Chapter 4

Time moved quickly in anticipation for this meeting? Hangout? Date? Endora didn't know what this was. She got orders from Albus and Scorpius for the sweet shop and was surprised when they just handed her a small pouch for their sweets. She wouldn't have minded buying it for them, but they insisted she at least take their money. She shrugged and went off with some other students heading to Hogsmeade. In the carriage with her dorm mates, she leaned on her hand and stared out the window, barely paying attention to their conversation until one of them addressed her. "Huh?"

"Just like you to not pay attention, Dora."

She hated being called that. She stared at Vatera with a dull expression. "I don't pay attention to gossip. What were you saying?"

"First of all, rude. Second of all, I was asking you what you were going to be doing in town."

"Oh… the boys asked me to pick them up some stuff from Honeydukes, so…"

"Ah- of course, you're on an errand run."

"I guess."

"Someone was saying they saw you and Wyatt talking."

"Is talking to someone a crime now?"

"No, just you've been weird lately, is all."

"He asked me to meet up with him." She shrugged and looked back out the window. More like demanded I go on a date with him, but I don't need to make the talk worse.

They gawked at her, "Are you saying he asked you out?" Vatera looked like she would explode at the news, and the other girls' faces were priceless.

"Ugh…" her cheeks colored as she remembered how Wyatt had pinned her against the glass and leaned into her, his mouth close to her ear as he demanded she go with him.

"Wait! Wait, since when were you two a thing?"

"We aren't a thing. Wyatt wouldn't leave me alone unless I agreed."

"Are you saying you would have said no?"

"I wanted to, but like I said, he wouldn't leave me alone."

Tonia leaned over, "did he do the thing?"

"What thing?"

"You know the thing that they do in anime."

Vatera looked confused, wondering what the fuck anime was, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Tonia rolled her eyes before she suddenly slammed her hands down on either side of Vatera's head, leaning in close, "It's called kabedon, and all male protagonists do this in anime to girls they want to get into the pants of."

She kicked her in the knee in response as her face colored. Vatera then turned her attention to Endora to see her face was beet red as she looked out the window. "He didn't."

"Oh, he did; that face says he did!" Tonia screeched. "So what did he say!?"

"Merlin's beard Tonia can you be even more cringe?" Endora looked her way.

"I can be worse. Spill it! I want the tea! Was he all, hey girlie, with that smooth voice of his?"

"He pushed me into the glass and asked me to go to Hogsmeade with him…"

"In the common room! I heard he was bold, but I never thought he'd do that." Tonia examined her face, "what else did he do? Ohh! Did he do the thing with your hair?"

Endora wished she could disappear. Her fingers instinctively went to her hair, which she had actually curled lightly that morning for some reason; she twirled it between her fingers a little as she thought about the whole thing.

Tonia squeed in excitement for her dorm mate. "I am so jealous of you right now."

"Don't be; this wasn't something I wanted to happen."

They gawked at her, "How could you not? This is Wyatt Silverthorn we're talking about here, only the best-looking guy in our class." Vatera said in annoyance.

Endora looked at them coldly; of course, Vatera would be annoyed; she was in Silverthorn's fan club. This was exactly why she had been so quiet about it, even after rumors were going around, not only about Wyatt's weird behavior toward her in the astronomy tower but also what some people thought they saw in the courtyard between her and James. Lily had even confronted her about that, and she had to convince her yet again that things weren't like that and that James was not her type. Speaking of James, he was another problem that she wasn't sure how to handle. She just had to be patient on that front. She had waited that long, so what were a few more days… or weeks? She sighed.

Tonia tilted her head, "what's the matter?"

Vatera crossed her arms, "you should be excited about this, but you're moping. Do you have any idea how many girls would kill to be you right now?"

"They would regret it. He's annoying." She grumbled.

"You take that back! Wyatt is perfect in everything he does."

"He's not perfect, Vatera. You and the rest of the fan club are blinded by what's on the surface. Do you even really know him?"

Tonia placed her index finger on her chin. "She kind of has a point, Vatera. I mean, what do you actually know about him?"

