When We Fell In Love

Chapter 11: Clandestine meetings

Louis could not understand how it was possible that every time he managed to sneak away to some hidden corner or alcove of the castle with Harry, they always ended up being interrupted by something or someone. In two months, he still had not managed to kiss him, and it was driving him crazy.

He would have never expected such boldness from Harry. When he received the first note, delivered by an anonymous school owl, which only had a location (a secret passage behind a tapestry on the fourth floor) and a time (that same day, during lunch), Louis had wanted to jump across the Great Hall and shout his happiness to the world. He did not think it was possible to feel so euphoric over a single crumpled piece of parchment. He hid the note in the pocket of his robe, but his smile was impossible to hide. Liam and Zayn had learned that investigating these sudden bursts of joy was pointless, so they just threw him a few annoyed looks before turning back to their Potions books, ready to be humiliated in class once again.

When Louis rushed to the fourth floor, he felt a hand grab his arm and pull him behind the tapestry. For a second, he feared some sort of ambush by a Gryffindor, or a prank, or someone who, for some strange reason, wanted to attack him. Instead, he found himself face-to-face with Harry, who slipped his fingers through Louis', gently caressing his hands as if they were something precious. Harry had candidly admitted that it was the first time he had felt something for a boy, and that he was not yet sure where things would go; he did not want to hurt Louis in any way. At that moment, Louis would have accepted anything: even little or nothing, just to keep that connection alive. Still, Harry made sure Louis fully understood the situation they were getting into. Louis nodded, mesmerised by those green eyes, ready to do whatever it took to keep them close to him.

Since then, their clandestine meetings had become more frequent, often behind that tapestry, but sometimes in other hidden parts of the castle. They would talk until their voices were hoarse, hold hands, and gently touch, but still no kiss. Louis had become obsessed with the idea of pressing his lips to Harry's, but he suspected he was not ready for that kind of contact yet, so he held back. He always let Harry take control of the situation, allowing him to set the pace without crossing any boundaries.

When they could not be near each other, they exchanged glances from across the Great Hall. Being a year younger, Harry did not share any classes with Louis, and Louis hated the time wasted on something as trivial as studying.

With the Christmas holidays approaching, Louis could not stop thinking about the weeks they would inevitably be apart. Normally, he loved the holiday season, not just because of his birthday, but also because he could see his family and sisters again, surrounded by the warmth of his home in Doncaster. For the first time, however, he felt conflicted: he wanted to go home, but he also wanted to stay at the castle, which would be almost empty, so he could spend all his time with Harry.

"Argh, it's so frustrating!" Louis let his head fall onto the table.

"Look, mate," Zayn interjected with his usual bored tone, "it's been over two months of listening to your sexual frustration. Give it a rest."

"Hey, it's not my fault, okay?"

"We know, we know," Liam said, "but you have to do something before the Christmas break. If I have to hear another monologue about how beautiful Harry's eyelashes are, how soft his skin is, or how his eyes make your knees go weak, I swear I'll get myself detention with Filch for all eternity." Liam, who had never been in detention, always managed to escape with his innocent-boy look, avoiding Filch's wrath or Slughorn's scolding.

"You should be helping me instead of being shitty friends." Louis did not really think they were shitty friends, but he badly needed someone to tell him what to do. "What should I do?"