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?

Another 3 chapters today because I'm bored and at home sick because I have some stupid sickness bug. Plus the review count is going down again isn't it? We need more reviews!!!!

Reviews:

kisseswithluv x - Thanks for reading and reviewing. Parents do suck sometimes especially if they're rivals.

Ember Riddle - Thanks for reading and reviewing. I love this fic. It's one of my favourites. There's also a sequel that I'm currently writing and a treequel planned for this.

momosmileyfaces - Thanks for reading and reviewing. He is stupid.

Chapter Nine – The Friends Find Out.

The next day, Ariella said to Dawn that she could go looking through her things for a spare piece of parchment. While Dawn was looking, she found a letter addressed to Ariella and knew that she shouldn't read it but felt that she needed to do so. Dawn sat down on Ariella's bed and opened the letter carefully. She then read and was shocked at what she saw. The letter said:

Ari,

I know I have told you this before but I am glad that we were paired together. I have never met a girl quite like you before. You have so many different layers to you and each time we spend time together another layer peels away and I can see so much more of your personality. I know that we've said that we like each other and hold hands etc but we haven't kissed each other yet. You may be wondering why that hasn't happened and I am about to tell you.

It's not because you repulse me, you do anything but repulse me. In fact you make my heart beat faster whenever I see you in a lesson or the hallway and whenever we talk to each other my heart beats even faster and feels like it will explode. When we hold hands however I get a completely different feeling, yes my heart feels like it is going to explode but at the same time I feel happy. It's such a strange feeling; I've felt happiness before but not on a level as I do when we hold hands. That level is so much different, it feels like nothing could ever go wrong in our lives as long as we have each other, it feels like you are the only girl in the universe and it even feels like I don't need anyone else apart from you.

I am actually beginning to believe that I don't need anyone else apart from you. I don't care about what my parents would say about us; at the end of the day I don't need them. I need you and only you. And my reason for not kissing you yet is because I am waiting for that perfect moment. You know when you have to do something there and then because you're afraid that your heart would explode if you don't do it at that moment. It has to be perfect, it will be the perfect moment to kiss my perfect girl for the first time. I'm willing to wait forever as well. I am not going to push you into anything; I like you far too much to ruin what we have by pushing you to do something you don't want to do. Hopefully this letter will be the first of many and even as I sit here in Potions writing this I can't help but stare at the back of your head and marvel at how much I like your hair. Please don't ever change your hair, as I fear it may break my heart. I like you as you are and I will always like you as you are, don't change because you feel that you have to.

Lucas.

Dawn crumpled the letter up and stared at the wall in a state of disbelief. She couldn't believe that her best friend was getting such letters from her supposed enemy. Was there anything between them? She could only hope that there wasn't. Suddenly the door opened and Ariella walked in. She caught sight of Dawn's closed fist and started to shake her head.

"You didn't read it did you?" Ariella asked.

"Of course I did. I wanted to know what he'd been saying to you and now I know that the letters you've been saying were insults were really love letters," Dawn replied.

"What does it matter to you? It's not you and him is it? It's him and me and I can do whatever I please with my life. Why read someone's personal mail? It's not something that one would go about doing as if it were a normal thing. You wouldn't dream of reading mail from my parents so why read it from someone I care about?"

"I needed to see what he was saying to you. You don't understand, if it were insults then I would have wanted to stand by you. Ari, it's against the rules! You're a Gryffindor and he's a Slytherin! You're smart and he's a Quidditch Player! You can't feel anything for him!"

"And you're not going to stand by me now because I want to stop all this silly behaviour with the clichés? I think you'll find it's too late to say that I can't feel anything for him because I do! I have feelings for him and he has feelings for me!"

"What makes you so sure that he has feelings for you?"

"I just know okay?"

And with that Ariella took the letter from Dawn's hand and stormed out of the dormitory slamming the door behind her. Dawn looked at the now closed door and sighed. She really didn't know what to do about her best friend and her feelings for someone that was completely against the rules.

The next day, Lucas and Ariella were sat in the library writing things down for their project when Blake saw them. He watched as they packed their things away and got up from the table. They walked out of the library together and as soon as they were outside Lucas laced his fingers through Ariella's and they walked down the hallway together. Blake had seen the whole thing and now knew that Ariella Potter was the reason why Lucas wasn't performing as well as he usually did on the Quidditch pitch during practices.

Later that day, Blake found Lucas and cornered him so he could talk about his new relationship. As he found himself being cornered, Lucas looked at Blake and saw that he wasn't laughing so there was no way that this was a joke. Blake glared at Lucas then launched into his tirade.

"I saw you with Potter! What on earth are thinking about when you're with her? You cannot be seen with her other than being forced to do project work with her! The whole relationship is wrong and don't you even dare say that there is no relationship because I saw you in the library! You were close in there and then as soon as you were out of everyone's view you laced your fingers through hers!"

"Firstly, her name is Ariella so don't use her second name as her first name! Secondly, what's it to you if I wish to be with her? Thirdly, she isn't harming you is she? And fourthly, the relationship isn't wrong, it's up to me who I go out with," Lucas replied.

Blake sighed then said, "Luke, you're a Quidditch player. She's interfering with your performance during practice. If we want that cup this year then we can't have our Seeker thinking about his Gryffindor girlfriend while he's playing!"

"You can't tell me what to do! I haven't had a go at you because of the flirting that you do with Boo have I?"

