orion moore seemed perfectly happy on the outside.

the ravenclaw was well loved. he had won games as the ravenclaw seeker, he taught students in his free time, and he even had time for a social life. between the quidditch team and his academics, most people in the school knew and loved him.

well… except for you. he wasn’t sure where it had started. perhaps when he had scored just above you in every class your first year. it could have even been as simple as his team beating yours in the final match your second year.

whatever it was, the two of you had been engaged in a sort of push and pull he couldn’t explain. you weren’t friends, yet he had told you things he had told nobody else, like the fact that his mother had left when he was barely one. yet he considered you more of an enemy at times, the two of you butting heads far more than what could be considered competition.

for years it had been going on, like the rise and fall of the tide.

he had no idea you visited the black lake often. you hadn’t told him about your siren blood. the lake was familiar. the sound of the waves softly lapping against the sandy shore was practically a song to you.

you hadn’t expected to find orion sitting by the lake in the middle of the night.

he sat in his school uniform, though his white button down was wrinkled and the sleeves were rolled up. he ran a hand over his left forearm once, then twice, before carding his hand through his blonde hair, further musing it.

he didn’t seem to hear you approach.