5 years later...
"Let's see...Charms and then double Transfiguration this morning. Not bad," I admitted and took a bite of my toast with raspberry jam. "What about you guys?"
"Same!" Mia squealed excitedly. If you looked up flirt, outgoing, or over-zealous in the dictionary, you'd find Mia Montgomery in capital letters. Like me, she wanted to become a Healer, so we would obviously have all the same NEWT classes.
"I have Care of Magical Creatures first, but then Transfiguration," Kate said happily. Kate Davies was the type of person to be found working at an animal shelter or charity fundraiser if only she actually knew what they were; her whole family was pureblood. One of favorite memories is visiting the Davies over the summer and trying to teach them about how to turn on a computer.
"Hopefully we'll have some afternoon classes with each other, too!" Mia said brightly.
"I need to have Potions with at least one of you or else I'll probably be partnered with Macafee again," Kate grumbled. Ryan Macafee was a know-it-all, arrogant Ravenclaw who spent all his time in last year's Potions telling Kate what she did wrong. I laughed at the memory of her carving into the wood table when cutting her pixie wings too hard from rage while Ryan stood over her telling her she wasn't slicing them in the correct increments.
"I heard he didn't get an A on his Potions exam so I wouldn't worry," Mia giggled; she always knew the gossip of the school. Kate breathed a sigh of relief.
I checked my watch; ten minutes to nine. "We better get going M, Flitwick's room is on the other side of the castle." She nodded and we both got up from the table.
"See you later!" I waved goodbye Kate who smiled before beginning a conversation with one of our other roommates, Nina Cole. Mia and I walked out of the Great Hall arm in arm.
I absolutely loved Hogwarts. Ever since I had gotten sorted into Gryffindor five years ago I had felt a sort of connection to the castle; it was the first place I felt like I belonged. Hogwarts was home. I sighed happily as I admired the moving portraits on the stone walls; I was finally home.
"Oi, Parker! Wait up!" I heard a voice yell behind me. There was only one person who I (barely) permitted me to call me by my surname. Rolling my eyes I turn around to see Albus Potter running to catch up with us.
Albus Potter was one of the most attractive boys in the entire school, and definitely the most attractive seventh year besides Scorpius Malfoy, but he was taken by Albus's cousin Rose. With his unruly, untidy raven-black hair and startling green, eyes, he sure was a catch. He also happened to be one of my closest friends.
"Yes?" I asked him, trying to frown, but I couldn't help smiling whenever he was around. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Mia quickly fixing her hair and licking her lips and my smile turned into a smirk. She was such a flirt.
"Guess what!" he cried when he reached up, rocking back onto his heels like a child.
"You made Qudditch Captain?"
His face broke into a dazzling, crooked smile and I felt momentarily awed, no matter how girly that sounds.
"Congrats!" Mia batted her eyelashes and twirled her hair around her perfectly manicured fingers.
"Thanks, but how'd you know?"
"Hm, well you only told me more than once in almost all of your letters since you got it," I shrugged innocently. "So it was a lucky guess."
Albus chuckled and Mia let out a girly, high-pitched giggle. I made eye contact with her and cracked up, her laugh turning into her natural cackle.
"Did I miss something here?" Albus asked with furrowed eyebrows. Oh nothing Al, only that Mia is completely flirting with you and you didn't notice. "Whatever, now what was I saying? Oh right! Well since I'm Captain, I have to run tryouts this year. Will you help me?"
"Sure," Mia bit her lip and cocked her head. Too bad you haven't ridden a broomstick since first year, M.
"Sorry Mia, erm, I was asking Lilah because she's on the team," Albus punched me lightly on the shoulder.
"I was on the team last year but who knows if I'll make it again? There could be someone better then me this year," I pointed out.
"Better then Lilah Parker? Don't make me laugh. You were our best chaser last year, one of the main contributors to winning the Qudditch Cup!" Albus exclaimed and I felt myself blush. Sure, I was good, but I wasn't as great as he made me out to be. "So you have officially made the team, well done."
He reached out a hand to shake in congrats and I took it. His hands were strong and tough and it felt rather nice around mine actually...whoa, what? I let go immediately.
"Well thanks then. And yeah, I'll help you at tryouts," I added sheepishly, knowing that I was blushing.
"You're the best, Parks!" Albus smiled and pulled me into a bear hug, lifting my feet off the ground and spinning me around. Even though I was used to this I giggled in surprise. "Yeah yeah, we've established this. Now can you put me down before I have to jinx you?"
Once both feet were firmly planted on the ground I socked him in the shoulder. "I thought I told you not to do that anymore, Al!"
"Oh please, you love it," Albus snickered. "I got to go, Clearwater will bite my head off if I'm late the first day back. See you two in the common room later!"
As soon as he was out of sight, Mia let out a high-pitched squeal.
"Do you know how LUCKY you are to have Albus bloody Potter fancy you!"
Huh?
"Al and I are good friends, we have been ever since we first met at that ice cream parlor, you know that," I shrugged, trying to conceal the butterflies in my stomach. Albus... fancy... me? It wasn't possible. I mean, I didn't think I was too ugly. I had light green eyes (not as stunning as his), light brown hair that turned gold in the sun but was unfortunately very frizzy in humidity, brown freckles that splattered across my nose, and a single dimple on my right cheek. I average weight and average height (about four inches shorter than Albus) and pretty much an average girl. Nothing special, and it would be odd for a guy as good looking as Al to go for me.
"I don't know Li, friendships usually form into something stronger over time," Mia said. "Besides, you guys flirt all the time."
Coming from Queen Flirt herself.
"How?"
"Well, let's see. He has a nickname for you, you write each other almost everyday during the summer, he asked YOU to help out with Qudditch and not even his own cousins-"
"That would look nepotistic if he did," I pointed out.
