Third person pov
"Ginny."
Ginny's eyes widened, seeing Y/N right in front of her. "Uh — yes?"
"You can take it from my hands, you know?" Y/N stretched out her hand further to push the clothing in front of Ginny to have a better look at it.
The redhead traveled her eyes down to see the knitted sweater with the letter 'G' bolded in white in the middle.
It was something Y/N treasured when they were 'dating', and was something she usually borrowed from Ginny.
She came across the sweater when she was cleaning her portion of the room, noticing it was hidden underneath the wooden rigid bed frame. It came out with dust and fallen off hair in the mixture of the fabric, so she made sure to clean it first before giving it back.
After Ginny grabbed it from Y/N's hands, they both awkwardly smiled at each other.
"I'll see you soon I guess," Y/N first said.
"Mhm." Ginny avoided eye contact. After weeks, she still somehow couldn't manage to keep herself contained when she was near Y/N.
Her heart hurt.
They soon turned the opposite direction of each other and parted ways.
"Well that was depressing."
Y/N stumbled onto her feet, almost tripping. But she caught herself in time before she could splatter her face and come back up with a broken nose. "Bloody hell. You scared the wits out of me, Val."
"That was the plan," she responded jokingly as she walked next to Y/N.
"Where'd you come from anyways?"
"The black abyss..kidding. I just came to wish you luck on your little third wheel hangout.
Y/N narrowed her eyes, moving her head to gaze at the girl. "And where did you hear that news?"
"Just from others girls willing to sabotage your hangout. Jealousy is killer, Y/N. They think it's a date," Val said with a comical look on her face. The ravenclaw came to a reality check when she overheard girls gossiping and expressing their tiny obsession over the app, more especially their deranged crush on Y/N.
Considering all the events that has happened, Y/N couldn't mentally wrap her head around people actually liking her. It all just felt unreal. It wasn't like the girl was flaunting over her status on the app, she barely even touches it. "So what? It's just a silly crush they have on me. It's like a celebrity crush that doesn't mean anything."
Val found it interesting how Y/N could say that when literally students gawked at her appearance as they walked by. It made her uncomfortable at how obvious they were checking her out from head to toe.
"You're mad. The other day, I went back to the dormitory and saw Jackie staring at her wardrobe again. After she left, I finally had the guts to see what she's been staring at for days on end. You know what I saw?"
"What?" Y/N could see the distraught look all over Val's face.
"A bloody sanctuary, that's what. Pictures of you. I don't even know how she got them. These people are going mad over you, and you're too blind to see it," Val exclaimed. She was starting to lose control of her frustration.
She balled up a fist, chucking and hitting her side. Ignoring the slight pain, she found it oddly relieving to take it out.
"I'm not interested in any of them. The app is ridiculous," Y/N calmly said.
If you saw the two of them, you'd think one of them had their life under control while the other one seemed like they were going through a crisis.
"Why do you think Cedric got put down the list? Sure, he has someone now. But there's a reason he suddenly had interest in someone. Being number one on that app has only brought fear and stress. Believe me."
Y/N couldn't take the girl serious. A chuckle left her lips as she shook her head. "Since when did you get so obsessive over the app? You're starting to sound like Jack," she joked.
Val unexpectedly jumped in front of Y/N, causing them to both stop in place in the hallway. She wrapped a hand around Y/N's wrist, forcefully tugging it. "I'm serious."
The grip tightened. A small red line was starting to mark, and if somehow Val made it anymore tighter, surely the blood circulation would begin to cut off. The tip of her fingers were starting to turn pale and numb.
"You're hurting me, Val." A harsh wince was heard from Y/N.
Finally, Val snapped out of her own thoughts as she saw Y/N staring at her with fright. The nerves built up in Y/N.
"I — I'm sorry." Val let go of her wrist, watching Y/N immediately pull back her hand and rub the marks with her other hand. She soothed the spot.
"I'm going to be late for the lunch." That was Y/N's way of escaping the captivity of the girl's presence. No other word was exchanged, Y/N shifted to the side to walk away. She didn't dare turn around.
But as for Val, she quickly turned a heel, parting her lips to apologize. However, it was too late. Y/N rushed away.
