🖇·˚ ༘ ┊͙[ chapter eleven ] ! ˊˎ

╰─▸ crushes, favouritism, and dreams

     DESPITE THE WELCOMING GLOW OF THE SUN washing over my skin, as the rays poured through the windows, today was never going to be a particularly good one.

     Potions was a strong subject of mine, but in my personal opinion, the better the teacher, the better the subject. And double potions, making up two hours of my day, suffering in a rotting classroom at the pit of the castle with a severely cantankerous teacher, was never going to be the kickstart I wanted or needed. Not to mention a partner I was stuck with and wasn't exactly on speaking terms with.

     Rolling out of bed accompanied by a groan or two, I got dressed and shuffled down the spiral staircase and found Ava and Spencer all ready and up, waiting for me in the common room.

     "Alright there, sleepyhead?" Ava asked, elbowing my side, as the two of them grabbed their bags and we began making our way to breakfast.

     "Oh, particularly marvellous darling." I moaned sarcastically, turning to Spencer to address her, "I swear you need some kind of sleep therapy, your snoring is literally ear piercing."

     Faking a sympathetic look, Spencer looking rather offended, we settled down at the far end of the table, for breakfast - the wooden planks lined with dishes and plates and a variety of goods.

     "So, how did tryouts go?" Ava asked, serving herself a slice of toast, and buttering its surface.

     I nodded nonchalantly, "Yeah, not bad actually. I managed to find a new beater and two new subs." I ate a spoonful of my cereal.

     "And how did Marcus do?" Ava added, brandished with a flirtatious smile that was evidently spread across her face.

      It was now clear that the one and only reason Ava had asked me about tryouts, was to find an excuse to bring Marcus Flint into the conversation. Perhaps she was trying to be subtle, but any mention of her new love interest was a bore. I should have known really; it's not like Ava to show any kind of interest in the sport, whatsoever.

     My expression didn't change, "Terribly actually. I kicked him off the team." I deadpanned with a hint of a sarcastic tone.

     Ava looked almost mortified by the statement and gasped rather dramatically. "What? Why? No offence, y/n, but he's the best chaser you've got!" Ava was almost yelling, and her toast was now on her plate after her dropping it in a fit of rage and disbelief.

     "Um, offence taken. And I was joking," I said as if it were obvious. "Course I didn't kick him off. And besides, I wouldn't have guessed for you to be interested at all. Or is it because you two are an item now?" I smirked. Spencer was trying to conceal her own smirk, but she still snorted a little,

     "We're not!" Ava said, quick to defend herself.

     "Tell that to Mr heart-eyes over there." Spencer pointed at the Slytherin not far down the table, who stared for a second longer, panicked, and looked away.

     "Av, he totally likes you," I said, a little more friend-like now.

     "You think?" Ava said, cocking an eyebrow.

     Spencer and I inclined our heads towards each other, silently agreeing that we both knew he was almost infatuated by Ava. "I could talk to him if you want," I suggested, with a weak shrug, now returning to my cereal.

     "Could you?" Ava asked as if she were pleading.

     I chuckled dryly, "Yea course."

     With a singular glance, I spotted William strolling over to the badger's table and settling beside, who I assume to be, not his actual friends, but people he likes to believe were. That's harsh.

     "Right after I talk to that shit brain." I smiled sarcastically, got up from my seat, and walked over to the Hufflepuff table on the other side of the noisy hall.

     He looked rather baffled as I took a seat next to him.

     "Um y/n, what are you doing? You're not allowed to sit here." Will said, almost embarrassed that I had broken a rule and sat at a table I wasn't granted to sit at.

     "Well, that's a lovely way to greet your darling older sister now isn't it?" I said, faking a hurt tone.

     Will rolled his eyes, accompanied by a scoff. "Just go away will you, cockbite?" he said with a sigh, quite clearly over me being there.

     I grinned, "Cockbite? Well, that's new." I chuckled, and I could have sworn he did too. "Well, hey, I just came to see how you are. Am I allowed to do at least that?"

     "Yes, I suppose, but it's a first," he said, slightly scornfully.

     Almost breaking our heartfelt, brother-sister moment, establishing the loving bond between the two of us, Anthony Rickett yelled over at me, from further down the table. "Oi, y/l/n, you're not permitted to sit here."

     I turned to look at the boy, surrounded by a few of his friends, and empty plates. Anthony had a look of forced severity, that made it hard for me not to slap it off him. A few of them even laughed, but I didn't quite get what was supposed to be so funny.

     I looked him up and down, "And you're not permitted to be such a wanker, Rickett, but here we.  are." I mirrored his faked seriousness, and my face formed a sarcastic smile. It was comforting to hear a few wolf whistles from up and down the table, even Diggory went along with it, and also to watch Anthony's once cocky smile, turn into a look of embarrassment, with a hint of anger.

     I got up from the forbidden table and returned to my own.

