Chapter 7
Keepers and Seekers and Everything in Between

The first girl Jay ever fancied knocked him unconscious just fifteen minutes after having met. It was the third Friday of Jay's fourth year at Hogwarts, and the Quidditch tryouts had half of the school eagerly waiting to be able to tryout for their house team, and the other half practically buzzing with excitement, ready for the cup to start so they could watch the games and cheer for their teams. All around, everyone was thrilled. That day, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw had booked half of the Quidditch pitch each for their tryouts, so there were a fair amount of students from both houses in the field and bleachers.

Jay's hands, cold and sweaty, would not let go of his broom and he gripped it as if he were about to fall, even though his feet were firmly grounded. And he was not even trying out for the team.

"Jay, I'm gonna need you to fly with this next girl, she's the first one trying out for Beater," came Seneca's voice from somewhere on his left, making him snap to attention.

"Huh?" He shook his head and concentrated on what his captain was telling him.

"Just work with her, help her with the Bludgers," she implored him, sounding tired.

Lars McKinnon, former Beater for the Gryffindor team, had just graduated, and the spot was currently being fought over. Jay was afraid the Quidditch tryouts would be so successful he would be kicked out of the team to make room for better players. Hence, his nerves. But if Gryffindor's captain trusted him enough to have him test other students, then, he thought, his spot in the team wasn't in jeopardy after all. Not for now, at least.

He nodded at Seneca and took off in his broom swiftly, going to meet with Allaway, Victoria in the middle of the Quidditch pitch to give her a bat and some instructions, perhaps more nervous about it all than the girl herself. When he met her in mid-air, he nearly fell off his broom. Her eyes were greener than the grass they were flying over, and her hair, dark and curly and all over the place, looked like something out of a Renaissance painting. Or at least Jay guessed so, he couldn't really recall any Renaissance paintings with girls with such beautiful hair. He couldn't recall any Renaissance paintings for that matter. He shook his head and tried to concentrate on the girl and stop thinking about stupid paintings.

"He- hey. I'm Jay, I'll, er, help you with the Bludgers today," he stammered, trying to sound casual and suave.

"Awesome," she said in a deep, smooth voice as she took the bat from Jay's hand. "Don't be gentle with me," and she was off, ready to play.

Seneca blew her whistle and the Bludger was released. She took off from the ground and flew around the two Beaters, analyzing Victoria's moves closely. The Bludger came for Jay first, but he hit it with the bat easily and redirected it towards Victoria, who, he just realized, was chewing gum. She flew straight to the Bludger to gain momentum, one hand holding tightly to her broom and the other one ready to swing her bat. She hit the ball back at Jay and flew away in a move that all the Beaters knew too well, which allowed them to see where the Bludger ended up and when it flew back again at them or other players. But, strange enough, every time the Bludger flew her way, she plunged forward and met it halfway, as opposed to diving to the side to get a better angle, or simply waiting for it. Seneca took some notes and nodded several times.

Fifteen minutes into Victoria's tryout, Seneca released the second Bludger. Jay and Victoria passed them between each other and prevented Seneca from being hit. Jay was going after a Bludger that was flying straight at the captain when he heard Victoria shout a warning at him. He dived forward and managed to hit the Bludger that was going straight for Seneca just as he felt it. Victoria had accidentally thrown the Bludger at him and it hit him square in the nape, knocking him unconscious.

"… dumb kid tryna get killed," someone was murmuring.

"It was all my fault, I'm so so sorry," came a second voice.

"Could you just let him breathe for a second?" That was Carlos' voice, that one he couldn't mistake.

Jay tried to incorporate himself, but a hand on his chest forced him to lay back down. He was laying on the bleachers with his head supported by a couple of rolled up scarves, his friends surrounding him. On the background, he could hear other kids cheering and whistling, so the tryouts weren't over yet, he hadn't been out for long.

"I'm alright, I'm alright," he said, getting up and batting Carlos' hand away, who was trying to get him to lay down again.

"Jay, how do you feel?" Evie was sitting by his feet and practically laid on top of him as she tried to get a better look at his face.

