Disclaimer's on chapter 1


"Feels a bit strange being here when there's a quidditch match going on." Penny admitted as the pair sat down at an empty table with Butterbeers in hand. She had been to every friendly and House League match since coming to Hogwarts. Having her best friend and crush become a player for the majority of those games was the icing on the cake for her.

"I don't know. Feels like a nice change." Isaac confessed as he had another glance around. It certainly seemed quieter since the majority of students were still at Hogwarts watching the friendly.

The look Penny gave him over the rim of her glass told Isaac she wasn't seeing things the same way.

"No risk of bludgers or players crashing into you." He elaborated.

"Perhaps. But not every player is best friends with a witch who always whipped up a batch of wiggenweld for them the day before their match." Penny countered slyly, timing it for when Isaac began taking a sip of his butterbeer.

As she suspected, Isaac spluttered in surprise at her confession. She had definitely kept that from him. As much as she loved the carnage many a quidditch match brought, she cared dearly for Isaac. After witnessing him take a bludger, straight from the bat of Erika Rath, and the pain he was in during the victory party afterwards, Penny had decided to make wiggenweld potions prior to any match Isaac was participating in and secretly leaving it in his locker the night before.

"So all that time, it was you?!" Isaac exclaimed just managing to keep his voice low so that he didn't draw attention to them. All this time, he had thought Madam Pomfrey had left one in everyone's locker, never once realising they only appeared in his locker. To say he was shocked at the revelation was a huge understatement.

"That's right." Penny confirmed with a proud smile before blushing slightly. "I think… that might have been when I first started crushing on you."

"Really?" Isaac asked not expecting such a turn in the conversation.

"I think so. After all, I'm a huge fan of both Parkin and Rath but I don't do that for either of them whenever they're playing." Penny pointed out. "And after all you did for me in our third year, I just realised that I more than liked you."

That year had been a literal nightmare for her, even without the Vault of Fear causing havoc throughout Hogwarts. The summer before their third year, Penny had the horror of witnessing her muggle friend being attacked by a werewolf traumatizing her. As if the nightmares of that event weren't bad enough, boggarts from a Cursed Vault had escaped and began roaming the school halls taking the form of werewolves whenever they set their sights on Penny.

Unable to handle it anymore, Penny took matters into her own hands and started gathering ingredients to concoct a forgetfulness potion, bringing Isaac along to assist her. Even though he humored her request, Isaac managed to talk Penny out of drinking the potion once it was completed.

"You say that and yet completely forget all about that in our fourth year when you asked to meet me in the artifact room just to ask me to join the decorating committee should you be nominated to head said committee. I'm actually wondering now if you did drink that forgetfulness potion we made but it made you forget something else instead." Isaac teased, causing Penny to hide her face in her hands even though they were both seeing the funny side of last year's events.

"Merlin, I couldn't believe I did that either! I only realised that when Tonks asked me about it as we were getting ready for the ball." Penny confessed as she wiped tears of laughter from her cheeks.

Never had she felt so mortified. So excited about possibly heading the decorative committee for the event, Penny hadn't took into account the implications of her simple request of asking Isaac to meet her in the artifact room unlike the wizard in question who had managed to mask his disappointment when it was later revealed that she only wanted his help in winning the election to become the head of the decorative committee.

Were it not for the encouragement from Bill Weasley, the pair might not have gone to the Celestial Ball together.

"It all worked out well in the end. The ball was a success, everyone had fun and Rowan got to spend an evening with Bill more or less." Isaac recalled remembering the look of pure happiness on Rowan's face when Bill publicly dismissed Emily Tyler to join him near the fireplace in the great hall.

"I know. But…" Penny began subconsciously biting her lip in guilt.

Not wanting her to fall back into a depressive state, Isaac quickly thought up a reason to cheer her up.

"Think of it this way. If you had asked me out in the artifact room, which I would've said yes to in a heartbeat, then you might've been too over the moon about going to the ball with me to properly lead the committee." Isaac explained.

As expected, Penny's face went from doubtful, to thoughtful as she mulled things over then finally lit up with one of her smiles he loved seeing on her face.

"When you put it like that, then the ball went much better than expected. Although I did mean it when I said I'd rather just go to the next ball rather than plan it- with you as my date, of course." She shyly added as an afterthought.

"Likewise." Isaac agreed, raising his glass and clinking it against her own raised glass causing the blushing pair to chuckle as thoughts drifted to their first proper date once things had gotten back to normal.

"Surprise, surprise. Look who's shirking off his duties once again."

The familiar, sarcastic voice of Merula Snyde had Isaac suppressing a groan of annoyance. He had been hoping the self proclaimed most powerful witch at Hogwarts was going to today's quidditch friendly and giving him some peace for once.

"I'd heard rumors you weren't going to be playing today and was thinking you were actually focusing on saving Haywood's little doppelganger, Branford. But then, I remembered you're not like me and couldn't keep a commitment. Not to Professor Rakepick or Haywood, it seems." Merula sneered as Isaac turned to face her.

Isaac was finding it harder and harder not to hex Merula on the spot. Annoying as she usually was, he had thought the witch was at least trying to be sympathetic for Penny's predicament. Her standing there, bold as brass and looking smugly down at him doused those thoughts.

"Shut your mouth!" The growled words coming from neither Isaac nor Merula.

"What did you just say to me, Haywood?" Merula demanded glaring at the blonde witch who returned with a glare of her own that was twice as intimidating.

"I said shut your stupid mouth!" Penny repeated loudly as she stood up. "What gives you the right to say that Isaac's neglecting his duties?! Even without O.W.L preparations and prefect duties, Isaac has quidditch practice, club meetings and a cursed vault investigation to attend with. And even despite that, he's taking time off to make sure I'm doing okay."

By now, the entire pub had gone silent as they watched Penny march over to Merula who just stood there too shocked to return fire.

"And what about you? Apart from O.W.Ls, the investigation and the same clubs Isaac goes to, all you have is frog choir practice- and that's only because Isaac turned the position down!" Penny continued now standing right in front of Merula.

Whether from rage or embarrassment, Merula's face was bright red.

"I am…the most powerful witch at Hogwarts!" Merula began her hand beginning to twitch towards her wand.

"And what have you got to show for it?" Penny demanded now right in Merula's face. "You haven't broken one cursed vault since coming to Hogwarts and anything you actually have accomplished is probably someone else's work- just like that potion of mine you tried to show off to Professor Snape as your own!"

As if being slapped, Merula stepped away from Penny perhaps finally realising just how angry the blonde witch was and wanted to stay out of reach in case she decided to lash out physically.

Having said her piece, a heavily breathing Penny finally took notice of everyone in the Three Broomsticks staring at her and did what any fifteen year old witch would do in this situation- she bolted from the pub, knocking stunned Merula into a table in the process.

Having not expected Penny to defend him and simultaneously tear into Merula, Isaac was still in a state of shock himself. He had never seen Penny so angry before and almost glad that Merula had been the focus of her ire not himself. By the time it took him to realise that she had run off and went after her, she had already disappeared from the main street of Hogsmeade.