Im not gonna tell anyone about this especially since he’s my coworker 😭😭😭 not even my work friends im just gonna suffer in silence
And his beard is patchy too😭😭😭 but he’s still cute to mee I just need to know if he’s got a girlfriend or if he’s single bc he’s always with this one girl at work btw we work at a warehouse and I’ve told myself I would never date a coworker 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭I’ll see if our eye tag goes far
A series that follows you-the assistant who’s spent years surviving Max Verstappen’s impossible demands-and what happens when you quit, forcing the two of you to navigate new applicants and your feelings towards one another.
complete!!
⛲️ - popular (1k +! notes!) 🪼 - my favorites! 🧿 - MDNI! 18+!
warnings: entirely self indulgent, lando is reader x oscars no.1 fan, more quiddich, the random house crossovers are an au classic, this isn’t a slowburn, its two completely chalant people, not proofread!!
synopsis: what happens in the astronomy tower…doesn’t stay in the astronomy tower [5.9k]
a/n: me writing a part 2??? unheard of. anyway, i unfortunately love them and see a part 3 in the making… 😭
MASTERLIST PART ONE
ancient runes was usually quiet. usually being the key word there.
but today, as you stepped inside the tall, echoing classroom with the enchanted windows that changed with the weather, every head turned toward you, because word had spread around hogwarts like wildfire.
because everyone saw oscar fly like a man possessed while staring at the pocket of hufflepuff's, and for once you couldn't escape it. and because max verstappen, star ravenclaw chaser, known menace, was already leaning back as far as he could in his chair, legs stretched out making himself comfortable, eyebrow raised when you walked in.
"well, well," max said loudly, drawing attention from two slytherin girls who were trying their best to show they weren't listening in. "my seeker's muse arrives."
you groaned, already regretting walking over to them the second you did it. "max, please."
oscar, sitting beside him, turned bright red immediately, he nudged his teammate with his elbow. "stop."
"can't," max said, obviously taking great enjoyment out of the embarrassment of you both. "it's physically impossible."
you slipped into the empty seat beside them, the seating chart had been set at the beginning of term, and unfortunately for your sanity, you were stuck between the ravenclaw duo for the entire year.
professor babbling swept in, parchment robes fluttering "today," she announced, "you'll be working in groups of three."
max smirked, already planning in his head more ways to annoy you the rest of class. "lucky you."
professor babbling clapped her hands sharply. "group three," she said, glancing at her list, "your task is to translate the inscription on stone tablet c. focus on the verb tenses. they're tricky." she explained as she set a cracked stone slab in front of your trio.
max squinted at it, already decoding the words he recognised in his head; oscar leaned forward, focused instantly, and you tried to ignore the fact that the sleeve of his robe brushed your arm. you were useless in this class anyway, so you were going to reap the benefits of being in a trio with two ravenclaws.
max hummed. "okay. this rune means 'protect,' this one means 'spirit,' aaaand this one means-"
"no," oscar said calmly, cutting him off. "that's not 'spirit.' that's 'moon.'"
his housemate looked offended at the insinuation he was wrong. "no it's not."
they both turned to you to pick a side, but you were looking down at your nails, picking at a piece of polish that was peeling when you heard one of them clearing their throats. "don't ask me, why do you think i'm using his notes?"
oscar cleared his throat and leaned closer to the tablet. "so," he said, pointing, "if this is 'moon,' and this is 'protect,' then the full line probably reads..."
you watched him think, shamelessly, it was one of your favourite things about him, the way his eyes softened when he focused, the way he tapped his finger when he almost had the answer, and the way his eyebrows dipped when he was concentrating.
oscar murmured, "'under the protection of the moon...'"
max finished for him, grinning at his teammate as they'd cracked the code, "'...the path will reveal itself.'"
professor babbling walked past your table, glancing at the initial translation from max before turning to oscar and you. "excellent," she said, looking at your translation. "group three, very accurate work. especially the final line."
max smiled smugly. "thank you. i did most of the heavy lifting."
you turned to look at oscar, choosing a moment max wasn't looking and you leant in. "i knew that was the moon rune."
oscar blinked, feeling his pulse race at the proximity, when you whispered to him again. "the notes you gave me last week."
"you actually read them?"
you smiled at him. "of course i do."
oscar could feel his face going warm, and when max realised, he groaned loudly. "i'm going to get a restraining order from the ministry for you two."
