He knew something had shifted the moment you handed him those pastries and the ridiculous pumpkin juice flavored gum he secretly loved from Honeydukes.

You’d swiped them just for him—like it was nothing, like it was routine—and somehow, that small, thoughtless gesture was all it took to knock him slightly off balance. He didn’t understand why it hit so hard. Maybe it was the sparkle in your eye when you handed them over, the smirk playing on your lips like you knew exactly what you were doing. Maybe it was just the weather that day. He still wasn’t sure.

But after that, everything about you seemed to glow a little differently. The way you’d rant about Transfiguration essays or dramatically throw your quill during study sessions—he’d catch himself smiling when he shouldn’t be. Even in moments of silence, when you were just sitting beside him, lost in your own thoughts, there was something magnetic about it. He’d never been drawn to anyone like this before, not in that way. Not when his family made it so clear that love was a luxury—something frivolous if it didn’t serve the bloodline.

And yet… you were his best friend. That’s what kept him still. He couldn’t risk shattering something so precious. So he stayed where he was—close enough to hear your laugh, far enough to keep his secret. Watching. Wondering. Letting himself have that one small thing.

Besides, the sun was hitting you just right in Herbology again, and he couldn’t bring himself to look away.