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marvelettesassemble · 4 years ago

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I liked the story, especially the quidditch scene and how their relationship changed. I loved how the conversation between Regulus and Sirius went - I just really enjoyed it!

Small Things. «Sirius Black»

Sirius Black x fem!Slytherin!Prefect!Reader; Platonic!Regulus Black x Reader; Marauders Era; oneshot; requested

SUMMARY: Y/N and Sirius do not get along. But, they soon find themselves stuck spending time together after Slughorn insists that Sirius receive tutoring from Y/N, and it gets harder to keep on being enemies.

REQUEST: [ read here ]

WORD COUNT: approx. 11.4k

WARNINGS: profanity, an innuendo

NOTES: [I’m bad at summaries. It’s basically “they’re rivals but they’re also dumb and can’t figure out that they’re just attracted to each other”] To the anon who requested: I diverged a little bit from the request but thank you for sending it in and sorry for the wait :)

Portraits snored softly as Y/N passed them by with light footsteps. The lantern in her hand offered enough light to see where she was going but the far ends of the hallway in either direction remained dark. After being a prefect for long enough, however, it was no longer as eerie as it used to be. There was a strange comfort in it, even. It was the most privacy she would get at Hogwarts.

An old wizard in green robes stirred in his sleep and jolted upright, blinking rapidly as Y/N drew closer with the lantern.

“Sorry,” she apologised.

He waved an emerald green sleeve back and forth before she could continue further down the hallway. “Psst! Slytherin girl!”

She stopped and looked at the wizard, raising the lantern to illuminate his portrait. “Yes?”

“Students out of bed,” he muttered. “They came through here not too long ago and woke me from my sleep.”

Y/N sighed. “Alright, I’ll look into it. Thank you. They went this way?” She gestured with the lantern to the other end of the hallway.

“Yes. Go get ‘em, lass,” the wizard grumbled as he sunk back into his chair and closed his eyes, a deep frown on his face.

Y/N turned down her lantern, reducing it to a tiny flame that would not draw attention. Footsteps as quiet as a mouse’s, she hurried down the hallway to try and catch up to the stray students. The area was empty when she looked around but when she listened closely, there were faint noises. Turning left, she grew closer and closer to the muted sounds with every few steps. And they sounded an awful lot like…oh no.

Y/N grimaced as she stopped in front of a broom closet. A broom closet that suspiciously erotic noises were coming from, noises that had no place in a school at such an hour — or at any hour.

“You like being a prefect, you like being a prefect,” she repeated to herself like a mantra.

Y/N turned the lantern back up, though she wasn’t sure if she was prepared to see whatever state of undress the people behind the door were in, and hesitated only a moment before knocking sharply three times against the wood. She was the one with the authority here, she had nothing to be nervous about.

The sounds of their movements stopped at once. No more ruffling fabrics, no more bumps, thumps or hushed giggles. The pair of horny miscreants whispered harshly to each other but it was too hard to understand what they were saying from the other side of the door. When they still had not come out after almost thirty seconds had passed, Y/N knocked a second time.

“I’m not just going to forget you’re in there and move on if that’s what you’re waiting for,” she said.

She heard a loud curse. Then, the door swung open, revealing none other than Sirius Black with his hair messier than usual and his lips stained with a lipgloss that probably wasn’t his.

“Not you again,” he hissed.

“Yes, it’s me again. Here to ‘ruin your life’ as usual,” Y/N said.

A girl appeared from behind Sirius, a Ravenclaw in a similar ruffled state.

“Cassandra,” Y/N greeted, her tone wavering somewhere between polite and forced.

“Hey…”

“I’ll have to take fifty points,” said Y/N.

Sirius’ mouth fell open.

“Fifty?” he asked incredulously.

Y/N turned her gaze upwards at him and narrowed her eyes into slits.

“Each.”

She took far too much joy in the look of anguish on Sirius’ face.

“I’ll just go back to the common room,” Cassandra mumbled as she slipped away.

Sirius pressed his lips together to hold back a storm of nasty words.

“You should be going back to bed now, don’t you think?” Y/N asked teasingly. “Merlin knows you need all of the beauty sleep you can get.”

“Typical,” Sirius spat. “You just can’t let anybody enjoy themselves, can you?”

“Not if they’re breaking school rules.”

“You know, maybe if you actually had a life, you wouldn’t be so concerned with what other people spend their time doing,” he said.

“And maybe if you had a functioning brain inside of that disproportionately large head of yours, you would realise that as a prefect, it’s my job to be concerned with what other people spend their time doing.”

Sirius exhaled sharply. “Oh, for the love of — you’re tighter than a —”

“Don’t finish that sentence unless you want me to take more points away,” Y/N warned.

“All I’m saying is that it wouldn’t kill you to try and be moderately pleasant for once. But who am I kidding…” Sirius trailed off, eyeing her green robes and Slytherin prefect badge with disgust.

“I can be perfectly pleasant, thank you,” she said, gripping the lantern tighter.

“That’s questionable,” he said.

“Well, I don’t care what you think of me. I know, that’s a big shock, you might need to sit down for a minute to process that, snookums.”

Sirius almost smiled — almost — and he started buttoning the rest of his shirt back up at a leisurely pace. It was this movement that made Y/N notice for the first time that it had been hanging half-open and she quickly looked away, not wanting to be caught staring. She did not want to give him the wrong idea, his ego was inflated enough as it was.

When Sirius was finished making himself decent, he leaned into Y/N’s line of vision and waved at her chirpily.

“You can’t keep doing this, you know,” she said, cheeks burning.

“Why? Because you catch me every time? But that’s the most fun part,” Sirius said with a pout.

“Because it is against the school rules that you are supposed to follow. They don’t put them in place for no reason.” She felt like she was trying to explain arithmancy to a toddler.

“Oh, but darling…” He brushed a delicate hand against her cheek as he moved a strand of hair out of her eyes, and he was so close that Y/N could feel the warmth radiating from him. Her heart thumped firmly in her chest as he leaned closer still and said in a low voice: “Rules are made to be broken.”

Y/N stared, almost shuddering from the proximity, but her face didn’t reveal any part of what she was feeling, and she did not want it to. Sirius did this sort of thing all the time with girls at Hogwarts. The flirty undertones, the teasing, the way he acted like he knew exactly what effect he had on people — because he did know very well how easily he could make people blush, squirm, or smile. This was not special.

Y/N slapped his hand away from her face like she was swatting a fly. She found that her thoughts were far more organised when Sirius wasn’t standing close enough for her to smell his cologne.

“Go to bed,” she said firmly.

“You can’t tell me what to do.”

“Actually, I can,” she said, tapping a finger to her badge.

Sirius rolled his eyes. “So what? You’ve got a fancy little badge…doesn’t mean th—”

Sirius closed his mouth remarkably fast when Y/N reached into the pocket of her robes and pulled out the largest dungbomb he had ever seen.

“Where did you get that?” Sirius asked.

“One of the perks of being a prefect is that you get to confiscate certain items.” She held it up for emphasis and Sirius crossed his arms.

“And you’re telling me you’re allowed to keep them? That’s not ‘against the rules’?” he asked, mimicking her voice.

She shrugged, rolling the dungbomb threateningly in her palm. “Maybe I should…get rid of it, then.”

“You wouldn’t. You don’t have the guts. You’re too scared to get in trouble,” he said.

Now, it was Y/N who was stepping closer to Sirius, quickly regaining the upper hand she knew she had.

“Who do you think the professors would believe? The boy who keeps getting caught breaking rules left and right? Or me: a prefect with an immaculate track record? Do you think they’ll rat me out when I regularly patrol these halls making sure students don’t disturb them?” Y/N gestured to the closest portrait. The witches in the painting shut their eyes, pretending not to have seen anything, and a painted cat scurried under one of their skirts.

Sirius opened and closed his mouth, seemingly at a loss for words.

“Oh, you’re good,” he said, almost impressed.

“I know. Now go to bed.”

Taking Y/N by surprise once more, Sirius acquiesced. He slowly began walking away, looking back over his shoulder every few paces with that same look on his face. It made her feel small under his gaze but somehow it wasn’t all that unpleasant.

Right before he turned into the next hallway, he looked back with a smirk on his face that could only mean he was about to say something to intentionally ruffle her feathers.

“By the way, that thing you said about me having a disproportionately large head? My head is just fine, thank you. Actually, it’s more than fine. My head is pretty great.”

Y/N could feel a blush crawl all the way down to her neck. Sirius triumphantly swaggered away and she bit her lip in frustration. Not only had he flustered her, but he’d gotten the last word in. Insolent bastard.

A portrait sniffed loudly and she looked up to see another witch staring at the dungbomb in her hand with her eyes narrowed.

“What?” Y/N asked, sliding it back into her pocket.

The witch raised her brows before closing her eyes and settling back into her chair, and just like that, the hallways of Hogwarts fell asleep once more.

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Regulus’ uniform was always neat. His tie was always straight, his shirts were never crinkled or untucked, and he wouldn’t be caught dead with scuffed shoes. Nobody would mistake him for anything other than a pure-blood from a well-to-do family with the way he carried and presented himself. How different he was from Sirius. It was hard to believe they were related — brothers, especially. Where Regulus was orderly and composed, Sirius was loud and passionate with a zest for life that Y/N struggled to admit she envied sometimes.

Regulus was sat across from her at a table in the library and as usual, he was hard at work on an essay with his quill scratching quickly but neatly across the parchment. Y/N had let herself become distracted from her own essay when a rumble of footsteps sounded from somewhere nearby and she saw Sirius Black zoom between a set of shelves with a stack of books balanced precariously in his arms. Madam Pince had shouted at him for his behaviour — and so she should have, he was acting like a twit — but Sirius’ sudden appearance had turned Y/N’s lips upwards into a smile that she was quick to force away.

She felt a light tap on the top of her hand and she tore her gaze away from the table that Sirius was sat at with his friends. Regulus watched her suspiciously, his attention now shifted away from his homework.

