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1d1195 · 4 months

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Dolcezza VIII

Read Dolcezza here.

Here's the last part. (I actually have more but not sure if it's enough for a full part.) Maybe I'll save it for an extra, please send feedback if you think it needs more. I hope you've enjoyed 💕

Warnings: angst. more stalking. more crying. some fluff. If it helps at all, I wanted THIS part to be a cliffhanger as well (you can make your own guesses where I would have ended it, mwahahaha), and I imagine if that were the case I would have received a lot of hate messages. Hence why the last three parts were so terrifying hehehe

~8.7k words

Harry thought about the first time he met her, when he physically bumped into her. The first expression he ever saw on her face was one of pain from how she fell so hard to the ground. Then there was the night she was sick, and she looked so physically broken, Harry wanted nothing more than to take that away from her with nothing more than minestrone soup. Their argument from a few days ago also induced a sad and broken expression on her pretty face.

On Friday she worked a half-day at home, which allowed her to get her car fixed—they gave her a rental to assure her the problem wouldn’t continue since it seemed that would be the case after the last bout of car trouble. Her apartment was clean, thanks to Harry. So, all while working quietly at her desk, she had to sit with the fact that even though they were in an argument, he still took care of her. She had to find a way to apologize to him. But unfortunately, Eleanor was right: she was extremely stubborn and hurt that he went through her stuff. It was obvious that going through her stuff wasn’t the problem. She was certain Harry could move in after a month and it wouldn’t feel weird. It was very much that Harry was worried that bothered her. She wished she had hidden the picture better.

After a lot of arguing with Eleanor, they finally came to an agreement. There were a lot of tears from both parties, but Eleanor made her promise that she was the line. She apologized for not telling her and Eleanor apologized for shouting the stuff about her inability to accept help in front of Harry. The irrational part of her brain could only handle one person worrying about her. Eleanor had known her longer and understood her craziness. Harry was wonderful. He probably understood it just as well and yet she couldn’t bring herself to let him in as fully as Eleanor.

On Friday night, she laid on her sofa and watched a lineup of movies that never failed to evoke rivers of tears from her to get them out of her system. All of Saturday was spent agonizing over her frustration with not speaking to Harry, trying, and failing to read her book and mindlessly helping James and Emma with their various requests. She read Emma’s beautiful essays making her feel more overwhelmed with how much her baby sister had grown. Around noon she met James halfway to get him groceries and told him repeatedly that she was fine, just tired each time he asked her what was wrong. Returning to her apartment made her feel exhausted as if it was already midnight. But her mind wouldn’t let her sleep, which would have been preferable.

That antsy feeling she had brought her to the gym. Using the stair climber felt like hell. It was supposed to help but it made her feel worse. Sweaty and more exhausted than ever, she returned to her apartment hoping she would just fall asleep after a while. Instead of helping in the kitchen on a busy Saturday night as she often did, she stayed in, staring at the ceiling above where she was lying on the sofa.

Fortunately, Eleanor FaceTimed her. She explained all her frustration with her family. How she felt so busy and overwhelmed. Her voice cracked and her eyes welled with tears. “I’m really worried about you, babe,” Eleanor frowned. “It’s like senior year all over again,” she reminded her. She knew what she meant—an overwhelming amount of anxiety plagued her as she applied for jobs and completed her final capstone project. All while managing to help James and Ethan with their own applications for college and scholarships. She nodded unable to deny how she felt any longer.

“I know,” she whispered sadly.

“If your car is still broken, why don’t you have Harry pick me up from the airport next week? I’m sure he won’t mind,” she said it so casually and easily.

It seemed they didn’t get to that part of the conversation the other day as Harry probably intended. Sighing heavily, she put her arm across her eyes. “You can’t get mad,” she mumbled.

“Babe,” she whined with a frown and looked at her, already hurt it seemed. “Are you serious?!”

She explained everything. A month ago, about the picture and note—Eleanor was very unhappy to say the least. How she didn’t tell anyone. Then she told her how Harry cleaned her apartment for her even though they were arguing about him telling on her to Eleanor. Then he found the picture. Her ridiculous reaction and why she felt so uncomfortable with people worrying about her.

“I think I’m in love with him.” She whispered, teary and sad with her own actions.

“Obviously,” Eleanor rolled her eyes.

“Maybe...I need to go down to the kitchen,” she sounded like she was suggesting a plan as she spoke to Eleanor. “I have to apologize,” she nodded decidedly. “I have to let him in and let him worry, don’t I?”

“Yes, you idiot,” her voice was devoid of emotion. “I know, really know how hard this is for you, but it’s Harry. He adores you. You can see it on his utterly expressive face. Someone like Harry can’t pretend what he’s feeling—and he wouldn’t either.”

“What if I’m bad at it? What if he doesn’t want to be with someone that’s crazy like me?”

“I’ve never seen you be bad at anything you set your mind too. Harry will forgive you. He’ll help you get better. Knowing him he’ll probably come up with a reward system of garlic bread for you if you want or kisses, if that’s your new thing with him.” She felt woozy listening to her best friend but couldn’t help but smile at the garlic bread idea. “As for not wanting you? You are crazy. Someone who isn’t in love wouldn’t worry about you the way Harry is.”

She listened as her best friend continued speaking but she couldn’t really focus on it suddenly because there was a distinct thud through the wall. A thud that she thought it had to be an actual elephant in the office because she was so sure that Antonio had the apartment sound proofed so thoroughly, that an earthquake could happen in the room next to her and she wouldn’t hear it. She tiptoed to her door, peering sideways through the peephole catching the door to the office was just barely opened.

Antonio was sick. She only knew that because she saw a picture of his sick little family on her Instagram feed earlier in the day. It was why she felt even guiltier about not going down to help in the restaurant because she knew that they would be short-staffed on a busy night without Antonio there.

So why was the door open?

She was trying to process why the door was open. She quietly stepped back from her own door, but she wasn’t in control of her own body. Her heart was beating a little faster than normal. Her brain tried to reason with her muscles that there had to be a reasonable explanation. Instead, her muscles continued moving; she pressed the volume button on her phone to turn Eleanor’s voice down even though she continued rambling about how Harry adored her and she was pretty sure he was in love with her too.

Not even the idea of Harry loving her could shake the nerves away.

“El... Eleanor,” she whispered listening intently to Antonio’s office door distinctly closing and three foreboding footsteps reaching her door. The clinking metallic sound of someone fiddling with the lock on her door came next. She had the phone pressed to her lips trying to soundlessly alert Eleanor as best she could as she scurried backwards as if the door was on fire. “El! STOP!” She hissed listening for more sound.

“What?” She could hear the eye roll in her friend’s voice. “You have to confront these emotions Harry is—” There was a low voice cursing outside her door as the lock was fiddled with more. She hurried to her bedroom with light footsteps praying it looked like she wasn’t home, closing the door as quietly as possible and then doing the same as she hid in her closet. Her heart hammered as Eleanor continued to give her all the reasons why she should just let herself love Harry. Just because she had dealt with people who didn’t appreciate her didn’t mean that Harry would be that way. In fact—

“Eleanor,” she whispered once more. But she heard the deadbolt creak open. Eleanor wasn’t listening to her. She had no choice but to end the call. Ignoring her immediate call back, she furiously texted Eleanor the scariest thing she had ever texted. She heard him creep across her living room floor. Her heart was in her throat, and she was lucky she peed right before Eleanor called when she got home from the gym, or she would have had a serious problem right then.

ANSWER THE PHONE Eleanor texted back.

She silently gulped and pressed the phone to her ear. She listened to Eleanor’s soothing voice. Her calmness despite the fact this was everything she knew Eleanor feared the first time she realized her best friend was being followed. The sound of him going through her stuff made her skin crawl. She should have listened to them; to El, to Louis, to Harry. Oh, she wished she called Harry.

Her body felt frozen with the phone against her ear. She couldn’t move. For everything she did for everyone else, she had never felt like this before. Not once had she ever been frozen in place. She never froze when she was scared—not when ten-year-old Emma broke her arm while she was bike riding and her eighteen-year-old babysitting self needed to hold it in place while James drove them to the hospital. When Ethan called saying James got in a car accident his freshmen year of college and he wrecked his car. When Dad told her that grandma wasn’t going to make it to her twenty-fifth birthday, and she should say goodbye. When Mom was worried about a strange lump she felt on her body, and she imagined life caring for her family without her mom anymore. When she promised to be the designated driver for Ethan and James and ended up standing between Ethan and another guy who had too much to drink arguing over something so ridiculous, she didn’t even remember it now.

Not once had she frozen in place like the way she was then. It was mortifying, all the fight and help she gave to everyone...it wasn’t there for herself.

“I know you can’t talk,” Eleanor whispered. She couldn’t do anything. She was frozen. If he made it to her bedroom, she wasn’t sure she would even be able to fight. That was the scariest realization of all. “I’m going to put you on hold and call Harry. I will be right back. If you don’t hear from me in five minutes, hang up and dial 911.” She hoped to GOD she could manage that if came to it. Hope the frozenness would dissipate long enough to dial 911.

It was one of those nights where everything was going wrong, and everything was too busy. Antonio was caring for Leo, the baby, and the missus—all sick with something Leo brought home from preschool, so Harry and Niall were left in charge. Normally, the sweet girl found her way down and situate herself at a station doing the takeout orders but given the little... spat (what else could he call it?) she seemed to be avoiding him.

His phone began vibrating in his pocket without pause for three full minutes, but he literally hadn’t a second to look at it. All he wanted was for the pretty girl to appear. He wanted to apologize profusely for overstepping. He just cared for her so much. Even if she wasn’t comfortable with how he handled things, he wanted to make it better. He cared so deeply for her it hurt to be apart from her without so much as a text message between them over the last two days. He managed to see her exit a car that wasn’t hers parked in her spot. At least her car was getting fixed. But he imagined she had another busy Friday and Saturday. He wished he could have helped more. Wished he didn’t mess up and revealed that he messed it up in a way he couldn’t fix it.

The moment the orders slowed, Harry was planning to race up her steps and beg for forgiveness.

“Dolcezza Ristorante. How can—whoa. Okay, okay!" Niall pulled the restaurant phone from his ear and shoved it at Harry. He could hear the shouting before he even brought the phone near his ear.

“Hel—”

“Harry! For the love of GOD! Do you never look at your phone!?”

“I’ve been—” He barely got a syllable out before Eleanor was spewing a stream of words that were somehow one sentence. Or maybe it was five sentences. Harry lost track of nearly everything, only understanding the gravity that came from the sound of her shrieking. She only made out a scattering of the important words. His eyes widened as he processed her speech.

Harry dropped the empty dishes of finished food he was holding creating a massive mess. Everyone stopped and looked at him. “Harry?” Niall asked.

There was a breath of silence and frozenness. It was like the sizzle of the food in frying pans, the simmering of sauces in pots had all stopped making noise as well. Then he moved, running the few short steps to the kitchen door to the alleyway. “Call the police!” he shouted over his shoulder. He dropped the phone in the debris as well leaving Niall to fish it away from the broken glass and listen to Eleanor repeat the words she just said to Harry.

Harry was outside the back door and taking the steps upstairs two and three at a time. The door to her apartment was already open which made his stomach churn. Quickly and quietly, Harry hurried inside. The place was a mess. It was not her. If Harry hadn’t a more pressing purpose, he would have considered cleaning it up for her again, just to make her happy. All the pretty decorations and all her belongings that made it feel so homey, were overturned, or tipped over. Papers and pictures were across the floor. Like a student on their last day of school, throwing out all the papers from the year in the air like confetti. Harry felt his stomach twist again.

“Who are you?” A voice asked.

Harry turned slowly to the sound of the stranger. The one that had quietly wreaked havoc on her life for so long. Harry’s eyes dropped to the long strap of fabric in his hands. It almost looked like a tie, but it was thicker. Something that was intended to go over her eyes or wrap around her hands, he was sure. His eyes traveled back to the stranger’s face. There was something off about him. His eyes felt hollow. Like there was a misconnection between his brain and the rest of his body.

Harry hadn’t a clue what to do. But this had to be better than her trapped in the apartment with a lunatic.

“I work downstairs. We heard a commotion,” he lied, knowing Antonio added extra insulation and sound proofing to keep the sound of the restaurant out of the apartment. “Where is she?” He asked.

His answering smile was creepy—like he only learned how to smile recently. It was so discomforting Harry felt his stomach flip again with worry. His creepy smile paired with the emptiness of his eyes filling with a look of sick sense of delight made Harry’s skin crawl. It took everything in him to not have a physical reaction to his words. “I don’t know,” he shrugged. “Don’t know how someone can hide in a small place like this.”

“You need t’leave,” Harry ignoring the words he said. If he didn’t process them, they wouldn’t mean anything. “Now.”

“I thought I lost her,” he ignored Harry. “Then Eleanor... she came to visit and posted that picture of her. You could see the takeout bag in the background. It was a matter of time. I don’t want to lose her again.”

The man was delusional. Harry could see that. But his heart quietly broke for Eleanor, knowing she would lose her mind if she found out she was the reason her best friend was found by this guy. He silently vowed he would keep that to himself for as long as humanly possible.

“Listen. If y’don’t leave. Y’lose her. For good. If y’leave,” he swallowed. It felt like a gulp of vinegar. “Y’might get t’see her again.”

“She likes games,” he remarked rewrapping the strip of fabric around his hand. “It was like a scavenger hunt trying to find her,” he explained. “This is just another game.”

Harry tried to discreetly look for her around the open space. There was no way she was in this open room. There was nowhere to hide. Not unless she was somehow inside her sofa or under the kitchen sink. But... she had to be somewhere. There was only one real way out of the apartment and there was no way she would get through the door and down the creaky steps without him knowing after he saw her exit the rental car.

The wrought iron fire escape wouldn’t fare her much better. He would be down in the alleyway before she reached the bottom. Escaping wasn’t an option. Harry cleared his throat trying to feign innocence and help. “Can I help y’look?”

He nodded easily. Having no clue that Harry wasn’t there for anything other than making sure there wasn’t a commotion because he worked downstairs. It was very clear that he was ill. It made him sick to think she had brushed him off for so long. Played that it wasn’t a big deal. It felt horrible. All of it. Harry’s bones felt like mush.

“I need to check the bedroom and the bathroom.” That much was obvious. He had ransacked her entire apartment.

A fifty percent chance of rain was strong enough for Harry to walk around with an umbrella. When he took tests in his algebra class almost fifteen years ago, narrowing his multiple-choice questions to two choices was the best thing he could manage when he struggled with a question. The coin-flip wins he had with Niall each time they had to vacuum the main room at Dolcezza had left him with an impressive 38-102 record that he was certain the coin was always favored on his behalf.

Right now, a fifty-fifty chance may as well have been the chance of getting struck by lightning or winning the lottery.

Harry had to pick correctly.

He did a quick mental inventory of the bathroom and bedroom. Hiding in the bathroom almost made more sense. The door could lock. But if it was locked, it might make him angry—it seemed almost too obvious of a choice. He would break the door down knowing she was in there. It would be bad. The small linen closet maybe could hide her, but he wasn’t certain. His mind sprinted through the furniture in the bedroom.

“I’ll check the bedroom,” he tried not to run in there suspiciously. He checked under the bed, relieved she wasn’t in there. The tall wardrobe he had helped anchor to the wall after she decided the bookshelf was firmly in place and she had visions of the wardrobe falling on her was also empty. The only real place left that could hide a person was the closet. If she wasn’t in there, Harry would cry.

There was nothing else he could do but open it and see if he was right. It was like he was ripping a band-aid off. He yanked the door out of the way.

Harry thought about the first time he met her, when he physically bumped into her. The first expression he ever saw on her face was one of pain from how she had fallen so hard on the ground. Then there was the night she was sick, and she looked physically broken, Harry wanted nothing more than to take that away from her with nothing more than minestrone soup. Their argument from a few days ago also induced a sad and broken expression on the beautiful face he was so in love with.

Nothing compared to the look of anguish in her eyes and her shaky lower lip right at that moment he found her frozen still in her closet. Her phone was clutched to her ear in both shaky hands. Eleanor undoubtedly at the other end whispering to her to keep calm. Harry had never felt anything like the warmth spreading through his whole body seeing her pretty being there, perfectly whole, and beautiful. Whether she was terrified or not.

The relief Harry felt seeing her before him almost knocked him to his knees before her. There was nothing he wanted more than to hold her, whisk her down the steps, bring her to the kitchen, and feed her as much garlic bread, eggplant parmigiana, and minestrone soup as her heart desired.

He had to get him out of here. He gazed at her for a moment longer, his mouth pursing into a frown and he closed his eyes. “She’s not here,” he said evenly and closed the closet just as quickly as he opened it. He headed back to the main room where he noted that he had in fact, torn apart her bathroom as well. He frowned dejectedly.

“She has to be here. It’s seven-thirty. She’s always home at seven-thirty. That’s when she watches Jeopardy.”

Harry thought he was going to throw up. Knowing her schedule wasn’t something he had fully processed. “Maybe she’s not here,” he suggested.

“No, her car is in her spot. She had to get a rental while her car is in the shop.”

Harry was certain he was going to throw up.

“Maybe she hit traffic,” he tried instead.

“She always leaves time for traffic.” Harry strongly considered just slamming his head into the wall. “You’re lying,” his voice wasn’t accusatory. It was factual. Somehow that was worse. His hands tightened on the length of fabric once more.

“What?” Harry shook his head trying to feign calmness. But his heart started to speed. His fingers started to feel numb.

“She’s in there,” he sounded... excited. Harry’s heart was hammering in his chest. “Honey,” he called almost gleefully and started for the bedroom.

She pressed her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. Or vomiting. If she made a sound she was done for. Harry knew she was here. She knew Harry was there to protect her. Even after she pushed him away because he was the first person to show her what it was like to be cared for by someone else. Someone who didn’t take advantage of her kindness. Someone who wanted nothing more than to make her feel better when she was down.

She thought she was going to collapse on the floor of her closet when Harry yanked the door out of the way. She didn’t know if it was her stalker at the time. The weight that lifted seeing someone she knew... and someone she knew would help her, crushed her. Harry looked about as pained as she felt, and she didn’t know what to do or say so she simply stood there in shock and let Harry take care of her.

She’s not here. He said closing her back in the closet.

“Oh, thank God,” Eleanor whispered to her ear.

Eleanor had called Harry who knew how many times before she called the restaurant. Within seconds of switching back to her while she hid in the closet, listening to him ransack her living room. “He’s coming,” she promised. “Niall called the police,” her voice was so quiet. “I wanted to get back to you,” she explained. “I... I don’t want him to get away,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry, babe,” she could hear Eleanor’s tears and she wanted nothing more than to comfort her, but she was still frozen like a block of ice.

Hearing Harry’s warm voice feign calmness made her melt. Watching the shadowy figure in her room made her want to scream but she was still stuck in place. Eleanor was whispering comforting things. Quietly begging to no one that Harry get to her first.

Her heart was beating so fast and there was sweat on her hairline. Her phone slid in her grip with the anxiety she felt causing her hands to sweat as well. She clutched the phone to her face even harder. Listening to his exchange with Harry and Eleanor’s quiet reassurances did nothing. She was so scared. She closed her eyes as if not seeing the inside of her dark closet would make it go away. Her body was thrumming with a heartbeat that seemed to appear in every inch of muscle. It made everything ache.

“She’s in there,” his voice was excited, and the tears found their way around her hand cupped over her mouth. With her eyes still closed, she could hear Eleanor whispering something, but she was too scared to process the meaning. “Honey!” He called. Like he was home from work, and this was normal. She heard him twist the doorknob to her bedroom.

She was going to be sick.

She inhaled to scream but instead, there was a commotion then. She imagined the soundproofing failed. It surely sounded like two adult men landed hard on the floor, the thud had to have transferred through and down to the restaurant. She was shaking. Every inch of her body. She could hear more of her belongings breaking and toppling hard on the ground. It felt like her lungs were shaking inside her ribcage with each quiet breath she had to take silently. She listened to the grunting and sound of punches landing.

It couldn’t have been more than a couple minutes, but it felt like hours.

The swears and grunting stopped. There wasn’t a sound. Then a door slammed shut. It sounded like the door to the little laundry room. “El,” she whispered soundlessly, her voice hardly loud enough to get the syllable out.

“I’m calling the police again,” she switched the line leaving her in silence. She knew it was the right thing to do, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to be left alone with someone entering the room.

“Principessa?” Harry’s voice was in the room.

She was frozen, terrified. What if it was a trap? He had gotten hold of Harry, had a knife to his throat or something equally disastrous. Her hand shook against her ear wishing Eleanor was back already. She couldn’t make sense of it.

“Kitten?” He tried again, his voice was gentle.

Her knees buckled.

“M’gonna open the door, my love,” he whispered softly.

The doorknob turned.

Finally, she had strength again. Her fight, flight, and frozen abilities finally shifted from frozen to fighting. She threw herself at him hoping to knock him off his feet and out of balance. She was so worried that it was still a trick. She was going to run downstairs and into the kitchen ruining the dinner rush, but it would well be worth it. She was too scared to process anything that was happening and she threw her bodyweight at him and threw her fists at him as best she could.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Harry gently cooed, grabbing her wrists as she tried to wrangle herself away from him now that she had thrown him off balance. “Hey, hey, Principessa,” she continued squirming and throwing weak punches at him while still terrified. She was grateful she wasn’t so scared that she couldn’t fight back after all.

Despite everything, he was so proud of her for not giving up. Even if the danger was completely gone just yet. “Hey, s’okay, now, Principessa, m’here,” he promised and gave her wrists a soft squeeze. She finally stopped, going limp in his arms as she realized she was attacking Harry and not her stalker. Harry gave her a forced smile. Mixed with a grimace. “You’re okay, kitten. M’here,” he repeated cupping the side of her face so he could lock his gaze with hers. See that it was alright, that she was safe now.

She broke.

It was a miracle she could still stand but she probably had Harry to thank for that. “I’m sorry,” she whimpered her eyes flooding with tears. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen,” she sniveled covering her face now that Harry had released her. “I thought I could... I thought I could handle it. Handle it all...” she hiccupped. “But I can’t. I can’t do it anymore. I was so scared, Harry,” she whimpered. Harry knew his face wasn’t holding neutral or positive. He felt as broken as she sounded. “I’ve been tired and scared for so long and there’s been no one—” her sob choked her words.

Harry thought his heart was going to split right in the middle. If it did, he wanted to give her half of it just to make her whole again. Just to make the pain stop. He tucked her head beneath his chin and wrapped his arms around her tightly. “Oh, Principessa,” he cooed. “M’here,” he promised kissing the top of her head and soothingly rubbing his hand up and down her spine. “M’here.”

“I—” She tried to speak but the tears and emotions coursing through her stopped her vocal cords again.

“Shh, my love, shh,” he cupped the side of her face against her chest. His thumb stroked her damp cheek, and he kissed her hairline again. “M’here,” he repeated the promise. She was overwhelmed by how warm Harry was. His arm wrapped around her waist holding her tight against him. It was the first time she felt safe in hours... weeks if she was honest with herself. Harry held her silently, letting the tears and shaky sobs subside as her body shook against him. It made his chest tight with anxiety. To think she had been holding in all those emotions for so long just so others wouldn’t worry about her. “M’always going t’worry ‘bout you, kitten. Danger or no danger,” he promised.

She sniffled and pulled away from his embrace so she could wipe her hand on her cheek and Harry smudged his thumb across her other cheek brushing the tears away. Harry was scanning her face making sure he got each salty drop and every tear track off her face. As he did, she couldn’t stop staring at his concentrated expression. “I think I love you,” she whispered.

It was as if someone had put a defibrillator on his chest and shocked him. It felt like his heart was beating twice as much and he could hardly breathe as she whispered those perfect, beautiful, sweet words. His thumb stopped smoothing over her skin. His gaze dropped to her eyes again, as she looked at him, her breath shaky and she sniffled again shaking her whole body again. He started to laugh. Despite the situation, despite the worry, despite everything that was going to happen as the impending sirens got closer and closer to them. “I know I love you, Principessa,” he tilted her head up beneath her chin.

He did know. He loved her so much. It was overwhelming. The moment he laid eyes on her. The moment he touched her arms and helped her to her feet. When he had carried her things to her apartment. When she played with Leo. When she was sick. Each time she helped in the kitchen. Or when she bought him the book that he looked at for thirty seconds longer than all the rest. Every single second of knowing her, he fell more and more in love with her.

“Even though—”

He shook his head, rubbed his thumb on her lip to silence her. “I love you,” he said simply. The red and blue lights illuminated her apartment, and she heard more scary thuds ascending the staircase. “Nothing else.” She sank into his embrace and allowed herself to let go. Let someone else take care of things for a few moments.

The police were thorough. They stationed someone outside the building. Harry didn’t let go of her hand and wouldn’t let her leave his side. He was insistent she stay in the bedroom as they entered. They took pictures of everything in her place and Harry stood conveniently in front of the bedroom entryway while they brought her stalker outside. Harry assured Eleanor that she was okay while she cried against him. She would call back in a bit, but they had stuff to deal with.

“Thank you,” he croaked gratefully. The thankfulness he felt for Eleanor was so immense.

“Yeah, same to you,” she sniffled. “Don’t forget to call me,” she said seriously despite the sadness in her voice.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he promised. The police asked about a thousand questions which was exhausting in its own right. Niall finally rushed up, seeing the police bringing the guy down and he nearly got himself arrested for being so swift.

“He’s okay,” she promised with a shaky voice. They let Niall enter, who immediately gave her a huge, awkward hug because Harry wouldn’t let go of one of her hands.

“The whole restaurant is in limbo worried about you. All the regulars are worried about you,” he sighed. “I had to come up,” he explained sheepishly.

“I’m sorry—”

“Oh my God,” Harry shook his head and Niall kissed the side of her head.

“Tesorino,” he chuckled. “It’s so okay.”

“But Harry’s not—”

“Harry needs to be up here with you,” he promised. “The restaurant is very understanding,” he explained. “This isn’t something to worry about, Tesorino,” his tone was so reassuring. “M’gonna go back down and spread the good news,” he smiled. “In the morning, we’ll have breakfast, yeah?” He asked glancing at Harry briefly. He nodded quickly. She wasn’t leaving his side and she certainly wasn’t spending the night without him

She nodded with another smile. “Please.”

“I’ll cook this time,” he winked and squeezed her one more time before heading back down.

With the open door to her place, she couldn’t mistake the thundering applause the erupted from the restaurant below her. It made her tears begin to flow again. After several more questions, an EMT scanning her for any sort of damage and repeating her statement at least two more times with the help of Harry, she thought they were finally done.

“Hey!” One of the officers shouted. Harry looked the most alarmed and shoved her protectively behind him as the sound of thundering footsteps echoing up the stairs once more.

“Where is she?!” He sounded like he was going to cry.

“James?” She whispered, pushing herself from behind Harry.

“Oh, thank God,” he strode across the room, stepping on overturned debris and even though she was older than him, he lifted her off the ground. But that’s when the tears started. “Jesus Christ, Sis, why didn’t you tell me?!” He croaked. She blinked in surprise holding onto him as he crushed her to his body. Her lips parted in shock. She glanced at Harry who smirked at her with a touch of sadness in his eyes.

However, there was more commotion downstairs. “I’m her mother!” She could hear the anguish and felt it in every inch of her body.

“Oh my God,” she whispered beside James’ ear and looked up at Harry once more.

“I got it,” Harry pressed his hand on her back. Her feet were back on the floor, but James still didn’t let go. Harry quickly looked down the steps to assess the new guests. “Y’can let them up. S’her family.”

Emma looked practically animalistic, flying up the stairs, almost on all fours with the speed she took the steps. She made it to the doorway—nearly shoving Harry out of the way and all but crawling across the floor with the momentum she had built up making her way up the steps. She flung herself at her siblings wiggling herself between James who still had not let go of his older sister for a moment. “How could you?!” Emma sobbed, muffled, and squished between her brother and sister.

“Oh, my,” she whispered. “Em, I’m—”

“Don’t you dare say you’re okay,” she hissed but remained clinging to her.

Her parents soon joined their hug asking a thousand questions that she was simply too exhausted to answer. “You don’t want to get in on this?” She asked with a watery voice. Her words floated over Emma and James who refused to let go of each side of her after a kiss on the top of her head from both her parents. Ethan was last in the room, he stood idly near them. He smirked at her question.

“Want my own hug, beautiful,” he winked. Harry snorted, ignoring the jealousy running through him because he believed Ethan was probably way more worked up than he was letting on for the sake of looking like a normal person. She felt her face warm and glanced at Harry who was smirking. “You gave us all the scare of a lifetime.”

Harry was asked to relay the story to her parents, which he did so gratefully. The shock and hurt they had on their faces realizing this was the first they knew of someone stalking their baby.

“Ethan had to drive,” Emma sniffled, wiping her nose on her sleeve as she finally pulled away from the embrace. James didn’t want to let go, it seemed. He stood so close to her, his arm touching her. Like he was pressing into her side.

“Sounds like you all had scarier things to deal with,” she looked at Ethan who scooped her up again lifting her off the ground the same way James had. He kissed the side of her head, and she squeezed him back. Ethan wrapped her in his embrace when he whispered something in her ear with a smile. Almost immediately, she pulled from him and punched his arm. “You always ruin something nice.”

“Sweetie, that is not funny,” her mom said tearfully turning her attention to Harry. “Thank you,” she said seriously.

She giggled, making Harry’s heart sing now that he wasn’t as worried. “It’s kind of funny.”

James hadn’t moved from her side, looking at her in awe. His oldest sister was his hero. This hurt him so much. “Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked.

“James,” she sighed.

“No! Why didn’t you tell me? I would have—”

“There was nothing you could do, James,” she whispered. His lower lip wobbled, and his eyes filled with tears. He looked at the floor. She knew he was upset, obviously.

“One of the people at my internship, said your name out loud. I read the transcript it was Eleanor... I... I didn’t know this address. I had to look up the restaurant. I...”

“Jamie,” she hadn’t used that name since they were young. James had been James since he started kindergarten. She reached out for him again, tugged him toward her. “I’m okay,” she promised. “It’s okay,” she said soothingly, rubbing her hand up and down his back and tucked him into her embrace, holding the back of his neck as he shook with sobs.

It broke Harry’s heart knowing she was comforting her family over something that happened to her. But maybe it helped. Distracted her for the moment until she was able to deal with this. Harry wasn’t letting her go the second they left. He would comfort her the way she deserved as soon as they were gone.

Harry’s phone vibrated in his pocket. It was Eleanor. He said hello, flipped the camera around, and showed off the room. “Jeez, you let Ethan and James throw a party?” Her voice cut through all the comfort and tears.

“I resent that, Eleanor,” Ethan rolled his eyes.

“How are you doing, babe?” She asked with a smirk, seeing her holding James like he was her little brother again and not a foot and some taller than her.

She was still holding James who refused to remove his face from her neck. “I’m good,” she promised. “Thank you.”

“It was a team effort,” Eleanor smiled. “Think Harry deserves the biggest of thanks,” she said knowingly.

She nodded against James’ hold and looked over to Harry. “Mmm,” she hummed. “I think so too.”

Her family stayed in her apartment. They were insistent. Now that the pictures were taken, they were going to clean it up. All five of them. “Dibs on the underwear drawer!” Ethan said excitedly.

“You’re disgusting,” her dad grumbled.

“Can you arrest him too?” She turned to the police officer with an eye roll.

He pouted and the officer chuckled. “A guy can hope,” he shrugged helping James with the kitchen. Her mom helped her pack a bag for Harry’s, telling her how nice her place was. Even ransacked. It smelled delicious. Her dad was impressed with how the furniture was anchored to the wall and when told it was Harry’s doing, he thanked him once more for caring about his eldest.

Niall made a second trip up with a box of food for everyone to eat. Everyone sat and ate, moaning about how good everything tasted amidst the messy overturned furniture, broken glass from picture frames, and other decorative things. No one minded. Emma sat next to her as well as James who refused to let his gaze move from her.

“I’m okay,” she murmured to both. She kissed the top of Emma’s head and patted James’ knee. He shook his head holding his phone up to show him all the texts from his girlfriend.

I know you’re busy, but please keep me updated. I’ve never met her but I’m also super worried.

