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And then you say
I want you for worse or for better
I would wait for ever and ever
Broke your heart, I'll put it back together
I would wait for ever and ever
- Taylor Swift
First Year
Bucky Barnes was standing with his mother and his best friend on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters waiting patiently to board the Hogwarts Express, when he first notices the skinny little girl struggling with her trunk about five feet away.
Actually, it was Steve who notices her first.
Bucky only notices because one minute, Steve had been standing next to him and the next second, he was gone. And Bucky always had to look for Steve whenever he was missing, because wherever his best friend went, trouble was bound to follow most of the time. And sure enough, when he turned his head... there was Steve, walking up to the girl, no doubt offering to help her with her trunk.
Bucky stands back for a minute because it was actually kind of funny watching Steve try and talk to a girl. The back of his best friend’s neck and the tips of his ears were bright red, and even though he couldn’t actually hear what he was saying, Bucky just knew that Steve was stuttering along. It wasn’t until he saw Steve struggling with the girl’s trunk, that he steps in to help. He kisses his mother goodbye and walks over.
“Want some help with that, Stevie?” he says easily, not even bothering to wait for an answer as he lifts the girl’s trunk from the both of them. Steve shoots a look of pure annoyance at him (“It’s Steve!”) but doesn’t say anything else as Bucky tucks away the girl’s belongings in the corner of what was soon to be their compartment on the train. Steve is just as skinny and small as the girl standing quietly next to him, so it wasn’t as if Bucky’s help wasn’t warranted but he also had the feeling that his presence wasn’t exactly wanted at the moment either.
There’s an awkward silence that follows once everyone is settled and the train is on its way to Hogwarts. Bucky is sitting opposite of Steve and the girl, and is torn between just letting the awkwardness continue…
(because Steve can’t help but keep glancing over at her, while the girl is just mute and looking down at her lap, avoiding eye contact with both of them)
….or getting the conversation going.
He sighs inwardly. It was going to be a long train ride if they just sat in silence for almost six hours.
“So, I’m Bucky Barnes,” he introduces himself, his voice sounding impossibly loud in the compartment. The girl looks up, her green eyes darting between the two of them with a neutral expression. “That’s Steve Rogers.” Steve blushes when her eyes land on him, but waves shyly.
“Natasha…” she hesitates slightly. “Romanoff.”
Both Bucky and Steve froze once they heard her last name. Everyone in the Wizarding World had heard of the Romanov’s… the infamous, powerful pure-blooded wizards and witches, the dark wizarding family that were notorious followers of the Dark Lord in the Great War and had mostly been known to slain muggles and muggleborns for You-Know-Who. The Romanov family were evil and ruthless, and everyone knew it. Bucky thought that the family line had been wiped out with the war… but evidently, not.
Natasha was watching their reactions very carefully.
Bucky was not ashamed to admit that his first instinct was to flee the compartment. In fact, if it hadn’t been for Steve, he probably would’ve done it and dragged his best friend out with him.
But Steve had a different idea.
Steve stared at Natasha for a moment, before looking down and searching through his robes. Pulling out a small object, he passed it over to Natasha, who blinked at it with surprise. “Chocolate Frog?” He whispers, blushing even harder than before.
After a moment, she smiled (a real, genuine smile) and accepted the candy.
And that’s where it all began.
Second Year
Natasha Romanoff’s hair was red.
(It was probably the first thing that anyone would notice about her, but Steve loved to emphasize it for some reason.)
It was a bright, shocking, scarlet red. It was as red as… the Hogwarts Express. Or the tail-end of the fireworks exploding brightly against the dark sky, shining so brilliantly that you couldn't help but notice it. It was red, like the syrup toppings of a cherry sundae or the color of their quidditch team. Like strawberries and raspberries. Or a quaffle, or the curtains in the common room... or just about every little thing in the Gryffindor tower that you could find.
It got a little repetitive sometimes, to be honest. They would be having a perfectly decent conversation about... quidditch, or their plans for Christmas break, and suddenly there would be a pause, Steve’s eyes would flicker to the door and Bucky would know that Natasha Romanoff had just walked into the room.
