Only to Be

[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Flavio's heartbeat pounded in his ears as he left the great hall, holding November's notebook and thinking only of his task to search for her. To search for her and confront her about the admittedly unusual yet telling words in her notebook. To find out if it was the simple truth or a prank played on him by both her and Maggy to mess with his emotions. In one way it seemed true, yet in another it seemed too good to be true and the entire ordeal of the notebook staged, but Flavio tried to remain optimistic about it all as he made his way through the castle. Amidst the commotion in his mind and mix of emotions he remembered her head of house is why she said she was leaving, and that knowledge lead him to the fourth floor corridor by the entrance to Hufflepuff house, thinking it was the smartest place to try and find her. With his emotions rampant and the possibility of humiliating himself very high Flavio tried not to draw attention to himself, even refraining from asking a Hufflepuff student to go find her when he arrived. He instead chose to lean against one of the corridor walls, using the time he had to wait for November to emerge to try and calm his nerves. He was sure if he felt anything other than calm he would hand her notebook back without saying a word, and no matter how easy it would be to hand the book back and pretend he did not read it and the ordeal with Maggy never happened, he knew he needed to talk to her about it and find out what it all really meant. At least for the sake of his sanity as he knew he would think himself crazy without something to explain the events of that morning.​

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[November Albertson]

November was in her house common room looking at the posted signs outside her Head of House's office for the hours she would be in there. She wanted to make sure she knew the hours in case anything ever were to happen, especially with her cousin now a Hufflepuff as well. There was that as a double reason to her knowing the office hours. She wondered what sort of questions Flavio might be asking Maggy down in the Great Hall or if he had offered to take her younger cousin to her first class or not. He was a very nice guy, she couldn't help but think that. He also looked so different with his glasses. She thought he looked perhaps even more attractive with the glasses. Coming out of the Common Room to waved to one of the few people she was friend's with in the house who was sat near the fire. She had a smile on her face happy to be back at the school. Once out, she was surprised to see Flavio leaning up against the wall across from where the Portrait was hanging. She was surprised he knew where the Hufflepuff house entrance was, she thought the houses weren't supposed to know where the other houses were. Or maybe it had been a lucky guess. Either way he was there with a small journal in hand. Oddly enough it looked pretty much the exact same as her personal journal that she had started to write silly poems in last year. Her heart skip a beat for a moment seeing him there with her notebook in hand. She knew he was there for her and she would just have to play cool and hope that he hadn't seen the poems about him. "Hey, finish with breakfast that quickly?" She asked him quietly looking up towards his face not acknowledging the notebook yet.
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[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

When November appeared Flavio lost any sense of calm he found in the moments he waited for her, his heart beating rapidly in his chest and stomach feeling like it was turning upside down. It only worsened when she approached him mentioning breakfast and blatantly ignoring the notebook in his hand that belonged to her. His temptation to pretend like he had not read one of the poems was stronger than ever though he still knew the best option was to ask her about it, no matter how difficult it would be and how furthermore nervous it made him feel, as if he wasn't already a bundle of nerves and more uncomfortable than he'd ever been. He cleared his throat, looking down to the notebook while holding it towards her. "November, you, um, dropped this." He said. "Maggy found it, and started reading it. She told me I was mentioned and then handed it to me and knowing there was something about me, I could not stop myself from reading it, too." He had invaded his friend's privacy and regardless of everything else he felt an urge to apologize for that first and foremost. "I am sorry, I have invaded your privacy and I am giving this back now before anyone else can see it." He looked from the notebook and to November, hoping she wasn't too bothered by his confession. He then continued to speak, worrying that if he did not say everything during that interaction he would chicken out and never say anything at all. "Do you like me as more than a friend? That is what the poem seemed to say." The question was one of many but it was the one he wanted, or rather, needed the answer to more than any of the others so he had no choice but to ask it as soon as possible and wait anxiously for the answer. ​

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[November Albertson]

