Eleven

"Men.
Have you ever tried to figure them out?
Huh, me too, but I ain't got no clue
How 'bout you?"

Shania Twain, "Shoes"


Orion:

My entire body is hurting, at least it feels like it when I apparate in front of Lavinia's – or since two days our flat – and start using the incantations to open the door. I had been back to Ardfert to do the interview I had wanted to do a week ago. I went to Linda's hut, or whatever it is, to give back the tee-shirt, when the door had been opened by her very enraged boyfriend who obviously believed what Miss Carrow had written in her article.

I sigh again before I open the door, expecting Lavinia to be there. "Hi there!", I call, like I've done it previously.

"BUGGER!", I hear Lavinia cursing loudly in the kitchen, followed by a banging sound.

I walk to the kitchen door and ask her out of politeness: "What's the matter?"

"I can't use your stupid jokes right now, you know.", she's telling me, without looking up.

"Alright. I'm not keen on another fight today.", I say and put my hand against my considerably swollen cheek. Prewitt seems to be an expert Muggle fighter, I don't even have bruises – but my face will still be all black and blue by tomorrow if no one is healing me soon. Ah, now she's looking up. She has already half opened her mouth, no doubt to insult me, when she realises I'm hurt.

"What the bloody... who did you insult now? And don't tell me you "fell down the stairs".", she asks curiously.

"None of your business.", I snap back without looking at her. "Would you mind healing me before it's too late? Can you do that?"

I don't believe it. Lavinia is pouting now. I'm hurt, I'm in pain, but she is pouting! "I don't think so. You see this mess? No healing before I haven't cleaned that up. Believe it or not, there are more important things than your face, Yaxley." That woman's got nerves!

"What? I mean, your floor is more important to you than my face? Why, thank you, you're such a nice person.", if this isn't the time to get sarcastic there is no time for it. It would have been much easier if I could have healed myself. But I'm not risking another accident just because I'm too mixed up to say the incantation right.

I take out my wand to start removing the mess – I don't exactly know why, probably because I think it would annoy her. "And just for the record: My face hurts awfully!" Why have I said that?

She doesn't answer right away. I can see that she doesn't like me cleaning up but she isn't commenting on it. Instead, she keeps on teasing me about my injuries. "Well, whoever did this to you, I bet he had every right to do it. Hence: Keep it hurting. Will remind you not to insult any people who can punch like that as well."

I get angry with her. Why did I ever come here? She's worse than my wife for that matter. At least, my wife never had the nerve to insult me when I was hurt. Well, to be true, she didn't really care either. "I didn't insult anyone. It's just a stupid misunderstanding and he's never needed a reason to get against me, did he?"

I've finished cleaning up the kitchen, and all she's got to do is looking around absentmindedly. "Well, how can I know? You didn't even tell me what happened. What do you think? Pizza or Chinese food for supper?"

"You know, I could just call my house elf, we don't have to rely on those Muggle services", I don't hide that I'm not convinced with what Lavinia has told me is called "fast food". "And I did absolutely nothing. I just wanted to bring Linda her tee-shirt back, you know. And it seems that her boyfriend had just been waiting for me. How can she be with someone like him?" I glare at her. Why can't she just heal me?

The nerve that woman's got! She doesn't react to my proposition but goes to the – whatever Muggle-thing she is using to communicate – instead and orders pizza. Then, she turns to me again – and has still no intention in helping me!

"Orion Yaxley, I have no idea what you're talking about. And unless you don't tell me more than those snippets, I'm not going to do anything resembling healing.", she says.

"Are you trying to blackmail me or something?" I snap back. If she doesn't do anything soon, I'll have to go to work tomorrow with a blue and swollen face. I should have gone to St. Mungo's instead.

She's making an annoyed noise, throws her arms in the air and runs away into the living room. I'm still too confused about that behaviour when she starts speaking again.

"I'mnot blackmailing you. I just want to bloody know what happened to you. Because, you know, you're my flat mate, and as far as I remember, telling things to each other is an imminent part of being flatmates. So?"

"It isn't important. I just want to be healed, is this so difficult to you?" I'm increasingly unhappy about this situation.

Lavinia just shrugs slightly, and I suspect not entirely seriously. "Fine. Be like that. You've got to go to work looking like that."

Wait. What? How can she do that? Never had I thought that she would actually decide not to help me. Isn't that a part of being flatmates, too?

"Why are you so incredibly stubborn!" I exclaim but I still don't want to tell her what happened. How would this sound to her – I've got beaten up by one of your Hufflepuff-friends who hasn't even got a wand anymore?


Lavinia:

"Oh well, maybe because I can't stand it when people I like are keeping secrets from me!" Uh, why did I say that just right now? Why did I say that at all? Then, suddenly I'm saved by the bell. Literally. Woohoo, the pizza's here. Not saying anything more I practically dash for the door, hoping I haven't blushed as violently as before. When I'm done with the pizza boy, I walk into the living room again, carrying two pizza boxes. I just bet he's gonna get hungry, even if he claims he's not one for muggle fast food.

