Happy endings for all!

~~~~~~

Draco Malfoy

I had easily been avoiding him, even with the whole gang trying to catch me. I never once answered anything they said. Luck does in fact run out. And mine went really fast...

Ironically, me and Draco had been partnered up in potions. Snape may or may not have been swayed by a certain blonde bimbo.

The first day of the project, he brought me a small bag. Inside, was twenty galleons.

"Malfoy, what is this?" I questioned him warily, closing the bag, and attempting to give it back to him. He looked down, pushing away my hand, and taking a deep breath.

"You won your bet. I know you were being sarcastic, but I had to prove it" He mumbled, a slight red tinting his cheeks.

"Prove what?" I asked, putting the bag down, and almost -ALMOST-  reaching out and touching his arm in a comforting manner.

"That I truly love you" he said, looking deep into my eyes. I frowned at that.

"You wouldn't have made the bet in the first place" I said simply. He shook his head, desperation filling his gaze.

"That's just it. I didn't. It was all Enzo and Matt. They ended up promising a portion of it to me, paying out debt, but also assuming I'd break things off" He explained. And despite everything... I believed him. And I knew he was telling me the truth.

I grinned, wrapping my arms around him, burying my face in his neck. I heard him sigh in relief, returning the hug.

"I love you, Dray" I whispered. His breath hitched.

"Love you too, baby" He replied.

~~~~~~~~

Blaise Zabini

It was quiet the rest of the night. Because the gang didn't know what to do. Their normal schemes had all of a sudden been cancelled, or something. Things always felt off around them. They'd either stare or avoid eye contact. 

They'd stare more so at the high points of our relationship, or when we were sitting close to each other on the couch.

They'd avoid eye contact if I was talking directly towards one of them. Regulus was the best at hiding it. Tom hid it well, but you could tell something was up by his stance.

My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on my door. It was fifty-fifty. Either Blaise, or the gang.  I took my chances.

There, standing clustered in the doorframe, were Tom, Mattheo, Theo, Enzo, Draco and Regulus.

"Go away" I mumbled, turning my head towards my closet, and attempting to close the door.

Enzo stuck his foot in between the door and the doorframe before I could get it shut.

"Not until you hear us out" He said, pulling it back open, with a sigh, I beckoned them in, and they sprawled themselves on the floor.

"He's a wreck now, Y/N, you broke him" Draco started.

"He broke me too. So, karma is real" I snapped. Tom stifled a laugh, and Theo shot him a look.

"Go on then" I waved my hand impatiently.

"You see. It started as a bet amongst us. Just us. Not blaise. He wasn't supposed to know. It was on whether or not he'd ask you out. I know it seems stupid. When he found out, he bet he could. Blaise being himself said he would only take two months tops, to make you fall head over heels for him" Mattheo explained slowly.

"And you did. So we owed him. It took us a while. He was stupid. But you should hear him every night. It drives us insane. He goes on forever about you" Draco smiled, convincing me further that it was all a misunderstanding.

"thank you boys. I have amends to make" I said matter-of-factly. They cheered, charging out of the room. I soon found myself at Blaise's dorm room door, and let myself in. The floors were trashed, and Blaise was curled up on his bed, unmoving.

"hey" I murmured. He jumped, sitting upright in less than an instant.

"Y/N?" He asked tentatively, whispering my name as if I would disappear. I nodded.

"You need to listen to me. Just two minutes-" he started, reaching out. I took his outstretched hand.

"They all told me" I said softly. Relief washed over his gaze. 

"Do you forgive me?" He asked, slightly smiling.

"Well, duh!" I grinned. He threw his head back in a joyous laugh, launching himself into my arms...

~~~~~~~~~

Theodore Nott

A rather simple task, given my anger. Break up with him. Boom, say the words, its done. Like ripping off a band-aid. Painful, yet relieving.

Now, at the common room, sat Theo, his brow creased in frustration as Draco attempted to teach him simple first-year charms spells.

"Theo" I said. He looked up, gave a half smirk of pure amusement, then looked down again.

"Theodore Nott, get over here." I ordered. That got his attention. He walked up to me with fear in his eyes.

" yes, Y/N?" He asked, taking one of my hands and tracing patterns along the back of it. I pulled it away. 

"I know what you did. I can't believe you! A BET! I thought you liked me!"

"Shh, bella, please...listen" he started.

"NO! I'm tired of listening! I'm tired of hearing to you bitch and moan about things! You've basically gotten payed to annoy me" I snapped. His eyes welled with tears. He shook his head slowly.

"I'll be waiting when you understand it all" he murmured. I rolled my eyes. No way was I going to think about him...

But even, later that night. I thought about it. And how Harry acted. His smirk. They way he laughed with Ron after. And most of all. His words.

"He got to you first..." I repeated. It sunk in.

Harry's confession. My rejection. Our houses. And then... The bet.

Knowing Theo as well as I did, he would have promptly ended it. Not go over the designated time. Looking over to the clock, and reading it at 10:00, I figured he was still awake. I exited the girls dormitories, and entered the boys.

Opening the door slowly, I could see Theo bent over, sitting at his desk chair, his head in his hands.

"I fucked it up Matt. I loved her. But I was too greedy to call off the bet. Now Harry probably has her. And she'll never talk to me again. Merlin, I just wanna hug her one last time. I just want another shot" He cried. I looked around, and I was the only other person in the room. He thought I was Mattheo.

"I know, Theo" I murmured, stepping closer. His head snapped up, and turned to me. He broke down, in relief, regret, and hope.

"Please, bella. I love you. More than you know..." He said quietly, walking over to me,and hesitantly taking my hand.

"It all makes sense now... I was just mad in the heat of the moment. I'm so sorry" I smiled softly up at him. Happiness washed across his face as he tightly hugged he, kissing my forehead.

"Thank you, Y/N... For everything"

