part 1: an insight into your relationship with him
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Harry:
You are Ron's older sister.
"Harry, seriously-", you hear Ron's voice getting carried up the stairs you're currently ascending. It somehow sounds like a threat.
You're not suprised at all when Harry answers - it's the last week of summer break and during the last four years, he always appeared at the burrow, often unexpectedly.
"Calm down, Ron.", Harry sighs.
You stop on the stairs before they can hear or see you coming.
Is eavesdropping is a bad habit? Yes.
Are you going to stop? No.
It's a bad habit all Weasleys have.
"No, Harry. It's disgusting. She's my sister.", Ron seethes. "You can't crush on her."
Ginny?
You could swear you almost hear Harry roll his eyes. "Ron, I'm not going to hit on her."
A sneer. "She wouldn't let you anyways. She's way too old for you."
You have to suppress your gasp. Ginny is younger than Harry.
The only older sister- it's you they are talking about. You are the crush. Your heart begins to beat in your throat. It can't be. Harry-
"It's only a year, Ron.", Harry retorts.
Ron yells: "Ha! So you admit it!"
To that, Harry mutters something under his breath that sounds like a poor renunciation.
The adrenaline of the revelation makes your head spin, and you have to hold on to the railing of the staircase to collect yourself.
You are not too shy to admit it to yourself that you find yourself drawn toward Harry. His looks, his character - the bravery, loyalty and dry humor. It's all very intriguing. A field of possibilities opens in front of you.
And at the same time, you begin to feel bad - for invading Harry's privacy in such a delicate matter.
So you make yourself known - by trampling down the last few steps towards the living room louder than you usually would, taking your time with it to give Harry the chance to collect himself as well.
When you reach the bottom of the stairs and look over to the couch, you find Harry sitting on it, desperately trying to act casual, and it almost works - if it wasn't for the crimson red of his cheeks.
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Ron:
You are Ginny's best friend.
Sitting on a couch near the fireplace in the common room, you giggle along with Ginny.
"He's definitely looking at you.", you whisper, bumping Ginny's shoulder with yours while stealing a glance at Harry.
He is sitting a few meters further on an armchair, talking to Hermione and Ron - and he is definitely looking at Ginny whenever her overprotective brother doesn't pay attention.
Luckily, Ginny is so distracted by it that she doesn't notice that every now and then, Ron shifts in his seat to steal a glance at you.
Ginny is super annoyed by Ron's protectiveness over her, and at the same time she would flip her shit if she caught her brother looking at you the way he does. For different reasons, but still.
It's kind of hypocritical, but whatever.
Said glances from Ron are the reason for the redness of your cheeks.
You try your best to keep your calm, but honestly you had a crush on Ron for ages and just lately, at the beginning of the school year, he started paying real attention to you.
Naturally, you were around him pretty often since you are Ginny's friend, but his gaze kind of always swept over you - as if dismissed as a little kid.
Now, it's different. And it's thrilling to have him looking at you with heat in his eyes, even though you don't know what you're going to do with the knowledge.
While you're thinking, you're staring at Ron, and maybe he felt your eyes on him, because he turns around and his eyes lock with yours.
Suddenly, the world turns silent. It feels like it stops spinning.
Maybe a second passed, maybe a minute. Hell, it could have been an hour as well. But suddenly, an elbow conncts with your rib cage, and when you turn to look you find Ginny staring at you through squinted eyes. "What the hell was that?", she hisses.
You mutter "nothing", and dare to look over to Ron for the fracture of a second. He's staring at his feet, cheeks a deep red, while Hermione is whispering something to him that obviously agitates him.
"I did not stare!", you hear Ron say - it most definitely was supposed to be a whisper, but comes out as a shout.
Ron is a horrible liar; if there was any doubt left, now they all know - Harry, Hermione and Ginny. Ron was indeed staring at you.
The wide smile that knowledge puts on your face couldn't be dimmed by the mightiest force in the world.
