Author's Note: It's two in the morning, but I just could not stop writing this. I stumbled upon Lamia of the Dark's Musical Chair competition four hours ago, and while I intended for this to be just a short drabble, it's turned into a fully fledged one-shot. I took the prompt word "tangentially" and this whole fic came out of it. Feel free to point out any grammatical/spelling errors. I did take the time to proofread, but who knows at this time of night! Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and please let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe is J.K. Rowling's creation.
Playing Games and Nicknames
by sweatherweather21
Albus had kissed his fair share of girls, but books would always be the love of his life. Right? Maybe it just takes the right one to prove him wrong.
You cannot open a book without learning something.
- Confucius
Books had always exerted a certain pull over Albus. He didn't have a problem with people in general, it was just that books, and the knowledge contained within them, tended to be much more interesting. If he had a choice between reading about a fascinating Greek myth or listening to his cousin Dominique spew facts about the English Premier league, he would choose the Greek mythology book every time.
Despite his preference for knowledge over dull conversation, Albus still managed to be a perfectly sociable person. He could even be charming at times, but only when he put forth the effort, which wasn't often. Making friends came easily to him, and although he was close with a few of his fellow Ravenclaws, everyone seemed to like him. It was during his third year at Hogwarts when he realized how much the female population in particular liked him.
Previously, James's favorite way to taunt Albus was to call him a nerd (it stemmed from the fact that Albus had read his first chapter book before James had even bothered to glance at the title), but his older brother had stopped teasing him as much when he figured out that girls didn't seem to mind his intellectual habits.
He wasn't a complete bookworm. Albus was never afraid to poke fun at himself, and could be counted on to keep up a lively conversation, when he bothered to pull his head out of his book, of course. This, combined with his boyish good looks, meant that he could always find a date for Hogsmeade.
Girls liked the fact that Albus wasn't the typical jock. He didn't play Quidditch, but enjoyed running, and it showed in his physique. He was still a bit skinny, perhaps, but his arms and legs had definition. Unlike James, he had never needed glasses, which exposed his bright green eyes even further. He even managed to keep his hair brushed, although by the end of the day it was usually a bit messy.
Albus liked girls as well. They were nice to look at, and even nicer to kiss. He wasn't a Casanova by any means, but had yet to find a girl that could keep his interest.
It was a difficult balance, but girls typically came second to a love of books, although Albus appreciated both immensely.
His priorities didn't shift until Catalina Zabini interrupted his reading one day during Transfiguration.
Professor McGonagall had given her sixth year class a rare reprieve from lessons: a chance to catch up on their homework using class time.
Of course, Albus, being a model student, was already finished, and took the opportunity to read his book, Intermediate Healing Charms and their Applications. He had just gotten to the chapter on repairing fractures when he felt a light tap on his shoulder.
He shut his book, and turned to face Catalina Zabini.
She smiled shyly, which surprised Albus. Catalina wasn't known for being timid. She had defied her family stereotype during first year when she was Sorted into Gryffindor, and ever since then she had been fairly outspoken.
However, something about Albus Potter seemed to throw her off a bit.
She tucked a strand of straight, dark hair behind her ear before speaking. "Hi, Albus. I've been having a bit of difficulty with this human transfiguration stuff, and … well, you never seem to have any problems with anything, so I was wondering if you would be willing to help me out a bit?"
Her statement took Albus by surprise as well. He didn't know that much about her, but she didn't seem like the kind of girl who needed help with her studies. She had always seemed independent, and now that he thought about it, she had to be pretty smart just to qualify for McGonagall's NEWT-level sixth year Transfiguration class.
Nevertheless, he wasn't one to turn down a classmate in need, especially one as pretty as Catalina Zabini. It was approaching winter, but her skin still glowed a healthy olive color, and her skirt exposed a pair of long, lean legs. She pushed another piece of hair out of her face and smiled at him, waiting for his response.
"No problem," he responded with a grin of his own. "Just bring your book over here. I can help you with the second set of exercises, if that's okay?"
She nodded, and was about to turn and grab her things until McGonagall interrupted.
"Class is over for today. I trust that the time I just gave you to work has not been squandered. I expect both the first and second set of exercises with incantations due by class next Monday. You are all dismissed."
Catalina made eye contact with Albus, obviously disappointed. She began to pack up her bag until Albus spoke up.
"Hey, Catalina. If you still want help, we could meet in the library tonight. What time works for you?" Tutoring wasn't something he usually looked forward to, but there was something about Catalina that suggested that it would be worth his time.
Her face split into genuine smile. "How about seven?"
Albus couldn't help but smile in return. "Sounds great," he replied.
Twenty minutes of their study session had passed, and Albus wasn't sure he was being a very effective tutor. First of all, he was almost certain that Catalina didn't really need a tutor. She had gotten nearly all of the incantations correct, and he could've sworn she was deliberately taking her time and making small errors so he would have to explain it to her.
