Chapter 9: Merlin's Hot Pink Booty Shorts.
"Why – won't – this – fucking – WORK?"
I turned around and saw Al scowling and frantically waving his wand over the chair we were supposed to be turning into a raccoon.
We were in Transfiguration, a class that I excelled at. The only person in the year who topped me was Rose Weasley, but she was good at everything, so it doesn't really count.
I suppressed a laugh and walked over to him as his scowl grew deeper and his stool resolutely remained to be – well, a chair.
"Hey, Mclair" said Al distractedly, his face screwed up in concentration as he tried again.
Nothing happened.
Al aimed a powerful kick at the chair which skidded across the floor.
"FUCK!" he called out, clutching his foot and hopping on the spot.
"Mr Potter!" thundered Professor McGonagall. "I forbid you to use such language in my classroom!"
"Sorry, Professor" he said, setting his foot back on the floor and retrieving his chair. "What am I doing wrong?" he asked, turning to me.
"You're curling your wand too much at the end" I said. "It's more of a jab."
"Okay" he said, nodding. He tried again, but still, nothing happened.
"You're swishing your wand at the start" I said when he looked over at me in frustration. "It's supposed to be more of a wave."
"And what's the difference?" Al asked.
"Well a swish is more…swishy. And a wave is more…wave-like" I said, feebly.
"Right, thanks for clearing that up" said Al sarcastically.
"Here, it's like this" I said and guided his hand through the spell. The chair vanished and in its place stood a raccoon, its small, black eyes blinking up at us.
Al stared down at the raccoon, shocked. "Thanks, Liv."
"No problem" I said. "Now try on your own." I flicked my wand and the raccoon promptly turned back into a chair.
Al looked at the chair, concentrating hard. He muttered the incantation and once again, a raccoon appeared where the chair had been moments before.
Al grinned at me. "Thanks for helping me."
"It's no trouble. I'm happy to help you whenever you need it in exchange for you soul and eternal servitude" I said.
He considered me for a brief moment. "Hmmm… well, I'd like you to reconsider and accept a large box of chocolates and my first-born."
I turned up my nose. "I don't want your snotty child. The chocolates it is!"
"Done!" he said enthusiastically, shaking my hand.
"Seriously though," I said flatly, the grin slipping off my face, "you really do have to give be a box of chocolates."
ALBUS POTTER.
It was past curfew and I was making my way back to my dormitory after a late night snack down in the kitchens.
It had been a good day. We had the best Quidditch practice I can remember having in a long time. We're going to annihilate Slytherin.
My mind was so caught up in the fantastic goals Emily Lyden had managed to put past Luke today that I didn't even realise what I was seeing until it was about two metres away.
Rose Weasley, my baby cousin, and Scorpius Malfoy leaning up against a wall. Snogging.
Against. A. Wall.
What the fuck?
Seriously, what the ACTUAL fuck?
Does Malfoy have some form of developmental psychotic problem? First, he's tripping my cousin in hallways and sending jinxes at her every other day, then he snogs her against a bloody wall? What kind of person does that?
"OI!" I shouted, and they sprung apart.
"Oh, hey Al" Rose greeted me as if I hadn't just caught her heatedly snogging someone who was supposed to be her mortal enemy.
"Don't you 'hey' me!" I yelled, pointing a finger at her. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
"And you!" I said, rounding on Malfoy. "You think you can just go screwing my cousin around like that? Hexing her one day, and then groping her in a corridor the next?"
"Al, you need to calm down" said Rose, stepping in between Malfoy and me before I could draw my wand.
"Calm down? Calm down?" I looked at her incredulously.
"Yes" she stated. "It's not a big deal."
"NOT A BIG DEAL?" I thundered. "I find my baby cousin getting molested by some foul git and you expect me to believe it's not a big deal?"
"Yes" Rose said, rolling her eyes. "And he's not molesting me for Merlins sake –"
"How long has this been going on?" I demanded, cutting her off.
"About four weeks, not that it's any of your business."
"Four – FOUR WEEKS?" I shouted. "He's a Malfoy, for Merlins sake! What about your family values, Rose? I forbid you to see him!"
Rose glared at me angrily. "Last time I checked, Potter, it was not up to you to forbid me to do anything. Let's go, Scorpius" she spat and grabbed Malfoy's arm.
Malfoy looked quite glad to be getting away. Up until this point he had been shrunk up against the wall, looking apprehensive.
I kicked the wall as I went past. Bloody cowardly Slytherin.
LIV MCLAIR.
It was Saturday and Dom and I were in the library catching up on homework after a particularly gruelling Quidditch practice.
When I say we were catching up on homework, I mean we were surreptitiously spying on Izzy and Will Cowan, a Seventh Year Ravenclaw and one of Hogwarts' resident heartbreakers, while they shamelessly flirted with each other a table away from us.
"Does he know that he's wasting his time?" Dom whispered to me from behind the books we had stacked in front of our faces.
