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Lance overslept on the first day of his 5th year. His sleeping eye mask had slipped into his sheets at some point in the night, and when his bleary eyes eventually fluttered open, the empty beds of his roommates made him jolt up in concern. He groped his nightstand until his hand connected with his alarm clock, which failed as an alarm, but succeeded as a clock, showing 8:39 clearly. Lance cursed his clock, his roommates, and the sun while shoving his pajamas onto his unmade bed, and buttoning up his classic white collared shirt which paired well with his blue Ravenclaw tie and navy slacks. He patted himself on the back for having the foresight to preset his clothes out last night. It was the last thing he’d done before sneaking off to meet up with his best friends, Pidge and Hunk. He added their names to the list of things to blame for him waking up late.
He slid into the large stone hallway, speed walking like a boy who was used to being late. It was now 8:45, so he was only 15 minutes to breakfast. Not too bad. When he entered the dining hall, he felt the same buzzed energy that had occupied the space last night. First day nerves and excitement were to be expected. But he couldn’t help remembering last night’s gossip at the Ravenclaw table, which had been an exchange of facts about a new kid at Hogwarts. Lance didn’t understand the hype because duh, of course there was a new kid, there was a ton of new kids, (including his baby sister) it was the beginning of another school year. He spent most the night chatting up Allison Henry, a Ravenclaw girl who was a year below him. She had potential to be his first Hogsmeade date of the year.
Lance spotted Hunk and Pidge on the edge of a Hufflepuff table, heads together like the co-conspirators they were. A Slytherin-Hufflepuff plan was a satisfaction guaranteed plan. He hurried over, and plopped down across from them. They both turned their whispers toward him.
“Can you believe he’s actually here? He was actually allowed to come back!” Pidge’s dark green sweater dwarfed their already tiny frame. They had to continuously fidget with and push back their sleeves just so their hands could hold a goblet of milk.
“Dude, Gryffindor is going to win the cup so hard,” Hunk bemoaned between bites of scone.
“Shut your quiznak,” Lance slapped his hands on the table firmly, “Hunk, what are you talking about?”
“Did you see who came back?” Pidge’s glasses reflected the overhead lights adding to the internal fire in their eyes.
Lance’s eyes bounced between his friends, “Who?”
“Okay, don’t look,” Hunk said firmly, “but he’s sitting at the Gryffindor table, alone.”
Immediately, Lance twisted his entire body backwards, furiously trying to see who his friends could possibly be referring-
“Keith! Keith Kogane!” Lance would’ve stood, had Hunk not grabbed his sleeve.
“Would you shut up?!” Pidge hissed, like the Slytherin they were.
“I can’t believe he still has that haircut!” Lance was still glaring sharply at his fellow fifth year across the hall. “I thought he was expelled!”
“He was, by headmaster Alfor, but Coran’s in charge now.” He wasn’t looking, but he could hear the eye roll in Pidge’s voice. Hunk let go of his sleeve.
“That’s crazy,” Lance waved his hand, getting rid of that thought, “How is Keith back?! He’s a criminal.”
“All he did was make an illegal potion on castle grounds,” Hunk pointed out, “and we really don’t know the whole story. We don’t even know why he did what he-“
“He did it because he’s evil, obviously, Hunk. Keith was my rival. Remember?”
When his friends were silent, Lance turned back to face them. They both looked confused, well, Hunk looked confused and Pidge looked annoyed. “C’mon you guys. We were rivals. Keith and Lance, neck in neck, tied for best in class. We were always competing. You remember.”
“I remember you talking about Keith all the time,” Hunk raised an eyebrow, and Pidge nodded in agreement. Lanced huffed and folded his arms.
“Talking about our rivalry.” He insisted. “I hated that guy.”
“Hey, Lance!” His younger sister, Cammi, wrapped her skinny arms around his shoulders. This was her first year at Hogwarts, and when she’d been sorted into Gryffindor last night, Lance had been the first to stand and cheer. He was so proud and excited for her.
“How was your first night, Cam?” He asked, momentary distracted by his adorable sibling. “No one gave you any trouble, right?”
Her smile never faltered, “No way! All my roommates are so cool, this girl named Natalie is the best, she totally wants to play Quidditch, too! And Gina came in and said goodnight and everyone thought I was really cool cause she’s a prefect.”
Lance already knew his older sister Gina was a Gryffindor prefect because that’s all she talked about all summer long, “that sounds great. When’s your first class?”
She hopped in place, “Oh, I better go! I have Astronomy, uh, now!”
When Lance turned back to his friends, he noticed their strained expressions.
“What?” He reached for a nearby banana and began peeling. “Is this about Keith? I can’t believe he’s back. You know, the administration-“
“It’s about Quidditch,” Hunk frowning was in the top five of sights Lance hated to see, “Durmstrung competed in a semi-pro league, and Keith was their star player! Gryffindor is going to kill on the courts.”
“One player doesn’t make a team,” Lance argued.
“Uh, have you forgotten about Shiro and Allura?” Pidge whined.
Lance bit his lip, “Three players don’t make a team.” But he had to admit, they had a point. Shiro and Allura were crazy skilled, and if Keith was half as good as his reputation. . . Lance would practice twice as hard to make sure Ravenclaw brought home the cup.
