Chapter Text
Troye's fairly intelligent. He knows that. But he didn't think he was intelligent enough to be sorted into Ravenclaw.
He remembers the Sorting Ceremony, despite the many years that have passed since it took place. He'd sat down on a rickety wooden stool and an old, leather hat was placed on his head. There was silence, save for the mumbling of the hat above him, before the hat boomed, "Ravenclaw!"
There was a burst of applause from the respective table, and Troye was ushered off in the direction of the table. He sat next to two boys who looked strangely identical and wondered if he'd be able to live up to the expectations his house put on him.
//
There's only one week left until winter break, and the excitement of Christmas and going back home fills the Great Hall during breakfast. Troye is sitting in his usual place between Zoe and Dan, listening to his friends carry on conversation.
"I can't wait to go home," Dan says tiredly. "Having no schoolwork is going to be so nice."
"It's not like you do the work anyway," Jack says, grinning slightly.
"I do," Dan says in mock defense. "I just wait until the very last possible moment to do it."
"Joe and I are going back home with Alfie," Zoe says, a smile brightening her face. "I think he's a bit nervous about meeting my parents for the first time."
Charlie tilts his head. "Alfie? He's your boyfriend, right?"
"Gryffindor?" PJ adds.
Zoe nods and flushes slightly. "Yeah. He's really lovely. I should introduce you before break."
"Dan, you've got a boyfriend as well, right?" Finn says, turning to look at the boy.
Dan sputters on his drink and sets down the cup quickly. "Er, no. I mean - I don't know."
"Sure you do, you're practically attached at the hip to him," PJ teases, to whom Dan gives a glare to.
"How can you not know?" Zoe asks, confused.
"We'll, Phil's my best friend, and, like, I'm super comfortable around him and everything. But I don't know if he wants to be, like, dating or whatever." Dan fidgets in his seat, unable to mask his discomfort in the situation.
"Phil? I've seen you with him," Charlie says. "I thought you were already dating."
"No," Dan replies quickly. "That's just us being friends."
"What about you?" Zoe says, followed by a stretch of silence. Only then does Troye look up to see the faces of his friends staring expectantly at him.
"What, me?" he stammers dumbly.
"Yeah, you've never told us about your love life," Finn says, raising an eyebrow curiously.
"There's nothing to tell," Troye replies honestly. Other than a few crushes over the years, he's never been in any romantic conflict - no relationships or dates or anything.
"You're such a sweetheart, surely there must be someone you like?" Zoe says hopefully.
"Nope, no one," Troye says while he ignores the part of his brain that reminds him of the cute Hufflepuff boy that sits in front of him in Potions.
"What a shame, you're absolutely adorable," Zoe chirps, ruffling his hair. Troye ducks out from under her grip and his friends laugh good naturedly. Zoe always felt like a big sister to him, replacing his real one after he came to Hogwarts. He's the youngest of his friends, most of them in their last year while he's in his sixth. The age difference sometimes makes him feel the tiniest bit excluded.
When breakfast ends, Troye gathers his books, exchanges farewells with his friends, and makes his way up the staircase to Charms.
Troye's halfway up the staircase when a jolt pushes him against the banister and he's swept to a level higher than he's meant to be. He ends up in a hallway he has never been down before and a panicked thought of oh my God, I'm completely lost runs through his mind. When he sees a boy (grey and yellow tie, he notes) coming the opposite way, he jumps at the chance. "Excuse me," he calls hurriedly. "Do you know how to get to Professor Flitwick's Charms class from here?"
"Sure, just go to the end of this hall and take the stairs down one level," the stranger says. "Take the first right and you should be in the right corridor."
"Thank you so much," Troye says, exhaling in relief.
"No problem." The boy gives a small smile and continues on his way. Troye glances over his shoulder at his retreating back, and then runs the rest of the way to class.
//
"And then Joe covered the entire floor of the dorm with cups of water," Caspar was saying. "It was ridiculous! He thought I wasn't smart enough to get out of bed without spilling water everywhere."
"I wouldn't think you were smart enough," Marcus says, and laughs when Caspar punches his shoulder.
"Troye could make it out, no problem," Alfie says. "He'd Apparate himself out the door, or levitate the cups off the ground."
Troye shrugs. "Or I'd just jump."
"That's what I did," Caspar says, giving Marcus a pointed look as he ads, "And it worked."
Troye glances around the courtyard, from where he's sat in the middle in a circle with his friends. This is always one of his favorite places to be because it allows him to see all the students at once.
Then recognizes the face of the boy who gave him directions to Charms that morning crossing the grass and stands up quickly.
"Troye, where're you going?" Alfie asks.
"Bathroom," he replies dismissively, making his way over to the boy. Before he watches up, the boy notices him before he can say a word.
"Oh, it's you," he says in a tone Troye can't pin down. "Hi."
"Hi, um, I just wanted to thank you. Again. For giving me directions." Troye awkwardly smiles, feeling like this was not the proper way to make an impression.
"It's no big deal," the boy says. "There's lots of passageways that people don't use or know about. Did you make it to where you needed to be in time?"
"Barely," Troye admitted with a nervous laugh. "I think Professor Flitwick was considering using Wingardium Leviosa on me."
The boy laughs, the corners of his eyes crinkling. He sticks out his hand. "I'm Connor."
"I'm Troye," Troye replies, and they shake hands. "Um, I think I have Potions next, which is ages away from here, so I should probably uh, get going."
"Really? I guess we have that class together," Connor says, and then it clicks in Troye's brain -- it's him, the Hufflepuff behind me his mind supplies.
Wanna head over there together?" Connor offers, smiling casually.
Yes," Troye says, wondering if he's acting too eager, but he's too happy to dwell on it too much as they start off down the hallway side-by-side.