Prompts:

2: Force

5: Third person present tense

11: Derivative

Eddy stares into the brown eyes of the boy sitting opposite him. But they're not just brown; they have swirls of hazel and gold and green flecks. They are eyes that Eddy knows well. As he stares into them he remembers everything those eyes have been through, like it's being played out in a cinema.

"Is there space in here?" Eddy whispers softly. The boy looks up and nods, before returning to his book. Eddy sits down on the hard wooden bench, looking round him desperately. His robes are hanging off him, and his trousers trail along after him. The boy glances up and sees his fear.

"I'm Alan." He says, sticking out a pale hand.

"Eddy." Eddy replies, reaching out to greet it. Alan shook it with surprising force.

"You're first year right?"

Eddy nods uncertainly.

"Same. But I have three older brothers at the school. All Slytherin."

"Slytherin?" Eddy asks.

"It's one of the houses." Alan says. "There's Gryffindor, for brave people, Ravenclaw for clever people, Slytherin for ambitious people and Hufflepuff for everyone else." He counts each one off a finger as he says them. "Which do you want to be in?"

"I don't know." Eddy says nervously. "How do they choose?"

"You have to wear a hat. A talking hat." Alan replies nonchalantly, putting his book away. "Where did you say you come from?"

The memory fades and more come to Eddy's mind.

Eddy looks round Slytherin dungeons as people rush past calling and chatting. He drags his heavy trunk a few steps, and suddenly the weight lifts.

"I'll get that." Alan says, though he's not much taller than Eddy. Together they drag the case up to the dormitory.

"Are you glad to be in Slytherin?" Eddy says timidly. He's afraid to hear the answer.

Alan nods. "At least we're together."

Eddy smiles. This is the first sign of friendship someone has ever shown him. He's about to say something when a Slytherin boy races in, grabs Eddy's case and bangs it onto the floor.

"This is my bed." He says loudly, throwing a bag down and ripping the emerald green hangings shut.

Eddy mumbles an apology.

"You shouldn't let them walk all over you." Alan says sternly when the boy had gone. "That's not how things work round here."

Eddy mumbled something again.

"I'll look after you." Alan says. "I'll make sure you're alright."

Eddy smiles again, and looks into Alan's brown eyes.

"What would the derivative of the Herbicide potion be?" Professor Snape asks his pasty face just inches from Eddy's.

Eddy can feel himself going red.

"Uh-uh," he stammers. Professor Snape smirks, and looks around expectantly, waiting for the class to laugh at Eddy.

"Did you not read your textbook over the summer?"

Behind Professor Snape Eddy can see Alan mouthing something. He squints to try and see what. Alan sighs and grabs a scrap of parchment, scribbling the answer on.

"Flobberworm mucus, Horclump juice and spines of Lionfish." Eddy says, finally deciphering what Alan has scrawled. Professor Snape spins round.

"Alan McDough. Detention."

When the class ends Eddy hurries over to Alan.

"I'm sorry," he says, walking alongside as they hurry to their next lesson.

"Don't worry. My brothers said that Snape is strict."

"I can ask him if I can do it instead." Eddy says hopefully.

"Really. It's fine. Isn't that's what friends are for?"

Time passes in Eddy's memories. Lunchtimes in the library working together to learn more and hone their love of potions – both had remarkable skills for it, though Professor Snape would never admit it for he took an instant disliking to both of them. The time they pilfered enough ingredients to brew an Amortentia potion, and used it to make two fifth years follow them round obsessively for a day. Alan had thought it a joke, but Eddy found he didn't really fancy the small blonde girl who kept calling his name. Another time they brewed Laugh-inducing potion, and they were in hysterics for so long they had to skip afternoon lessons, for they simply could not keep their mouths shut. Eddy remembered when Alan was asked out by a Slytherin girl to the Christmas party, but he said no, and asked Eddy instead, as friends. Eddy remembered their friendship growing so they spent all their time together, isolating themselves from the other Slytherins. "We're different." Alan always used to say. "We're not like the others." And Eddy agreed; he didn't take satisfaction from teasing the first years or goading the Mrs Norris. Instead they preferred knowledge, and learning, and each other.

Suddenly the memory of going to Hogsmeade for the first time came to mind. They went to the Three broomsticks and spluttered on Butterbeer and then Honeydukes to buy fat toffees and magical sweets. Then they strayed from the bustling streets to the Shrieking Shack. Although puny, they broke through the rotten wood and got into the damp room. "This is our place. Forever." Alan said firmly, producing two armchairs and a small fire in a jar with his wand. Both had got very good at magic by this point.

Little did they know that, two years later, they will be back in the Shrieking Shack, sitting on the very same faded red armchairs. The air is fresher, for over the years of monthly trips to Hogsmeade they had opened up the boarded windows, and repaired the cracked wood. They have captured glow worms and put them in jars to light up the place, and brought in more cushions, and large boxes of books. So many books. Over the last holiday they have collected books – Alan from around his house, which was brimming with magical knowledge, and Eddy from the bookshop in Diagon Alley. Now they sit, stacked up in the corner. And there is always the biscuit tin, full of sweets and biscuits that they pilfered from the lunchtimes at the Great Hall.

Eddy stares into Alan's brown eyes, with its flecks of green and swirls of hazel and gold. They were sitting awfully close. He remembers all the times that Alan has been there for him, his best friend, and his mentor. And then he remembers as the other boys in his year started dating; going down to Hogsmeade with girls and kissing in the corridors. He always knew he was different. Alan closes his eyes, shutting away his beautiful irises. Eddy closes his eyes too and leans forwards. Their lips touch, dry but soft. Alan doesn't pull away, and in the dark shack that was abandoned so many years ago, Eddy has his first kiss. They kiss harder and suddenly Alan's pale hands are on his cheeks, which are flushed with the excitement. Eddy feels the pressure changing as they stop thinking and let their hearts lead them on. Finally they have to pull apart to breath, letting the fresh air cool their passion. Eddy stares into Alan's eyes.

"I love you." He whispers, so softly that even the dust that swirls the air doesn't stir.

"I love you too." Alan says.

They always knew they were different.