So Why Aren't You Happy About It?
Steph Gingrich was a blood traitor.
Lots of people used that term. It was a fun term. ‘Blood traitor’. Totally metal. Imagine betraying your own blood. It would probably result in instant death.
It actually more meant betraying your proverbial blood. As in, your blood status. Blood traitors were purebloods who fraternized with muggles - or, depending on who you asked, any pureblood who didn’t want muggles dead. Under either of these definitions, Steph was a blood traitor. She interacted in a friendly fashion with any muggles, muggleborns or half bloods she met, and did not want any of them dead. At least, not yet.
Her family didn’t care, luckily. Not because they were supportive of muggles and muggle technology - but rather because she had a younger brother who would take up the family lineage instead. They would probably disown her the moment it wouldn’t produce a massive scandal - in other words, as soon as her younger brother hit his seventeenth birthday and became of age.
Steph was fine with this. Great, actually. Her family sucked pretty hard, so who gave a shit. She’d change her name the second she could.
Becoming obsessed with muggle things had, at one point, been a tactic of childish rebellion - but, as time went along, Steph realized that wizards and witches were… kind of stupid. And that muggles were… less kind of stupid. If they could get along, then everyone would benefit. Wizardkind would bring magic to the muggles, and muggles would bring things like pens to wizardkind. Steph really wished she could use a pen in class - it was like a quill, but you didn’t have to dip it into ink every five seconds and chewing on it didn’t get feathers in your mouth. Genius.
Honestly, some things that muggles came up with baffled her still. Like those metal death boxes on wheels she saw over the Summer. What were they called? Caahres? The things muggles did to get past not having apparition…
Of course, there was also the fact that the entire philosophy her parents had about muggles being inferior was wrong, because she had seen literally no evidence that muggleborns and halfbloods were less powerful wizards than purebloods. And sure, muggles didn’t have magic - but they were getting surprisingly close nowadays. With things like the ‘phone,’ which Chloe had shown her on the train last year - oh, and trains were apparently invented by muggles, too. If phones weren’t magic, well. What was?
Chloe’s phone was a particularly interesting one - with a case that had a bisexual flag painted across it.
And having Chloe explain what a bisexual was might have been the most uplifting experience of Steph’s life. Mainly because it meant that Chloe liked girls. Which instantly improved her chances by about… well, not much, because nobody would want to date her anyway, but now they were better than literally nothing.
Steph didn’t mind knowing that Chloe would never date her, though - because they were friends. And that was honestly enough for her. Sure, dating would be a really nice cherry on top, but she could live in the friend zone. Chloe was cool - Steph wasn’t going to risk her chances keeping her as a friend by asking her out. That would be incredibly stupid.
Still though. That knowledge didn’t make her kinda-crush go away.
Was it a crush? She didn’t get flustered around Chloe. But she definitely really liked Chloe. And liked touching her. And had some fond memories of Chloe walking out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel. Fond memories that she often reviewed while she was in the shower.
Well. Whatever it was that she had for Chloe - she wasn’t going to let it risk what she had with Chloe.
It was dinner time. Chloe, weirdly enough, was nowhere to be seen. So, instead, she had sat next to Rachel - and was occasionally taking some food off her plate. Rachel always got the best potato wedges, and it wasn’t Steph’s fault that she couldn’t keep track of them.
“Hey, Rachel,” she said - Rachel turned to her. “You don’t know where Chloe is, do you?”
“Steph?”
She blinked.
...Speak of the devil, and she shall say your name in a weirdly anxious tone of voice, I guess.
Steph turned around - and was completely unprepared for the image of a disheveled-looking Chloe with a handful of multicolour flowers, smiling widely at her.
“Wanna go out with me?”
Steph simply stared at her, for a long, long moment.
She heard Rachel snicker as Chloe’s smile wavered.
“...Rachel?”
“Yes, Steph?” Rachel said, tone sickly-sweet.
“Pinch me.”
Rachel leaned over and pinched her in the arm. Hard.
She winced slightly - but then started beaming, because this wasn’t a dream, and Chloe was asking her out, and she had never known Chloe would look so cute with a handful of flowers.
“I’d love to!” she chirped - and pointed at the flowers. “Where did you get those?”
“Made them,” Chloe said, voice chock full of pride.
Steph blinked - and, weakly, collapsed against Rachel. “Oh Merlin that’s so adorable.”
Chloe went pink, and Steph nearly squealed.
“Uhm. Well, uh - Hogsmeade weekend?” Chloe said, and cleared her throat quietly.
“That sounds great,” Steph said, doing her best to give Chloe a soft smile despite the burning urge to tease her until she turned into a puddle of blushing mush.
Chloe, instantly, pivoted on her heel - clearly desperate to hide her face and run away.
Steph didn’t say anything.
Her chest felt very full.
Rachel whistled slowly. “Wow. Never thought she’d ask you out.”
“...Me neither,” Steph said, with a wide smile.
Rachel glanced at her with a sharp eye. “...Oh no.”
She blinked. “What?”
“That’s a lovesick smile, hun,” Rachel said, spearing a grape on her fork. “I wouldn’t get your hopes up. School relationships don’t last.”
“Don’t care!” Steph chirped. “I’m too happy to worry about long-term consequences!”
Rachel pursed her lips silently. “...Hm.”
Steph blinked, and turned to her. “What’s up? That’s your ‘I don’t approve’ face.”
“No, I approve,” Rachel said, offering her a tiny smile. “It’s great.”
“Yeah! It is!” Steph said with a wide smile - and then let it drop away. “So why aren’t you happy about it?”
“Just… don’t you think it’s odd that Chloe’s asking you out now?”
Steph blinked. “What’s weird about now?”
“Well… just a year after her dad died, and all… she’s just in a bit of an unstable place right now, no?”
Something thick and sickening dripped into Steph’s stomach. “Are you saying-”
“I’m not saying anything!” Rachel said, instantly, raising both her hands. “Just putting a thought out there. I’m sure it’ll go great.”
Steph stared at her for another moment - and turned back to her food. Appetite gone, and happiness crippled.
She never saw the tiny smile that touched Rachel’s lips.