YNs pov
Herbology ended a half hour ago and I went to find Luna, the Ravenclaw who helped me this morning. This morning she had taken me back to my dorm and helped apply my makeup to my eyes to hide the mark. She felt bad but after I insisted that I didn't want it to be seen she covered it with her concealer and when I looked in the mirrors I couldn't even tell there was a bruise underneath. I found her in the same bathroom only 5 minutes after class ended and thanked her for helping me. She's really nice, it's too sad she's in Ravenclaw and a 3rd year student, I feel we would really get along.
We talked for a few minutes before I got hungry and went to the great hall for lunch. She gave me a hug and it felt like everything I've always wanted, an older sister. I walk out the bathroom and into the hallway. By now it's been 15 minutes since lunch started which makes me hope Astoria is not there so I can sit with Draco. As I walk into the hall I see that is not the case. Astoria and Draco are sitting together and everyone is again fawning over Mattheo. Luckily a bunch of the table is free because of the later time and I seat myself towards the middle, by myself. I start loading my plate when I hear someone approaching.
“Cant have such a lovely lady sitting by herself now can we?” A snarky voice says from in front of me and I can see his Slytherin tie from my peripheral vision and look up. It's Theo from Herbology, the one bad at almost all of our subjects this year.
“Hey, I forgot to ask during class but are you ok? After breakfast and all?” He whispers with a note of genuine care in his tone. I smile up at him, silently adding him to my mental list of people to befriend.
“Yes, Theo, I'm fine, thank you for asking.” I say politely, just like my parents have always told me to say when someone asks if I'm ok. I wonder if they'd be proud if they heard I'm following them even away from home.
“Theo?” He says, raising an eyebrow at me.
“That's your name isn't it?” I reply back with sarcasm but really i'm panicking inside, did I fuck up his name already?
“Technically my name is Theodore but I think Theo sounds nicer,” He smiles and pauses before continuing.
“Conditions! If you get to call me Theo then I get to call you Angel. Deal?” He says triumphantly like he just made some master plan. He puts his hand out to me for me to shake on it.
“Deal, Theo.” I say with a giggle as I shake his hand and we both go on eating. Here and there we talk about his life before school and mine, I only tell him the good parts and he only really asks about my knowledge on plants and potions and whatnot.
“Hey, would it be alright to sit here?” A voice says from my left and I look up to see another Slytherin boy, one that I haven't met before though. His black hair looks fluffy and frames his face making his eyes and cheekbones pop.
“Of course.” Theo exclaims pointing to the bench beside me and the mystery boy sits next to me. I study his features and can't help the growing curiosity inside me.
“I didn't see you yesterday at the sorting ceremony, where were you? Oh! And also what's your name?” I just blurt out to him. His lips curl up into a slight smile before he puts his hand out to shake mine, why is everybody at this school's first reaction is to shake hands as a means of introduction? I grab his hand though and shake it as he speaks.
“Im Lorenzo Berkshire, my dads friends with one of the professors so I only got here about an hour ago, perks of knowing people in high places I guess.” He says sarcastically but there's an edge of sadness at his tone I can't quite place.
“Well, I'm YN, I was just talking to Theo here that he gets a nickname because I'm not saying Theodore every time I see him so I need one for you now. I'm gonna call you Enzo, if that's alright. If you want you can have a nickname for me too, that's the only reason I can call Theodore here Theo.” I motion to the boy in question and he just shrugs his shoulders as he stuffs his hands in his pockets.
“Alrighty Angel, I do still have a slight reputation to keep up while I'm here.” He says like he doesn't care but I secretly know that he totally does, call it women's intuition.
“How about darling, Darling?” Enzo says coyly, looking up at me through his ebony hair, is he flirting with me? OMG, I have so much to tell Pansy about later. I pretend to think about it for a second and rest my hand in my palm, tapping my lip with my finger. I look back at the both of them with a smile.
“What do you have next Enzo?” I say looking up at him trying to act casual but I can't help the big smile that's spread over my face. He immediately smiles back and I notice the way dimples spread on his cheeks and his eyes crease at the corners telling me that it's a real smile. I've learned to notice the difference from when my parents smiled with me vs with their friends, I never got the dimpled smiles.
“I think I've got Charms and then History of magic, what about you guys?” He replies and then asks both me and Theo. All of a sudden I feel hands on my shoulders and breath on my cheek before I then feel lips. I turn around just as Pansy sits on the other side of me with one of Draco's friends, I think his name is Blake or something.
“Hey babes, This is Blaise we've been friends for forever and I thought I might come over when I saw the party you were having over here, so who are these fine specimen?” She first motions to Dracos friend, Blaise, I was so close! She then turns and looks Theo and Enzo up and down.
“Blaise is it? I think I'm your roommate, Lorenzo Berkshire.” Enzo again puts his hand out and Blaise shakes it, again with the handshakes someone needs to teach them another form of saying hello.
