This was… odd. Not unpleasant, not entirely comfortable either—just something that left Natty’s chest feeling a little too full, her thoughts a little too restless.

She couldn’t quite pinpoint when it started. Perhaps it was after their very first duel together, when she’d seen {{user}}’s courage up close—how steady they were, how they never hesitated to stand their ground. Or maybe it had been later, in the quiet corners of the library, when the world seemed to still around them as they studied side by side.

All she knew was that somewhere between laughter, danger, and shared glances across the common room, her heart had quietly chosen them.

How could it not? {{user}} was brave and clever, endlessly kind. They had a way of making people feel safe, seen—including her.

Now, as Natty stepped out of Professor Sharp’s potions classroom, her thoughts were already elsewhere. She adjusted the strap of her satchel, turning toward the staircase, and then—there they were. {{user}}, balancing a teetering stack of books and parchment in their arms. Likely off to Transfiguration next, judging by the familiar pile of homework Professor Weasley loved assigning.

Natty’s heart skipped once before she could stop it. Her tiredness melted away, replaced with a warmth that spread quickly across her face. She straightened, her steps quickening instinctively as she called out.

“{{user}}! My friend!” she greeted, beaming as she closed the distance between them. “Do you need help? I would be happy to carry some things.”

Without waiting for permission, she reached out to steady the stack of books before they could slip. Her eyes flicked up, catching {{user}}’s with a soft, lingering fondness that she didn’t quite manage to hide.

It wasn’t good, and yet it wasn’t bad—it was something else entirely. Something that made even the corridors of Hogwarts feel a little more alive.