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George:
You are having a fake relationship.
"I have a proposal for you."
Reluctantly, you took your eyes off of the giggling couple at the Ravenclaw table. You find George Weasley sitting next to you, his eyes on you.
"What?", you seethe through gritted teeth. It has nothing to do with him, today you're just angry at every person on this planet.
George raises his hands in mocking defence. "Sorry, kitty.", he taunts you.
Then his teasing expression goes serious. "Look, we could help each other out. We're both in the same boat."
His gaze flickers towards the same couple that you observed earlier.
The brunette Ravenclaw, Lita, was Georges girlfriend. They got together at the beginning of the year, and broke off a couple of days ago, for reasons you don't know.
And the black haired Gryffindor sitting next to her with his arm wrapped around her waist is your best friend – who you had a crush on for ages. Yesterday, they made their relationship official, much to your distress. And George's, obviously.
You cross your arms in front of your chest. "I'm all ears, Weasley."
"My proposal: A fake relationship."
"A fake relationship?", you reiterate.
George nods. "Think about it. I want Lita back, and it's obvious as day that you want Arian, for whatever reason."
"Careful, Weasley.", you hiss.
He ignores your warning and proceeds. "What better way to achieve that than us becoming a couple, even if it's just for show? The news are going to spread like a wildfire. I know Lita well enough. She's going to be back in a minute, and you will be there to comfort poor Arian."
His offer sounds crazy, yes. But it also makes sense – in a twisted, strange way.
One look to Lita and Arian and the way he admires her sincere laugh makes you accede without thinking twice.
You hold out your hand to George.
"We have a deal.", you say.
A wicked glim makes his George's eyes light up. He takes your hand and shakes it before he gets up.
"Come to my dorm after classes. We have to make a master plan...kitty.", he adds with a wink.
As you watch him walk out of the great hall, you can't help but wondering if maybe you just made your life a hell of a lot more complicated.
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Fred:
You are ex-lovers that ended on bad terms.
Usually, anticipation made you giddy whenever you crossed the magic gate in King's Cross that leads you to the Platform 9 3/4. But this time, everything is different. The wound of your break up with Fred isn't quite healed and the thought of facing him makes you feel uneasy. For the first time in four years, you find yourself wishing the summer break would be longer.
Keeping your head low, you navigate through the crowds of students, your overwhelmed parents close to your heels. They know nothing about your break up. You don't want to answer any questions to them, so you wish to keep it that way. Luckily, you don't run into Fred, and after an emotional goodbye, you claim your seat next to Hermione and opposite of Ron and Harry.
Eventually, your tense shoulders relax a bit and for a while, you just devour the pile of sweets Harry bought from the trolley.
Maybe this isn't going to be as hard as you feared, you thought, when suddenly the door to your compartment slides open. One look at who's standing in the doorway makes your heart drop and you abruptly turn to look out of the window.
"Ron, I found your stinky rat in my-"
Fred's voice dies mid-sentence when his eyes land on you - your jaw clenched tight, pretending to be focused on the trees flying past outside.
Tense silence fills out the compartment, and Fred's presence alone makes it hard to breathe.
Hermiones hand slides into yours and she squeezes it reassuringly. You flash her a quick smile, which was a big mistake, because once you turned around, you can't stop your eyes from gazing at Fred.
He's still stood in the door, holding Scabers in his hand. His eyes are still fixed on your face, and something like hurt fills his face when his eyes meet yours.
He opens his mouth as if he wants to say something, when a second face appears behind his shoulder. It's almost the same as his, but for the trained eyes, it's easy to tell the twins apart.
"Fred, come on. Angelina and Katie are waiting for us.", George says, flinging his arm around his twins shoulder, fully unaware of the intense eye contact between you and Fred.
The words make you snap out of it; they are a reminder of the exact reason why you and Fred broke up. Even though he always claimed that it was nothing, his constant flirting with other girls made you feel like trash, and after yet another loud argument, you ended your relationship last school year.
