and I was able to move past it without feeling like he held it against me. The change had made the last few practice’s excessive praise manageable, but it also made seeing him like this so much harder to bear. I really needed to see him happy again.

“Okay, why don’t you go in and take a reaaaaaaaaally long shower- just wash away all your troubles. Then I’ll let you practice the color changing charm on my hair again.” 

He perked up a little. “Really? You’ll let me even after what happened last time?”

I shrugged. “I mean, I wasn’t happy with the shade of green, but Flitwick changed it back so even if it happens again I’ll be fine. As long as you let me try it out on you.”

“Yeah okay- are you headed back now?”

“No, I’m going to stop over at Gryffindor tower. I told Fred that today we’d listen to the rest of my ABBA collection- another muggle music group. But we only have a few more songs and then I’ll meet you at your dorm room.”

He squirmed a little at my words and I wondered if he was going to complain again about me coming into his dorm. Last week when he had asked to practice the charm on me I said I would only do it in his room. The whole idea of having a girl in his dorm was just so against his chivalrous principals he almost didn’t agree, but I’m glad I did. Because we were secluded I was able to hide my hideous hair color until we went into class the next day for the Charms professor to fix it. Although I had watched him perfect the charm in class since then, I still didn’t want to chance it.

“You’re just meeting up with Weasley?” He asked in a voice that I think was supposed to sound calm, but I could tell he was antsy. His question threw me off though.

“Yeah, why?” 

“Uh nothing I just, I was just wondering if you were also planning on meeting up with Wood.”

Whatever positive attitude I had gained back in the shower suddenly deflated. I hadn’t properly talked to Oliver since our last date, and honestly it really really sucked. I mean, it was my own fault and I was confident about the choices I made, but again- it really really sucked. I tried to tell myself that it was just that he was busy and I hadn’t made it up to Gryffindor tower in a while, but I knew deep down that probably wasn’t the reason.

“No. Just Fred. Anyway, make sure you layer up before heading back. I don’t remember, did you wear your scarf down?” I wanted to change the subject as quickly as possible. Thinking about the silence from the Gryffindor was hard to deal with.

“No.” He replied, looking sheepish. “I forgot it again.”

Ever since the weather had gotten colder I had been on Cedric about dressing warmer. For whatever reason he didn’t seem to think wearing a cloak and scarf was necessary, even today when it had snowed. It didn’t seem to matter how many times I reminded him, he just never wore them. Honestly I thought that maybe it was a vanity thing; that he thought they would take away from his looks or something. It made me even more persistent about it though, and I really did not enjoy nagging.

“Well, then I guess you’re going to have to borrow mine.” I started to pull my yellow scarf off from around my neck and immediately wrapped it around his.

“What- no you have to wear this-” He moved up to pull it off, but I grabbed his hands and held them out.

“Nope. I’m going to make you wear mine until you start wearing yours. So you better go fish it out of your trunk tonight.”

Without giving him any warning I dropped his hands and ran from the room. He called out but I didn’t stop until I was back outside. I paused to see if he was going to follow, but he stayed inside. I sighed and headed up towards the castle. It was cold, but hopefully my little stunt would make it so I didn’t have to deal with nagging him about it anymore. I mean, it was all stupid anyway- you could literally put a bag over his head and everyone would still be able to tell he was perfect.

--

When I got to Gryffindor tower I planned to just knock, but I was lucky that the golden trio was walking up the same time as me. Ron and Hermione seemed to be in better spirits, but Harry seemed kinda down. Ever since our last game he was a bit melancholy, and I knew it wasn’t just because of the loss, or even his broom. Dude had some big troubles holding him down, and I wished desperately that I could comfort him, but alas I could not.

Maybe if he confided in me I could help reassure him that the big Black dog he kept seeing everywhere wasn’t actually a bad sign, but no luck. All I could do was smile encouragingly, and also knock Draco down a few pegs when he acted up in class. Little shit was back to his normal persona now that his arm was miraculously better. He didn’t get to run his stupid mouth in Beasts class though, at least not when I was around.

“When do you think you’ll be able to teach the lessons again Care of Magical Beasts again?” Hermione asked as we walked through the stooped portrait entrance. It was the second week of Hagrid teaching again, and he had gone right back to Flobber worms. I tried so hard to convince him to change it up, but he said that there was more to cover.

“Probably not until next term. But I’m sure he will switch up from Flobberworms soon. I’ve looked through his notes and there really isn’t much more he can teach you about.” 

I tried to give the girl a reassuring smile, but she looked rather put out. Although I don’t think anyone enjoyed learning about the tiny little things, Hermione seemed to be enjoying it the least. Both Harry and Ron came to Hagrid’s defense, wanting to say that they thought the lessons were interesting, but they weren’t very convincing. 

The Gryffindor common room was lively, but always in a different way than what I was used to. Most Hufflepuff’s just enjoyed sitting around chatting, but everyone always seemed so busy in here. There were games of wizard chess and gobstones happening at various parts of the room, and also people showing off different charms to impress their friends. 

Fred and George were in the category of those wanting to impress their friends as they held out what looked like stink pellets to the small crowd. I waved goodbye to the 3rd years and as stepped away I heard the twins saying something about a modification they made to make the smell last for even longer.

“Maye don’t test it in here,” I said, walking up and turning the attention my way. “I personally like coming here, but not if it smells like shit.”

“June!” Fred said with a huge grin, reaching over and handing the pellets to his brother. He hopped down off the chair he had been standing on and stood just before me. “You’re late- I thought you had abandoned me.”

I rolled my eyes. “Always so dramatic. The snow made practice brutal so it took longer than expected-”

“It's snowing??” Called out the voice of a younger Gryffindor and suddenly half the common room ran over to the various windows. Fred took the opportunity to claim space on one of the couches, patting the seat next to him as a signal to sit down. 

I took my seat in front of the fire, dropping my bag down, and suddenly realizing how cold I was. On top of not wearing a scarf, I had also not dried my hair before I left so the walk to the castle had basically frozen it over. It had thawed a little since being inside, but after feeling the warmth of the fire I knew it hadn’t thawed enough. Without really thinking I leaned in closer to Fred, wanting to steal some of his body heat too.

“I bet it's going to be freezing for the match on Saturday. Hopefully we don’t all turn to popsicles watching in the stands.” 

I waited for the usual quick witted quip to follow, but there was nothing. I looked up to see why the Gryffindor hadn’t responded but I had to tilt my face back a little to see. I was sitting so close I was basically leaning my side and part of my back against his chest and was too close to his face to see it well. When I was able to get a better look at him he was staring so intently into the fire, his cheeks pink and practically glowing from the light.

“So are we finishing ABBA or?”

“Oh yeah, sorry.” I moved away from him to reach for my bag. I was able to find the stuff quickly and when I turned back to hand him his headphones the color I thought I had seen before was already gone. Maybe it was just a trick of the fire light.

The last ABBA album that I had was The Visitors. I was excited to show it to Fred, who although didn’t seem to fangirl about the Icelandic Pop Sensation quite as much as notable names of the 80s, he still seemed to enjoy listening. I don’t think it really mattered to him what we were listening to, as long as it was some sort of music- it was kinda cute.

We listened for a while, until we only had one more song left, when there was a large commotion and both Fred and I turned to see Oliver Wood come bursting through the portrait hole. It was honestly quite a sight to see especially since- I checked the clock- it wasn’t that close to curfew. Why would he come running in like that? I mean, he looked hot sweaty so I didn’t mind, but it was still odd.

“Does he do that often?” I asked, reaching down and pausing the song, and pulled the headphones off my head. I continued to watch as he scanned around the room. I had never actually been in the Gryffindor common room at the same time as the captain so as far as I knew this was normal behavior. 

“Oh, not usually, but he has for the last like two weeks. I’d be more concerned but honestly Wood is kinda odd so-” He might have continued talking, but I couldn’t hear anything anymore. All my senses just shut down as soon as Oliver’s eyes locked onto mine.

I felt like a statue, unable to do anything but stare and turn as Oliver moved quickly through the Gryffindor students until he was standing just before us. He was still huffing a little as he looked down at me.

“You’re here.” He said and I was at a loss for words.

“I- yeah.” We just stared at each other, and it felt like the whole world was disappearing around us. Well that is until Fred moved his head out so that I was basically craned in front of me.

“June?” 

I snapped back into focus, my face flushing with heat. “Uh yes ah sorry I um. It’s nice to see you again Oliver.” I tried my best to smile, but my face muscles still felt stiff. Plus he was still just staring down at me.

“Can I sit there-” He pointed at the seat on my other side.

“Uh yeah, for sure.” What the hell was going on right now?

He plopped down, his body seemingly just as rigid as mine felt. I turned towards him, waiting for something to happen but he just stayed silent.

“Can we finish the song?” I turned quickly back to Fred, forgetting for a second again that he was there.

“What? Oh, yeah sorry um, this is the last one.” I turned back to Oliver, who I thought maybe would have something to say on that, but he just continued to stay silent. Wanting to not make things awkward by staring I turned my legs a little so my body was facing the redhead’s more and put my headphones back up.

I don’t know if “Like an Angel Passing Through My Room” had ever been so long before. I swear it was like the song just kept going and going, even though I knew it was only like three minutes. My heart was beating like a drum the entire time though. When it finally finished I moved my headphones and turned slowly back over to the ever stoic 7th year.

“The song finished?” He asked, turning from the fire finally to face me. I had to blink hard a few times to get my brain to start moving.

“Um, yeah, the song is done.”

“Okay. Can I talk to you?” My heart picked up ten fold and I nodded my head. Oliver opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but then stopped as he looked behind me at what I assume was Fred. “Can I talk to you outside?” 

“Um, sure.” I reached down to grab my bag and then turned to Fred. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” 

The look he had on his face was similar to the one he got whenever he walked up on Cedric and I talking. He didn’t say anything though, just took off his own headphones and handed them over. Once the device was back in my bag I stood and turned just in time to see Oliver jump up from his spot on the couch. I waited expectantly for him to turn around so I could follow him out, but instead he just looked in between me and then down at my hands. 

Without much warning, other than the glances I guess, he suddenly reached over and grabbed onto one of my hands with his own. I was so stunned I almost couldn’t get my feet to move as he turned to walk away, pulling my arm along with him. Was I dreaming? Surely this had to be another dream. Honestly it was quite a bit more tame than it usually was, but it was still making me feel crazy.

As I forced my feet along after him there was suddenly a wave of murmuring that moved throughout the common room. As we reached the portrait hole someone whistled out towards us and I felt Oliver’s shaky grip tighten over my hand. There was another cat call as we stooped through the tunnel, but the sounds stopped when the portrait door closed.

I thought we were just going to talk out there in front of the fat lady, but I continued to move along with him until we were in a more secluded part of the castle. I’ts not that it was really tucked away or anything, but there were just not as many portraits as the walls usually held.

Once he stopped he turned back towards me and I wasn’t really surprised to see that his face was red. Honestly we probably had matching shades. He looked up at me, as if he wanted to say something again, but noticed my outstretched arm and promptly dropped my hand.

“I uh, you um, you haven’t been in our common room much.” It took my brain a second to process, but eventually the hot heated wheels started turning.

“No, you’re right. I’ve been busy.” I paused a moment, an internal debate raging inside of me on whether I was going to ask it. “Have you- have you been looking for me?”

Oliver’s face went from cherry to crimson and he looked away. 

“Yeah well uh, I just, I mean after our last date I um I wanted to ask how your new broom was fairing.” 

“Oh,” I tried to mask the disappointment, but I don’t think I did it very well. “It’s been really great. I think I’ll actually be a bit sad to give it up once my order comes in-”

“Do you want to go on another date???” He cut in before I had finished, which wasn’t as surprising as the fact he had practically yelled the question at me.

“Sorry-” He said quickly, maybe realizing the intensity he had just laid out. “I do care about the broom, but um, actually I’ve been waiting to talk to you so I could ask if you wanted to go on another date.”

My heart was hammering basically up in my throat, but I opened my mouth to respond nonetheless. Before I could though Oliver started speaking again- apparently unable to hold it in anymore. 

“It's just, after our last date I realized that I’ve been looking for you everywhere, but I just can’t seem to find you. I’ve been changing around my schedule just to see if I can find you in the library or the great hall. And when you mentioned that you go to my common room after quidditch practice I’ve been racing to get back there so that I could maybe talk to you, but you haven’t been there.”

My mouth was closed now, not wanting to halt this flow of words that was making me want to pinch myself to make sure it was real. But even if I wanted to stop him and say something I don’t know if I could. Once you got him going there was no stopping it. But again, I didn’t actually want to- I felt like if I even breathed too hard this would all end and I’d find myself waking up from a dream.

“And I wasn’t lying when I said my time with you was the most fun I’ve had in a long time. I know my schedule is rather full, but I would really like to find a time for us to do something again if you wanted to. It doesn’t even have to be about quidditch if you don’t want- my friends told me I would drive you away if I only ever suggested we do things on a broom. But I really am up for anything if you say yes. So um, do you want to go out on another date?”

He looked so intently down at me with his beautiful hazel eyes- fuck how were they so perfect?? Obviously my answer was yes, screaming crying throwing up yes. But my brain had malfunctioned and my heart had gone into overdrive. How was I supposed to make a coherent sentence enough not to scare away this dream of an opportunity. 

It took at least a full 30 seconds before I was able to speak- and Oliver’s gaze did not waver at all. It would have been totally unnerving if it wasn’t also totally endearing. When this guy was locked into something he was locked in and I was so happy that it was me he was focussed on.

“I would love to go on another date with you.” I said with a smile, only slightly smaller than the jaw breaking one my body wanted to give. 

“Yeah? Merlin that’s a relief.” And it truly looked like a weight had been lifted as a smile broke across his own face.

“Were you really worried I was going to turn you down?” I asked with an eyebrow raised. Surely the person who had asked him out first, for two dates, wasn’t going to suddenly be disinterested. 

“Well, Percy told me that since I didn’t ask you out after our last date that I might have shown you I wasn’t interested. I’ve been so worried and nervous to find you again that I’ve taken to racing into every room I think you’re in.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle, and blush. How could one guy be so fucking adorable? I didn’t think it should be allowed to be so endearing and so hot all at the same time. This man’s honesty was going to do some wild things to my brain if he kept it up. But really, who cares??? 

“You wanted to ask me out after our date? Why didn’t you?”

Oliver’s cheeks had gone down to pink, but at my question his whole face flushed back to a deep red.

“I uh, I wasn’t sure how to. I mean, this is the first time I’ve ever asked anyone out on a date.”

I wanted to put my face into a pillow and scream- I wanted to bang my fist against the wall- I wanted to eat this man in his entirety and have him forever.

“Well, I think you did an excellent job.” I said brightly and watched his face turn a deeper shade of crimson.

---------------

When I walked into the Hufflepuff common room I was in a daze. I was going out with Oliver Wood again, and he had asked me . He liked me enough, or at least he liked spending time with me enough that he wanted to do it again. It wasn’t me who had to convince him to do it, to worm my way into his schedule- he wanted me in his life, at least to some degree.

We had decided to meet up Sunday afternoon after lunch and I was very excited. We talked about doing something after the match on Saturday, but Oliver mentioned that if Slytherin won they would throw a big party and that we could also see each other there if I wanted. And yeah of course I wanted!!! That was basically him asking to see me twice!!!

I could hardly believe everything that happened. After two weeks of what felt like radio silence I had found out that he had been trying to talk to me that whole time. It kind of sucked that we kept missing each other, but I felt happy with how things ended. Gaaahhh, everything still felt so much like a dream! Was this really happening????

With the low hum of chatter from my house mates I was brought back to my senses enough to look around the room for Cedric. When I didn’t find him I headed straight towards the boys dormitories. In our common room the boy’s rooms were on the bottom floor and easily accessible by anyone. It really was so funny, and honestly maybe a little sexist, that anyone could reach these rooms, but only girls were allowed upstairs. Whatever, I got the good end of the stick so I wasn’t going to poke the bear with it.

I knocked first, not wanting to walk in on any of the 5th year boys changing. There was a loud thud, then some shuffling around and after a moment the circular door was thrown open. Cedric was there, looking a little flushed and disheveled. I looked him up and down- he had on a t-shirt and these extremely baggy sweatpants that I thought had to be one of his roommates. He always seemed to go for more slim cut clothes that showed off his dashing figure . His whole appearance seemed rather… suspicious.

“What were you getting up to in there?” I teased, looking over his shoulder to find some evidence of something to hide.

“N-nothing, don’t worry about it. How are you?” He smiled at me, his body still blocking the entrance into the room.

“I’m doing really well actually. Did you fall off the bed?” 

I noticed that the side of his face was red, as if he had hit it on something and I thought that might have been what the thud was. His whole appearance right now was just so out of place for him. I could barely contain my laughter at his absurd and totally uncharacteristic behavior. The absurdity made me forget for a moment all about Oliver and our next date. 

“Uh yeah I did actually-” His cheeks turned a deeper pink. “I was so focussed on um practicing the coloring changing charm your knock scared me.”

I chuckled, what a silly guy. “Can I come in?”

Cedric nodded and finally dropped his arm so I could pass through. When I stepped into the room there wasn’t anything that I noticed to be out of place as far as its color went. 

“What were you practicing on?” 

Flitwick had mentioned in class that the spell was easiest to manipulate when used on the hair or fur of a living creature. I don’t think he really explained why, but I believed him after Cedric had been unable to turn his pillowcase green, but managed it just fine on my hair. 

“What was I practicing on? Oh um-” He got a little stiff as he looked around the room, his eyes landing guiltily on the yellow scarf that was hanging off his bed. 

“Is that my scarf??” I asked, walking up and grabbing the accessory. Honestly he could just lie to me either way, I’d have no idea. Literally every single Hufflepuff had this exact same scarf. It looked unchanged anyway. 

“Um, y-yeah.” He looked down at his feet, but I could see his face was now bright red. 

My heart twitched a little. I wasn’t mad at him, I just wanted to tease him. I didn’t really care about my scarf, especially not compared to his feelings. If anything, I would have just been annoyed if he had made it another weird ass color. I know he would have gladly given me his if anything had gone wrong though. So why was he so embarrassed about this?

I walked over to him and ruffled his already messy hair. He lifted his head in surprise.

“Don’t beat yourself up, I’m not mad. But you know-” I looked over the scarf with an air of dramatics. “I do feel like there is some discoloration here. There’s no way I’ll be able to go around school wearing this; you’re going to have to give me yours.”

The surprise on his face turned to confusion, and then I saw the little lightbulb turn on in his eyes. He chuckled and moved over to his trunk at the foot of his bed and started rummaging through it. Once he found his own matching scarf, which looked like it had rarely been worn, he walked back over.

“Here you go, perfectly yellow.” I smiled and took his scarf while handing mine over to him. He looked at it warily. “Uh, m-maybe you should just keep both.”

“No way, you are not getting out of wearing a scarf this winter. If I don’t see you wearing this tomorrow I’m going to change your hair to green this weekend and everyone is going to think you’re cheering for Slytherin.”

He looked between me and the outstretched scarf with some trepidation, but then he sighed. He reached out, rather defeated, and took the apparently discolored garment. As soon as it was gone I moved over to the edge of his bed like I had the last time I was in here.

“Okay now today I am requesting you only practice using pink. If I am stuck with another hair color I at least want one that I’d willingly change it to anyway.”

SONGS:

June: Hooked on a Feeling- Blue Swede

Fred: Slipping Through my Fingers- ABBA

Cedric: Yellow Submarine- the Beatles

Oliver: Nocturne No.2 in E flat- Chopin

Chapter Text

Although there was another layer of snow on the ground, the sky in the morning was clear and bright. It was still really cold though, and as I walked with Lee towards the quidditch field I could see my breath come out in big puffs.

“I’m excited to watch the game today, but I hope it doesn’t go on for too long- I’m already freezing.” I pulled the blue scarf up higher around my face.

Lee nodded. “I know, I swear my hands have frozen to the microphone in years past when I’ve been commentating the second match of the season.”

We quickened our pace as we moved through the shoveled walk. I really hope that they didn’t make Filch do this- honestly jobs like moving snow would be so much easier when you had magic. I get that Dumbledore thought he was doing a kindness when he hired him, but being a squib in a magic school has got to be torture all on its own.

When we got to the stadium we made our way up to the announcing box and started to set up. Even though Hufflepuff wasn’t playing, it seemed my music was still needed. Just two days ago Roger Davies came up to ask if I would find a song for his team to walk out to. Apparently he had asked Cedric about it, and my captain being who he was gave all the credit to me. Rodger seemed really excited about it when he asked so I felt compelled to say yes.

He asked if I could choose a few songs and then come into the Ravenclaw locker room after one of their practices and let their team choose one of my picks. I wanted to try to stay on theme so I chose Painted Bird (Siouxsie And the Banshees) and Bird Song (Lene Lovich), but then I also chose Thunderstruck (AC/DC) because it’s awesome. 

When I came in the next day after their practice to show them the songs I wasn’t surprised at all at the lively debate that ensued. Some thought they should go with the song that best represented their house, but others thought that the AC/DC song just sounded better. Everyone seemed to have something to say, especially their youngest player; Cho Chang. I had learned from being the TA of her beasts class that she was rather opinionated, but to be fair her opinions always seemed like the right ones.

In the end they chose Painted Bird , the final vote given by their captain. Although some acted butt hurt, no one seemed truly upset about it. Roger was extremely grateful for my help, and made sure to repeat it like ten times as he walked me out. Before I left he had asked if I would be cheering their team on, which I told him I was. He then offered to let me use his house scarf for the game and although I was surprised by the offer I ended up accepting. Cedric and I had planned to try to change the color of our scarves, but this was probably the safer option. 

I assumed that would be the end of things, but I guess the Blue team had been talking about the song choosing experience. Word apparently got around and so not even a full day later I was cornered by Marcus Flint, looking for a song of his own.

I was on my way back to the castle after one of the 3rd year Care of Magical Beasts classes when he had popped out right at the doors and all but pinned me against the wall. He was as creepy as ever when he asked and I had to hold back the urge to have a go at him. I agreed to the song, but only so I wouldn’t have to deal with him anymore. Also I felt like if I agreed to do it for Ravenclaw I should also do it for the other teams if they wanted it. 

When Flint asked for me to come into the locker room as I had with the blue team I shut that down right away. I told him that I already knew a song that would work for them, and it would have to be a surprise. I was surprised when he readily agreed, but by the look on his face I got the feeling he thought this was me flirting. I was pretty cold when I left though, so hopefully that counter acted any dumb ideas he had on my feelings towards him. It kinda sucked knowing that they were going to win this weekend, but whatever.

Anyway, since two songs needed to be played today I offered to help Lee out with it. I showed him both songs and he seemed pretty excited about it. I pulled out the boom box and we practiced playing the songs over the speakers a few times, but stopped once people started making their way down for the game.

“So, Fred mentioned that this was your first time watching a quidditch game.” The Gryffindor said, turning to me. I felt my heart quicken a little and yet sink at the same time.

“Did he talk with you about me?” I knew Fred wasn’t what the boy wanted to talk about, but I felt too desperate not to ask. Lee looked me over with what seemed like a little bit of pity, which made me feel worse.

Ever since I had left Fred the other night to talk with Oliver he seemed to be giving me the cold shoulder. I didn’t really know why- I mean I would ask him if I could just get him to talk to me. He kept leaving as soon as our shared classes were over and avoided me during meals. I guessed he was mad I had left him to talk to the other boy, or maybe feelings from before about only becoming his friend because of wanting to get closer to Oliver resurfaced. 

I was actually going rather crazy trying to figure out what I had done. I didn’t realize how much the absence of the Gryffindor was going to impact me- but it was brutal. It had only been a few days but even the mention of Fred was enough to steal my attention and have me begging like a dog.

“I’m sure he’ll come around soon, he’s not one to stay upset for long.” Lee said with a sad smile, knowing exactly what I was talking about.

“I wish I knew what exactly I did wrong.” I said, throwing my body over the boombox. “I can’t fix it if he wont talk to me about it, I mean I could try but I would just be guessing.”

“Erm, I’m not really sure that you did do anything wrong.”

I was going to ask what he meant by that, but then teachers started to walk into the booth. I grabbed the big music player and moved off to the side so that they could all take their seats. I was distracted even more when Professor Sprout walked up, spotted me, and then happily asked if I had prepared more songs for today. The chatty lady had only stopped talking once it was time to start the game and I moved back over to Lee.

Ravenclaw was first on, and so before the Gryffindor boy announced the names I pushed play and Painted Birds played all around. Everyone cheered like crazy when the blue team flew out and Roger Davies made a point to fly up to our booth to give me a nod.

Once the Ravenclaw roster had been read, I moved back into place and started the next song. I smiled as Snake Eyes by AC/DC played. I had given Draco a message in our last beasts class (only so I wouldn’t have to talk to Flint again) to tell his captain to wait 30 seconds into the song until they started flying out. The toe head had been a bitch about forwarding the message, but it seemed he did it because as the rock band sang out snake eyes the green clad team flew onto the field. 

The crowd went nuts, I would say even more than they had with Hufflepuff in the last match. It was pretty fun having such a hardcore walkout song that was snake themed. I dialled the song back so that Lee could read the roster and eventually Madam Hooch blew her whistle for the captains to meet so I stopped the music entirely. 

“That was great!” Lee said, covering the mic and turning towards me. “Are you staying here to watch the match?”

“No, Cedric is saving me a spot in our section.”

He said okay, but then spent the next few minutes trying to get me to stay. I had already grabbed the boom box and turned to go when he asked who I thought would win or what the score would be. I ended up setting the music player down because I thought maybe he was trying to get me to sit with him, but when the game whistle started he turned quickly and said to hurry to my seat.

I grabbed the giant machine, again, and started carrying it out of the stand. Once I was out of sight of the teachers I placed the massive device in my bag- I don’t know why I didn’t want the teachers to know about my bottomless bag, but I went with it. Once everything was away I started to head down to the ground so I could trek back up in the Hufflepuff section. 

I looked down at the blue scarf, it was so weird not seeing the yellow. Rodger had come to give it to me at breakfast, much to the chagrin of Cedric. He had even tried refusing on my behalf and tried to give it back to the Ravenclaw, but it seemed Roger wasn’t taking no for an answer. Eventually I had to push Cedric aside and grab the scarf before he could try pushing it away again. I thanked the other captain and wished him luck, and he seemed pretty happy about that. 

By the time I got to the snow covered ground off the stands, Lee declared that Roger Davies had scored a point and Slytherin was already pushing back. I was about to run over to the other side of the stadium, so that maybe I could watch before the green team scored, but my progress was halted as I slammed into a brick wall. 

It wasn’t actually a brick wall, it was another person, but the way I flew back onto the snow made it seem like I was a cartoon running into a wall. After the little birds stopped flying above my head I looked up, expecting to see a teacher who had been making their way up, but was surprised to see Fred knocked to a sitting position in the snow.

He was also wearing blue, and his clothes didn’t need any color changing either. He was wearing his letter F sweater, which I knew was already blue. He also had on a blue beanie and blue gloves- it made me wonder if blue was just the color his mom used for everything with the twins.

“Oh sorry Fred, I wasn’t paying attention-” I said, scrambling up and moving towards the boy. I was still in a bit of a daze so his presence hadn’t fully registered. I reached out my hand to help him up, but he just looked up at me with surprise.

“What are you doing here?” What did he mean; what was I doing here? He asked as if we didn’t go to the same school and weren’t at a school wide event.

“Um, I’m here to watch the game.” I replied, my hand still awkwardly outstretched. Then my cheeks started to feel warm- this was the first time he had talked to me in days.

He furrowed his brows. “No, what are you doing coming out of the teacher’s section?”

I cleared my throat, trying to keep myself calm. “I was helping Lee with the music, I mean, I kinda started this whole thing. I would have helped with the last game but I was playing.”

He was still down on the ground, still refusing to take my hand. I looked him over, trying not to let myself get too defensive or sad. Was he really not going to take my hand? Was he so upset that he had run into me here he would refuse my help?? Fred’s face contorted and I could see some sort of realization flash across his face- at least one of us knew what was happening.

“That wanker.” He grumbled and I stared him down until he shared more. “Lee told me I needed to come pick up your music player after the songs were done because it took up too much room last time. Then he said I couldn’t come up until the match started.”

Finally I understood what was going on as well- why Fred was surprised at me being here and why the other Gryffindor had been so weird just a few minutes ago. While I was starting to feel a strong mix of emotions, I thought maybe I would have to take time to thank Lee for setting this up.

“Well, looks like you were tricked into talking to me. Now take my hand and let me help you up before I sit on you.”

My hand had been outstretched still and I was sick of holding it out (also starting to feel a little hurt). For a second I saw the boy’s eyes gleam- the normal trickster energy that I had been missing rather desperately the past few days. My heart quickened.

“Is that a promise?” He smirked- but still took my hand. By the time I had pulled him up (I don’t think I did much), the smile was gone.

“If I didn’t make it clear- I don’t think you need to go up there. I have the boombox.” I patted my bag filled with things even larger than the sound system.

“Right. I’ll be going back then.” 

He turned to leave; no goodbye or even any more acknowledgement of the fact that the only reason we were even talking was because we were bamboozled into it. It seemed he wanted to keep up whatever was going on, but I wasn’t going to let this chance get away from me.

“I’m sorry that I left you-” I called out, making him stop. “I’m sorry if I made you think I didn’t care about listening to music together. I’m sorry if I ever made you feel like I didn’t enjoy spending time with you-”

“Wha-” He turned to face me, and probably would have formed a full question but I continued on. 

“I’m sorry I made you wait for me to show up. I’m sorry that I often seek you out on my hard days when I need a smile- I know you’re so much more than that. I’m sorry that I made you think that I only valued our friendship as a way to get to Oliver.”

“June I-”

“No-” I cut him off again. If he was going to keep avoiding me then I was going to make sure to get out everything I had been agonizing over- all the things I thought I had done wrong.

“Your friendship means so much to me, and like I said before I would never want you to think otherwise. I actually wanted to become friends with you even before I met you. When I would talk with Harry on those summer days and he mentioned the Weasley twins, I knew that you and your brother were people I wanted in my life-”

To be honest I wanted to be friends with him and George since I first started reading the Harry Potter books, but that wasn’t going to make this situation any better. As I spoke he just stood there, staring with an unreadable expression. 

“-when I talked with you that day before term I knew for sure that I was going to do whatever it took to become your friend. Even more so when we were sitting on the train, listening to music for the first time. I felt like you specifically were someone I could open up to- someone I could share my passions and interests. And while maybe there would be some teasing- you were always going to cheer me on in the things I cared about. And to think that I have you questioning my regards to our friendship has me freaking out-”

I was surprised at the feeling of tears running down my cheeks. I had always been a rather dramatic person, but this felt like a little much- at least to be letting out now. I mean, for all I know he just needed a little space from me and after a few days we would be fine. But the feeling of being iced out had really gotten to me and I think I was more than a little desperate to get him back. I tried to wipe away the tears quickly, as if I thought he wouldn’t have seen them while staring right at my face.

“I just, you mean so much to me Fred and I don’t know exactly what I did that makes you want to avoid me like you have. But I want to fix it; to apologize and make things better. It’s only been a few days, but I miss you so much. If you just need some space from me that’s fine and I can give it to you, but I wish you’d at least tell me-”

I choked out a sob, which again felt like it came out of nowhere. Seriously this felt like too much to be throwing at him. I turned my head away, embarrassed and a little ashamed I couldn’t keep it together. I saw him make a worried face and start to come towards me from the corner of my eye. I held out my arm so he wouldn’t come any closer.

“No, don't comfort me!” I half snapped half sobbed, unable to keep things under control. “If I fucked something up I don’t deserve to have you comfort me. I shouldn’t even be crying- this isn’t about me! I just, I just can’t hold it together for some reason. Just ignore the tears and please tell me what I did.”

There were a few moments of silence in which I kept my face turned away. I was seriously so embarrassed that I wished I could just run away, but that would probably leave me worse off than I was before. I swear I wasn’t trying to manipulate him with tears, I just couldn’t get everything out without releasing the emotional floodgates along with it. I guess maybe him ignoring me had affected me even more than I had let myself realize.

When I finally stopped crying, and felt like I could stop any tears from following, I slowly turned back towards the boy. He was still standing there at the same distance I had stopped him at before. He looked- broken. It was a mix of sad and frustrated and… I dunno, something else. When I saw his face I immediately opened my mouth so I could start apologizing for this whole scene, but he beat me to it.

“No, it's my turn now.” I just nodded my head.

“Listen June, I need you to understand that none of this is your fault-” he faltered for a moment, reaching up and rubbing the back of his neck. “-I just. I mean, you were right about me questioning your feelings in our…. Friendship…. And it was so hard to come to terms with that it just felt easier to just avoid you rather than talk about it-”

“It was easy to avoid me?” I lied earlier about the tears not coming back out. Also I didn’t really want to ask the question, but hearing that avoiding me was the easier task while I had been struggling to badly with it was quite the gut punch. My words also just felt like a knee jerk reaction as the tears started to slip back down my cheeks.

“No no no no no no no no-” he said in quick succession, moving in closer to me. I didn’t push him away this time and he reached out and put his hands on my shoulders. “That’s not what I meant. It’s just that, the feelings that I had were really painful and when I saw you they resurfaced, but if I tried to avoid you then I thought I could keep them at bay. But it didn’t work, because I was just as miserable not getting to be around you. Even if it initially kept my other troubled thoughts away, they would just come back the second I wished I could go and talk to you or try to make you laugh- which was often. I’ve been miserable these past few days, honestly.”

“Then why were you just about to go and walk away???” He shrugged and I felt my face drop even more. 

“Because the thought of talking to you about it still seemed hard at the moment- I mean, it's hard now. If you think otherwise it's probably only because I am a very skilled orator and can bottle the nerves- might even go into politics one day.” He cracked a little smile at his joke, but my face stayed solemn.

He sighed deeply, and moved his hands away from my shoulders and up to my cheeks. He held my face and used his thumbs to wipe away the residual tears. Honestly now knowing that this was over some small misunderstanding that was blown out of proportion because he wouldn’t talk to me (and also because I am dramatic) I wanted to get mad. I wanted to be mad at the lack of communication and understanding- but I couldn’t because we were talking right now. The communication happened late, but it happened, and I was truly so relieved that we were moving forward. Wild that just a few days of silence could do this to me.

“Don’t do this to me again.” I said, my cheeks starting to feel warmth again as his hands stayed on my face. “If I’ve messed up please just tell me- I promise I will do the same for you. This way neither of us have to struggle for days until our friends trick us into talking.”

Fred snorted and smiled. “Yeah okay. I’m sorry. And you didn’t do anything wrong this time - this one was all on me. I just needed to sort through my stuff and not blame you for it. I promise it won't happen again.”

I reached up to put my hands over his. “You’re allowed to take time to sort through your feelings- but maybe we should just let each other know if we need space.”

He nodded, and finally I felt a smile form on my lips. It felt a little wonky, what with the previous outburst of emotions, but also because we were both holding my face at this point. I dropped my hands and he lowered his, although he seemed a little hesitant. I kinda wished he had kept them on, especially when the cold bit at my cheeks again.

--

Somehow I convinced Fred to come sit in the Hufflepuff section, even though I was pretty sure he just did it because he felt bad that I cried. He seemed a bit out of place with his flaming red hair in what was normally our sea of yellow (now blue), but I was happy he was there. Cedric didn’t quite share my sentiment, but as the match wore on their dislike of each other was overshadowed by their love for the game. 

Everytime that Ravenclaw team scored a point or Slytherin did something slimy they both called out, yelling out towards the players. They both tried turning to me to talk more about certain plays, but I wasn’t very responsive. I was getting better at playing the sport, but I really had to concentrate to catch everything that was going on as a spectator. My lack of response though led the two boys to turn to each other to complain or praise, and by the end of the match I’m not even sure they remembered I was there.

Slytherin won, which was no surprise to me. Just like in the original book it was a close game, with the green team coming out on top. It was a fun watch for my first time though, and even though the team I cheered for lost, I still had a lot of fun. Not as much fun as Cedric and Fred though.

When it ended they stayed talking for a few minutes, going on and on about how Slytherin never played a clean game. By now I had stepped out from in between them and had taken a seat a row back as I waited for them to finish. I’m not going to lie, it was pretty fun to see them actually getting along and I wished that it could be like that all the time. 

Eventually though Cedric turned to say something to me, realized I wasn’t there, and looked around all confused. They obviously spotted me pretty quickly and then suddenly the comradery was gone, and it was like walls were placed back up. Their reactions though made me wonder if it was just my presence that was stopping them from being friends, but I knew that there were stories from previous years that built into their now loathing of each other.

The rest of the afternoon was normal- which was wonderful. Cedric and Fred bickered quietly with each other as the three of us sat in the library. There wasn’t much studying or homework that was done, but I did not care. I was so happy to have Fred back that even their petty comments couldn’t faze me. 

I was even happier to know that I would get to spend more time with the Gryffindor this evening, along with a lot of my other friends as well. Apparently when Slytherin won a match they threw a big party for their house, and all the other quidditch teams. They made it a very exclusive event so if you weren’t green clad or a jock you were not permitted in. 

All of my team was going, and as far as I knew so was all of the Ravenclaw team. With Gryffindor I knew that Harry wasn’t likely to come, and apparently George was on the fence about it. Because Lee wasn’t a quidditch player he wasn’t allowed and that made the whole thing less appealing to the other twin. Fred had said he was going to convince him though and so I thought I would see most of the red players there as well. 

Of course, I was also REALLY excited to see Oliver, who had said earlier this week that he would be there. I hadn’t had a chance to talk to him today, but I trusted he would still be coming. Even if he didn’t show up though, I hoped that it would all still be a good time.

I had never personally been in the Slytherin common room, unless you counted playing Hogwarts Legacy. It was the same as the game though- the snake doors, the stairs leading down, and the absolute massive common area. I knew that it was an unfair stigma that all Slytherins were rich, but just the fact that their common room looked how it did made it feel like everyone present was from old money.

I came in with my team, but the room was seriously so vast that we ended up getting separated as soon as we made it down the steps. Cedric thankfully stayed by my side though, which I was glad for. He had been to a post Slytherin win party before and pointed out all the areas he had seen before. He talked about different features of the room, where the bathrooms were, and also mentioned that at times you could see the giant squid from the glass windows that peered into the Black lake. 

As the two of us moved along the room I spotted the Ravenclaw team, who had all managed to stay together. I stopped and spent a moment digging through the bag at my side (I always had to have it with me). When I found the scarf I pulled it out and turned back to my friend.

“Hey I’ll be right back- I’m going to go give this back to Davies.”

Cedric looked a little concerned. “I can come with you.”

“No, you’ve been too weird around him lately. I promise it won't take me long. How about you go get drinks and we can meet over at the giant window and then we can look for the squid.”

He was hesitant, but eventually agreed. We both turned to leave and soon I was standing at the back of the little blue group. Before I could even try to get Rodger’s attention one of his team members spotted me and gestured over to me. The captain quickly turned around and smiled when he saw me.

“Hey you!” He said happily, turning quickly back to his team and gesturing for them to move away. Like a flock of birds they all dispersed and I just stood there awkwardly.

“Um, good match today.” I said, trying to move past the weirdness. “I had fun cheering you guys on.”

“Well I’m just sorry that we couldn’t show you a win. I’m sure at the next match you’ll see us clean house.” He winked at me, knowing that the next game was Ravenclaw against Hufflepuff.

“Well then I really won't be needing this-” I held the scarf towards him. 

“Oh but you looked so pretty wearing it.” He replied with a little smirk. I rolled my eyes and tossed the garment at him. “Well, maybe another time you could wear it for me- perhaps during the next Hogsmeade weekend. I’d like to properly thank you for putting together our wonderful entrance song and maybe have the chance to get to know you better.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “Is this supposed to be you asking me on a date?”

He grinned widely. “Nothing gets past you. What do you say?”

“Well, I appreciate the invitation, but I don’t date people my same school year. I’ve found it makes for a less than academically sound environment.” 

The boy looked a little down, but something quickly flashed across his face and he grinned. 

“Ahh, so that’s why Diggory can’t land.”

“What are you talking about? Cedric and I not dating has nothing to do with my rule not to date in my year; we’re just friends.”

Rodger shrugged. “Sure sure, whatever you say. But do you really make no exceptions?”

“Not while school still matters. I guess maybe my last year I’d be fine with it- if only so I don’t have to search through younger years to find someone worthwhile.” Plus if things got weird it wouldn’t matter for long. We would all graduate and move on with our lives.

The Ravenclaw stroked his chin “not until 7th year- well I guess I can wait.” 

I rolled my eyes again. Roger Davies was cute, but honestly he seemed like a fuck boy. Maybe he’d be worth a hookup 7th year but I could never see myself dating the guy. Hopefully he’d forget all about me though when Fleur Delacour caught his eyes next year.

I left the Ravenclaw captain and tried to make my way over to where Cedric would be waiting. As I moved through the rather thick crowd of people I wished that I would bump into the Gryffindor Quidditch captain. I wasn’t sure if their team was here yet though. If they were, I didn’t end up quite lucky enough because I ended up running into the Slytherin captain instead.

“Juniper. I’ve been looking for you.” Just the sight of Marcus Flint made me uneasy now- I had to hold in a shiver.

“Well you found me. Congratulations on the win.” I gave him a small smile, but it left as soon as I saw his greedy one.

“I want to introduce you to my team.” He gestured over to the other side of the room where a group of Slytherins were being adored by many other members of their house.

“Is that necessary? They all look a bit busy.” I should have just said that I didn’t want to go anywhere with him, but it came out more spineless.

“They’re fine. They want to thank you for your song choice-” He replied quickly and reached out to grab my hand, starting to walk towards the group. I think his intention was to hold it and lead me over, but I quickly pulled it from his grasps. He stopped and looked me over.

“I can manage without the assistance.” I replied coolly. The Slytherin shrugged and turned back to lead the way.

When the captain walked up to the crowd they all parted for him like he was Moses. There was some weird ass reverence around the guy and I immediately judged everyone as psychos. When we got up to the team Marcus got their attention and introduced me as the person who had picked out their entrance song. When I first stepped up most of them looked me over with an air of indifference, but at their captain's words they all sprang into action.

I don’t think I have ever properly had someone kiss my ass before, but these mother fuckers were the biggest brown nosers I had ever met. Suddenly everyone had these sweet things to say and a million compliments to give, and it all seemed totally ingenuine. The only ones who didn’t fawn were Dracco (which, thank Merlin for that) and Adrian Pucey, a fellow 5th year. 

Adrian was in my shared classes with his house, but we never talked. Our lack of conversation was not due to a lack of effort on my part though. I had tried talking to him on more than one occasion because I knew he was named within the original series so I thought that we could become friends. Anytime that I had tried he had just stared at me, and then walked away, so it seemed now wouldn’t be any different.

After a few minutes of the bullshit I was ready to be done (actually I was done within a few seconds) . I was glad they liked the song, but I was not up for whatever weird shit this was. It was like they were trying to get on my good side for a reason I just did not understand. There was basically nothing any of them could gain from me so why did they even bother. 

On top of the weirdos, I also wanted to leave because someone had come over to the group just a minute ago and told Marucs that the Gryffindor team had finally shown up. Just when I was about to excuse myself from the group the captain made his way back over to me and put his arm around my shoulders.

“That is enough. I’m going to take Juniper now.” 

Without warning he started to step away and easily pulled me along with him. I was thrown off guard for a moment and didn’t catch my bearings until we had already stepped away from the group. When I clocked back in I immediately threw his arm off of me and stepped to the side so he couldn’t reach me again.

“Actually I have somewhere else I am planning to be.” There was no placating smile on my face this time as I stared daggers at him.

“You’re fine. Diggory can wait-” He stepped forward and reached out again, but I pushed his hand away. Before I could say anything else though I felt a presence move up behind me and I spun around, not wanting to get trapped by anyone else creepy.

“I don’t think you heard her Flint.” Oliver’s voice came in cold and clear “She said she has somewhere else to be.” 

This was tally number two for knight in shining armor.

“What do you know Wood.” The other boy snarled, but I didn’t turn back towards him. I just stared, absolutely relieved to see my Oliver’s perfectly heroic face.

“Well more than you, seeing as I actually listened to what she said.” He replied just as gruff. “But then again you were never one for making good use of those ears of yours.” Not only was that a decent burn just in general, but Marcus had rather large ears to begin with so double roast.

“I’m going over to the window.” I said, stepping into the back and forth. “Will you walk with me?”

 As willing as I was to hear another burn from this wonderful boy, I didn’t want a fight to break out and land Oliver out of the party. This night could potentially be considered a date with the boy and I was NOT going to miss that.

“Yeah I can, let's go.” And without any more word from the Slytherin, we both turned and left.

The party ended up being a lot more enjoyable once we were away from all the members of the Slytherin quidditch team. Most of the green house really wasn’t that bad, and they threw a decent party. When we got to the window Cedric was there, looking a bit concerned, with the rest of the Gryffindor quidditch team attendees. 

After relaying Flint’s creepy behavior and having everyone act appalled on my behalf, I felt even better. Both Weasley twins (Fred had convinced his brother to come) and Cedric said they were going to go lay into the Slytherin, but I told them it wasn’t worth it. It was nice enough just to know they all had my back.

It was also really nice because Oliver stood right by my side the entire night. I think he had unintentionally put himself on guard dog mode or something because he seemed extra vigilant the whole evening. It was adorable, even if it meant that he was even less chatty than usual. I was happy just to be next to him though so I didn’t really mind.

When the soirée ended and all the non-slytherins made their way to their respective common rooms, I found myself lingering at the precipice between where Hufflepuff and Gryffindor would have to part. With me were Cedric, Fred, George, and Oliver. We were still happily chatting, except Oliver, and it seemed like most of us were not ready for the night to end. I however also didn’t want to leave because I was hoping to talk to the big handsome Gryffindor captain alone before the day was done. I was going to ask the three others to let us have a moment alone when the oddest series of events happened.

“Well, as fun as this was, I am ready to head back.” George said, looking between us all. I was going to tease him about wanting to head back to Lee, but Fred spoke before me.

“Actually, I was hoping to have a little chat so I will meet you there later.”

George nodded and without another word, turned to walk away. Whatever Fred had to say I am guessing his twin already knew. As he left I called out to say hi to Lee for me, but he just flipped me the bird in response. 

“Can we talk Diggory?” Fred asked in a surprise turn of events. I don’t know who was more shocked, me or Cedric. Of course he agreed and Oliver and I watched as the two of them walked away together.

“What the fuck is that about?” I said, still barely able to process it all.

“I didn’t think they really liked each other.” Oliver replied. 

“Me either…. Um anyway, I’m glad you and I have a moment alone.” I smiled up at the boy, happy to see a little pink color his cheeks. “I wanted to thank you for helping me out with Flint- again.”

“Oh, yeah of course. I did want to ask you though-” And his face got a little more serious. “Tomorrow, on our date, would you like me not to touch you?”

Suddenly I was more bewildered than I was a few moments ago. “What?”

“On our date tomorrow. My friends were saying that when you’ve been on a few dates that it's okay to hold the other person's hand or have other physical contact. Percy also told me that if I didn’t at least hug you goodbye that you were going to think I wasn’t interested again-”

Damn. This dude was getting some serious dating lessons from his classmates.

“-and I was going to, but when I saw how unhappy you looked when Flint was touching you I realized that maybe that wasn’t something that you wanted. So I just wanted to make sure so I don’t mess anything up.”

Everytime I talk with this boy I wonder how he could ever be any more adorable but he just fucking tops it every time. How in the living hell was I the first girl this man had ever dated??? You’re telling me that every girl in this school wasn’t jumping all over this drop dead gorgeous and unbelievably considerate man??? Damn, the females here were IDIOTS.

“Okay, I first want to say that you asking me is literally the sweetest thing-” I stepped in closer, wanting to close all the distance between us. “-and I am so grateful you care about wanting to make sure I am comfortable. What Marcus did was very unwanted, but I need to be very clear when I confidently say that there is no type of physical contact you could do to me that would be unwanted.”

It took a second for my meaning to sink in, and honestly I’m going to guess he didn’t understand how fully I meant those words. Once he realized though his pink cheeks turned red and he wasn’t able to get out a coherent sentence for a full minute. It was just stutters, clearing his throat, and then stuttering some more. 

For his well being I made sure to also say that I would never want him to feel pressured to do anything that he wasn’t comfortable with. While his friends had the right general idea of what pace most people were okay with, it didn’t mean he had to be okay with it. I just wanted him to know that he could never make me feel uncomfortable. 

Sadly Cedric and Fred made their way back, so we weren’t able to talk about much more. Oliver seemed a little more relaxed though and was able to smile and wave as we said goodbye. I was a bit love drunk from the exchange, but I still made sure to try to hound Cedric on what he and the other Gryffindor had talked about. 

He refused to give it up and tried to play the whole “I’ll tell you what we said if you tell me what you guys said” thinking that I wasn’t willing to share either. The Hufflepuff was rather surprised when I started replaying the conversation word for word. 

Then when I went into more detail about the ways I would actually like Oliver to have physical contact with me he covered his ears and started singing loudly. I was giggling like crazy as I ended up chasing him down the stairs and past the kitchen while I then recounted my most recent dream about the Gryffindor captain. To combat my crazy Cedric began yelling out the lyrics to the Hogwarts school song which continued until he burst into the common room and ran right to his own room.

Song-

June: The Sun Is Always Shining On TV- A-ha

Fred: Jessie's girl- Rick Springfield

Cedric: Blue on Blue- Bobby Vinton

Oliver: Procession of the Knights of the Holy Grail- Wagner

Chapter Text

Hey guys, sorry no new chapter- just some art. I am just learning to put pictures on here so I wanted to show you what is in my brain for the characters!!!! 

Juniper Gray:

Oliver Wood:

Fred Weasley:

Cedric Diggory:

Aren't they so cute????????? I am not an artist, I just know how to edit. I used AI to build a basic structure and then I edit them for the right hair color, eye color, change any oddities, all that sorta stuff. I wish I was better at drawing, but I fear my passion and time is in writing. 

Okay next upload will be an actual story chapter and it will be ready soon!

Chapter Text

Today was the day; the day I would go out with Oliver on the date that he asked me on. 

When my head popped off my pillow I was already giddy with excitement, even though I still had to wait- I checked my watch- like four hours until we met up. I couldn’t keep it together though and was out and ready to go 30 minutes later, unsure of what to do with all of my energy.

I hoped, as I headed up to breakfast, that maybe I would run into Oliver there, but no luck. When I walked into the great hall there were barely any people, and I only recognized one person on the Gryffindor table. I figured I might as well give the red hair a go though and practically skipped over to where Percy was sitting.

“Morning,” I said happily, and the head boy turned to look at me. “Can I sit with you?”

He smiled brightly. “Well I don’t usually condone changing tables, but I think it would be alright today.”

I took my seat and started plating my food before I turned back to the boy. 

“You’re up early- is this your usual Sunday schedule or do you have something going on today?”

“Oh I always try to wake up early, no matter the day. I find I am most productive when I follow a rigorous schedule. Plus I plan on interning at the ministry once I graduate and that will require many more early mornings that Hogwarts ever has-”

The Gryffindor continued on about his plans for after school for a few more minutes. I started eating my food and nodded every few moments to make sure he knew I was listening. I would have commented as well, but he didn’t leave much room for any other talking. Dude was passionate about his plans- it reminded me of Oliver. Ahhh, Oliver….

“-actually I was up earlier today than I had scheduled, but that was mostly due to Oliver.”

“What??” I said, snapping back into focus from the Oliver Wood induced daydream.

“I was saying that I managed to get ahead of my schedule because Oliver was up before the sun today. Usually he’s quiet when he wakes up early, but today he was bumbling around and woke up our whole room. I was fine with it, but the others were less than pleased.”

“Oh, that’s too bad for them. What was he up so early for?” Maybe he does early morning personal training on Sundays. I could see him taking extra time on the quidditch pitch before even the morning team trainings started. 

