Fake It to Make It

A one-shot request for attrative.

The bell rang, signifying the end of Professor Babbling’s class. The Ancient Runes class, made up of a few sixth year students, packed up their belongings and headed for the door.
Two of the students lagged behind the rest while they spoke.

“That was really interesting, actually.” Sadie said as she shoved her Ancient Runes textbook into her bag. It was only a few weeks into the school year and Sadie found that Ancient Runes was already her favorite class by far.

“Yes, I found that lecture quite stimulating.” Hermione replied as the two girls walked up toward the Great Hall.

At the place where they usually separated, Hermione to the Great Hall for lunch and Sadie to the library for the quiet, Hermione stopped her friend.

“Come have lunch with me and my friends.”

“I would but—”

“Come on, Sadie. Even I don’t spend as much time in the library as you do. One break from reading won’t kill you.” Her friend didn’t look convinced, so Hermione added, “If I am the one saying it, you know it’s true.” Hermione smiled amiably, trying to convince Sadie.

“Fine.” Sadie replied with a little laugh. “One lunch won’t kill me.” she consented.

The two girls made their way up to the Great Hall together. Hermione led Sadie past her usual group of friends—Lavender and Parvati—to where her friends sat.

Of course Sadie already knew who Hermione’s friends were; they’d just never spoken.
“Sadie, this is Ronald.” Sadie recognized the flaming Weasley hair and the abundant freckles.

Sadie nodded in greeting at him.
“And Sadie, this is Harry.” Hermione said next, gesturing to the messy haired boy.

Sadie knew who Harry Potter was. She doubted that there was anyone in the wizarding world who didn’t. But Sadie knew Harry because she was friends with Cho Chang. Sadie had heard many a rant from Cho about Harry’s gorgeous eyes and adorable smile. Sadie happened to agree with Cho as she stared at the boy for a second longer than what was considered polite.

“Hi.” Sadie said as she and Hermione sat down.

While they ate, Hermione and Sadie began conversing about their classes. But Sadie’s attention wasn’t entirely on her conservation. She couldn’t help glancing over at Harry every now and then. Her eyes slowly moved over to where she knew he was sitting.

Suddenly, her blue eyes met his startling green ones; she felt herself flush scarlet as she turned her full attention back to Hermione.

She had been caught! It was absolutely mortifying but she couldn’t quell the large butterflies that seemed to be batting furiously in her stomach.

Unable to help herself, she cautiously looked over at him again, only to quickly avert her eyes again. He was staring at her.

- x -

As the weeks dragged on, Sadie spent less time with Lavender, Parvati, and Cho and more time with Hermione, Ron, and Harry.

Sadie had managed to gain control over her impulses and stared at Harry much less than she had when she first met him. Sometimes, however, she still found her gaze waltzing over to him. Usually, she found his emerald eyes staring back at her.

She’d never felt this way before. No other boy that she’d ever had a crush on was able to distract constantly in the way that he could. He was like no other boy. He was funny and kind. He was brave and loyal. He was rarely smooth and had a tendency to be very awkward, but those qualities combined to steal her heart.

She only knew him for a little while before she realized that she was quickly falling for him. Shortly after, she realized that for the sake of their friendship, she couldn’t let her feelings grow.

Their friendship blossomed that year. Whether it was watching Harry and Ron play Quidditch, eating meals together in the Great Hall, even helping each other with homework—though, she was more often helping him than he helped her—Harry and Sadie were always together.

Sadie could not deny the connection she felt between them. She tried to ignore it, but she often felt that Harry felt same way about her. Sometimes, his hand would brush hers while they were walking in the corridors. She would blush and wish for him to move his hand away so that her blush was dissipate, but he never did. Instead, he left his hand to brush now and then against hers, sending tingles up her arm.

Sometimes, when they were studying in the library, he would reach out and tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. And then he would smile at her, as if he knew that simple action had sent her heart soaring. He would take her books when they were walking down a corridor; he would carry them for her although she protested that chivalry was dead.

Although her common sense would not allow her to dream so outlandishly, she often found herself imagining little scenarios in which he kissed her—in which he elevated their friendship to something more.

And then one night, she found herself in a position that mirrored one of her daydreams. Under the protection of his invisibility cloak, Harry appeared at her bedside; he pulled her out of bed and out of the castle. It was first clear night in a week following much rain. Harry led her out by the lake.