In the beginning, Steve’s crush on the redhead had been pretty amusing. But then, as the months rolled by…
“You know, there was that one time I saw her walking on the school grounds as I was coming back from Herbology.”
Bucky rolled his eyes. Here we go again, he thought. He and Steve were sitting outside near the school lake, enjoying the last visages of the warm weather before fall truly set in. Steve was busy drawing in his sketchbook, and then using his wand to help color it in. From his vantage point, Bucky could see that he was drawing Natasha. Again.
“And it was sunny.”
Is this important?
“And her hair… it just glowed, you know? Like it was burning.”
What?
“You mean, like she had flames coming out of her head?” Bucky asked. To Bucky’s dismay, Steve perked up further and grinned.
“Yes, exactly! I’m starting to see it as… a manifestation of her fiery spirit.”
Bucky stared at his best friend. “How would you know if she’s got a fiery spirit or not? You’ve barely said two words to her the entire time we’ve been at this school. They don’t call her the ‘Ice Princess of Slytherin’ for nothing, you know.”
Steve faltered slightly but then brighten up once more. “I just know. That’s why her hair is so red… she’s got so much passion and she just doesn’t know how to express it.”
Bucky continued to stare at Steve in disbelief. This really has reached an all time low. “So… she’s so passionate that it leaks out and makes her look like her head is on fire?”
“Yes.”
Bucky could only shake his head. It was official. Steve had lost his marbles.
And all over one girl.
Third Year
“Hey Barnes.”
He looks up from his lamb chops, hastily swallowing when he saw Natasha standing by the Gryffindor table. Bucky had no idea how she did it, but somehow she had managed to sneak up on him without him noticing. It was almost creepy. She stood there in a way that only she could pull off, imposing and impressive but cool and confident at the same time. Frankly, she could scare the shit out of him with just one look. Bucky wasn’t afraid to admit that. Beside him sat Sam Wilson, who kept quiet but looked on in interest.
“Romanoff,” he greeted her evenly.
She stared at him, her school robes fluttering slightly as she shifted. Around them, whispers were starting as people looked on. It wasn’t often that a Slytherin approached the Gryffindor table and the fact that it was Natasha Romanoff, the ‘Slytherin Ice Princess’ being the one to do so, definitely got a few glances coming their way.
For a moment, there was an awkward silence. And then-
“So, I wondering something,” she began. Her green eyes bore into his with hints of both vulnerability and curiosity. “You know how Rogers and I got partnered up for that project for Transfiguration?”
Boy, did Bucky know all about that. Steve hadn’t shut up about it for days after Professor McGonagall had paired the two of them together. Steve had been ecstatic. He nodded. “What about it?” he asked, stuffing his mouth with more food.
“Well,” Natasha paused. And was it his imagination or did she also look uncomfortable too? “Does he… hate me or something?”
Bucky almost laughed out loud.
Not almost.
He actually did. Choking on his lamb chops as he did so. Loud, full belly laughs… the kind that made it hard to breathe. Sam reached over and pounded him on the back to help him out. “What?” Bucky half-chuckled, half-coughed as the laughter spilled out of him. “What makes you think that?”
“I can’t imagine Steve hating anyone,” Sam added, finally speaking up.
“Are you sure?” Natasha frowned at him and shrugged. “He doesn’t speak to me whenever we meet up for our project. All he does is avoid eye contact and writes things down. It’s like he’s afraid of me.”
Bucky faltered, torn between wanting to tell Romanoff the real reason that Steve couldn’t speak around her, and loyalty to his best friend. “Umm… well…” He looked over at Sam for help. Sam just shrugged and shoved more food into his mouth, probably in the interest of self-preservation. Romanoff looked like she wanted to throttle them both.
“Is it because I’m a pure-blood? That my family were a bunch of loathsome and atrocious scumbags that I have the unfortunate luck of sharing their last name?” Green eyes flashed defensively, and Bucky instinctively straightened in his seat.