"Fine, jeez," he accepted the water bottle that Carlos offered him and sat down properly, looking around. "Did your Bludger hit me?" He asked Victoria, frowning up at her from the pain he felt at the back of his neck.

"Yes, and I'm so sorry," she admitted in her deep voice. Jay could get used to hearing it.

"It's alright," he said, rubbing at his neck.

"That's what you get for trying to show off," Mal said, crossing her arms and scowling at him.

"That's enough," Carlos intervened just before Jay could snap back at Mal. "He's alright, thank you," he told Victoria, who nodded and walked away, glancing back with an apprehensive look on her face.

Carlos insisted everyone got back to what they were doing while he took care of Jay. There were still kids flying around in the field, so nobody complained too much before going back to keep watching the exciting tryouts, although the kids trying out for Gryffindor Beater would have to do it without Jay's assistance.

"That Victoria girl really is something else," Carlos said softly as he sat next to Jay on the bleachers once they were alone.

"She's awesome, isn't she?"

"If I were half as good as her, I'm sure I'd get in," Carlos joked, looking down at his hands.

"I'm sure she'll get in— wait. You wanna be part of Hufflepuff's team?" Jay asked, eyes wide.

"No, no, I meant to say she's so good she'll surely get in. She'd get in even if she was half as good," he explained, but Jay wasn't in the same page as him.

"Why don't you try out?" He asked excitedly.

"Didn't you hear what I just-"

"You should definitely do it!" Jay exclaimed, speaking over Carlos.

Carlos just shook his head with a slight smile on his lips and looked back at the field where two boys were throwing the Quaffle around, Seneca flying with them as well, her notepad forgotten as she played too, passing the Quaffle, laughing, shouting instructions and correcting their moves.

"I don't think they'd take me," he admitted after a while.

Jay laughed and punched Carlos in the arm slightly.

"I knew you wanted in! But hey, you've been practicing loads. Hell, you've been practicing with me," he added proudly.

Again, Carlos just laughed and looked away. That was something Carlos did a lot, Jay noticed, when it came to talking about himself. Jay didn't want to make Carlos uncomfortable, so he kept quiet and watched the rest of the tryouts. Mal and Evie were cheering for Ravenclaw's Keeper, who blocked nearly every single shot that was thrown his way by other Ravenclaw kids. Jay couldn't help thinking about Victoria, which made him smile like a fool. He was the first one to vote for her when Seneca asked him and his teammates who should be Gryffindor's new Beater.

-o-

Dinnertime came around and the four friends set off to the Great Hall, ready for the weekend to begin so they could lay on the cool grass next to the lake and do absolutely nothing, like they used to do. They all sat on their usual spot in the Slytherin table and watched as Jay ate sausage after sausage, betting on how many he'd be able to eat. Evie was the winner, who claimed he wouldn't get past sausage number twelve.

They were almost done with their food when a group of five Slytherin kids sat next to them, talking and joking loudly. Carlos fidgeted on his seat, the scene reminding him a bit too much of the bullies that roamed his school and picked on kids like him. Well, mainly just on him.

"Evie, isn't that your little boyfriend?" Mal asked, grinning from behind a cup of tea. Give it to Mal to look menacing while drinking green tea with milk and honey.

"Stop it!" Evie cried softly, clearly flustered and looking down at her hands.

"What boyfriend?" Jay and Carlos asked at the same time, earning another grin from Mal.

"Charming, Slytherin's Keeper."

"The cute one," Evie added despite herself, smiling dreamily at her knees, too afraid to look his way.

Carlos looked over and recognized him immediately, "the cute one". Chad Charming was mostly known for being part of one of England's richest, most controversial families, Mal explained. His mother was working for his father's family as a servant when they fell madly in love, and although she had always been nice and kind to the media, she was often portrayed as a gold digger. But reality was that she was as regal as a queen. She was a queen with neither crown nor kingdom.

"Mr. Charming's family are all wizards, only Chad's mum's a Muggle," Mal kept telling them as they all eyed Chad Charming discretely. "But they don't like having anything to do with the wizarding community, they live like Muggles in London."

