𝐈𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐝 𝐓𝐨 𝐁𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 (𝐂𝐄𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐂 𝐃𝐈𝐆𝐆𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐱 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑)

1: First Night Out

Y/N PERSPECTIVE

"Come ON, Y/N, it's the first night at Hogwarts! Classes don't start for days, might as well have fun while we still can!" Elaine's heavy blue trunk *thunked* against the wall as she threw it open and began rummaging through her clothes.

Elaine Barrows is my best friend, and she has always been quite the socialite, somehow having managed to get us into common room parties at other houses since our first year–though, to be fair, it's not too hard. Most of the students in the four houses like to hang out outside of class, and getting into common room parties in houses other than your own only really requires you to have a couple good friends who can slip you the newest passwords. Elaine, always the mischievous yet well-informed witch, keeps an updated parchment list of every password. Six years later, not much has changed.

"Wouldn't want to waste our last year at Hogwarts, now would you?" she added with a grin, noticing my hesitation give way to willingness. 

"Oh, alright," I sighed with a slight smirk, "but only TWO butterbeers and then I'm leaving, okay?" I hopped off my bed and accio'd a fresh top from beneath the pile of things I had started unpacking.

"Yeah RIGHT! You always stay longer than you say you will! Plus, I need you to help me get shagged, alright? I'm still getting over Crooks."

Bishop Crooks is Elaine's ex-boyfriend. A Slytherin, of course, because Elaine has always been into the trouble-making boys. She loves some toxicity in her life, which for the life of me I have never understood. They were going steady since he asked her to the Yule Ball our fourth year, but she caught him with Millicent Bulstrode in the bathroom last year and immediately broke it off.

"I still cannot believe it happened. I mean honestly, Elaine, you were way too good for him to begin with," I offered sympathetically.

"Yeah, yeah, I guess," she grumbled, tugging on her boot and standing up with a huff. "Right. Come on, Y/N, let's get out of here before I let myself feel sad again."

"Where are we going again?" I asked, stumbling after the now fast-moving Elaine as she strode down the stairs and out of the Hufflepuff common room.

"Gryffindor!" she called back over her shoulder.

★゜・。。・゜゜・。。・゜☆゜・。。・゜゜・。。・゜★

"Scurvy Cur."

The fat lady looked extremely displeased.

"You again?" she sang out discontentedly. "I thought we would have gotten rid of you by now."

"It's my last year, fat lady, doesn't that please you?" Elaine said cheekily. "Besides, I said the correct password. You HAVE to let me in now."

The fat lady rolled her eyes laboriously, but the door swung open nevertheless.

I could hear the pulse of music and see flashing red and orange lights coming from the common room, and followed Elaine down the hall. We walked out into a roar of laugher and commotion, and were greeted with open arms by our Gryffindor friends. Something was missing though, and I scoped the room out quickly.

"Fred! George!" I shouted over the noise. Two redheaded boys whipped their heads around from beside the keg of butterbeer.

"Fancy seeing you here, mate!" Fred said with a laugh. 

"Yeah, thought we'd gotten ya banned last year, Y/N," George added.

The two ruffled my H/C hair lovingly, and I pulled them both into a hug. "Funny. I could have said the same about you two," I laughed. "Now, good sirs, fetch me a butterbeer!"

"If you please!" replied George gleefully, and filled a cup for me. 

"Make that two!" said a voice next to me. I glanced to the side. Standing there was a rather handsome lad, tall and thin with sparkling gray eyes. The boy was dressed in normal clothes so I couldn't quite tell what house he was in, especially in the dim light of the common room illuminated by the pulsing red lights, but I could have sworn I'd seen him before... He shot a glance at me and smiled shyly as he caught me trying to make out his face.

"We're guarding the thing from first through third years," Fred whispered in my ear, drawing my attention away from the boy. 

"But if they'd slip us a few galleons I'd happily turned a blind eye!" George said with a wink, passing the drinks to me and the boy. He nodded in thanks and quickly turned to walk away. I let my gaze follow him across the room for a moment before I was distracted by Elaine shouting my name. 

It didn't matter, I decided. Besides, this butterbeer was strong, and my now-empty cup was already starting to make me feel hazy. I let a dumb, tipsy smile spread across my face, and ran to join the Gryffindors to dance the night away.

★゜・。。・゜゜・。。・゜☆゜・。。・゜゜・。。・゜★

Hey readers (if there are any so far haha)! This is the first fanfiction I've ever written so I'm still getting used to it, but I have so many ideas and I'm so excited to get this story out to you! Please leave comments and interact with the story, I'd love to hear any predictions you may have :)