She frowned look at James with watery eyes. “I love her already,” she promised.

There was a lot of logistics to figure out. Her mom said they planned on leaving early in the morning to get belongings back home before returning to a hotel nearby so they could help with whatever she needed for the next couple days. “You’ll stay at Harry’s for a few days?” She asked, glancing at Harry.

“Yes,” he said before she could brush it off. “M’not...” he smirked and looked at his lap. “Don’t want her out of m’sight,” he admitted.

“Good,” everyone nodded in agreement.

“You don’t need to stay,” she assured them. “It’s really okay now.”

“Forgive me, but I have a hard time believing you now,” her mom made the same angry face that she always made. A crease between her eyebrows, a frown on the corners of her mouth.

“I know that you just went through something scary,” Emma began. “But do you think—”

“Jesus Christ, Emma!” James nearly shouted.

“Let me finish!”

“You’re such a selfish brat! You’re probably the reason she didn’t tell us with all your essays and—”

“Children—” her mother started.

“ME? You’re the one she’s been buying groceries for because you spend your money before it reaches your bank account—"

“You two knock it off!” Her dad shouted. Ethan snickered and shook his head chomping on the garlic bread that Harry honestly wanted to yank out of his hand so there was more for her to eat. She smirked and turned to Emma, her back to James, which Harry was sure felt like a slap in the face to him.

“What do you need, Em?” Harry kind of wanted to yell at Emma too for asking for something. But he waited because obviously the sweet girl knew her sister better and clearly sensed something kind at the end of her request.

“Could we make cookies together, tomorrow?” She asked, looking like the little girl that broke her arm and she had to comfort for a whole car ride.

“Yeah,” she smiled. “I’d like that,” she promised. “You two will have to help too,” she said looking at James and Ethan. James was scowling at Emma’s satisfied smile of being right.

Ethan smirked. “Would love to see you in an apron, beautiful.”

Harry drove her back to his place before the restaurant closed. Niall said he would hang back for longer to give them time to get settled peacefully. Harry refused to let go of her hand. It was almost eleven thirty when they parked in his driveway. The exhaustion was so heavy it was a miracle she could stand. But Harry was probably to thank for that.

There wasn’t much talking in the car, but she was glad to hold his hand. She knew they had lots to discuss but she was tired. Harry was surely tired too. He grabbed her bag. “Do you think Ethan and James should sleep in the living room?” She asked suddenly as Harry unlocked the front door. Harry could see her mind spinning rapidly. It was like she was awake again, caught a second wind from the spiral in her own mind. “Just in case? I don’t want something to happen to Emma or my mom. Oh, I’ll have to fix Antonio’s office tomorrow. Oh... oh we didn’t tell Antonio—”

“Principessa,” Harry ushered her inside and dropped her bag on the living room floor. In the same movement, he cupped her face, and looked her squarely in the eyes. He pressed his thumb on her lips, silencing her. At once, her eyes softened. The forehead crease disappeared. Harry thought this was better than winning an award just to see her relief coat her face thanks to his gentle encouragment. “S’okay,” he promised and kissed the tip of her nose. “We’re not worrying about anything else for tonight.”

“But... I feel really bad!” she pouted below his thumb making a rush of electricity throw through him where his thumb touched her lips. “I know I hurt your feelings and I wanted to talk—”

“Kitten,” he shook his head. “Not tonight,” he promised. “Y’went through something really scary—”

“So did you!”

“—and s’far as m’concerned, you are a hundred percent forgiven. M’glad you’re alright. We can discuss anything y’want in the morning,” he promised. “But we’re not worrying ‘bout anything but kissing and sleeping tonight,” his voice was so serious, and it made her flush that pink color Harry worried she wouldn’t show him after their argument. It felt like ages since he had seen it when realistically it hadn’t been more than two days.

“Well, can we worry about the shower or something? I feel like I smell terrible, and I need to get this night off me,” she wrinkled her nose cutely.

“I think y’smell good,” he chuckled tucking his face into her neck and pecking at her skin. “Can y’even stand long enough for a shower?”

“I’m not getting in your bed all sweaty and gross,” she yawned. “I’ll sleep in the shower if that’s the case.”

He smiled. “Whatever y’say, my love.”

Harry gave her a head start on the shower and texted Antonio a brief update just in case he felt better tomorrow and made it in. After a few questions and a couple more reassurances that everything was okay, Harry finally told him about the most annoying part. I’ll clean up the office... he sent a row of eye-rolling emojis as well. Followed by the vexing part. She’s worried that it’s her fault and wants to assure you it will be clean.

Harry was surprised he was awake, but maybe the kids were keeping him up with whatever illness they were feeling. Tell her to shut up and she better not or I’ll never let her have garlic bread from the kitchen ever again.

Harry smiled, stripped his clothes off, and stepped into the warm steam along with her to get the grime from the day off. “I love you,” he reminded her.

She smiled. “I love you too,” she said sweetly. He cupped her damp face, brushing the suds from her shampoo away from her eyes and he kissed her so deeply and warmly, it felt like he was putting her back together with just a kiss.

Harry slipped on a pair of boxers and grabbed her bag to put in his room. She sat in just a large T-shirt she had left behind and a pair of his boxers as well on the edge of his bed. Harry brushed her hair for her and put lotion all over her body massaging the back of her legs and kissing her softly once he finished. As soon as her hair was brushed and toweled dried enough that she felt comfortable laying on his bed with damp hair, she slunk into his mattress and pillows with a long, heavy sigh. Harry immediately followed suit and wrapped his body around her. He kissed the back of her head and sighed in complete happiness.

His phone pinged with a text from Niall, stretching away from her long enough to find out he was pulling down the road. He knew that Niall did so that Harry wasn’t alarmed when the light from his headlights slid over the room and made him worried when someone entered the home. He still clutched her closer as he heard Niall shuffle right by his door, still nervous. But, somehow, she was nearly snoring already.

“Principessa,” he hummed.

“Hmm?” He wasn’t sure she was even a quarter awake. Maybe it was reflex to answer.

“I love you,” he kissed the back of her head. “So much,” he murmured.

She twisted awkwardly, exhaustedly, to face him. Harry draped his arm around the front of her pulling her closer to him despite the fact she could kiss the space between his collarbone if she wanted to. Beneath the covers she curled the arm closest to the mattress against his chest and the other held onto his hard hip. Harry pressed his lips to her forehead. Holding her in place and enjoying the feel of her soft skin below his lips. “I love you too,” she answered.

“Principessa,” he whispered. “I know y’need t’sleep. M’sorry. I really need t’say this,” he brought his hand back to her face and stroked his thumb against her cheek. She almost perked up completely, like she was fully awake. Harry felt a pang of worry course through him. She was so ready to give anything and everything of herself just for him. Probably for anyone. He imagined if James or Emma called right then asking for her to come back, she would. “You don’t bother me,” his voice was quiet, but deep. It made her whole body ache to hear him say it. “Ever. I was going to come up and apologize during dinner,” he admitted.

“Oh,” she giggled every so lightly. “I was going to go down and do the same,” she responded.

He chuckled and felt relief flow through him. “Really?” She nodded against his body.

“I won’t push you away... or I won’t like that. It’s going to take some time but... I really want to be better about accepting you being there for me. I really want that. I promise. I’m so sorry, I yelled at you,” she whispered.

“S’okay, kitten. I know... I know s’not easy,” he kissed between her eyebrows and rid herself of the pinch. “You’re forgiven. M’gonna help y’no matter what. No matter how much y’might not want me to,” he chuckled softly again.

“That’s...the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said or done for me,” she nosed at his chest sighing contentedly getting ready to fall asleep wrapped in Harry’s warm embrace.

It was perfect. She was so grateful for that little apartment. That perfect restaurant. Everything. “Sweetest, Principessa?” he repeated tiredness coating his voice, but he could talk to her for hours and hours tomorrow. But for now, he wanted her to know before she fell asleep. “For you, la mia dolcezza, y’deserve all the sweetness and more.”

general taglist: @justlemmeadoreyou @daydreamingofmatilda @sunshinemoonsposts @tiredinwinter @loving-hazz @likeapplejuicenpeach @straightontilmornin @freedomfireflies @littlenatilda @kathb59 @babegoals @angel-upon @lilfreakjez @mleestiles @ameliaalvarez06 @canyonmoondreams @summertime-pills @daphnesutton @l4rrysh0use @perfectywrong @foreverxholland @lolyouallsuck @buckybarnessimpp @stylesfever @harrysxcarolina @haarrrys @lovrave @st-ev-ie @pandeebearstyles @toosarcastic03 @luvonstyles @tenaciousperfectionunknown @classychalamet @love-letters-to-uranus

Dolcezza: @matildasatellite @crossyourpeter @lovingfurypanda @sideboobrry11 @theresnooneheretosave @emmaawbr @hermionelove @12yeahiminluvwu @cohnfusedarling

I'm sorry if I missed anyone in the taglist. Please let me know if you'd like to join, if I put you on the wrong list, if it didn't work, if you no longer want to be included, etc. :)

If you like this, check out my masterlist for more of my writing.

#harry #harry styles writing #harry styles fluff #harry styles blurb #harry styles blurbs #harry styles smut #harry styles angst #harry styles imagine #harry styles imagines #harry styles fic #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles x y/n #harry styles x reader #one direction #one direction writing #dolcezza

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corneliaavenue-ao3 · 4 months

Note

You’re probably not drunk anymore but if your still taking “drunk prompts”, would you think of writing a scene where Harry sees Ginny chatting with Viktor Krum (after a grueling quidditch match) and he’s all “big bloke and jealous “

Take care, and your co-writer is adorable

@takearisk-ao3

not me trying to rid of three prompts (that have been in my ask box for a year) in one. happy drunk prompts night

He watched her fall and thought he was going to be the one to die.

While the crowd around him reacted to the illegal hit the Ballycastle Bats' beater made, Harry felt his heart fall along with Ginny as she slipped off of her broom.

One, two, three feet she fell.

Admittedly, she was quite close to the ground when the bludger hit the tail of her broom, but that didn't make Harry feel much better. Her back hit the ground first, her feet and then her head hit the grass shortly after.

The crowd oohed, drowning out the sound of Ginny's string of curses she shouted at the whole Ballycastle team. In one swift motion, Ginny swung her leg back over her broom and raced off. With an outstretched hand, she intercepted the throw between the Ballycastle chasers. She threw the quaffle to her teammate and raced off to the hoops.

Harry watched closely monitoring each move.

She was slightly out of formation on the Hawkshead formation. Was she concussed?

Was that a flash of her read hair on her forehead or was that blood?

She scored that goal with her left arm not her right, did she hit her right arm when she hit the ground?

The match ended 47 minutes and 31 seconds later, not that Harry was counting, when the Harpies seeker caught the snitch while the Ballycastle seeker was looking in the opposite direction.

Harpies win, 370 to 180.

Ginny and her teammates practically danced off the field, hooting and hollering at their win, but Harry's anxiety still did not subside. He knew she would be escorted back to the Healer's room as protical since she was knocked off her broom during a match. He just hoped she was actually okay.

Harry pushed his way through the crowd, making his way to the back. It was one of the few times he was thankful to be so recognizable. He waved to the Harpies security guard as he let him in the back of the stadium.

Down the hallway from Healer's room, Harry could hear Ginny laugh. Good. Harry thought, calming some of his anxiety. If Ginny was laughing that meant she couldn't be that badly hurt.

Pushing open the door, Harry stopped short, realizing the source of Ginny's laughter.

Victor Krum.

Harry had never understood his best friend any more than in that moment because why was famous Quidditch star, Triwizard Tournament competitor, Victor Krum, talking with Harry's girlfriend?

Why was famous Quidditch star, Triwizard Tournament comeptitor, Victor Krum, making his girlfriend laugh?

Why did Ginny laugh at something famous Quidditch star, Triwizard Tournament comeptitor, Victor Krum, say?

"You look quite unsettled over there, Potter," Ginny said grinning at him.

"Harry! It is so good to see you again," Krum said in his stupid accent. "I was hoping I you would be here today." Krum strolled to Harry with an outstretched hand.

Harry crossed his arms, "Why wouldn't I be at my girlfriend's match?"

Ginny rolled her eyes, "Don't worry about my boyfriend's attitude, Victor, he gets all grumpy whenever I fall off of my broom."

Victor!? Harry gets called Potter, but Krum get's called Victor?

"I do not get grumpy," But Harry's voice faded at the end of his sentence with Ginny's pointed look at him, his hand finally meeting Krum's in a handshake.

"I vas at the game because I was told to scout out Ballycastle's beaters," Krum grimmaced, "vas not impressed."

Harry begrudgingly agreed.

"But, I was very impressed with Ginny over here. That Chelmondiston Charge you pulled off right after intercepting the quaffle vas spectacular."

"She is spectacular," Harry stated, matter-of-factly.

Ginny stuck her tongue out at him.

"I just wanted to compliment her and talk her out of ever joining England's professional team. Bulgaria doesn't need anymore competition," Krum winked at Harry like it was some inside joke. "Vell, I get out of both of your hair. Tell Fleur ello from me when you see her next."

The door clicked shut after Krum, and silence filled the room for just a moment before Ginny burst out into laughter.

"You are so jealous!" She accused him.

"Am not!" Harry lied.

"I cannot wait to talk about Hermione about this," Ginny grinned.

#drunk prompts #let me pour another glass of wine #hinny #this took way longer to write than normal for me lol #i made a tik tok in the middle of writing this lol

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lilylovessev · 1 year

Text

playing games || snamione

“No.”

“Oh, come on! You know you want to play...”

Hermione glanced at them over the top of her book, rolling her eyes, “There are impressionable ears around here.” She then pointedly glanced across the common room at the small group of second or third years whom should have been in bed by then. “I’m not going to partake in your immature games. I’m enjoying reading.” She turned her attention back to her book; which was, admittedly, a collection of extended essays on feminism.

A few moments later, the book was snatched from her hand. She groaned, looking up at Ginny before slowly shaking her head.

Why did they always have to drag her into these things?

Honestly, she just wanted to be left alone. This was precisely why she hadn’t thought that it was the best idea for certain people, who were already immature enough, to return to Hogwarts. It wasn’t doing them any favours in that respect. Although admittedly, they were all doing surprisingly well, despite the trauma that they’d so intensely suffered there. They all understood the importance of doing themselves justice, earning what they’d not had the chance to achieve before given they hadbeen in the midst of a war.

She slipped down from the sofa, muttering under her breath as she did so, entirely displeased by feeling as if she had to join in. She merely scoffed as Ginny then suggested that they play ‘spin the bottle’. Her immediate reaction was to say, “Are you actually kidding me?” She then sighed as they called her a spoilsport, but she knew them far better than to think that this wasn’t just a way of probing one another for information. Particularly, her.

That or they’d try and make her bloody kiss Ron or something. She’d already done that, and it had quite possibly been one of the biggest let downs of her life thus far. They didn’t talk about it though, for very obvious reasons, given that they were still friends.

She looked around their small group, waiting for someone to make the first move. She watched closely as Harry set down an empty firewhiskey bottle, spinning it rather forcefully so. She almost willed for it not to stop on her, they were magical, surely that would work. Nope. It was safe to say that everyone laughed when the bottle did, in fact, slowly come to a stop pointing at her. She smirked, shaking her head before holding up her hands, “I am not kissing anyone here.”

“Oh, come on! Not even Ron? It’s not as if that’s unfamiliar territory.”

“It’s a territory that I am definitely quite happy not to visit again,” she responded firmly, widening her eyes at Ginny in an almost threatening manner. “Sorry, Ron.” She glanced over at him, smiling slightly as he shrugged nonchalently. “I’m simply not interested in any of you. You’re not to my... taste.” She teased, trying to at least appear a tad more laidback than she had done during that evening. As much as she had her hackles up, these were her friends, and she wanted to have fun with them.

“Really? What is your taste, ‘Mione? Who is your type then?”

The question clearly came forth a tad more bluntly than Ron had expected for it to, and so Ginny swiftly interjected, “Do you like younger men? Or, older men?”

What on earth was going on?

The colour rose in her cheeks and she immediately became flustered, refusing to allow herself to get stuck in this particular corner. “This is ridiculous.” She moved to stand up, grabbing her book off of the table, “So what if I do like older men? And? It’s not as if there are many around here that I’d go for. You all need to stop with this stupidity.” She knew that she was getting wound up over nothing, and that they weren’t really being serious, but it was enough to get under her skin. She had always been highly-strung, but it had been worse since everything had happened. You’d think that she’d be more relaxed, that wasn’t the case.

“What about Snape?”

The room fell silent, even the literal children in the corner turned to look at them at the mention of that name.

“Excuse me? Are you out of your mind, Ginny?” At this point, she moved to sit back down on the sofa, shaking her head. “You’re mad.” She laughed, because it really was so ludicrous. “What? Do you think I should waltz up and plant one on him?” Of course, everyone started laughing at that. “Hmm?”

“I dare you.”

“Pardon?”

“No, I don’t dare you. Let’s put a bet on it. Who’s in? Who wants to place a bet that our lovely Hermione will find love here in this very castle with a certain older man?”

She couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing, and quite frankly, it was particularly amusing. For a moment, she had wondered if Ginny was joking, but she could soon tell that she wasn’t in fact joking.

However, like hell was she going to take this serously. For the sake of a laugh perhaps, and because she knew fine well that it would only rile up trouble if she didn’t appear t partake, she merely shrugged and nodded. “Okay.”

They were all mad. They were truly mad. As if any of this was going to happen.

What on earth were they expecting? That she actively pursued Severus Snape, of all people? Please. Of course, deep down, a small part of her wondered if she should... No, that was barking. It was crazy. However, why not? They knew that he wasn’t a terrible person, even if he still made out to be to an extent. That and it wasn’t as if anything was actually going to come of this. She would never have behaved like this before, not in a million years, but everything was different now.

#para

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whatstruthgottodowithit · 3 months

Text

The Other Evans Girl [Part Ten]

Fandom: Harry Potter [Marauder’s Era]

Pairing: Sirius Black x Original Female Character, Sirius Black x Daisy Evans, James Potter x Lily Evans

Characters: Sirius Black, Original Female Character, Daisy Evans, Lily Evans, Remus Lupin, James Potter, Harry Potter, Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall, Alice Fortescue, Frank Longbottom, Marlene McKinnon, Albus Dumbledore, Voldemort, Peter Pettigrew, Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix LeStrange, Walburga Black, Orion Black, Jasper Thicknesse, Barty Crouch Jr, Mulciber, Walden McNair

Word Count: 6882

Rating: Explicit

Summary: Hogwarts is a safe haven, a home for many, but it’s often a place where heartache, love and complex emotions dwell and none know that better than the Marauders. Lily Evans just wants to make it out as a successful witch though the oncoming war and the ongoing advances of James Potter threaten that. Daisy Evans, her twin, has other goals. Join the Evans sisters as they make their way through Hogwarts, prepare for war and eventually find love.

Tags/ Warnings: Hogwarts, Friends, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Marauder’s Era, Teenage Angst, Babies, Weddings, Dating, Crying, Loss of Virginity, First Wizarding War, Love, Kissing, Teenagers, James Potter is a bit of a dick, Hogsmeade, 1970s, Fighting, Loss of Parents, Grief, Babies, Injuries, Gore, Harm, Christmas, The Potter’s Mansion // Daisy’s Dress // NYE Lily’s Dress // NYE Daisy’s Dress // Lily’s Ring // Daisy’s Ring

LINK TO AO3 // LINK TO PINTEREST // LINK TO ALL PARTS

Halloween came quickly after their meeting and since Severus had done nothing further to let her in on whatever he thought the boys were up Daisy was a bundle of nerves. Her nerves were reflected in the way she dressed unusually quickly the morning of Halloween, eager to see if she could catch him before breakfast. It was a move that made Lily eye her curiously but she ignored her and they made their way downstairs finding the Great Hall virtually empty.

‘I can’t wait for the party tonight,’ Alice said as she sat down and grabbed a couple of pieces of toast. ‘Me too actually,’ Lily said. ‘Have you got your costume together?’ Marlene asked given that their quest last weekend to Hogsmeade hadn’t reaped much meaning each of them had been relying on owl post to get the finishing touches together. ‘Yeah,’ Daisy said, she had been fortunate, having picked a devil all she had had to do was find a red dress and a pair of horns which she’d even managed to charm into looking more realistic. ‘I still can’t get my wig quite right,’ Lily said which caused Marlene to dive into an explanation about how she could get anyone’s hair right with an intense combination of spells and Sleekeazy's Hair Potion and that she would set to work after their classes. Daisy wasn’t really listening to them anymore she was looking at Severus who was facing her way but speaking to someone she didn’t recognise. Watching him she felt her nerves bubble again. She wasn’t going to see him till tonight and the only time they had spent together had had Lily involved so she had no chance to speak to him properly. If she was going to feel more settled about the whole thing she needed to talk to him.

‘You alright Dais?’ Lily said watching her sister as she stared into the middle distance. ‘Yeah fine,’ Daisy said, ‘I’m just gonna go talk to Sev okay?’ ‘Why?’ Lily asked curiously. ‘I leant him some quills the other day and he’s not given them back to me,’ she lied. Lily’s eyes narrowed but Daisy didn’t wait for any questions as she quickly rose from her seat and walked around to the Slytherin table. Severus looked up as she got to the table as did his friend. She recognised him though he couldn’t recall his name and she was sure he wasn’t in their year, perhaps a couple below. His blonde hair fell in his eyes as he looked at her but she could still see how they narrowed as he took her in.

‘Hey Sev,’ she said sitting down. ‘No one said you could sit there,’ the blonde boy sneered. ‘Good job I didn’t ask anyone then,’ she retorted. ‘Leave us for a minute, Barty,’ Severus mumbled. The blond-haired boy’s eyes went dark at the boy’s words but he said nothing and instead got up and moved down the table out of earshot. ‘What’s his problem?’ Daisy asked. ‘He’s not a big fan of,’ Severus paused as if realising his words. ‘Of?’ Daisy pressed. ‘…muggleborns,’ he finished. Daisy’s stomach flip-flopped. Of course, she knew of the supremacy some purebloods felt over their blood status but she’d been fortunate not to have experienced anything negative the fact that Severus spent time with him considering his ties with Lily and Daisy made her feel uneasy. ‘Oh,’ she said quietly. ‘Ignore him,’ he said brushing her feelings aside, ‘what did you want?’ ‘I want to know what’s happening tonight. Have you found out anything more?’ she asked. Severus’ face broke into a smile as he nodded though he didn’t offer any information. ‘Well?’ she asked. ‘It’s just a hunch,’ he shrugged, ‘we’ll see if we’re right tonight.’ ‘When?’ Daisy questioned. ‘They said they weren’t going to be at the feast right? So I say we meet in the entrance hall at half five,’ he said. ‘Right,’ she agreed, ‘wait, what do I say to Lily?’ ‘Just say you’re meeting me?’ he shrugged. Daisy shook her head. ‘No way. She’ll either want to come or force me to tell her what we’re doing and ban me from doing it,’ she said. ‘Then think of an excuse… because it has to be tonight,’ Severus said seriously. Daisy nodded though the way his demeanour changed made her feel uneasy.

The day passed as slow as could be expected. After her little rendezvous with Severus Lily kept giving her sister suspicious looks and though Daisy tried to ignore them she felt on edge. Throughout her lessons, Daisy tried to spy on James and his friends but as karma would have it today was the day they spent mostly in electives, which meant she only shared a class with them every so often.

Eventually, school finished and everyone raced back to their common rooms in order to prepare for the feast and the parties that were sure to follow in each house. As soon as the bell rang for the end of the day Daisy rushed back to her room hoping that she’d be able to change and get downstairs without Lily’s scrutiny. Yet when she got back to the dormitory she found her roommates had beaten her to it and were gathered around one bed working on Lily’s wig. They barely even looked up as Daisy mumbled a greeting and raced into the bathroom, yet as she emerged having had a shower and dressed into casual clothes she found Lily was on her immediately.

‘Aren’t you wearing your costume?’ Lily asked standing up as she took in the jeans and t-shirt her sister was now sporting. Daisy looked down at her outfit, stalling for an excuse given that in her haste she’d forgotten she’d not thought of a reason why she wasn’t going to the feast. ‘No… I didn’t think we were wearing them to the feast,’ Daisy said. ‘Frank and his friends are,’ Alice chimed in. ‘Yeah, let’s show them what we’re bringing,’ Marlene said, twirling around in her costume so that Daisy could see. Daisy had to admit as costumes went it was pretty impressive given that her angel costume had a real-life halo floating above her head, illuminating her pretty features and making her look radiant as always. ‘Yeah,’ Daisy said though she couldn’t think of dressing up as Severus’ words still rang in her ears. With that she sat down on her bed a little heavier than intended.

‘You alright?’ Alice asked from the bed opposite her. ‘Yeah, just feeling a bit rubbish is all,’ Daisy said, fiddling with her costume that was laid out on her bed. ‘You were alright this morning,’ Lily said suspiciously as she started slipping on her wig. Her gingham dress and ruby slippers were laid out on her bed. Ever the bibliophile Lily had opted for a book character, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. ‘I know,’ Daisy said, ‘I started feeling a little unwell in ancient runes.’ ‘I didn’t notice,’ Lily said. ‘Well sorry I don’t tell you every time I feel a bit iffy,’ Daisy snapped. ‘I’m sure it’s nothing,’ Alice said trying to diffuse the tension that settled in the air immediately.

Fortunately it worked though the twins figured her case was supported given that Alice was sporting a pair of whiskers and charmed mouse ears. Lily giggled and moved to hug her sister with one arm as she muttered, ‘sorry Dais.’ ‘It’s alright. I just hope I feel better for the feast. I’ve hardly eaten today to save room,’ she chuckled. ‘That’s probably why then!’ Alice said. ‘She had a full pie and chips at lunchtime I doubt that’s it,’ Marlene giggled. ‘Alright, alright,’ Daisy said. ‘Why don’t you nip to Madam Pomfrey?’ Lily suggested, ‘she might be able to give you some pepper up potion that’ll get you right for the party.’ ‘Good idea Lil,’ Daisy said standing up and trying not to seem too eager above the excuse her sister had provided. Once she had tucked her wand into her pocket she then headed to the door grabbing a jacket as she went. ‘See you at the feast, yeah?’ she said. She heard the girls’ shouts as she closed the door behind her and headed down to meet Severus.

He was pacing in the entrance hall when she got down there though he looked up as she came down the stairs rushing to meet her in an instant. He looked nervous and so was she though she just thanked her lucky stars that there was no one around to see them. Where the hall was normally full of students heading to dinner tonight it was empty, most people probably spending extra time putting finishing touches to their outfits.

‘Hi,’ she said meekly though it was cut off as they heard movement in the Great Hall, Severus’ whipping his head around to check they weren’t going to be caught loitering. As he looked away she took a moment to take him in. His black hair hung limply around his face, unmoving, though his robes billowed behind him, the gust from under the front door was enough to move the black material. Daisy frowned, wondering why he hadn’t changed from his uniform until he turned back, creating enough of a gap to see that he was wearing pants and a simple black jumper. And though she didn’t know why she suddenly felt underdressed.

‘Hi,’ she repeated hoping he’d reply to her this time. ‘Hey,’ he replied. ‘Have you seen them?’ she asked. He shook his head and then suddenly he grabbed her arm and moved her over to the broom cupboard near the steps to the dungeon before quickly opening the door and forcing her inside. ‘Sev what are you doing?’ she asked wrenching her arm out of his grasp as she turned to face him. ‘They’re going to be coming through here, I’m sure,’ he said obliviously. ‘Okay but is there any reason to manhandle me,’ she snapped dusting off her jacket. Severus mumbled an apology but then went to the door and cracked it open so they could see the entire entrance hall. ‘So what now?’ she asked. ‘We wait,’ he said simply. She was still miffed at being jostled into the cupboard but as she thought about she realised he was right. If they were going to go anywhere it was most likely going to be via here and if someone saw them hiding they’d no doubt be rumbled. And so she accepted her fate and nodded, moving to find an upturned mop bucket so that she could sit down. As Severus stood by the cracked door, his eye pressed to it, Daisy sighed realising it was going to be a long night.

✵✵✵

Daisy’s bum was numb. She had been sitting on the mop bucket for nearly two hours with Severus kneeling in front of her, faring no better. From his vantage point, he had seen the hordes of students come from all directions and filter into the great hall leaving the entrance hall empty again.

‘Sev, we’re missing the feast and for nothing,’ Daisy whined. ‘They’ll come okay,’ he said, his gaze still transfixed to the crack in the door. ‘What makes you so sure that they’ll even come through here? I mean they could be doing anything, anywhere in the castle and we’re sat here like lemons. I’m starving-’ Daisy started though she cut off as Severus held a hand up in front of her, shushing her quickly. Looking through the gap Severus heard the clack of heels on the stone floor before he saw a flurry of green robes appear. McGonagall appeared from the great hall, closing the door behind her as Daisy got to her knees, peering over Severus’ shoulder as the head of house spoke.

‘Ah Mr Lupin, I thought I’d missed you for a moment,’ she said, a kind smile that Daisy had never seen before gracing her face. Daisy heard Remus speak before she saw him landing at the bottom of the steps in front of the woman she was watching. ‘Sorry Professor,’ he said, ‘I left the dormitory later than planned.’ ‘Well, no bother,’ she said, putting a tender hand on his shoulder for a moment before she seemed to bethink herself and straighten up adding, ‘come on before it gets too late.’ ‘Okay professor,’ Remus said following her as she started to walk towards the big double doors which they left through quietly. ‘What now?’ Daisy whispered as if they were going to hear her though they were long gone. ‘Hang on,’ Severus said. Daisy sunk back onto her heels. What was the point? They had been looking for something suspicious, an activity they could use as leverage with a teacher but it seemed that whatever they were involved in already involved one anyway which kind of thwarted the idea. Not to mention whatever Remus was up to seemed to have McGonagall acting almost maternal which in itself was weird.

After about five minutes, McGonagall returned through the double doors and quickly walked through the hall and back into the great hall as if she were never gone. There was a snapshot of sound as the doors opened and Daisy could hear the rabble and raucousness of the feast she was missing. It made her want to give up on this madness, to forget they’d even bothered trying to get one over on Potter and his gang. In fact, she was just about to tell Severus to hang it up when there was a sound of footsteps on the stairs and though she couldn’t see anyone as she peered over her friend’s head she could hear the sound of whispered arguing.

‘You’re on my foot Wormtail,’ came a low voice she faintly recognised. ‘Sorry, ow,’ came the reply. ‘Shut it you two before Filch comes running,’ came another voice. The voices were closer now but Daisy still couldn’t see them. Her mind drifted back to her date in her third year with James. The invisibility cloak. At the time she hadn’t known what it was but after a Lily style research period she had learned of the existence of such things, hence why they got away with so much stuff. ‘It’s them,’ she whispered. Severus nodded in front of her keeping his eye trained on the doors. ‘Are we covered?’ one of the voices said, Sirius if she had to guess. ‘Yeah, doors are closed,’ came a squeaky reply, Peter, definitely. ‘Right come on then,’ the final voice which she could only assume to be James said. Suddenly, the three boys appeared from nowhere in front of the front doors of the castle. Sirius pushed his hair out of his eyes whilst James tucked the cloak up and stuffed it in his jacket pocket. Peter seemed to be nursing a knock to the eye which Daisy assumed was the cause of the ‘ow’. Whilst Sirius and Peter kept an eye out in either direction James opened one of the double doors slowly and as quietly as possible, holding it open and allowing his friends to duck through the small gap before following them and closing it behind him with a small ‘thunk’.

‘Come on,’ Severus said standing up and opening the door to the broom cupboard. ‘Won’t they see us?’ Daisy asked, biting her lip as they exited. ‘When do they pay attention to anyone but themselves?’ Severus said bitterly as he stretched out his aching muscles. Daisy could feel a twinge in her back from sitting for so long but she ignored it as she tried to keep pace with Severus. They were at the front door within seconds, Severus opening it as quietly as James had and allowing Daisy to duck out first.

