When We Fell In Love

Chapter 3: Aftermath

Louis loved parties, and he loved dancing even more. True, he could not dance with whomever he wanted and however he wanted, but it was still great to have fun with his friends. His hair was starting to flatten against his temples, and a few drops of sweat beaded on his forehead. Liam and Zayn had begun dancing with two very cute girls from the third year. Louis however was not alone; Evan and Barty had formed a small circle around him, all moving to the rhythm of Crocodile Rock . Regulus, as expected, had disappeared into some dark corner of the room.

When your feet just can't keep still

I never knew me a better time, and I guess I never will.

He did a spin, then a second, and then a third. His head started to feel a little dizzy, and his vision blurred. He had to stop for a few seconds to avoid falling on someone. He looked up at the ceiling: the warmth of that place, of those people, filled him with an exhilarating joy. And just as he was enjoying the beauty life had gifted him, he glimpsed in the corner the mass of curly hair, whose scent had intoxicated his senses just a few hours earlier. Harry was talking to a blond boy with a vaguely familiar look, probably a fourth-year like Harry.

“Thirsty... I'm thirsty... I'll be right back," he mumbled to his friends. Louis was mesmerised. None of his friends stopped him. He was determined to talk to Harry again: obviously, he would never say or do anything inappropriate—he could not afford any missteps. Maybe, one day, in a distant future, he could be free to say or do whatever he wanted. He also knew that statistically, he could not be the only gay boy in all of Hogwarts, but he had never dared to take the risk. The only people who knew about him were Liam, Zayn, and his sisters Lottie and Fizzy (Daisy and Phoebe were still too young to understand), and he was fine with that.

"Harry, my friend!" Louis decided to be direct, bold: he at least had to manage to become his friend. Harry turned around with a vaguely terrified look. "I don't bite, you know?" said Louis, as he turned to look at the blond boy. "Nice to meet you, I'm Louis."

"Niall, Niall Horan." After a brief handshake, Louis refocused on Harry. "Are you having fun?"

"Harry is a man of few words," Niall smiled sympathetically at Harry, who still hadn't managed to say a word. "We're having a great time. I just finished dancing with Cynthia over there."

"Wow, nice one, she's really cute," Louis said, as if they had been friends forever.

"Thanks, thanks," Niall gave a little bow. "And Harry here," Niall's hand landed with a friendly pat on Harry's shoulder, "just tore up the dance floor with Marlene." Louis should have seen it coming, but a twinge of disappointment pierced his stomach.

"Ah, our Harry aims high! Good for you!" Louis had become quite skilled at hiding unwanted emotions.

This comment made Harry smile: one of the most beautiful smiles in the world, Louis thought. No, he could not let himself slip into those thoughts. He cleared his throat and started chatting again as if nothing had happened.

"Marlene is really pretty," Harry whispered.

"Of course she is!" Despite everything, Louis had eyes too. "Well, if you need any advice or help to win her over, you can count on me." Harry blushed. "And obviously on the whole group: Liam, Zayn, Evan."

"And I'm supposed to trust you Slytherins just like that?" Harry wrinkled his nose, his tone sarcastic. Louis raised his hands in surrender.

"I come in peace, cowboy." Harry still seemed sceptical. "Look at it this way: if we're friends with Remus, we can't be all that bad, right?"

"And I’m supposed to take your word for it?" He was clearly provoking him, but Louis had nothing to hide and everything to gain.

"Hey, Remus, come here for a sec, I need your support," Louis shouted. Remus left the dark corner where he had been hiding, talking to Regulus, who followed him, bored. "Ah, Reggie, nice to see you socialising. Almost makes you seem human." Regulus flipped him off without even bothering to respond.