__
It was around fall time, yet the weather was unpredictable. The other day it was warm and now it was blazing cold from the brutal wind hitting your skin like pellets.
Y/N shivered as she entered the tea shop, seeing only couples, snogging and romantically engaging in deep conversations. The room screamed cupid. From left to right were love propaganda, yes, love.
The shop even had a wizalove poster, most likely supporting the app more than most shops. It did fit its aesthetic. Paper hearts floated above everyone, drifting near the ceiling with fluffy bright clouds surrounding it.
"Y/N!" Lily called, waving her hand to catch Y/N's attention.
As Y/N got closer, Lily was sat next to a guy that had a glistening tan toned ski. His braided hair parted in the middle. Just like Y/N and Lily, he was wearing casual clothes. To Y/N, she wouldn't call it casual.
I mean, the guy had a black felt trench coat with a white skintight turtleneck underneath, hugging his collarbones and muscular structure into place. His pants were ripped and tight as well. All of it defined him well.
He had natural beauty.
Y/N couldn't help but feel intimidated by the man.
"This is Gem," Lily introduced, pointing from Y/N to the guy and presenting a smile.
Gem stayed in his seat, crossing his leg over the other as he just stared Y/N down. "Pleasure," he dully said, reaching his hand out. The only reason he spoke up was from the forced cough coming from the girl next to him.
Y/N stayed standing on the other side of the small circular table. "Nice to meet you, Gem." They both shook hands and soon pulled away.
"Sit! Please," Lily wavered her hand at the chair next to Y/N, indicating for her to sit there. The gryffindor glanced at Gem, squealing quietly for only him to hear. Gem only kept a straight face.
"You look shorter in the pictures on your profile," Gem blurted out once Y/N took her hoodie off and sat down in front of the two.
"Oh — yeah haha. I get that sometimes." The hufflepuff didn't know how to engage in a conversation with them, especially since she didn't know them at all. So for a safe bet, she decided to bring up about them.
"So, how long have you both known each other?" Y/N asked curiously. Waiting for an answer, she politely kept her eyes at them while she placed her hoodie behind her on the chair.
Lily propped her arms on the table and leaned on it. She nudged Gem to speak up. "You got this one," she quietly said.
Gem sighed. "First year. This girl has been driving me crazy."
"But you love it," Lily replied playfully, giggling
to herself.
"That's cute." Y/N awkwardly watched the two interact. She smiled and sunk into her seat, tapping her fingers underneath the table.
"Thanks! Gem, do you mind grabbing us some tea and maybe a few treats?" Lily asked as she continued to smile. But what Y/N didn't see was the blondie kicking Gem's shin under the table, impatiently waiting for him to leave for a bit.
"Yeah, yeah." He sighed and stood up to walk near the front to get themselves stuff.
Y/N coughed to get Lily's attention. The clouds in the ceiling left a small circular clearing above them, shining the unexposed fake sunlight rays onto both individuals like it was showing a sign.
The hufflepuff noticed it only occurred to couples around the shop.
"Thanks again for inviting me. I must say it's a bit weird, but it's always nice to meet people. I think it's nice you invited me along to hang with you and your boyfriend—"
"Boyfriend?" Lily's softened face constructed to a more confused one. She knitted her eyebrows and tilted her head.
Y/N chuckled, thinking she was joking, but she caught on when her laughter was only coming from her. "Uhm — yeah, is he not?
"Gem is gay. That's my best friend. I just brought him for moral support," Lily explained slowly, uncrossing her legs. Her body language was transitioning to openness as she continued to keep eye contact. However, she played with her fingers secretly as a nervous tick.
"Moral support?" It was Y/N's turn to perk an eyebrow. Her interest grew after she heard Gem was gay. Not because he was gay, but the fact that he isn't here as a date. She must've thought it was some sort of hangout then.
"Yes, silly. For our date."
Y/N choked on her spit, coughing up a storm.
"Merlin's beard! Are you okay??" Lily tried to reach over, but Y/N stumbled back into her seat, further away from her grasp. She nodded her head and gave a thumbs up, insinuating she was okay.
A few couples around them shifted their attention to the obnoxious coughing coming from the girl.
After she finally calmed down, she spoke up, "excuse me?"