~~~~~~~~

Mattheo Riddle

Two weeks later, and I hadn't had a proper meal. My friends tried their best to bring me food without getting caught, but even then. It was only some bread and cold soup.

So to escape my hunger, the great hall, and Mattheo. I went to hogsmeade. That same restaurant where everything went down. 

I sat on a bartool, and the barista, a girl a little older than me walked up.

"You were here a few weeks ago, right? I'm so sorry. I wouldn't ever go out in public if that happened to me. God, that's brave of you to even come here." She smiled, passing me a firewhiskey.

"just had to get out. Came here on instinct" I murmured, taking a swig of the drink. It burned my throat. But it felt good.

"Yeah..." She said, looking over my shoulder. She left and waited at the door, before someone walked in.  Turned to see Mattheo.

"Bastard" the barista yelled, punching him in the gut. Instead of defending himself, ducking, or punching her back. He took it, reeling over. I hopped off the chair, walking the the Baristas side.

"Y/N" he started weakly, looking up at me. I raised an eyebrow.

The barista looked over at me.

"You wanna talk to him?" She asked. I nodded slowly, wary of my actions. She stepped behind the counter again, and started wiping it, while keeping a watchful eye on us.

"Y/N. You need to listen to me" he pleaded.

"Isn't that what I'm doing now?" I snapped. A chuckle came from the barista, and I pulled Mattheo up quickly. He stepped away, knowing the boundaries that had unanimously been established.

"look. When I put the bet on you... You were just a girl. I didn't know you'd be so much more. I was a dipshit. I didn't know what I was doing. You were like. A toy in the beginning" he said.

"Oh, because that makes it so much better" I rolled my eyes.

"But then. One day. My birthday. When you took me down to the lake and kissed me in the rain. For the first time in my life.... I felt loved. I didn't like the feeling at first. And I didn't know how to react. I thought if I told the boys, then they'd call me weak. But I AM weak Y/N. I can't live without you... I forgot about the bet. I forgot to tell them. And then they fucked it all up." He said, a few tears slipping down his face. The barista awed from the counter, the swish of the cloth stopping as she watched.

"Matt. You still should've told me. I learned not to love people. And when I said I love you, I meant it. Because I let you chip the walls around my heart. It made me want to let someone in. And I guess that's why its called falling in love. I fell pretty damn hard" I gave a small smile, reaching out, and wiping the tears off his cheek.

"I know it may take a while. But maybe one day. We could be together again" He said ruefully. I laughed softly, leaning  forwards, and kissing him.

~~~~~~~

Lorenzo Berkshire

I left, both confused, and upset. He really had to be straight about it. Couldn't even have the decency to break it to me slowly.

He can have his money. I'm sure there's someone looking for a sugar daddy or some shit. He better be happy like this. If he's not. Screw him. I don't care.

-One month later-

Avoiding him? Success

Avoiding his friends? Success

Avoiding the person he secretly paid to lock me in a classroom with him? Unsuccessful.

Today had to be, of all days, the one where I took the long way past an abandoned room. Lorenzo was sitting on a desk, looking more nervous than I'd ever seen him.

"Who else did you fool?" I asked sarcastically, despite a note of curiosity slipping into my tone.

"Myself" He replied, not looking up. I scoffed, then realized he was being serious.

"...how?" I asked, stepping forwards. Once. Twice.

"I told myself I didn't care that you left. That I snapped at you. That you called me Lorenzo. It worked for three hours. Then I knew. I just knew. I had to get you back. As a friend at the least" he said, standing up, and facing me. His face was shallow. From a lack of sleep, because I had seen him eating.

"What does that even mean? Why was there even a bet?" I prodded.

"They offered to pay me back for the first date if you said yes. It spun out of control, and they paid me for every single date. Until it was basically, I was being paid to date you. I knew you'd find out sooner or later. Let me tell you. It was not later. I wanted enough time to tell you. I knew you'd be mad. Just take a few days to blow off some steam. But now, I fucked up. And I don't deserve you. Ever again" he said, looking down.

"You're right. You don't" I said, keeping my voice monotone. He nodded, tears welling in the corners of his eyes.

"But you know how we are. We fight. Yes, we do. And while we never broke up because of it. What did we always tell each other?" I said, stepping closer.

"'You little shit. You made me fall in love and now I hate it. But I love you. and I'd never leave you'" he mumbled subconsciously.

"Right" I said, smiling. His eyes widened.

"God, Y/N, don't joke about this. Do you forgive me or not. I seriously need to know" he said.

"I forgive you, Enzo" I grinned, hugging him. He let out a relieved laugh, pulling back from the hug and kissing me.