It doesn't suprise you at all that he has someone else already.
You turn away again, and a moment later, Fred is gone, leaving you with a blurry vision, racing pulse and more cracks to your heart.
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Neville:
You are his best friends ex-girlfriend.
Halfway through the charms class, you notice Neville fidgeting with his fingers, as if he is nervous - more nervous than he usually is.
You can't ignore it for long, so eventually, you turn your body sideways and face him.
"What's going on with you?", you whisper.
Neville eyes the professor from the corner of his eye, checking if he is in hearing distance, before he answers: "I'm going to Hogsmeade later."
You raise a brow. "And?"
"Do you maybe want to come with me?"
His voice is hopeful, but quivering in nervousness.
It's so sweet that your cheeks heat up. "Sure, Neville. Just us two or are others coming, too?"
Neville rubs the bridge of his nose, avoiding eye contact when he says: "Oh, uhm- I think Seamus is going, too. I can ask him not to though, if you'd like."
You sigh internally. It's tricky.
You either take the situation as it is and go to the village with Seamus later - your ex boyfriend, Seamus.
And not only is he your ex boyfriend, but also Neville's best friend.
Or you take Neville up on his offer to uninvite Seamus, which he undoubtedly would, and be the reason for yet another argument in their friendship.
Seamus has been pissed off ever since Neville refused to pick a side after the break up. As his best friend, Seamus believes Neville is supposed to be on his side. They always fought when Neville was the one to comfort you or distract you from your thoughts; it broke their relationship a little, too, but Neville was like balm for your wound soul the first days after the break up and having him around just felt too good.
And to make matters worse, lately you find your heart racing when he is around, and your stomach fluttering.
People would say it's inappropriate for you to feel that way about your ex boyfriend's best friend.
But it doesn't matter anyways.
Yes, Neville might have been there for you when you needed someone - and he still is.
But he is also the most loyal person you know, and he would never do anything with you.
"No, it's okay.", you say. You don't want to damage their friendship further. "Don't worry."
"Are you sure?", Neville asks.
You nod. "Yes. It's fine. I still want to go with you."
When he smiles and turns around to focus on the class again, your heart skips a beat, and you can't help but think that your life is going to get a lot more complicated if you don't manage to get the traitorous beating organ in your chest under control.
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Draco:
You are enemies (based on your blood status) with benefits.
"Believe me, there is no one.", you try to convince Luna.
This is the third time in just as many days that she interogates you about your love life. She is convinced there is some mysterious boy you are secretly in love with. It makes you nervous how close she is to the truth.
You're not in love. Of course not.
But there is someone you're hooking up with. Someone no one can know about. It's in your and his best interest when this remains secret.
In the same moment Luna opens her mouth - no doubt to interrogate further - your phone chimes.
"Luna, I gotta go. I forgot I need to pick up a book at the library."
The excuse sounds lame, even in your ears.
Luna smiles. "Sure, sure. See you later."
With a quick nod, you turn around and head down the corridor. You just made it around the corner when you get pulled into an empty classroom. The door closes in your back with a thud and the next second, you find yourself pressed against the hard wood by a warm body.
"Ferret.", you say in a way of greeting.
"Shut the hell up.", Draco seethes through gritted teeth.
Before you can come up with a glorious reply, he seals your mouth shut with an aggressive kiss.
In familiar manner, you pull him closer by his hair, your grip so tight Draco groans.
He bites your bottom lip, using the opportunity your gasp offers to slide his tongue into your mouth.
In response, you slide your hands beneath his shirt and sink your nails into his stomach.
Throughout the kiss, you move from the door towards a table until your legs hit the furniture.
"I hate you.", you pant when Draco takes a step back.
A cruel smile appears on his lips. "Mutual, mudblood.", he snarls, spins you around and bends you over the table.
