Sorry this chapter is late! Hahah, took me ages to figure out how to start it, but then as soon as I sat down today I couldn't stop writing! Next chapter up soon! JKR owns all of HP world.
Chapter Two
I hate hangovers. I am never drinking alcohol again.
"You've got a face like a slapped chicken," Archie, my other best mate, puts his arm around my shoulders and navigates me down the stairs and towards our first classroom.
"Now, did you really get that much of a hangover or are you just trying to hide your excitement for Transfiguration?"
"It's the fact that it's with the Gryffindors," Ella laughs, sitting down next to Archie. "They're Gwen's bane, remember?"
If there's one thing you must know about me: red is my least favourite colour, and so Gryffindor just is not my favourite house. Just seeing their robes makes me shudder and look away in disdain. So spending an hour with them, first thing on a Monday morning is not what I would call fun or the best way to start the day.
Archie makes a whooping sound and leans on the back legs of his chair, rocking back and forth as he speaks. "Ah yes! The terrifying Gryffindors, the lions who eat little badgers for breakfast, lunch and dinner and-"
He stops suddenly when he sees my glare and flashes me a sheepish smile. He sets his bag onto the floor and gets out the Transfiguration class book. What a nerd.
"Now, what I want to know is... why were some people still acting drunk at breakfast?" Archie asks bemused as he flicks through his book. "Honestly, did you see Cathy Sinclox? I swear, what she was drinking did not look like orange juice."
"The hangover potion is transparent... maybe it was that." I murmur. I hadn't been able to have any breakfast, I was too terrified about what I had done last night to eat anything. I was worried I'd be sick everywhere, like Black had done in the toilets. OH GOD, I SAW LUPIN'S THING. And Stephen kissed me and asked me to be his girlfriend, after I was sick all over his shirt. I wanted to slap myself and force myself to forget all of last night.
He'd taken me back to the party for a bit, until a row started to take place between the Ravenclaws and Slytherins and everyone was throwing food and drinks at each other. Stephen told me he'd see me soon, gave me a slobbery kiss and suddenly ran straight for the middle of the crowd and joined in. Other students did the same, and I had no idea where Ella had gone (oops) so I made my way back to the common room. I found Ella already snoring away in her bed when I got back and then suddenly she and the rest of girls in my room were making a racket, being sick and moaning loudly about their hair that I got up.
For a few minutes the three of us sat in silence, flicking through the pages of our books and dreading what sort of spells were almost upon us. Transfiguration was definitely not my strong point… I barely passed my exams last year and the only reason I did was because Archie stayed up night after night with me and quizzed me on everything until my head hurt. It was a painful few days but he's the reason why I made it this far.
"Although," His voice springs through the air again and I look up in annoyance, only to find him grinning. "If one of the lions do try and eat you… you'll have a bigger badger to save you." Archie is considerably taller than me but what he gained in height he definitely lacked in other areas- he is not a sport fanatic (being a pureblood, he was thankful he didn't have to live with countless muggle sports) and loved animals and loved the colour pink and was very clean, his muscles weren't anything to brag about either.
"If you think you're the bigger badger then you're seriously deranged-"
"Not me!" He sighs dramatically and nudges Ella's shoulders urgently. Ella only shrugs, as clueless as I, her cheeks suddenly a little rosy and red. "A certain Stephen White-"
I try to stop him but he's already said the name and Ella perks up with interest. "White? The White?" She blushes even more when Archie grins at her.
"Gwen's one and only crush." Archie speaks in this patronising tone like I'm his daughter and he's having a proud father moment. The two of them coo at me like mother hens.
"I was drunk!" My cheeks are so red and this just makes their teasing more abrupt. I CANNOT BELIEVE THEM.
"I saw you both leaving together," the traitor giggles. "Where did he take you? A broom cupboard? The Owlery? The Forbidden Forest? The Astronomy Tower?"
"I'd want to be taken to the astronomy tower," Ella mumbles a little and steals a glance at our friend, who is so oblivious and continues throwing locations at me.
My heart cries a little for her, she doesn't think I've noticed how she stares at him when she thinks no one's looking. They'd make such a cute couple but she's too scared to make the first move and he's so oblivious to her feelings that it would take almost a miracle for him to notice. Archie's attention is still on me, he's prattling on about how Stephen looked at me throughout the party, and Ella recoils and goes back to her book.
Archie never gets his answer as suddenly the classroom door opens and ten other Hufflepuffs come into the room. One of them, of course, is Stephen White. Archie sniggers next to me but stops when I kick his shin hard. I catch Stephen's gaze and he smiles at me and winks before sitting with his friends a few rows in front. My heart flutters, I think I'm in love.
