It was the last day of term, and the castle of Hogwarts was thrumming with anticipation. Tonight everyone would be rushing to pack their bags and say their last minute goodbyes, and tomorrow morning the Great Hall would be bursting with hundreds of rowdy students ready to set off for the station and catch the Hogwarts Express back to London. Less than twenty-four hours of frantic activity left before the students went home, free, at last, for the holidays.

And then all would be quiet for two whole weeks. A few students and teachers would remain, tucked away in various corners all to themselves, but the castle would feel like it was sleeping, buried in the deep snow and hidden from the world around them.

Arthur was so looking forward to that peace and quiet it almost felt like it would never arrive.

This was the first year his parents had offered to let him to stay at school over the holidays – hoping he could use the time to study for his upcoming O.W.L. exams – and Arthur had jumped at the chance for some private time. For someone who valued privacy so much, he rarely got to enjoy any time to himself. The young wizard had spent his entire childhood growing up with a hoard of older brothers and younger cousins to make his life hell, and then there was the near army of teenage witches and wizards to contend with once he got to Hogwarts. So, as much as he loved school, the promise of such rare tranquillity meant that Arthur had been waiting for this winter break since the beginning of term.

There was just one more class left to go, and then he'd be free.

Of course, any lesson was bound to be a shambles when it was the last class before winter break. It was just unlucky that Arthur happened to have Divination, so the chaos was going to be tenfold.

Personally, he adored the subject. But to most people, Divination was a joke lesson. Many of the fifth years in Arthur's class had only picked it as an easy option - knowing it was an almost guaranteed Acceptable on their O.W.L.s next summer - and they spent every lesson goofing around and wasting time.

His classmates didn't even believe in astrology or cartomancy – as if fortune telling was any more ridiculous than the concept of Transfiguration or Charms! Nobody bat an eyelid when they learnt about werewolves and pixies in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and yet they laughed at the very idea of tarot readings! It all seemed a little hypocritical to Arthur. Just because most wizards and witches couldn't grasp Divination, that didn't make it any less valid of a subject!

So even at the best of times, Arthur had learnt not to expect too much of this lesson. And hoping his classmates could sit patiently through one last Divination class when they were so close to freedom was obviously too much to ask.

Professor Héderváry had given up after the first two minutes. The beautiful Hungarian witch was considered a cool teacher, so she didn't mind if they slacked off on the last lesson and just chatted for an hour. She even went from table to table and talked with students herself, asking them what they would be doing for Christmas, how they were faring in other subjects, and sharing gossip about the staff and students at Hogwarts.

Eventually she reached Arthur's table, tucked away in the far back corner against the wall. He was sitting by himself, as usual, even though the low round tables were built for two. His nose was buried in a book, also as usual, and he jumped when Professor Héderváry's voice suddenly chimed right next to him.

"Happy holidays, Arthur! What are you reading?" the young professor asked, smile warm and inviting. Even someone as antisocial as Arthur couldn't help but enjoy talking to her.

He held up the book to show his teacher the cover. "I'm just brushing up on tessomancy symbols," he explained. "I drink so much tea I thought I could practice reading the leaves every time I have a cup over winter break, since I finally have some peace and quiet to concentrate."

Professor Héderváry nodded slowly, shrewd eyes fixed on Arthur as if she were looking right into his soul. He gulped nervously, wondering what she would see. Divination may have been impossible for some magic-users, but Professor Héderváry was a rare, true Seer.

"You like Divination, don't you?" she asked eventually.

Arthur nodded. "Very much so, yes."

"Well, then," the professor declared, slamming her hands on the table with a loud slap. "We should probably get back to work!" She stood up tall, long auburn hair swishing about her as she whirled around gracefully to survey the rest of the chattering class. "Come on then, everyone!" she called loudly, pulling the fifth years from their conversations. "We only have forty minutes left - let's make the most of them."

A loud groan rumbled across the room, but Arthur smiled brightly, sliding his book to one side and sitting up straighter at his table.

"Now, you've got your O.W.L.s this summer," said Professor Héderváry as she strode to the front of the class and stood there regally, hands on hips. "So I think our time would be best spent on a bit of revision before you go and empty your brains during vacation. Let's open our books and minds and practice a few of the Divination methods we've learnt so far."

A reluctant moan arose from the students sitting on the floor, but Professor Héderváry held up a finger and smirked. "And, to make things interesting, I'm going to ask you to read each other's love fortunes."

An electric hush swept the room, and everyone suddenly looked a lot more alert, as if a switch had been flipped on in every brain.

"But you said that love fortunes don't really work!" Francis spoke up, indignantly. (He'd made it quite clear that predicting love was the only reason he'd even taken this class, and when his dreams were dashed on day one he'd given up caring and been a pain ever since.)

"Actually, Bonnefoy, what I said was that you couldn't use Divination to find the names of attractive singles in your area," Professor Héderváry corrected, with a weary roll of her eyes. "You can still predict future romances or issues in relationships, although it's usually too difficult for beginners like yourselves. Most young students can never See something as complicated as the path of love, so I've never bothered taking time on it in class. But hey, if you practice…"

She trailed off, raising her eyebrows and shrugging, letting the implication settle over the class. Suddenly everyone was leaning closer, wondering if they could really find their spouses or future partners through the silly things they practised in class.

"Okay, then, everyone partner up. There are seven of you at that table over there, that's never going to work. You have to work in pairs for Divination, you know that."

Professor Héderváry began weaving through the tables, shooing students into pairs and separating the large groups who had sat together to gossip at the start of class. Nobody made a move to join Arthur at his lonely back table, until Professor Héderváry spoke up loudly over the babbling students.

"Sorry, Alfred, I need Toris and Feliks to partner up at that table. Can you go and sit with Arthur, please?"

Arthur's eyes were wide with shock as he watched Alfred turn and stare back at him, equally surprised. The professor wasn't usually strict about who sat where or with whom, so Arthur couldn't help but wonder why it was so necessary for Toris and Feliks to sit over there whilst Alfred was sent over to the corner. He watched the American wizard shuffle nervously towards him, as if expecting Arthur to leap up and bite at any moment.

"Can I sit here?" Alfred asked, overly polite considering his usual brash attitude. He was a very typical Gryffindor, it had to be said. Arthur remembered how the Sorting Hat had barely touched Alfred's head before screaming "GRYFFINDOR!" as if it had been the easiest pick of them all.

"Of course," Arthur replied, shuffling over to make more room, even though he had already squashed himself up against the wall.