Carlos nodded and tried not to look at him anymore. He had seen him before, always chatting with giggling girls or his Quidditch team, being noisy as they walked through the castle halls as if the school were theirs. He could admit that he was a good looking bloke, he wouldn't go as far as calling him "cute" like Evie did, but he could understand why some girls were so infatuated with him. The only reference he really had of the guy was Lonnie. She had some classes with him and it seemed that she knew him from even before they started studying at Hogwarts, something about their parents being friends from school or something. She would sometimes talk about him, and he really didn't like what she told him.

"How do you know so much about him?" Carlos asked.

"Spend a day with Evie and you'll get it," Mal said with a shrug.

"You like that idiot?" Jay grimaced and Mal chuckled at his reaction. It was a known fact that Gryffindors and Slytherins didn't get along, aside from a few exceptions, like themselves for instance, but Mal was sure that Jay's disapproval of the Charming lad had nothing to do with house rivalries and everything to do with that time he shoved him during Jay's first Quidditch game. He fell off his broom, causing him a contusion. He had to stay in the nursery for almost a week after that. That had been almost two years ago, but he was still bitter about it.

Evie rolled her eyes, letting the discussion die there. She wasn't going to start a fight with Jay, she knew he didn't like Chad, it was more than obvious, and even if she could have said something back, she decided it was better not to.

-o-

The tryouts for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team were a week after Gryffindor's, on a chill morning with gray clouds that covered the sun, the grass wet with early mist. Carlos nervously fidgeted with the hem of his uniform and squinted up at the cloudy sky with pursed lips. That couldn't be a good sign.

As he awkwardly stood between at least a dozen other (bigger) Hufflepuff students waiting to showcase their talents, Carlos tried his best not to faint. He didn't know how he had let Jay talk him into trying out. He felt far from ready to do something like that.

But, with a combination of pleas and quite a bit of motivation and encouragement, Jay had managed to convince him to tryout for the team. He reckoned that he would be a wonderful Seeker; he was small and rather fast. He had spent the last summer doing basically nothing but playing around with Jay on his broom after all.

There were more Hufflepuff kids trying out than there were Slytherins, who, after several complains, grudgingly agreed to share the field with Hufflepuff that day. A lot of younger kids from second, third and fourth grade were doing the tryouts, but there were not many fifth, sixth and seventh graders since they were more worried about studying for their OWL's and NEWT's than the inter-house Quidditch cup. That was not the case with Slytherin students.

Carlos looked around and realized there were other kids trying out for Hufflepuff Seeker as well. There were only three more, but that was enough to make him really regret being there.

"Hey, don't worry. You'll do great," Lonnie's voice startled him, she must have seen in his face just how worried he was. She put a hand on his shoulder to show support and beamed at him, warm and energetic as always. "You already have one vote," she winked at him, making him smile despite the knot in his stomach.

Lonnie was wearing her Quidditch gear too, her long dark hair held back in a ponytail and her goggles hanging from her neck. Carlos wasn't surprised when she told him last year that she was part of Hufflepuff's Quidditch team, and he knew that she played with professor Li almost every Summer when they went back to their house for the holidays, so she was an outstanding Chaser.

"Thank you, Lonnie," he told her just as she was called by the captain of the team, Dridan Findlay, a boy from sixth grade that looked as if he were in his twenties, with a hard Scottish accent that was more often than not impossible to understand. Carlos was extremely intimidated by him even when Lonnie assured him that he was nothing but a big puppy.

He watched her leave and start a conversation with Dridan. She looked really happy talking to him, all giggles and slight shoves, and Carlos wondered if she had a crush on Dridan. That wouldn't surprise him, he had noticed that most of his friends were suddenly developing crushes or falling for other kids, except Mal, of course. That girl wasn't one to daydream about boys like Evie or Lonnie, apparently, but everyone else was, which made him feel weird somehow.

He was lost in his thoughts when he heard someone calling his name. He looked around and spotted Mal and Jay making their way to where he was, wrapped in their winter robes and scarves. He met them halfway, the borrowed Quidditch gear making it a bit difficult to walk, he had yet to get used to it, and he was worried that it may get in the way while he tried to catch the Snitch out in the field.

"You nervous?" Mal asked once they were within earshot.