“Hey, now…”
“I know what everyone says about me, alright? ‘Oh, look. There goes the ice princess who doesn’t like to talk to anyone, who has her nose stuck up in the air. She’s in Slytherin, so she must be as evil as the rest of her disgusting family.’ Well, I’m not,” she finished passionately. All throughout her tirade, it amazed Bucky that her voice never changed in volume. In fact, it got progressively lower and for the first time, he was seeing her in a different light. There was something underneath the cool exterior that she always projected. “Let’s get something straight. I don’t care about blood status, okay?”
The silence that hung in the air was thick and charged, and for once in life Bucky thought about what he might say in response. Gryffindors and Slytherins hardly ever interacted with one another except for the classes they shared. He had heard rumors, of course. Bucky saw what everyone else saw… someone who was as cold as ice, stone faced, and aloof. Whispers had followed Natasha Romanoff the minute she had stepped foot into Hogwarts and had been sorted into Slytherin. Steve had always insisted that she wasn’t as she appeared but given his rather giant crush on her, Bucky had never paid attention to what his friend was often spewing. Now, for the first time, he wondered if maybe Steve had been right all along.
Clearly, Natasha was dealing with a lot. Probably more than anyone ever knew, probably more than she ever showed.
“Okay, first of all, the status of your blood does not in any way matter to him whatsoever,” Bucky sighed, then smiled. “And trust me on this one… he most definitely does not hate you. Far from it in fact.”
“Then why can’t he talk to me? And don’t tell me he does this with everyone, because I’ve seen him laughing and chatting with everyone else just fine.”
“Um,” he shrugged helplessly. “Sorry, can’t really tell you the reason why. Best friend code and all that. But he definitely doesn’t hate you. That’s all I can tell you.”
“He really doesn’t,” Sam added, finally speaking up. “I can vouch for that.”
Natasha frowned, and then nodded. As she turned to walk away, Bucky couldn’t help but call out to her. “Hey, Romanoff.”
She glanced back at him.
“Just… keep trying with Steve, yeah?” Bucky smiled. “He’ll be able to talk with you eventually. Just be patient.”
She didn’t bother responding and walked away, back to the Slytherin table, clearly unhappy with their whole exchange.
Sam chuckled. “Kinda makes you wish she knew the whole truth, huh?” Sam, who had been their dorm mate since first year, knew all about Steve’s infatuation. All the Gryffindor boys in their dorm did. “Think she likes him too?”
“Maybe.” Bucky was watching Natasha with renewed interest. “I think there’s hope for Steve yet.”
Fourth Year
Bucky didn’t mean to eavesdrop.
It wasn’t like he followed them around on purpose with the intention of spying on them. Was it really his fault that he just happened to stumble upon Steve and Natasha arguing on his way to the kitchens? He’d just finished his detention with Filch and was starving, thank you very much. He needed sustenance! And if he just so happened to recognize his best friend’s voice floating down the hallway, well, why wouldn’t he investigate? It was all perfectly natural.
His curiosity just got the better of him when he realized that Romanoff was with him, okay? After third year, Steve had finally gotten the courage to speak to her like a normal person and it tickled Bucky to no end watching his best friend navigate with his feelings for the redhead. So sue him, Bucky was invested.
(Alright fine, he totally meant to eavesdrop. He had no regrets about it.)
“He had his hands on you, Natasha! I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing, while he grabbed you-”
“I had everything handled!” Natasha’s eyes flashed with anger. “You think that was the first time I dealt with Rumlow in that manner? I’ve been handling it ever since I came to this school!”
Steve held his ground under her glare of death. “He’s such an asshole… well, I’m not sorry I punched him. He deserved it!”
“You Gryffindors… always rushing in to save the day, poking your noses in where it’s not wanted. I’m not some helpless girl, Rogers. You don’t need to defend my honor. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself!”
“I know that!” Steve blew a strand of hair out of his face, the tension and defensiveness leaving his shoulders. “It’s just… the way he was speaking at you, calling you those names… saying the worst things about you! Well, he doesn’t know you. It’s not who you are.”
“You don’t know me either, Rogers,” Natasha pointed out, the fight in her seemingly evaporated as well. “How do you know that I’m not just another Slytherin slut?”