Alfred sat down carefully on his cushion, having some trouble crossing his long legs under the low table. It looked like he was trying to be more careful and, dare Arthur say it, graceful than usual. The Gryffindor boy usually just plopped himself down and sprawled out on the floor, posture be damned. But now he was making an effort to sit up straight. Perhaps he believed that Arthur, the notoriously stuffy Ravenclaw, would scold him if he didn't make an attempt to look neat and tidy. And Arthur probably would have done…if this weren't Alfred F. Jones.

Arthur was beyond lying to himself about it anymore. He'd gone through many stages in his feelings towards Alfred over the past four and a half years and, quite frankly, he was tired.

The first two years of Hogwarts he was in denial. Third year was infamous for the anger stage, during which he started to pick on Alfred for seemingly no reason, and the fourth year was marked by depression as he wondered 'why me?' Now, in fifth year, Arthur had reached the point of acceptance: he was hopelessly infatuated with Alfred F. Jones.

And now here they were, working together! He'd never teamed up with Alfred in class before, never had any neutral excuse to strike up a conversation. Today he could finally talk to him, act friendly and maybe get into Alfred's good books so they might sit together again some time. He knew Alfred wasn't very good at Divination either, maybe he could even offer to tutor him for his O.W.L.s or something!

A flurry of possibilities and conversation starters whirled round Arthur's head as he and Alfred sat in silence, waiting for the rest of the class to settle down. But as Arthur let himself glance over at Alfred and his stunning blue eyes, golden hair and handsome face, the flurry died and settled into a dusty dead pile at the bottom of his mind.

There was no way he could ever get Alfred's attention. He knew he didn't look like much, with his shaggy, dirty-blond hair and thick dark eyebrows. And even if Alfred weren't that shallow when picking his friends, there was still the little issue of Arthur being an antisocial pariah. Someone as open and friendly as Alfred could never have anything to do with a recluse like Arthur.

"Okay, then, does anyone remember which is the most common form of divination to start with if you plan to use several methods in one reading?" Professor Héderváry spoke up, tearing Arthur's forlorn eyes away from Alfred and towards the teacher at the front of the room.

He raised his hand and Professor Héderváry nodded at him. "It's common to start with fire-omens during a long divination session, as focusing on the fire helps deepen concentration and open the mind for the rest of the reading," Arthur answered, in true text-book style.

"Spot on, as usual, Kirkland," Professor Héderváry smiled. "And does anyone remember which particular herbs you should burn when doing a reading relating to love and the future? Miss Peeters?"

Emma looked around desperately for an answer, and Arthur's focus once again drifted towards Alfred. What would the Gryffindor See today? Would Arthur really have to sit here and watch as the person he loved saw someone else's face in the crystal ball? He found himself guiltily praying that Alfred would have a particularly bad day and not be able to See any signs in their reading. Arthur didn't want to know anything about Alfred's happy future without him.

"All right then, please start your fires. I'll give you five minutes for this one, so no dilly-dallying."

Arthur jumped out of his melancholy stupor as Alfred whipped up a small fire on their table with a quick flick of his wand.

"Phew," Alfred sighed, shooting Arthur a devastating smile. "I still get nervous when they ask me to make fire. It took me three years to get it under control – my fires would always be so huge and scary!"

Arthur was too startled to smile back, and ended up nodding awkwardly and feeling thoroughly embarrassed and guilty. Here was poor Alfred trying to be friendly and Arthur couldn't even manage a polite laugh for him.

Arthur did remember Alfred's fires, as it happened. Even if he hadn't been watching the other boy from afar for five years, he would have remembered something like that. He was sure everyone did. He had witnessed the fires once or twice during winter when Alfred would try and cast a spell to warm himself up outside during breaks. They always ended up like giant bonfires, growing out of control, and Alfred had eventually been banned from using fire magic except under teacher supervision. It wasn't really his fault – fire was obviously Alfred's element, and it could be hard to control something that came so naturally.

But this little fire was just perfect. It burned brightly on their table, the magic flames not making any marks on the wooden surface. Alfred watched it proudly, and Arthur smiled to himself.

He summoned his own little fire in front of him, since they couldn't share a single fire to do readings for two separate people. The professor was sending herbs flying around the room with a wave of her own wand, and Arthur and Alfred reached up and grabbed the two bundles of twigs and leaves she sent their way. Arthur broke and crumbled them in just the right way described by his textbook, and scattered the pieces into the fire. Alfred's method, on the other hand, was far less precise. He rubbed the twigs a little in his hand, obviously knowing he had to do something with them but not quite remembering the steps, and then tossed them into his fire.

"Now. Relax," Professor Héderváry chanted softly, her voice carrying over the silent classroom as everyone focused on their fires. "Feel your body sink into the ground and let your mind wander. Send it out into the dancing flames. Free your mind, free like the flickering fire."

Fire wasn't really Arthur's element and he'd always had trouble with this form of divination. And this time, it didn't help that Alfred was sitting distractingly close, and all Arthur had to do was glance up from the fire and he could watch Alfred all he liked while the other was preoccupied. Arthur wondered again what he was Seeing in the fire, and jealousy bubbled up inside him.

Arthur jumped back in shock as a lion suddenyl appeared to him through the flickering flames. The feathery tendrils of orange fire merged into the form of the big cat, as clear as day, and Arthur stared in surprise. He'd never seen a fire-omen so clearly before!

"Woah!" Alfred, too, jolted in surprise, and looked up at Arthur with wide eyes. "I saw a bird! It was really there!" He pointed at his fire, face alight with excitement. "I can't believe it! I've never seen anything that clear before!"

"That's great," Arthur congratulated him. "What kind of bird was it?"

"Um, I'm not sure, I'm not too good with birds," Alfred admitted, sheepishly. "But it was big. It looked a lot like an eagle, I guess."

"An eagle?" Arthur pondered. He squashed down the traitorous thought of 'Maybe it means he loves a Ranvenclaw?' and cast his mind around for another explanation. It was strange for someone to see their own patronus animal as a symbol in a fire-omens love reading, but Arthur couldn't mention that. He'd have an awkward time explaining how he knew Alfred's patronus was an eagle, after all…

"Maybe it means your future partner is American?" he suggested, instead. "That's their national bird, isn't it?"

Alfred seemed dazed for a moment, the smile on his lips melting downwards into a frown and shoulders slumping as he took in Arthur's suggestion. But almost instantly, he was shaking his head and nodding again. "Oh, right! That could be it." There was a pause, before Alfred asked shyly, "Did…you See anything?"

"Um, a lion."