November eyed Flavio as he prepared his response to her question. He seemed off, different than his normal personality. She didn't think it made sense why he would be acting differently, unless he had read the poem she knew was in that notebook. She silently cursed at herself for bringing that notebook everywhere with her. But she hadn't wanted Amber to find in the dorm, in case the girl snooped around there, or anyone else. She watched him look down at the notebook in his hand as he began to speak. He offered her the notebook and she slowly reached out and took it while listening to his words. She could feel her face heating up and probably turning very red as he mentioned what his cousin did. She knew her next action was going down and finding Maggy and telling her it was not a cool thing to do. And he read her private notebook, she knew that she should have gotten a locked one or something for her personal feelings to be written in. But even then, everyone knew how to break a lock with a simple spell. She took the notebook her breath short and hardly there, her stomach in her throat. She could feel tears coming up to her eyes and wishing to be realized as her biggest secret from her best friend was now public knowledge to him. He asked her a question at the end, if her words were true to her feelings. She felt as though she couldn't speak. This was mortifying, what if he didn't like her in return? What if he wouldn't want to be friends with her because of her feelings? November couldn't look up at him as she stumbled over how to reply to him. "I......uh.........," there was a long pause as she looked everywhere in the corridor but Flavio. "I....do, yes," she said before glancing up towards his face and then turning on her heels to start running back into the Hufflepuff Common Room, where she could go up to her bed and hide her face from the world for the rest of the day.
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[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Flavio held his breath as November took the notebook from him, watching as she looked everywhere in the corridor except his face. In that moment he worried that it was indeed all a joke and November admitting she was messing with him was the reason for her demeanor. But she instead then admitted she liked him before turning on her heels. Flavio instinctively reached out, wrapping his hand around her arm in a way that was urgent in order to stop her from leaving. "Wait, no." He pleaded, hoping she wouldn't continue to run away before he could respond to her. It took a moment for him to gather his thoughts but when he did he spoke with confidence. "I like you, too." After speaking he slowly let go of her arm, allowing her to run away to her common room if that was what she really wanted to do. "I could not let you run away without knowing that it is mutual." He added, expecting her to run away now that she had the opportunity rather than continue to talk about their situation. Flavio wanted to talk it out, and if November wanted to leave he would feel even worse. But if that was the case he would be content in the fact November at least knew the truth. What happened next was her decision entirely and no matter how he felt, he would respect it. It would be a waste of their friendship and his sense of dignity if he acted differently.​

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[November Albertson]

November was on the verge of a breakdown. Her emotions were all over the place, she was embarrassed that was for certain. She couldn't pin in her thoughts what else she was feeling. Nervous - that was something she was feeling. She had barely glanced at his eyes when she told him the truth before turning away. She barely got to take a step before she was jolted still as he caught her arm that had swung back towards him when she turned. She pulled against it for a second before hearing him say to wait. She paused as he also seemed to pause. Turning back she looked at him, wided eye like a deer caught in headlights. He spoke again and then released her arm. But this time November didn't turn to run again. She felt like a statue caught in time now. He liked her. Was this a joke he was playing on her? She was certain his feelings were for another Hufflepuff in their year, not herself. She hadn't seen any signs from him last year or earlier today that he liked her. She had certainly been blinded by her own feelings however to be able to see that he returned them. November swallowed unsure what to say now, but he spoke again. It was mutual, her feelings, the ones she had kept inside her since third year and all of last year as they built up as she got to know him more as her best friend. All of those feelings were mutual. "But," she started. November was certainly confused. "You like Amber, not me," her eyes narrowed as she looked over him unsure if she wanted to believe his words. What if this was some sort of prank Amber convinced him to play on her for fun. He hadn't ever acted in a mean manner to her before, except maybe the time when he had ignored her during the beginning of last semester. "My rose, you asked me about it. That was from you?" She asked him her eyebrows furrowing even though the note hadn't said much in the way of feelings the color of the rose had. If this was a prank would he really have kept it going this long? Since Valentine's Day? "Me? You like me?" She asked as she was utterly confused.
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[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

November chose to stay, seemingly wanting to not only listen to him, but to talk as well and that notion allowed Flavio to relax although only slightly. He still felt more tense and anxious than ever, after revealing the feelings he had worked hard to hide from worry that he was not likeable and feeling the way he did would ruin a friendship he cherished. But knowing that November liked him too and she wanted to talk to him about it made him begin to believe his worries were in vain, based on his insecurities rather than the truth. It was such an intense, serious and honest conversation for the both of them that Flavio was completely awestruck when November mentioned Amber, telling him Amber was the one he liked and turning what they were talking about on its head. Amber was his friend and he would never see her as more than a friend. The mere idea that he liked Amber, over November, was ridiculous. November was the girl who shared his love of books and stories, that he studied with for the last two years. It would be ridiculous for him to not like her and did not know how to react to her words other than frown and keep his eyes on her while shaking his head to say no.

