Slytherins, Kisses and Other Disasters
Copyright© 2026 by Caroline Stanton
Chapter 6: The First Invitation
Victoria had been unusually quiet throughout dinner. Draconia noticed, of course. Draconia noticed everything, particularly when it involved one of her two closest friends. Georgina noticed too, although she was considerably less subtle about it. By the time they returned to their dormitory, Victoria had already told Georgina to mind her own business three times.
The room was comfortably familiar. Their trunks stood at the foot of their beds, schoolbooks lay scattered across a desk, and the greenish light from the windows gave everything the usual Slytherin atmosphere. Draconia immediately began getting ready for bed, while Georgina sat on her mattress and pulled off her shoes.
Victoria dropped onto her own bed without bothering to change. She stared at the ceiling. Potter asked me out. She’d been repeating those words to herself all afternoon. They hadn’t become any less ridiculous.
“Right,” Georgina said.
Victoria closed her eyes. Here it came.
“What?” she muttered.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing.”
“Bollocks.”
Draconia glanced over from her wardrobe.
“Georgina.”
“What? She’s been acting weird all evening.”
“I’m sitting on my bloody bed!”
“Exactly. Normally you’d be telling me to shut up by now.”
“Shut up.”
“There she is.”
Victoria grabbed her pillow and threw it at her. Georgina caught it, laughing. Draconia sighed.
“Honestly, you two.”
Victoria held out her hand.
“Pillow.”
Georgina tossed it back. For a few minutes, things settled down. Draconia brushed her hair, Georgina changed into her nightclothes, and Victoria continued staring at the ceiling. She could keep quiet. There was absolutely no reason to tell them. Except that they were her best friends. And she’d never kept anything important from them. Well, almost anything. They didn’t know about all the romance novels hidden in her trunk. But this was different. She sat up.
“Potter asked me out.”
Georgina froze halfway through folding her uniform. Draconia stopped brushing her hair. For several seconds, neither spoke. Then Georgina slowly turned.
“What?”
Victoria looked at her.
“You heard.”
Draconia lowered her hairbrush.
“Harry Potter?”
“No, his bloody grandfather.”
Georgina’s mouth fell open. Then she began laughing.
“Oh, Merlin!”
Victoria scowled.
“Don’t.”
But Georgina was already laughing too hard to stop.
“He actually did it!”
Draconia stared at Victoria.
“When?”
“This afternoon.”
“Where?”
“Fourth floor.”
“And he just walked up and asked you?”
Victoria sighed.
“Not exactly.”
Georgina sat down heavily on her bed.
“Oh, you’ve got to tell us everything.”
Victoria folded her arms.
“There’s not much to tell.”
Draconia raised an eyebrow.
“Victoria.”
“What?”
“Harry Potter has apparently asked you on a date. I think that qualifies as something worth discussing.”
Victoria looked away.
“He came up to me while I was waiting for Georgina.”
Georgina grinned.
“You’re welcome.”
“Shut it.”
“Sorry.”
“He said he wanted to apologise.”
Draconia frowned.
“Apologise?”
“For the rumours. Said he hadn’t meant to make me uncomfortable.”
That surprised both girls. Georgina stopped smiling.
“He apologised?”
“Yeah.”
Draconia looked thoughtful.
“That’s rather unexpected.”
“Tell me about it.”
“What did you say?”
“Told him I could handle a few stupid rumours.”
“And?”
“And he said he didn’t want me thinking he’d done it to embarrass me.”
Georgina leaned forward.
“Did he?”
Victoria shook her head.
“No.”
She said it without hesitation. Draconia noticed.
“You’re quite certain.”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
Victoria frowned.
“Because he wasn’t lying.”
Georgina exchanged a glance with Draconia. Victoria caught it.
“Don’t start.”
“We haven’t said anything,” Draconia replied.
“You’re thinking something.”
“Naturally.”
Victoria groaned. Georgina leaned back against her pillows.
“All right. So Potter apologised. Then what?”
Victoria hesitated.
“He asked me to Hogsmeade.”
Georgina grinned again.
“Just like that?”
“Yeah.”
“On a date?”
“Yes, Georgina. On a bloody date.”
Draconia sat on the edge of her bed.
“And what did you say?”
Victoria looked down. There it was. The question she’d been dreading.
“Well...”
Georgina’s grin widened.
“Oh, this is going to be good.”
Victoria glared at her.
“I told him he was mental.”
Georgina laughed. Draconia covered her mouth.
“Victoria!”
“What?”
“That’s hardly a conventional response to an invitation.”
“Well, what was I supposed to say?”
Georgina was still laughing.
“Yes or no would probably have done it.”
Victoria threw her hands up.
“I wasn’t expecting it!”
“Apparently not.”
Draconia leaned forward.
“Did you refuse?”
Victoria hesitated.
“No.”
Georgina stopped laughing. Draconia blinked.
“You didn’t?”
“No.”
“Then what did you say?”
Victoria stared at her knees.
“I left.”
Silence. Then Georgina said, very slowly, “You ran away?” Victoria’s head snapped up.
“I did not bloody run away!”
“You just said you left!”
“That’s different!”
“How?”
“Because I bloody said so!”
Georgina collapsed backward onto her bed, laughing.
“Oh, Merlin, this is priceless!”
Victoria grabbed another pillow.
“One more word, Goyle!”
Georgina held up both hands.
“All right! All right!”
Draconia was smiling, but she didn’t laugh.
“Victoria, why did you leave?”
Victoria looked at her.
“Because I didn’t know what to say!”
The admission came out louder than she’d intended. Georgina’s laughter faded. Victoria sighed.
“He just stood there, looking at me, asking if I’d like to go to Hogsmeade with him. Like it was the most normal thing in the world.”
Draconia tilted her head.
“Well, asking someone to Hogsmeade is fairly normal.”
“Not when it’s Potter asking me!”
“Fair point.”
Victoria rubbed her forehead.
“I called him mental. Told him he had a death wish. Asked if he was taking the piss.”
Georgina winced.
“Bloody hell, Vic.”
“What?”
“Poor bloke.”
Victoria stared.
“Poor bloke?”
“Well, he was only asking you out.”
Victoria opened her mouth to protest. Then closed it. That was the problem, wasn’t it? Potter had only asked her out. He hadn’t insulted her. He hadn’t tried to embarrass her. He’d even apologised for the rumours. And she’d responded as though he’d challenged her to a duel. Draconia watched her carefully.
“Did he get angry?”
Victoria shook her head.
“No.”
“Did he laugh?”
“No.”
“What did he do?”
Victoria looked down.
“Nothing. Just let me leave.”
Georgina was quiet for a moment. Then she said, “Well, he’s got more patience than I thought.” Victoria scowled.
“Don’t start defending him.”
“I’m not defending him. I’m just saying.”
Draconia folded her hands in her lap.
“Victoria, can I ask you something?”
“What?”
“Did you want to say yes?”
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