"Ooh! Like Gryffindor!" Alfred laughed. Arthur gulped and shrank back, hoping Alfred wouldn't put two and two together. Luckily, Alfred F. Jones was not well known for his logic skills. "Hey! Isn't the lion the national animal of England? Maybe it means your future partner is English?"

I hope not, Arthur thought, as Professor Héderváry called for the fire-omen reading to come to an end.

"Okay, now that your minds are open, let's move on to some palmistry," she said over the sudden chatter as the students extinguished their magical fires. "Get your books out; I know it's been a long time since we've done this one, so you might need to remind yourself what you're looking for. Remember, we're just doing the heart lines, but you can always look at other factors if you want to get a more detailed reading."

Arthur turned back to his table, and only when he spotted Alfred's red face did he realise what Professor Héderváry had just said.

Palmistry. He had to read Alfred's palm, and vice-versa. And that meant…

…he would have to touch Alfred's hand…

…And vice-versa.

Was this even allowed in a class of 16-year-olds? Surely they couldn't be allowed to touch each other! Why was nobody protesting this?!

"Uh…you should probably do me first," Alfred mumbled. "I'll need to watch what you do so I can copy it. I've never been good at Divination. That eagle in the fire was the first thing I've ever really Seen."

Arthur forced a jumble of words out of his mouth, anything to avoid dwelling on the fact that Alfred had just said 'do me.'

"S-so what made you take Divination then, if you can't See?" he stammered. He shuffled over to kneel next to Alfred and grabbed his right hand, stroking and kneading it with his fingertips to cleanse the skin, as one palmistry book had suggested. He wilfully ignored the burning electricity that seemed to shoot through his fingers as he touched Alfred's rough palm, and carried on babbling to distract himself. "Took it as an easy option, I'm assuming. Wanted the guaranteed pass like everyone else."

"No!" Alfred exclaimed, so forcefully it made Arthur stop his ministrations and look up in alarm. Those bright blue eyes were big and sincere, and Arthur felt ashamed of himself.

"No, I really wanted to learn!" Alfred insisted, earnestly. "I thought if I could get good at Divination I could maybe see the future and use it to help people. You know like Spiderman and his Spidey-sense?"

Arthur shook his head, thoroughly confused. Spiderman? Was that some kind of magical beast he hadn't read about yet?

"Well, I thought I could be like that," Alfred went on, undeterred. "If I could see bad things happening in the future I could try to help prevent them. But…I never really got the hang of all this. It's way harder than other types of magic. For most things you can just read up and practise, but for Divination…you've kind of either got it or you don't."

Arthur didn't know what to say, too stunned and delighted that Alfred didn't think Divination was all a joke. He believed in it, too, and he wanted to learn – just like Arthur did! Maybe offering to tutor him wasn't such a ridiculous idea after all…

"Guess I'm lucky, 'cause you've sure got it," said Alfred.

Arthur blinked at Alfred, stupidly. "Pardon?"

The Gryffindor smiled shyly. "You're a natural at the whole Divination thing, so I'm lucky I get you to read my palm."

Arthur waved a hand blithely in the air. "Oh, no, it's still mostly guesswork for me when it comes to palmistry. It takes a true Seer to be able to read the hundreds of unique little signs each individual hand is trying to tell them. I can go by the basic rules in the book, but palmistry is far more complex than that. It's like a language made up almost entirely of irregular verbs."

"I'll take your word for it," Alfred grinned, and Arthur had to look away quickly from the lovely sight to hide his blush. "I was never that great at languages, either."

Arthur cleared his throat and focused back down on Alfred's hand, cradled reverently in his own. He traced the outline of Alfred's palm softly with his index finger.

"You have…smallish hands," Arthur muttered thoughtfully as he examined it.

"Is that bad?"

"No, no," Arthur chuckled. "It's just that in the context of palmistry that tends to mean you're a person of action. And that maybe you don't always look before you leap."

"Can't argue with that," Alfred laughed, good-naturedly, and Arthur smiled as he continued his reading, eager to impress Alfred some more. Soon he forgot how nervous he was about touching the other boy's hand.

"Your palm is rather long compared to your fingers, and your lines are mostly very clear. That means fire is your natural element. Probably why your fires are always so strong when you summon them with your wand," Arthur explained, reiterating his earlier thoughts aloud.

"Oooooh! Yeah! I remember Professor Héderváry saying that when we first did palm reading," Alfred recollected.

"And a palm linked to the fire element usually means the person is very…optimistic about love. You're confident and excited about romance. You care about your relationships and you're not the kind of person who likes to be left alone."

Alfred nodded eagerly, eyes wide and eyebrows high as he listened to Arthur's reading with interest.

"Your thumb is also rather long, that tends to indicate a person who is faithful in relationships," Arthur noted happily. He was proud to know his heart had picked a good man, even if he couldn't have Alfred for himself. "And it looks as if you have a firm mount of Venus here at the joint."

"What does that mean?"

The tranquil smile suddenly disappeared from Arthur's face as he erupted in a pink blush. Oh, God, why had he mentioned the mount of Venus?!

"Uh…it means….you have a strong, um…sexual appetite," he stammered, voice growing softer with each word until he was almost whispering. Alfred obviously heard him, though, for he flinched in Arthur's hold. The English wizard quickly rushed on with the reading, powering through the awkward tension as if he hadn't just brought up Alfred's sex life. "Anyway, about this heart line," he continued, voice loud once more.

"That's the one at the top of the palm, right?" Alfred chimed in, also trying to swerve the conversation away from that embarrassing discovery about his libido.

"Yes, this one that runs from underneath the pinkie to the index finger," Arthur confirmed, tracing Alfred's heart line with his fingertip.

He noticed Alfred fidget and swallow loudly out of the corner of his eye, and suddenly Arthur remembered just how close they were, and how intimately he was brushing his fingertips over Alfred's warm skin. As the situation came flooding back to him in full force, he experienced one of those moments where he needed so desperately to act naturally that he forget what natural was. Should he shuffle a lot, or stay perfectly still? Should he hold Alfred tighter or more gently? Should he avoid making eye contact, or keep looking at him to show that being close didn't bother him so much? The more he wondered how to act, the less he knew what to do.

"S-so…the heart line? Is it too hard to read?" Alfred asked after a while, when Arthur remained silent.

Arthur forced himself to snap out of his mini panic attack and cleared his throat.

"Um, no. Sorry, I was just trying to remember the different meanings of the grooves," he covered. "Anyway, um, your heart line starts quite low down, I think, and that means you tend to be a warm and loving person in general. And yes, look, it's very long and it curves upwards noticeably towards the Jupiter finger: that's the sign of someone who's not afraid to be affectionate and open about their love, although it also means you might be a little naïve about relationships. So I think you might have to be careful: not everyone is as warm and loving as you are." Arthur looked up and smiled briefly, but missed the hot flush sweep across Alfred's face at his words.

