"Hi best friends!" Jim Chapman slid comfortably into the compartment where Tanya, Zoe, and Louise were sitting.
"Jim!" with a burst of excitement, Tanya practically tackled him, while Zoe and Louise laughed.
"Oh my gosh, Tan. You just spent two weeks together at Jim's mum's house," Zoe teased, but actually her heart burst with happiness for her two adorable hufflepuff friends. Tanya and Jim had started dating each other last year, and since then they'd become the absolute cutest couple around.
"But it feels like it's been ages," Tanya explained, her arms still wrapped around Jim. She didn't want to let him go.
"Truly," Jim confirmed, happy to see his girlfriend, and other friends as well. "How have you guys been?"
"Zoe and I hung out a lot," Louise said, with a happy smirk, "and I found out some very interesting news."
"Shut up," Zoe squealed, her cheeks heating up.
Tanya broke away from Jim and looked between the girls, "What news? You didn't tell me any news?"
Zoe buried her head in her hands, "It's nothing! Louise is crazy."
Louise grinned, "Zoe's totally got a crush on Alfie."
Tanya and Jim shared equal looks of surprise and excitement, and Zoe would've laughed if she hadn't been so embarrassed.
"He's that fourth year? Gryffindor?" Jim confirmed, while a wide smile spread on Tanya's face.
"Oh my gosh, Zoe! That is so perfect! We can go on double dates to Hogsmead and-"
"No," Zoe blurt out, "not yet. Alfie can't find out."
Louise rolled her eyes, "I'm telling you, chummy. Alfie's got the hots for you. If you just told-"
"Absolutely not," Zoe said, a determined fire in her eyes. "and now I'm going to go put my robes on, and you three are going to talk about literally anything else."
Tyler Oakley, fifth year Slytherin, had the whole compartment's rapid attention.
"And so then," he continued, holding back his rather loud laughter, "when I wake up- he's gone. And I'm like- wow, okay, sure whatever I guess I just had a one night stand, but then- and I swear to God I could not make this up- I go into my kitchen and- all of the cake- the huge ass cake- from last night is gone."
Dan, Joe, and Caspar cracked up laughing.
"Oh my God," Dan said, breathlessly. Joe threw his head back and Caspar clapped in amusement. Tyler was grinning like crazy.
"So yeah, I guess you could say my seventeenth birthday was pretty casual." Tyler finished his story.
"So he used you to get to the dessert," Joe said, shaking his head in disbelief.
"This is why I should've gone," Caspar said, "I could've eaten all the cake to prevent this sort of thing."
"Well sorry you were too busy being in South Africa or whatever," Tyler rolled his eyes with a smile.
"At least we're all here now," Dan spoke up, "to make sure no more cake-creepers try anything."
Tyler sat up straighter, "Actually, speaking of trying something, you wanna know who's super cute?"
"Zoe Sugg?" Caspar joked, and Joe slapped his arm.
"Obviously," Tyler said quickly, "But also, have you guys seen that fourth year Connor Franta?"
Joe raised an eyebrow, "Isn't he in Gryffindor as well?"
Tyler bit his lip and nodded. "Nothing is wrong with dating outside your house- except making Dan's parents hate me more."
Dan took a breath, "They don't hate you," he said, but even to him it sounded fake. Dan had a long family history of pure-blood slytherins, who didn't approve of any other house- or of homosexuality. The list went on: loud talking, dying your hair, inappropriate behavior, drinking. Basically, Tyler Oakley in a nutshell.
"It's totally fine, Dan," Tyler said, putting an arm around his friend. "I know a thing or two about crazy parents."
"Queen Jackie is not crazy," Caspar laughed, and Tyler threw his hands into the air.
"Stop calling her that! She thinks she's cool!"
The conversation drifted towards classes this year, and who they thought the Slytherin Prefects were going to be. Dan paid attention and laughed at Caspar and Joe's banter, and Tyler's silliness, but felt a strange feeling. Like something was missing. Whatever. At least they weren't talking about dating anymore- that sort of conversation always made Dan uncomfortable. But who knew- maybe this year, his fifth year, things would change.