Blake shook his head.

"So don't tell who I can and can't go out with!"

Blake sighed then watched as Lucas pushed past him and walked away. Blake stood frozen to the spot for a few minutes then went off in search of Dawn. He knew that she would be able to help him split Lucas and Ariella up. About half an hour later, Blake found Dawn sat in the library on her own; he approached her and sat down next to her.

"Dawn is it?" he asked.

Dawn nodded her head and waited for Blake to continue.

"Did you know that your best friend is going out with my best friend?" Blake asked.

"Yes and I've already told her that it's completely wrong," Dawn replied.

"I've told Luke that too. Well what if we went to each other's best friends and told them all the faults that they have. That will split them up and return things around here back to normal."

"What do you mean?"

"You go to Lucas and tell him about Ariella's faults and I'll go to Ariella and tell her about Luke's faults! Once they know they won't be able to be near each other."

Dawn thought for a few seconds then said, "Let's do it!"

Blake smiled at her then got up and walked out of the library. Dawn picked her book up that she was reading and went off in search of Lucas. When she found him she dragged him into an unused classroom and sat him down in one of the chairs.

"I'm here to tell you about Ari," Dawn said sternly.

Lucas nodded his head and folded his arms.

"She has really bad habits and I think that you need to know them. Firstly, she cannot stand mess and even if you are talking to her she'll ignore what you are saying while she tidies up, secondly, she checks your homework constantly and even implies that you aren't smart enough to do it yourself, thirdly, she competes with her sister at everything, fourthly, she doesn't stop talking even when you ask her to shut up, fifthly, she always talks about her dead aunt and sixthly, she um… She cuts her toenails and then eats them!"

Lucas stopped himself from laughing at the last habit because it was obviously made up.

"I think I can deal with number one to five. However, I think number six is made up. If you really wanted me to believe number six then you shouldn't have hesitated and nothing that you tell me will ever put me off her. I'll have to learn that for myself if it is to happen which by the way I don't think will happen."

Dawn sighed and followed Lucas with her eyes as he walked out of the classroom laughing to himself. Meanwhile Blake was telling Ariella all about Lucas' secrets.

"He cuts his toenails and then eats them. Seriously he eats them I am not lying to you. He cannot stop talking about Quidditch and if you think that you are going to be the top girl in his life then you are very clearly mistaken. His sister is the one person he dotes on. A relationship with him never lasts for more than eight weeks and you will always come below Quidditch. He'll cancel a date with you if there's match he wants to watch."

Ariella laughed at the idiocy of Blake's comments then said, "If you thought that that was going to break us up then you are so wrong. I can live with things like that, now I have to go."

Ariella then walked off and left Blake looking as though he was as thick as two short planks in the Great Hall. Ariella ran through the hallways and quickly found Lucas who seemed to be looking for her. They stopped running and walked briskly towards each other then sat down on the floor with their backs against the wall.

"I just had a rather amusing conversation with Dawn Ari," Lucas told Ariella.

"Did you? Well I just had an amusing conversation with Blake. What did Dawn tell you?" Ariella replied.

"Well apparently she needed to tell me that you almost impossible to be with. She said that you can't stand mess and even if someone's talking to you then you'll ignore them while you tidy up, you check your friend's homework constantly, you compete with your sister constantly, you don't stop talking even when you've been told to shut up, you talk about your aunt all the time and she seems to think that you even cut your toenails and then eat them."

Ariella laughed and looked at Lucas.

"She's right up until the toenail one. You've managed to live with it so far so why is she telling you those things?"

"I don't know. What did Blake tell you?" Lucas asked.

"Well he said that you cut your toenails and eat them, you don't stop talking about Quidditch, Boo's the main girl in your life, a relationship with you never lasts for longer than eight weeks and Quidditch will come above me."

"Why are they saying these things? We pretty much already know that."

"Well Dawn found out about us. Maybe Blake did too and they planned to tell us about our faults. Has it worked? Did what Dawn said put you off me?" Ariella asked.

"Of course not. I told her that she was wasting her time telling me those things because I would find out myself. At least they know that we're for real and not using each other to pass the time. I really like you Ari," Lucas replied.

Ariella nodded then hugged Lucas. They then got up and walked down the corridor hand in hand. The next day, Blake had an owl from Lucas' father. Lucas watched Blake tuck the letter into his robes and then leave the table. Blake quickly walked out onto the grounds and sat against a tree while he read the letter. It said:

Blake,

I want to know everything about this Ariella Potter girl that seems to have Lucas wrapped around her little finger. She can't be good for his performance on the Quidditch pitch and I need to know whether I should stop it or not.

Draco Malfoy.

Blake got a quill and ink pot out of his pocket and turned the parchment over. He quickly wrote his reply on the back of it.

Mr. Malfoy,

Well what can I say about Ariella? I don't like her at all, Lucas is always spending time with her and he doesn't concentrate on Quidditch. As you probably know she's one of Harry Potter's daughters, her mother is Ginny Potter and her aunt was Hermione Granger. Apparently she died just after Ariella's cousin was born. She's the smartest witch in our year and she doesn't have many friends. She's always seen with a girl named Dawn, never with anyone else. I think that's about it. That's all I know about her but if I find out more then I shall tell you.

Blake.

Blake read the letter and made some changes. When he was satisfied with it Blake smirked to himself and then slowly made his way to the owlery.

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