Chapter 2: Can't Buy Me Love (But, I'm Not Averse to Negotiation)

"Whoa," James pulled away from the kiss first. He was vaguely aware of people patting him on the back. He was definitely aware of his hand on a certain girl's hip.

"I know!" Gwen whispered. They were still close enough that no one would hear. "We've really done it!" She glanced around at the crowd that was slowly dispersing.

"Er...yeah!" James gathered himself and released her.


"A little faster with the follow-through, Fred!" James called to his cousin, and Gryffindor Keeper, Fred Weasley II. James liked to think he was captain because of talent and skill, and not because he was Harry Potter's son. Still, it wasn't something he thought about as often as people suspected. At the moment, he watched Fred fumble with the Quaffle before sending it back to the Chasers.

"Shall we have a break? You're pushing quite hard today," Tippy suggested. James didn't miss the question behind it. "You're nervous about the Slytherin game, aren't you? You think we're not ready." James and Tippy were unsurprisingly in-sync with each other as captain and vice captain of the team. They'd also been friends for a long time.

"Alright everyone, water break, and then we'll try that again! Except you, Melvin, you're aim's still off. We can't have another embarrassing bludger incident!" James sighed and then plopped down beside his vice captain.

"Tip, you honestly think we're ready for Slytherin?" James asked.

"I honestly think there's no way we're going to win if you keep tiring us out every single evening before the match," she plucked the stray leaves out of his hair. James leaned back comfortably. She was his voice of reason...and the only reason Melvin the Beater wasn't all but dead yet.

"But we've got to get as much practise in, right?"

"Yeah, but you've also got to trust that your teammates are doing their best. We all want that championship trophy just as much as you, James. You're not the only one playing for their last year," she smiled up at him. Before he could respond, she looked past him and waved at someone on the bleachers.

"Matty's here," she told him, "and Gwen too," Tippy got up and started walking towards the other pair. "Well, come on, then!"

As they walked, James watched what he could see of Matthew and Gwen. He tried to hide his amusement. She could barely look at Matthew! She was acting more like she wanted nothing to do with him than not. Even from all the way below them, James could tell how tense and uncomfortable she was. James gave Matthew the benefit of the doubt. He seemed as though he was really trying to keep up a conversation.

"Matty!" Tippy called just as they reached the top of the stairs to the actual bleachers. She and James shuffled to where Gwen and Matthew were.

"Tip!" Matthew Weinstein actually stood up. His relief was palpable and Gwen groaned internally.

"You know James, of course, and you're Gwen Vasquez!" Tippy waved at Gwen as she and Matthew made room for James to sit at the other end, by Gwen.

"You're pathetic," James whispered through his grin as he settled beside Gwen.

"I'd always thought I'd never have to talk to him!," Gwen whispered back, glad that Matthew and Tippy were preoccupied with settling down as well. James noted how Gwen leaned away from Matthew, like she was afraid to even touch him.

"So, Matthew, you've met Gwen before?" James's voice, loud as usual, made Gwen jump. She would've moved away from him and towards Matthew had James not weighed her down with his arm around her. He straddled the seat so he could face everyone.

"Well, sort of...? We've never spoken, but I've seen you around, of course. Hogwarts has a small student body, right?" he leaned back to include Tippy in the conversation.

"Yeah, I'm sure Gwen and I've shared a few classes, right, Gwen?" Tippy replied politely.

"Er, yeah, of course," Gwen could only nod. There's a vast difference between amusing your friends or sassing your archenemy, and talking to strangers who happen to be two of the most popular people at school.

"Gwen's the Hufflepuff Keeper, as well," James asserted. Gwen wondered, for a moment, if he was actually doing her a favour by mentioning this to Matthew, but she saw he'd said this to Tippy. Of course, the plan.

"Gwen, you've got to tell me about you and James," Tippy said. "You both hated each other, what happened?" she leaned over Matthew, and towards Gwen, conspiratorially, as though they were best friends gossiping and not just speaking to each other for the first time.

"You could've asked me," James seemed offended. After all, Tippy was his friend.

"Oh no, I want the juicy stuff. You've got way too much pride to tell me the whole truth," she teased.

