the plan | narry × hogwarts ✓

30

Niall was seated at the staircase that lead to the Great Hall, wearing a navy blue tuxedo that complemented perfectly his bright blue eyes. His blonde hair looked a little faded, with some of his brown roots peaking out, and was arranged messily on top of his head, some strands of hair falling over his face.

He seated in silence, watching as the couples talked calmly and entered the Great Hall for the Yule Ball.

Behind Niall, you could hear multiple steps coming down slowly, the sound of stilettos echoing loudly as they touched the staircase step by step.

Everything looked so perfect, yet so wrong.

Niall was staring blankly ahead, with no courage to enter the Yule Ball, when loud clapping brought him out of his transe. Around him, everyone had stopped what they were doing and looked to the top of the staircase, cheering excitedly.

Niall, instinctively, stood up and looked back to see what the commotion was about. That moment his eyes met Harry's almost instantly.

Harry whore a tradicional black tuxedo, with a blue bow tie and his long, messy hair tied in a bun in top of his head. His nails were painted the same color of his tie and his cheeks looked redder than usual, as if he had spent too much time in the sun.

They kept their eyes locked on eachother as Harry walked all the way to the bottom of the stairs, not giving any mind to the commotion around him. The clapping eventually ended.

The Slytherin stopped just as he reached the step Niall stood in, standing in front of him, still silent, as neither of them really knew what to say.

- You're okay - Harry whispered weakily,  breaking the silence, his voice cracking with his sweet tone.

Harry wanted to hug Niall so bad.

- I woke up a few hours ago... - Niall said, still staring at Harry's deep green eyes that seemed to have a sparkle on them.

- I came to see you every day - Harry said, not really controlling his words as they came out of his mouth. - I was so worried...

- I'm okay, Harry, see? - Niall pointed at himself, a weak smile on his face. - Good as new.

They kept looking intensely at eachother, their hearts beating furiously inside their chests.

- Where is Liam? - Harry said, breaking their eye contact and moving his eyes to the ground.

- Inside, I think - Niall answered, honestly, already missing the sight of Harry's pretty eyes.

- Why are you here, then? - Harry said, looking back up at Niall and both curiosity and sadness.

He was scared about what the answer was going to be.

- Because I came alone - the Hufflepuff said, trying to ease his nerves as Harry looked back at his eyes. - I heard you won the Triwizard Tournament.

- I did... - Harry said, awkardly, fidgeting with his figers. - Didn't feel like much of a win, though.

- Why's that? - Niall could feel Harry tense up, just as he was. This entire conversation was almost as if they were strangers having small talk, yet they had so, so much history. So much feelings.

- You weren't there - Harry whispered, so low that Niall almost didn't hear it.

They stayed silent, not really knowing what to say next but still having so much more to be said.

Before either of them could say anything, though, Harry grabbed Niall's wrist and pulled him all the way to the courtward. The Hufflepuff didn't fight it, going along with the Slytherin willingly.

The courtward was mostly empty, only lit up by the light of the full moon.

- I don't understand you, Niall. The past two months you have been glued to Liam! You left the first task after I hurt him, I saw you kiss him in the infermary afterwards and you didn't even show up for the second task, yet now you're here... alone. That doesn't make any sense! - Harry said, exasperated, calling Niall by his name, which was never a good thing.

Harry felt like he was about to explode from having all his feeling bottled up for so long.

- He asked me - Niall said, almost shamefully, after a while, looking up to meet Harry's eyes once again. - I said no.

- Then I understand even less! - Harry said, a little louder, feeling completely confused.

- Do you remember when Liam fell during the first task? - Niall asked, lowly, and Harry nodded, not really understanding the point but going along with it either way. - You shot a beam of light in his eyes, making him mistep and fall, right?

- What does this have to do with anything?! - Harry was angry now, thinking that Niall was about to defend Liam and break his heart even worse than he had already done the past months.

- It wasn't you that made him fall, Harry. It was me - Niall said, almost whispered, staring at his feet with guilt in his tone.

- What? I don't understand! - Harry said, his heart racing in his chest as he was feeling more lost than ever.

- I moved his plataform. That's what made him fall... - Niall said, slowly looking back up at Harry, who looked completely shocked, as if he had seen a ghost.

- I don't believe it... - Harry said, lowly, trying to think wrether this all even made sense.

- Professor Sprout saw me do it and prohibited me from watching the other tasks - Niall explained himself further.

Harry could not believe what he had just heard.

The Slytherin's entire belief this entire time, afterall, was wrong. Niall had not watched the task not because he was mad at him, or because he didn't love him anymore, but because he was prohibited from doing so, having interfered and helped Harry during the first task.

- I- I can't believe you did that... - Harry said, still shocked, his eyes wide as he stared at Niall. - B-but that doesn't explain why I saw you kissing him...

- This was after the first task. I went to the infermary to tell him the truth and apologize for hurting him... he's my friend, afterall. What you saw was me kissing his cheek after he forgave me - Niall said, honestly, his heart beating so loudly in his chest that he was sure Harry could hear it.

- I don't understand... - Harry said, under his breath, trying to assimilate all the information he had just received. It was all so different from the theories he had created in his mind. - How were you at the third task, then?

- Technically, I wasn't watching. So I guess I was allowed to be there... - Niall answered, looking at him. - I don't understand it much, too.

Harry was silent as he pieced it all together, seeing that it all made complete sense.

He had spent all these weeks completely heartbroken when, in reality, he had absolutely no idea what was going on.

Continues...