Paily Week Day 5: Hogwarts! Paily. There's no Alison in this story. Enjoy, Anchors (:
"Come on, Em. We have to get a move on if we want a compartment!" Aria urges you while tugging at your hand
"Calm down, Aria; there will be plenty of seats for us, you'll see." you say calmly as you grab your trunk and wave your parents goodbye for the last time
Aria starts gushing about how cool it will all be and which house she thinks she's getting in. You laugh at her enthusiasm and drop a 'Yeah' every now and then for her to know you are paying attention. But the mood is broken ten minutes later because, as she said, there are no compartments left.
"I told you Em." She mutters angrily as you drag her around the train
"Hope dies last, Aria."
And just like a wish come true, a soft voice speaks up saving you from your constant moping around.
"You can sit here, if you want."
You both turn around so fast that you startle the girl. She's got these beautiful brown eyes and long luscious ha-
"Seriously, McCullers? We had to bribe those Slytherins for the compartment." A girl you hadn't noticed before disrupts your thoughts
"Spencer! Don't be rude, besides, it was just a chocolate frog." A blonde girl states matter-of-factly
The second girl groans and crosses her arms after muttering a 'Fine'.
'McCullers' motions you to sit down and you comply in a second.
"My name's Aria, and this Emily."
"I'm Hanna and this grumpy girl beside me is Spencer. Oh, and she's-"
"Paige. Paige McCullers." She interrupts the blonde girl as she extends your hand towards you
You grasp it softly and what feels like a bolt of energy runs through your body as you do so. She lets go a second later as if she felt it too and you can't wipe the smile from your face because she can't either.
Your hands shake as Professor McGonagall starts calling name and the Sorting Hat does its job; and you shake even more when you realize you are going to be one of the first ones. But everything is alright because as you step to the front, Paige's smiling at you so brightly the shaking stops.
The Professor places the hat in your hair and you are startled by his voice in your head.
"Emily Fields. You are loyal, like your mother, but you lack your father's bravery. You have a tiny bit of it, but to be a Gryffindor you need more of it. I think I know what you are. You are a-"
"Wait." You scream internally cutting him off "I can be brave, I know I can and I will if I become a Gryffindor. Please." You plead and he grumbles softly before screaming loudly.
"Gryffindor!"
Everyone's clapping and you guess the table that's cheering the most is the one you belong to, so you walk towards it really proud of yourself.
Turns out Aria and you got separated, but she's with Spencer in Ravenclaw and you are with both Hanna and Paige. You stay awake all night, thinking about how great this year is going to be and how, for the lack of a better word, magical this place is.
The year passes by really fast between classes, essays and pranks made by Paige and your new friends Toby and Caleb.
It's already time to leave and the thought of not seeing your friends, of not seeing Paige breaks your heart a little. But there are promises of letters and seeing each other during vacations that make you feel a little bit better.
"Will you write to me?" you ask her in a whisper as you hug her tightly
"I swear I will." She whispers back and you try to memorize this moment to relive it forever
It's already your fourth year and you still haven't defined what you feel for Paige. You know that your knees go weak when she talks to you and that when she smiles your heart beats so fast you feel it's going to explode, but still, there's no word for it. Or maybe there is but you are too scared to admit it.
You try to ignore the butterflies in your stomach as she sits next to you during breakfast and places a hand in your shoulder as she starts ranting about the Quidditch match she has today. You really try to, but that smile she's giving you makes them bigger and louder until the point you can't take anymore.
You resolve you have to tell her, to ask her if she feels the same, but when you are about to do it Toby is already by her side and tugging at her clothes telling her they are going to start warming up.
You both sigh as she stands up and before you can open your mouth, you are in her arms and she whispers what you never thought you'd here.
"I love you, Em."
She says it so truthfully and beautifully that there's no way it is in a friendly way. She leaves so fast you can't do anything but stare at her retreating form.