 Percy had an expression that reminded me way too much of Fred when he was about to tease me about something. It was a small grin with a devious twinkle in his eyes. Honestly seeing it on this Weasley’s face was a little unnerving.

“He told me last night that he had lots to get done before your date today.”

My face started to feel warm. “Ah, yeah that makes sense.” I turned to my food, all of the sudden a lot more shy about my feelings towards the Gryffindor captain. “Did he uh mention what it was that we were doing.”

“He did.” Percy said, sounding very happy. “But I would be remiss if I ruined the surprise. I thought it was rather well thought out though and I felt quite proud he had come up with it all on his own. He sure has come a long way.”

“Mmm that reminds me, I guess I have you to thank for pushing him along to ask me out for another date.” I turned back to him, pushing down my timidity. “He said you gave him some helpful advice to motivate him.”

The boy puffed up his chest. “Yes well, since I am in a relationship myself I know a thing or two about trying to win over a girl's affections. He seemed so taken by you, but lacked the knowledge of what to do moving forward. Truly I am glad he listened to my advice, I was certain someone else was going to swoop in if he didn’t take the chance.”

“Ha well I don’t know about that. The only people who seem interested in me are my age and I already decided I wasn’t going to date anyone my year-”

“Oh that’s an excellent plan!” Percy said, cutting me off. “Up until the last two years I really believed that being in a relationship was nothing more of a distraction and avoided it myself. Of course things change when you find someone as committed to their future as you are-”

He was off again, this time subtly mentioning how Penelope Clearwater was worth any sort of distraction. It was adorable, but my brain ended up wandering again. Technically there was another person who was interested in me who wasn’t my year, but it was not a wanted prospect. Without really thinking I turned my head to look down the other tables and scanned across the Slytherin one. He wasn’t there and I ended up doing an audible sigh of relief.

“-yes I would say I was quite relieved as well,” Percy continued, getting my attention again. “I thought she might choose to study abroad like my older brother, although I never thought she would study dragons. When I heard she also wanted to pursue a ministry career I felt that was her best option-”

--

The rest of the meal was uneventful with Percy chattering away about a myriad of topics. I ate the rest of my food, and when I was about to leave I ran into Hagrid, who looked rather disheveled. He said that he had been out in the forbidden forest trying to catch game for Buckbeak, but I guess he didn’t have much luck. 

He seemed rather upset and so I offered to meet him back at our classroom and do some prep work for his classes while he went back out. That cheered him up a little and he seemed much more like a teddy bear as he walked up to the teachers table. I said goodbye to the head boy and headed out towards the castle grounds. Just as I left the doors though I bumped into Harry, who was also looking rather abysmal- and tired.

“Morning Harry,” I said looking him over- seemed like maybe he didn’t get much sleep. I guess his worries about the grim, dementors, and probably quidditch were still weighing him down.

“Morning.” It looked like he tried to smile but the line of his mouth just got more taught.

“Rough night?” He nodded.

“Where are you off to?”

“Oh I’m going down to the Beasts classroom, I just told Hagrid I would help him with some prep work.” Harry perked up at that and turned to me with pleading eyes. “Do you um, do you wanna come with?”

“Can I?”

I shrugged. “Sure, just go grab some food so you don’t starve- I’ll wait.”

Harry bolted into the great hall, suddenly awake with energy. He was only gone a minute before he jumped back out, shoving a biscuits in his already bulging jacket pockets. Together the two of us headed outside.

It was nice getting to be with someone else, especially since the boy who lived was pretty good company. It really hadn’t been just the two of us since summer and I had to admit that I kinda missed it. He still seemed a little bit off, but was willing to chat. He seemed even more himself when Hagrid eventually came back out and was all excited to see him.

“Well I best be heading back out there-” Hagrid said moving back out of the classroom. “Since I’ve got Buckbeak chained down I been running low on game. She’s been fussing about too, not being able to hunt.”

“Awe poor girl.” I looked around to get a glimpse of her, but she wasn’t visible from the classroom. “Have you heard anything else about everything that happened?”

The half giant shook his head. “No, and it's got me in a right state.” Hagrid grumbled a few more words, but most of them weren’t audible. Then he turned and started heading out towards his task- seems his thoughts were taking hold of him again.

“What do you think will happen?” Harry asked when Hagrid was out of sight.

“Who knows.” I said, turning away. “I assume though with everything I’ve heard about Malfoy’s dad that he’s not going to let it go without a fight- even though it was his dumbass kid’s fault.”

Harry agreed, but didn’t say anything more so we went back to prepping the pellets that would be used to feed the puffskeins. I had convinced Hagrid to teach his third and fourth year classes about the small creatures, starting next term, so there was a lot we needed to do to get ready for them. He was hesitant to move on, but I eventually wore him down.

The small creatures' food source just needed to be portioned out so each class would be able to feed them without any overfeeding happening. It was mindless work, but neither of us cared. It allowed for easy conversation or peaceful silence. Eventually though the task came to an end and both of us were looking around for something else to do.

“I think that’s everything.” I said, placing my hands on my hips. “We could wait for Hagrid to come back, but I don’t know how much longer he will be.”

“I don’t mind going back, my hands are feeling pretty cold.” Harry wrung his hands together and brought them to his mouth to warm them with his breath.

“I’m feeling pretty cold too. I’ll just write Hagrid a note real quick and we can go.”

I grabbed some paper from my bag and scribbled down what Harry and I were able to get done. Then we both got up from our workstation and headed back towards the castle. As we walked I turned to the boy and was going to ask what his plans were for the holiday break, when a cry sounded overhead and stole my attention. A large thestral, probably a male, flew out of the woods and high into the sky. 

The large black beast looked stark in the cloudy gray sky and snow covered tree tops. Although it wasn’t snowing now, it apparently had last night. Hogwarts being located in the Scottish Highlands meant that snow came early and lasted a long time. I didn’t mind the cold though, especially when it came with such beautiful landscapes. 

“What was that?” Harry asked, looking anywhere except where the beast was flying. I realized that he wasn’t able to see thestral yet.

“Just a beast from the forest.” I replied coolly. “I bet Hagrid is on his way back and startled them.”

“Oh, should we wait then?”

I shook my head “No, we should go. I need to go get ready anyway or I’m going to be late meeting up with Oliver.”

“Oh yeah, Hermione told us about that.” Harry looked a little embarrassed as he said it, as if he wasn't supposed to know. “What um, what are you guys doing?”

“I have no idea. I don’t even know what people do here on dates outside of Hogsmeade weekends. No one ever leaves the school grounds and unless you are going to get really creative I feel like there isn’t much to do in the castle.”

“What did you do when you asked him out?”

“Ha uh well actually the one time we weren’t at Hogsmeade we just played quidditch on the pitch.”

“You had a date playing quidditch?”

I chuckled. “Yeah, I tried to suggest we do something that he would feel comfortable doing. It was pretty fun though. We did it after one of your team’s practices until Madam Hooch told us to leave.”

The rest of the walk back we ended up talking about quidditch, but I kept finding my mind wandering to what our date was going to be. Oliver hadn’t told me anything yesterday and since Percy refused to give it up I really had no clue. It wasn’t really a problem not knowing, except I had no idea how I should dress. Would we be playing quidditch again? Should I wear training gear? But what if we weren’t and I was horribly underdressed. I don’t think Oliver would really care what I wore, but I certainly did.

After heading back into the castle and saying goodbye to Harry I headed straight to my room. I went through all my clothes and decided it would be safest with jeans and a long sleeve shirt. I could play quidditch in them if I needed to, and I couldn’t think of anything else we would do that would require anything different.

Choosing my outfit ended up being easy enough, but fixing my hair was a different story. I think I tried at least ten different hairstyles until I just decided to curl it. My hair was getting pretty long so I just curled the ends, but I thought it still looked nice. I think this was the first time I had ever actually curled it since being here so that felt special.

Looking at myself in the mirror I felt more than satisfied with my reflection. I looked like I had put in effort, but was still relaxed. I wanted to show him I was trying, but not trying too hard. But honestly I didn’t think that Oliver picked up on any of that kind of stuff so really this was all just for me. As I looked some more I wished that I had a necklace, but I had yet to buy any accessories like that. I had chosen a shirt with a lower neckline and thought it would have really pulled the look together. I needed to make a mental note to check out the shops the next Hogsmeade weekend.

I grabbed my jacket and headed out of the room. As I made my way down the stairs I passed a few girls in my grade and they all told me that I looked really nice. That made me feel even better and I was extra peppy as I bounced into the common room. I headed over to the barrel entrance, but stopped as someone was walking in the same time I was about to head out.

“Ah June,” Cedric said, taking a step back. “Sorry I uh, hold on-”

He walked backwards a few steps until he was back out in the corridor. I followed and heard the entrance seal itself again. I looked over happily at the boy. I hadn’t seen Cedric all day; he hadn’t come down to breakfast while I was there and then I was out with Harry the rest of the morning. 

I didn’t like not being with him- I had gotten used to going basically everywhere with him. On weekdays we left the common room at the same time, ate meals together, and went to almost all the same classes. When classes were done we studied and went to quidditch practice together. The only times we were ever consistently not together was when I went to Gryffindor tower to hang out with Fred or when we were sleeping. 

On weekends sometimes we were off doing our own things but that was rare. Even when I had something to do like help Hagrid I often would ask if he wanted to come with me. I just liked being with him, no matter what it was we were doing. It was wild really, because so many parts of his personality should drive me crazy. He was like a ray of sunshine, always happy and always positive. Usually when people were like that it felt fake or forced, and it drove me crazy. It wasn’t that way with him though.

Cedric was genuinely the nicest guy I had ever known. He was always looking out for others and making sure they felt welcome. It felt like he knew literally everyone is the school- or at least everyone in our house. Someone could stop him in the halls to talk and he would remember the most intimate details about conversations he had with them in the past. People always walked away from him smiling (with the exception of Fred) and I found I was the same. 

Seeing him now though, my smile faltered- only because he suddenly looked like he was in a lot of distress.

“Ced, are you okay??” 

“I, yeah sorry-” His words faltered as he looked me up and down for what felt like the third time now. “You’re uh, you’re going out?”

“Um, yeah, I’ve got my date with Oliver…. Are you sure you’re okay?” 

Honestly he was looking a little white, except for his cheeks which were very pink. I moved in closer and reached out a hand up towards his forehead. I slid my hand under his hair and felt his skin, placing my own other hand on my own forehead to compare. 

“You don’t feel warm-” I dropped my hands and watched with concern as eyes got all wide. I was going to suggest maybe he go get checked out, but he turned, seemingly shaking himself of whatever he was going through. When he turned back he had more color in his face.

“No sorry I’m fine just uh, I didn’t sleep great last night.”

“You sure?” I asked, stepping back towards him and turning my head to better examine the whole of his face. He just smiled down at me.

“Yeah, I’m alright.” He grabbed my shoulders and pushed me out so I was standing up straight. I raised an eyebrow at him, but he just smiled again. “You look really great and I hope you have fun on your date.”

I was hesitant because now I was a little worried this dude was a bit off his rocker. To any passerby he would seem like his regular cheerful and positive self, but I could tell something was off. Like I said, he was always genuine, except not right now. Right now this was totally fake and it was as plain as day for me to see.

I was going to press him to try to see what was wrong, but I was cut off by another blatantly fake happy voice.

“Ah, hello you two!”

I turned to see Fred walking towards us, a similar fake ass smile on his face. His face was what I imagined he would do when his mom forced his family to sit for a photo. Totally ingenuine of anything other than compliancy. I would have thought it was a joke if he and Cedric hadn’t been exactly the same- and he wasn’t one for tricks.

“What the fuck is going on?” I asked, stepping back from Cedric's grasp and looking between the two of them. They continued their weird faces, neither making direct eye contact with me.

“Weasley and I are going to be working on transfiguration  homework together.” The Hufflepuff replied as if that was a totally normal thing for them to do. I looked between the two of them again, not believing it for a single second.

“Of course we would have done it with you as well, but you are busy this afternoon.” Fred added, still not directly meeting my eyes. I continued flipping between the two of them, but stopped myself and sighed.

“Okay, I don’t know what you guys are up to, but I don’t have time to deal with it-” I pointed over at Cedric. “As long as you are okay, I’m going to go. Don’t kill each other.”

I turned quickly, my hair whipping out behind me. If this was just some weird cry for attention I could deal with it later. These two had stopped my progress with Oliver before and I was not going to let them do it again. They were being weird, but weird didn’t warrant missing my date so I needed to get out of there before I got sucked in.

--

I tried to put my friends’ psycho behaviors out of my brain as I walked to the meeting place. Oliver had asked that we meet at the doors to the astronomy tower courtyard, so I assumed we would be going outside for at least part of our date. I looked through my bag quickly, making sure that I still had gloves and a scarf incase I needed them.

As I got closer my heart started to beat faster- it was really hitting me now that I was about to go out with my dream guy again. It had honestly felt surreal, like I was going to wake up and realize him asking me out was all a dream. But it wasn’t a dream and as I moved through the double doors into the open landing and saw him standing there, my heart about keeled over.

He was looking nervous, but also absolutely amazing. His hair looked like it usually did, so great and perfect. He was also in jeans, with a Gryffindor red sweatshirt. It was basic- basically the hottest thing I had ever seen. He was holding a broom and what looked like the lid to a garbage can.

“Hey Oliver,” I said as I got closer, drawing his attention. When he saw me he smiled and I barely managed to keep myself standing as my legs gave out.

“Hey!” He said happily as I walked up next to him. “Are you ready?”

I nodded and he turned like he was going to lead the way out, but then he froze. Then he quickly turned back. In a similar fashion as Cedric had done when we had walked out of the common room entrance he looked me over. Then similarly as well his cheeks started to turn pink.

“You look really nice-” he cleared his throat, his whole face now starting to go pink. “-I like how your hair is curled. I only remember you having it in two braids or straight down, although I’m sure it's been different other times I just- I don’t- um, it just looks good.”

The world will never know the kind of willpower I had to have when I was around this boy. The fact that I had not tackled him, kissed him, hugged him until his eye bugged out- I needed an award or something. I don’t know if a normal person would be able to hold themselves together when he was this fucking cute. 

Anyway, I knew that this must have been him putting into practice something Percy had told him. I could see their conversation now; the redhead lecturing him on making sure he complimented my appearance when I walked up. He probably also told him to be specific so that I knew he was genuine about it. Even if it wasn’t genuine, although it felt like it was, it was still absolutely adorable and made me so happy.

“Thank you! I spent a while today trying to figure out how I should do it and thought that this would look nice. So your compliment means a lot.”

His face went darker in color, but he seemed pretty pleased with himself. He smiled brightly back and then cleared his throat a few more times. It seemed he wasn’t able to get any more words out right now so instead he just held his arm out towards the door. I chuckled quietly, pulled on my jacket, and moved over to the door.

The newly winter air hit hard, but I was barely registering it. It was like 2 minutes into this date and I was already over the moon. I was so happy I was basically having an out of body experience, but I was brought swiftly back when Oliver moved next to me and started talking. 

“Okay, we have to fly to where we are going, but I promise it's not too far.” He stopped and turned towards me, holding out the big lid. “I was wondering, would you be able to put this in your bag? I remember you put your entire broom in there last time so I thought you might also be able to fit this.”

“Sure thing, just let me fish out my broom real quick-”

“Actually,” He said quickly. “If it's um, if it's alright with you I was thinking that we could both ride on mine together.” The last word came out very heavy with his accent and I wanted to swoon.

Obviously I readily agreed, then took the big circle and placed it in my bag. When that was safely stowed away I turned back and saw that he was already on his broom.

He cleared his throat again. “Do you want to sit on the front or um the back…” He seemed like he was really struggling and I did not know how I was going to be able to handle it. Hot flustered guys seriously did something to me.

“I’ll sit on the back, that way you can better steer us wherever we are going.”

He nodded and so I hopped on. As I sat I made sure there was a space between us, even though I didn’t want there to be. I know he said he was okay with physical contact during our date, but I still wasn’t sure what he was okay with. I held onto his sides though since my arms weren’t long enough to reach around to the broom handle. 

After checking that I was ready about five times he finally kicked up. I had only ridden with another person on a broom on the last date Oliver and I were on, but it was a bit different now. Being in the back made me feel a little bit more exposed, especially since I was not the one in charge.

I thought I was stable enough though so when Oliver propelled us forward I was surprised by the fear that shot through me. Instinctively I threw my arms tighter around the boy so that I wouldn’t fall. Now my chest flush with his back, and the contact made Oliver flinch.

“Sorry-” I yelled out, trying to get my now rigid arms to give way so I could scoot back out.

“No no- it's fine.” I felt one of his hands move over mine that was holding tight to his jacket. His warm touch sent a shiver through my arm. “You don’t have to move back.”

Even with the cold wind I felt my face start to warm, and I buried it against his back. I knew he wouldn’t be able to see me embarrassed back here, but I still felt the need to hide it. My heart had raced from the fear, but now it was racing for a whole different reason. With my body against his I was afraid he was going to feel how utterly useless I was at his words.

I didn’t really see where we were flying because I kept my face against him. We hadn’t gone far though and I was a little surprised again when we started to move back towards the ground. I finally moved my face away and saw that we were on a hill just a bit away from the castle. We could have walked here, but it might have been a bit tricky with the snow.

When we got off the broom I noticed that Oliver’s face was as flushed as mine felt and it made me feel a lot better. I offered to store his broom in my bag and he awkwardly handed it over. He also asked that I pull the lid back out, and when I handed it back he was looking more calm than before.

“Okay, so since this is your first winter here I wanted to show you one of my favorite spots.” He looked around the area, a smile again on his face. “I haven’t actually been over here in a few years so it's good to see everything is the same.”

I looked around as well, and it was beautiful. One side of the hill looked down on a gurgling stream and the other was a snowy blanket down almost all the way to the base of the castle grounds. It was very pretty with all the fresh snow and the castle backdrop. It was actually rather romantic as well and it made my heart skitter again.

“Are you ready?”

I turned back to Oliver. “Ready for what?” 

He held up the giant lid with a huge grin.

“To go down!!”

--

I don’t know when the last time I went sledding was, but I knew that whenever it was it wasn’t as much fun as sledding with Oliver. One might think sledding would get boring after a while, but we were pretty damn creative. After screaming and laughing till we cried just heading straight down the hill, we ended up making jumps, paths, and even a landing points system. 

We also ended up doing other snow activities like building a snowman, making snow angels, and inevitably a snowball fight. As a chaser I found that my aim was pretty good, but it was nothing compared to his. In the end I was glad that I had packed some winter gear because even with gloves my hands were like ice when we were done.

After a few hours (yes, we were out there for that long) we headed inside because we were frozen and hungry. I was sad that things were ending, but it had been a ton of fun so I couldn’t complain. It was dinner time and after all our winter fun a meal was definitely needed. I hoped maybe we would at least sit together for the meal, but I was surprised when Oliver made a different suggestion.

“Do you want to eat in the kitchen with me?” He shook the last bit of snow off as we stepped into the castle.

“In the kitchen? Can we do that?” I had read in the books about characters going into the kitchens for food and even in Hogwarts Legacy you could wander around in there, but this was new.

“Yeah, I actually do it all the time. I started doing it my fourth year when I became quidditch captain. I got so into my studying and planning for practices and matches that I would end up missing meals. Fred and George actually showed me where the kitchens were, and anytime I missed a meal the house elves were always really nice about getting me food.”

“And then you just started eating in there?” I melted a little as he grinned.

“Yeah, after a while the elves set up a little area off to the side where I could eat and I ended up there more and more. I realized I could eat faster without anyone trying to talk to me, and I could even bring my work in there with me and be able to focus. Sometimes the elves like to chat, but usually they are busy so they leave me be.”

“So that’s why I never see you at meals!” I exclaimed loudly without really thinking. I had spent so much time searching for him in the great hall I thought he had to be starving himself by how little he showed up.

“Were you looking for me?” He asked, and my cheeks started to feel warm for the first time since we started sledding.

“Yeah well, you made a great impression when we first met and I wanted to get to know you. Had I realized my efforts were in vain I would have given up a long time ago.” 

I looked forward, walking the now well known path towards my common room (which was right next to the kitchens). It was kind of embarrassing admitting how much effort I put in to try to get his attention at the beginning of the year. Even more so that trying to find him during meals was like the least crazy thing I did. I don’t know if I was ever going to tell him I only tried out for quidditch because of him. 

“What was your impression of me?” I dared to look over at him and saw his head tilted in an adorable puppy-like way. Fuck this boy and what he did to me.

“Well I thought you were really nice to help me reach my book-” I started, feeling my face heat even more. “And I thought it was very um convenient that you were so tall so that it was easy to get….” Tall, handsome, and an ever present character in my dreams.

We walked down the spiral steps towards the cellars, and passed a few people on our way. I moved quickly forward so I was a few steps ahead of Oliver so everyone could get passed- but really I just wanted to stop talking. When we got to the bottom I moved quickly over to the fruit painting and was going to reach out to tickle the pear when a muscular arm moved in before me.

“After you-” He said as the door opened. I still didn’t look at him as I stepped inside, the smell of roast beef hitting me like a wall.

The kitchens were a very busy as an army of elves moved food around the room. It was like I was matching the magical version of The Bear and half expected one of the little guys to yell out yes chef. I was so busy scanning around the room I missed Oliver moving up beside me, but he easily pulled me back to him when I felt his hand move into mind.

“This way,” He said tentatively, looking at me like he was waiting for the go ahead. It took me a second to realize what he was doing, but then I squeezed his hand and smiled, and he seemed to relax.

Gently he pulled me over to one of the corners of the room, a gesture that was nothing like the horrible interaction at the Slytherin party. Honestly the biggest difference between unwanted physical attention and wanted was just who it was giving it. Oliver could do basically anything to me and it would be wanted, whereas Marcus Flint could just look at me and I felt violated. Everything Oliver did though was made even better  because he was always so considerate about it- even if I did still wish he'd use some of that quidditch force on me like he did in my dreams. 

When we got to his usual spot tucked away from the bustle of the kitchen I was pleasantly surprised. I don’t know what I had been expecting, but it wasn’t this. There were two stools, a table barely big enough to fit two plates, and a small vase with a single yellow rose.

“I um, I didn’t know what kind of flowers you liked so I tried to think of something American. When I came in this morning to set everything up I was asking my friends and they mentioned knowing about a famous American song about a yellow rose so they helped me get one.”

So so so many thoughts going through my mind right now. When Oliver mentioned talking to his friends, were those friends the kitchen house elves? Was the song he mentioned The Yellow Rose of Texas ? Did the house elves here somehow know about a muggle American song?? Did he really spend his morning getting this area set up for us?? Even more things were racing through my head, but seeing him standing there looking over at me so nervously wiped them all away.

“Actually, yellow roses are absolutely my favorite flower.” 

He beamed, got flustered, and then attempted to try to pull out the stool for me to sit. As we ate and talked I thought about how before that moment I didn’t have a favorite flower. But there was no doubt in my mind that yellow roses were going to be my absolute favorite for the rest of my life.

--

We ended up talking in the kitchens well past dinner, but thankfully the elves didn’t mind. I was right in thinking that when Oliver was talking about his friends he was talking about all these guys (maybe some of his friends other than Percy were human, but I hadn’t met them). Once the rush of dinner was done they were all so happy to see him, and in turn to see me with him. 

While the Gryffindor was talking to an older looking elf, a female elf leaned over and whispered to me that Oliver had been mentioning a braw (which is scottish for excellent I guess) girl he was spending more time with. She said that he had been spending less time in the kitchens the last few weeks because he said he was trying to find more time to talk to me. The elf said they missed his company, but it made them happy knowing there was someone he really seemed to care for. Then she asked that I come along again with him and I promised that I would.

When we got up to leave all the elves wanted to say goodbye to him, and while they did I made sure to grab my flower and tuck it safely away in my bag.

As we left the kitchens we were already skirting along the edge of curfew. I couldn’t believe that Oliver had willingly spent so much time away from his usual schedule. What made it even better though was that he really seemed like he was enjoying himself. I would guess that he wasn't someone who was able to fake having a good time, so the fact that he was either laughing, talking, or smiling the whole date made me think it had gone well.

Of course I had an amazing time too. It was really so fun and so well thought out- I didn’t know how any date could top this. I got to spend a lot of time getting to know the Gryffindor captain and honestly falling even more in love. The obsession was at new heights for sure- I didn’t know if I would ever be able to get this boy out of my system. 

“I heard you promise Toppy that you would come back to the kitchens with me.” I assumed that was the name of the elf I had talked to. 

“Only if you’re okay with it,” I said with a smile. “I liked being down there though so I really would like to go back.”

“I’d really like it if you did too.” Seeing his cheeks flushed again gave me butterflies and I wished that the entrance to my common room was farther away. I wanted to keep talking to him forever, but sadly it was time for goodbye.

“Hey I was wondering-” Oliver said quickly before I could even start my goodbye. “-was me being able to reach your book the only impression I made when we first met? Not that I mind, I mean, I like being tall.”

I felt my flush again, but I couldn’t help but laugh. “No, it wasn’t the only thing. If I’m being honest I actually thought you were the most attractive guy I had ever seen and it made you really memorable in my mind.”

In an instant Oliver’s face went crimson and I knew that there would be no misunderstandings this time. I guess the cat was out of the bag, but honestly I didn’t really care anymore. I was so absolutely into this guy there was no turning back now.

“I don’t think I had ever even imagined that there would be someone so incredibly my type-” I said, taking a step closer to him. “-I really haven’t been able to get you off my mind since that day in the summer. And it's been made even worse the more I get to know you and see how incredibly driven, intelligent, attentive, thoughtful, and wonderful you are.”

I moved in even closer so that there was barely an inch between us. Oliver didn’t move back, just looked down at me with wide eyes and a red face. I thought maybe he was going to be at a loss for words but then he spoke.

“I thought you were very loud.” 

I raised an eyebrow. This felt like maybe he was pushing back, had I gone too far? Suddenly feeling that I had overstepped I moved my foot back, intending to create more space, but he stopped me. He reached out and grabbed my shoulders, halting my retreat. His fingers felt warm and the touch gave me butterflies.

“No sorry, that’s not what I meant. I mean, you were loud that day when you yelled out asking for my name, but I didn’t mean loud. I meant bold- I thought you were very bold. When you called out after me I thought that you seemed like someone who didn’t ever waste an opportunity. Like you said what you were thinking and didn’t care what others thought. Then when I saw you get sorted into Hufflepuff I was surprised-”

Yeah Oliver wasn’t the first one to tell me that I seemed a little too rough around the edges for Hufflepuff. When he said it though it didn’t bother me like it did when others said it.

“-but then I heard from my teammates about how kind you were and that you were a really great friend, and it made more sense. And when I watched you dive after Harry at the game I knew that your boldness also applied to your care of others. You would boldly do whatever you needed to for the people who mattered. And I felt that first hand with the time I’ve spent with you. You’re a really good listener and you make me feel like what I have to say is really important and interesting, even when I know it's not. I really like being around you and I want to keep being around you…. So uh, yeah that was my first impression of you and um I guess my impression of you now.”

I would say usually my reaction to something like this from him would be to melt, but actually right now I just wanted to cry. That was honestly one of the nicest things someone had ever said about me, and to me. I had been told I was brash and forward (many times), and usually that was a bad thing. But Oliver took what I often felt like was a negative trait and turned it into something positive and I just… I don’t know if I had ever felt this seen before.

I was about to open my mouth, to thank him for absolutely everything- when my common room entrance flew open. Both he and I jumped, and then turned to see Cedric and Fred coming out looking as sketchy as they had before.

“Oh, hey June, hey Cap- is your date over?” Fred walked up to us, looking like he was trying not to smile.

“Uh, I guess so-” Oliver replied, looking from the two dickheads to me. I was then going to say something about how we were almost done, but Cedric cut me off.

“That’s good, we just finished studying so I was walking Weasley out. It's basically curfew anyway though so you guys better head up to your common room before the head boy catches you.”

“That’s right-” Fred said, nodding and turning back to the other Gryffindor. “I know you and Percy are roommates, but I don’t think he’d cut you any slack, and I know for sure he wouldn’t with me. See you in transfiguration  tomorrow-”

Fred moved forward, pushing Oliver on his back and moving him away. The redhead didn’t even look over at me again as he said his goodbye, instead just focussing all his attention at moving the larger boy up to Gryffindor tower. Oliver did look back though, but he looked just as bewildered as I felt.

“Well we better head in as well-” Cedric said, turning back towards the door. “-double potions with Snape is always easiest to manage with a full night's sleep.”

I stayed standing there in the same spot as I heard Cedric continue to move away. I think his guilty conscience propelled him inside without me, or maybe he was just scared of the backlash that I was going to eventually hurl at him. I knew they had planned this, little shit heads, but at this moment I was still so taken aback I could barely process. I stayed there until Oliver and Fred slipped out of sight. 

I turned, forcing my feet to face the direction of the barrel door. I was starting to feel annoyed, but I knew Cedric was at least right about needing to get enough sleep to deal with Snape as a teacher. We were definitely not through talking (not that I had the chance to speak), but I wasn't going to let myself get into it tonight. I sighed, trying to mskr myself to be okay with how things ended, and took a step forward. My foot froze though as I heard running feet heading my way.

I looked down the hall and was shocked, even more than before, to see Oliver coming at a dead sprint towards me. Before I even had a chance to process that he was standing before me again, breathing heavily. Once he had caught his breath he stepped forward, put his arms around me and brought me into a tight hug. 

When he stepped away a moment later I thought maybe my brain was going to implode from everything that was being thrown at me. But then he looked so deeply into my eyes I thought maybe I could hold off for a little while longer.

“I just wanted to say that I also thought you were really pretty when I first met you and now I think you are the most beautiful girl at this school.” And with that Oliver stooped down and placed a kiss on my cheek, before he quickly turned away and ran back to where I assumed Fred was waiting for him.

Songs:

June: Don’t Go Breaking my Heart- Elton John & Kiki Dee

Oliver: Don’t Go Breaking my Heart- Elton John & Kiki Dee 

Cedric: Crazy- Patsy Cline

Fred: Let’s go Crazy- Prince and the Revolution

Chapter Text

“You know June, I’ve been thinking-” Cedric started as we made our way to Defense Against the Dark Arts. “-maybe Wood isn’t the right choice for you to be going out with.”

“Ced, I cannot keep having this conversation with you.” I replied, feeling tired. It was early in the morning, but I was more exhausted from this constant topic.

Ever since my last date with Oliver I felt like all Cedric ever had to say was how he didn’t think I was making very good choices in my dating life. It had been almost three weeks of this and his reasons seemed to be endless. Honestly though he was getting rather creative; yesterday he talked about how in Divination they learned about star signs and according to Professor Trelawney the Gryffindor and I were not compatible. 

“I just feel like you would be better off dating someone your own age.”

“My own age??” I turned incredulously towards my friend. “Dude, you already know how I feel about dating in our grade. Besides, Oliver and I aren’t even official, we’ve only been on three dates.”

We hadn’t had another date because Oliver was busy preparing for his quidditch plans for the next year and I was getting swamped with OWL preparations, but we did have one planned. He had asked me last week after we had spent a dinner together in the kitchens. He wanted to know if I would go on a date with him on the Hogsmeade weekend (now tomorrow), to which I basically screamed yes. 

So there was no official date for the last three week, but that didn’t mean we hadn’t been spending more time together. Now that I knew where Oliver spent his meals, at least once a day I would wander into the kitchen at lunch or dinner time and find him reading or scribbling away at his little table. We also met up more in the Gryffindor common room, which he had decided to start coming back to earlier than he usually did. 

Every moment with him was as exhilarating but I was really excited for another actual date. I had been giddy with excitement when I told Cedric, which then propelled him into his reasonings against the Gryffindor even more.

“Yes, but he’s two grades ahead of you; that’s too much distance. It's actually rather deviant behavior going after someone that much younger.”

This was rich coming from someone who, probably before the year ended, was going to fall for a 3rd year. I felt annoyed enough right now that I thought I could set up some I told you so, for later.

“Oliver and I are not even two years apart, I don’t think its a big deal. Maybe it would be weird if, say he was a 6th and I was only 4th… but I think now the difference doesn’t matter much. I mean, soon I’ll be 16 and he’ll still be 17 until the summer so the distance will seem even smaller.”

“But you’re still two grades apart.” He grumbled and I rolled my eyes.

“Okay well your concerns are noted.” And our discussion came to an end as we walked into Professor Lupin’s class.

As we took our seats I looked over and saw that Cedric was still pouting and I wanted to continue being annoyed, but I just couldn’t. Even though I didn’t really understand his motives, I believe he thought he was trying to help me. Plus I really had come to adore this boy and all his perfectly odd quirks. I reached out and patted him on the cheek, and then for good measure I reached up and messed up his perfectly placed hair.

“Looks good like that-” Fred said, walking up to our desk with his brother. “-I heard disheveled is really in right now.”

Cedric let out a big huff, got up, and made his way over to one of the mirrors that Lupin had in his room. I watched for a moment as he tried to flatten back down the mess I made, but he was being rather erratic with it.

“He seems like he’s in a mood.” George said, leaning over my desk to watch the Hufflepuff literally smacked his head in an attempt to get a fly away down.

“He’s been in a mood for weeks.” I replied. 

“Oh do tell.” Fred said happily, also leaning down on the desk so both twins were right in my face. I reached over and shoved his away, making George chuckle and stand back up so he didn’t receive the same treatment. Even when they were up though they still looked at me expectantly and so I shrugged.

“I dunno, I mean I know something is bothering him but all he’s talking to me about is how he thinks I’m making a mistake going after Oliver. If there’s an underlying issue I have yet to get it out of him.”

“Alright everyone take your seats.” Lupin called out to the room, coming down from his office.

“Hey George, mind sitting with June today? I think I’d like to partner up with Mr. Perfect for a bit.”

George did a little half shrug half nod. He moved from the front of the desk into the seat next to me while Fred scooped up Cedric's bag and made his way over to the boy who was still not giving up at the mirror. 

“You alright with this?” George asked, turning towards me. I looked at him and then back at Fred who was now talking with Cedric.

“Uh I guess, as long as he’s cool with it.”

I watched in amazement as the brunette finally turned away from the mirror and walked with Fred over to where he and George usually sat. I was reminded immediately of that night after the Slytherin party and then their weird study session during my last date with Oliver. I turned back to George, hoping to interrogate him on his brother’s activity, but Lupin started the lesson.

We were busy practicing hex-deflection for most of the class, so I didn’t have much of a chance to talk with anyone. We partnered up with our seat mates, and so when our teacher was off looking at a different pair of students I tried to get George to talk, but he was evasive. When I asked if he knew why the loathers were suddenly much more friendly he just answered that they had a common interest. I tried to get him to elaborate, but he wouldn’t. One of the times I was attempting to grill him Lupin came by and I got reprimanded for distracting George from practicing. 

When class ended I was going to go over and accost Fred and Cedric before we had to leave for our next class, but Lupin asked me to stay back. What was worse is he even told Cedric that I may be a bit and that he should go ahead and let our next professor know I would be late. I groaned inwardly, wondering why being distracted during the lesson warranted a lecture after class.

“I know what you are thinking and you are not in trouble for talking with Mr. Weasley during class.”

It seemed my thoughts were very easy to read as I walked up to the teacher standing at the base of the stairs. He gestured up towards his office and I followed him in. I had technically seen this room in Hogwarts Legacy, but it looked a bit different in Remus Lupin’s style. He seemed to be really into creatures and had pictures of a lot of different types and even what looked like taxidermy of others. There were also a million books all over; on shelves, tables, and even stacked on the floor.

“Please take a seat,” He said, gesturing to a chair on the side of his book piled desk.

“So… you like to read?” If I wasn’t in trouble for my behavior today I figured this wasn’t going to be too serious of a talk. 

Lupin chuckled. “Yes, learning new things and reading stories has always been a great joy of mine. I’ve found great companionship in literature. And it's actually companionship that I wanted to talk to you about today.”

I raised an eyebrow, but he started talking again before I could ask anything. I guess he realized how weird his statement sounded.

“I understand that you are close with Harry Potter. I have talked with him a few times and he’s mentioned that you two were friends. I was also there at the fateful quidditch game and watched you go after him- I would assume you were highly motivated out of your care for him to do so.”

I shifted around in my seat, feeling a little awkward.  

“Yeah Harry and I are friends, he was the first person I met when I came here. We don’t get to see each other much because we are different houses and grades, but I think we are close.”

Lupin nodded. “Well, as his teacher, I feel inclined to make sure that Harry has the support he needs during what I think is a rather troubling time. I am sure you have noticed that he is struggling right now and I fear that things may continue to get rather difficult for him-”

“You mean because of Sirius Black?” 

It was blunt, but I felt like this conversation was going to take a lot longer unless I brought that out in the open. Even if I didn’t know what was going on in this story I knew that Harry was struggling and I did want to help. If Lupin had ideas on how I could do that I was all ears, but I thought it would be best if we were on the same page. There would be no reason for him to tiptoe around the truth in an attempt to keep me, and thus Harry, in the dark for longer when I already knew everything.

The professor’s eyes got wide, but he stayed silent. I assumed I had really thrown him for a loop and he was likely trying to figure out how much I knew. Probably best if I just told him.

“I know that Sirius Black is here because of Harry and that it's believed he’s the reason Harry’s parents are dead. And before you ask; no I haven’t told any of this to Harry. I know that this isn’t just some gossip to spread around or anything to take lightly. I do care about my friend, and I want to be able to help him.”

Lupin sighed, but it didn’t seem like he was frustrated. He more just looked relieved, and also very tired. He always seemed to look tired though- poor guy. 

“Well, I guess that will make this conversation a lot shorter.” He looked up and smiled, but it was very sad. “I’m glad you haven’t said anything to Harry, but I am afraid that eventually he will find out. Most of the teachers here already know about Sirius Black’s connection to his family and are doing their best to keep him away from it. He does already know that Black is here because of him, although obviously not to its full extent. I think that, understandably, it’s making things difficult for him-”

Yeah the big black dog he keeps seeing everywhere for sure is a source of discomfort. Not to mention the soul sucking dementors and I think I would also put Snape up there on the list because that dude was a jackass. Even though this was technically Harry’s safest year, it was pretty damn distressing. 

“-I am afraid that during the break he may struggle more, what with the lack of classes and homework to distract him. I was told that, along with Harry, you were among the students staying back at school for the Holidays. I know his other two close friends will also be here, but I thought I might ask that you keep an eye on him as well.”

“So you just want me to stay close to him?” If that’s all the advice Lupin had then I was a bit disappointed. 

“Yes. I was also going to suggest, if you wanted, to ask Professor Sprout and McGonagall if you could stay in the Gryffindor tower over the break. From what I understand you are the only one in your house staying over the break and so not only would you not be alone in the evenings, but you could also keep a closer eye on Harry.”

Oh, now that was a good idea. Seems like Lupin wasn’t just a pretty face.

--

My conversation with Lupin had left me deep in thought and by the time I got to Care of Magical Beasts I had long forgotten about Fred and Cedric’s odd colluding. It was hard to think about anything other than the actual plot of the story I was now living, and I had to really strain myself to focus as I got into class.

Hagrid had set things up for our lesson about thestrals, which I forgot he had asked for my help with. We had been studying the horse-like creatures for the past three weeks and since today was the last class before the end of term he finally planned to let us “see” them. I say see, but we were pretty sure that more than half the class wasn’t going to be able to.

The plan had been that he would bring two winged beasts in and I would stand over one while he was at the other. Then the class would split into two groups and we would each help a group to at least feel them out so they could get a rough understanding of how they looked. Normally I didn’t help out in the 5th year classes, but this was an exception. I had done this same thing yesterday for the Slytherin/Gryffindor class and now I would do it for mine.

The teacher was relieved to see me when I finally showed up and put me right to work. There were actually three other kids who could see thestrals, but the rest were blind. As I helped my classmates feel the size of the creature I realized that Cedric wasn’t in my group. I was going to look and see where he was, but I had to focus back on my housemate who had just screamed as the thestral had pushed her hand away with his invisible head.

I ended up staying later in class this time as well, giving Hagrid a hand at letting the black beasts go. Once they were on their way back to their nest I quickly made my way to Herbology, realizing again that I was without Cedric. I thought maybe he would have waited for me this time, but I guess not.

Class started right as I walked in so I hurried to my seat to begin tending to my Belladonna plant. Cedric and I didn’t get to sit together in his room so there was no hope in getting his attention now. But, as much as I wanted to figure out what was going on, my mind kept wandering back to my conversation with Lupin, which felt a lot more pressing right now.

Being two grades ahead of Harry did give me the distance from him like I had wanted, but I think it also separated me a lot from his troubles. I knew he was really going through it and tomorrow things were going to get a lot worse. During the Hogsmeade trip he would sneak down and hear for the first time that Sirius Black allegedly betrayed his parents. 

Harry was my friend, and as much as I wanted to keep myself from getting an X, I also did want to be there to help him. Tomorrow was going to be a really rough day, and so was most of the holiday break. I wished that I could tell him that Sirius Black really wasn’t the bad guy, but I knew I couldn’t. What I could do though was emotionally support him as he worked through everything, which meant that maybe my plans for tomorrow needed to change….

As I pruned and worked through my thoughts, I noticed that I had eyes on me a few times. When I looked over at Cedric though he was busy at work on his own plant- which was a good thing because the Belladonna was deadly, and I probably needed to focus more. It happened a few more times though and finally I found the culprit when I looked up and saw that Adrian Pucey had been staring me down until our eyes met and he looked away. 

I still had yet to talk to the Slytherin, although I honestly was avoiding most people from the green house since the party. Hufflepuffs shared Herbology and Charms with the Slytherins, and although usually my time was spent with Cedric, I did get a chance to chat with others. There had been times in the past few weeks that I casually attempted to talk to Adrian because of things like class discussion, but the black haired boy never responded. Again, I thought it was weird, but I didn’t push it. 

His staring gave me a kind of uneasy feeling though, that only added to my worries. Now that I had promised Lupin I would do my best to be there for Harry, I knew that I would have to cancel my date with Oliver- which I REALLY didn’t want to do. There would be other dates though (I hoped), but Harry would only find out Sirius Black’s betrayal once (and then later he would find out it was Peter Pettigrew, but I did NOT want to be there for that one.)

--

I chose to stay late in class again, for one I needed to talk to Sprout about staying in Gryffindor tower, and two I wanted to give Cedric the space he evidently wanted. I wasn’t done with him though and if he didn’t talk to me or at least tell me he needed space by the end of the day I was going to confront him. I didn’t want to have to go into the break on Sunday knowing we weren’t on good terms.

Sprout had said she would talk to McGonagall about staying in Gryffindor, but she said that it would likely be fine. I told her I had some 5th year friends in the house and offered to ask if I could use their beds. She said not to worry about it and they would work it all out, so I left. Cedric did not wait for me, as expected, and so I walked by myself back into the castle.

I decided to head down towards the kitchens, knowing that’s where Oliver would likely be. I wanted to put off canceling our date for as long as possible, but that wouldn’t be fair to him. Technically I didn't even have plans to be with Harry tomorrow, but he wouldn’t even know he could go to Hogsmeade until Fred and George gave him the map. I’m sure I could figure it out when I was there though- I would just have to tail Ron and Hermione.

When I walked into the busy room I saw the elves hurrying about at their work. Toppy, the house elf I had spoken to during my date and who I had been able to talk more with since, saw me walk in and waved. I smiled, but she turned quickly back to her work. Moving forward I made sure to stay out of anyone's way and stopped as the little table came into view. My heart hammered in my chest when I saw him and I was really starting to rethink my whole plan.

Oliver looked up from his page he was looking over, saw me, and grinned.

“June!” He called out happily, and I wanted to die. I forced myself to smile back, even though my heart was breaking a little bit. 

“I wasn’t expecting you today,” He said, still smiling. “I thought maybe you would want to eat with your friends since it's almost break.”

“Well Cedric has started avoiding me for some reason so I thought it would be best to give him some space-” I took my seat, forcing myself to keep meeting his eyes. “-also, there’s something I wanted to talk with you about.”

Then I told Oliver everything that I could, which mostly just consisted of Lupin asking me to keep an eye out for Harry over the break. I guess Oliver had been able to tell that his seeker was a bit off as well because he mentioned that the 3rd year seemed pretty down during practices. Then I told him that I wanted to spend some time with Harry tomorrow, and also decided to go around Hogsmeade with his two friends and talk about ways we might be able to help him more.

“-so I’m afraid that it won't leave us very much time for our date. I thought it might just be better to cancel it instead of making you go all the way out there just to leave.” I ended sadly. I tried not to let my emotions out, but I really was not feeling great about it.

Oliver just sat there quietly, his expression unreadable. Usually he was pretty easy to read, but I really couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Was he sad that the date was canceled? Relieved that he wouldn’t have to go out there now? Was he going to miss me- because I was sure as hell going to miss him.

“Well, I can’t say that I’m not disappointed, but I understand your reasoning. I’m glad that you want to be there for Harry, but do you really think there won't be any time for us to be together?”

My heart skipped a beat. “I mean, I don’t know. If there is I know it won't be very long- will that be worth it?”

“Yes.” He replied without hesitation. My heart skipped multiple beats this time and I got butterflies. “Actually there is something in particular that I wanted us to do when we were there, so do you think that we could walk down together and then go to my planned spot? I promise it won't be long, and then once we are done you can go do whatever you need to.”

“I think that would be okay!” I said happily. “Honestly I am glad you still want to go with me. I was sad we would have to totally cancel, because I really wanted to go out with you again. I’m going to miss you over the break and it would have been harder without spending some time together tomorrow.”

Oliver’s cheeks went pink- something that now was happening less and less but still made me giggle inwardly when it did. 

“I’m going to miss you too,” He said, looking away briefly. “Are you um, are you eating here or will you head back up?”

“I’ll eat here if that’s okay with you-” At my words a plate was immediately brought down in front of me and I turned to see Toppy walk away with a wink.

--

As I headed back to my common room I had this bittersweet feeling. A lot had happened today, and most of it was weird and kind of draining. Cedric and Fred were still being strange, which I thought they had stopped, but apparently not. Harry was struggling and I realized that I should have been doing more as a friend (and with the fact I knew his story), and because of that I had to cancel my date with Oliver. Although, it wasn’t truly canceled, just shortened. I wanted to keep celebrating in that, but then I thought about how I wouldn’t see him for like weeks and felt down again. 

I think maybe I was just feeling tired- it had been a long day. Having dinner with Oliver had cheered me up considerably, but now that we were apart again I had lost all my cheer. Hopefully tomorrow I would feel better, if only for Harry’s sake.

In the common room there was lots of happy chatter at the start of the holidays. Tomorrow would be the last full day before break, but it was a Saturday so really it was like it started now. I didn’t feel much like celebrating though, so I made my way to my dorm room to make it an early night. On my way there I bumped into someone, my thoughts clouding my vision. I looked up to apologize, but realized it was Cedric standing before me.

“Oh, sorry Ced.” I replied wearily. It barely even occurred that this was the first time he had faced me since class this morning.

“Are you alright?” He asked, dropping what looked like hesitation and turning full on concerned.

“Yeah, I’m okay. I’m just feeling a little down.”

“Come with me-” he reached out and grabbed my arm and began to gently pull me away from the middle of the room. I followed, not really having the energy to do much else. He moved us over to a semi secluded part of the common room, which was somehow uninhabited by the many students in the area. There was a small two person sofa that he plopped us down on, then he turned back to me, his eyes full of worry.

“Listen, I’m sorry about today. I just, I know you know I don’t like the idea of you and Oliver together, but I let it cloud my judgment. You’re allowed to go out with whoever you want and I should be supportive and I’m sorry I wasn’t.”

I smiled up at him, glad that at least this was finally resolved. Before answering I turned my body so I was facing out and leaned my head over on his shoulder. I was tired and honestly wanted more of a rest, but I also had missed my friend today.

“Thanks for saying that. For the record though, I think it's fine you have our own opinion about me and Oliver. I was mostly upset because you avoided me instead of talking about it.”

Cedric sighed, and my head moved along with the rise and fall of his shoulders.

“I’m sorry about that too. After talking with Weasley in class I realized I was making too big of a deal about it. Well at first I was sorta defensive about it, but then I realized he was right and I just felt bad and embarrassed. So I avoided you because of that, which was wrong of me. I promise I won't do it again.”

“Fred talked to you about that?” I didn’t move my head to look at his reaction, but I could feel him tense up.

“Uh yeah, but um, was that all the reason you were upset? Did you end up getting in trouble with Professor Lupin?”

I knew that I could push him more on the conversation with Fred, but I was feeling too tired.

“No I didn’t get in trouble, he just wanted to talk to me about something. His talk made me realize though that I have some things I’ve been neglecting, so I ended up deciding to cancel my date with Oliver for tomorrow. I’m still planning to walk into town with him, but then I have to do my other stuff. I told him a little while ago and I think I’m still feeling bad from that too.”

“You- you canceled your date? Really?”

I just nodded, not wanting to get into it much more. I was tired and ready for bed, and it was made even worse with the warm common room and the soft sofa we were sitting on. I felt even more relaxed as Cedric leaned his head onto mine so I was cradled into him more. I was really going to miss him over the break, and I was glad that we had sorted things out before he left. Sometimes life got a little rough in this new life of mine, but it was moments like these that reminded me how lucky I was for this chance.

Songs:

June: SOS- ABBA

Cedric: Let it Be- The Beatles

Fred: Faith- George Michael

Oliver: I’m Gonna Be (500 miles)- The Proclaimers

Chapter Text

The air around the castle hummed with excitement. It was the day before the Holiday break meaning no classes, no need to focus on homework, and for older students it also meant a trip into Hogsmeade. Everyone was excited, and I could feel it even from the moment I opened my eyes. Specially I heard it though because early in the morning I was woken up by a gaggle of giggles from my roommates as they got ready to head into town.

Now don’t get me wrong, I was excited too, but I was also feeling a little nervous. It was a big day for a lot of reasons; a date with Oliver, Harry’s big revelation, and tonight my friends were all getting together for a little party because they would be leaving tomorrow. So other than the Sirius Black betraying Harry's parents stuff, it was supposed to be a good time. It's just that being there when your friend found out his parents were stabbed in the back (allegedly) by their best friend really held its weight.

I almost wanted to go back to sleep, to try to avoid the anxious thoughts I was having- but there was no time. I had things that needed to get done before any of the planned events I listed started. So I popped out of bed, said hello to my chipper roommates, and got ready enough to head to breakfast. By the time I made it downstairs it seemed almost everyone was up and going, including Cedric.

“Good morning,” The Hufflepuff said with a grin. He looked awfully happy today, especially compared to how sulkey he had been for the last few weeks.

“Morning, have you been down to breakfast yet?”

“No, actually I’ve been waiting for you. Shall we go?”

I nodded and we headed off. As we walked Cedric was extra friendly to everyone we passed. He wished everyone an early Happy Christmas and other assortments of seasonal greetings. He was so chatty with everyone else I didn’t even get a word in before we reached the great hall. Not that it mattered too much, I had a lot on my mind anyway.

As we walked in I scanned over to the table on the far right and looked for a head of fluffy brown hair. When I spotted it I reached out to Cedric, who was still happily greeting everyone who came through the door, to get his attention.

“Hey I’ll be right back, I need to talk to someone real quick,”

“Oh okay, I’ll go grab us a seat.”

We separated and I moved down the line until I was right up to the 3rd year.

“Hey Hermione, can I talk to you?”

The girl looked up, surprised but I think pleased to see me.

“Sure!”

There was a brief exchange of pleasantries and catching up, but I pretty quickly got into the main subject. I asked if she and Ron were going to Hogsmead today, and if they would be willing to let me tag along.

“But I thought that last we talked you said you were going with Oliver.” Ah damn, I forgot I had talked with her about that a few Care of Magical Creatures classes ago.

