ℭ𝔞𝔱𝔠𝔥 𝔪𝔢, 𝔇𝔞𝔯𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔤

--𝔜𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔤𝔦𝔯𝔩--

_________

𝙰𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚑
_________

She gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" I pulled her hands away and smiled. "Don't be, he really can be a douche." We laughed and soon it was time to go to class. On my way down the unfamiliar corridors, I found myself in an empty hallway. I sighed and once again looked at that useless piece of paper. "Shit!" I mumbled. "Watch that pretty little mouth of yours." I shrieked and turned to see the same guy from the day before leaning against the wall.

He smirked and walked towards me. Looking up at him, I couldn't believe I had forgotten how handsome this guy was. "Where you headed, beautiful?" "R-room 455 for p-potions." What the hell is wrong with me?! I never stutter! He walked around behind me and my breath hitched when his large hand made contact with the small of my back. "That's not too far from here. Come on, Love, I'll take you there." Before I could respond, his arm snaked around my waist and he held it there tight. Like he was afraid I was going to run.

When we came to another hallway I realized where I had made the wrong turn. "This is it. See you later." I looked up at him. "Thank you." he kissed my cheek and whispered. "No problem, Princess." My face turned all shades of red when he smirked and walked away. "W-wait!" Damn this stutter. " shouldn't you be in class?" he smiled " hmm I guess I should. But if I was in class, how would I get to see my girl?" before I could ask any more questions, he was turning the corner.

His girl? Was that me? No It couldn't be. I had just met him the day prior. Then a strange feeling of sadness crept in. He has a girlfriend? I suppose I shouldn't be sad or surprised because I barely knew the guy, let alone his name and relationship status. I sighed and entered the classroom trying to get the saddening feelings from my mind.

"Late on your first day, Ariah?" I froze in my attempt to sneak in the class. "My desk. Now." I huffed and walked over to my father who still had his face towards the chalkboard. "Heeeyy, Dad." I tried my best to ignore the 30 or so eyes on me. "Class please excuse the tardiness of Ms.Ariah Snape. My daughter." Slight gasps could be heard throughout the classroom. I guess he hadn't mentioned me. No surprise there.

"Take your seat." I nodded and sent a weak smile to the boy sitting next to me to which he reciprocated. My father began class again and I tried my best to keep up before I realized I forgot my pen. "Shit" I whispered, making the boy's head turn. "Need a pen?" I smiled big and took the pen from him. "Thanks, I owe you one." he chuckled. " I'm Ian, Ravenclaw"

I shook his hand "Ariah, Hufflepuff" our introductions were halted when the harsh snap of a closing book rang through the otherwise silent classroom. I rolled my eyes at my father, knowing that he really was not intimidating to me. I grew up with his threats, some empty and some fulfilled. Either way, he would send me off to my mother after each punishment while he stayed in his study doing Merlin knows what.

Before I knew it, class was over and I quickly got up to leave. I felt a small tug at my sleeve, but chose to ignore it in hopes of getting out of the classroom. As soon as I turned the corner, Amani was there with a hand over my mouth. "Shhh!"

I looked at her with wide eyes until she took her hand off my mouth. "What the hell?" she shushed me again. "Come on we're going dress shopping." I cocked an eyebrow at her. "It's my first day of school, you really want me to get into trouble this soon?" she sent a devilish smirk. "Who said anything about getting in trouble?" We laughed and blended in with the rest of the students heading to their respective classes.

When we made it to a corridor, she opened a door behind a painting that led to Diagon Alley. My mouth was slightly parted when we went through the secret passage and I saw the beauty of Diagon alley. All the shops and merchants selling their goods were much more vibrant than I remember from my childhood.

She pulled me into a dress shop called "Charmed Threads" The windows were glass and we could see the mannequins on the inside wearing an assortment of dresses and hats. We opened the door and the woman at the front desk turned her attention to us. "Hello dears! Welcome to charmed threads!" She sent us a warm smile and walked towards us with a tape measure around her neck and a pin cushion on her wrist. "What can I get for you, hun?" Amani's face lit up when she explained that we were here for a fancy dress.

The woman smiled and led us to her youth styles section. I was met with an assortment of beautiful dresses but one in particular caught my eye. I was Pink with a corset top and flowy bottom and flower details cascading down.

I showed the dress on the hanger to Amani and she squealed. " It's perfect!" I smiled and handed the dress to the woman. She took my measurements and did a spell to make the dress fit me perfectly. We decided to shop for some accessories before paying and thanking the woman.

Walking out of the store, we stopped in a caffe for some butter beer. "I'm so excited!" said Amani. I smiled " Me too!" We realized the time and decided to head back to school before our disappearance became suspicious. To our luck, lunch was just ending so we fit in with the other students fleeing back to class. It was a friday so we were excited to go back to our dorms before the weekend. Amani decided to sleep in my room so we could have a sleepover and get ready together tomorrow.

"How about this one?" The wave of her want in front of my face startled me again as her appearance charm worked its literal magic. I turned in the mirror and saw the bronze eyeshadow that coated my eyelids and shook my head. "What about gold shadow and some lashes?" Amani nodded and waved her wand again. This time when I looked in the mirror, I fell in love with the person in front of me. The bronzer and blush worked perfectly with my yellow undertones and the blush made a light impact on my cheeks.

I thanked her and she waved her wand making the illusion disappear. She yawned and changed to go to bed. I watched as she finally fell asleep to sneak out of the room. The small candle in my hand shook softly as I walked through the empty hallways. "He's gotta be there." I thought to myself. Earlier in the day, I had decided to run a little experiment. Every time I was alone, He showed up. But I realized that this only happened when I was inside the school. So I was trying to see If he really was following me. I sat in the empty library when I heard a shuffle behind me.

I turned quickly and there he was. "Aha!" He chuckled and sat in the chair in front of me. "Hmm. Clever girl." I crossed my arms. "How do you always know where I am?" He handed me a blank piece of paper and taped it with his wand. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." The paper faded into a map with some walking foot prints. Every moving person could be seen by the little foot icons walking on the page.

"But...Why?" He closed the paper, putting it into his pocket. "I'm just keeping an eye on my girl. Why are you out past curfew?" Damn it, here comes the stuttering again. "w-well I was just- wait...your girl?"

1369 Words

- love v