"I don't think so" I whispered back. "But Izzy looks pretty into him."
"Of course she does, the girl's a shameless flirt!" said Dom.
I snorted. "Coming from Dominique Weasley, the queen of flirtation."
Dom whacked me on the shoulder. "Well Izzy won't go for him, anyway. She flirts with guys for about five minuted before she gets fed up because they're not Alfie."
"What are you two doing, hiding behind a pile of books?" came a suspicious voice. It was Alfie.
"Shhh!" I hissed and pulled him down onto the seat next to me. "We don't want them to hear us!"
"You don't want who to hear yo –" Alfie began, but upon seeing Izzy and Will, he became stiff as a board, his jaw clamped shut. "What is she doing here with him?" he asked, glaring at Will.
"She's helping him with Charms" I said. "And for Merlins sake, keep your voice down."
Alfie ignored my last comment. "Helping him with Charms? He's a bloody Ravenclaw! He doesn't need help!"
"Well then I guess he's only pretending to need help to get in her pants" Dom hissed. "Now, shhh!"
"And you're perfectly okay with some sleazy bloke trying to get into your friends pants?" Alfie asked, incredulous.
"Of course not, you bloody git! Why do you think we're spying on them?" Dom snapped, obviously annoyed at his incessant talking.
"If I didn't know better, Alfie, I'd say you were jealous" I looked at him, smirking.
"Pfft, jealous" said Alfie, waving what I assumed was supposed to be a nonchalant hand but almost whacking Dom in the face. "I'm not jealous. I'm just looking out for her. He's obviously way out of her league. I just don't want her to get her hopes up" he stated airily. "In fact, I think I'm going to go and tell her that right now" and with that, he stood up and made his way over to Izzy and Will's table.
Dom's eyebrows had disappeared into her hairline and my mouth hung open widely in disbelief. Sexy, I know.
Alfie. Is. An. Imbecile!
"Davis" he greeted when he reached Izzy, completely ignoring Will.
"Oh, hey Alfie" said Izzy, looking confused at his unusually cold tone.
"What are you doing?" he demanded, forcefully.
"I'm tutoring Will" said Izzy, her tone growing more confused.
Alfie laughed in a cruel way and Izzy's expression turned from puzzled to angry in a flash.
"Something funny, Collins?" she snapped.
"Actually, yes" said Alfie, leaning forwards and leaning on the table. "I mean, Will Cowan dating you? Forget it. He's way out of your league."
Izzy recoiled and looked as though she'd like to sock him in the face.
To be quite honest, I'd like to see that.
"Fuck off, Collins" she spat through her teeth.
Will was attempting to surreptitiously inch away from them.
"Don't tell me what to do" Alfie said, leaning closer to her.
"I'll bloody do whatever I want" Izzy seethed. "Get out of my personal space!"
"Why?" asked Alfie, leaning even closer, so they were only about an inch apart. "Is it bothering you?"
"Well, yes" said Izzy, her tone slightly fearful as she inched back from him.
Alfie gripped her shoulder to prevent her from moving any further. Dom and I exchanged worried looks.
"Get away from me" Izzy hissed dangerously.
Alfie smirked and moved closer. This time, Izzy didn't move back, her expression challenging. "Make me" Alfie whispered his voice unusually husky.
Excuse me while I vomit in disgust.
"I will if you don't –" Izzy began, but before she could finish, Alfie cut her off. With his lips.
My jaw promptly hit the floor again and Will Cowan scarpered, looking slightly horrified.
Dom and I looked at each other, our faces asking the exact same thing. What, in the name of Merlin's hot pink booty shorts, was going on?
Alfie and Izzy. Kissing. KISSING! As in, he attached his mouth to hers and – well, you get the idea.
I was in shock.
Alfie broke away from the kiss first and looked at Izzy apprehensively.
She looked as though she had just been hit by a bus. She just sat there, dumbfounded, for a full two minutes before Alfie spoke.
"Um, Izzy?" he said, waving a tentative hand in front of her face.
She jumped in surprise and her gaze zeroed in on Alfie. A thousand emotions flashed through her eyes as she looked at him, fighting the raging battle I knew had started in her head.
Alfie, on the other hand, kept his face impassive, waiting for her reaction.
For a second they just stood there, before Izzy stood abruptly and shot out of the library without a backward glance.
Alfie on the other hand smiled and walked out calmly, his hands in his pockets.
I turned to look at Dom again, but she had her eyes closed and was silently shaking her head.
Well, damn.
A/N: I know there wasn't much Al/Liv in this chapter, but I kind of want to get some of the couples wrapped up, and to do that, I actually need to start writing them. Rose/Scorpius won't play a major role in this story, but since she and Al are cousins, I thought I needed to at least mention them.
I'm not overjoyed with this chapter, to be honest, I kind of hate it, but it's the best I could do.
I just want to thank everyone who has reviewed/favourited/put this story on alert. It means so much to me. Seriously, you guys are the only reason I continue writing this :)
Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Love, Ellie.
