A/N:
Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise. I only own the characters, items and locations that you don't recognise.
Summary: When shy and intelligent Ariella Potter and Quidditch hotshot Lucas Malfoy get paired together for a school project, Ariella knows that she shouldn't feel anything but hatred towards him. So why does she feel attracted to him? And what will Ariella do when Lucas returns her affections? Will they ever break free from their cliques and parents' rivalry so they can be together?
Don't forget to review! I'm giving you 2 chapters because I'm bored and excited because I'm seeing Pirates 3 in less than 48 hours!
Now onto our feature presentation. Here's Chapter Five! All I ask of you is to enjoy and please leave a review at the end of the chapter.
Chapter Five – A Little Bit Of Attraction.
All through their classes the next day, Lucas and Ariella kept looking at each other when they thought that the other person wasn't looking. Of course they did catch each other from time to time and whenever they did the other would blush and look down at the empty piece of parchment that lay before them. Ariella couldn't believe that she was feeling attracted to Lucas, there was no way that her family would let anything happen between them and Lucas felt the same way. His father would go bananas if he found out that his only son liked a Potter. By the end of the day, both had decided that they would talk to each other about these feelings that were confusing them.
During Muggle Studies, Dawn noticed that Ariella wasn't her usual self. Ariella wasn't writing notes or listening intently to the professor instead she appeared to be in a daydream and was staring at Lucas. Dawn thought about the hours that Ariella had missing for the previous night and wondered what had happened when she went to see Lucas. Dawn sighed and nudged Ariella.
"Why are you staring at him?" Dawn asked.
"I don't know. I really don't know. He was nice to me yesterday, he actually called me Ari instead of Potter or the stupid little Gryff," Ariella replied.
"Ari, don't trust him. He's probably got an ulterior motive. Maybe his dad found out and he's told him to be nice to you so they can kidnap you or something?"
Ariella shook her head furiously.
"No. I don't think he's got an ulterior motive. No one was with him yesterday when I got there. He was sat on the floor crying. I think he needed a friend so I stayed with him. It was actually quite enjoyable, we laughed and we spoke properly without shouting at each other. He's been staring at me all day."
"Ari, I don't care what he was like yesterday. That was yesterday and today is now, he could have changed. Maybe he's gone back to hating you?"
"No. He hasn't glared at me once. It's as though he's been daydreaming and looked at me because he wanted to."
"I still don't trust him. When I know that he's changed and not an arrogant Slytherin anymore then I might be able to trust him."
Ariella nodded slowly and looked back at her teacher. As she listened her eyes slowly wondered over to Lucas and saw that he was once again looking at her. He smiled at her like he had done the day before and mouthed something to her. Ariella wasn't good at lip reading so she just looked at him in confusion. Lucas shrugged and wrote something down on a piece of parchment and threw it to her. He had thought that it had gone unnoticed by their professor but of course it hadn't.
"Do you wish to share something with the class Mr. Malfoy?" she asked.
"No professor," Lucas replied.
"Miss. Potter what are the contents of that note?"
"Insults professor. You know the usual," Ariella replied innocently.
The professor nodded and looked at Lucas.
"Please refrain from insulting your peers until you are out of the classroom."
"Yes professor."
Ariella smiled to herself and unfolded the note. She quickly read it through and smiled again. It said:
Ari, I saw you talking to Dawn and you looked upset. Are you okay? Are we still okay for the library later? My sister still hasn't woken up, I checked at lunchtime, so I may have to end our studying in the library early. Is that okay? And I need to talk to you. It's important. Lucas.
Dawn noticed that she was smiling and looked at the note. She shrugged her shoulders at Ariella then continued to write the notes down. Ariella looked at Lucas and saw that he was looking at her again. Ariella nodded to say that everything was okay and Lucas smiled at her then turned round to look at the professor. About half an hour later, the class ended and Ariella walked slowly out of the class with Dawn. As they were stood outside the door, Lucas walked up behind them and whispered something to her before pushing past her.
"Move it Potter and don't expect me in the library later. My sister's ill and she's much more important than some stupid project."
Dawn looked at Ariella and said, "I told you. He's back to his usual self."
"Is he? And you don't think that that is a cover up? If you think he's back to his usual self then why did he send me this?"
Ariella handed the note to Dawn and watched her facial expression change from someone who thought she was right to an expression that someone would use when they were confused.
"What does he mean I need to talk to you?" Dawn asked.
"I don't know. Come on its dinner time then I have to go to the library," Ariella replied.