“Distracted?” he asked.

Y/N frowned and picked up her own quill once more. She tried to continue with the sentence she’d left half-finished, but it was impossible to gather her thoughts again when she could hear Sirius’ clear laugh ring out like a bell. Bloody hell, he was annoying.

Despite her silence, Regulus seemed to have gotten the answer he was looking for. He sighed, shaking his head.

“He’d be no good for you, you know,” he mumbled.

Y/N snapped her eyes back up to Regulus, prepared to deny any accusation he threw her way.

“I don’t know what you’re on about,” she said far too quickly for it to sound casual.

Regulus gently placed his quill down beside his parchment and leaned his elbows on the table.

“Then there must be something awfully interesting that you keep on staring at over there.”

Y/N gripped her quill tighter. Regulus was giving her that look. The kind of look that only a best friend can give when they know something is up, when there’s no point in trying to lie to them anymore because they’ve already sniffed out the truth for themselves.

“What, you want to talk about boys now? Shall I get my nail polish out? Perhaps you can braid my hair —”

Regulus cut her off with a snort.

“You’re hopeless,” he said, though not unkindly.

“I don’t have a crush on your brother if that’s what you’re insinuating. That’d be pathetic.”

Regulus smirked, leaning back in his chair. “Who said anything about my brother? I certainly never brought him up.”

Y/N paused, realising that she had foolishly given him the confirmation he needed. She pointed her quill threateningly at him. “I said I don’t like him. He’s the single most annoying person I’ve ever met. He drives me crazy.”

“I know he does,” Regulus said calmly. “That’s why you always rant about him after you catch him on your patrols.”

“I rant about him because he bothers me.”

“Or because you’re a little bit obsessed with him.”

Y/N’s mouth fell open at Regulus’ blunt statement. He seemed entirely unaffected, however. He even looked a little bored and that only made Y/N more frustrated. Regulus was good at poking her buttons when he wanted to; he was like the annoying little brother that she never asked for but ended up with anyway.

“I am not obsessed with him and I am insulted by the very notion.”

Regulus paid no mind to her quietly brewing anger — she often resorted to a quiet, seething rage when he provoked her on personal matters and it no longer fazed him — and he looked over at Sirius’ table.

“I suppose I can see why. Opposites attract,” he waved a hand lazily. “You, like so many others, are probably attracted to his jaunty, devil-may-care attitude and his shiny, long hair.”

“When did you become an expert?” Y/N muttered.

“You’re a dutiful student who’s never broken a rule nor swayed from the path you’re on, so somebody like my brother would offer the promise of excitement and adventure that you think you need.” Regulus faced her again, holding up a finger like a stern parent. “But you don’t need that. You’ve worked hard to build up your reputation and achieve everything that you have, and you don’t want to risk tarnishing that by chasing after…well — that.”

Regulus finished by gesturing back over at his brother. Now, Sirius was leaned back on his chair, long legs resting over the edge of the table, and his head was tilted upwards at the book he was levitating in the air. He made it look effortless.

“Uh…yes. I agree. That’s what I was saying,” Y/N said with her eyes still glued to Sirius.

Regulus pursed his lips, clearly not convinced, but he accepted her answer anyway.

“Now, if you’re quite finished, I have an essay to write,” she said, finally turning back to her essay.

A good thirty seconds of silence passed until Y/N groaned loudly and slammed her book closed.

“Well, now I just can’t focus at all. Thanks, Reg.”

“Yes, it’s completely my fault,” he said dryly.

Regulus watched with masked amusement as she quickly gathered her things into her bag.

“I’m going back to the common room,” she said.

“Good riddance. Try not to daydream about my devil of a brother while you’re at it.”

Regulus had no time to duck as Y/N accidentally knocked her bag into his face on her way out.

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Y/N stared in disbelief at Slughorn, equally as horrified as the boy who stood next to her.

“No!” she and Sirius said at the same time.

Slughorn folded his hands patiently on the desk in front of him.

“Mister Black, you are a bright young man and I know for a fact that you perform well in many other classes, but you aren’t adequately applying yourself in Potions. Miss L/N is an excellent student and she’s helped others make great improvements through tutoring. It’s a perfect match.”

Sirius made a belching sound that was just quiet enough that Professor Slughorn must have mistaken it for a cough.

“All due respect, sir, but I have many responsibilities as it is. I don’t think I’m prepared to handle…all of this.” Y/N side-eyed Sirius.

“You know you can’t handle all of this,” Sirius muttered cockily, once again going unheard (or at least unacknowledged) by Slughorn.

Professor Slughorn sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “Well, if I must, I can pair you with another student to improve your results, Mister Black. Severus Snape is highly proficient in —”

“No!” Sirius said abruptly.

Slughorn paused. “No?”

Sirius sucked in a breath and patted Y/N on the shoulder roughly. “This’ll do just fine.”

“I’m not an item at a yard sale, you know,” Y/N said, shrugging his hand off.

“Are you willing to help Mister Black, then?” Slughorn asked.

Y/N looked between Sirius and the professor. Sirius looked desperate, grey eyes pleading silently for her to agree, and she could guess why. He and Severus did not get along. The two of them together would be even worse than her and Sirius.

“Alright…fine.”

Y/N wasn’t quite sure why she decided to agree. She told herself it was because she couldn’t refuse a direct request from a professor, that she was only agreeing to be Sirius’ tutor because it was her obligation as a prefect. That wasn’t the honest reason, however. She knew it likely had something to do with the flutter in her chest that only ever happened when Sirius Black looked her way.

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“You’re doing it wrong.”

“I think I would know if I was doing it wrong.”

“Who’s the tutor here?”

“Well, I know who the pain in the ass is here and for once, it isn’t me,” Sirius said.

Y/N resisted the urge to throw her notebook at Sirius’ head, not for the first time since they had commenced their study session.

Sirius was all too aware of the annoyingly close eye Y/N was keeping on him as he measured out the next powder required for their potion. Though his back was turned to her, simply knowing that she was looking at him sent a strange tingle across the back of his neck, raising goosebumps along his skin. Not unpleasant, not unenjoyable, but entirely unwelcome. She had no right to mess with his focus like that. What was she playing at?

“That’s too much,” she pointed out.

“It’s fine, it’s only a tiny bit over,” he said.

“No, it’s not fine! Not unless you want that potion to melt the skin off your face, that is.”

Sirius squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. She could be even more dramatic than he was — something he didn’t know was possible.

“Alright, now you’re really just nitpicking, aren’t you?”

“Potions is a very precise branch of magic. All of the measurements have to be exact. Small things make a difference,” Y/N said, frustrated that she’d had to repeat this simple fact so many times already.

She shooed him with her hands and took over with measuring the powder, then gestured for Sirius to pay attention as she added it to the bubbling liquid inside the cauldron.

“Where did you learn all this stuff anyway? You seem comfortable with it,” Sirius asked after several quiet minutes had crawled by.

Y/N was surprised by the question, her movements slowing. She couldn’t recall a time when Sirius had asked her a real question about herself, nor could she remember ever asking him about his own life. Despite the fact that they always managed to cross paths one way or another, they’d never had a proper conversation — at least not one that didn’t consist of petty back-and-forth. The only reason she knew anything at all about his life (which was still only very little) was because she had picked up the occasional piece of information dropped by Regulus throughout the years. Regulus’ mentions of his brother had grown few and far between, though.

“My mother’s very skilled at Potions. Even before I received my Hogwarts letter, I tried to learn everything I could from her so I would be ready,” she explained. She expected a snide remark from Sirius but it never came. He simply nodded, eyes still trained on the cauldron, and the edges of his lips curled upwards so subtly that Y/N almost missed it.

“Only you would start taking classes before school even started,” Sirius said, voice laced with amusement. His words didn’t carry the same scathing tone they so often had in the past. If Y/N didn’t know better, she might even say he spoke fondly.

Unsure how to react to a less abrasive Sirius than she was used to, she just gave a hesitant smile. “Well…I don’t like to be caught unprepared,” she said.

“I can tell,” Sirius chuckled.

Y/N finished stirring the potion and turned her questioning gaze to him. “What does that mean?”

Sirius shrugged and a smug sort of look settled over his features. “Nothing, you’re just a bit of a square is all,” he said.

Y/N’s immediate response was to scoff. It was an insult she was all too familiar with. Square. Boring. Dull. Unadventurous.

“One day, Sirius Black, you and your friends will all be working for me.”

Sirius laughed at that, leaning back on his chair. “I guess that’s plausible,” he said.

“Perhaps not that Lupin one, though,” Y/N said thoughtfully. “There may be hope for him yet.”

“That one will outlive us all,” Sirius said, nodding his head in agreement. “But he’s not as innocent as he’d have you believe, Miss Prefect.”

Even when Y/N glanced at him curiously, Sirius did not say anything more, merely tapping the tip of his nose. Instead of pressing the topic, Y/N gave the last set of instructions for the potion, watching closely as Sirius added the final ingredients. When all was done, she collected a single vial of the potion to give to Professor Slughorn for feedback.

“There. No singed eyebrows or melted flesh today.” She dusted her hands on her skirt.

Sirius saw that she started to pack away her things. “That’s it?”

“That’s it. Essence of Insanity,” she said. Sirius smirked and began to lean toward the cauldron in what Y/N could only describe as mischievous curiosity.

“Nope,” she said quickly. She pointed her wand at the cauldron and vanished the potion before he could collect a vial’s worth or more of the stuff. Sirius slumped back onto his stool with a defeated frown. Then, he blew a short raspberry at her.

“How very mature of you,” Y/N said, rolling her eyes.

“Yes, well, that’s not counted amongst my many known strengths.”

“At least you’re self-aware.”

Sirius stretched his arms above his head as if he’d been slaving away all day. With his robe long tossed aside and his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, Y/N was given a view of his rather lovely forearms. As soon as she’d caught herself looking too long, she felt nothing but frustration at both herself and at Sirius. He was probably doing it on purpose.