"Your heart line is very smooth," Arthur noted, with interest. "I'm not quite sure but I'd say that means you don't have a lot of flings or affairs. Very few serious relationships, maybe even…just one…" He bent down close to Alfred's hand, looking carefully at a fine line below his pinkie. Alfred leant in to see what he was looking at, neither of them noticing how close they were. "Looking at your marriage line…it's quite low…"

Arthur trailed off, eyes blank, fingers frozen right above Alfred's marriage line.

"What? What does that mean, a low marriage line?" the American pressed.

"Um…well, it looks like…you may only love one person your entire life," Arthur murmured, feeling the toxic sting of jealousy course through him. "You get married early and there are no signs of divorce or heartbreak so it looks like your future in love is…ideal, really. Comparing it to your life line I'd say you meet this person when you're young. Maybe even…at Hogwarts."

Arthur turned his head to look up at Alfred, and found the American's face right next to him, almost nose to nose, a pair of wide, brilliant blue eyes staring back at him from only a few inches away.

"I might already know them," Alfred whispered in awe.

"Yes. It would seem so…"

The popular Gryffindor was just as gorgeous up close as he was from afar, and Arthur was transfixed. He gazed at Alfred, completely lost, and the other boy stared right back. He looked stunned, but there was undeniably an excited sparkle in his eyes, and a look of eagerness written all over his face. Arthur reminded himself that Alfred was happy because the Ravenclaw had just promised he'd find his soul mate soon, and Arthur felt his heart crack a little.

"Of course, I'm not an expert," he reminded the Gryffindor quickly. He sat back and shuffled away to make some much needed space between them, breathing easily for the first time since the reading began. "Like I said, it takes a really talented witch or wizard to be able to read a palm properly. I can only really guess with a textbook to guide me. Don't let my amateur reading raise your hopes too high."

Alfred nodded hastily, but Arthur didn't miss the dreamy look in his eyes, as if all his wishes had just been promised to him.

"So, I guess I should do you now," Alfred offered.

Arthur closed his eyes and once again willed away the flood of heat that rushed through his body at the other's innocent words. He didn't trust his voice at that moment, so he just held out his hand for Alfred to take, and tried not to squirm as the Gryffindor scooched closer. They were sitting so close their thighs were touching, and Arthur felt the contact like a streak of fire along his leg.

Then Alfred had to go and hold his hand and begin stroking it, which made things infinitely worse. Arthur could only sit and pray that he didn't make a fool of himself.

"Huh. You have big hands," Alfred mused aloud, holding out one of his own to compare them. Arthur tried to hide the smug smile that twitched at his mouth. "Hang on, let me check the book."

Alfred kept a gentle hold of Arthur's palm, and used his free hand to flip through their textbook to the chapter on palmistry.

"So, a big hand means you're a thinker?" he checked.

"Generally, yes."

"And…uh…your hand shape…I'm not sure what counts as long or short." He compared their hands again, holding them side by side. "Your palm is kind of long, too, right? But your fingers are longer than mine." He stroked the length of Arthur's digit gently with his warm, rough fingertips, and a shiver flashed up Arthur's spine. "And your palm lines all seem really fine and kind of hard to see so…that means you have a water hand!"

He looked up at Arthur and flashed him a bright smile, proud to have performed an accurate reading. Arthur couldn't help but smile back.

"Yes, my natural element is water. At least, I've always thought so."

"And that means…" He scanned the textbook and read aloud. "'You're a creative and emotional person, and as a lover you're sensitive and vulnerable and a little naïve.' A dreamer," Alfred concluded, shooting Arthur another smile before looking back at the textbook. "'When it comes to love, those with water hands focus on caring and being cared for.' Aww."

Arthur blushed furiously as Alfred gave him a warm grin. It wasn't condescending, but Arthur still felt thoroughly embarrassed.

"Yes, yes, all right. I've read the book, thank you."

"Okay so next…oh, right, the heart line! Uh…" Alfred ran one finger along the lines of his textbook, glancing back every so often at Arthur's hand. He looked so closely at Arthur's heart line that he was almost brushing Arthur's palm with his nose. Arthur, meanwhile, held his breath and tried to focus on the falling snow outside the window.

"Okay, so it seems like…your heart line has a little sort of break here right at the beginning, so maybe there's some sadness at the start," Alfred said, not sounding too confident about the whole thing. "But then it becomes pretty smooth so that must be good," he hastened to add. He trailed off as he tilted his head this way and that, trying to get a closer look at Arthur's heart line. "But I can't figure out if it's curvy or straight…There's not enough pictures in the book to make the right guess. Sorry."

"That's all right," Arthur reassured him quickly. "Palmistry is difficult, and most witches and wizards don't even believe in it nowadays anyway. Palms all seem too similar on the outside to give unique enough readings. It's only some real Seers who still think this kind of thing is relevant."

Alfred nodded, but looked unconvinced as he sat up and sighed.

"I'm sure you'll find your true love, even if I can't read it on your hand properly," he reassured the Ravenclaw.

Arthur couldn't help but chuckle, clapping a hand over his mouth when a few other tables shushed him angrily.

"True love?" he enquired, a smile still tweaking the corners of his lips.

Alfred shrugged, with a wry grin of his own. "Too much Disney growing up as a Muggle," he supplied.

"Do you really believe in that stuff, then?" Arthur couldn't help but ask. He instantly wished he hadn't: he didn't want to hear Alfred say there was only one person out there for him and know it wouldn't be him.

"Sure! I know it's pretty childish, but I like to believe everybody has a soul mate or something. I mean, if werewolves and pixies are real, why can't soul mates be real, you know?"

Arthur nodded, thoughtfully. He'd never really thought of it like that before. Soul mates really were as magical a concept as pixies were to most people on the planet, so why shouldn't they be real?

"So you really are just like your hand said," Arthur realised with a disbelieving shake of his head. "Idealistic and naïve when it comes to romance. A one-girl sort of guy. I'm surprised someone like you thinks like that," he mused, without thinking.

"Someone like me?"

Arthur looked up to see Alfred's eyebrows drawn together in confusion, his head tilted to one side like a curious puppy. Arthur's hand flew up to cover the very obvious bob of his Adam's apple as he took in such an adorable sight.

"W-well…It's just…I mean, most guys like to go out with lots of different girls. And you're so handsome. I mean, girls think you're so handsome. I would have thought you'd be living the fantasy of every teenage boy and going out with tonnes of pretty witches all the time."

