ғᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ | ғʀᴇᴅ ᴡᴇᴀsʟᴇʏ ᴛʜᴇ sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ

8.

Riley arises and looks around the dorm room. Although it isn't much she loves it. The rays of light shine through the window, almost scattering all around the room, slowing filling up the dimly lit room with warm, welcoming light. She looks to her left and sees Jade starring at her, with the second biggest smirk ever on her face, first obviously going to Fred.

"Yes?" Riley laughs.

"I can't believe you two almost kissed that's madness." Jade blurts out.

The small girl jumps out of her single bed and runs over to Riley's, and flops onto it.

"Well his eyes flicked, I'm not saying he leaned in or anything." Riley admits.

"He may as well have. The flick is a massive deal! He basically snogged you by doing that." Jade claims.

"Oh, Merlin. Would you stop? He and I are strictly friends." Riley tries to convince her.

"Clearly," Jade rolls her eyes, "I will bet he'll ask you to the Yule Ball." Jade bets.

"He won't." Riley insists.

Riley reaches and grabs a fist of her warm duvet and throws it back. She wiggles her toes and breathes in sharply. She runs her hands through her silky brown hair and swings her legs over the bed where they hang lazily over the side. She looks over her shoulder to Jade and smiles.

"If he does, I'll do you're Defense Against the Dark Arts homework for a week." Riley agrees.

"And if he doesn't?" Jade asks.

"You have to do my transfiguration homework for a month." Riley smiles.

"What? That's not fair!" Jade protests.

"I know but if you're so certain he will ask me, then you shouldn't be afraid to take those odds." Riley smirks.

Riley knows that Jade hates Defense against the Dark Arts more than any other class. She won't admit it isn't her favourite either but nobody has such a strong hatred for the subject like Jade. If she is willing to take the chance of Fred asking Riley out then she should bet. In all honesty, Riley thinks there is a chance of Fred doing it as well.

"Deal." Jade speaks.

"Really? Okay." Riley laughs.

"Wait if he asks you out you have to say yes, right?" Jade confirms.

"I never said I would say yes." Riley laughs evilly as she backs into the bathroom.

"Hufflepuss." Jade calls.

This made both Jade and Riley burst out laughing.

"Hufflepuss, I like that one." Riley says with her head poked out the door.

"Just wash up for Prince Charming." Jade throws a cushion that has the Hufflepuff motto, "they are just and loyal. Those patient Hufflepuffs are true, and unafraid of toil" stitched into it. Riley quickly dodges the cushion by closing the door.

"Lovely gesture, really." Riley giggles as she sticks her head back into the room and blows a raspberry as Jade.

"You need to behave." Jade looks at her nails as she gets up from the bed and sits on her own.

"I'll do whatever I wish." Riley states playfully.

"Okay then." Jade, who is clearly now more interested by her nails, says.

Riley fully closes the bathroom door and walks over to the sink. She looks at her reflection that is staring back at her. Her bright expression mirrored back to her. She grabs the hairbrush beside her hand and starts to carefully brush through her long hair. Each stroke makes her hair fall differently around her face. Once done her hair she grabs her robes that she left there the night before and changes into them. She walks back out into the dorm room to find Jade dressed as well.

"Coming for breakfast then?" Riley asks.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Jade jokes.

"Come on then. Let's go." Riley says leaving the dorm.

The two girls walk into the familiar common room and look around, it was unusually quiet today, on most Tuesday mornings there is always a good 20 people hanging around, but today there is about 5. It could easily be put down to the fact that most are probably out with the lovely new arrivals.

Riley loves her common room. The strong smell of wood and the bright yet cosy aesthetic it leaves is nothing but enjoyable. She loves all the plants that hang from the walls, roof and windowsills. Even though they go to a school for the magical youths, she can't help but see the Hufflepuff Basement as the most magical thing in the world. She knows after all those years, after everything that the school and house had been through that they could never change how the students feel about their common room. Some might think "oh it's a basement though" that makes it so special, it's cosy and gives a reassuring feeling to any Hufflepuff that walks in.

The two girls from there head to the great hall and look around, Fred is over with James and Aleksi, Stefen and Ivan aren't too far away from the Gryffindor boys. Riley looks at Jade, more for moral support than anything and Jade gives her a nod of approval.

Riley walks to the Gryffindor table, knowing she must complete her task. Fred sees the young Finnigan approach the table he is sitting at he can't help but get butterfly's in his stomach. That girl drives him mental. When he sees her sit with the Durmstrang boys he is upset but understands she's cleaning the mess he made.

"Hey." Riley says.

"Hello, Riley. How are you?" Stefen grins.

"I'm good, I just came over to grab Aleksi for a chat really quickly. How are you, though? " Riley states.

"I'm much better now, and take him, he's quite annoying in the mornings." Stefen nods.

"That's great, thanks! Aleksi, can we go somewhere over there." Riley asks, tilting her head back to the Hufflepuff table.

"Of course." Aleksi gets up and strides over to Riley.

The two walk over to the table with a few scattered Hufflepuff's hear and there. Riley sits where there is no one else around. Aleksi is quick to follow.

"So.. I wanted to talk to you about what Fred said." Riley admits.

"And what did Fred say?" Aleksi acts oblivious to the situation.

"He said I was a lesbian." Riley recalls.

"Oh yeah, if you're worried I'm not going to say anything to anybody, that's your business." Aleksi rushes.

"No no no, it's fine. I wanted to tell you I'm not, I'm not a lesbian that is." Riley confirms.

"What? But Fred said?" Aleksi questions.

"I know what Fred said, but he wasn't telling the truth. He lied. This is probably very confusing for you at the moment but I want you to know that I'm not a lesbian, not that there is anything wrong with that though." Riley states.

"I don't get why he would lie." Aleksi scratches his head.

"I'm not totally sure either. I'm sorry for any confusion." Riley sighs.

"It's okay, it's not your fault." Aleksi laughs it off.

"Great well, I hate to cut this short but I have to go, I'll talk to you later though." Riley gets up and starts to walk around the table.

"Yeah, I'll see ya soon." Aleksi smirks to himself.

Riley ends up back at her dorm room as she has some time to kill before her first class. She walks in the door and it's empty, no Jade, no Sophia and no Olivia. A quiet room, not something Riley got, or any of the girls got for that matter, regularly. She sits down at her desk and pulls out a quill, she starts to mess around and as each stroke of the quill hits the creamy paper the more invested Riley gets. She eventually looks over to her clock and realizes she has 5 minutes to get to her class. She gathers her things and heads out the door and arrives just as the bell rings. She would not be as excited for this day as it does not include herbology. Tuesday's, one of two days she does not have the class with Mr.Longbottom.

She goes about her day as normal and gets back to the dorm to get her homework finished and get changed. She is planning on an early night, and that she gets. She is in bed for 10:30 and is asleep by 10:45.