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𝗑𝗏𝗂𝗂𝗂. 𝗋𝗎𝗂𝗇𝖾𝖽 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾𝗌.
"Care to explain why you've just pushed me in a small ass closet that can barely fit the two of us?"
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"Slughorn will be hosting a what now?"
"An early Christmas party for those who are in the Slug Club, meaning that you and I get to go, but Daphne and Draco have to stay behind and suffer without us."
Y/n snorted quietly due to them being in class. "Poor Daphne, having to deal with Draco's whiny ass for the whole night."
Blaise shook his head as they watched the two argue from across the classroom, not even caring about the fact that everyone could hear them.
"They're going to end up killing each other for sure." Y/n whispered, at which Blaise nodded in agreement.
"Also, we could bring dates to the party," He added. "I'm assuming you'll be bringing Potter, am I correct?"
"I'm guessing I have to since the girl he's trying to impress is going to be there," sighed Y/n, scratching her chin with the tip of her quill. "What about you? Are you going with anyone?"
Blaise scoffed. "I'm way too cool for anyone in that party."
"Including me?"
"Including you."
"Rude."
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"Cho! There you are!"
The older girl turned around and spotted Y/n fighting her way through a crowd of students going to their next lesson.
She smiled at her, finally happy to see her again after a busy week of studying. Cedric may be her boyfriend, but the sight of Y/n just smiling could instantly boost her happiness.
Throughout all the years they've been friends, she's been so protective of her even though she knew that Y/n could defend herself.
Once, when they were walking the corridors, Y/n was in fifth year whilst Cho was in sixth. She remembered when a random boy from Ravenclaw was catcalling Y/n when they walked past. That action had Cho turning around her heel so fast, and hexing the boy right on the spot (not even caring if she had just attacked someone from her own house). So, if anyone were to hurt 'her little sister' then Cho won't hesitate on hurting them back.
As mentioned earlier, they care and love for each other like sisters. Cho's love for the younger girl is so huge that she would honestly just do anything for her in a heartbeat.
If Harry ends up breaking Y/n's heart and leaving her for Ginny, let's just say that there'll be a very furious Cho Chang hot on his heels as he tries to run away (maybe Cedric as well since he'll be trying to stop Cho).
"Hi love!" She smiled at Y/n, who had finally made it to where she was waiting. "How was your day?"
"Dreadful," Y/n rubbed her eyes tiredly, linking her arm with Cho's whilst they walked to wherever it is they're walking to. "Blaise told me Slughorn's holding an early Christmas party for those in the Slugclub."
"Oh, I heard about that from Cedric. He told me earlier and said that he had been invited to be in this 'Slug Club' thing," said Cho. "Does he only invite certain people to be in the club?"
Y/n hummed in agreement. "If they have any sort of talent from their parents, or if their parents are famous. Something like that." Adding on to her answer. "I can only guess that Cedric's been invited because he entered the Triwizard Tournament and won it."
"Who will you be bringing as your date?" Asked Cho. "I mean it has to be Harry, right? Since you guys are 'dating.'"
The younger girl groaned in frustration. "He's been stressing me so much these past few days. I swear the next time he brags about being the Chosen One, he'll find himself falling off the Astronomy Tower."
Just as Cho was about to make a remark on that, they had heard a voice in a distance, and it could only be —
"Gosh, what does he want now?"
"I don't know but I suggest you go to him and find out," said Cho. "I'll leave you two to talk in private, okay? I'll see you around, little sis."
After kissing the top of Y/n's head (a thing she found doing from time to time), she turned on her heel and left the two supposed lovebirds alone.
"What do you need from me this time, Potter?" Asked Y/n as he approached her. "Is this about Slughorn's Party?"
"Yeah, it's about that actually," said Harry, who looked a bit more nervous than usual. "I was wondering if we were going together?"
"Well we have to, don't we?"
"Brilliant!" Beamed Harry, a bit more enthusiastic as normal. "I'll — er — see you there then."