“Lay down.” he whispered.
“What?” she asked in surprise. “Harry, what are you doing?”
“Just trust me. Lay down.”

Because she trusted him, she laid down.

“Wow.” Sadie muttered quietly, trying to not disturb the serenity around them. “It’s beautiful.” Lying down on the grass, the entire sky was laid out before them. The moon was bright and clear; she felt as though she could reach out and grab it. It felt as though—just for a moment—the stars and the moon were theirs alone.

Sadie was also distinctly aware of the boy lying next to her. She was watching him out of the corner of her eye. Suddenly, he had propped himself up on his elbow and was looking at her. Her mind shut off, she had no idea what he was saying. She didn’t comprehend. She was only aware that she had moved to mimic his position.

Staring into each other’s eyes, she found that they were slowing leaning toward each other. Harry was whispering something; she was responding with nonsense, she was sure, as his eyes bored into her face. Their lips were mere centimeters apart; Sadie’s heart was beating furiously when Harry suddenly stopped and pulled away.

He lay down on his back again and returned to gazing at the stars.
Neither of them spoke. For that Sadie was glad. She didn’t know what to say that wouldn’t express the sting of rejection that she was feeling.

Sadie’s heart thumped painfully at his rejection. She felt uncomfortable lying next to him as they marinated in the tense air. Spying the lake at the edge of her vision, she stood and took off at a run toward the lake. Slipping off her shoes, she dived in.

“What are you doing?” he called as she surfaced.

“What does it look like I’m doing?”

He smiled at her.

“Well?” She asked as she challenged him silently to join him.

“Well what?”

“You gonna join me, or are you chicken?”

Not wanting to be shown up, Harry slipped off his trainers and dived in. As soon as he surfaced, he splashed her, which of course turned into an all-out war.

When the water was still again and the pair was calmly wading around the lake, Harry stopped swimming and faced Sadie with a serious expression on his face.

“Sadie, I wanted to—” But Harry was cut off by the sound of footsteps approaching. Clambering out of the lake, soaking wet, the pair hid under the invisibility cloak until the person was gone.

As soon as they were alone, the pair burst into laughter and hurried back up to the dormitory.

- x -

Sadie could not stop wondering about what it was that Harry was going to say to her at the lake. She couldn’t forget the look on his face. He looked so very serious, as if whatever he had to say was very important. She hoped she wouldn’t have to wait long, but fate seemed to find amusement in watching her impatience. Just after breakfast a week later, when everyone had returned to the common room, Harry pulled Sadie aside.

“What’s up Harry?” She asked as her heart raced in anticipation.

“I was wondering…” The boy stopped and scratched the back of his neck. “What I’m trying to say…” He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, succeeding only to mess his hair up further. “Sadie, will you—”

“Harry! Come here!” The boy turned to Ginny who had called him from across the common room. Sighing in frustration, Harry turned back to Sadie.

“I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
Quietly, she nodded and he walked away.

Sadie couldn’t stop herself from glaring at Ginny. To say she was jealous would be understatement. Sadie knew that Ginny had a crush on Harry. Sadie knew that Ginny and Harry had a close relationship, especially due to the all the time they spent training for Quidditch together. Sadie felt that she couldn’t compete with Ginny; that simple fact made her heart ache.
- x -

She was shaking with anticipation. Today was the day of the Gryffindor versus Slytherin Quidditch match. She couldn’t wait to see Harry and Ron play.

Walking down to the pitch with Hermione, Sadie was stopped by the call of her name.
Turning around, she saw Harry running toward her, dressed in full Quidditch gear.

“Harry, what’s up?”

“Look, Sadie. I’ve been trying to ask to you all week…since that night by the lake.”

Her hands got sweaty. This was it. “I…I…You…Er— Will you go to Hogsmeade with me?” Her response was on the tip of her tongue until he added, “I mean as friends…No, I…I mean—”

“Harry, come on! The game’s about to start!” Ron yelled from the Gryffindor tent.

“We’ll talk after the game, alright?” He asked, grasping her hand and squeezing it firmly.

“Okay.” She nodded as her hope fell.