When the equipment was packed away, Y/N turned to Sirius. “Same time next week?” she asked. Sirius nodded.

Just like the past several times they had met up to work, the energy between them changed completely once they left the empty classroom behind. The relative peace they had enjoyed during their sessions evaporated as soon as they were in the proximity of other students. As they parted ways once more without so much as a goodbye, both were equally as surprised to find that their prickly attitudes towards each other didn’t feel as satisfying nor as warranted as they used to.

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Sirius sat silently under the shade of the tree, barely paying attention to the conversation James, Remus, and Peter were all having about Quidditch. His focus was elsewhere.

Y/N was sat some distance away from them beneath another tree with a few Ravenclaws and Slytherins, including his brother. They seemed awfully close, Y/N and Regulus. It shouldn’t have been surprising to Sirius, and it definitely shouldn’t have made him as annoyed as it did.

He jumped as a twig was thrown at him.

“Stop being creepy, Padfoot,” said James.

“I’m not doing anything.”

“Tell that to your eyes,” Peter snickered.

Sirius glared at Peter and turned his body to face his friends once more, not quite trusting himself to stop his gaze from wandering again.

“You were looking at Y/N again, right?” James asked. The curiosity in his voice was undermined by his obvious disapproval.

“I was not!” Sirius said, surprising both himself and James with his volume.

James pursed his lips. “Alright, calm down. I was just asking.”

Sirius sighed and leaned back against the rough bark of the tree. “So what if I was, anyway?” Sirius asked quietly.

Weeks had gone by of their study sessions, and it grew harder and harder for Sirius to keep disliking her as much as he thought he had before. He found himself buzzing with anticipation for their weekly meetings, eagerly awaiting whatever conversations they might have weaved through all the Potions talk. He looked forward to their banter, which had become decidedly less argumentative and was now more tongue in cheek than anything. She almost always had a quick response for anything he said, and her complete unwillingness to put up with any of his bullshit was…riveting.

James began to list things off on his fingers. “She’s a Slytherin, she’s a prefect, she’s friends with Regulus and Merlin knows who else, she’s always ratting us out to the professors.”

Sirius could only replace James’ statements with thoughts of his own — ones he refused to say out loud to his friends. She’s ambitious. She’s dedicated. She knows who she is and doesn’t apologise for it.

“She’s alright, actually,” Remus spoke up.

“What?” James asked.

“How do you know her?” Sirius asked.

“I’ve talked to her a few times. Only ever about prefect stuff, really, but she’s nice.”

“I’d find her a lot nicer if she didn’t keep taking points from Gryffindor,” James muttered.

“She’s just doing her job,” Sirius said defensively, surprising even himself.

James looked at Sirius, over his shoulder at Y/N, then back to Sirius, eyes widening. “You like her.”

Sirius frowned. “I do not.”

“I thought you were just ogling because she’s pretty, but you actually like her!” James said, his tone excited or horrified or some strange combination of both.

Peter sat up straighter, even more interested in the conversation now. Sirius Black crushing on a Slytherin prefect — how scandalous.

Sirius felt his face turn hot. He wasn’t quite embarrassed, no. It was frustration. “Why does it matter?” he asked, shoulders tensing.

“Mate, come on. It’ll never happen. It’s practically a crime against nature,” James said, making Remus roll his eyes.

Sirius turned back to see Y/N walking away. With Regulus. He shifted uncomfortably, watching as their forms grew smaller the further they walked. Y/N laughed at something Regulus had said — a bright sort of laugh that he had never heard from her before — and it made his stomach twist and his chest contract. He wanted to run over there and wedge himself between the two of them just so they’d stop walking so close together.

Sirius thought he would never have another reason to be jealous of Regulus, and yet here he was. He wanted to be the one walking next to her without caring what anyone else thought. He wanted to be the one to make her laugh like that. He wanted to be more than just some Gryffindor she was forced to tutor, because he now knew with certainty that she was more than just a bothersome prefect to him.

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“Wingardium Leviosa.”

Sirius flicked his wrist and at once, the bucket was lifted into the air. He guided it further up until James gave him a thumbs up. Perfect: nobody would see it coming. They scurried behind the wall so they could peek into the corridor without being seen by their target. Then, they waited. And waited. And waited.

James, who was watching the map, nodded at Sirius. “They’re coming ‘round the corner in a few seconds, get ready.” He pressed his wand against the paper and whispered: “Mischief managed.”

Sirius grinned and raised his wand slightly, waiting until he saw movement. When he saw Y/N turn the corner at the far end of the corridor, the smile fell from his face.

“What the fuck, Prongs?” he whispered harshly, glancing back at his friend. James looked confused as Sirius pocketed his wand.

They peered back into the corridor to see Y/N getting closer. “Mate, we’re gonna miss our chance, it’s now or never,” James said.

He held out his own wand and raised it towards the bucket but before he could utter a single syllable, Sirius shoved his arm roughly and knocked the wand right out of his grasp.

“Padfoot, what are you doi—”

“Shh!”

There was no point trying to hide anymore. Y/N slowed to a stop and looked down to find them both crouched on the ground with guilty looks on their faces and a mess of blank parchment around them.

“Good afternoon, gentlemen. Having a good time down there on the floor?” she said, not hiding the confusion (and slight judgement) in her voice.

Sirius patted the cold stone floor beneath him. “Yep.”

James just narrowed his eyes and kept glancing between the two of them.

“Alright…as you were,” Y/N said before walking away from the odd scene she had happened upon.

When she was out of sight and out of earshot, James gathered the map in his hands and scrambled to stand.

“You’ve got it bad, mate. And that’s bad!” he huffed.

“That’s ridiculous. I just don’t think she deserves to have a bucket of slug slime dumped over her head, alright?”

“The slime was your idea!”

“You didn’t tell me it was Y/N who was coming!”

“Why does that matter?”

Ignoring the question, Sirius dusted himself off and snatched the map from James’ hands.

“I’ve got stuff to do. I’ll see you later,” he said. He didn’t stick around to answer James’ onslaught of questions.

After checking that nobody was around, Sirius opened up the map and waited for the enchanted ink to bleed onto the page. His eyes searched for a certain set of footprints and shortly after, he was following their trail to the library. Merlin, she’d made a nerd out of him.

Sirius casually waltzed into the library, waving at a suspicious Madam Pince. He didn’t have to think too hard to figure out where Y/N would be sitting. Just as he expected he would, he found her in a quiet nook between two bookshelves with class notes sprawled out in front of her.

“Hey,” he greeted. She lifted her head and smiled for a second before hastily returning to a neutral expression.

“Hi.”

“So, Slughorn said that in my essay, I didn’t really show a thorough understanding of the process of our last potion. Think you could walk me through it again?”

“I thought you did well.” Y/N frowned.

Sirius shrugged, knowing full well he was lying his arse off. “Guess he’s just being extra hard on me so I get better.”

“Alright…sure. I don’t have any homework to do, I’m just revising, so it’s good timing.”

Sirius grinned and pulled a chair up next to her. He hardly paid attention to a word she said about Potions.

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The cheers of the students were already deafening and the match had not even started yet. It was the first game of the season, Gryffindor versus Slytherin — the strongest house rivalry of them all. So, understandably, everybody was losing their mind.

By the time most people had settled into the stands, Y/N was forced to take the first vacant spot she could see, and it so happened to be right at the split between Gryffindor and Slytherin team supporters — right at the heart of the action. The sky had a grey cast to it and the clouds looked like they might spill over at any moment. She hoped any rain they got wouldn’t be heavy enough to mess up the match.

Y/N approached the barrier to look down at the field. The players hadn’t come out yet but they would be soon. Something brushed up against her arm and she turned to see Sirius, wearing jeans and a leather jacket with his Gryffindor scarf draped over his shoulders. He inhaled deeply and nodded.

“It’s a good day to lose, L/N.”

Y/N snorted. “So you’re alright with your team losing, are you?”

Sirius shook his head. “No, no, that’s not what I meant — your team, not mine, your team is going to lose. Epically. By a very large margin.”

“You shouldn’t get so far ahead of yourself. It’ll only be more embarrassing for you when we win.”

Sirius grinned, gripping the bannister and leaning over to check again if there was any movement. “The Slytherin team can eat old wizard ba—”

The swelling roars of the crowd drowned out Sirius’ next words. The teams came out onto the field at last, the Gryffindors in their stunning scarlet robes and the Slytherins in their rich green ones. Y/N’s eyes quickly searched for Regulus and she found him walking alongside his teammates with his head held high. He looked unruffled by the cheering of the crowds, the dirty looks from the other team, and the darkening skies above.

On the other side of the field, Y/N observed the Gryffindor team. Already she could see James Potter striding confidently to the centre of the field with his teammates, waving at the students in the stands as he went. Saint Potter. She prayed to any gods that might exist that Regulus would annihilate him.

The match went on just like every other match. Chasers went after the Quaffle, hitting it at the hoops; Keepers tried their best to block it; Beaters sent the Bludgers flying in different directions. Regulus and James hovered high above it all, both squinting through the fresh drizzle for the Golden Snitch.

A Slytherin Beater zoomed through the air and swung her bat, sending a Bludger hurtling towards the Gryffindor Chaser who had just managed to get hold of the Quaffle. The Chaser dodged the Bludger just in time but lost his balance, and the Quaffle slipped from his hands. A nearby Slytherin Chaser had been waiting to strike, and he zipped right under the Gryffindor and snatched up the Quaffle before he realised what was happening. It was a straight shot to the hoops and the Slytherin Chaser sent the Quaffle soaring past the Keeper and through the centre ring.

Y/N clapped her hands excitedly. The Slytherin team was far more clever and skilful now that a few members had been replaced. A mishmash of boos and cheers filled Y/N’s ears and she slowly turned her gaze to Sirius to give him a knowing look, to which he just scoffed.

“Lucky shot,” he muttered.