"Listen, I know his birthday is in August, and he's the son of one of the richest families in our world. He's exceptional at every subject and activity he tries. When it comes to looks, not many can compare. What else is there to know?"

Endora frowned, "Like I said, that's all surface, Vatera. What are his favorite foods, what does he really like, what does he hate the most? What is his family like? We don't know this stuff. Like, has he even ever been in a serious relationship?"

"Have you?"

She squinted, "You know damn well that I've never let myself have time for that, and I'm not going to start now."

"Even if he asks you to be his girl, would you actually reject him?" she gawked at her.

"Yes." She said without hesitation when the carriage stopped at Hogsmeade, "with no question."

The door opened for them before she could. Her expression changed when her eyes were met with a small bouquet of pink tulips and a cocky smirking Wyatt, his other hand extended to help her out. The way her heart leaped into her throat made Endora lose her breath momentarily.

"With no question, huh?" Vatera mocked.

Endora ignored her before cautiously taking his hand and sliding out. Her eyes went to the flowers before looking up at him, slightly confused as to how he guessed her favorite flower, let alone how he got them during this season. "Silverthorn."

"Dursley," he stepped into her comfort zone, eyes all on her as the other two girls went ignored, "I got these for you. I hope they're to your liking." He offered her the handful of flowers.

She stepped back just a little, her face coloring as she slowly took them from him. " Thanks…"

"Ready to go?"

She coughed, "Yeah, sure."

He took her free hand and practically dragged her from the carriage and her dorm mates.

Vatera glared after them, "Ooh, I'm so pissed." She kicked at a rock.

"Want to follow them?" Tonia nudged her.

She took in a breath, "Yes."

"So- what exactly do you want?" Endora finally asked as they walked about. She had placed the flowers gently into her bag under a spell to protect them from damage.

"What do you mean?"

"You have to have some motive in asking me to come here with you."

"Can I not want to get to know you?"

"Why now? As I recall, you were the one who brushed me off four months into first year."

"Yeah- about that… I'm sorry."

"I got over it." She looked away, turning her attention elsewhere. Would she be this hostile if she had gotten over it, she wondered to herself. Endora shook it off; he was the one who fell out with her, not the other way around after all.

"I was stupid. Now I just want to know you."

"But why? What even is the point in it now?"

"Can't a person change their mind?"

"I mean, yeah, I just…"

"Then let me have a chance. If you still dislike me, I'll leave you alone."

"Is that a promise?"

"Heh… sure."

"You don't sound convincing."

He sighed as he looked at her, "If by the end of the month you still can't stand me, then I'll leave you alone."

"Oh, I have to deal with you for a month?"

"You can't get to know someone in a day, can you?"

"It depends on the person and how they behave."

He frowned, "do I have to beg?"

She stopped and turned to him. She eyed him for a moment and crossed her arms. "Do it."

"W-what? Are you serious?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

Wyatt grit his teeth a little as he hesitated.

She waved her hand and turned to leave, only for him to grab her arm and stop her, "yes?"

"Alright… alright… you win." Slowly, he got on one knee, then the other on the cold ground. His pride was suffering as his hand moved from her arm down to her wrist and finally her hand. He stared at her delicate hand for a moment before bringing it close. It almost looked like he was proposing to her. He coughed before pressing his forehead to her hand. Even her fingertips shared in her strong scent. What the fuck was this alluring smell that made him willingly break his pride? "Endora, give me a chance… I'm begging you, please."

She stared down at him, surprised he was even doing this. A bit of her was glad they had turned down an empty street, or this would have been more embarrassing. She straightened up, chuckling darkly.

He looked up at her, his eyes meeting hers; they were cold and emotionless toward him, bringing him a delightful shiver down his back. What the fuck is wrong with me? "Endora?"

"Heh… I think I like seeing you like this."

"What?" He breathed out softly.

She leaned down and brought her lips close to his ear, "submissive and begging at my feet."

His breath hitched at the feel of her warm breath on his skin. His heart was pounding in his ears at what this invoked in him. All Wyatt knew was that he was in danger.