"Here, I got different ones for us to try. Then these are just muffins. The plain ones are mine," Gem said as he laid out the tray on the table gently before deliberately sitting back down. "So, what are we talking about?" He asked, but it still felt like he wasn't fully interested in knowing, it was just a way to fill in the gaps of silence.
"I'm sorry. I'm still confused. Is this a date?" Y/N tried not to be rude by not replying to his question, but she needed to clear up the air.
Gem's lips separated, leaving it slightly open, realizing what was going on.
"Yes. Why do you think we're here? This shop is for dates basically," Lily said as if it was evident enough with all the love related things around the shop.
Y/N pushed her seat back. "Oh no no. I think there's been a misunderstanding here. I thought I came here to hangout with you. Plus, I thought you guys were together," she said as she pointed to both of them, alternating her finger from left to right.
A nervous rush was occurring, making her stomach feel queasy. Her cheeks heated up from the embarrassment.
"I thought it was clear. I apologize. This is so embarrassing. Oh my. But since we're already here, we could maybe make this a date?" How could Y/N say no. From the glare coming from Gem, the double teaming, and pouting — where is there to escape?
A large flash went off.
The three covered their eyes with either their hand or forearm.
"Perfect!" A lady said with enthusiasm. Y/N removed her hand from her face, coming across a woman in a dress that matched all the others accessories on her body. Her perky smile was too forceful and pushy, making her whole persona almost unlikable.
"Pleasure to finally meet you. The name is Rita Skeeter, which i'm sure you've heard of me. I work for the Daily Prophet," she stated as she pushed up her glasses up the bridge of her nose and posed dramatically.
"Oh my word. You're the Rita Skeeter!" Lily said with hidden excitement behind her voice. She squealed to herself, throwing her legs forward and back. Her chair was basically jumping along with her.
"Yes darling. I'm guessing you all are — friends?"
Y/N opened her mouth, but was cut off by Lily. "We're dating," Lily answered.
"Oh-" Skeeter covered her mouth and whispered to the side, "write this down." The notepad and quill floated effortlessly in the air next to her, similar to a dog following an owner. Everywhere she moved, it followed.
Skeeter noticed Y/N eyeing the thing intently. "This is my quick-quotes quill. No need to worry, sweetie. I came here to interview you if that's okay."
"First of all, we aren't dating. Secondly, I do mind that you —"
"Perfect! Tell us Y/N, what's it like being the only girl in the top 5 matched here? Is it intimidating to face such a masculine group? Does being number one scare you? I'm sure you're aware — researchers show there was an increase in individuals downloading the app this month, counting up to 2,000+ in its overflow graph. With the newcomers, is it more challenging to keep your spot?"
Y/N looked back from Skeeter to the notepad. The quill rapidly scribbled, having the pages on the notepad flip from page to page. Not only was it distracting, but it was hard to keep up with the woman's words. It jumped from question to question, making it difficult to comprehend the first question.
"Uhm—"
"Who is this girl besides you? When did you guys start dating?"
Another large flash went off.
"Agh!" Y/N groaned, squinting her eyes. She waited for her eyes to adjust from the unexpected blinding brightness.
A man, who looked uninterested just stood next to Skeeter, holding his camera close to his chest.
"We aren't dating," Y/N gritted through her teeth. Her patience was running thin.
"I'm Lily Elvir," the gryffindor said, fluttering her eyes and looking straight at the camera to get herself ready for another picture.
"And you?"
"Gem."
"Wonderful. Y/N, what do you have to say to all your admirers?"
"I have to go," Y/N sharply said with agitation seeping in her veins. She shot up from her seat and grabbed her jacket from the chair. Pulling it forwards, it seemed like it was caught onto something.
"Why such in a hurry? Off to a next date?"
"Yes — wait no! Just, just please leave me alone."
She tugged harder, practically dragging the chair, causing it to screech from the legs scraping onto the tiled floor.
"Have you heard the expansion of the app? The update is going to explode the entire wirzardy world!"
Y/N slowed her movements. "What update?"
"You, Y/N and Y/L, could be one of the faces for wizalove. Your face plastered for advertisement. Rumor has it that those who don't get matched could be automatically matched with a person that the app thinks that fits them. A lucky person may match with you. Some are obligated to, according to the creator."