He continued to keep his eyes on November as she spoke, nodding when she asked if the pink rose she received on Valentine's day was from him. When she asked if he liked her, he nodded a second time, only choosing to speak up then and not stay silent and focus too much on his thoughts. "I do like you." He admitted again. "The note with the rose said 'I am too scared to say this in person, but I want to tell you that I think you are lovely in every single way' and that was true at the time, and is still true. I think you are lovely and I was scared to tell you until now, when your poem told me you feel the same way." Flavio paused again, then remembering the pink rose he received that same day with a poem from a secret admirer and smirking at the irony. After reading the poem in November's notebook there was no way the rose had not been from her. "Am I right in assuming the pink rose I also got that day, with a poem, was from you?" He asked, feeling lighter and more confident than before. The truth that they both liked each other was slowly being revealed the more he remembered from his fourth year and this made him begin to feel happy and comfortable rather than anxious it was all a joke. He was realizing now that none of it was a joke and until that day he had been too blinded by his insecurities to see the truth.​

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[November Albertson]

November's brain was still going through everything that was happening, processing Flavio's words. He said it again, that he likes her and her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. She was nervous but also starting to feel more calm the more she looked at him. Butterflies were in her stomach, flipping it over and over each time they made eye contact. He quoted the note, word for word. She was pretty sure she hadn't ever shown him the note she had gotten, nor ever told him exactly what it had said. Which meant he had really seen it, and the girls she had talked to about it all said they thought it was from someone who was liking her as more than just a friend. She backed up a few steps as she gave herself a moment to look away from the situation. He asked her about the poem and rose she had sent and November responded with a nod. "You have no idea how much I like you. How much you make me smile," November stopped quoting her poem there as she looked back up towards Flavio once again. "I sent two roses and both were for you," she said her face still a bright red of tomatoes.

The conversation they were having was much more intense and nerve wracking than she had ever imagined in her daydreams beforehand. She couldn't believe this was happening because of her silly poem and younger cousin. She didn't know if she could hunt her cousin down to whack or hug. Now she was beginning to wonder if she say more or question what they were going to do next. Was it his turn to make a move or was it her turn? It was clear they both had been liking each other more than the other thought for awhile, she wondered how she had never seen it before. How had she been so sure that Flavio liked Amber and not herself? At that moment November really wasn't too certain on what to do. There was a space between them and she felt awkward thinking about moving to close it. She wasn't sure if she should hug him or just stay put. But they couldn't stay there forever, they needed to be going to classes. November could hear the bells of the clock chiming in the distance of the castle. Classes were going to be starting in fifteen minutes or so. "So...........what now?" November asked looking up at the taller boy. The Prefect, who seemed too cool to even be her friend yet also had a crush on her. The shock of the situation was beginning to settle and now she was starting to just feel happy and elated about the whole thing.
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[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Flavio was feeling better about the situation, not ready to laugh at the irony of it all just yet, but better enough that his heart wasn't thumping a million times each minute and his stomach wasn't flipping with each word he said. November liked him back and it was not a joke, it was the full undivided truth and he, confused in his own mind, was clueless, not noticing any of it until the truth was right in front of his face. He wondered what would have happened if he had the confidence to tell her the truth in his fourth year when the feelings began, but soon shook his head thinking that what ifs were pointless now that the truth was out and any what ifs were not something he could ponder, but actual possibilities. He smiled when November repeated part of the poem from his pink rose, it was accurate as far as he remembered and further confirmed it was from her. Then a silence fell and Flavio was unsure of what to do next other than ask November what she wanted to do. However before he could ask her, she said the words first, asking him what they were supposed to do next instead as a bell chimed in the distance signifying their classes were starting soon.

Flavio was tempted to put off answering until his classes were over that day, not wanting to rush into something or be distracted from his school work, despite knowing no matter what he said the conversation he was in now would still play over in his mind making him unable to focus on anything else for the rest of the day. After shrugging, Flavio broke the short silence to answer November's question with the only idea he could conjure. He would have suggested something more specific and even a place they could hang out but did not have the time, and did not want to risk being late to class early in the year so he settled with a simple question with an answer that could promise more. "Do you want to hang out sometime after class, then? As more than friends." He asked, eyes watching November's face for a reaction as he waited for her answer.​

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[November Albertson]

"Yes," that was all November could manage to respond with for the moment. She was utterly shocked Flavio liked her back and pretty sure this moment was a dream. She was thinking she'd wake up to the loud snores from one of the other girls in her dorm any minute now but time kept clicking. They went off to classes together as something more than friends. She wasn't sure if that meant Flavio was her boyfriend, she didn't think so by the way he worded it. But she wasn't sure and didn't want to press anything from him in case she scared him off or something. November was all smiles as they headed to one of her least favorite classes of the bunch, but she'd get to spend more time with Flavio afterwards and she was rather excited for that.
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