Chapter 11:
"That was the most awkward time of my life." Celeste groaned, telling Mai all about the 'date.' Every thing they'd thrown at him hadn't worked. He liked that she was now clingy, got over her music taste, and ignored the fact that she dressed like a walking glitter factory, and continually made it a point to hug or kiss her goodbye or at least have his arm on her.
"Oh, come on! It couldn't have been that bad." Mai objected.
"Oh, it was." Celeste said, eyeing her seriously. "I'm starting to think that there will be no shaking him."
"It's only been one date." Mai said patiently. "I'm sure that after maybe 3 others, he'll leave you alone."
"Three?" Celeste cried. "I like James, but having him kiss me goodbye is just..."
"Weird?" Mai suggested. Celeste shrugged; it was better than the word she'd been about to blurt.
"And then of course there's Jenny and Scorpius tagging along every time." Celeste sighed.
"We have to show him that Jenny is a better potential mate than"- she cut off abruptly. "Oh, wait, you were talking about Scorp. Oh, kay, got it. I take it Jenny told him."
"Almost immediately." Celeste murmured. "I knew she couldn't keep her mouth shut."
"Nah," Mairead said, "she can. She's known who I like for forever. I think it's only because you're her closest friend and she's a little too eager for you two to finally become an item."
"A little too eager is an understatement." Celeste muttered. "Now I can't sit across the table from him without wanting to switch Jenny places."
"Don't worry. I'm sure this will all work itself out in time. I promise." Mairead said. "Now, you seem a bit stressed, so why don't you go and take a bath, get rid of the glitter, change into something a tad more comfortable, and we'll sit around and read Hogwarts, A History together. Sound like a plan?"
Celeste nodded. She was so glad Mairead was in her House. She'd met Mairead right after she'd met Jenny on their first time aboard the Hogwarts Express. It was nice to have someone who understood you to talk to when your other best friend wasn't allowed into your common room, lest she be torn apart by vengeful Ravenclaws.
Celeste wearily trudged up the stairs to the girls dorm, her feet dragging. Once she was up there, she grabbed a comfy pair of yoga pants and a tank top and a cozy sweatshirt, going to the girls bathroom and marking it Occupado for all to see. She ran some boiling hot bathwater and slipped in, relishing the warm water after the cold day. Her blonde hair floated in tendrils around her and she sunk beneath the water, shaking the glitter off of her body the best she could. During all this, she tried to think about what she really thought about Scorpius.
The pros:
She liked him.
Okay, that has been established already.
He was cute.
Well Duh!
He was really smart.
A quality Ravenclaws admire.
He was nice.
She wanted somebody nice.
He was giving.
How exactly did she know this? He'd given her a book.
And the cons:
He was prejudiced.
He was a Malfoy.
She didn't know if he liked her back.
Boys were so difficult to read.
Their relationship might cause gossip.
Scorpius downright hated the press.
What else was there? Her biggest problem it seemed was that he was prejudiced and the theory that purebloods were better had been pounded into his head for eleven years before she'd met him. He wasn't exactly going to just immediately let go of those ideals because she batted her baby blue eyes at him! She just liked him so much…
Celeste sighed and leaned her head back against the edge of the tub. Why did love have to be so damned complicated? Couldn't she just have the simple life she wanted? But then again, if her life was simple like she wanted, she probably wouldn't be a witch. Celeste couldn't handle it if she weren't a witch. If a bit of drama meant being a witch, she'd take it gladly.
Okay, you're getting off topic Celeste thought irritably. Think: why would you see Scorpius Malfoy as something worth fighting for, beyond how he looks?
She thought and thought. But she couldn't come up with anything. It seemed that she only liked him because he had a pretty face that was nice to look at. For some reason, that upset her terribly and she began to tear up. She desperately wanted a reason to see Ictis as someone she wanted in her life and would fight tooth and nail for, but there wasn't one. He was cute, that was it.
But what about all of the pro's? demanded the tiny voice in her head that stuck up for him. They outweigh the cons.
The cons are just a bit more powerful I guess, Celeste thought glumly. She dried her tears and finished her bath, drying herself off and getting into her clothes. When she went back downstairs with semi-wet hair, she couldn't see Mai anywhere. That was odd. She'd promised to read with Celeste. And she hadn't been getting her book, otherwise Celeste would have seen her in the dorm. Where was she?
"Um, excuse me, Daisy?" Celeste asked, gently tapping a first year on the shoulder. "Have you seen Mairead lately?"
Daisy shrugged as she poured over her textbook. "Dunno. She got up after you left saying something about Slytherins and their damned inability to let things go."
"Thanks." Celeste said, getting up and walking to the door. Mai had gone to see the Slytherins. Great. She knew that they were only supposed to go in one another's common rooms on break and when they were empty to avoid being seen. What the bloody hell was Mai doing?
Celeste stormed through the hallways, going towards the Slytherin dungeons. She was just passing the library when she heard a soft voice say "May I speak with you Scorpius?"
It was Mai. She was in the library? What for? Then she remembered who she'd spoken to. Scorpius. Why in the bloody hell and in the name of all that was magical, was she visiting Scorpius in the library?
"Sure." Scorpius said politely. "What do you need?"
"We have something to ask you." Said Jenny's voice and Celeste realized Jenny was there as well. "Please answer us truthfully."
"Kay, go ahead." Scorpius said.
"We want to know your feelings on Celeste." Mai said bluntly.
Celeste's breath caught and she heard Scorpius hesitate. "She's a very sweet girl and her crush is very endearing to me. But she'll always only be a friend, if that you guys."
"Thank you for your honesty." Jenny said quietly. Celeste backed up quickly and turned on her heel. Hot tears sprang to her eyes, though she knew they were irrational. She'd known the chances of him liking her back were around slim to nothing, but it still hurt like a sharp, rusty, serrated blade got lodged in her chest and with every breath she took, it got jostled and only caused more pain. She rounded a corner and since her hands were in her eyes, wiping away tears, she didn't see the person standing there. She collided with James and collapsed to the ground, striking her head sharply. He groaned and sat up, but Celeste rolled around and held the back of her head.
No, no, no, don't faint. She growled at herself. Don't do it. You know what will happen if you do. James doesn't know and Jenny isn't here, don't….don't…don't pass ou…pass..out…
Celeste saw the blackness looming on the edges of her vision and couldn't fight the unconsciousness that washed over her.
A/N: Remember that condition I told you about a few chappies ago? Well, it's manifesting and it's bad. What shall happen next? *Cue ominous music as I walk out the door, my Billowy Cloak of Doom that I borrowed from Snape flying out behind me*
