The moving stairs
Zoro hated the stairs. From his very first day at Hogwarts, those stairs had been his worst enemy. People would say he had a bad sense of direction, but in his opinion that was nonsense. Not only did the castle have hundreds of corridors, also some brilliant mind thought it would be so funny to add moving stairs.
Once, he missed a class because he had been running in circles. Another time, it took him two hours to get to the library. But the worst time was when after taking three different stairs to what he thought was Astronomy class; he ended up in the girls’ bathroom.
So that day, the fourth year Zoro was running late to Potions class. He hated that class. Sanji was the best at it, of course, and his big head made those two hours even more insufferable.
Zoro went down the stairs again, and turned a corner to come into a girl with bright orange hair. The dozen parchments she was carrying fell into the floor.
“Look where you are stepping!”, she snapped. But when she saw who it was, her annoyed expression changed to an amused one. “Oh, Zoro, it’s you. Problems finding the way?”
“I have no problems finding my way, witch”, said Zoro. Why did he always bump into her? Since that time at Knockturn Alley, Nami had been hanging out with them more often. Luffy had insisted, and although Zoro had been suspicious of her at the beginning, he had come to get used to her presence. Once, she had asked what he was doing at that alley. Zoro answered he was looking for Luffy, which was true, but would die before admitting that he had found them by chance.
“It’s funny how you always say that, and still get lost finding your bedroom…”, laughed Nami as she picked up the parchments. Zoro helped her, which surprised the girl. “Are you learning manners from Sanji?”, she joked.
“Shut up”, said Zoro, his cheeks a bit red. “I have Potions class”.
“Do you remember the instructions I gave you last time?”
“I do! But they were useless!”
“I should paint you a map… Although I don’t know if you would be able to read it… Anyway, I’ll accompany you, it’s on my way”, said Nami.
“I need no babysitter”, said Zoro, but he started walking by her side.
Nami stared at the boy through the corner of her eyes. She did remember very well the first time he had seen him in the train, and that time he saved Luffy and her from those three wizards. He was truly a Gryffindor. Sometimes, his manners would be nerve-racking, but on the whole he was someone you could trust.
He had become quite big since then too. His wide back and strong arms were perfect for his Quidditch position and he had grown several inches. Many girls had noticed that too, thought Nami, a bit annoyed. It was undeniable that he would become even more popular in the next couple of years.
“Do I have something in my face?”, asked Zoro. Nami started, she had forgotten how aware he was of everything around him.
“No, I was just thinking”.
“That can’t be good”, he said.
“Moron”. Nami took out her tongue. Their bickering was constant, but in their own friendly way. “There is your Potions class”, she pointed at the dungeon door.
“Got it”, said Zoro. He gave her the parchments he had been carrying for her. “See you around!”
“You know where to find me if you get lost!”, smiled Nami. He always knew… even that time in the girls’ bathroom.