“Well initially that was the plan, but I sorta canceled it. I was hoping that instead I could tag along with you and Ron, and we could talk about Harry. I can get into it more later if you guys are okay with it. The gist though is I was hoping we could work together to come up with some more ways to support Harry with- well with everything going on.”

Once she heard my reasoning she was totally on board, which I assumed she would be. Although I knew sometimes Hermione’s priorities could get a little skewed, she almost always did what she could to help her friends. I mean, they weren’t called the golden trio for nothing.

We planned to meet up at 11, which was an hour after most people left to go to Hogsmeade. The Gryffindor had asked that we meet at the Quidditch shop, the same one I had ordered my broom from, so I could give my opinion on a gift for Harry. When everything was decided I was going to get up and head to my own table, when I heard a familiar voice come up from behind me.

“Well well well, what do we have here? A little badger come to sit with the Lions?” 

I turned towards Fred, who had that mischievous twinkle in his eye. George was also there, but he seemed like he wanted to focus on the food rather than the conversation, and sat right down.

“Hey, don’t underestimate badgers; they seem small but they can pack a punch. Honey badgers are actually known to fight against even lions when provoked.”

“How do you know that?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

I shrugged. “Anyway, I was actually moving back to my table so you don’t have to worry about an attack and can eat in peace.”

I stood, ready to take my leave, but then Fred swooped back in.

“Hey I don’t mind a boisterous meal, why don’t you stay?”

“I would, but Ced is already saving me a seat-” I looked over at my table which was just to the side and saw the boy sitting closer to the back. He was chatting with another Hufflepuff boy across the table, but then he must have felt me staring and looked up. Our eyes met and his smile got bigger as he waved over at me. I chuckled and waved back, feeling like a little kid.

“It's honestly revolting how happy he is in the mornings.” 

I turned back to look at Fred, who had his nose upturned as he looked over at the other boy. Was this not the same person who happily teased me just moments ago? He seemed rather cheerful then.

“I thought you guys were friends now?” I asked, looking him up and down.

“They’re not friends, they're allies.” George’s voice came in, making us both look down and over at him. He smiled as he poked his head out from the side of his brother.

“Allies? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well would you look at the time-” Fred said, moving quickly behind me. He placed his hands on my back and started pushing me away. “-you better go eat your breakfast with Mr. Perfect so you aren’t late for your date. Wouldn’t want to keep Wood waiting.”

I tried to push back against him, but he was just too damn strong. He was also rather fast as well because I tried to lean to the side and circle back, but he blocked my way. If I wasn’t so annoyed I would have been impressed. He ended up pushing me all the way to where Cedric was sitting, and with those same strong arms he literally picked me up and sat me down on the bench.

“Keep her here, would you Diggory?” Fred said, looking at Cedric. “My dear brother is a bit too chatty this morning.” Then he turned and left, leaving me to grumble my annoyance into my food.

--

After breakfast I headed back to my dorm, wanting to spend some extra time getting ready. My date with Oliver was going to be little, but that just meant I needed to make an extra good impression with the time I got. 

As I got ready to walk down to the snowy town, I think I understood Cedric’s hatred for his scarf and coat. No matter what I tried I felt like I just did not look attractive with most of my body hidden under so many layers. I still didn’t think Cedric had much leg to stand on though, because he was attractive enough that even though he had been dressing warmer the last month he still looked just as good. Not me though, I looked like a striped yellow marshmallow. 

When it came to dressing warm though, the key was to just make sure you looked really good under all of the layers. That way when you eventually take everything off it's like this big reveal, and you look hotter in comparison. I didn’t have a lot to work with as far as clothing went, but I was feeling really motivated today.

Even though in the Harry Potter fills you could barely tell, it was still the 90s. The clothes I had bought before coming to school were not necessarily what I would have originally chosen for myself. Most things I had were just basic jeans and t-shirts of varying sleeve lengths, avoiding any radical fashion choices. That wasn’t going to do for today though- and luckily I had really been working hard on my magic.

In an attempt to make some of my own gifts for my friends, I had learned a lot of new magic. Most of what I learned was above what someone my age should be able to do, but that didn’t stop me. I had maxed my stats out on spell work, which I now understood meant that I could do any spell I wanted as long as I knew the incantation and the general wand work. It made me an ace in classes like charms and transfiguration, but it also helped with my side projects.

Looking at my clothes in the mirror, I focussed on the transfiguration spell I had been practicing. All I needed to do was think about what I wanted the clothes to look like and utter the incantation. My inspiration for today was Sandy’s final look from the 1978 movie Grease , which by the way also had a stellar soundtrack. I wanted tight, I wanted black, and I wanted hot- although also still practical.

After doing the spell work I looked back in the mirror and saw my jeans had become tighter and black, a bit more manageable than skin tight leather pants. My shirt was now a tight black sweater that came off the shoulders, with specs of golden yellow spotted around it for a Hufflepuff flare. It looked great! I looked hot without anything overtly slutty (not that I slutty was bad, just not the vibe for today), and I was also practical enough for the winter. 

To finish everything off I curled my hair and put on some combat boots (woot woot 90s). Going over the final look again I thought that I needed a necklace, but I still didn’t have one. I could probably use magic to work something out, but I was almost already late as is. So I grabbed my coat, hat, scarf, and of course bag- and left to go meet Oliver.

As I made my way out into the courtyard that then exited towards the town, I was overcome with, I dunno maybe some form of the Christmas spirit or something. Maybe all of Cedric’s holiday cheer had rubbed off on me because I felt like I was looking out at something truly magical. With the snow all around and the laughing moving through the wind from the excited students, it felt like I was in a story book. And technically I was, but I’m talking about a kids Christmas picture book with vibrant colors and melodic words. 

Even with all my anxieties from before looking out made me feel calm, content, and just peaceful. Unfortunately that peace didn’t last long as I was struck on the side of the head with a snowball and it rather ruined the vibe. I turned to see Fred jogging up looking very pleased with himself. 

“You’re quite the easy target, just standing there practically asking to get hit.”

“I was trying to enjoy the view.” I replied, wiping the remaining snow off my face and hat. I glared over him, but he still smiled. “I will be getting you back for this.”

“I would expect nothing less.” He reached over and brushed some of the snow that had collected on my hair that I had missed.

“Where’s George?” I asked, realizing that Fred was solo.

“He’s just saying goodbye to Lee, I’m sure he’ll be back in a minute.”

“Saying goodbye? He’s not leaving today is he?”

Fred shook his head, “No no, he’s just going into town. We all still have to get gifts for each other so we are spacing it out so none of us see what anyone else is getting.”

“Ah, smart plan. Do you already know what you are getting them?”

“Yup! Just have to buy it. What about you? Do you have shopping to do today?” As he spoke he reached down, collected more snow and started forming it into a ball. I watched him warily, but answered.

“Not really, if I do it will just be extra stuff. I made most of my gifts, or had to outsource to get them.”

“Well that is probably for the best right? Don’t want to spend all your time with Wood shopping for gifts.” 

He made the comment like a joke, but there was a weird tone in his voice. I might have pushed him on it, but I realized I had forgotten to tell him about the date. 

“Oh I canceled the date or um well most of it anyway. We are still walking into town together, but we will be splitting off after.”

There was a muffled thud as the snowball slipped from Fred’s hands and landed back in the snow. He looked over at me, totally shocked, his mouth hanging open a little. I didn’t think canceling the date was that big of a deal, but obviously it was. I was going to explain myself more, but right then George popped up out of nowhere and threw his arm around his brother.

“Sent Lee off.” He said with a smile, then he looked down at his brother and it wavered. “Did I miss something?”

“I was just telling Fred that I canceled most of my date with Oliver today. I decided to spend the afternoon with Hermione Granger and your little brother. I’ve been worried about Harry and we are hopefully going to think of ways we can help him out.”

George’s eyebrows went up, obviously also surprised, but much less dramatic than his brother.

“Ah well, that’s kind of you.” Was all he replied.

“Eh, it’s more me playing catch up. With OWLs, quidditch, and just everything else going on I feel like I haven’t been a great friend to him. I want to do better though, and he really has been having a hard time.” I looked between the two boys, suddenly getting a little idea. “I wish I could find a way to get him to Hogsmeade though, I feel like that would really lift his spirits. But I don’t know what to do about that. Anyway, I gotta go- I’ll see you guys tonight.”

With that I waved goodbye and started back down to meet Oliver. After I was out a ways I tentatively looked back and saw that the twins had disappeared. I knew that they didn’t need any motivation from me to get them to give Harry the marauders map, it was in the original story after all. It was kinda fun to feel part of it though, almost like I had a hand in it.

I was back in good spirits as I moved through the snow- and they were made even lighter when Oliver came into view. He was dressed warm; warmer than he had on our last date. He had a puffy coat, his gryffindor scarf and-

“Nice hat!” I said, walking up. Oliver turned and smiled as he saw me, mindlessly reaching up towards his very purple hat.

“Th-thanks, it's for the Pride of Portree.”

“Ah, your family’s quidditch team,” I responded, remembering our conversation about said team a few nights ago. The team originated in Scotland, not too far from where Oliver’s family was from. It's not where they lived now, but supporting the team had been generational at this point.

“You remembered!” He said happily, his smile getting more broad. It made my stomach flutter.

“Of course, I want to remember everything about you.” 

At that his cheeks turned pink, now matching the color of his nose. I don’t know if I would ever get tired of seeing him blush. It felt like a little triumph everytime it happened. I had never enjoyed making people flustered before, but something with him was just different. Smiling, I started to move forward, starting our walk into town.

“Actually, I think I remember that detail most-” I continued once he was walking beside me. “-because right after is when you told me that you somehow don’t have a favorite quidditch team of your own.”

Shocking right? Oliver Quidditch Wood didn’t have his own favorite team. It had come as a shock when he told me, and I almost didn’t believe it. To him though, it was less about supporting teams and rather just about the game. He loved quidditch, no matter who was playing. He cheered for his family’s team, but it wasn’t like he had an undying love for it. But it seemed he liked them enough to wear their colors on a hat.

“I’ve been thinking about that though, and I don’t know if that’s actually true.” I looked over as he spoke, feeling my heart warm as I saw that light in his eyes he always had when he talked about anything with his sport. “When it comes to quidditch here at school, I for sure say that my favorite team is Gryffindor, but I think that’s because it’s my team. I think once I graduate and make a professional team I will feel the same way, and that team will be my favorite.”

“Hm, yeah that makes a lot of sense. You are putting in all your energy towards your house team so it becomes more meaningful to you. When you are just watching a match you don’t really have any stakes in the game, but when you are playing or practicing as a team then it's totally different.”

“Exactly! That’s exactly how I feel!” He turned towards me, a huge smile on his face. “I feel like you always understand me so well.”

I chuckled. “I think that’s less about me and just you being easy to understand.”

“Oh I don’t know about that, I feel like there aren’t many other people around here that really understand me. Even my team doesn’t quite get it- they don’t see things as seriously as I do. But with you-” He stopped walking and turned so he was fully facing me. “-with you, I feel like you not only listen to me, but you accept me too. With you I feel like I can be my full self and it feels so great!”

I felt my face warm, and I wondered if I was going to melt the snow right from under me. I know I said I liked seeing him flustered, but honestly it was nothing compared to what he could do to me. It took a lot to get me speechless, but his total honesty had done it on more than one occasion. I had to wait a moment before I found my voice again, but even then it was more quiet than I would have liked.

“I’m really glad I can make you feel that way, because I do like all of you and I would be disappointed if I only got to see part.” It felt like a lame response to his words but it was honestly all I could get out.

Oliver didn’t seem to mind though, and was smiling even brighter after (and I’m talking like Cedric level bright). I thought we were going to just start walking again, but I was surprised when he reached over and grabbed my hand, holding it tight. He had technically held my hand before, but it felt a lot more intimate now- even with our gloves on. With his face going pink again he started to walk forward, bringing me in next to him.

We walked in silence for a little bit, I think both of us were a little too flustered to talk. It really wasn’t bad or awkward though- just a content silence as we stepped through the snow covered path.

--

Turns out that I didn’t really need to worry about what I was wearing, because we ended up staying outside for most of our time together. Once we got into town Oliver insisted that we go check on the status of my broom at Spintwitches Sporting Needs, since it still hadn’t come in yet. That was the only time we went inside a building together, and it was short so no need to remove a jacket.

While in the shop, the store clerk mentioned that many brooms were on back order because of the holidays, but that mine should be arriving at any time. During the conversation Oliver moved away for a moment to look at some other quidditch thing. I took the opportunity to ask the worker if he would keep it at the shop for me to pick up, rather than sending it to the school. He agreed. This way I could have another easy excuse to bring Oliver back here with me, and maybe we could test out the broom together on the way back like we had before. 

Before we left I checked around the shop, just making sure my Gryffindor 3rd years weren’t already here. They weren’t, thankfully, and so I left with the 7th year without feeling much stress. Once we were back outside he reached over to hold my hand again and I prayed that this was going to be a more frequent thing.

I followed him through the busy streets, passing happy shoppers and even some carolers. I wasn’t sure where he was going, but I was still surprised when he pulled us through a little alleyway between buildings, away from the bustle of the streets. When we popped back out we were in a little fenced off area that I didn’t really understand the purpose of. It wasn’t visible from the main streets and didn’t have any tables or chairs. There was a little pond that was well frozen over, and trees that covered the edge of the area. It was cute; very picturesque, especially with all the winter snow. 

“It’s just over here,” Oliver said, moving us forward again. I wasn’t sure what it was referring to, but I followed anyway.

On the far end of the little area there was a bridge, which I hadn’t noticed before. Once over it led you to some icy steps that were a little treacherous to walk up, but we managed. Once we were up my eyes went wide at the beautiful view of the valley. Hogsmeade was up on a hill, which obviously wasn’t anything compared to the giant towers of the castle, but it felt quite substantial now. 

Moving to the fence you could look down and see a few of the little clusters of homes that littered the area. All of them were snow covered and looked like gingerbread houses. With the sun shining through the partially clouded sky it made all the snow crystal glitter and it seemed like the whole valley was made of something like diamond. It was truly magical, the kind that didn’t need actual magic to dazzle.

“I stumbled across this place a few years ago in my third year” Oliver started, looking out at the view. “The streets were just so busy and I felt like I needed a place to breathe. Once I made it over here though, I thought that there had to be some sort of silencing charm put on the area because it was like the rest of the town just vanished.”

At that moment I turned my attention to what I now realized was the absence of sound. He was totally right, you couldn’t hear any of the noise from before. It really was strange, since we weren’t that far removed. It really added to the serenity of the area though- again, like magic. 

“I remember thinking that I wanted to show this place to someone. I didn’t really have anyone that I was close to back then though, and I’ve never felt the need to show anyone since. I mean, I have friends, and great teammates, but it just didn’t seem right. But then I met you-”

Oliver turned towards me, and I felt my heart move into my throat. He was still holding my hand and squeezed it even tighter.

“-At first, I didn’t realize how special you were. I thought you were very bold, which I told you about already, and also maybe a little odd at times. It wasn’t until the end of our second date though that I realized you were starting to be something more to me than anyone ever had before. I already knew that I liked spending time with you, but when you said goodbye on the castle steps it was the first time I wanted to ask someone to stay. I realized that I wanted to fly you back into town and show you this place, and hoped you would come back here with me again.”

The wind blew, and I felt it move across my face, but there was no cold. I don’t know if my face was necessarily flushed, because my entire body just seemed to be on fire. I was sure he would be able to feel it through my glove, but he didn’t seem to care because he reached out and grabbed my other hand as well, moving us closer.

“I really like you June, I want to keep spending time with you and showing you all the things and places I love. I’ve never felt this way about another person and I don’t really know what I’m doing, but I feel like if I don’t do something I’ll go crazy. I want to be with you, together, officially- is that um, is that something that you want too?”

I feel like if this was a romance novel I would have maybe started crying and nodded my head and whispered yes. Or maybe I would have started my own speech about how great Oliver was and how much joy I felt when I was with him. This wasn’t a romance novel though, if anything this was closer to a romantic comedy, and so instead of doing those things my natural reaction was to scream out YES- and throw myself onto him. 

He was not expecting such a dramatic reaction and even though he was a lot taller and stronger than me, my force was enough to make him stumble, slip, and we both fell to the ground. I think we were both a little shocked as I sprawled on top of him while he lay in the snow, but as soon as our eyes locked we both broke into a smile and started laughing. 

I ended up laughing so hard I literally rolled right off of him, which made me laugh even more. By the time I calmed down, the muscles in my abdomen ached so much I couldn’t even sit up. Oliver was quick though, getting to his feet and offering me a hand. When I popped back up I looked at him, and noticed his hat had fallen off. His brown hair was sticking out all over the place, but it was absolutely doing it for me. 

I looked around and spotted the purple hat just a little ways off. I moved quickly, burning my abdomen muscles again as I reached down to scoop it up. When I turned back to him, holding out the garment my heart started doing flips at his beautiful red and smiling face. 

“So, you’re my girlfriend now?” He asked as he took back his hat. He kept it in his hands, wringing it nervously.

My face muscles also hurt, but I still managed to smile wider. “Yeah, I’m your girlfriend.”

Then Oliver got this giddy look on his face that I had only even seen when he was talking about some aspect of quidditch that he especially loved. It was like a step above the usual light in his eyes. Usually it was when something had gone really well at practice, or when he talked about the world cup. But now he was making it because of me and I wanted to live in this moment forever.

“Wow I wish I had a way to take a photograph of you!” He exclaimed, surprising me. “I don’t think my family is going to believe me when I tell them.”

I giggled. “Oh and here I was thinking you just wanted to be able to look at me while you were away.”

Even though his face was still red from laughing, I somehow managed to make it even darker. I hoped he stayed this easy to tease forever.

--

That little garden area wasn’t the only quiet place in town; the shrieking shack also lay silent up on the hill. I made my way over the fence, a parcel in my hand. Before parting Oliver had given me a little sack of food that he said he had prepared, with the help of the kitchen elves, so I could give it to the stray dog that I fed last time we were here. Even after asking me to be his girlfriend I didn’t realize I could so immediately be even more into him than before. I gave him another huge hug after; this one not knocking him over, and kissed his pink cheek.

We had said goodbye then, and I made my way towards the haunted house before I had to meet up with Hermione and Ron. I was practically flying as I made my way over- totally over the moon with everything that had gone down. It was hard to believe that after all the time I had spent pining after this boy, he actually wanted to go out with me. We were exclusive- only seeing each other. Not that the distinction really mattered, I mean he obviously wasn’t going after any other girls, and I was virtually obsessed at this point, but I enjoyed the sentiment anyway.

I looked down at the little package in my hand, and while I had LOVED that he had remembered and prepared this for me, I felt a little confused. Was this supposed to be my Christmas gift? I mean, if it was that was totally fine, but I just wanted to know for sure. See when I had been getting everyone’s gifts ready I wasn’t sure what level of gift I should get for Oliver. I felt pretty sure before today that he liked me, but I didn’t want to overwhelm him with a Christmas gift that was too much.

When planning for him, I wanted to get something quidditch related but I wasn’t sure what. Thinking about events in the book I first decided to go with quidditch goggles that were impervious to rain and other elements. I ended up going through the room or requirement (such a useful room), finding an old pair, making them look brand new, and putting all the charms on them. When I was done though it felt too impersonal, even though I had worked on them myself. 

I think I went too far to the other end though and made something too weirdly intimate for our current relationship. I ended up putting together a broom charm; something to hang on his broom when he was flying around. The materials were enchanted red and yellow strings tied together and holding a yellow rose that had the hardening charm used on it. I thought it had looked nice, but it seemed like a bit too much.

But really, it all depended on if Oliver even gave me a gift, and what it was if he did. If it was something small I would go with small, something intimate I would go with intimate. Unfortunately I didn’t know if this gesture was my gift or not because it wasn’t specifically implied. Just in case though, I had better come up with something comparable, because I don’t think my stuff would fit.

As I continued to walk along there was a rustling in the bushes and I shouldn’t have been surprised to see Crookshanks, but I still jumped. I understand that she was a magical creature, but I didn’t understand how she always knew I was going to be here.

“Hello again friend,” I said, reaching down and scooping her up. Even through my jacket I could feel her warmth. “I’ve got a gift for our other friend and I was hoping you would deliver again. I promise I will compensate you this time- I’ll be staying with your mom so I’ll get to see you all the time. Whenever you hop on my lap I promise to drop whatever I am doing and give you all the pets.”

At that Crookshanks hopped out of my arms, and landed on the previously untouched snow. She turned towards me, her tail swishing lazily behind her. Assuming that was her agreeing to my term, I stooped back down, layed out the package and gave her another scratch on the head for good measure. I wanted to stay for a bit more, but Hermione and Ron were likely already waiting for me so I decided to go.

The two Gryffindors were already waiting for me by the time I made it back to the quidditch shop, but they didn’t seem upset about it. It was a bit awkward at first, just talking with the two of them without Harry, but it didn’t last long. They were fun, even if they were polar opposites. Even just shopping in the store, Hermione wanted to take her time and look through everything, while Ron was happy to scan around bouncing to whatever looked coolest. They bickered quite a bit about it, but it was kind of endearing (but also I could see why Harry got tired of it).

When we made it into HoneyDukes, I couldn’t help but look expectantly around for Harry. This was the store he would come to through the secret entrance, and so assuming things moved along as planned, he should be here at any time. Eventually I was distracted though as Hermione pulled me over to where her and Ron were looking at candy to get Harry.

“Why not try something more normal. ” I said after the two looked over blood flavored suckers bug themed chocolate. I get that wizards were eccentric, but come on- who was buying these?

“Ah but that’s boring. I want to get him something fun!” Ron looked around the store, probably trying to spot something flashy. 

“Oh I’ve heard of a game that we can play with the jelly beans,” I said, drawing his attention back. “You take two flavors that look the same, but are totally different and then two people have to try them.” (Bean Boozled anyone?)

“That sounds fun!” The boy replied happily, and then raced off to go and find a box.

“It’s a shame you won't be able to play it though,” Hermione said, looking away from where Ron went. “It would be more fun with four.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Why can’t I?” 

“Well you have that party tonight with the 5th years, and then it's break.”

“Oh shit, has nobody told you guys? I’m staying at Hogwarts for the break.”

Her eyes went wide. “You are??”

“Yeah, I thought Harry would have told you guys. I mean, I didn’t explicitly say I was staying, but he knows I don’t have any family to go to.”

“But we just assumed that maybe you were going to stay with Cedric Diggory, or maybe even Oliver Wood.”

Oh man, Christmas with Oliver Wood? Damn, if only. Actually though, I hadn’t told Oliver, or Cedric, or really anyone else that I wasn’t leaving for the Holidays. When anyone asked I just changed the subject or focussed the attention on someone else to answer. I didn’t want to hide it per say, but I just didn’t want anyone to feel bad for or pity me. I had planned to tell Harry though, knowing he was going to stay as well, I just didn’t get around to it. 

I shook my head. “No, I’m staying here. Also, since I’m the only Hufflepuff staying, I got permission to stay in Gryffindor tower over the break as well-”

“You’re staying with us??”

Both Hermione and I jumped as Harry popped up behind us, his question echoing around in my ears. This isn’t how it went down in the book, but I guess it was close enough. He was smiling so big as he looked between the two of us, his eyes as wild as his hair. I guess we were already doing pretty good at the cheering up thing.

Songs:

June: I Want to Hold your Hand- The Beatles

Oliver: I’m Gonna Be (500 miles)- The Proclaimers 

---Starting into the Christmas songs

Cedric: Merry Christmas, Baby- The Beach Boys

Fred: I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas- Gayla Peevey (I dunno I feel like he'd like this song)

Chapter Text

I wanted to avoid going into the three broomsticks; avoid the whole ordeal about Harry finding out about Sirius Black. It felt like things would have been better for everyone if the boy could continue to be kept in the dark, if only because it wasn’t actually the truth. As we moved through Hogsmeade though my arm itched where my three black squares were, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to say anything when Ron suggested we all get a drink. 

I tried to reason with myself to at least attempt to get the guilt from piling too high in my chest. Harry probably would have found out about it all anyway; if not now, then Draco would have said something eventually. And at least he would find out the truth in the end. 

As we walked into the Three Broomsticks I realized it was a lot more crowded than the last time I was here. Probably because it was colder outside than in the fall, or maybe people were more apt to drink before the holidays. Either way, it made for a very lively atmosphere, and helped keep any attention away from Harry. I wish book Harry had been as smart as his movie counterpart and brought his invisibility cloak though. Just because he made it all the way here doesn’t mean he wasn’t going to still get in trouble if he was seen.

Ron offered to go get drinks and so I moved with the other two to the corner table next to the Christmas tree. Finally I was able to shed some layers, but as I took off my winter gear Hermione let out a little gasp that made me turn.

“You look amazing!” She said in awe as I stood in front of our table, coat bundled over my arm. I felt my cheeks warm from the unexpected compliment. 

“Oh uh thank you. I put in some extra effort for my date, but we stayed outside almost the whole time so it didn’t really matter.”

“Well you look really nice,” The girl replied with a smile, then turned towards the boy sitting next to her. “Don’t you think?”

I looked over at Harry, who when we made eye contact went very red in the face. He coughed out some incoherent reply, and now was looking anywhere but at me. Feeling like things had gotten sorta weird, I offered to go and help Ron bring the drinks over. I set my stuff down and then turned towards the bar, hoping some space would help Harry cool off.

Ron’s red hair wasn’t anywhere to be seen, but there were quite a few people standing around the bar. I didn’t really want to push my way into the crowd, so I decided to wait off to the side and watch for him to emerge. I leaned on a beam as I watched the crowd, just taking in all the sights, sounds, and smells of the busy tavern. It was a nice moment, but it didn’t last.

As I stood, I had the sensation that someone was watching me. It sent a shiver down my spine and I turned quickly around to see where the eerie sensation was coming from. As I flicked my head around I caught the attention of the people sitting near me, but I knew the feeling wasn’t from them. When I locked eyes with him though, I knew where the source of my discomfort was coming from.

“ Fuck.” I grumbled as Marcus Flint stood from his seat a little ways across the room and started making his way over. I wanted to run away back to my table, but I also didn’t want him spotting Harry.

“I didn’t expect to see you.” The older boy said, his smile looking less friendly and more threatening.

“Yeah well I’m just having a drink with friends,” I replied, looking past the boy over to where I hoped Ron would appear. 

“You could come sit with us,” Flint gestured over to where he had been sitting with I assume other Slytherins. I didn’t look over though, I just kept looking past him.

“No thanks. I’m actually going to go help one of my friends carry the drinks so I better-” I went to step away, but I stopped in my tracks as the Slytherin boy reached out with lightning fast speed and grabbed my wrist.

“You never want to talk.” 

I yanked my arm away, his grip tightening before I pulled it free.

“There might be a reason for that.” My voice was loud as I glared at him. I didn’t want to make a scene, but if that’s what it took to get him to get the message then so be it.

“June!” My saving grace called. Both me and the unwanted obstacle turned to see Cedric walking up; his smile bright but his eyes cold. “What’s taking you so long?”

“I wanted to help grab the drinks.” I said, moving away from Flint before he could attempt anything else. I hoped if Cedric was swooping in to help then he was just going to go along with my words.

“Ah well the next round already came out, you must have missed it-” He replied without missing a beat. “Let’s go back.”

At his words I moved past, using him as a barrier between me and the other boy. I was grateful that my friends always seemed to be around when Flint tried coming onto me, but I had a sinking feeling it was making things worse. I should just be upfront with him, tell him right to his face that I was not interested nor would I ever be. But then again, I also felt like that might not even be enough.

I expected Cedric to move in next to me, because I didn’t actually have any idea of where his table was. After a few steps I realized I was alone, and so I turned back to see my friend moving away from the other boy as if they had been talking. He spotted me though and quickly jogged up to my side.

“Bloody git.” He whispered, his teeth gritting together as he said it. It threw me off, his words and also the anger that was very evident on his face.

“What happened?” I guess the insult wasn’t meant to be heard because he looked surprised when I asked, and then seemed to debate on whether he wanted to tell me.

“He grabbed my arm before I walked away and said some nonsense- it's not even worth repeating. It’s just… the nerve of that guy.”

“Tell me about it. I was about to make a big fuss about him not leaving me alone before you came, so thanks for saving me the trouble.”

“Of course,” Cedric paused and looked over his shoulder before walking off to the side. I followed and he stopped and turned towards me. “Okay, I don’t think he can see us anymore. Are you alright?”

“Yeah I’m fine.”

“Okay good. Where are your Gryffindor friends? That’s who you came here with right?” 

The Hufflepuff turned to look around and in a bit of a panic I stepped in closer to get his attention. I honestly wasn’t sure if Cedric would turn Harry in for being at Hogsmeade. He was a prefect after all, and I had mentioned to him that the boy hadn’t been allowed to go. Better to play it safe.

“They’re just on the other side of the room,” I replied quickly, successfully grabbing his attention. “But what about you? Where are you sitting?”

“Oh, I was over there with some of our team members-” He gestured to the side. “-we actually finished though and were heading out to leave when I saw you. I tossed someone my coat and ran over as soon as I saw Flint.”

“Ah well, that was really nice of you, and thanks again.”

“Of course,” He smiled and reached up to place his hand on my shoulder. The touch of his skin on my bare shoulders gave me goosebumps, and it must have thrown him off too because he pulled back his hand just as quickly. He coughed a few times, his cheeks getting pink as he did so.

“Well I better head back,” I said, feeling a bit of awkwardness pooling between us after his coughing fit had ended. “I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah, yes, of course. I’ll see you later.” Then he turned, and walked towards one of the other chasers on our team, who I just noticed was standing at the door. 

When I made it back to my table Ron was already there with four drinks, and everyone was looking around nervously. They all relaxed when I walked up though and I quickly explained what had happened. There was barely any time for the outrage they all showed because right then the door into the tavern opened and Fudge walked in with everyone else who would soon let the truth slip.

--

I offered to put a disillusionment charm on Harry so he could walk back to the castle with us, but he declined. He seemed rather out of it as he snuck back into HoneyDukes and I really couldn’t blame him. I had read many times the confessions coming from the adults who had sat so near us- but it was nothing compared to hearing it in person. It was painful, knowing that this was all the truth to Harry at this moment. As I watched his face darken with every word I wanted so desperately to tell him the truth…

“That was really bad.” Ron said, breaking the silence that had surrounded us since the other boy had left. No one responded for a moment, just a silent agreement to his words.

“You don’t think Harry would do something stupid do you?” Hermione finally asked as we continued through the snow.

“You’re asking if Harry would go after Black?” I looked over at the girl, who seemed to almost be in tears. 

“He’s not that thick, I mean, that’s what Black wants isn’t it?” Ron responded, looking very worried himself.

“I don’t think he would go after Black.” I said confidently. “Now if Black happened to show himself though, I don’t think Harry would run away…”

“We shouldn’t have allowed him to be here!” Hermione yelled out, the tears starting to fall. “It’s not safe for him to be at Hogsmeade! I mean, if Black got into the castle of course he could get into the town!”

“Hey hey-” I moved over to the girl, putting my arm around her as we walked. She was sniffling now, tears dripping down her rosy cheeks. “I know you are worried about Harry, and you’re a wonderful friend for it- but I promise he will be okay.”

“But how do you know??” 

I took a deep breath. “Intuition I guess. Plus from everything I’ve heard, Harry has survived worse than Sirius Black.”

When we were back at the castle I went up to Gryffindor tower with the two third years, but Harry had already gone into his room. I offered to stay with them for the evening to which Ron agreed, but Hermione declined. She reminded both me and Ron that I had the Christmas party, so I wouldn’t be able to stay anyway. It was going to be here in their common room anyway so I said I would stay with them until it started.

We kept busy playing wizards chess, at Ron’s insistence. Hermione wanted to do homework, but the boy needed someone to play with because I had absolutely no idea of what I was doing. I tried my hand at a few games, but they lasted basically no time at all. So while the other two played I watched, but mostly I let my mind wander.

Fuck Peter Pettigrew. The dude deserved the worst fate possible. Not only turning your childhood friend in, but then passing the blame to Jame’s best friend. I mean, who knows how much marauders lore was actually true as well. Did he essentially break up the relationship between Sirius and Remus?? At the least he set Lupin up for a life of loneliness. Ugh, all this hate towards Sirius Black and he was only trying to get that fucker. I wish I could just grab Ron’s stupid rat and-

I flinched as an orange mass jumped onto my lap. Crookshanks looked up at me, her yellow eyes gleaming. I sighed, letting my every growing aggressive thoughts die down as I started to pet her. As much as I would love to just hand Scabbers over to Snape to do some dissecting, I couldn’t mess with the story. He would get what he deserved… eventually…

“She really likes you,” Hermione said, reaching over to pet her cat. “I’ve noticed she always finds you whenever you are both in the same room.”

“The feeling is mutual.” I replied, and heard a low purr come from the orange beast.

“Ugly brute.” I heard Ron mumble from the other side of the chess board. If Hermione heard him she didn’t say anything. Crookshanks seemed to hear though because she lept off my lap and onto the board, carefully knocking over most of the boy’s pieces.

“I was about to win!” He yelled out angrily, going to swat the cat away. She was too quick though, and was already making her way across the room before he even managed to stand.

The Gryffindor girl and I made eye contact and both of us suppressed our grins. Wordlessly we dropped down and started helping Ron pick up his pieces. As we did so there was a loud muffled sound and then the portrait hole burst open and the already crowded common room was even more filled.

“Merry Christmas!!” George shouted at the room. There were a few people who replied, but none as close to as hearty. I looked up and saw that he had one arm around Fred and the other around Lee- and all three of them looked a little off.

“Ah that was terrible!” Fred yelled back to the crowd, his steps a little wobbly. “Tomorrow is the start of the holiday break: no school, no homework, and no teachers. So let's hear a bit more enthusiasm- MERRY CHRISTMAS!!”

There was a loud cheer of the greeting and then everyone started clapping. It seemed those two were very good at working the room. As they continued to haphazardly move forward I noticed that my other friends were behind them as well; Angelina, Katie, and even Cedric who was being pulled along by a very giggly Alicia. 

I watched the very tipsy group, well all except Cedric, move through the room. None of them had noticed me because I was still knelt down on the ground, and honestly for the best- they were all a little wild. Seems the party needed a pre-game at Hogsmeade. Everyone was laughing a bit too loudly and walking a bit too uncoordinated for a group of mostly athletes.

Cedric seemed sober though, for what it was worth. I’m going to guess he was on his way to the party when he ran into the group and ended up getting roped in. He looked a bit uncomfortable with all the craziness, or maybe he just felt weird not being on the same plane of existence as they were.

“Where’s June??” I looked over at Lee who had just yelled out my name, and was now searching around the room for me. It was rather comical because he kept looking up as if I would be hovering above on my broom.

“Yeah, where is she?” Angelina asked, turning towards Cedric, who was now almost totally supporting Alicia as they walked.

“I’m not sure. Last I saw her she was at the Three Broomsticks, but I’m sure she’s back by now.”

“Unacceptable!” Lee responded, slamming his fist down on a nearby end table. The poor first year who happened to be sitting there shrieked and it made all three intertwined boys jump.

“Oi, watch it-” I watched as another young girl called out, this one with the familiar red hair. “-just because it's about to be break doesn’t mean you need to act like idiots.” 

Fred held his free hand to his heart as if he had been shot. “Such harsh words, and from my own sister no less.”

“And on Christmas!!” George added.

“It's not Christmas.” Ginny replied with an eye roll. “Now will you guys get out of here so we can actually enjoy our time off.”

“We can’t go without June!” Fred yelled.

“She’s already here!” The girl yelled back. “She was playing chess with Ron and Hermione.”

Ah damn, I’d been ratted out. I decided then that I would stand, slowly getting to my feet and drawing the attention of basically everyone in the room at this point.

“JUNE!” Most of the group yelled out. I smiled, but it dropped as I watched both Angelina run forward, jump over a couch full of students, and land just in front of me. Seemed that even drunk she could still accomplish great feats. 

“Have you been here the whole time???” The black haired girl asked, her eyes looking a little crazy.

“Yeah, I was picking up these pieces-”

“Were you hiding from us?” I turned to see Fred who had detached himself from his brother and was now attempting the same feat as Angelina. He was a bit too inebriated though and ended up falling over the back side of the couch.

“Smooth.” The Gryffindor girl said, as we both moved over to help him back up. As we attempted to pull him up I could hear Ron trying to keep in his laughs behind us.

“I wasn’t hiding,” I said as we dusted the now standing boy off. “Or at least I wasn’t at first. Then I saw how crazy you all were and thought maybe it would be best to keep a low profile so I wouldn’t be associated with the chaos.”

“Wow everyone is against us.” Fred replied, with his nose scrunched. “We should just stay out here for the party so everyone has to learn to love us.”

“Wait, we aren’t doing it out here?”

“Oh Merlin no,” Angelina answered. “We would have everyone’s wands at our throats if we stayed out here. We are going to the boys’ room.”

“Boys’ room?”

“My room-” Fred answered, pointing at himself with both thumbs. “We even convinced Kenneth to be scarce tonight so it will just be us.”

Even at the mention of the other Gryffindor 5th year I winced- dude seriously had a rough life. He was a quiet kid who was unlucky enough to have Fred, George, and Lee as his roommates. Not that those three were so terrible…. Most of the time… but Kenneth seemed to want to live a quiet life, which was basically impossible with his fellow 5th years.

“Please say he at least has somewhere to sleep.” I said in a grimmance.

Fred shrugged. “No idea, anyway let’s go!”

The boy turned and moved to link up with his brother again, who had walked with Lee over to the stairs. They were all walking like they were half asleep. To add to it, Angelina put her own arm around me and leaned her weight down on my side.

“Please don’t tell me you all got drunk.” I said, grunting as I tried to better place her weight as we moved forward.

“Oh of course not!” She replied, sounding surprised. “We all just took one of Zonkos new potions. It's supposed to give the same effects of being drunk without any of the negative side effects of drinking.”

“Is acting drunk not a negative side effect of drinking?”

“Not when your goal is to have a good time! And besides, it doesn’t last too long. We only took it as we walked up from Hogsmeade. It should wear off within the next hour- that is, if we don’t take more.”

We followed the wobbly procession up the stairs, with Cedric and Alicia just ahead of us. My Hufflepuff friend was in the same boat as me, supporting a Gryffindor girl up the cimb. He kept looking back at me with pleading eyes, but I just chuckled. When we finally got to the room we both simultaneously dumped the girls onto one of the beds.

“That was a workout,” Cedric whispered over to me, stretching out his back as he did so.

“Don’t let Alicia hear you say that.”

His face got red. “That’s not what I meant- it's just that-”

“I’m joking,” I replied, cutting him off. His stern nervous expression lightened slightly as I pushed his shoulder. “I’m tired too; let's go sit down.”

Everyone else had managed to sit themselves on the ground in the center of the room. It looked like a poorly formed circle with the other boys and girl sitting in odd directions. They were all listening to George tell some story about pranking Filch last year and were giggling like mad. I sat down next to Katie and Cedric was next to me. 

When Lee saw us, he pulled a bottle out of his jacket pocket and held it out to us. He said it was the same potions the rest of them had taken. When I took it I mentioned that it was almost empty, and so he pulled another out of his pocket- this one unopened. When he turned back to George I quickly stored the bottles in my bag, hoping he would forget where he had put them.

“Maybe if I hide this then we can actually have a good time.” I whispered to Cedric.

“Good idea.” He replied. Then he jumped as Alicia plopped down next to him.

--

Once everyone had gotten the potion out of their system the actual fun began. We played games, ate food, and I felt like I never stopped laughing. After a while George called out that it was time for presents and the Gryffindor girls left to go collect theirs, while most of the boys moved around the room for their own. Cedric and I just went to our bags and started pulling out what we had brought.

When everyone was back we all sat in an orderly circle once more. It was supposed to be secret santa style, but that all fell apart when we realized that everyone had actually gotten gifts for everyone. So instead we just went around passing out and opening gifts as we pleased. I had just set down the Elephant on a Bicycle candy that Lee had given me (the one that made you make animal sounds when you ate it) when Katie shifted uncomfortably next to me.

“You good?” I asked, turning to the nervous looking girl.

“Yeah I’m alright, I just… I just wanted to let you know….”

I looked at her with an eyebrow raised, waiting for her to finish whatever she wanted to say. She opened her mouth, but no words came out- instead her face just got very red. Angelina must have noticed the interaction though because I heard her chuckle and then moved over to us.

“She’s trying to let you know that she’s filthy rich and your present might seem like a lot, but she doesn’t want you to feel overwhelmed.”

“Hey!” Katie shot back, coming back to her senses. “I’m not rich!”

“Right right,” The other girl chuckled again. “Your parents are filthy rich, and you just reap the benefits.” 

Katie still looked embarrassed, but Angelina jokes seemed to have lessened some of the tension she had. She was able to explain that yes her parents had a lot of money (they were both in the muggle government) and they encouraged her to get nice gifts for her friends on birthdays and holidays. She said she liked getting the gifts, but more than once she had made friends feel like they were indebted to her because of the presents.

“-just know that it’s not a big deal for me and I don’t expect anything grand in return. I just like to do nice things with the resources my parents give me.”

“We’re all used to it by now,” Fred added from across the room. “She’ll do it for your birthday too, so be prepared for the nicest and most well thought out gift you’ve ever been given then as well.”

Katie blushed again, but she looked pretty pleased this time. Still pink, she pulled out a gift and handed it over to me. With some excitement I tore off the bow and beautiful wrapping to show a OneStep Polaroid camera. My eyes went wide as I held it up.

“I know everyone is switching to digital cameras, but since Hogwarts doesn’t have any technology I thought this might be better-”

The rest of her words were cut off as I threw my arms around her. 

“This is absolutely the most perfect gift!!” I said happily, squeezing her even tighter. I felt Katie’s own arms move around me and she squeezed back.

For the next little bit the Gryffindor boys dorm turned into a photo shoot. Everyone was excited to take pictures with their friends- especially everyone who didn’t have any muggle background thus no experience with cameras like this. I ended up using Geminio, the doubling charm, to duplicate the pictures so everyone could have a copy. In the end I had one with each of my friends, and even convinced Fred and Cedric to get in one with me all together.

“We should do a group photo!” Alicia said excitedly, looking through her pictures. 

“Who is going to take it though?” Cedric asked, right as there was a knock at the door.

Everyone turned to see Percy, who was already in his pajamas, poke his head into the room.

“I know that it’s technically break, but if you are going to continue this tomfoolery you need to be more quiet.”

“Perfect timing Perc,” Fred said, jumping up and moving to his brother. “We need you to take a photo for us.”

“Take a photo?” He asked, looking confused.

It took awhile, but eventually we got Percy to take the photo. He seemed very curious about the device, and kept pausing the picture taking to ask another question about it. At one point we all yelled at him to get on with it, and he clicked the button while all our mouths were still open. In the end though we got a good one everyone was happy with. 

Katie said something about being excited to show her extended family a picture of all her friends. Everyone was agreeing, but it gave me a different idea. While Angelina started making copies of the photo I moved over to the older boy who still held the camera across the room.

“Hey Percy, do you think you could do me another favor?”

--

“You know you both can stay,” Fred said, as he walked us towards the portrait hole. The common room was quiet now, with everyone in their rooms. “I know the girls wouldn’t mind sharing their bed with you June, and I know Alicia wouldn’t mind sharing with you-”

He jabbed Cedric with his elbow at the last word. The Hufflepuff grunted and tried to hide his blush by turning away. It was after midnight and although most of our friends were still having fun in the dorm room, Cedric and I decided we were ready to go.

“Also, you’re not supposed to be wandering the halls right now, I mean what would that do for your perfect prefect image?” Fred nudged the other boy again, but this time Cedric swatted his arm away.

“I think we’ll be fine. But even if we are caught, teachers seem to be more lenient around holidays anyway.” I said, trying to move the attention away from Cedric. “Besides, I’m going to be staying in Gryffindor tower for the next two weeks and I want one more night in my own bed-”

“What are you talking about?”

I stopped walking and turned back to the two boys, who had also stopped a few paces ago apparently. They were both looking at me confused, with their eyebrows knit together- looking strangely similar. I was also confused for a second and then I realized what I had let slip. Well, they were going to find out when I wasn’t on the train tomorrow anyway.

“I’m staying here for break.” I said calmly. 

“WHAT??” They both exclaimed. I was used to the twin actions between Fred and George, but not these two.

“I’m staying at Hogwarts for Christmas.” I repeated, suddenly wishing I had found a better time to do this. But I guess this is what happens when you just keep putting hard conversations off. Not a great end to a party.

“But why aren’t you going home?” Fred asked, moving forward- followed directly by Cedric.

“I don’t have a home.”

“You mean you don’t have a home in Europe?” Cedric asked.

“No, I just don’t have a home. Not in America, not in Europe, not anywhere. I don’t have a family.”

If they had been shocked before it was nothing compared to how they looked now.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Fred looked like he was suppressing more emotions now, including the one I wanted to avoid.

“I told you guys that I don’t like to talk about my past, and I didn’t want anyone pitying me.”

“We don’t pity you-” Cedric said quickly, but I cut him off.

“I can see it in both your faces already. I think it's human nature to pity the person with no family. I think if I told anyone they would react about the same, except maybe Harry- which is why I did briefly mention it to him. Because I knew that he would still see me as a full person even after he found out. I don’t have any family, but that doesn't change me, and it's not something I want people to know. So now that you do, I would ask that you keep it to yourselves.”

I thought maybe I would get a barrage of questions or sympathies in response, but what happened next was rather surprising. Fred immediately turned right around and sprinted back up the stairs towards his dorm. Cedric and I watched, bewildered as his footsteps thudded away. Then my other friend turned back to me.

“You can come home with me for Chrtimas.” He said it so sincerely it hurt.

“I appreciate it Ced, but it’s alright. I’ve got things worked out for staying here. Plus I get to spend more time with Harry, and he needs some extra support right now so it all works out.”

He opened his mouth to say something else, but wavered. “Did you really tell him before us?”

I didn’t get a chance to answer because right then Fred came bounding back down the stairs. He rushed back up to us, breathing heavily. He was holding a box wrapped in foil with a red bow on top.

“I was going to give you this on the trail-” he said, pausing to calm his breathing. “-but I guess plans have changed.”

I looked between him and the gift, and realized this was him letting me know he wasn’t going to ask me any more about my past. I was grateful for him, and his willingness to not to push the issue (even though I should have told them I was staying before now). Before I took the gift though I moved to my bag and pulled out his. My plan was to give it to him when I said goodbye in the morning, but this worked too.

“I have one for you too-” Cedric interjected. “But it's back in my room. I was going to give it to you tomorrow as well.”

“I’ll wait to give you yours then,” I said with a smile as Fred and I switched gifts.

I had gotten him a box- one that an old timey traveling salesman would have used to store medicine and stuff they were trying to sell. It had lots of compartments and display areas. I enchanted it though so that it held way more than it looked like. What my note inside the wrapping said was that I thought he and his brother could use it to keep all their Zonkos items they’d been tinkering with.

What the gift actually was for was Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes start up in just a few years time. I didn’t know when they actually started moving forward with that stuff, but with all the modifications they already made on joke products I thought it had to be soon. I just wanted them to have somewhere to store all their stuff and then to use it to sell things later on as well.

“Don’t open it until Chrtimas though.” He said, his mischievous smile back.

“Awe what? But everyone else got to open your gifts.”

“Yeah well you have to wait- your punishment for lying to us.”

I crossed my arms. “I never lied to you- I just evaded the truth.”

“I think that counts as lying.” Cedric said.

“Yeah, what Diggory said.” Fred jabbed his elbow again at Cedric, but this time he got a full shove as a response.

As Cedric and I walked back to our common room we didn’t run into any teachers. Not that they really would have heard us anyway if they were nearby- it was a rather silent walk. Cedric seemed to have a lot on his mind and I thought it would be best to let him be.

As we walked my mind drifted through the evening and all the fun that we had. My truth bomb to my two best friends had been a downer, but everything else had been great. I also hoped that Percy had managed to sneak my gifts into Oliver’s suitcase (or trunk? Whatever he used). I had decided I would just give him both the gifts I had prepared, and also a photograph of me taken with my new camera. I decided to just go big or go home- and since I didn’t have a home I had to go big.

Now when he told his family he had a girlfriend there would be some physical proof. Ah- girlfriend, so much had happened today that I almost forgot that we had become official. I was his girlfriend and he was my boyfriend. I wanted to squeal, but I thought I might scare Cedric so I kept my cool.

When we made it back to the common room Cedric made me wait while he went to get my gift. While he was gone I pulled out his. I had knit him a scarf using the knitting charm we had learned in charms this year. At first it started as a joke, but in the end I thought it looked really nice. It was just solid gray, which I thought he might like better than the yellow and black one. I had also made him water repelling quidditch goggles similarly to how I had with Oliver.

When he came back he had a box all wrapped up beautifully. It honestly looked so perfect I knew I would feel guilty ruining it on Christmas morning. Things seemed a little awkward as we exchanged gifts, and then we just stood there.

“Well, best head to bed. I don’t want to miss the train tomorrow.” Cedric said, his smile not reaching his eyes.

“Yeah, that wouldn’t be good.”

There was another awkward moment and then Cedric turned to head back to his dorm. It all felt too terrible though, especially since now I was starting to feel the guilt again for not telling them about my plans. I should have trusted them, but I didn’t, and they deserved better than that. I was about to reach out to stop him so I could apologize when he turned back around.

“No, I’m sorry. I just told you I wouldn’t do this again.” I assumed he was talking about not avoiding me when we had an issue. “I um, I feel bad that you didn’t tell me about your family, and your plans. I thought we were closer than that.”

“We are close, but our closeness had nothing to do with me not telling you. It’s just not something I want to talk about with anyone. But I should have told you I was staying here, even if I didn’t say why. I’m sorry I didn’t.”

“But you did tell Potter.” His gray eyes stared right into my soul and even though I wanted to look away I couldn’t.

“I did tell Harry, and I can see why that would be upsetting to you. It’s not that I trust him more than you though, or that we are closer. I told him because I wanted him to know he wasn’t the only one. To know I didn’t pity him and with the knowledge he wasn’t going to pity me.”

“I don’t pity you.” He said, repeating his words from earlier.

“But you do,” I replied quietly. “You do because you’re too good and kind not to. You do because I know you come from a loving home and you would pity anyone who didn’t get to experience that.”

“But it doesn’t make me see you differently!” He said, moving in close. He hurriedly put his gift on a table and put his arms on my shoulders. His fingers felt warm on my skin. “I still think you are just as strong and smart, and kind, and wonderful as I did before. When you pity someone it changes how you perceive them- but you are the same to me. The only difference is now I just want really badly to bring you home with me and let you be part of my family-”

I thought maybe he was going to say more, but instead he just moved his arms around me and brought me into a hug. With his embrace and kind words I suddenly felt a pang of emotion and tears began to fall. Not having a family really wasn’t something that bothered me- but suddenly it felt a lot more hollow now. 

But if the Harry Potter books had taught me anything, it is that family are the people you chose- not necessarily the people you were born to. Anyone could be family, and even though I hadn’t been in this world long, it did feel like I had my own. As I was held by my friend, the hollow feeling went away, and it was replaced with warmth.

SONGS:

June: Hey Santa!- Carnie Wilson

Cedric: Blue Christmas- Elvis Presley 

Fred: All I want for Chrtimas is You- Vince Vance and the Valiants

Oliver: I’m Gonna Be (500 miles)- The Proclaimers

Harry: Lonely This Christmas- Mud

Chapter Text

After saying goodbye to everyone Sunday morning I lugged all my stuff up to Gryffindor tower. And by lugged I mean I just carried my usual bag. At this point the red common room felt just as welcoming as my own, but it was still strange knowing I was sleeping here for two weeks. Apparently things had been set up for me to stay in the 3rd year girls dormitory, which was really nice. Hermione was there waiting for me when I came up and hurriedly showed me to the room.