The air was crisp and cool against Daisy’s face, a comfort after spending hours cramped up in a cupboard. Given that the sun had set hours earlier the courtyard was barren of light, the only illumination coming from the castle windows as even the moon hadn’t appeared yet, bus she could see the figures of the boys as they disappeared down the trail that led off the bridge out of the grounds. However they didn’t follow in that direction automatically. Instead Daisy followed Severus as he walked to the edge of the courtyard no doubt scouting for a better view. They were a way down the path now, their chatter floating back up in their direction though she couldn’t make out their words clearly. Still they didn’t move and instead watched as they carried on towards the Whomping Willow. It was only when they passed Hagrid’s hut did Severus start walking, convinced they were far enough away that they wouldn’t see the pair behind them.

‘Where are they going?’ Daisy whispered curiously though Severus didn’t say anything in response. His face was frosty and his jaw taut as he stormed ahead forcing her to go at a jogging pace to keep up. The small breeze ruffled his hair and robes but he didn’t seem to care, as he was focused on the task at hand. It made Daisy feel uneasy but she didn’t say anything and soon enough they were walking past Hagrid’s cabin and towards the long grass that ran along the side of the Whomping Willow. It was only when they got within a hundred yards of the tree did Daisy realise the boys had stopped, standing in front of it as if waiting for something.

‘Get down,’ Severus said, forcing her down behind the long grass as James took a precautionary glance around the grounds. He didn’t see her though she wasn’t sure how as they were close enough that she could hear him as he took out his wand and shouted, ‘immobulus.’ At his command the Whomping Willow’s vigorous limbs slowed but didn’t stop which made her suspect whatever charm they’d used wouldn’t hold for long. It wasn’t until Peter jogged forward and pushed a large knot on the front of the tree did the branches fall completely still, allowing the boys to get closer. Daisy poked her head up, hoping if they looked around her blonde locks would blend in with the dry grass she was knelt in, and watched as the three of them rushed forward, towards a gap in the roots of the tree, climbing into it and out of sight. Daisy’s eyes bugged in their sockets as they vanished. It wasn’t a big hole, and yet all three boys fit perfectly inside and didn’t return even after a couple of minutes. Questions bounced around in her brain. What were they doing? Where did they go? Yet she didn’t have time to ponder on her questions as she was yanked up from the long grass by Severus who then led her towards the Whomping Willow’s gaping hole.

‘We don’t have much time,’ he mumbled as he uttered another staying charm over the plant. ‘What do you mean?’ she said, allowing herself to be dragged forward by his non-wand hand. ‘We’ve got to follow them,’ he said as if it were self-explanatory. She was by no means a coward, but the idea of climbing into the unknown through a violent tree’s roots filled her with some trepidation. ‘We don’t know what’s in there,’ Daisy reasoned. ‘I’ve got a hunch,’ Severus said truthfully, ‘but we can’t prove anything if we don’t see it, yeah?’ ‘Sev,’ she hesitated earning an expectant look from her friend. Daisy looked at the hole and then at her friend’s serious face. She knew he had a point and they’d come this far. Not to mention all this secrecy meant whatever it was had to be big right? Expulsion worthy and that was what they both wanted. So, ignoring the knot in her stomach she nodded and followed Severus as he climbed inside the large hole and disappeared out of sight. It was dark and dirty inside the hole and Daisy winced as she felt along the wall to pull herself up from where she had fallen on her knees. The drop wasn’t a big one but she hadn’t been sure of how far down she was going and had over-prepared which toppled her over.‘It’s a tunnel,’ Severus whispered seemingly not noticing she had fallen. Or not caring. ‘To where?’ she said. ‘I have an idea,’ he said though he didn’t elaborate further. Instead, he just lit up the tip of his wand and started walking ahead. He was right, it was a tunnel and from the state of it, Daisy guessed it was deep underground. She followed Severus through the long winding tunnel wondering just where it led to and trying to ignore the sickly feeling in her stomach. She couldn’t hear the boys anywhere and she could barely see anything past Severus’ wand tip.

After walking what felt like forever Daisy could finally see a fuzzy patch of light in the distance and as they got closer it got bigger until finally, they were at the entrance to a room. Severus stepped into it followed by Daisy who had only just realised she had been clinging to the back of his robes. The room wasn’t big and was comprised mostly of an old rickety staircase and a couple of doors on the ground floor but they had been boarded up so no one could enter in or out with the tunnel seeming to be the only entrance.

‘Sev,’ Daisy said trying to hide the nerves in her voice, ‘where are we?’ ‘I think we’re in the shrieking shack,’ Severus said calmly though whatever attention had had been paying her disappeared as his head snapped upwards, to where a noise had come from above them. There was movement somewhere upstairs and Severus wasted no time in investigating. As he crept quietly up the stairs Daisy followed behind reluctantly. He seemed to be eager to get to whatever was going on up there but she was still trying to take in the fact they were in the shrieking shack, her eyes roving over every inch of the building. The walls were decorated with wallpaper that had long since faded and was even missing in some places. The only light a barren bulb above them which seemed to be trying it’s hardest to offer a dim flicker. And the staircase was in disrepair, the wood now grey from grime and it had several scratches all over the steps and spindles. Just looking at it Daisy wondered how it was even supporting the weight of the two of them yet the staircase seemed to notice her mocking as it let out an almighty creak as her foot hit the next step. Daisy winced, mouthing an apology as Severus whipped around and glared at her, pausing for a moment to make sure it hadn’t been loud enough to capture any attention before he continued upwards, Daisy following behind him until they reached the landing.

Like downstairs, there were only two rooms. The double doors in front of them were shut but the other door was ajar so that she could see inside enough to know it was a bathroom. There was a grime-stained sink just beyond the door and the tiled floor looked just as manky. She dreaded to think what the toilet looked like. Yet her attention was caught from thinking of grubby lavatories as she heard voices just beyond the door. Severus was just in front of her, his ear pressed gently against it so he could hear though Daisy had no trouble from a foot away.

‘Are you sure it will work?’ came a soft, unsure voice. Remus. ‘Mate, we’ve been practising for ages,’ a louder voice Daisy recognised as James’. ‘And we’re pretty good,’ a lower voice said. Sirius. ‘But what if you get-’ Remus started. ‘We understand the risks,’ James said cutting him off. ‘Yes, we understand the risks. Yes, we hope it will help. Yes we know it’s not a dead cert,’ Sirius said. ‘But we give anything a go,’ a different voice, she assumed was Peter, chirped. ‘Right,’ Remus said, ‘but you promise at the first sign of trouble you’re out of here?’ ‘We promise mother,’ James teased. ‘What are they doing?’ Daisy whispered. ‘I don’t know,’ Severus snapped. ‘I was only asking,’ she replied defensively leaning in to hear better. ‘How long does it take?’ James said nervously. ‘Usually a few hours,’ Remus said, ‘depends on the month.’ ‘So what if we can’t hold it?’ Sirius said. ‘You get out,’ Remus said. ‘Wormtail, you transform first. You can hold out the longest,’ James instructed. Peter replied with something she couldn’t make out. ‘I’ll go next,’ Sirius said. ‘Then me…just in case there are teething problems,’ James said. ‘Teething problems are the least of our worries,’ Remus said. He was further away now, so much so Daisy could barely hear him. James too seemed distant when he spoke next. ‘Come on mate, it’ll work. We’ve been working on this for months,’ James said. ‘Yeah I can hold my other form for nearly a day now,’ Peter added. ‘And as we go we’ll all be able to make it a bit longer,’ James said. ‘And then we’ll be the best damn anamagi you could want with you,’ Sirius chipped in. ‘Ready Wormtail?’ James said. There was a scuffling noise and then a small cheer from the boys but Daisy wasn’t paying attention.

Anamagi.

Daisy tried to place the word. She recognised it from one of her lessons but she couldn’t pull it from where. Severus seemed to have no trouble realising what they were talking about as his face broke into a devious grin.

‘We’ve got them now,’ he said and before Daisy could protest he burst in through the double doors.

Daisy heard the commotion before she saw it and by the time she had followed Severus into what she discovered was a bedroom she was confronted by four boys all holding up their wands.

‘Evans?!’ James said, disbelief on his face as she appeared from behind the door. Daisy paused, lingering behind Severus as she took the scene in. James was standing by the bed, his wand up towards Severus, whilst Sirius and Peter stood behind him holding the same stance. Remus however was sitting on the dusty old bed, looking grief stricken at their appearance in the room. ‘What are you doing here?’ Sirius spat. ‘I knew you were up to something. And I knew it was bad but this is beyond anything I could have thought,’ Severus said. ‘I don’t doubt that you have trouble comprehending things Snivellus but you need to leave now,’ Sirius replied. It was a dig of course but from the way his grey eyes were now almost black with fury Daisy didn’t doubt the seriousness behind his words. The look alone made her shrink back behind her friend, tugging at his sleeve as she said, ‘Sev we should go.’ ‘No!’ the black-haired boy shouted and though he was speaking to her he kept his gaze forward determined not to be ambushed by any of them as she continued, ‘I came to prove they were up to no good and I’m not leaving till I’ve got proof!’ ‘James,’ Remus said unevenly, cutting whatever ranting Severus was doing off. In fact he didn’t even seem to be paying attention to Severus, no, he looked more concerned with the fact he was now pumping sweat, something Daisy could see even though she was across the room. She watched him push his now damp sandy blonde hair from his face with a tremoring hand, looking as though his sole focus was on not throwing up. Unfortunately for the boy though James didn’t pay him any attention as his focus was now on them as he started to move into the middle of the room. Sirius and Peter followed his lead placing themselves strategically as if they were circling the pair, blocking them from escaping.

‘What proof do you want Snivellus?’ Sirius spat, as he moved to the side of them, equal amount of distance from the door should they try and run. ‘Enough to take to Dumbledore. Or even better the minister for magic,’ Severus said with venom. At that Daisy’s eyes went wide. ‘The ministry?’ Daisy gasped, ‘Sev what-’ ‘Don’t you see? They’re animagi! They-’ ‘They transform into animals,’ Daisy said cutting him off as she finally recalled where she had learned the term before, a memory of Professor McGonagall turning herself into a cat in front of the class coming to mind. ‘So what?’ Peter said, snapping their attention to their other side, ‘it doesn’t affect you in any way.’ ‘No, but it is illegal. And I want to know why,’ Severus said. ‘It’s got nothing to do with you,’ James said, moving closer as did Sirius the pair of them forcing Severus towards the window at wand point. Daisy didn’t follow, opting to shrink back towards the wall, though she was stopped from fleeing as Peter took a stand by the door, his beady eyes watching her closely. ‘I disagree,’ Severus said unable to let any bravado go even if he was like a rat in a trap. ‘Sev, they’re breaking the rules, that’s good enough,’ Daisy said, ‘let’s just leave.’ ‘No, they’re doing it for a reason,’ he snapped. ‘Our motives have nothing to do with you, Snape,’ James said and for once Daisy agreed. They were breaking the rules, not only school rules but the law, that was good enough for her. They didn’t need anything else in fact all the needed to do now was get out of there. Though as she felt her back hit the wall she realised they weren’t going to be able to go anywhere, not without James, Sirius and Peter letting them. They were trapped.

‘Tell me why,’ Severus pressed. ‘You’re so clever, figure it out yourself,’ Sirius snapped. ‘I already know. I just want you to say it,’ Severus said darkly. ‘Why?’ James questioned. ‘So he can use his memories in a pensive,’ Remus said thickly. He was ashen now even paler than normal and his skin was gleaming with sweat and he was shaking. For a moment she wondered if he was ill, the sweat on his brow from a fever, but as she noted the way his knuckles were clenching at the bed frame so tightly it looked as though it was going to splinter beneath his grip she doubted that was the case. Whatever it was couldn’t have been good though as it immediately made Sirius drop his tirade against Severus and head to him, dropping to kneel beside his friend who attempted to push him away albeit weakly.

‘Moony,’ Sirius protested but Remus shook his head. ‘You hate us that much?’ James spat, and though her gaze stayed transfixed on Sirius and Remus she couldn’t help but listen. ‘You hate me too. Fairs fair,’ Severus retorted. ‘Not enough to do this. Run you out of school, damage your reputation in the wizarding world. Do you know what will happen if the school finds out about this? We’re helping him. It doesn’t hurt anyone…we wouldn’t ruin your life like this,’ James said. ‘You already have,’ Severus said, ‘you ruin it every day with your words, your actions-’ ‘Pads,’ Remus’ weak voice said. Sirius nodded, Daisy’s eyes not leaving him as he straightened up until she heard Severus say, ‘and I’m going to do the same to you. You and your little werewolf.’

With that James launched himself at Severus, breaking the glass behind him and knocking him to the floor as the two rolled around in a fistfight with Daisy watching the pair of them hopelessly trying to take in the boy’s words.

Werewolf.

Remus was a werewolf.

But this new information was something Daisy didn’t have time to dwell on because was a thunderous clatter from the bed. She turned to follow the noise but she didn’t see anything but the floor as she was knocked to the ground. The next thing she saw was Sirius’ grey eyes watching her with alarm.

‘Get under the bed,’ he ordered and Daisy didn’t argue. As he disappeared she crawled underneath the heavy wooden bed frame, watching what bits of the boys she could see move around the room. James and Severus were still fighting now, only the bottom of their legs visible from her hiding place. Yet as she took her focus off them she noted another pair of legs, furry and tremoring. Wolf’s legs.

Daisy’s heart turned to ice. For a moment she could hear Sirius trying to direct the situation but he was drowned out by a howl and then the room went into pandemonium. The wolf’s howl seemed to be a wake-up call and whatever debacle they’d been having seemed to be forgotten as they rushed into action. She couldn’t see their faces from under the bed but she heard James’ voice clear as day as he shouted, ‘Wormtail get him out.’ ‘Prongs you need to change,’ Sirius said, ‘I’ll get the girl.’

Daisy didn’t move but her heart started to beat a little slower as the wolf’s paw padded away from her, stalking its prey, the newly formed stag on the other side of the room. James had transformed and he was baiting his friend. As he lured the wolf down to the other end of the room, towards another door that led to the adjoining bathroom, Sirius appeared and yanked Daisy out from under the bed. Peter and Severus were now absent from the room, having been close to the door now she assumed they escaped, as Sirius was trying to get her to do.

‘Come on,’ he grunted, pulling her by her jacket sleeve towards the door. Given that she could barely see due to the dust that had settled in her eyes from under the bed she allowed him to drag her, trying to keep her focus on the flop of black hair in front of her. Fortunately he got her to the door within seconds pushing her roughly through it as he barked at her to run but just as he did he was bowled over, the wolf pouncing at them and taking him to the floor in front of her eyes. She fell too, the haphazardness of the attack taking her down onto the landing floor, just beyond the door. It stunned her, knocking the wind from her lungs which meant that when she attempted to move she found it agonising to do so. As she lay there she could hear the clatter of hooves on a tile floor but they seemed to be moving away from her towards the other side of the bathroom. Daisy couldn’t pay attention to the noise.

She didn’t have time.

Though she had barely caught her breath she pushed herself up off the floor, heading towards the stairs as quickly as she could, but her foot had no sooner touched the ground before it was off again. That wasn’t what she was focused on though. No, her focus was the white-hot pain that tore through her body as long claws sunk into her abdomen shredding her to ribbons as she tried to pull away. She pushed, kicking her feet and screaming as its head moved towards her, the wolf’s eyes glinting with excitement as he bared his teeth towards her ready to bite.

And then it was gone.

The chaos and fear of it all was gone, replaced by the only thing she could comprehend. Pain. Agony tore through every bone, every muscle, every cell of her body and she couldn’t make it stop.

Above her, the carnage continued. In an effort to stop Remus from biting her Sirius had transformed and attacked, bowling the wolf over and back into the bathroom as he loosened his grip on the girl. The wolf had been stunned, getting himself to his feet dazed and confused but before he could resume his attack both of the bathroom doors had slammed shut with James and Sirius holding them closed on the other side until they managed to get the locks hexed so that he couldn’t break free.

‘Pads,’ James said as he came around the doorway to the bedroom. He was bloodied, bruised and sure his nose was broken but alive. He flung his arms around Sirius, happy to see him alive as well even though he too looked bedraggled. Though as they broke apart realisation seemed to dawn on Sirius and he looked to the landing which was empty. His eyes trailed up to the banister railing which was now broken and splintered into a thousand pieces. He walked to the edge, his stomach in knots, and looked over to see the destruction below. It was carnage, bits of wood and debris littering the now broken staircase below, and in amongst it all Daisy.

‘Pads, what is it?’ James asked but the boy wasn’t listening. Instead, he was hurtling down the stairs hurriedly followed by James who took the stairs two at a time in an effort to catch up though as he reached the middle landing he wished he hadn’t. Daisy was laying a couple steps down, her body littered with wounds that gushed bright dark blood. James watched as Sirius knelt beside her, taking her arm to feel for a pulse which to his relief he found.

‘What happened?!’ James said kneeling on the other side of the girl, trying to keep his eyes trained on Sirius’ ashen face instead of the deep slashes that littered her abdomen and made him feel sick ‘I tried to get him off her,’ Sirius said guiltily feeling his gut churn. If only he’d knocked Remus the other way. Hell even if the two of them had gone over the banister he doubted either of them would’ve come off this badly. ‘It’s not your fault,’ James said seeing where the boy’s train of thought was going. ‘He threw her because of me,’ Sirius snapped. ‘She came here because of Snape. Not you,’ James said reaching out to put a reassuring hand on his friend’s shoulder. Sirius didn’t say anything but he did offer a curt nod as if he accepted what his friend was saying. ‘What do we do? Should we get Dumbledore?’ James whispered. She was bleeding heavily and at least two of her limbs seemed to be protruding the opposite way from what they should but James didn’t know how to move her. The thud above them answered that question. The wolf was done pacing and was now trying to break free. ‘We don’t have time,’ Sirius said, ‘you get her legs. I’ll get her head.’ ‘Okay,’ James nodded, moving down the stairs and grabbing both of her legs with his hands, trying to ignore the squelch her ankle made when he moved it. ‘On the count of three,’ Sirius said, shifting his arms underneath her core trying to hold her as securely but as gently as he could. ‘Ready,’ James nodded. ‘One, two, three,’ Sirius said as the boys thrust her up and out of the debris. Upon movement Daisy’s face scrunched up in pain but she didn’t say anything and Sirius tried to ignore it as the guilt threatened to swirl up inside him once more.

Once they were on solid ground it was easier to move her and they managed to readjust her in a position that spread her weight out equally between them which meant her wounds slowed their incessant oozing. In the cajoling James managed to get his wand out and illuminate the tunnel so they could see where they were going. Sirius didn’t know if the path back to the castle had always been this long or it was made worse by the fact neither of them spoke but time seemed to pass slowly as they walked, careful not to do any more damage, but hurried to get to safety. They didn’t pass either Snape or Peter on the way back to the castle but as the lights got nearer they could hear the calamity of people ahead until finally they were immersed in chaos yet again. As they got to the courtyard several teachers spilled out of the castle, McGonagall and Dumbledore included, and Daisy seemed to rouse at their voices.

Sirius watched as her face creased in pain as she was fussed over. She didn’t waken though, not properly. She tried to, she tried to come back to consciousness long enough to scream in the hopes it would make them stop manhandling her but she couldn’t get her mouth to form any sort of sound. The last thing she remembered was opening her eyes and seeing two grey ones staring back at her. And then she blacked out.

SIRIUS BLACK/SERIES TAGS

@maeisafangirl @mysteriouslydelicateface @caitlin1996 @imthebadguyyy

#my writing #sirius black #sirius black fic #sirius black x ofc #marauders #marauders fic #Marauders era #hp fic #the other evans girl

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silverloreley · 1 year

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What are your headcanons about Harriet Hook?

Harriet, Harriet... the only things we know about her are: she is Hook's eldest, she's described as "sassy and mean-spirited", and she has her own crew.

Which says everything and nothing. So, here's my take:

She's older than Harry by a year and a half, almost two. This is relevant in many ways.

You already know I consider the Hook siblings Zarina's kids and Harriet is the only of the three who can actually remember how things were when she was awake and active. Many adults on the Isle fell into the so-called "Sleep", a coma that claimed people who, under normal circumstances, would have died (the Barrier also preserves their bodies). Zarina's Sleep in particular was prompted by the exhaustion of her inner magic: as a pixie turned human, she could only survive for so long before her magic depleted, without Neverland replenishing it as it would if she still lived there. It was gradual and Harriet saw it all, her mother getting weaker and weaker until one day she couldn't get up from her bed and eventually she didn't wake up again. It left a scar on the whole family. CJ doesn't remember her, Harry only recalls the last times and not when his mother was somewhat healthy, but Harriet remembers the most, she knows her father was better when her mother was around, she remembers her voice and some of her teachings. It hurts like hell.

Harriet is also the one who looks the most like Zarina, especially once she grows up. Harry is the most like their father, CJ is the split image of their grandmother save for Zarina's round face and hazel eyes, or so Hook says on his rare good days, but Harriet looks like Zarina the most, just taller than her human form. It's both a blessing and a curse, meaning she can use the fact to keep her father in line - especially when he's drunk or hallucinating - because James always ended up listening to Zarina after they got married, but it also means when he's sober he can't stand the sight of Harriet, it's too much of a reminder that the kids stole Zarina's strength and time and she could have been there a bit longer if the three never existed. (at times, Harriet agrees and wishes none of them was born, not if their fate was the Isle and a comatose mother and a children-hating father)

She used to attend Serpent Prep, but she had to move to Dragon Hall after she made the Chemistry lab explode (no one, including her, knows how that happened, she wasn't mixing volatile stuff). She actually becomes scaringly good at Chemistry afterwards, by sheer force of will

(and the chance finding of her mother's studies on how things tended to change nature and react weirdly around pixie blood even on the Isle. This is how she found out she and her siblings are half-pixie, as the crew didn't know - James got rid of most of the original crew between the PF events and his comeback to Neverland - and Zarina and James kept it a secret).

I'm not sure how the fandom reached the consensus she must be a mommy-type for the Isle kids but I see no harm in it, so yeah, she took care of a few strays and integrated them into her crew, why not? But I tend to tone that down. Yes, she was in charge of her siblings and was considered the leader of all the kids of Hook's crew (which is why Harry ended up joining join Uma) but she didn't actively go around defending random orphans out of the goodness of her heart, things just happened. She collected fighters, mostly, people who showed a spine of steel even if they were smaller/younger/abandoned/outnumbered. She's not soft, she built a strong crew with the best she could find on the Isle and held her ground strongly before Uma formed her own crew. In fact, lots of kids still refer to her as the leader of the docks, much to Uma's displeasure.

About her relationship with Uma, Harriet doesn't quite like that Harry ended up being a first mate and not a captain but she respects Uma and her willpower and achievements. The fact Uma surpassed her in power doesn't bother her much as Uma doesn't have the same kind of business Harriet does (Harriet is more focused on structure and building a community, Uma is on adventures and revenge, so their roles don't really overlap).

She thinks Uma is a good match for Harry and it's impossible not to see he loves her to an alarming degree, sometimes close to obsession. The fact he became her first mate and how the two interact, overall, reminds Harriet of her parents in their best days, although she thinks Harry didn't realize the facet himself and he's replicating it subconsciously. She won't be the one to tell him anyway.

When it comes to her siblings, Harry is her eternal source of trouble. One would think CJ is, but no, CJ is very independent and can come out winner or unscathed from almost everything through her wits and dumb luck. Harry tends to throw himself in troubles too big for himself and is a bit more maniacal about various things (Harriet thinks this is their pixie blood showing, pixies tend to be more unhinged, which paired up with their father's pre-existing madness a tad too well in Harry. Her own sense of community is her pixie trait, she thinks, but she still has to figure out which is CJ's) so, before Uma came around and managed to keep him under control, Harriet had to pull him out of many troubles.

She doesn't care about going to Auradon but she wants to go to Neverland and take there all the kids she knows, so they can be happy. No, she doesn't care she'd have to leave them to Pan, in fact she plans to have a deal with Pan so he'll get all the kids and she won't bother him. Or she could kill him and gift Neverland to the kids of the Isle, she doesn't care which one, as long as they're okay.

#question answered #descendants #disney descendants

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greywoodrpg · 10 months

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𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕤𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕠

he appears as though he was born twenty-nine years ago but is actually twenty-nine, he is a faerie who lives in mystic grove as the owner of the secret garden, and is in no fantasy. he looks an awful lot like harry styles.

“I fell in love with you the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.”

tw: homophobia, disappearance, dysfunctional family, accidental pregnancy, miscarriage,

Oliver was born to a faerie mother and a human father, although he knows little to nothing about his mother. He grew up in the human world, and has only returned to the fae realm once. He found it an unfamiliar landscape, and although it was pleasant being around a community that understood him so deeply, he yearned to return to his life and the people he knew in the human world, so he came home. He hasn’t returned, but plans to visit again eventually.

He was essentially raised by his father, who did his best, but wasn’t a particularly good caregiver. He had never really wanted to have children, and so bringing Oliver up was more like a chore than a pleasure. He loved Oliver, but their relationship was quite unconventional, and Oliver was put to work around the house from a very young age. They lived on the outskirts of Greywood, and relied heavily on town amenities.

Oliver always knew he was a faerie, that wasn’t something his father hid from him (and besides, the pointed ears sort of gave him away), but whenever he asked about his mother and what she was like, his father would get angry and then go silent, refusing to answer any of his questions.

At the age of 19, he realised that he was pansexual, and plucked up the courage to tell his father. He had anticipated that his father wouldn’t be thrilled, but he was absolutely furious, more angry than Oliver had ever seen him, and he disowned Oliver right there and then on the spot, and fled Greywood. Oliver hasn’t seen him or heard from him since. He was devastated, and had never felt more alone. He ended up starting a relationship which he poured all his energy into, but after two years of being together, they left him in the middle of the night just like his father had, with no explanation and no further contact. Then came Elenora.

Oliver and Elenora had been at school at the same time, and knew each other’s faces from around town. They were never in the same class together given that Oliver is a year younger, but they were drawn to each other from day one. Despite not really having much of a friendship with her, Oliver was bereft when Elenora left for College, and when she returned from her studies, he promised himself he’d make an effort to get to know her.

The pair became friends quickly, bonding over their disappointing fathers and absent mothers, and they both opened up to each other about their fluid sexualities, supporting and encouraging one another to step into who they each truly were. Eventually, they ended up together when Oliver was 26 and Nelly was 27, and their relationship was passionate and fiery. They loved each other deeply, although neither of them ever made the move to make things official, despite spending most nights together for the better part of a year. They were both terrified of commitment, and Oliver didn’t want to be abandoned yet again.

Things changed when Elenora accidentally got pregnant, and the pair were just beginning to talk about making their relationship a little more official when she tragically miscarried. Both were grief-stricken, and Elenora had made up her mind that Oliver only wanted to commit to her because of the baby, so after a tense month of trying to reconcile, the pair ended things for good. They are amiable with each other now, and Oliver is still in love with her, but they haven’t spent any time together since ending things.

Now, Oliver owns his own little floristry, and is quiet content living in Greywood, but he is determined to find out more about his mother.

“what power did he attain when settling in greywood?”

None.

penned by... may

#supernatural rp #town rp #oc rp #mature rp #literate rp #horror rp #harry styles fc #faerie #implied homophobia tw #disappearance tw #dysfunctional family tw #accidental pregnancy tw #miscarriage tw #retired

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gaypirate420 · 2 years

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Shining armor// Harry hook

Harry hook x male!knight!reader

This doesn't follow canon.

The first draft for this got erased and I cried hard so I'm sorry if it feels weak this time.

Tw: death, PTSD, depression, nightmares, Harry having very bad anger issues, blood.

This is like enemies to lovers kinda shit.

So, Mal got back into the isle.

Ben, you and the other VK's got also into the isle to get her back, you and the king hot kidnapped by pirates.

"How does it feel to be king now huh?" Harry, son of Captain Hook was teasing the now king Ben, you were sure that the pirate was insane, completely out of his mind, he got bored of the royal and quickly and got to you.

"Ye are a pretty boy" he said getting closer to you, you ignored him.

"Now who will save the knight in shining armor? Owww" he mocked, you weren't wearing an armor really, he grabbed your chin with his hand, the feeling of his leather glove making your face itch.

"Look at him, Gilly, isn't he pretty?" He moved your head to face his friend.

"Y-yes" the blonde pirate didn't seem so confident.

"(y/n)?" Ben called you, Harry rolled his eyes.

"Uhum"

"Are you hurt?" Ben asks with worry.

"No, Are you?" Your tone was calm, you got experience in this, you didn't wanted Ben more nervous then he already was.

"Oh, he talks!" says Harry with excitement.

"Yes, and I'm talking to Ben so shut up" you said, Harry groaned and passed his hook through your neck, Uma called him out and the pirate inmediatly stopped.

Harry keep messing with you for a while and you keep making your commentaries about him and his style.

"I could hurt ye" he said finally done with your humor.

"Yeah, but you wouldn't do it" you looked at him, his blue eyes filled with anger, he once again put his hook on your neck.

"Why I wouldn't, luv?" He asked with a laugh that sent shivers down the king's spine, Ben was nervous for your answer, he swore you were suicidal because you have purposely insult your enemies and get badly injured by that in passes ocations.

You could tell Harry the truth, that if he hurts you, Uma would call him out, but you decided to have some fun.

"Because you are in love with me" you said confident, Harry laughed, Uma looked at the scene and seriously thought, Harry was indeed very interested in you, you weren't really needed on the ship but he insisted in having you when he captured Ben.

"You are so in love with me, that you have been here for like half an hour, just whispering things, and calling me pet names and telling me how much of a pretty boy I am, just and inch or two away from my lips, I think you are smitten" you said, Harry groaned and lifted his hook.

"HARRY!" Uma shouted, Harry took a step back and breathe heavy, he pointed his hook at you.

"It feels pretty kinky too" you smirked, Harry growled and with all his anger buried his hook on the mast behind you, just and inch away from your shoulder, your shirt was a little loose so he saw the deep scar in said shoulder.

"Uh, better practice mate, you missed" you mocked and he got his hook out, he passes the hook through your scar and you suddenly felt an actual shiver.

"I'm going to fucking rip off your arm" he said with a laugh, Uma slammed the wood with her food and grabbed Harry by his coat, she dragged him away from you.

"Can you please not do that again?" Ben asked nervous, your eyes were looking at nothing, completely disoriented.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hours passed by and the night finally came, Ben fell sleep and you stayed awake, you were going to be alert, the VK's came until the next day at noon, Harry was still on the ship, he inspected his sides and got closer to you.

"What do you want now?" You asked annoyed, he gaves you a devilish smirk and once again pressed his hook against your neck.

"Don't you have another thing to threaten people with, like a pocket knive?" You asked annoyed from his repetitive threat.

"Ye really don't have fear of dying, have ye?" Harry asked with a lower voice.

"I'm a knight, the fear of dying gets taken away with the time" you answered with honesty.

"Ye better pray that yer friends get back for ye, cuz I have plenty ideas on what to do with ye when Uma gets tired of waiting" he said.

"Do it now if you want" Harry got taken back by your tone, you were like a completely different person.

"Malsie and her gang aren't my friends Ben as a king grabbed his knight, if you kill me or not, they won't care, I'm a knight besides the king, who is more worthy of being rescue? The crown or the ones who's job is to take the bullet for the crown?" You said bitter, Harry stayed silent.

"Not even my family would care, if I die here or on China, nobody would, the kingdom would fake mourn and then forget my name like they have forgotten many others" Harry looked at you with worry but left you without a word.

He came back with a plate of food.

"Uma told me to feed ya, too bad King Benny can't stay awake past ten" says Harry with a laugh at the end he passed you the plate.

"Boy, I'm tied up how am I supposed to eat?" You said looking at him, Harry giggled and with a swim on his sword the ropes were cut, you immediately fell into the ground, you were so tired, Harry sat down and passed you the food.

"Now, if ye do something, ye shark food" the pirate said, he didn't sound threatening at all, he just sounded like he didn't want to lower his pirate persona, the two stayed in silent for a while, he didn't look angry anymore, what ever Uma told him after she dragged him definitely work.

"You know" you broke the silence.

"Oddly enough this isn't the first time I get kidnapped by pirates" you said, Harry looked at you with curiosity, Ben woke up.

"I was on a ship with a queen, we were making sure it didn't get attacked, it did, I kick their asses and got back to the queen's ship" you said proudly andHarry giggle.