With that, he walked back down the corridor where he came from. She watched as he almost tripped over his own feet multiple times, but what she didn't know was that he had a massive grin on his face.
"Dumbass."
⚡︎⚯⚡︎
Later on the day, Y/n sat in the library with Hermione (who was ranting about Ron once again). Hermione said that she had refused to sit in the Gryffindor Common Room while Ron was there, so Y/n had decided to join her in the library, which meant that their conversations were held in whispers.
"He's at perfect liberty to kiss whomever he likes," said Hermione, while the librarian, Madam Pince, prowled the shelves behind them. "I really couldn't care less."
She raised her quill and dotted an i so ferociously that she punctured a hole in her parchment. Y/n stayed quiet, bending a bit lower over her book on how to identify constellations.
"And incidentally," said Hermione, after a few moments, "You need to make sure that Harry is careful."
"What am I some kind of babysitter?" said Y/n, looking up at her. "I may be his fake girlfriend but that doesn't mean I always have to take care of his ass. I really did that for five years when we were kids."
"I'm not talking about you having to babysit him all the time as if he's some toddler," said Hermione. "I'm talking about earlier. I went into the girls' bathroom just before I had bumped into you and there were about a dozen girls in there, including that Romilda Vane. Remember that girl during the Quidditch Tryouts?"
Y/n nodded silently, wondering where this was going to head.
"They're trying to decide how to slip Harry a love potion. They're all hoping that he'll ditch you and take them to Slughorn's party instead, and they all seem to have bought Fred and George's love potions, which I'm afraid to say probably does work --"
"Oh, they are now, aren't they?" said Y/n darkly, her blood boiling with the idea of a couple of girls planning to give her boyfr -- Harry a love potion. "Why didn't you confiscate them?"
"They didn't have the potions with them in the bathroom," said Hermione scornfully. "They were just discussing tactics as well as how to get rid of you. They're jealous of you, Y/n because you're basically living every girl's dream in the Wizarding World -- well, except me that is. They're jealous because you've been his childhood best friend and girlfriend."
"Too bad they can't have him."
"I know Mrs Lovewright is a skillful Potioneer and could brew all the potions in the world, but I just don't know if she'll be able to whip up an antidote for a love potion immediately. By the time she's finished, the party is already over and Harry would've ditched you by then."
Y/n sank in her seat, feeling as if her mood had just been ruined with that simple sentence. "Way to make me feel better, 'mione."
"Has he asked you to go with him yet? Or did he just expect that you'll be going together because you're 'dating.'"
"He did earlier."
"That's good," hummed Hermione before lowering her voice to a hushed whisper. "Just keep an eye on him and whatever he decides to eat or drink at the party, because Romilda Vane looked like she meant business," said Hermione grimly.
She hitched up the long roll of parchment on which she was writing her Arithmancy essay and continued to scratch away with her quill.
"As if they could ever get rid of me that easily." said Y/n before thinking. "Hold on -- I thought Filch had hanned anything that had been bought from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes?"
"And when has anyone ever paid attention to what Filch has banned?" asked Hermione, still concentrating 0n her essay.
"But I thought all the owls were being searched, are they not? They would've seen the girls bring the love potions in."
"Fred and George send them disguised as perfumes and cough potions," said Hermione. "It's part of their Owl Order Service."
"Don't you know a lot about that?"
Hermione gave her the kind of nasty look she would always make at Harry's copy of Advanced Potion-Making, in which Y/n still hasn't figured out why Hermione looks at it like she wants to kill it.
"Didn't you read the back of the bottles when they showed us during the summer?"
"I was too busy admiring the bottle itself, but never mind that," said Y/n. "The thing is Filch is being fooled with those disguises and the next thing I know my boyfriend will be under the control of a love potion."
She hadn't even realised that she had just called Harry 'her boyfriend' as if he was actually hers. Luckily, to save her from embarrassment, Hermione didn't notice as she continued to talk when all of a sudden, she had stopped dead; Y/n had heard it too. Somebody had moved close behind them among the dark bookshelves. They waited, and a moment later the vulture like countenance of Madam Pince appeared around the corner, her sunken cheeks, her skin like parchment, and her long hooked nose illuminated unflatteringly by the lamp she was carrying.