"Oh yeah," Gwen saw her opening, "All the things I could tell you about Mr. Inflated Ego over here," she patted James's knee beside her, and took up Tippy's conspiratorial tone. James laughed along, surreptitiously leaning towards Gwen.

"What are you doing?" he snarled through gritted teeth.

"Milking this," Gwen snarled right back.

"Alright," Tippy said, "James and I should get back to practise, but we've got to talk again," she got up then leaned down and gave Matthew a chaste goodbye kiss on the cheek.

"I'll see you later," James told Gwen, pulling her close to him to kiss her cheek before getting up. Gwen ignored her blush, noticing how Matthew held Tippy's hand, and how Tippy stared at her and James, fixed smile in place. And through all this, James noticed nothing, as per usual.

Moments later, James was back on the field as Tippy took off to practise snitch catches with another teammate throwing muggle ping pong balls. He flew towards the goal posts where Fred threw him the Quaffle.

"James, you know I hate being the sane one, mate," Fred said, "but you and Gwen are mental, absolutely mad, and I am going to be there when this blows up in both your faces, and I'll be saying 'I told you so'," he said with a laugh.

"You're not going to try and talk us out of this?"

"When's that ever worked?" Fred shrugged.


"I thought James hated Gwen?" Rose Weasley asked, flipping through a muggle comic book lazily as Al and Scorp practised nonverbally levitating random pebbles. They were at their usual spot under a tree by the Black Lake.

"I'm pretty sure James hasn't got the emotional depth to realise he's got feelings for a girl he hates," Al said absently.

"I don't know, you're always quite hard on your brother," Scorpius looked to Rose for confirmation, but she only smiled disbelievingly at him. There was that masochist in him again. The mad one who loved it when she'd smile at him every time he'd say something ridiculous, which was often.

"James has got the emotional depth of the Giant Squid," Rose said sarcastically. The three looked towards the lake where the Giant Squid played with a few students. "Correction, the Giant Squid has more emotional depth than James is capable of." The three sixth years burst out laughing.

"You never know," Scorp started after a moment. "Sometimes it takes a while to realise you've fallen for someone, doesn't it?" Al snorted involuntarily.

"And you both tease me for being the sappy one," the distraction made Al drop his pebble. "Bollocks. Rose, how d'you keep your concentration with these things?"

"You're the Ravenclaw," she replied. "So's Scorp and he's doing just fine," Rose shrugged. Scorpius flushed with pride.

"You know that's got nothing to do with actually knowing how to do things," Al rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, I just hope this isn't another prank James is pulling on Gwen. She's a really nice person, and it would suck if James screwed this up," Rose sighed.

"Or she could be the one pranking him!" Al realised, abandoning his pebble to turn to Rose. "It would be the most cruel revenge," his eyes gleamed.

"Oh, you'd love that wouldn't you," Scorpius said, settling his pebble back to the ground.

"I'm not that much of an arsehole," Al joked.

"I was sure she had something for your House's Prefect," Rose said thoughtfully.

"Matthew Weinstein? How do you know so much about Gwen Vasquez, Rose?" Al asked.

"We happen to be...er...friend-quaintances, Albus," Rose retaliated.

"Friend...quaintances," Scorpius repeated.

"We're sort of friends, sort of just acquaintances, or something in between. Whatever, we're housemates, and she's Keeper, and every time James messes with her, she's always off her game," Rose threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Merlin, and I thought Al and I were obsessed with Quidditch," Scorpius teased. Rose flushed.

"Well, considering we're doing much better than Ravenclaw, I'd think a Ravenclaw Chaser wouldn't have so much sass about it," Rose grinned.

"Are you calling me sassy?" Scorpius faked surprise.

"I'm not wrong," Rose said flippantly.

"Eurg, get a room," Al scowled.

"Can't. Non-Hufflepuffs aren't allowed in our dorms," Rose deadpanned. Scorpius had been about to protest, but at this point he could only sputter in surprise.


A/N: So, yeah...I still don't know where I'm going with this. Would appreciate feedback, though :) Thanks for reading!