"And what did I got? Not even a thanks from the queen" you said angry.

"they don't care about anyone who isn't their precious royalty" Harry said, you hummed in agreement, he grabbed your empty plate and left, you could scape, but for what? The king was waiting for you to grab your sword, but you were spacing out in your own thoughts, Harry took his time to get back.

"Why are ye crying, luv?" Harry's voice was heard it was soft, he got down and looked at you, you didn't know why you were crying, you just shake your head and got back into reality.

"Now be grateful that the captain thinks ye are trust worthy, ye will sleep on a bed tonight" He offered you his hand, you took it and he helped you to get up, he guided you to one of the quarters, it was his room, you were going to sleep on the room of the dude that said he was going to rip off your arm!.

"Ye will sleep on the bed, and I will on the hammock, unless ye want some company" he said with a smirk, the angry pirate of hours ago was gone, he was more kind and playful, you rolled your eyes but a smile and took off your coat and harnesses, you got into the bed, Harry was making some noise because he still had work to do, but you quickly feel asleep.

"rookie! On the front now, grab your sword fast" a man shouted at you, the enemy was getting closer to the entrance of the castle.

"they are a little rough, huh?" Your mentor and friend, Mary, says, she is a strong woman, she is always confident.

"Not as rough as us" you said making up some confidence, she nods at you and grabbed her bow, she started to shot arrows, she was protecting you and the other new knights.

You were watching her when an enemy get to close and hits you, you quickly stab him but you fell, she helps you to stand when suddenly an arrow hits her leg, then another on the chest, she falls, and you inmediatly get closer to her.

"No, Mary, please don't leave me" you cried.

"Put me over there, kiddo, I want to see you win for me" she says, you obey and you drag her to the side.

"See ya on the other side" she says with a smile, you left her and grabbed her bow.

The enemy passed the entrance, you and your sword were one, when you felt a pain on your shoulder and everything went black.

You woke up with a gasp, you forehead sweaty and your chest hurting.

"MaryMaryMary" you whispered, Harry woke up inmediatly and grabbed his hook out of instinct, he realized it was you and he carefully got closer to you.

"I'msorrysorrysorry" your hands hit your head repeatly, Harry saw that and quickly grabbed them.

"(y/n)" he called for you softly

"It was my fault" you whispered with your eyes wide and your sight on nothing, he sigh and keep holding your hands, you calmed down a bit and separate your hands from his.

"Are you ok?" He asks softly, you got weird out, he sounds actually worried, you didn't answer, you put your hands on your face.

"A nightmare huh?, It's okay, I won't judge ye" he said with a warm smile, you looked at him .

"Y-yes, It was about a friend I-I-I" you sobbed, Harry grabs your hand.

"Shhhh it's okay, ye don't have to talk about it" he said.

He help you to get through it, he explained how he also has nightmares all the time, the conversation quickly change to a more chill one, he was actually pretty nice and had his charm, you suddenly yawned and he giggled.

"If ye want, I can sleep with ye, it's what helps me" Harry offered, you accepted and he got into the bed with you.

"I'm sorry" he said.

"About what?"

"I almost bury me hook on yet neck, I- don't know why but I explode like tha' sometimes, me da' is the same way and Idunno how to stop it" The sincerely on his voice convinced you.

"You need therapy for that, but I'm guessing this place doesn't have that" you looked at him.

"But the change is also on you, Harry" you said and closed your eyes, Harry sighed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry woke up and looked at his clock.

7:00am.

He realized that you were hugging him with an iron grip, he didn't wanted to wake you so he did his best to get out of bed.

He got on deck and Uma was with the King.

"where is your boy, Harry?" She asked him, Ben looked at him with a angry expression, Harry smirked.

"Sleep on me bed" he said, Uma smirked, she knew you weren't going to be a problem, probably even an ally, Uma looked at Ben.

"Got something to say?" She asked him.

"I don't know what you told to (y/n), but he will came to his senses" the king spoke, Uma rolled her eyes and left him, she got into Harry's quarter.

"Wake up, pretty face" she said, you groaned and opened your eyes.

"tell me" she got closer to you.

"Who are you going to choose?"

"What?"

"Don't play dumb, you are clearly confused about with side you should play for" She was very intelligent, you looked at her, she was right, Ben would get rescue and the isle will be forgotten again and you will be send to another mission just like that.

"Now, if you choose me, you will have a different life a way better one, everyone will know us, and we can make justice" her words were tentative.

"If you choose them..."

"I will be left a side and be a pig send to the slaughter" you said low.

"You got until noon to decide, boy" she said and left, Harry enter with your breakfast.

Noon finally came and you didn't know what to do.

You saw Mal and her group came, you sighed, what if Uma plans fail? You will stuck in here.

When Uma takes the wand and it's face a battle was unleashed, you grabbed your sword and looked at Harry, he was very busy with Jay.

"(y/n)? We have to go!" Ben shouts for you, you decided to go when you heard a splash, Harry jumped into the water, you attacked Ben and run to the corner to try and spot Harry, you couldn't so you stand up, this was the time to choose, you decided to follow Mal, but when Uma got distracted Mal looked at you and pushed the bridge, they left you, only Ben was the one who was worried, they left you.

Uma groaned and she go away, Harry was all wet and he looks at you.

"Are you alright, Harry?" You asked him, he nods.

"Wha' about ye, luv? Yer friends left ye" He said.

"They've never been my friends, I was right, they only came for Ben" you said angry, you grabbed Harry and got him inside to help him dry himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The night came and you were in the chip shop with the crew watching the cotillion.

"I had an amazing outfit for that shit" you said grabbing some chips for Gil's plate.

Harry was very anxious and you could see it.

"What is it, Harry?" You asked him.

"I just don't want Uma to get hurt" he said with honesty.

"She's pretty strong, she will be ok" you said with a smile, he smirked and grabs you by your waist.

The crew was waiting patiently, they celebrate, it all looked to be in their favor, but something happens and Uma runs away after fighting with Mal, Harry groaned.

"EVERYONE GET OUT OR ILL KILL YA" Harry shouted, Gil and you didn't obey.

"Harry calm down" Gil said getting closer to his friend.

"No! Uma is out there, what if- what if she's hurt!"

"And you being angry won't help her" you said, Harry looks at you.

"So chill out, and we'll try to do our best to know where is she ok?" You said, Gil and Harry nod, you got closer to Harry, his eyes with tears.

"Now let's go to the ship" you said.

You and Harry are going to have a time, is it going to be good or bad?.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: heeeeey, this part 1!!!! Please reblog so i know you like it and want the next part.

#harry descendants #harry hook x reader #harry hook x male reader #harry hook #x male reader #lgbt #pirates #descendants #uma descendants #gil descendants #sea three

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drarryficrecs · 2 years

Note

Could you please recommend any drarry fics where Draco and Harry become friends as children, and as they get older eventually realize they’re beginning to develop feelings??? Bonus points for moments of gay panic™

Dracos Boy by empathic siren. Rated M, word count 186k.

A mysterious little boy named Harry moves in next door to Draco Malfoy, and he’s determined to make him his friend and learn all of his secrets. Years later, he’s determined to make Harry more than a friend.

Chaos Theory by TessaCrowley. Rated Explicit, word count 102k.

Chaos: when the present determines the future, but the approximate present does not approximately determine the future. One gene varies, one neuron fires, one butterfly flaps its wings, and Draco Malfoy's life is completely different. Draco has always found a certain comfort in chaos. Perhaps he shouldn't. (Warning for Major Character Death - I actually haven't been able to finish reading this fic because I know what's coming however what I have read is brilliantly written)

We're already Married by XxTheDarkLordxX. Rated M, word count 4k.

"Our whole lives we have always told people that we were married. I knew that it wasn't exactly normal but it was always something that filled me with so much affection for you. I have loved you for so long. Longer than I ever realized." Harry took a deep breath as he looked into shining silver eyes.

Or...

Three-year-old Harry asks little Draco to marry him and they insist to anyone who will listen that they are indeed already married.

Through The Fire by SongAngel. Rated M, word count 212k.

Minerva McGonagall checks up on little Harry Potter and finds that not all is as it should be. She makes a decision that will change everything for the Boy Who Lives.

The House Wins by orphan_account. Rated M, word count 86k.

What matters most to Lucius Malfoy is his family, and what matters second is power. He secures both when he decides to aid the Light at the end of the First Wizarding War.

His decision doesn't change the ultimate fate of the Wizarding World, but it creates better lives for his family, and it opens new doors for many others, too.

Most importantly, however, is the impact this new life has on his son, and how it improves his childhood.

Blackberry Jam by JulietsEmoPhase. Rated Explicit, word count 36k.

10-year-old Harry and Draco are evacuated from London during the Blitz, and through a logistical error, end up sharing not only a home but a bed. Follow them as they grow up against the backdrop of the war, discovering who they really are and slowly falling in love. (WW2 Muggle AU)

Five Stages Of Kissing by babyvfan. Rated G, word count 10k.

From the moment Draco met the strange boy with the piercing green eyes, he knew they would always be close. That they would always be best friends. That they would share laughs and even a few tears. That they would go through trials that would define and test them. Looking back, though, he never would guessed that they would also share kisses.

Found, But Never Lost by AgehaYume. Rated G, word count 2k.

Draco only marked what is his - since childhood and beyond.

Sharing Is A Myth by XxTheDarkLordxX. Rated M, word count 5.5k.

“Draco,” Harry breathed, stepping forward. “I have been in love with you since the moment you offered me your biscuit when we were five.”

Draco snapped his head up, breath rattling in his chest. “What?” He himself hadn’t realized his feelings till a few years ago.

“Or maybe it was when you snuck out of your house when we were nine and you declared that you would use your inheritance to buy me the world.” Draco felt his ears heat up and he wished Harry would stop.

Harry took a step closer. “Perhaps it was when I gave you my dirty old jacket and you smiled so beautifully that I slipped and fell.”

#drarry #drarry fic recs #drarryficrecs #childhood friends #angst #comfort #fluff

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finelinevogue · 2 years

Note

Hi! Hope you’re well. Do you think you’d ever write a high-school love story between Harry and reader? I think you’d write it so well💞

so i got an anon for this request and it ended up very quickly turning into a hefty blurb rather than a short blurb! also i’m british so harry’s just gonna be a really popular guy in school - since we don’t have frats! so enjoy!!

Mondays were just the worst.

Having to get up after a busy weekend and then go to school, I mean who invented such a stupid idea? Who invented Mondays?

This weekend you’d been extra busy moving houses and that was no easy job. One of your dads had recently got a new promotion in the area and his salary was going to increase by 25% if he decided to take the job. So he did. Garry was his name and his partner Bob. Both were humble men who simply had hearts so big they’d have enough love for everyone on the planet twice over. You were only 4 when you’d entered the adoption system, your parents abandoning you at such a young age. Luckily Garry and Bob were there to adopt you only two years later, although two years too long in care for you. You love your dads so much and you couldn’t ask for better parents.

Being in care has skewed your people skills quite a bit though. Those two years, even though you were still little and underdeveloped, were awful and you still have nightmares just thinking back on them. Now, you were shy and introverted. You kept books rather than friends and you hadn’t been sad to leave your old town, because there was no one there to leave behind - no doubt this town would be exactly the same. Your dads tried to coax you out of your shell from time to time, by inviting you out to a social event or festival, but you’d end up finding a last minute excuse. You liked your own company, but sometimes it did get quite lonely. Maybe you’d find a friend this year?

Well, you were about to find out.

You walked up the pathway to the front doors of the school, holding on for dear life to the straps of your backpack. Your parents were following you in tow, silently communicating with each other about their fears for you starting a new school mid-way through high-school. People stared as you walked past, beady eyes staring straight through you as if they’d quickly learn who you were and whether you were anyone important - that would be a hard no, in your opinion. You kept your head down and followed a sign that pointed the reception to be this way. You held the doors open for your parents and walked over to the office, an old woman sat behind the desk.

“Hello!” She spoke cheerily, smiling at you as if you’d just brought the sunshine. You smiled back, because she deserved one.

“Hi. I’m new here. My name’s Y/N L/N.” You told her, hoping that was enough conversation from you for her to do her job. You were too socially awkward and anxious to do anything more than that. Your hands were clammy as you spoke, your dads close behind you being the only thing making you feel somewhat safe.

“Y/N L/N?” You nodded when she asked, followed by her clicking away on her keyboard, “Lovely name!”

“Thanks.” You smiled again, no one ever having told you that before and quickly fell silent as she went back to the admin work on her computer.

“Okay, Y/N, and these men are…” She hesitated, not knowing who they actually were in relation to you.

“My dads.” You answered proudly, feeling Garry’s hand come to rest on your shoulder comfortingly.

“O-oh.” The lady made a sort of noise.

It was the normal reaction and it was one that you really wished people wouldn’t be so ignorant about. Yeah, two dads isn’t stereotypically “normal”, but then what even is “normal”? And fuck stereotypes anyways. You wished for once someone would be kind and accepting over the fact you had two dads instead of one, as at your last school you were made fun of because of such a thing. You loved your parents so much and wouldn’t change them for the world, not even for a mum or your old family.

“Any paperwork we need to sign or are we good to go?” Bob asked the lady, pulling her away from her fumbled expression.

“It seems it’s already done, so you’re good to leave whenever.” The lady smiles at them, but you can tell she’s too old and set in her ways to accept the idea of same-sex parenting. Great start to the new school and year. “And then Y/N, this is your timetable and a map of the school. Classes start at 9am. Registration is at 8:30am, so that’s in 15 minutes. You’ll be with Mrs George in room M3, which is just down the hallway. Any questions come back and see me okay?” She gave you a pack of information, before smiling and getting back to other work.

You turned and walked back outside with your dads, the rest of the student body now filing inside to go to their registrations. You didn’t want to miss that, so you had to make your goodbyes from your parents quick.

“We’ll pick you up after school okay? We might be slightly late, ‘cause we have an appointment at the bank but we shouldn’t be too late.” Garry explained, leaning forwards to give you a kiss on the forehead.

“You’ll be great kiddo. Go kick some ass.” Bob laughed, giving you your second kiss to the forehead. You laughed with him, but Garry made sure you understood not to take him so literally.

“I love you guys, see you later.” You blew them kisses goodbye and then walked back inside, keeping your head down as you studied the timetable you’d been given and tried to understand where the best routes were to get to your classes on time. Also, where was the library because that place was about to become your second home.

You walked down the corridor and stopped when you saw M3 signed on the door, taking a deep breathe before walking inside. The classroom was already full of students, 15 maybe? They were sat on desks and standing around each other in little groups, probably chatting about their summers to one another.

You noticed the cliques already. The goths sat in the middle of the room, dressed in blacks and also black with tattoos lathering some of their skins. They were playing cards and it looked like they were playing for a packet of chewing gum. The nerds sat right at the front of the room, basically dressed in smart suits and skirts, quizzing each other on various facts they learnt over the summer to complete as to who had the biggest brain. The there were the popular kids, known as jocks in other countries, who sat at the back of the classroom. They were the type of people you wanted to avoid, because they were the type of people who’d bring you down. You didn’t know where to fit in to all this.

You weren’t a nerd, that’s for sure, as you barely passed your summer exams last year. You weren’t a goth, because honestly blood, gore and horror movies genuinely terrify you. You definitely weren’t a popular kid and you had no intention of being on either. You were just the student who wore baggy dungarees and high-top converse, carried two fictional books in your bag at all times and hated the word moist. Where did that kind of person slot into high-school society?

“Oi, you,” you heard a voice shout from the back and you looked to see if they potentially had been calling to you, unfortunately, “yes, yeah you - girl with double dads.” Some of his friends around him snickered at the mere mention of you having two dads.

Great start.

You weren’t going to have this all over again this year, so you sat down in a chair sort of close to the front and ignored them.

“How were you even made, like? Are you a test-tube baby? Or is one of your dads like one of those woman-men?” You wanted to go over to them and punch them in the face for what they were saying, but you just had to keep you head down if you wanted to survive the year. You wanted to protect the respect for your parents though, they deserved that.

“Dude you can’t say that.” Another guy spoke out, shutting up the previous one.

“Maybe she was adopted?” A girls voice broke through the white-noise and you twitched in your seat at the memories of your time in care. These people were somewhat the same as the bullies all those years ago.

“Ohh, like no one wanted her kind of thing?” Another voice spoke up and you had to close your eyes to blink back the tears.

“Jonah, shut the fuck up man.” A different guy spoke. He had quite a nice, deep and calming voice.

“What? Don’t you think having two dads is kind of gay?” This Jonah asked and it made your fists curl into tight balls. God, you wanted to punch something so bad right now.

“Being gay isn’t a bad thing.” Someone else spoke, starting a whole other argument within the group and you were long forgotten.

Just as you wanted to be.

•••••

Lunch time and you were in your happy place; the library.

You had met the librarian and he seemed so lovely and kind, offering to help you find any book your wanted. You thanked him and went off in search of your favourite books. You collected a few and sat in the corner of a room, on a pile of beanbags. You got yourself comfortable as you opened the first page and got to reading the first page of your favourite book; “A Thousand Boy Kisses, by Tille Cole”.

Without giving anything away, the whole book is based on having 1000 kisses with boys - or just a boy - which you have no experience of. Unfortunately you have never been kissed in your life and were teased for it a lot. The problem is you’re too shy to actually make the first move, yet also too closed off when someone actually approaches you - not that anyone has ever approached you.

“Y’know, that’s exactly the kind of book I thought i’d find you reading.” A guy said, breaking you from your first page already.

Looking up at him though you didn’t regret him interrupting you, because he was the most beautiful man you’d ever seen. He was tall, handsome, curly chocolate locks and green eyes that made you melt in the middle. He was so pretty…

“You okay babe?” A blonde girl walks up beside him and linked their arm in his.

… and taken.

“Just wanted to introduce myself to the new girl.” He pushed the girls arm off of him and held out his hand for you, leaning down slightly to try and make it easier for you to reach.

“Hi, i’m Harry.” You started to reach your hand out, but as soon as you did a couple of Harry’s friends came up behind him and pulled him back and taking his hand with him. You quickly put your hand back down as they started talking.

“Woah, bud! Don’t wanna go touching someone who’s got two dads now, just think of all the STD’s.” One of the guys laughed and you recognised his voice from this morning. What a prick. How dare he talk about people this way when he doesn’t even know them.

“Piss off James.” Harry shouted, causing more of a scene than he probably intended to do.

“No he’s right Harry. Don’t know what kinda of diseases they’re carrying around.” The blonde girl added, curling their arm back around Harry’s.

You’d heard enough.

Packing up your things quickly, you walked out of the library with just your rucksack and yourself. You hated that you let those kinds of people to get to you, but their words genuinely hurt and you didn’t have to stick around to let them wound you. You walked down the corridor with you held hung low, out the door and across the courtyard. There was still 20 minutes left of the lunch break, so you sat on a bench outside and away from anyone.

You just sat there and played with your fingers, thinking about how rubbish this first day already was and you’d barely even begun. A few tears dropped down your cheeks, the words of the morning stinging your heart like a needle into the skin, but you caught them quickly with your sweater paws you made and dried them before anyone would notice - not that anyone would notice. Interrupting your sad thoughts, a book was placed onto the bench and slid across to you.

‘A Thousand Boy Kisses.’

You looked across the bench to see Harry standing there looking sheepish. You sniffled as you tried to pull all your tears back inside of you, not wanting him to see the impact a few harsh words could do to you.

“Thought you might’ve wanted to carry on reading it.” He shrugged his shoulders, clearly seeing this as a way to earn forgiveness over his douchebag friends.

Harry technically hadn’t done anything wrong himself, apart from maybe be good friends with horrible people. You looked from him and back to the book, looking to see if there was some huge prank that was about to be pulled on you.

“Y’don’t talk much do you?”

“Would you like me to say thank you?” You asked, a slight bite to your tone that both you and Harry weren’t expecting.

“O-oh well—” Harry stuttered, clearly not expecting you to be so rude with your first words to him. It made you feel like a complete turd, because you were acting the exact way in which Harry’s friends had treated you before. Hypocrite.

“I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.” You shook your head and blushed in embarrassment.

You hated confrontation and the thought that you’d just made Harry feel so uncomfortable. This was why you’d never had friends, because you were the most awkward and unsociable person ever. Standing up, you grabbed your bag again as if ready to leave. You didn’t want to spend longer in the presence of someone you’d just upset than you needed to.

“Hey, y’don’t need to leave.” Harry stopped you, stepping closer to the bench and reaching out his arm as if to touch you before dragging it back down to his side.

“I thought—”

“What?”

“Nevermind.”

You shook your head and sat back down, pulling out your lunchbox and setting it out in front of you. It was a box compiled of separate compartments so everything had its own home. There was your jam sandwiches with the crusts cut off, your carrot sticks with hummus and a yogurt that was supposed to help with digestion. You dipped one of your carrots into the hummus and took your first bite, a loud crunch breaking the silence only for you to remember that Harry was still there. You looked up at him to see him smiling at you.

“What?”

“Jam sandwiches?” He questioned, a clear tease in his voice.

“Yes?” You asked back, confused as to how that was a problem and if it was then why he was making it his problem?

“With the crusts cut off?”

“Harry, if you’re going to be mean about my sandwich then you can find somewhere else to sit for lunch instead of here.” You sighed, eating the rest of your carrot and swallowing it down with your water.

“See, what I just heard was an invitation for me to sit with you?” He replied cheekily, catching you off guard and being forced to look at his face to see the tease written all over it. Oh, he was good at this.

“Depends.”

“On what?” He asked eagerly. Almost too eagerly.

“What your sandwich is filled with.” You smiled as you watched him stroke the back of his head in panic, stressed over the fact that his sandwich was now the only thing standing in between having lunch with you or going back to his douchebag friends instead. Luckily for him, you were just more intrigued and making fun of him rather than actually being that picky as to whether he could sit down or not.

“Um, pretty sure it’s a smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel. It’s like the only thing m’mum knows how to make.” He laughed a bit at the end, but looked towards you in hope that it was enough for a free pass at the table bench.

You nodded your head for him to sit down and you’d never seen someone look so giddy because of it. He dropped his bag next to him and pulled out his sandwich, which was just wrapped in tin foil compared to your plastic lunchbox contraption. He also took out a packet of crisps, a bag of chocolates and a can of lemonade.

“It’s looking a little fruit-bare over there.” You said, noticing how there was nothing healthy packed in his lunch and wondering how he was built so well - not that you’d been gawking at how defined his muscles were or anything.

“It’s looking a little fun-deprived over there.” Harry replied, with a mouthful of food as boys do.

“Criticise my lunch one more time and you’ll be removed from the table.” You threatened, obviously with no intent of following through with your plans.

“Y’know I preferred it when y’didn’t talk as much actually.” Harry responded and your heart dropped, thinking that you’d just screwed up potentially the one shot that you’d had at a potential friendship.

“Oh i’m s-sor—” You became flustered, putting down your sandwich to wave your hands in hate for yourself for being so dismissive already.

“Hey, stop, you’re all good!” Harry chuckled lightly, watching as you blushed when you realised you’d just been overreacting.

“I was just messing.”

“Sorry, i’m just really nervous.” You admitted, stroking a hand through your hair nervously. Harry put his bagel down so he could give you his undivided attention.

“Why?”

“Never had a friend before and I don’t want to screw this up before we even get there.” The smile you gave was small. Small enough for Harry to detect a heap load of insecurities and sadness behind it, something he already wanted to protect you from and hug away from you.

“Can assure you you’re already my friend.” Harry warmly smiled at you, lighting a small matchstick in your heart that heated your insides just the little bit that it needed.

“Y’don’t even know my name, Harry.” You gave him a condescending look, but he remained the same cheery self.

“Doesn’t matter. Still m’friend.” He shrugged, taking a sip from his drink before continuing, “besides, i’ll just call you ‘love’ or ‘tbk’ instead.”

“Tbk?” You asked, clearly missing something.

“Thousand boy kisses.”

“You’re going to name me after the title of a book?”

“Well it was the book that is even the reason we’re having lunch together right now.”

“Don’t think it is.” You replied, laughing when Harry gave you an offended look.

“Right, well, just shut up.” He scoffed and then shut up himself. Harry went back to eating his bagel and you back to eating your perfect jam sandwich.

The silence wasn’t awkward. In fact, it was quite to just sit in someones presence and not feel obliged to talk to them. You enjoyed his company and it helped that he made you feel all warm inside. You thought over your conversation this lunch and loved every moment of it, never having felt so happy in a long time. You were thankful for Harry for that, forgiving him for being with such douchey friends.

“Y/N.” You spoke, after finishing your sandwiches and making Harry look up at you as he too finished his bagel.

“Sorry?”

“Y/N, my name. Apparently my mum chose it because it sounded cool to say. That’s what i’ve been told anyways.” You shrugged your shoulders and then going quiet as you thought on your past.

You hated when you’re mine travelled into the past, because it made you feel so lonely and even worse - alone. Harry’s hand came into your vision, from where you were looking down at the table, and he was holding the packet of chocolates out for you.

“Take them. M’mum always tells me that chocolate can cure a girls broken heart.” He smiled warmly and you understood that he knew you were upset, but wasn’t going to press in what was wrong until you were ready. For that, for him, you were very grateful.

“But what about m’carrots?” You asked, making Harry belly laugh and hand the chocolates into your hand.

“Screw y’carrots!” That might’ve been the first time you’d belly laughed in a very long time.

[this is just the start… send requests for anything high-school y/n and harry related]

#harry styles #harry styles x reader #harry styles x y/n #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfiction #finelinevogue #harry blurb #finelinevogue harry styles #harry oneshot #harry styles concept #kiss me in the dark #finelinevogue blurbs #ask finelinevogue #fic rec harry styles #harry styles high school lovers #highschool harry styles #harry styles friends to lovers #frat boy harry #harry styles fluff

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seriouslysnape · 3 years

Text

Roughed Up

Harry Potter x Fem! Reader

Warnings: None.

Word Count: 1,524

“I don’t mind a night to ourselves,”

A disgruntled, painful groan escaped the Gryffindor boy underneath you as your hands applied pressure to a rather tense area on his back. He took a sharp inhale at the feeling of your wondrous hands rubbing his sore, battered muscles, only to let that same breath out once your hands moved on to the lesser problem areas.

“I’m sorry, Harry.” You apologized for causing him discomfort.

“Not your fault. It feels good and bad at the same time.” He replied, his voice strained and slightly muffled in the pillow below his head.

If someone had told you that you’d be spending your Friday night massaging achy knots out of your boyfriend’s back, you probably would have laughed in their face. It was rare for both you and Harry to spend your pre-weekend evening in your dorm. You almost always found something to occupy your time on a more productive day. However, tonight would have to be an exception.

Harry had taken a nasty fall off of his broom earlier in the day during Quidditch, and while you hadn’t been around to see it, you had been told it wasn’t a pretty landing when he hit the ground. Thankfully, his injuries didn’t extend much past a few scrapes and bruises, but he had landed flat on his back, which seemed to take most of the impact. Madam Pomfrey had looked him twice over to make sure he wasn’t seriously hurt, checking for anything from broken bones to internal bleeding. Pomfrey had tried to heal him up with magic, but Harry had denied it since Pomfrey’s healing methods sometimes hurt worse than the actual injury. When she gave him the clear to leave, he came straight to you. He knew it had to have been a pathetic sight the way he hobbled to your dorm, barely able to hold himself upright from all the lingering pain in his core radiating to his back.

Based on the way he had greeted you though, you wouldn’t have even guessed that he was uncomfortable. His grin was blinding as he entered, mainly because he knew he was going to milk this as much as he could to get a little extra tender, loving care from his favorite girl. You had helped him out of his robes, wincing when you saw the multiple large bruises scattered across his body that had already begun to purple. Even his legs had taken some damage when you had helped him shimmy out of his pants. You left him in just his boxers, helping him into your bed and ordering him to lay on his stomach to avoid aggravating his back further.

You had hoped that maybe he’d begin to feel better after lying down for a bit, but after an hour he was still struggling to get comfortable. You took it upon yourself to straddle his back, lathering your favorite lotion onto your hands to provide him some relief. Your hands trailed, kneaded, and rubbed in all the places that hurt him the most. His noises were comical, sometimes coming out as a pitchy whine and others as a low rumble. He was beat, literally and metaphorically.

“And just how did you fall off again?” You asked for clarification.

Harry was very skilled on a broom, and it wasn’t everyday that he fell off.

“One of the bludgers blindsided me. I never saw it coming,” He explained, “Well, I did when it hit me.”

You chuckled at his joke, letting your thumbs work at the muscles in his shoulders. The room smelled of Eucalyptus and lavender from your lotion that you had rubbed into his skin, two smells that Harry loved endlessly. You didn’t know this, but sometimes Harry would put a bit of your lotion onto his wrist so he could smell like you. It reminded him of you when you weren’t around. The feeling of your hands attempting to rid him of his irritation was heavenly. Despite his pain, he was happy as could be.

“Pomfrey didn’t find anything wrong?” You questioned.

Harry shook his head.

“Nope. She just said I’d be sore tomorrow, more than I am now.” He replied, already dreading how he’d feel in the morning.

Your hand movements slowed to more of a caress, your fingers and palms beginning to cramp from all the rubbing.

“I’m sorry, my love. I’m glad you’re okay.” You spoke gently.

Harry went to turn, prompting you to raise your hips to allow him to flip over completely. He carefully sank onto his back, sighing at the new support that your mattress was giving him. He put his rounded glasses back on, smirking at being able to see you much clearer now.

“I’m the one who should be sorry. I bet you didn’t count on your Friday night being spent like this.” He remarked.

You shrugged, leaning down to leave a sweet peck on his lips.

“I don’t mind a night to ourselves,” You hushed out, your lips just brushing over his; “Just you and me with nothing to do sounds awfully enticing.”

Harry hummed in content and agreement. Harry was obviously extremely popular at Hogwarts, and sometimes it was hard for him to find time to be alone with you. He was always being needed for something, and sometimes he wished he could just have peace and quiet for a while. It seemed now that his wish might be coming true.

“Oh, darling, there’s nothing in the world I’d rather be doing than being here with you,” Harry mewled, “My pretty girl…”

His hands trailed away from the tops of your thighs, snaking underneath your skirt and resting on your hips. His fingertips wrapped around the sides of your knickers, his grin spreading wider when he felt the lacy material. He looked up at you expectantly as he tugged at the sides of your panties.

“No, Harry. You’re hurt, baby.” You reminded him, refusing his advances.

His eyes widened and he gave a sympathetic pout, jutting his lower lip out in protest.

“I’m not hurt! I’m just sore!” He argued.

“Harry, you fell OFF of your broom. Look how roughed up you are.” You said, pointing to one particularly nasty looking bruise just below his ribs.

“I’m feeling better...honestly.” He claimed, but avoided eye contact with you.

You knew he was lying, a devious sneer appearing on your face as you rolled your hips forward, jostling his body in a way that sent a wave of sharp pain through him. He yelped at the less than pleasant sensation, not even trying to play it off.

“That’s what I thought.” You answered, carefully moving off of him and the bed.

Harry scrambled up when he realized you were getting up, his arm wrapping around his core instinctively when he agitated it from moving so quickly.

“Where are you going? Please, don’t leave.” He blubbered, struggling to stay up on his knees that were sunken into the mattress.

You laughed lightly, looking at him with a warm smile on your features.

“I’m just going to my desk. You need to rest.” You told him, motioning towards your workspace on the other side of the room.

“But baby,” He whimpered, “I’m hurt. Come lay with me. Please?” He requested, holding his arms out to you.

“I thought you were ‘feeling better’?” You chided, putting your hands on your hips.

He groaned, throwing his head back in distaste.

“[Y/N], please come here,” He asked again, “Pretty please?”

You laughed again at the sight of him so needy for just even an ounce of attention. He was always so clingy behind closed doors, one of the many things that you liked about him that you kept private. His flushed cheeks and ruffled hair was honestly an adorable sight. You couldn’t help but give in.

“Okay, I’m coming.” You alerted him.

