Vince found himself alone one evening, it had been near two months since May told him that she loved him, how could he have not said it back yet. He knew all too well how awful it felt to tell someone you love them and not hear a reply, he had told his father once that he loved him, his father gave him a disgusted look and promptly left the room. He hadn't said it to anyone since, not his mother, not his father and not May. His stomach felt in knots thinking about having to say those words again, what if she had changed her mind by now, he gave a deep rumble of a groan as he buried his face in his arms at the library table.
"Great, it's Crabbe." Neville whispered over his shoulder to Terry Boot. "We should go find somewhere else to study those charms." He stood watching the large Slytherin boy sitting at the table almost as if Crabbe would leap up and attack them if his eyes dared to stray.
"Why does he spend so much time in here anyways? Isn't like he could possibly learn something." Terry remarked, he shook his shaggy brown hair from his eyes to get a better look at Vince. "Looks like a troll, way he sits there." He nudged Neville, a smile growing across his face, he pulled his wand from his back pocket. "Want to see him dance?"
Neville quickly shoved Terry's arm down, he shook his head in silence, but turned quickly to see if Vince had moved. He flinched to see Vince was now staring at him and Terry, his fists clinched, but the expression on his face didn't match, it was one of emotional pain. "Terry, we should go find that book and leave."
Vince got to his feet slowly, his face twisting into a deep scowl. "Terry Boot, just because Alecto beat you bloody doesn't mean I think we're even, you hit my girlfriend and now you're going to pay." He gave the table a shove, it screeched across the floor. "Do you still think yourself to be big and bad because you caught her in the hall alone?"
"She wasn't alone when I saw her, Finnigan and Dingle were at her heels, two looked fairly cross with her." Terry said as he flinched to have Vince punch the table. "Seems as if Dingle was trying to make a sale to her, she must have turned him down and Finnigan called to me or I'd have ignored her." He looked at Neville who seemed confused. "Well, I was told she was going to fetch the Carrows and turn them on Dingle for having a bit of White Rat on him."
Neville elbowed Terry hard in the ribs, hoping to make him shut his mouth, he could see how Vince stood watching them, he knew how a deer staring down a bear felt. "Now Crabbe, we were just going to get a book and leave, so come on Terry, that's enough about white mice and the such." He tried to tug Terry along, but the boy wouldn't move.
"White Rat Whiskey, not an animal." Terry cleared up for Neville with a grin. "Seems as if they didn't fancy a round of torture so they called to me, I did what anyone who isn't in the Carrows' graces would have. I made her go silent, but seems as if she went and shot off at the mouth regardless. Funny how she got knocked on her butt and sat there looking up at me like I'd kill her, then still go and nark, did you have anything to do with that?"
"Yes I did, found her in the common like that." Vince was trembling with resentment, his fists clenched until his knuckles had gone white. "Why don't you come silence me if you're so brave, Boot." He took a few heavy steps towards Terry and Neville, but stopped to hear McGonagall's voice echo through the library.
"Students, get to your houses, curfew in effect! Fifteen minutes!" McGonagall yelled as she walked briskly through the library, but stopped to see what Vince, Neville and Terry were doing. "Boys, no time for such games, run along to your houses, curfew in less than fifteen." She stared nearly hatefully at Vince who didn't move.
"Let these boys know if they like fighting girls, Alecto loves a pitiful challenge." Vince grumbled as he gathered up the rest of his things, but looked over to have McGonagall's hand on his shoulder. He turned around and glared at the old woman who now wore a look of compassion. "What could you possibly want, I'm leaving."
"Blauvelt wasn't hurt in that little attack, but I in no way condone violence against women, Mr. Crabbe." McGonagall didn't figure Vince would understand what she said by the way his expression was unmoving. "Terry was punished more than justly for what transpired in the Muggle Studies corridor, surely you must agree."
Vince knew he couldn't argue with McGonagall, he felt defeated by the professor who stood impatiently before him. "Yes Professor." He said half heartedly, he shouldered his bag and left the library, he walked slowly towards the dungeon, his mind racing with what he'd say to May. Perhaps she wouldn't be in the common and he could quite possibly avoid her until morning when he'd be thinking of another way to hide. Too bad, it was February or he'd go outside to disappear.