She seemed really excited to be sharing a room, which I thought was funny at first because its not like she didn’t usually share the room. Then I remembered that the Gryffindor girl didn’t particularly get along with any of her other roommates. I don’t think they were on bad terms, but I also knew they weren’t friends. We were friends though, and so by the time we were back down stairs I was feeling just as excited about bunking with her. 

When we made it back to the common room we saw Ron, who looked like he would rather still be sleeping. Hermione must have convinced him to wake up early though because as soon as she saw him she immediately pulled us together for a strategy session. It felt sort of like an intervention prep of sorts, planning out what we should say to Harry when he eventually came down. I knew that both of them were still feeling shaken after everything yesterday, so I did my best to try to steer them to a more calm approach. 

Harry was going to be feeling a lot of feelings, and he was going to have to work through them before he was going to see rationally. Teenage hormones mixed with the pain of betrayal didn’t leave much room for the prefrontal cortex. Pushing him too hard right now to see reason was just going to make him harbor hurt feelings towards us as well. 

Despite my effort though, when Harry came down some time later things played out just as I remembered from the book. It was back and forth between the three of them while I stayed off to the side. Hermione tried to pull me in more than once, but I didn’t partake. It all ended with Harry saying we should all go down to Hagrid’s so he could confront him about everything.

Well Hagrid’s visit lasted most of the day, since he had just found out about Buckbeak's trial. He was a total mess, and it was really hard to see. I’m glad that the ministry had the decency to give him the news when he didn’t have to teach. It was also a great distraction from all the drama from before as well- maybe too good of a distraction. I realized though that he was going to be down pretty bad for awhile, and so at some point during the visit I slipped out so I could make sure our animals on deck were taken care of.

I didn’t think Hagrid would actually neglect the creatures, but when he went to take care of them later I wanted him to see that I had his back. I could probably take on this task for the rest of the break without any problem and resolved to do just that. I went to work and had just about finished cleaning out the niffler’s makeshift den when I heard footsteps coming up from behind me. Turning I saw a tired looking Harry stepping through the snow towards me.

“Just you?” I asked, turning back to the small creatures.

“Yeah. Ron started tidying up some stuff inside and Hermione is still trying to cheer him up. I told them I was going to help with whatever you are doing.”

“Well then you can hand me that crate over there with the chopped up roots. I’m almost done cleaning and then I just need to feed these little guys.”

Harry stepped over to where I had placed the crate and brought it over. He held it out to me and once I finished piling some of their gold I tossed out the roots.

“What are those?”

“Nifflers- you'll learn about them next year. They’re adorable, but also kleptomaniacs. So make sure to check your pockets before we leave.”

He didn’t respond, and for a while the only sound was the three little platypus like creatures chowing down on their meal. It felt tense though, and as much as I didn’t want to bring things up I knew that I should.

“I don’t blame you for being upset.” I said, continuing to look out. “I think your feelings are more than justified, and I’m sorry if we made you think they weren’t.”

“You didn’t make me feel that way.”

“Sin of omission.” I replied, finally turning to look at him. His eyes were shining brightly from the sun, but the rest of him seemed dark. “But really, nothing you said wasn’t a normal reaction to everything that we heard. I think your friends are just so worried about your safety that it stopped them from seeing it from your perspective.”

“Are you not worried?” He was stiff when he talked, just stoically holding the now mostly empty crate. I sighed and reached out to take it, turning to place it back where it belonged. 

“If I’m being honest, I’m not.” I set the crate down, choosing not to elaborate. 

“Why not?” Harry stepped forward, so he was standing next to me again. I took a long pause before I answered.

“I guess I just trust you. I think you’ve been through enough to make smart choices, and I also trust the people you have around you to help as well.” I wanted to say something about how the speculation about Sirius Black didn’t line up totally anyway, but it didn’t feel like the right time.

Harry didn’t answer, and so we went on to the next task. While we worked Crookshanks made an appearance, and she ended up following us around for a while. I wondered if she was just stalking Pettigrew, who I guessed was in Ron’s pocket right now. She seemed content to stay with us though so I pushed the thoughts out of my mind. All I could do right now is support Harry, and so that’s what I would do.

--

It was almost dinner by the time we made it back to the castle and so we went to eat with the few students that were left. It was weird having no one around, but as the days went on I kind of got used to it. It was nice to just go wherever I wanted and not worry about anyone else, except the golden trio. 

While the topic was not brought up directly again, there was an odd sort of atmosphere between the three of them that I felt like I spent a lot of time defusing. Even with that though, it was still nice to be with them. I felt like we were all getting a lot closer.

I did still miss Cedric and Fred though- and Oliver as well. I ended up eating a couple breakfasts in the kitchens just so I could feel a little closer to my boyfriend . I was excited to tell Toppy the news, but I guess Oliver had beat me to it because she already knew. She was still very excited for us though and gave me this beautiful looking dessert to celebrate (10/10 breakfast). 

By the time Christmas morning came my heart felt a little achy to be away from Oliver for so long. It was wild because at the beginning of the year I was lucky to even see him. Now I just wanted to talk with him again, and hold his hand. I mean, I’d like to do WAY more with him as well, but I promised myself I wasn’t going to push it. It felt like a miracle already just to be his girlfriend- even if that was it I could be content.

As I sat up in bed and looked at my pile of gifts though I felt like I was witnessing another little miracle. I mean, the fact that I had gifts at all was amazing, but seeing one with his name on it had me jumping out of bed. How was this here??? How was there another gift from Oliver here in my room while he was away with his family? My question was answered though as I read the note that was tucked just inside the wrapping.

Dear June, 

Happy Christmas! I asked Toppy if she would help me get this to you Christmas morning so it would be a surprise- I hope it worked.

I also hope you like the gift. I feel like I am still learning about you so I wasn’t sure if this was something that you would like. But I am excited to keep getting to know you and I hope that by your birthday I will be able to choose an even better gift.

-Oliver Wood

Ah, he signed his last name like I wouldn’t know who he was- adorable. I truly had no idea what could be inside his gift, but I knew that I would love it no matter what. As I carefully removed the wrapping I opened the small box to find a beautiful silver necklace with five small yellow stones placed across it. With wide eyes I pulled it out and moved my thumb across it. It was beautiful, and delicate, and elegant, and- perfect.

I moved over to the mirror right away and put it on. It looked a bit odd wearing such a pretty little thing when I was wearing pajamas and my hair was basically a rat’s nest. But it was perfect and even in my current state I thought it looked great on me. I never mentioned to Oliver that I had wanted a necklace, so it was a surprise to get something I had been wanting. Jewelry as a gift seemed like advice he would have gotten from Percy though, which made me smile. It made me REALLY glad I had also given him my gifts.

I only had a few other gifts; one from each of my 3rd year Gryffindor friends, the ones from Cedric and Fred, one from Flint…. And one without a name. A mix of feelings ran over me as I looked over the last two. How did they even get here? Did the Slytherin bribe a house elf too? Actually I had never questioned in the original book how there were just magically presents at Harry’s bed when he woke up- I guess some details you just take for granted. Was there some weird non owl mail system here I didn’t know about?

Pushing the obscure details out of my mind I placed Flint’s gift to the side, along with the unmarked one. I did not feel like opening any cans of worms today. Although I guess the mystery gift could be fine, but looking at it after the Slytherin’s just made me feel nervous. I tried to distract myself with my other gifts, moving to FINALLY open the ones I had since last night.

I started with Cedric’s, which really was wrapped so perfectly. Thankfully I didn’t have to destroy its beauty because the lid had been wrapped separately, meaning all I had to do was lift it off. Once I did I reached in and pulled out the most adorable stuffed Kneazle. It wasn’t an exact replica of the beast, rather a child’s version with fluffy edges and button eyes. It felt as soft as a real knealze though and I couldn’t help but bring it into a tight squeeze.

It was such a thoughtful and sweet gift! A few of my friends had given me creature themed gifts yesterday, but this felt a lot more intimate. The giant cat-like creatures were by far my favorite, and Cedric knew that well. I had been over the moon when we studied them in Care of magical Creatures, and enjoyed talking about them whenever possible. I had specifically mentioned that I would like to have one as a pet one day, and so my already wide smile grew as I read the note at the bottom of the box:

To fill the void until you can get your own.

Happy Christmas -Cedric

I gave the kneazle one last squeeze and then set it aside. Then I turned towards Fred’s gift, and was surprised to find cassette tapes in his box. For a second I thought this was the prank where you take stuff from someone and then gift it back to them. I realized though that all the labels on the tapes were songs that I didn’t have. Feeling even more surprised, I looked for some kind of card or note for an explanation, but didn’t find anything. 

I looked through the cassette again, finding some big English 80s groups like The Smiths and Tears for Fears, along with other artists and songs I had never even heard of before. I had no idea how he had gotten a hold of these when as far as I knew he hadn’t even learned about them until he met me. I guess I’d just have to wait until he got back to ask, or maybe write him a letter or something. 

I opened my other gifts, except the two I had pushed aside. Hermione got me a Magical Beasts Anatomy book (that was cool as hell), Ron got me a box of jelly beans with a note that said to use it for a game with my friends, and Harry got me a charm (an ornament) for my broom. The charm looked kind of like a bracelet made of braided black and yellow ribbon. There was a seller's note attached though that gave the name of a spell charm that when used would basically glue it onto the broom handle so it wouldn’t come off. I smiled thinking of the charm I had made for Oliver, and I hoped when he opened his it had also made him smile…. I absentmindedly reached up and touched my necklace. 

Hermione woke up as soon as I finished putting my broom back in my bag after placing the ornament on. Before she was even out of bed though I ran over to her swiftly and hugged her, thanking her for the gift. My head was lost for a moment in her beautiful mane as I squeezed her and it made my face tickle. It was fun chatting with her as she opened her own gifts, and eventually we both got ready and headed downstairs to meet the boys.

We were feeling really good and the two of us were practically skipping as we moved into the common room. I could feel the joy disapparate as soon as Ron and Harry came into view though and we both froze. The boy who lived stood just a few paces away holding onto a broom I knew well, but had somehow forgotten about completely. 

--

It was tense the rest of the morning and into the afternoon, and I know I didn’t help with that. I had totally forgotten that Sirius sent Harry the Firebolt and that it was the start to the golden trio’s falling relationship this year. First it was the firebolt, then Crookshanks with the rat- and it all amounted to some very unnecessary heartache. 

I didn’t blame Hermione for wanting to tell McGonagall about the broom, or especially that she thought it was from Sirius Black. She wasn’t wrong, just that it wasn’t actually dangerous. She was only trying to look out for Harry though and the other two boys were too immature to see that. Being on my end though with all the information about the future was making me feel a bit sick and I wasn’t sure what to do.

We were now sitting at a singular table in the great hall for Christmas dinner, but I couldn’t eat. I knew things were going to work out in the end, but I still felt guilty for not doing anything. It felt like I was back on the quidditch field, watching Harry fall, but much less dramatic. I was basically keeping all my muscles tense in an effort not to go and do something reckless just because I knew I could. 

Was it worth risking things to remove some story line discomfort? Yeah it wasn’t great what happened, but it was character development and like I said it worked out in the end. But did that really justify me doing nothing? The moral dilemma was using up my full attention, so much so that I was startled shitless when an owl came swooping down, dropping a letter at my untouched plate.

“Hey that’s Errol!” Ron said, as the great grey bird plopped itself down on the table. Most birds just delivered and then got out, but this one seemed like it was too tired to go.

“Well, the more the merrier!” Dumbledore said in a voice that sounded to me like he was drunk. The more interactions I had with this guy the more I thought he was kinda off his rocker a little bit. Who let a bird hangout with a table full of food??

“I think he would find more comfort in the Owlery headmaster,” Snape said, apparently also disliking the idea of the bird at dinner.

I stopped paying attention to the owl conversation though as I turned my focus to my letter. When I looked down at my name written on the outside I knew right away who it was from. I knew the handwriting well, but even if I hadn’t the owl itself was quite the give away. Hurriedly I tore open it and began to read.

Dear June,

I’m sure you are feeling rather confused about my gift- sorry. Since I had planned to give it to you on the train I didn’t think to write a letter. I realized that I had basically gifted you a box of questions which wasn’t my intention. It would have been a rather good joke though now that I think about it.

Anyway, about the cassette- at the beginning of the school year when we first started listening to them together I thought I remembered my dad having something similar in his workshop. I’ve told you how he loves to secretly collect muggle things and I decided to write and ask him about it. Funny enough he said he did have a few black boxes with two holes, and he mailed them to me. After fixing up most of them with repairo (dad had pulled out most of the stringy bits) I wanted to gift them to you. I am excited to listen to them with you when I get back, hopefully they work. 

Hope you have a good holiday at Hogwarts, give my brother a swift kick for me. I also hope Harry is doing alright. I know you staying back had more to do with helping him than having nowhere to go. Between that and canceling your date, I know you’re really worried about him. 

I figured he already told you about the map since he would have explained how he showed up at Hogsmeade on Saturday. Potter has terrible luck and it seems like each year it just gets worse. He really does deserve some more wins in his life. He’s lucky to have you as a friend though, and George and I are going to try to look out for him some more as well.

I’ll be done now, this letter is already long enough and I need to send it off if I want it to get to you before Christmas ends. I wanted to use Percy’s owl and even told him it was going to you, but he said he had “important correspondence” to attend to- which means he’s just writing love letters to his girlfriend. Hopefully Errol can make it to you on time! If he does give him a treat or something would ya?

Talk to you soon,

Fred

-p.s. Happy Christmas!!!

Looking back up I saw Ron attempting to shoo his family bird away, but the big grey mass just kept moving out of the way. I could hear grumbling from the teacher’s end of the table and so I decided to step in. I offered to go walk him to the owlery, to thank him for bringing me the letter. Harry and Hermione offered to come with me (separately) but I declined. 

Assuming he understood my intentions, the owl hopped across the table very willingly and then perched on my outstretched arm. Without any more delay I walked with him out of the great hall and towards the outside. I had to pause a second to put on some warmer layers, but soon the two of us were walking out in the snow towards the tall tower. I’d been to the owlery many times, but I’d never sent a letter. I only ever went to visit my owl Bunny, but I never had any jobs for her to do.

I wished all the time that I could give Bunny something to do, but basically everyone that I knew in this world was at this school. I figured she would get a chance to really get to work when it was summer and I actually had people I could write to. I could send a letter during the break, but everyone was going to be back so soon it almost felt like it wasn’t worth it. I really liked getting Fred’s letter though, so maybe I would send something back.

When we got to the top I found Bunny and put the other owl right beside her. She was happy to see me and even happier to see the treats I pulled out of the bag.

“Merry Christmas Bunny!” I said, my hand outstretched with her gift. “I’ve also brought you a friend. This is Errol and you have to be so nice to him okay? He belongs to one of my best friend’s family so make sure he feels welcome.”

I turned back to the guest and offered him some treats as well. He seemed even more excited than Bunny and happily ate alongside her. After giving both of them some more attention I moved over to the carved out windows that looked down at the snow covered valley. I could see the hill that Oliver and I went sledding down and it made my heart flutter. I reached up and under my scarf to feel the necklace that felt surprisingly rather warm.

“How is this my life?” I asked out into the open. There were a few hoots from owls behind me, but I didn’t think they were giving me any answers.

Honestly processing being here was still something that I found difficult. Most days when it was just school it was easy to fall into the patterns of my new life. But when I was in places like this, or when I was faced with a particularly dramatic part of the story, it was hard to believe it was real. It was easy to feel apart from it all, but I wasn’t really- I was living it. And even now with Harry and his broom, that issue was part of my life as well.

I reached into my bag and pulled Fred’s letter back out. I read over the last few paragraphs again and realized that I wasn’t going to be able to do nothing about the broom. Yes I had put in a lot of work to distance myself from his story line, but it wasn’t enough to stop my feelings. I felt like over the last few months I had gained a pretty good understanding of how not to cross the line into getting an X. I could do things that pushed the story around, but it never changed the direction. 

For example; with Hagrid and Buckbeak I tried to prep the class more for the lesson and ended up shifting the blame away from Hagrid, but in the end the hippogriff was still going to trial. And then there was going after Harry at the quidditch match; technically I intervened with that, but it didn’t stop the story from moving forward. I could do things to try to lessen the pain and troubles of the people around me and still keep the story intact.

And Fred was right- Harry deserved more wins in his life. Dude was dealt the literal worst cards and he still turned out amazing. He was such a great kid and if I had the chance to make things even a little bit easier for him I was going to do it. I had promised Lupin that I was going to watch out for him after all, and so really at this point it was my duty.

Not to mention, stepping into this part of the story could mean making things better for Hermione as well. If I could convince her not to talk to McGonagall then maybe the golden trio blowout wouldn’t be so bad. She didn’t deserve the hate she got either, especially not when she was just trying to be a good friend. 

With this new determination coursing through me I had another thought- an idea that would hopefully make the Firebolt much easier to manage. Turning I raced back down the stairs, yelling my goodbye to the owls as I went. I raced back to the castle, only slipping a few times on the snow, before bursting in and continuing my run through the halls. When I was back at the Great Hall I was panting and looking around for my friends.

“They are back at Gryffindor tower.” Dumbledore’s voice called in pitch that was too high to be normal. I turned towards the old man, he for sure was drunk now. “They thought maybe you had gone back there since you had been gone so long and were going to take your food up.”

My mind started to race. Had I really been gone that long? I guess I did hang out with the owl for a while, and I did stand at the window for quite some time. Seemed like I had inadvertently changed the story again. Then I remembered-

“Wait, where is Professor McGonagall?” I asked, looking at the rest of the people left at the table. 

“Oh, she went up with Ms Granger,” Dumbledore replied happily, taking another sip from his goblet. “They were discussing something before she left.”

Ah fuck- I needed to go! Leaving without another word I raced back to Gryffindor tower. In my last life I don’t think I could have handled this much running with so many stairs, but here my stamina was off the charts. By the time I dashed past the dumbass knight portrait though McGonagall was already holding onto Harry’s new broom.

“Professor!” I said, running up to the four of them. They all turned towards me, their various emotions all turning to surprise.

“Ah there you are Ms Gray, we were all wondering where-”

“I have a confession.” I said, cutting the teacher off. “Harry’s firebolt; its from me.”

--

“Did you really give Harry the broom?”

We were in the girls dorm both sitting on Hermione’s bed in what was silence. I wasn’t fast enough to stop a fight from breaking out between Hermione and the boys once McGonagall left. Even though I had convinced the Gryffindor head of house to let Harry keep his broom, it wasn’t enough to let things slide between the three friends. Both boys were still upset that Hermione had tattled on Harry, and of course she didn’t take it well. She had stormed off to her room and I followed. Once we were away she started to cry and had just calmed down enough to talk.

“Do you not believe me?” I didn’t feel like lying directly again so I just avoided the answer.

Hermione sniffled and shook her head. I sighed, of course my explanation was good enough for the adult but not for her. Girl was too damn smart. Honestly I didn’t know if I was going to be able to truly convince her.

“I don’t know what else to tell you. Just like I told McGonagall, when I went to get my new broom I decided to get one for Harry too. He spent all summer talking to me about the Firebolt so I knew it had to be that one, even if I knew he wouldn’t accept it. So I decided to keep it a secret, that way if he didn’t know it was from me he couldn’t deny it.”

I looked over at the girl, who beneath her puffy eyes still looked unconvinced. 

“I mean, you can talk to Oliver too if you want. Like I said he was there at the shop and could tell you that I got both brooms. Although he didn’t know I was getting the other one for Harry because I didn’t think he’d be able to keep the secret.”

“You could have just been getting it for yourself.” She replied.

“Yeah, but then would I have put Harry’s gift on this-” I pulled out my broom from my bag and showed her the Hufflepuff colored charm I had placed earlier today. I actually hadn’t been thinking when I did that, I mean up until a few minutes ago I was planning on using the firebolt of my own. I should have waited and put the gift on the other broom. Thankfully I was impulsive because it helped back up my story even more.

“I even used the spell to stick it on there permanently. If I had been planning on using another broom I would have wasted the gift.”

“Oh, well, I guess that does make sense. But I still can’t believe you bought such an expensive broom- I mean, Harry didn’t even get himself one.”

I shrugged again, “Between you and me, money isn’t something I’m ever going to have to worry about. Getting both of the brooms put me in no financial strain whatsoever.”

Hermione looked confused again, probably wondering how someone with my background could have money to just throw away on the world's nicest broom. I for sure wasn’t going to answer that so I quickly put my broom away and tried to change the subject.

“Look, I know you were just trying to keep Harry safe when you told McGonagall. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you I sent the broom, I could have prevented your fight. But just know that you weren’t in the wrong, and eventually they are going to realize that. You’re a good friend Hermione.”

The tears started to flow again, and I spent a while longer helping console her. Poor kid was just trying to do her best. Honestly it must be hard to be so much smarter than everyone around you. She understood the bigger picture and tried to do the right things by it, even if she was constantly misunderstood. 

When she had calmed back down I looked around for something that I could distract her with. I saw my pile of gifts still over where I had left them and ran over to find Fred’s. I thought we could listen to some music together, but I stopped when I saw the two unopened presents off to the side.

“Who are those from?” Hermione asked as I held up the two packages. I moved back over to her bed.

“Well, one is from Marcus Flint-” I pretended to gag and got a small smile out of her. “-and the other one doesn’t have a name.”

“You don’t know who it's from?”

I shook my head. “Anyone who I could think would give me a gift I already got one from- even from Flint whose gift I don’t think I want to open. Honestly I was thinking I would just give it back and say I didn’t want it.”

“Harsh, but that’s probably for the best. Are you going to open the other one?”

“Yeah, why not.” 

I moved in next to her and began unwrapping the present. As I tore off the ribbon and paper I started to feel nervous. Unnamed presents in the Harry Potter series usually ended up being good things, but for some reason this didn’t feel good. When I took the lid off the box Hermione and I peered down inside.

“It’s a bracelet,” She said, as I reached in and pulled out the silver circle.

Technically it wasn’t a full circle, it wasn’t connected at the end so that the wearer could place it on without putting it over their hand. It was really pretty though, with an intricate metalwork design of what looked like a pack of tiny Kneazles running in a forest. The cat like creatures were detailed out in gold along with the trees, with the rest of the background the same silver at the back.

“It's beautiful!” Hermione added, looking over the design with me.

“Yeah, it really is.”

Who the hell was this from? I looked over at the stuffed Kneazle that was sitting on my bed, thinking of the similarity between the two gifts. Then I reached up again to touch my necklace. It couldn’t have been from either of those guys, otherwise the gifts would have been together. And Fred would have mentioned it in his letter if it was from him. 

“Maybe you have a secret admirer.” The girl said in a teasing voice. 

I was pulled back from my thoughts, happy to hear that she was feeling good enough to joke around. I was glad that opening the present had made a good distraction, but it left me feeling utterly confused. I had no idea who could have given this to me, and I had no idea how to find out.

SONGS:

June: A Christmas Letter- Reba McEntire

Chapter Text

Just a note from me, the author, to let you guys know I am not dead and neither is this story.

I am currently working on what is the real chapter 17 and hopefully I will have it out tomorrow! I've missed writing a whole bunch so I'm glad my body is allowing me to get at it again. Also I just want to say I love all of you guys commenting, especially TheLazyHeart - you rock!!! Reading everyone's comments really helps me keep that fire burning.

I also wanted to just add some little notes on here for the fun of it; things about the story you might not have noticed. It's going to just be lots of my rambling so read if you want, and if not you are not going to be missing out on anything as far as the story goes. 

When it comes to choosing songs, Cedric, Fred, and Harry's songs all coordinate to a specific decade. Cedric has songs from the 60s (and actually the 50s sometimes), Harry is the 70s, and Fred is the 80s (and Ill do more of the 90s as we go along). When I was choosing songs for Cedric and Fred I found that each decade seemed to fit their personalities a bit better. Even though Harry hasn't had many songs as of yet, I try to say in the 70s more as a call to the Marauders era. 

With June's songs, I don't hold myself to a specific era of music, but that's just because it would be way too hard for me. Plus certain songs tend to push the story along for her character and I like to pull from a wide source. I have found though that I like sticking her with songs from ABBA, but that comes from my love of the group.

With Oliver I had only one song in mind (which I mentioned at the end of a chapter) and that's I'm Gunna Be (500 miles) by The Proclaimers. When I was building up his character and heard the song I knew it was going to be the root of who he was in my story. Can't have a proper Scottish lad without having his theme song be from the greatest Scottish group ever (my opinion but I mean come on that song is awesome.)

My game plan is to actually pull this story through all of the Harry Potter books (3-7), which is WILD. Honestly I have everything mapped out in my brain on how it will all go down with the Triwizard tournament, Umbridge, and even how I'd keep June around after she graduates. That feels like a million years out though so who knows what will happen. I would really love to get this whole fanfiction out of my head though because I've put a wild amount of time into mapping it.

--

Chapter Text

“So you were planning to give Harry the Firebolt the whole time???”

“No- Oliver, were you even listening?” I looked over at the boy whose eyes still seemed glazed over with shock. 

It was the day everyone came back from the break and I wanted to get to him before McGonagall did. I thought finding him was going to be hard, but discovered it was rather easy, seeing as he was looking to see me as well. I had been able to pull him over as everyone made their way to dinner, to talk about everything that had happened. I wanted him to be aware of what was actually going on, but he was having a hard time hearing what I was saying.

“Wait, so if the Firebolt isn’t from you then where did it come from?” Ah, it seems he was listening enough to ask the big questions.

“Well, I can’t really say,” I replied slowly. “Just know that it's just as safe as if I did actually give it to him. The thing is though, we need to make sure McGonagall believes it was me- can you keep the secret?”

“What will happen if she finds out?” He seemed totally out of the daze now and was looking a bit more serious.

“For one she wont let him use the broom, but not letting Harry use it is the least of my worries. The bigger thing is that if McGonagall takes it, things are going to get rocky between him and his friends. I’ve promised that I was going to look out for Harry, and creating distance between him and his friends about something that is actually inconsequential is not keeping my word.” I looked over the hunk of a man before asking, “so can I count on you?”

“Of course.” He replied without hesitation. “If the broom really is safe, and if keeping this secret will help Harry then I would be a terrible captain to do anything less. And I mean, I ‘d agree to do a lot more for even the chance to have one of my players fly around with a Firebolt.”

The grin on his face made me want to simultaneously roll my eyes and kiss that beautiful smile. Oliver was a great person, but it seemed that quidditch was so totally ingrained into who he was it sat right there with his core values. It all was still totally endearing though and made me feel very happy to get to be back with him. I think maybe he too was thinking something similar because as he smiled down at me he seemed to register something else.

“I missed you.” He said it so forwardly I was about knocked over by his words. I saw the change in his demeanor but I don’t know if I will ever get used to him showing me any forms of affection. The fact that he liked me was forever a dream made reality. 

“I missed you too.” I replied, looking away. I could feel my cheeks start to warm and also felt a bit shy. How could he so easily break through me? We were tucked around the corner near the great hall, which wasn’t super private, but suddenly it felt a lot more intimate. 

“I liked your gifts, especially the photo-” I looked back up to see he was now beaming at me. I felt my blush deepen, but I couldn’t look away this time. So instead I just grew a smile of my own.

“Did it help with convincing your family you really do have a girlfriend?”

He chuckled. “Actually yes, immensely. You were the first thing I brought up when I got home, knowing it would likely take the whole break to convince them you were real. But I was so happy and surprised to see the photo tucked into my case when I opened things later that evening. I went and showed my parents right away and they ended up parading your photo to everyone in the family as the holiday went on!”

“Oh now I feel a bit self conscious! Maybe I should have had someone other than Percy take the photo. It was a spur of the moment decision, and now I feel like I don’t even remember what the photo looked like!”

“Don’t worry, it was beautiful. Anytime the photo wasn’t being passed around I had it and would just stare at it the whole time. I think it's the best photograph I’ve ever seen-” he paused for a moment though and I watched as his cheeks started to go pink. “-I like seeing you in person more though. It feels a bit unreal that you look even more beautiful in person.”

My brain short circuited for a moment as my heart went into overdrive. How did I even manage a day away from this boy, let alone two weeks?! 

“I liked your other gifts as well-” he continued, maybe nervous when I didn’t respond. “I put the hanging charm on my broom right away and I think it looks really great. I haven’t had a chance to really use the goggles, but I am sure they’ll be great as well.”

“I liked your gift as well!” I responded quickly, coming back to my senses. “I actually haven’t taken if off since I first put it on Christmas morning-”

I reached up to my collar and loosened my yellow tie. The Hogwarts school uniform didn’t really leave much visibility for things like necklaces. Even though no one could see it I still wore it everyday though because I knew it was there and because he had given it to me. Once the tie was loose I unbuttoned the first two buttons of my shirt and held it open to reveal the delicate piece of jewelry. 

I wasn’t sure why I was showing him, I’m sure if I just told him without evidence he would have believed me. I just really wanted him to know that I loved it though and needed to prove it. 

“It looks great on you!” He said happily as he looked down my neck. Then I watched as his face shot to a shade of red and he quickly looked away. Confused, I looked down and saw that two additional buttons had come open when I pulled the shirt and I had just given Oliver a clear view down my shirt. I could have been embarrassed but when looking down I saw how good my cleavage looked and I wasn’t even sorry.

“In your picture-” Oliver stammered out, still looking away. “-your clothes looked really nice. I hadn’t seen you wear that before and I thought they looked very good on you.”

I cocked my head with curiosity as I started buttoning my shirt back up. The way he said it made it sound like the words were falling out on their own- like he had previously been trying to hold them back. He was acting so adorably flustered and I wanted to tease him so badly, but I held back.

“Oh, thank you. That was actually the outfit I picked out for our date before I had to cancel. I still wore it when we were together but I had my coat on the whole time so you wouldn’t have seen.”

“Would you um, would you wear it again?” His face was still red but he turned back to me as he asked, sheer determination evident in his gaze.

I fucking loved this man. My heart felt like it was spilling over with my adoration of getting to be back with him. Just looking at him now with his crimson face and that look in his eyes, it made me feel absolutely feral. I really really wished that I could lean in to kiss him, but I had to hold back. 

I wasn’t going to push him, even if I felt like the title of girlfriend should at least allow me the chance to put my lips on his. I mean, I wasn’t even asking for something like a makeout session or anything (even if I also wanted that as well). Even just a peck would be absolutely AMAZING.

I wasn’t going to get greedy though, I could wait for however long it took. I could figure out a way to show how I felt in other ways, like wearing a specific outfit apparently.  But before I could even answer his question, we were interrupted. It seemed that these little moments were always doomed to be comically overthrown. 

We both jumped as Percy Weasley walked up beside us, him looking extremely happy and me feeling very relieved I had fixed my shirt. Apparently though, his excitement had more to do with just being back at school, and he told us all about his academic prospects for the new year as he walked us into the Great Hall. Even though he was very invested in our relationship, he seemed blissfully unaware of anything he might have been interrupted. 

As we followed along I did manage to reach out to hold Oliver’s hand, to which he responded with a very tight grasp back. We kept our hands held fast until we had to separate to our respective tables- it made me really hate these house distinctions. I moved into my spot next to Cedric, and while he and I ate and talked I kept looking back to catch a glimpse of my red clad boyfriend. It made my heart flutter every time I looked back to see he was already looking, and smiling at me. 

--

“Hey Ced, I’m going to go up to the Gryffindor common room for a little bit before curfew hits.”

“What? But you spent the whole break up there, and I thought we were going to hang out tonight.” The grey eyed boy gave me his worst puppy dog eyes, a look I bet worked wonders on his family over the holiday. Honestly it worked really well on me too, but I had to push through it.

“We still will, I just have to check on something real quick. So you go down and find us a good spot by the fire and I’ll make it quick.”

He still seemed a bit put out but he nodded his head. The meal had finished and everyone was starting to make their way back to their common rooms.  My motivation to not go to my own was three fold. First, McGonagall had come and snagged Oliver for a chat during the meal and I wanted to maybe see how that went down. Second, I wanted to check in on Hermione since despite my best efforts the boys were still being a bit cold. Third, there was a boy with red hair that I hadn’t been able to talk to yet that I was itching to get to. Honestly the first two things could wait until tomorrow morning, but I didn’t want to wait anymore before I saw Fred.

The Weasley boy and I had made eye contact a few times during the dinner when I had turned with the intention of seeing Oliver. That red hair really just drew eyes towards it and I couldn’t help also looking at him. He must have noticed me staring because almost every time I looked at him he turned to see me. We were far enough away we couldn’t talk, but he kept making faces or gestures towards me that made me laugh. 

When I left Cedric I turned to where the other boy had been sitting, but he wasn’t there. I scanned around the room quickly, but the only red hair that I saw was Percy’s. I moved through the crowd, pushing until I made it out of the great hall, but I still didn’t see him. I was about to head up towards Gryffindor tower when there was a tap on my shoulder.

“Looking for someone special?”

I turned to see Fred’s smiling face, looking just as mischievous as ever. Normally I would have just rolled my eyes at a comment like that, but in that moment I felt an overwhelming glee at being with him again. Without really thinking I pounced; wrapping my arms around him, making him stumble, and almost sending us both to the ground.

“Merlin, if you wanted to knock me out there are easier ways to do it.”

I did actually roll my eyes at that comment, but I didn’t drop the embrace. The last two weeks suddenly felt extremely long and I needed to make up for lost time. Not to mention that Fred had been particularly helpful during the break, even if he didn’t know it. 

“I missed you.” I said, in what felt like an uncharacteristically sentimental moment between us. 

Most of our interactions were spent joking, laughing, and teasing. Most serious moments were just in discussing music, with only a few other exceptions…. ( think shower talk and during that quidditch match). I think we both mutually cared for each other, but neither of us were as outright in talking about it- it just wasn’t our relationship. So my words felt a little bit awkward floating in the current silence between us. It was made a little better though as Fred leaned his chin onto the top of my head and quietly replied “I missed you too.”

Then for a moment I felt stuck; conflicted on wanting to stay in this moment for longer and also unsure of how to not awkwardly end it. Right at that time though I saw there was a large group of Slytherins coming out of the Great Hall, and a head of unappealing black hair caught my eye. I flinched, remembering the still unopened gift and realized that I didn’t want to have any opportunity for communication with Flint until I gave it back to him. 

I pulled away quickly from my friend, looking up at him with some anxiety. 

“Hey did that fancy map you gave Harry show any ways to get to Gryffindor tower without a crowd?”

Fred looked down at me, a little confused but it didn’t last long. His smile was back as he grabbed my hand and pulled me away. As I followed along I hoped that even if the Slytherin 7th year did see me, he would be dissuaded from following.

Once we were away from the hoard of students we relaxed our pace and I was able to fill in Fred on the happenings of the holiday break. I talked about the Slytherin’s gift and the other one Hermione was still deeming from my secret admirer. Then I told him about the Fire bolt, which I was surprised he hadn’t heard about yet. I thought that the first things Harry would do when his team came back was show them his new broom. Maybe he was still feeling nervous about it getting taken away and didn’t want to jinx it.

I decided to let Fred in on my secret, even though I hadn’t been planning on it. I didn’t want to tell him or Cedric just so I could decrease the opportunity of the truth getting back to a teacher. But as I tried to spin the tale I realized I just couldn’t keep it from him. I knew even if I felt this way with Cedric I wasn’t going to be able to tell him, what with him being a prefect and all. With Fred though I did make him swear to not even tell his brother, something that felt imperative to him actually keeping the secret.

“So, who actually gave him the broom then?” He had stopped to ask the question at the end of the secret hallway before entering back into the normal passageway. I think I had been hoping everyone wouldn’t have considered this fact, but I was 0/2 now.

“I… can’t say…. But I know it's safe and that’s all that matters I think.” I went to move forward, but he held out his arm to stop me.

“But how can you know?” He stared defiantly at me, letting me know that he didn’t want to just bypass the topic. I stopped trying to move past him and took a deep breath- another complication of my situation in this world.

“There are just some things in my life that I’m not going to talk about, and this falls into that. I know it's probably frustrating and confusing, but I can’t budge. And, I haven’t given you any reason to distrust me right? I think by now you know I would never do anything to put the people I care about at risk. So please trust me.”

He looked me over, with an expression I tried not to read. I liked to think I was a good friend to have, but I also knew that anyone who eventually got closer to me was going to be left with a lot of questions. I had secrets that I may never be able to share, and that wasn’t something just anybody was going to be able to deal with. I was afraid that in moments like this, if I looked too closely at his face I was going to see some disdain at having to deal with this kind of relationship. I looked away, suddenly feeling a bit overwhelmed with this truth I decided to share.

"Are all Americans this secretive or is that just unique to you?”

I turned back towards him to see a playful smile. I could tell he wasn’t really over it, but that he was choosing to let it go at this moment for me. Immediately I felt relief and was able to smile back.

“Definitely an American thing, that’s why our cowboy hats are so big- they hold all our secrets.”

Things were lighter as we moved into the hall, and we ended up talking about Fred’s winter break until we reached the common room. He talked about how one of his older brothers had come unexpectedly for the Holiday. Charlie, the dragon brother, would have usually been too busy and far away with his work to come, but a summons from the ministry allowed for the well timed visit.

This wasn’t actually surprising news for me, because Ron had mentioned it one of the days after Christmas. He had gotten a letter from that same older brother jokingly chastising him for not being at home. Ron had acted annoyed at the time, but he was smiling the whole time he read the letter to me- and also when he read the whole thing to Harry later. 

It made me wonder if Charlie Weasley’s visit to the ministry would have anything to do with the upcoming triwizards tournament. It would be later this year that Book 4 would take place so it didn’t seem too far fetched. Also, it was through that same organization that the ministry would get the dragons for the first task. 

I didn’t have much more time to think on it though because once entering the common room my thoughts and our conversion were stopped by a large orange cat who pounced on me.

“I think he missed you-” Hermione said, walking over from where she had been sitting in the corner. It almost felt like she had also been waiting for me to come in.

“Well I missed him too,” I smiled, giving Crookshanks a big squeeze and him leaning right on into it.

“Bloody cat had two weeks of living with you.” I heard Fred grumble as he moved towards George and Lee, who I noticed were over on the other side of the crowded common room. I chuckled as he left, and then turned back to the brown haired girl.

“I was serious about missing him though. I think I got too used to him as a companion, and I’m not quite ready to not find him at the foot of my bed in the mornings.”

“Well I know he will be sad about it, and I will too…” Her face filled with emotions at her words and I could tell she was trying to hold back tears. After everything that happened I think she had gotten pretty used to me being a constant companion as well, especially with her two best friends being little bitches right now.

“You know, it's probably not too late to switch to Hufflepuff,” I said, dropping Crookshanks to the ground and putting my arm around her shoulder.

She gave a half hearted chuckle. “I don’t think I would fit in too well down there.”

“Well everyone would definitely try to make you feel welcome, but honestly you’d probably hate it. If you get annoyed at the dumb shit Ron says then you’d be overwhelmed with the stuff that is said in my common room.”

She gave a real laugh now and it lightened the mood quite a lot. I made sure that she really was doing okay before we hugged it out and I watched her head off to bed. Right as she disappeared Ron and Harry came into view and I gave them a death glare. The red head looked hesitant to come over, but the boy who lived strutted right over to see what was up. 

For what felt like the tenth time I laid into them about giving their friend a hard time. I reiterated that they were being childish and that Hermione’s intentions were based on her wanting Harry to be safe rather than him flying fast. I also might have threatened to retract my statement from their head of house if they didn’t figure out their shit soon.

After the discussion I left them to sit in their guilt. I dramatically moved over to the Weasley twins and Lee. I hadn’t seen Oliver yet and wondered if maybe he was still talking with McGonagall. Hopefully things were going well and they just got side tracked talking about quidditch starting up again. Either way, I guess I’d have to wait until later to find out.

“I’m out of here-” I said, walking up to the three boys. “I’ll talk to you guys tomorrow in Transfiguration.”

“What? You’re leaving already??” Lee asked, beating Fred to the punch.

“Yeah, I promised Cedric I wouldn’t be too long.” I said the rest of my goodbyes and started making my way out of the noisy room. I wasn’t at all surprised to feel a body follow up behind me.

“I can’t believe he’s not upset with you.” Fred whispered, moving his mouth close to my ear. The heat of his breath made me shiver.

“Who? Ced? Why would he be?” We crouched through the entrance and popped back into the castle hall.

“Well you said you weren’t going to tell him the truth, so he thinks it was you who gave it to Harry right?”

I stopped, my body suddenly feeling cold.

“Fuck.”

--

“A Firebolt????” 

I winced at his words, not because they were loud but because it was so hard hearing him upset. We were in his dorm room, thankfully alone so there were no judgmental looks from anyone else. Cedric was pacing back and forth while I sat awkwardly on his bed.

“You didn’t even get yourself a firebolt!” He ran his hands through his hair, making a bit of a mess of his usually perfect locks. I was really regretting telling him it was me who had given Harry the new Broomstick. I should have just not said anything I mean, I was technically lying now anyway. Why didn’t I just lie for my own benefit??? Stupid.

“At least we don’t have to play them again this year-” I said, trying unsuccessfully to lighten the mood. 

“But if they win both their matches between Slytherin and Ravenclaw it wont have mattered!” He stopped and looked over at me, hurt very evident in his eyes. “Why did you have to get him a new broom at all?”

My heart broke a little as I hopped off the bed. I stood next to him but I didn’t feel like I could fully reach out yet. Man, I was such an idiot. Fred was right about Cedric being upset with me, and still for some reason I still thought it best to tell him. I just- I just didn’t want him somehow hearing about Harry getting the broom from me if word spread. It was hard now, but I think it would have been worse if he found out later from anyone else.

“Is this because of Wood? Are you just trying to get on his good side by making his team better?”

“What?? No, of course not! My intentions were just to help out Harry.”

 Now it was my turn to feel a little hurt. Did he really think I would do something like that? I might be stupid but I wasn’t that stupid. 

“But a Firebolt??” He asked again, his eyes desperate. I reached out now, putting my hand on his shoulder.

“I mean, I know it's a nice broom but is it really going to make that big a difference?”

--

“Can you believe what a difference a broom can make?!?” Lee’s voice boomed around the stadium and I winced, daring to take a look over at the boy next to me. Cedric was clapping but it was slow and he was glaring at me the whole time.

Time had passed quickly once school started back up, and suddenly we were at the first quidditch game of the new year. It was Gryffindor vs Slytherin, different from what I remembered from the books, but that didn’t seem to change anything that really mettered. Since Harry never got his new broom taken away there was no need for the story to delay their game.

Over the last few weeks the rest of school life continued on as normal with even Cedric seemingly getting over my betrayal. Thankfully words hadn’t spread on where Harry’s broom came from so I didn’t have to endure those same feelings from anyone else. I really thought that maybe he had moved past it, but watching Harry kick ass flying around Slytherin was obviously bringing things right back to the surface.

Harry had just narrowly avoided two different bludgers as if it was nothing and the show was making the crowd go wild. It was a little hard to watch; on one hand I was ecstatic for Harry and the Gryffindor team, and on the other hand I now had to endure glares from my usually sunshiney friend. 

“I think I better go find Hermione-” I yelled out through the cheers.

“I think you had better.” Cedric replied flatly, looking utterly annoyed. Honestly if there was one thing to draw out a bad mood on this guy it was quidditch, or honestly me as well. The mix of the two did not allow for a peaceful enjoyment of the game.

After leaving the stone cold Hufflepuff I immediately felt a lot lighter. Once I moved into the Gryffindor section I was eagerly swept in- and I knew it was going to be a lot easier to enjoy the game. Hermione was happy to see me as well and I found myself as a useful buffer between her and the youngest Weasley boy. The golden trio had mostly made up, but I think the use of the broom in the match might have also pulled up some hurt feelings on this section of the stands as well.

Soon enough though, everyone forgot about anything that wasn’t the game playing before them. It was spectacular watching both red and green teams fighting tooth and nail, giving literally their all. I knew in the end that Gryffindor was bound to win, but that didn’t stop me from being on the edge of my seat the entire time. 

Watching Oliver at the goal posts was especially hard though. This was the first time I was watching him play, while not being the other team playing. When it was them vs. us, I had my adrenaline and competitiveness there to distract me. Now I was a ball of worry as I watched him fly around to save each shot. This sport meant so much to him and it made the stakes feel even higher.

Oliver was great though, as was Harry, Fred, and the rest of my friends flying around. Having such an attachment to literally every member of the Gryffindor team made watching this event so much more dramatic than the last one. I had never truly disliked Slytherin house, but right now they were literally the enemy. I don’t think I had ever spat out such blatant atrocities to a group of people I really did not know that well.

My current feelings towards the green team I think also stemmed from my most recent interaction between Marcus Flint and I. During the first week back I had made sure to return his gift back to him, wanting to make it very clear that I was not interested. He had gotten upset, which wasn’t all that surprising, but it made me feel more uneasy. He kept pressing me for a reason as to why I wouldn’t accept it- trying to interrogate me on who convinced me to return it. No matter what I said he didn’t seem to listen and so I ended up just leaving without much of a resolution.

What was worse though was that the next day he tried to talk to me as if nothing had happened. As if our conversations weren’t awkward enough I now had to deal with him pretending we were suddenly close? Like what the hell was he trying to do?? I was so thankful that this was his last year and that very soon I wouldn’t have to be dealing with him anymore.

My mind quickly shot back to Oliver, thinking again how this was also his last year. His last year doing school quidditch and a chance to get a championship on his resume. If everything continued as I understood he would have that win to carry onto graduation. But again, being in the moment and seeing everything go down in real time made you really question if this fate was set in stone. 

When the showdown between Harry and Malfoy started I was literally standing on my seat watching the events unfold. After this game filled with five penalties and an endless amount of sabotage we all watched in awe as Harry caught the snitch and sealed Gryffindor’s victory. 

My ears were ringing from screams of the Gryffindor house around me, as I jumped up and down with Hermione and Ron. The anxiety and trepidation from before was washed away as excitement started spilling out of me. I felt like I couldn’t contain it and so grabbing the two younger kid’s hands I raced with them out of the stands and towards the field.

As we ran onto the grass with a group of other excited Gryffindors I saw Harry touch down on his broom and literally jumped on him. Even though I was fairly short he was still smaller than me and so I ended up knocking us both to the ground, his new firebolt being pushed to the side. With Ron and Hermione following behind we ended up starting a dog pile onto the heroic Seeker. 

At some point people started getting shoved off and I felt myself being pulled up from the ground. I turned to see both Weasley twins; George now grabbing Harry and hoisting him onto his shoulders and Fred just to the side of me holding my arm. When we locked eyes huge stupid grins crossed our faces and we literally started jumping up and down together. We were yelling, then laughing, and then crying from laughing so hard.

We stopped jumping so I could catch my breath, but I lost it as Fred moved forward and wrapped his arms around my waist. He held me tight and was tall enough that as he stood with his arms around me my feet were lifted slightly off the ground. To stop myself from slipping out of his grasp I wrapped my own arms around his neck and held tight.

The noise of the still excited crowd around us was muffled as my face moved into the crook of his neck. In the moment of less sound I was able to take in more of my senses and suddenly realized how absolutely drenched in sweat this boy was. Usually something like this would have grossed me out, but it didn't actually bother me. 

Actually I was more surprised that the smell of said sweat was also not bothering me at all. Even being this close to him it didn’t bug me. He smelled strongly, but it wasn’t bad, it just smelled like Fred. And for some reason that made me want to lean into him more.

“June?!”

I pulled away, the sounds of the area coming back in at full force. As my feet hit back down onto the ground  and I looked past the stocky boy to see who had called my name. My heart had hitched at the voice so I felt sure I knew who it was.

“Oliver!!!” I yelled, as his brown windswept hair came into view. I stepped past Fred and started to run towards the boy who had come into the now large group of red clad students.

When our eyes met my heart started to beat even harder and I wanted so badly to be able to run faster. With both of us running though the distance was closed soon enough. The people around us were all smiling, but it was nothing compared to the smile shining on Oliver’s face. It was brighter than anything I had ever seen before.

Once we reached each other I went to throw my arms around his neck like I had done with Fred, but I found myself being lifted too high up in the air. Without even a pause Oliver had run up to me, reached his arms around my legs and lifted me into the air. I screamed, but that scream very quickly turned to a laugh as he spun me around. I had to hold onto his head to stabilize myself from the whirlwind motions, but also from laughing so hard (this was turning into an ab workout).

When he brought me back down to the ground my sides were aching but my heart had never felt so good. As I looked into his beautiful sweaty face I was washed over with this feeling that I had reached one of the happiest moments of my life. I truly wasn’t sure if there was ever going to be anything that topped it.

It was crazy though how fast I was proven wrong, because as soon as I saw that shift in Oliver’s eyes I just knew what was going to happen. Even though my brain knew it was coming I couldn’t even move as he brought his hands up to my face and pulled me in closer. When our lips met I threw out all preconceived notions of happiness. Nothing that I knew before this moment came anywhere close to how this kiss made me feel.

Best. Match. Ever.

SONGS:

June: Kiss On My List- Hall and Oates

Oliver: I’m Gonna Be (500 miles)- The Proclaimers 

Harry: I Got You (I Feel Good)- James Brown

Fred: Missing you- John Waite

Cedric: I’m Mad Again- The Animals

Chapter Text

“Oh, you’re here again?”

Fred, George, Lee, and I all looked up at Percy from where we were sitting in the Gryffindor common room. I was surprised Fred and Lee had even heard the older boy because they had been so focused in on the song they were listening to. The four of us were supposed to be comparing our star charts, but it ended up as me just getting tutoring from George and the other two slacking off.

“Yeah, I’m here again.” I smiled at the head boy but then looked back down at my chart. I could have explained how I was actively avoiding Cedric right now, but I thought it would just be easier to keep it simple. It was still the first week back and my quidditch captain still wasn’t over the quidditch broom betrayal. 

“But Oliver isn’t even here.” Percy responded, looking around perplexed.

“Wood isn’t her only friend.” Fred answered, taking his headphones off and looking annoyed. “I know the idea of having someone other than Oliver as a friend is rather foreign to you, but it's actually pretty normal to the rest of us.”

“That’s not what I meant!” Percy sputtered, his face going red. “And Oliver isn’t my only friend!”

“Professors don’t count Perc,” George said with a smirk.

“I think the teachers count!” I countered, giving up on working for a moment. “I absolutely think of Hagrid as my friend.”

“Okay but that has to be different,” Lee added, also taking his headphones off. “You guys basically work together, he’s not even like a real Professor to you. You are more like coworkers or something.”

“But I think of Professor Lupin as a friend too, and I bet if I asked Harry he’d say the same thing.” I felt confident in that assessment since I knew the boy and teacher had just started up their anti dementor lessons.

“Yeah, but Lupin is actually cool.” Fred replied. “I mean, he’s probably the best teacher here. And that being said, I don’t even think he and Percy are on that good of terms. Mr. Humongous Bighead over here is too stuck up for Lupin.”

“I ONLY MEANT-” Percy basically shouted, cutting into our little back and forth and making the boys snicker. “-that Oliver is Juniper’s boyfriend and I would expect her to be here when he was here.”

I sighed, “Well if you must know, Oliver will be here in a little bit. He had things he needed to do after dinner. I feel like you know just as well as I do how busy he can get.”

At my words Percy also sighed, but his seemed to be more of relief.

“Well he should work on making more time for his girlfriend . I know how important it is to make sure your relationship doesn’t falter. Even just like week Penelope and I-”

Thankfully Percy’s monologue was stopped by a crashing sound. We all turned towards the portrait hole to see Oliver burst in looking like he had been running the whole way here. I couldn’t help but laugh at his outrageous and now practically normal behavior. Even though we were dating and subsequently spent more time together, Oliver still decided he needed to run anywhere he thought that I might be. It was fucking adorable and made me feel like a million galleons. 

“Does he have to do that every time?” Fred grumbled, placing his headphones back on. I noticed Lee and George give each other a look, but then ended it when they noticed me watching.

