Hey guys, so I'm going back to school on Monday and I won't be able to post as often. I'll try to update at least once every week, but no promises. Thank you to those who stick around. I hope you are enjoying the story so far :)

Alec POV

"Why, hello there, Alexander. Fancy seeing you here," said a familiar voice on Alec's right, shocking him so much that he nearly knocked over his ink.

Alec looked up and there he was, the boy he had been trying to avoid for over a month, standing before him looking as amazing as ever, with green streaks and glitter in his hair, and his lip-glossed mouth pulled up in a grin as he looked down at Alec. Ever since their encounter, Alec had tried his best to avoid the Slytherin, especially after Magnus winked at him from across the Great Hall. Alec was sure his face had turned the same shade as the Gryffindor scarlet. As if his stutter wasn't bad enough. He avoided Magnus in attempt to avoid making an even bigger fool of himself. He wasn't even sure why Magnus had winked at him, not to mention why he was even here now, talking to him.

Magnus sat in the chair on Alec's right, where Izzy had been sitting just moments before. He was still grinning as he asked, "We're being silent now, are we? Huh. I spend over a month trying to talk to a boy, and when I finally find him, he goes mute."

"What do you expect me to say when you drop by put of nowhere?" Alec answered, trying not to pay too much mind to the fact that Magnus had been trying to talk to him for over a month.

"And he speaks! And a nice 'Hello' would be welcome," Magnus said, still grinning, causing Alec to give a shy smile.

"You know, you really should smile more," Magnus added.

Alec was nearly speechless. "W-What do you mean?"

"You should smile more. It lights up your whole face."

"Well, um, thank you. And, hello Magnus, I guess," Alec said shyly.

"There's the welcome I was looking for," Magnus said. "So, Alec, I'm so terribly sorry for interrupting you during your homework session but-"

"Oh, no, it's no problem, I was almost done anyways," Alec cut in anxiously, a little too quickly.

Magnus looked amused at that. "Well, I was wondering if you would maybe like to walk around Hogsmeade with me on the weekend trip after the first task."

"What… you… well… what… I mean-" Alec started, but he was shortly cut off by Magnus.

"Well, you see, I find that I don't have many Ravenclaw friends, or many friends from any house other than Slytherin for that matter," Magnus said. "And being that this is my last year, I am determined to get to know more of the students so that when we leave, I will be remembered by most everyone. So, what do you say?"

"Well, um, I already planned to go holiday shopping in Hogsmeade with my sister and her friends," Alec replied. He hadn't really made any plans with his sister but that was what they usually did so he assumed they would again this year. And he was trying to get out of walking around Hogsmeade with Magnus on something that could be seen as a date. But he isn't suggesting a date, Alec thought to himself. Why would he? No one had ever shown the slightest interest in Alec, and he didn't blame them. So why was Magnus asking this? Alec didn't believe his reason, but since he ruled out the possibility of Magnus liking him, it was the reason he wanted to believe. It was all he was left with. Well, except for the small thought in his mind that this could be some sick joke Raphael or someone put him up to. Alec really hoped that wasn't the case.

"Of course, they could come too," Magnus replied, though he looked a little disappointed about it. "But, you don't want to buy their gifts right in front of them. It should be a surprise" he suggested. When Alec didn't reply, Magnus went on, "but, of course, they could come along. I need to make some Gryffindor friends anyways."

"Well, um, I don't know…" Alec started, trying to find an excuse with half of his mind. The other half of his mind was excited about this, telling Alec to say 'yes'.

Magnus seemed to notice Alec's inner conflict. "Great, it's settled then," Magnus decided.

"What… I-" Alec began halfheartedly.

"I'll meet you and your Gryffindor friends in the Great Hall at 9."

"But I…"

"I'll see you then," Magnus said. "Darling," he added with a grin. And with that, he got up and left the library.

Alec was staring at the spot Magnus had been in only moments before. He was lost in what just happened. He wasn't sure he even believed it was real.

Alec had to wake himself out of his moment of shock. He gathered his stuff and started heading out of the library. Great, he thought to himself, now I'm going to have to explain this all to Izzy and everyone and hope they are okay with it. Alec didn't know what to do.

But, as Alec made his way to the Ravenclaw Tower, he thought back to how Magnus grinned and he started to think that maybe this wasn't such a bad thing.

"He what?" asked Jace through a bite of a scone.

"He asked if we would like to walk around Hogsmeade with him," Alec replied, leaving out the part that Magnus had only asked if he wanted to walk with him, and only added the others at Alec's uncertainty. No, he would save that for himself, at least until Izzy managed to get it out of him.

