Slytherins, Kisses and Other Disasters
Copyright© 2026 by Caroline Stanton
Chapter 13: The First Questions
The Three Broomsticks was warm, crowded, and noisier than Victoria Crabbe would have preferred. Under normal circumstances, she liked the place. The butterbeer was good, the atmosphere was cheerful, and nobody seemed particularly concerned about how loudly she and Georgina laughed when they came in with Draconia. Today, however, Victoria was sitting across from Harry Potter at a small wooden table near the fireplace, and she was beginning to discover that a date was an entirely different experience from an afternoon with her friends.
For one thing, she had absolutely no idea what she was supposed to say. Harry, apparently, had the same problem.
They’d walked down from Hogwarts holding hands, which had been surprisingly pleasant once Victoria stopped worrying about everyone staring at them. Harry had offered to buy her a butterbeer, she’d accepted, and they’d found a table where they could sit without too many people looking over their shoulders.
So far, everything had gone rather well. Except for the conversation. Harry took a sip of butterbeer. Victoria took a sip of hers. They smiled at each other. Then both looked away. Victoria examined the foam in her mug. Oh, for fuck’s sake. She’d been looking forward to this for days. She’d spent an entire morning getting dressed, let Draconia put makeup on her face, and endured Georgina’s endless jokes about her first date.
And now she was sitting opposite the boy who’d caused all that trouble, wondering whether she should ask him about the weather. Harry cleared his throat.
“So ... nice day.”
Victoria looked towards the window. It was overcast, with a chilly breeze stirring the trees outside.
“Bit cold.”
“Yeah.”
“Not raining, though.”
“No.”
Another silence. Harry smiled awkwardly.
“That’s something.”
“Yeah.”
She took another drink. Brilliant conversation, Crabbe. Absolutely bloody brilliant. Harry looked around the room.
“Have you been here much?”
Victoria stared at him.
“Potter, we’ve been coming to Hogsmeade for years.”
“Right. Stupid question.”
“A bit.”
“Sorry.”
Victoria immediately felt guilty. She hadn’t meant to make him uncomfortable.
“No, it’s all right.”
Harry smiled. She smiled back. Then they fell silent again. Victoria was beginning to suspect that dating was a great deal more difficult than the romance novels made it appear.
In those books, the hero and heroine always seemed to know exactly what to say. They exchanged clever remarks, meaningful looks, and occasionally declarations that made Victoria roll her eyes while secretly wishing someone would say something similar to her.
Nobody ever sat staring at a mug of butterbeer wondering what the bloody hell to talk about. Perhaps the authors simply left those parts out. Harry tried again.
“How’s Quidditch practice going?”
Victoria brightened.
“All right.”
“Still working on your defensive formation?”
“Yeah. Although our new Chaser’s a bloody idiot.”
Harry laughed.
“That bad?”
“Last Tuesday he nearly flew straight into the goalpost.”
“Seriously?”
“Headfirst. I had to shout at him to get out of the way.”
Harry grinned.
“Sounds familiar.”
Victoria raised an eyebrow.
“What?”
“Ron once flew into a goalpost during practice.”
Victoria laughed.
“Weasley?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh, that’s brilliant.”
Harry laughed too.
“He was watching something else and forgot where he was going.”
Victoria shook her head.
“Merlin’s arse. And he’s your Keeper?”
“He’s actually pretty good when he isn’t distracted.”
“That’s a rather important qualification.”
“Fair point.”
For several minutes, they talked about Quidditch. Victoria complained about the difficulty of training inexperienced players. Harry described some of Gryffindor’s recent practices, carefully avoiding anything that might reveal useful tactics before their next match. Victoria noticed.
“You’re not telling me everything.”
Harry smiled.
“Neither are you.”
“Of course not. I’m not a bloody idiot.”
“Neither am I.”
Victoria raised an eyebrow.
“Debatable.”
Harry laughed. She laughed too. And for a little while, the awkwardness disappeared. They knew how to talk about Quidditch. They understood the game, enjoyed it, and could argue about it without taking offence. Victoria found herself relaxing. Then the conversation gradually slowed. Harry took another drink. Victoria looked at him. He was smiling. She liked that smile. She’d been noticing it often lately. And suddenly, the question she’d been carrying around for more than a week seemed impossible to ignore.