“I guess I can’t say much about his dedication.” Percy said, oblivious to anything else going on. He waved over at his roomate and gestured towards me. Oliver saw us quickly and decided to run over to where we were.

“Hi June,” He said with a wide smile, then he looked around to the rest of the group. He seemed surprised that there were other people in the room. “Oh, hey guys.”

“Don’t even bother with the pleasantries Cap, we all know we’re practically invisible to you when June is here.” George said it all serious but he had a smirk on his face. Funny enough though, Oliver didn’t even try to correct him, instead he just smiled down at me like I really was the only one in the room.

“George, you just don’t understand what it's like to have a girlfriend. The complexities of a serious romantic relationship are far beyond what you can understand at this point in your life-” 

The four of us sitting all locked eyes and tried to suppress our grins. George and Lee had been together for three years now. This wasn’t common knowledge though- even Percy didn’t know. They weren’t public about the nature of their relationship to anyone outside their friend circle. Their relationship was something they kept private, but it was real and valid nonetheless. AND it was rather a steep comparison to Percy’s relationship of 6 months. 

“You know what Perc, you’re right. I just don’t have the same kind of knowledge about these kinds of things as you do.” 

While speaking George got up from his seat, moved in next to Lee, casually resting his arm behind him. Both Fred and George looked smug but Lee just leaned forward, his face hidden behind his hands. I couldn’t tell if he was trying to hide blushing or laughter.

As soon as the Weasley boy had moved Oliver took the opportunity to move in right next to me. I felt butterflies in my stomach as he sat and smiled happily over at me. Then he nervously looked between my face and my hand, and with some hesitancy he reached out to grab it.

“Absolutely adorable.” Percy commented, kind of ruining the moment for me. Dude was starting to seem even more oblivious than Oliver ever was. I shot him a look to tell him to leave which he didn’t at all pick up on. Instead he just grabbed a nearby chair and moved it over to where we all were.

“What are you working on?” Oliver asked, bringing my attention back. He squeezed my hand and I could tell he really wanted to have my attention. It was like an adorable puppy- I mean for sure this guy had Golden Retriever energy. 

“Astronomy,” I replied with a smile. “But I am more than happy to take a break. As I am sure George is as well.”

“Well these two have been taking a break for the last hour-” George thumbed towards the other two boys.

“Hey, I am having my own form of education.” Lee replied indignantly. “Fred is teaching me all about muggle music.”

“Oh are you the expert now Freddie?” I asked, turning towards the boy. He gave me a look and then lifted off one side of his headphones to act like he hadn’t heard me.

“Oh I’m sorry, what was that? I couldn’t hear you over my life’s passion.”

I snorted, but smiled just the same. He was being an ass, but at this point it was well known that he was pretty serious about music- specifically muggle music. Actually he was starting to gain more of an interest in anything that had to do with muggles. I knew that he knew some muggle magic tricks, and would eventually sell some in his store, but until now basically all of the muggle regard in the Weasley family came from their dad. But Fred was starting to ask me more questions about muggle media, especially when I mentioned a specific song we listened to being in a movie or show.

I had mentioned once, without thinking, that the song we were listening to was one of my favorites and in one of my favorite movies. He immediately started asking a myriad of questions about it and I realized that the movie I had mentioned hadn’t even come out yet. The song; Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper was in Napoleon Dynamite, an absolute classic. Unfortunately that classic wouldn’t come out until 2004, which was now 10 years away.

Not worrying too much about it, I decided to give the plot of the movie and he was totally mesmerized. He wanted to know everything about it, which felt ridiculous before the movie was created as a very low budget comedy. Still, it had been fun to tell him about it, especially when the aforementioned song was played in a slow dance scene. I told him that even though it was a comedy, that particular scene had become a dream romantic moment of mine, which he thought was pretty funny.

I felt bad though when he asked if there would be any way that I could ever show it to him, and I mentioned it would be impossible with that one. But he cheered back up when I mentioned likely being able to show him other movies sometime in the future. Since then he had asked me to tell him anytime a song we listened to was in a movie. I assumed that today he and Lee had been listening to my cassette of Bonnie Tyler songs because I heard Fred attempting to explain the plot to Footloose , which I had told him about a few days ago. 

“Actually June I’ve been meaning to ask you-” I turned my attention back to Oliver. “-with the upcoming quidditch match, I was hoping you would be willing to find a song for our team like you have with the others.”

The look on his face and tone told me that he was unsure of how I would respond. I’m sure he just didn’t want to push any potential boundaries in our new relationship- but of course he had no reason to worry.

“Oh Oliver- you have no idea how long I have been waiting for you to ask that.”

With an air of absolute dramatics I let go of my boyfriend’s hand and moved my arms across the table in front of us and whisked everything onto the floor. All my astronomy papers went flying and I had to suppress a laugh when Percy gasped and immediately went to collect all the pages. Then I turned to Lee and Fred and practically yanked their headphones off as I reached across the couch, grabbed the Walkman, and pulled it towards me.

“HEY!” They both called out, reaching to grab the headphones back. I was too quick though and had already pulled them out of reach. I placed the music player on the table and then hefted up my bag to start going through all of my cassettes.

“Sorry boys, but my time has come.” 

I had been thinking about finding the perfect song for the Gryffindor team since before Oliver and I had even been on speaking terms. I had been saving one song in particular for this exact moment- even though in the end I ended up grabbing two different tracks.

“Actually Fred, I need you to come down here too. I specifically haven’t shown you these songs because I hoped eventually I would get to showcase them for this purpose.”

“You have more than one?” The Weasley boy asked, standing up and walking to the other end of the couch. Everyone else shuffled their way down so that Lee and Goerge were on one end and Oliver and Fred were on the other (thank heavens for the long ass seats in the Gryffindor common room).

I handed out the headphones to the two boys. “Yes. One specifically mentions a Lion which I thought was very fitting, but the other I think will end up being the better fit.”

Fred grabbed back his headphones and placed them on, while Oliver managed his a bit more awkwardly. He had seen me wear them before, but he had never listened to any music with me. Usually when we spent time together it was more like we were together doing our own separate thing. Even at dinner in the kitchens he often had homework or quidditch practice notes out that he was working on. So more than once I had listened to my music while he worked away, both of us just happy to be in each other’s company.

He looked adorably nervous though, and once they were on his ears he turned to me to make sure he had done it right. I giggled and nodded, putting him a bit more at ease. Then as I moved down to my music player I started to inwardly laugh, knowing that the reactions were going to be great for this first song.

I made sure the song was rewinded and then I clicked play. I tried to suppress any more laughter as I watched the confusion cross both their faces as The Lion Sleeps Tonight by The Tokens started playing. I knew the second that the line “-the lion sleeps tonight-” played out because Fred stared right at me with this look that said he knew I was full of shit. I broke into a full laugh when he grabbed off his headphones and threw them at me, pulling Oliver’s off with it.

The song, although indeed mentioning Lions, was not at all a good walk out song. Just the idea that the Lion was sleeping thus allowing everyone in the village to be more calm sent the message that the Quidditch team was not going to play well. Honestly it was hilarious, and I ended up rolling off the couch I was laughing so hard.

“You’re hilarious.” Fred said, coming over to squat by me. “I can’t believe you really saved that song just so you could pull this prank.”

I sat up, wiping the tears away from my eyes and trying to calm my breathing. Fred had sounded all stern, but when I looked up at him I could see he was trying to suppress a smile. He held out his hand and I took it, using his strength to lift me back to my feet. I almost fell back down though because I had gotten a shove from behind that I wasn’t ready for. When I turned I saw that Lee and George had grabbed the headphones and were listening to the song themselves- and apparently he was not as amused.

“That is hilarious!” Lee said, starting to laugh. He also got a shove from George as he handed back the headphones to me. 

When I sat back down on the couch I turned to Oliver, who was the only one not showing any signs of amusement. My heart sank a little as I moved in closer, wanting to make sure I cleared the air.

“Sorry, it was supposed to be a joke. I promise I don’t actually think that song is an accurate description of your team.”

He stared over at me, still looking a bit dejected. I quickly moved around looking for my other cassette. When I found it I switched it out and swifty got everything ready to go again. A bit more hesitantly this time I held out the two sets of headphones.

“I promise this is the real song, no jokes this time. I feel like this is a much more accurate representation of the Gryffindor quidditch team. And also you specifically Oliver, I think this song will really speak to you.”

With the boys back in their seats, both Fred and Oliver reached out again to grab their respective headphones. It didn’t take long for the music to change their attitudes, and I could tell right when the singing started. Both of their eyes got wide and Fred let a genuine smile grow across his face. We made eye contact and it was very evident that he thought this was a good choice.

Then without warning Oliver stood, surprising us all and even taking his turn to pull the headphones off Fred’s head. As he stood he stared forward, that same passion for the game literally taking over his whole body.

“This is it.” He whispered, making the moment even more dramatic.

--

It was a chilly morning with the January wind cutting through the stands. I hoped that being huddled in a mass of students would help make things warmer, but for right now I had to endure my spot next to Lee. It was the first quidditch game of the new year and despite the cold everyone seemed very excited.

“I’m so glad Gryffindor is coming out second, it's going to make their entrance absolutely wicked.”

Lee was wiggling back and forth with excitement as he spoke, or maybe it was to combat the cold. 

“Oh I know. I mean Snake Eyes is great, but I had been saving the best for your guys’ team. I honestly think the other teams might get a bit upset with me knowing that this would have been an option.”

“Yeah but there’s no way they could complain- it's by far the most fitting song for Gryffindor.”

Couldn’t argue with that, and I wouldn’t have had time for it anyway. Just then Professor McGonagall leaned down from her seat and told Lee to get on with it before everyone froze to their seats. And so as the announcer he welcomed everyone to the match, and I moved in to get the song ready for Slytherin. 

After the green team flew out I moved to switch songs and noticed that now my hands were shaking from cold/excitement. Once the cassette was in though I nodded to Lee and pressed play. The once cheering crowd quieted down as Eye of the Tiger by Survivor started playing. It sounded electric around the stadium and I got goosebumps. When the team started flying out during the chorus it was powerful and everyone just lost their shit.

This was seriously one of the best experiences being in this world. My love for music getting to be part of a hyped event like this was so fun. It was like Friday Night Lights but on steroids. I totally understood why everyone in this world was so obsessed with Hogwarts, it was the fucking best.

Once the entire red team was named, Madam Hooch called for the captains to shake. I quieted the song and then turned off the boombox, getting ready to take it away. 

“That was excellent!” Lee said happily, holding his hand over the microphone. “I feel like between an entrance like that and Harry’s Firebolt we are bound to take the win.”

“I think you’re right,” I said happily. I then picked up the big machine to head out of the box, but passed to watch as everyone flew into position. 

“Oh hey, what does Wood have on his broom?”

Lee’s question made my eyes shoot right to Oliver who was flying up to the goal posts. My heartbeat quickened as I saw my gift to him hanging there on the edge of his broom, the red and yellow string billowing in the wind. I hadn’t even noticed it early, but there it was- clear as day. He also had on the goggles I had gotten him as well.

“Is that a flower?” McGonagall asked, adding herself into the conversation. I felt my face flush as I watched Oliver reach forward and fidget with the yellow rose, maybe making sure it was secure. 

“Maybe he’s got a new good luck charm,” Lee suggested “Remember a few years ago when he thought that the team would only win if he wore that one jersey? At least having a flower around all the time won't smell bad.”

“Thank Merlin for that.” The professor replied, and I took that as my opportunity to leave. 

As I walked out and towards the Hufflepuff stands I felt warm even though I didn’t have any barricade from the wind. My blush had seemed to move through my whole body and I was even tempted to take off my scarf. My music, my boyfriend, my school, my life- how could anything ever be better than this???

Songs:

Everyone: Eye of the Tiger- Survivor

Chapter Text

That fateful moment on the quidditch pitch didn’t last long; as soon as the two of us parted, Oliver was suddenly surrounded by the rest of his team. They cheered and screamed, and our moment was lost in a sea of celebration for their victory. I felt like I was on top of the world, about everything, but something shifted as the Gryffindor captain was carried off towards the locker room and the celebrations around me quieted.

I left then with Hermione, Ron wanting to stay back and wait for Harry. As we walked back I started to deflate more and more. It was like I did an emotional alley-oop, from the highest of highs to a crumbling low. I could tell that Hermione sensed something was off about me, but she didn’t press it. I was glad she didn’t because I didn’t even know what was going on with me.

I followed the younger Gryffindor to her common room, where she let me sit in silence while she did homework. As more and more people came back from the match the common room grew louder and louder with the excited chatter of victory. As the noise became more pronounced I became more anxious and restless, until I was about to leave to find somewhere quieter.

Just then though the female half of the Gryffindor quidditch team came in, spotted me, and hauled me off to the 5th year girls dorm. Apparently we needed to have ample time to get ready for the party tonight, so we had to start now.

I felt a little tense at first, but relaxed somewhat when all the talk was focussed on highlights of the match. After a while I was about to calm down enough to start getting ready and even added my input into the sports talk. I still felt off though, as if I was suddenly more prone to the discomforts in this world around me.

“It’s pretty loud down there isn’t it?” I asked, referring to the noise from the party that had made its way up to the room.

I was trying to not obsess about myself in the mirror. I was technically ready, but had touched up my outfit at least ten times in the last 5 minutes and needed a better distraction. I had decided to go with the same clothes I had chosen for that fateful date with Oliver. I was really hoping he would like it as much in person as he seemed to like it in picture.

“They always are,” Katie replied from the bed across the room. I walked over to her, hoping the distance from the mirror would help me chill out. 

“This is your first Gryffindor Victory party right?” She asked, patting a spot on her bed for me to sit.

“Yup. All that will be left after this one is Ravenclaw, but honestly I am hoping they don’t get a win this season so maybe a party won't even happen.”

“What a terrible season that would be.” Angelina commented. She moved closer to where I had been by the mirror and looked over her clothes. She was stunning, as was Alicia who was now beside her. Katie looked great as well, but she wasn’t bothering over her appearance like the three of us were.

“Who exactly are you going after tonight?” Katie asked, a comment that probably stemmed from the same thoughts as mine. 

“Whoever it is you are for sure going to get them.” I added, trying not to oggle my friend. 

“Well as always, I’m going to try for Fred first. But when that inevitably goes nowhere I am going to try Davies.”

“Oh is the Ravenclaw team coming tonight?” Alicia asked.

Angelina shook her head. “No, but I did personally invite Rodger, I figured he’d be a fun backup when tweedle dee turns me down again.”

“Wait, why are you still trying to get with Fred if he keeps stupidly turning you down?” This was a question I had had for a while now. I knew the other 5th year was into him, and I mean I understood why she would be initially, but not if he continued shutting her down. 

“Because we both know that eventually we are going to be together. I think he’s too nervous to mess with anything in the friend group, but everyone knows we will end up together in the end. Actually-” She turned towards me. “When you first showed up I was almost afraid I would lose him to you, but then I saw how soft you were for Wood and realized I was fine.”

I felt my cheeks warm. I had never been very subtle about my feelings for Oliver, but it was still sort of embarrassing to realize how probably everyone else knew besides him. 

“OH WAIT!!” Alicia yelled, making us all jump. “What are we even doing???? How have we not talked about what happened after the match!?!”

My face went even hotter. Suddenly all three girls were right around me, wanting to know every little detail about the kiss, but not letting me talk at all. 

“Oliver wouldn’t tell us anything when we tried to ask!! Was that the first time you two had kissed??” Katie asked excitedly. 

“First time they kissed, girl I think that’s the first time Oliver has kissed anyone. Ever.” Angelina responded. “I wasn't even sure he was man enough to ever go for it.”

“It was SO romantic though,” Alicia oooed. “I was watching when he picked you up, and your hair was flowing so beautifully when he spun you. Then when he moved in I thought I was going to die!”

“You said that you two only officially started dating right before the break right?” Katie counted on her fingers. “That means it only took him less than a month!”

“It's great seeing him apply some of that Quidditch determination to something other than creating rigorous training schedules. Hopefully now he will lay off us a bit more and focus more of his energy on you. ” At her last word Angelina pointed a finger at me with a knowing look.

“I don’t even know if he’ll want to kiss me again,” I admitted, voicing out a thought that had been running through my head since the kiss. “I feel like maybe the choice to kiss me came more from the adrenaline of winning the game and less about, you know, actually wanting to do it.”

“I know Oliver is thick, but he’s not blind. Now that you two have taken that first step he’s going to see you tonight and not know how to hold back. I mean, with your face and body in that outfit- I want to snog you and I'm not even that into girls.”

“Oh I second Angelina,” Katie added, raising her hand in the air as if there was a vote.

I rolled my eyes at both of them that made them laugh, and I couldn’t help but smile as well. They were being funny, but their words did give me a confidence boost I had been looking for. I did want to look nice tonight, even if no other romantic steps were taken between us. But my confidence in myself didn’t seem to be enough to fully placate my anxieties…

“They really are being so loud though aren’t they,” Angelina moved away from her interrogation spot at the bed and went over to the door. It really was quite a bit louder now, especially now that she had opened the door to look out.

“Maybe the Slytherin team showed up,” I offered.

“Oh no, they won't come.” Alicia answered, going back to the mirror. “I don’t think they have ever showed up when we have invited them to come, even if they weren’t the ones playing.”

“What great school unity we have here.” I replied, which made Katie giggle.

“I didn’t think you would mind, what with the Slytherin captain being so-”

“Weird?” Alicia Offered.

“Invasive?” Angelina said, coming back into the room. 

“Creepy.” I added. 

“Persistent.” Katie finished. “Although, I think your words fit better. All the stories you’ve told us June always made me feel so icky.” She did a little shiver for good measure. 

“Well maybe seeing you and Oliver at the pitch today will have finally deterred him enough.” Alicia said with a hopeful tone in her voice. I didn’t answer, but that was because I had this sinking feeling that the kiss was going to make things worse… Just another thing to add to my worries today.

--

After we were all finished getting ready we headed down stairs towards the noise. Before we moved into the common room though Katie motioned for us to follow and we all went up the other side of the staircase towards the boys doors. From there we moved out into a little landing that would overlook the main area.

“Animals, the lot of them.” Angelina said with disgust, but she was smiling as she looked down.

She wasn’t wrong in her assessment though- the Gryffindors down there seemed absolutely feral. The Hufflepuff party had been very bright and light, the Slytherin’s was cool and collective, and this was just… chaos.

People were laughing, cheering, screaming, fighting, dancing, eating, and of course drinking. Most of the drinks looked like butterbeer, but I definitely saw some Firewhiskey out there as well. It was legal here to drink at 17, but I was sure it wasn’t allowed in the school. The alcohol had to be one of the major contributors to the craziness. 

“Who do you think snuck it in??” Alicia asked over the noise, referring to I assume the fire whiskey.

“I bet it was the Weasleys- probably got someone older to get the drinks and then smuggled them back.” Angelina answered.

“Where are the boys?” I asked, looking through the crowd. I recognized a lot of people, but not any other members of their team. I also did see Ron, Hermione, or Lee.

“Let's go find out!” Katie said happily, moving away from the railing and heading back down the stairs. The other two girls followed, but I stayed put. 

I didn’t feel much like wandering through the crowd of people yet- not if I didn’t have a direction to go. I liked parties enough, but today I just wasn’t feeling it like I normally would have. My burning feelings towards Oliver made it hard to want to mingle in a crowd- I just wanted to be with him. But I still couldn’t see him, or anyone! Even the girls were suddenly also missing.

Then a familiar head of perfectly shaped hair popped out from the portrait hole and I perked up. With no hesitation I leaned over the railing and called out to the only other Hufflepuff in the room. I was surprised Cedric had heard me calling his name over all the noise, but he was looking around as soon as I yelled out. I yelled one more time and then smiled when our eyes met. 

Then for a split second I worried that maybe he wouldn’t actually be that happy to see me. I hadn’t seen him since I left during the match, and I didn’t know how he was feeling after Gryffindor’s win. I honestly wasn’t even sure he was going to come tonight after what happened. Alicia had actually been the one to invite him, finding him earlier this afternoon to tell him to come, which he hadn’t given her a straight answer to.

A wave of relief washed over me though as I saw him return the smile and immediately start heading my way. I watched him all the way to the stairs, and then turned to watch the door anxiously. As soon as he stepped through I ran over and threw my arms around him. I realized a moment too late that maybe that wouldn’t be the best greeting if he was actually still upset, but I relaxed when he moved his arms around me as well.

“I’m so glad you came.” I said, pulling out of the hug.

“Yeah I am too. I wasn’t really sure I would but decided to just go for it.” He smiled again at me, but I noticed that his grey eyes didn’t seem as bright as they normally would have. 

“Listen Ced, I’m sorry again about everything-”

He held up his hand. “June, it's fine- I’m over it. After watching the match I realized that I couldn’t hold it over you. Sometimes it's hard to think of people like Potter as anything more than competition, but he was your friend before you even became interested in quidditch. Plus I found that I couldn’t help cheering for him in the end- it was such a riveting game.”

“Oh I know! I can’t believe how dirty Slytherin played, honestly the whole Gryffindor team needs to have Firebolts if only to even the odds.”

Cedric chuckled. “Ah well I don’t know about that, I mean I do still want us to win the quidditch cup. Especially now that we are tied with Gryffindor and Slytherin- this is the best chance Hufflepuffs had in decades.”

“Only because this is the best captain and seeker Hufflepuff has had in decades.” I replied, shoving him with my shoulder. He chuckled again, light and airy. It was the kind of sound that only came from beautiful people. You know what I mean? Like when an attractive person laughs and you wonder how they can look and sound so nice.

I was happy to hear him laugh though, even despite how beautiful it sounded. It was so hard knowing that he was upset with me. Sure it made things awkward just day to day being in the same house, but I also had a hard time stomaching the knowledge that we weren’t okay. It meant so much now though, when I was feeling so out of sorts, to know we were good.

I moved back over to the railing and he followed.

“So why weren’t you going to come tonight? I mean, if you weren’t still upset with me then what was stopping you?” I looked over at him, but he didn’t answer. We sat in silence for a while, until he seemed to be looking to change the subject.

“You know this is supposed to be a quidditch victory party, but I don’t think I see any of the quidditch team down there.”

I sighed inwardly, but went along with it.

“Yeah, I’m not sure where they are. I was up here getting ready with the girls, but they wandered off a little bit ago. Maybe Oliver is giving them all another speech or something.”

“Wouldn’t put it past him. When Alicia Spinnet was inviting me to this she mentioned that Wood had already told them to start preparing for even more in depth training sessions.”

I wanted to laugh because that was such an Oliver thing to do, but I couldn’t. This lack of communication within mine and Gryffindor boys relationship was really starting to get at me. One kiss and I was already so confused as to where we stood and how he felt about me. You would think that a kiss would maybe make my feelings more secure, but no. And in general I was a very secure person so this was extra hard.

But now I wondered if that kiss meant as much to him as it did for me. I know I went into this relationship knowing I liked him a lot more than he liked me, but suddenly that disparity was feeling extremely vulnerable. Had he already forgotten about the kiss and was busy focussing on his next plans for quidditch already? I thought I knew what I was getting into with Oliver, but now everything felt a lot more confusing….

“You alright?” 

I nodded absentmindedly. 

“Ah yeah, sorry I just uh-” I trailed off, now taking my turn to look away. Man, I felt so out of sorts today. There was silence again, but I was barely registering it.

“Are things all good in your world?” Cedric asked, tilting his head towards me.

“Yeah, I think so.”

“You think so?”

He was still looking at me, and this time I turned to meet his gaze. His eyes were as beautiful and sincere as ever. I paused for a second, contemplating what exactly I wanted to say. 

“I just feel… unsure about things in my life. And I mean maybe this comes from a place of privilege because I’ve never really had to deal with this much uncertainty before, but it's really doing a number on me.” 

I paused again, waiting to see if Cedric had anything else to say but he didn’t speak. So I just continued on, allowing myself to get my feelings out.

“I’ve always been a really passionate person and when I want something I just go for it. Things are usually really clear on whether whatever I am pursuing is going to work out or not. And even the times that haven’t been I was able to still push forward without much emotional trouble on my part. I can move through difficult things without letting myself get affected but now… I don't know I feel dumb because I understand what I’m going through isn’t a big deal, but it's affecting me so much more pointedly than anything has before.”

The only thing I could compare to this feeling was the distress I went through when I faced the Boggart, and when Fred was avoiding me. The boggart felt very life or death, and the stuff with Fred lasted over a few days- my current troubles had only been an afternoon and it definitely wasn’t a life or death situation. It wasn’t even a full 24 hours into my concerns and I was already spiraling. 

“Do you really feel so different now?” Cedric asked.

“Yes, I mean, I guess it's the most vulnerable I have felt in such a long time. Even my inflated ego isn’t helping me to feel at ease like it normally does.”

The boy chuckled at my joke, but then his face got serious again. I’m grateful that he was taking me seriously. I think a lot of my friends liked to make jokes to lighten things, which at times were nice. But sometimes you just wanted to feel understood on this kind of level.

“I feel I am safe to assume this has something to do with Wood?” 

I nodded.

“And particularly with the intimate moment you two shared after the match?”

My face felt flushed. Of course he saw it, I mean… it's not like it was discrete. We basically kissed in front of the entire school population.

“Yeah it's about the kiss.” I tried to get out calmly, but it was a difficult task.

“Was that not something that you wanted?” His gray eyes showed concern now.

“Ah no no, it was definitely something I wanted-” I replied quickly; I didn't want him thinking I was distressed for an entirely different reason. “-I only just… I mean it was the first time we had kissed and well I felt-”

I cut off my words and pressed my hands against my face. Why was it so hard to express what I was feeling??? It was like I wasn’t admitting it to myself and so the act of getting it out in words felt totally impossible.

“Have you… have you never done that before?” The brunette asked cautiously. 

“What? Kiss? Oh no I’ve kissed people before.” I replied dismissively. No this was not my first rodeo- I had done much more than kissing in my past life. I was experienced, unlike Oliver who supposedly had just had his first kiss. And yet he seemed totally normal, as if it didn’t affect him at all. And then here I was…

“No, that was not my first kiss,” I started again, trying to work through the thoughts jumping around my brain. “I think because this was nothing new to me I expected to not be as affected by Oliver kissing me. But I was… I was affected in a way that I’ve never felt. It was like a part of my heart was open like it hadn’t been before. And it was new and vulnerable and… and I am afraid that he doesn’t feel the same way…”

More silence.

“So, does that mean you love him?”

Do I love Oliver? Had someone asked me this yesterday I would have shouted out yes, but now I realize that answer wouldn’t have been genuine. I had been attracted to the Gryffindor 7th year the moment I saw him. He was physically everything that I had ever dreamed about in a guy. And when I realized who he was I thought that I was able to love him, because I kind of already knew him. Harry Potter book Oliver Wood seemed to be the exact same as this Oliver that I knew.

The more time I spent with him though, I saw a much more complex character. He wasn’t just words on a page, he was a whole person with feelings and desires deeper than could be expressed in a few hundred pages. Every layer that I uncovered showed me how superficial my feelings had been as my real ones started to grow. But my deeper feelings still hadn’t surpassed those surface level ones.

Maybe the fact that I wasn’t truly part of this world was holding me back from allowing my true feelings to be known. It was a lot easier to just think Oliver was a perfect boy from my favorite story. It was almost like I was a fangirl or even just a character myself. It didn’t matter that I liked him more than he liked me because he was just a side character in a book. It was all very safe and superficial. It wasn’t until he kissed me though that my genuine love for him broke through and changed everything.

Now I couldn’t deny that I was truly in love with him- a real person in a real world with real feelings. I fell so deeply in love with him, without knowing how much he truly felt about me. It was vulnerable and scary to be this attached to someone that I realized I could no longer view the same. For all I knew he could have felt nothing when we kissed and was ready to end it all- and that was terrifying.

“I don’t know if I can do this… what if he never feels the same?” I said, my voice shaking. I flinched when I felt something on my hand, but relaxed when I saw Cedric’s own holding fast. He smiled over at me, warm and soft, and perfect.

“Loving someone who doesn’t love you the same is really hard, and Merlin knows it's not for everyone. But you have to decide if you care more about having that person in your life, or about saving your feelings.”

His words cut deep, amd I knew that they were true. I could either stuff my true feelings and just find happiness in whatever kind of relationship we ended up having- or I could tell him how I feel and risk ending everything. Did I really love Oliver enough that I was willing to put my own feelings above any kind of relationship with him?

“But you know-” Cedric said, squeezing my hand. “-you don’t really know how Wood feels. From what I understand you are making assumptions based on his behavior, but you won't know the truth unless you talk to him.”

I squeezed back, trying to calm my racing heart.

“You’re right. And I know myself well enough that I wouldn’t be able to stay silent anyway. I feel way too much to try to keep a lid on it. I’ll find him tonight, and ask him.”

“Well you’re in luck, because it looks like the Gryffindor team has finally decided to make an entrance-” 

Cedric lifted his hand from mine and pointed into the crowd just below. I followed his gesture, but it would have been easy to spot them anyway. As a huge mass they moved into the common room from what looked like a boys dorm room. If I remembered it was the 7th year boys who were on ground level, so it was likely that Oliver had pulled his team away for another little speech. My heart ached at the thought, even more so when I got my first look at Oliver. But I didn’t let it wreck me. I was going to talk to him, even if the truth hurt. I valued myself too much to just pretend anymore.

I was surprised though, watching the group move out, to see not only the Gryffindor team emerge, but also Hermione, Ron, Lee, and Percy. Now I was less sure on what they were all doing together, but figured now would be as good a time as any to find out.

I turned towards Cedric and gave him another hug. I was about ready to tear up at just the thought of how grateful I was for him. Even though I knew he might still feel a bit annoyed at me, it didn’t stop him from giving me support when I needed him. He had always been someone safe that I could turn to, in all my fears and worries. I vowed right there with our arms around each other, that I would never let anything happen to Cedric Diggory. 

--

When we made it down the stairs we wiggled our way through the crowd until we came up on the even rowdier group. The first one in the huddle to spot us was Fred, and his eyes lit up as he looked between the two of us.

“Junie! Diggory!! Where have you two been??”

At his words the rest of the group turned and we were bombarded with squeals of excitement from the girls and cheers from the guys.

“Where have we been? Where have you guys been???” I gestured out to everyone, trying to get some kind of confession from the looks on their faces. When I looked into Oliver’s Hazel eyes though my face felt hot again and I had to look away.

“I didn’t know if you were coming.” Fred said to Cedric, totally ignoring my question. “Can we talk?” 

Without waiting for an answer the red head moved forward, tucking his arm around the Hufflepuff’s and pulling him away. I watched, totally baffled as the two of them disappeared back up the stairs. Then without warning George and Lee moved past me and quickly followed behind.

“The fuck?”

“DRINKS!” Angelina shouted out towards us, reaching over to one of the tables in the room and passing out cups to everyone. Everyone then turned their attention back to the party and I semi-reluctantly accepted the golden liquid passed to me. 

“Everyone is being weird right? I’m not going crazy am I?” I moved in towards Hermione, my only logical friend left in this group.

The younger girl smiled and then took a sip of her Butterbeer. “No, they’re being strange for sure. But I think everyone is just excited about the match today. I feel it would just be best if we go with the flow.”

I looked her over, surprised to hear “go with the flow” come out of her mouth. Ms taking so many classes she has to turn back time is telling me to go with the flow? Well I was adding her to my list of people being weird, but I’d try to follow the advice anyway. It was easy enough when Harry turned to me and started talking excitedly about his new broom. Seems he wanted to let me know how much he liked flying on it, and I was happy to listen to him talk.

The party continued on and eventually the four boys made their way back. I had to add Cedric’s name to my list of suspicious people when he refused to tell me what they all talked about. He did however bring my attention back to the more pressing matter of my mind when he asked if I had talked to Oliver yet.

“Talk to him about what?” Fred asked, pushing his face in between mine and Cedric’s. It made me jump and he laughed as I shoved him away. 

“None of your business. Unless you want to tell me what you took Ced off to talk about.”

“Wow Diggory your drink is getting empty, fancy coming with me to get a new one?” 

We all looked down at Cedric’s cup to see it more than half way full. Then I looked back over at Fred with an eyebrow raised. With that signature sly smile he reached over, plucked the cup from the other boy's hands and downed it in a second. It was horribly ridiculous and weirdly arousing. 

“Well now it's totally empty- lets go Mr. Perfect.” Fred said smugly. Then he grabbed Cedric’s arm and started to pull him away again. 

Mr. Perfect didn’t even resist and instead just looked back as he was carted away.

“Talk to him.” 

I watched as they moved over to a drink table across the room, and then were subsequently confronted by both Angelina and Alicia. Well if those two were going to get their guys then I guess I better get at it as well. I turned, downing my own drink in hopes that Butterbeer had some amount of liquid courage as well. 

Oliver wasn’t far away, which was both a relief and a bummer. It only took me a few seconds to walk up to him and Rodger Davies, who I assume had just been abandoned by Angelina. As I got closer both boys turned towards me.

“Ah well if it isn’t the other half of the talk of the school.” The Ravenclaw captain said. I groaned inwardly. It was hard to believe that my and Oliver’s kiss was somehow talked about more than the outcome of the match, and so I didn’t believe it.

“Hey Rodger, how are you? I feel like we haven’t talked in a while.” I smiled at him politely but kept my eyes stern, hoping he would allow the conversation to switch. Spoiler- he didn’t.

“Well that’s probably because you’ve been spending all your time with the Gryffindor captain here-” He gestured over to Oliver. “To think that you had your pick of every quidditch captain at the school and you go for Wood. I mean choosing him over me and Flint I get, but even over Diggory?? Brutal.”

Before I could respond to that absurd statement Oliver turned to look between the Ravenclaw boy and me, his brow furrowed.

“Wait, what are you talking about Davies?”

“Ah don’t worry mate,” the 5th year said while placing a hand on the older boy’s shoulder. “June turned me down months ago, before you two were even an item. I’d never dream of going after your girl.”

“But you, and Diggory? I knew about Flint, but I didn’t realize-”

“Okay it was good to see you Rodger-” I said, cutting Oliver off. Then I reached out to grab his hand and started to pull. “-we’ll have to catch up later. I need to go talk to Oliver for a bit though. Oh and if you are looking for Angelina she’s over by the drink table.”

Without waiting for a reply I moved us away from the surprised Ravenclaw boy. As if I needed anything else to deal with tonight. 

With his hand still in mine I steered us through the other students and over to the portrait hole. My brain was absolutely a spinning tornado mess and the noise of the party was not helping me get things settled down. 

Once we were past the portrait door I continued to pull us away, the dumbass knight incharge of the door yelling at us as we went. Sir Cadogen was just as annoying as he was described in the books. I could not wait until they got rid of him. It was bad enough to have him take years to open the portrait every time I came up to Gryffindor tower, but now as he yelled us down the hall I felt like his voice was about to make me snap.

“June?” 

I flinched, my surroundings and honestly my own lucid thoughts coming more clearly into view. We were already out the hallway and down another with no annoying portraits or loud people in sight. I looked up at Oliver, whose hazel eyes filled with concern.

“Ah sorry-” I said quickly, dropping his hand. “The party was just really loud and then with that knight yelling at us-”

I stopped, taking another moment to catch my breath.

“Um yeah I’m okay. Sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“It’s alright. I don’t mind getting out of there anyway, it really was getting rowdy. I’m surprised McGonagall hadn’t come in yet to tell everyone to settle down.”

He smiled at me, and I smiled back. For the first time all afternoon I felt like my heart was finally feeling light again. 

“You look very beautiful” he said, his voice cracking a little and pink starting to color his cheeks. I felt myself relax even more with his reaction and suddenly all my worries didn’t seem so big anymore.

“Thank you, I think you look nice too.” And he did. He had on jeans and a red t-shirt that seemed a size or two too small. I bet he had gotten it a few years ago and didn’t bother getting rid of it as he continued to grow. I didn’t mind though because its tight fit made him look even more muscular than usual.

“Thanks but um, I don’t think it really compares to you. These are the clothes right? The ones from the picture.” I just nodded my head, and then Oliver’s face slipped from pink into red. “I like that you can see the necklace when you wear it.”

Instinctively my hand went up to where the necklace was and I felt the cool metal, stark against my ever warming skin. Oliver’s gaze followed and I saw something flash across his eyes. He met my eyes again and I saw that familiar look of determination that came anytime he talked about wanting to win the quidditch cup or his plans to join a professional team. It was a culmination of passion that was so unbelievably hot, and yet I was so confused as to why I was seeing it now.

“June I-” He went to take a step closer but he hesitated. “Is it true what Davies said?”

“About him asking me out? Yeah he did that at the Slytherin party, but like he said I turned him down.”

“No no, I mean about Diggory. Does Cedric Diggory have feelings for you?” His whole body seemed a little rigid now, as if he no longer knew how to stand comfortably.

My eyebrows furrowed. “No, Cedric and I are just friends. At no point has he ever said that he has feelings for me, and I’ve never felt that way towards him. We’ve always been just friends.”

I watched as his body relaxed and he gave a sigh of relief.

“Did that really worry you?”

He nodded. “Yeah well I know Diggory is a great person and I’ve heard from more than one of my team members that he’s known as the most good looking guy at the school. I just thought if someone like that was interested in you that maybe you’d realize there were better people out there than me.”

My heart did a big ole thump.

“Oliver I’m worried that I like you so much that I will scare you away and be left heart broken.”

He looked taken aback. “What??”

I took a deep breath. “I was interested in you first, I was the one who sought you out, I asked you out, pushed for us to spend time together- and so I knew that my feelings towards you were stronger than yours to me. And I was fine with that, but then when you kissed me today I realized that I liked you so much more than I even realized. And I also realized that if you didn’t feel the same, if that kiss didn’t mean as much to you as it did to me, if our feelings were really so different then I was going to have my heart broken. I’m totally fine going at your pace and not pushing you to anything you're not comfortable with, but I just have to know how you feel about me.”

As he stood there, looking at me with wide eyes, I didn’t know if I had ever felt so exposed. My feelings were out there and at this moment I could be totally crushed. Or maybe…

“June let me make myself perfectly clear-” My own eyes widened as the tall boy stepped towards me, his gaze back to one of full determination. “-the way that you make me feel, I have never felt about anyone in my entire life. I never even knew it was possible to like someone as much as I like you. People have always just been people, hard to understand and connect to- but with you everything is different.”

He kept moving in closer, and I didn’t even realize I had been moving until my back pressed up against the cool stone walls. I looked up at him now, feeling increasingly small as compared to his frame. I wasn’t scared though, even when he placed his hands to either side of me and leaned his face down closer to mine. My heart was hammering so loudly now I was sure that as close as he was he had to have heard it.

“Then as I got to know you I couldn’t believe that someone like you would even be interested in someone like me. You’re so smart, kind, funny, brave, strong, attentive, and confident. You are literally like no one I have ever met before and I fell so quickly and so hard for you that I didn’t know what to do with myself. Everything about my feelings towards you was wonderful, but also foreign, and suddenly I found I had no idea what to do or how to adequately express how I felt. I didn’t want to get anything wrong or make you uncomfortable so I just did my best to follow the advice from Percy and my friends. But I still felt so unsure.

“I have never wanted to kiss anyone-” he continued, his voice suddenly sounding a bit deeper. “-until the end of our second date. When you said goodbye and kissed me on the cheek I wanted to pull you back and kiss you like how I did after the match today. But that was a new sensation for me, and I had no idea what I was actually supposed to do with it. But after winning the match against Slytherin I felt like I was swimming in liquid luck, and when I saw you on the field I just let myself do exactly what I wanted to do, what I’ve been aching to do for weeks.”

Oliver moved in even closer, with one arm outstretched and the other with his forearm against the stone. His face was closer now too, enough that I could feel breath, which made me shiver.

“I have been going mad ever since I kissed you, like my body no longer knew how to function. I have had to fill every second since with something to keep me distracted, and stop me from running after you again. I don’t know what I am doing, but it’s so much harder now to hold back on the things that I want to do.”

“I wish you would always just do what you wanted to do.” I whispered, not daring to let my voice break whatever spell was moving between us.

“Do you mean that?” His accent was thick now and it made my body feel warm even against the cold stone.

I just nodded my head in response, not allowing myself to break eye contact. The way he was looking at me, with that same passion he held for his sport. It was me that drove this desire though, the exact same way that I had dreamed he would look at me.

“And you’ll tell me I do something you don’t want?” His voice was a whisper now as well.

“Yes.”

At my confirmation he closed the distance between us. His lips were onto mine so fast that it pushed my head rather forcefully up against the wall. I whimpered a little, both from the unwanted contact with the wall and also the very much wanted contact with him. In response Oliver moved hand from the bent arm over to my head and moved his fingers behind so it was now only against his skin.

And in that kiss, that embrace, all the worries that I had been holding onto just washed away. Filled instead with a peaceful reassurance that I was wanted and safe. 

SONGS:

June: I Want to Be Wanted- Brenda Lee

Oliver: I’m Gonna Be (500 miles)- The Proclaimers 

Cedric: Crying- Roy Orbison

Fred: We Like to Party!- Vengaboys

Chapter Text

“I have been going mad ever since I kissed you, like my body no longer knew how to function. I have had to fill every second since with something to keep me distracted, and stop me from running after you again. I don’t know what I am doing, but it’s so much harder now to hold back on the things that I want to do.”

“I wish you would always just do what you wanted to do.” I whispered, not daring to let my voice break whatever spell was moving between us.

“Do you mean that?” His accent was thick now and it made my body feel warm even against the cold stone.

I just nodded my head in response, not allowing myself to break eye contact. The way he was looking at me, with that same passion he held for his sport. It was me that drove this desire though, the exact same way that I had dreamed he would look at me.

“And you’ll tell me I do something you don’t want?” His voice was a whisper now as well.

“Yes.”

At my confirmation he closed the distance between us. His lips were onto mine so fast that it pushed my head rather forcefully up against the wall. I whimpered a little, both from the unwanted contact with the wall and also the very much wanted contact with him. In response Oliver moved hand from the bent arm over to my head and moved his fingers behind so it was now only against his skin.

He pushed his lips harder against mine, deepening the kiss. Any worries, troubles, or insecurities I had going into this moment were blasted out of my mind. He cared for me, so much more than I realized, and that notion burned me at my core. With the indescribable heat also came my confidence and I moved from against the wall. The motion made him pull apart for a moment, but then his lips were right back.

Because of our height disparity I couldn’t quite reach my arms up to around his neck, so instead I snaked them under his arms. As I tried to wrap my arms around him I pulled myself closer so that our bodies were pressed up against each other.  At the contact he flinched, and stopped kissing me again. I looked up to see if I had maybe gone too far, but I was blocked when he moved both his arms around me (his much more easily reaching full around me) and pulled me in so tight my face was squeezed between his pecs, pinning me in place.

I hadn’t ever seen Oliver with his shirt off, but even without that it was very easy to know he was very muscular and very toned. I remember our quidditch match so many months ago in the rain and seeing his jersey hug tight to every bump along his torso. I had also hugged him before- but it was nothing like what was happening now. I could feel everything, and if the embrace wasn’t restricting my breathing it would have made me even more turned on.

I unfortunately was starting to lose consciousness a little bit so I pushed against him, and he very quickly let me go. It was nice to get air back in my lungs, but my face being smashed into his pecs would have been one hell of a way to die.

“Ah sorry,” He said, his breath heavy and his face red.

“No, it's fine.” I smiled, trying not to do the dramatic deep breaths my lungs were asking for. “But maybe we could continue this somewhere where our different heights wouldn’t cause any issue.”

“Yes- absolutely!” He said very enthusiastically. “Where uh, where would that be?”

“I mean if we were sitting it would be fine, or even if we were on stairs.” I left out that lying down was also an option because I thought that might make his head explode.

“Oh okay-” He looked off to the side, his eyes glazing over. I could practically see him going through the layout of the castle in his head. I tried to think too, wondering if maybe this was worth bringing to the room of requirement.

“Oh I got it!” He said happily, then he grabbed my hand and started moving us back through the hall. I barely had enough time to grab my bag, which had fallen to the floor before I was whisked away.

I had done a similar move, grabbing his hand and pulling him around, but I don’t think he had as hard a time as I did. Oliver was more than a head taller than me, and his legs made up most of that height difference. While he was just walking quickly I was literally at a run just to keep up with his stride. Thankfully he didn’t take us too far, just down a few hallways and then around a corner to a small spiral staircase that I wasn’t sure if I had ever used before.

“This doesn’t lead anywhere useful,” Oliver said, letting go of my hand and turning towards me. “Just up to a hallway with bunch of empty classrooms, and maybe a broom closet.”

“Why do you know about it?” 

He shrugged. “I had a class up here in my first year, but the professor retired by my second and their replacement used a different room I guess.”

“Mmm convenient. So is this where you’ve brought all your girls to kiss since then?” As I spoke I stepped up on the first step and turned to face him.

“You know that’s not true,” He replied, sounding a bit embarrassed and also a little pouty. He even stuck his lip out a little bit and I swear that’s what did me in.

“Oh I’m just teasing,” I said with a smile, my heart thumping at the sight of his little swollen lip. Fuck I wanted to kiss him again so bad. I started walking backwards, slowly making my way up the steps.

“Where are you going?” He asked, following me up like a needy puppy. Ugh I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Just making sure we are out of the way of anyone who might happen to pass by.” 

I stopped, dropped my bag again, and reached out to him, moving my hands to his shoulders while he was two steps down. These steps weren’t very tall so it took two (almost three) for us to be at the same height. But thankfully they also were very short in width so we were still fairly close together now being face to face.

His eyes were back to what they were before; full of determination and yearning. He reached forward placing his hands, rather hesitantly, on my waist. This time I was the one who moved in first, as I leaned forward and placed my lips onto his. The kiss wasn’t as deep, which allowed us more freedom to move around. While we kissed I moved my hand up towards his hair and moved my fingers through it. It was soft and light, and as I tousled it around the faint scent of honey that usually accompanied him became even stronger. It was intoxicating and I couldn’t help but push into our kiss harder.

I wanted more, so much more. The feel of his fingers at my waist was so sharp that I could barely focus in on the kiss anymore. He wasn’t holding hard, but the feel of his touch through my clothes burned. I wanted his hands to be on me, everywhere, anywhere. I wanted his skin on my skin so badly it hurt. I had wanted something like this for so long that I was aching for him now that we were so close.

Oliver wasn’t the one who needed to keep himself in check- it was me.

To placate some of my needs I pressed more of myself onto him. I dropped my arms down from his neck (sadly leaving his hair) and moved them back below his arms. My arms were too small to even make it halfway around his body so I settled with grabbing fistfuls of his shirt as his sides and tugging him towards me. 

Readily he moved in and my chest pressed up against his. As I pressed up against him he shuttered slightly and broke our kiss. Then he leaned his head forward so that his face was buried in the crook of my neck. I had to suppress a shutter of my own as his face touched my exposed skin. It had been so fucking long since someone touched me like this I was literally going nuts.

We stayed like that for a moment, unmoving, and then I let out a little gasp. Oliver had turned his head enough that his nose pressed up to my neck, and I felt a small kiss just below the spot. He paused, maybe waiting to see if I was going to push him away, and then he continued. The next kiss was much more deliberate, his lips pushing harder against my skin. He moved his head out slightly, but then kissed me three more times down my neck.

I let out an involuntary sigh of pleasure, and in response I felt him blow out a warm breath from his nose. His hands at my waist moved up higher to my back and he tried to bring me in closer. There wasn’t much closer we could go on the stairs without either him moving up or me falling down. That didn’t deter him though and he moved right back into my neck, placing kisses all the way down to my collar bone.

He slowed down when he reached my clavicle, and each kiss felt a lot more deliberate. I could tell he was moving around my necklace, kissing above and below the metal chain. The sensation of his lips on my skin was making the heat pooled at my core start to intensify and let a small moan slip out. 

I felt his hands at my back clench in response and he tried again to bring me in closer. All he really ended up doing though was pull at my sweater, bringing the already low neckline even lower. I worried that if he pulled much harder he’d slip it off my shoulders and leave only my breasts and the friction of our bodies pushed together as a means of keeping it from falling down.

It was hard to worry about that though as he continued to kiss across my body. I leaned my head back, desperately trying to contain the growing bundle of mess inside of me. As he reached the other side of my collar bone I moaned again and my body instinctively pushed back in an attempt to find some friction at my aching center. In doing so though I inadvertently pulled myself more out of my sweater, leaving the tops of my breasts absolutely visible.

The cold air of the castle immediately hit the sensitive part of my body and I felt goosebumps come up as soon as they popped out. Surprised, I stopped, and pulled away so I could stop the rest of them from slipping out. As I stepped away though I saw Oliver’s face and the absolute lusted over look he had in his eyes as he stared at me. It made my cheeks feel hot, which was weird because I was already rather flushed.

Then I jumped in surprise as Oliver unexpectedly spun around, turning to face away from me. His hands whisked away from me so fast I almost stumbled down a step. A little concerned I reached out to touch his shoulder, but spoke before I even made contact.

“You are so beautiful.” His voice was deep and hoarse.  

“Does- does seeing me bother you?” I asked hesitantly. 

“Merlin no!” He said quickly and he jerked like he was going to turn around but stopped himself. “I just… If I don’t stop myself now then I won't be able to stop.”

I wanted to convey that I personally would be happy to never put an end to what was going on, but I held back. He was obviously not ready for it and so I wasn't going to push him. So instead I started fixing my top and making sure that nothing else about me was out of place. As I fixed myself I looked at the back of the boy in front of me, and smiled as the high sexual tension simmered down into absolute adoration.

“Okay I need you to turn to make sure that I look okay,” 

Slowly Oliver turned, his movements stiff and robotic looking. When he looked at me again I saw his shoulders relax, but he got that look in his eyes like he was ready to build up to something again. He didn’t say anything though, just started vigorously nodding his head which I assumed meant I was good. I chuckled from his reaction, and then took a step down. Once a little closer I reached up and started fixing his hair which was a bit of a mess from when I had moved my hands through it. 

“There, now we are ready to head back to the party.”

“You want to go back?” He asked, his face dropping slightly. 

I paused, hands still in his hair. “Is that not what you wanted to do?” 

“No I uh, I was hoping that maybe I could spend some more time with just you. I don’t really want any of your friends to pull you away or to have Percy step between us again.”

Ah, fuck I loved this man. I moved my hands down to his face. I rubbed my thumb against his cheek and then I went up on my tiptoes and kissed him again. When I moved away he looked like he was in a daze.

“Where do you wanna go?” I moved one hand down from his face, but he reached up and held the other in place before it also slipped down.

“Can- can we just stay here?” He asked, holding my hand tight against his cheek. I nodded and pulled us down so we were sitting next to each other on the steps. Our hands were clasped now in front of us, resting on his knee. 

“You know we haven’t really had a chance to talk about the match,” I suggested.

“You’re alright talking about quidditch right now??” He asked, sounding bewildered. 

I laughed. “Yes, I am more than alright talking about quidditch, especially after the great game that you guys played. I would love to get to talk about it with you.”

“How in Merlin’s name did I get so lucky??” He asked, beaming over at me.

SONGS:

June: Gimme Gimme Gimme (a Man After Midnight) - Abba

Oliver: I’m Gonna Be (500 miles)- The Proclaimers 

Chapter Text

Okay, so one of my favorite readers TheLazyHeart suggested I make a playlist of all the songs I've used for the story. I thought it was a great idea so me and my friend decided to put them onto a youtube playlist. We did them in order of when they show up in the story, and didn't repeat any songs. I also left out the Christmas songs because it just wasn't the vibe.

Anyway if you wanna listen you're welcome to check it out! Ill update them as more songs come along. 

Story Playlist

Chapter Text

Since Gryffindor had won their quidditch game, Harry’s firebolt was almost a non issue. The golden trio seemed over it, and no one questioned its validity when it helped secure his team the win. There was however the issue that my actual Firebolt was still at the broom shop in Hogsmead….

