After that, Virgil's friends stayed very close to him. He was never seen walking down the corridor without Remus and Janus or Roman with him. One day, Virgil turned up to watch Roman's Quidditch practice. It was something he'd started doing recently but this time, he didn't have his sketchbook with him.

"Heya Virge."

Virgil looked up to see Roman hovering above him, upside down on his broom. Virgil laughed slightly. "Hey Princey."

"Princey?"

"Yeah. I just thought that you act like a prince so much and- do you not like it? I-I can stop calling you it if you want."

"Hey, hey, calm down Virge. It's fine. I like the nickname." Just then, Roman's name was called. "Coming Rose!" He yelled before shooting an apologetic glance at Virgil and speeding away on his Firebolt.

"Oh, hey Virge. You still here?" Roman asked after a long hour of Quidditch. Virgil smiled slightly and nodded. "Where's your sketchbook? Don't you take it everywhere with you?"

Virgil laughed. "Yeah, I think I'd look a bit stupid lugging around a pile of ashes."

Roman's eyes went wide as he hovered next to Virgil. "You burnt your sketchbook?" Virgil nodded. "Why?"

"It had to many pictures of," Virgil took a deep breath, "of him. There were to many pictures of him in it. It wasn't worth saving."

Roman stayed silent for a few seconds, thinking. Then he patted Virgil's shoulder. "That's pretty brave, Virge." He laughed at the quizzical look Virgil gave him. "I mean, you're an artist. Drawing is - from what I've seen - everything to you."

Virgil shook his fringe out of his eyes. "It's fine. I'll buy another in Hogsmead."

"Do you wanna go to Hogsmead with me and the others? Like, as friends and everything?" Roman asked, biting his lip. Virgil blinked at him for a few seconds.

"Um, sure." He said, smiling

"Great! It's a date and I definitely stand by saying that." Roman said, internally cringing as Virgil laughed.

"Yeah." Virgil said, standing up. "A date." Then, he kissed Roman on the cheek and ran away, laughing under his breath.

Roman sat still on his broom for what felt like hours, the place Virgil had kissed burning. When he came back to reality, he flew around the Quidditch pitch, whooping and spinning his broom upside down. He couldn't wait for the weekend.

***

When Roman finally entered the Gryffindor Common Room, his entire team was sitting by the fire, smiling knowingly at him.

"So, how'd it go?" Alex, one of the Beaters, asked. Roman rolled his eyes at them and sat down opposite Rose.

"How did what go, Alex?" He asked Alex, making them pout.

"You know!" They said, turning to the other for help.

"The thing with the cute Ravenclaw. You missed a Quaffle because you were staring at him!" Joanna, a Chaser, said. Roman smiled but didn't say anything.

"Roman, we're your team. You're obligated to tell us something!" Jack, the Seeker, egged. Roman smiled at him and let a giggle escape his lips.

"I don't think I've heard you giggle for ages, Roman." Rose, another Beater and Captain of the team, said. She sat up and grinned. "Who is he? What's his name?"

Roman decided to finally cave and tell them. "Okay, fine. His name's Virgil and I may have asked him to go with me to Hogsmead this weekend."

The effect was instantaneous. Jack, Alex, Joanna and Silvia (another Chaser) squealed and Rose punched the air. Eveline looked like she was ready to explode and made a noise like a dying cat.

"Hey, hey, guys, calm down. It wasn't anything serious. Not like a date or anything."

"Not a date my ass!" Eveline yelled, receiving a harsh look from her girlfriend and a few others in the Common Room. "You were as red as your Quidditch Robes when you came in. Spill!"

"Yeah, spill." Silvia squealed, backing her girlfriend up. Roman rolled his eyes.

"Nothing happened, guys."

"You expect us to believe that, Roman?" Alex asked, rolling their eyes. "We're your team. We know you."

Roman grinned but moved his hand across his mouth to signify that his lips were sealed. Rose stood up imperiously.

"I am your Captain and I order you to tell us what the fuck happened!" She said, still managing to look threatening despite her short height. Roman laughed.

"Alright, fine. Something happened."

"What happened!" His team asked in unison, making Roman laugh and shattering his ear drums at the same time.

"Virgil kissed me!"

"Where?"

"On the cheek." Roman said, raising a hand to touch the spot that Virgil's lips had touched.

This gained mixed reactions. Some of the team gave groan and sighs of disappointment while the other side cheered. Roman laughed again and turned his attention to the disappointed side of his team.

"Come on guys? What did you expect? He's just gotten out of an abusive relationship and we're just friends."

"Just friends my ass!" Eveline piped up. Silvia slapped a hand over her mouth.

"I swear to God, I will put a silencing charm on you." She hissed at her girlfriend who merely laughed.

"Really? I'd like to see you try."

"Ladies, if you're going to flirt, do it where it won't make us sick." Alex groaned, making everyone except the couple laugh.

"That's big talk coming from you!" Silvia retorted. "You're the one who asked Roman what happened the second he entered the Common Room."

Alex started to retort but Jack put a hand on their arm and shook his head. Alex sighed and sank back down into their chair. Roman sniffed at the air.

"Do you guys smell that?" He asked seriously. His teammates looked around, confused. A wicked grin spread across his face. "I smell sexual tension!" He declared pointing at Jack and Alex who both blushed and the former quickly removed his hand from the latter's arm.

The rest of the team all laughed at the two's blushing faces. "Come on! Get together already!" Rose yelled.

"Nope, no way. Nada." Alex kept add-libbing different words for no whilst Jack just got up and left the room.

"Alex, come on. We all know that you like Jack. Ask his ass out already!" Roman said. Alex shook their head furiously.

"No! We're just friends!" They said unconvincingly.

"Oh look, a flying pig!" Eveline squealed, tears of pure joy running down her face. Alex blushed an even deeper red at this comment.

"Oh shut up!" They snapped. That, coupled with their blushing face and the fact that no one took them seriously, made the rest of the Quidditch team laugh even harder.

"Come on Alex! It's not that difficult to ask Jack out! You've been crushing on him since First Year." Roman said, making Alex blush even deeper.

"Then ask your precious little Ravenclaw out!" They snapped, stopping any remaining laughter in the room. All eyes flicked from Roman to Alex and then back to Roman.

Roman cleared his throat. "Alright. You ask Jack out this weekend and I'll ask Virgil out."

Alex shrugged. "Sounds fine with me." They said, holding out a hand. "Shake on it."

Roman grinned and shook Alex's hand. "It's a deal. Pleasure doing business with you." He said before heading upstairs to the Boys Dorm.

Flopping down face-first on his bed, Roman felt the whole impact of what he had just agreed to. He couldn't ask Virgil out! But it was either that or watch his favourite real-life ship die. It was only a year and a half until the end of 7th Year and Alex had been crushing on Jack for way longer. Roman sighed. He'd do it. He'd try and ask Virgil out. But only to see Jack and Alex get together. It was painfully obvious that they liked each other. Roman sighed again and sat up. He was going to do it. In Hogsmead. Right now, in Roman's opinion, the weekend could take all the time it needed.