[victoria's pov]

Druella, Serenity, and I had agreed to set up a time and date to meet up for what American scholars would call "school supply shopping" in Diagon Alley. Usually, I'd just go by myself to get it done but Druella convinced me I should enjoy it this year with them.

I stepped outside, rethinking about yesterday's incident. It was so embarrassing now that I thought about it over and over. But it was likely he wasn't going to tell anyone because he wasn't one to talk much. I left the gates of Feathering's and came face to face with Riddle across the street.

I made eye contact with him for a brief second. His stare was intense for such a lovely morning. I pretended to not notice him and made my way, hearing footsteps follow behind me.

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"At first I thought he was following me because of what happened yesterday," I said, filling in on the previous events to Druella and Serenity.

"But when we got to Diagon Alley, he disappeared from behind me."

We had decided to have a quick morning breakfast at The Leaky Cauldron before anything else. Wanted posters of Grindelwald were plastered among the walls and columns. A dim lighting peaked in and jolly music was being played by a group of wizards laughing amongst each other.

Druella gasped and said, "Do you figure he's a stalker?"

"Or perhaps he was plotting some sort of payback," Serenity added.

I loved my friends, but sometimes they could be quite dramatic.

"I doubt it," I said. "He seems too involved in his world to focus on me."

"Or anyone in general," Druella peeped. "I can't imagine him in an actual relationship." What she said got me to wonder. "How does he even manage to attract so many girls then? It's so weird."

"He's so weird," Serenity said and laughed to herself.

After a while, the place became too loud to stand and we left.

"By the way, did you hear about what actually happened to Theodore Nott's mother?" Serenity brought up.

I didn't. Theodore had wavy brown hair and natural arched brows that made him more trouble-some-looking. He barely spoke at school unless he was being called on.

His only friends were Cygnus Black and Abraxas Malfoy, but otherwise, he seemed to get along with everyone. His hair was parted on his left side. The last time I saw him, he needed a haircut.

"No," Druella and I chorused. "Is it something horrible?" I asked.

"Quite horrible," Serenity said, as we entered Flourish and Blotts Bookseller. She pulled us aside where it was quieter and said in a low voice, "I heard his mother was one of the few that perished in the flames of 1927. She didn't die from just any fire"

"You mean the incident with Grindelwald?" I asked, recalling having to read something about it in History of Magic. "The same incident with the death of Leta Lestrange?"

"Yes, exactly that," Serenity said. "I heard one of the witches in my neighbourhood whispering about it."

"But that was so long ago, we were probably just a year old. Why're people just talking about it now?"

"Beats me," Serenity said.

It occurred to me that we were gossiping in the wrong place especially at the wrong time.

"Er, I'm not sure if you guys have noticed, but we're here to buy books-?" I said.

Druella and Serenity gave me a toothy grin.
"Right."

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At last, September first was tomorrow. The morning was quite a blur as I only remember bidding a quick goodbye to Gwendelyn before leaving. Druella's older sister, Isabella, had been the one to drop her off at Platform 9 3⁄4 today.
Yesterday we had agreed to meet up together by the hollow brick wall before departing. Druella was always early so I wasn't surprised to see her.

"Got here at King's Cross at ten in the morning," she boasted with a smile. "I've already loaded my luggage and reserved seats for us. It's not like anyone would mind."

"Leave it to you to save us the trouble," I said, returning a smile. "The train departs in ten minutes, where in the world could Serenity be?"

Looking around the station, I noticed a young man drop a fancy-looking book from the bag slumped across his shoulder. I ran toward the book and picked it up. It was royal blue and had three silver linings across the spine. The letter N was engraved on the cover, also traced in silver.

"I believe you have something of mine."
In front of me was the boy. His eyes were a deep blue with a tint of grey. Not like an ocean, but like a stormy blue sky.

"Oh, you mean this," I said, flopping the book around. It was too fancy to be a book, but I didn't want to assume it was a journal so I referred to it as "this."

He looked familiar, but I had forgotten how I knew him for some reason. "So... May I have it back?" he said, grinning.

"Oh," I said, realising how stupid I was being. "Of course, I- I wasn't going to take it or anything. Don't get the wrong idea, please."

I handed it to him and he only laughed. "That's okay, don't stress about it, Victoria."

I almost choked on my saliva, then said, "Can I be honest? I don't recognise you..."

His brows furrowed. "Ouch, I'm hurt." His hand flew over his heart. "Does a haircut change my entire appearance?"

I did a double-take. "Wait- Theodore, right? Theodore. Nott."

That's right.

He laughed and I awkwardly laughed along, confused by what was so funny. (I'm getting second hand embarrassment here, guys.)

"I guess I'll see you around," he said. I felt relieved he was ending the conversation before I embarrassed myself further.

"Hopefully not," I mumbled, joining Druella–who was now accompanied by Serenity. By the look on their faces, I could already tell what was coming.

"I thought you were going to black out," Serenity said, laughing. "Not because you can't control your consciousness but because you were so red!"

"Getting butterflies?" Druella teased.
"More like fruit bats. That was embarrassing," I said. "I need to stop rambling so much sometimes."

"I've never seen you so nervous," Druella said as we boarded the train.

"Pft, nervous? I was embarrassed, Druella; Get the facts straight. I didn't notice he had really pretty eyes before because his hair was so long it practically covered his eyes. He looks so different from what I remember..."

"Oh? So he has pretty eyes, huh?" Serenity wiggled her brows.

"Not in that way!" I exclaimed.
We laughed and I spotted Cygnus Black. Druella got shy and her face turned a rose pink. He looked our way and she immediately dismissed the fact that he was there.
"Come on, Rosier, you should laugh around me more. No need to get shy," Black said with a sappy tone from his compartment.

"I think I'd rather have a reason to laugh at you," she grinned.

"Whatever it takes to hear that laugh of yours," Black said, disappearing behind doors.

"That," Serenity said. "Was disgusting."

"Horrifying," I added.

"An eye sore."

"It gave me goosebumps."

"Absolutely-"

"Okay, okay," Druella said, turning pink. "I get it."

"Getting butterflies?" I said, intentionally copying her tone from earlier.

Serenity snorted a laugh and Druella playfully hit me with the compartment's throw pillow. Serenity laughed and threw a pillow at her but she ducked down, the pillow flying out the door and hitting someone outside our compartment right in the head.

I had never gasped so loud. Whoever was the writer of my life probably wanted me to die or something because I had never been so unlucky.

Tom Riddle glanced at us. Even Serenity didn't dare smuggle a giggle in front of him. He turned toward us, Druella taking a seat.

"You again." He looked at me right away. A green vein rippled on his neck for a moment. He didn't blink.

I scoffed, offended. Just because I had accidentally "hurt" him once didn't mean I was purposely targeting him. He acted like he was someone special to me since he seems to always be on my tail now.

I was sure he was going to force me to apologise next, but remembered what he had said. "I don't need your pity."

Before any of us could react, he left for the prefects' compartment. Serenity looked at me, and I looked at her.
Druella broke the silence with a giggle. A series of laughter rang out from us and we shut the door to prevent anything else stupid from happening.

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