The light trickles of rain started getting heavier, and Y/N could feel the cool raindrops hit her scalp, dampening her hair. A handful of students had umbrellas on them but most people had not anticipated rainfall. She jumped when she felt a sudden warmth surrounding her along with the crisp scent of leather, something woody, and something else that she had come to recognise as just Sirius. She looked up to see that Sirius had taken off his jacket and draped it over her head and shoulders.

“What are you —”

“Shhh, stop whining, I’m being chivalrous. It’s what sets me apart, you know,” he said with a wink.

Y/N’s face warmed despite the chill in the air and she turned back to face the field again, muttering something.

“What was that?” Sirius asked, even though he’d heard her well enough the first time.

“I said thank you…” she mumbled.

“Sorry, dove, still not getting it.”

“Thank you!” she shouted to be heard over the crowd.

“You are so very welcome,” he said, leaning forward on the railing. Y/N adjusted the jacket so that she could pull it around herself, and her heart fluttered when she noticed Sirius smile at that before looking away again.

The game went on but unfortunately for Y/N and the rest of Slytherin, the Gryffindors had taken the lead. The early success of the Slytherins must have lit a fire underneath the Gryffindors because they started playing even harder, even more daringly, making risky passes and throws that kept on paying off. It gave Sirius an annoying amount of confidence back.

“Looks like they’ve run out of that luck, Y/N,” he said cockily. “Might as well admit defeat now.”

He closed his eyes and held his arms out like he was anticipating and calmly accepting a barrage of curses from her. With his eyes closed, Y/N didn’t bother to stop herself from smiling in amusement. But then she saw movement from almost directly above, and she looked up to see Regulus rush past overhead. He had his gaze locked onto something, steely and unwavering. It was damn near impossible to see, especially in the worsening weather, but there was a flash of something shiny and gold. Regulus was after the Snitch.

“Open your eyes, dingus,” Y/N said, tapping Sirius on the arm. “I want to see the joy leave your eyes when this happens.”

Sirius opened his eyes and looked confused for a moment before he realised what was happening. Regulus was catching up to the Snitch. James had of course taken notice and had already started trying to beat Regulus to it, but he had been too far away to get there quickly enough.

Regulus was getting closer. Y/N clenched her teeth, curled her toes, squeezed her fists; she didn’t even realise that she was practically hugging Sirius’ arm by now. Sirius looked away from the match for a moment to glance down at the Slytherin clinging to his arm like a little green barnacle. He chose not to say anything about it, though he felt considerably warmer now than he had a few minutes ago.

The shouts grew louder as Regulus got closer. James was behind him, closer now but still not close enough. Regulus held out his arm, leaning, reaching, trying to inch just a little bit further and he was so close now that just a little nudge would push the Snitch into his hand.

“Come on, Reg, you little bastard, you can do it! Motherfucker —!” Y/N called out, knowing that there was no possible way Regulus could hear her but needing to yell something anyway.

“Your idea of encouragement is giving off a confusing energy!” Sirius said.

Not a second later, Regulus gave one final push forward and swiped his hand through the air before his broom came to a stop. When he raised his hand, a small set of golden wings fluttered out.

The Slytherins erupted into passionate cheers of joy and the win was announced. Regulus catching the Snitch had given them the boost they needed to surpass Gryffindor by a mere twenty points. Y/N cheered along with her housemates and clapped for Regulus’ victory, overcome with the rush that could only be felt at a Hogwarts Quidditch match. She turned to Sirius to take delight in the look of defeat on his face but what she found instead twisted her insides just a bit. Sirius’ eyes were clearly trained on his brother, who was now being embraced by his teammates and excitedly jostled around. Sirius had the smallest of smiles on his face, so subtle that most people wouldn’t notice it. He looked somewhat proud, perhaps, but it was a pride that Sirius clearly had a hard time expressing. Mostly, he looked sad. Mournful.

The students eventually began to file out of the stands, some of them heading down to the field to congratulate the players and others going back to the castle. Y/N and Sirius lingered towards the back.

“Well, you guys won. Fair and square,” Sirius said, sounding like the words physically pained him.

“It was a game well-played on both sides,” Y/N offered. “You might’ve done better if your Seeker hadn’t been trying to show off so much, though.”

Sirius barked out a laugh, shaking his head. He couldn’t argue with that even though James was his best friend.

“In his defence, he’s trying to woo someone and looking cool while flying a broom is apparently one of the approved methods.”

“I get the feeling that Evans wouldn’t be too impressed by that,” Y/N said, laughing.

Sirius raised his eyebrows. “You know Lily?”

“Of course I do, we’re both prefects, but we’re also friendly. Yeah, she’s told me heaps about you lot.” Lily had indeed spoken here and there about Sirius and his friends, but never at great length. Y/N liked winding Sirius up, though.

“Huh? What does she tell you about me?” Sirius asked.

“Mostly okay things,” Y/N said vaguely.

“Mostly? Okay? What does that mean?” Sirius asked.

“It means that most of the things she’s said about you are okay.”

“I need specifics.”

“I’ve got to go congratulate the team,” Y/N said. She began to (somewhat reluctantly) shed Sirius’ jacket. “See you later. Thanks again,” she said, handing Sirius his jacket and quickly darting towards the stairs.

“What does she tell you?” Sirius called out.

“Bye!” Y/N waved as she disappeared from sight.

Sirius sighed and put his jacket back on. A smile grew on his face. “What an asshole,” he mused fondly.

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Y/N’s hand began to ache as she finished another page of notes for Charms. It was a tedious process but she’d found that she never quite remembered things well enough unless she wrote them out.

Some of the students in the Great Hall talked amongst themselves — which they were free to do given that it was a weekend — but she had been able to block the noise out and finally, she had found her place of focus. Nothing could distract her now.

“Y/N,” Regulus said, poking her roughly on the arm.

“What?” She jolted, nearly scratching a dark line of ink across the page. Her steely glare did nothing to deter Regulus and he pointed at the space of the table in front of her where a piece of folded parchment sat.

“What’s that?” she asked. Regulus shrugged.

“It just landed in front of you a moment ago. Can’t see who it might’ve come from, though.”

“Probably some idiot…” she trailed off, unfolding the paper.

She wasn’t sure what she expected but it certainly wasn’t this. On the paper was a small drawing enchanted to move. It was her favourite kind of flower, closing up and then blossoming open again on a loop.

Y/N’s heart fluttered and she pulled the note closer to herself so that nobody else could peek over at it. It was the first time she had ever received something of this nature — something simple, thoughtful, and sweet. She knew she wasn’t the most sought-after girl in Hogwarts; her house and role as prefect were enough to spook off potential admirers from the other houses and, with the exception of Regulus, she wasn’t that close with anyone else in her own house. So, she quickly grew suspicious and eager to find out who this note was from and what the intent behind it was.

Her first thought was Regulus. He was her best friend — he would know what her favourite flower was.

“Is this from you?” she asked.

Regulus looked up from his own notes and glanced at the parchment in her hand. “No. What is it, anyway?”

Y/N hesitated before handing it to him. He looked it over, then flipped the paper to the other side and raised his eyebrows.

“What?”

“Someone’s got a secret admirer,” he said, passing it back.

The message was short and simple but it made Y/N’s cheeks burn with an intensity she had never felt before. ‘You look pretty today,’ with a little smiley face at the end. Her? A secret admirer?

“Who’s it from?” Regulus asked.

“I don’t know, why do you think I asked you?”

Regulus shrugged. “Surely you must have some idea of who it might be.”

“Really, I don’t.” She looked along the Slytherin table, trying to find if anybody was watching or looking at all suspicious. Nobody.

With a giddy smile, she tucked the note carefully into her journal for safekeeping, certain that she would be taking it out and looking at it many more times in the coming days. What did it mean? Was it just a friendly note or was there somebody in the school who was actually interested in her?

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The notes kept coming and they were different every time. One time there was a quote pulled from her favourite book, another time a lyric from a song she liked. Several of the notes had hilariously bad pick-up lines that never failed to get a smile out of her. ‘Do you play Quidditch? Because you sure are a Keeper.’ Other times, it was a sweet little observation or compliment. Saying her hair looked nice, that she had a sweet smile. And then there were the notes with poorly-drawn but still endearing cartoons. She had kept them all, of course, but she hadn’t gotten any closer to figuring out who was sending them. She could do little more than enjoy the rush of butterflies she felt every time she found a new note. They made her feel noticed and, for once in her life, completely unprepared. It was exciting.

Regulus had noticed her sunnier-than-usual disposition. It was a good thing, sure, but it also meant she was more distracted than she usually would be. Unlike Y/N, his suspicions had grown significantly and he was certain that it was his brother sending them. From what he could gather, their study sessions had become less troublesome every time. He could tell because Y/N had stopped complaining about them and almost seemed to look forward to them, even though she had not yet admitted that. Whenever a new note did come, she was too preoccupied with opening and reading it to notice that Sirius was always a safe distance away, trying to pretend he wasn’t watching. Regulus had not shared this information with his friend, nor did he intend to. Not until he’d spoken to Sirius first.

He ignored the looks he got from Sirius’ friends when he approached his brother in the halls.

“I need to talk to you,” he said confidently, refusing to let himself be intimidated by the pack of lions.

Sirius looked down at his brother, taken aback.

“Some time today would be nice,” Regulus added after a long silence passed.

Sirius rolled his eyes and nodded, parting from his equally-confused friends.

“What’s this about, then? One of our parents finally kick the bucket?” Sirius asked.

Regulus pressed his lips together and exhaled through his nose, staring up at Sirius with no humour in his eyes. “No. This isn’t about our parents. It’s about Y/N.”

Sirius blinked. “Oh.”

“Yes. Oh. What are you doing?”

“What?”

“What are you doing?” Regulus repeated.

“That’s a very broad question, you’ll have to be more specific.”

“I know it’s you who’s been sending those notes to her,” Regulus said bluntly.

Sirius crossed his arms over his chest. “You can’t prove that.”

