TOGETHER (A HARRY POTTER LOVE STORY) 4

28

MILLIES POV:

"...I dunno, I just think it's a bit funny how he's - I don't know - so perfect..."

It was Saturday - the day of the Hufflepuff party - and Elwood and I had just had lunch in the Great Hall, and were now taking a relaxing, afternoon walk around the castle, just catching up on life.

However, for the first time since knowing him, I found Elwood was being actually rather annoying. I had just told him joyfully about Harry apologising for the whole Tarek situation, not realising that he would then go off on a tangent against Tarek, himself.

"What do you mean so perfect?" I said in slight annoyance, shooting him a look. "He's just - nice!"

"'Just nice'," Elwood repeated my poor use-of-words, before slapping his palm to his mouth in amusement. "Millie, can you tell me one thing you don't like about him?"

"Er..." I shrugged, furrowing my eyebrows in thought, before glancing at a giggling Elwood. "Not off the top of my head, no..." He snorted again, making me cross my arms questioningly. "What? Why would I want to not like something about him?"

"One thing that annoys you in the slightest that he does?" Elwood pressed, waving his hand encouragingly as his current-annoying smile grew wider.

I shook my head stubbornly, sending him a sarcastic grin.

"Anything?"

My grin dropped into a look of boredom as I narrowed my eyes at my friend. "No," I said, in a firm voice, before my stern look faltered. "Well, maybe the fact he doesn't play Quidditch, but that's it-"

"Oh, so one of the most important factors for you in a boyfriend," Elwood said, in a sarcastically happy tone. "Brilliant!"

"Elwood!" I whined, at a loss as to why my closest friends seemed to be taking it in turns to go against Tarek. "I don't care about him not playing Quidditch that much," I lied unconvincingly, earning myself yet another loud laugh from the Hufflepuff. "But why should that even matter? It's a good thing I can't think of anything!"

"I don't know," he said, wrinkling his nose casually. "I have at least five things I don't like about literally everyone I know."

I sent him an offfended look.

"Okay, only one thing about you," he corrected himself, before groaning. "It annoys me how you're so naive! Is it not strange how this perfect boy just appears out of the middle of no-where, right when you're trying to get over the bloody Boy-who-Lived?"

I bit my lip, my eyebrows knitted tightly together. "What are you trying to say?"

Elwood sighed, stopping us half-way down a corridor and rubbing his neck. "I just think it's strange how he is so nice - if I'm honest, I think him being that perfect is boring as fuck. Not a bit of you at all, I'm surprised. Also - I dunno - maybe Harry's right, babes...he could be lying about some stuff...you never know..."

But his words had done the complete opposite of what he'd apparently hoped; my eyes widened as I squealed joyfully. "Oh my! Maybe we're soulmates!"

Elwood stared at me with his eyebrows raised for a second, before he grimaced audibly. "Ew," he said bluntly, wrinkling his nose at my dreamy expression. "What has that boy done to you...?"

"Oh, shush, El!" I insisted, gripping his shoulders and grinning. "I like him! You've literally said yourself he's so hot, for Merlin's sake! I-"

But suddenly, I stopped speaking aloud as an abrupt idea popped into my head; I released my grip from the confused-looking Hufflepuff, who was scoffing amusingly at me...but I ignored him, my brain seemingly going round in circles...