“You’re not…” Steve’s whisper echoed loudly in the hallway, and Bucky wished he had some of that muggle treat that Steve had introduced to him over the summer. Where was some popcorn when you needed it? “I just know.” Steve’s hand comes up to cup Natasha’s cheek, brushing her hair out of her face as he did so. They were staring intently at one another. The air was suddenly charged with electricity and even from where Bucky was standing, he could feel the tension. “It’s not who you are.”
“Yeah?” Natasha’s voice was just as soft. “And who do you want me to be, Rogers?”
This is it, Steve. This is it! Make your move! Just lean in close, that’s it. Kiss her! Kiss her! It’s your moment! KISS HER, KISS HER, KISS HER!
Steve took a step back. “How about a friend?”
Bucky face-palmed and inwardly groaned. Stevie, you punk. Ugh.
Fifth Year
Bucky grinned broadly as he looked through the curtain, surveying the crowd in the stands. It was the first quidditch game of the season, and he couldn’t wait to get out there and play! He couldn’t even begin to describe how excited he was. He turned back towards the team and frowned when he spotted Steve sitting off to the side looking extremely pale. “You alright, Stevie?”
“Don’t call me that,” Steve muttered.
The summer break had been very good to Steve Rogers. Ever since he’d confessed to wanting to maybe play quidditch for the upcoming school year, he and Bucky had spent most of the summer training everyday, getting Steve ready for tryouts. No longer was he the sickly, frail, and skinny kid from years previous. He got taller. He filled out. There were now muscles bulging in places that hadn’t been there before and a healthy red glow to his cheeks. Their hard work had paid off and this year, Steve joined the Gryffindor team as their new keeper.
Beside him, Sam clapped Steve on the back. “Don’t worry, man. All you have to do is stay near the goal posts and not let any quaffles in. Simple.”
“Sure,” Steve swallowed. “Simple.”
“Yeah,” Bucky agreed. “Besides, we’re playing against Hufflepuff. We flattened them in the last match, remember Wilson?”
Sam nodded. “Game was over in twenty minutes.”
Bucky turned back to the crowd and grinned when he spotted something peculiar. “Hey Steve,” he called. “Come over here and look at this.”
Both of them came over to where he was standing and Bucky pointed out something in the far off distance. In the midst of the sea of reds and yellows, sat a lone figure in green. It looked suspiciously like-
“Natasha!” Steve breathed. Slowly, a smile spread wide over the blonde’s face.
“Looks like she came to see you play, buddy,” Sam whooped.
“She’s sitting next to Wanda Maximoff,” Bucky observed. “Hey, do you think they’re friends?”
“They’re partners in Potions class,” Steve offered. Both Bucky and Sam didn’t even bother to ask how he knew that little fact.
“Why?” Sam directed his question to Bucky instead.
“First visit to Hogsmeade is this weekend,” Bucky elbowed Steve. “How about it, Stevie? Fancy a double date? You can ask Romanoff to go with you after our game.”
“In that case, we better make sure we win,” Sam teased. “I doubt Natasha would want to go on a date with one of the members of the losing quidditch team.”
“Not funny,” Steve huffed, his eyes still glued to the redhead sitting in the stands.
“Come on, Steve. You’ve been wanting to ask her to go to Hogsmeade with you ever since third year,” Bucky let the curtain drop and the crowd disappeared from view. “Do it after the game. Where is your Gryffindor courage?”
“Non-existent.” Sam laughed as they began to gather their brooms and make their way to the pitch. “You know Maria Hill from Ravenclaw? She tells me that all Steve does during prefect meetings is stare longingly at Romanoff when he thinks she’s not looking.”
“No way… you and Hill?”
“We’ve been hanging out since fourth year,” Sam shrugged.
“Does everyone know?” Steve groaned. “That I like Nat?”
“Oh, so she’s Nat now, huh?” Bucky teased. “Yes. Everyone knows Stevie. It’s not like you were subtle about your crush throughout the years. In fact, the only person who probably doesn’t know, is Romanoff herself.”
Steve groaned again.