“I’m not an idiot, I know it’s you. I just want to know why.”

“Why? Because I want to, is that a good enough answer for you?”

“I know what you’re like and I especially know what you think of my house. Despite what you may think, Y/N’s a good person and she’s just as vulnerable as anyone else,” Regulus blurted. Even a few minutes in his brother’s presence again was enough to make his composure start to fade away.

“What are you insinuating here?” Sirius asked, his irritation steadily growing.

“I’m not insinuating, I’m saying it outright. I don’t know what your endgame is but I know it’s not good. I just never thought you’d be so cruel as to get her hopes up like that.”

Sirius nearly exploded on the spot and just barely managed to stop himself from shoving his brother into the wall. “You think I’m just stringing her along?”

“It’s what you do — it’s what you’ve always done. You’re interested in the shiny new thing for a while, then you drop it as soon as something more exciting comes along. Well, guess what? Not all of us can afford to play around with people like that. Not all of us will have an unlimited number of people ready to jump at the chance to be our friend,” Regulus said, clenching his fist around the strap of his bag.

Sirius looked as if he’d been slapped in the face. “What, are you jealous or something? You’re worried I’m trying to steal your little friend?”

Regulus said nothing. Sirius’ face fell.

“I may be an asshole, but I’m not that cruel,” Sirius said quietly, his anger reducing as his shoulders sagged.

Regulus shifted uncomfortably, unable to meet Sirius’ eyes any longer. “She’s the only good friend I’ve got, Sirius.”

Sirius watched his little brother curiously, allowing the anger and hurt he’d felt at Regulus’ accusations to roll off of him. Regulus had not dared to speak with him in a long time but here he was, asking him not to break his friend’s heart. He couldn’t be mad at him for that.

“I…I understand,” Sirius mumbled awkwardly.

Regulus looked back up with his eyes narrowed.

“I’m not being an ass here, you know,” Sirius added quickly. “I really do like her.”

Regulus scoffed. “She’s a Slytherin prefect.”

“I know. She drives me crazy.”

Regulus’ face changed when he said that; almost the barest hint of a smile, though Sirius could not understand it.

“You aren’t just saying that?” he asked.

Sirius was quick to shake his head. “No. I’ll admit she used to bug the shit out of me, but she’s grown on me considerably these past few months. I wouldn’t intentionally lead her on if I didn’t like her.”

Regulus nodded slowly.

“And to think: this might be the one thing you’ve done that our parents would approve of.”

“Don’t ruin it, Reg.”

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Regulus sat next to Y/N on the sofa in the common room. “It’s Sirius.”

She looked up at him. “What?”

“The notes you’ve been getting. They’re from my brother.”

Y/N’s heart jumpstarted in her chest. There was no way that could be true…right?

“How do you know?” she asked, not quite sure if she even believed it yet.

“I suspected as much, so I asked him about it and he admitted it,” Regulus said, leaving no room for further confusion.

The notes were from Sirius. All those nice things she’d had said about her were thought up by Sirius Black. He thought she was pretty, that she had a nice smile and nice hair and a sweet laugh. He knew what her favourite flower and book was. How did he know that?

Regulus made no comment on the look of utter disbelief on her face.

“I thought you ought to know…” he said uncertainly. “I don’t know if and when he was planning on coming clean. Didn’t want you to keep torturing yourself over trying to figure out who they were from.”

Y/N watched as Regulus avoided her eyes and stared off into the common room. “What’s wrong?”

Regulus waved her off.

“Have I done something to upset you?” Y/N asked. She didn’t like when Regulus got all quiet and distant.

“No,” he said quickly. “You haven’t done anything. I…”

“Regulus,” she urged.

“It’s stupid.”

“I’m sure it’s not if it’s upsetting you.”

Regulus tugged at his tie uncomfortably. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

When Y/N just stared at him in silence, needing more to go on, he sighed and continued.

“Look, he said he really likes you —”

“He does?”

“— and I don’t think I doubt him on that, but he’s…well, you know him well enough by now to know what he’s like. He’s not the most committed type.”

In some ways she knew it was true. Sirius was easily distracted, easily tempted, he struggled to control his impulses just like so many other teenagers at Hogwarts. But in the time they’d spent studying Potions together, Sirius had actually developed a sense of duty regarding his studies. He certainly didn’t flaunt it, maybe because it wasn’t ‘cool’ enough to fit with his image, but Y/N had noticed. Sirius Black was many things, but he wasn’t stupid. She knew that wasn’t what Regulus was talking about, however.

“I can’t stop you from…doing…whatever it is that you want to, whether that be, uh, dating, or —”

Y/N just nodded at Regulus, silently assuring him that she understood and he didn’t have to detail all of the possibilities.

“All I can say, really, is that if you decide to…date him, don’t let him mess it up. Don’t put up with anything less than complete loyalty.”

Regulus was clearly uncomfortable talking about such a subject so candidly. Y/N’s heart swelled with the knowledge that he cared that much.

“Thank you,” she said, “for looking out for me, and for worrying about me.”

Regulus gave her a bittersweet smile. “Thank you for the same. You’re the only person who does.”

Y/N looped her arm through Regulus’ and exhaled. “I don’t know what will happen with Sirius. I can’t believe these words are coming out of my mouth right now, but I’ve actually started to enjoy his company.”

Regulus nodded stiffly and Y/N was quick to wrap up the subject.

“Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that no matter what happens with Sirius — whether it’s a success or an astounding failure — you’ll still be my best friend. Nothing and no one else can touch that.”

Regulus smiled and looked away to hide it. When he did not respond, Y/N squeezed his arm.

“I need to hear you say it, too, Reg. We’ll always be friends, right?”

Regulus patted her hand. “Always.”

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Sirius found Y/N reading alone in the courtyard on a bench. He waved a hand over the pages of her book to get her attention and Y/N looked up at him.

“What do you want?” she snapped, only to wince at her tone. “Sorry. Old habits die hard.”

Sirius only grinned and handed her a small piece of folded parchment before turning around and walking away. Y/N stared at it, feeling as if it was burning her fingertips. Well, that was it. The elephant in the room — the one that Y/N had not even realised Sirius knew about much less was responsible for — was finally brought right out into the open air of the courtyard. No more wondering who the notes were from, and no more pretending that she and Sirius didn’t like each other as much as they had grown to lately.

She opened the note and read the message scrawled onto it.

‘It’s about time you do something spontaneous. Meet me at the Astronomy Tower after curfew.’

Y/N was able to sneak out of the Slytherin common room fairly easily that night. She was not on patrol tonight, so she wouldn’t be expected anywhere; it also meant that she knew who was on patrol and where they would be, making it simpler to sneak around the castle.

There was something strangely exhilarating about it. She was doing something she wasn’t supposed to be doing and it was…fun? She had to be mindful to be even quieter than usual, careful not to wake the portraits or stumble into an on-duty prefect. Her fellow Slytherins would probably let her off the hook if they found her creeping about given her otherwise spotless history and, admittedly, her house’s history of showing favouritism, but if she came across a prefect from another house — oh boy. She didn’t want to think about it.

There was a faint glow up ahead and she rushed to hide behind a pillar, heart thumping in her chest. When she risked a quick peek, she saw that it was only the ghost of Sir Nicholas floating through the corridor. She waited with bated breath for him to pass into the next hallway before continuing her journey. She’d never felt this kind of rush before. It was something else.

When she reached the Astronomy Tower, she quickly but quietly climbed the stairs and once she got to the top, she saw Sirius standing there, tucking away a sheet of parchment into his jacket.

“So, you’re finally going to kill me?” Y/N joked.

Sirius breathed a laugh and waved her over to the edge of the tower where he sat on the floor, letting his legs dangle over the edge underneath the railing. Y/N followed suit, sat next to him and peered over the edge of the tower to look down at the ground.

“I’ve always liked it up here,” she said. It was easier to talk about nothing than directly ask him why he wanted to meet her here.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I love my common room but it’s below ground level, it starts to get a bit drab after a while.”

“Oh, right, you lot are surrounded by the Black Lake down there, aren’t you?”

“Yep. A Grindylow swam past my window in first year, scared the shit out of me —”

Sirius laughed.

“— but it grows on you. It’s calming in a way, really, very quiet. Still, it’s nice to come up here and be high up for a change.” Y/N moved her gaze from the ground far below to the starry night sky above before quickly looking over at Sirius. “Don’t you think we’ll be caught here? I thought that —”

“Nah. Remus is patrolling this area tonight but I told him to buzz off.”

Y/N sighed and shook her head, smiling.

“How was it?” Sirius asked, and Y/N knew he was referring to her perilous journey from the common room to the Astronomy Tower.

“I almost got too close to Sir Nicholas at one point, and I’m pretty sure I heard another prefect’s footsteps somewhere nearby. It was wild.”

Sirius chuckled. “If that’s your idea of ‘wild’, I wonder what you’d think of sneaking into the forest.”

Y/N whipped her head in his direction. “You do that?” she asked, forgetting for a moment to lower her volume.

Sirius paused. “No?”

“Unbelievable.”

“But, hey, you had fun, right? I saw that little smile on your face when you rushed up the stairs, you can’t bury the truth.”

Y/N hid her grin. “It was alright, I suppose.”

“You had a grand old time, didn’t you?” Sirius asked.

Y/N’s silence was telling.

Sirius leaned back on his palms. “I knew it.”

“Knew what?”

“That you had a rebellious streak. It’s always the strict ones, y’know. Once you loosen ‘em up and get that ball rolling, it’s all downhill from there.”

“Sirius, no —”

“Y/N, yes —”

“It was a one-time thing. I’ve had one taste of unlawfulness and I’m fully satiated.”

Sirius lolled his head to the side to look at her knowingly. “Sure. I bet you’ll never again do anything improper or disreputable in your life.”

“Well, trust me — if I do, nobody will ever find out about it.”