Endora was feeling a sense of superiority running through her as she eyed the scene of him on his knees, helpless before her. It was like one of her bad self-insert romance novels, and the thrill it brought her was intoxicating. "Fine, get up. I'll give you one month."

Wyatt stood and let go of her hand in favor of rubbing at his chest, willing his heart and other senses to calm the fuck down. Endora had never acted much like her house traits before, but seeing her taking pleasure in his discomfort only stirred things in him in more ways than he wanted to admit. She had always been nice, but at that moment, with her cold gaze and tone low against his ear, Wyatt felt he was in serious trouble. But more disturbing than that was the fact that he liked it. When he came to his senses, she was down the street already, and he had to jog to catch up to her.

Vatera and Tonia had been watching the whole thing from the corner entrance of the alley, both of them wide-eyed and in shock at what they had witnessed. Was that really Endora? They looked at each other, silently asking the same question. For as long as they had known her, Endora had only ambitions and pride in her studies, excelling in divination and conjuration. Very rarely did she get angry or make a truly petty remark, but from what they saw, Endora was capable of doing that and more. Vatera felt her blood boil. Of all the guys she could show that side to, it was their most eligible bachelor and her long-time crush. Even so, that wasn't even the worst bit of it. From what she could tell, Wyatt actually enjoyed that. To think he had that sort of side to him. It angered her that she hadn't been straightforward like that with him. Why the hell was Endora suddenly so special and able to act like that with him? She's just a filthy mudblood! She grit her teeth and then stiffened when she realized where her thoughts went. Endora had been her friend. How could she think that?

Tonia just watched her spiral, "We're going to lose track of them if you want to still follow, you know."

"Right." She returned to trailing the two of them.

Wyatt let his eyes drift to her as they walked together, "so where are we going?"

"I promised the boys I'd get them sweets."

"You hang out with those two a lot."

"Is there a problem with that?"

"No. Just wondering why you're being so nice to them."

"I promised James at the beginning of the year I'd watch out for his brother if he ended up in our house."

He felt a surge of something in his belly but wasn't quite sure what that was. "Why? It's not like you owe him anything."

She turned to look at him, "Because it's the right thing to do?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Imagine your dad was the boy who lived, and you end up in the rumored bad house out of all your siblings. Wouldn't you be worried about being isolated or bullied?"

"I guess I would be, but why does that have to fall on you?"

"I offered. It's not a big deal." She stretched her arms upwards and clasped her hands behind her head as they walked, a smug look on her face.

"I guess not." He followed her into the store, watching her go to the front with the list.

"Can you package these up for me?" She asked the shop clerk who took the list and went to fill the order. She looked over the other treats and picked her favorites.

Wyatt stood there with his hands in his pockets, looking bored, but kept hyper-focused on her and her choices for later. He noticed her at a display and couldn't resist the urge to see what was there. "What's this?"

"You've never seen muggle treats?"

"What's the difference?"

"They're not enchanted." She picked out a few candy bars she was fond of and a few chocolate-covered things that probably didn't make sense.

"What's that?"

"Chocolate-covered crisps."

"Why would anyone put chocolate on a potato?"

"Why wouldn't you? Almost anything tastes good covered in chocolate."

Wyatt licked his lips at the sudden thought that decided to pop its ugly little head. He could imagine bits of her covered in chocolate. He stood directly behind her and looked down toward her neck, delicate and smooth with a subtle splatter of freckles and beauty marks across her skin that he had the urge to brush his lips against, especially the one on her right ear. He mentally kicked himself for that.

She turned her head and looked at him, brow raised high as she gazed at him, "did you hear me?"

"Huh, what?" He snapped out of his thoughts.

"I asked if you liked chocolate."

He looked away, "Well, yeah, a bit? I'm not too big on sweets. I'd rather have salted or spicy things."

"Hm…" She got waved over by the clerk. "I'll be back." She went over to talk to them, leaving Wyatt alone to wonder where his mind had gone. She had a lot of things on her when she returned to him. "I'm all done here," Endora said as she put the bag inside. "Where do you want to go now?"

"Um," he offered his arm as they walked out, "I did want to see if they have a shop that sells one of those thingies you have."

"What thing?"