He sent me an owl this morning telling me he wanted to talk. I was half hoping he'd want to sit next to me, to hold my hand and tell me how he pretty he thought I was in front of all of his popular friends... I wanted him to miss me so much that he'd run up to me and just kiss me in front of all our peers- no first or second thoughts, no ifs or buts.
Archie frowned next to me and nodded his head towards the clatter of Hufflepuffs in the centre of the room.
"He doesn't want…" I trail off… he doesn't want what? Archie already knows what I'm going to say and he nods in an understanding manner.
He doesn't want to be seen with me. Can that be it, really?
It's not that I'm an embarrassment or anything… just I've never really been part of the 'it' crowd. The Hufflepuff 'it' group is kinder than the other houses, Stephen's spoken to me on friendly terms all the time throughout the years... but he's so popular because of Quidditch and he gets good marks on tests without even trying. If he was a girl I would be so jealous, but instead I'm cursed and hold onto his every word. He speaks like honey dripping slowly onto a chocolate corn flake cake. His hair is like honey too, honey and caramel and his eyes are the perfect depiction of a summer ocean twinkling in the morning sun.
A large scrape of a chair brings me back to reality. I jump and knock off one of my quills onto the floor but luckily everyone's attention is on the red-head who has just stormed into class. About three quarters of the chairs have been taken up, I must have been day-dreaming hardcore not to notice. But Lily Evans has suddenly caught everyone's attention and she bites her top lip in annoyance. She looks like she's about to cry and her hair is dripping wet. It's already started to soak into her robes but she holds back her tears and sits down with her back straight, her eyes welded onto the blackboard. The door opens again and then in walks three Gryffindor boys, some of the red 'it' crowd. They're ferocious, just like their house animal. Their proud, super popular and to be honest... flawless. If you're friends with them then you're pretty much on your way to a perfect lifestyle.
Potter is laughing at something, but when he spots Evans he stops and awkwardly makes his way towards her. Lupin and Pettigrew are behind him, unsure of what their friend is about to do.
"Evans…" Potter breathes in a sigh and bites his lip slowly. He's aware of the amount of attention he's got, but he uses it to his advantage. Although he's nervous, he acts cool. His hand rakes through his stubborn hair- his trademark- and then he finally gives her half a smile. "I'm err… sorry?"
I wince at his tone, it's not sincere and clearly Evans shares my thoughts. His apology is not accepted, Evans just keeps staring ahead at the blank blackboard and her silence is obviously irritating him. She folds her arms as an answer and starts glaring at the board. I bet she's imaging the black board as Potter as she's chopping it into tiny pieces with an axe.
"It's not like it was my fault," He snaps suddenly and ignores Lupin's incessant tapping on his shoulder.
"You were in the way and I tried to stop you... but Peeves got to you before I could stop him. If you ask me it was a waste of a good prank." His words are harsh and I'm getting goosebumps just from hearing his snide tone, but once again Evans ignores him and just shrugs her shoulders. I'm inwardly applauding her because she's just wound up Potter more as he gives up and stomps away from her and moodily comes towards the back of the room and sits in front of our row.
Nothing else happens apart from more students coming into the room, most have toast and crisps in their hands as breakfast is pretty much almost over. And then finally McGonagall comes in, her clippityclop heels pierce my soul as she makes her way to the front and inspects us like we're bugs under a magnifying glass.
As soon as her mouth opens I'm at a loss as to what she's saying, her words just fly over the top of my head and I see her writing something down on the board. Invisible spells. I saw it whilst I was flicking through the class book, but it looked so boring and complicated so I skipped it and turned to something else. Archie pinches my side and points to the board, glaring at me until I pick up my quill and start copying down off the board.
And then the class door opens again and in casually walks Sirius Black. It's like he's aware that he's ten minutes late and doesn't even give a damn.
I hate him. He looks gorgeous.
"Sorry Professor," His sultry voice makes a few of the girls (and boys) waver in their seats and stare at him dreamily. "I got into a bit of a pickle with Filch and Peeves."
"Not an excuse, Black. Detention tonight."
The boy shrugs and sits down next to Potter, they whisper something whilst the lesson continues and my mind goes back into a daze. I watch Black throughout the class, when he spends most of the time passing notes back and forth with his friends, when he sneezes like a cute little panda and Potter sniggers next to him. I'm in awe.
.*.*.*.*
"Found anything yet?" Ella pops her head around the bookcase but I shake my head and put back the book.
"Nothing. I can't see it anywhere."
Our first Transfiguration class of the year, and we have to hand in a two-foot essay about invisibility spells. I think it's safe to say the year, so far, is going horribly.
"Maybe because it's such a wide subject…"
We search the rows and rows of books, desperately wanting to find it. But no such luck befalls onto us. We went straight to the library after the class had finished whilst Archie, who had taken extra classes, grumbled about our free period. I should have been paying attention in the class, but I was so distracted and therefore hardly listened to what McGonagall had been going on about. So now I had no idea what to write. I was doomed.