Harry’s eyes brightened in victory, yanking back the covers and making room for you to snuggle in bed with him. You were careful not to press yourself against him too hard, but he didn’t seem too concerned. He peppered you with kisses, all over your face and neck. He was so excited to just be with you that he could hardly contain himself. You giggled under his touch, squirming when he kissed and sucked on areas that were your sweet spots. He thrived off of your joyful noises and being in your presence. It always made him so happy when you were happy. His attack of affection paused when he pulled away to look at you, your smile fading into a worried frown when you thought he might’ve hurt himself more.

“Are you okay?” You asked.

In reality, he just wanted to look at you. He wanted to study your eyes and hair and all the things that he loved so dearly. He saw his future every time he looked at you. He saw his purpose for living when he looked into your eyes. He saw his life with you. He wanted to spend every moment of every day with you and no one else.

Because you were his forever.

“Yeah. I’m absolutely perfect.”

#Harry Potter #harry potter x fem!reader #harry potter x reader #harry potter imagine #harry potter oneshot #harry potter fluff #harry potter x you #harry potter x y/n #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter reader insert #seriouslysnape

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mindofharry · 3 years

Text

Small blurb on sucking harry’s dick before his first show! yes, i did that. smut! language! harry being dirty! Y/N being a boss bitch! enjoy!!!

Harry was in his dressing room, alone for a change, before the concert started. He missed you. Although, being alone before the concert might calm his nerves down. Usually, you’re here sitting on the sofa either helping him with his shoes or ties, or just saying some encouraging words. But this year, you couldn’t make it. At least that’s what harry thinks. You’ve been staying with your grandma for a couple months now, and you and harry have only seen each other twice. Harry thinks you’re still looking after your grandma, but in actuality you’re currently waiting for the right moment to surprise him. You were able to get your cousin to stay with your grandma for the next couple of weeks, so you could tour with harry. But it was only for about three weeks, so you want to make the most of your time together.

Harry sound so upset when you said you couldn’t make his first concert. You weren’t there for his first solo tour, only meeting you two years ago at a friends party. You and Glenne had been friends for a while, meeting through your sister who went to high school with Glenne. She’s like another older sister to you, meaning you were at her party. Harry met you and was immediately enamoured by you. He just needed to know more about you. Your favourite colour, favourite band, favourite food. Turns out you had a lot in common and were very attracted to each other, so you went on dates. You both really liked each other and everyone around you knows you’re each others forever.

“Fuck” Harry said to himself, trying to get his shoes on. The shoes were amazing, everything he wanted — but they were a little more complicated to anything else he’s worn.

“It can’t be this hard” Harry mumbled to himself, trying to pull the zip on the side up. You took this as your que to exist the little closet Jeff had stuffed you in. You had told Jeff about this months ago and he thought it was an amazing idea. He helped you with flights and times, and of course not much help with the hiding places but a small closet would have to do.

“Need some help with those?” You asked and harry immediately stopped what he was doing. He slowly turned around and there you stood, his girl, his love, right in front of him. You were dressed in a long summer dress, pink, matching with harry. Your hair was curled and your make up was natural, you even wore the earrings he bought you for christmas. You looked beautiful. You bit your lip and walked over to harry, who seemed to be frozen in place.

“Baby?” He asked and you nodded placing your hands over his cheeks, harry immediately melted into your touch almost whimpering at your warm, soft hands. He missed this, he missed you.

“Fuck, I missed you so much” He said pulling you into a hug. His head went to the crevice in your neck, and his arms went around your waist bringing you into a tight, warm hug. Harry needed this. He needed you. It was silent for a couple of minutes, no one spoke, you both just enjoyed each other in a comfortable silence.

Harry pulled away from the hug, quickly but softly. He looked down at your lips and your smirked. “Kiss me already?” You said and harry chuckled bringing his lips to yours. Memories flooded back instantly, your lips were like a photo album. Everytime harry placed his lips on yours a whole rush of emotions and vivid memories come running back to him. He feels so many things while kissing you. Harry feels warm, and giddy. He feels like a summer afternoon, he feels like dinner after a day at the beach, he feels like the start of a new book, he feels everything, every emotion you could possibly think of.

Harrys tongue entered your mouth and you moaned loudly, as you both fought for dominance. Your hands reached his curly hair, and you tugged on roughly making harry break the kiss. “I love it when you do that” He said before diving back down to your lips. He placed his hands under your thighs lifting your up so your legs wrap around his waist never once breaking the kiss.

“Let me help you” You said, out of breath. Harry’s eyebrows raised slightly as you stroked his hair softly.

“I can feel your cock, harry. So hard. Probably so red, just waiting for me to suck on it right?” You questioned, harry whined but didn’t respond. You tugged on his hair. “Use your words” You said. “Do you want me to suck on your cock?” You asked and harry nodded quickly.

“Please, baby. Suck my cock” Harry insisted putting you down on the ground and immediately going to take off his pants. He wasn’t wearing any boxers. You looked at his cock, you were right. It was undeniably hard, red and the tip was full of pre cum. The way his cock looked made you lick your lips and whimper softly.

“Sit down” You ordered, harry immediately followed through sitting down on the couch behind him. He spread his legs a little, and looks up at you expectedly. You smiled and took the hair tie from your wrist, collecting your hair quickly and putting it up out of the way. Harry bit his lip as excitement formed in his (cock) stomach.

“So proud of you, you know?” You said getting down on your knees. “Love how confident you are on stage” You said leaning down, placing your hand on his right thigh. “I love your confidence and how much exhilaration you get from this” You continued, placing your other hand on his left thigh. Harry hand went to your ponytail and tugged on it slightly. You pouted, but gave in.

You leaned your head down and kissed the inside of his thighs, harrys eyes rolled to the back of his head. “Love everything about you” You said.

“Especially your cock”

You gripped the base of his cock, kissing all the way up to his tip. Harry’s head fell backwards and his hands tugged on your pony tail again, you continued kissing around the tip of his penis while playing with his shaft. At throaty moan escaped him as your hand moved up and down his member.

“You want me to suck?” You asked, harry’s eyes widened and he nodded eagerly. “Yes please” He said, practically begging at this point. You kissed his tip again, before placing your lips over the tip of his cock. Harry moaned loudly, bucking his hips up, pushing his cock into your mouth more. You gagged a little, but got comfortable pretty quickly. Harry tasted amazing, it was your favourite thing to do. If you could have his dick in your mouth all day, everyday you’d be a happy girl.

Your hands move to his hips, and you hold them tightly trying to stop him from fucking your mouth. You want to be in control, you deserve it after not having cock for so long.

You moan as you feel him at the back of your throat, your finger working his shaft quickly.

Looking up at harry quickly, you see his flushed cheeks and his eyes tightly closed. His hair is messy from you tugging at it early, you can’t help but mentally high five yourself for that one because harry has never looked so good. Seeing him so undone, made you feel an abundance of things. Turned on being the number one thing.

You moan loudly again, sending vibrations through harry’s body. He buck up at the sound and the feeling, you know exactly what you’re doing to him.

“Taste so good” You said before placing his cock in your mouth again, whimpering at the feeling. Your eyes are filled with tears, and you’re sure your mascara is running down your face. You’ll get a touch up later. Harry loves it, he loves make up being so messy and his hair looking like he hasn’t brushed it in days.

Harry wants everyone to know his cock had been in your mouth.

“You love this. You’re a slut for my cock, right? My little slut wants everyone to know she loves my cock” Harry said as he pulled on your pony tail, fucking your mouth. You didn’t answer, but your moans sufficed. “You’re so good to me. Letting me fucking your mouth like that. Such a good girl” Harry said moaning loudly as his hips begin to thrust into your mouth.

Your sex was dripping, all down your thighs and you were sure you’d cum from just being mouth fucked.

Harry being to move faster as his climax approached, pulling at your pony tail.

“Take it all, baby”

“Fuck, yeah, just like that” Harry said, as he climaxed, you took all of his cum and swallowed it happily. Again, you like how he tasted. You cleaned up his stomach, and sucked on his cock a little too. He was sensitive, you knew that, but he asked you to clean him up. So you did just that.

“Feeling even more confident to go on stage now?” You asked, your throat horsed. Harry chuckled leaning down and pecking your lips, tasting that reminiscence of his cum on your lips.

“Who knew you sucking my dick would make me feel so much better?”

#harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles one shot #harry styles smut #harry styles fluff #harry styles xy/n #harry styles x y/n #harry styles x reader #harry styles imagines #harry styles fic #harry styles blurb

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xx-thedarklord-xx · 3 years

Text

Is This On?

Also on Ao3

Muggle things weren’t that complicated. If Potter could master them, then so could Draco. Refrigerators were a godsend and whoever invented the telly was a genius. He had figured out the function of a light bulb instantly, it was the electricity itself that he still hadn’t fully grasped. Where did it come from? How did it know when to work? Some things, however, didn’t make any sense no matter how many times it was explained to him.

The internet.

Draco didn’t understand where it began, where it was located or how it worked. All he knew was that he could ask questions to the phone Harry gave him and it would answer back. Sometimes the lady trapped in the phone would send him to the internet to provide information or other times to a little telly inside the phone too.

Which led him to his current predicament.

Harry sometimes used the internet to talk to Granger. There was a little camera on the computer. At least that’s what Harry said but hadn’t really ever showed him much more than that. Could he use it to talk to Harry?

Draco poked the little camera several times, trying to get it to work. He typed in the password that Harry wrote down hoping that would help. When he was met with a photo of the two of them, he tried not to be endeared. Potter would be such a sentimental sap.

“How does this work?” Draco muttered to himself as he stared at the little icons. He couldn’t remember the steps Harry had taken to talk to Granger. Would it even work if he had remembered? He didn’t want to talk to Granger, he wanted to talk to Harry.

“Internet show me Harry.”

Nothing happened.

Draco huffed. It had been a long shot anyway. Reluctantly, Draco pulled out his phone and hit the button that brought out the lady inside. “How do I call on the internet?”

She repeated his question to him as if that was going to help somehow before he was brought to a list of options.

“Skype.” Draco wrinkled his nose. That didn’t sound familiar. He set his phone down and opened the same icon on the computer that his phone had brought him to and typed in Skype.

The first thing that popped up was a little telly. Harry called them videos, but Draco liked that they were little tellies and didn’t care what Harry said. The little telly was boring and showed him too many steps to follow. What drew his attention were more little tellies that he could select from. Some were about Skype too, but others were about all kinds of things.

Make-up. Music. Food. Books. Sports.

There were too many to choose from. So he watched several different little tellies. A lot of them were boring and he ended up either leaving for another one or skipping to the good stuff. Some people weren’t the actors that they thought they were. Honestly, where was the charisma? The charm? He could do it much better.

Draco paused, thumb over the mouse as he thought about it.

He could do it better than most of the people in the little tellies. He had the charisma that they didn’t, he had the charm, the looks, the better smile. And his life was much more interesting than these people. Those with boring lives shouldn’t talk for an hour unless their aim was to put people to sleep. Oh, that was another thought. Were there little tellies to fall asleep? There were little tellies for everything. He rather liked the internet, even if it made no sense.

Draco watched a few more little tellies before he figured he knew enough to do it too. It wouldn’t let him make a little telly until he created an account, which he thought was kind of rude, but it was their rules. A lot of people didn’t use their real name, so he chose not to either. It took him longer than he wanted to find something that suited him.

Slytherin’s Heir.

Finding out that Harry and his idiot friends thought that he had been Slytherin’s Heir had been flattering. Oh, they hadn’t thought that, but they didn’t realize the kind of compliment it had been. What he wouldn’t have given to be Slytherin’s Heir. That kind of power and social status would have made him untouchable.

With his name chosen, it wanted a photo, but Draco didn’t have any photos of him on Harry’s computer. So he didn’t do anything, let the internet do a blank one. Draco’s foot tapped a few times as he realized his account was complete. Now all he had to do was make a little telly.

It took a few times to find the right succession of buttons to find the live option. He didn’t really understand what being live meant, but he did know that meant that he didn’t have to have a little telly already made, that he could create one right there.

“Is this on?” Draco asked, lips pursed as he poked the camera. “I’m not really sure if this is working. Honestly, I was trying to talk to Harry when I decided to make a little telly. Harry’s my boyfriend. Hi Harry.”

Draco waved at the camera with a small smile. He wished he could see Harry’s face.

“Harry’s actually mad at me right now. He’s an annoying prat who likes to think he’s right all the time.” Draco paused; one side of his face scrunched as the thought about what Harry’s reaction would be to his little telly.

“Maybe mad is an exaggeration,” Draco sighed, one hand pushing through his hair. He hadn’t slicked it back in a few days, too out of sorts to feel up to it. His hair fell into his eyes which was an annoying reminder of why he liked his hair slicked in the first place. “He’s more disappointed.”

Draco grimaced as he remembered the last time he had seen Harry.

“He loves me,” Draco whispered, hating that his cheeks were warm. “He says it all the time. At least he used to.”

A long-suffering sigh escaped as he slumped in the chair with wheels that Harry insisted on using even though Draco thought it was a safety concern.

“When I say all the time, I do mean all the time,” Draco grinned. “He didn’t hear that growing up at all and I think he says it so much because he’s trying to make up for lost time. I don’t mind. I like hearing it. Makes me melt a little bit to know that he loves me so much.”

Draco frowned, sitting up straighter.

“You better not tell him that though. That’s embarrassing.” He waved a finger at the camera in what he hoped was a threatening manner.

“I didn’t hear I love you growing up either. It was rare to hear my parents say anything even hinting at love. But the thing is, I’ve always known they loved me. I could see it in the things they did. When my father would show me a new spell or help me with my hand movements. My mother would bring home my favourite sweets whenever she went out. They would stay up later than was presentable with me and listen to the radio.”

The smile on his face was bittersweet. As much as he knew that his parents loved him, it would have been nice to hear it more than they did.

“I guess I picked up their habit,” Draco winced. “I tell Harry I love him… sometimes. I try to tell him more, but the words don’t come easy to me. My parents knew I loved them, and they certainly didn’t need me to say it. But I try to show Harry too!”

Draco’s hands had begun to move in the beginning but were now thrown in the air.

“I make sure whenever he’s on a case to keep his plants watered, even if the one Neville gave him has it out for me and tries to kill me. When he’s having a bad day I make sure his duvet smells like mint because I know he’s going to collapse on our bed and not move for longer than is healthy and for some reason mint is his favourite smell. I don’t really know how to cook that well but the lady in my phone helps me order from Harry’s favourite restaurant and I do that when he’s feeling sad and sometimes when he’s really happy too.”

Draco’s lips turned downward the longer he talked. It bothered him that Harry couldn’t see that he was loved.

“I’m not a people person but I willingly go with him on what he calls adventures around London. Adventure is accurate because wherever Harry goes, trouble follows. Last month we had to run from people with sticks on horses. Harry said they were the law, but I feel like if you were lawmen then you should dress better but that’s beside the point. Then there was this one time we got kicked out of a library. That was more my fault, but Harry was the one who didn’t tell me that the books didn’t talk or yell. Who wants to go to a library with silent books? That’s like going to a gallery where the paintings don’t talk. What’s the point?”

Muggles were weird, honestly. There were a lot of things they did that were smart, and he wished that Wizards would adopt too. But a large amount of what Muggles did was boring. They lived boring lives and he felt bad that they didn’t have Magic to spice it up.

“I try to show with actions how much he means to me, and I thought I was doing a good job at it, but I guess not.” His eyes closed as he remembered the hurt expression on Harrys’ face.

“He told me he wished I would tell him I loved him more. I told him there was no point. Which in hindsight, I’ll admit was a mistake. I don’t take it back, mind you. But I wish I had explained better before he left. I meant there was no point in saying it more if I could tell him through actions. Which I have been doing since I realized I loved him. I thought he knew. I thought he could see how much I love him.”

Draco swallowed around a lump in his throat. He wasn’t worried about their relationship, not really. Harry sometimes needed a few days to cool down when they argued. Only usually, it was anger that was the parting goodbye and not a heartbreaking sadness.

He looked back to the camera, hating that his eyes were wet.

“I love him, so much. I could talk about all the things he does for me that I love. Like the way he looks at me, the way he makes me feel loved and whole. The way he holds my hand too tight, like he thinks I’ll pull away. As if I ever would. Or the way I feel like I’m high on liquid luck whenever we’re together. But those are selfish to point out. I don’t want to talk about me when I bring up what I love about him. That’s conceited.

“I love the way he throws a fist in the air when he gets an answer on the telly right. I love his stupid hair that has to be sentient at this point, never lying flat. I love the softness in his eyes when he’s happy, the way they shine so brightly. Almost as bright as his smile. I love how kind he is. I know I give him shit for that, which I should, but there’s a goodness to him that isn’t common anymore, and I love that. I love how much he cares about other people.

“I love how hard he works—puts every ounce of himself into whatever he’s working on no matter how big or small. I love how smart he is, even if he doesn’t see it himself. He thinks of the world in ways that others don’t—a genius to him that fascinates me. I love how much he loves. He loves with everything that he has. He loves people in general. Wants to see the best in them, has a faith that never wavers. His friends are his family, his family is his world and the love he has for all of them is another extension of himself that is everlasting.”

Draco blinked through the wetness as he sniffled.

“I’m honoured to be part of that love. To know that he could care about me a fraction of what he feels for others is overwhelming. I know he loves me; Merlin knows that I do. How could I not? He doesn’t just say it, he shows it. And I just wish that he knew how much I loved him too. I know I don’t say it enough, and I try, I do, but I had hoped that he could see it. Maybe that’s my fault. Maybe I didn’t show it enough, maybe I didn’t try harder. Maybe I should have done more.”

Draco wiped at his cheeks hating that he let his emotions get the best of him. Especially on his first little telly!

“What hurts the most is that I don’t know how else I could have showed him,” Draco laughed bitterly. “I really don’t. I give so much of myself to Harry, perhaps that’s not healthy, but it’s true. I love him so bloody much and I hate that he doesn’t see that, that he doesn’t know. How could I not love him? Harry, how could you not know that I love you?

“I love you…”

Draco took a deep breath, wishing it wasn’t as shaky as it was as he twirled in the chair. That had to be the reason Muggles had such dangerous chairs, so they could twirl.

“My first little telly wasn’t supposed to go like this,” Draco smiled wryly as he placed his chin on his palm. “I was supposed to charm you all with my good looks and witty personality. And what did I do? Cry over my relationship issues. Like anyone wants to see that. Maybe I’ll tell you the story of how Harry and I fell in love next time. Or maybe the first time we met. Something happier than my tears. Pansy always said I’m an ugly crier—the jealous bitch—so no sad topics next time, I promise.”

Draco leaned forward; lips pursed as he tried to figure out how to turn it off.

“I’m not sure anyone is going to see this. Maybe that’s for the best. I just know I look like a cross between Doxy droppings and Weasley on a good day. I hope you all are having a better day than I am. I’m going to go as soon as I shut this off.”

Draco frowned, clicking a few buttons before he gave up and shut down the whole computer. The simplest solutions were for the best. He spun in the chair one more time facing the rest of their flat, wishing not for the first time that Harry hadn’t taken his happiness when he left.

——

Watching his little telly back was a painful experience. His charm and charisma were there, but it didn’t look as polished as some of the other little tellies he had seen. He’d just have to keep trying.

Draco was about to start a new one when he noticed that there were a lot more numbers than there should have been at the bottom. It had been two days since he had made it, and he expected there to only be his replay.

Not the 819,543 that stared at him. And every passing minute the number grew by the tens of thousands.

Draco double checked that he was on his little telly and not someone else’s before he covered his mouth. Did that many people see him cry? Merlin, what did he do? While the thought was horrifying, what truly scared him was that there were comments.

There were comments.

Oh no.

Draco groaned, already blaming all of this on Harry. And the internet, the internet could take the blame too. With one eye closed, he scrolled down.

NamelessHope 1 day ago Anyone else find this endearing? He’s like an old grandma that doesn’t know how the internet works.

Sorrymum 5 hours ago He’s so cute. Why can’t you be single?

Michael the Sexual Taco 2 minutes ago His partner is trash. It’s so obvious he’s in love. How could Harry not see it?

Bleach 2 days ago First!!!

CubesAreTriangles 13 hours ago Go bottom go!

Potatoes for Life 7 hours ago Nooooo don’t cry! If you cry I’m going to cry

Draco squinted at the comments. Why were Muggles so fucking weird? And what did they mean bottom? Did people just assume things like that? He liked to fuck and be fucked, thank you very much.

Meaty Meat 10 minutes ago Y r u gay

Draco snorted. Okay, maybe Muggles were entertaining.

Casey J 1 day ago I can’t tell if you’re just ranting or want advise. If it’s the former, then ignore me. But maybe Harry does know you love him. I think it’s obvious that you do, so he must know that. Maybe he needs it said too.

Randy Rants 8 hours ago You need couples therapy not the internet

ParsleySnips 2 days ago I totally cried

Pearl’s Pearly Pearls 2 days ago I want to be loved like you love Harry.

SwiperNoSwiping 1 hour ago If you two don’t break up you should do another video with him.

Draco scowled. They weren’t going to break up. A touch of hesitancy filled him at the thought. It had been 6 days since he last saw Harry. Not their worst fight, and he would’ve tried to find Harry and talk to him if it had been completely silent. But Harry sent a Patronus every morning that nuzzled him awake. The Patronus didn’t speak a message but the love he could feel was a message all on its own.

Karla S 1 day ago Am I the only one who caught that he said spell? Is your father a devil worshiper?

Gigi’s my Daddy 2 days ago Little tellies. That’s so cute. That should be our fandom name when you blow up.

Gay4You 20 hours ago I’ve never been invested in someone else’s love life this much. If you and Harry don’t make up I’m going to riot.

Draco looked through several more comments before he pushed away from the computer. There were a few rude ones and a lot more supportive ones, but all of it made him nervous. He didn’t like that so many people knew about his feelings. It was his own fault for making the little telly, but he didn’t think anyone was going to see it!

Part of him was panicking. He could delete it, probably, if he asked the lady in his phone how. But did he want to? Draco bit his lip, unsure what to do. If he deleted it, all those people who saw it would still remember it, so he’d only be stopping new people from viewing it.

Before he could go over the pros and cons of either option, the front door slammed open, causing him to yelp and jump out of the chair.

Hands raised, Draco glared at Harry, who was staring at him intently, chest moving rapidly.

“What is wrong with you?” Draco sneered. “I nearly came out of my skin. If you’re trying to kill me, you almost succeeded. Merlin don’t do that a—”

Draco cut off when Harry marched toward him, eyes still intense. His mouth was still open, ready so say something, but nothing came out when warm hands cupped his cheeks.

“Draco, I’ve always known you loved me.”

Oh no.

He closed his eyes tightly. Harry watched his little telly. How? Why?

“Hey,” Harry whispered, thumbs moving in a gentle caress. “Look at me.”

Draco shook his head. He didn’t want to.

“I’m sorry.”

That had his eyes opening before they widened. “What?”

“We’re so different,” Harry began with a wry chuckle. “Everything about us is different. And for some reason I forgot that. I assumed that our love language was the same. But the beautiful thing about languages is how different they are. I expected yours to be the same as mine and I was wrong.”

“What do you mean?” Draco hated that his voice wavered.

“You’re right, I do say I love you a lot.”

“It’s not a bad thing,” Draco hurried to explain. “I didn’t mean it to sound—”

“I know,” Harry shushed him, a thumb placed over his bottom lip. “I say it because I don’t want you to forget that I love you.”

Draco shook his head, wanting to tell Harry that he could never forget. How could he? But he didn’t want to interrupt.

“When I was little, I didn’t just want to be loved by my relatives, I wanted to love them too. But they hated me, and the feeling was mutual. I wanted to love someone just as much as I wanted to be loved. And I guess I say it so much as a reminder to never forget that. I love you, Draco and I can’t help but say it over and over again.”

“I know,” Draco parroted as he pressed a kiss to the thumb still over his lip. “I love that you say it so much. I don’t want you to stop. Lately, you’ve been saying it less.”

Harry’s eyes closed briefly. “I’m sorry. You don’t always say it back and that hurts. I thought you didn’t want me to say it. I thought—”

“No,” Draco shook his head again, this time more violently. “Please no. I’m sorry. I want to say it more, and I promise I’ll try but please don’t stop saying it if I can’t.”

Harry shushed him again and if he wasn’t so close to crying, he’d probably have hexed Harry for treating him like a scared child.

“You do show me that you love me,” Harry said, eyes soft and full of the love that Draco wasn’t sure he could live without. “All the time and that’s your love language. You show me through actions, and I needed the reminder.”

“I want to give you the love you deserve,” Draco whispered, blinking rapidly, willing himself not to cry. “You deserve to hear it just as much as you give it. And I’m sorry I don’t do that.”

“I don’t need it,” Harry argued, eyes narrowed. “And don’t you dare presume to know what I deserve. I get to decide that, and I’ve already given you my heart. So it’s up to you to keep it safe.”

Draco inhaled sharply. Harry’s love was special. “I want to love you vocally too. I want to love you the way you love me.”

“The way you love me is exactly what I need.”

Draco’s nose wrinkled. “I feel like you’re settling.”

“Not your decision.”

“Harry—”

“Draco,” Harry began, flicking him in the forehead. “If you want to say it more, I won’t object. I’m just telling you that I don’t need it like I thought I did. We’re in love and it doesn’t matter how different we show it. The love is still there.”

“Okay,” Draco sniffled, wiping his nose on Harry’s shoulder when he was pulled into a strong embrace. After days of no contact, he basked in their combined warmth. A feeling he had missed more than he thought possible.

Draco turned his head, mouth near Harry’s ear as he whispered,

“I love you.”

If Harry held on tighter, and Draco felt a wetness on his neck, well that was no one else’s business.

~Fin

———

Short Extra

“Hi little tellies!” Draco waved at their new camera, one that Harry now manned, taking in Draco’s new hobby in stride.

“I had planned an intro like all the rest of them do but that’s so boring. Over here we’re better than everyone else. So I said fuck it and tossed it away. Let’s just get to the good stuff. You’ll never guess what Harry did yesterday. It was so embarrassing.”

“Do you have to embarrass me to so many people?”

Draco grinned, nose scrunching at Harry’s glare. He knew his followers wanted to see Harry, but Harry didn’t want to be in the little tellies like that. Plus, Draco kind of liked that it was just him.

“What do you mean?” Draco blinked, adopting an innocent expression that had stopped working on Dobby when he was three. “I’m just telling my friends.”

“Yeah,” Harry snorted, eyes on the subscriber count that was rapidly increasing. “All 3 million of them.”

It still blew his mind that so many people wanted to hear him talk about his life. He had known from the beginning that he could pull it off. Had always known he had more charm than everyone else on the internet. His little tellies were clearly superior.

And to think it all stemmed from his love of Harry.

-----

This is a story for @rieraclaelin who I know has been having issues reading fic lately so please don't feel like you have to read this at all. I just wanted there to be a gift for you whenever you do feel like readings stories. I adore you!

#Drarry #Draco Malfoy #Harry Potter #Youtuber Draco

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tobesobri · 3 years

Text

Traditions | 17.3k

a/n: it's been a while since I uploaded writing and for some reason I decided to sign up for this challenge and by some miracle actually managed to write something for it 🤯anyways, this is for the Valentine's Day Challenge by @1dffchallenges and it's honestly just a bit of fun, enemies to lovers little bit of angst and some smut! so i hope you enjoy! I'd always love to know your thoughts!! (also pls excuse any errors, I wrote this in a week with little editing lol)

prompt: doube date

dialogue: “So let me get this right. You want to hire me as your date for a Valentine’s Day Party?”

Pink and red were speckled throughout the entire office, whether it was a bouquet of chocolate roses, a banner of hearts, or stuffed bears residing next to bowls full of heart-shaped candies. Every employee’s section of the office had been filled to the brim with decorations as well. Pink and red ribbon taped carefully around the edges of their desktop computer, little store-bought balloons, also heart-shaped, grouped together and tied to desk chairs.

And Y/N, dressed in her typical all black outfit, rolled her eyes as she paced through the office toward the one section in the back that was immune to all things heart-shaped, pink, or stuffed.

She sat down at her desk with a loud sigh, her purse hitting the floor in its usual spot just before she slipped out of her jacket and draped it haphazardly between her back and the chair. It’d be wrinkled by the end of the day, but she didn’t care all that much, nor did she put much thought into the stains on her purse from leaving it on the floor. All she concerned herself with, after settling in, was getting straight to work… which was put on hiatus when she came face-to-face with both a pink and heart-shaped sticky note plastered onto the center of her computer screen.

Groaning, she ripped it off and moved to turn her computer on before she bothered to read whatever was written on the note. She considered three potential suspects while she pulled her keyboard down onto her desk and logged in. There was Kayla, who worked front reception and was one of the main culprits of all the Valentine’s decorations. A strong contender. It could’ve also been Ines or Carmen, her closest work friends whom Y/N knew both owned a pad of pink, heart-shaped sticky notes.

However, when she finally let her eyes fall to the note as her computer loaded up, the handwriting didn’t match any of the women she knew, and she was quite positive that none of them would have written was was sprawled out in black ink either.

Roses are red, violets are blue. I will fill your office with teddy bears and balloons, if you don’t send me your half of the proposal by two.

Harry.

She crumpled the note and tossed it into the bin under her desk. He could go fuck himself for all she cared. Sure, she was nearly done with her portion of the work and would be able to send it to him before then, but now that he’d pestered her about it, he’d be lucky if she even bothered to send it to him at all.

She didn’t doubt the promise, i.e. threat, he made on the note, but being surrounded by teddy bears and balloons would be worth making Harry’s life just a tad miserable.

After opening all the apps she’d need to get her work done, namely Photoshop and Illustrator, she connected her drawing tablet and set up the rest of her work station for the day, both on screen and off.

Harry had worked at the company for about two years longer than her and she’d started off as an intern while she was still in college and, after graduating, was hired as a permanent graphic designer. They had never really gotten along ever since Harry—jokingly—asked her to get him a coffee once… or twice. Unfortunately for her, though, they ended up working well together and their boss had stuck them both on the same projects ever since. Especially after the month-long project last spring that had been their most successful one to date.

While she came up with the design parts of client projects, Harry handled the more technical side of things and they’d never really argued much over each other’s work even though they clashed constantly at a more personal level.

“I see your feeling festive.” Just as she’d gotten into the groove of her typical morning and had forgotten all about Harry’s stupid note, his voice interrupted her entire thought process. So when she swiveled around to find him leaning into her little office space, it was hardly a surprise when she glared at him, even though he feigned offense at her bitterness.

“You got my note, I presume.” He let himself into her space anyway, holding a mug of steaming coffee she was sure he’d just made in the workroom, and leaned up against the opposite side of her desk that housed a much larger, digital drawing tablet for when she needed to do more intricate design pieces.

She just swiveled back around to face her computer again and went back to work as if he was no longer there. Pretending to ignore his existence proved to be quite difficult when the very particular woodsy, vanilla scents of his cologne met her nostrils and filled her entire office. Not to mention, the sight of what he’d been wearing singed the backs of her eyelids so that she still saw him every time she blinked. It was as if her brain refused to let her forget what he looked like in his white button-up, sleeves rolled to the crooks of his elbows, all tucked into his fitted black trousers that tended to get the imaginations going of all the women in the building.

Not her though, of course. She was better than that. Obviously.

He cleared his throat, still very much present in her space and still very much giving her a migraine. “So will it be ready by two?”

“Well, I planned to send it to you before lunch.” She tweaked the spacing between letters of a potential logo for the millionth time. “But now… I think I might need the rest of the day.”

She heard rustling behind her and knew he was shifting his weight impatiently and running a hand through his hair as he often did when he was… displeased. “I told you I’m leaving early tomorrow and I need it no later than two.”

She cocked her head to the side, still staring at her computer screen and not giving him an ounce of satisfaction. “Did you tell me that?” She teased, an amused smirk lifting the corners of her mouth when she heard him groan behind her. “I must’ve forgotten.” Shrugging, she went back to her work.

“Unlike you,” he snapped, “some of us actually have a love life and I’d appreciate you not fucking up mine.”

She froze then, only for a split second, when his words sank in. Two thoughts raced through her head. The first a string of curse words because of his assumption that she didn’t have a love life. But the more prominent and worrisome part of his statement was that he did have one. And that he was leaving early tomorrow—Valentine’s Day—so he could get ready for a date.

Throwing both her prickly exterior and heartbreaking smirk up again, she turned to face him. “I’ve known you for three years now and if anyone has the potential to fuck up your love life, it’s you.”