You think about following her but then Hanna arrives and she forces you to stay with her as she gushes about how 'cute' Caleb is.
Gryffindor wins the match against Slytherin 270 to 100 thanks to Toby's and Paige's dynamic duo, but that doesn't stop the Slytherins of playing dirty. The result of having two crazy ass beaters is both Paige and Toby in the infirmary thanks to well-aimed bludgers. And only because Mr. Fitz was there to place a force field to stop their fall, it ended in only broken bones.
You are allowed to see them some hours later only because of Spencer's frantic yelling and Mr. Fitz intervention with Ms. Pomfrey.
Both of them are in bad shape and Spence starts crying the moment she sees them. You are about to go comfort her, but then you realize you need comforting, too. You take a seat next to Paige and you take her hand carefully. She stirs and her eyes open with great effort.
"Em." She starts talking but you shush her
As you stare at her, realization hits you harder than a bludger.
You really can't pinpoint the moment you fell for her.
Maybe it was when she defended you from those Slytherins last week, or when she tutored you in Potions or maybe it was when she whispered those three letters to you this morning.
Or maybe… maybe you've loved her all along; maybe you denied it unconsciously because you were afraid of falling in love with someone you didn't really know.
But, now that you think about it, the moment isn't even that important at all; what matters is that you love her and that she loves you too.
You two become a couple soon after. And you think it's actually pretty funny because your three friends are actually in a relationship, or at least they are getting there. Spencer is with Toby, Hanna is with Caleb and, shockingly, Aria is having some sort of vibe with Mr. Fitz. You judge none of it because, if Aria is happy, you are happy.
So as Paige takes your hand while walking down the hall ignoring all the looks you two are getting, you realize you were right about this place.
It is indeed magical.
OWLs are coming and you feel like if your head is going to explode from all the information. That and you are stressed because Paige is showing no interest in passing any exam. Seemingly, the only thing she cares about is Quidditch training. And, now that you think about it, she's been really distant.
You roll your eyes as she comes in looking so disheveled from Quidditch practice. She doesn't sit down like you thought she would, instead, she takes the book from your hand and waits for your reaction.
"Paige, give me my book back." You request with anger in your voice
"You have to take it from me." She says as if it's the simplest thing in the world
You are so tired of her attitude that in a second you are on your feet chasing her all around the school. You are growing tired and you know she's tired too, but she doesn't stop running. When she finally stops, you realize you are in the Quidditch field.
She turns around and starts walking towards you with a smile on her face. Just then, you notice there's a blanket in the grass and basket over it.
"I heard this in Muggle Studies and I thought that maybe you'd like it."
"I love it."
Your sixth year is ending and you still haven't lost your fear of heights, so when Paige tells you she'll help you, you accept; it's Paige, so you know something is bound to go wrong. But you never thought it would go this wrong.
"At least you are not afraid of heights anymore." Paige tries to joke but your frown tells her it isn't working
"Come on, Em, it isn't that bad!"
"For Merlin's sake, Paige. We're lost in the Forbidden Forest with no wands and with your broom still stuck in that freaking tree. How come this isn't bad?!"
"It isn't bad because you are with me."
All your anger dies down with that sentence.
"Em, I mean it, we have to get on the train already!" Aria urges you and you lose yourself trying to remember where you heard that before
"I know, Aria, just give me a minute."
As Aria drags you through the Hogwarts Express, you think that this feeling could just be a dejavú.
"I so told you. And this isn't the first time this happens to us, Emily." Aria scolds you but everything is forgotten as you hear her voice
"The compartment is a little bit cramped, but you can seat if you want to."
"Really, McCullers? That was way too cheesy." Spencer says with a smile
"It works every time." Your girlfriend says proudly as you sit next to her
You smile widely as the train takes you towards your last year; and you smile even wider as Paige whispers by your ear.
"I'd been waiting for you. What were you doing out there?"
"Looking for you."
This is it, your last year. And you are about to make the most of it.