' ੈ˚ ❃  

     JUST BECAUSE I HATED THE IDEA of spending two long hours with a teacher that was too grouchy to enjoy the subject, did not mean I planned on missing any of it.

     I wasn't aware of how the time had passed as I relaxed in the girl's bathroom, and I was now officially late to the class I had been dreading all morning.

     I must say, it was a great start of the day practically jumping down the stairs that lead to the dungeon, and almost running through the doors to the classroom.

     I wasn't exactly subtle, but I wasn't loud either. Only a few students ended up looking up, as I crept into the classroom.

     Professor Snape was facing the front, his back to me, writing something or rather on the chalkboard. Seeing as I assumed, he couldn't see me just yet and it was clear I hadn't made a racket, I took this as my chance to try to slide over to my seat, and go unnoticed.

     As I, what I thought was, sneakily made my way to my seat on the second row, Snape had already worked out that I had arrived, and very late at that. "Miss y/l/n?" he was still facing the board. "Late, I see." Snape droned, finally turning to face me.

     "Very sorry professor," I said, rather hastily, as I tried to avoid punishment. I quickly sat down, head drooped, hoping this entire encounter with the Professor was well and over.

     "Detention, tomorrow Miss y/l/n," he sighed, still very monotonal.

     I exhaled, "But sir, I have quidditch practice tomorrow."

     Professor Snape looked as though he was considering my protest. He sucked in a bit of air, and he looked like whatever he was going to say, would make him look guilty. "Alright, but make sure to catch up on what you have missed, please." he was still droning, even if he was letting me off or not.

     I nodded and smiled weakly back.

     I retrieved a few slices of parchment from inside my bag and started catching up from the girl on the other side of me, momentarily glancing over at her paper than mine, scribbling down what I could remember from each glance. I was obviously never going to ask Diggory if he would let me copy his because that would be asking for help. Which I would not accept that I needed. Besides, the Hufflepuff girl beside me, Maxine, was even sliding her paper closer to me, so I could read from it more clearly.

     "I thought Slytherins are meant to be sly and cunning?" Diggory had leaned over to my ear, and decreased his volume to a whisper, "Surely you could have gotten past Snape?"

     I inaudibly scoffed, "And I thought Hufflepuffs were supposed to be hardworking, so get back to your work, Diggory? Or are we both mistaken by the stereotypes of our houses?" I replied, matching his tone.

     Cedric subtly chuckled, "How did you get away with that anyway?"

     I had returned to my work, my head down, but I still replied, "Read the badge mate." I motioned to the green snake emblem neatly sewn onto my robe.

     Cedric scoffed, "Why were you late anyway?"

     The silence had been broken now, and his whisper was more of a normal spoken volume. Gathering my notes for the practical we were about to complete, Cedric followed me over to the brewing stations.

     "Not really sure if that's any of your business, Diggory," I said as I began to ready our cauldron.

     "Alright, just trying to make small talk." he surrendered his hands and began collecting the ingredients according to his notes. I wasn't sure if I trusted them.

     He returned seconds later, his hands full with rusting bottles and a variety of jars, carefully placing them on the table, all at once, with an echo of clattering.

     "Didn't really ask you to do that though did I?" I said, now he had returned.

     Beginning to brew the potion and following the instructions, I made sure he had nothing to do with it. I had been late, and failing this class wasn't going to be very helpful in the future.

     I had almost finished when he went to add something, fiddling with a bottle, and its contents. I was quick to slap his hand out of the way, rather harshly, and he pulled it away, rubbing it with a gasp of slight pain.

     I grinned a little, more of a smirk, but unfavourably for me, he seemed to notice it.

     "Aha! That! I just made you smile!" he too grinned and he pointed at me.

     "Hardly Diggory. It was more of a smirk, and that was purely due to the fact that I caused you pain." I had turned to face him. "And who's to say I wasn't thinking about something else?" I returned to the potion.

     "Okay then, y/l/n, if you were, what were you thinking of?"

     "The Slytherin name, engraved, once again, on the quidditch cup." I dropped in Fluxweed, my face plastered with a smug smile, staring up at him.

     Cedric scoffed as if he believed that could never happen. "Yeah, likely story."

' ੈ˚ ❃   

     "VERY WELL DONE, MISS Y/L/N." Snape examined the insides of our cauldron, steam drifting over the rim of the iron. "I assume Mr Diggory had nothing to do with your brewing's success?"

     "Absolutely none at all." I smiled at the teacher. Cedric stared into my head, but I refused to look at him; a playful offended look toyed on his face. "I made sure of that."

     Snape nodded and with that, the class was dismissed.

     The bustle of students sounded again, and with a bit of force, I managed to get out of the class and joined the river flow of students outside.

     Strolling, almost peacefully to my next class of the day, already more relaxed than I was earlier, now that double potions was over, I was nudged in the side.

     Assuming it was a careless student, I scowled, only for the body to turn to face me, and correct my expression. Cedric Diggory was now continuing to walk ahead of me, his spirited smile, planted across his face.