He narrowed his eyes at her and her gaze fell to the hand that seemed to wrap a bit tighter around his Bugs Bunny mug. His knuckles whitened and she met his heated stare again, pleased with herself for getting him riled up before he’d even finished his morning coffee.

“So,” she continued before he get get a word of retaliation out, and sat back against her chair, crossing her legs confidently as she folded her hands in her lap. “Who’s the poor girl you’ve tricked into going on a date with you this time?”

Harry had a terrible track record. The longest relationship he’d been in lasted for two months, and that was well before she’d known him. Everything else he had was just a one or two night thing and nothing more. Sure, it was all more than she had, but she preferred it that way. Harry seemed to resent the fact that he couldn’t keep a girlfriend to save his life.

“You don’t know her.”

Her smile widened. “How long have you been seeing her?”

“Couple weeks.”

“Ooh, that just might be your second longest relationship, Styles.”

“Well at least I’ve had one.”

His jab didn’t have an affect on her however, and he knew it wouldn’t because it never did. He knew she didn’t give a damn about relationships, or at least that’s what she claimed anyway. He couldn’t think of many twenty-four year old women who actually wanted to be alone. He actually couldn’t think of a mid-twenties anyone who wanted that.

“You’ll have to try harder than that.” She said nonchalantly, which irked him even more than he already was, and then swiveled away from him one last time, picking up her drawing pen and getting back to work.

“What’s your issue with relationships?” He went on and she knew he was headed right down a path intended to hurt her feelings just as much as she had his. So, she tensed slightly and braced for impact. “Is it a commitment thing? Or can you just not find anyone to put up with you for longer than five minutes?”

She let his words sink their teeth in and then smiled to herself. “Hm. Seeing as you’ve been in my office now for,” she checked the time at the top right-hand corner of her screen, “eight minutes, maybe we should date.” She lifted a brow, awaiting his next response.

It felt a bit like a cat-and-mouse chase bickering with Harry and since she was usually the cat, it brought her way too much pleasure fighting with him.

He scoffed. “Like I’d lower my standards for you.”

That one hurt, she had to admit. Not out loud or to Harry, but it still stung because it was true. He’d have to drop his standards to the floor to even consider dating her and she knew it.

“Maybe,” she began, still half focused on her work, and ignored his comment all together, “some of us like being alone.”

“Nobody likes that.” He responded quickly and she heard a shift of his weight again and then his voice once more a few moments later. “It’s nice to be by yourself sometimes, yeah, but you can’t tell me you don’t want someone to come home to at the end of the day.” He crossed one leg over the other as he gripped the edge of her desk for support and just when she thought he was done, he kept going, “Someone you can vent to about your annoying co-worker.”

She glanced at him through the little portable mirror hanging above her desk—mostly used to make sure she looked decent before meeting with clients or, sometimes, Harry—and saw the tight smile on his lips. Almost as if that’s what he wanted, like he was talking about himself and not her.

She’d slowed her progress down while he’d talked until she was no longer working at all. She no longer swiped her pen across the pad or had any idea what she was even doing when she focused solely on his words. Because, once again, whether he was talking about himself or about her, he was right.

“Yeah well,” she quickly hid herself back behind her wall and made her hands function properly again. “Some of us also don’t have the luxury of choosing whomever we want.”

She imagined him smirking at that one because, buried deep within her words was a compliment. That he was handsome enough to actually have anyone he wanted.

Instead, when she glanced at the mirror again and found him, there was the complete opposite of a smirk on his face, and as he stared down into his mug, clearly lost in thought, she wondered what the tightness in his jaw and the frown pulling on his lips meant.

She sighed and stole his attention away from his coffee. “I’ll have it to you before lunch. You can go now, unless you’d like to argue some more and slow me down by another…” she glanced at her clock again, adding up all the time he’d been standing in her office, “fifteen minutes.”

Without another word, she listened to the drag of his footsteps as he finally left her office space. And although she was glad to be rid of his distraction, the room felt so much bigger and so much colder and emptier without him in it. Shivering, she slipped back into her jacket and spent the next few hours doing nothing but staring straight ahead at her screen as she made final adjustments to her designs.

Any other conversations with Harry were had over email as he worked in his own respective office, messaging her with every little concern he had in order to get his work done efficiently so that he wasn’t stressing to finish it tomorrow before he had to leave. Even though Y/N considered not responding to him a few times, just to spite him and slow him down for her own amusement, she found herself feeling guilty after leaving him hanging a couple times. Sure, she hated Valentine’s Day and everything surrounding it, but she’d almost hate even more the idea of both her and Harry being miserable tomorrow, so she inevitably gave in and cooperated with him. She’d probably regret it when he came back on Thursday spreading around the office all the gory details of his date, but at least he wouldn’t also be in a shitty mood. Her days were both boring and slow whenever Harry wasn’t having a good day. And although she’d blame it all on selfish reasons, it did also make her sad to see him frowning around the office and sulking when all she wanted to do was bicker with him and make him smile again, even just a little bit. But it was easier leaving him to his own devices than risk him finding out she cared about him enough to not wish sadness upon him.

She couldn’t say the same for him. Harry probably relished in the days she came into the office in a sour mood. He probably celebrated and threw a party whenever she was upset, and, even so, it didn’t change how she felt about him.

The sun had long set and most of the office was gone by the time she finally called it quits and began packing up her things and giving her computer a rest for the night. There were still quiet murmurs from other workaholic employees, which comforting her knowing she wasn’t completely alone in the building, since the last time she’d done that, it took everything in her not to have a panic attack all the way to her car.

Even though her boss told her countless times not to stay past five o’clock, as he told every other female employee that worked for him that he didn’t wish to see attacked after sunset in the city. Of course, when she was the only one who didn’t listen to him, he hired more guards and one of them rounded the corner into her office space, ready to escort her all the way down to her car.

“Figured you were still here.” He leaned against the walls of her cubicle and watched as she startled, twisting to meet his eyes for a moment before she settled and returned to slipping her belongings into her purse.

“I don’t need you to escort me.” Zipping her purse, she rose from her chair, checking one last time across her desk to make sure she’d grabbed everything she needed to take home with her before turning to him as he still lingered in the opening of her little office.

William had been hired a couple months ago, and was only a year older than her, but even so he was more than a foot taller than her and his biceps were about as big as her head. While the entire office drooled over him, she tended to keep her eyes and her thoughts to herself.

“You say that every night you stay late. Just let me do my job and shut up about it.” He smirked at her and when her eyes met his again, sharply, glaring at him, she groaned and whirled past him toward the elevators. He followed swiftly behind, knowing she’d close the doors on him if he didn’t keep close enough pace with her, mostly because she’d done it before.

As he took his spot beside her and she pressed the button for the parking garage at the basement of the building, a familiar voice rang out through the office.

“Wait!” As if she wasn’t already annoyed enough with William’s presence, his stupidly large arm held the elevator doors open as Harry slipped inside a moment later.

“Thanks, mate.” Harry said exclusively to William as he caught his breath and stood wedged in the middle between the guard and Y/N, who was inching closer and closer into her corner to get away from Harry.

“You have any plans tomorrow?” Harry asked, his attention solely on William again while the elevator took off down through the levels of their building. Not fast enough for Y/N, of course.

William sighed, crossing his arms and trying to resist smiling. “Me and my girlfriend take turns surprising each other every year. And it’s her turn this year… so I guess I have plans, but I don’t know what they are.”

“Damn, way to make us feel incompetent.”

Y/N whirled her head to glare up at the side of Harry’s face. “Speak for yourself.” She warned.

Harry just ignored her though. “What did you guys do last year?”

Again, William stifled a grin. “I had been saving up for a while and took us both to Paris.”

“Shit.” Harry’s eyebrows rose and Y/N rolled her eyes away from him, watching the LED screen above the elevator doors as they neared the bottom levels of the building. She knew Harry and William had become friends, mostly because Harry was annoying and befriended everyone. Except her, of course. She heard his stupid voice again and wished she could just transport herself directly into the front seat of her car and be done with the both of them. “And now she has to do better than Paris.”

Y/N glanced around Harry just in time to see William smirk and she should have known what was about to come out of his mouth before it did. “Well, I don’t consider much better than her mouth ar—“

Y/N cut him off. “Ew! Are you serious?”

Both men eyed her curiously just as the elevator came to a stop and, with a ding, the doors opened. She flew toward them quickly.

“Y/N wait, I have to—“

Again, she cut him off, turning once she was out on solid ground. “I’ll be fine, besides trying to rid my mind of that image you just burned into it.” She turned on her heel and headed off toward her car.

William made a move toward her and Harry grabbed his arm, “I’ll walk her. Forgot she’s a bit of a prude.” They shared an amused look and Harry jogged out onto the concrete and asphalt until he reached her side.

“I heard that, you know… and I know for a fact your car is not parked in this direction.” She seethed and he just smiled to himself, happier than ever that she was in the mood to bicker with him, because he wasn’t quite in the mood to leave yet, where he’d have to wait till tomorrow morning at nine-thirty to see her again. And she wasn’t always the most talkative person on Valentine’s Day, either.

“Why are you the only female in our building not foaming at the mouth over him?” He asked instead, referring to William.

He heard her scoff. “Just because he’s attractive doesn’t mean I have to be interested… or want to hear about his girlfriend sucking his—“

“Cock?” Harry finished for her and within a second she spun around to face him, forcing him to stop in his tracks just inches from her now. His smirk only grew when he saw just how quickly he’d gotten her all flustered.

And then, as they started each other down, the hardness in her face softened and she drew out a breath, forcing his eyes to fall to her lips and his smirk to fall from his mouth. He thought back to last spring, when there were numerous late nights with her just like this one. When he went home and couldn’t stop thinking about…

“Why are you looking at me like that?” She asked and he blinked a couple times before he lifted his eyes.

“Like what?” He furrowed his brows, trying to track down all the resentment he had for her but he couldn’t find it anywhere anymore. He couldn’t summon it and say something that would save his ass from being caught looking at her like he wanted to kiss her.

Like he wanted to taste her and feel her against him, and hear what she sounded like when he tugged at her hair for more.

“Nevermind.” She shook her head, silencing the chaos going on in his brain. And then she turned, continuing the walk to her car with or without him, but, when she heard the echoing click of his shoes against the asphalt once more, she knew she wasn’t rid of him yet.

“I don’t suppose you’ll give me a ride back to my car, will you?” He easily stepped back into place beside her like nothing had happened.

She didn’t say anything for much longer than he was comfortable with. And then, finally, they reached her car and she sighed. “Get in before I change my mind.”

As she went for the driver’s side, he took quick steps to the opposite side, watching her over the top of her little Honda as she unlocked her door, and then, after clicking the button, his door as well. They both slipped in at the same time and while she fastened her seatbelt and settled in for her drive home, he sat perched with his backpack in his lap, knowing he’d be out of her car within only a couple minutes.

He still glanced around at his surroundings as she backed out of her parking space. “Should’ve guessed your car would be as neat as your desk.”

She didn’t say anything as she drove in the opposite direction of the exit toward the section of the garage Harry always parked in. It was closer to the elevators because he always came in before her and snagged a prime spot. She preferred an extra few minutes of sleep over walking an extra fifty steps.

And he started up again when she continued to not talk to him. “Most artists I know of are super messy.”

“I’m not an artist.” She gritted out through her teeth as she came to a stop once she spotted the rear-end of Harry’s BMW. Although she knew it well enough to distinguish it from the other black BMWs in the garage, it also helped that Harry had an old, faded license plate cover filled with a collage of cute pictures of puppies. He’d said it won him bonus points with women, but she also knew his screensaver at work was a picture of puppies as well, and no women he was interested in ever saw that.

He peeled his eyes off his car and looked over at her. “I know you can draw, too.”

She paused, gripping her steering wheel. She did enjoy both art and design and she knew Harry knew the difference between the two. She just didn’t know why he always insisted on bugging her about it.

“Yeah, well that doesn’t make me an artist.”

When he didn’t say anything, she glanced at him just in time to find him shrugging a shoulder like he was agreeing to disagree. Even if she couldn’t draw, he’d still consider her an artist because the things she managed to design always blew his mind and if that wasn’t art…

She rolled her eyes. “Are you going to get out, or do I have to drag you?”

He grinned, and it was almost as if her eyes refused to see anything else but his dimples and the bright whites of his teeth, and the birthmark to the side of his mouth…

“I’m going.” He assured, and yet he still hadn’t moved an inch. “Even though I’d love to see you try to drag me.” With her knuckles whitening on the steering wheel, he chuckled and unzipped the small pocket on the front of his backpack, withdrawing his keys as he finally swung her door open.

Once he was out, he gripped the top of the door and leaned back in to find her staring straight ahead. “Drive carefully, yeah? Would be quite tragic for your bitter ass to die on Valentine’s Day.”

She reached over and, despite having to brush her knuckles along the side of his thigh, grabbed the handle of the passenger door and yanked. His body remained in her way, however, and he was unfortunately a lot stronger than her.

Then she finally looked up at him, and those thoughts he had earlier surfaced again as much as he’d tried to bury them. This time though, he didn’t fight it as he glanced at her lips once more, then back at her eyes, which had widened slightly just before the dimples reappeared in his cheeks. “And I guess I would miss bickering with you every day.”

With that, he was gone and she retreated back to her seat as he shut the door for her. She had no idea what to think about what had just happened. Why he’d looked at her like that again. What that look even meant.

By the time she reached the freeway, she’d convinced herself she was just seeing things. Harry wasn’t looking at her in any other way he had before when he was intent on pestering her. But, as she took in the scent of him still lingering in the cabin, she allowed a small part of her to hope she was wrong.

Her eyes fell on the man down the hall from her door as she slipped her key into the lock, her brows furrowing as she watched him. It wasn’t unusual for their paths to cross, as they tended to get home around the same time, but it was quite odd to see him sitting on the floor outside his apartment, his head in his hands.

They’d said hi to each other a couple times in the mailroom, but she definitely didn’t know him well enough to go up and ask what his issue was or try to fix it for him. And after it was confirmed that he hadn’t, in fact, lost his keys, as they sat beside him on the floor along with his phone, she figured it best to leave him be.

Turning her key, she pulled her gaze from him and disappeared from the hallway.

The second she was inside her apartment, she felt all the weight lift right off her shoulders, especially when her cat came racing up, screaming at her from the floor while also coaxing her toward the kitchen to fill the food bowl. Whatever was going on with her neighbor still very much on her mind, she tried to focus instead on relaxing and getting both her and the screaming Pretzel some dinner.

She tried to remember his name as she heated up leftover pasta. She knew it started with an A, but her brain was coming up short. So, while Pretzel crunched on his food in his corner of the kitchen, she tried her hardest to remember.

And it was no question why she cared so much. Her neighbor was someone she was actually interested in, and she had been since she first saw him. Of course, she was never foolish enough to think he was into her, but she still let herself fantasize. He was tall, nearly black curly hair atop his head always in a state of disarray, and he had the most beautiful blue eyes she’d ever seen hidden behind his glasses. And, if she was being honest with herself, he was just a darker-haired version of Harry. Maybe that’s why she liked him.

The beeping of her microwave tore her thoughts from the dangerous path they’d been headed down. Harry’s voice rang in her head a moment later.

Like I’d lower my standards for you.

She’d needed to hear him say that, because sometimes her thoughts got carried away when it came to Harry and sometimes she did let herself be a fool who hoped. But after he’d said that one damning phrase, it was enough for her to stop. She didn’t meet a single one of his standards, inside or out.

Still, she tried her hardest not to go back out into the hall and make sure her neighbor was alright. Maybe he just needed someone to talk to and it wasn’t like she was doing anything important. Even if she didn’t have a dumb crush on him, as she did Harry, she still didn’t enjoy seeing him in the state he’d been in.

Before she could work up the nerve, however, a knock sounded through her quiet apartment.

She held her breath as she opened her door, really hoping it wasn’t the boy from across the hall, since she was still blanking on his name, but she couldn’t imagine anyone else knocking on her door this late into the evening.

So when she inevitably found him there, looking down at her through his annoyingly long lashes as she took in the horrible state he was in—red, inflamed eyes and hair that needed to see a brush rather than his hand—she completely lost her breath instead.

“Uh, sorry, I… saw you come in and I know we don’t talk and this is a weird thing for me to ask but…” He ran said hand through said messy hair and she found her breath again while looking up at him like she’d do whatever he’d asked just so he’d stop frowning.

He sighed, glancing down the hall toward his apartment and then met her curious and somewhat concerned gaze. “Can I come in?”

She recoiled. “Um… why?”

“Well, um, I was hoping you could help me with something and I’d rather not have the entire floor know about it.”

She was beyond confused now, but still, she stepped aside and let him pass, assuming that if he was actually a murderer he would have done her in a lot sooner than this. He had plenty of other opportunities. Plus, something in his face just… made her want to trust him.

She closed the door and turned to him, watching as his eyes scanned her kitchen and where her food still sat before he twisted around, eyes wide. “Shit, I’m sorry for interrupting.”

She shook her head. “It’s fine.” And after clearing her throat, she crossed her arms over her chest. “What do you, um… what do you need help with?”

He swallowed and she watched his Adam’s apple budge in his throat. “I don’t imagine you’ll like me very much after I ask but… I need a date.”

“What?” Again, she nearly flew out of her skin.

His eyes darted back and forth between hers, gauging her reactions and very obviously on the verge of seeing himself out and pretending this never happened. Instead, he stuffed away his pride and went on. “My ex… she, uh… well we broke up a few months ago and I saw her the other day and she’s seeing someone and we were talking and I… told her I was seeing someone too and so she invited me to go on this stupid double date with her… but the thing is… I’m not actually seeing anyone and I just told her that so she’d be jealous but she didn’t seem jealous at all and I don’t exactly have many friends to ask for help and I saw you and…” He rambled, but she managed to understand his predicament just fine.

“A double date? With your ex?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know either. She’s… she does weird shit but… I still want her back.”

Y/N’s heart ached in her chest. As much as she detested relationships, she was a sucker for other people’s relationships and she was definitely a sucker for her beautiful neighbor, even if he was asking to use her to make his ex-girlfriend jealous.

“Not that I’m saying yes but… when? And where?” She finally asked after thinking things over for a moment.

“Tomorrow night… I can pay you. I will pay you, I mean… but, seriously, you don’t have to do it I just thought I would ask.”

“Where is this date at?” She repeated when he didn’t answer that part of her question.

“At this party… and bef—“

She cut him off. “Okay so let me get this right. You want to hire me as your date to a Valentine’s Day party?”

He lifted a brow, “Well, there’s more… she wants to get dinner before going to the party.”

She shook her head, looking away, “I don’t really do Valentine’s Day…”

“You wouldn’t have to do much. I’ll pay for your dinner, too. Whatever you want. I just… really need your help and you’re my only option.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “You realize I’m not exactly…” she waved at her face and his eyebrows screwed together in confusion. “I’m not easy on the eyes and I don’t think taking me will make anyone jealous.”

He didn’t say anything for a while, just stared at her incredulously. She shifted her weight nervously and he finally opened his mouth. “You don’t actually think that, do you?”

Her features scrunched up and she kept her eyes planted on the middle of his chest. And then he realized that she, in fact, did.

“I’m so sorry… I shouldn’t have asked you to do this.” He also realized that using her to make his ex jealous would possibly hurt her more than it would help him and he could no longer fathom putting her through that. “I’ll figure it out. I’m sorry.” He moved to walk past her, back to his apartment but she stopped him before he got far.

“No… I’ll help you.” And then she realized his identity was still somewhat of a mystery to her. “This sounds even worse than what you just asked me to do, but… I completely forgot your name.”

He breathed out a laugh. “It’s Adam.”

She knew it had started with an A!

“Y/N.”

He smiled wider and nodded. “I know.” And then his face grew sad again. “I am really sorry I’m asking you to do this on Valentine’s Day, it’s definitely not my proudest moment.”

She waved him off. “I wasn’t going to do anything anyway. Just tell me what you need me to do.” She didn’t bother brining up the whole payment thing. She didn’t really care about being paid. He was nice, the only nice person she’d encountered in her apartment building and if getting him back together with his ex meant she’d never have to come home and see him in the fetal position on the floor again, she’d suffer through a date and a party on her least favorite holiday.

It was somehow even worse than it’d been yesterday. The decorations seemed to triple in size. Not an inch of the office was untouched by something pink and she prayed whoever had put up even more decorations had spared her little cubicle.

“Oh, hey, Y/N!” One of the receptionists most responsible for the overflowing decor, Kayla, called her over to her desk not even a minute after Y/N had arrived. And she stalked over until she saw the package Kayla pulled out that instantly lifted her spirits.

She stopped in front of Kayla’s desk and took the thin box from from her, already knowing what it was and thanking god for the timing so that her entire day wasn’t completely miserable. It was a new drawing pad she’d ordered, a bigger one that she hoped would be a bit more efficient to use than her current one.

Even with her back turned to the rest of the office, she sensed Harry’s presence long before he stopped beside her with his mug in hand.

He lifted a brow at the package in Y/N’s hands just as she reluctantly turned to look at him. “Getting gifts sent to the office? That’s a first.”

She rolled her eyes and stuffed the box under her arm, holding herself back from running off to her office to set it up. “Jealous?” She cocked her head.

And instead of his condescending smirk and a hateful response to go with it, the sparkle in his eyes seemed to fade as he eyed the box again, genuinely worried now that it was actually a gift from someone.

Before either could say anything, they all turned to find a delivery man walking up to Kayla with a giant bouquet of flowers in tow. And so it began. Although, when Kayla took the vase from the man eagerly, a bright smile on her face because Kayla loved love a little too much, Y/N couldn’t help but think about Adam. About how the only time she’d managed to get a date on Valentine’s Day was when it wasn’t even real. Instead, she’d stupidly agreed to help her cute neighbor win back his ex-girlfriend in exchange for a free dinner.

It was… pathetic. To say the least.

She felt Harry watching her, too, while she eyed the bouquet of flowers as they departed reception with Kayla and made their way to their recipient. As stupid as she found everything about the holiday, she couldn’t help but want someone to send her flowers. To give her anything for that matter. To have thought about her for at least a second of their day. Harry cleared his throat and she tore her eyes away.

“So… what’s in the box?”

“None of your business.” She rounded him, heading to her office, but he grabbed her free arm to stop her short and didn’t speak until she met his gaze again.

“Can we meet up in my office to finish the proposal? Think it’ll be easier to get it done than over email.”

She had every reason to be suspicious of him. They almost never worked in each other’s offices. When they did work together, which was often, it was in one of the empty conference rooms and it was usually at the beginning of the process when they needed the space to plan things out. The last time they’d really been in each other’s offices was last spring. Figuring he just wanted to get things done so he could be out of the office on time, she let it go.

“Give me fifteen minutes.”

He watched her walk away, watched her even as Kayla returned and noticed his gaze and giggled at him as she took her spot back behind her desk.

“It was something she ordered for herself, by the way.”

“What?” Harry whipped around again, not having even realized the other woman until now.

“I know you two pretend to hate each other but I see the way you look at her, Harry.” Kayla lifted a brow at him as she began typing on her keyboard.

He feigned disgust. “I’m seeing someone, you know.”

“Are you?”

“Yes.” He insisted. “I have a date. Tonight.”

She lifted her hands in surrender. “Okay… I’m just saying.”

“I don’t look at her.”

Kayla suppressed a smile and snorted instead. “If you say so. I guess you didn’t also sneak into her office this morning, either.”

“I think all these flowers and stuffed bears and heart-shaped things have gotten to your head.” He pointed around to the decor littering her desk while holding his mug steady.

Kayla met his eyes and her smile slipped off her face. “Harry, please don’t mess with her.”

His face screwed up. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“If you don’t like her then don’t lead her on.”

“I don’t think she’s capable of being led on.”

Kayla froze for a moment and then nodded. “You’re right.”

He wasn’t sure what she meant by that either. “Why are you being weird?”

“Because,” Kayla sighed, brushing her curled brunette hair onto one shoulder and then lowered the volume of her voice. “I happen to know she doesn’t think very highly of herself and I’d rather not see her get hurt, especially not by you.”

Now Harry froze. The hand that gripped his mug tightened and he didn’t even flinch as it began to burn his skin. He heard Y/N’s voice in his head then as he drowned out his surroundings.

Some of us don’t have the luxury of choosing whomever we want.

He had instantly regretted what he’d said to her yesterday when she’d told him that. And now hearing Kayla, in a way, confirm what he’d read between the lines of Y/N’s words… his chest tightened in quite possibly the worst way ever. He’d hated himself most of the day after telling her he’d never lower his standards for her and he could say he was just bickering all he wanted, but he knew now for certain she took it the wrong way. And he wished more than ever that he hadn’t said something so horrible to her, especially when it was the farthest thing from the truth.

And the real truth, that he was trying desperately to shove away with stupid remarks like that, was that he didn’t meet her standards. She wasn’t into relationships and he knew he wasn’t good enough to change her mind.

“How do you know that?” He finally asked.

“That Christmas party last year… she’s a really happy drunk until she’s not.”

He flinched. “Did she say something?”

“I don’t want to get into it, mostly because I don’t think she remembers and would probably kill me if I told you but… just leave her be.”

He hardened back up again. “She does’t have any interest in relationships anyway, ‘specially not with me.”

Kayla scoffed. “She’s a really good liar.”

Harry stood there for a few more moments, feeling as if his life had just gotten flipped upside down. He’d been in such a good mood mere minutes ago before his dumbass waltzed into reception all because he’d seen Y/N. Because, despite everything and despite the fact he was already attempting to date someone else, it was Y/N he wanted to be close to all the damn time. Groaning, he turned on his heel and left for his office, hoping she wasn’t there waiting for him so he could have a moment to himself to gather his thoughts.

In a hurry to open her package, Y/N slumped down into her chair tossing her purse on the ground at her feet and pulling out her box cutter in a rush of movements. She was so distracted, in fact, that she didn’t even notice the little stuffed frog, the box of chocolates and envelope sitting on the other side of her desk near her mouse. Instead, she unboxed her new tablet and began setting it up, not noticing the gifts until she went to turn on her computer. And then she froze.

With reluctant hands she grabbed the envelope first, her name printed on it in perfect cursive. She knew nobody in the office who had such good penmanship. Opening the card in hopes of finding out who had placed the items on her desk, instead, she just found it signed as ‘secret admirer.’ Rolling her eyes, she set the card down and realized it had to be from her boss. Sometimes he remembered to go around and give everyone little gifts on the holidays. Obviously he’d remembered this year.

She dug into the chocolates as she set up her tablet and began calibrating it to suit her needs before finally testing it out in the little bit of time she had before she needed to make her way to Harry’s office.

And once that time came, she left everything in its place, besides the box of chocolates, which she continued to pick at while she made her way through the room. What she didn’t notice while stuffing her face with candy was that… no one else had a stuffed frog or chocolates or a cheesy little card on their desks.

She rounded the corner into Harry’s office, which was a real office and not a cubicle that he usually shared with one other person who was thankfully out with clients for the day. She knocked on the doorframe to get his attention after just watching him focus on his screen for a moment. Harry was cute when he was focused.

But then he turned to her and his eyes fell to the box in her hand.

When he didn’t say anything, she held it out toward him. “Do you want some? I think Andrew was feeling generous this year.”

Harry’s eyes quickly panned up to hers and his brows furrowed as if she’d just punched him in the gut. And she couldn’t make out what that expression meant no matter how hard she tried.

“He didn’t give me anything.” Harry motioned around his desk.

“Maybe he doesn’t like you.” She shrugged, setting the chocolates down on his desk while she grabbed his office mate’s chair and pulled it up beside him.

Harry sighed, turning to his computer for a moment and then watching her from his peripheral while she picked out another piece of chocolate. “I didn’t see anyone else with chocolates on their desks this morning.”

Y/N just shrugged. “There was a frog too. And a card.”

“And why do you think he’d give you all of that and no one else?” Harry hoped she’d get the hint but he didn’t hope too hard. She was still Y/N after all. And he really didn’t mean to sound so bitter… well, okay, he did. But he knew she’d misplace his bitterness, crushing what little hope there was to bits.

“Maybe he likes me better than all the rest of you.”

Harry scoffed, shaking his head as he put his attention back on his screen.

“No one else in this office would give me a card signed as a secret admirer so… maybe I did something I don’t remember doing and he’s thanking me?” Now that she really thought about it, and if Harry was right… then it really didn’t make much sense. It’s not like she was Andrew’s favorite employee.

Harry just lifted a brow and then pretended to lose all interest.

Sensing the tension, she slipped the box closer to him. “Here. I think you need a knock-off Snickers if you expect me to work with your grumpy ass.” He made no move to indulge her, however. And so she went on, continuing to poke the bear. “Why are you in a lousy mood anyway? Isn’t this your favorite holiday? And you get to leave early.”

His eyes fell from his screen and he stared at the brick of sticky notes below his monitor before mumbling, “I’m sorry about what I said yesterday.”

Taken aback, she searched what she could see of his face for answers to what he was apologizing for. He’d said a few things she could imagine deserved an apology and yet, so did she. Maybe she should have been the one to apologize to him first.

“I didn’t mean to say what I did.” He finally turned to meet her face on. He’d hoped the frog and the chocolates would have been atonement enough, but considering she thought they were from their boss and not him, he just had to suck it up and actually say what he meant.

She shrugged. “It’s fine. I can be a prude sometimes.”

He searched her eyes for a moment and then shook his head, “No that’s not… I meant what I said earlier in your office… about lowering my standards. It was a stupid thing to say and not true in the slightest.”

But then she smiled and he grew confused. “Yes it is. It’s okay to have standards, you know.”

“I know that. But if we… I wouldn’t have to lower my standards. And it was cruel of me to have said that to you.”

She couldn’t stand looking at him any longer and averted her gaze, clearing her throat. “Well it doesn’t matter so… can we just get this proposal done?”

He’d wanted to spend how ever long it took to convince her that it did, in fact, matter, but Y/N was persistent, more so than him, and so he’d given in and they moved on to being productive with their time. And in less time than he’d anticipated their proposal was finished, being sent off to Andrew for approval before their presentation at the end of the week with their clients.

Harry sat back in his chair and she returned her own to the other desk where it belonged, all while he watched her.

“What do you do on Valentine’s Day?” He asked, just trying to get her to stay longer, knowing that if those were his true intentions, then he was fucked. That he wanted to be around Y/N, even though he was seeing someone else, albeit for just a week so far, even though she’d never want the same from him.

Maybe he was just as terrible with relationships as she claimed if he always chased after what he couldn’t have.

“That is also none of your business.” She grabbed her box of chocolates from his desk, his voice pinning her in place again though.

“Let me guess… it involves chocolate, your cat, and the most anti-romantic movies you can find?”

He would not think her very prudish if he knew what else she did on Valentine’s Day while alone in her apartment, but she figured it was best to keep that to herself. Instead, she smiled at him. “Something like that.”

He narrowed his eyes and threw his arms up behind his head as he laid back in his chair, watching her curiously like he was trying to figure her out. Meanwhile, she was trying to not make it obvious she was staring at his biceps as they just about bulged from underneath the sleeve of his pink button-up. He’d done it on purpose though, so as much as she tried to hide it, he still grinned with satisfaction when she became flustered.

“Well, have fun with that, then.” He nodded, and for a moment while she was lost in his eyes and growing embarrassingly hot, she wondered if he could read her mind. If he knew exactly what not-so-innocent things she did on Valentine’s Day. Then he brought his arms back down to rest his elbows on the edge of his desk, pinching his bottom lip between his fingers and watching as she rolled her eyes, held her chocolates close, and left his office.

Adam arrived right when he said he would at five-thirty. It had given her plenty of time to change out of her work clothes and into one of the few dresses she owned, to at least seem somewhat convincing that this was a real date. She also fixed her makeup and put on a pinkish-nude lipstick before switching out her bulky purse for a smaller crossbody.

When she opened the door to him, he most certainly did not disappoint. She almost let herself get lost in the delusion that it was a real date when she saw him dressed to the nines and cleaned up for the first time since she’d known him. And she especially got a little lost in it when he pulled a small bouquet of flowers from behind his back and handed them to her.

“You didn’t have to—“

“I know.” He gave her a once over when she wasn’t looking. “You didn’t have to do this for me either.”