"A little, yeah," he sighed, looking towards the field. "I really don't know if I should do this."

"What is with you and this negativity, Carlos?" Jay punched his arm playfully, perhaps a bit more excited about Carlos' tryout than him. Carlos rubbed his arm, giving him a sheepish smile.

"Yeah, well... there are plenty of other kids that are more qualified than I am. Besides, I don't think Dridan would take Ennis out of the team," Hufflepuff's actual Seeker, Ennis Lewis, was actually really good, he had caught the Snitch two times in three matches, but they had lost one of those games anyway. That year would be his last one on the team, but some younger kids still hoped they could wow the captain and take over his spot.

"Please, that guy just caught the Snitch out of luck last time our teams played against each other!"

"But he did! And in the match before that one, he's good!" Carlos refuted his friend.

"And so are you!" Both boys turned their heads, surprised to hear Mal's voice. She wasn't one to get excited over Quidditch, not when it wasn't about her own house beating Jay's, so even to hear her giving a comment about the game or how Carlos played... it was unusual. "I've seen you practice Carlos, you're good, you're fast, isn't that what being a Seeker is all about?

"Well… yeah," Carlos said reluctantly.

"Case closed, then," Mal declared. "Plus, they don't have to kick Ennis to let you in. You can be like, his understudy or whatever those are called in Quidditch."

"Alternate," Jay said with a sigh, shaking his head.

"Whatever. Now go out there and kick their arses, Carlos," Mal pointed at the field with a peculiar smile on her face. She almost looked proud.

Jay laughed hard at this, but his laughter turned into cheers as Carlos walked back to the middle of the field, ready, at least, to get that over with. He thanked Merlin and Einstein that neither of his friends could see his face now, the freckles on his cheeks practically disappearing as he blushed, overwhelmed by the attention. He glanced back at them one more time before Dridan finally called the first name for the tryouts, Penelope Fenn, who let out a yelp and took off in her broom. He caught a glimpse of blue right next to Mal, and he waved at Evie once he recognized her. It was a no brainer why she had arrived so late; the tryouts for Slytherin's team were right on the other side of the field. He was glad that she hadn't ditched him to go see Chad Charming.

-o-

Carlos didn't get into Hufflepuff's team. That came as a surprise to Jay, who honestly believed that the mere fact that the four of them were wishing for Carlos to get in would exponentially increase his chances of succeeding. He was gullible that way.

However, Jay realized that not getting in might have been what was best for Carlos. He was an extremely fidgety and nervous kid, and perhaps Quidditch would have only worsened that, he had to build some character first. And that was why he loved being around Carlos, he liked being able to help him and watch him grow. Plus, not having him as a rival when he played against Hufflepuff meant he could completely destroy his team and not feel so guilty about it.

Victoria was on Gryffindor's team now, which also helped him boost his mood during practice and ultimately made him play better. He was having an awesome year all in all.

When a colder weather rolled around and the leaves began to fall off the trees, Jay realized he had a massive crush on Victoria Allaway. She was everything Jay could think about, everything he wanted to think about –besides Quidditch, but that was permanently on his mind anyway. He got all giddy and nervous whenever she walked into the common room, where he had been spending most of his afternoons since the school year began, hoping to see her. She was a very active girl, and whenever she walked into the common room, it was only to go straight into her room to change out of her muddy clothes and into fresh clothes which she again got mud all over. She just couldn't stay inside the castle, and Jay loved that.

Wednesdays after Transfiguration, Jay had lunch with Evie and Carlos in the Great Hall (Mal had double potions on Wednesdays, and didn't eat until they were all in their next class already). He was absentmindedly eating a turkey sandwich when Evie snapped her fingers in his face.

"Jay, enough with the daydreams already," she demanded. "Carlos just asked you a question."

Jay got himself out of his Victoria-trance and focused on Carlos, who looked apologetically at him.

"It wasn't such an important question, I'm sorry," he said.

"No, no, I'm sorry kid-o, what is it?"

"Well, I just wanted to know if any of you still had your Divination notes from last year. I feel like everybody in class hates me for being one year younger than them, I don't think anyone would lend me their notes," he explained quickly, but Jay stopped listening after the third word. Victoria had just entered the Great Hall with her best friend.