—
the great hall was buzzing when you entered, stomach grumbling with hunger as banners fluttered overhead, every table crowded with students stuffing their faces whilst plates kept refilling themselves with warm food and floating jugs poured pumpkin juice on command. it was truly your happy place.
you spotted the hufflepuff table instantly, its place and the walk there an immediate reaction when you enter. lando was surrounded by alex and a couple of the other players from the quiddich team, your beater adam and chaser amelia shoving more food onto their plates
“hufflepuffs’s biggest ravenclaw fan!” you heard him shout, already walking past him to another group of 5th years when lando grabbed your wrist and yanked you down beside him.
“horrible human,” you muttered, glaring at him, but put up no fight to move, instead beginning to fill your plate.
“i prefer merlin’s gift to the world,” lando replied, stealing your roll as you plucked it from the platter in front.
alex looked up from across the table, bemused at his friend, and although on the same wavelength, went about it in a much more lowkey way. “how was ancient runes?”
you glared at him as he failed to conceal a smile. “max and oscar made fun of each other the whole time-”
from beside alex, lando gasped dramatically, “they didn’t bully you, did they?”
“no-“ you were quick to argue back, but he was already cutting you off again.
“good,” he said, taking a huge bite of potatoes. “because if they did, i’d personally hex oscar so hard he’d-” he paused, eyes focusing on something, or someone more accurately, over your shoulder.
you could see the moments his eyes locked with someone across the hall, across to the ravenclaw table, with a groan you turned round, the nosey part of you needing to know what was stealing his attention, gasping when you finally saw where he was looking.
where you could see oscar was staring at you, not subtly, no attempt at pretending to even be subtle either, his eyes locked onto you, even as max was beside him animatedly telling a story, he nodded his head along, the occasional words to affirm that he was still indeed listening. you could feel your face beginning to feel warm, looking back at him one last time before turning back to see alex and lando looking at you.
“you’ve ruined that man.” lando commented, sticking his fork in one of the potatoes on alex’s plate as they hadn’t refilled yet. “he’s never going to be the same.”
your head was a mess of thoughts, burying it in your hands with a groan. “shut up, we have class together next.”
an idea was swirling in lando’s head, you could see it as clear as day, and him thinking was always a worry to you. “how could i forget our defence against the dark arts class with our lovely leclerc.”
“i’m thankful every day i chose not to do that class with yous,” alex added, swatting lando’s hand away from his plate once again.
—
defence against the dark arts was always a production when it was gilderoy lockhart teaching, you swore his classroom sparkled, literally sparkled and were so sure that someone (probably him) had enchanted floating gold dust to drift gently around the ceiling.
as you and lando walked in, he struck a pose at the front of the room like he was waiting for applause. “welcome, welcome, young defenders of justice!” he called, grinning so wide his teeth may have been magically whitened.
lando leaned toward you. “has he ever fought a dark wizard?”
“no,” you whispered, looking your ‘professor’ up and down. “but he’s written twelve books about pretending he did.”
charles slid into the seat in front of you, turning around with a smirk, oscar following closely behind him, they must’ve walked together from the great hall, you thought. “ready to be dazzled?”
“i think i already am,” you muttered, glancing around the sparkling room.
from the front of the class, descending the stairs, lockhart clapped his hands loudly. “today, my radiant pupils, we study duelling defence techniques! inspired by my award-winning chapter four: how i defeated the werewolf of wapping!”
leaning into the chairs in front, lando whispered, “didn’t that turn out to be a stray pabrador?”
“he obliviated the owners,” oscar replied in the same hushed tone.
clapping to catch your attention again, lockhart was looking directly at your table. “pair up!” he spoke in a sing-song voice. “i’ll be observing your technique and offering invaluable commentary.”
you barely had time to stand before charles spun around. “i want her,” he declared proudly, emphasising his words with a point in case anyone misunderstood.
oscar’s head snapped toward him, not even out of his seat yet. “what? why?”
charles shrugged, but the small smile creeping onto his face told you otherwise. “she’s the only one who can actually block my spells. lando falls over.”
lando gasped, “that was one time” he defended, offended by the stray he’d caught.
you opened your mouth to say no, already planning to pair up with lando like always, but lockhart swooped in, cape fluttering. “excellent choice, mr. leclerc! a fine witch indeed i’ve heard, your pairing will surely reflect my own famous duel with the troll chief of trondheim-”
“trolls don’t duel,” oscar muttered with a roll of his eyes, mostly to himself.
lockhart whirled upon hearing him. “what was that, mr. piastri?”