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Theo:
You are having a situationship that is supposed to be purely phyisical.
There are thousands of variations of blue eyes - blue like the sky, blue like the sea, blue like ice.
Theodore Notts eyes aren't as easy to describe; okay, the color maybe is. But there's more to them.
It's the way he looks at people. He can express so many emotions at once that it can make one dizzy to try to figure all of them out.
They're really fascinating, and it would take a girl a lot of willpower not to feel attracted to a guy why such eyes.
Add his wicked grin, handsome looks and thick Italian accent - impossible to resist.
It was flabbergasting for you when he made his interest in you so bluntly obvious. Being a student that transferred in the middle of the school year in a school were nothing like that usually happens, you thought it was just the normal amount of curiosity and shallow interest most of the Hogwarts students felt towards you.
But it quickly became obvious that it's more: Running into you in the halls ridiculously often, always there to lead you the way to your classes when you were lost, constantly offering to pairing up with you in lessons, insane amounts of flirting and the way he looked at you.
There was a lot of tension instantly, and it only increased with every interaction.
At a party to celebrate a quidditch match - the first match you visited in Hogwarts - the tension reached its ultimate peek where there was no running from it anymore.
You probably will never be able to play a game of seven minutes in heaven without remembering Theo pinning you against a door with his body (that fits absolutely perfect to yours, by the way) and kissing you breathless.
It was clear from the moment you forgot about your brain and let your body take the lead that there couldn't get enough of him anytime soon.
Luckily, Theo felt exactly the same.
Since none of you wanted to commit to a real relationship, you decided to call the thing between you a situation-ship and set the boundary to keep it purely physical.
It worked perfectly fine - at the beginning.
But then things got complicated.
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Mattheo:
You are Tom's ex-girlfriend.
The fire whiskey burns in your throat when you down the shot with ease.
The warmth spreading in your chest and stomach is a welcome contrast to the cold bitterness in your heart.
You hiss, shake your head and motion to the bar keeper to get you another drink.
"You know, you're good at parties.", you yell to Lorenzo over the loud music.
He grins cockily and bumps his glass against yours when you both get the next shot.
"Cheers!", he yells.
The alcohol makes your tongue loose, so you speak freely. "This might even be a good evening if Riddle doesn't come."
"I hope you're speaking about my brother.", a low voice speaks in your back.
Turning around, you find a smirking Mattheo standing behind you, hands in his pocket - serene, charming and dashingly handsome.
Unfortunately, he's also your ex boyfriend's little brother.
"You're Riddle Junior, Mattheo.", you say.
He only rolls his eyes and steps to the counter between you and Enzo. "Three more of these.", he tells the barkeeper, motioning towards the empty glasses. Leaning over to you, he says: "I'm only a year younger than you."
You nod. "Yeah, and three years younger than your dickhead of a brother. Hence Riddle Junior. Or should I call you Little Riddle? That rhymes."
Mattheo drags his tongue across his front teeth. "No, little Riddle is my dick. I could introduce you two."
He's sounding so confident it makes you want to...yeah, what exactly?
It makes your skin tingle and your blood heat up - Mattheo is extremely handsome, and no doubt knows how to handle a woman.
But is that worth the risk to involve yourself with another Riddle brother?
You almost want to say yes - if only to spite Tom. But to spite him, he would have to care, and you're not so sure of that.
And secondly - even more importantly -, you know for a fact that Mattheo has had his eyes on you for ages, even before his brother so much as glanced in your direction.
Mattheo is cocky and annoying, yes. But he's also a kind and warmhearted person, and you don't want to use him - not to spite Tom and not for a short kick.
"Nah, I've had enough Riddle to last a lifetime, Junior.", you say therefore and choose to ignore the flash of disappointment in Mattheo's brown eyes.
Enzo:
You are crushing on each other, but you're also his best friends love interest.
"Hey, Enz.", you sigh when you let yourself fall down on the common room couch next to him.