"The library is now closed," she said. "Mind you return anything you have borrowed to the correct places."
Both girls had hastily packed their things. Hermione had grabbed Y/n by the hand and frog-marched her away.
Enjoying the fact that they could speak normally again, they made their way along the deserted, lamp-lit corridors whilst arguing whether or not Filch and Madam Pince were secretly in love with each other.
Smiles were suddenly wiped off their faces as soon as they heard a familiar voice in the distance.
"Hi, Harry!" said Romilda Vane, the moment the two girls had turned the corner. "Fancy a gillywater?"
They had been met with the sight of Harry and Romilda, who was a bit too close to Harry for Y/n's own liking. By the looks of it, Harry too was quite uncomfortable due to his personal space being taken up when only one person can do that, which is --
"Y/n," Hermione whispered. "Don't you dare do anything stupid."
"How am I not supposed to when Vane is getting a bit too close to my boyfriend, hmm?"
"Well -- hold on, did you just call him yours?"
"Not the time, mione."
Harry didn't even get to reply to Romilda's question before his knight (or princess? He doesn't really know) in shining armour came to rescue him.
"I'm afraid he doesn't like gillywater that much, Vane. So, I suggest you back off my boyfriend, yeah?" said Y/n, walking up to the two and leaving Hermione behind to watch the whole scene.
Romilda had given her a dirty glare before turning back at Harry, who was inching closer to Y/n. "Well, take these anyway, Harry," she said, thrusting a box into his hands. "Chocolate Cauldrons, they've got firewhiskey in them. My gran sent them to me, but I don't like them."
Y/n glared at the heart shaped box as if it were some demon who had risen from hell to haunt her. She looked back behind her and saw that Hermione had gone already.
'Wow, jeez, Hermione. Thanks for leaving me to deal with this, I guess.'
"Oh -- right -- thanks a lot," said Harry, one hand now holding onto Y/n's hand while the other gripped onto the box. "Er -- I'm just going over there with . . ."
He hurried off, dragging Y/n behind him, who was too focused on having a glaring competition with Romilda.
"You should be careful around her," said Y/n.
"Why?"
"She and some other girls are planning on giving you a love potion, and there's a hundred percent chance that she had put some on those chocolates."
"Where did you hear that from?" asked Harry. "And I know I'm all attractive, but why is she trying to slip me a love potion?"
"Use that pea-sized brain of yours, Potter. Every girl and some boys would love to be with the chosen one. Also, Hermione had told me about it."
"Does 'every girl' include you and Ginny?"
"I don't know about Weasley but it definitely does not include me."
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Harry had arrived at the entrance hall at eight' o clock a few nights later, he found an unusually large number of girls lurking there, all of whom seemed to be staring at him resentfully as he approached Y/n. His eyes were wide when he saw the dress she was wearing as well as how her hair and makeup was.
'Fuck. Destroy me, please.'
Y/n looked at him confusedly. "What?"
"Shit," whispered Harry, blushing furiously. "Did I say that out loud?"
"Yeah -- yeah, you did."
"Sorry," He cleared his throat, holding his arm out. "Shall we go then?"
"Definitely."
The walk to Slughorn's office was awkward, mostly because of Harry's attempts on making small talk.
"Did you hear, there's supposed to be a vampire coming?"
"A what?"
"You know -- those people with sharp teeth that sink into your skin and drink all your --"
Y/n smacked her forehead with her hand. "I know what they are, dumbass."
They were already approaching Slughorn's office and the sounds of laughter, music, and loud conversation were growing louder with every step they took.