"That's insane! Bloody hell. Just get out of my face," she hastily said.
First the top 5 matched and now mandatory dates? It's like no one saw the craziness coming from the app. So many questions went through her mind. Who was the creator? Would they use a spell where you're obligated to go on a date?
Val was right, people are going mad about the app.
Y/N needed to go to someone who understood from her perspective.
__
"Hannah please."
The hufflepuff lifted an eyebrow and tapped her foot on the ground. "Why?"
"I just really need to talk to Cedric. Do you know where he would be?" Y/N cornered Hannah into a hallway, placing her hand on the wall over Hannah, and leaning down close to her. She was being secretive about the conversation.
"Of course. He's my friend. I'll tell you on one condition though."
"Go on. Spit it out," Y/N impatiently said.
Hannah looked up at Y/N, liking the position they were in. "You have to go on a date with me."
"I don't have the time for this Abbott," Y/N urged, slamming her hand flat onto the wall.
"Nice picture." The two girls heard.
Y/N turned around, seeing Hermione walking by and staring down at a newspaper in her hand. "We'll talk later," she mumbled to Hannah as she removed herself quickly to follow Hermione.
"What are you on about?" Y/N said, trying to reach over for the newspaper, but Hermione was quick enough to move her hands.
The gryffindor pulled her attention away and looked at Y/N with a straight face. "This—" she showed the front of the paper.
A cropped picture of Y/N and Lily was displayed front and center. The picture moved, and was basically edited to where a heart was overlapped onto the two.
HEARTTHROB ON THE LOOSE WITH A NEW PARTNER
"That's fabricated. You can't believe this." Y/N's blood began to boil at the lies that were probably written in the many paragraphs she's typed up. Rita was giving a bad label to her name.
"Trust me, I know. She disguised herself as a bug during the triwizard tournament. Not only does she lie, but she invades people's privacy." Hermione found it troubling that Skeeter was getting in on the action.
It was only a matter of time others reached out to Y/N too. "You should stay low for awhile," Hermione asserted as she laid the newspaper to her side.
The two of them walked slowly together, avoiding the attraction of darkened stares from students.
"I've been doing that. I haven't been going all out and living up to the reputation people are giving me," Y/N added in her defense.
"You've been quite inconspicuous, yet somehow students crave you. It's annoying," Hermione drawled.
If you looked closely, you could maybe catch a glimpse of the jealous face Hermione was making. Something about the whole situation didn't sit right with her. Sure, Y/N was attractive. But she wondered what made her stand out so much that people would treat her like this.
Y/N sensed the uneasiness. "It is."
"Let me take you somewhere this evening. Away from this place. Just for today," Hermione insisted, leading them to one of the courtyards and sitting on a bench.
Y/N followed and sat next to her. "A bit risky,
don't you think? And it's not like we could go anywhere. We don't have transportation."
"You have your licenses for apparition, yes? I can maybe teleport us somewhere."
It was strange really, seeing Hermione all eager to escape Hogwarts to attend other things. And for what? Y/N's sake? or hers?
It was confusing for Y/N to understand her true intentions sometimes. I guess that's how it was going to be like for awhile until Hermione proved herself.
"Yes, I do. I reckon you meet me outside of my common room in a few? I want to change out of the school uniform," Y/N said, flapping the edges of the robe and letting it fall to her side.
"Of course. It might be chilly outside. Make sure to wear something warm," Hermione suggested. A delicate smile came across her face — she tried to control herself from blushing. Y/N was staring at Hermione's eyes, and she didn't know but she had an effect on her.
Every time Hermione caught Y/N staring at her already, it made her feel..good.
"Where will be going?"
Hermione grinned. "Secret."
__
"I'll see you in a bit," Y/N said to Emmie and Aurora. They both laid in their beds, watching Y/N wrap herself in a oversized flannel. The girl's attire mostly contained an earth tone, giving off a pleasing look.
"Have fun doing whatever," Emmie mumbled before snooping back to her phone and digging her nose into it, going on a mini scavenger hunt on wizalove.
Y/N walked through the living space to the outside of one of the exits that led to a hallway. Immediately she saw Hermione in a casual attire. It was far from what Y/N has seen — it was always a school related theme.
