First duel (Merula Snyde x Slytherin female reader)

Feelings

I woke up the next morning, already sweating. I had a dream about telling my friends I liked Merula. They didn't accept me, and they started to hate me because they didn't like Merula, but I did.
I rolled out of bed and got my Hogwarts robes on. My hair was messy but I didn't give a shit. I started walking down to the great hall and saw Merula on my way out of the Slytherin common room. I was nervous to see her, unlike any other day. She saw me sweating and being red, so she came up to me with a look of concern, confusion, and suspicion. She was alone and probably decided she had nothing better to do but to talk to me.
"Hey, (last name). What's up?"
I was still nervous to talk to her, so my sweat and redness increased, and so did my anxiety.
"Erm- I'm- uh- going down to breakfast!"
Merula looked at me, the confusion looked like it took over her.
"You're sweaty and red as a rose. Why're you being so weird, anyway?"
Like the confusion took over Merula, the anxiety took over me.
"I'm just really hungry!" I decided to bolt out of the situation. "I've gotta get to breakfast! Bye!"
I ran out of the scene, Merula waving and then stopping. I arrived at the great hall and started piling the scrambled eggs on my plate.
Rowan saw me and walked over to sit with me.
"Hey, (your name)! What's up?"
With toast dangling from my mouth, I frantically got it out of my mouth and started to speak gibberish.
"Oh- uhm- I'm- erm- I'm having breakfast!"
"I can tell," Rowan scooped up some of the cereal she had. "Anyway, where's Merula? She's usually with you."
She brought up Merula... This was my chance to tell her how I felt.
"Oh- Merula?" I asked, still sweating hard. "I- I dunno."
Rowan was clearly worried about whatever thing was making me sweaty and red.
"Are you alright?" She asked another question. "You're all red like a tomato..."
Rowan felt the back of my neck.
"And sweaty..." She added.
"Okay... So if you wanna know the truth..." I started. Rowan was probably thinking I hurt Merula in some sort of way. "Can I trust you to tell you it?"
"Of course!" Rowan was clearly waiting for me to tell her what was on my mind. "I'm your best friend! You can tell me anything!"
"Alright..." I began anxiously, then decided it was time to actually speak. "Well... I... I like Merula a lot- more than just as a friend. And I really wanna tell her that I like her more than a friend, and I think she might like me as more than just a friend, too. I want her to be my girlfriend."
Rowan looked slightly less confused, but at the same time, slightly more confused.
"Wait... You two aren't already a thing?"
A thing..? Were we that obvious?
"What do you mean, Rowan?" I asked.
"What do I mean?" She repeated loudly. "You two are literally always holding hands! Don't even get me started on the fact that I always see you blushing in front of her! Literally everyone knows you like her, and the chances are that she likes you too! I mean everyone knows you like her: Tonks, Andre, Tulip, Ben, Penny... The list keeps going! You guys seriously aren't a couple?"
"As much as I want it," I sighed. "We aren't a couple."
"Well then, you know what you have to do!" Rowan grabbed my hand and pulled me out of my seat. "Let's go tell all your other friends! They'll help you tell Merula!"
She pulled me away from my plate of scrambled eggs that I was recently hastily eating. She brought me over to the Hufflepuff table where Penny and Tonks were sitting. Rowan was standing there, perfectly fine, while I was still having trouble catching my breath.
Rowan pushed me in front of her.
"Guys! (Your name) has something to tell you!"
Penny looked up from her cereal, and Tonks did the same from her eggs.
"Well, (your name)," Penny wanted to know the news. "What do you need to tell me and Tonks?"
"Erm- I- Uh-" I began, but Tonks, thankfully, interrupted.
"Is it about dungbombs? I'd love one!"
"No..." I needed to tell the truth if I wanted their help. "It's about... Uhm-"
"Listen," Penny began to reassure me. "If you don't feel like talking about it, you don't have to! But we're still always gonna listen."
"No, I wanna say it." I gathered up my courage to finally tell them. "So you know how me and Merula are close, right?"
Penny and Tonks both immediately said, "Yeah?"
"Well, I... Like her a lot. More than just a friend way. I think she likes me too, but I'm scared to tell her. We hold hands a lot and she's kissed me a few times. I really want her to be my girlfriend and I think she might like to, but then again... I'm scared to ask."
Tonks gave me an odd look.
"You two aren't already dating? I thought..." She cut off because apparently her thoughts drifted her away, leaving an empty sound of the great hall around us. Penny decided to fill in that empty space.
"Yeah... I thought you two were literally a couple. That's not the case?"
"Uhm- No. I've just had a massive crush on her ever since our first duel." I said casually.
Tonks came back from her land of thoughts.
"Your first duel?" She repeated. "Merula was being absolutely vile to you!"
I felt relieved to hear that nobody heard me flirting with Merula at the time.
"Thank God..." My thoughts came flying out of my mouth. "Nobody heard us that day... Thank God..."
"Heard what?" Tonks asked. "What were you guys doing?"
"It's nothing bad!" I laughed, imagining what they thought we were doing. "We were just flirting! Then Flitwick came in after the duel and gave us detention. I was scared someone else heard our cringe flirting."
"Well then!" Penny had a brilliant idea from the look I got in her eyes. "You need to just tell Merula!" Okay, not so brilliant, just basic.
"I guess I will," I said, the courage had finally finished building up inside and was at a steady height. "I'll meet her somewhere private... The room of requirement, maybe?"
"Yes! Somewhere private where nobody can come..." Tonks said while giving me 'that look.' "Nobody is gonna know when she pins you to the wall and then starts stripping you d-"
"Tonks!" Penny startled Tonks.
Tonks laughed and moved on.
"Anyway, yeah. You should meet at the room of requirement! You just need a way to get in there, and you're good to go."
I noticed Rowan was completely silent and didn't say anything.
"Rowan?" I asked. "Why aren't you saying anything?"
"Because," She replied, smiling. "I'm just listening to your ideas. If you go somewhere private, I bet you're in for a treat!"