"Di Angelo, Nico." I looked up at the name. it didn't sound British at all, Italian perhaps. A tiny black haired boy walked to the sorting hat, looking quite nervous. ' Nico's ' eyes were cast down as he sat on the stool. The sorting hat was silent for a few seconds, then boomed: "SLYTHERIN!"

Di Angelo stood up and walked to his table. He looked disappointed, no reluctant.

Somehow he caught my eye and I gave him a reassuring smile, trying to channel happiness and friendliness through it.

The sorting ceremony proceeded. I watched as my friend Lou Ellen got sorted into Ravenclaw. She seemed happy about it. All of her family had been in Ravenclaw, and she was no exception.

"Solace, William." I tried to look confident as I walked to the stool. I'm a half-blood, and my mom was a Hufflepuf muggleborn. I could be sorted into any House.

"Hmm, plenty of wits, cunning you seem too. Bravery used when most required. But fair and just, kind and helpful, yes that is where your qualities lie." The sorting hat's voice whispered in my ear. Before I could fully process it he boomed "HUFFLEPUF!" across the room.

I sat down at the Hufflepuf table and asked a guy that introduced himself as Cedric Howlter, "Why does everyone cheer for every House except for Slytherin? They can't be that bad?" Cedric snorted. "Listen kid, all Slytherins are evil. The Dark lord himself was a Slytherin. Don't befriend them, they'll stab you in the back and leave you to rot."

I took that advice serious. I tried to ignore all Slytherin, even though I shared a lot of classes with them. And then there was 'the rule'. You couldn't sit next to someone from your own House, but had to sit next to an assigned partner from another House. My was, thank the Fates not, in most classes, Nico Di Angelo.

--Sixth year—

I walked into the potions classroom in the dungeons, hoping that this year they wouldn't put me together with Di Angelo. I despise him. From the first day I talked to him, it was clear to me that he was an annoying, backstabbing, Muggleborn hating Slytherin, and he didn't try to hide it. He was a pureblood, raised with the concept: 'only purebloods are wizards'. We didn't get along at all, and of course every teacher put us together.

Slughorn was standing at the door, greeting students and assigning them to their seats. "Solace, with Jackson and Grace, your fourth companion is yet to show." I breathed out in relief. Percy and Jason aren't bad. I'm friends with Percy, but don't really talk to Jason, mainly because he's friends with Di Angelo.

I don't even know how a Gryffindor and a Slytherin could be friends. One day they just talked to each other.

"Hey Perc, Jason." I greeted them, taking my seat.

"Jason and I are partners for this pair assignment. I hope you don't mind Will." Percy looked at me concerned and I just nobbed, hoping I wouldn't get a prix like...

"Mister Di Angelo, next to Jackson, Grace and Solace."

O no. this must be a practical joke. They're messing with me

"today class, we're working in pairs in the strongest love potion we know. One of its traits is that it smell like the person you love. Can anyone tell me what this potion is called? Yes miss Chase."

A Ravenclaw, Annabeth had raised her hand and took a deep breath before answering.

" it's Amortentia. Amortentia is the most powerful love potion in existence. It causes a powerful infatuation or obsession from the drinker. It has a distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen, and steam rises from it in characteristic spirals."

"excellent, couldn't have phrased it better. Ten points to Ravenclaw. The ingredients are on the board. Starting now you have the entire lesson to create the potion. In the end we'll see who made the best, and hear what some of you smelled."

Di Angelo and I set to work, cooperating with each other, but very cold and distant.

After almost two hours, the only thing I smelled was Di Angelo's cologne, which had been starting to smell worse.

Our cauldron had a swirling steam above it.

"Please step away from your cauldrons, your potions should be ready. Mister Jackson can you tell me what you smell."

"err.. I smell books and vanilla, but also a hint of pencil shaving."

" interesting. Mister Solace care to share?"

I went bright red. I couldn't answer that. I only smelled Di Angelo's cologne. "Sir I can't smell anything, Di Angelo's cologne is a little overwhelming."

"I don't smell Nico's cologne. Just sea." Annabeth cut in from the table behind us.

Nico looked at me suddenly. "wait, so you don't smell orange and citrus. I thought we did something wrong."

Orange and citrus. My cologne smelled like that, and I had been told that I smelled like that often.

"KISS, KISS!" Jason cheered, and the rest of the class soon joined in. "wait, Sol.. Will you like me back?"

"back? What?" was the last thing that left my mouth before Nico kissed me.

****

"That's how I met Nico"

______________