Alfred smile softly and shook his head, a faraway look in his eyes as he gazed down at the table. "I don't care if lots of people think I'm good looking. There's only one person out there for me, and I only care what they think."

Arthur hadn't realised he was staring until Alfred looked up and their eyes met. And then Arthur just couldn't tear himself away. Alfred leaned forward a little, eyes burning with intensity, and his mouth opened slowly. Arthur waited with baited breath to hear what he was going to say –

"Time's up! Let's move on to some tea leaves!"

Arthur and Alfred both jumped, and the strange moment shattered. Arthur ran a hand through his hair nervously, and avoided looking at Alfred as he turned his attention determinedly back to Professor Héderváry, who continued her instructions.

"We're going to be using a rose petal tea, a typical brew for reading love fortunes. You don't need to worry about how well you brew the tea, but remember to hold the cup in the correct hand as you drink."

The professor waved her wand and suddenly colourful tea sets and bags of leaves were flying around the room to all the scattered tables. A gaudy Union Jack teapot landed on their table, and Alfred reached up to grab the two red-white-and-blue teacups that came whizzing their way.

Arthur picked up the bag of tea leaves and gave them a quick sniff, deciding how best to brew the tea. He knew it didn't really matter for a quick tessomancy reading, but he was determined to do it right anyway. They spent so much time in Potions learning how to stir a cauldron just right to make the best magical elixirs, but nobody spent enough time learning about tea. It was no wonder most teenagers didn't appreciate it that much when they weren't doing it right!

He gave both teacups a generous sprinkle of leaves, then waved his wand over the teapot with a soft incantation.

"Aguamenti."

A stream of crystal clear water flowed inside the pot like a miniature waterfall, and when it was full he gave another flick of his wand to heat up the teapot to just the right temperature. Before long he was pouring them both a full cup of steaming tea.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Alfred watching him, elbows on the table and chin in his hand.

"We should leave it to brew for about 2 minutes," he instructed, sitting back and watching the leaves unfurl at the bottom of his teacup. There was a moment of silence as both boys gazed meditatively at their tea, watching the clear water turn a rich amber as soft tendrils of colour swirled out from the leaves.

"So your element is water, huh?" Alfred spoke up softly. "I can totally see that."

Arthur glanced over and raised an eyebrow at his partner. "Why do you say that?" Of course, he knew the reasons himself, but what did Alfred know about his personality? This was the first time they'd spoken properly – since Arthur bullying him in third year didn't really count.

"I don't know it just fits. I guess if I have to explain it it's like…you can be calm and serene like a little stream the way you like to read and study peacefully. But when you get passionate about something you care about, you're fierce and furious like a storm," Alfred explained, as if it were obvious. "Plus, you're deep, like the ocean."

"I'm deep?" Arthur cocked a grin at his classmate, not meaning to question Alfred but too amused to hide the teasing tone in his voice.

Alfred blushed, and looked down at his knees. "Well, I feel like I'm easy to read – all on the surface, wearing my heart on my sleeve. But you're more reserved and private, and really smart and thoughtful and always thinking before you act. You've obviously got a lot going on in there. You're not just a bookworm who studies all day: there's so much more to you than meets the eye."

Arthur didn't know what to say. He longed to proclaim 'Yes! Yes! I'm not just the boring teacher's pet! You might like me if you got to know me!' But of course that was never going to happen. It would sound too vain and arrogant; plus, he just didn't have the courage.

He was still gawking at Alfred when the Gryffindor coughed and said "So, it's been about two minutes. Should we drink up?"

Arthur nodded dumbly and grabbed his cup, sloshing the water in his flustered haste and spilling a few drops on the table.

"Cheers," he said, before raising the cup to his lips and taking a tentative sip.

The water was still hot, but the familiar, warm taste in his mouth instantly soothed his frazzled nerves, and he drank greedily. The smell wafted up his nose, and felt almost as if it were caressing his brain, calming the flurry of doubts and questions racing through his mind. His whole body thawed, shoulders relaxing and eyebrows un-furrowing, like he was melting into a puddle.

Now that he wasn't so busy worrying what to say, he could enjoy the fact that Alfred had just said he was deep and smart. The Gryffindor actually…knew him. He knew what Arthur was like, and seemed to be complimenting him for what he saw. Alfred didn't find him boring and unnoticeable at all. In fact, he might even like him a little bit!

A benign smile spread across Arthur's whole face as he swirled the teacup gently in his hand, and set it upside down on his saucer. Maybe the future wasn't so dark after all: he and Alfred might even become friends.

"Ugh. How you can drink this so fast?" Alfred groaned, pulling Arthur out of his blissful daze.

"My taste buds are obviously more refined than yours," he teased, boldly, sending Alfred a smile to show that he was just joking.

Alfred grinned at him in return, and swallowed the rest of his tea in one great gulp before placing it upside down on his saucer.

"Bleh. How 'refined' do your taste buds have to be to enjoy dirt water?" the Gryffindor retorted, with another challenging smirk of his own.

Arthur turned his nose up at the comment and instead focused on the cup under his fingers, letting his thoughts wander to love and asking the questions he wanted to know in this reading. He turned the cup three times and then lifted it off the saucer, placing it on the table with the handle pointing towards him.

He watched Alfred copy his movements carefully, obviously having forgotten the steps of tessomancy himself.

"Shall I go first?" the Ravenclaw offered. Alfred nodded eagerly, and Arthur pulled the American's teacup towards him, angling it so they could both see the soggy brown mess of leaves stuck to the inside of the cup.

"Can you actually read anything in that?" Alfred asked, uncertainly, peering at the scattered spots of dirty leaves that didn't make any obvious pictures as far as he could see.

"Of course I can," Arthur asserted. "Tessomancy is my speciality. I can even tell what some symbols are trying to say, even if they're not clear. For example, I can See this one is a bell. A bell means good news in love, often foretelling a surprise revelation. It's close to the rim of the cup and positioned near the handle, so it's obviously going to happen soon.

"Then if you follow the downward spiral towards the base, you can see a rose: that means either a new love or a deepening of love that already exists. And here you have a rainbow: the arch represents the bridge between the present and the future, and usually indicates that your wish will come true."

As Arthur's pride in his tessomancy skills settled down, the words of his reading sank in and his heart fell as he looked again at the symbols in Alfred's cup.

So Alfred would be finding love soon, from someone he'd liked for a long time. It appeared that Alfred already had a hopefully 'true love,' though he never thought he would get them. And now Arthur had just confirmed that it was all going to come true.

Well that was…lovely.