Hermione wore a long sleeve shaker stitched sweater, denim jeans that were loose in the ends of her ankles but fitted her legs, and old skool black vans. What Y/N didn't see was another layer underneath Hermione's sweater, which was just a plain black shirt to keep her fully warm.
"Hey," the gryffindor said in a audible whisper.
Y/N examined her physical appearance, soaking it all in within seconds. The girl's hair was put up into a lazy ponytail. Her short bangs and noticeable strands flawlessly fit into the ponytail — it was a messy look that worked.
"Hi," Y/N felt her chest tighten and throat clog up from the way her breath was taken away at the sight of Hermione.
Funny enough, Hermione was taking in Y/N's appearance too.
"Grab ahold of my arm. I'll be gentle," Hermione eagerly said, holding out her arm for Y/N to grab. She was in a bit of a rush, since Hermione didn't want to be caught. She lied about where she would be going to. Kade was interrogating her until his tongue went dry. He was starting to get obsessive without even knowing it.
"Come on," she said once more, jerking her arm.
Y/N walked over, stretching out her arm and putting her hand over hers. "So, now what—"
The sentence was cut off by the loud crackle of a transition. It squeezed them into such a tiny and tight space, whirling into thin air. Their body ascended from the air, feeling lightly traveling, but the speed of it all made everything spin like crazy.
"There," Hermione said as she stood straight and tall, landing on her feet just fine.
Y/N did the same thing, still holding onto Hermione, however that was until she hunched over, gagging out a chunk of sudden sickness.
"Yeah it's been awhile. It gets easier eventually. You okay?" Hermione tried to lend a hand by rubbing the back of Y/N's.
"I'm okay! I'm okay. I just forgot how it felt," Y/N panted, catching her and pointing up a finger, insinuating to the other for a second to catch her breath.
"Where are we?" Y/N said once she straightened her posture, glancing at the white walls of a building that had gigantic banners of creatures that she's barely seen before.
Hermione followed her gaze, smiling to herself at the place. "It's an aquarium. We're in the muggle world," she said calmly to keep her cool.
"I don't think i've ever been to an aquarium. What is it again?"
Hermione giggled, linking her arms with Y/N's. "I'll show you."
Y/N was dragged towards the front of the building, realizing they appeared on the side. And as it all came to view, hundreds of people were scattered around. Either they were leaving or getting inside.
It all ranged from elder couples, big families, reunion parties, kids, etc.
The crowd couldn't compare to what she's seen during the quidditch world cup, but it was definitely a new sight since she's never seen these many muggles in one sitting.
"There's so many people here," Y/N commented in awe.
"Really? This is the usual amount of people," Hermione said.
As they entered the doors, the automatic door slid open, leaving Y/N to stare at it like it was some magic contraption.
On the ceiling hung a big plastic blue whale that faced the entrance. The walls were in a painted theme of blue and white. Kids ran around, screaming and chasing one another. Y/N looked to her right to see some adults carrying their backpacks and talking discreetly about something.
Y/N was too blown away to notice Hermione soon led them to the front of one of the desks.
"Fee is 25 dollars for adults. Will you both be paying separately?" A lady with thin clear glasses sat in a stool, speaking from the other side of the glass that had a circular thing in the middle to communicate. Y/N tilted her head to the side, looking at it.
The lady exchanged glances from the curly haired girl to the lunatic besides her, who had her mouth agape and staring intently at the circular speaker.
"You okay sweetie?" The lady asked.
"She's okay! It's her first time. I'll be paying for the both of us," Hermione dug her fingers into her pocket, sliding her card through the small slit in the bottom of the glass.
The white haired lady smiled, nodding. "Ah wonderful! You'll like it here a lot. There's a new exhibition in the fresh aquatic mammals. The rescuers have a new batch of otters that were abandoned. Here—" she handed back the debit card, and after handed a map to the two, "— you'll need this!"
"Are there going to be giraffes?" Y/N asked curiously, rocking back and forth from the excitement of the adventure ahead of her.
Hermione shot her eyes at Y/N, her eyes glowing with concern. She so badly wanted to correct Y/N and wonk her on the head for asking that question.
"No, no. But we do have sharks if you're interested in that!"
"We'll be sure to check everything out. Thank you so much!" Hermione smiled at the woman, nodding her head as a gesture of goodbye.
