chapter 8

Third POV – A Magical Encounter

"Look, Kova! A Quidditch ground model!" Vanessa squealed, practically bouncing on her feet as she pointed excitedly at the intricate display in front of her.

Kova let out a quiet sigh, rubbing his temple. "Calm down, Nessa," he murmured, but it was clear she wasn't listening.

The two of them were wandering through a Harry Potter mini-museum, a surprise attraction leading Potterheads to the main theatre where the show was set to begin in about twenty minutes. The museum was filled with stunning displays—floating candles, animated posters, and detailed models of famous locations from the wizarding world. Vanessa was thrilled, eagerly moving from one display to another like a kid in a candy store.

Some people gave her amused looks, while others murmured, "Cute," as she gasped and clapped over every little detail. Kova, on the other hand, was trying his best to act normal.

'I don't know her,' he thought dramatically, stepping a little away from her. It wasn't that he wasn't excited—he absolutely was—but there was a thing called self-control, which Vanessa clearly hadn't learned.

Lost in thought, Kova didn't realize he had walked straight into someone.

Thud.

He bumped into a solid chest. A very solid one. Great, definitely a guy, he noted internally.

'Can I ever run into girls? God, what kind of luck is this?' Kova groaned in his head.

"Oh, I'm sorry—" He started to apologize, but the moment he looked up, he froze.

'Shit.'

The guy standing before him wasn't just some random stranger. He was him.

"You—" the familiar voice rang in his ears, filled with irritation.

Kova barely managed to suppress a wince. Of all the people he could have bumped into, why did it have to be him?

"Blind Squirt," Kova blurted out before he could stop himself.

And just like that, the boy's already sharp glare intensified.

It was him—the guy from the beach. The one whose car Vanessa had scratched.

'Sometimes I wonder if this is God's way of punishing me for having Vanessa as a best friend.'

The tension was thick, the boy's glare drilling into Kova like he was the root of all his misfortunes.

"Hey, man—" Kova started with a nervous smile, subtly stepping back.

Before the boy could respond, Vanessa's cheerful voice rang out.

"Kova!" She skipped towards them with a bright smile, but the moment she laid eyes on the boy in front of Kova, her expression immediately darkened.

Her lips curled. "The Blind-Rat."

Kova felt like throwing himself off a cliff.

'Why, Vanessa? WHY?'

"You—stupid girl!" the boy howled, pointing an accusatory finger at her.

Vanessa gasped, eyes widening in offense. "Dare you to point at me! That's rude! And dare you to call me stupid again!" she snapped, marching up to him.

"Pointing at someone is bad, Blind-Rat."

"Stop calling me that, stupid girl!" the boy shot back.

Their voices grew louder, drawing attention from the surrounding Potterheads who were making their way to the theatre. Kova checked his watch—only ten minutes left until the show started.

Meanwhile, Vanessa and the boy were locked in an intense staring battle, neither backing down.

"How dare you scratch my car?" the boy accused.

"You scratched mine first and refused to pay! We had to cover the cost! I had no choice—I want to live a long life!" Vanessa retorted.

Kova groaned. "Guys, can you fight later? The show starts in five minutes."

Both of them turned to him, narrowing their eyes in unison.

Kova sighed and looked at Vanessa. "Nessa…"

Vanessa pursed her lips, contemplating for a moment. As much as she loved arguing, she was dying to see this show.

She huffed and turned to the boy. "Okay, let's make a deal. If you're here for the show, let's just watch it first. When it's over, then we can continue this."

The boy raised a skeptical brow. "And what if you run?"

Vanessa scoffed, puffing out her chest. "I swear on my Potterhead honor," she declared, dramatically showing off her 'TRUE POTTERHEAD' t-shirt. "I'll even take an Unbreakable Vow if I have to!"

The boy eyed her warily before crossing his arms. "Fine. After the show."

Kova let out a relieved breath as the boy stalked off towards the theatre.

"We're totally running after the show, right?" Kova muttered.

Vanessa gasped. "HELL NO! I made an Unbreakable Vow! Do you want me to die?" She marched ahead, leaving Kova to sigh and follow her inside.

Inside the Theatre

"Come on, Kova! Sit here!" Vanessa called, patting the empty seat beside her.

The two of them had managed to score seats in the fourth row, which offered a perfect view of the stage. The excitement in the air was palpable as fans settled in, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff scarves dotting the crowd.

Kova wrapped his own Gryffindor scarf around his neck, finally allowing himself to really get excited.

"This is gonna be so good," he murmured.

Vanessa glanced at the empty seat next to her and frowned. "How can someone be late for the show?"

A familiar voice scoffed. "You gotta be kidding me."

Both Vanessa and Kova turned, and their faces fell.

The boy from before—aka The Blind-Rat—was standing right next to Vanessa's seat.

"Really?" they groaned in unison.

The boy rolled his eyes. "Believe me, I don't have any pleasure sitting next to you."

"Well, you don't have a choice now, do you?" Kova deadpanned.

"If I did, I wouldn't be seeing your faces," the boy grumbled but begrudgingly took the seat beside Vanessa.

Vanessa leaned towards him with a smirk. "So tell me your beautiful name, then."

The boy blinked, then smirked right back. "Oh? So you want to know my name, huh?"

Vanessa immediately regretted her question.

'I desperately want to slap that smirk off his face.'

"Am I that handsome that you're staring at me?" he teased.

"In your dreams."

He grinned. "Well, I am handsome in reality, so don't dream about me too much."

"YOU—"

Kova groaned. "Can you two stop and try to be civil for once? Or I'm leaving."

The boy gasped, grabbing Kova's sleeve dramatically. "Have mercy on me—don't leave me alone with her!"

"HEY—"

"Friends. For now." Kova ordered.

"…Fine," they muttered.

The boy sighed, running a hand through his mid-brown hair. "And for the record, my name is Aden. Not Blind-Rat."

Vanessa huffed. "And mine is Vanessa."

A voice boomed from the stage.

"Welcome, my fellow Potterheads! Shall we begin? Aberto!"

The curtains slowly started to part.

Vanessa gasped. "Finally!"

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Hey how are you all doing?

well here another chapter of 18 to 80.

I hope you are liking it, well do tell me howa my story is going, it well help me to improve.

have a good day.