She quietly accepted the flowers and let him in while she found a vase and filled it with water. He leaned on the counter, watching her as she did so.

“You look… beautiful, by the way.” He blurted out once she had cut and placed the stems into the vase. Her hands froze, though, and when he met her eyes, he knew he’d made a mistake.

“You’re paying me to make your ex-girlfriend jealous. Please don’t flatter me.”

“Sorry.” He muttered, although he was beginning to wonder if the bigger mistake was not taking her out on a proper date that had nothing to do with his ex.

She sighed and adjusted the strap of her purse. “Let’s go then.”

He went over all the final details on the Uber ride to the restaurant. Things about his ex he thought Y/N should know about. And he made sure she knew, for about the hundredth time, that she didn’t have to do anything she didn’t want to. And she reminded him for an equal amount of times that she never did anything she didn’t want to do. So, settling that, he helped her out of the back of the Uber when they arrived and opened the door to the restraint for her as well. Everything that she’d expect from a normal date, which only left her disappointed when she reminded herself it wasn’t.

She waited quietly, and tried to catch her nerves, while Adam talked to the hostess and gave her his ex’s name for the reservation. The place was packed and anyone who didn’t call ahead surely would not be getting a table tonight. She’d never been out on Valentine’s Day, though, so it was like stepping into a brand new world for her. And as she followed both the hostess and Adam, she paid more attention to all the couples enjoying their meals than anything else.

Except for when he reached back and grabbed her hand, entwining their fingers just before they came to a stop. She blinked her eyes at their hands for just a moment before he gently pulled her around next to him. And whatever way she’d felt about holding Adam’s hand went right out the window when she locked eyes with Harry.

Shit.

Shit, shit, shit.

The last thing she expected to find, while Laura, the gorgeous blonde ex-girlfriend, stood to hug Adam, was Harry fucking Styles. And what a fucking coincidence it was, almost as if this was her karma for feeling the need to constantly help people.

Adam’s hand slipped from hers but she didn’t even notice it anyway. She and Harry still stared each other down and neither of them moved a muscle either. Well, besides the one in his jaw as it tightened. Then he did move, glancing over at Adam with a blank expression before landing his gaze back on her again. And then his eyes fell to the glass of water in front of him and she felt like she’d been released from chains he’d tied around her wrists.

“This is Y/N,” Adam’s hand went to the small of her back, guiding her forward to meet his ex-girlfriend and Harry’s current… whatever they were.

Laura held out her hand, her smile a little too forced. “Laura. It’s nice to meet you. Please, sit.” She ushered them to the table as she took her spot beside Harry again. Adam, of course, took the chair opposite Laura, which left Y/N in the one opposite Harry.

This would be a long, hellish night.

She couldn’t help but wonder what Harry was thinking. That maybe she’d come to crash his date. Or, even worse, that he’d already figured the whole thing out. That Adam was paying her to be here. She really hoped he’d never find out because it was just embarrassing enough to make her want to change her name and move across the country, thousands of miles away from him. Harry finding out that she couldn’t get a real date to save her life… beyond humiliating.

“This is Harry.” Laura motioned to him and he just barely lifted his gaze, nodding at Adam and ignoring Y/N entirely. “You know,” the blonde went on, glancing between Adam and Y/N, “I was a little shocked when you told me you were seeing someone again.”

Adam just shrugged.

“How did you guys meet?”

Y/N left all the talking to him. Mostly because she was still in shock that she was sitting across from Harry. And she hadn’t even taken the time to properly take him in and realized he’d also changed his clothes since work. Swapping his wardrobe out for a fitted black button-up, that wasn’t buttoned all the way to the top as his shirts normally were. The sleeves were already rolled to his elbows. He’d shaved off the scruff along his jaw as well and fixed his hair so that it was combed back out of his face, although a a couple rebellious strands hung down onto his forehead. He looked… like absolute perfection. And he was being forced to be on a date with the ex-boyfriend of the girl he was seeing and his annoying co-worker. She felt terrible for him.

“Oh, uh, well we live on the same floor.”

Laura nodded, clearly anticipating more. “Is that it?”

Y/N felt Adam tense up beside her and so she took over, easily spinning a lie. “I ran out of milk one night a few weeks ago. He’s the only one who answered the door.”

She noticed a flash of movement in her peripheral and turned to find Harry’s gaze on her again, one eyebrow lifted curiously. He was either wondering how she hid it so well, or trying to figure out what to ask in order to reveal their ploy. He never said anything, though.

“Sorry, um,” Laura’s tone changed as she glanced between Harry and Y/N, both of them looking away when the other girl interrupted. “Do you two know each other?”

Harry grinned, sitting back against his seat and folding his hands in his lap. “Something like that.”

Y/N rolled her eyes. “We work together.”

“Really?” Although her tone said otherwise, Laura’s face said everything about how she felt upon hearing that bit of information.

Adam twisted his worrisome gaze to Y/N, but she ignored it. Harry, however, did not.

“Don’t worry, mate. I was under the impression she was celibate up until now.” With that, Y/N kicked him under the table and he sat forward to swallow the groan that very nearly left his lips after she’d jabbed him in the shin with the toe of her heels. “Guess she’s really good at hiding things, though.”

Adam just chuckled nervously and Y/N shot him an apologetic smile, trying to reassure him that this date would still work out despite Harry.

“What a small world.” Laura laughed, trying to break the tension but dinner hadn’t even started yet.

Sometime during the main course, Laura excused herself to the bathroom and Y/N almost, in a desperate attempt to flee both Adam and Harry, invited herself along. But she figured it’d be worse to be alone with Laura than with them. Laura might ask questions she wasn’t prepared for. So, she stayed put, as much as it pained her to do so.

“So, Adam, what do you do for a living?” Harry asked suddenly and she wanted to kick him again. Mostly because his tone was that of a jealous teenager and he’d waited until Laura was gone to pester her ex-boyfriend who most certainly did not deserve Harry’s pestering.

“Oh, uh, I’m an artist. I work for an animation studio at the moment but I’m trying to get into freelance.”

Harry’s eyes shot to the suspiciously quiet girl sitting across from him. “So is Y/N.”

Adam turned to look at her, but she just glared at Harry. “Oh, I didn’t know that.”

Harry titled his head as he narrowed his attention in on Adam again. “So you’ve known her for a few weeks and you never asked what she did?”

“Harry.” Y/N warned, trying to kick him under the table again but he dodged out of the way.

“Well… she said she was in graphic design… not art.” She had told him that, during their crash course yesterday while they got to know as much as they could about each other in a span of a couple hours.

“I think it’s the same thing.”

Adam just shrugged. “I guess. I don’t think I could be a designer, though. Most artists make what they think looks good, designers create things to appeal to customers.”

“Just ignore him.” Y/N advised and Harry was the one shooting her daggers and attempting to stomp his foot on top of hers under the table this time.

“You and Laura used to date then? She never told me how you split up.” Harry moved on.

Adam swallowed nervously. “She broke up with me.”

“Why?” Harry pushed and Y/N looked at him like she wanted to kill him, which he ignored.

“I, uh… I had a drug problem for a while. I was not the best person to be around sometimes. But after we broke up, she helped me with rehab and everything.”

“Guess that explains why you’re on such good terms.”

Now Y/N really wanted to do more than just kick him.

Adam grabbed Y/N’s hand under the table and pulled her straight from her violent thoughts about Harry. And he didn’t lace his fingers between hers, instead, it felt as if he had just been looking for something to ground himself with. And her hand resting on her lap was the closest thing he could find. It didn’t, however, go unnoticed by Harry and his jaw clenched as he stared at the point in the table where, just below, there their hands met almost as if he was trying to set everything on fire.

Laura returned shortly after that.

As promised, Adam paid the entirety of both his and Y/N’s bill, even though she attempted to snag it from him, seeing as the date had gone to shit and it was all her fault. Well… maybe it was also Harry’s fault a little bit too. But she definitely did nothing to make Laura jealous. Adam, on the other hand, did a great job at making Harry jealous just by existing and being Laura’s ex, whom she was still friends with.

The four of them stood outside on the curb awaiting their Uber after dinner was over, agreeing upon splitting one car to get to the party instead of taking two. Laura was apparently very cautious about fossil fuel consumption.

Y/N shivered as she stood between Adam and Laura, wishing she’d bright a jacket instead of relying on a long-sleeve dress to keep her warm. Then an arm wrapped around her shoulders and Adam pulled her close, running his hand up and down her arm to form heat. She tensed up, though, forming into an immovable brick. She had no idea the last time she’d been that close to another person, let alone a member of the opposite sex. When he felt her go rigid, he leaned down until his lips were at her ear. “Is this okay?”

She just nodded and tried to relax. Which turned out to be quite easy because Adam was warm and he smelled nice. She, of course, didn’t let her mind wander off too far. He was still in love with his ex. He’d still shove cash into her hand at the end of the night for her troubles and go on with his life.

Adam let go of her when the car pulled up and quickly went to the passenger door to confirm with the driver. Then he opened the back door for the three of them to climb in, Laura going first, then Harry, and, at last, Y/N, while Adam slipped into the front seat beside the driver.

While the car took off, Y/N was shoved into the corner when Harry moved closer to her in order to find both his and Laura’s seat buckles in the dark. Eventually, he settled back into the middle and gave her some space again. When she made no move to do the same as them, Harry turned to look down at her.

“Put your seatbelt on.” He whispered.

Her eyes whirled up to his. Wordlessly, and of course after rolling her eyes, she grabbed her seatbelt and he made room for her to buckle it in. Then she sat back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest while she stared out at the traffic through her window.

She would have stayed in that exact position the entire trip, too, if Harry’s knee didn’t insist on bumping into hers constantly. And she couldn’t tell if he was doing it on purpose or not.

When she glanced up at him, and found the corner of his lips curl upward, she figured it was, in fact, purposeful. So, with the hand closest to him as her arms were still crossed, she poked him in the side, right against his ribs, hoping it hurt.

“Ouch.” He whined, covering the spot with his hand dramatically. Everyone in the car glanced at Harry, all except for Y/N who snickered as she returned to staring out the window.

Harry wasn’t giving up, though. This time, with his arms crossed in his lap, and glancing at Laura to be sure she wasn’t watching, he walked his pointer and middle finger up the outside of Y/N’s thigh, close enough to her hip to make her squirm slightly when his touch tickled her. And as soon as he got her attention, he looked down at what he was doing and pressed his middle finger against her, meeting her gaze with a smirk.

In the same moment, the driver turned up the music in the car as they waited tirelessly at a red light. It was better than silence or listening to his passengers breathing. But Harry mentally thanked him and turned his attention back to Y/N, leaning into her slightly until his lips were at her ear and she shivered for an all new reason.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a dress before.” He whispered for her ears only. The music was especially loud in the back and he wasn’t sure Y/N had even heard him.

Especially since she didn’t respond right away. But how could she? Harry’s fingertips were still grazing her thigh, as if trying to emphasize the dress she had on. And his stupid knee was pressed right up against hers. She couldn’t think straight.

Though when she finally turned to him and whispered back, “Don’t get used to it,” he knew she had, in fact, heard him well enough.

He leaned again, “Afraid I already am.”

She hated that there were butterflies in her stomach. That he was saying such odd things to her when his date was sitting just on the other side of him. The date who most definitely met all Harry’s standards.

Huddling away from him, she stuck her eyes out the window and kept them there the rest of the trip.

It was just past eight when they arrived, a fifteen-minute trip up through the city taking half an hour due to all the Valentine’s Day traffic. Another reason she hated this holiday.

The party was being held by Laura’s best friend, who’s name Y/N did not care to commit to memory. In the elevator ride up to the penthouse, though, Harry stood close to Laura, his arm wrapped around her waist and Adam to Y/N, although he didn’t touch her. She wouldn’t have minded if he did, but she figured it was best to keep those boundaries in place anyway.

Pink and golden balloons littered the ceilings of the penthouse. The drink cups were also pink, as was the communal punch bowl that Y/N steered clear of, having no idea what was in it, or who had already spiked it. She knew nobody at the party besides who she’d come with, though she assumed both Adam and Harry were somewhat acquainted with Laura’s friends.

It was most definitely not someplace Y/N ever saw herself being at, not only because it was a Valentine’s themed party, but also because she wasn’t exactly comfortable around so many people. Especially when those people were all so unfamiliar to her.

“Here,” Adam handed her a drink and then grabbed one for himself. She downed the thing in one go, needing to take the edge off. It might’ve been a slight mistake when the alcohol burned the back of her throat, but she didn’t care too much when she grabbed another.

Then he was leading her into the dancing pit of bodies where they huddled close enough so that his lips were at her ear. “Is it alright if I touch you?”

She glanced over at where Laura and Harry had been left, finding both her hazel eyes and Harry’s green ones glued to the both of them. She wasn’t sure what Harry’s deal was, but this was her moment to fix things and make Laura jealous, so, turning back to Adam, she nodded.

He eased his hands onto her waist as they began swaying to the music. And then he pulled her closer, his hands slipping to the small of her back as her arms wrapped around his neck, being careful with her own movements even though she desperately wanted to sink her hands in his hair.

And, god, he smelled so good as her head rested in the crook of his neck. And he felt good, too, as he moved against her body. She knew it wasn’t real, and that the alcohol was making skewing her perception of things, but it was still nice. Nice to be held and to just let go for a change.

Over Adam’s shoulder, Y/N caught Harry’s eyes again. His jaw clenched and he looked the same as he did back at the restaurant. Angry. And then she realized that maybe she wasn’t really trying to make Laura jealous anymore at all, but rather Harry.

It was dumb, she knew that. He’d have to like her in order for her to make him jealous. But… the way he was looking at her. The way he had looked at her. His eyes lingering too long on her lips. What he’d done in the car ride here.

She heard Adam in her ear again. “I think it’s working. She just stormed off into the kitchen.” Then he pulled away and she realized she hadn’t even seen Laura. Just Harry. Harry and his stupid, obnoxious green eyes.

“You owe me more than just dinner.” Y/N teased but Adam grew serious.

“I know. And since you refuse to accept my money, I’ll have to figure out another way to repay you.” He smiled and then twirled her around so that she no longer had any line of sight toward Harry. He pulled her close again, one hand going to her waist while the other stayed locked to one of hers. “Suppose I could start with making your coworker just as jealous… although I think he already is.”

Confusion flooded her features as she peered up at him.

“Oh, come on! He was ready to rip my head off when he realized I’d grabbed your hand. And when I put my arm around you? I thought I might be better off just giving you my jacket and freezing to death instead.”

“I don’t…” she shook her head in disbelief. It was one thing for her to be pretending to make Harry jealous in some delusional hope that it’d work. But this… this was a whole other thing.

“I’m actually quite interested to see what he does if I kissed you.”

She was shocked at first and then, possibly due to the alcohol, just as interested. “Are you asking my permission?”

“Are you saying yes?”

Y/N hesitated. “Is she back?”

Adam’s eyes scanned the room and Y/N realized he hadn’t asked to kiss her for Laura’s sake at all.

“She is.” He finally announced.

Without any more second guessing, Y/N’s hand slipped to the back of his neck and pulled him in. As soon as their lips collided and she tasted the alcohol on him, she knew that she’d never agreed to this without it. Or maybe she would. Adam spun them back around again, deepening the kiss as her eyes opened and fell into the direction she’d last seen Harry.

He was still there.

Still watching.

His hands in fists. His jaw tightened into a crisp line. His nostrils flared. His eyes… sad.

She pulled away. Adam steadied her, grabbing her shoulders when she swayed. But, as she caught her breath, the dizziness went away.

“I’m going to find the bathroom.” She told him and after he nodded, she left, forming a rift for herself through the bodies that danced all around them until she was in the clear. Then she was avoiding Harry as she walked past him, not so sure his gaze was still set on her. Maybe she’d gone too far. She didn’t often just kiss people for no good reason and that’s exactly what she’d just done with Adam. She barely even knew him.

She didn’t exactly need the bathroom, just an open, empty and quiet place. And so, she fell back against a wall in the foyer and ran a hand through her hair.

“That was quite the show.”

She startled at the sound of his familiar voice and looked up just as he stopped a few feet away from her. “What are you talking about?”

He lifted a brow. “You expect me to believe that that you, anti everything to do with this holiday and with relationships and romance, are actually dating that guy?”

“Is it that hard to believe?” She crossed her arms, willing to go as far as she needed to before she let Harry see the truth. That she was that pathetic.

“Yes.” He didn’t even hesitate to respond and she flinched.

“Well, I’m sorry that you have a hard time believing that someone may actually like me.” She had no reason to nearly be shouting at him and no reason to be saying what she was because Adam didn’t like her.

“That’s not what I said. It’s hard for me to believe you just dropped all your ideas about relationships for some guy with obnoxious blue eyes.”

“I didn’t.”

“So then what is this?”

Y/N hesitated. Hating that the truth was about to boil over out of her mouth for him to see all the embarrassing bits of it, but she had no other way of convincing him. And it didn’t really help that Adam was so far out of her league that it wasn’t even convincing to begin with. Nor did she want to convince Harry of anything either. It was clear now that he hadn’t been jealous, he was just trying to figure out when she stopped hating relationships so much.

And the truth of that was she never really hated them. It was just easier telling herself she didn’t want it than admitting no one ever actually wanted her.

She trembled, not even sure why, but he was making her incredibly nervous, so much that she wished she could rewind and stay squished next to him in the back of the car forever. Being that close to him... his stupid fingers on her thigh, whispering things in her ear that made her head spin. She’d much prefer that than standing in front of him now, seeing every ounce of judgment he was about to throw her way.

“What do you want me to say, Harry?” She shrugged and dropped her eyes to the white marble floors between them, focusing on calming her anxiety while she was no longer looking at him. “He needed a date and I felt bad for him.”

“What does that mean?”

Letting her head fall back against the wall, she stared up at the ceiling this time as her eyes burned with embarrassment. “He paid me to be his date so his ex-girlfriend didn’t find out he wasn’t actually seeing anyone. That’s what it means.”

Harry didn’t say anything.

“So, yeah.” She folded her arms, looking down at the floor again, still unable to meet Harry’s eyes and see the look that would be on his face. A smirk of amusement at her expense. Even probably his dimples, taunting her and turning her into the joke she already was. “You were right. I can’t find anyone to tolerate me, which is why I’m on this stupid date that isn’t even real.”

“Him kissing you seemed quite real to me.”

There was more exasperation than humor to her laugh. “It wasn’t.”

Harry seemed to finally understand. “He’s trying to make Laura jealous.”

Y/N just nodded. “I promise I didn’t know you were going to be there, that he was trying to get her back from you.”

“You still kissed him though.”

She couldn’t argue that, nor could she tell him the real reason she’d agreed to the kiss. That it wasn’t exactly Laura she was trying to make jealous. She’d never live that one down, if she ever managed to live any other aspect of this night down.

When she didn’t say anything, he stepped closer. “Why did you kiss him?”

“I’m sorry, Harry I just... I don’t know.”

He shook his head and took another step, making her eyes widen when he was close enough that she had to crane her head back to meet his gaze. “Seemed like you were trying to make me jealous.”

She swallowed, not exactly in the position to laugh it off and argue with him when he was this close and all she could feel were the traces of his fingertips on her thigh. Her voice was quiet when it finally came out. “Making you jealous would mean I assumed you liked me in the first place... which I’m definitely not stupid enough to assume.”

A crease formed between his brow and his stupidly perfect jaw hardened as if he was biting his tongue from saying something. And fuck him for choosing then to finally stop opening his mouth.

Just then, a pair of drunk guys, one on the other’s back, came racing through the foyer, screaming at the top of their lungs while a few others followed quickly after them. It was enough to force Harry away from Y/N again, enough for the both of them to step out of the little bubble they’d been in together the past ten minutes.

Once they were alone again, their eyes gravitated toward each other and just when she thought Harry might say something after all, he flipped around on his heel and left. And she watched as he turned the corner and mixed back into the party.

After a few moments to gather herself, she followed him, not exactly sure what she was going to do now that Harry wouldn’t talk to her and it felt weird being with Adam while Harry knew everything. But, whatever plans to keep herself occupied no longer matted when she spotted Laura.

Making out with Adam in the middle of the room.

Without even thinking, she turned to locate Harry and he might as well have been a source of gravity because her eyes fell right to him within a second. And he was watching them too. He knew.

He met Y/N’s eyes and she wasn’t quite sure if he was upset or not. She couldn’t really read anything on his face, and stopped attempting to when he moved towards her and she had other things on her mind, like where he was going and if he was going to bother taking her with him.

Shortly after he stormed past Y/N she made sure he wasn’t going to leave her behind and chased after him. She didn’t know Adam very well and definitely not Laura to want to stay with them. And everyone else in the room were complete strangers to her. Adam had promised he’d take her home, but he probably hadn’t expected to be making out with his ex by the end of the night, either.

Harry didn’t say anything, not even when they’d reached the foyer and Y/N asked where he was going. He just located his jacket and slipped it on before making his way out the front door.

And right when she thought he really was going to leave her behind, since she was the reason he’d just lost Laura to her ex, he held the door open and glanced over his shoulder at her while she still stood on the other side of the threshold.

“Are you staying?”

Without a word, she sprung into motion and trailed right behind him into the hallway like a lost puppy, letting the door shut behind her that cut them off from the music as it faded into the background behind them.

It was a silent trip down the elevator, mostly because she had no idea what to say that would sound sincere and he didn’t say anything at all. At least not until she followed him through the lobby until he stopped on the curb just outside the main doors.

She took up the spot next to him, eyes glued to the side of his face as he took in a deep breath of fresh air, or at least as fresh as traffic allowed it to be.

Then he spoke, and it seemed like the first time she’d heard his voice all night. “I’m the one who gave you the chocolates and the frog.”

She narrowed her eyes, both not exactly sure why he’d just said that or if he was even being serious. “What?”

He looked down at her. “It wasn’t Andrew, it was me.”

“Why?” She breathed and while she was positive she’d be freezing cold soon, the fresh air after being surrounded by so many people felt good. It felt freeing and she wondered if he felt that way too.

His eyes scanned hers before he looked away. “Well partly to apologize for what I said.”

“What’s the other part?”

Sighing, he turned his entire body to face her now. “Something else entirely…” He trailed off, only confusing her more as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and stared at his feet. “I didn’t tell you because I know you don’t like all this stuff, but seeing you with him tonight... I wish I had.”

“It’s not that big of a deal. It’s just a frog.”

He shook his head, grinning. “It’s not just a frog, Y/N... because the thing is,” he paused to catch his breath, “I’ve been in love with you for... a really long time… since last spring. But with you being the way that you are, I never thought you’d feel the same way.”

She opened her mouth and then closed it.

“And then you come in with that guy and...” He pulled his fingers through his hair. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more jealous in my life... because all this time I thought you weren’t interested in relationships, but you just weren’t interested in me.”

Inhaling, she summoned every ounce of courage she could fathom. “You were right about why I kissed Adam.” He lifted a brow, waiting for her elaboration which never came. “You were right about other things, too. I wish I had someone to come home to almost every single night I got to bed alone. No one—“ She cut herself off, trembling again as tears stung her eyes. “I pretend not to be interested so I can ignore the fact that no one’s ever wanted me.”

“That’s not true.” He had that same look on his face as before, when she’d told him she wasn’t stupid enough to think he liked her.

She just nodded. “And I’m sorry but... why would you want me when you could have someone like Laura?”

“Y/N...” He huffed and stepped closer to her, the heat from his body making her shiver. “This is not the first time I started seeing someone to get over you... in fact, all my relationships since I met you have been shit.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me?”

“Well you’re very anti-relationships so I think I was justified in wanting to avoid you rejecting me… especially since we work together and it would have been really awkward.”

“I don’t, uh... I...” She stammered, not really sure what to say to him even though her heart was screaming at her in full volume.

He held his breath and then, in almost a whisper, “Is this the inevitable rejection?”

“No.” She didn’t even hesitate that time and at this point, her mind no longer controlled the words coming out of her mouth as she let another organ finally speak for itself. “No, I liked you the second I saw you, Harry... and at no point tonight was I ever trying to make Laura jealous.”

The corners of his mouth began to curl into a smile. “That was very cruel of you to do to me.”

“I didn’t think you liked me at all twenty minutes ago, Harry.”

“Twenty minutes ago,” he fully invaded all of her space now, leaving the smallest gap between their bodies as he could get away with, lifting his hand to her jaw and rubbing his thumb over her cheek. “I was still on this date with the wrong person.”

“I think the date is over now.”

“No,” his eyes fell to her lips just like they had before. “It’s not.”

“You’re looking at me like that again.” She mumbled, out of breath.

He lifted a brow and didn’t once remove his eyes from her lips. “Like what?”

“Like…” she trailed off, not having the courage to say it in case she wasn’t right.

“Like I’ve wanted to kiss you for a very long time and I’m tired of pretending?”

“Something like that, yeah.”

He grinned, both of his dimples making an appearance just before he leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. And once her brain realized what was happening, she sunk right into him, letting his arm wrap around her waist as his other hand tangled its way into her hair to bring her closer. She threw her arms over his shoulders and he hunched lower to meet her. She staggered back a step when he did, nearly losing her balance but he caught her instantly and then drew his lips back as he laughed.

“This is not how I expected tonight to end.” She couldn’t help but think the way he struggled to catch his breath was possibly the hottest he’d ever been. Not to mention the tiny bit of her lipstick smeared on his face. She could look at him just the way he was right there and then for days and be perfectly satisfied.

“It doesn’t have to end yet.” She fully blamed her sudden burst of confidence on the cold, but refreshing February night. And maybe she also just wanted to get out of it before it caught up to her and she would, yet again, regret not having a jacket.

“Oh?” She wanted to smack the mischievous smirk off his face and leave him there on the curb. “And here I thought you were a prude.”

“You thought a lot of things about me that weren’t true, Harry.”

He thought about that for a moment and after realizing she was right, he then wondered just how wrong he was when he’d called her celibate. “I suppose… I’d quite like to find out just how wrong I was.” He slipped a loose strand of her hair back behind her ear, which is where his lips ended up as he whispered softly, “And I’d also quite like to show you just how wrong you were about me not liking you.”

They stumbled into her bedroom in the dark, Pretzel racing out between their twisted feet in a hurry, screeching at them in the process. Harry giggled against her lips, “Your cat sounds friendly.”

“Well, since I was supposed to be spending tonight with her, and chocolate, and anti-romantic movies…” She pulled away from him, watching as his smile spread further. Maybe she could actually believe he’d been in love all this time.

“Right… I’d be upset too.”

She shook her head and kissed him again, then pulled back a second later. “You know that’s not actually what I do on Valentine’s Day.”

He lifted a brow and waited for her to explain but she didn’t.

“And what is it that you do, then?” He finally asked, curiosity getting the best of him, although he had some inkling as to what she was talking about.

Her smile was devoid of innocence as her hands fell to his belt. Harry’s shirt had already been lost to the kitchen floor. Her dress hardly covering what it was supposed to once Harry had gotten his hands on it.

“Maybe you’ll get to find out.”

When she brought her lips back to his, after undoing the buckle just under his navel, he spun them around and led her backwards to the bed. He wasn’t sure how far it was, but hoped he was headed in the right direction. And because of that, when her knees did finally bend over the mattress, he practically came flying down on top of her.

She squirmed out from under him, crawling back towards the pillows as she watched him at the end of the bed while he stood and removed his belt completely, trying not to drool at the sight of him. At the sight of Harry, her fucking annoying ass, perfect, beautiful, coworker standing shirtless at the end of her bed where he was also about to be…

He pushed his trousers down off his hips and they fell to the floor with ease, almost with the same amount of ease that her eyes fell to the tight boxer-briefs he wore underneath. She swallowed as he adjusted the waistband back into place, quite certain that, even in the low light, her eyes were not deceiving her.

The bed shifted at her feet as he joined her, and then it took all her willpower to not fling herself at him as he crawled up the length of her. As he settled himself between her thighs and she felt every last, very hard, inch of him pressed against her. She couldn’t be blamed for the whining moan that she let out in his ear as his lips became familiar with the shape and taste of her neck. She also couldn’t be blamed when her hips instinctively collided with his.

He just giggled again and shook his head, the loose strands of his curls tickling her forehead. “Easy now.” He warned in a hushed mumble, his lips vibrating right against the vein in her neck that pulsed so much faster the more his free hand began to wander up underneath her dress.

He left her speechless for multiple reasons, but the main one was when she felt his fingers tracing down her thigh and then, moments later, after he shifted his weight and used his knees to keep her legs open, she sucked in a breath of air as she felt him pressed against her clit, forcing her nails to dig into his back but he didn’t seem to mind.

Coming back down to kiss her, he began moving his hand in expert little circles, grinning against her mouth every time her body begged him for more. It wasn’t long that he complied, either, when he sat back on his knees between her legs and tugged her underwear off for good, throwing it to the depths of her bedroom floor. He wouldn’t have known where they landed even if he tried because his gaze belong to her only as he lowered himself to his elbows before her, kissing his way up her thighs until he reached her center.

When she squirmed away from him, he wrapped his arms around her thighs and pressed his hands into her hips after gently moving her dress out of the way.

“You know when we used to stay late at the office working?” He asked suddenly and the heat of his voice against her made her squirm again, but he held on tight. “And you would get sick of sitting in an office chair and made me promise not to tell Jim when you sat on his desk instead?” She had no clue where he was going with it, but still, she nodded. “Every single time I turned to look at you, I thought about doing this.” Before she could get words out or even a coherent thought, she felt his tongue on her. And this time when she jerked against him, she nearly slipped out of his hold until he grabbed her again and pulled her back down, digging himself further into her as she struggled to breathe properly.

She dug her fingers into his hair when he brought her close to the edge and showed no mercy. And somehow, she’d managed to get the sole of her foot up onto his shoulder in order to kick him away, but it didn’t matter much because he never budged. Not that she wanted him to, but he just felt so good…

“Harry!” She shouted, pulling at his hair and making matters worse for herself when he moaned against her sensitive bundle of nerves. He let her come, never once lifting his mouth from her even as her hips jerked off the mattress and she very nearly pulled his hair out. When she stopped screaming, her voice caught in her throat because she was lost to her own orgasm, is when he lifted his mouth, replaced it with his fingers and watched her as she came down. As her eyes fluttered shut and her chest heaved, her lungs struggling to get oxygen back into her system. Her hold on him loosened as she came undone around him, melting into his hands it seemed like.

And when he began rubbing his index and middle finger into her, once she was far and beyond overstimulated, and he knew that, she reached down with a whine and grabbed his wrist with what little strength she had in her and pulled him away. His hand fell to the other side of her hip, which he used to his advantage to pull himself up over her again, his other hand taking her dress with it until he was able to tug it over her head and toss it. Then he came back down to kiss her, letting her taste herself on her lips. He rubbed his thumb across her cheek and when he pulled away, found her looking at him finally. Although it was with heavy lids as she still struggled to regain her bearings.

Before they could get much further, a loud crashing sound from the other room made both of them nearly jump out of their skin. She shot up instantly, grabbing hold of Harry’s bicep before moving him out of the way and sliding off the edge of the bed.

“It’s just the cat.” Harry would have probably said the same thing even if it was not just the cat, he’d say anything just to get her to stay with him.

“I know but it sounded like…” her voice trailed off as her feet hit the floor and the moment she went to stand on her own two legs, her knees buckled. He reached to grab her waist but she righted herself before he could. She didn’t see the way he hid his cheeky smirk at the fact that he’d been so good, she was still dizzy.

“You good?” He asked as she stumbled her way into a shirt. With only a groan in response, and what he was sure was her middle finger, she left him alone in her bed to investigate the noise. Sighing, he laid on his back and got comfortable amongst her pillows. And after about three minutes, decided to locate the remote to her TV to entertain himself.

He flipped onto his side and felt around her bedside table, but his fingers never landed on anything remote-like. So, frustrated, he reached up and switched the lamp on. Again, he found nothing. Looking further, he realized the table had a drawer and so he pulled it open in hopes of finding the damned remote before she got back.

But what he found instead was so much better than turning on late night news.

“Fucking cat knocked over my vase.” Y/N was back within ten minutes. Harry had left the light on, but made sure it wasn’t obvious he’d gone snooping into her drawer, at least not yet anyway. She crawled back into bed beside him and it was then he noticed the bandage on her thumb.