Sirius raised an eyebrow before laughing. “Slytherins,” he said, and for the first time, it didn’t sound hateful. “Sneaky shits, the lot of you.”

“Gryffindors,” Y/N bit back. “Royal shits, the lot of you.”

Sirius’ eyes widened and his face fell as he looked at something behind you.

“Professor!” he cried, startled.

Y/N gasped and whipped around, clutching her chest, only to find the otherwise empty tower. As Sirius started to laugh, she turned back to him and whacked his arm.

“That’s not funny! You nearly gave me a fucking heart attack!”

Sirius doubled over, hardly able to control his laughter. He managed to catch his breath for a moment and he imitated Y/N’s reaction, clutching at imaginary pearls and gasping.

“I didn’t look like that…”

Sirius wiped a fake tear from his eye. “All utterly hilarious jokes aside, thanks for meeting me up here. I wasn’t even sure if you would come, to be honest.”

“Why did you want to meet here, anyway?” She felt her arms tingle with nerves as she waited for his answer.

“Well, you seem to come up here a lot. I figured you liked it up here.“

“How did — never mind. You know that’s not what I was asking.”

It was Sirius’ turn to look sheepish, if that was even possible. “Just wanted to spend a bit of time with you. Where we don’t have to think about potions or worry about anyone else seeing us.”

“So, you’re ashamed of being my friend?”

“No! That’s not what I —” Sirius stopped when he saw the amused glint in Y/N’s eye. She was only messing about. Wait…friend? “Did you just call me your friend?” Sirius asked.

Y/N fumbled for her answer. “I mean, not friend — maybe frenemy is more apt.” She could feel herself blush when Sirius swung an arm around her shoulder and jostled her slightly.

“I’m alright with that description,” he said, looking out at the stars. “BFFs: best frenemies forever.”

“I��ve already told you before not to get ahead of yourself,” Y/N said, even though she found herself leaning into his side, which didn’t go unnoticed.

“Yeah, well, it’s sort of my thing,” he said, voice growing quieter.

“How did you know what my favourite flower is? And book? And what songs I like?” Y/N asked suddenly. Her curiosity had been eating away at her ever since the first note.

“You’re not as much of an enigma as I first presumed.”

Y/N looked up at him questioningly and he shrugged.

“You, uh…sometimes in our tutoring sessions, you hum songs to yourself when you’re concentrating,” he said.

Y/N’s cheeks got impossibly warmer. “Oh. That’s embarrassing.”

Sirius shook his head. “I think it’s pretty cute, actually. First time you did it, it instantly made you about fifty percent less scary. So, not scary at all anymore.”

“You thought I was fifty percent scary?”

“Don’t sound too proud of yourself, lovie. Also, I could take a wild guess at your favourite flower because you always stop to look at them whenever you see them. And I’ve seen how worn-out the binding of your favourite book is.”

Y/N could feel her heart doubling in size in her chest. “You noticed all that about me?”

Sirius nodded. “Not always consciously. I just…well, there was a while there, when we were still being dicks to each other. I’d started to get the feeling that I didn’t want us to be like that anymore, but I didn’t exactly know what to do about it. So, I just sent you that little note and I know it probably wasn’t all that impressive, it was only a small gesture, but you looked so happy that I kept wanting to do it. Even if you didn’t know it was me.”

Y/N was thankful that it was dark out and that her face was out of Sirius’ view, because she had a stupidly large smile and felt as if she might begin to cry. It was ridiculous and she had no idea what to say and she hated it and loved it at the same time.

“You never listen to me, do you?” she sniffled. “I told you that small things make a difference. You have no idea what your notes meant to me.”

Sirius panicked when he heard the sniffle and quickly brought his other arm around Y/N to hold her to him. “Shit, I didn’t wanna make you cry —”

Y/N sniffled louder, feeling tears balance precariously on her eyelids as her face was pressed against Sirius’ shoulder. “I’m not crying because I’m sad, you doink, I’m just emotional because you’re being really nice to me! And now you’re probably going to think I’m a mess.”

“Pssh, not at all. But if you were a mess, you’d be a very hot one.”

She managed a short laugh, only for it to grow when she saw Sirius grab a fistful of his shirt and hold it out in offering for her to use as a tissue. She declined.

“So…I take it you liked my notes, then?”

Y/N just nodded as she dabbed at her eyes with the sleeve of her own jumper. “I put them all in my journal so I wouldn’t lose them.”

“You kept them?” Sirius sounded surprised.

“Of course I did. What kind of heartless maniac would throw something like that away?”

“I just didn’t take you for the sentimental type, is all. You’re full of pleasant surprises, aren’t you?”

“I’m not the only one,” Y/N said, turning to finally look up at him.

Sirius smiled at her, eyes swimming with something soft and kind and just a touch remorseful. “I’m sorry I was…you know. Before. I didn’t try to know you before I made up my mind about you. I’m sorry.”

It sounded to Y/N’s ears like Sirius didn’t say those words often, which only made them that much heavier. “I’m sorry, too. I guess we did a pretty poor job of figuring each other out,” she said. She thought back to all the nasty things she’d ever thought or said about the boy in front of her, and all the nasty things he’d said back. What was the point of any of it?

“It all seems so stupid now. Childish, the way we acted,” Sirius said.

Y/N nodded pensively. “I suppose that’s just a part of growing up, isn’t it? Doing stupid things and only realising how stupid they are after you’ve already done them.”

“Maybe that’s the only way to figure out what works, sometimes,” Sirius said as he lifted a hand to gently hold the back of her neck. “You do a lot of stupid things until you find the smart thing to do.”

Sirius stole the air from her lungs when he leaned down and captured her lips in a bruising kiss. She was stunned, paralysed with no idea what to do, but before her stillness could be misinterpreted as rejection, she found her eyes fluttering shut and her lips moving back against Sirius’ of their own accord. Her arms slowly wrapped themselves around his shoulders, hugging her closer to him, and he exhaled through his nose in content. It was like muscle memory, almost; instinctual and natural, like coming home after a long time away and having to slowly remember where everything should be placed.

Sirius’ passion was dizzying and Y/N felt faint from it, making her clutch onto him even tighter, kiss him even harder for something to hold onto. It felt freeing, as if she was unlocking a cage she’d built around herself and for the first time she could let go of all logic and just let herself be. They parted from each other when oxygen became a necessity and not a moment sooner, but they remained close, foreheads pressed together. Tender smiles bloomed across their faces. Both of them had been wanting to do that for a long time.

“I think I’d like to know you better,” Sirius said once they’d caught their breath.

“And I think I’d like you to know me,” Y/N said shyly.

Sirius grinned, pressing another short kiss to her lips. “I’m off to a good start already,” he said. “I already know all of the small things.”

[ about tag lists ]

SIRIUS BLACK TAGS: @emily1d97 @leftperfectionmoon

MARAUDERS TAGS: @siriusbarnesslut

HARRY POTTER TAGS: @nyotamalfoy

PERMANENT TAGS: @vsawyer1989

#sirius x reader #fav

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marvelettesassemble · 4 years ago

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I can't handle this cuteness! I loved the interaction with Hermione, the one between Neville and Reader and how he kept an eye on her and wanted to make sure she was alright

save me a dance // n.l.

summary: Hi!! Could I please request a Neville x Slytherin! Reader? She has a kind soul and became friends with Hermione (who’s the only person that knows about her crush on Neville), but she kept her distance because she knew about what happened to his parents. She goes to the Yule ball with another Slytherin that eventually ditched her, so she sneaks into the kitchens and hangs out with house elves until Neville comes by (knowing that she always hung out with them when she felt sad) and he confesses ^^

warnings: very brief mention of unwanted sexual advances if you squint, mentions of food

word count: 5k

a/n: my first neville fic!!! i’m so excited for you all to read it, i had so much fun writing it :)

[i do not give permission for my work to be reposted on any other platform]

For what felt like the hundredth time, you woke up to the same view; your Yule Ball dress hanging loosely over the four poster bed, the sunlight streaming through the fabric and onto your chunky bed sheets.

The dress was quite stunning, but Godric, did you dread wearing it. You didn’t exactly feel like dancing the night away alongside some Slytherin bloke while you looked around at all the happy couples, wishing ever so desperately that that could have been you. That you could be the one dancing the night away with the person who had captured your heart effortlessly.

Unfortunately, that plan hadn’t exactly fallen into place. Hermione had done her best to help you out in getting him to ask you, but you ended up being put on the spot when a Slytherin boy named Jasper had asked you during Transfigurations. So, you had said yes, but deep down, that regret was starting to multiply by the second.

You let out a groan, tossed your head back against the pillow, and lifted the warm comforter off of your body. The fireplace in the centre of the room was still crackling away, but within the stone walls of the castle, the cold seemed to never fully fade.

So you threw on your house sweater, your scarf, robe, and a pair of trousers, before heading down to start the day. The snow was accumulating rather quickly outside as Christmas drew nearer, rendering you quite glad that you brought your scarf.

“At least you’re prepared,” Hermione mumbled as the two of you made your way to Divinations, “It’s always freezing in Professor Trewlaney’s room! Oh, how I wish I could have brought mine. Rather silly of me.”

You chuckled, keeping your eyes on the long winding staircase as you responded to her, “Not to worry, I’m sure Ron has a sweater you can borrow.”

Though you weren’t facing her, you could practically feel her eye roll as she scoffed, “Very funny. Such a clever idea. You really are filled with those.”

“I’m just saying,” you turned back to face her quickly before pulling down the ladder to the Divination classroom, “I’m sure he’d think you look amazing in it. Isn’t that what guys like? When their girlfriends wear their clothing?”

“I’m not his girlfriend,” she shushed you as you climbed up, “Be quiet!”

You apologized with a laugh as you climbed into the classroom and made your way to your usual seat at the front by the window, Hermione coming over to join you. Harry and Ron were seated not too far away, but that didn’t really matter to you. From across the class, you spotted Neville.

He was accompanied by Seamus — who seemed quite interested in the tablecloth at the moment — but you so wished that you could be the one sitting across from him.