“Oh, and I'm Theodore Nott. We were just talking about our next classes, what do you guys have?” Theo asks, looking at Blaise and me, almost completely ignoring Pansy.
“Well unfortunately I've got charms next and herbology for the last period.” Blaise says with an eye roll that puts my parents to shame.
“Hey! I've got charms next too!” Enzo replies enthusiastically and soon after Pansy says the same.
“I've got Defense Against the Dark Arts and Astronomy for the rest of the semester.” I say indifferently just trying to weasel myself into conversation. Everyone turns to look at me and I almost instantly wish I kept quiet. Luckily to spare me of more awkward silence Theo speaks up.
“Ooh, have fun with professor Quirrell next period, he's a loon.” He offers a smile as he says this which tells me I’ll be alone next period and likely the last too since he didn't mention himself having astronomy. Great.
“What do you have Theo?” I ask, he's the only one who hasn't said his schedule yet.
“I'm gonna sound crazy but I've actually got Astronomy and then Defense Against The Dark Arts.” He says with a tilt of his head staring right into my soul. Intense much? I look away quickly to see almost everyone emptied out the hall, even Mattheo and his crowd of people left.
“OMG guys, we're gonna be late to our next class!” I say rushingly scooping mashed potatoes into my mouth and grabbing all my books and papers. Everyone starts looking around too and gets into the same rush as me either shoving food in their mouth or snatching up their stuff and other peoples too.
“Fuck! I still have some of Mattheos' books in my bag.” I hear Theo curse as he looks into his bag pulling out an intro to Astronomy and a potions 101.
“YN, I peeked at his schedule earlier and you guys have matching schedules, can you give him these books in DADA?” He says as we all run through the hall and through the doors.
“Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, just put them on top of the rest of mine.” I say referring to the books stacked in my arms so high that with the added to books the pile will be just under my chin. We hit a fork in the halls and he goes one way as I go the other, Pansy and the others lost to the halls and staircases long ago. I shove open the DADA doors just in time to hear a stuttering voice from the front of the class starting the lesson. I quietly sneak into the only empty seat that happens to be next to Mattheo. Now is my chance to talk to him and give him his books.
I sit next to him and he looks over at me puzzled before resting his eyes back on the teacher as he stutters some more. I silently slid over the books Theo gave me and I see Mattheo look at them and the recognition glinting in his eyes. I lean in closer to him pretending that I'm looking at his paper.
“Theo gave them to me at lunch, said they were yours.” I whisper into his hair and can see him slightly shiver before nodding and grabbing the books, sliding them to his end of the table. I lean back and away from him, slipping back into my chair and then wordlessly looking at the teacher. Theo was right to warn me almost everything this teacher says sounds like a lie, He fought a zombie for his turban? Highly believable. When he tells the class that he's got garlic hung around everywhere because he's afraid of a vampire coming to exact revenge on him I can't help but snicker because really? No vampire is wasting any time on this pathetic excuse of a man. I look to my left to see Mattheo laugh slightly too. That's progress with him at least.
Before I know it the class is over and I have Astronomy. I see Mattheo walking in the same direction so I walk next to him, he doesn't say anything but that also means he didn't tell me not to walk with him so…
We get to astronomy class and the teacher explains that for September and October we will be studying star charts and learning them without really seeing them and in November and December when the sun sets early we will actually look for constellations and which planets are in retrograde. This is yet another partner class and yet another class where I'm partnered with Mattheo. I really gotta turn up the charm and get him to like me. Especially if we're going to be together for every class of the semester.
“So, who's Theo?” He says first bringing my attention over to him. I couldn't have asked for a better conversation starter.
“Oh, he's one of my friends, Theodore Nott, from Herbology class. Remember?” I say to him in response. He nods solemnly and that's the end of the conversation already.
The rest of the class pretty much goes along in silence, we take turns figuring out what our rising sign is from a paper the professor handed us and sooner rather than later she's telling us it's almost dinner and to make for the great hall. We pack up in silence too and start walking together to the hall in silence too.
“Would you like to sit with me and my friends for dinner?” I ask as we reach the doors to the hall and turn to face him. People are walking into the hall as me and him are just stopped there looking at each other.
“I’d like that.” He slowly replies. Looking at me unsure and in a strange way that kind of unnerves me but also makes me feel something else. I don't know. I grab his hand and lead him to where I see Pansy and Blaise already sitting.
“You're gonna have to reject your mosh pit though if you sit with us, hope that won't destroy you too much.” I say sarcastically, laughing at my own joke in my head.
“Hah, No problem at all, they're quite annoying really.” He retorts and we sit down and make peaceful conversation with everyone and whenever I make eye contact with Pansy I can just tell she busting with the want to grab me and take me back to the dorm to talk.
A long night’s ahead of me and I'm genuinely excited for it.