“Ugh, why are you standing so close?!” I complained in a hushed whisper as Fred’s body pushed into the back of mine. 

“Why’d you stop moving??” He grumbled back, his tone just as quiet.

We were at the ladder that led into Honeydukes seller, the one that came from the path of the one eyed witch statue. I knew of three ways to sneak into Hogsmeade, yet none were practical to do alone. The first was from the Room of Requirement into the Hogs Head, and I didn’t even know if that was accessible before the 7th book. Another was through the tunnel at the Whomping Willow, but I didn’t want to invade Sirius’ space. The last was the Three Eyed witch statue, which with all of them, I had never actually gone to.

So I had enlisted Fred to take me there. He had used it before, and he already knew about the real Firebolt so I figured it would be easy enough. But actually I was feeling rather uneasy and it was making me act on edge. Especially since I had Fred’s broad frame continuously bumping into me.

“There’s someone up there.” I shot back. “Why am I in front anyway? You’re supposed to be leading the way.”

“You cut me off, what was I supposed to do???”

A creaking from footsteps silenced my ready retort. When the sound stopped I slowly lifted up the trap door and peaked around. It was empty, so it was time to move. Before stepping up I whispered the Disillusionment Charm and heard Fred do the same. It was actually known to be a pretty difficult spell, but it was not surprising that he would know it well.

Thankfully there were no other issues as we made our way up to the shop. It wasn’t as crowded as it was on those days when students came by, but there were still quite a few people around. Not wanting to be separated from Fred I reached out behind me to feel for his hand.

“Lower and to your left,” He whispered in an impish tone.

“Shut the fuck up.” I made sure to squeeze his hand extra hard as we walked into the main store.

With great stealth we moved through the patrons and slipped out the door when someone walked in. Once on the street we stayed connected, keeping up our spells so no one became suspicious of students around town. We had planned not to wear our school robes just to add another layer of protection, but you could never be too careful. Once we reached the broom shop I pulled us into an alley just off to the side, and we both became visible again.

“Okay, now act normal. We need to not look suspicious.” 

“When am I never not normal?” He asked with mock pain. 

“You probably don’t want me to answer that. Okay, let's go.” I pulled us forward, still holding his hand in an attempt to feel like I was in charge and not absolutely nervous beyond functionality. 

When we walked into the shop the door jingled, but the shop owner was busy talking to another customer. Instinctively Fred and I walked over to the corner of the store, trying to not draw attention from the other person. I knew this wasn’t really that big of a deal, but I really didn’t want to mess up the narrative that I had spun. Honestly I was just lucky that McGonagall hadn’t come to check out the shop herself otherwise I would have been fucked.

All we needed to do was get the broom out of the shop without anyone being the wiser. It may also take bribing the shop-keep not to talk, but we would have to see. I knew that things could easily work out, but for whatever reason I still couldn’t shake the anxiety. I just didn’t want to fuck things up for Harry, which would for sure happen if people realized the broom wasn’t from me. All my lies about the Firebolt were just me trying to make things easier for him, but I could make it way worse also…

I felt Fred’s grip tighten around my hand.

“Stop acting guilty, trust me it doesn’t help looking less suspicious.” 

His whisper came right to my ear, so when I turned our faces were right next to each other. I wanted to scowl because the comment didn’t actually help me feel less guilty, but his brown eyes were just too close to allow me to think of anything else.

Fred had a lot of freckles, obviously, but I don’t know if I had ever stared at him this closely before. Usually if he ever got this close to my face before he was being an ass so I shoved him away. His words were still annoying, but his eyes seemed so sincere I couldn’t push him away. He had freckles really close to his eyes, they were lighter than the other ones on his face so I hadn’t really noticed them before. It was almost like an ombre effect of little brown dots getting lighter towards both his eyes. It made me wonder if there were other hidden freckles anywhere else on his body. 

“Staring like this also doesn’t help us look less suspicious.” He whispered again, pulling me from my freckled trance.

I turned quickly away, pulling my hand out of his grip as well. I was facing a wall of quaffles, and for some reason that was making my face feel hot. When I heard the customer leave, I basically leaped towards the counter. 

“Ah, I was wondering when you were going to be back.” The shop owner said with a smile. He moved away immediately, going to the back of the shop before returning with a broom wrapped in paper. “I thought maybe you got too used to that rental broom.”

“Actually,” I said hesitantly, hearing Fred move up behind me. “I really do like the broom I have been using, and I want to officially buy it from you.”

His eyes went wide. “But, what about the Firebolt?? The broom you have now is good, but it's nothing compared to this-” 

He started unwrapping it and I practically had to shield my eyes from the gleam of the wood underneath. Someone had really spent their timing polishing it.

“Bloody hell-” Fred muttered behind me.

“I know it's the best broom,” I said quickly. “But I made up my mind. I think I’ll end up gifting this to someone else though so I’m still going to take it.” I moved the paper back over the sparkling wood to relieve my retinas.

“Merlin, you’re purchasing this to give as a gift- at your age??” He looked at me as if I was crazy, but then he shifted. Maybe he realized it wasn’t a great business practice to insinuate you thought your customer was mad. “Of course it is yours so you can do whatever you like. So if that’s the case, let’s talk pricing for your current broom.”

After paying the rest of the amount for my current broom, I made sure to explicitly ask the shop keep not to mention the Firebolt to anyone. He agreed readily, without even a bribe, saying that I wasn’t the first to ask to keep details about a firebolt purchase secret. It made me wonder how Sirius was able to get Harry a broom in the first place…

“That wasn’t so bad,” Fred said as we walked out of the shop. He moved like he was going to start walking down the street but I quickly pulled him back into the alley. 

“Hey man, we still need to be on the down low. Sure we made it this far without any issue, but that doesn't mean we won't be spotted.” That being said I moved to place my new broom in my bag, but Fred held out his hand to stop me. 

“Wait, before that thing goes into hiding for, potentially forever, how about we take a ride on it?”

“What part of down low did you not understand?”

He rolled his eyes. 

“It’s going to be dark soon enough, what if we just fly back to school. The broom should be fast enough that we wouldn’t have to worry about anyone spotting us.”

“Yeah I don’t know about that. Humans spotting us is honestly the least of my worries.” The thought of the patrolling dementors only lessened the appeal. But getting caught on the clandestine broom would just throw everything to shit. It felt too risky.

  “June-” Fred said, reaching out to hold my shoulders. “I may never get a chance to ride on a Firebolt ever again if we don’t do this.”

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes.

“You could literally ask Harry tomorrow to ride on his. I feel like we would be asking for trouble by riding it.” He seemed way too chill for how stressed out I still was.

“Look, I won't pressure you… but also if you say no I am going to get down on my knees and start loudly begging until you give in.”

--

I waited on the ground as Fred flew around like a maniac above me. Yes I had given in, but at the least I wasn’t going to be dumb enough to get on it myself. It was dark enough now that I had a hard time making him out in the sky, but felt better knowing I could run away if anyone saw him. I was currently sitting up against a tree at the edge of the forest that came to the shrieking shack. I thought that this area would be an even better place to let him fly around since no one was ever here. At this point the only person who would see us was Sirius Black, and who was he going to tell?

Actually he could tell someone, and that someone ended up jumping onto my lap. When Crookshanks landed on me, seemingly out of nowhere, I was a lot less surprised than I thought I might have been. Him showing up around here was basically expected at this point. 

“You won't tell anyone we were here right?” I asked, petting his back as he purred happily. 

I stayed there with my little orange heater for ten more minutes before Fred finally dropped back down. He was out of breath as he ran over to me- guess that ride was a bit too exciting.

“Merlin, it's so amazing! I can’t believe you don’t want to have a go.” When he was close enough to see me he stopped at the sight of the cat. “Is that… is that Granger’s cat?”

“Yup, he was keeping me company while you fulfilled your fantasies.”

I stood, making Crookshanks meow in protest as he had to hop down. He moved in between my legs, trying to get more attention. Fred watched the cat move around and from what I could tell from what little light was left, looked perplexed.

“What’s it doing all the way out here?”

I shrugged. “ He’s just wandering, I suppose. I mean I know you’ve never had a cat so it may seem weird, but they move around and hunt just like owls do.” I stepped towards the boy, making the cat meow again. “Anyway, you ready to go?”

Fred still looked a little unsure about the creature, but nodded anyway. He handed the broom over and I tucked it safely away in my handy magical bag. Once that was stored we turned to start heading back into town.

“We should probably hurry before the shop closes.” I said, looking down at my watch. “When does Honeydukes close? Like nine?”

“Mmm I think it's eight.”

I stopped dead in my tracks.

“What the fuck did you just say?”

Fred turned to look at me, more confused now.

“Eight. That’s when everything closes around here, well besides the pubs.”

“What the- do you know what time it is????”

“No. Why is it almost eight? Do we need to run?”

“It’s almost nine Fred!!” I yelled out, starting to feel a bit panicked. 

His eyes went wide. “Oh bloody-”

“How the fuck are we getting back to the castle now???”

I wanted to scream- I was basically screaming at this point. Why did I let him fly the broom???? Stupid stupid stupid.

“We can just go through the gates.” The boy suggested.

“With the fucking soul sucking security???? Hell no man! We are going to be stuck out here!” I was now starting to lose it.

“Whoa hey hey-” He moved over to me, looking a bit too nervous to reach out. “I’m sorry I got us into this mess but it's all good. And hey, worse case scenario; if we ended up sleeping outside it’s not all that bad-”

“I’m not worried about sleeping outside!” I yelled out, running my hands through my hair. “I’m worried that when I don’t come back to the common room Cedric is going to freak the fuck out and he’s going to go alert someone and suddenly there will be this school wide search for me. Then whenever we’re inevitably found someone is going to find out where we were and I am going to mess everything up!!!”

An immense pressure started building in my head and all the stress I had been storing during this outing was starting to seep out in the form of tears. 

“And when they find out I was getting the broom they will know that Harry’s isn’t from me and he will lose it. Then he and his friends are going to fight about it again, the whole Gryffindor team is going to hate me, Cedric is going to be upset at me for lying, and then I will have ended up making everything worse!!”

When my explosion of words finished I had two gingers on me all at once. Fred moved in right away and brought me into a tight embrace, while Crookshanks jumped over from wherever he had been and started moving through my legs (as much as he could with Fred in the way).

“June, I promise everything is going to be fine.”

“I just wanted to help.” I sobbed out, now a total wreck. Man I really needed to address these underlying feelings of totally fucking up this story. I think for the most part I ignored the constant nagging of the black squares on my arm, but in moments like this it all just became too much.

“And you do help so many people,” Fred said reassuringly. He had moved his hands to my back and was rubbing gently; an attempt to help calm me down. “You’ve helped me loads, and all our friends. You help Hagrid, and everyone in your TA classes. You’re amazing and I promise that tonight will not make everything worse- I will not let it.”

I didn’t really believe him, but I needed to calm down so I tried nodding my head. Maybe I could just trick my body into believing it for now so that I could get to a place to problem solve. It took a little while, but eventually the tears stopped and my breathing went back to normal. When all that was left was sniffles Fred gingerly removed his arms from around me and instead moved up to my face. He helped brush my hair away and wiped the tears from my cheeks. It was a really sweet gesture, until;

“I would wipe your nose for you, but I don’t actually think we are that close.”

That made me snort and thus adding to the snot that was leaking from my nose. I went into my bag to find some tissues, but Fred beat me to it when he held a handkerchief out to me.

“I didn’t think you were a handkerchief kinda guy,” I said, reaching out hesitantly. It was weird that he had this at all, I mean, this was the 1990s not the 1920s. The sight of it was almost enough to shock me out of the rest of my troubling emotions. 

“I actually use that for one of the muggle magic tricks I’ve been working on from that book George got me for Christmas. It's a disappearing act, but I don’t quite have it down yet. But you can use it, it's easily replaceable.”

Even though I knew there were tissues in my bag I still accepted it. I didn’t bother trying to give it back though, just shoved it in my bag. The distraction of the handkerchief had helped me take another step away from my anxieties and I felt like I could look at the situation now more rationally. 

“You good or um, better at least?” Fred asked. I nodded. “Okay, so let’s figure out what we are going to do. I think our most pressing matter is indeed Diggory, and that he will absolutely lose his rag over you not coming back. So we either need to find a for-sure way back before curfew, or some way contact him.”

Mmmm, wish I had a cellphone. Even though there were a lot of other things that had to be fixed for that to work anyway. Cellphones at this point in time were kinda shitty, and wouldn’t work in Hogwarts anyway. Plus Cedric knew basically nothing about muggle technology so he wouldn’t have been able to use one easily. Instead wizards sent fucking owls to each other like they still lived in the dark ages. The only way you could instant message someone was with like a dark mark or maybe if you trained an even faster magical animal-

I was suddenly made aware again of the swishing movement happening between my legs. I looked down to see Crookshanks still at it, trying I think to help me feel better. With a light bulb starting to grow brighter I reached down to pick him up, and he purred happily at being in my arms once again. Seemed that maybe I did need him to let someone know were we were.

--

Fred led the way through the forest, which he said was because he knew the area better than me, but I thought it had more to do with feeling bad about the situation. I didn’t mind though, it was creepy as fuck in here and I was happy to let him take on whatever came first.

We had tied a note to Crookshanks’ collar addressed to Cedric, and sent him off towards the castle. Fred was unsure about it, but seemed to gain confidence when the orange beast took off as soon as he got his instructions. I had full trust in him though so I wasn’t as worried anymore. Well, I wasn’t worried about the Hufflepuff Prefect snitching, but I was very much worried about the vibes in his forest.

“Maybe we should have just camped out by the shrieking shack.” I said, moving up closer to Fred. I reached my hand out so I was holding the back of his jacket.

“What, why? It's lovely here. Don’t you just love to hear the howling at the moon as we stumble over roots? Honestly I say we should just abandon the school all together and just live out our lives here.”

I wanted to laugh, truly I did, but I was currently more worried thinking about if tonight was a full moon. Maybe that howling was actually Professor Lupin out for a stroll…

With the Honeydukes entrance closed the only viable entrance to the grounds was just to scale the wall of something. It felt futile though, knowing the school was supposed to be locked up tight in an attempt to keep Sirius Black out. I could have shown Fred the entrance through the shrieking shack, but that didn’t seem like the right move. So now we were wandering through the forest, knowing that the paths to the school would be covered with Dementors.

“I also love-” Fred continued. “How everything looks and feels like it's moving. I mean, I’ve never thought of trees as such a formidable cohort. But here I am getting swatted left and right as if they have something against me. This jacket must make me look like I’m a wood cutter.”

This one did make me laugh, especially since his jacket was red and black checkerboard. 

“We literally have a moving tree on the school grounds so you shouldn’t be surprised. But also I feel a little surprised that Wizards have woodcutters. I feel like that’s a very specific job for a group of people who could just magic a tree away.”

Fred stumbled extra hard, barely keeping himself standing by holding onto a nearby branch. It took him a second to steady himself again, but when he spoke he seemed more nervous than shaken.

“We uh we don’t, I mean as far as I know.”

“Oh, how do you know about woodcutters then?” Maybe this was just a common enough thing that even wizards who were never around muggles knew about it. But Fred was acting weird enough I thought it was something else.

“I um, I heard about them in a story.”

“What story?”

He hesitated, but then sighed. “Little Red Riding Hood.”

I stopped, my brain not fully computing. 

“Little Red Riding Hood? How do you know that story?” I knew for a fact that was not part of Beedle the Bard.

“You know how I’ve been learning muggle magic tricks, and along with the music we’ve been talking more about your muggle movies?” He turned towards me, my wand light making his face look abashed. I nodded. “Well it's gotten me even more interested in muggle stuff, and so I went to the Library and was looking through their section on muggle literature and I found a few children's books. And I thought that they’d start to help me understand muggle life better.”

“Freddie….” I clutched at my heart, which suddenly felt- hot maybe? All warm and full, and a little twitchy even. Why was the fact that he was wanting to learn about muggles so endearing? 

“Gah I know it's dumb, reading kids books. I just, I want to know more about people without magic living their life- how you lived your life before coming here.”

“It's not dumb, I think it's actually a really smart place to start. But why didn’t you just ask me?”

Fred shrugged. “Didn’t want to bother you I guess. We barely have time to hang out together, what with school, OWLs, quidditch, and everything else. I didn’t want to make you feel like I was adding to your load or even just using you to learn about muggles. You already tell me so much about music and movies, I didn’t want to push you for more.”

“I don’t mind it though,” I said, reaching forward and placing my hand on his arm. I felt very overwhelmingly like I wanted to make him not feel awkward about opening up to me. “I’ve loved sharing my music with you, and it’s been even more fun talking about movies. I would love to tell you more about things in the muggle world!”

“Really??” His eyes lit up, looking even brighter than our wand lights.

“Absolutely! I would love to tell you everything I know about our media, history, governments, religions, cultures- whatever you wanted! Plus, I’ve been missing spending more time with you as well. It would be nice to carve out some time for just us to hang out, you know that doesn't require breaking out of school.”

Fred opened his mouth to say something, but instead of words he just yelled. I ended up yelling too because right at that moment a huge presence stepped up to where we were and loomed over us like death itself. We both instinctively reached out to each other; one arm at the opposing person’s side the other with our wands out facing the foe. But as we clung to each other I noticed that our wands’ light was not illuminating some terrifying creature, but instead a really really large man.

“What are yer doin all the way out here???” Hagrid asked, his massive crossbow at his side (thankfully not aimed at us.)

“Holy fuck!” I said, the relief washing over me as I let go of Fred and ran over to the half giant. I threw both my arms around him, not even making it to his sides. 

It took me a little while to explain to Hagrid what Fred and I were doing wandering around in the forest in a way that convinced him a) to not report us, and b) that we weren’t up to anything bad. He was still rather bewildered as to why we would be dumb enough to go through the forest on our own, but I was just so happy that he was there I didn’t care. With his help we would not only make it back into the grounds without a dementor attack, but would likely be able to get back into the castle without making a fuss.

“It don’t matter what time of day you head into the forest, you always need to have a proper guide-” Hagrid lectured as he led the way back to the school. “-just because yer know lots about creatures doesn’t mean you can handle everything that’s in here-

“Do you think you can remember our story ?” I whispered over to Fred, trying not to let Hagrid hear. I had done all the talking before, and while I was pretty sure Hagrid wouldn’t press the subject to Fred, I at least had to make sure.

He scoffed quietly. “I’ve been able to function very efficiently on much less.”

Ah yes, I forgot who I was talking to. This was one of the Weasley twins, somehow getting out of trouble was a daily occurrence for them. I thought that this scenario might have been a bit larger scale than what their normal was, but maybe this felt rather low stakes for him.

“Do you think we could start tomorrow, on the muggles stuff that is.” He leaned over again, whispering as we followed along. I nodded and saw him smile before I turned back forward.

It would probably be best for Fred and find more manageable activities to do together. Plus, I was actually really looking forward to becoming a muggle studies teacher, but only about the cool stuff. I was going to introduce him to things like Lord of the Rings and video games. Maybe over the summer I could take him to an arcade! I bet he’d love that. It felt so right to be able to show him the muggle part of my old life, as far as it pertained to the year 1994 that is. 

It was a weird evening, but the thoughts of spending more time with Fred helped it end on a good note. It also felt good to have the Firebolt and know it wasn’t there waiting to incriminate me. That being said, I did not plan to leave school grounds at any point for the rest of the school year (at least, not unauthorized). This was so much more stress than I wanted to deal with, and needed some time before I had to deal with anything similar again. For now I would just focus on muggle life, studying for OWLs, and training for quidditch. What could go wrong?

SONGS:

June: Running Up That Hill- Kate Bush

Fred: Things Can Only Get Better- Howard Jones

Chapter Text

What was usually a lively Charms classroom was now almost totally silent as we all practiced the silencing charm. Although this was technically a new spell it was being taught pretty late in our OWL year, but Flitwick explained that most students picked up on it rather quickly. As I watched the other 15/16 year olds soundlessly laugh around the room I had more than a good idea on why that was.

“Wow Ced, you’re really good at that. You must have had some practice outside of class.” 

I looked over at my partner and laughed as his face turned red. He then tried to defend himself, but he was still mute so his mouth just opened and closed with no words coming out. We were supposed to be practicing on the toads Flitwick had given us, but it wasn’t as fun as doing it to each other. A few of the kids behind us started to laugh as Cedric flailed his arms around in frustration. After laughing for a bit more I took pity on him and uttered the counter charm.

“You’re vulgar.” He said, crossing his arms. I rolled my eyes- now he was just embarrassed, because I knew he didn’t actually care that much about stuff like that. That was something I expected Percy to say, not him.

“Oh come on, I’m pretty sure every person in this class has already used this spell to get it off in their dorm room.”

Cedric looked quickly around the room, maybe making sure that no one had heard what I said. If they had, no one made it known. I didn’t really care though, that wasn’t something that I was embarrassed to talk about. It was natural, and honestly you couldn’t expect a school full of teens to not to.

“Damn, you’re acting like you’ve never done it before.” I said, a bit more quietly this time. Maybe I didn’t care if my peers heard me, but I guess I shouldn’t be subjecting our teacher to this conversation. 

“Yeah w-well that’s because I’m a boy.” He said, looking defensive.

I rolled my eyes. “That’s so misogynistic. What just because a girl doesn’t have a dick means she can’t touch herself? It may not be taught at the school, but I thought you knew more about human anatomy.”

His face went bright red again. “Y-you shouldn’t be talking about that right now.”

“I guarantee you, literally everyone in this classroom is already thinking about it.” 

Out of curiosity I looked around the room again, seeing pairs of Hufflepuffs and Slytherins, boys and girls, with pink cheeks all whispering together. Yeah, they were all talking about jerking off.

“Healthy and normal my guy,” I said looking back at my friend.

“So-” he hesitated a moment. “So does that mean you do it too?”

I shrugged. “Sure, although I’ve never had to use this charm to do it. Never felt inclined to do anything with people that close by.”

Cedric looked at me, his eyes wide and unblinking. It looked like maybe he wanted to ask me more questions, but he didn’t open his mouth. Flitwick called us all back to attention though so it didn’t matter anyway. 

I tried to focus for the rest of class, but I kept getting this feeling like someone was watching me. The few times I peeked over at Cedric though he was either covering his face with a book or busy writing notes from the lecture. No one else around the room was looking as far as I could see, so when Flitwick turned to talk to the other half of the room I turned my head enough to check out the students behind me. 

I was surprised when my eyes met Adrian Pucey’s and he quickly looked away. It brought me back to that day a few months ago when I had caught him staring at me more than once. I should have realized that it was him because the feelings and situation were eerily familiar to what I felt last time. When I turned back around I knew that he was looking at me again, and it made me feel unsettled for the rest of class. 

When double charms ended I quickly packed up my stuff and then pulled Cedric out of the room with me. I didn’t think I could handle the weird tension anymore. Thankfully the Slytherin boy didn’t follow and I had only mildly startled Cedric in the process.

“Sorry, I had to get out of there” I said, letting go of his robe sleeve. “I caught Adrian Pucey staring at me and he wouldn’t stop. It felt creepy.”

“Oh was he staring? I didn’t notice.” Cedric seemed concerned and started looking around the hall to see if the boy was anywhere nearby. When he didn’t find anyone he turned back to me. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah I’m fine. I’m thinking now though that maybe I should have been quieter when I was talking about masturbation.” Cedric’s face went red again at this, but I continued. “Are you cool if we wait here for a bit? I’d rather not run into him while we walk to dinner.”

“Y-yeah that’s fine.” He sputtered, still looking flustered. It would have been another great moment to try to tease him, but I wasn’t feeling it anymore. We stood there in silence, me just watching to make sure no Slytherin’s decided to show themselves and Cedric getting over his own stuff. It ended up being him who broke the silence. 

“So uh, do you have any plans tonight?”

“No, why? Did you think I was going to wank off in my dorm room after dinner?” Looks like maybe I did still have it in me to tease him.

“Gah, enough about that!” He exclaimed, making me laugh. “I just, I was wondering if you were going to study with me or if you were going to go see Wood again.”

Ah, Oliver- I had been so busy today that I barely had time to think about him. It had been three days (counting today) since the Gryffindor party, and sadly we hadn’t been able to find any time to get together again since then. Not that we hadn’t tried though; before the reckless adventure with Fred on Sunday we tried sneaking back over to that staircase, but found Filch lurking around. It was quite the mood killer. 

Then yesterday Oliver had waited for me outside the great hall at dinner and tried to pull us off to kiss, but of course we ran into Percy. And today I hadn’t seen him at all which sucked. Ever since we came back from break he seemed to make it a point to find me at least once during the day, even if it was just to say hello. I didn’t see him at all though- hopefully that would change at dinner.

Now that I thought about it though, I hadn’t seen any of my other friends today either (besides Cedric of course.) Tuesdays I didn’t have any shared classes with the Gryffindors and I wasn’t the TA for the golden trio’s class- but I usually saw a few of them throughout the day. I guess everyone was MIA today. Maybe the nearing of the end of the school year was making everyone extra busy. Speaking of busy-

“Actually, I guess I do have plans after dinner. I’m going to go meet with Hagrid; he’s getting things ready for the end of year assessments for the classes I help in and asked for my input. Now that I think about it, I’m going to have to eat kind of fast to get down there in time. He was being weirdly specific about when I needed to come when he asked me yesterday. I think between the teaching and the trial for his hippogriff he’s getting pretty stressed out, and rather jumpy.”

“Ah yeah that makes sense, I bet he appreciates your help though. You better make sure to go down there right when he asked.” Cedric looked at me almost like a parent reminding their child to be on their best behavior.

“Yeah I will… weirdo… anyway let's go. I’m sure Pucey is already gone so we can probably head down now.”

At my word we both started moving towards the great hall. Thankfully we did not run into any creepy Slytherins on our way. I did notice the boy when we walked in though, sitting at his house table. I was worried for a second that he might have been waiting for me to come in, but he was busy with his meal.

Cedric and I took our seats and I checked my watch again- ah shit, I really needed to eat fast. I started scooping food onto my plate when Rodger Davies walked up to our table.

“Hey Diggory, madam Hooch wants to meet with all the captains, right now.” He said the last two words so robotically it was like he was reading from a script. I looked up from my food, watching as the blue clad boy stood there stiffly. 

“Oh, right now? Well alright-” Cedric moved out of his seat and then looked down at his bag. “June, would you mind taking my charms and herbology books down to our common room before I go?”

“What??” I asked, food spilling out from my most recent mouthful.

“I know you have to go meet Hagrid, but could you please just do this for me?” He pulled his books out and held them towards me.

“Can I just put them in my bag?” 

“No, will you please just drop them off at my room.”

What the fuck was this? Why was he asking me to do this when he knew that I was already rushed for time? Why was he even asking me to do this in the first place?? He never had any issue carrying his text books before. He was only going out to Madam Hooch’s office, it's not like he was going out to practice. 

All these questions whirling in my head, but they got pushed aside when I saw those grey puppy dog eyes. As I spent more and more time with Cedric I found I was continuously more susceptible to that look. 

“Ugh, fine” I grumbled, reaching out and taking the books. “Now go before I change my mind.”

He smiled and turned to leave, Rodger following him as well still looking stiff. I myself turned back to my food, increasing the speed at which I shoveled it in. Now that I had to go back to my common room I really needed to pick up the pace. Thankfully there were no other distractions and I was able to leave the meal rather soon after.

I didn’t run, but I was walking pretty quickly down the stairs towards the kitchens. Passing the fruit painting I hesitated, wondering if maybe Oliver was eating just inside. Oh, not that’s right, he was probably already at the quidditch meeting. Damn….Probably for the best though; if I had gone in there it would have added A LOT more time to the little that I had.

The common room was basically empty as I rushed inside. I went over to Cedric’s door, knocked for good measure, and when there was no response I pushed in. I moved over to his bed, plopping his books down. Before I left though something caught my eye, and I walked over to his night side table.

There on the top, next to a clock and book, were his two scarves. One was the yellow striped one we had traded after the color changing charm incident, and the other was the gray one that I made for him. They were very neatly folded, sitting side by side as if they were on display for purchase. It was surprising to see them there, seeing as Cedric had been so adamantly against scarves in general for so long. Though he had started wearing the yellow one more frequently after we swapped, and since giving him the other for Christmas I had noticed he switched in between the two. He hadn’t worn a scarf today, which is why they were both folded up now.

It was kinda cute, seeing them there. I wasn’t really sure why he was displaying them like that, but it made me happy anyway. He might have just done it as a reminder to himself to wear them more often. That was probably why, but it was still heartwarming nonetheless. It felt nice knowing that he liked my Christmas gift enough to have it that close.

Switching back into focus I left and started making my way out of the room. I had to avert my eyes when I came close to the fruit painting again, and then took the stairs two at a time to head back up. In no time at all I was back at the great hall, and continued making my way out towards the grounds.

It was still really cold in January here, but the winds had died down considerably the last few days so it didn’t feel as bad. There wasn’t any new snow either so the paths were still clear from the castle to Hagrid’s Hut. I didn’t think I would reach any more obstacles on my way, but it turns out I was wrong. 

I didn’t see him before I bumped into him, but when I looked up to see who I had hit I got a weird feeling that he had seen me and intentionally brought us together.

“Are you alright?” Marcus Flint asked, looking not at all surprised.

“Yeah I’m fine. Sorry, I didn’t see you.” My tone was very even, not betraying any ounce of emotion. I did NOT have time for this guy, ever, but especially not now.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you” He started, taking a step closer as if he was trying to keep me in place. “Are you really going out with Wood ?”

He said Oliver’s last name like it left a bad taste in his mouth.

“Not that it's any of your business, but I am.” Didn’t even bother to ask why, but I did not give a fuck why. He seemed to care a lot about the why though.

“Why? Why did you choose him? Did you just want to go after a quidditch captain?”

Ugh him and ugh again with the whole quidditch captain thing. Also I noticed that he had stepped over, basically blocking me in place by where we stood near the door. I wouldn’t be able to get to where I needed to go unless he moved.

“Again Flint , it's none of your business. Now move aside because I have somewhere to be.” I did the same inflection with his last name as he had done with Oliver’s.

“You can call me Marcus,” He replied, ignoring half my words. Then his eyes started to looking me over. I wanted to scream.

“No thanks. Now seriously move, I have a meeting that I’m late for-” I went to push past him, but he held out his arm to stop me. I was about to use all my force to shove him away, but he started talking again and distracted me.

“Wood isn’t that great. Gryffindor has never even won a quidditch cup since he’s been captain. I’ve won every year, and we are going to again this year. You should be going out with me, not him.”

Oh and there it was, finally the declaration he had been skirting around for months. Honestly I wondered if he was ever going to have the balls to actually say it. It totally tracked that he would only finally mention it in spite of Oliver. I knew I should address it, but I couldn’t help the report from coming out.

“Oliver is a better player, and person, than you will ever be. On top of that I don’t care about your quidditch cups, nor do I care for this conversation. Now get out of my way.”

I could see anger flare up in his eyes but I held his gaze. Reluctantly it seemed he moved his arm, and I immediately moved past him. I didn’t run, but I moved as fast as I could without giving off the impression that I was afraid. 

“Why would you even want to be with that loser?” He called out, maybe in a last attempt to win me over.

“He beat you.” I replied flatly. Then I pushed open the doors and strode out into the darkening sky.

--

“Fucking piece of shit.” I grumbled as I stomped down the hill towards Hagrid house.

The nerve of that guy. I should have just said to hell with school decorum and beat the living crap out of him. With my stats on spell work I knew he wouldn’t even stand a chance against me. I don’t think it would be as satisfying as beating him up physically, but unfortunately strength was not one of the things I could max out on.

I was still very frustrated when I reached the front door. I wished that I had a punching bag- something that I could just let loose on to get these feelings out. I thought about screaming out as I walked down, but I didn’t want to draw attention to myself.  I knocked on the door. Maybe Hagrid would let me have it out on a seat cushion or something before we got started. From a little ways inside I heard the giant tell me to come in. I sighed before I pushed the door open; I needed to do something otherwise I wasn’t going to be able to focus on the work.

“SURPRISE!!!!!!”

Apparently panic was a great way to get anger out.

As I opened the door I was met by the loud declaration, and all of my friends jumping out towards my face. I froze, all of the anger being shot out of me and replaced my panic. The panic quickly turned to confusion as I looked at everyone’s grinning faces.

“What the fuck?”

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!” They all cheered again, and it dawned on me. It was January 18th- it was indeed my birthday. How the hell had I forgotten about my own birthday?? Apparently when you have no family and made the date not a widely known fact you allow it to slip your mind. Also this was technically my second 16th birthday so it didn’t feel all that special the second time around- much more easily forgotten.

But they hadn’t forgotten- all these people crammed into this small space. Hagrid was there of course, holding back Fang as he attempted to dash towards me. Then there was Harry, Hermione, Ron, Angelina, Katie, Alicia, Lee, George, Percy, Oliver, and right at the door looking extremely proud of themselves was Fred and Cedric. 

--

“Alright, how did you guys do it?” I was sitting between Cedric and Fred in the now quiet of Hagrid’s hut. 

The party had been a total blast; I was given gifts, we played some games, we pulled out my boombox for music,  and I blew out the candles on an adorable cake Toppy had made me. But even the best parties had to come to an end. Most of the party goers had left a little bit ago, citing an early day tomorrow and needing to get to bed. Amongst those leaving had been Oliver, which was a bummer, but I was happy he had come nonetheless. He seemed rather anxious to go so I figured he had stayed longer than his schedule allowed. He did kiss me on the cheek goodbye, which made me feel less sad about it.

After the initial group had gone it was me, Fred, Cedric, the golden trio, and of course Hagrid. Once it started getting close to curfew the host suggested the younger three head back to the castle, and he offered to walk them. Now it was just me and the two guys I knew had to be behind this whole thing.

“What are you talking about? This was all Hagrid.” Fred said dismissively, but he had that signature grin on. Cedric smiled as well, but looked away sheepishly when I turned to face him.

“Cut the crap Weasley. I know it was you two, so tell me- how did you even know when my birthday was? I don’t remember telling anyone the date.”

Birthdays in general didn’t seem to be a big deal here at Hogwarts. And despite me not being all that excited for my own birthday I still thought it was weird. Even if you just went to a regular public school the administration still puts forth effort to recognize that it is a special day to you. Sure it was probably just an email sent out at the beginning of the month, but it was still something. In the original HP story basically the only person who gets a birthday recognition is Harry and I guess technically Dudley.

“You mentioned it was in January before,” Cedric started, no longer denying his involvement. “I was just going to ask you for the day directly but Weasley wouldn’t let me; said it would raise suspicion.” 

“So we had to get creative,” Fred replied with a bigger grin. “In the form of sneaking into Professor Sprout’s office and looking through her file on you. Mr. Perfect over here even helped.”

I turned back towards Cedric. “What??? You broke into the office of our head of house??”

Cedric’s face turned red. “NO! I would never. I just… may have created a distraction.”

Holy shit, Cedric breaking school rules. Maybe he and Fred needed to go back to hating each other more because it seemed the red head was starting to be a bad influence on him. Of course this behavior was not at all surprising for Fred, especially after our own rule breaking a few nights back. But Cedric???

“So once we knew the date,” Fred continued “All we had to do was make sure everyone kept it quiet. Most people didn’t know until we told them at the party last weekend so it was easy enough keeping it secret.”

“Is that where you all went off to???” I asked incredulously. It had felt so perplexing when everyone had disappeared at the quidditch party, and then showed up again all together. Honestly I should have expected it, but I didn’t.

Fred laughed and nodded. 

“Yeah George and I snagged everyone to come up with a final plan. It was Harry actually who suggested we do it at Hagrids and set that whole part up. I think Granger came up with the excuse to get you here but I’m not sure. Anyway it all came together in the end, and admit it; you had no idea.”

“You’re right, I truly had no idea. I did think you were all being weird last Saturday, and that I hadn’t seen most of everyone all day. I hadn’t put the pieces together that it was all for my birthday until I walked through the door and had it screamed at me. A total surprise.”

“Well I’m glad we were able to surprise you,” Cedric said happily. “I did think it was a bit much to not be able to wish you a happy birthday all day, but again Weasley insisted-”

“A necessary step!!” Fred interjected. “We had to keep everything on the down low. But the party made up for it, right June?”

I chuckled. “Yes, it more than made up for it. You guys are the best-”

I linked an arm around each of their necks and pulled them in. Sitting down we were closer heights, but Cedric still had to lean in quite a bit more to reach his head to mine. Fred was easier, seeing as he was shorter, and I didn’t end up choking him out as bad. They were both good sports though and stayed in my death grip hug for more than I was sure they wanted to. When I finally let go and they sat back up they were both red in the face.

“Well, we better clean up and get out of here so Hagrid doesn’t have to deal with us all night.” I said, getting to my feet. “Not to mention making it back into school before curfew- can’t have you guys breaking more rules in the name of my birthday.” Plus, I still owed Hagrid for helping me and Fred out on Sunday.

“Actually-” Fred said, jumping to his feet. “There’s one more surprise before your birthday ends.”

“Wait what? How is there more??”

“Just come with us,” Cedric said, moving to the door. “I promise you will love it.”

He looked back at me with such sincerity in his eyes I couldn’t refuse. It did feel like these guys were going above and beyond for a day that I myself had forgotten about. But as I followed them out of the hut and across the grounds I could feel myself getting more and more excited. Then the excitement turned to confusion as we approached the quidditch pitch.

“Guys why are we-”

“You’re meant to put this on-” I turned towards Fred as he held out a package I hadn’t noticed he’d grabbed.

The box held my gift from Oliver, which was a yellow dress. It was my favorite present that I had gotten, outside of the party itself. It was a beautiful vintage looking dress that gave 50s vibes (think 50s party dress, calf length, poofy skirt). Oliver told me that he had written to his mom asking for help finding a dress and she had chosen this one. I was confused as to why he had wanted to gift me a dress in the first place, but it was stunning and I loved it.

“But why do I need to wear the dress?”

“Just trust us,” said Cedric again with that same look. With a sigh I grabbed the box and turned to go towards the Hufflepuff locker room.

“Meet us on the field!” Fred yelled out as I walked away.

I thought maybe I would have to use a spell to open the locks on the locker room doors, but they were already open. I guess whatever else the boys had planned had led them to think this far ahead at least. I really had no idea what they were going to do though that required the quidditch field and also wearing a fancy dress. I didn’t bother trying to figure it out, I would find out soon enough.

After taking off my clothes I was surprised, once again, to find that the dress fit me perfectly. It made me think that there might have been some kind of charm on it or something because that would be too crazy of a coincidence. I had planned to make some magical adjustments of my own, but they were even needed.

I moved over to the large mirror on the other side of the room and looked at myself. The dress was absolutely stunning, and it made me look pretty damn good. Although it wasn’t totally my style, there were some aspects I really did love. The higher waistline and flowy skirt fit my figure well. I did a little twirl and watched as the skirt flowed around me, and it made me giggle. The top of it was short sleeved, but the dress also came with a matching cardigan, so I put that on before I made my way back outside.

When I stepped onto the now illuminated pitch I looked around for where Fred and Cedric were, but froze when I saw someone else standing out in the middle of the field. I started to jog over, glad that the dress set hadn’t come with a pair of matching heels. I was a little out of breath when I reached him, my heart racing from the run and surprise.

“What are you doing?” I asked, suddenly feeling dizzy.

There standing before me was Oliver. Oliver in dress pants, a white collared shirt, and his hair all slicked back- not how he looked just less than an hour ago. He looked SO handsome, like the kind that makes another person dizzy kind of handsome. It was literally mind boggling seeing him dressed like that, even though it wasn’t that far off from the regular school uniform. But he was so hot, and this was all so crazy confusing my brain  was just about ready to bust.

“You look beautiful,” he said, his cheeks pink. “The dress looks really great on you.”

“I look great?? Look at you! Why are you so hot right now? What is going on??”

He smiled brightly. “This is the rest of my gift to you.” Then he held out his hand.

I took it, not sure what else to do, but once I did the music started to play. I looked around the stadium, confused as to why Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper was playing. Then I spotted the culprits, way up in the stands. I was able to make out Lee, George, Fred, and Cedric all up in the teacher’s box. My boombox was there too, which I assumed was the things playing the music. I hadn’t even noticed that they had taken it.

“Do you want to dance?”

I turned back to Oliver, and my heart absolutely melted. I loved this man so fucking much I wanted to die. Actually, I wanted to cry because of how thoughtful everyone in my life was. For Cedric and Fred to search out my birthday, for my friends to all come together, for Oliver to plan out a dance. What did I do to deserve all of this??

I really was on the brink of spilling happy tears so I just nodded my agreement to try to keep them in. He pulled me in, placing a hand on my waist and raising my own hand in his. I placed my hand on his neck, and he gracefully moved us around the quidditch pitch. 

“It feels a little silly dancing like this,” I said with a smile, taking in Oliver’s beautiful hazel eyes.

“What do you mean? On the pitch?”

“No, I mean our dancing position. This song just makes me think of this muggle movie where the two characters dance rather stiffly together. You’re so confident in your movements it almost feels out of place.”

He chuckled, but I could tell he didn’t really get it. Hard to explain Napoleon Dynamite to someone who had probably also never seen a movie before.

“How did you know I loved this song though?”

“Oh, Fred suggested it. I had told him I wanted to find a place where we could dance, and he said he would take care of the songs. He mentioned this one was your favorite to dance to.”

My heart tightened, and I felt like I was going to cry again. Of course Fred remembered this song.

“Well he was right, because it is my favorite. I seriously can’t believe you guys pulled all of this off, I mean how did you even convince Madam Hooch to let you use the field??”

Oliver shrugged. “I guess she’s a pretty big romantic. Diggory did most of the convincing though, between him and Fred we were able to get everything worked out. I just wanted to make sure you knew how special you are to me.”

There were actually tears in my eyes now, so I leaned in closer so I could rest my head against his shoulder. He tightened his grip and changed the dance to be more of a gentle sway. As he held me close and the song repeated the line “time after time” again and again I felt like I was in a total dream state. This evening was an absolute dream, and I prayed I never had to wake up.

SONGS:

June: Time After Time- Cyndi Lauper 

Oliver: Time After Time- Cyndi Lauper 

Fred: Dancing with Myself- Generation X

Cedric: Twistin the Night Away- Sam Cooke

Chapter Text

“I’m going to be honest, this is not even as close to as nerve racking as the last one was.” I said cheerily as I laced up my shoes. It was the finishing detail of my quidditch uniform, and now that it was set I was ready to go.

“That’s probably because it's not your first match like it was last time. Now you’re practically a seasoned player.” 

I smiled at my teammate, but I don’t think I agreed with their words. I was pretty sure that my nerves last time around was all sandwiched between my wanting Oliver’s attention, and also the knowledge of the Dementor attack. Knowing this was just a regular game with basically no noteworthy details in the original book meant I had no worries.

I was even more confident because our team was pretty good, as far as I could tell I guess. Everyone always said Hufflepuff sucked, but I thought we played really well together. When we played Gryffindor we were already 100 points ahead when Cedric caught the snitch, which was better than what I remembered from the book. We had also been doing really well in practice since coming back off the break so things were feeling great! Well, things were feeling great for me , but it seemed like my sentiment didn’t reach our captain. 

When I finished with my shoes I stood and moved over to Cedric, who was still hunched over on the bench where he had been since I had been here. I knew he tried to be the first one in the locker rooms at practices and matches, but usually that was followed up by attending to the rest of the team. He would usually walk around and make sure everyone had what they needed or just give his little happiness pep talks. Today he was basically a sad looking statue.

“Hey cap, what’s going on?” I sat down next to him, leaning down to try to see his face through his arms crossed over his knees.

Another abnormality about today is that I hadn’t seen Cedric at all until now. Usually he was in the common room waiting for me so we could walk up to breakfast in the morning, but he hadn’t been there. I had gone to his dorm room to check, but he had already left. Had he been in here like this since early this morning??

When he didn’t respond I went down to the ground and moved in between his legs. I tentatively spread his knees apart so that I could stick my head in and look at his face. What I saw made me feel as bad as he looked. I forced my hands up to his face, pushing his arms out of the way and pulling him up so I could get a better look.

“You are so sick Ced what are you doing???” His head felt uncomfortably hot in my hands, which made the fact that he was totally pale even scarier.

“I’m fine, just let me go back down-”

“You are not fine, you need to go see the nurse!”

He reached up and covered my mouth with his slightly shaking hand.

“Hey, don’t let the team hear you. I have to play or we’ll have to forfeit.”

I pulled his hand away, holding it tight in my own for some semblance of comfort.

“Why will we have to forfeit?” I whispered.

“We have to have a full team at the start to play. Plus if we don’t have a seeker then there is basically no chance to win anyway.”

“We will have no chance to win if you pass out on your broom.” I countered, and I felt his hand squeeze mine in response.

“June please just drop it. I’m fine. I’m sure once I get out there the adrenaline will kick in and it will be fine.”

“Uh I don’t think it works like that Ced. You need to go get checked out. I can just play seeker- I’ll kick Chang’s ass and it will be great.”

He shook his head. “If we are down a chaser we wont score enough to win even with the snitch, especially with Davies. No no it's fine, I can do it-”

He tried to stand and push me out of the way, but stumbled and basically fell on top of me as I still sat crouched on the ground. I caught him, and carefully helped him get up to his feet, which was rather difficult due to size difference. 

“This is not going to work-”

“Shush, now lead me to the brooms.”

I felt torn; on the one hand Cedric was obviously not doing well and should not be flying on the broom, but he seemed mentally with it enough to still make lucid choices. If I did what I thought he needed , I would take him to madam Hooch and declare him unfit to play. Unfortunately if I did that he would be livid with me, especially if we did have to give up the game. So did I do what he asked or what I thought was right?? UUUUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

After a bit more prompting from my sick friend I did help him over to the broom. The rest of the team followed, all too excited about the game to really notice how out of sorts their captain was. We were playing a new song today and it seemed they were also really looking forward to it. 

As I handed Cedric his broom I made him promise that he would stay low to the ground to search for the snitch. He was against it, but agreed when I threatened to hover below him the entire match if he didn’t. He straddled the broom, and I could see he was holding onto the end with a death grip. I swear if this mother fucker fell off his broom-

“AND NOW, PLEASE WELCOME OUR OWN SUNSHINE TEAM- HUFFLEPUFF!”

Lee’s voice boomed over the speaker and then Walking on Sunshine by Katrina And The Waves started playing and the cheers commenced. Cedric sighed and then kicked off on his broom and headed out onto the field. I moved in right behind him, following as the crowd called around us. It was a bright and sunny day, even if it was still a bit cold. The cold, the bright, and the sounds made all of my senses feel on edge as I flew across the field.

I tailed Cedric around the pitch and moved in closer when he attempted to lift up a hand to wave to the stands. I pushed up against his side to keep him upright as he wobbled on his seat. He quickly went back to gripping the broom and then made his way down to Madam Hooch for the captain to shake. I got strange looks from the ref and Roger Davies as I stood literally right behind my captain, but I think it allowed Cedric to fly under the radar. 

When we were up in the air again I had basically zero focus on the match. It didn’t help that Roger had gone from trash talking to straight up concern when I didn't reciprocate the banter. By the time the match actually started everyone seemed a little bit off their game. Even the rest of the Ravenclaw team was being thrown off by how weird we were now acting. I managed to score a few goals, but besides that I was basically as useless as Cedric was. He was flying around almost mindlessly and I was hovering nearby just as unfocussed on the game.

It was a surprise to nobody when Chang got the snitch and the match ended so soon. They had creamed us, but I didn’t even care right now. As soon the final whistle blew I grabbed Cedric and started taking him to the castle. He was so out of it at that point he didn’t even bother fighting. We had to stop a few times on our way so he could throw up, but the task was made easier when Fred and Oliver popped up out of nowhere and helped me drag him the rest of the way.

By the time he was safely in a hospital bed I was exhausted and my brain was a garbled mess. With the relief that Cedric would finally get help I was swarmed by a myriad of different thoughts and emotions. There was frustration for how terribly the match went, and guilt that I had added to its disastrous result. There was also some humor as I thought about how in the original HP story Ravenclaw had totally destroyed Hufflepuff, and the same result had happened. Granted, the circumstances were totally different, but was that just the story making things better follow the original plot.

“Hey we should go-” Fred said, reaching out to my arm. 

The touch made me jump and I had almost totally forgotten that they were there. I just nodded my head though and wordlessly followed the two Gryffindors out of the hospital wing. Cedric needed rest and it probably wouldn’t be that great if he had me hovering over him the entire time. He had basically passed out anyway so I would just wait until I at least got changed before I came back to sit with him.

“So that explains why Mr. Perfect was playing terribly,” Fred commented as we walked through the hall. “But I don’t really get why you played like… that.”

There was a loud thwack as Oliver punched Fred in the arm. It was hard enough that it sent the red head reeling to the side.

--

It took me ages to get changed once I was back in the locker room. We had met up with the rest of the team on our way back to the pitch and they had already gotten cleaned up. They had all gone to check on Cedric and so it left me to wallow alone in the showers and changing room. Having no one there to rush me and feeling particularly low, I just let time slip by without thought.

I was still being pelted by the hot water when I was roused back to reality by a knock at the door.

“Are you doing alright?” 

It was Oliver’s voice coming through, which was surprising until I remembered that he and Fred had walked me back here. I hadn’t thought that they would be waiting for me.

“Shit, ah yeah sorry. I didn’t realize you guys were waiting, just give me a sec-”

“No it's fine, I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay.” He called back, sounding relieved. “I get sometimes you just need some time after a rough match. No need to rush, I’ll still be waiting.”

I smiled, feeling the heaviness of this morning lighten a little.

“Okay, I’m finished here though so I’ll be out soon.”

I turned off the water having long since finished washing myself. The room was pretty steamy at this point but I still felt chilled as I moved towards my towel. As I started to dry I realized that I hadn’t grabbed my clothes, which meant that I either needed to go out into the locker room to get them or put on my dirty quidditch uniform back on…

“Hey Oliver, are you still there?” 

“I am.” He called back, sounding like he was still right at the door.

“I have to come out to grab my clothes-”

“Do you need me to leave?” He asked quickly, cutting me off.

“Not unless you want to, which if you do it’s fine. I’m fine with you staying though, I have a towel on.” I could just have him grab them, but I didn’t ask.

He didn’t respond so I figured that meant he was staying. Didn’t matter to me either way, although… as I wrapped the towel around my body I realized that it wasn’t quite long enough to meet my needs. Usually I just used the towel to dry myself off and I put my clothes back on in this room. It didn’t really matter how long the towel was as long as it helped me get dry.

I guess it wasn’t a full body towel though because as I tried to cover myself it didn’t quite keep it all hidden. It seemed like my options were to only cover half my breasts or let the lower half of me be exposed. I sighed, realizing I didn’t even have my wand to do any adjustments on it. Whelp I guess some of my boobs out was better than the entirety of my lap.

“Is Fred in here too?”

As I walked out of the shower room Oliver was just off to the side, looking at one of the team photos hung on the wall from a previous year.

“Uh no, actually he told me to tell you he-” Oliver turned towards me, but his words stopped as soon as he saw me. His eyes were wide as he stared bluntly at my very non discrete cleavage. 

I froze too, not expecting such a reaction from him. I don’t know what exactly I was expecting but it wasn’t this. There really hadn’t been much opportunity for anything like this to happen yet, besides maybe a moment or two a few weeks ago. But in this moment, when walking out in a towel felt so casual just seconds ago, suddenly things felt much more intimate than I anticipated. I probably should have just asked him to grab my stuff.

“So Fred told you..?” The words sounded awkward as hell coming  from my mouth. A terrible attempt to try to break through the atmosphere.

“I uh-” Oliver opened his mouth like he was going to keep speaking but it took awhile for more words to come out. Mostly his face just got bright red and he finally looked up towards my eyes. It was another long moment, with my wet hair feeling cold against my back and the droplets falling from it onto the floor with a little plink.

