Reputation - Henelope.

Penélope Park PoV

Things with me and the redhead had been disastrous and chaotic, nothing worthy of a great romance book, or some example relationship, and totally healthy, as we move forward, little by little they both had to be as caring as possible so we wouldn't be we get caught up in a way so different from how I was with others.

Of course, I still didn't invite her to sleep in my room with me, or call her by nicknames, it was temporary, it scared me.

- I finally understood why the selection board didn't even consider putting you in the Ravenclaw, you can't be serious that your hidden place is the library. - Hope criticized me. I knew it was a joke mainly because I was more paranoid than she was.

- These books are full of dust, no one comes here, if they come, they will see nothing but an illusion spell. - I revealed with a smug smile.

- Okay, it surprised me, I didn't expect this one. - The redhead admitted.

- You underestimate me, I am deeply shaken by such disbelief in me. It shakes my self-esteem. - I spoke only to see how the witch would react. She snorted, clearly wanting to slap me, despite having an acidic personality just like that, I forced to irritate her.

- Please, the day I do this, tell me, I need to demand a trophy, I don't know who, but I want my trophy. Hope started to speak. I held it around her waist, lifting it upwards, placing it on the part of the shelf where we should use it to support our books.

- I haven't kissed you for a week, can we not talk about the trophies you want to collect when you're done with me, just now? - I did. It was strange how I just asked, without arrogance, or without command.

- Since in your world this is begging on your knees ... - Hope finally says kissing me. Calmly, with longing.

(...)

Taylor had thrown me out of our room that day, with some advance, Jade did not want to sleep with me because as soon as Josie thought about this possibility she already decided to sleep there, that girl had serious problems with jealousy, it was funny to hit Jade in her ahead, Taylor and I almost wept with laughter at the games in the cafe.

- You can sleep in my dorm if you want, use a blanket to cover yourself and pretend to be the bloody baron for anyone to suspect. Hope offered. We were definitely going calm, both for ourselves and for the limited time together, so sex was out of the question for now.

- Are you sure? - I asked fearfully.

- The most delicate part of a courtship we solved on the first day, so I think it won't be so bad just sleeping together. Besides, my colleague of four is never there, she dates a lufano. - Hope shrugs, I was slightly angry at the revelation.

- And let me take the chance with Taylor to enter the room all those times ?? - I asked incredulously.

- I like to see you take a chance. - He spoke playing with the button on my shirt. I rolled my eyes.

Later that night I was getting a little nervous, not because having sex again was a big step the way we were, but because the first time I slept with someone was Jade, this is much more intimate for me than sex.

Hope was slowly breaking my walls, without literally rushing things, the only thing I had asked was for me to be honest about what I was feeling. We met, talked about anything stupid, laughed until my belly hurt, but when she lay looking at me, the panic I had around her attacked.

- What's wrong with you? Hope asked, drawing into how quiet I was.

- Have you always slept with your exes? - I asked. - I didn't even do it with Josie once, I don't know if I feel totally comfortable with it, and with you, it's complicated.

- I already, sometimes, are you so nervous? Hope looked at me with understanding eyes, it was so cute.

- I don't like it when you look at me like that, you don't look at me like that. - I sent a little sullen.

- Yes, you do. - Hope holds my chin, giving me a long peck, before starting to hug me.

- What are you doing?

- Making you feel more secure. - Hope says. I roll my eyes. A few more parts of the dialogue only added to how Hope also had her walls falling as well. My feelings were confused, between letting me fall in love, and repressing.

Hope had her eyes closed, in the state between sleeping and still being able to understand what was around her, I kept looking at the features of her face, wondering what we could actually have. I was too comfortable to think about when I could fuck myself for having this moment. I woke up with Hope being the biggest shell.

(...)

- Will we ever know who you are with? - Josie asked, the Gryffindor sat next to Jade now, in front of me while Taylor moved to my side.

- Josie has a point, you never went to hide with whoever you are, really and loves showing off as a trophy. - Taylor spoke, not the first time he forced to want to know about.

- Jade? Won't you express curiosity about who I'm catching? Jealousy? - I teased the blonde.

- Either it is very embarrassing, which is not your style, or it is serious, or you like to call attention to everything you do, planning this mystery, I believe in the last option.

- So dry, this morning? - I asked the witch.

- What's going on, baby? - Josie asks her girlfriend, putting her hand on her shoulder, worried. My eyes darted quickly to Hope, who subtly gives me a smile before pretending she hasn't seen me. I looked at my food smiling too. For the first time since we were having this, I wished she was there with me and the girls.

- Penny? - Taylor catches my eye by pushing me slightly. - I did not forget that you are seeing someone and do not want to tell.

- Maybe you guys know, maybe you don't. Who knows, I still don't want to tell. Leave it in the air.

- Okay, but is it serious?

- Not at all. It's casual, and I would love for you to stop trying to meddle. Tell me about the fight between Lizzie and her roommate. - I spoke interested, taking the opportunity to run away from the subject. It was more dangerous every day, the rumors made people watch me every minute more closely, my chase mania doesn't help with that, which resulted in fewer encounters between Hope and me.

(...)

- You go home? - I asked Hope, the list that we could put the name of who would stay for Christmas was already available, from what I saw, it had very few names.

- I wish I could be there already, my aunts came from far away, it's the only date that all Mikaelson can get together. Hope looked enlightened talking about the family. - I'm going to see baby Nik, he must be talking now.