"Whatever! He finds excuses for touching you, like twirling you around in the middle of the hallway or holding your hand, you blush and smile whenever you're around him, and oh yeah, you do whatever he asks," Mia smiled triumphantly and I rolled my eyes.
"Okay, fine, maybe that was all true, but he doesn't fancy me, I mean-" I was cut off by the sound of a chiming bell in the distance. Merlin, we left early and we were still late! Mia and I took off (well I took off, Mia walked as fast as she could because she refuses to run in public) hoping that we wouldn't get a detention.
"Please sit down Ms. Parker and Ms. Montgomery. Because it's the first day back I won't punish you, but let this be a warning to you all," Flitwick scolded from the front of the room as we ran into his class breathless. We muttered our 'Sorry Professor's and took our seats.
"Welcome to NEWT Charms everyone! Congratulations for making it this far! But we still have two years to go and several spells to learn." Flitwick waddled over to his desk and picked up a silver goblet.
"Today we will start practicing the Aguamenti charm, which produces water," Flitwick performed the spell and the goblet immediately filled with clear liquid. "Turn to page 12 in your books and begin!" He clapped and suddenly an identical silver goblet appeared on each desk. The class got to work right away.
"He fancies you and you know it," Mia whisper-gushed. "That is so fetch!"
I snorted but instantly put on a straight face when the other students looked up. When they went back to their business, I whispered back, "What in Godric's name is fetch?"
"It's like slang in America, I heard it in a muggle-movie my cousin showed me," she announced proudly as if she discovered the newest trend. I would of made a snide remark but I caught Flitwick's eye who gave me the Don't-You-Dare look, so instead I sighed and worked quietly for the rest of class.
The rest of the day passed by in a blur, and by the time we were in the common room doing our homework after dinner I could hardly remember what happened in any of my classes. The whole day I was preoccupied with what Mia had said; did Albus really fancy me? We had been friends for years; he was like my brother...my attractive older brother that is. But whatever! We were so close, in fact, that we went to each other whenever we needed advice on the opposite sex, no matter how embarrassing. He always did seem to get a little mad whenever I asked him for advice on a boy, but I always figured he was being over-protective. Come to think of it, his advice was always lousy too, take my third year for example...
"Hey Al, I have a question?"
"What's up, Parks?"
"Well...I kind of like this boy named Mark and-"
"Don't, boys have cooties."
"Don't be ridiculous! Besides, you're a boy."
"Fine, third-year boys have cooties! And don't talk to this Mark kid either!"
Yeah, I haven't really asked for any serious advice since then.
Was it possible that all the times he's hugged me, teased me, talked to me, and joked with me wasn't because of our friendship, it was because he kind of liked me? Oh Merlin, my head is spinning.
"Hey Li, what did you get for questions 1-10 on the Ancient Runes homework?" Mia asked, widening her eyes to make her appear innocent.
"I thought there were only 10 questions on your homework," Katie raised an eyebrow.
"Exactly!" Mia winked. We all laughed, me especially, because I was happy to have a distraction from my Albus Problem.
"If I help you M, you're never going to learn how to read the ingredients on those old healing potions. What if you poison a patient by accident?" I shrugged.
"Ugh fine. I do it the hard way," she groaned and reached into her bag for her textbook; by hard way she meant the normal way.
I let my mind wander as I admired the common room; it was one of my favorite places in the world. The bright walls and huge fireplaces always made me feel warm and the squishy armchairs were amazingly comfortable. If I had to I could probably sleep here every night. Students were scattered everywhere, enjoying being back; first years exchanging stories by the fireplace, second years chuckling at the first years, third years discussing Hogsmede while playing Exploding Snap on the floor, fourth and fifth years studying like mad, and sixth and seventh years cuddling up to their significant other. In fact, there seemed to be a couple in the back happily snogging each other's brains out. The girl kept messing up the boy's already messed up silky black hair... oh Merlin.
Well it seems like my Albus Problem has been solved.
"Hey Mia, check out the snoggers in the corner and tell me if things are still 'fetch'" I smirked, although I did feel kind of hurt.
Both Mia and Kate turned around. "Gross, it looks like he's eating her face," Kate scrunched her nose.
"Just because he fancies you doesn't mean he can't fancy other girls as well!" Mia cried defensively.
"By the looks of it, he doesn't just fancy her," I shrugged. Why, why, why did I feel so bad right now? I had seen Albus make out with millions of girls before! Of course I had never really liked seeing it, but now it was just painful.
"Merlin, it looks like they're on their Honeymoon or something," Mia rolled her aqua-blue eyes.
"Oi, get a room you two!" I yelled to them, surprising myself. Albus broke off looking angry, but when he saw it was me who yelled he smiled as if he were pleased, adding to my astonishment. The girl on the other hand gave me the death glare, much to Kate's amusement.
"Come on Lenelle, let's go somewhere more private," Albus said, staring directly at me. I narrowed my eyes; it was as if he were trying to rub this in my face! He grabbed her hand and led her out of the Common Room. I back slumped in my seat.
"What a man-whore," I muttered. I glanced up to see Mia and Kate exchanging a meaningful look. "What?"
"Nothing," Mia said quickly and bent over her homework, following Kate's lead. I sighed and pulled my homework back into my lap, dejected.
Things just got a lot more complicated.
PLEASE REVIEW! Thank you to everyone who already did, you guys put a smile on my face!
If I'm slow on updating it's because I'm working on another story, but that will come to a close in two chapters so then I can devote my time into this one! :D
Question: What is your favorite Harry Potter pairing? I like Remus/Tonks, Teddy/Victorie, James/Lily, and Scorpius/Rose.