May sat staring into the fireplace with Greg at her side. "Can't believe he's been hiding all day, acting like we're leapers or muggles or something." She mumbled, staring at the empty, but still cold bottle of butterbeer she'd recently sat on the coffee table in front of her hiding amongst the numerous other empty bottles. "I don't get it Greg, what did I do?"
Greg grunted, his throat burning from the nip of firewhiskey he'd only just drank, he set the barely touched bottle down. "I don't know, that's the truth." He spoke quietly as he watched how May sat with her forearms on her knees. "Tell you what, we could turn on that thing over there and listen to some music." He smiled to see May get slowly to her feet. "How did you, um, as you said acquire all of this?"
"I have my ways." May whispered as she walked over to the ancient record player with a hand crank on the side. "I don't…" She covered her mouth as a hiccup escaped her. "Don't know how to work this." She opened the cabinet doors and looked at the records, which seemed to be nearly as old as McGonagall. "Curse that boy, I scared him away, Greg, I scared him away." She looked over her shoulder at Greg who was walking towards her. "How do you work that thing?"
"Grab one of those black disks, they're called records, hand it here and we can figure it out." Greg said as he reached down and patted May's shoulder. "You had too much to drink, I'm feeling a little buzz so we best take a seat soon." He wasn't sure what to say, so he let whatever his mind could concoct flow freely from him, he laughed to think about drinking stolen whiskey. "Be back." He mumbled as he walked over to the coffee table and grabbed his drink, he nearly wretched to gulp down a mouthful.
May stood messing with the ancient player until a jazz like sound filled the common room, she threw herself back onto the sofa and buried her face in a pillow. "What did I do Greg, has he said anything?" She yelled into the pillow, hoping she'd be heard by the tipsy Slytherin, no reply came so she lifted her head and looked at Greg who was taking another long drink. "You can't have too much, we have classes in the morning."
Greg nodded as he smashed the cork back into the bottle. "Yes, always right." He mumbled, his eyes becoming glazed. "But it don't matter, we're seventeen." He let May yank the bottle from his hand, he laughed loudly as he watched her set it on the floor. "That's a lot of butterbeer."
Vince stood at the edge of the common room, watching Greg and May, he silently counted out sixteen empty butterbeer bottles and the one May just took from Greg, looked like a bottle he'd seen his dad drink from. He sighed as he listened to Greg laughing at May who lay on the sofa nearly silent. "Hey you two, I see you had a party without me." His voice boomed as he walked towards them smiling.
May didn't move an inch to hear Vince, she would pretend he wasn't there, but he was laughing and seemed to be in a good mood. "What did I do?" She finally had gathered the nerve to speak, it caused Greg and Vince to go silent. Lifting her head seemed difficult, but she managed to look up at the two boys. "Do tell, King of Slytherin, what have I done?"
Vince rubbed his face as he groaned. "You didn't do anything, I don't know what your hounding me about." He glanced over the empty bottles and shook his head. "May, is this about when you said that stuff and then I slammed the door?" He felt sick to see her nod. "I can't say it, I told my dad when I was little and he looked at me like I was a muggle and left, I haven't been able to say it since."
"What can't you say?" Greg asked as he got to his feet and stood trying to dance. "This music is really strange, I just want to move everywhere." He laughed as he flailed his arms around, shuffling his feet wildly as he moved towards the fireplace. "Don't you feel it in your bones, this song makes me have to dance."
"Whatever!" May stated furiously, her gaze moving to meet with a pair of pushed back, muddy brown eyes. "That's some excuse, you couldn't have told me that when I told you I love you? Make me feel like I upset you for just about two months, Vincent Crabbe!" She tried to get quickly to her feet, but fell off the sofa, bumping the coffee table. She swore under her breath as empty bottles rolled off the table, some landing on her. "Help me up, I'm going to bed."
"I can't carry you into the girls' dorms, I'm not allowed in." Vince spoke quietly as a thought came to mind, but he dismissed it, May wouldn't agree to it, even being a little drunk off butterbeer. "How are you going to get to your bed?"
"Just help me up." May asked quietly, she was glad to be hoisted to her feet and held against Vince's chest. "I'm sorry I'm pushy, just thought you didn't like me, that's why you wouldn't say it." She closed her eyes as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I thought you're mad and that's why you're avoiding me, so glad you…" She hiccupped and laughed. "So glad you're here." She wrapped her arms around Vince tightly.