"Yeah, I'll think about it," he said absentmindedly as he stood up, took his food and bag, and flew through the room to sit with his roommates in Gryffindor's table just before Victoria and her friend sat by them.

"Tom," Jay whispered urgently at his friend before he was even properly seated.

"Thomas," he corrected him through gritted teeth.

"Thomas, if you like me even a little, pretend I just said the most hilarious thing."

"What?" Thomas asked, his brow furrowed. "Mate, what are you-"

"Allright, now, laugh now!" Jay insisted and, shrugging, both Thomas and Rick bursted out laughing.

Victoria glanced briefly at them and Jay felt stupid butterflies on his stomach. She went immediately back to the conversation with her friend though, but that didn't stop Jay from celebrating his tiny victory with a huge grin.

"For Merlin's sake, did we just fake laugh to make Victoria look at you?" Thomas asked, letting his fork fall loudly to his plate, an indignant expression on his face.

Jay kept smiling at him and took a huge bite out of his sandwich.

He soon learned that Victoria liked Herbology almost as much as he liked Quidditch, and spent most of her days helping Professor Longbottom take care of the plants and flowers that grew in the greenhouse, that's why she was always so muddy, which Jay couldn't complain about, he liked that look on her. He'd like any look on her.

Of course, Jay used that piece of information in his favor. He hated his Herbology class, even more so since he stopped taking them with Mal and had nobody to bother to keep himself entertained, but he made an effort and paid attention to the professor until he found a legitimate doubt in his lesson, which he then asked in private when nobody was in the greenhouse except for Professor Longbottom. And Victoria.

"Professor, there is something nagging at my mind since last class that I didn't have the chance to ask you," he said in his best student voice.

"Yes, Almasi, what is it?" Professor Longbottom asked from behind the leaves of a Flitterbloom.

"Well, you said that the witch's ganglion is used in the Potion of All Potential, but you never said what it does by itself. This has been bothering me, you see, my father has a vast plant collection at home, and I've never heard of this plant before," he risked a glance at Victoria, who was looking at him as well, a small pot with a moving plant precariously held in her hands.

"That's right, it's used in that potion. But, the interesting thing is, no one has discovered what the plant can do by itself yet, its magical properties are, up to this date, unknown. Apparently, it does nothing," Professor Longbottom had set his tools down and was walking toward him, clearly excited one of his students had gone as far as asking him something –anything– outside of class.

"The thing is," he went on, raising his index finger at the glass ceiling. "When combined with the niffler's fancy, which isn't covered in class until your fifth year, Merlin knows why, the witch's ganglion releases this juice, this- this strong smelling juice, that completely overpowers the rest of the smells in the potion, by the way, and it is that juice that works as a catalyst with the rest of the ingredients. It's fascinating, Almasi, fascinating."

Jay stared at him, his notebook in his hands, and simply nodded, pretending to ponder on what Professor Longbottom was telling him.

"Alright. Alright, well… that was it, Professor, that was my doubt."

"I actually have a book on the matter, I can bring it from my office and lend it to you next time you stop by," he added excitedly, putting his hands on his pockets, but he immediately regretted it when he realized he had mud all over his fingers.

"That would be great Professor, I'll come back soon to fetch it," Jay said, glancing at Victoria again. She was smirking down at the small plant she was cleaning with a Q-tip.

"Do come back, Almasi," Professor Longbottom said as he tried to rub the mud out of his pants.

And Jay did go back, four times actually, always making sure that Victoria would be there as well.

-o-

It was the middle of the school year when Carlos started to get a bit annoyed by this whole deal of the heart. He, being twelve, couldn't for the life of him understand what all the fuss was about when it came to crushes and relationships, he had never really worried about all that and he couldn't even imagine himself being as infatuated with anyone as Jay was with Victoria. Sure, she was a pretty girl with long eyelashes and nice legs that made every boy in the room turn their heads as she walked in, but he just couldn't find himself turning his head along with them.