—
the class had split into two sides, those who were rooting for the gryffindor captain, and those cheering for you. staring him down from one end of the room, charles smirked. “ready?”
you tried not to notice oscar watching from your side like his life depended on it, instead focusing on when lockhart would raise his wand.
it felt like a lifetime standing opposite charles when your professor finally lifted his wand. “begin!”
instantly, charles fired a disarming charm, one which you blocked easily, dodging as he fired another at you.
lockhart placed a hand over his heart, sighing to himself as he looked to be reflecting. “such form! such grace! i haven’t seen reflexes like that since i defeated the banshee of bansko!”
lando looked like he was still offended about not being chosen, and oscar looked like he was being tortured.
your match continued smoothly, throwing your own disarming charm which charles blocked with lockhart dramatically narrating every move like he was commentating his own life story.
“marvellous! magnificent! reminds me of my duel atop mount-” he continued, as the class collectively agreed to tune him out.
your wrist flicked back as your spell rebounded, cursing under your breath as you felt the pain sizzle under your skin. everyone in the class had gone back to practice their own duels now, nobody except oscar and charles noticing when you hissed in pain, and oscar was very much aware when charles helped you steady your footing and fix your wrist movement to try the spell again.
lando changed from his defensive stance to lean closer to oscar, “mate, stop looking like you’re going to hex him.”
shaking his head, oscar ushered lando back into the duelling stance, although his friend's words were definitely still floating around in his head as he heard you laugh at something charles had said. “i’m not jealous.” he reaffirmed.
“you’re very jealous.”
when lockhart called for partners to switch, oscar practically teleported to your space, already pushing charles into lando’s path.
he stopped in front of you, trying to look casual and failing spectacularly. “hi,” he said softly, pretending to be shy, because you knew he was far from it.
you smiled back at him, internally laughing at his urgency to be your partner. “hi.”
behind oscar, lockhart clasped his hands excitedly. “ah! two of my brightest pupils! the Ravenclaw prodigy and hufflepuff’s rising talent! a splendid match, worthy of my duel with the vampire of venice!”
“didn’t he turn out to be an opera singer with allergies?” lando asked a little too loudly, with lockhart electing to ignore him.
oscar stepped closer, lowering his voice. “you okay? charles didn’t go too hard, did he?”
“i can handle charles.”
he nodded, relief softening his shoulders. “good, because now you’re stuck with me.”
before you could reply, lockhart snapped his fingers dramatically. “begin!”
oscar lifted his wand, slight hesitation in his stance, eyes flicking to yours. “you sure?” he asked.
instead of replying, you fired a disarming charm at him, one he was just narrowly able to block and smirked. “hit me.”
you fell into rhythm, he fired a spell and you blocked and vice versa, he was clean and sharp, voice clear as he pointed his wand towards yours, because now he wasn’t distracted by jealousy or lockhart’s dramatic monologues.
his focus was entirely on you, making sure he could counter your spells, block them, send them back, it was a synchronisation, lockhart practically squealed. “look at that synchronous motion! that is what real duelling looks like, elegant! fluid! full of passion, it reminds me of-“
charles, leaning on one of the benches at the other side of the class, “professor, they’re literally just blocking spells.”
you launched a final blocking spell that oscar fought off perfectly, landing right in front of you, close, far too close in front of a class of people who knew what was going on, you could barely hear lando whispering to charles over your own heartbeat.
“you’re… really good at this,” oscar breathed, cheeks flushed.
“so are you.” you complimented back, smile dimpling your cheeks.
lockhart clapped loudly, appearing between you like a glittery wall. “splendid! i dare say you two could duel side by side in any real battle, your synergy rivals my own with the sorceress of—”
—
the astronomy tower was as quiet as always at this time, the sun long set, cold air drifted through the archways and lanterns flickered. the sky stretched endlessly above you, dark velvet dotted with silver, and the moon hung high in the sky as it bounced off the smooth surface of the black lake below.
you came up here to breathe, as always, it was the perfect place to. defence against the dark arts had been… intense, oscar had been… even more intense. more than you liked to admit
and lando had been unbearable in the common room after. more than usual.
you leaned on the stone railing, watching hogsmeade lights twinkle in the distance, imagining someone stumbling into the thee broomsticks seeking out some butter beer, trying to sort out your thoughts, when you heard footsteps echo behind you. soft, careful, as if not wanting to disturb your peace, and all around familiar.
you didn’t turn. didn’t need to. “you know,” you said quietly, “i had a feeling you’d show up.”
oscar froze a few steps back. “how?” he asked, voice low.