"The thing you talk into and play games on."

"My phone?"

"Yes, that, a phone."

"You… want to get a muggle device."

"What, is there something wrong with that?"

"No, of course not. Just didn't think you'd decide to enter the 21st century."

His face scrunched up, "what's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that not many wizards are willing to embrace muggle knowledge."

"It looked interesting."

"Alright… I'm not sure if there's a shop here, but we can look. Anything else in the meantime?"

"I could use some new stationery."

"Ok, I could use some new stuff too. And maybe I can find something for my Gran while I'm at it."

He tilted his head. "Your gran?"

She nodded, "Yeah, she took up penmanship as a hobby after I started coming to Hogwarts, and she's become really enamored with quills and the different types of inks, especially the shimmery kind." She laughed to herself at the memories. "I try to get her a unique set every year. There's still time, though, if I don't find anything this trip."

Wyatt suddenly had all the questions about her family life but thought against asking them now; he was still on thin ice, after all.

So they went to the shops and wandered about idly after purchasing some things. Wyatt discovered that Endora's favorite color was royal blue and that she adored the stars and mythology. Just one mention of anything myth or history-related had her talking more than he had expected her to, and the way her eyes lit up as she spoke passionately about these things had his heart skip a beat or two.

At the Three Broomsticks, Endora went over the functions of his newly purchased phone while they waited for lunch. "And that's how you set the ringtones, but obviously, you don't want to have it on during school hours."

"This is… very complicated," he muttered.

"Don't worry, you'll get it with enough toying around." She took a sip of pumpkin fizz and gave a delighted little noise.

He wanted to tell her not to make such noises but found he wanted to make her do more on his terms. Again, he found himself chastising himself for these ideas.

"Hey, you're not going to get in trouble for getting that are you?"

"Huh? No, of course not; I can spend my money as I want."

"Lucky," she grumbled.

"What makes you say that? Can't you spend as you please?"

"Pft no, of course not. I have an allowance."

"What's that?"

She almost forgot that he was an elitist rich boy. "Right, well, I work with my mom during the summer. She pays me for what I complete, and on top of that, I have chores I do that earn me extra cash."

"You don't have house elves?"

"No. I live in a muggle household. Of course, we don't have house elves."

"Interesting. I guess I assumed," he looked at his mug. "So you do chores, and you work. What kind of work do you do?"

"Honestly, whatever my mom needs me to do. We make enchanted crafts, charms for good luck or warding… that sort of thing. I got good at working with my hands because of it. Gran helps make things from time to time, too; it gives her something to do when we're all together."

"That… sounds nice." He said softly. He could barely remember the last time his immediate family had been that close. They could barely stand being in the same room for longer than it takes to eat a meal together. But he digressed; such was the life of a busy family like his.

Endora eyed his reactions. Admittedly, her opinions of him were changing, but it was too soon to let her guard down with him. When their food arrived, Endora wasted no time taking a picture of it.

Wyatt raised a brow and looked over her shoulder, "it's not moving."

"Muggle pictures don't move. Well, unless you take video, but that's a different process."

"Show me?" He held his phone out toward her.

"You just go here, and it opens up the camera. From there, you go here and then press this button."

"This is a button?" he asked as he tapped the screen, unnerved by its sound.

After noticing his reaction, she said, "You can turn the sound off for it in the settings."

"So I can just…" He turned the phone toward her while she looked directly at him and tapped the screen. He smirked a bit to himself and looked up to see her annoyed look.

"If you wanted a picture of me, you could have just asked."

"Would you have let me?"

"Well, now you're never going to know." She turned away from him to dig into lunch.

"You're not mad at me, are you?" He leaned over toward her.

She sighed and shook her head. "That's a stupid thing to be mad about."

"Some people don't like to be photographed."

"I'm one of those people, but what's done is done."

"You don't like pictures of yourself?"

"No. Not when I'm not prepared for it. So do me a favor and just delete that one."

"Will you let me take another if I do?"

She gave up. "Yeah, sure, but you have to be in it, and I have to take it."

He smirked a bit, "Deal." He found how to delete the picture and set the phone aside to get through lunch.