"My new years resolution is to pay attention in class." I whisper to her, the librarian Madam Wasser has ears like a fox and always puts students in detention for speaking too loudly.
"It's September, Gwen. And you already broke it today, then." Ella shakes her head and rolls her eyes at me as we walk into a new aisle. I'm hoping this is the one where we find a book that looks promising.
"I mean starting from today! It's to pay more attention. What about yours?" I roll my eyes back and stick out my tongue. Then I nudge her for safe measure.
She shrugs, and subconsciously tucks a piece of hair behind her ears. I've always been jealous of her golden hair, it's so soft and slightly wavy and it just compliments her face so much. She doesn't know how much I envy her.
"Dunno." She says after a few minutes, her bottom lip is stuck out whilst she concentrates on trying to find a book about invisible spells.
I spent the whole of last year pretending that I didn't see the glances she made at Archie. She was horrendously obvious but only I, as her best friend, noticed. I was dying to tell her I knew, I wanted them to get together so badly.
"Archie?" The name leaves my mouth before I even realise what I'm saying and she squeaks so loudly as the books she was holding onto with a death-grip topple onto the floor.
Madam Wasser was onto us suddenly. "Quiet girls! That was your first warning!"
Ella mumbles out an apology, her face red, and bends down to pick up the books. She sends me a glare.
"What makes you say that?"
"C'mon 'La, I'm not as blind as a bat." Thank goodness, that'd be awful.
She sniffs and brushes off some imaginary dust from her immaculately clean robes. "I uh, no. Of course not. Archie? Pfft. Please." Her face is as red as a beetroot and she avoids my gaze. Lies. Lies. Liiieees.
"Ellaaaa," I whine and grab hold of her before she can run off. "I saw the way you looked at him last year, and it's the same again. I'm your best friend. And to be honest, I'm quite angry that you've never told me."
She looks at me grimly and moves back to the bookcase, her hands are shaking slightly.
"I don't even know…" She whispers and looks around the large room, as if checking that no one can hear. "It was after that incident with the quaffle, do you remember? Just seeing him in the hospital wing like a poor puppy made me feel all these… feelings?" She sighs once more and we move along the aisle, going further in. "And then after… just everything he did, every time he spoke. I got 'effing shivers. He drives me mad."
She sees me snickering and pushes me slightly. We laugh and I just want to squeal and jump up and down on my bed and throw pillows at her because I've been waiting SO LONG for this moment, for her to finally confess!
"Hemmingway? Really?" A slithery voice interrupts us and we jump up. I know that voice, the ghastly shivers that run up and down- not because of fear, but because of loathing. I take hold of my wand firmly in my pocket.
"Snape!" I say it as threateningly as I can without speaking too loudly. I'd kill this guy if we got a detention because of him.
"I wasn't addressing you." Even though he doesn't say it, I know he's thinking it. Mudblood. Freak. He turns to Ella again and smirks.
"Hemmingway wouldn't notice your affections even if Peeves shouted them at the top of the Astronomy tower." His snide comment makes my body shake with anger and before I'm even aware of it my wand is already out and ready to duel.
"Lyons, please. Your petty little curses are no match for-"
"Snape! Get away from them before I turn you into a slime ball." Remus freaking Lupin, aka the guy who I saw URINATING, is suddenly standing there all high and mighty with his wand on Snape's back. His face is angry, maybe he doesn't remember who I am, and he doesn't put down his wand until Snape has slithered off our aisle. He turns back to us now and gives us a smile.
The air feels much better now, it's like Snape pollutes the air around him. Remus lets out a long sigh and puts his wand back into his pocket. Then he looks up and gives us both a big smile. I hope he can't notice my lobster-red coloured cheeks. Although considering he's got a bit of a red tinge on his own cheeks I wouldn't doubt it. Ella, luckily, is none the wiser.
"Hullo Lyons, Pickle. You both alright?" Lupin manages to speak, almost acting as cool, collected and suave as the marauders usually are.
I'm surprised he knows our names, to be honest. He's a marauder, part of the 'it' Gryffindors and a prefect.
"Fine thanks." Ella mumbles, giving him a small smile. She stands there awkwardly for a second and then looks at me shakily. "I'm g-gonna go and have a look further up the aisle for uh, books." I try to plead with her in my mind, but apparently I'm not good at telepathy as she walks away.
Lupin and I stand there in an awkward silence that is so uncomfortable I feel like cutting off my hand and joining the headless hunt would be better. He twirls his wand round his fingers and I realise I've been watching his long fingers dance for minutes. I clear my throat, looks like I'm gonna have to man up and speak first.
