The Badger And The Snake; Phan/Harry Potter AU

Fourteen: The Forbidden Forest.

Over the next fortnight, Harley and Dan got steadily friendlier. They began to be comfortable with each other and Dan considered her one of his close friends. Phil didn't know how he felt about this. He was suspicious that Dan had a crush on her and avoided the red headed girl at all costs. When he saw them walking together to class or even just talking he immediately got a painful feeling in his chest, like someone stabbing him in the heart. He wasn't sad, though. He got angry. How dare she waltz around with my Dan? She can't touch him.

"Hey, Dan," said Phil, pointedly ignoring Harley, who was also walking with another purple-haired Ravenclaw girl. Dan felt the awkwardness before it settled in the air around the four teenagers and felt the need to introduce his other friends to Phil.

"Hey Phil. Happy new year's eve eve!" Phil tried to smile but it looked more like a grimace. "This is Harley, she's in my House." Yeah, no shit, Dan, thought Phil, glaring at her ever-present silver and emerald scarf.

"And this is Lizzie, we have some double-classes together." Lizzie looked nice enough, so Phil actually greeted her. He didn't even glance at Harley for more than a second, and when he did, it was icy and full of dislike. Harley wondered what she had done wrong, but shrugged it off.

"Maybe he's just having a bad day," she whispered to Lizzie.

Lizzie shook her head. "He's jealous. Can't you see it in his eyes? He's frustrated you get to spend more time with Dan than he does," she said excitedly, then added at the end, "OTP."

Harley giggled and agreed.

"OTP."

The four-minute bell rang, signalling double Herbology. Phil "accidentally" shoved Harley - he apologized without looking in her eyes - and held Dan's hand all the way to the greenhouses, much to both of their pleasure.

Lizzie pointed her wand at her Ravenclaw badge and whispered "colovaria." She smiled in pleasure as the badge changed from blue to green, then followed close behind Harley into the colourful greenhouse.

Today Professor Longbottom wanted the students to go over the material they would face on their end of year exams, so he let them go over notes all of the two hours with only one catch; no talking.

Dan and Phil smirked at each other when he announced this rule, as they had become something of masters at passing notes during class without anyone but themselves noticing.

They sat next to each other, across from Harley and Lizzie, who Phil wrote on a piece of parchment to Dan, 'would look cute together.'

"What are you studying, Lizzie?" Said Harley to her friend, although she was staring at the couple intently.

"Vampire curse antidotes. And you?"

Harley ignored her.

"Do you two have a ship na-" Harley almost finished, but Phil cut her off. "It's Phan," he whispered, smirking. He held Dan's hand under the table, making the other boy blush furiously. What the hell is wrong with Phil? Thought Dan. He's acting so gay. I mean, more than usual.

What if he has a crush on me? And that's why he's treating Harley so badly? Her and I are just friends, but I guess to him that would look like something else . . . Here's the Gryffindor in me.

Dan wrote on a piece of parchment - their situation was perfect, Dan's right hand held Phil's left one, and they could still write fine -

Phil . . . meet in the Forbidden Forest, a week from now, around 8? xx

Phil read it quickly, his fantastic eyes scanning the sloppily written note. His cheeks flared almost immediately, but he nodded at Dan, who danced around happily in his head. Phil wrote,