Vince knew not many of the boys would be in the dorm until closer to ten thirty, maybe eleven, no one went to bed early in the Slytherin boys' dorm. He scooped up May quickly, causing her to give a screaming laugh. "You must be perfectly silent or the professors will find you and you will be expelled." He couldn't think of anything better to tell her, it seemed to work though, he got May in his bed and covered up. "Don't make a sound."
Greg wandered up to the boys' dorm, he staggered a little as he walked to his bed and flopped down. "Vincent, you're a good guy, looking out for her." He mumbled half into his pillow, but smiled. "I've never drank before." He laughed even harder, watching Vince pulling his curtains shut. "They will know." He rolled onto his back and closed his eyes. "Good night."
"Good night Greg." Vince snapped as he shot his friend a glare, he had to get into his night clothes and back into the room before anyone else showed up, he frantically dug in his trunk. Upon finding his night clothes he decided to wait until in the morning for a shower, having someone find out a girl was in his bed could warrant heavy blackmail. "The butter beer!" He hissed as he fought out of his school clothes and into his sweatpants, he picked up the undershirt he had pulled off by accident and pulled it back on as he ran down to the common.
Daphne and Pansy stopped in their tracks to see butterbeer bottles all over the middle of the common. They watched as Vince scrambled to picked them up, but look frantically for a place to stick them.
"Just put them all on the table and use a charm to get rid of them, you do know how to clean a table, right?" Pansy asked, but giggled to look at Daphne who was mocking the look on Vince's face. "Oh boy, he doesn't know the charm, but of course he is Vincent Crabbe." She put a hand on Daphne's shoulder and nearly doubled over to see Vince dropping the bottles onto the table. "Hurry Vincent! Hurry!" She yelled, knowing how the boy performed under stress.
Vince blocked Pansy's voice from his head, he did the charm and snatched the bottle of firewhiskey off the floor and bolted up to his bed. He looked around and thought about putting it in his trunk, but if it were found, he'd receive the punishment, then the thought of Greg's nightstand. He ran over and opened the bottom drawer, empty, this was perfect, he stashed the bottle and quickly shut the drawer, he started to climb into bed when he heard a boy speaking to him.
"Off to bed already, Crabbe?" A blonde headed boy asked as he threw himself down onto the soft mattress of the four-poster, he looked over his shoulder when Vince didn't reply. "If you're a grouch then just go to sleep."
"I will." Vince said quickly, terrified of having May get found out, he climbed onto his bed and lay awake until the room had gone pitch-black and silent apart from snores and sleep-gibbering. He looked at May who had snuggled herself against him, he had to shut his eyes and just go to sleep, perhaps she would stay asleep the whole night through.
Greg got up in the night and went to the bathroom, he returned to the dorm and changed into his night pants. He sat on the edge of his bed and looked at Vince's shut curtains, he thought for a moment Vince and May were awake, but pushed the thought form his head as he lay down and pulled his covers up. He looked over at the bed next to him again, he thought Vince to be having some wild dream by the nearly silent groan he heard. "Crazy Vincent, probably shouldn't have eaten all those brownies." He breathed as he made himself comfortable in his bed.
Thursday morning held no classes for most seventh year boys, unless one had an elective course, so most boys slept in except for those who couldn't miss breakfast, at nearly eleven the Slytherin house had emptied out. Vince took this chance to search for any stray students, he found none so he slipped May into the common room. "Don't pull that again, I know some of the girls noticed you weren't there, Pansy for sure did."
"No, I always leave my curtains closed and no one dares to open them unless I say they can." May said with a giggle, her hair was a mess and her clothes wrinkled, but seeing the smile Vince gave her made it ok. "I'm going to get dressed and you need to get to lunch before someone thinks you've come down with dragon pox."
Vince laughed as he went about getting dressed, he went cheerily to lunch and sat laughing and talking with Greg. He didn't see May until he was on his way to Dark Arts, he watched her walking with her single strap bag, and she looked to be in much better spirits than she had the night before. He nudged Greg and pointed. "Look at that, isn't she beautiful this afternoon?"
