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‘When are you going to ask out Simmons?’ Skye’s robes hung off her shoulder and her tie was loosely strung around her neck as she chased her friend down the main stairs, expertly dodging the trick ones which would send her plummeting.
‘Si- Wh- Skye! Why would I ask out Je- Simmons?’ Leo Fitz spun on his heel so quickly that if Skye hadn’t caught the elbow of his robe and pulled him back he would have walked right off the edge of a staircase that had suddenly moved.
‘All I’m saying is it’s Hogsmeade next weekend and everyone’s bored of you two dancing around each other. It’s been four years, Leo. Four years.’ The younger girl pulled her wand from where it had been holding her hair in a messy bun and tapped it against her tie so that it would arrange itself neatly.
‘Well- first of all, how did you do that?’ Leo was sidetracked ‘that’s a NEWT level spell, Skye. How are you not getting Os in charms? And secondly, Simmons is my friend and my potions partner and nothing else’ He increased his pace so that Skye had to jog to catch up
‘Okay, this is not about the fact that I don’t thrive in a classroom environment, it’s about you and how far into the pit of denial you’ve managed to get’ The pair had reached the classroom for History of Magic and slipped into their seats.
‘Denial.. Fitz.. Skye are you having the Simmons intervention without me?’ Triplet entered the classroom and took his regular seat next to Skye, playfully punching his girlfriend on the arm
Skye shrugged casually ‘It came up organically’
‘No it did not!’ Leo turned around in his seat to address the pair ‘I said ‘did you do the History of Magic essay’ and you said ‘when are you going to ask out Simmons?’’
At that moment, Jemma herself walked into the room and sat down next to Fitz in the seat in front of Skye, receiving glares from her house mates
‘I don’t know what their problem is. I’ve been sitting with you for four years now, they should be used to it’ Simmons eyed their glaring classmates warily as she unpacked her textbooks and quill
‘Yeah well, Slytherins and Gryffindors don’t sit together Jem. It’s the unspoken rules.’ Skye gestured to her friend’s green tie with her wand lazily
‘It’s a stupid unspoken rule’ Simmons replied childishly and the four fell silent as the lesson began
---
‘I wasn’t messing around, Leo. Hogsmeade is 3 days away and if you don’t ask Simmons yourself I’m going to ask her for you in hilarious rom-com style’
Later that evening in the Gryffindor common room Skye had laid aside her charms homework in favour of pestering her friend once again about his love life
‘Skye, this essay for transfiguration is due tomorrow and May will literally kill me if I ask for another extension. Je- Simmons is just a friend. Please do your charms homework or go bother your boyfriend or wash your hair or something’ Fitz didn’t look up from his essay as he made a shooing gesture with his hand
‘Okay, one, this homework is a joke. It’s too easy. Two: Trip has quidditch right now. Three-‘ she took a pantomime sniff at her hair ‘my hair is fine. Also, May has a soft spot for you and anyway you could give me a straight answer about Simmons and still get your essay done’ she sat back triumphantly but her smile dropped when she saw Fitz gathering his things and heading for the Fat Lady
‘Where are you going? Fitz?’ Skye tripped over her chair in her haste to get to her friend, but he continued to walk
‘I’m going to the library, to study in peace’
Leo only made it halfway to the library when he caught sight of Simmons herself conversing with Bobbi- an older student and one of Simmons’ only Slytherin friends- and her boyfriend Hunter, a hufflepuff. They appeared to be arguing, and although he didn’t mean to eavesdrop he had to pass their alcove if he was going to reach the library without walking around the whole school.
‘Jemma. When are you going to ask Fitz out?’ Fitz thought he heard Bobbi say, and it was all he could do to keep walking in a straight line
‘Yeah, Jem. We leave next year, but there are others who will have to experience your awkward tension for at least two more years. Think of the children, Jem. Think of the children.’ Hunter begged playfully, earning himself a slap in the chest from Bobbi.
Before he could hear Simmons’ response, Fitz quickened his pace to match his racing heartbeat and reached the library in record time.
---
‘Hey’ Jemma arrived in Potions and slid into the empty chair at their shared desk.
‘Hey’ Fitz replied, grinning slightly despite himself. Snape had instructions on the board already for their work and the pair set to it, the silence deafening.
‘Je-‘ ‘Le-‘ both began to speak at the same point and blushed, gesturing for the other to continue.
‘I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to go to Hogsmeade with me it’s fine if you don’t want to sorry for asking’ Fitz managed to garble out his sentence and then looked down, blushing crimson and fiddling with the ingredients on their desk
Jemma looked shocked, and was silent for a moment before seemingly realising what was happening and nodding furiously
‘Yes! Yes- I mean, sure.’ She cleared her throat and blushed so that her face matched his
‘Good’ he replied, the redness of his face deepening every second.
---
‘You’re going to Hogsmeade with Jemma?!’ Skye screamed when Fitz arrived at dinner that night and told her about potions.
He reached forward and slapped his hand over her mouth, glaring at her and turning to look across the hall for any sign that Jemma herself had heard Skye’s outburst. His eyes found Jemma’s but she gave no indication that she had heard anything, simply waving shyly as Bobbi looked on, bemused.
‘Yes I am going to Hogsmeade with Jemma’ Leo hissed ‘but we’re still just friends and if you jinx anything Skye I swear’
‘I’m guessing you mean superstitiously jinx but if you’re interested I have been looking into a few luck charms-‘ Skye began, but was shut down by a glare from Fitz who began to eat his mashed potato rather angrily
---
Leo and Jemma wandered around Hogsmeade for a good half hour before making their way to the Three Broomsticks for a butterbear, laden with new books and sweets. At some point, Jemma put her hand into the crook of Leo’s elbow, but this could be put down easily to the cold weather and the sheer amount of people making it easy to lose someone in the crowds. It was practical, really.
‘Two butterbears’ the barman declared as he put down the drinks on the bar and Fitz slid over three sickles, ignoring Simmons’ protests that she could pay for her own drinks.
The pair settled into a booth at the back of the pub and sipped their butterbear in comfortable silence until both drinks were gone. After carefully putting down his glass, Leo turned to face Jemma and suddenly all he could see was the different colours in her eyes- oranges and yellows and browns- and the strand of hair that had come loose from where the rest was tucked behind her ears, and the slight hint of butterbear still on her lips and her lips and suddenly he was kissing her and she was kissing him and it was like nothing in the world existed, like she was all there was and all there ever should be.
She pulled away after what seemed like eternity and he know the dazed look on her face would be reflected in his own and he didn’t care at all.
‘That was..’ she began
‘Something maybe we should keep doing?’ he finished, and both laughed until they were startled by a large flash
Skye winced and apologised, standing awkwardly in the pub with a muggle camera that clearly she had not anticipated having quite so aggressive a flash
‘Thought I should capture the moment, you know, when you finally got together’. She grinned, gave a massively unsubtle thumbs up to Fitz and ran away
‘I’m sorry. She’s.. Yeah’ Fitz turned, and realised that somehow in their fright the pair had managed to rearrange themselves so that Jemma was pretty much sat on Leo’s lap and his arms were around her waist
‘Hmm’ she acknowledged his statement noncommittally and leaned in again to kiss him