“Are you alright?” He forgot all about what he planned to tease her with when he gently grabbed her hand to inspect the damage.

“Yeah. I was in a bit of hurry trying to clean up the glass…”

Harry rolled his eyes and dropped her hand. “I would have come help you.”

She just smiled up at him as he fit his arm around her shoulders, his bicep under her neck. “That’s alright.”

He shrugged. “It was for the best anyways that I didn’t.” When he smirked, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him.

“And why’s that?”

She followed his other hand as he reached for something and then, moments later, it reappeared with a very familiar pink object clutched in his grasp. “Because then I wouldn’t have found this.”

Her first reaction was to pry it from his snooping fingers, but when she reached across him to grab it, he way too easily held her back and, at the same time, held it far out of her reach.

“So this is what you do on Valentine’s Day, then?” He flicked his wrist back and forth, waving her vibrator in the air as he taunted her.

“If you don’t give that back to me,” she reached for it again to no prevail, “you won’t be doing anything, least of all, me.”

He clicked his tongue. “Why would I give it back when I plan on using it?”

She froze and he chuckled at her reaction.

“Would be rude of me to break your traditions, wouldn’t it?”

She swallowed, her eyes slowly meeting his again. The appearance of his right dimple told her he wasn’t playing any games. She had no idea how many times he planned to make her come tonight or whether or not she’d even be able to walk tomorrow at work. But, given the stupid look on his face, she almost began making plans to call out sick instead.

“Do you actually know how to use that thing?” She finally asked, glancing at the wand still held very firmly in his hand.

He looked at her like she was crazy moments before he pivoted and pinned her onto her back, settling himself into the position they’d been in before the interruption of the cat.

Just, this time… he was clicking on her vibrator and watching her face as she began to regret her words.

“‘Course I know how to use it. The real question is,” he brought his lips to her ear, the soft vibrations and the sound of his voice mixing together like sin itself. Even more so when he nipped at her earlobe. “Do you know how to handle it?”

#1dffvalentine #harry styles fic #harry styles smut #harry styles x reader #harry styles writing #harry styles fanfic #harry styles imagine

1K notes · View notes

dracowars · 3 years

Note

LOVED YOUR TOM RIDDLE. Can I please request a arranged marriage au where yn is in love with him but he hates her so when she decides to let him go or someone else wants to marry her, Tom finally realises he’s in love with her. happ ending :))))

my heart belongs to you | tom riddle

pairing: tom x black!reader

word count: 3,3k

summary: where tom and y/n are in an arranged marriage

a/n: i'm so sorry for being so inactive recently, uni is taking its toll on me.. i had to do a bit of research for this one and also tom is a pureblood here!

warnings: toxic relationship, violence

universe: harry potter

“Get out of my sight, will you?”, he angrily snaps at you out of nowhere, for the third time already on this still very early day. Furiously, he stomps past you, pushing you to the side harshly, the filled glasses on your tray swaying dangerously. Knowing that you should just leave him alone, you stand there completely frozen at the door, still feeling the breeze on your skin after he stormed past you.

The glasses clink on the serving tray as you try to keep your trembling hands under control, but you terribly fail while tears shoot into your eyes. A lump forms in your throat and you gasp in desperation, losing your composure after hearing the front door slam shut.

Slowly, you slump down and therefore with a loud rattle let happen what could have been foreseen already: a thousand shattered pieces of glass scattered across the floor around you while you cower against the wall, your elegant dress pulled over your knees, your forehead leaning against it. Heavy sobs rock through your body and tears find their way down your cheeks, dripping from your chin onto the expensive fabric of your dress.

You just wanted to spend some time with him. Together, in the house of your parents, who went on a daily trip with their close friends early in the morning, all part of the most notorious popular pureblood families in the wizarding world – the Nott’s, the Macmillan’s, the Malfoy’s, the Lestrange’s. And if his parents were still alive, probably with the Riddle’s as well.

This is primarily the reason why you even are in this position right now; crying and huddled in the living room because your fiancé hates you profoundly.

After graduating from Hogwarts last year, the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, you, descendant of the pureblood Black family, got engaged to Tom Marvolo Riddle, the last living heir of the Riddle’s. He would offer you a good future, they said, and you would never have to worry about anything again.

But nobody knows that in reality, your own beloved fiancé really does not want to have anything to do with you. He does not even want to stay in the same room as you.

You can’t explain why he acts like this towards you. You do not know why he harbors such an abysmal hatred for you and any clear-headed, rational person would have done something about it long ago. Unfortunately for you, you feel the exact opposite for him.

Your heart belongs to him and only to him.

You have liked him since you first met him at Hogwarts, back in 1938, when the two of you were sorted into the Slytherin house. This initial friendly liking has quickly evolved into something more than that over the years and lead you to where you are now, at a point where you would have never seen yourself back then.

You have already tried everything to convince him that you are not as bad as he seems to think. Every morning you bring him his breakfast, you give him everything he needs. Even when you were still at Hogwarts, you always looked after him, finished his homework for him when he was too busy to do it by himself, and helped him pass all of his exams.

And not once did you hear a thank you. Not then and not now either.

Slowly gathering your thoughts together again, you rub the long sleeves of your velvet dress over your damp face, wiping away all of your tears before you get up on shaky legs and begin to clean up the mess that you have created. After you went back to the kitchen with the broken pieces and some injuries on your hands, your gaze longingly slides out the window.

Outside, the sun stands high over the magnificent garden of the mansion, making the clear water in the fountain shimmer in its bright light. A gentle breeze blows through the air and rustles through the perfectly cut trees that line a small path through the garden.

The loud, excited voices that suddenly roar through the house snap you out of your daydream and you quickly wipe the blood from your fingers before you step into the huge marble entrance hall. You arrive at the front door just in time to open it for your parents, who, to your surprise, did not come back alone. You are amazed to find not too familiar faces in front of you as they climb up the stairs to the door where you are still standing.

“And that has to be Y/N. Oh, how you have grown!”, an older man smiles friendly at you and you return his smile with a certain uncertainty in your face.

“Darling, we brought guests over for dinner today. You surely remember the Lestranges?”, your father announces happily and only now do the faces that you have seen at numerous balls and celebrations seem familiar again. Especially one.

“Reinhard?”, you ask in amazement when you spot him standing behind his parents, a big smile on his face when he sees you.

“Y/N, how nice to see you again”, he grins, carefully pushing his way past your parents in order to slightly bow venerably to you, taking your hand in his to place a kiss on the back of it. “It has been some time.”

“I am sure you have a lot to tell each other”, your mother mentions in a sweet voice, but before she can continue, she watches how your facial expression changes from one second to the other as you look past them, out into the yard.

Next to the carriage with which they have returned, Tom is standing now, petting one of the splendid noble white horses before he joins all of you.

“Tom! There you are, I was already wondering where you went”, your father says, visibly pleased when he too spotted his future son-in-law, drawing everyone’s attention to him.

“Reinhard?”

“Tom?”

Within a few seconds, the two former best friends lay in each other’s arms, obviously happy to finally see the other again.

“Let us go inside. We want to show you our newest masterpiece of art in our wonderful collection, come on”, your mother announces happily and leads the Lestranges inside, but not without turning around to you once more. “The children can catch up on what they have missed.”

“I can’t believe it! You are really here, Tom. Man, you look even better than at Hogwarts”, Reinhard laughs, playfully pushing Tom to the side while you watch them in silence. “What are you doing here with the Blacks?”

“They kindly took me in”, Tom lies to him and for a moment you think he threw you a glance out of the corner of his eyes after uttering these words. His statement makes Reinhard realize that you were still there with them, who had apparently completely forgotten that you were even there.

“I am so happy to see you again, Y/N!”, he grins and takes a step closer to you, probably to be able to take a closer look at you. “Still just as beautiful as I imagined. And just as smart, I guess?”

Reinhard’s sudden compliments make you blush and your cheeks glow, which is why you nervously avert your gaze from him, directly falling on Tom, who looks at the scene in front of him with incredible resentment.

Unlike Tom, Reinhard was always there for you. You spent a lot of time together in your school days and if your parents had known about your close friendship, you are sure that he would have been your fiancé by now. Which, to be honest, does not sound bad anymore right now.

And yet your heart still belongs to Tom.

When you all sit together at dinner later in the evening, where your parents are talking about irrelevant things like Ministry of Magic, you keep making eye contact with Reinhard, who seems to be staring at you.

“Is there something on my face?”, you ask uncertainly and put your glass back on the table when you can no longer bear his piercing gaze.

“No, no, not at all. I was just wondering how a beautiful witch like you could have become so much more stunning”, Reinhard winks at you, causing you to swallow hard. You are not used to getting compliments, especially not from a handsome young man like him. Before you can answer to him, however, there is a loud clink and you startle, your eyes immediately fixed on the cause of the noise.

The glass, which you have certainly placed far away from the edge, is now lying in your lap, the little liquid that was still inside now spread over your elegant evening gown. You move your chair back in shock when, in the corner of your eye, you see how Tom puts away his wand. And not only did you notice Tom just now, but the rest of them follow your gaze.

“Tom, darling, how about you tell our guests how you and our daughter got to know each other”, your mother suddenly prompts him, not even realizing that he has just deliberately spilled your drink on you. But why did he in the first place?

„I would love to“, Tom puts on a really believable smile that no one but you questions and starts telling them how you met and fell in love with each other. He tells one lie after another, explaining the web of lies that you have spun around you over time to make your relationship as credible as possible, at least in front of other people. And suddenly nobody cares about you or your still soaking wet dress anymore.

“What a wonderful story”, Mrs. Lestrange applauds and everyone else seems to be completely enthusiastic about Tom’s fairytale. To top it off, he then reaches across the table to take your hand in his, just like a real affectionate couple would do.

You lower your gaze as he gently strokes the back of your hand with his thumb, trying your best to not show how uncomfortable you are. Oh, how much you wish that this were real, that Tom would actually treat you like this when you are alone, the same way as he does in front of your parents.

But he does not and deep down you know that he will never do.

“So, you are engaged?”, Reinhard scrutinizes the statement of his former best friend, his eyes focused on you suspiciously, as if he is expecting an answer from you and not from Tom. A slight pressure on your hand makes you flinch and look up.

“Y-Yes”, you force a smile onto your lips, whereupon Tom seems satisfied with your answer, letting go of your hand again with a - what seemed to you like a – disgusted expression on his face.

An uncomfortable silence spreads between the three of you, which is drowned out by the loud conversation of the adults on the other side of the table. Finally, making up your mind, you clear your throat loudly and get up from your chair, gaining everyone’s attention in a matter of seconds.

“Excuse me, I have to go freshen up for a moment”, you explain with a slight polite bow before turning away to leave the dining room.

“Reinhard, would you be so kind and help Y/N”, Mr. Lestrange asks his son, who stands up with furrowed brows, apparently just as surprised about this sudden request as you, but then follows you out into the hallway with no further objection.

“I really do not need any help, thank you”, you try to get rid of him as you walk up the large staircase leading to the first floor together, only wanting to be alone.

“Dinner like these are totally boring anyway”, he chuckles softly and shows no intentions of leaving your side any time soon, which is why you do not even try to search for further arguments. He follows you to your room where you are able to tear yourself away from him to put on a new dress while he waits outside in front of the door.

With an equally elegant burgundy red dress you step out of your room after a few minutes, Reinhard’s eyes greeting you with a sparkle.

“Wow”, he breathes out barely audible and takes you hand without asking to swirl you around, causing your dress to fly around gorgeously. Unintentionally, warmth rises in your face again and your hearts makes a barely noticeable jump inside your chest when he looks deep into your eyes after catching you back in his arms.

The loud clearing of a throat behind you makes you turn around in shock, only to see that Tom himself is now standing at the end of the corridor, not seeming very enthusiastic.

“We did not see you there, Tom”, Reinhard disguises his obvious nervousness with a laugh, acting like Tom had just caught you in doing something he should not have seen. Tom, however, does not even react to his words, but looks past Reinhard at you, his eyebrows raised meaningfully.

But when you do not move under his piercing gaze, his facial expression changes and he quickly approaches you, Reinhard instinctively pushing you behind him so that you can only see Tom approaching further over his shoulder. Before neither you nor Reinhard can say or do anything, Tom has already pulled out his wand and aims it directly at Reinhard, who flies back through the air only a few seconds later, hitting the hard marble floor at the end of the corridor with a thud.

“What the-?!”

“Come with me”, Tom orders, now standing directly in front of you. When you stubbornly refuse, he suddenly grabs your wrist to pull you away from there. No matter how much you fight against his firm grip, you cannot tear yourself away from him as he pulls you into the closest room, which turns out to be the library.

Once there, you can finally free yourself from his tight grip, but before you can reach for the doorknob to leave immediately, he locks the door with a spell. Angrily, you turn to him, despair written all over your stunning face.

“What is this supposed to be, Tom? Let me out of here, now!”, you command him in a loud voice, not caring if anybody can hear.

“What did he want from you?”, he asks you urgently and steps closer to you. Since the door is in your back, every possible escape route is blocked, and you are caught.

“We just talked to each other, you know. Like normal people do”, you answer irritably and cross your arms in front of your chest, not in the mood to justify yourself, especially not in front of someone who does not care about you at all and not after what he has done.

“But that did not look like it.”

“Tom, stop it.”

“You belong to me and nobody else!”

These words coming out of his mouth echo loudly through the dark library, his face wrapped in an eerie candlelight. Before you can even control yourself and fully process what he said, you severely slap him.

Frightened by your own horrible deed, you immediately pull your hand away, your gaze filled with fear, but the anger that keeps building up inside of you winning the upper hand after all.

“How dare you call me your property?!”, you scream in rage and tears form in your eyes because of your uncontrollable anger. However, Tom needs a moment to collect his thoughts after your heavy smack before he can answer you.

“You are my fiancé”, he spits out coldly, a touch of shock in his voice, apparently not expecting you to react like this.

“And that does not make me nowhere near your property! You never treat me like your fiancé anyway, so why now all of a sudden?!”, you bicker at him, your voice loud and constant, even though you would like to flee from this situation right away if you were able to.

But Tom does not have an answer.

“Fine, okay. If you have nothing to say to me, like you never have, then I will go back now and ask my parents to end this damn failed engagement and engage me with someone else who truly cares for me!”

Suddenly, without letting you time to catch your breath after your outburst, he presses you with your back against the door completely, his hands tightly grabbing your wrists, a little too tight for your personal liking.

“You mustn’t do that”, he softly whispers, his head lowered as if he does not dare to look you in the eyes.

“What is stopping me?”, you hiss, still full of anger and – probably for the very first time – hatred towards him.

But when you feel his lips on yours all of a sudden, all of these emotions evaporate and all that remains is your racing heartbeat, which is being repaired at this very moment. You never would have thought that at some point in your life the moment would come when Tom Marvolo Riddle, who absolutely loathes his fiancé, kisses you.

After kissing you, he looks straight into your eyes, and the Tom you met in 1938 is standing in front of you again. The Tom you fell so deeply in love with.

“I can’t explain it to you”, he finally breaks the silence, his gaze directed to the floor as he moves away from you, giving you enough space to breathe regularly again. You, however, do not say anything but just stare at him.

“I was not aware that I am capable of feeling such feelings for someone. I am unfamiliar with this feeling and I did not know how to deal with it, Y/N. I treated you badly because I did not want it to be true, I did not want to accept it. I could not imagine having feelings for the little nuisance that has always been running after me”, Tom explains, choosing each and every single word very carefully, trying to put his emotions into words which does not really work the way he would like it to. But that is how you know him. You know that this confession must be extremely difficult for him, but you can’t help but feel a sense of relief inside of you.

“When?”, you ask and manage, with this tiny little word, to make him look up at you. “When did you know?”

“Since I have been here. You served me every day and took care of me, even though I wanted to push you away from me with all of my might. You have already helped me so many times in the past without me even asking, you have always accepted me for who I am”, he desperately tries to but his feelings into words, asking himself what he is even doing right now.

“Tom..”

“No, I have to sincerely apologize to you. I had no right to treat you the way I did. And also today.. when I saw you with him and how well you got along, it finally became clear to me. Reinhard has felt something for you since our school days, I know that even though I could never understand, but now I do. I understand why he fell in love with you”, Tom continues without breathing, pouring out all of his feelings that he has hidden for so long.

“I understand if you want to dissolve this engagement and I will not stop you if that is what you want”, he quickly adds, looking at you with desperation in his eyes. He already prepares himself for the worst when you are the one getting closer to him this time.

“Idiot”, you smile slightly and place a gentle kiss on his lips while he looks at you puzzled. “I love you, I thought you knew that.”

“I know, but-“

“But nothing”, you interrupt him and take his hand to lead it to your fast pounding heart. “It always belonged to you.”

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writingandimagining · 2 years

Text

High Up in the Astronomy Tower (Part 5)

Part 1 | Prev | Next | Masterlist

Summary: Your first day as acting professor. Draco learns about rubber ducks and Tupperware.

Word Count: 3.2k

Rating: Teen (mentions of drug use) (other parts M), 💗

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You left Malfoy’s classroom with a slight smirk on your face.

For whatever reason, he seemed to react to be called Professor or sir. You couldn’t quite figure out why he was reacting, but you decided it was probably for a similar reason you didn't like Natalie calling you professor.

You made your way to the Great Hall, intending to grab something quick and head to your classroom. You stood at the entrance and contemplated whether you should go to the head table or to the Ravenclaw table.

You decided it would probably be best to act as a professor as much as possible.

As you walked up to the table you were ambushed by Ron and Hermione.

“(Y/N),” Hermione called out.

You tensed and paused. You did not want to be subject to an inquisition on the matter of Malfoy Malfoy. You were not a good liar, and you did not think they would take kindly to you having spent time with Malfoy, much less getting high with him on campus.

“Hi Hermione, long time no see,” you joked, making a point to look between her and Ron

Hermione laughed and Ron averted his eyes. An awkward silence fell, and you resisted the urge to say anything. Letting them speak first would prevent you from unnecessary word vomit.

Ron coughed. “So, we were wondering what you knew about Malfoy being the Potions professor.”

You shrugged. “Slughorn left and Malfoy did extremely well in Potions. I’m sure you guys remember that.”

Hermione nodded.

“But, what about, you know…?” Ron trailed off, shifting nervously in his seat.

You crooked an eyebrow.

“The Death Eater bit.”

You snorted. Subtlety was clearly not Ron’s strong suit.

“I doubt McGonagall would have even considered him if she had any worries. And Harry spoke for him at his trial. Is that not enough?”

“Should it be?” Hermione countered.

You sighed and sat down opposite them. This was going to be a long conversation.

“I don’t know. I was never on the receiving end of Malfoy’s bullying,” you paused. “His racism.”

Hermione and Ron both looked at you curiously.

Most wizards didn’t use that word. It was a muggle word, and it didn’t quite fit the blood purity standards of the Wizarding World, but you honestly couldn’t think of a better way to describe it.

“Do you think you could ever forgive him, Hermione?” you asked.

Hermione tilted her head.

“I could accept him making amends and changing, but forgiveness…” she trailed off.

You nodded.

You wouldn’t expect anything different from Hermione. She was kind and sympathetic, but she was still a person that had been treated in a way you couldn’t even imagine.

“McGonagall’s speech wasn’t wrong. She never made a point of forgiveness, just moving forward.”

“But-“ Ron started.

“Ron, I’m not saying this to excuse him, but think about it. He was raised by a father that would probably rank in the top five worst parents in all of history. He was essentially brainwashed. He lived with Voldemort in his house, probably under threat of death or worse. I don’t know any of the particulars, but none of that is something that’s going to create the most sensitive or stable-minded kid. He’s an adult now. For those of us that didn’t experience his blood status bullying what he does from now on should be the only thing to count toward how we treat him.”

Ron frowned and you knew he wasn’t convinced.

You didn’t expect him to be, but it was still disappointing all the same. He was clinging to the rivalry, not the actual actions and beliefs.

You stood.

“Look, everyone is going to have a different relationship with Malfoy, but for what it’s worth he seems like he is going to be a good professor.”

You left them to talk between each other and made your way to the head table. You swiped a sandwich and an orange and then quickly exited the hall before you could be stopped again.

The rest of lunch passed with you in your classroom taking down notes from your Fourth Year sections and making a list of materials for the classroom.

At the sound of the door hinges creaking open you saw a few Seven Years trickle in. Their surprise at the circle of desks was short-lived and they began to take their seats settling into some casual conversations.

You spotted Ginny and gave her a smile. You had spoken with her a few times throughout the years, but if you were going to attempt to be friends with Harry then it was probably best to get to know his girlfriend.

She gave you a cautious smile back, probably not remembering your limited interactions.

You grabbed your attendance roll and your notebook and made your way over to an empty desk.

“Good afternoon class. I know this is probably weird to see me up here. To make things easier you can call me Miss (Y/N)."

A few students nodded and you took that as a positive sign.

It was weird to think you were only a year, give or take a few months, older than them. Yet you were the authority inside this classroom.

“I know most of you stopped taking Muggle Studies because it was offered as an elective, but in light of the past few years, it was deemed best to make it a regular part of the curriculum going forward. Each of you is going to have a different background of knowledge, but we’re still going to cover a lot of topics as a group.”

You paused and looked over the room. Nothing on their faces gave away any indication of how you were doing.

“Okay, we’re going to spend today discussing what we do know and what we want to know. Next week I will hand out a course plan and reading list. I will procure the Muggle literature for you.”

A groan at the back of the room.

“What’s that?” you asked, you hoped your tone came off as stern.

“Muggle literature? Really?” A Slytherin boy commented.

“What’s your name?”

“Liam Rider.”

“Well, Mister Rider, I’m not sure if you were aware but this is Muggle Studies. It would be rather difficult to study Muggles but not interact with them or anything related to them.”

He rolled his eyes, and you suppressed a frown.

You weren’t surprised that this was happening, but that didn’t make it any less disappointing.

“There’s no reason for us to be learning about them.”

“Why?”

“Because they have nothing to offer.”

“Why do you think that?” you pressed.

“They just don’t.”

“Muggles are part of this world. We live alongside them. In fact, there are more Muggles than Wizards, by a striking amount. Many of your classmates and myself included, have strong connections to the Muggle world.”

Liam opened his mouth to respond, but you decided you weren’t going to give him any more room to just simply repeat himself.

“This is not an attack on any one of you, but the prejudice against muggles and by extension muggle-born wizards and half-bloods is honestly ridiculous. Beyond it having no logical justifications it’s completely immoral and frankly a disgusting mindset. There is no reason to discount whole groups of people based on things about them that they cannot change. Believing that there is no value in people different from you is a slippery slope to some of the worst things that have happened in our history and Muggle history.”

Silence.

“Regardless of your personal opinions, we will be taking the time to explore the muggle world in this class. I would like to hear about the things you know and what you would like to know about.”

The rest of the class passed without a serious incident, but you could tell there were still several students that clearly wished to be doing anything other than studying muggles.

The day ended and as students filtered out of your class you looked over the notes you had taken from the discussions.

Many students were interested in the topics you had mentioned in the classes. Several students wanted to explore technology, a few were curious about specific events in history, a few had more technical questions about the workings of science that you weren’t completely confident in being able to address.

You ripped the notes out of your notebook and began writing down a rough structure for the Fourth Years on a new page. The Seventh Years were going to be harder to teach. There was a lot of background knowledge missing from even the students with a muggle relation.

A knock at your door startled you out of your thoughts.

You looked up and realized how dark the room had become. You must have been in there planning for at least two hours.

McGonagall stood there with a proud look glinting in her eyes.

“It seems that you have already accepted the position,” she commented.

You smiled, “Did you ever think I wouldn’t?”

“No.”

“I would like to purchase some muggle books and things for the classroom. Would that be possible?”

“Of course. The Ministry has given us an extremely large budget for the reconstruction and the expanded class sizes for Muggle Studies.”

“That’s great. Could I go out to purchase them this weekend?”

McGonagall pursed her lips.

You worried your lip while you waited for her response.

You hoped that she wasn’t going to say no. You wanted to go into bookstores and see what would strike you for each grade.

“You should take another professor with you, but I don’t see why not. You will have to use the floo in my office. We extended the ward against apparition much further than they used to be.”

You nodded.

“You should come down to dinner now, Miss (Y/L/N). It’s almost six.”

McGonagall turned and left.

You quickly packed all your papers into your bag and then left the classroom, locking the door behind you.

You quietly slipped into the Great Hall.

You saw Malfoy was already sitting at the table. You could see the tension lining his body and you sped up your walk.

“Good evening, Professor Malfoy,” you said, unable to keep the grin off your face.

Malfoy’s eyes met yours and you could see some of the tension leave his body. Your heart flipped. You’re the only person being remotely friendly to him, don’t read into it too much.

“We’re not in class anymore, (Y/N),” Malfoy said, stressing the use of your first name.

You rounded the table and took the seat beside him.

“But you’re still a professor and I’m not, sir.”

You saw Malfoy grip the arms of the chair out of the corner of your eyes and you suppressed a laugh.

How could it be this easy to tease him?

“We’re literally both sitting at the head table.”

“Well, if you insist, sir.”

Malfoy muttered something under his breath you couldn’t make out.

“Sorry, what did you say?”

Malfoy straightened and turned his body to face you, well as much as he could in the ridiculously grandiose chairs that lined the head table.

“Nothing, Miss (Y/L/N),” Malfoy all but purred.

The tone of his voice sent a shiver down your spine. You opened your mouth to respond but found yourself lacking.

A cough from behind you had you ripping your eyes away from Malfoy’s.

“Harry! How was your first official day?” you said, desperate to get Malfoy’s searing gaze off your neck.

Harry grinned. “Well, I get to gloat to you, Hermione, and Ron. A few of the First Years were able to perform a Patronus.”

“What?! That’s so exciting!”

Harry had some sort of special skill for teaching defense. He was going to be a perfect professor for Hogwarts. You couldn’t imagine anyone else would be able to teach eleven-year-olds in their second week of school how to do a Patronus.

“None of them were corporeal though.”

“Many adults don’t have corporeal Patronus’s,” Malfoy commented.

You nodded.

“Well, how was your day (Y/N)?” Harry asked, sitting down as the food appeared on the table.

“It was good for the most part. The Fourth Years seemed much more open to muggle studies than the Seventh Years, but that is to be expected.”

“I heard some of the Fourth Years comment on the desks.”

You rolled your eyes. Of course, the main takeaway was the desks and not the discussion.

“It’s like they’ve never seen a circle before.”

Harry snorted.

“What did you do?” Malfoy asked.

“All I did was arrange the desks in a circle and sit with them.”

Malfoy quirked an eyebrow.

“It’s not that big of a deal."

You decided to change the subject before Malfoy made some comment on the need for militaristic rows.

"You know when I was looking over the plans from the Ministry the day before classes they just had “rubber duck” on the list of things to teach? I decided maybe discussions with actualmaterials of importance would serve them better than a rubber duck.”

“A rubber duck?” Malfoy questioned.

He had a very genuine look on his face, and you could hear Harry suppressing a laugh to your right.

You elbowed Harry and he choked on his food.

“It’s a bath toy. It’s literally just a yellow duck that’s squishy. Sometimes they squirt water.”

“And that was on the curriculum?”

“Ron’s dad probably put it on there,” Harry said.

You gave Harry a confused look.

“He loves rubber ducks for some reason. I think plastic is confusing to wizards.”

“Oh. Yeah. I guess that makes sense…” you laughed at the sudden thought you had. “Can you imagine showing them Tupperware?”

“Oh, Merlin. I need to bring some to Ron’s dad next time I see him.”

You chuckled.

“Tupperware?” Malfoy asked.

You opened your mouth to respond and then closed it. Explaining Tupperware without knowing what that kind of plastic was going to be hard.

“It’s a container for storing food,” Harry said. You nodded. That was the easiest way to explain it without launching into a whole discussion on plastic.

“You know, Draco, I’m going to go shopping for muggle books this weekend. You can come with me, and I can show you some muggle things if you want. McGonagall said I needed to have a professor come with me.”

Malfoy looked a little surprised at your invitation, but you saw the hint of a pleased look in his eyes at the use of his first name.

He nodded his consent and you smiled brightly at him.

The rest of dinner passed in easy conversation as the three of you discussed your classes.

After dinner, you made your way to the Eighth Year dorm.

Harry broke off to discuss the potential sleeping arrangement with Ron and Hemione and you and Draco sat down in the only available seating. It was a loveseat by the bookshelves. And your stomach fluttered.

Calm down (Y/N), you’re sharing a chair not a bed.

You noticed a few stray looks from the Eighth Years in the room, but nobody said anything.

You dropped your bag onto the floor, shedding your robe and toeing off your shoes.

Draco followed suit, but he also pulled off his sweater and rolled up the sleeves of his button-down.

Well, that’s just unfair.

You greedily drank in the sight. His hair was slightly disheveled from the sweater. A few platinum strands hung over his forehead, making him look less severe. His forearms and hands caught your eye: long fingers and toned muscles, you could see the veins slightly when he stretched his arms out to place his robe over the back of the loveseat.

You shook yourself hoping he hadn’t noticed your much too long gaze.

You curled up into the corner of the loveseat.

Draco sat much closer than was necessary, but you decided bringing attention to that was more awkward than the act itself.

“Harry seems to be more comfortable with you than I thought he would be,” you commented once you had settled into the loveseat.

Draco nodded.

“How has everyone else been?”

Draco shrugged.

You frowned, he was significantly less talkative than he had been Saturday.

“Are you okay, Draco?”

He sighed and leaned back into the loveseat, stretching out his legs and throwing his arms behind his head.

“The students are cautious, but you were right about compassion and respect. I had the Fifth Years and Eighth Years today and it went well enough. But I think the First and Seventh Years are going to be the hardest.”

The First Years had probably heard all sorts of stories about Draco from the older kids. True or not very few, if any, were going to paint Draco in a favorable light.

The Seventh Years did not have the benefit of knowing Harry Potter like the Eighth Years did. Most people seemed aware that Harry had vouched for Draco and his mother at their trials, but that had probably faded in the minds of people that didn’t know Harry or Draco personally.

“Well, you’ll have Luna at least.”

Draco hummed.

It wasn’t a very reassuring statement that Seventh Years outside of Slytherin and Luna were probably going to be terrible to Draco. Though maybe even some of the Slytherins would be.

You decided to change the subject.

“Have you ever seen a movie?”

Draco lifted his head, both eyebrows raised.

“Okay, fair. I should have known the answer to that.”

Draco said nothing and you realized he was waiting for an explanation.

“Oh right. So, you know how we have the moving paintings and photos? Muggles take stories and kind of… Capture them like the photos or paintings, but they’re a few hours and it’s usually made-up.”

“That clarified nothing.”

“It’s a book you watch.”

Draco tilted his head.

“Let’s just go and you can see for yourself.”

Draco gave you a small smile and dropped his head back down.

A companionable silence fell, and you relaxed further into the couch.

You didn’t realize you were dozing off until you felt your head tilt to the side.

That woke you slightly and you groaned at the pain in your neck.

Draco cracked open an eye and you pointed to your neck.

You groaned again as you tiredly rubbed it while rotating your head side to side.

He closed his eye again and you contemplated getting up and going to bed.

“If you need to stretch out…” Draco trailed off. You pursed your lips. Was he trying to say you could put your head or feet in his lap?

“How would you propose I do that?”

Draco opened his eyes and looked like he was going to reply, but he was interrupted.

“(Y/N)?”

You turned and saw Harry behind you.

You smiled tiredly.

“Hermione said it’s okay. I already move some stuff into the room.”

“Okay. I should probably get in bed before I fall asleep sitting up,” you replied.

“See you up there.”

Harry turned and left.

You turned back around, and Draco was sitting up and somewhat alert.

The tired look in his eyes made you reach over and squeeze the hand that was resting on the back of the couch.

“You should get some sleep too, Draco.”

“I’ll try,” he replied, a slight edge to his voice.

“Don’t like being woken up?” you joked.

“Something like that.”

You considering pressing, but decided against it. You were too tired to pick apart the man’s subtle mannerisms.

You squeezed his hand once more and then stood collecting your things.

“Goodnight, Draco.”

“Goodnight, (Y/N).”

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