They were all sitting in the Great Hall, at the Ravenclaw table this time (at Alec's request). It was the morning after Magnus talked to Alec and Alec was trying to get everyone on board with Magnus's request.

"Wait, why does he want to hang out with us? He's two years older than us and seems pretty cool, why does he even care?" Clary asked.

"Yeah, he does know I'm in the group, right?" Simon added.

"Let's all be honest, it's probably because of me. Being friends with the Hogwarts school champion is great for social status," Jace said.

"I swear, Jace, the only thing this tournament has done is give you an even bigger head," Izzy shot. "But why did he ask to hang out with us?" Izzy asked, turning to Alec.

"I don't know," Alec started, "something about trying to make friends from other houses."

"See, I told you this was all about me," Jace said grinning.

"Oh, just shut it Jace," said Izzy, shoving a scone in his mouth.

"Thank you," Jace said after he finished the scone." I was going eat that anyway."

Izzy rolled her eyes. "Alec, are sure that's all he said?" Izzy asked.

"Yes," he replied, turning back down to his food.

Izzy gave him a suspicious look and Alec knew she would corner him about it the first chance she got.

Clary didn't look that convinced either, but she didn't go into the matter. "Well, what do we do? Should we just go with it?"

"I guess. I mean, I barely know anything about the guy but he's cool and in his seventh year and wants to hang with us. I say we go with it," Simon suggested.

"And he is extremely fashionable," Izzy put in. "We could trade tips for makeup."

"If you are all on board, I'm fine with it," Clary said.

"Well, I don't want to. He's always glaring at me during the Quidditch games against Slytherin, and when he is the announcer, he feels the need to call me Goldilocks," Jace said stubbornly.

"Come on Jace," Izzy said.

"Um, let me think about it… No," he replied.

"Jace, please, for me," Clary said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Well, when you put it that way," Jace said with a small smile. "I guess I'll go. Besides, if he pisses me off enough, there's nothing stopping me from jinxing him," he added with a smirk.

And with everyone on board, the conversation quickly shifted to the Triwizard Tournament. Clary started quizzing Jace on spells he might need to use and Simon and Isabelle traded ideas on what they thought the first task would be.

Alec, however, continued eating in silence. He kept his head down and his back was turned to the Slytherin as to prevent him from looking for Magnus and to keep Magnus from finding him. He still couldn't get over the fact that Magnus had been searching for him for over a month. Or the fact that Magnus had asked to walk with him in Hogsmeade. Or the fact that everyone had agreed. Now he was going to spend a whole day with him. He starting imagining everything that could happen, everything he would say before he quickly shut the thoughts down. Don't get your hopes up, he told himself firmly. He's probably going spend more time talking to Jace and Izzy, and you'll be forgotten as usual. But he couldn't get rid of the idea that maybe he wouldn't be forgotten.

He was still lost in thought when he and everyone else got up to go to class. He was walking out of the Great Hall when someone grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side, away from the crowd of students.

Izzy.

"I know you were hiding something earlier so you better tell me everything that happened between you and Magnus last night in the library," Izzy demanded.

Alec knew there was no point in hiding it, so he just let it all come out. By the end, Izzy was ecstatic.

"So, wait, let me see if Ii got this right," she began. "He asked you on a date!"

"It wasn't a date," Alec insisted.

"Yea, sure, that's why he called you 'darling' before he left," Izzy said, smirking.

Alec put his face in his hands to stop her from seeing his flushed face. Needless to say it didn't work.

"This is so exciting! You've got your first date! And with a boy! And with a hot boy, for that matter," Izzy said.

"Izzy just stop," Alec began. "Even if it was supposed to be a date, which it wasn't, it isn't anymore," Alec finished glumly.

"That's because you caused him to invite us along too," Izzy argued.

"Not helping."

"Okay, sorry. This isn't your fault. This won't be a date. But…" Izzy began with a grin that Alec wasn't sure he liked.

"But what…?" Alec asked nervously.

"Nothing," Izzy said. "Let's just say that this isn't your only chance at a date."

"Izzy, I know that, we have a whole year," Alec replied, shaking his head. "Besides, I don't even think he likes me."

"Alec, we just decided that he does like you," Izzy said with an annoyed tone to her voice. "And, that wasn't what I was talking about."

"Then what were you talking about?" Alec asked, curious.

"Oh, nothing…," she answered. She started to walk away with a smirk. "Only the Yule Ball." And with that she quickly walked away before Alec could respond.