- I thought you were more united, Mom tells stories of your father and your brothers all the time together, against enemies. - I commented. The conversation about the Mikaelson family did not make me totally empathetic with them, the view I have mainly of Klaus was that of an evil and merciless wizard.

- Let's say my father obliged, indirectly, the brothers had to be taking care of him all the time so he wouldn't drown in his own fear of abandonment and do what he did with Katherine. Hope explained. The part of the fear he felt I could understand. - It was like that for centuries.

- What has changed?

- Me. My dad didn't care about my mom, it was a one-night stand, but my uncle, Elijah, always thought I could give him the one thing he never had. Unconditional love for the family. People tried to kill me as soon as I was born, and they always try, and he almost died to save me, they keep telling me that I am the best that my family has.

- Go on, have my attention. - I said sighing. I had to agree, the redhead was the best of them.

- Hayley, my mother, is actually married to Elijah, she is good, she never wanted me to be part of the inheritance of hatred that the Mikaelson instigates. My father met Camille, and there came Isaac, each one lives their lives, in the end it is very good to see what they are.

- So you are the only and exclusive reason that the great Klaus Mikaelson has stopped being the monster that hunts people because ... he can? - I poked. Hope took a deep breath before sitting on the bed with me.

- I'm sorry for what happened between our parents, I'm not the only reason, but I'm the biggest. - The redhead squeezes my hand a little more. - You think that only you created these questions with yourself, but you're wrong.

- What are our questions?

- You think your reputation is more important than anything, you want to look scary to anyone stronger than you think they can chase you. It was as if Hope had studied me, all the logic hidden behind each act. Mikaelson was also the only one who could understand these things because she knew my mother's story well. - And I act like this to feel like a Mikaelson, Camille can be adorable, but it makes me feel exactly how my father felt, a bastard. There is my whole psyche.

- And tried to fix your issue by staying with me, it doesn't make sense.

- When we started, I found out that you were more than that person who was almost sadistic trying to show power, your guard dropped eaten because he knows that the worst threat he had, now likes you, I also lowered mine.

- Do You like me? - I asked.

I knew that Elijah had been in love with my mother, love interrupted by his brother. That forbidden passion between Pierce and Mikaelson had already happened.

- I have a thing for complex badgirl's. - Hope admitted. - Thinking about your questions, if we assumed something, we would be a power couple.

- Are you manipulating me to assume what we have? - I asked knowing the answer. Hope smiles and delivers her answer, then kisses me.

- And your Christmas? Family or girls? - Asked after he stood up put on pajamas.

- Stefan would kill me if I didn't go home, Aunt Elena and Damon are going there this year, I have to be there. - I revealed it. My mind sometimes wondered what I would be like if my dad was Damon instead of Stefan.

- Is it the last time we will talk until we return at the beginning of next year? - Hope asks sadly. She throws her pajamas on me. - Is it that hard to remember to bring pajamas?

- Do not fight with me. - I frowned. - I prefer to sleep over the natural, in case you haven't noticed the indirect ones, and as it is our last day for the next month we should take advantage of it.

- Did I tell you that you're a pervert? - Hope crawls over me.

- Yes, and I never denied it.

- I can help you put on your pajamas. - Hope says first pulling my tie until the undo is done, then gently opening button by button on my shirt.

I pulled Hope into a kiss, lifting my body to help her take off my clothes, her putting on her pajamas had been a total waste of time. The witch is faster than me, taking off her own T-shirt, making sure I loved being underneath with her, looking at her sensuality in something so banal, the redhead tries to interlace our hands to pin mine on the mattress over her head, kissing my neck calmly.

I make it stop.

- I want to show you something. - I warned, sitting on the bed, and bending my back to reach my clothes on the floor, and pull some papers from there.

- What is it? Hope asked, kneeling on the bed, waiting for an explanation. I couldn't admit to anyone, not even myself, that I liked her, that she was driving me crazy, it scared me, so I almost unconsciously demonstrated it with acts.

- Do you know the letters of fire I send you? - The redhead nodded. - They go to whoever I'm thinking at the time, you just need to use this paper and cast any fire spell.

- Why don't you tell me what the spell is instead of giving me papers full of tears? - Question in the form of a complaint.

- Because that spell is mine. - I did. I had never shared those papers with anyone, Taylor and Jade send me letters like anyone else, the only one who has such a spell is Katherine.

- Seriously? You have created a spell. - She spoke more to herself. - So powerful, wow.

- I could teach you how to make one if we had more time. - I complained back. I felt a great deal of guilt for being there at the time, but I managed to ignore it.

- I hope we have more time.

It shouldn't be that way, I wanted to find a way to teleport myself to the past, exactly the moment I set my eyes on those intense blues and not have been indifferent, to have thought otherwise, but everything built took me to the exact moment of now, where I have more anger inside me than the ability to be happy about something outside of family standards.

The next day, I didn't want to say goodbye to Hope, not at all. I got up carefully, put my uniform back on, and pointed the wand to unlock the tip. I had two choices, I could go without saying goodbye, or I could wake her up. I thought about what Katherine would tell me if she found out I was thoughtful about such a simple choice, it was easy to leave. When I put the wand away I was sure I was really fucked up.

I knelt in front of her bed, waking her up carefully.

- Hey, Hope, I need to go. - I said seeing his eyes barely open, it had been a long and tiring night, in the good way. - OK?

- I will miss you. - He spoke hoarsely, almost without a voice. I gave her a smile she might not have seen, left a kiss on the top of her head before leaving, but I was unable to say the same.