✓ | KEEPER, hugo granger-weasley ¹²

03 ── unspoken rule

CHAPTER THREE

"I need to find a lover who looks at me the way you look at your potions," Lily teased playfully, sitting across from Dahlia, a mischievous grin on her face. Dahlia, however, couldn't help but snort in response to Lily's words, her amusement clear.

"They're rare, trust me," Dahlia replied, her voice dry but laced with a hint of humour. "Don't get your hopes up, Lil. If you think that kind of look exists, you're in for a disappointment."

Lily raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued. "Right," she said, her tone sceptical. "So, what do you say about all those admirers of yours over there?" Lily gestured over her shoulder toward a group of male and female students in the distance. They were the ones Dahlia had casually entertained over the past weeks, the same ones who had been caught up in her web of fleeting flings.

Dahlia glanced up from the potion she was carefully examining in her hands, her eyes flicking to the group of admirers. A half-smile played on her lips. "Well," she began, her voice steady and calculating, "the look they give me is all about desire, sure—but also a little bit of indigence. They want something, but they don't really understand what they're asking for."

Lily leaned in closer, her expression now one of genuine concern. "Okay, but how do you handle it when they get too... intense? I mean, there has to be someone who's gotten jealous, or pushed for more than you're willing to give."

Dahlia's smirk deepened, her eyes twinkling with something like amusement, but also something colder. "The thing is," she said, her voice low and smooth, "they all think I'm incapable of love. It's not that they don't want more—it's just that they know not to expect anything more from me. That's the unspoken rule."

Lily wasn't entirely convinced. She crossed her arms and leaned back, her gaze sharp and thoughtful. "You can keep going by that logic," she began, her voice quieter now, almost as if she were speaking to herself. "But what happens when the truth comes out? Can you imagine the chaos? The trouble you'd be in once they realize—"

Dahlia interrupted with a casual shrug, her eyes never leaving the potion she was now stirring with an almost obsessive focus. "I don't plan on ever correcting their assumptions. As long as I keep playing along with their little game, they won't know any different. It's a win-win. They get what they want, and I get what I want—no mess, no complications."

Lily sighed deeply, rubbing her temples. She knew she wouldn't be able to change Dahlia's mind. There was no arguing with her once she had made up her mind, and Dahlia was an expert at twisting words and constructing a defence for her every choice. As much as Lily cared about her friend, she knew she couldn't get through to her this time.

It wasn't that Dahlia was cold or cruel. She wasn't a heartless person—but she had learned the hard way to guard herself. It was easier to play the game, to be the person everyone expected her to be than to let herself feel something deeper. Her self-protection was a careful construct, a wall she had built piece by piece after all the pain and loss she had endured, especially the loss of her mother.

Dahlia didn't crave the fairy-tale dreams that so many of her peers longed for. Love, in her eyes, was a weakness. A vulnerability that could destroy her. She wasn't prepared to let herself become something as fragile as someone who loved. No, that wasn't her. She didn't need love. She couldn't afford to need it.

Every night, when the silence settled and the weight of her thoughts became too heavy, the memories of the pain she'd faced were enough to remind her why she had locked away her heart. She couldn't bear to face that kind of loss again. Not ever. So she built up walls—strong, thick, and unyielding. And that was how she planned to live.

When Dahlia finally returned to the Gryffindor common room, she was lost in her thoughts. But as soon as she stepped inside, something caught her attention. There, sitting at one of the tables, was Hugo Granger-Weasley. His hand was tangled in his hair, and his other hand was crumpling a piece of paper. Dahlia paused, watching as he stood up, frustrated, and threw the paper across the room toward the fire. She didn't move at first, just watching him from a distance, trying to gauge what was going on.

She took a few steps forward, drawing closer until she appeared behind him. Hugo was focused on a new sheet of parchment, already starting to write again. Dahlia smirked.

"Ah, so my words ended up bothering you," she said, her voice carrying just the right mix of teasing and curiosity as she leaned over his shoulder, glancing at the essay in front of him.

Hugo flinched, clearly startled by her sudden appearance. He put a hand to his chest, looking up at her with wide eyes. "Bloody hell, Jones! Don't just appear out of nowhere like that!"

Dahlia chuckled, not at all phased by his reaction. She knelt beside him, resting her chin on her palm as it supported her knees, her eyes scanning the page in front of him. "The properties of Invigoration Draught are wrong here," she explained calmly, her finger tracing over a section of the book he had opened in front of him. "The right set of ingredients isn't the only thing that matters. Many potioneers never realize that the length of time after brewing it directly affects the strength and duration of the potion."

"But..." Hugo began, his brows furrowing as he looked up at her. "Professor Slughorn said the most important thing was following the instructions exactly."

"Slughorn is right," Dahlia admitted, a slight grin playing on her lips. "But what he didn't tell you was that those instructions are just a guideline. He's teaching you the basics, the foundational steps. But after that? He's expecting you to experiment, to discover for yourself."

Hugo looked at her, his expression now more thoughtful. "So, when you read my essay..." he started, but he trailed off, knowing she would explain.

Dahlia nodded, her eyes locking with his as she gave him a knowing look. "The reason I said what I did was because your essay is just a rehash of what you've read. It's not from experience. Until you've seen the different outcomes for yourself, you're just parroting the textbook. You need to experiment."

Hugo sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "Fine," he muttered, his tone resigned. "You win. I need your help. But that's it—just help with the assignment. Nothing more."

Dahlia grinned, leaning back slightly as she raised an eyebrow in victory. "It's not like I asked for anything in return, Granger-Weasley," she teased, her satisfaction evident in her voice.

Hugo groaned, shaking his head in mock frustration. "You are a menace."

Dahlia winked, clearly enjoying the banter. "I'll take that as a compliment," she said with a smirk, before turning back to help him with his assignment, the victory still sweet on her lips.