Damn it, Arthur knew he should have tried harder at the whole denial thing! If he had just managed to ignore his feelings all those years ago then he wouldn't have to sit here with his heart breaking as he predicted Alfred's future love life.

"Anything else?" Alfred whispered excitedly, not noticing how Arthur had frozen still beside him.

"Ah, um…yes, here. It's…" Arthur stared at the next symbol in the sequence, almost unable to believe what he was seeing. "A hare!" he gasped.

"What? What is it?" Alfred exclaimed, leaning forwards in his eagerness to see the symbols Arthur was reading.

"A hare is…well, in the context of love…I can hardly believe it – it means this is your destiny."

He almost jumped when Alfred looked up at him with eyes wide, like a piece of the summer sky was captured in his face. He was practically radiating with excitement.

"My destiny? Like…it really is my true love?" he asked.

"That's…what it looks like," Arthur muttered, voice low with disbelief. He'd never bought into the idea of soul mates or true love before, but the tea leaves sitting before him were undeniable: Alfred, at least, had a true love.

And he'd find them soon, right here at Hogwarts.

Fantastic…

"At the bottom here you have the symbol of a foot," Arthur continued, willing himself to focus on the reading and not break down into the tears he could feel welling up from the pit of his soul. "That's another…good sign: progression in love. Your relationship with this new love will move forward quickly and healthily. This one's at the bottom of the cup, so it's the last symbol in the time line. I think since it's a rather open-ended symbol it means that your relationship with this person will move smoothly from thereon and continue…indefinitely… It gives me the image of you two riding off into the sunset together," he smiled weakly. Alfred laughed beside him, brimming with joy.

He decided not to mention the fact that the teacup had a clear timeline, and was predicting the next six months of Alfred's future. He knew it was cruel to hide such wonderful news, but Arthur just couldn't bear to say it and see Alfred light up again.

"What about that symbol there?" Alfred chimed in. He pointed to a small blob on the right side of the cup, near the top and not really in sequence with the other symbols that showed such a clear downward spiral.

"I can't really See anything from that one. Sometimes tea leaves are just tea leaves."

"No, it's definitely a bird. A robin, I'm pretty sure," Alfred insisted. "A European one, like they have here in the U.K. The cute little fat guys."

Arthur raised an eyebrow at him, but Alfred looked so honest it didn't seem as if he were joking or making it up. The Ravenclaw squinted again at the extra blob of leaves, but finally shook his head.

"I suppose it looks…a little like a bird. I don't know how you can tell it's a robin, though."

"I can just…tell," Alfred said softly, eyes sparkling. "Like the eagle in my fire! I can really See what this is supposed to be, even though it's just some wet gross tea!"

Despite his crumbling heart, Arthur couldn't help but smile as Alfred stared at him, thrilled and surprise at his sudden abilities.

"You certainly have an affinity with birds when it comes to Divination then," he remarked. "You know, there are a method of fortune telling using bird entrails. Maybe that's the method that will best bring out your abilities," Arthur offered, encouragingly.

"Really?!" Alfred exclaimed. "Wow! Maybe it's worth sticking with Divination for my N.E.W.T.s then. That is, if I get the grades this year…" Arthur was honestly going to say it this time, ask if Alfred wanted tutoring next term. But he'd barely opened his mouth when Alfred barrelled on.

"Anyway, what if this symbol is a robin? I don't remember what that means in tessomancy."

"No, I'm not sure what to make of it either," muttered Arthur, ignoring his disappointment. "Robins look sweet, and in the U.K. they're considered good omens in folklore. But they males are notoriously fierce birds, really quite aggressive. Maybe there'll be some jealousy involved in your love life, or you'll have competition for your true love."

Alfred's shoulders slumped, and he frowned, thoughtfully, at the robin in his tea leaves.

"Isn't…Isn't your patronus a robin?" he asked.

A red blush swept Arthur's face like a sudden tidal wave, and he fidgeted, twisting the saucer in his hands.

"Um, yes. Why?"

"J-just wondering why that animal represents you, that's all," Alfred said casually, and Arthur breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought for a second that Alfred was going to guess that this tessomancy symbol indicated somebody who was hopelessly, unrequitedly in love with him. "I know you're feisty and all, but you're not mean and aggressive."

"Well, I don't think robins do it to be mean," Arthur mused, ignoring the way his stomach leapt when Alfred called him 'feisty.' (Where on earth had that come from, anyway?!) "They're protective of their territory and their family, I suppose. Maybe that's how their territorial behaviour relates to me? I can get rather passionate and protective of things I care about."

"Yeah, no kidding. I'll never forget when you schooled that Gryffindor kid who was picking on one of your little cousins."

Arthur couldn't believe Alfred remembered that. It had happened way back in second year, and he didn't even know Alfred had been there at the time! There had been such a crowd as he shot hex after hex at that bratty Ravenclaw upperclassman, he'd never even noticed. No wonder the friendly Gryffindor never made an effort to speak to Arthur after seeing him at his worst like that.

"That's still one of the coolest things I've ever seen at this school," Alfred said unexpectedly, making Arthur's thick eyebrows shoot up into his fluffy blond fringe. "They should never have taken that many points of Ravenclaw. In fact, they should have given you some for the amazing wand work!"

Arthur was once again rendered speechless, mouth hanging open, waiting for words to come.

Although when they did, they were not even what Arthur had expected.

"How did you know my patronus is a robin?"

The boys stared at each other for a moment until Alfred shattered the silence with a boisterous, nervous laugh, making Arthur jump, startled.

"Hahahahaa! O-oh! That? I just heard about it from a friend in Ravenclaw," the American babbled quickly, with lots of wild hand gestures. "We were comparing our classes after we learnt about the patronus charm. Yeah, she asked about what some of the Gryffindors had as patronuses, and then she mentioned some Ravenclaws. I didn't ask her or anything. Definitely not specifically. It just came up by chance. Anyway, we only have, like, five minutes left. Should I try and read your teacup?"

Arthur's head was still reeling from the rapid rant, and it took him a minute to hear Alfred's question.

"O-oh, right! Of course!" he stammered, having forgotten entirely about his own tessomancy reading.

Alfred picked up the English boy's teacup to get a better look, but from the frown on his face it was obvious his sudden Seeing skills had disappeared as quickly as they'd come.

"Um…Okay, I'm not gonna lie, I can't really see anything. This one…kind of looks like a sun, though, right?" he asked uncertainly, titling the cup this way and that. He pointed at the little round blob near the rim of the cup, and Arthur nodded.

"If you See a sun, then it's a sun."