~~~~~~~

 Regulus Black

I was once again alone. In my dorm. But this time, without Regulus there for me. It didn't feel different. I just...knew it was, I guess. And the girl. Fayre, I think. Holy shit, she's changed. Back in first year, we were friends. I looked beside me. A picture of us framed on the bedside table. Signed.

'Thanks, Y/N. See you next summer' But I never did. Well, I saw her. Just never talked or acknowledged her. It actually happened around the time I first met Regulus. She had always talked about going out with him. Then I was living her dream, which was apparently my dream too. And now she can live it. She can go on better dates with the fucking money. So, there I sat, in anger, knowing the two people I once cared most about...had wronged me.

A knock interrupted my thoughts.

Warily, I walked over, opening the door to see Fayre.

"You...You really love him... don't you?" She asked, keeping her gaze trained at her feet.

"Yeah" I replied.

"I'm sorry, Y/N. I thought... I thought when you started dating him... it was because of something I did. Then he came up to me. Showed me something, and told me about the bet" She said, finally meeting my eyes.

"What did he tell you?" I asked.

"It's kind of stupid," She chuckled "But the gang knew he liked you. He didn't have to tell them. They just knew. So, he told them he was good at holding relationships but not getting into one. They told him that they'd stack up money if he dated you, and pretty much 'pay for the wedding'. After however long, he wanted out. He knew it wasn't right, and he asked me to help him end it. So he could get the money and get it over with. He asked me because...we used to be friends, and he knew it would hit hard when you saw." She explained.

"But what about after. If he liked me that much, he'd try and make amends. Not send you" I said.

"He was scared...You should talk to him" She murmured. I nodded, pushing my way out, and Fayre trailed behind.

"Thank you, Fay" I said, using a nickname for her, in which I never thought I would ever dream of saying again.

She called a final goodbye as I crossed the common room to the Boys dorms. I knocked on Reggie's.

"Y/N..." He whispered, opening the door, shocked to see me.

"In the flesh... We need to talk about...that" I smiled. He beckoned me in.

Hours on end we talked. He explained it all. What Fayre said, in deeper detail.

"So that's it, then" He murmured, looking up at me, uncertainty in his eyes.

"That's it" I smiled, leaning down and kissing him. He smiled as I pulled away, whispering a quiet 'thank you'.

As I walked out, he grabbed my wrist, turning me back around. I looked down to see him holding out a promise ring to me...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tom Riddle

Simple. I didn't care. He didn't. I think I took it rather well. I also think I lasted longer than anyone else would, even with the bet. With my box of stuff under my arm, I returned to my dorm, throwing it into the back of my closet. One of Tom's sweatshirts were in there. Great. I grabbed it, exiting my dorm even though I didn't want to. Draco thankfully was in the common room.

"Dray, give this to Tom" I called, tossing it. He nodded, a knowing look in his eyes, and caught it, turning for his dorm.

With I sigh, I left the common room for the astronomy tower. The climb gave me time to forget it all. Convince myself it never happened.

I stood against the rail, the cool night air blowing onto my face, my hair whipping out. The floor creaked behind me. Tom.

"Y/N" he said. I looked back slowly, forcing emotion out of my eyes.

"What" I snapped. He was wearing the hoodie. Something that looked like regret flashed in his eyes, quickly masked behind that barrier I had grown used to.

"I'll give you a second chance" He said.

"YOU? Give ME?" I scoffed. "Oh that is RICH, isn't it? No, you don't get to give me a second chance. You're the one who's in the wrong" I snapped. He flinched backwards, holding up a hand.

"Why am I wrong?" He smirked.

"Son of a bitch. The bet? HELLO?" I groaned. He nodded.

"Five hours alone does something to a person after not for five months" Tom said, stepping up.

"That means?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"It means you did something to me. It makes me feel... Happy? I don't know. When you told Draco to bring me this," He pointed at the hoodie. "I realized it was over. At first, you didn't matter to me. Because I'm Tom Riddle. Scary scary, yeah? You made me want to stop being alone. I could open up to you" He said.

"But you never did" I reminded.

"Right. I knew I couldn't get close to you, due to the bet. But I fell for you" He finished.

"No" I said.

"Yes, I did. Accept that, or don't. You got me to say that. So isn't it true?" He said quietly, grabbing my hands in his.

"It would have to be" I replied.

"So?" He said, pressing his forehead to mine.

"One more shot Riddle. Pull this again, and it's over" I smiled. He breathed a laugh, kissing me.

~~~~~~~~