Dawn nodded and put her arm through Ariella's and together they walked off to the Great Hall. Ariella ate her dinner silently even though Dawn was talking to her while she ate hers. Ariella wasn't really in the mood to talk to anyone, as she was worrying about what Lucas had to say. Everything that Dawn had said to her was now swimming around her mind. What if he had decided to go back to hating her? That was the last thing Ariella wanted because Lucas wasn't really as bad as her parents had been telling her. After what seemed an age, Ariella finished her dinner and said goodbye to Dawn before picking her things up and walking out of the Great Hall. She slowly walked through the corridors still thinking about the cryptic message that Lucas had written her. She entered the library and saw Lucas waiting at a table near the back of the room. She briskly walked to the table and stood in front of him.
"You're early?" she asked.
Lucas looked up at Ariella and smiled.
"Yeah. I finished dinner early and saw that you were still eating so I came here to wait for you."
Ariella nodded as she sat down.
"What did you want to talk to me about?"
"It's confusing. Ever since yesterday I've… Well… I've –"
Lucas didn't get to say what he wanted to say because a second year Slytherin interrupted him.
"Lucas, your sister is awake! I've been told to fetch you because she's asking for you!" the second year said excitedly.
Lucas grinned at Ariella and stood up. He was just about to follow the second year when he thought of something. He turned round and held out his hand to Ariella.
"Come with me Ari. Please, I'd like you to be there and I think you should meet my sister seeing as she's one of my best friends."
Ariella nodded slowly and picked up her bag. Together they followed the second year through the halls of Hogwarts until they reached the hospital wing. Ariella hadn't noticed but she was still holding Lucas' hand, something that Lucas thought fit. Her hand fit perfectly into his, by now he was quite sure that the feelings he had for her were a part of his destiny. They walked in to the hospital wing together and Lucas broke his hold on Ariella's hand as he rushed to his sister's bed.
"Boo! I was so worried about you! Are you okay? Do you know who I am?" he asked frantically.
Lucas' sister was sat up in her bed and laughed softly at her brother.
"Of course I know who you am! You're Eddie! Or was that Dan? No that's not it; I'm sure its David. No, that's not it maybe it's Mark. Yeah that's it, you're Mark!"
"She doesn't know who I am! Why doesn't she know who I am?" Lucas asked frantically.
Lucas' sister laughed once again and said, "You fell for it! I know you're Luke silly! I missed you!"
Lucas sat down on the bed and sighed a sigh of relief. He then kissed her cheek and quickly hugged her. His sister noticed Ariella stood by the door and glared at her.
"Why is she here? You hate her!"
Lucas looked at Ariella and held out his hand for her. Ariella took it and stood next to Lucas.
"Boo, this is Ari. Ari, this is Boo, my sister. Boo she's here because the entire Quidditch team left me alone in the hallway yesterday and somehow Ari found out about your accident and came to see if I was all right. She ended up staying with me until we found out what was wrong with you. Boo please take the time to get to know her; she isn't as bad as what we've been told. She cares about everyone even if she doesn't know the person she cares about."
Boo nodded slowly and smiled at Ariella.
"I'll kill that Quidditch team! How dare they abandon my brother! Thank you for keeping my stupid brother company yesterday."
"You're welcome," Ariella replied.
Ariella and Lucas stayed for a few hours talking to Boo before they were finally kicked out of the hospital wing. Ariella said good-bye to Boo and walked out of the door. She was waiting for Lucas to say good-bye and felt that he should be able to say it in private. Inside the hospital wing, Boo was giving Lucas the third degree.
"You like her!" Boo exclaimed.
"N… N… No I don't," Lucas stuttered.
Boo laughed at her brother and slapped him on the arm.
"Don't lie! You like her! You fancy her!"
"Okay maybe I do but…"
"But what?"
"What if she doesn't like me like that? What if I tell her and she only likes me as a friend?"
"She likes you! I can see it in her eyes! Just tell her!"
"Okay. I'll tell her… When I can work up the courage to tell her! I'll come visit tomorrow Boo okay?"
Boo nodded and waved to Lucas as he walked out of the door. Ariella smiled at him and held out her hand.
"Come on then you big oaf!"
"Hey! I'm not an oaf! I'm positively lovable! You're lovable too."
Ariella stopped walking, broke their hands and looked at Lucas.
"What do you mean?" she whispered.
"I mean that you're lovable. Ari, contrary to what you may think you're pretty. In fact you're more than pretty you are beautiful. Why are you looking like that?"
"Because… Because no one's ever told me that before. I'm sorry Lucas but I can't do this. I'll see you around," Ariella whispered.
She then turned around and ran in the direction of Gryffindor Tower. Lucas watched her disappear and ran a hand through his hair. Just when he thought that he was getting somewhere with her, he ruined it. He'd have a lot of work to do to get her to talk to him again.