“you always do.” you smiled at the horizon, the same one from your first encounter with him here, what felt like years ago, staying late after astronomy.
astronomy class had emptied, footsteps faded down the spiral stairs and the tower grew still. you’d stayed behind to finish a star chart, oscar stayed too.
you didn’t notice at first, too focused on finishing this chart before going back to the common room, he was sitting near the far railing, quill in hand, eyes lifted toward the sky like the constellations were telling him secrets.
only when the door shut did it actually hit you: it was just the two of you.
you walked to the railing with your parchment, the cold stone grounding you, oscar glanced over, not startled, just quietly aware of your presence, as if he hadn’t been stealing looks in your direction the entire class.
“didn’t think anyone else would stay,” he said, dropping his quill as he folded over his parchment.
“didn’t plan to,” you answered with a small shrug. “just, wasn’t ready to go back.”
he nodded, a ghost of a smile on his lips. “yeah.” nodding again. “same.”
silence slipped between you, gentle, not awkward, the kind that made the tower feel bigger, the sky closer, and the waves of the lake seem stronger.
stars shimmered above, gossiping about what was going on down below them, castle lights flickered below. after a long stretch of quiet, oscar pointed upward. “that ones my favourite,” he murmured. “altair.”
you tried to spot it, letting him move you to a better angle, ignoring the butterflies swarming in your stomach and the creep of heat up your neck. “why?”
he shrugged, eyes soft as he let the night sky envelope his features. “it isn’t the brightest, but still it matters.”
you looked at him then, really looked for the first time that wasn’t fighting for a snitch in a quiddich game, or as partners in class, and something warm settled in your chest.
shifting slightly closer, elbows brushing the railing, oscar spoke. “you don’t have to leave yet,”
you shuffled an inch closer, smiling as you spoke. “neither do you.”
so you stayed, two students from different houses, in a quiet tower, saying almost nothing.
oscar let out a breath, half sigh, half laugh, and stepped forward until he stood beside you, leaving just enough space to pretend you weren’t both thinking about closing it. he looked different in starlight, a softer, less guarded, almost unsure look. “sorry if i-” he began.
“no,” you said before he could finish. “you’re fine.”
oscar swallowed. “that’s not what you said after class. you looked, overwhelmed.”
“i was,” you admitted softly. “it’s not your fault.”
he was quick to shake his head, disagreeing with you. “it is, i keep noticing things.”
that piqued your interest and you turned to him, suddenly feeling the deja vu of a conversation very similar to this one. “like what?”
“when you concentrate, you tilt your head to the right. you hold your wand too tightly when you’re nervous.” the more he spoke, you could see the flush of his cheeks grow under the bright light of the moon. “you always chew the inside of your cheek before blocking a spell. you smile when you read ancient runes even when you pretend you don’t like the class. and-“
that was where he stopped, an internal thought blocking him from finishing his sentence. “and what?” you whispered.
he exhaled shakily, your question the external push to finish what he’d started. “and I always know when you’re watching me fly.”
your pulse fluttered, if it was possible you would say your heart skipped a beat, skin crawling under the heat making its way up your neck “oscar…”
he shook his head, flustered, wanting to get it off his chest, like it had been a weight he’d been bearing. “no, i…it’s not in a creepy way, i just feel it? when you’re watching, before i even see you.”
oscar met your eyes again, a timid look behind them threatened to look away, but he pushed past that feeling as he looked directly at you, almost feeling like he was looking through you, at your inner thoughts. “it’s like,” he gestured helplessly, desperately trying to find a way to convey his thoughts. “i don’t know. you change the way the air feels, i fly differently, i think differently anyway. i’m not sure that’s normal.”
he ran a hand through his hair, frustrated at himself, letting it fall back onto the railing with a small thud. “and then today, in class, charles kept, i don’t know, hovering around you, and i couldn’t focus. i kept messing up that’s how lando kept winning. he thought i was going to hex the bastard.”
you laughed softly, remembering the way charles had confessed he thought oscar was going to kill him in his sleep later that night. “he did.”
silence settled, not awkward, but heavy with something unsaid. it reminded you of that very first night all over again, the same setting against the railing, another cool night blanketing the astronomy tower, lights flickering from hogsmeade in the distance, except now you were the one in need of a butterbeer.
you shifted closer, placing your hand lightly on the railing next to his, not touching, never touching, neither of you brave enough for that yet. but close enough that the space between your fingers hummed, itching to be closed.