“Okay.” Harry repeated before kissing her cheek and running off to meet Ron.
Sadie put her hand to where he kissed her. The spot tingled painfully. He wanted to go as friends. This, as it seemed to Sadie, was all they’d ever be.

- x -

The game had been close. Nail-bitingly close. And then, when it was over, every Gryffindor in the stands was cheering for the victory of their House. The air was filled with excitement and joy.

But not for Sadie. She had been watching the celebration with a smile on her face but not anymore. Now she was frowning and her heart hurt painfully for moments ago, she watched Ginny run up to Harry, throw her arms around him and kiss him. Harry didn’t pull away.

In fact, they were still kissing.
- x -

She could hear the celebration going on down in the common room. Sadie didn’t feel much like celebrating, understandably. Sadie was able to avoid Harry that night; she was able to avoid him for most of the following day as well until he caught up with her outside of the library. She had been on her way to the Great Hall for dinner when he accosted her.

“Hey.” he said.

“Hey. Good game.” she replied. “I didn’t have a chance to tell you yesterday…”

“Thanks.” He said uneasily. After a silent moment, he spoke. “Look, about Hogsmeade, what I said before about going as—” She knew this was coming. He was going to retract his question so that he could go with Ginny. “I mean…I want take back what I said. I don’t want to go as only fri—”

“Actually, I have to talk to you about that, too.” she began before she could stop herself.

“Oh?” Harry looked at her quizzically from behind his glasses.

“Yeah…I—someone already asked me to go…with them…” She lied feebly, hoping to save face and salvage her heart.

“Oh…Someone asked you…like a date?”

“Yes, Harry.”

“G-good. I was…going to ask you the same thing. I…I want to take Ginny…”

“That’s…great.” she lied poorly as she looked away from him.

Extracting herself from the awkward situation, she left Harry to go find Hermione. Now all she had to do was find a date for next Saturday’s Hogsmeade trip.

- x -

A week had passed and she did not have a date for the Hogsmeade trip.
“All alone, Hawkins?” Malfoy asked sitting down next to her.

“What do you want Malfoy?”
She was in no mood for him.

“Potter ditch you for the Weasley girl?” Malfoy asked.

“What’s it to you?” she asked defensively as that was in fact what had happened—or at least that’s what it felt like to Sadie.

“Potter’s a bloody moron.”

“Don’t I know it.” Sadie replied with a roll of her eyes.

“Come on.” The boy said, standing up and reaching his hand out for hers.

“What are you doing?” she questioned with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow.

“The way I see it, this is a perfect opportunity.”

“How so?” she asked cautiously.

“Well, we go to Hogsmeade together. You save face by having a date. I get to annoy Potter by going out with his girl. And I get Pansy off my back for an afternoon. It’s a win-win. So you in?”

Sadie stared at his hand for a moment before taking it in hers and allowing him to lead her away.
- x -

Soon Sadie found herself sitting at a table for two in the Three Broomsticks, waiting for Malfoy’s return.

“Sadie!” She turned at the call of her name and found Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Ginny walking into the store.

“Hey Hermione.” she said greeting the one who’d called her. “Hey guys.” she added in greeting to the other three. Sadie avoided looking at Harry and Ginny’s intertwined hands.

“What are—” Ron began.

“Where’s your date?” Harry interrupted.

“Getting us butterbeers.” she replied coolly. Sadie watched as Harry’s eyes strayed to the counter toward the back of the shop.

He sighed. “Malfoy’s coming.” he muttered.

Malfoy, much to Harry’s surprise and Sadie’s amusement, didn’t even address Harry as he placed the two butterbeers he was carrying on the table at which Sadie sat.

“Sorry to have kept you waiting, Sade.” Malfoy said chivalrously before leaning across the small table to kiss her on the cheek.

Sadie smiled at Malfoy, trying desperately to not laugh. “It’s fine.” she said as sweetly as she could muster.

Sadie turned her attention back to her friends while she and Malfoy held hands on top of the table.

To her amusement, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny looked shocked while Harry looked annoyed.

“Sadie, I need to talk to you.” The black haired boy said, letting go of Ginny’s hand to grab Sadie’s. Harry pulled her up out of her seat but was stopped by Malfoy’s grip on Sadie’s other hand.

“Maybe she doesn’t want to talk to you, Potter.” Malfoy spat.
“Stay out of it, Malfoy.” Harry returned.