Whether it had been built that way, or because he had used magical trickery to make it so, Slughorn's office was much larger than the usual teacher's study. The ceiling and walls had been draped with emerald, crimson, and gold hangings, so that it looked as they were all inside a vast tent. The room was crowded and stuffy and bathed in the red light cast by an ornate golden lamp dangling from the center of the ceiling in which real fairies were fluttering, each a brilliant speck of light. Loud singing accompanied by what sounded like mandolins issued from a distant corner; a haze of pipe smoke hung over several elderly warlocks deep in conversation, and a number of house-elves were negotiating their way squeakily through the forest of knees, obscured by the heavy silver platters of food they were bearing, so that they looked likes little moving tables.
"Harry! Y/n!" boomed Slughorn, almost as soon as Harry and Y/n had squeezed in through the door. "Come in, come in, so many people I'd like you both to meet!"
Slughorn was wearing a tasseled velvet hat to match his smoking jacket. Gripping Harry's arm so tightly he might have been hoping to Disapparate with him, Slughorn led them purposefully into the party; Harry seized Y/n's hand again and dragged her along with him.
'Oh fuck, this is going to take a very long time.' thought Y/n, following closely behind Harry.
⚡︎⚯⚡︎
She stood by the drinks table, a whole bottle in her hand (which she had somehow taken from an older student). She had just left Harry with Hermione so they could talk in private.
From across the room, she could see Cho, Cedric, Neville and Luna together on the dance floor. Blaise was by the corner, he had met Y/n's eyes and gave her a small wave in which she returned. She enjoyed the few minutes by herself with her firewhiskey before someone had decided to ruin it by talking to her.
And who was it?
Cormac Fucking McLaggen.
"Where's your boyfriend," he said, spitting the word 'boyfriend' out as if it was venom.
"He went to go get drinks," she lied.
Cormac laughed. "Funny one, aren't you? I don't see Potter here right now."
"How am I supposed to know where he is? I basically just lost him."
"You don't have to care about him now that I'm here," said Cormac, getting a bit close. "Do you want to dance?"
"Erm -- no thanks, McLaggen," said Y/n. "I have to find my boyfriend and -- erm -- make out with him! See you!"
Without even listening to whatever he had to say next, Y/n had already spirited away (the firewhiskey still in hand). She had finally found Harry and dashed straight over to him, nearly falling in the process due to her being a bit drunk.
The next thing Harry knew he was pushed inside a small closet, pinned against the wall for the third time that month. The door closed behind them, leaving them shut in the dark area.
"Fuck. Lumos."
The light from Y/n's wand had suddenly illuminated the room they were in.
"Lovewright?"
"Hi."
"Care to explain why you've just pushed me into a small ass closet that could barely fit the two of us?"
"McLaggen was being an absolute creep out there so I had to find you."
"Well, I'm here now," said Harry, placing his hands gently on her hips, his thumb rubbing small circles. "Why didn't you just punch him?"
"Trust me, I would love to do that -- wait shit! Why didn't I think of that?"
Harry let out a breathy laugh, moving her even closer to him (if it was even possible due to their bodies already being tangled up together). They stared at each other for so long to the point they had forgotten where they even were, or how they got there. The only thing they could focus on were the two of them.
Before Harry even had the chance to grab her face and kiss her, the door swung open, revealing Hermione.
"Oh! Sorry!" she said. "Did I interrupt something?"
Y/n quickly moved away from Harry, who had let his hands fall back to the side again as she stepped back. "No, we were just -- erm -- talking!"
Hermione glanced back and forth at the two, not buying Y/n's lie. "Speaking of talking," she said, grabbing Y/n's arm. "Mind if I steal Y/n for a second, Harry?"
"Yes -- no -- maybe."
"I'll bring her back, I promise,"
As he watched Hermione drag Y/n further and further away from where he was, he couldn't help but argue with himself again.
'You absolute dumbass.'
'Maybe if you weren't so scared, you would have gotten the chance! Now look, you've ruined it.'
'Ruined it? How did I have a ruined chance?'
'Because you didn't fucking kiss her, you tosser.'
Harry sighed as he stepped out of the small closet, his eyes immediately landing on Y/n's figure across the room.
'Maybe one day . . . if she doesn't remember the rule.'
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Word count: 3,230
NOTES;
I really need to sleep rn🧍🏻♀️
~L<3