Written for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry forum - Defense Against the Dark Arts, Assignment #3. Prompt: Write about someone who is struggling to get their point across. Restriction: No mentions of Golden Trio.
I decided Lee/Angelina needed some loving. So here is the result.
Word count: 1083
Every time Lee talked to Angelina, it was like he was skating on thin ice. He never knew what to say, so he normally stuck to the same lines.
"Hey, Angelina," Lee said, grinning.
"Hey, Lee," Angelina responded, smiling that innocent smile he longed to bask in forever.
Right, Lee, respond, he told himself, mentally kicking himself into action.
"So," he stalled, not sure how to go on.
"So what?" Angelina asked, fingering her bag. She had lots of assignments to complete before the next Quidditch practice Wood had scheduled.
"Ah, nothing," Lee said, eyes looking down.
"Oh, okay. Maybe next time?" she asked.
He looked up with puppy eyes and nodded, unable to speak.
Angelina flashed him one last smile before turning away and heading for the library.
"Dude," George said, as soon as Angelina was gone.
"What happened?" Fred asked, standing on Lee's other side.
"I couldn't say it," Lee said, as if he was far away.
"Ah, tough luck, mate," George comforted Lee, placing a hand on the black boy's shoulder.
"Why didn't you?" Fred demanded, confused. If Lee really liked Angelina, why didn't he have the guts to tell her?
"Ah, it's nothing. You least of all would understand," Lee replied, pushing Fred and George away. "I have to practice for McGonagall. See you blokes later." Lee waved and left the twins standing in the middle of the corridor.
"Well, that could have gone better," George said, eyeing his twin.
Fred snorted in response.
"Poor Lee," George said, inspecting his fingernails. "He's got it in him, you know, but I think he's got it bad. Worried that Johnson doesn't like him as much, I expect."
"I don't get it," Fred moaned. "Come on, George, we gotta set up the new prank."
"Alright," George agreed, face excited. "But later, we've gotta help Lee out."
"Deal," Fred agreed, not really caring.
Lee ended up in the library. He found that he needed to borrow a copy of Unfogging the Future to complete his Divination homework.
"Hey, stranger," Angelina whispered.
Lee spun around, startled.
"Oh," he blushed faintly, thankful for his dark skin. "Hi, Angelina."
"What are you doing here? Last I saw, you were headed for the twins."
"Well, they don't need me." It wasn't a complete lie, he thought.
"What do you mean?" Angelina frowned.
"They're doing something secret," Lee admitted.
"Oh, I see. Pranking the Slytherins again. As if Montague would be caught twice. Hmmph," Angelina sniffed. "They'd better focus on Hufflepuff."
Lee snorted, forgetting Madam Pince's strict "No Talking or I Kick You Out" rule.
Madam Pince appeared and shushed the duo.
Once they were alone again, Lee went on in whisper, "Not very likely."
Angelina gave Lee another appraising stare. A once-over.
Lee shivered to his core and felt like he should say something. He wet his lips and opened his mouth.
No sound escaped.
He tried again. His tongue lolled out, making him look like a dog.
His eyes widened in frustration. He felt his flushed face was showing. He was messing up in front of Angelina.
Lee fled the library, not knowing he thrust his book into Angelina's unsuspecting arms.
Angelina's Chaser instincts set in, automatically accepting the book Lee threw at her.
Later, Angelina found Lee in the Gryffindor Common Room. He looked like he was nursing a headache with a bottle of filched firewhiskey. From the looks of it, he'd drunk half the bottle by himself. Angelina strongly doubted Lee had a high alcohol tolerance, but she resolutely walked over to him.
"Hey, Lee," she nudged him. His dreadlocks swung briefly as he sat up straight and looked up at her.
"Hi," he said, seeing her as a blurry figure.
"Here," she handed him the book. "Took it out for you. Figured you might need it. Good thing Madam Pince didn't kick me out before I could borrow it."
Lee barely registered her words as he accepted the book. It was warm and oddly comforting. His fingers touched hers for a second and he suddenly achieved clarity.
"Angelina," he said. His throat closed up. He choked, as if the word alone had cost him all his effort.
Angelina slapped his back hard. Lee coughed up something that looked gross. She didn't even bat an eye.
Embarrassed, Lee rapidly spoke. "I was just wondering if you, well, if you'd want to go to Hogsmeade with me. Maybe next weekend?" He hardly dared to look up at her, too shy to admit his feelings.
Angelina smiled and sat down on the floor next to him.
"Lee, are you asking me out?" she teased the half-drunk boy.
"Noooo," he said, drawing out the word.
"Do you want to go like on a date?" Angelina asked slyly.
Lee's eyes widened in dismay.
Glumly, he said, "Oh, I know, Fred and George are just so more interesting. I'm not much. I get okay grades, better if McGonagall has anything to say about them. My jokes are awful, but better than Oliver's. I'm okay at pranks. I had a pet tarantula one year. I get it." Lee sighed.
"Oh, you," Angelina said playfully. She moved the book he had absentmindedly set on his knees and sidled onto his lap. Relishing in the warmth of his body, Angelina felt her eyes glow as she smiled up at him.
She reached up with a hand and cupped his face, forcing Lee to look down at her.
"I accept," Angelina said. "Although now I owe Fred and George five galleons because you didn't actually ask me. You're such a tongue-tied fool," Angelina teased. Reaching up, she full-on snogged Lee.
Lee felt like he was the luckiest man in the world. He found his arms wrapping around Angelina as he returned her kiss.
"Yeah, well those blokes ain't worth the whiskey," Lee misquoted.
Angelina swatted his arm.
"Hey, they're still my friends," she protested.
"As they are mine," Lee responded, kissing her forehead. "Now, what are we to do?" He raised his eyebrows at her, making her laugh.
This was perfect, Lee thought. Angelina was laughing at one of his jokes. And Angelina had snogged him.
Lee was in tongue-tied heaven.
And Angelina didn't mind one bit. Because she got to snog the only boy with dreadlocks.