“He- he told me that he had something he needed to take care of.” The boy finally got out, his face somehow going an even darker shade. “He said you would find out about it later.”

“Right, um okay…. I’m going to grab my stuff now.”

I turned quickly, moving as fast as the small towel would allow me to over to the lockers. Yeesh this was such a questionable decision on my part. But whatever, I could just grab my clothes and move back into the other room and it could all be forgotten.

Once everything was in hand, including my wand this time, I turned to go back. Oliver was still standing in the same spot, looking like a flustered statue. I tried to move past with speed, but the water on the ground from my hair made me slip right in front of him. I ended up dropping most of my stuff in an attempt to keep my towel from dropping as well.

“Ah shit,” I said, going to squat down so I could pick everything back up.

“I can grab it-” He said automatically, moving down at the same time.

We both ended up crouched on the floor, significantly closer than we both were before. Our eyes met again, and I thought Oliver seemed less flustered and more determined. It was that look that he got during quidditch or even the last time that we…

His lips moved onto mine with so much force and tenacity that it almost knocked me right over. Thankfully Oliver also reached over and placed his hand on my bare upper back to keep me steady- thank Merlin for quidditch reflexes. He was kissing me hard, so much so that it took my breath away. My mind lost sense of everything except for this unexpected moment.

Well there was one thing I couldn’t get out of my mind, and that was the rather awkward/uncomfortable position we were currently in. Something must have really come over him if he decided that the time to start kissing was when we were both squatting on the ground with our knees keeping us from getting too close. To reach my lips he was up on his toes, leaning forward with what I assumed was an incredible amount of core strength. I was also feeling my legs burn as I squatted, one hand holding my towel in place while the other was still reaching out towards my forgotten clothes.

My mind flitted back and forth from the discomfort of the position and the bliss of his lips on mine. Then he moved on from lips and started kissing my neck and suddenly my thighs didn’t feel as strained to be in this position anymore.

He dropped down to the ground as his squat turned into him kneeling towards me. His hand, the one not on my back, moved up to my face. His hand felt warm, despite my cheeks already feeling very flushed. With a light pressure he pushed his palm against my chin, making my face move up and allowing him to kiss harder and then he left my lips. He kissed my chin, and continued to move down to my neck. He kept going down until he was at my collar bone, and then lower, and lower and-

Then all of a sudden he was standing and I was in an entirely new type of daze, feeling cold with his body so far away now. I looked up and saw that he was panting, his face red and rather alarmed.

“I’m sorry I-” He stuttered. “I’m not- I didn’t mean um- I think I need to go.”

He turned then and basically ran out of the locker room. Feeling like I was in a fever dream I stood, my legs shaking a little from the strain. Then I turned as I heard running feet again, watching as Oliver jogged back into the room. He immediately moved over to my clothes, which were still on the floor, and reached down to grab them. 

He handed them to me, not making eye contact, and then quickly ran back out.

--

“You look a bit flushed, you’re not getting sick are you?” Cedric’s question made me freeze, in part because of its nature, but also I thought he had been sleeping. 

“N-no I’m feeling fine. It's just a little warm in here.” I shuffle in my seat, trying to distract my brain from the image of Oliver running out of the room.

Once Oliver had given me back my clothes, he had left for real, heading back to his common room or maybe the kitchens? I hadn’t gone to look for him, instead just heading straight to the hospital wing once I was dressed. He seemed like he needed space… from me.

I didn’t understand what had happened between me and the Gryffindor. Him coming on so strong had never happened before, at least not without warning. It's not like I minded though, actually I enjoyed it immensely, until it stopped because….. Because maybe he had not enjoyed it?

It was confusing, and honestly I wanted to put it out of my mind. If I tried to make sense of things without talking to Oliver first I knew I might jump to some rather destructive conclusions. So I wanted to not hyperfixate on it, but it was proving rather difficult. The past few hours I had been totally failing at the task. Even in this moment I had to physically shake it from my head to bring myself back to the present with Cedric. 

I was here to help my sick friend, not worry about boyfriend troubles.

“How are you feeling,” I asked, now moving my eyes across his face to see if I could find any signs of distress.

I scooted my seat closer to him, leaning my face down to where his was, still lying in bed. He had been awake for a little bit when I had first gotten here, but he hadn’t been very lucid. He fell asleep soon after and had been sleeping for a few hours now.

“Shitty.”

His reply made me widen my eyes- didn’t usually hear that kind of language from him. It made me feel a bit alarmed.

“Should I go grab the nurse-” I went to stand, but his hand reached out to grab mine.

“No, no physically I feel fine- great actually.”

He moved then and slowly started to sit up. I tried to help him, but he just waved me away. He still seemed tired but he was strong enough to get up on his own so that was a good sign. When he was up I reached out to grab his hand after having dropped mine. He pulled it out of reach though, a pained look crossing his face.

“I’m feeling a lot better, whatever Madam Pomfrey gave me did its job well.” He looked to the side as he spoke, and it felt like he was trying to avoid meeting my eyes.

“Ah well, that’s good.” I replied, finally pulling my hand back. “But um, you said you felt shitty so…”

He sighed. “I guess mentally I just feel like that.”

“Oh, yeah sometimes I feel pretty crappy after I’ve just woken up. It usually goes away once the blood starts flowing.”

Cedric didn’t reply, just continued to look everywhere but my face. 

“So can I get you some food or-”

“Why are you here?” He asked, cutting me off. The way he asked felt like a switch flip, like he hadn’t really registered that I was here until now. Things suddenly felt tense.

I paused. “To check up on you. I wanted to be here in case you needed anything.”

“No, but why are you here and not at the party with everyone else? Shouldn’t you be at the afterparty?”

His question made me freeze again. It took me a second to gather my thoughts and try to figure out what was going on.

“I haven’t really seen anyone to know what’s going on. But I don’t really feel like partying anyway, I’d rather stay here with you.”

“Well you should go. No point in staying here.”

He was so icy it was throwing me for a loop. Why was everyone so off today??? This wasn’t the Cedric that I was used to. Everything about this seemed so forced, I wasn’t even sure how to talk to him. 

“I don’t know-”

“June I’m sorry.” He cut me off, the words seemingly not able to get out fast enough. Like he had been holding them back this entire time. He met my eyes finally, the usually bright gray now dark with regret. The facade he had so quickly thrown up coming crashing down just as fast.

“Ced you don’t have to-”

“But I do!” He cut me off again, this time reaching out and grabbing my hand. “Everything I just said, I didn’t… I’m so grateful that you’re here. And I should have listened to you, back in the locker room. I don’t know if it was because I was sick or what, but it was reckless and selfish, and you and our team deserve so much better than how I acted.”

“You were just trying to do what you thought was best.” I said, reaching my other hand to add to the pile. I needed him to know that I didn’t blame him, but my emotions felt all mixed up so the task felt difficult. At the moment I was mostly so totally relieved that whatever show he had been trying to put on had finally ended.

“But it wasn’t what was best, and I know that now and I am so sorry. Our loss is entirely my fault and I feel so guilty having done that to our team, but especially to you. I feel like you ought to be livid with me, and yet when I wake up you’re here looking out for me.”

“Of course- you mean so much more to me than a quidditch game. Please know that I’m not holding anything against you. I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to better persuade you to not play. I should have pushed harder-”

“No.” Apparently cutting me off was going to be a frequent occurrence in this conversation. “No, you did everything that you could outside of turning me in to Madam Hooch. I’m so sorry that I even placed that burden on you. You deserve so much more than me as a captain and a friend and I am so sorry. I hope that someday you can forgive me.”

This moment was so filled with emotion and hand grasping it was starting to feel like I had been placed in a Jane Austen Novel rather than Harry Potter.

“I forgive you now!” I said, trying to smile. It felt a bit forced and Cedric must have been able to tell because he just shook his head.

“No, no I can tell that you are upset. It was written all over your face when I woke up.”

I felt my cheeks start to warm. 

“No that’s not… I mean I am upset about losing the match, but it wasn’t… It's just been a long day.”

“You need to go to that party.” Cedric replied, this time the suggestion feeling much more sincere than before.

“I- I promise I was being honest when I said I forgive you. You don’t need to feel guilty about having me here.”

“No, no I am happy that you’re here.” He replied, squeezing my hands. “Even if I do still feel rather guilty… But you obviously need to distract yourself from how you are feeling, and sitting here with me isn’t going to get your mind off the match. You should go hang out with Wood and Weasley, and our team.”

“Ah I don’t think-”

“Please.” He said with those puppy dog eyes, cutting me off one more time. “If you want to help me feel better than go to the party. I’m going to feel worse if you’re here missing out because of my poor choices.”

Ugh. Where was that resolve that I had at the beginning of the year to ward off that look?? Guess I had better go figure out what was going on… hopefully no one else was going to be acting weird. I don’t know how many more things I could handle like this today.

Spoiler: There indeed were going others acting weird today.

SONGS:

June: Confusion- ELO

Cedric: Fever- Peggy Lee

Oliver: A Girl Like you- Edwyn Collins

Our current love interest seems to be feeling too many feelings just to give him his regular song. 

Chapter Text

At the Party…..

“At least make it look like you’re having fun.” Fred said, walking up and nudging me. It made my body sway but didn’t manage to put a smile on my face.

“I’m only here because Cedric demanded, otherwise I’d still be at the hospital wing with him.” I said, taking another sip from my drink.

This party was in Ravenclaw tower since they had won the match. It sucked honestly, having to be here. I know Cedric wanted me to get out of my head, and it technically was working, and also not at the same time. I wasn’t thinking about Oliver anymore, instead my mind was back on the quidditch game. So the thing I was thinking about before was gone, but now the thing he thought I was thinking about was stuck in my head… if that makes sense…

Being in the blue team’s common room just brought the horrendous morning all back- why did quidditch games have to be so dramatic?? As much as I wanted to forget it I just couldn’t get it out of my mind now and it set me on edge. Not to mention all the hard feelings we had in the aftermath. I know Cedric and I technically talked it about… but also not really.

Theoretically I felt like that Hufflepuff should have won that match if things had played out right. We were a good team, better than Ravenclaw I thought. Cedric was a really good seeker, when he wasn’t sick that is. I don’t know if he was as good as Harry, but he was better than Malfoy and for sure better than Chang. I also thought that I was a damn good chaser, if only because of my marked up stats. The rest of our team was decent, but with two power houses we seemed rather stacked. But despite that all it felt like we were doomed to lose. It was like this damned story wouldn’t actually let us succeed. Maybe it was a bit of wishful thinking just blaming the loss on the story wanting us to, but it's what I was using to cope right now. 

My less than ideal mood had led me to sulk off by myself to wallow in my frustration. Faking being in a good mood seemed like way too much effort. And feeling bitter kept my anxious feelings of Oliver at bay, which was desirable at the moment. So once I had gotten my drink I managed to seclude myself in a corner, content enough to stew alone, well that is until Fred walked up.

“Maybe you’d be a bit better off if your boyfriend was here, he always seems to cheer you up-” Fred scanned around the room. “Where is Wood at? He didn’t walk up with the rest of us.”

I felt my cheeks start to warm. 

“He said he wasn’t feeling great.” I said quickly, taking another swig from my drink. Technically a lie, he didn’t tell me anything, but he for sure seemed unwell. BAH! He was back in my brain.

“Maybe he got whatever Diggory has,” He turned towards me and I quickly looked away. Fred picked up on things way too easily, if he saw how flustered I was right now he would for sure be able to tell that something was up.

I could feel him leaning in towards me, so I frantically looked around the room for a distraction. Just then from the corner of my eye I saw someone walking up the stairs from the tower entrance.

“HARRY!” I yelled out, startling Fred, Harry, and everyone else in between. The boy who lived smiled anyway though and started walking towards us.

“It’s good to see you,” I said with the first smile I had made since getting here. “I didn’t think you liked to come to these things without Ron and Hermione.” Since this whole thing was hosted by Ravenclaw it was likely only the Gryffindor quidditch team was invited.

“Well that sure changed your mood,” Fred whispered to me before he turned towards Harry. “Yeah you always seem to have my kid brother around with you, it's honestly a little weird to see you without him, without you in quidditch robes at least.”

Harry shrugged. “Ah yeah, it's not as fun without either of them, but I saw Wood in the common room and he asked that I come see if you were here.” He said, looking at me. “He said he wasn’t feeling well, but wanted someone to make sure you were doing alright after-”

“After Diggory botched the match?” Fred asked flatly, cutting Harry off and making him flinch.

Like whiplash my disgruntled feelings from before came back in full force. It was rather alarming having them brought to the front of my mind so quickly. It felt like an insanely sensitive trigger, especially because it was Fred.

“What the hell Weasley??” His words made me think of leaving the hospital wing when he made a similarly blunt comment. Fred was a blunt guy, but it didn’t usually sound this harsh. Or maybe it did, but I was feeling a bit more sensitive than usual. 

“Weasley??” He looked hurt by the name. “You don’t call me that.”

“Well I do when you’re being an ass.”

“I’m not being an ass! And am I wrong anyway?? If it wasn’t for Diggory choosing to play while he was sick you guys might have had a better chance at winning- at the least you would have been able to play properly without having to worry about him.”

“Is that what happened?” Harry asked before I could respond. 

“Yeah, he knew he was sick but still played. Didn’t you see how June just stayed by him practically the whole time? Git was ready to fall over at any moment and made her be his safety net.”

“That is NOT what happened!” I yelled out, anger starting to bubble up. I had explained everything that happened to Oliver and Fred after we had left the hospital, but I know that’s not how I explained it. My rotten mood now flashed hot.

“Well practically. He selfishly chose to play and cost you guys the match. A good captain wouldn’t make such a self obsessed decision like that.”

“That seems a bit harsh.” Harry said uneasily. “He was sick right? He probably wasn’t thinking straight.”

“Shouldn’t matter-”

“Holy fuck just stop!” I cut him off before he could say anymore. I had reached my limit, which to be fair seemed to be rather short to get to today. I was exhausted, confused, frustrated, angry, sad, overwhelmed- the fact that I hadn’t exploded yet was astounding. 

But somehow Fred pushing my buttons felt a lot more painful than I would have anticipated. His words hurt and I found I was on the verge of fighting back tears. His digs were directed at Cedric but they hurt like they were actually directed on me. 

“June I didn’t-”

“Come on Harry, I’ll show you where the drinks are.” I turned towards the other boy, who looked like maybe he was regretting coming to the party after all. 

“I’ll come-”

“No.” I said, putting a hand out to stop Fred. “You will stay here. Or go back to everyone else, I don’t care, but I need some space.”

“Ah don’t be like that Junie-”

I turned, grabbing Harry’s arm and dragging him along with me. He caught up quickly though and soon we were walking beside each other. We didn’t talk, just carried the tension from before along with us as we got to the table. Harry grabbed a drink and I refilled mine and we turned to walk another way. The room was pretty crowded, and there weren’t too many other places for us to be without maybe drawing the attention of other people. Eventually though we spotted a small sections of chairs in another part of the room that were mostly uninhabited, besides a head of white blond hair tucked into a book in one of them.

Once we were seated I had to take a few deep breaths before I was ready to speak. 

“I’m sorry about all of that,” I said as Harry and I took a seat. I didn’t think I could stand the awkwardness any longer. Now that I was away from Fred the intensity died away, even if the hurt lingered. 

“No uh it's fine…” Obviously Harry didn’t enjoy being in the middle of that little fight, but he was too nice to say that. Best to just change the subject.

“Hopefully the night isn’t totally spoiled, wouldn't want you thinking you can never go out without Hermione and Ron.”

“I’m not always with them,” Harry said indignantly and it made me chuckle.

“I know, I’m just teasing. Not that it's bad to always be with your friends but I mean you’re at quidditch every week without them, and also you have those lessons with Lupin. Which, how are those going?”

I had heard about the anti-dementor lessons from both Harry and Lupin at this point. Harry had told me along with his other two friends, and the professor seemed to want to keep me up to date with what he and the Gryffindor were up to. Not totally sure why that was though…

“Pretty well actually, I’ve finally managed to keep one away. Well it was a boggart, but still I was able to shield it.”

“Hey that’s awesome Harry!!! Did it take a form?”

“No, not yet. Lupin said that could take a long time, but even getting an incorporeal one at my age is rather good.”

“Hell yeah it is!” I said, slapping the boy on the back for good measure. He seemed a little startled by my gesture, but his cheeks went pink and he smiled anyway.

We talked more about the patronus spell and its corporeal forms. Harry mentioned that Lupin’s had always been in the form of a light blob, but that he said he wanted it to be that way. If I could remember right Remus Lupin had a wolf as a patronus, so it made sense that he would want to keep that hidden.

“What do you think yours would be?” Harry asked. His question made me pause.

“Hmmm, an animal or creature that represents me in some way… I dunno. I hope it would be something cool though.”

“Could be a crumple-horned snorkack.” Said an airy voice that made both me and Harry jump.

I turned quickly to the side to where the voice came from, and saw a young girl with white hair and big blue eyes looking up at us from her hunched seat. She had been there when we walked up, but I hadn’t even clocked her enough to think twice at who she could be. What a surprise to see a 12 year old Luna Lovegood staring up at me (or at least I felt safe assuming that’s who it was). From what would have been an awkward moment of someone random butting into our conversation suddenly turned very endearing. 

“That’s a good guess,” I replied with a smile. “But I don’t think I have enough of a connection to the um snorkack did you say?”

Luna nodded her head excitedly. 

“Yes, they’re native to Sweden and are very powerful. You seem very powerful, so I think it could be a good match.”

“I seem very powerful?” What did Luna Lovegood know about me? As far as I knew we had never interacted before- I think I would have remembered her. She wasn’t even old enough for Beasts class so its not like I would have even seen her there.

She nodded again. “Your aura; it's very powerful. Also you made that Weasley boy stay away so you must actually be very powerful.”

“She’s got a point.” Harry said, and I turned back to give him a look. He just smiled and shrugged. 

By the time I turned back around though Luna was no longer in her seat. Now even more confused than before I looked around the room and saw as she happily skipped away up to what I assumed was the girls dormitories. 

I gasped “Witchcraft!”

Harry snorted with laughter at my comment. I smiled, but faltered when I felt someone’s eyes on me. I turned to the side just in time to see Fred look away from across the room

The rest of the party was rather enjoyable, and in the end it really did help me get my mind off everything with Cedric- and Oliver. It helped that Fred kept his distance, along with basically everyone else at the party. Rodger Davies did come up to talk for a little bit, but he seemed unsure of what to say. We (mostly I) also had an interaction with Cho Chang which was rather… interesting.

I knew the Ravenclaw girl because I TA her Beats class, but we really hadn’t spoken much outside of me answering questions or assisting with an animal. But after Rodger had left she must have taken it as an opportunity to come over. As she walked up I wasn’t sure what to expect, but found myself not at all suprised when she asked about how Cedric was doing. Was the Hufflepuff Ravenclaw quidditch match when the girl and Cedric first found interest in each other? I knew that by the beginning of the 4th book they were at least talking, so things must have started in the 3rd.

I answered her questions, trying not to be as awkward as I felt. It did feel weird talking about Cedric to her, but also it was uncomfortable knowing Harry was just off to the side as well. The 3rd year Gryffindor was also starting to form a crush on the girl, although I guess that didn’t officially start until they had their match? Was it going to start now though??

Cho didn’t even acknowledge Harry besides a nod right before she left. I didn’t know how Harry would feel about that, and so I very hesitantly turned back around to face him, to find that he looked…. Normal? I stared at him pretty intently though and that seemed to make him feel uncomfortable because he blushed and turned away. Not wanting to make things more weird I decided maybe we should just call it a night here in the Ravenclaw tower.

“Well it's getting kinda late. Can I walk you back?” I asked, making him turn back towards me. “I don’t think you’re supposed to go places on your own right?”

Harry crossed his arms. “I walked here just fine by myself. Well okay actually Nearly Headless Nick was with me…. But I don’t think he counts.”

“I mean that’s fair, not much he can do if something happened other than live to tell the tale. But can I still walk with you? I want to go check in on Oliver too.”

“Oh, um yeah I guess that’s fine.”

As we started making our way to Gryffindor tower I thought about how seeing Oliver was technically a lie, but not unwanted. I did want to make sure we were… good… but not wanting Harry to be alone was the main reason. I had realized when we were chatting about his lessons with Lupin at the party that tonight was technically when Sirius would try to come into the 3rd year boys dormitory for a go at Scabbers.

I wasn’t sure if it was actually going to happen seeing as the story was a bit different today than the original. Normally it would have been Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw today, making the party happen in the Red common room rather than the Blue. But the party wasn’t the thing that would change things right? I mean the fact that everyone had been awake and partying surely would have been a deterrent to Sirius- now things would likely seem much easier. Either way, it would probably be best to make sure there were no run-ins before the night was over.

When we made it to the common room there were still quite a few people up, including Ron and Hermione (and not Sirius Black that goodness). We went over to them first, happy to talk about the party, even though there wasn’t much to say. The conversation went quickly back to patronuses and so I let my mind wander. I didn’t notice Oliver in the room but as I turned my head I did see Percy working very diligently over in the corner. I excused myself from the group and went over to the studious redhead. 

“Is that an application?” I asked as I looked over his shoulder. He didn’t even make a move at my words so I wasn’t sure he had heard me, until he finished the line he was on and then turned to look at me.

“It is! It's for an internship at the department of International Magical Cooperation, but I am also going to fill out ones for the Wizengamot Administration Services, and the Department of Mysteries.”

“The Department of Mysteries? I’ll be honest, I didn't pick you for wanting to work there.”

“Well I have to keep my options open.” He turned back to his page. “Of course it's not my first choice, but I need to get my foot in the door at the Ministry in some way.”

“Could you get into your dad’s department?” 

Percy flinched at this, but he didn’t turn around.

“I’d rather get in on my own merits rather than any connection to my family. That’s why I’m not applying to his department. Don’t want anyone to think that I received an internship unfairly.”

“Yes, nepotism is quite the problem.”

The headboy didn’t respond after that, just continued to fill in each section. He seemed a little bit more frantic as he wrote though, and even had to go in with his wand to fix a few mistakes. While I knew there was quite a lot of drama in store for Percy and his family in connection to the ministry within the next few years I felt surprised to see it was already starting. My relationship with the career driven Weasley made me want to try to dissuade him from finishing his current application, but I knew he wouldn’t matter. 

“Is Oliver in your room?” 

He turned towards me so quickly at my question that it felt like maybe he was happy to change the topic. 

“Yes and he’s been strange all evening. I couldn’t believe he wouldn't go with you to the party, especially after everything that happened. You know a relationship is so much more than just the physical stuff. Its moral support in difficult moments, like him supporting you after a terrible match.”

Yeesh, I guess the bluntness ran in the family. Maybe this was just how all the Weasley dealt with troubled emotions; head on. It made me think that maybe I was too harsh on Fred. It felt like such an out of place interaction, and really I think that had more to do with me than with him. I hadn’t taken any time to really dissect our argument, but even in this moment I could see I might not have handled it very well. I was already very reactive because of the events of the day, and basically had no more room for any sort of emotional control.

I needed some more time to think about this, but standing here in front of Percy was probably not it. Actually I would rather remove myself from his presence at the moment.

“Well it sounds like Penelope has a good partner in you. But do you mind if I head up to your room?”

“Oh be my guest!” He said happily, maybe from the compliment about his relationship. “Just make sure to do a loud knock because Oliver sometimes gets too focused on what he’s doing. If the door happens to be locked you may be stuck out in the hall for a while while he goes over training schedules..”

I chuckled. “Has that happened to you before?”

Percy did a deep sigh. “Yes.”

After a good laugh I turned to make my way to the room. I stopped though when Percy called out after me.

“I’m actually almost done here so I’ll be there in a moment.”

I gave him a thumbs up and continued on. The 7th year boys were on the bottom floor so I didn’t have to go very far to get there. I had yet to be in this room so coming here now had me feeling…. Anxious. My apprehension left my hand hovering over the door for a good while before I finally knocked.

There was no response so I knocked again, a little harder this time. Nothing. Was he asleep? I checked my watch- it wasn’t the usual time he went to bed. He was probably hyper focused on whatever he was doing like Percy said he could be. I hoped that he was just locked into some quidditch work and not on whatever it was that had gone wrong between us…

I went for the doorknob and found that it was unlocked and decided to go in. As I stepped into the room I looked to the left and saw what I assumed was Percy’s bed. It was perfectly tidy and had a Ministry of Magic banner hanging just off to the side. On the nightstand there was also a stack of books, a glasses case, and what looked like his old prefect badge. As I looked to the right I wondered if Oliver’s side of the room would show a mess or be just as organized- but all those thoughts went right out of head when I saw Oliver, on his bed, with his hands on his-

“June?!” He had apparently been so focussed on his…. Activity… that he hadn’t heard me knock, or open the door, or walk in… He looked just as shocked to see me as I felt.

My face was hot, probably matching Oliver’s that flushed so fast I bet it gave him a headache. I barely caught the change though because my eyes were having a very hard time looking away from his knob which was still out. But it was only for a second longer because right at that moment the Gryffindor boy and I both seemed to get our senses back. I turned around at the speed of light and practically ran out of the room, while I heard Oliver shuffle around and then crash down onto the ground.

I could practically feel the steam coming out of my ears as I closed the door. I had just seen his dick, for the first time, and in like the worst way possible. Unplanned, likely unwanted on his end, and so so so awkward. Generally speaking I didn’t think seeing any part of him would make me feel this way, but it did when I knew he probably wasn’t ready for it, and after things had already been strained between us for reasons I still didn’t know. I had invaded his space and person and felt so embarrassed and guilty. I knew that I shouldn’t run away, but my emotional capacity today was basically gone, and so running away was what I was going to do.

Without warning my legs started into a dead sprint into the common room. As I headed towards the portrait hole I bumped Percy who I guess had been making his way to his room. Terrible timing.

“June? What are you doing?” He called out as I raced away after sputtering some sort of apology.

“Forgot something- he didn’t answer- I'll see you-” 

Now I was sprinting crouched and burst through the other end of the portrait hole. I knew I must have looked crazy to everyone else still in the common room, but I didn’t care. My brain said leave and so I was leaving. I could hear someone calling my name, but it dissipated as the portrait closed and I continued to run. 

At this point I just wanted to run right back to my own common room, right to my room, and end this utterly confusing and exhausting day. So that’s where my legs started taking me- but unfortunately I ran into an obstacle. 

“Jane?” Angelina’s voice called out in surprise as I turned a corner. There in front of me was most of the Gryffindor quidditch team- my friends, likely coming back from the party. They were now currently blocking my path, stopping my legs from doing the one task they had.

“Are you okay?” Katie asked. Her presence, along with everyone else's, felt looming as my heart continued to race like I was still running. 

“I forgot I need to see Hagrid-” I blurted out, saying the first thing my frazzled mind could come up with, seeing as the truth was not an option.

“This late?” George asked. Seeing him in the pack I suddenly scanned to see if Fred was with them, but he wasn’t there.

“Sorry-” I murmured, and then pushed past them. I didn’t think I could chance seeing the other twin right now, not like this at least.

I didn’t run at first, not wanting the group to be any more concerned. But once I was around another corner my body pushed me back into a sprint. Running was basically just a coping mechanism at this point- it prevented me from really thinking about anything and so I just went with it. The castle was large though, and so by the time I had made it down to the ground floor I was practically gasping for air.

I could have just gone to my common room, probably should have, but after saying I was going to Hagrids my mental destination changed. It was well past dark at this point, and I technically wasn’t supposed to be outside, but that didn’t stop me from going out onto the grounds. As soon as I was out the cold air hit me like a brick wall, and I finally had to stop running so I could adequately breath again.

Huffing and puffing I staggered out across the still mostly snow covered grass. I didn’t actually move towards Hagrid’s hut, instead I turned the other way and just kept walking. Eventually my body just gave out and I crashed onto the hard ground, sprawling out on the snow like I was going to make a snow angel. But I just laid there like a dead starfish, looking up at the dark sky, my heavy breaths coming out in barely visible puffs of white.

“What is my life??” I called out to the universe. I layed there for a long while, just letting all my thoughts spin around my head. 

How could so many things go wrong in one day? It felt like every time things were finally looking up they suddenly came crashing back down. Excited for the game- Game goes terribly- Oliver starts kissing me- Oliver runs away- talk things out with Cedric- gets upset with Fred- enjoys time with Harry- make things more awkward with Oliver-- What else did the universe have in store for me??? 

As if being a teenager wasn’t hard enough, now I had a jam packed day of drama to sort my emotions through and was still expected to be a functional human being tomorrow. I didn’t remember it being so difficult the last time I was 16. You would think the wizarding world would be easier to live through, but this was so much more complicated. Although I knew I would be able to get through it all, it seemed like the better idea to just find some easy escape.

“Will someone just take me out??” I called out again, and this time it seemed the universe wanted to respond.

My whole stomach clenched in response to a flurry of orange hair that dropped out of nowhere onto my body. Any air that had made its way into my body was promptly pushed back out and I could feel my ab muscles already in protest from the attack. I sat up instinctively, ready to throw off whatever had come to attack me, only to find I was not actually in danger.

“Damn Crookshanks, I didn’t actually mean it!” I gasped out, reaching down to lift the cat off. He just meowed in protest, and so I decided to keep him in my arms. Such hilarious little moments this world liked to throw me in.

I stayed in the snow for a few minutes, just petting the large cat and letting its body be my personal heater again. It was a good source of grounding and I could feel all the tension I had been carrying all evening start to leave my body. Eventually I would get everything figured out, but it didn’t have to be right now. Right now I could just let myself be in this moment.

“You always seem to be right where I need you.” I said to my feline friend, in which he purred in response. I reached over to my bag, which was covered in snow, and after brushing it off found one of the cat treats I started storing in there.

“I’m grateful you found me,” I said as I started feeding him the treat. “But why are you out here? I know you usually would be up in the common room by now with Hermione- I mean she’d probably heading to bed by now.”

Without warning Crookshanks jumped up from my arms, the little liquid treat bag only half way finished. I stood as well, getting the very distinct feeling that I was supposed to follow. After brushing the snow off myself I moved along to a part of the grounds that was darker than the rest. Apparently it was this way because we were getting closer to the Whomping Willow and any attempts at lighting ended up with the structure destroyed or the enchantment dissolved.

At the sight of the tree I stopped in my tracks- the Whomping Willow- the tree that held the passage to the shrieking shack- the one made for a young Remus Lupin- the one that Sirius used to get onto the grounds- the one that he would potentially be using tonight.

“I don’t think I’m supposed to be here.” I called out towards the cat, who was now slipping from sight in the ever growing darkness. I was sure he must have heard me, but the cat continued until he was swallowed by the shadows. Oh no, he was coming back or… no those eyes were too tall for a cat.

“Holy shit-” The words were barely audible, my air once again having left my body. This time though it was shock that left my lungs burning. Shock from the large shaggy black dog that was walking towards me.

“JUNE!!” My name rang out around the grounds and almost scared me more than the dog. Even in my frazzled state I knew the voice though.

“Hide!!” I hissed towards the dog, turning quickly to see the small light moving in closer towards where we were.

As if this chapter didn’t have enough going on, now I suddenly had to make sure Fred didn’t find me face to face with Sirius Black in dog form. Thankfully he took my warning and turned to run back into the shadows. I also turned and started walking towards what I could now see was wand light.

“I’m over here,” I called out, jogging a little to add some more distance between me and the animals.

When I saw Fred’s face he looked absolutely relieved to see me and quickly ran up to meet me.

“What are you doing??” He asked, dropping his light and looking me over. “I went to Hagrids but he said he hadn’t seen you. We were worried something happened.”

“You went to see Hagrid?” I asked, a bit confused as to what he was talking about.

“I went to find you. ” He emphasized. “When I got back to the common room a little while ago everyone was talking about how you had just run off. Wood seemed especially distraught and said something vague about something happening between you two. Then George said they stopped you in the hall and you said you had to go see Hagrid and so I went looking for you.”

Ah, yes now it was making sense. 

“I just needed some space,” I replied quickly. “Going to Hagrids was just the first excuse I could think of.”

Fred nodded his head, “Well we better go tell Hagrid you’re fine, he came out to start looking for you too. We thought maybe a dementor had found you or something on your way.”

“We better go find him then,” I said, reaching out to Fred’s side and pushing him to turn around. He complied, turning and then walking forward as I pushed on his back to make him go. He was right about needing to let Hagrid know she was okay, but also Sirius fucking Black was right behind me and we needed to GO.

--

“Now I don wanna hear that you’re wandering around after dark again. First I find the two of yer in the woods and now this? I swear you’re more reckless than Harry” Hagrid’s voice was gruff but you could hear the emotion behind it as well. He had basically squeezed me to death when Fred and I had found him searching the grounds. He had also insisted on walking us back up to the castle.

“You’d think it would be harder to get onto the grounds with everything going on, but I honestly had no problem.” Fred said, reaching up towards the castle doors. “Not a teacher, prefect, or Dementor in sight. So really, you shouldn’t blame us.”

Although I knew Fred meant it as a joke behind all the bushy hair I could see Hagrid’s eyes flash with concern. 

“Maybe I better let Professor Dumbledore know bout this. Shouldn’t be so easy for students to get out, that means it's just as easy for him to get in.”

“Well we better go-” I said quickly, wanting to change the subject. “Thank you for walking us Hagrid, and sorry again about scaring you. I promise I won't do it again.”

“Better not.” He responded in that over emotional gruff tone again.

Fred and I moved into the castle and I was surprised at the warmth that hit me. I didn’t realize how cold I actually was until we walked in. There had been too many things distracting me to even feel much of what my body was going through.

“So are you still upset with me?” 

Ah, well there was another thing that I forgot about in all the craziness. Seeing Fred walk up to earlier hadn’t even made me register that the last time we had been speaking it was from a fight. But now there wasn’t really a way to avoid the topic- seems it was time to address this.

“Well I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily pleased with you.” I kept walking and facing straight ahead.

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

Silence.

“I’m not sure what to say-”

“Okay.” I replied, cutting him off with a sharpness that came out rather quickly. I picked up my pace, now not wanting to be around him again. I really liked Fred, but I didn’t think I could deal with him hurting me again today, and that’s what was going to happen if he wasn’t even going to apologize….

“Hey don’t be like that.” He replied, his footsteps increasing in an attempt to keep up. I continued to look forward as he continued to talk. 

“I meant I’m not sure what to say because the things I feel are a bit contradictory. Will you slow down a second so I can explain?” He reached out to grab my hand, and I let the motion stop me. Reluctantly I turned towards him, he looked more serious than I was used to ever seeing him.

“I’m sorry that I upset you, but also I don’t think what I said was really wrong.” He held up his hands as if to preemptively stop me. “Now let me explain. I realize that what I said to you was wrong for a couple of reasons, one; I was pretty blunt about something you were probably still hurting about. I forget sometimes that not everyone deals with hard times The Weasley Way , and this isn’t the first time I’ve made someone upset for lacking tact. Two; I said some not great stuff about Diggory and I get that he’s your good friend and that was a shitty thing for me to do.”

“Yes it was.” I replied, crossing my arms.

He sighed. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I just… those things I said, it's how I really feel. I wont get into it again, but what he chose to do made me feel pretty upset because I think he did you wrong, and I guess the rest of your team, but let's be honest I don’t really care about them. But I do care about you and seeing you deal with his bad choices really rubbed me the wrong way. Then I let my anger towards Diggory hurt you, which makes me just as bad as him honestly and I am really really sorry. I feel terrible and I wish I could take it back. You really deserve better from all of us.”

It was surprising that I had yet to cry today, but it still felt rather undesirable from my end when my vision started blurring. There was nothing I could do to stop it though and suddenly my body was using my tears as another outlet of a stressful day.

“Oh fuck I am so sorry-” Fred was hovering over me the second the water works started and he sounded and looked very alarmed.

Well, actually I couldn’t really see him all that well through the tears, but he did sound pretty worried. I wanted to tell him I was okay, that it had just been a long day and I needed another emotional release. I wanted to tell him how relieved I felt knowing that we were good again, and that having that assurance meant so much to me than he could understand- but it was hard to get out any words from the now sobs I was gutting out instead.

I leaned in towards him, letting my face rest just below his collar bone, since he really wasn't that much taller than me. Thankfully though he was a whole lot stronger because once I rested my body into his the exhaustion started to hit and his arms moving around me was basically the only thing keeping me standing upright. 

What a fucking freaking day. I knew that it wasn’t over, and there was at least one more big hurdle that I needed to jump in the form of an Azkaban escapee. But even though I was crying and I was very tired, being held tight in Fred’s embrace felt as calming as when I was sitting in the snow with Crookshanks. Again, I knew it was going to work out… somehow.

It took a few minutes for me to calm down enough that I could stand on my own, but once I was Fred tentatively leaned out, holding onto my shoulders for a safety precaution I guess. 

“You okay now?” I nodded. “Are we okay now?” I nodded again. “Good, okay, well we better get you back to your common room-”

“No!” I winced at my quick response and the confused look on Fred’s face. “No I uh, I want to head back to your common room first.” 

“Really? I mean it's already kind of late, and it seems like you’ve had a long day.”

“I have had a long day,” I replied with a sigh, reaching up to wipe some stray tears from my eyes. “But I need to do one more thing before today ends.”

--

“I really feel like I should be walking you back to your common room.” Fred said as we reached the portrait of Sir Cadogan. We had disillusionment charms up this time, even though we didn’t pass anyone along the way. It was WELL into the time we should be asleep, but still no one was around the castle.

When Harry and I had left the party it was already fairly close to curfew, but we were for sure past it by now. Yet here we were, not very cautiously moving through the school without an authority figure in sight. Fred had mentioned the castle being barren as a joke earlier, but now it really seemed to be true. Was this some oversight or had this somehow been part of Sirius’ attempts to get into the castle??? 

“I told you I want to try to talk to Oliver before I go to sleep.”  This was only half a lie. Yeah I would like to face things with Oliver again, but I didn’t really want to do it now. I hadn’t even had time to really process the fact that I saw his…. Well I needed time. But I needed to get back into the common room all because of that large black dog that found me outside. As far as excuses to Fred went, seeing my boyfriend would have to do. Seems I was using Oliver as a lie twice today.

When we made it into the red common room it was mostly dark, with only the light from low burning fires to illuminate the area. Even in the dark though, as soon as I walked in there was an intensity about the air and I just knew that he was here- Sirius Black had made it into the castle. The feeling was solidified even more when I saw Crookshanks sitting on a chair just across the room.

“You need to get to bed-” I said, shoving Fred towards the stairs that led up to the boys rooms. 

“Yeesh, and good night to you too.” He replied, looking back with an air of dramatics. “Is that all I get after the moment we shared?”

I rolled my eyes, “do you need a kiss goodnight or something?”

“Hey if you’re offering-”

I shoved him again, and this time kept pressing against his back like I had when we were outside. Fred really wasn’t that much taller than me, but he was stocky and most of that felt like heavy muscle. Or maybe he was just really dragging his feet as I attempted to move him towards his room, all the while laughing to himself

“Go to bed so I can go talk to Oliver!” I said in a huff while I gave him one last grand shove.

“Ugh fine. I don’t want to hear your sappy conversations anyway.” He finally started to move forward on his own. He went to take a step up the first stair, but then he turned back to look at me. “Hey, tomorrow can I steal you for a bit to show you something? I was going to show you today but things got- well, I made things complicated.”

“Oh, um sure.” I vaguely remembered Oliver mentioning something earlier about Fred doing something I’d find out about later. Probably was whatever he wanted to show me.

“Alright, cool, well… goodnight June.”

“Goodnight Fred.” I replied with an exhausted smile. I watched as he turned and continued up the stairs. In just a few short seconds he was gone, and the weight of the evening lifted down on me again.

I wanted to fall back onto one of the couches just a little ways behind me, but I hesitated. What was I even doing?? What did I expect to do right now? I felt certain that Sirius Black was here, but I didn’t really know the timeline of how things would go down. How could I justify my presence here anyway???

Well it didn’t really matter because just then I heard yelling from a few floors above and then there was a loud thud from a door slamming. I turned towards the stairs, heart thumping as a very scary looking man made it down to the bottom floor. Sirius Black in dog form had been intimidating enough, but this unkempt man with the rather dramatic tattoos and brandished knife was certainly much more frightening. Yet… I wasn’t scared, at least not of him.

“You’ve got to get out.” I said, my voice sounding shaky. Dude was like seconds away from being found out. It was WILD being on this end of the story. There was a loud meow as Crookshanks hopped off of his chair and moved in towards us. I turned to look at the orange cat, and when I turned back Sirius had moved in towards me, the knife still outstretched. 

“This is for your own good.”

His voice was deep and gravely, almost coming out in a gruff bark. I didn’t have much more time to think about his voice though because the next thing I knew he had his hand at the back of my head holding it in place as he sliced a small cut across my cheek. Then just as fast, he moved his hand from my head, pushed it against my chest and shoved me back with incredible strength. Without any resistance on my end my entire body went flying back until I crashed into the pillar behind me. A shooting pain went from my head to my back and then everything felt numb when I hit the floor. 

I lost my vision, or my eyes were closed- I could tell, but either way the world was dark. I could feel my mind start to fade. The last thing I remember thinking before I passed out was first; that I was glad Fred had made it back to his room, and second; that Black was a fucking bastard. And then I was gone. 

SONGS:

June: Basket Case- Green Day

Harry: Tiny Dancer- Elton John

Fred: Hard To Say I’m Sorry- Chicago

Oliver: A Girl Like you- Edwyn Collins

Chapter Text

It felt rather ridiculous waking up next to Cedric in the Hospital Wing, but also at the same time very fitting on how the previous day would have ended.

Since the Hufflepuff prefect had been secluded away from the rest of the school he didn’t have many details on what happened. All he knew is that I was brought into the room by Percy Weasley and Oliver wood, and then the two boys were forced to leave so that Madam Pomfrey could take care of me. A few Professors, including Dumbledore, had come by later but they only talked with the nurse in hushed whispers he couldn’t make out.

“And you don’t remember anything??” Cedric asked as we both sat in our hospital beds. It was early in the morning, the two of us having been woken up to be checked by the nurse. We had been told to go back to bed, but that wasn’t happening- even though I still felt exhausted. 

“Not a thing. I remember going back to the Gryffindor Common Room late with Fred so that I could talk to Oliver, but I don’t remember much after we walked in. I don’t even remember if I talked to Oliver.”

Yeah, that was a lie. I remembered everything that happened. Unfortunately the image of Sirius Black cutting me with a knife and then pushing me away was ingrained into my brain. But just because I remembered it didn’t mean that I understood why it happened, like what the hell? Nonetheless though, I had decided it would be best on my end if I just let everyone else think I had no idea what was going on.

“Do you think you just passed out?”

I shrugged. “Maybe, I mean I was pretty tired. I’m sure we’ll find out something eventually.”

But actually, we didn’t. We didn’t hear anything from anyone, because we didn’t see anyone. Well anyone other than Madam Pomfrey, McGonagall, Sprout, and then Dumbledore. Other than those four there wasn’t a single person who made their way into the hospital room. If Cedric hadn’t already been staying there I would have been alone for basically the entire day.

It’s not like I expected people to come in and check on me…. Okay I did expect some people to show. At the least I knew Harry would be itching to talk to me. Once he realized Sirius Black was in the castle I assumed he would want to find out everything that he could. But there was no sign of him, or any of the other people who I thought would want to see me. No Oliver, no Fred, not even Hagrid.

As far as those who actually did come though, Professor McGonagall was the first to come in. She asked how I was and then what all I could remember. When I said nothing she looked perplexed and left, with nothing else to share. A little while later Professor Sprout walked in, talking like she was on thin ice. It was like she thought I was made of glass and she needed to very delicately move around the subject. Maybe they thought I was repressing things and a more safe environment would allow me to access the memories again.  When I tried prompting her to tell me what happened she just changed the subject entirely. So no answers from her and no answers from me. Eventually in walked the man I was surprised hadn’t come to me first. 

“How are you Ms Gray?” Dumblebore asked, his bright eyes shining. 

“Really awesome.” I replied sarcastically, and I saw from the corner of my eyes Cedric jerk his head towards me. 

Being sassy towards the Headmaster was not something he thought was a good idea apparently. I didn’t care though- I honestly wasn’t a huge fan of this guy just in general. I think he made some pretty crappy choices throughout the Harry Potter story and did so many of the characters dirty. Also, by now I assumed it was him that had forced me to be isolated for whatever reason- maybe to keep the news about Black on the down low. I was so over it though and felt like it was overkill, so yeah I was pretty annoyed at him.

“That cut on your cheek seems to be healing nicely, I can barely tell it was even there.”

I reached up unconsciously to feel where the cut had been. He was right, I didn’t even feel a mark from where Sirius had placed the blade. Actually I felt totally fine- absolutely no lasting damage from the incident last night. No soreness, no headache, no scar.

The Headmaster spent the next few minutes asking me questions similar to what McGonagall and Sprout had. Things like what I remember happening and why I was in the Gryffindor Common Room after hours. I answered them all the same, trying to keep as level headed as possible- innocent until proven guilty. And really, I was innocent really. I mean, Sirius Black would have done everything that he planned whether I was there or not- I was not actually that much of a contributing factor.

Once Dumbledore reached the end of his questions, I decided that it was time I could ask my own. This time I was determined to get answers. 

“Is there a reason that I am being kept away from everyone?” I asked, deciding that the direct approach was going to be my fastest way through this conversation.

“There is… and I suppose now that you seem well there is no point in keeping you in the dark.” He walked forward from where he had been standing at the foot of my bed and took a seat at the same chair I had sat in next to Cedric the day before.  “Yesterday, while you were on your way to talk to Mr Wood, unbeknownst to all of us Sirius Black and re-entered the castle and was in one of the Gryffindor dormitories.”

There was a gasp, but it didn’t come from me. I had been listening, waiting for the right time to make my eyes go wide. Cedric though was genuinely feeling shock having now heard this for the first time. At his gesture Dumbledore turned around towards the boy, before promptly turning back to me to continue.

“One of the sleeping students awoke to find him in the room to which he started to yell. Black then raced out to escape and then it was at this point we think he encountered you. Although we can’t know for sure what happened, we believe there was some sort of altercation between the two of you, that led to you getting that cut on your cheek and getting knocked unconscious.”

“Are you sure that’s what happened?” I asked in my most bewildered voice. “I don’t remember that at all.”

“From what we can piece together, although without your memory of the incident we can’t be sure. We do know that Black did have a knife with him, and that you were found as students came out to discover the source of the commotion.”

“Wow, I can’t believe it.” I replied, looking right at Dumbledore. The way he stared at me I got the feeling that maybe he knew that I was lying… but he didn’t say anything about it.

“We didn’t allow you any visitors at first just to make sure you weren’t overwhelmed. But when we discovered that you did not remember the event in question we continued to keep everyone away so that you wouldn’t have to find out what happened from any undesirable source that may have caused you more distress.” 

“So now that I am doing okay I can see people again?”

Dumbeldore stroked his beard. “Yes I suppose so. Although I think Madam Pompfrey would agree with me that it would be best to stay here in hospital for one more night. It's likely due to you losing consciousness that you don’t remember the events from last night, and as you continue to heal you may find that the memories resurface. If that is the case then it might be rather traumatic to relive, and you should be in the care of the nurse if it happens.”

I gave my agreement and the Headmaster got up to leave. Before he walked out though he made me promise that if I remembered anything I would come and tell him immediately. I promised, but of course I was lying. Why would I give any information to the man that didn’t even apologize for what happened? I mean if I was any other student I would sue the hell out of this place- it was technically their fault that security was so shitty the escaped convict broke into the school.

Once he was out of the room the nurse came right back over and looked me over again. I guess she thought the Headmaster coming in would maybe set me off, but she didn’t find anything to worry. When she was done poking and prodding she turned towards Cedric.

“Are you feeling well enough now Mr Diggory? If so you may head back to your common room.”

“No actually I think I’m starting to feel a bit unwell again-” He started to cough and it was so totally fake I wanted to slam my hand against my head. “I think maybe I should stay here one more night- just to make certain.”

Damn Cedric was seriously the worst liar- he knew it, I knew it, and for sure Madam Pomfrey knew it. But maybe she took pity on me and allowed him to stay, although it seemed to be rather begrudgingly.

“I can have visitors now right?” I called to her as she started to move back towards her office. “Professor Dumbledore said it was fine.”

She sighed. “Yes yes, although I think it may still be too soon.”

Instead of heading to her office she went to the door of the hospital. I thought that was kinda weird- was there some notice posted or something? Some sign on the door that said “No Visitors today.” I didn’t even have time to turn to Cedric to ask his opinion when a large commotion sounded at the door and suddenly a whole group of people bursted through.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Oliver, Percy, Fred, George, and Lee all came into the room in a giant mass moving towards my bed. Seeing them all run over at once made me think that maybe the nurse was right about it being too early for visitors, especially when I was basically dog piled by Fred, Oliver, and Harry.

--

It felt like everything and nothing at all was said when everyone came in. After Madam Pomfrey yelled at the three boys for disturbing my space, everyone wanted to know how I was and what happened. I gave them just as much as I gave the teachers though so it didn’t go very far. Cedric and I were filled in on the story from everyone else's point of view, and it was basically everything I remembered from the original story. The only changes were my parts in the whole thing, which was basically just how I was found.

It was Oliver and Percy who had found me initially. They had heard the commotion from above but ran out when they heard my body hit the ground. They opened their door to find me bleeding and passed out on the ground. Oliver had moved down to me right away to try to see if I was alright and the other boy raced out of the common room to go and get a teacher.

Percy told most of the story, while Oliver sat quietly next to me just holding my hand. Apparently when the head boy had come back with McGonagall most of the house had woken up and were all hovering over where I had been. Their head of house gave the two 7th years instructions to bring me straight to the hospital wing while she figured out what happened.

The whole time the storytelling was happening I could see the nurse hovering off to the side. Maybe she was making sure that I wasn’t getting overwhelmed, but I think she wanted to hear everything that happened just as much as Cedric and I did. 

Ron told most of what happened next, which again was the story that I knew. So now everyone knew that Sirius Black had broken in once again, and that he had made it all the way to Harry’s room. I knew everything that was happening, but still hearing it from everyone made my heart start to race as if I was experiencing it for the first time. Living this story really was so much more thrilling than reading it.

When I said that everything and nothing was said, I meant that the whole series of events was laid out, and yet there still seemed like so much was left unsaid. It felt like almost everyone in the room had things they wanted to talk to me about, but no one seemed to want to do it with an audience. The  only one lucky enough to be able to speak their mind was going to be Cedric, because he was the only one left when the group was told they had to leave.  Madam Pomfrey and told everyone that we needed rest and she would allow visitors later if we were well enough.

They were all rather put out at being kicked out, but none as upset as Oliver. He honestly looked like he was almost in tears when he met my eyes as he stood. The look in his hazel eyes stayed present in my brain as Cedric and I talked.

“I can’t believe you went through all of that and you don’t remember.” Cedric said in the quiet room. The nurse had finally gone back in her office and suddenly the hospital wing seemed eerily still. 

“Yeah I know… I’m kind of glad I don’t though.”

Silence.

“Are… are you okay?”

I looked over at Cedric, who had now turned his body to face me on his bed. He looked genuinely troubled and it hurt that I wasn’t able to tell him how I really was. I knew it wasn’t going to sound very convincing now that I was okay, but I hoped he would be able to tell with time that things were alright.

“Yeah I’m okay. I feel like I should feel more shaken, but I really don’t. Not having any memory of the event seems to have quelled my feelings on the matter.”

“Well I’m glad you’re not freaking out because I sure feel like I am. I mean- you came face to face with Sirius Black, the most dangerous man in the world right now. June you could have died!”

“You’re right but-”

“And what if he had gotten a wand??? I could be looking over at your corpse right now!! It could have been so easy for him to do you more harm. How could they have let something like this happen??

