𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐄

𝟒. 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭

𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲.

Today you walked into class alone.

Not completely alone—Seamus Finnigan was with you—but as long as you weren't accompanied by any of your slithering bodyguards, you were alone in my eyes. Vulnerable. Unprotected. Completely free.

Potions was my favorite class for two reasons. The first was because it was the last class period of the day. It was the bridge that joined the end of lessons with the beginning of a fresh new weekend.

The second reason I tolerated potions was because Malfoy dropped the class last year to take on the advanced course upstairs. The only thing keeping me from you now was Parkinson, and that wasn't much of a challenge at all.

Your nose was smothered in soot. In fact, the entire front of your entire uniform was caked in the stuff. Finnigan was apologizing profusely to you as you both stepped inside, but you were waving him off with a warm smile that melted my heart from all the way across the room.

Everyone in our year had been on the receiving end of one of Shamus Finnigan's explosions at one point or another. It was only a matter of time before it finally happened to you. I wished I could have been there to see it; to thumb the black dust off your cheeks and to gaze into your teary eyes. Just another excuse to touch you.

Those moments were hard to come by these days.

You lift your arm to drag your white sleeve across your face, but it only works to move the soot around. My fingers twitch on top of my textbook and I hide them in my lap as you draw closer. When you look up again, your eyes meet mine and I nearly jump back physically.

I try to hide my surprise behind a cough as I sit up straight and pretend to be completely enthralled by the cover of my book. If I had a galleon for every time I had been caught staring at you, I could easily double all of the gold in my parents' vault.

"Harry!" You beamed cheerfully, seeing through my white lie in an instant. I look up to see you skipping the rest of the way to my desk. Your school books were stacked neatly in your arms, hugged tightly against your chest as you approached. I felt my throat close up and folded and unfolded my hands.

I could nearly hear the familiar scratching of quill on paper already as I immortalized this moment in my journal later this evening—December 13th, 1996. She said my name today and I nearly died.

The corners of my lips twitched upwards as you tried to pat the rest of the ashes off of your black pleated skirt. Even agitated—with your cheeks puffed out and your nose all wrinkled up—you still managed to be the most beautiful girl in the room.

Managed.

I scoffed at my own choice of words.

You didn't manage to do anything. You were effortless in everything you did. In every conversation, in every reflection. It was all so overwhelmingly natural that part of me had to wonder if someone such as yourself could even exist in this world, or if somehow you had been a figment of my lonely imagination this entire time.

I can't utter a word. I try, Merlin knows how desperately I try, but despite my efforts, I can only watch as you pout confusedly at my silence.

"In Charms class on Friday, did you happen to see anything fall out of my bag?" you asked sweetly. "I've asked around but no one else has seen a thing. Can't seem to find it anywhere."

My face pales and I hesitantly cross my arms over the desktop, hopefully hiding the slip of lavender-colored envelope I knew was peaking out of the pocket of my robes at that moment. It was stupid of me to carry it around so openly. Stupid, but so very worth it.

"What was it?" I ask dumbly, forcing my voice not to shiver.

You must've seen me take it. Or if you hadn't, someone else had and word got back to you. Way to go, Harry. You've really fucked this one up.

The question threw you off and you started chewing gently on your bottom lip. "Oh...well, you see..." you chirped, suddenly embarrassed. You looked down at your books and I watched from under my desk as you dug the toe of your shoe into the floor. "Never mind, I think I'll ask Theo. I think he might be playing another trick on me."

You toss your hair as you turn away and I am hit with the most sweet-smell. Like the doorway of Honeydukes, though I knew you'd never been. Candy floss and sugar crystals and everything sweet in the world. It was all you.

"(Y/N)?"

You spun back around with a hopeful smile. "Yes?"

I clenched my right hand into a tight fist. "I hope you find it...whatever it is you're looking for."

The corners of your lips tugged downwards. You didn't allow your smile to disappear, but I still took it like a knife to the heart. "Thank you," you said sheepishly, ushering yourself back to your seat on the other side of the classroom. I watched you sit down next to Parkinson—whose eyes furrowed as she asked you why in the fresh hell you were talking to Harry Potter of all people.

I barely noticed as Ron slumped down beside me. I probably wouldn't have at all if he hadn't scoffed and knocked a fist against my shoulder in a teasing manner.

"Mate, what is your obsession with that girl?" He snorted. "It's a bit creepy, innit?"

My response came quick. Perhaps too quick. "Obsession?" I gulped. "What obsession? There's no obsession."

Against my better judgment, I let my eyes glaze over your corner of the room one last time as a heavy sigh puffed from my lips.

It was so much more than that.

(A/N: Happy Arcane monday! and Valentine's day!! how eventful. really want to update something else this week. i've been neglecting my books. I'm publishing this from my phone so it's probably riddled with errors. Please call me out!)