Hermione tugged Y/N's arm that she was still holding. "What?" Y/N asked.
"Don't act like this is your first time being here."
"But it is my first time being here," said Y/N.
"Yeah, but people are going to be suspicious. Not to mention we're already drawing attention. I mean — they're already looking at us." The two girls could be perceived as best friends, but some, it was obvious they looked like a couple. In the area, it was normal to think it was unordinary and usual. The whole same sex relationships was frowned upon.
From how close they were and acted, it definitely seemed like they were dating.
Y/N chuckled, pulling in Hermione closer to her side. She didn't see the problem."Then let them look at us. I don't see the harm in it."
Hermione melted into Y/N's touch. A wave of comfort washed over her, she felt secure and okay with Y/N by her side. The anxious feeling never went away though, it was only temporary for it to hide into its shell.
They entered the section where it had words written on the walls about preserving the water and the science behind the ocean. Such as tides, currents, wastes, oil spillages, damage to land, etc.
"Look," Hermione pointed at a glass box inside the display walls. Walking through people, they looked closed at it.
"What are those?"
"It's just some tadpoles." Hermione read the words on the plaque, while Y/N just watched them move in packs.
They were like the opposites. Hermione liked reading all of the words, but for Y/N it was looking at the actual things. So from time to time, Hermione would be the one lecturing about the things to Y/N. The hufflepuff listened closely, taking in every word.
Walking around from different areas, they finally reached one of the main attractions that made people come back every time. The big tank covered the room to where it was all glass, giving off the illusion you're underwater too.
Y/N and Hermione parted ways, going to different sides of the room. As Hermione checked out the smaller fish, Y/N followed the massive crowd around the seals. The tank was unique. From another floor, you could see the seals on land. So from under, you saw all the swimming and hidden tricks the seals would do.
Y/N was startled as she felt a chin lay on her shoulder.
"Cute, aren't they?"
Hermione stood behind Y/N, putting the weight of her head onto the hufflepuff's shoulder.
Y/N had her arms hugging herself from the chilliness that was on the hollow floor of the grounds. The small hairs stuck up.
All of a sudden, Hermione snuck her arms around Y/N, wrapping it around her waist to keep the other girl warm.
Y/N didn't expect it.
"Yeah — uhm — they're beautiful," she stuttered, staying in place and holding her breath.
They both stared at the seals, swirling around the water freely.
"Very beautiful," Hermione whispered. The chilling air escaping her lips traveled up from Y/N's shoulder to her neck.
Hermione gently placed a kiss on Y/N's shoulder. They moved their bodies together, standing close to each other stilly.
"Thank you for taking me here."
The moment was unfortunately ruined as Y/N felt a buzzing feeling around her thigh, jolting the girls up. Hermione removed herself, looking down at the pocket of Y/N's.
Y/N narrowed her eyes.
She pulled out her phone, and Hermione could see Y/N start to get tense.
______
wizalove
14 mandatory dates
_____
"What the bloody hell is this?" Y/N cursed as the phone continued to go off.
______
wizalove
15 mandatory dates
_____
______
wizalove
19 mandatory dates
_____
It kept increasing.
"What's going on with your phone? Turn it off," Hermione hurried. Eyes around looked at them from the disruptive buzzing. The people murmured and gave a rude stare.
"I'm trying. It just keeps going!"
Hermione lifted up her head, mouthing 'sorry' to everyone around. The gryffindor led Y/N out to somewhere more secluded.
Y/N pressed all the buttons on her phone. She tried to delete the notifications, shut off the phone, delete the app, everything — yet somehow it all didn't work.
"Give me it." Hermione took the phone from her hands, poking her thumbs on the screen. "The app won't delete." Her voice was shaky, confused as to what was going on.
It was supposed to be a peaceful day with the two. But of course, the app is always there to destroy something somehow.
"Just open the app. Make it stop," Y/N demanded, keeping her voice low to not make it eye catching for nosy people.
Hermione eventually opened it. There was a new format — more complex.
"Y/N.."
"What?"
Hermione looked up from the phone, nervously looking at Y/N. She handed the phone to her.
Y/N grabbed it from her hands.
wizalove
! congratulations on 57 dates !