I had never seen Cedric this distressed before- there was really never any opportunity. Closest thing would be maybe that DADA class with the boggart, but that really wasn’t anything compared to this. He looked like he was starting to unwind, just totally falling apart. It made me start to freak out- and I wasn’t even worried about Sirius Black.

“But I’m okay!” I twisted myself out of my bed so that I could reach out to grab his hands. They were shaking slightly which made me feel more alarmed. I took one of his wobbling hands and moved it up to my face. “Look- I’m right here, totally fine.”

The look he gave me next just absolutely tore my heart. It was those big puppy dog eyes, but they were genuinely in distress, I couldn’t take it. What was usually a lighthearted try at manipulation was now soul wrenchingly unbearable. It was like he was expecting me to disappear at any moment- like this was the last time that he would see me.

Immediately I moved out of my bed and threw my arms around his neck, bringing him in tight. His arms moved around me just as quickly and the force of our hug moved me to sit on his bed. I was practically on his lap, having pushed myself off so that only my legs went across his. We were close, made even more so when he buried his face in my shoulder, my hair I was sure obstructing his view, if not some of his airways. But it seemed he had enough airflow to be able to talk.

“I’m supposed to be comforting you- you’re the one who was face to face with a murderer!”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yes but I don’t even remember. It all just seems like a crazy dream or something. It doesn’t even seem real.”

“But I’m worried that you’re going to remember, and like Dumbledore said it might be rather unpleasant when you do.”

I paused, letting my own head rest on his shoulder.

“Maybe, but maybe not.”

He pulled us apart, moving his hands to my shoulders so that he could hold my gaze with great ferocity.  

“You’ll tell me if you’re not okay though, right? If you remember and it becomes hard to bear you’ll let me know so I can help?”

I smiled at him. “Of course, I promise.”

Yeesh- two fake promises in one day. I kinda felt like a shitty person.

Well of course no memories came back during the day, because no memories were ever actually lost. The nurse kept a close eye on me, along with Cedric, but there were no changes. There were also no more visitors, which I didn’t love. Obviously I was still glad to have Cedric with me, but I didn’t like the isolation. The nurse said that because of what happened any visitors might be too excitable and that we should just wait for me to be released.

Without much else to do, Cedric and I ended up going to bed rather early. Before either of us even tried to sleep though Cedric had quietly scooted his bed as close as he could to mine, and then reached out to grab my hand. He had said that he wanted me to fall asleep feeling safe, but I think his feelings on the situation made him want comfort even more. As we laid there, hands clasped, it reminded me of that night sleeping in the great hall. We had been holding hands then too because of Sirius Black.

I was feeling better, but my body was actually still rather exhausted. It also seemed like the news of events had taken a lot out of Cedric as well because he fell asleep faster than I did. I followed soon after into a rather deep sleep that I was awoken from with a start

The room was dark when I opened my eyes, only a few candles around the room giving off some light. I wanted to go back to sleep, but I felt like something had woken me up, and my brain wanted to know what it was. So instead of rolling over I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes and trying to look more closely around the room. There was nothing except empty beds, empty chairs, and a ball of orange-

“Crookshanks?” I whispered out, rubbing my eyes again to see if maybe I was just seeing things. But then I saw a swish of a tail and knew that it was for sure him.

I got up out of my bed and moved over to where the cat was just sitting contentedly on the floor. When I got up to him I crouched down and he immediately started moving around me, purring and humming as if he hadn’t just watched me get beaten up the night before. Still, I reached down to scratch his head.

“Now I’m no expert but I don’t think animals are usually allowed in hospitals for, you know, sanitary purposes- no offense. How did you even get in here-”

“I think he followed me.”

The voice startled me so badly I crashed onto the floor, barely missing squashing Crookshanks with my side. Despite almost being crushed to death the cat continued to move about my now strewn out body as if nothing had happened. I on the other hand thought I was having a heart attack until Harry’s head magically came into view. 

“Harry!!” I hissed, trying to keep my voice low. “What the fuck???”

“Sorry,” He said sheepishly, pulling the rest of his invisibility cloak off. He then reached down to help me up, and I had to take a few deep breaths to calm my heart.

“What are you doing here??” I whispered, once my body was mostly calmed down. I looked over at Cedric, who still seemed fast asleep in his bed- arm outstretched and resting on my own.

“I needed to talk to you.” He quietly answered back, as if that was a satisfactory answer.

But, I got it. He was probably more freaked out than anyone else at this school. As far as he knew, Sirius Black was after him and it sure seemed like he got close last night. It was practically life or death at this point.

“Come over here-” I grabbed his arm and pulled us over to the other end of the hospital wing. The nurse's room and office were over by the doors and across the room at the farthest point away was a wall of windows that looked out into the now moonlit grounds. We were still going to need to be quiet, but hopefully if the nurse came out we could get Harry covered in time and I could just say I needed to stretch my legs or something.

“You know you’re going to be in huge trouble if you get caught out, and not just because it's past curfew.” Black’s visit I knew had really put some changes to the security. I wasn't’ even sure how Harry had been able to get out of his common room.

Harry nodded, “I know, but I really needed to talk to you.”

I sighed but didn’t say anything, rather waited for Harry to get to whatever he needed. He shuffled awkwardly for a moment, suddenly seeming uncomfortable in my presence. 

“How are you?” He asked sheepishly.

“I’m going to be honest, I think if that’s what you wanted to know it probably could have waited until morning.” Harry’s face went bright red and I had to scold myself inwardly. I knew what he wanted. “But I’m doing okay- same as I was earlier. No new memories or any recollection of what happened last night.”

“You really don’t remember anything?” He sounded a little desperate and it made me wish so badly that I could tell him everything. I refrained though, the frequently forgotten squares on my arm suddenly feeling a little bit itchy.

“Nothing. Like I said I remember walking into your common room with Fred and the next thing I knew I was in the hospital cut, bruised, and foggy. I’m sorry.”

Harry didn’t respond right away, instead he just looked down.

“It’s my fault what happened to you.”

“What?” I asked the question a little too loudly, having the genuine confusion take hold. I glanced back over at Cedric from across the room and saw no movement so I turned back.

“Black came into the castle to get me, and because of that you got hurt. I’m really sorry June.” He continued to look down, and somehow that felt worse than even Cedric’s puppy dog eyes. 

“Harry-” I paused, wanting to make sure that I said the right words. “Even if it was Black’s motive to get you, you can’t blame yourself for his actions. I want to be gentle about this because I appreciate your kind heart, but please don’t be dumb. None of this is your fault- you’re the victim. We don’t blame the victim for the perpetrator’s actions, that’s just fucking stupid.”

He looked up then, his green eyes glowing rather brightly from the moon light shining through the windows. Suddenly I was seeing him as the hero of this story, rather than just the friend that I had grown close to. The Boy who Lived, beaten and downtrodden for years on end. I wanted even more badly to let him know that everything was going to be okay, and that this particular story was going to end happier than he could imagine. But I couldn’t, instead all I could do was reach out, throw my arms around him, and bring him into a tight hug. 

“I’m still really sorry about everything that happened to you.” I could hear Harry mumble within my embrace. I pulled him out and looked him over similarly to how Cedric had earlier to me.

“Well that’s fine, but just don’t blame yourself okay?” He nodded his head. “Good. Now tell me, how the hell did you get in here in the first place?”

WELL, it turns out that since the Gryffindor Common room was the break in spot, the entrance did get upgraded like I thought. The fat lady was back and she had guards of her own. Know that he wouldn’t be able to sneak out Harry decided that he would just not go back. With Ron telling everyone Harry had just gone to bed early because he wasn’t feeling well I guess they were able to pull it off successfully.

He had waited in an empty classroom, with his cloak on, until he thought it was safe to move. When I had scolded him about being unsafe he assured me he had the Marauder's Map with him, and so he knew that Black was nowhere in the castle. That all being said though, it seemed like Harry was now stuck outside his common room until the morning.

“Well you better sleep here then-” I said, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the beds before he could refuse. “I don’t know where you thought you would be sleeping, but I know it's probably not going to be comfortable.”

“But the nurse will see me,” Harry whispered as we made it closer to where Cedric was still fast asleep.

I let go on his hand and tapped my chin as I thought.

“Well you’ve got your cloak, so it would probably be best to use it. Just sleep on top of the bed on the other side of mine and use the cloak as a blanket. I’ll keep and eye out so you can get some rest and make sure you are covered if the nurse comes out.”

“But then you won't be able to sleep,” Harry countered, taking a seat on the other bed.

“I won't be sleeping anyway” I replied with a wave of my hand. “It's hard for me to sleep in places like this and I was in and out for hours until you got here. So don’t worry about me.”

Yeah not the whole truth, but I did think I wouldn’t be sleeping even if Harry wasn’t there.

Harry got into bed, and actually looked rather exhausted himself. We made sure that the cloak was covering most of him and I reassured him again that everything would be fine. Maybe feeling his uncertainty Crookshanks, who was still in the room, hopped onto where the boy was laying and made himself comfortable.

“Well that is going to make things more noticeable.” Harry complained, trying to shove a stubborn Crookshanks away.

“Actually, I have a feeling he’ll be rather helpful.”

The boy seemed unsure but he went to bed anyway. It wasn’t long until his head was fast asleep, the rest of his body totally invisible. It looked rather ridiculous and made me smile as I sat up in my bed. The room was eerily quiet again, but my brain was full of noise. 

This was my life now and often at times it was easy to forget it was a story. Even as the events unfolded right in front of me I still felt rather detached. But talking with Harry tonight made me remember that I wanted to be more than just an innocent bystander. Yes I had limitations, but I’ve had enough time by now to know how far I could step without crossing the line. I had real power to made my hero’s life better and I wanted to do more than I was already doing.

Being Harry’s friend didn’t seem like enough- I needed to start to really get my hands dirty in the word count. I could make changes that led to less heartache and pain on his end, while still allowing the important things to follow their course. It was going to take work, but I felt more determined than ever to accomplish it.

As the two boys beside me slept I spent most of the early hours writing out my plans for the rest of the year. At about 6am Crookshanks started to stir and then stretched as he got up on all fours. I watched as he moved towards Harry’s head, pushing his sides against his cheeks and moving his tail at the bottom of his nose. Soon after Harry woke up sneezing, looking a little bewildered as to where he was.

“I don’t agree with the way he woke you, but I think Crookshanks is right. Probably best to get up and head back to your common room.” Early risers like Percy and Oliver were probably getting ready by now and so going back in wouldn’t be as suspicious now.

Harry straightened his glasses on his face as he sat up. When he got up I helped him make sure the bed was looking as unoccupied as before. Then he threw the cloak around his person and he disappeared.

“See ya later Harry.” I whispered to the space where he had been standing.

I heard a mysterious “See ya,” in response. Then I watched as Crookshanks followed his invisible person out of the room.

It was about twenty minutes later when the nurse came out of her room and another forty When Cedric finally woke. Neither of them any more the wiser of the visitors we had during the night.

“How did you sleep?” Cedric asked, stretching and sitting up.

“Like a dream.” I responded with a smile. 

SONGS:

June: I’m so Tired- The Beatles

Cedric: The End of the World- Skeeter Davis

Harry: I’m Sorry- John Denver

Chapter Text

I tried to get air into my lungs but the task was almost impossible due to my face being shoved into Hagrid overcoat AND the fact that he was crushing me to death.

“-after we found you on the grounds I just knew somethin bad was bound to happen. It was all a bad omen. I told Professor Dumbledore just as much and then I go and hear you’d been attacked by Black himself-”

“But I’m okay!” I called up to the giant, twisting my face out from the embrace so I could get the words out. He didn’t seem to hear me though, and continued on.

Both Cedric and I had been released early this morning from hospital, and I had been experiencing encounters like this since, although much less bone crushing than the current one. Even though I had been kept away from almost everyone, the story of what happened to me had spread around the school. I had concerned housemates and friends coming up to express their distressed at the news and making sure I was okay. 

I was grateful for their concern, but it was kind of exhausting having to deal with repeating how I was doing over and over and over- especially when people I didn’t even really know started coming up. It was even more annoying when it seemed many cared less about how I was doing and just wanted to hear my story. They all seemed to want to ask me if I remembered anything that happened. It was like they thought if they asked, then maybe some revelation would come to me.

Thankfully Cedric was with me from the moment we left the hospital wing, trying to fend off every busybody that came my way. I thought he did an excellent job changing subjects and drawing away attention. It was like the people didn’t even know they were being so expertly diverted away from me. It was definitely much less awkward than just telling everyone to piss off, which is what I felt like Fred would have done if he was in Cedric’s place. As I thought about it though, it might have dissuaded more people from coming up to me as a whole if they knew they would get chewed out. Maybe Fred’s more direct approach was something I should work on adopting more.

Unfortunately though, Cedric as my knight in shining armour couldn’t follow me to the Care of Magical Creatures class I assisted in. He walked me to the outdoor classroom after lunch, but then had to leave to make it to his own elective class that same period. He had said he’d race over after his class ended to walk with me to Transfiguration, but that wasn’t going to help me in my current predicament. As soon as I walked into the classroom I had been totally encased within the half giant’s grasp- a tourant of worries and relief spilling out with just as much encasing ferocity as the hug.

“-and they weren’t letting nobody come and see you, not even me.” Hagrid continued. “Nurse said Professor Dumbledore was insistent about not overwhelmin ya while you recovered. But its not like we were coming in to do that. We was all just so worried.”

The pressure from his grip around my body tightened and I had to wonder if I was going to have to try tapping out. It made me only slightly grateful that the hospital doors had been closed.

“Hagrid, the class will be here soon,” I managed to squeak out in a last ditch effort for freedom. That seemed to get his attention enough and my stomach flipped as he let go and I dropped slightly down to the ground.

“Thas right- are you sure you should be back at it already?” He asked, looking me over. I wondered if he could see the signs of hypoxia. I straightened myself up.

“I’m fine. I was probably well enough to leave yesterday, but they made me stay longer just in case. Plus it's not like we’re doing anything crazy today. I’m just introducing Frost Salamanders- right? I do still get to teach today right??”

Hagrid looked hesitant, but I tried my best to imitate Cedric’s puppy dog eyes to seal the deal. I had been looking forward to my chance to teach again and I didn’t want my encounter with Sirius to ruin it. In the end he did relent, even though he seemed uneasy. I was happy though, for one I was just pumped about getting to teach again, but also I wanted to show my instructor that I really was doing alright. 

The class did come soon after and I busied myself with getting everything ready. It seemed like a lot of the class, which was filled with 3rd year Gryffindors and Slytherins, wanted to come up and talk to me. Hagrid though acted as my bodyguard this time around, and chastised anyone who tried to come up to the front. Kinda funny considering he almost made me pass out, but it was helpful for now.

Although most of the class was pretty distracted at first, the lesson ended up going pretty smoothly once I brought the frost Salamander out. It was just me handling the creature today, but it's icy presence was enough to capture the student’s attention. When class ended Hagrid was my bodyguard again and quickly shooed everyone out of class, including even the golden trio.

“Maybe it would be best to hang back a bit,” Hagrid said cautiously to me, watching the three Gryffindors start to walk away. “We don’t want to make them late for their next class.”

I didn’t say anything, just nodded my head. Seemed Hagrid didn’t want me talking to Harry, which I understood. Everything surrounding Sirius Black with the boy was touchy, and Hagrid probably thought it was better to spare him any details that might make him feel worried. Little did he know I had basically spent the night talking to Harry already so there really wouldn’t be much else to talk about on the subject. 

I did hang back helping to put the Salamander safely away and even taking time to make some notes in preparation for the next lesson. When I was done I was surprised to find that Cedric still hadn’t arrived. Both our classes were only an hour, so it was weird that he wasn’t here yet. I waited a few more minutes, but then started making my own way to the castle. I didn’t think my semi recent encounter with Black would be enough to clear me from a tardy in McGonagall’s class.

Despite the lingering January cold, the walk up to the castle was quite enjoyable. The cold didn’t bite as badly with the absolute quiet around me. Hagrid’s last class on Mondays was the previous one so there were no students headed in that direction. The grounds were peaceful and I felt I was finally able to breathe fully now that I was really alone. 

I was grateful for Hagrid’s and Cedric’s help today, but it was nice to have a moment just to myself you know? Things had been coming at me so fast recently I felt like quiet moments like this were becoming a rarity. I really needed to carve out some time for myself more frequently, and I needed to find some place to do it too. Maybe the Room of Requirement? I hadn’t tried to get back in there for awhile, would it still work for me?

That problem could be solved another day though, right now I just wanted to live in this moment. Plus I felt so fucking tired. It was like I hadn’t had time to realize how exhausted I was until now. Staying up for Harry was really coming in to bite me now that the day was almost done. It had been a long day as well, and I still had double transfigurations to get through… 

But this moment, I could let myself relax. There was nothing to make me feel more tired right now. No expectations or worries. All I had to do was place one foot in front of the other, breathe in the cold hair, and listen to whistle of the wind-

“Is it really true?”

The voice came out of nowhere, and would have scared me if the recognition hadn’t made me so instantly annoyed. I turned to the side, seeing the greasy black hair move in closer from the spot he had apparently been lurking at. Had he been waiting for me? What other reason would he have to lurk in the shadows of the frozen courtyard? Fucking weirdo.

“I’m on my way to class.” I replied, turning away again from Marcus Flint and continuing my walk. Like hell I was going to answer his questions about Sirius Black.

“You didn’t answer me.” He said, somehow making it up to me with alarming speed. His sudden appearance next to me made me flinch. 

“I’m aware.” 

I sidestepped, putting more distance between us again. This mother fucker always showed up at the worst time. Honestly any time with him was the worst, but then he had to ruin my moment. The exhaustion of the day mixed with the breakdown of my peace had me feeling more annoyed, and reluctant to talk to him than usual- and I didn’t even know I could be more reluctant. Honestly, I needed to put a stop to… whatever he thought he was trying to do. I had played too nice for too long and I didn’t have the capacity to do it now or anymore really.

“I tried to come see you.” He continued, not at all dissuaded. “They weren’t letting anyone in.”

“At the hospital?” I asked, confused and concerned about what he was talking about.

“Yes. I tried multiple times. I always got turned away.”

“Thank Merlin for that.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked angrily, grabbing at my arm.

My blood boiled and I yanked my arm out of his grip as I turned to him. 

“It means I didn’t and don’t want to see you.” I spat back. 

“What are you talking about??” His pitch got higher and red started to creep across his stupid punchable face. I opened my mouth to explain exactly what that meant, but someone else’s voice sounded instead of mine.

“It means to leave her alone.”

The Slytherin and I both turned to see Cedric, already red faced, walking up to us. The Hufflepuff looked more like his color came from running all the way here, but his eyes looked heated with anger.

“Can’t ever seem to have a conversation with you without one of these lapdogs butting in-” Flint turned to me, gesturing towards Cedric. My vision turned red.

“We have to go to class.” Cedric replied before I could spit fire. He moved forward, grabbed my hand and started to move us along. This was the most direct Cedric had been about someone leaving me alone all day. 

If Flint had anything else to say on the matter he didn’t voice it. Not that I would have really heard it anyway. I felt like steam was streaming out of my ears and the only reason I hadn’t walked back there to slap the ever loving shit out of him was because Cedric was holding onto my hand with a death grip. 

“Are you okay?” He asked, once we were truly away.

“I’m fine. I could have handled him myself though-” I knew that I was directing my anger towards the wrong person, but I couldn’t help it.

“Well you shouldn’t have to deal with him at all, or anyone else for that matter. It seems no one around here will just mind their own business.”

Cedric and I didn't speak for the rest of the walk. I spent most of the time being dragged along just trying to calm myself down and not direct any more of my annoyance at him. I understood he was just trying to help me, as he had been doing the whole day, but it felt like he wasn’t letting me fight my own battles. Especially when it came to Flint, it felt like someone was always stepping in on my behalf. His reluctance to leave me alone probably stemmed from the fact that I had never flat out refused him.

When we did eventually make it through the doors McGonagall was already at her desk, although not teaching, and the rest of the room was filled. When we stepped forward into the room every head turned to look at me and I had to avert my eyes just to try to keep my cool. I didn’t think I could handle a single more Sirius Black question today. 

“For our lesson today-” McGonagall’s voice called out over the room, drawing in everyone’s attention. “We will be reviewing our work on transforming an armadillo into a pillow. If you will please open your textbook to page-”

Cedric and I quickly moved into our seats, and I felt incredibly grateful for the teacher and her distraction from me. Maybe she had just been ready to start class, but it felt like a very deliberate move on her part to allow me a moment of peace.

I reached into my bag and pulled out my textbook, still feeling the tight tension from the encounter just minutes ago. As I started to flip to the right page I felt a pair of eyes still lingering on me. I wanted to ignore it, but out of curiosity I looked up and found that just off to the side Fred was staring straight at me. This was actually the first time I had seen my friend all day, and the sight of that red hair and freckles instantly relaxed me.

“C a n  w e  t a l k” He mouthed/gestured to me and I nodded my head. 

“A f t e r  c l a s s” I mouthed back and he nodded as well. Then McGonagall’s voice got louder over the class and both of us turned our attention forward.

--

Right as the Professor was calling an end to the two hour class she asked me to come up to her desk. 

“-the rest of you may be dismissed. I don’t appreciate students lingering about in my room so please make your way to the great hall for your meal.”

Obediently the class moved out, including Cedric and Fred. By the time I made it up to her desk the whole room had basically gone. I think it was her way of doing the same thing that Hagrid had done. Still, I braced myself for whatever conversation this was going to be.

“How are you dear?” McGonagall asked, her tight smile showing her sincere concern.

“I’m okay, just tired.”

The older lady nodded. “And your memories..?”

“Still as blank as before.” 

The teacher sighed. “Yes well, that may be for the best honestly. The mind can be one of the most powerful entities of all, sometimes shielding us from great harm. If anything changes you will let us know though.”

“Of course Professor.” I replied calmly. Nothing was going to change.

“Good good… Well, I will keep this brief. The Headmaster, and I, think that even though you can’t remember what you went through, it may be best that you still have someone that you can talk some things through with.”

I nodded but I didn’t quite understand what she meant. Did this school have a guidance counselor or something? No, there was no way. If there was one at some point they probably quit because they were overworked due to the amount of trauma this school puts its students through. The fact that there weren’t more evil wizards coming out of this school due to horrific events was just absolutely amazing.

“We understand that you have become somewhat close to Professor Lupin, in your attempt to work with him to support Mr Potter this year. He had mentioned that there was a positive rapport between the two of you, and so we plan to have to visit with him at least once a week through the next few months.”

Oh, seems like Lupin was getting promoted to counselor without a likely pay increase. That sucked for him. Also I didn’t think Lupin and I were particularly close, but I guess compared to the rest of the staff we were cool. I mean I was for sure the closest to Hagrid, but I am guessing he didn’t quite fit the bill for what Dumbledore was looking for. 

It seemed that the Headmaster wanted me to start today with my counseling session, and I was supposed to go there right after the class. Kinda sucked that I was going to have to skip dinner, but if I was being honest I didn’t want to go to the great hall anyway. WAY too many people to deal with there. Although, it might have been good to head to the kitchen to see someone I also had yet to see today…

“Did you get in trouble for being out past curfew-” Fred’s voice made me jump so bad I threw myself against the doorway. 

“Sorry-” He said, reaching to help pull me forward. I rubbed my side, thinking that maybe I was being negatively affected by that night. Maybe Black did leave me with some trauma.

“It’s fine. But what were you asking?”

“I didn’t get to ask yesterday, but they found out you were out past curfew that night right? I was just wondering if you got in trouble for it.”

“Oh, uh no I did not get in trouble. Actually, outside of the different Professors asking why I had been in the Gryffindor common room so late in the first place, they didn’t comment on it. I guess they thought I had been punished enough.”

“Yeah I guess…”

Fred sounded more subdued than I was used to, which was usually no amount of subdued. I looked more intently at him, still holding my side, wondering what had him so down. Was this about the other night? I guess we hadn’t really had time to talk about it together, and what happened was probably really alarming to go through for him, just as it would have been for the rest of the Gryffindors.

“Can we go someplace to talk?” He asked, looking around the mostly empty courtyard.

“Actually-” I said with a sign. “-I’m supposed to go meet with Professor Lupin right now. The adults are worried that I’m internally suffering from what happened and need to make sure that I am actually doing alright.”

“ Are you doing alright?”

I didn’t think I could field that question anymore, but looking into his brown eyes made me want to reassure him as much as possible.

“I think so, although I guess I seem a bit jumpy. Other than that though I feel fine, so so tired, but fine.”

“And you need to go see Lupin right now?”

I nodded. “Do you want to walk with me though? I'd actually really appreciate it- people seem less inclined to try to talk to me if I am with someone, although it is only a little bit less.”

Fred agreed and so the two of us started making our way towards the DADA tower. 

“Where’s Cedric by the way?” I asked, looking back towards the courtyard as we moved into the castle. “I thought he would be waiting for me.”

“Oh, I guess he ran into Madam Hooch on the way to Transfiguration and she told him she wanted to meet with all the captains before dinner so he had to hurry off. He told me to tell you, but I forgot.”

“Oh, you forgot, did you?” I made air quotes around the word and Fred rolled his eyes. Well, at least I knew now why Cedric had been so late meeting up with me before.

We made it up to Lupin’s classroom without much effort. No one tried to stop and talk to me and there were no Slytherin waiting around any corners. It was also nice to be with Fred again, although things seemed a little… tense. I could tell he still had things he wanted to say, but I guess he wanted to be more alone than walking through the halls allowed to be able to talk about them.

“I’ll wait for you to finish,” He said, as we stood outside the classroom door.

“Oh don’t do that- I don’t know how long I will be. You might miss dinner entirely if you wait.”

“Well then we can go find some food together when you’re done.”

I wanted to fight him on the matter, but the thought of having him there to walk with me after was stronger. We hadn’t even been apart for a day really, but I felt like it had been a long time. I missed his company, and I also didn’t really want to have to walk alone again quite yet. So I agreed.

“Do you want to listen to my music while you wait?” I asked, reaching into my bag to grab the Walkman because I knew his answer.

“Oh hell yes! Give me the Queen tapes.” At the mention of music the atmosphere became much lighter.

“Ah, feel like listening to some Freddy Mercury?”

“Ugh, he’s not the only member of the band June- how could you just disregard the rest of them like that?” He acted so disgruntled as he reached over to grab the headphones, but then gave me that sly smile when he placed them on.

I rolled my eyes and waved goodbye as I walked into the empty classroom and then towards the office.

--

The conversation with Lupin wasn’t as uncomfortable as I thought it would be. I was afraid that the subject of Sirius Black would make things rather tense, but the teacher was as cool as ever. He started out just asking me how I was and basically just going over everything I had with the other teachers. 

“Why are we really doing this?” I asked, staring into Lupin’s hazel eyes. They were bright but looked as exhausted as I felt- dude had way too much going on to add consistent meetings with me to his plate. Teaching, patrolling, tutoring Harry, and werewolfism was, I thought, way too much for even one wizard to deal with.

He sighed, showing even more of the tiredness. 

“Dumbledore thinks it would be best to give you support after what happened.”

“But I don’t remember what happened.” I countered. “How can I have support for something that is basically non existent to me. I’m practically the same as every other student at this point.”

“You’re a smart girl June.” Lupin replied, suddenly sounding a lot more serious. “So I’m not going to try to lie to you. I also know that you’re smart enough not to spread this conversation around. Yes it's true that we feel it would be best to support you, as we do all students, but there is more to it. Dumbledore thinks that maybe there may be more to what happened that night that goes beyond your loss of memory.”

“I don’t understand.”

He sighed again. “You being in the Gryffindor common room, a house that is not your own, at such a late hour on the very night that Sirius Black re-enters the castle did raise some suspicions. And while I believe your explanation is clear, the headmaster is not sure. This coupled with the fact that you were also out on the grounds alone that every evening makes matters more complicated.”

Inwardly I froze. How did they know I had been on the grounds?? Sure I had kind of made a scene on my way there, but not in a way that I felt warranted people telling Professors about. Was it Hagrid then? He had mentioned talking to Dumbledore about the lapse in security. I wanted to ask Lupin to find out, but I couldn’t- that would only make me look more suspicious. If I really did have nothing to hide, then I didn’t need clarification… right?

“Why are you telling me all of this? I find it hard to believe that the Headmaster would want me to know all of this, seeing as he hadn’t even questioned me about it before. So why are you just telling me?”

“Because-” Lupin started, leaning forward to his elbows propped on his knees. “-I don’t believe his suspicions. Professor Dumbeldore is a brilliant man, but I think in this matter of Sirius Black he feels he must air on the side of caution.”

“But you don’t believe he is right?”

He shook his head.

“I do not. We understand, now more than ever, that Black seems to be after Harry. If you were indeed somehow connected with Sirius Black that would mean you were putting Harry’s life at risk. Knowing your character specifically towards Mr Potter I do not believe there is anything other than good intentions where he is concerned. Not to mention the altercation that happened between you and Black doesn’t exactly show any evidence of good faith.”

“But-” Lupin continued. “-if you were somehow connected with Black, I feel it would be best for you to know that you can receive help here. I am here to listen and help with whatever it is you may be going through at this time. I want you to know that you can trust me.”

--

The meeting ended after that and I left the office after setting up the next time that we would talk. As I walked across his classroom to the door in the back I wondered how one person could be so right and also so wrong at the same time? I did want to help Harry, and I was going to do so by helping his godfather get into the castle when he needed to. Maybe I seemed innocent because my wanting to help Black was just as well intentioned as wanting to be Harry’s friend. 

Also, when Sirius had said “this is for your own good” and proceeded to basically destroy me… was that actually for my own good?? I wasn’t really sure what our relationship (if it could even be called that) was, but when he approached me in his dog form I felt like he understood who I was. That had gone out the window in my mind though when he beat me up, but now I wasn’t sure. Did he do that knowing if he had left me unscathed teachers would have found that suspicious?? Did he actually do me a favor??

By the time I reached the door my brain felt exhausted and confused, but that washed away when I heard a beautiful voice singing just around the corner. I stepped quietly, making sure to stay out of his peripherals. Then I just stood and listened for a minute, realizing that this might have been the first time that I had really listened to Fred sing. We had, more jokingly, sung along to songs before but this was different. I felt like this was a showcase of his voice and it was wonderful.

“- Temporarily out of gas. To absolutely drive you wild, wild. She's out to get you. She's a Killer Queen. Gunpowder, gelatine. Dynamite with a laser beam-”

I stepped forward, reaching to grab one side of the headphone and sang;

“- Guaranteed to blow your mind- Anytime .”

“Ah June!” Fred jumped at my touch. “Merlin I didn’t even hear you walk up. I swear you’re getting sneakier by the day.”

He took off the headphones fully and stopped his song. Then I noticed as he looked down at the Walkman that there was a slight blush at the tops of his cheeks- but it was most noticeable on his ears.

“Have you ever heard of Karaoke before?”

He turned to look at me, an eyebrow raised.

“No, is that a muggle thing?”

“Yes, and I just decided that this summer we are going to go do it.”

He chuckled. “Alright then, we’ll go do whatever that is this summer.”

“Great! It's a date then!”

Suddenly Fred was overcome with a coughing fit, and had to turn away to get himself in order. As he did so he handed over the music player and I busied myself by putting it away.

“So, are you done then?” He asked once he was good again. I nodded. “Okay cool, so can we go talk now? I have someplace I want to show you.”

--

“How did you find this place??” My eyes were wide as I looked around the small room which I understood to be the Room of Requirement. 

Fred had walked us up to the seventh floor of Hogwarts towards a smallish door that was across from the troll tapestry. He hadn’t said anything, just gestured for me to walk in. Utterly confused I did, and was even more surprised to find an oversized broom closet with two beanbags and a small table. 

I had been in the ROR before, but I hadn’t told anyone about it. I wasn’t sure if mentioning the room this early on in the story was going to cause any problem to the plot, so I kept it to myself. So I had no idea how Fred knew what the room was, and how to even manipulate it to get what he needed from it. I wasn’t really sure why this was what he needed but still.

“Okay take a seat and let me explain-” He was grinning broadly, gesturing to one of the seats. I plopped down and then looked at him expectantly. 

Apparently, the thing Fred had mentioned wanting to show me that night Black came, it was this. Finding a place where we could hangout- just the two of us. 

Right when everyone had gotten back off holiday break, when we had to trek through the forest, we had made plans to do a kind of muggle study session together. We had done it a few times, but it was usually interrupted by someone or derailed entirely. When we listened to music together, the headphones seemed enough of a deterrent, but Fred had been frustrated more than once at someone sitting down during a discussion on soccer vs futbol. 

So for a few weeks he had been searching for a place where no one else could disturb us. According to him the Library was too regulated and the common rooms were too crowded. He would have liked to do it outside, but it was still too cold. He had tried using empty classrooms, but Filch had caught on more than once and kicked him out everytime. He had all but given up, until he came across this “weird broom closet.”

He mentioned not ever seeing it before, but chalked it up to the door being easily looked over and the fact that the castle was ginormous. When he had noticed it though he went to check it out, surprised to find that it was already filled with the few things that he had wanted the space to have. He concluded that it must have been a hideout to some other students in years past. I guess there had been similar places in abandoned classrooms or smaller broom closets throughout the castle, but eventually those all got dismantled. 

He staked out the area for a week or two, and when Filch never walked in he deemed it a successful find. This was just before the previous quidditch game, and he had planned to show it to me that day but things got rather… out of hand. But now we were here, in this room, which he had no idea was actually magically put together for him specifically.

“-it even locks from the inside.” Fred said excitedly, reaching over and flicking the lock on the doorknob. “So Filch won't be able to get in even if he comes by, although I guess a teacher could easily open it with a charm. Still, I think it will be a great place that we could come and meet.”

“It really is just right isn’t it?” I said with a smile, amused at the little inside joke I now had with myself.

“I know, now we can finally talk without George and Lee butting in. I mean, I wouldn’t mind if they just sat for the whole discussion, but they're so back and forth, and then demand to be caught up on what they missed-” He threw his hands up in exasperation and I laughed. 

“Oh also-” He continued.  “-we don’t have to use this room for just meeting up. I mean, if you ever feel like you want somewhere to go you can come here whenever you want.”

I blinked at him, feeling a strong sense of deja vu. As my ideas from earlier, before Flint had butted into my day, were brought back I sat in awe at how he had done the exact thing I had been thinking about just a few hours ago.

“I really wanted to show you after the quidditch match, because you seemed so overwhelmed with everything, and my attempts to help weren’t really, well, helping. So I thought I could show you this place and you could use it to just get away from everything- quidditch, classes, Diggory, me, and even Wood if you wanted to. You’re always helping people, trying to support your friends, always busy- I just feel like you needed a place to just breathe.”

Suddenly I was right back where I was a few nights ago, hearing from Fred exactly what I had been aching to hear. The tears came out just as quickly as they had then as well.

“Oh shit I did it again-”

I half laughed, half sobbed as I shook my head. It was an outpouring of another very draining day. An absolute roller coaster now brought to a stand still by finally having someone really seem to see and hear me. 

An escape, a place to breathe, a hideaway where I could totally be myself. I didn’t have to lie, have to pretend, there was no one I had to meet expectations of or story to keep intact. In here I was just Juniper Gray; not a witch, not a Hufflepuff, not a quidditch player, not a student, not a “survivor” of Sirius Black, not even a transmigrator - I was just me.

“June you uh, you mean a lot to me.” Fred said, awkwardly reaching his hand out to place on my shoulder. “I’m not really great at expressing things like that to people, and I know sometimes I actually end up saying and doing things that make it seem like I feel otherwise. But I do care about you, and I want to make sure that you know. After…. after what happened with Sirius Black… when I came down and saw… When we weren’t sure if you were going to be okay I realized how close I had come to having our fight be our last conversation and I… I never want that to even be an option ever again. I never want you to ever question our friendship and how much I care about you. So, in the future, if I do something stupid, I want you to come to this room to get away. To be in a safe place where you don’t have to stress, and know that everytime I will be right outside waiting to make everything right again. Being friends with you makes me want to be a better person, for you, but also just in general. I don’t want to ever let the people I care about question how I feel about them, I want to be the kind of person who makes it very clear.”

“You have always been very straight forward, so I don’t think it will be a very difficult transition.” I said with a sniffle and a smile. Then I reached up and squeezed his hand that was still on my shoulder. “That’s something that I really admire about you.”

“I’m really glad you’re okay June.” He flipped his hand, grabbing mine and bringing them both between us. 

“Me too Freddie.”

SONGS:

June: You’re my Best Friend- Queen

Fred: I’d Die for You- Bon Jovi

Cedric: Andmoreagain- Love

Chapter Text

With rumbling stomachs we made our way to the kitchens, to which Fred and I were barely able to escape without bringing with us our entire weight in food. News of my encounter with Black had apparently reached the kitchens. The house elves, having I guess gotten fond of my presence, seemed the most relieved out of anyone to see that I was doing okay. Their expression of relief came less in words though, and more getting us to eat everything in the kitchens. I had to basically beg Toppy to convince everyone else that we could in fact not bring a full ham into our common rooms as a snack.

We did however leave with our arms full of tarts, fruits, and even some meat pies. Most of it got put into my bag, but Fred had some twinkle in his eyes as he talked about finding a good use for the tarts.

“Why do I feel like I’m going to be hearing about Filch cleaning those up later?” I asked, an eyebrow raised.

“Well if you did hear about it, it's because he deserved it.” Fred replied matter of factly. “After we got kicked out of the hospital wing yesterday some of us hung around the doors waiting to be let back in, but then Filch came and forced us to leave. Made some stupid excuses about students plotting schemes in suspicious groups or some similar nonsense like that.”

“ Were you guys being suspicious?”

“No!” He huffed out in exasperation. “I mean at that point Percy was still with us. How could that crazy old man think we could get up to anything with the head boy hovering over us?? Well, he was mostly hovering over Oliver, but still he was there-”

My heart skipped a beat at the mention of his name. The last on my list of people I still hadn’t been able to see today, but desperately wanted to. How is it that I managed to see Marcus Flint today and not my boyfriend? Well…. Hopefully he was still my boyfriend…. That was a worry that kept floating to the front of my mind and then forcefully shoved back down.

I had been given a decent 24 hours to think about everything that had happened between Oliver and I, and yet…. Something always seemed to be more pressing. But even with all the drama it still felt like they were just excuses to avoid the subject. I was evading thinking about any event with Oliver, and finding it very easy to do so.

But, it’s not like I didn’t want to figure out what was going on, I just…. If I was being honest with myself I was a little afraid that he realized things weren’t working out between us like he had planned. He found himself not being attracted to me or just not wanting a relationship at all. All the strange events that passed between us were him not being able to voice how he was feeling about me. So part of me worried that if I confronted him about what happened and actually talked openly about it, it would mean the end of our relationship as a whole…  

But I also missed him so much that it hurt. It was like the emptiness I felt being away from Fred- it was like it was unnatural at this point. It was a battle of fear vs fervor, and the passion was beginning to win out. Even if I was scared for what was to come, I still needed to see him.

“Hey you okay?” Fred’s finger came to my forehead, moving my bangs around to get my attention.

“Ah sorry-” I said, coming to and swatting his hand away. “I was just thinking about how I haven’t been able to talk to Oliver yet.”

“Wait really?” 

I looked over at Fred who looked genuinely shocked. I nodded my head.

“When was the last time you talked to him? At the hospital wing?”

“If you can call that talking then yes, but he didn’t actually say anything. Just sat there and held my hand.” 

In my mind I could see Oliver’s sad face as he left the Hospital Wing. Had he been upset because he was leaving me or was he sad knowing what was to come? Sad thinking about how upset I would likely be when he came to break things off…

“Oh yeah that’s not going to do-” 

I pulled from my anxious thoughts again and watched as Fred stopped and looked around. As he turned he looked towards the Hufflepuff common room entrance and moved quickly back to me. 

“Okay you wait here, or in your common room I guess, but just don’t go to bed yet-” He then placed all of the tarts he had been holding into my arms and turned to run off up the stairs.

“Wait, where are you going???” I called after him, confused and covered in pastries.

“Just wait here!” He yelled back, disappearing from sight.

Had he just run off to go and find Oliver?? How long was that going to take?? This castle was huge, and although the Gryffindor Quidditch captain was a man of habits, it would still probably take awhile. Plus Madam Hooch had called a meeting including said captain and depending on how long that took he could still be out in her office. What time even was it? I tried to move to see my watch but was unable. Was I just supposed to hold these damn desserts this whole time???

Slightly overwhelmed I turned and moved towards the wall. Carefully I began placing each tart on a ledge of stone, wanting to free my arms before I thought of a better solution. It was a surprisingly tedious task and I felt like I was being more careful than necessary for food that would likely become messy wall art. When I was free enough I looked at my watch and saw it was getting decently close to curfew. As I placed the last few tarts I heard pounding coming from the stairs and immediately thought that Fred had come back. Obviously he had realized that his plan was a bit too time consuming for such a later hour.

“Don’t be mad I put them down,” I called out, with my back still turned as I placed the last tart. “You weren’t going to eat them anyway so I figured it didn’t matter-”

As I turned to face Fred my heart totally stopped to see a head of disheveled brown hair and hazel eyes there to meet me, rather than the red hair with brown eyes I was expecting. The red hair did shuffle down the stairs a few seconds later though, looking even more disarranged than Oliver’s.

“Found him right at the entrance of the Great Hall,” Fred said in large gasps, coming the rest of the way down the stairs. “Soon as I mentioned you were down here he took off, and I realized I am really not cut out for running.”

He was still huffing a bit as he walked up to Oliver and I, who were both frozen in place. I was still shocked from the turn of events, and Oliver just seemed unsure of what to do next. Fred looked between us, and after totally catching his breath nodded a few times. 

“Well, I’ll leave you two kids to it-” He moved over to where the tarts were lined up. “If either of you happen to see George on your way to wherever you’re going to go, tell him I’m going to be practicing my batting on the third floor.”

After piling the desserts back into his arms Fred moved back towards the stairs. Before he disappeared again he looked over at me and made a face that was a sort of grimace smile. All I could do was blink back at him, my body still unwilling to compute the situation at hand. 

“H-how are you?” Oliver asked, his voice cracking a little. I turned to look up into his eyes and felt the awkwardness inside me melt a little at the hazel glow.

“I’m good, especially with all things considered. How are you?”

Oliver opened his mouth like he was going to answer, but no words came out. He closed it and looked around, a cloud of voices coming from the direction of my common room door.

“Could we… go somewhere to talk?”

“Oh uh sure. My common room will be pretty packed, but we could talk in the kitchens if you wanted.”

The boy seemed to mull it over for a second but then shook his head. 

“I'd rather us be alone if um, if that’s alright with you.” When I agreed he reached over like he was going to grab my hand, but stopped half way. “There’s a small room just up the stairs-”

He turned quickly, moving to head back up the stairs. The sight of him pulling away made my heart ache and I felt even more sure that this conversation was going to end with me more beat up than Sirius Black had left me. 

There was indeed a small storage room just to the side of the staircase. Although a large part of me was yelling to run away again and prolong the inevitable, I ignored it and followed Oliver inside. There weren’t any windows in the small space, but with his wand light we were able to quickly locate two sconces on the wall that we lit.

“June I’m so sorry-” He turned so quickly towards me that I almost fell back from surprise. I tried to brace myself for what was to come.

“-I feel like ever since your quidditch match things have just been going wrong left and right for you. I hate knowing how much you have had to go through, and even more so that I was the cause of most of it.”

“Oh Oliver you don’t have to-”

“No I do-” he replied quickly, cutting me off. “I do have to apologize, because in the end it was my fault that you were there in the Gryffindor Common room so late at night. If I had just been man enough to talk to you about how I was feeling before then you wouldn’t have had to come looking for me that night. And if you hadn’t come to sort things out with me then Black wouldn’t have…”

It seemed we were both too full of emotions to speak. There was Oliver who looked almost on the verge of tears, and then there was me who was so utterly embarrassed and guilty about everything I couldn’t even manage to make a squeak. I hadn’t even realized that when I used seeing Oliver as my alibi I was then making it seem like the blame was on him. I WAS A HORRIBLE PERSON. I think I really did deserve to be broken up with.

“I truly am so sorry-” Oliver finally continued again. “-that my choices led you to be placed in harm's way. Honestly I would be sorry for just waiting so long before I was upfront about how I was feeling, even if it didn’t cause a catastrophic event. So I ask now, that you would let me explain myself, and try to begin fixing all that I have done wrong.”

Unsure of what to say, I just nodded my head. Oliver gulped, and seemed to mentally prepare for something he had probably spent the last two days thinking about.

“That afternoon after the match, when we were alone in your locker room I ... .Well the thing is I’ve had strong feelings for you since our second date. And strong to me meant that there was something that existed outside of just being a friend because up until you that’s all I’ve ever felt. I’ve told you before that you’re the first person I’ve ever known where I wanted to pursue something more. But I didn’t realize how much stronger those feelings would grow…. Until recently it was mostly feelings of wanting to always be around you and wanting to share all the parts of my life with you. There were um other things as well, but I um didn’t realize how strong they were until recently…”

Oliver’s face was red now, and mine likely was as well for how hot it felt. This is not at all what I was expecting. As he turned away to have a bit of a coughing fit I tried in earnest to get my beating heart to calm the fuck down. I flinched when I heard what sounded like a cat meowing coming from the other side of the door, but turned back as Oliver started speaking again.

“When you um, when you came out of the showers-” He continued, not meeting my eyes. “-I just… It felt…Merlin, this feels so stupid to admit outloud.”

“If you don’t feel comfortable you don’t have to force yourself.” I said, finally finding my voice. It was a lot more quiet than I would have liked but at least I said something.

“No no it’s not that.” He said, shaking his head. “It's just more embarrassing than anything. The thing is I… I mean for years I’ve heard teammates talk about their feelings towards their partners or potential partners. I’ve heard, in usually more detail than I would have liked, how their feelings led them to want to participate in very… intimate acts… and I just didn’t understand. I had never felt that way about anyone, ever, and yet it seemed like such a natural thing for everyone else. I’ve spent years feeling like I was such an odd man out and had basically come to terms of those feelings never being part of my life. But then I met you-”

He stared so deeply into my eyes now that any amount of calming I had done to my heart was thrown away.

“-it was small at first, I almost didn’t realize the feelings were there. When we flew on your broom together on our second date I got what I realized everyone had described as butterflies in my stomach. At the time I thought maybe the broom was just so powerful it made me a little dizzy, but then when you hugged and kissed me goodbye that night, the same feelings came back. Ever since then it's just been growing, and I haven’t really known what to do about it. I’ve felt so out of my element I just waited for you to make any move, so that I wouldn’t do anything wrong. That worked alright, until I couldn’t really hold back anymore. And that’s what happened in the locker room, I uh… seeing you in the towel, with your hair wet, and your beautiful blue looking up at me I just… I lost control. 

“I was ready to do things I hadn’t realized I was ready for and had no idea if you were ready for. I barely came to before I realized what I was doing and I panicked. The thought of pressuring you into something that you didn’t want scared me, and instead of talking with you I just ran away like a coward. I wish so badly that I had just stepped back and given you some space, but I felt so connected to you that I didn’t think I could handle being in the same room as you without wanting to just continue. I didn’t know what to do with my feelings so I ran, and I am so sorry.”

Holy shit, holy fucking shit balls.

“Then I just made it worse!” Oliver continued, running his hands through his hair and starting to pace. “I thought being away from you would make me want you less, but it just made everything stronger. I-I was literally aching for you, it was all I could think about. Trying to think of anything but you was actually painful. But I didn’t think I could come see you because you deserved an explanation for me running out, but I knew if I saw you I would just do it all over again. And then I couldn’t get the image of you crouched there on the ground with your hair dripping water onto your bare skin- and then I’d picture your smile and I…. I did something deplorable. I had never even done anything like that before, but I did it and then you walked in and-” He buried his face in his hands. 

WHAT SHOULD I DO???? I was screaming internally, absolutely grappling with myself at how I should be reacting to all of this. Everything made sense, actually it made so much sense I was hitting myself that I hadn’t realized it on my own. But both of us had been clueless and it had led to an insane amount of misunderstandings that I wasn’t quite sure how to handle right now.

“I wanted to chase after you, even though I was mortified to have you walk in on that I didn’t think I should just let you go. And I did try to catch up, but by the time I had made myself presentable enough to run out of the room you were long gone, and I ended up choosing the wrong path from where you had gone. I searched for a while, checked your common room and the hospital wing- but when I came back to the tower I heard from my team that they had seen you run off to Hagrids and that Fred had gone to find you. I was so disheartened and ashamed at that point I just went back to my room to wallow in my misery. I didn’t realize that I would be feeling even more miserable not too long after.”

“When we came out to find you I- there has never been a single lost quidditch match that has made me feel as horrible as I felt seeing you there on the ground. When Percy ran off to get help I just had to keep my fingers on the pulse at your neck because I was terrified it would stop and then what would I do??? I'm so glad that you’re okay, but finding you there on the floor made me realized that I was letting my worries hold me back from spending this precious time with you. You mean so much to me, and I know that I’ll be leaving Hogwarts in a few short months- and really you never know how much time you have with someone, so I want to make sure that I don’t waste a single second with you.”

Oliver reached out for my hand again and I could see it was shaking. When our fingers finally touched we both instantly clasped hands and I squeezed so tight I was afraid I was going to hurt him.

“June-” I pulled my attention back to his eyes and felt my heart melt. “June, I love you.”

SONGS:

June: The Name of the Game- ABBA

Fred: That’s What Friends are For- Dionne Warwick 

Oliver: Can’t Help Falling in Love- Elvis Presley 

Chapter Text

“-Ms Gray?”

I shifted to the side as Cedric’s elbow nudged into me. My eyes shot up from where I had been blankly staring at my desk and I dropped my hand from my mouth with the now totally chewed off pointer finger nail. I met the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher's hazel eyes, which were somehow so vastly different from the ones I had just been thinking about.

“Uh yes professor?”

Lupin raised an eyebrow. “I asked if you could tell the class why it is that vampire bats are more of a perceived problem rather than an actual one- a gauge on if you had done the assigned reading.”

I blinked, trying to get my brain to finish cutting back into the present.

“I can answer professor-” Cedric offered, but I came to.

“It’s because Vampire bats are usually kept as pets of Vampires themselves, so many people think they can be just as dangerous as their owners. The truth is though that most of the bats would prefer to drink the blood of livestock, rather than any person.”

“That is correct,” Lupin said with a nod. I waited for him to make a comment about staying present in class, but he just moved on with the lesson. With his continuation, almost all of the eyes that had been on me turned back to the front, except for a pair of brown ones.

I looked over at Fred who, with a quizzical look, covertly pointed at me and then did a thumbs up. I nodded my head at the question and mouthed back “ after ” before turning myself back to the lesson- didn’t need Lupin to catch me slippin up again.

Truth be told, I didn’t actually know if I was doing good. Sure there was no more Sirius Black related drama, but that didn’t mean everything in my little world was calm.  I was so continuously anxious that the nail on my pointer finger was actually the last one to have met its end this week.

--

“-if you would please continue the chapter on vampires,” Lupin called out at the end of our double period. “-we should have this unit finished by the end of next week. Which would conclude all of our new material to be covered for this year and we will begin our comprehensive review for your OWLs.”

There was a groan that sounded around the room, including from myself. Most of our other classes had already begun their OWL reviews starting this week, and it had meant an exponential increase to homework and reading. The thought of adding DADA to that list was daunting at best.

“Now you may all be excused, except for Ms Gray- if you would stay back please.”

I groaned inwardly this time as I felt all the eyes from before turn back on me. I knew that Lupin wasn’t going to let me off so easily for slacking in his class. This somehow felt worse than having him call me out in the moment. I continued to keep my head down, finishing packing up my bag while the rest of my nosey classmates left the room. 

“I’ll wait outside,” Cedric said, making me finally look up. His gray eyes seemed clouded with worry and it made me sigh.