“That does it,” Bucky decided. “First, we’re gonna go win the game. Then Steve is going to muster up the courage to ask Romanoff on a date. I, myself, will try and find the lovely Miss Maximoff. And then we will all meet up in time for dinner.”
.
.
.
Later, when Steve bursts through the doors of their dormitory, filled with excitement about his first date with Romanoff that coming weekend, all Bucky could do was grin proudly.
Well, it's about time.
Sixth Year
Sometimes being Steve’s best friend meant witnessing all of his most “miserable” moments.
Bucky puts the word miserable in quotations because Steve Rogers could really be a dramatic little shit when he wanted to be. And whenever Steve happened to be a dramatic little shit, ninety-nine percent of the time, it had something to do with Romanoff. Ever since they had gotten together, the relationship between the two of them were filled with ups and downs. Both were opinionated and they both definitely did not back down when they were passionate about something. Most of the time it was pretty entertaining.
And then there were days like today.
“I think this is it,” Steve bemoaned. “We’re over. She wants nothing to do with me.”
Bucky rolled his eyes. “She wants nothing to do with you at this moment in time,” he corrected. “Honestly, the fights that the two of you have are more like tiny quarrels. You’ll make up soon enough.”
“She said that she wasn’t my girl! That she wasn’t my babe!”
“First of all, the nicknames you two give one another are nauseating. Why does everyone call their significant other ‘babe’? It’s so unoriginal. Second of all, you were acting like a jealous buffoon. You know that she and Banner were just trying to complete their prefect duties. Stop trying to mark your territory by inserting your dominance.”
“She’s just so stubborn…”
Bucky sighed. “I hate to break it to you, but so are you pal.”
Steve ignored him. “If she would just admit she’s in love with me, this would make it all easier on her.”
“Hold up,” Bucky sat up from where he was lounging on the couch. “That’s what this fight is about? She hasn’t told you she loves you?”
“She’s just scared. It’s hard for her to trust. I just hope she knows I would never hurt her. And with Banner moving in on her and being all friendly...”
Before Bucky could respond, the portrait hole opened and in stepped the very person they had been discussing. Natasha stalked up to them, a stormy expression on her face. “How did you get in here?”
“Wilson let me in,” Natasha calmly responded. Then she turned to Steve and the blonde flinched slightly at the look on her face.
“Nat-”
“Rogers, I am not going to let you run away from me in the middle of an argument-”
“Oh, I think you made your feelings perfectly clear!” Steve retorted.
Natasha sighed with frustration. “You are being so stupid, Rogers!” and before Steve could say anything else, she stepped up to him and pressed her lips to his. She kissed him with all the emotions she could muster and Steve melted into her embrace.
Bucky quietly moved off the couch and left them alone, shaking his head as he did so.
He had no clue what had just happened.
Relationships were so confusing. Or rather, Steve and Natasha were confusing.
Just another day in the dramatic relationship that is Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff, I suppose.
Seventh Year
“You sure about this Stevie?”
All was quiet in their dormitory, a rare feat in their entire time at Hogwarts. It was Graduation Day and it was a bittersweet feeling, knowing that they were about to leave the place that had been their home for the last seven years. Bucky and Steve stood in front of their mirror, all decked out in their graduation robes. They were alone, just the two of them.
Steve smiles at Bucky’s reflection. “Never been more sure of anything in my life, Buck.”
“You realize you’re willingly going to sign your life away. You haven’t even had a chance to experience what bachelorhood is like!”
Steve pulls out the small box from his pocket and opens it. The diamond ring glitters beautifully in the sunlight. “Really?” he laughs. “That’s funny, I prefer to think of it as my life finally beginning.”
Bucky grins and nods in agreement as he thought over everything that had happened over the past seven years. It was true enough. “That’s one way of looking at it.”
“You’ll be my best man though, right?”
“Try and give the position to anyone else and I’ll hex you, Punk.”
They laugh.
“Alright, let’s go find Romanoff and see if she’s willing to put up with you for the rest of her life.”
(Natasha says yes, by the way.)
(Not that Bucky was surprised.)