Slytherins are the best friends to have, Riley knows. While her Gryffindor friends were great, they weren't the ones encouraging her to demand better for herself, to encourage her to make her own decisions and stand by her no matter what, to encourage her to drop toxic people from her life but still be there to comfort her if she didn't listen and got hurt, and they definitely weren't the ones to help her avoid a clingy ex boyfriend.
Why Slytherins Make the Best Friends
In her second year, Hufflepuff Riley Matthews had gone to the Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw quidditch match, wanting to support her friends Lucas and Zay in their first game. Unfortunately, a year later, she regretted it; it was the day she met Charlie Gardner, which lead to her current situation.
He had approached her, the third year curious as to why a little girl decked out in yellow and black was sitting in the stands cheering for his house. She confessed that she was friends with the two new beaters, but didn't know all that much about the sport. He teased her about her typical Hufflepuff loyalty and spent the rest of the game explaining everything to her. Riley was smitten. They had dated until the middle of exams, when she heard him calling Smackle an autie. Sure, the Ravenclaw referred to herself in the same way, having eventually come to accept her autism, but it was clear to everyone in the vicinity that Charlie had not meant it with the same fondness that her five best friends always did. Smackle had frozen, with Zay and Farkle were trying to hold back Maya and Lucas, but no one expected Riley to punch him in the face, break his nose, and dump him, all in one breath.
She was now halfway through her third year, and was realizing why Gryffindors had such a reputation for determination and stubbornness. They had broken up more than six months ago, but he had yet to go a single day without hounding her down and trying to convince her to date him again.
It was a rainy Sunday in December when Riley realized exactly why she was so lucky to have a Slytherin best friend. Farkle had always been good to her, ever since they were kids, but it was that day, as he abandoned his homework to help Riley avoid Charlie, that she truly understood.
"Riley," she heard Charlie exclaim, as she sat in the library. She looked up and saw him walking in, tensing in anticipation for the impeding conversation. She suddenly felt a familiar hand grabbing hers, dragging her away from her table. She let Farkle weave them through the shelves, trying not to laugh as she listened to Charlie get scolded for yelling.
Without her even realizing it, Farkle had snuck them out of the library while Charlie was distracted, and was dragging her towards a staircase. They were both so focused on getting to the stairs before Charlie noticed them that they had failed to notice another unpleasant figure approaching.
"No running in-" They ducked around the corner and Riley let out a quiet giggle when she heard Farkle locking the door to the broom closet that they ducked into.
"We should probably stop sneaking around before we get caught," she whispered, listening to Filch grumble as he walked by and Charlie calling her name.
"But this is so much fun," Farkle teased.
"Unless my dad catches us," she pointed out, her giggles turning into a full laugh.
"You're right, we should probably stop," he agreed, joining in on her laughter.