And even though it was not the same reaction Evie inspired, it was similar, Carlos noticed. Both Victoria and Evie had a similar drawing effect, although it worked in completely different ways.

Evie had this charm, this natural air of royalty that simply captivated everyone she spoke to. Heads would turn when she smiled or laughed or simply flicked her hair off her shoulder. Victoria, on the other hand, had a different kind of magic and beauty, one that attracted everyone's eyes just by walking into a room, as if her presence were as tall as the ceiling. Like a supernova. She was funny, and loud, and even if she wasn't as tall or as regal as Evie, she made herself noticed even in the most crowded hall of the school.

Carlos liked Victoria, there wasn't a reason why he shouldn't, except maybe that every time she showed up, Jay would turn his head to look at her and ignore him completely. If they were supposed to be working on their homework together, Jay would change their plans to walk her to the Gryffindor tower; if he ran into her in the library, he would talk and joke with her until they were kicked out by the librarian, even if he had been there with Carlos and the girls. If Victoria so much as walked into the same room as Jay, he would try his hardest to catch her attention and sweet-talk her, telling her how good she was at Quidditch.

So yeah, Carlos liked Victoria, but only when Jay wasn't around. He thought that maybe he could cope with that whole situation if it weren't for Evie, who was in a very similar position as Jay's, although in her mind, Victoria's cool smile was replaced by Charming's conceited one.

Carlos wondered if it was an age thing, and hoped he wouldn't be like that come his fourteenth birthday.

"Where are Evie and Jay?" Asked Mal as a form of greeting, sitting in front of Carlos on the Hufflepuff table where he had been reading. A couple of fourth years eyed her apprehensively and scooted a couple of feet away from her.

"Where do you think they are?" He replied, sounding as irked as he felt. Mal rolled her eyes and pulled her books out of her bag, sharing the sentiment. Carlos glanced at the Gryffindor table where Victoria sat among a group of other students –mainly boys– doing some schoolwork. Jay was sitting right next to her.

"He's worse than gum," Mal said, noticing how Carlos' eyes would fix on Jay every couple of seconds.

Yes, he is. Carlos wasn't about to deny it. Everywhere and every time she showed up, Jay ditched them and flew to her side in the blink of an eye.

"I wonder how he'll react…" Mal crooned, a smirk on her face. It was the kind of smile that hid a secret. Carlos was about to ask what she meant when someone suddenly appeared next to Mal.

"Hey, Mal," came Anthony Tremaine's dragging voice. "Do you happen to have your Herbology notes with you?" He nodded at Carlos as if he had just acknowledged his existence, his signature half-smile half-sneer on his face. Mal just shrugged.

If Hogwarts had some sort of chart of the most popular kids in school, Carlos was sure that Chad and Anthony would be competing for the first place. Everybody in school knew about the rivalry between the Charming and the Tremaine families since Chad had been more than happy to spread his sad, sad family story to every girl who was willing to listen.

He told the story of how his mother, former maid of his father's mansion, had it rough when she was a kid: first her dead mother, then her dead father, and then her stepmother, who exploited and treated her as a servant. Chad's father literally saved her when they fell in love and got married. It came as a shock to her stepmother, Lady Tremaine, when she heard that her servant daughter had run of with the man she had always wanted her own daughters to marry. And it was even worse when she realized that he was a wizard, just like her and her daughters. So, full of jealousy, she married one of her daughters to a successful wizard whose career as a St. Mungo's Healer impressed everybody.

So, Chad and Anthony were practically cousins, yet they didn't get along that well. Or, at all. Carlos could only imagine how that situation must be like in their common room.

Carlos knew the story almost by heart now, but of course that wouldn't be the case if it weren't for Evie, who constantly defended Chad's actions toward Anthony Tremaine by telling the tragic story herself. Maybe that was just the reason Carlos liked Anthony more than he did Chad, Anthony didn't go around sharing his background story with anyone. Not that he should, his own grandmother was actually the villain of the tale. In any case, Anthony didn't go around making pretty girls do his homework in exchange for a second of his oh-so-precious time and a half-hearted smile.

In fact, Anthony Tremaine was just interested in one pretty girl.