"Great! And…what does that mean again?"

"A sun represents a new beginning," Arthur smiled, amused by Alfred's eagerness. "Generally a happy one. It's thought to be a good sign."

"Oh! Awesome! And that one…is that another bird?"

Arthur angled his head to see the next symbol, noting that it was once again on the right, near the rim of the cup, just where Alfred was sure he'd seen a robin on his own cup.

"I can…sort of picture this one…It's bigger than a robin, but I can't really figure out what it is…"

"I think it's an eagle again," Alfred decided. "Damn, there sure is a running theme today." He glanced at Arthur, eyebrows drawn together in thought. "Do you think it means Ravenclaw? Will your true love be in your House here at Hogwarts?"

Arthur swallowed his disappointment. "It could be…But different species of birds all have very different meanings in Divination, so it's hard to tell what the symbol represents unless you know which bird it is. But it's obvious that this one is flying, and that generally means good news is coming."

"Oh, well that's good!" Alfred sighed happily. "I'd feel so bad if you told me such a great love fortune and then I gave you a sucky reading."

Arthur was about to reassure him that he didn't mind at all, but once again, Professor Héderváry's voice rang out over the class.

"All right, everyone! Bell's about to ring so let's pack up."

Every head snapped quickly to the clock behind the teacher's desk and, sure enough, they were just three minutes away from that wonderful bell ringing an end to another cold, stressful semester.

"Please wash up your teapots, cups and saucers and bring them back to me. And I'm sorry to do this, but I do have an essay to give you for your holiday homework, so make sure to write it down."

The class groaned, and Alfred collapsed exaggeratedly on the desk. Arthur could only assume he was weird for being excited about holiday homework, but he couldn't find the will to care.

He eagerly copied down the essay question Professor Héderváry wrote on the blackboard, and had just started washing up their tea set with his wand as Alfred forced himself to sit up. He read the essay question with a resentful glare on his face.

"I know I won't get good marks in the exam, so I really need to make an effort on these essays," he grumbled, scribbling down the homework in a notebook with his quill. "But it's Christmas! I won't be able to write good essays! I'll probably end up rushing it when I get back to Hogwarts in January."

Arthur froze as he realised…now was his chance!

Alfred had left him with the perfect opening. All he had to do was offer to help the Gryffindor with his essay when Alfred came back to school after vacation, and he'd have Alfred begging to see him again! They'd be on their first step towards becoming friends, and Arthur would even be something of a hero for offering his help. It couldn't have been a better opportunity…

But now the bell was ringing and Arthur's mouth still wasn't moving, unable to do anything as his one and only chance slipped through his fingers.

Alfred, too, was looking at him wistfully, as if he had something to say, and Arthur leant in expectantly, pleadingly.

But nothing ever came.

"Alfred! Come on! You haven't even started packing yet, better get a move on!"

Both boys jumped, startled, as they turned to see Alfred's fellow Gryffindors waiting for him by the door of the classroom.

"Well…I guess I'd better go," said Alfred, shooting Arthur one final smile as he stood up and stretched. "Thanks for the great fortune telling today! See you later."

"Bye," Arthur mumbled, watching Alfred leave with his friends without so much as a backward glance.

He shoved his book back into his bag and stood up, body aching from having been sitting at the low table. But it was more than just sitting on the floor. He felt heavy and tired all over, as if his energy had been drained, and the world looked very grey. Suddenly he wasn't looking forward to spending two weeks alone, after all. He was sure his thoughts of this past hour would haunt him the entire time.

He shuffled morosely towards the door, the last student left in the classroom.

"Arthur! Can I talk to you for a moment?" Professor Héderváry spoke up as he sloped past her desk.

"Yes, professor?" he asked, turning towards her listlessly.

Héderváry came round to the front of her desk and sat down on the tabletop, hands clasped in front of her. She reminded Arthur remarkably of the times he would see students being reprimanded by teachers, with her eyes downcast like that and her fingers twisting in her lap.

"I feel like I owe you an apology, Arthur," she began. "I think I let you down sometimes. You're so passionate about Divination, and really very talented. I sometimes forget you actually care, because most of my other students are here to slack off."

Arthur was shocked, and waved his hands in the air. "Oh, no! Don't worry about it! I know you have your hands full with the rest of the class, you can't just focus on my needs."

"But you're the one who actually wants to learn," the teacher insisted, standing up and pacing back and forth. "And you deserve my help. I know we don't move fast enough in class for you, but that doesn't mean you should suffer and have to work all on your own." She stopped, facing Arthur with a determined twinkle in her eyes. "So, as an apology for everything, I'd like to invite you to come and have private lessons with me next term."

Arthur stared, aghast. "I-I can't let you do that! You can't possibly single out one student. You have enough work already and I'm fine studying on my own if the class is too slow for me."

"Arthur, I insist," Héderváry demanded. "I want your O.W.L. results to reflect your own talents, not my poor teaching."

"You're a wonderful teacher!" Arthur reassured her gently. "Really. So I can't accept the private lessons. I would have to give you some sort of compensation, but I don't know if I have enough money to pay for such valuable tutoring."

The professor perked up at this, and she glanced furtively towards the door.

"You want to do something to pay me back for the lessons?"

Arthur nodded eagerly. "Yes, if you can think of anything I could do in return?"

"Well, there is one thing."

She beckoned Arthur closer with a finger, leaning forward conspiratorially. Arthur copied her, and the professor's voice dropped to an excited whisper.

"Look, don't tell anyone I told you," she said, holding up a hand to hide her mouth, as if someone was bound to walk in any second and read her lips. "I'm not allowed to interfere with your kids' love lives anymore. Being a Seer at a school is so infuriating – I know exactly all the couples who would be good together but the headmaster won't let me play cupid anymore. Do you know how frustrating it is not being allowed to force Nikolas and Matthias to partner up in my class?! They're so nearly there, just a little push, that's all they need, but I have to let it happen naturally. It's so annoying!"

Arthur was completely confused, and a little worried. He backed away slightly. "I…I'm afraid I don't understand."

"I know I should just leave you to it," Héderváry continued, mysteriously. "And goodness knows I've tried so hard these past three years. But if you really want to pay me back for the tutoring – "

"I do!"

"Ask Alfred on a date."

Arthur jumped almost a foot in the air, a wave of heat washing over his body as he turned completely red from head to toe.

"W-WHAT?!"

"Or don't ask him out, just…start talking to him," the professor urged, pleadingly, waving her hands to placate him. "Partner up with him more in class, sit with him at dinner, write to him over winter break! Anything! Just for the love of all that is good and holy: spend more time with him. He'll ask you out if you don't do it first, but one of you has to make a move."