The two boys glared at one another before Sadie stepped in, facing Malfoy. “Draco, it’s alright. I’ll be back in a moment.” She said before kissing him on the cheek.

Once she was outside with Harry, she crossed her arms in front of her defensively.
“Well?” She asked while she watching Harry pace in front of her.

“You’re…” He stopped speaking and continued pacing. Every now and then, he’d stop, look at her, open his mouth to speak but then would stop and continue pacing.

“Look Harry, if you don’t have anything to say—”

“You’re here with Malfoy?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Honestly?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yes!” she said, beginning to get exasperated.

“Are you insane?”

“Possibly.”

“Sadie, I don’t understand why you’re here with him—”

“You don’t have to.” She interrupted. “Draco asked me to go to Hogsmeade with him. I didn’t have a date so I figured why not—”

“We were going together!”

“You cancelled on me before you even really asked me!”

“You told me that you wanted to cancel first—”

“I knew when I saw you kissing Ginny after the game that you would probably want to go with her.”

“But Malfoy? Why not just go with Voldemort?” Harry yelled.

“Don’t be stupid Harry.” she said with a roll of her eyes as she crossed her arms in front of her.

“He’s a Death Eater. He’s dangerous.”

“Then at least I know what I can expect from him. At least he doesn’t seem like an amazing, nice, kind guy only to turn out to be an arse who leads girls on—”

“What are you talking about?” He yelled.

“Forget it, Harry.” she said dismissively as she knew he was close to figuring it all out. “It doesn’t matter. I’m on a date. Please leave me alone.”

“Fine!” he yelled after her retreating back for a lack of anything else to say.

She walked back in the Three Broomsticks with a scowl on her face and her hands clenched into fists. She angrily sat down in her seat and clenched her mug of butterbeer tightly; Draco raised an eyebrow in question.

“This might have to go on for more than an afternoon.” she whispered.

The days passed as Sadie and Draco continued their charade. Harry and Ginny seemed very happy every time Sadie saw the pair of them, much to her dismay. She barely spoke to Harry anymore. She didn’t know what to say.

He made her so angry! Why couldn’t he see that she didn’t want Draco? She wanted Harry. She’d wanted Harry since the very first moment she saw him. And clearly, he wanted Ginny.

She was sitting in the library by herself, trying to write her essay for Charms, when he sat down across from her.

“Sadie.”

“Harry.” She replied in the same removed tone that he did.

“Writing the Charms essay?”

“Yes. Are you?”

“Hermione refused to help me.”

“Oh.”

“How’s Malfoy?” he asked snidely.

“How’s Ginny?” she retorted.

“I don’t understand why you’re with him.”

“Are you jealous?” she asked, hoping he was but really doubting it.

“Of what? Malfoy?”

“Yes!” she hissed, trying to keep her voice low.

“I’m not jealous of Malfoy!”

“Oh really? Because your eyes are turning green, Harry!”

“My eyes are always green.” He replied with a smug smile.

“You know what I mean!”

“I’m not jealous.”

“Fine.”

“I think you’re jealous.” he quipped.

“I’m not jealous. Poor Ginny…she has to spend her time with you.”

“You didn’t seem to mind, especially that night by the lake.”

“That didn’t mean anything to me.” she lied.

He looked taken aback. “Really?” he asked quietly.

Her mind told her to lie. To tell him it meant nothing.

“No. Not really.” she whispered, unable to lie.

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t want to fight with you. I just…I see you with Malfoy…and I just…I don’t like it.”

“Well, you and Ginny being together isn’t a walk in the park for me either.”

“I…was going to ask you to come with me to Hogsmeade. And then I said as friends which was the last thing I wanted…And then…then you asked if you could cancel because you had a date. What was I supposed to do?”

“You’re forgetting the part where you snogged Ginny on the Quidditch Pitch.”

“I did.” he nodded. “And that wasn’t the smartest thing I have done…But…I just…I dunno. I just know that I don’t want you to date Malfoy.” he said quietly.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” he said as he leaned across the table and kissed her on the lips.

“What about Ginny?”

“Ginny and I…we won’t be together for much longer. What about you and Malfoy?”

She bit her lip. “Yeah…well I have something to tell you about that…”