A little smile appears on his face when you call him by that name - everyone calls him Enzo, even the teachers, so it's not really a nickname anymore.
You wouldn't accept not having a proper nickname to address him with, so you came up with an even shorter version of Enzo - and born was Enz. You're the only one calling him that.
"Hey, y/n. How was-"
"Look who's finally here, the prettiest girl of Hogwarts.", another voice interrupts Enzo's question.
The next moment, a boy squeezes himself between you and Enzo. He flings an arm around your shoulder.
"What's bothering you, princess?"
You roll your eyes. "Hello Mattheo.", you say a bit cooly.
It doesn't go unnoticed by him, but he is a drama king, so fakes a wince. "What happened to Matty?"
"I only call nice people by their nickname and you just interrupted Enzo and almost sat down on me."
"Fair enough. Sorry, Enzo.", Mattheo says without so much as looking at him.
"Maybe you should sit down on me next time.", he adds, the words addressed to you. They come with a wink.
You roll your eyes. "No thanks.", you decline and get up.
"Enz, will you come with me to the black lake? I need some fresh air."
He smiles so happily at you that for a second, you think he will take you up on the offer. Then his gaze turns to Mattheo, who is staring at Enzo intensely. The silent conversation going on between them is somehow aggressive and makes you feel like you're missing out on something vital, but you can't figure out what it is. Then Enzo's shoulders slump and he clenches his jaw for a moment before he relaxes a bit again.
Clearing his throat, Enzo looks back at you, a pang of regret and discomfort in his eyes. "I- um, I can't. I gotta go...to the library, yes. I...can't."
"I can come with you.", Mattheo offers enthusiastically.
You sigh internally but give it your best not to let your disappointment show.
"Yeah, why not?", you say.
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Tom:
You and Tom are academic rivals.
"And here's your paper, Miss Y/l/n. Excellent work. Best grade.", Professor Slughorn praises you when he puts down the papers on your desk.
You flip them, and surely enough, it says: 100 points and 2 additional points for "remarkable knowledge and extraordinary choice of words".
You can't help it but have to turn your head to the side, your face a display of triumph as you smirk at Tom.
His eyes are ice cold when he squints at you. He tries to intimidate you with the look on his face, but he can't take the win from you. You did better than him, and that's the ultimate goal in every assignment or exam you have to do.
You and Tom are academic rivals by heart. It started back in first year when he would keep interrupting the answers you would give teachers, and has been going on ever since.
For the rest of the lesson, you dwell in your victory, and at the end of it, you pack your things into your bag especially slow.
And just like you silently predicted, Tom suddenly stands in front of you.
"Can I help you, Tommy?", you ask, deliberately teasing him with the name he hates.
He waits for the other students and the professor to leave, then braces both palms on your desk and towers over you. "Don't call me that.", he seethes.
You snicker. "Got up with the wrong foot today, huh? Or are you mad because I got the better grade?", you twitter.
Tom leans over you further, his nostrils flaring in anger.
"Enjoy it as long as it lasts.", he gnarls.
You get up, flinging your back over your shoulder. "I will, Tommy. Just like I will enjoy surpass you next time."
"Believe me, this won't happen again.", Tom hisses, his whole body vibrating in fury.
For someone acting so cooly and composed in front of everybody else, it is exceptionally easy to make Tom Riddle loose his shit for you.
He knows it as well as you, and that's only making him even more pissed.
You reach out your hand, originally to mockingly pat his cheek, but he catches your wrist midair and yanks you closer to him, so you have to stand on your toes to not to fly over the desk.
"And stop calling me Tommy.", he says, his face inches from you.
Suddenly, you don't know what to say anymore. All you can think of is how good he smells and how smooth his skin is.
It's like he feels the rapid flutter of your pulse beneath his fingers, because he smirks like a huntsman who just found his prey.
"Interesting.", he whispers.
Then he lets go of your wrist and in the blink of an eye, he is gone.