Cottage Roads ° james potter

-xvii. hooked

❛ To show you how much I really love you ❜

Hannah Moore sat on an old bench in the courtyard with her cloak and a large leather-bound book in her hands. She was waiting. She was waiting for the boy with white hair and blue eyes to come and swoop her off her feet.

Lucius Malfoy took notice of the girl in their fourth year and ever since then, they'd been meeting in secret. Of course, Hannah knew it was bad and it really didn't make her feel good but she liked him so much. It felt right in the moment, but after, when she'd go back to her friends and they'd ask her what's wrong, she felt like absolute shit.

She tried to end things with him but somehow, she always ended up coming back. He'd say something like I miss you or you looked really nice today and everything she'd tell herself in an attempt to get over him went right down the drain.

So today was no different. After he called her a blood-traitor that day in Hogsmead, she tried cutting him off, but he made up for it. This led to her waiting for him in the cold only for a few moments in heaven in return. She looked over at the approaching footstep and smiled when she saw him.

"Hey," she breathed. He smiled back and halted in front of her. She looked in his eyes and there she was, falling all over again.

"Wanna go on a walk?" he asked. She nodded and hooked their arms together. With only the birds singing and the wind blowing around them, they felt as though they really didn't need to say anything. They walked all the way to the edge of the black lake and stopped under a large sycamore tree.

"It's nice, isn't it? The view?" Hannah spoke, staring out at the water. She could feel his eyes on her but chose to ignore them.

"Yeah. Just like you," he said. Her eyes flickered to his and she couldn't help but turn scarlet. She let out an airy laugh and looked down at her shoes.

"Why am I here, Lucius?" she asked genuinely. He looked confused for a moment then looked out at the body of water.

"Because you like me?"

"Of course it's because I like you. But you don't like me. So why did you ask me to come?" she said, throwing aside the awkward small talk and jumping to the point.

He looked at her quizzically and said, "I do like you, Hannah. A lot. I'm just confused, that's all."

She nodded warily and refused to look up at him. He then lightly brushed his hand along her cheek and tilted her head up. Brown eyes met blue and sadly, Hannah believed him. He leaned in and took her bottom lip between his. She wrapped her hands around his neck and he did the same with her waist. They parted for air and only stared at each other.

"I have to go," she said abruptly. She released him and grabbed her book that had fallen to the ground then walked away quickly. When she was sure he couldn't see her, she broke into a run all the way to the Gryffindor tower.

After almost yelling the password at the Fat Lady, she burst into the common room and ignored the stares she got. "Hannah? What's wrong?" Riley, who was seated on a sofa, asked.

Those words were too familiar. "I hate men," Hannah uttered, then continued up to her dormitory.

Riley was left in confusion as she stared at the door her friend disappeared through. She turned back around with a huff and gazed at the fire in front of her. She averted her eyes back to the sweater she was attempting to knit but then dropped the needles and rubbed her forehead in frustration. She felt the cushion next to her dip and looked up.

"You look very upset," Marlene McKinnon stated. Riley rolled her eyes and thought about ignoring her but figured that was a bad idea.

"Thank you, I couldn't tell."

"You know, I'm trying to have a civil conversation with you," Marlene told.

"Why?"

"I dunno, I just don't think arguing all the time is gonna help us get to know each other."

"And why should we get to know each other?"

"Well if you don't want to then that's fine," she said beginning to stand up but stopped moving when Riley reached out and grabbed her hand.

"I'm only asking why. You don't have to leave." With a small smile, she sat back down and turned to her.

"I think we could be friends," she admitted. "It's Lily and Claire who hate each other. We just got sucked into it."

Riley contemplated this for a moment then realized it was correct. Although she did despise Lily, she couldn't deny the truth in what Marlene said. "You're right, it is because of Claire. But, if it were me who hated someone, then Claire would hate them too. So there is a reason." Marlene frowned and opened her mouth to say something but Riley was quick to cut in. "I do think we could be friends though."

When Riley saw her smile, she couldn't help but smile with her. The strangest thing happened. It was like her stomach was eating itself and her hands were all clammy. She recalled this feeling when she was in the second year and Richard Goldstein said he liked her hair.

It was the feeling of warmth and comfort. The feeling of someone being there for you and knowing you exist. Staring into her eyes didn't help with this feeling. If anything, it made it worse. It told her exactly what she felt.

It told her that there was a possibility that she felt something for Marlene McKinnon.