Arthur wrung his hands and then began tugging nervously at his robes.

"B-but I…I really don't…"

"Arthur, please," said Professor Héderváry, cocking an eyebrow at him sharply. "You two are meant to be. You'll get together whether I tell you this or not, so it doesn't really matter if I make a tiny suggestion. But I really can't stand watching you two dance around this anymore so I'd rather it happened sooner rather than later. I just need you to take a step forwards or I'll go insane."

All Arthur's old denial flooded back, ready to spill from his tongue to ensure his teacher that he definitely didn't have feelings for Alfred F. Jones. But as he looked up at the professor, fixing him with her intelligent eyes, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"You're…sure I won't be making a fool of myself?" he asked, timidly.

"Arthur, take it from me: that boy is crazy about you" the professor smiled devilishly. "Please do this for me and I'll give you all the free tutoring you can handle."

Once again, Arthur thought about turning her down. But really…what choice did he have? Free tutoring in his favourite subject, from a true Seer…and maybe a date with Alfred on top of that?

"…All right," he said, resignedly.

"Fantastic!" the professor cried, clapping her hands and patting him on the back as she ushered him out the door of her classroom. "Well, there's no time like the present! Remember he's leaving tomorrow, so you'd better catch him now before it's too late. Bye, Arthur!"

The Ravenclaw boy looked back to question her one last time, but the door was already slammed shut in his face. He frowned, turning back to look down the spiral staircase that suddenly loomed, dizzyingly before him. Anxiety bubbled in his stomach, and his throat felt painfully tight.

He took a deep, steadying breath and exhaled. Well, better go and get this over with. He couldn't live with this feeling all holiday, waiting for Alfred to get back, and if he didn't do it now it would him haunt him for two weeks.

He hurried down the stairs, clinging tightly to the stone banister to steady himself as his legs felt like they were made alternately of jelly and stone.

He didn't have to go far: Alfred was standing at the bottom of the staircase chatting idly with some friends.

"Um…Alfred? Can I talk to you for a second?" Arthur called out before he lost his nerve.

Alfred glanced over and his eyes widened in surprise as he spotted Arthur on the stairs.

"Sure! Just a sec!" He said goodbye to his friends and they drifted away down the corridor, leaving Arthur and Alfred alone once again.

"What's up?" Alfred smiled up at Arthur from the bottom of the stairs.

Arthur walked down a few more steps until he was standing just above Alfred's eye level. Call him shallow, but it made him feel slightly more in control.

"Um….ah…Merry Christmas. I mean, I assume you're going home for the holidays, so I thought I'd say it now before you leave."

Alfred grinned. "Yep, I'm going back to London and spending Christmas there with my mom. Then I'll fly back to my dad's in the States for New Year's."

"Yes, well, have a nice time." There was a split second's pause as Arthur considered chickening out. But if he really was meant to be with Alfred, as Professor Héderváry assured him, he should try to be brave. Alfred didn't deserve to be with a coward.

"I…was wondering…if I could maybe…write to you over the holidays?"

"Write…to me?"

Arthur cringed as he heard his words echoed back to him in Alfred's bewildered voice. Oh, God, why did he have to pick that option? Professor Héderváry had given him so many other suggestions – ask to eat dinner together or work in class – and he'd had to pick writing a letter? It would be a bold confession in Victorian times, but now it just made Arthur look like a lunatic! Alfred would think he was a complete moron!

"Ah, I just thought that…um, I might get bored over the break and it would give me something to do!" Arthur blurted quickly, trying to cover up his ridiculous mistake.

Ugh! Why had he even listened to his stupid teacher! Even if there were some chance Alfred might like him, leaving the confession up to Arthur was bound to make a mess of things! Now he'd ruined any chance he ever had!

"S-sure! I'd…really like that."

Arthur's brain was spinning so fast with embarrassment that it took him a full five seconds to realise that Alfred had just…agreed. He'd said yes! And not only that but he was smiling. Genuinely. Not just to be polite, but because he looked honestly thrilled at the idea of staying in contact with Arthur over the winter holiday.

Arthur found himself smiling back. It was more out of relief than anything for the moment – glad he hadn't made a fool of himself in front of the Gryffindor. But he was sure that, once the situation caught up with him, he'd be grinning giddily like a loon all night long. Possibly even all Christmas break.

He could feel the joy bubbling up in his stomach even now, but he was still nervous and a little flustered, desperate to get out of Alfred's presence before he said anything stupid again. He coughed shyly, and rubbed nervously at his arm. "Well, um, I'm sure you have to pack so…"

"Right. Yeah."

Alfred began walking backwards in the direction of Gryffindor Tower, eyes still on Arthur as he waved goodbye. But he stopped short suddenly, tilting his head and looking up at the ceiling for a moment before turning once more to the Ravenclaw boy with an uncharacteristically nervous smile.

"Um…hey, do you wanna…sit with me at dinner or something tonight? J-just so I can give you my address so you can write to me?" He blushed and smiled sheepishly. "…And, well, it would just be cool to spend time with you," Alfred admitted.

For someone who spent so much time trying to hide his feelings, a joyful smile was quick to spring to Arthur's face, accompanied by a tell-tale pink blush.

"Of course! That sounds…fine. Great. I'll…see you at dinner."

Alfred's answering smile looked like it could light up the whole Great Hall, and he bounced on his feet as if unable to keep his excitement bottled up inside.

"Cool! Awesome! Okay! Meet you at 7!"

And with that, he turned and dashed off towards Gryffindor tower, the spring in his step so obvious it looked like he'd been hexed to skip everywhere.

Arthur was barely any better as he set off for the Ravenclaw common room, eyes hazy and a dreamy look on his face as he practically floated on air through the castle.

However, he didn't make it far before he stopped abruptly, digging into his satchel and whipping out a notebook and quill to scribble down a quick note, reminding himself to ask Professor Héderváry in the new year.

'Any precedent/examples: Is it possible to see a true love's patronus as a symbol in tessomancy?'

Although, as a natural in the art of tea-reading, he already knew the answer.

A/N:

A Secret Santa gift fic written for flamingoflamel on tumblr. The prompt for this story was: "Pottertalia. Realising their feelings for each other and/or confessing their love."

I'm a sucker for Pottertalia, so I may have gotten a bit carried away with the prompt - I managed to write over 10,000 words, despite the fact that nothing happens in this story. I mean, they're literally just sitting in class the entire time, apart from the end where they walk down the stairs. Wow. Very action. Much plot. I sincerely apologise for letting this get so long. But I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everybody!