"Look. Lupin, I'm uhh… sorry about yesternight. You know with uh B-Black-"
"Don't apologise." He's blushing and tugs down on his robes, as if there's still a chance he could still be exposing himself. "Err I was just a bit shocked that Sirius would use the bathroom - of all places - for you know his um, ravenous-"
His words catch me by surprise and suddenly I'm laughing and can't stop.
"Black and I?" I stuff my sleeve over my mouth to silence the chuckles, I don't want Wasser coming over again. Just imagine that! The hot hunky Sirius Black and mousey me? That would be a sight to see indeed.
"Isn't that why you were…" He's half shocked and half confused but looks at me intently.
I throw up my hands in a shrug. I've never spoken to a popular person before, and now I'm suddenly chatting to Remus Lupin like we're old mates. "I um. I was drunk. I thought it was the girls bathroom. And he err… he came in and then just after he told me I was in the wrong place you came in…"
Lupin grins and he's chuckling silently too.
"Okay. I see." He checks his watch and says he needs to get going, running one of his hands through his light brown hair first. He gives me a smile and waves goodbye before turning around and leaving.
I'm stuck in the same spot for a couple of seconds, recovering from actually socialising with a Gryffindor and then I decide to find Ella. She's five aisles down, her nose in what looks like a promising book titled 'INVISIBLE SPELLS FOR DUMMIES'.
The next time she sees Archie she is back to her shy self. And Archie doesn't catch on at all.
Only a few hours later I find myself in a broom cupboard in a very awkward position with the one and only Stephen White. He figured this was the only place where we wouldn't be seen by passing students. I would have preferred a dark corner of the library or somewhere in the Astronomy tower but as long as we're together then I don't mind. Our talk was literally him telling me he wanted to keep us quiet for a bit... to not let anyone know before we knew we were ready to tell people.
I tried to hide my disappointment and agreed with him with a false smile. Then we were kissing.
He cups my face with his hands gently and we kiss more than once. Seconds. Minutes. Time passes us by. Each time we break off we come back and kiss harder. There's a mop behind me and it's so uncomfortable but there's nowhere else I can turn. His hands are stuck to my waist, I can feel his fingers itching to move either up or down but I'm thankful when he keeps them on my hips. I don't think I'm ready for that yet.
His kisses are wet and sloppy and yet they're so enticing and magical and I can't get enough of them. I'm so hungry for his kisses that I let out a surprised moan when his lips find themselves on my neck and –
BANG!
The door opens and there's no time (or space) to move quickly. We've already been seen. Black is standing there with his trademark grin visible for the world and heaven to see. I hardly notice the girl behind him. She tugs at his arm impatiently and murmurs something in his ear.
"Guess this one is full then, have fun… Lyons, White." He winks at me and I can't help but blush. Stephen's hands are still on me and our faces are still super close and I can still feel his hot breath against my neck.
The door closes and we're engulfed into darkness again. But Black's face is still so clear in my mind. His grey eyes shining with mischief as he smiles so cheekily at me. My heart flutters.
"Did Black just wink at you?" Stephen scoffs and mutters the word 'pratt' underneath his breath.
I shrug my shoulders and pray that he can't hear how quickly my heart is now beating.
"He didn't seem very surprised. Did he know about us?"
When I don't answer again he pulls my face to his. He calls out my name harshly and repeats the question.
"I dunno… I err saw him at the party briefly." I don't mention that he saw us both leave together. I just want to go back to kissing but that sudden encounter with Black has made me feel all mushy and weird inside? I wanted people to know about me and Stephen. I didn't want it to be a secret. So why did I feel like this?
Stephen gets annoyed with me and we leave the broom closet, making sure no one sees us. I want to walk with him back to the common room but he shakes his head.
"I have to go to Quidditch practice." He says, checking his watch. "I'll catch you later." He doesn't even kiss me goodbye, just gives me a quick wave and turns before I can say anything.
My way to the common room is silent for a while until I'm face to face with Black. Again. He's standing in front of me, he's kissing the girl from before and now her hair is messed up and the bun has disappeared. But his eyes are open. He's staring at me as he kisses her. And these aren't slow and sweet kisses; they're hungry.
He finally stops kissing her and looks at me expectantly. "Can I help you?"
For the billionth time, I can feel my face burning from humiliation.
"This is the only way back to my common room and you're both in the way." I try to say it as politely as I can.
I point to the stairs and he nods at me coolly, but I can feel his burning gaze on my back as they let me walk up the steps and away from them. I only feel safe from him when I finally make it to my dorm and already I'm not looking forward to tomorrow where I'll see him again. Black's face is tormenting me. His eyes. His smile. His hands. Secretly I cannot wait until I see him again. I count the hours until breakfast and find myself unable to stop thinking about him.