When he sees me he says "Oh, you must really like me if you don't care how much I suffer from these injuries.", sounding indeed a little whiny.

I can just suppress an amused smile and instead role my eyes, saying "'course I do. I just think this friendship-thing or whatever we are building up here should be two-ways. You tell me who's been giving you this beating, and I heal the result. Plus you can have some pizza on my account.", and set the pizza boxes down, opening mine. Ah, good old Pizza Caprese.

"If you must know... it was Linda's boyfriend who obviously believed in what Miss Carrow had written in her article.", he says in that trademark "mortally offended"-posh-dignity he seems to have cultivated, and doesn't even look at the box before him. Fine. Go to bed hungry.

I take out the first slice of fat-dripping, delicious pizza and respond with: "I think you already said something of that account. Do I assume correctly that I know that certain someone as well and you just don't want to tell me because it would be totally embarrassing to you to tell me who it was?" Oh. Seems like I hit home.

"Why are you so keen on knowing? Ask Emerson who her boyfriend was if you're interested." Well, yes, good question. Why am I so keen on knowing? Oh right, because I sense a bloody good story behind all of this. Something really got him a snitch, and I just bet it's worth looking into it. I think, for now I'll just make a mental note to owl Linda in the near future. But I should warn him, that would be only fair.

"Okay. Just don't say I didn't warn you. Now, you know, I've got a generous day today, and "Ask Emerson" is as good as any answer. So… come over here, will you?" Look who's coming scuttling towards me. At first I conjure up some pieces of cotton wool and an antiseptic and dab at the places where skin has been damaged.

He makes a show of wincing, but I don't comment on it, because what he says is much more interesting. "I wouldn't owl her. She's got too much trouble at the moment I suppose. He's left her... I... I told her she should go after him. Don't know why I said that. Who would want to be with a guy like this?"

I grin. "You're not making it any better, Orion. I mean, you're practically forcing me to owl her. And I think she could use some female support when you managed to chase away her boyfriend. Every way you look at it… you lose."

I'm done with dabbing, and he answers with: "If you want to get beaten up as well, do it. Prewitt's just got an awful temper. And he hates me. I didn't do anything wrong. Idiot."

I nearly choke. He's got himself so worked up, he didn't even realise his tongue just slipped. And… Prewitt?Lynx Prewitt? Boyfriend of Linda Emerson? Now I have to owl her. Whoever would have thought those two would end up together? I mean, Linda Emerson was so studiously, even well-meaning schoolmates were not above calling her a bookworm or a smug. She was like… our year's Hermione Granger, minus the bushy hair and the front teeth. Oh, and of course minus the two heroes at her side. Anyway… Linda Emerson and Lynx Prewitt? Just can't believe it.

Momentarily shut up by Orion's little slip of tongue I wave my wand at his face and intone "Episky." Immediately his face starts to shrink back to normal proportions. Content with my work, I can finally speak up again: "You sure you didn't do any wrong? I mean, this is you, foot-in-mouth Orion Yaxley and all…" When I see him getting ready to climb up his little soap box again, I just flash him a teasing grin.

Which he obviously doesn't get. "Of course, he's Mister Nice-Guy, Hufflepuff, do-gooder...", he shakes his head, "Oh no, not him. He doesn't need a reason to attack me. Idiot."

I roll my eyes. "Merlin, Orion, don't get your knickers in a twist. I was just teasing you. What is it between you and Prewitt?" He's already taking in some air and preparing himself to say something, but I hold up a hand and say: "Come to think of it… tell me another time. I'm not sure if I'm in the mood for a tale of hate and misery right now."

After finishing healing him, I resorted to eating pizza again, silently awaiting his answer to this one. Then he says, sounding and looking pretty smug: "You didn't expect me to tell you about it, did you?"

I sigh. "No, not really. But that doesn't change the fact I still want to know someday. Don't look like that. One day… I'll get it all out of you. Though, now…" I look at my nearly empty pizza box. When did I start eating so fast? "Well… let's call it an evening, huh? Coach is pestering me with extra training, ever since that Camp Of Doom."

I get up, and he follows suit, telling me: "Well... thanks for liking me enough to heal me in the end." You know what I would have been thankful for? Just for once hearing some honest gratefulness or shame or anything like that in his voice. But I knew I wouldn't get that because it just isn'tOrion, and so I keep quiet about it. So instead of commenting on it, I dispose of the boxes and then bid him good night.

And then some little pixie must be riding me, because at the living room door, I turn around one last time, and say: "Orion... just for the record: I do like you. I think you're funny, charming and just generally nice to be with. That is, if you're not being an overly insensitive, egoistic, whiny Slytherin prick. Which you are most of time. Because you are… I'm babbling. I like you. Even when being a prick." Not waiting for his answer, I turn around and finally retire to my bedroom. Way to go, McNeil, way to go.


A/N: Look, we're still alive! Thanks to the reviewers. luna's (I hope you don't mind your name being shortened) made us think a little, and we hope we made the difference a little more visible now. Or, to say it short: Lavinia sure as hell wouldn't whine like Orion does ;)