It was clear that Mal knew very well what Anthony's intentions were, but she always said she didn't know why he was so stubborn on going out with her when there were so many other girls he could go after. Girls that actually fancied him to begin with. Evie had her own theory, as she once told Carlos, 'He likes complicated girls. From all the girls in school, even if some of them like him already, he happens to like the only one who won't even look his way. She's always ignored him.'

And yet, there he was, Anthony Tremaine, with all his might, trying to talk to Mal once more.

"They're in my room, do you need them now?" Mal replied.

"Kind of," he pursed his lips. "But don't worry, I'll ask someone else." Anthony waved his hand, winking at her before walking away, ignoring Carlos completely this time. Mal looked at him as he left, expressionless. Carlos wondered if she really didn't fancy him, not even a little.

His thoughts were interrupted by the loud thud noise of heavy books hitting the table as Evie sat next to him, causing Carlos to suppress a yelp.

"Hey, guys" Evie chirped with her usual smile, panting a little from carrying so much weight. "Was that Anthony? Did you turn him down again, Mal?" She grinned at Mal but only received an arched eyebrow back.

"Are those even your books, E?" Mal retorted.

"Ha, funny," but her smirk didn't disappear. Carlos watched their interaction, maybe a little unsure of how to approach the subject. Were they fighting, were they just joking around? He was afraid he would never know the answer to that. He might be a genius (Jay's words, not his) when it came to science and technology, but when put in any social situation and asked to follow the rules of society, he was lost. He sure was far from genius in that subject.

"Where's Jay?" Evie quickly asked to move the conversation to safer topics.

"Where do you think?" Mal gestured with her head at the table behind her. Evie sighed, resting her elbows on the table and shaking her head.

"He's got it bad, hasn't he?"

Carlos' eyes went down to his own book to continue with his homework, he was already tired of that conversation.

"Well, it depends on what you mean by 'got it bad." Mal leaned on the table, looking at her friend with a sardonic smirk. "Jay's got it bad for Vic, fact, but has he got it bad enough to do her homework for her, like someone else I know?"

Evie froze on her spot, wide eyes fixed on her friend. "Please, Mal, don't compare what I'm doing with Jay's case," she scoffed, trying not to appear taken aback by her comment.

"Because doing Charming's homework is so much different than Jay's pining, right?"

"You're doing what?" Carlos finally raised his head from his books to look at Evie.

"Alright, I'm helping him, so what? He's really busy with Quidditch and he asked me to help him. Me. He doesn't do that with anyone! He's quite a hard worker," Evie tried to defend herself, seemingly happy to be the one who Chad had chosen to trick. Mal rolled her eyes and huffed.

"But he can't do that," Carlos insisted.

"He's using you."

"He is not! He's a gentleman and kind and-"

"Charming?" Carlos suggested sarcastically, which earned him a chuckle from Mal.

"Yes!" She cried, throwing Mal a pleading look. "He wouldn't do that, not to me. He said I'm a very smart girl, and very pretty too. I think he likes me," she added shyly, looking down at her hands with a sheepish smile on her lips.

"The guy's a jerk!"

"I couldn't agree more with Carlos. Charming's is a jerk and he's known for tricking girls into doing his homework!"

"How would you know that, M? You don't even talk to him, you don't know him."

"I don't have to, I have eyes," she shrugged and crossed her arms over her chest, sure of her words. "Besides, I do know him from all you tell us about him. You wouldn't be able to stop talking about him even if there was an Ukrainian Ironbelly dragon loose in the castle."

"You're exaggerating," Evie turned to Carlos beside her in search of some support. "I don't talk that much about him, do I?"

"Well, you do, actually. It's getting tiresome," Carlos pursed his lips "… just like Jay's crush."

"Oh, Merlin. Is it that bad?"

"Sorry to break it to you princess, but yeah, you've got it just as bad as Jay"

-o-

Carlos sighed and a small cloud formed in front of his face. He was waiting in the benches of the Quidditch field, book on his lap, watching the Gryffindor practice as he waited for Jay to finish and help him with some Arithmancy homework he had been putting off.

He watched in awe as Gryffindor's Seeker caught the Snitch for the second time in today's practice and released it to go after it a third time.