-
His Ravenclaw Quidditch captain warned the team that to beat the new Gryffindor seeker, they would all be working twice as hard this year, which meant Lance had time for little else. It was school work, Quidditch work, sleep. Then suddenly, it was the first Hogsmeade trip of the year, which also happen to be the first afternoon Lance wasn’t studying in the Slytherin common room or on the Quidditch pitch with his team. Between the dusty books and the grueling practice, Lance hadn’t been able to charm a date. So Pidge and Hunk would just have to be his official first fifth year Hogsmeade dates. When he congratulated them on the fact, Hunk raised an unimpressed eyebrow and Pidge gagged. They were jerks, but they were jerks who Lance was having a fantastic time with. The three left the joke shop, still giggling and freaking out about the new video games they’d all pitched in and bought.
Pidge suddenly gasped, “Hunk. The new comic-“
“It came out yesterday!” Hunk finished their thought. “Dude!”
“Dude!” Pidge shouted back, “We have to go and see if Binngley’s has it in already!”
“Why are we here!?” Hunk jumped several inches, wiggling his shoulders, “Let’s go! Lance-“
“I’ll save us a table at Three Broom Sticks,” Lance said to Hunk and Pidge’s backs as they sprinted toward the book shop. Sometimes he wondered how they, the two smartest (nerdy) and most intellectual (very nerdy) people he knew weren’t in Ravenclaw and he was. It actually wasn’t just sometimes he wondered that. It was all the time. But pushing his insecurities deep, deep down, Lance started toward the Three Broom Sticks, to wait for the two nerds he loved so dearly.
When he walked inside, he saw a heavenly sight. Allura, the most beautiful woman in Hogwarts, sitting alone. Lance had an internal dance party, before taking a deep breath, and strolling over to her empty table.
“Why hello there, Allura. We haven’t gotten the chance to talk since school started,” Lance spread charm on every word like avocado on toast. “Is it possible you’ve gotten more stunningly beautiful over the summer?” He paused with a sparkling grin.
“Is it possible that you’ve gotten cheesier?” She spoke flatly, with a blank expression. Her long white hair was braided back, looking gorgeous against her cherry red, Gryffindor button up. Lance wasn’t deterred.
“I love your humor,” Lance threw back his head, and gave a quick ‘ha’. Then he slid into the seat across from her, despite her glare, “so Allura, I couldn’t help but notice, you don’t have a Hogsmeade date. And I don’t have a Hogsmeade date.”
“Shocker,” her perfectly shaped lips twisted to the side.
“Soo,” Lance leaned forward, “crazy thought. What if you were my Hogsmeade date? I could go buy us a few butterbeers, tell you some jokes, lend you my jacket. End with a candle lit dinner for two and a romantic broom ride. That’s not an innuendo.”
Her mouth opened, to tell Lance exactly where he should stick his broomstick, but before she could, Keith appeared holding two frothy glasses of butterbeer.
“You’re sitting in my seat.” He blurted, looking down on Lance.
If he had water in his mouth, he would’ve spit it out. Instead, he sputtered like an idiot, “Well, I, don’t see your name anywhere.”
“I came here with Keith,” said Allura, by now just tired. “So, if you don’t mind, I’d like to enjoy my drink.”
“Wait.” Lance straightened, “You two came here together? As in together-together?”
“Allura, do you know this guy?” Keith raised an eyebrow.
Lance and the five years he’d spent trying to get a date with Hogwarts’s hottest was offended, “Of course she knows me- how does she know you?! You two weren’t friends our first year- you didn’t have any friends!”
“How would you know about my first year?” Keith’s questioning expression became tense.
The question hit Lance like a bulger to the balls. He pushed back his chair and stood, “Are you serious? You seriously don’t remember me? Transfiguration, Charms, History?”
Keith’s dark eyes searched Lance’s face blankly, “did we have class together or something?”
Lance was fuming, “You must remember me kicking your ass in our flying lessons. And I’m going to do it again on the Quidditch pitch.” He faced back toward Allura, forcing a smile, “It was nice to see you as always.” His head swiveled back toward Keith to throw him one last glare, before storming out of the Three Broom Sticks just as Hunk and Pidge were approaching.
“Dude, what happened to saving us seats?” Hunk asked, his boots crunching on leaves.
“Keith happened. That guy is such a dick.” Lance pushed past his friends, who quickly pivoted and joined him on his brisk walk back to the castle. “I can’t believe Allura actually…” Lance sighed. He wasn’t even able to say it out loud. The idea of them together was too frustrating.
Pidge gasped, “Keith and Allura are a thing?! What a genetic goldmine.”
“No freaking way,” Hunk shook his head, “Allura and Shiro are obviously dating. Unless,” Hunk gulped, “something happened over the summer. Aww. But they’re both so perfect.”
“Wait, Allura and Shiro are Gryffindor Quidditch team co-captains,” Pidge’s glasses reflected the sun, and the corners of their mouth turned up, “We could use this to our advantage.”
“Gryffindor needs to be taken down,” Lance slowly nodded, ready and willing to listen to whatever Pidge was planning.