“Harry?”
He looked up.
“Yes?”
Victoria hesitated. She’d called him Harry several times during their walk, but it still felt slightly strange. Not unpleasant. Just new. She looked down at her mug.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Something serious.”
Harry set down his butterbeer.
“All right.”
Victoria took a breath. Then looked directly at him.
“What did you see in me?”
Harry blinked.
“What?”
Victoria folded her hands on the table.
“What did you see in me?”
He looked puzzled.
“I’m not sure I understand.”
“Oh, come on, Potter.”
Harry smiled faintly.
“Harry.”
She blinked.
“What?”
“You were calling me Harry a minute ago.”
Victoria felt herself blush.
“Right.”
She looked away.
“Harry.”
“Better.”
Victoria shook her head.
“Don’t get used to it.”
Harry laughed softly. But she wasn’t ready to let the subject go.
“Seriously. Why me?”
Harry’s smile faded slightly. Not because he was upset. Because he seemed to realise that she genuinely wanted an answer. Victoria continued before he could speak.
“You could’ve asked out any number of girls. Pretty girls. Nice girls. Girls who don’t go around threatening people or knocking them into walls.”
Harry watched her quietly.
“And you chose me.”
She hesitated.
“Why?”
Harry leaned back slightly. He seemed to be considering how to answer. Victoria appreciated that. She didn’t want some silly compliment he’d invented on the spot. She wanted the truth. Finally, Harry spoke.
“Well, the first thing I noticed was that you’re beautiful.”
Victoria felt warmth rise into her cheeks. She looked down.
“Yeah. You’ve mentioned that.”
“I have.”
“But there are plenty of beautiful girls at Hogwarts.”
“True.”
“So?”
Harry considered.
“You’re also very good at Quidditch.”
Victoria raised an eyebrow.
“You’re asking me out because I’m a good Beater?”
Harry laughed.
“No. But I admire how you play.”
She looked at him.
“Really?”
“Of course. You’re strong, fast, and fearless. You never back away from a challenge.”
Victoria smiled faintly.
“That’s what Beaters are supposed to do.”
“Not all of them do it as well as you.”
She looked down at her butterbeer. That was a compliment she understood. She’d spent years working hard at Quidditch, and hearing another player acknowledge her skill felt good. Especially when that player was Harry Potter. But it still didn’t answer her question.
“All right,” she said. “I’m beautiful and good at Quidditch. Anything else?”
“You’re loyal.”
Victoria blinked.
“What?”
“To your friends.”
She frowned.
“How do you know?”
Harry shrugged.
“I’ve seen you with Malfoy and Georgina. You three are always together. You stand up for each other.”
Victoria considered that.
“Well, of course we do.”
“Not everyone does.”
She looked at him. Harry continued.
“I’ve seen people abandon their friends when things get difficult. I’ve seen people pretend they don’t know someone because they’re afraid of what others might think.”
Victoria nodded slowly.
“But you don’t do that,” Harry said. “You and Georgina are always there for Malfoy. And she seems to be there for you.”
“Yeah. She is.”
Harry nodded.
“I like that.”
Victoria looked at him for a moment. Then she frowned.
“Harry.”
“Yes?”
“You’re forgetting something.”
“What?”
She leaned forward.
“I’ve been horrible to you.”
Harry didn’t answer immediately. Victoria continued.
“For six years. I’ve insulted you, shoved you, threatened you, and helped Draconia make your life miserable.”
“Yes.”
Victoria stared.
“Yes?”
“Yes. You have.”
She blinked. That was rather more direct than she’d expected. Harry smiled slightly.
“I’m not going to pretend you haven’t.”
Victoria looked down.
“Right.”
“And I’m not going to pretend I liked it.”
She nodded.
“Fair enough.”
Harry hesitated.
“But I don’t think that’s all there is to you.”
Victoria looked up.
“What do you mean?”
Harry leaned forward a little.
“I mean I don’t think being unpleasant to people is the only thing you’re capable of.”
Victoria frowned.
“How would you know?”
“I didn’t know.”
She blinked. Harry smiled faintly.
“That’s why I wanted to get to know you.”
