It's Called The Black Lake For a Reason (phan hogwarts AU)

CHAPTER ONE - Phil's POV

        A deep sigh escaped my lungs as my eyes scanned over the seemingly-never ending stack of papers lying in front of me. I was sat in the grass in front of the lake on the Hogwarts grounds, trying to make good use of my free Sunday by catching up on all my homework. Most year sevens spent their time hanging out at Hogsmeade or in the common room, but I didn't fit in as well with them. Not that I didn't have friends, but being muggle-born always made me feel a little out of place. By this point, the difference was barely noticeable for others, but I could always feel it. I didn't have friends for my entire first year at Hogwarts; people just saw me as an anxious and pathetic Hufflepuff.

                Most people assume Hufflepuff's to be pathetic, or generally losers. It's a terrible stereotype, because Hufflepuff's have the most fun, just no one knows it. Sure Gryffindor's are great at doing the most insane dares, and Slytherin's probably find a certain joy in plotting revenge, but Hufflepuff's are the ones who stay under the radar, giving us room to break the most rules. Plus, our common room is closest to the kitchen, which leads to way too many nights spent sneaking in and stealing food, lugging it back to the common room and spending all night laughing and eating.

                Suddenly, I realized I've just been laying in the shade of the tree and daydreaming. I looked down to my transfiguration homework I had laid out in the grass in front of me, and saw that it had been blown about by the September breeze. I released a sound of irritation from the back of my throat as I began to collect the papers.

                Distracted by picking up all the loose sheets, I didn't notice him walk up to me. But as I reached for one of my papers, my hand is suddenly felt the cool touch of someone else's. I flinched back and looked up quickly to see another boy leaning down in front of me, his dark brown hair covering his eyes from my view. I stood up quickly, with most of the papers in my arms. After gathering the rest of the sheets, the other boy stood up to meet my eyes. He pushed the papers into a single stack and quickly handed them to me, clearing his throat.

                "Sorry... You, uh, looked like you needed some help" he mumbled, occupying his hands by fidgeting with the buttons on his uniform shirt, and I notice the tie sloppily tied around his neck; green and silver for Slytherin. His nervousness was actually a little bit charming, in an adorable kind of way.

                "Thanks" I said, shooting him one of my best smiles. He nodded, then started walking away. And for some inexplicable reason, I didn't want him to leave just yet. Maybe all I wanted was an excuse not to do my homework, or maybe it was just because this guy was actually pretty hot, but I immediately racked my brain for something alluring to say to make him want to hang out with me.

                "Wait, are you headed anywhere in particular?" I asked, probably sounding a little bit in panicked from wanting to get a word in before he disappeared.

                "Uh, no, I was just about to go for walk" he replied, fidgeting once again with his buttons. His brown eyes looked a little bit confused, but also slightly hopeful and I crossed my fingers it was for the same reasons I was thinking.

                "D'you mind if I tag along? I really don't want to do this transfiguration homework" I admitted, though it wasn’t entirely true. I actually really enjoyed transfiguration. The boy nodded his head almost immediately, and I took that as a good sign. I stuffed the loose sheets of paper into my shoulder bag and fell into step beside him.

                "I'm Phil by the way" I said, introducing myself as we wound our way around the edge of the lake, kicking pebbles into the water as I walked.

                "I'm Dan" he said. And then there was a bit of silence.

                "Dan" I said, trying out the name on my tongue. It suit him.

                Again, there was silence. But it wasn't an awkward one. It was more of a preoccupied one. Dan was starring out across the lake, obviously deep in thought. I shouldn't have expected anything different; he came out on this walk alone, I'm sure he meant to be alone, not have strangers tag along with him. I was about to ask him if he wanted me to leave, when he turned his head to me.

                "You're in year seven, right?" he asked.

                "Yeah" I replied "and you're in six?" He nodded his head, still looking thoughtful. I wondered what was going on in his brain, and even considered asking, until he said something a little surprising.

                "I recognize you from around the school" he commented, which would seem like a totally normal thing that anyone would expect, but it actually quite shocked me. No one ever notices me. One of my greatest abilities is to hide myself in plain sight -- it’s why I was always great at hide and seek as a kid.

                "No one ever notices me" I laughed, but I thought it came out as more of a bitter comment, and I immediately regretted saying it. He shot me a look of total disbelief.

                "Surely that's not true" he said.

                "Unfortunately, it is. Nothing about me to catch anyone's eye" I said, and again, it didn't come out as casual as I had hoped.

                "What's there not to notice about a strapping young lad such as yourself?" he asked in a joking voice, but I wondered if maybe he really did find me attractive. I scoffed in response to his comment.

                "That would explain why I've never had a boyfriend" I replied dryly. Then I remembered; I'm not talking to one of my friends. I had just told Dan I'm gay, after meeting him a whole three minutes earlier. He quirked an eyebrow at me.

                "Boyfriend?" he asked cautiously.

                "Sorry, didn't mean to come off like I was flirting with you" I laughed awkwardly, then realized that probably made me sound like I was flirting with him even more. And this is why I've never had all that many friends; because I can't hold my stupid tongue from saying something weird to scare people off before I even get to know them.

                To my relief all he did was laugh, and then resume his act of starring off across the water and contemplating life, or whatever he was thinking about (whatever it was, thoughtful was a cute look on him). As we walked, he continued to be mesmerized by the lake, and I continued to be mesmerized by him. His dark brown hair swept over his forehead in a fringe similar to mine, and he had amazingly long lashes decorating his stunning brown eyes. He was a work of art.

                We continued walking across the Hogwarts grounds, and after a while there were no silences or pauses at all. It seemed like we fit in with each other perfectly, and I was amazed at how I'd never noticed the tall, handsome Slytherin walking around the halls. I'm sure it won’t surprise anyone to hear that I never did finish that transfiguration homework.