It was somewhat funny how Jay had been actually astonished by the fact that Carlos didn't get into Hufflepuff's Quidditch team. He was clearly affected by that more than Carlos himself, even when he kept assuring him that it was nothing. He was fine, really. Making the team would have been nice, Carlos wouldn't lie, but maybe it hadn't been the right moment when he came to think of it, he was struggling to manage his busy schedule with the advanced classes, finding time to rest for a while so he wouldn't pass out in the middle of the Great Hall, and still have time for a social life. He wouldn't have the time to practice anyhow.

He couldn't help letting out a yawn, eyes still trying to keep up with what was happening on the field. Jay's figure was always near Victoria's, both of them smiling and laughing as they passed the Quaffle to each other, as flirting was part of the practice.

Carlos was sleepily thinking about his History of Magic homework when a group of giggling girls a couple of the benches in front of him caught his attention.

"... she really asked you out? Oh Merlin! What did you do?" They had their heads close together in secrecy.

"Well, I was flattered, even if I'm not into girls."

"Gigi, If Victoria ever asked me out on a date I would probably die right there and then."

"You have a boyfriend, Clara!"

"True, but have you seen her?"

The girls chuckled at the last comment, turning their heads at the field again, where the Gryffindor team was now on the ground having one final team huddle. It occurred to Carlos that some of the girls weren't there to please their eyes with the male players only, as he had first thought. Female players were also attractive.

"I heard that a guy in fifth grade asked her out," the girl named Gigi said.

"Let me guess, she said no."

"Pfft, of course she said no, she's gay, that's not even a secret. Boys are just too oblivious or stupid to notice it," Clara added.

Gay. He wasn't new to the concept, he was reminded of the models that his mother hired to promote her clothing, the young men with stylish long legs and tiny waists that looked too fragile to touch; Carlos remembered the conversations he overheard between them when he wasn't paying attention to his books, talking about nothing but boys. Carlos hadn't give it much thought at the time, he'd thought it was normal. However, he never considered that girls could also be gay, that much was new to him. But if Victoria was gay, then, well, that would explain a few things.

He'd noticed that Victoria never accepted going out with any of the boys who asked her, and that she seemed much more touchy-feely with other girls than with boys. Carlos looked at her body language as Jay tried to lure her into his charms –he had seen every phase of Jay's flirting technique in the last few weeks–, but she was completely unaffected by it. Jay was subtly but unmistakably flexing his arms as he talked to her, but she simply took a sip of her water bottle, eyes closed, not even noticing the show Jay was putting up for her. That must be why she talked to Jay with an easiness uncommon in other girls who were crushing over Jay; she wasn't attracted to him. Victoria was into girls. How was realizing that just now?

"Carlos!" Jay's voice broke his train of thought, jogging towards him to pick up his bag with a bright smile on his face. For some reason he had a bad feeling about it. "Hey man, I'm heading to the common room with Vic for a moment, you don't mind right?" He asked, way too hopeful.

This was not the first time that Jay did something like that, but this time the hurt stung a little more than usual. "Are you really ditching me again?" He frowned "You were the one who asked me if I could help you, and I told you that I was busy, but you insisted."

"I know, I know." Jay looked back to where Victoria stood talking and smiling to another girl from the team (whose blushed cheeks didn't seem to be caused by the effort of the practice, Carlos noticed). "But I wanted to say bye to Vic before spring break, she's leaving pretty early tomorrow." And there it was, Jay gave him one of those pleading smiles he used when he wanted something.

He hated himself for being so weak "Fine, go, but-"

"Thanks man, I own you one!" Jay didn't let him finish, rushing immediately towards Victoria who was waving at Carlos with a smile on her face. He smiled back at her.

"But there's something you need to know…" Carlos pursed his lips, watching them both walk out of the field. Saying he had a bad feeling was an understatement.


We're baack~

We are so sorry that it has taken us this long to continue with this story but life/work/studies really had us all busy. We're working on the next chapter so please expect it soon 3

This is story is co-written by Alondra and Joanna (the page of this fic is "if-you-stay-with-me-for-ever" just add the dot tumblr)

-Alondra