His vest hung loosely against his body and his dark hair was littering his forehead, eyes scrunched shut as he let out a yawn. As he opened them, you noticed they darted in your direction before snapping away.

You felt a frown form on your lips. Why did he look away so fast? Instinctively, you raised a hand to the top of your head to check if there was anything in your hair.

“What are you doing?” Hermione asked as she dug through her bag, placing the heavy Divinations book on top of the circular table. The book, with its golden lettering, seemed to twinkle under the pink hues of the morning sky.

You shrugged, “Nothing.”

Her eyes followed to where you had previously been looking, and she let out a sigh, “Relax. You look wonderful. There’s nothing to fix.”

You sulked back into your chair, “Hermione, he asked Ginny to the ball. Don’t try to continue your matchmaking.”

She leaned forward on the table, pushing her thick hair behind her shoulder, “Doesn’t mean you don’t stand a chance. Look, I like Ginny, but maybe they’re going as friends. Like you and Jasper.”

“I think Jasper has more than friendship on his mind,” you muttered under your breath, thinking back to the way his hands lingered on your lower back a little too long after you agreed to be his date.

She gave you a sympathetic glance, opening her mouth to speak again, but was interrupted by Trewlaney announcing her presence. The class began shortly after, and you spent the time reading Hermione’s palm and deciphering what your own dreams meant.

According to the textbook, you were going to stumble upon a lot of money as well as possibly fall down a sewer within the next week. Nothing new, really. It was better than Harry’s, who once again, was told he was doomed for death in the coming months.

As the class ended, you stuffed the books and parchment into your backpack and thanked Trelawney for the lesson, following Hermione out of the room. As you made your way to the ladder, you spotted a little red ball on the ground.

You crouched to pick it up, immediately recognizing it as Neville’s remembrall. How oddly convenient that it land right at your feet.

“Oh, thanks,” he muttered as you turned to hand it to him, fingers brushing against his as you placed it in his palm, “This thing likes to try and escape.”

You grinned at him, “You should keep it safe in your dorm.” You tried your best to keep your voice steady as you spoke to him, which was odd, really. Why did you always become so nervous around Neville, who was one of the shyest, kindest people you’d ever met? Crushes were quite strange.

He gave you a small smile and a shrug, “I like to carry it on me. It’s from my nan. I don’t want to leave it behind.”

Your chest felt like it was going to swell at his words, “That’s really sweet. I’m sure she appreciates that you care for it so much.”

As you turned back to face the ladder, Hermione gave you a quick wink and a thumbs up before darting away with Harry and Ron, clearly insinuating that you should walk with Neville. You mentally scolded her before making your way to it, Neville not far behind.

“She does,” he said, fondness clear in his voice, “It’s not like I get anything from my parents, so I cherish anything I get from my family in general.”

Your heart sunk in your chest. Neville had always been very closed off when talking about his family — especially his parents — so the way he mentioned them so casually had you doubting what to say next. You didn’t want to make him uncomfortable by continuing the topic, nor did you want to brush it off like it was nothing.

“I’m sorry,” you said, facing him once the two of you began going down the spiral staircase, “I can imagine it’s difficult. But your nan clearly cares a lot, and she’s lucky to have you.”

His ears turned slightly pink at your words and you had to fight a grin.

The next few minutes were silent until Neville once again turned to face you. There was something about him that always seemed optimistic, despite the fact that he had just spoken a bit about the difficult situation with his parents. Whether it be the smile on his face or the sparkle in his eye, you couldn’t be sure what it was. But Merlin, did you ever adore it.

“She sent me my suit for the Yule Ball, actually,” he said, a bit of a hop in his step as he said the words, “It doesn’t fit perfectly but I’m sure it’ll last the night.”

You let out a small laugh, “That’s awfully sweet of her. I’m sure you’ll look dashing.”

As you said the words, you regretted them instantly. Well, not so much regretted — you meant every syllable — but more so, you wished you could currently fall into the sewer that Trelawney had predicted you’d stumble into.

Throwing out a compliment like that was quite possibly the last thing you wanted to do. Would he react badly? Would he think you were coming onto him? Would this change things?

Were you overthinking?

The corners of his lips curled up into a shy smile and he gave you a nod and cut you short of your internal rambling, “Are you excited?”

Yeah, definitely overthinking.

You let out a sigh, trying to move past your embarrassment and continue your walk to your next class, dodging a few passing students, “Kind of. I’m excited for the music. Not so much the dancing. I’m not very good at that.”

He chuckled, “I wasn’t either. I taught myself, actually. In my room. The lads loved to make fun of that.”

The image of Neville dancing away in the cramped boys’ dorm brought a smile to your face.

“You’ve already got a step up on me, then,” you faced him, “Get ready to watch me humiliate myself on the dance floor.”

You stepped a little closer to him as a group of Ravenclaw pushed past in a rush, and Neville’s hand reached for your arm to help steady you.

“Sorry,” he muttered, pulling away and avoiding your gaze, “But anyways, I’m sure you’re not as bad as you think. Ginny has never danced either, so you won’t be the only one.”

You tried your best to push past the surge of jealousy that washed over you. You already knew he was going with Ginny — hell, you’d know for a while now — but it did not make it any easier to hear. Especially coming from him.

“I didn’t expect you’d ask her,” you admitted, “but I’m sure you’ll both have a wonderful time. She’ll have a good leader to help her maneuver the moves.”

You gave his shoulder a small nudge, trying to act like you weren’t drowning in your own feelings. The thought of Neville holding Ginny close to his body as they swayed to the romantic music nearly made you sick. You liked Ginny a great deal, she was such a sweet girl with a fierce attitude that you admired, but you really wished Neville had asked you instead.

“We’re just going as friends,” he said, “I was going to ask someone else but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. And I’m pretty sure Ginny was also interested in another person in the first place.”

You tried your best to hold back a sigh of relief. They were going as friends. That didn’t mean it would make it easier to see them together, but maybe you could push past the jealousy you felt about seeing them as a couple.

But then the next thing he said hit you; he wanted to ask someone else. Someone he was interested in romantically? Perhaps he actually did like someone, even if that someone wasn’t Ginny. Who could it be? And why were you so irritated? You didn’t even know them.

“Well,” you said, unsure of how to change the topic, “I’ll be looking out for you two on the dance floor.” You wanted so desperately to no longer speak of the Yule Ball. The thought of the night was now dizzying and had you feeling a little faint, to be completely honest.

It was going to be a long day.

— —

You were honestly quite surprised by the appearance of the Great Hall. Usually filled with long tables, chairs, and candles, it was now glistening like a winter wonderland. There was fake snow falling from the ceiling, but it never touched the ground. The room smelled faintly of pine trees and sweets, and you figured that there had to be at least seven Christmas trees littering the room.

To put it simply, the space was beautiful.

Music played softly from the dance floor ahead, and to your right, there was a small table with a few snacks and drinks. There were also quite a few seats around, already occupied by couples and friends.

“What do you want to do?”

You turned to face Jasper, who was waving over at a group of Slytherins further on the left.

“We can go dance,” you suggested, praying he wasn’t going to drag you over to his housemates. Jasper seemed alright enough, but you weren’t a fan of his obnoxious friends. You could very well go the night without hanging around them, thank you very much.

He shrugged, “Sure.”

He linked his hand in yours and tugged you along behind him, bringing you over to the dance floor. Once you got there, you noticed a few familiar faces.

Hermione and Viktor were not far away, and she gave you an excited grin before pointing at her date, who was obviously making love heart eyes in her direction. You couldn’t blame him, honestly. Further along you spotted Fred and Angelina, dancing away as if they were the only two in the room. It caused you to chuckle.

“So do you want to dance, or…?” Jasper asked, placing one of his hands on your waist.

You shivered under his touch. It wasn’t a good shiver, it was discomfort. You wanted more than anything to be dancing with Neville — who you currently spotted over with Ginny, his hands on her waist and hers on his shoulders.

“Yeah,” you squeaked, awkwardly stepping closer to him before putting your arms around his neck. Your throat began to sting as you watched the two of them glide across the floor, laughing as they spoke to each other. It felt quite juxtaposed to the uncomfortable, weird situation that you found yourself currently in.

You began to sway to the music, trying your best not to dart your eyes to Neville every couple of seconds. Jasper was clearly not enjoying this, but you honestly couldn’t bring yourself to care what he wanted. He wasn’t going to get what he came here for and you weren’t going to be guilted into it either.

You honestly couldn’t be thankful enough as the slow song ended. You quickly pulled your arms away from him and you crossed them over your chest.

“I’m going to go get a drink,” you said, not waiting for his response before taking off to the table by the entrance. You heard him call your name as you pushed your way through students, holding the skirt of your dress in your hands to avoid being stepped on, but you didn’t look back.

There was a clearing near the table and you took a deep breath, dropping your skirt and letting out a sigh. Your shoulders slouched as you walked over and grabbed a small glass, not even sure if you were thirsty. The excuse was simply to get away from Jasper. You were regretting your decision to come here more than ever.

“I recommend the punch.”

You spun on your heel, nearly coming in contact with Neville. He was standing behind you, taking a step back after realizing how close he really was.

“Oh—,” you nodded, “Thanks.”

The punch bowl sat in front of you, glistening red under the shimmering lights. You grabbed the spoon and poured yourself a little bit, enjoying the scent of the fruity drink.

You turned back around, giving Neville a forced smile, “I’m sure it’s delicious.”

His eyebrows furrowed and he fiddled with his waistcoat, “Are you alright? I don’t mean to prod or anything.”

Your heart fluttered at his words, “Yeah, I guess I’m alright, really. Just not having a great time.”

Neville’s eyes scanned the dance floor where he spotted Jasper’s familiar blond head scanning the crowd, “I’m guessing it has something to do with your date.”

His eyes found yours again and you nodded, placing the glass down on the table behind you, “My situation is kind of like yours, I guess. You wanted to ask someone else. Well, I wanted someone else to ask me.”