“oscar,” you murmured, “can I tell you something too?” he nodded. “when you’re out there on a broom, i read you like a book. i always know what move you’re about to pull.”
“you’ve told me that,”
“i don’t mean like a match read,” you clarified. “i mean you.”
he swallowed, feeling the weight of your words on his shoulders. “me?”
you nodded, feeling a little bit braver, your hand on the railing slowly, bit by bit, moving closer to his till you can feel the warmth radiating from him. “you fly the same way you feel.”
oscar stared at you, breath caught somewhere between disbelief and hope, glancing down at your hands now just millimetres apart. “and how do i, feel?” he asked, barely audible.
you stepped even closer, just an inch, but he felt it like he’d been hit by a stupefy. “you feel everything too much,” you whispered “and you try too hard to hide it.”
a laugh escaped him, a mix of quiet, embarrassed and relieved all at the same time. “that obvious?”
“only to me.”
he looked down at your hands, now only a breath apart, then back up at you. “why?” he asked softly.
you smiled, feeling that homely warmth in your belly again, and shrugged your shoulders. “we notice each other.”
the words settled between you like warm magic, and oscar opened his mouth, probably to say something meaningful or stupid or both, but a gust of wind pushed between you, scattering lockhart’s leftover glitter on your robes through the air like stardust.
he stepped forward, close enough that you felt the warmth of him again, could smell the aftershave he had on, and see the knot of his tie slackened by the day's wear, close enough that your shoulders brushed. “i’m glad i came up here,” he murmured.
you tried to keep your voice steady, like you weren’t internally screaming. “me too.”
he leaned in just a little, impossibly closer and you weren’t sure how you weren’t touching yet, not enough to be sure, just enough to hope, till his voice sounded at the shell of your ear. “can i walk you back?” he asked, hopeful.
you weren’t sure if he could hear your heart racing or not, and he swore you could hear his, but still you nodded. “i’d like that.”
oscar smiled softly, the kind of smile he had reserved for you, a fact you were yet to learn of, then he offered his hand, holding it out in the cold air, and you couldn’t help but stare for a second before taking it.
and the two of you walked down the spiral tower steps together, slowly, quietly, fingers brushing in a way that made everything feel like it was finally beginning to make sense.
—
hufflepuff gold shimmered across the left stands, a warm, buzzing wall of sound, whilst slytherin green crackled through the right, sharper, louder, hungry for a win.
you tightened your grip on your broom as madam hooch stepped forward onto the field, whistle in hand, “players. mount!” she announced.
you swung one leg over your broom, heart steady, three days after the astronomy tower moment with oscar, your focus felt sharper than ever. across from you, slytherin’s seeker carlos rolled his shoulders, giving you a competitive grin.
“no easy wins today,” he said.
you smirked back. “wouldn’t want one.”
the whistle blew, and the match launched into action almost instantly. your chasers surged ahead, passing with practised ease as they moved toward the slytherin hoops, beaters swept in behind them, ready to take the brunt of early bludgers.
george, slytherin’s strongest beater, wasted no time swinging hard, the bludger screaming past your ear. you ducked sharply, feeling the rush of wind where your head just was.
carlos laughed from above you. “stay awake, hufflepuff.”
quaffles blurred, bodies collided, many cobbing penalties were called and the crowd roared each time a chaser was close enough to the goalpost to score. but there was still no sign of the snitch.
on a hufflepuff breakaway from a failed slytherin attempt, amelia looped the quaffle past a green blur, scoring cleanly, the slytherin stands groaned whilst hufflepuff roared.
carlos hovered near the centre, eyes scanning the field, body loose but alert and you mirrored him. climbing higher now, higher still and waiting.
your heartbeat synced with the game as the wind stung your cheeks, your breath fogged in the cold air, tips of fingers turning a cruel pink. you lived for this.