Victoria stared at him. She’d half expected some ridiculous claim that he’d always known she was secretly kind. Instead, he admitted he hadn’t known much about her at all. That was a better answer, although she wasn’t about to make it easy for him. Harry continued.
“I’d noticed you for a long time, actually.”
Victoria’s eyes widened.
“You had?”
He nodded.
“Yes.”
“Since when?”
Harry thought for a moment.
“I’m not sure. I suppose I started noticing you properly during Quidditch matches.”
Victoria smiled.
“Because I kept trying to hit you with Bludgers?”
Harry laughed.
“That certainly got my attention.”
“Good.”
“But then I started noticing other things.”
“Such as?”
Harry hesitated.
“Your smile.”
Victoria blinked.
“My what?”
“Your smile.”
She stared. Harry smiled.
“You don’t smile very often when you’re around people you don’t like.”
“That’s because I don’t like them.”
He laughed.
“Fair enough.”
“But when you’re with your friends, you laugh a lot. Properly laugh, I mean. Not just when you’re making fun of someone.”
Victoria thought about that. She did laugh with Draconia and Georgina. A lot. Harry continued.
“I remember seeing you in the Great Hall once. Georgina said something, and you started laughing so hard you nearly spilled your drink.”
“That sounds like Georgina.”
Harry smiled.
“And I remember thinking you had a beautiful smile.”
Victoria felt her cheeks grow hot.
“Oh.”
Harry looked at her.
“Then I wondered why I never saw it when you were talking to anyone else.”
Victoria looked down. She knew the answer. She simply wasn’t sure she wanted to say it aloud. Harry didn’t press her. Instead, he continued.
“I started wondering what you’d be like if we could have an ordinary conversation. Without arguing. Without Malfoy and Ron insulting each other. Without anyone trying to prove anything.”
Victoria looked up.
“And?”
“And I thought I’d like to find out.”
Harry hadn’t offered some grand explanation. He liked her smile, respected her loyalty, and wanted to know her better. Victoria found that she could believe him. But something was still troubling her.
“Harry?”
“Yes?”
She hesitated.
“Why didn’t you think I was just a horrible bitch?”
Harry blinked. Victoria shrugged.
“Everyone else does.”
He considered that.
“Well, I knew you could be horrible.”
She winced. Harry continued.
“But I’ve also been horrible to people sometimes.”
Victoria raised an eyebrow.
“You?”
“Yes.”
She looked skeptical. Harry smiled.
“I’ve lost my temper. I’ve said things I shouldn’t have. I’ve been unfair to people.”
Victoria nodded slowly.
“All right.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m proud of it.”
She looked at him. Harry continued.
“I wasn’t looking for someone perfect, Victoria.”
She swallowed.
“I just wanted to know whether there was someone behind all the shouting and threats.”
Victoria stared. Then, despite herself, she laughed.
“That’s a bloody awful way to put it.”
Harry grinned.
“I know.”
“You’re terrible at this.”
“Probably.”
She laughed again. Harry smiled.
“And there she is.”
Victoria blinked.
“What?”
“That smile.”
She immediately felt herself blushing.
“Oh, fuck off.”
Harry laughed. And Victoria laughed with him. For a while, neither spoke. The Three Broomsticks continued around them. Students laughed at nearby tables. Madam Rosmerta carried drinks between customers. Someone near the fireplace was telling a story that involved a particularly unfortunate Transfiguration accident. Victoria barely noticed. She was looking at Harry. He wasn’t staring at her body. He wasn’t trying to impress her. He wasn’t making jokes about her reputation.
He was sitting there, smiling at her as though he was enjoying her company. And Victoria realised that she was enjoying his. Very much. She took a sip of butterbeer. Then set down her mug.
“Harry?”
“Yes?”
She hesitated. Then smiled.
“I’m glad you asked me out.”
Harry’s expression softened.
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
She looked down.
“Even if I was a complete bitch about it.”
Harry laughed softly.
“You were a bit intimidating.”
Victoria grinned.
“A bit?”
“All right. Quite intimidating.”
She laughed.
“Bloody right.”
Harry smiled.
“But you said yes.”
Victoria looked at him.
“Yeah.”
“And I’m glad.”
She felt warmth spreading through her chest.
“Me too.”
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