You could see his shoulders sag before he frowned, “I’m sorry it didn’t work out. I’d say anyone would be lucky to have you as their partner, but something about him tells me he’s not enjoying himself the way he should be, being by your side and all.”

You had to fight a grin at his words. How Neville could be so awkward, yet so effortless in his words, you’d never understand. It was one of the reasons you knew you wouldn’t be getting over your crush anytime soon.

“Thanks,” you gave him a smile, looking down to the ground before meeting his eyes again, “You should go back. I don’t want to keep you from dancing.”

You could see the hesitation in his eyes as he scanned your face, but he gave a slight nod, “If ever you want to get away from him, I’ll be there to help you.”

“Thanks, Neville,” you smiled genuinely, maintaining eye contact. He stood there for a moment, looking into your eyes, and you could practically feel how reluctant he was to walk away.

As cliché and typical as it sounds, it almost felt like you were alone in the room, completely lost in his gaze. His eyes brought you comfort that nothing else could provide, and you only wished you could look into them more often. Like dancing, for example. How easily you’d find yourself lost in his eyes if you were dancing.

“No worries,” he gave you a small smile, scanned your face once more, and took off into the crowd. As you watched his head of dark hair vanish, you let out a deep breath. If life could go your way, he’d have his hand linked with yours as he led you back to the dance floor.

But life wasn’t fair like that, was it?

You completely disregarded the punch behind you, stomach feeling like it was in knots, and made your way back to where you left Jasper. Only, you couldn’t find the familiar mop of blond hair anywhere. He was rather tall, so it wouldn’t be difficult to spot him. And yet, somehow, he was nowhere to be seen.

Until you looked to the entrance door and saw him hand in hand with a ginger Slytherin girl, both of them stumbling over their feet as they made their way out.

“Well, that was fast,” you mumbled, a frown on your face.

You stood alone on the floor, couples swaying to the music around you. It kind of felt like a movie — the kind of movie where the girl gets her heart crushed by a guy, and then is ditched by another guy, and then is left alone in the end. A crappy movie, you thought, but one that seemed to fit really well right now.

The music was practically taunting you, so instead of staying put or going to finish your drink, you once again gathered your dress in your hands, and made your way out of the room.

The hallway felt a lot fresher compared to the Great Hall, but that was understandable. Hundreds of bodies in one room compared to the corridor with an open doorway to the winter air.

Though, that wasn’t where you were going. You decided you’d go down to your usual escape spot, and now that all the teachers were chaperoning the ball, you would make it there with minimal interruption.

You spotted the familiar painting by the kitchen entrance, the bowl of fruits, and raised your hand to tickle the pear. The painting swung open and you crawled through the little stone passage, making sure your dress wasn’t going to get caught, before landing on both feet on the tile floor.

“Oh! Miss Y/N!”

Dobby, donned in a little scarf and hat, waved at you from a tabletop.

“Hey, Dobby,” you grinned, “Sorry to interrupt your quiet evening in here. I didn’t know where else to go.”

He patted the table next to him, “Why did you leave so early? Dobby heard the ball was lasting all night.”

You gave him a little smile, sitting down on the stool in front of him, “Wasn’t as fun as I expected. I’d rather spend my evening here. Where is everyone else?” The stool was rather small for a human being, considering it was most likely made for an elf, but if you leaned forwards against the table and kept your feet plastered to the ground, you managed to balance just fine.

He gave a little smile and looked at you with those big eyes, “They are all tired! We have been putting the ball together for days now! They all went to bed.”

The corner of your lips curved up, “Well, now you have company, Dobby.”

He clapped his hands together and let out a little laugh, “Let me show you what Dobby found today. It was in the Gryffindor common room!”

You nodded, knowing that it was most likely a knitted hat. Hermione had been leaving those scattered around the room for a little while now. Little did she know Dobby was the one collecting them all.

As you watched his little body disappear through a small doorway on the far wall, you took a look around the kitchen. Despite the fact that you were certain they had been working non-stop in here for days on end, it was nearly spotless. Pots and pans shimmered under the candlelight, tabletops were clear, apart from a few fruit bowls and snacks. The counters were clean, as well as the floors.

If this place had windows, or maybe a little more light, you felt it would be quite nice.

You sat there silently for a little while, already beginning to feel the sadness of the evening creep in. It was quite a bummer, really. You didn’t know if you wanted to go back to your own dorm tonight or stay out wandering the halls, mind running through all the scenarios on how tonight could have gone differently, how it could have been better.

The only sound you could hear was a light creak, which you eventually realized was the painting swinging open to let someone in.

Panic began to settle in and you stood off your chair, moving to the other side of the table. You would still be very much visible if you ducked, so there was no point in doing it, but you did it anyways.

The last thing you wanted was for Snape or Moody to catch you where you shouldn’t be.

Except, the person that crawled through and landed sturdily on their feet wasn’t Snape or Moody.

It was Neville.

You popped your head back up, eyes locking with his. He looked a little disheveled in terms of his hair, and his bow tie was slightly off centre, but the smile on his face showed relief.

“Neville?” you asked, already feeling a little less panicked. You only hoped Neville was alone. The last thing you wanted was for a girl to crawl in behind him. He wasn’t that kind of guy, you knew that, but your mind went there anyways.

Thankfully, he was alone. The painting swung closed behind him and he gave you a small smile.

“What are you doing here?” you asked, walking back around to the front of the table, this time deciding not to sit on the stool.

His cheeks turned a little pink but he brushed it off and shrugged, “I saw you rush out of the room. I wanted to see if you were okay. I remember you once told me you come here when you’re upset, so I gave it a shot.”

Your mouth felt like it fell open so you shut it quickly, blinking rapidly, “I’m surprised you remembered. Only you and Hermione know about my little escape spot.”

He gave a small chuckle, stepping a little closer, “Are you alright, though? I saw you leave and I didn’t see your date anywhere.”

You gave a shrug, averting your eyes, “He left. With another girl. I wasn’t interested in him that way, but it still sucks.”

He furrowed his eyebrows and gave a shake of his head, “You’re better off without him,” he stepped a little closer, catching your attention once more, “But I get why you’re upset. Funny story, the same thing happened to me. But not in the same sense. Ginny managed to get a dance with Harry.”

You were close enough to put a hand on his shoulder, “I’m sorry.”

Realization caught up to you and you noticed how stupid this gesture probably was, so you snatched your arm back and held it against you. Neville noticed your quick reaction and you could see his gaze fall down to the ground before meeting yours again.

Just like at the punch table, it felt as if time stood still while you looked into his eyes. You could see he looked like he wanted to say something, his stare darting back and forth between your lips and your eyes, but he didn’t say anything for a good moment.

Until one of his hands reached across and held yours. His skin was warm, and you could feel his pulse against his wrist. His heart was beating fast, and if he could feel your own pulse, he’d say the same about you.

“You look—,” he took a deep breath, “You look beautiful tonight. Well, not just tonight. You look beautiful most of the time. I’m just saying, it’s — never mind.”

Your heart seemed to stutter in your chest, goosebumps rising on your skin at his words. They had caught you so off guard that you couldn’t find a way to respond. No words seemed to find their way into your mind. All you could do was smile. A bright, genuine grin that hurt your cheeks.

“Thanks,” you let out a small laugh, linking your fingers with his, “Also, you look pretty dapper yourself. I told you you would, and I was right.”

He stepped closer, his other hand locking with your free one. It wasn’t an overtly intimate gesture — people held hands all the time — but Merlin, did you ever melt into his touch.

“Do you — Can we have a dance?”

You bit your lip to hold back your smile. How you went from standing alone on the dance floor, starring in the most depressing teen flick you’d ever heard of, to standing alone in the kitchen, your hands locked with Neville’s as the candles flickered around the two of you, you’d never know. But you were so, so grateful. And happier than you can ever remember being.

“I’d love that,” you nodded, stepping closer and resting your head against his shoulder. His hands let go of yours and went to your waist, and it felt so right. So right that you completely forgot about how it felt when Jasper was holding you instead.

Your hands went up to his neck, draping them around him and leaning into his touch. There was no music, but it almost didn’t feel necessary. The two of you began to sway slowly back and forth, the only sound being the click of your shoes as you took your steps. You couldn’t even bring yourself to care about whether Dobby would walk back in any second now.

He rested his head against yours as he led the way. It wasn’t much of a dance, but it was quite possibly the most romantic thing that’s ever happened to you. You wished more than anything that you could freeze this moment and live like this forever.

“A hat! Dobby was left a hat — Oh! Hello!”

Neville pulled away instinctively and grinned awkwardly, taking a second to process what had happened before nodding his head in the direction of the house elf, “Hello, Dobby.”

You fought a grin, turning your head back to face Dobby, who was awkwardly looking between the two of you, a large knitted beanie in his hand.

“Dobby can sense he is intruding,” he muttered, giving a little bow before backing up through the door he left through before, “Good night!”

The moment had sort of been interrupted, but you didn’t move away from Neville’s touch, resting your head against his shoulder once more as your laughter died down. Of course, the curious little elf would walk in at the worst moment.

“I knew that would happen,” you laughed, tightening your grip around him a little more. He chuckled, head falling against yours. You could feel his hair tickling the side of your face, the strands unruly and curly as they brushed against your skin.

The night ended up being way better than you expected.

This one you would never forget.

——

taglist

@grierpilots @hxfflxpxffs @mikumana @msmimimerton @pit-and-the-pen @diary-of-an-onliner @thoseofgreatambition @theweasleysredhair @haphazardhufflepuff @awritingtree @thisismysketchbook @valwritesx @vogueweasley @hufflrpuffforfred @phuvioqhile @marvelettesassemble @shadowsinger11 @breadqueen95 @hahee154hq @inglourious-imagines @amourtentiaa @spacexcowgirl @lumos-barnes @gcdricreads @bolaurel

#neville x reader

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