The next day, all Ariella seemed to do was avoid Lucas. Whenever he sent her a note explaining about what he had said and saying sorry she would screw it up and put it in her bag ready to throw it away at the end of the class and whenever he tried to talk to her to explain his actions she would brush him off and walk away. He seemed to be trying everything but nothing ever worked, it seemed like she didn't want to and wasn't going to talk to him again. By the end of the day, Lucas had decided that he had had enough of her games and went to see Boo who was getting out of the hospital wing. When he entered the hospital wing, Lucas saw that Boo was sitting on her bed in her school uniform waiting for him.
"I thought that you would never get here! Where on earth have you been?" Boo asked.
"Sorry Boo. I was trying to make Ari talk to me. I said that she was beautiful and she ran away," Lucas replied glumly.
"You have it bad. What was the conversation and when was it?"
"Yesterday after we left here and as I came out of the hospital wing she held her hand out and said 'come on then you big oaf!' and I said that I wasn't an oaf. I was positively lovable and that she was too. She stopped walking and asked what I meant and I said that she was lovable and pretty then said that she was more than pretty and called her beautiful. Then she gave me this weird look and said that no one's ever told her that before then said that she couldn't do this anymore and ran off. I sent her notes during all of our classes we had together today and she threw them away and when I tried to talk to her she'd either brush me off or just walk away. I don't even know what she meant when she said she couldn't do this? Boo do you know what she meant?"
"Maybe she was scared. You were enemies then you became friends and then all of a sudden it was like you were her boyfriend. Girls take time to adjust to things, you can't rush her Luke."
"Boo you have no idea how much I like her! I like her more than any other girlfriend I've ever had. I never knew that she could be so caring and nice about people. I always thought that what dad told us about the Potters was true. That they didn't care about anyone apart from themselves."
"Maybe she's not a chip off the old block. Just because someone's parents only care about themselves then it doesn't mean that their children will end up like them. She doesn't even look like her mother," Boo told Lucas.
"How do you know what Ari's mother looks like?" Lucas asked.
"She was there when Ari and her sister got on the train in September. Her father wasn't there though. Another girl was there too. She looked quite young as well. Maybe it's her younger sister?"
"She's never told me about a younger sister. I'll ask her when she talks to me again. If she ever talks to me again."
Boo sighed and looked at Lucas. He really did look depressed at the new developments in his and Ariella's relationship. She wondered if she could fix it for her brother. Would Ariella even talk to her? Boo smiled at Lucas and stood up.
"Can you take my things back to the common room? I have to go in the library and get some books that will help me catch up with the schoolwork I've missed while I was in there."
Lucas nodded and walked his sister to the door of the library. Once they were outside Lucas looked at Boo and smiled.
"Are you sure that you don't want me to wait for you?" he asked.
"No. I'll be fine," Boo replied.
Lucas nodded slowly and walked away as Boo entered the library. She quickly looked around and spotted Ariella working on her own at a table near the door. She quickly walked over to her and sat down.
"Hi."
Ariella looked up and sighed when she saw whom it was.
"Has he sent you?" Ariella asked.
"No. I came of my own accord. He's just been pouring his heart out to me. Ari, you have to listen to me. I may not know you and because of that I don't really trust you but Luke is miserable! He doesn't regret saying those things to you because they're true but he wishes that he hadn't have said it so soon. Please forgive him!" Boo explained.
"I can't forgive him. Those things he said were nice. I won't deny that but it was a little too soon. It scared me. One minute we were enemies then we were friend and all of a sudden it seemed as though he was my boyfriend. Boo answer just one question for me."
"Of course."
"Does he see me as his next girlfriend?"
Boo sighed and looked at Ariella.
"I'm not denying that but he thinks of you highly! He thinks that you're the most caring and nice person he knows and he really does like you. He told me that he likes you more than any other girlfriend that he's had. He can't stop thinking about you and you make his eyes light up whenever he mentions your name or even looks at you. I saw that yesterday. Now my brother may be dumb sometimes but he has a heart of gold and he wouldn't hurt you intentionally. He's really cut up about this. Please just talk to him about it. Just make him see that you don't hate him!"
Ariella nodded slowly and smiled at Boo.
"Thanks," she told her.
"You're welcome and not a word of this to Luke. He thinks I'm in here getting books to help me catch up on my schoolwork when I don't even know what lessons I've missed and if I have any homework!"
Ariella laughed softly then said, "If you need any help with catching up then I'm always here and I'll help you as best as I can."
"Thank you Ari. I really hope you and Luke patch things up because you do make a cute couple."
Boo waved good-bye to Ari as she left the library and as she walked back to the Slytherin common room she though up an excuse to tell Lucas as to why she didn't get any books.
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