"Save the cheap romantics until after my class, Crabbe, we need to get ourselves filled with ire for class today." Amycus said as he stepped from inside the classroom. "We have someone who was caught last night in the halls, Seamus Finnigan, he's going to be our focus of today's lesson." He stepped aside for the students to begin filing into the room, but he stopped May who had her collar turned up. "Is that proper uniform?"
"I was styling my hair, Professor Carrow, when I had an awful accident and burned my neck, it's a real nasty looking mark." May said with a sweet smile, which caused the Carrow to motion her in, she bounced into the classroom full of her usual bubbly mood, torturing a human target was always her favorite part of class.
Seamus stood in heavy chains at the front of the classroom, he had been in the same spot all night and looked tired and unnerved. He looked at May as she entered the room, he caught her eye and knew when she had her turn he would be paid back for asking Terry to punch her. He bowed his head and sighed heavily as Amycus took his place in front of the class.
"Did everyone practice Mutatio Skullus, don't bother answering because I know the work wasn't completed, no one had to visit Madam Pomfrey for a potion to fix it." Amycus stated as he shook his head, sadly. "Does anyone know how to properly cast it?" He gave a wheezy laugh to see only May's hand, he walked over to Seamus and slapped him across the face. "Are you ready?" He looked at May who was on her feet, grinning. "Cast away."
Greg shot Vince a wide-eyed look to see Seamus fall to the classroom floor, his head expanding into a pear shape. "You see that?" He hissed, the screams of the student keeping Amycus from hearing him, looking over at the contorting student a smile grew slowly across his mouth. "She's pretty good at this."
Class continued with the students each being forced to practice the curse on Seamus who writhed on the floor, fighting his chains and giving blood-chilling shrieks with each mutation his skull endured. Most of the Gryffindor students were overjoyed for class to end, they left in small groups of two or three hissing with whispers of the horrors they had to watch.
Vince found May after class, she stood just outside the classroom against the wall waiting as she always did. "So your pretty good with that curse, you practice often?" He laughed to see her acting bashful. "Oh come on, I know you lay awake all Wednesday night itching to punish someone Thursday afternoon."
May looked over at Greg who wasn't paying them any attention. "Looks like someone actually wants to learn a few new spells." She took Vince's arm and leaned against him as they walked. "You should have signed up for Alchemy, it's amazingly pleasant and I think you'd enjoy it." She looked up at him and laughed to see him making a face. "Seriously, today we're going to be turning lead into silver."
Vince shook his head laughing. "Not for me, I'm very content taking as few classes as possible. I don't have potions, no herbology, I didn't see hardly any electives I wanted so I'm living the dream. Sit back and relax until tomorrow morning when we go to Muggle Studies, but I'll see you at dinner and maybe you can show me turning a fork into gold." He laughed as he continued with May holding firmly to his arm, he escorted her to the Alchemy classroom and stroked her cheek. "You have fun, I'm going to pull Greg out of his book and have some fun of my own."
Greg quickly found Vince who was heading for the Slytherin dorm. "Hey, I just heard something really interesting." He whispered with a grin. "I heard some of those Gryffindor idiots talking about Potter, I guess Longbottom has been preaching about Saint Potter coming to rescue them again. How awesome would it be to find out where exactly they hold those little meetings?" Seeing how Vince looked uninterested, he nudged him. "If we could follow one of them and find out, it would impress May, you know it would."
"I guess, but we don't even know who all Longbottom preaches that stuff at, if they believed it, they wouldn't outright tell one of us. We're seventh year Slytherins, we're basically untouchable in this school and no one will tell us anything unless we torture it out of them." Vince said as he glanced around. "Perhaps if we could get our hands on Longbottom and torture him, he might squeal, but look at how the Carrows punish him."
"Yeah, he hasn't said anything to them and they are worlds better than us at torture." Greg rubbed the back of his neck. "I was thinking, last night you must not have slept well, I saw how you packed away those brownies at dinner and heard you grunting and groaning last night." He turned around to face Vince who had stopped walking. "Oh come on, you know that was too much chocolate and you know that gives you a belly ache." He wasn't sure why Vince's face was suddenly red so he laughed to ease the awkwardness he now felt.
Vince laughed uneasily as he started to follow Greg again. "Yeah, I had an awful stomach ache, that's all." He wondered exactly how much Greg had heard and if he'd ever figure out exactly what had really gone on.