a shimmer.
a flicker.
then, there in front of you, golden, darting through the air near the far corner of the pitch.
carlos saw it at the same moment, and you both lunged. wind slammed past your ears, flattening your body to your broomstick, streaking forward with everything in you.
carlos matched you and then pushed harder, only encouraging you to do the same. the two of you tore across the pitch in perfect parallel, gold just ahead, dancing, taunting, vanishing behind the ravenclaw stand which was half filled in yellow.
you didn’t care who was watching, you didn’t look up. not once. this was your world, your chase, and your game to win.
the snitch dropped, hard. a harsh change of direction and carlos reacted instantly, diving at a terrifying angle, you followed, closer to the broom, tighter to the fall, trusting your instincts and experience in the game as the ground rushed toward you.
you could hear the crowd gasp and carlos wavered, just slightly, enough to give you the edge over him as he resorted to throwing elbows, but you didn’t give in to him, focused only on the object in front of you.
you pulled out of the dive with one smooth arc, rising beneath him, cutting his angle off just enough that he had to correct. a second, a sliver of time, but just enough, because the snitch darted right, the direction you’d already been turning so you shot forward, carlos half a beat behind and your fingers our stretched, the air around you fighting back against the intrusion, but you could already feel the gold brushing your fingertips. your hand closing comfortably around the snitch.
the stands exploded in yellow, your teammates screamed your name, by the goal lando’s spinning his broom in an uncontrollable circle, reserves on the field tackling each other out of joy.
slytherins groaned, some in disbelief, some furious, and carlos landed beside you with a frustrated sigh but a grin still tugging at his mouth. “good catch,” he said, brushing wind-tangled hair from his face. “fast.”
you grinned back, shaking his outstretched hand for good sportsmanship. “you too.”
he shook his head. “not fast enough.”
the next second, your entire team was crashing into you, a range of hugs, shoves and broom handles knocking everywhere. their voices were loud in your ear and they shouted over each others, of course, lando’s standing out the most from the rest.
“i thought you were gonna die!” you laughed, breathless, exhilarated, heart pounding in victory. finally, when the noise calmed and you caught your breath, you looked up in the stands, expecting to find alex, which you did easily, and next to you him you saw blue and bronze, ravenclaw robes.
he wasn’t cheering wildly, or shouting, just standing by max and alex doing that for him, watching you, pride rolling off of him, because he knew what you were going to do before you did.
but the match was yours, your catch, your house’s win, and nothing, not even your racing heartbeat, as you forced yourself to look away, could take that away.
—
hogsmeade was covered in a perfect layer of winter snow, soft, glittering, and absolutely freezing. breath puffed in white clouds as your group made its way down the high street.
lando and alex kept rushing ahead and then circling back like overexcited puppies, whilst max trudged behind them with his hood up, mumbling, “if someone pushes me into another snowbank, i’m hexing all of you.” it was his fifth time uttering that warning, each time directed at lando and charles.
charles strolled next to you with an exaggerated sigh, “such a beautiful day,” he said, glancing dramatically between you and oscar, who’d been walking alongside him. “perfect for, i don’t know. pair activities.” he added the last part with a shrug, and oscar nearly tripped on an uneven cobblestone.
you glared at him, tempted to push him into a snowbank instead of max. “charles, please. stop.”
charles put a hand to his chest. “i am not suggesting anything! i am simply observing the weather.”
max deadpanned, “you’re matchmaking like my grandmother.”
“oui,” charles said proudly. “a french grandmother.”
“except you’re not french.” you pointed out, hearing him mutter a ‘thank merlin for that’ in response.
the moment the door to the three broomsticks opened, heat and chatter washed over all of you, butterbeer steam fogged the windows. the smell of roast pumpkin and cinnamon clung to the wooden walls. madam Rosmerta waved your group to a long booth in the back.
you started to slide in, only to have lando physically block you with his entire body. “nope! reserved seating!”
“for who?” you asked flatly, trying to sit down again when he stuck his arm out.
