âââââââ༻â༺âââââââ
ððððð ððððððð
âââââââ༻â༺âââââââ
NEVER DATE YOUR BEST FRIEND. SOMETIMES RULES ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN.
Lucas Potter and Nymphadora Tonks are determined to make the most of their years in Hogwarts. They had even created their own Never List of everything they vowed they'd never, ever do.
Most of the rules had been easy to follow, like rule number five, never purposely hurt an animal, or rule number seven, never hook up with a teacher.
But some rules are not so easy. Nymphadora has a secret; she's broken rule number 8, never pine silently after someone. It's either that or break rule number ten, never date your best friend.
It had been simple enough when Nymphadora suggested adding it when they were eleven, before she ever saw Lucas as anything more than a lanky eleven year old who showed up at her father's funeral and cried louder than she had.
She can name many things people would find annoying with Lucas Potter. He's arrogant, loud, annoying, has absolutely no respect for authority and many more. But she knows different. He had grown up, as Nymphadora had. She had watched his transition from an awkward boy hiding behind his big brother's legs to a confident young man not afraid to let his voice be heard. She had watched him single handedly take on students bigger and older than himself to protect bullied first years who can't fight for themselves. She had watched him fight house prejudice all the while being the top of his class, the quidditch captain and doing his duties as head boy.
It's almost impossible not to fall in love with him.
She hadn't realized it at first. She had excused the butterflies as nothing but stomach bugs. She had ignored the furious beating of her heart when he offered her his jumper or they spent lazy evenings at the Potters' couch with her head on his lap.
It had started with her eyes. They would be sharing a bowl of ice cream and they involuntarily turn a lilac color. Then her hair. Eventually, Nymphadora caught on and Lucas began asking about it. She had been cuddling one year old Harry Potter then and Nymphadora had excused it as nothing but pure adoration for the little boy, a lie in which Lucas had eaten up.
She became more conscious of herself after that. She learned to control her ability, hiding her true feelings for the boy whom she cares so deeply for. However, as she got better at hiding it, her feelings only seem to grow deeper.
But there are times when she slips, like now. A strip of her hair turning lilac as Lucas stepped out to the Potters' garden with his hand holding his broom, his little sister on his back and a simple white shirt showing off his quidditch toned body that almost made Nymphadora drool.
"You're staring," James Potter points out, nudging her shoulder playfully which effectively snaps Nymphadora out of her daydreams.
"I am not." She scoffs as her face turns pink.
"Sure." James teases before walking to where his wife stands, holding one year old Thomas Potter in her arms.
James was right. She had been staring. Not that anyone can blame her. Apart from being amazing at everything he does, Lucas had also grown up to be a handsome man. Thick mass of chocolate hue curly hair falls to his forehead, brown doe like eyes behind squared glasses, a tall stature, sharp jawline and golden sun kissed skin.
No one can deny that Lucas Potter is beautifully breathtaking.
"Ready to get your arse beaten?" Nymphadora asks smugly as Lucas slung an arm over her shoulders.
"Are you?"
She scoffs as she shrugs his arms off of her. "Name one time you've beat me at anything."
Nymphadora may not be as smart or as skilled as Lucas is at most things, but she is twice as competitive. Losing is not an option.
"How about the three consecutive years in which Slytherin has won the house cup?" He smirks as he walks back to where James stood, leaving her scoffing at his retreating back.
Nymphadora can only roll her eyes, knowing that she can't argue with him on that. Lucas is basically James' protégé. They share the same mannerisms, personalities and way of thinking. They're almost the exact same apart from the fact that Lucas belongs in Slytherin while James is very proud to be a Gryffindor. That meant that Lucas had pulled Slytherin out of the rubble that the war had left it in. It's no secret that most death eaters come from Slytherin and so that gave the house of serpents a terrible reputation, but Lucas had brought it honor whether it be by quidditch and academics or his respect by his fellow housemates. He had shown them that not all Slytherins are evil the same way not all Gryffindors are good.
"Oi, Dora," Sirius calls, forcing Nymphadora to snap out of her thoughts. "Stop staring at baby prongs for a few bloody moments and listen to me, will you? The stakes are high for this game."
"Don't call me that," she mutters as strands of her hair turn pink.
"Anyway, you're going to be the seeker for this game while Remus' keeper. I'll be chaser and beater. Remember, we have to win this one."
Remus narrows his eyes at his best friend. "What did you do that you don't want Prongs to know?"
The group takes their quidditch seriously and so it's tradition that the losing group take a shot of a milder version of veritaserum.
Sirius refused to meet Remus' eyes as he mounted his broom. "Nothing."
"Liar," Nymphadora chants as she too mounts her broom.
Sirius' determination and Nymphadora's competitiveness had made their friendly game very intense, however, it was not enough for them to win. The father and son duo, James and Lucas, along with Samuel Kinsley are simply too good in Quidditch. They didn't stand a chance and eventually, Lucas caught the snitch before her and so the day ended with Sirius, Remus and Nymphadora sat on the dining table, a shot of truth potion for each of them.
Remus went first and he was asked a trivial question of how many people he had slept with in their time in Hogwarts, to which Remus answered with eight, making his best friends holler like immature children and Olivia to smack them on the shoulder while Samuel narrowed his eyes, already asking for names.
Then Sirius came next where he had begrudgingly admitted to being the one providing James' children sugary snacks that causes them to be extremely hyper, a problem the parents had always had a hard time finding a solution to. Sirius had earned a bat-bogey hex from Olivia Potter because of this.
And finally, it's Nymphadora's turn. She downs the potion in one go, blanching at the bitter taste it left in her mouth before facing Lucas, the one meant to ask her a question.
Lucas gives her a smug grin. "I told you you'd lose, T."
Nymphadora crosses her arms over her chest as she rolls her eyes. "Just get on with it, arsehole."
"As you wish," he teases, a smirk etched on his lips. "Have you broken any rule from the Never List? And if you have, which one?"
Nymphadora freezes at her spot, not having expected the question. Her hair had involuntarily switched colors. A mix of pink, yellow and green with pink being embarrassment, yellow being worry and green being her fear.
There has never been a time in which she's wished to be able to lie more than she does then, but alas, no matter how much she tries to form the words of the lie, only the truth comes out.
"Rule number eight."
Lucas raises an amused eyebrow, not having expected that at all. "Who?"
It was in those split seconds in which Nymphadora's life seemed to freeze. She can not answer, the games' rules only stated one question each. It'd be much simpler then. She wouldn't have to worry about the outcome. She can just forget this all happened in the first place and allow Lucas to live without knowing the extent of her feelings.
Or she can tell the truth and give herself peace of mind. There would no longer be what ifs and what could be. She'd be able to put it to rest and move on. But telling the truth also meant possibly losing her best friend. It's that creeping fear. She's terrified that in ten years time, Lucas will be nothing but the one that got away.
She meets his eyes as the word tumbles from her lips.
"You."
ð®ðððµð¼ð¿'ð ð»ð¼ðð²:
bonus chapter because it'll
probably take time before
i can actually leave this
book since i'm so attached
with this characters chsks
for the love of god, do
not call eleven year old
lucas daddy pls it makes
me so uncomfortable.
i get calling 20 or 23
year old him daddy but
not eleven or twelve pls