There was also the matter of his attention span. Albus was a true Ravenclaw, and took pride in his focus and attention to detail when completing his assignments. He was usually also on top of his game when it came to teaching the material to other people, but Catalina threw him off. He could come up with the right incantation in his sleep, but the moment he glanced at her, he found it difficult to remember what he was talking about. The only thing he could think about was how blue her eyes were and how cute she looked when she bit her lip.
The next time he corrected her, he studied her face intently. She smiled at him, seemingly in earnest, but Albus detected a hint of a smirk in her grin, and it gave her game away.
He decided to call her out on it.
"You know," he began, "I'm starting to think you're better at Transfiguration than you let on."
She widened her eyes dramatically. "You've got to be joking, Albus! I barely know what I'm doing."
"Hmmmm," Albus mused, "could you explain how you've gotten the last ten questions right then, Cat?"
Catalina blushed, but only slightly, making Albus think she always knew he would eventually see through her little plan.
"You called me Cat!" she said, changing the subject as inconspicuously as she could.
"Is that a problem?" was Albus's reply.
"No," she said slowly, "but only my friends call me Cat."
"Well, let's be friends then," Albus said smoothly.
Catalina thought this over for a moment, and then nodded. Worryingly, the smirk that Albus had noticed before had returned. "On one condition. Since you get to call me by my nickname, I get to come up with one for you."
"I already have one."
She rolled her eyes. "I've heard your brother and sister and the rest of your crazy family call you Al, if that's what you're talking about. That's not even a real nickname. You just chopped off the second syllable."
Albus thought he should be offended by the "crazy family" remark but shrugged it off. They had their moments, after all. "Fine. I highly doubt you'll be able to come up with something better."
"Just give me a moment."
Albus obliged, pulling out his book from before on healing charms while Catalina scribbled away in her notebook. Two minutes later, she sat up straight. "I've got it!"
Albus leaned in closer, curious as to what the dark-haired girl across from him had come up with.
"From now one, you will be known as…" she paused dramatically before continuing, "Bert!"
"That doesn't even make sense."
"You want to hear why?"
"Fine. I'd love to know how you went from Albus to Bert."
"All right, here goes. After the Sorting our first year, I was talking to Rose over at the Gryffindor table. She mentioned that she was kind of disappointed that you were in a different house than her until Marisol Chadwick asked who you were. Rose pointed and Marisol said, "ohh, Albert Potter! I've heard about him!" Rose laughed so hard she practically snorted mashed potatoes out of her nose. That's where Bert comes from."
"That's stupid," Albus said, but he couldn't hold back a smile.
"Whatever you say, Bert," Catalina responded with a cheeky little grin that made Albus want to put the pressure back on her.
"Okay, Cat, call me whatever you want. But as much as I love the new nickname you picked out for me, it isn't even tangentially related to what we were talking about before. I need to know, if you don't need help with your Transfiguration, why'd you still agree to meet here?"
They both knew her real intentions at this point, but she playfully maintained her innocence.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. Transfigamutation has always been my worst subject."
This actually earned a laugh from Albus. "Okay, then, Cat. I think I know of just the book that can help you with your Transfigamutation. Follow me."
Albus got up and headed toward a secluded row of tomes in the back. Catalina followed a step behind, and leaned on the shelves while Albus looked for the book.
He poked around for a few more minutes before approaching her slowly. He shrugged his shoulders as the distance between the two of them shrunk. "I couldn't find it."
"Too bad," she said, and stared at him with her dark blue eyes.
Albus didn't look away either. He smiled, and took another step closer. He put his hand on her shoulder, and leaned in further.
Catalina tilted her head ever-so-slightly, and changed her focus from Albus's eyes to his lips. He edged in even closer, until he shocked her by reaching for a thick hardcover book right next to her ear.
Her mouth dropped open as Albus smiled widely. He couldn't even resist a small chuckle. "This book covers some basic Latin. It should help you identify the parts of the incantations you were struggling so much with before."
She closed her mouth and shook her head as she realized that Albus was just teasing her. "Damn it, quit playing games with me, Albus Potter!" she exclaimed hotly, but there was an allusion of a smile dancing on the corners of her lips.
It was Albus's turn to smirk. "Hey, you started it."
"I only asked you to tutor me in the hopes that you'd at least find my Transfiguration textbook attractive. It's no secret you prefer your books to girls."
Albus said nothing, but quickly closed the distance between them, grabbing her waist with one hand and her hair with the other. Their lips met instantly, and stayed that way until they paused for air.
"I think I can make an exception for you, Cat Zabini."
Author's Note: That's it! Please leave me a review to let me know what you think :)