“for destiny,” lando said, winking in the most chaotic, unhelpful way possible, god you were going to kill him one day and were sure no one would blame you.
you frowned. “lando.”
alex jumped in with a grin. “what he means is that you should sit, uh, there.” he pointed to the only free seat left at the booth, directly beside oscar, and you shot a look at the entire table. every single one of them avoided eye contact with cartoon-level exaggeration.
max was suddenly extremely fascinated by the ceiling beams, charles inspected his fingernails like they contained ancient prophecies, lando whistled off-key whilst looking over the menu more times than necessary, and alex pretended to cough into a menu that was upside-down.
oscar offered a tiny, sheepish smile, “…you don’t have to if you don’t want-“
but your friends were already shoving everyone down the booth, making room for exactly one outcome. “it’s fine, don’t be daft.” so you sat beside him, your thighs brushed for a brief second. oscar inhaled sharply, and you pretended not to notice.
not soon enough, rosmerta brought out frothing butterbeers, and the second she left, the table erupted in the most painfully deliberate distraction scheme you had ever witnessed.
“so, max,” lando said at full volume, somehow louder than he usually was, clapping a hand on max’s shoulder, “tell us about the transfiguration essay!”
max blinked, he’d obviously missed this part of the plan during the discussion. “what? why?”
“so osc can talk to-” lando froze, realising he had said the quiet part out loud. “uhm, so we all learn something! educational outing obviously!”
charles snorted into his butterbeer, having to put it down in fear he’d choke, whilst alex coughed to hide his own laughter.
you sighed before picking up the warm drink. “you people are unbearable.”
then, very pointedly, the three of them turned their backs to you and oscar and started a fake argument over whether butterbeer foam was technically a potion ingredient. although, occasionally, they’d steal a glance at you two to see if anything was happening.
you leaned slightly toward oscar, warmth radiating from his body, you swore you could never be cold next to him “subtle,” you said dryly.
he laughed quietly, that soft, comfortable, slightly breathless laugh that always hit you harder than it should. “i swear i didn’t ask them to do any of this.”
“i know, you don’t need them to talk to me.”
his eyes flicked to you, pools of warm, hiding behind them were hints of nervousness and hopelessness. oscar searched your eyes for any signs of humour, to see if you were joking or if you truly meant your words, and he found none. he knew you were being serious.
and just when you thought your friends would stop, that they’d see you talking and give the schtick up, lando slammed his mug down. “oh no!” he announced loudly, “we’re out of…of whatever this is.” he held up nothing.
alex gasped dramatically beside him, “no butterbeer left? impossible!”
max pinched the bridge of his nose, obviously not enjoying this plan half as much as the others were. “there is literally butterbeer in front of you.”
“yes, max,” charles said gravely, “but is it… enough?”
“you’ve all lost your minds,” max muttered, but still, when they all stood, he joined them.
“we’ll be right back!” lando said with suspicious cheer. “don’t move!”
together, they disappeared toward the counter in a clump of chaos and scarves and suddenly you and oscar were alone in the warm corner booth, six glasses sat on the table of two.
just the two of you, finally.
oscar cleared his throat softly, “you’re, uh, not embarrassed, are you?”
your lips curved, taking another drink of your butterbeer, feeling the froth on your lips. “i have nothing to be embarrassed about, they lot should be, are you?”
“they make it hard not to be,” he admitted. “but, not because i mind sitting with you.” his honesty hit harder than butterbeer ever could.
“good,” you said quietly. “because I don’t mind either.”
oscar’s smile went lopsided, he shy kind you loved, although you could tell he was gaining that level of confidence he had on the quiddich pitch with you, his arm resting behind your head in the booth. “maybe we should do this on purpose next time.”
heat crept up your neck, chalking it up to the flames from the roaring fireplace. “maybe we should.”
you couldn’t enjoy the quiet for long before your friends returned, carrying far too many butterbeers, lando slid into the booth first, eyes catching you and oscar sitting closer than before, noting the arm draped behind your head and whispering (not quiet in the slightest), “it’s working!”
max elbowed him in the ribs, but even he couldn’t hide his smile at the two of you. “shut. up.”
charles raised his butterbeer like a toast. “to hufflepuff! to ravenclaw! and to the power of friendship!”
alex chimed in, “and strategic seating charts!”
oscar tried to hide the smile on his face by looking down, and you laughed into his chest, letting your head fall comfortably into the hollow of his shoulder, and he dared not move, stilling behind you, and you could hear his heartbeat racing under your touch.
and even in the noisy, chaotic three broomsticks, you felt unbelievably at home.
dededos
kianamaiart
turnnoffyourmind
prguitarman
annaxmalina
