Music and laughter filled the air. It was a Gryffindor party in celebration of simply being Gryffindors. More like an excuse to throw a party. All Gryffindors were invited with the exception of friends of Gryffindors who were in a different House. Naturally Penn dragged me along. A friend of hers from Quidditch held the party at his house, which wasn't very far from Hogwarts.
I forewent my usual casual clothes for something more dressy since Penn said her friend decided to make the party a little bit more than casual. At least as far as attire goes anyway. The party it's self was the same as any other party. I left my hair down and wore a simple empire waist dress with cap sleeves. The color of the dress was a deep shade of green. It reminded me of the night time deep within the forest. Strappy black heels adorned my feet while sheer black stockings wrapped around my legs. To finish the ensemble off, I wore a silver Slytherin pendant on a small silver snake chain. The pendant was the Slytherin crest with the word Slytherin etched beneath it. Professor Quinn, who taught History of Magic, gave it to me as a special gift last year for getting such high marks in her class for the entire time of being at Hogwarts. She said that one day I would be a special witch who does great things, such as teaching a class on History of Magic like she does. Hopefully she was right on the special witch part. I don't know if I could handle teaching a class like she does.
I leaned my back up against the wall of the living room, relaxing and holding a cup of almost gone pumpkin juice in my hand. The room wasn't crowded but it did hold a few other people in it. Some sitting on the couch and chairs while the others stood, carrying conversation. Penn was off in a different room dancing and joking around with some of her other friends.
"Don't we look rather ravishing tonight."
I sighed, looking up to find Spencer standing before me. He wore a black button up shirt with a pair of matching pants. "You look okay," I said.
His lips pursed into a cocky grin. "Just okay? I'm the best looking person at this whole party." I shook my head slightly, faint annoyance settling in. Once conceited, always conceited.
Spencer pressed his hand onto the wall next to my head, looking around the room. I side stepped against the wall and away from his hand while he wasn't looking. "Did you have to stick yourself in the most boring room, Guinevere?" He asked.
I sighed. As tempted as it was to yell at him, I politely pushed the feeling away. "Don't call me that. It's relaxing in here."
"Ah, yes, you always did prefer the quiet boring stuff but there's also a little rebel inside of you, who would break free sometimes. She was fun," he said.
"And irresponsible," I said, regretting some of the past moments I had with him. Then again, my whole relationship with Spencer was nothing but one huge ball of regret.
"And fun," he said as he leaned in a little closer, stopping midway at the sound of Edan and Elliot's laughter entering the room. We both glanced at them. As if this wasn't awkward enough, now Edan and Elliot show up. Penn was smart to run off to the dancing in the other room earlier. Too bad she isn't here now, though.
At the notice of Spencer, Edan approached us with Elliot walking along with him. The three of them nodded in greeting. "Hello," I said. Edan and Elliot greeted me with equal Hello's. To avoid further awkwardness, I looked out the window beside me. Stars glittered in the night sky and the full moon was encircled by it's own glowing halo of white.
"Have you seen Lydia tonight, Spencer?" Edan asked.
"No, I haven't," Spencer said as he stared at me briefly.
Edan grinned. "Well, buddy, you should check her out later. She was looking for you, and looking spicy as ever, I must say."
Spencer laughed. "Is that right? I shall have to go grace her with my charming presence then and see why the lady is looking for me."
Edan and Spencer started laughing together now, though Elliot stayed quiet. What is it with men and their raging hormones? It must be mating season for them 24/7.
Spencer leaned in closely, whispering into my ear so that just I could hear, "Save me a dance, Guinevere." Did he honestly think I would do that? After all this time. I turned my face away from the window to look at him. "You lost your chance a long time ago, Spencer" I said evenly.
He shook Edan and Elliot's hands, preparing to leave. As he walked away he turned around. "By the way, Gwen, my name and the word lost simply don't go together." Idiot. He turned and left the room. Probably in search of whoever Lydia is.
"You really should give him a chance again," Edan said.
"Why do you care?" I asked simply.
He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "I don't, dear sister, but if I have to put up with you at times then I would much prefer doing it with him around."
"Right. If I have to deal with those things you sleep with then you'll just have to deal with me without your good buddy Spencer," I said.
He glanced to the other room where people were dancing, talking without looking at either me or Elliot. "I do believe I see just such a thing I want now. If you'll excuse me..." Edan wandered off into the other room out of sight.
"And then there were two," I said.
"Yeah," Elliot said. He looked down at my pendant, reaching his hand out and grasping it between two of his fingers gently. I flinched as he grasped the pendant but didn't bother to move. "Slytherin," he said. He let go of the pendant, allowing it to fall gently back into place.
My annoyance for the night became replaced with amusement, though the awkwardness still lingered. "So it seems, Gryffindor."
He chuckled a bit at my remark. "So it seems, Slytherin. I've got to tell you, though, I already knew. Edan told me not long ago."
I folded my arms across my chest, still holding my cup of pumpkin juice. It figures Edan would open his big mouth. Oh well. "Of course he did, considering how you two are such good friends." The reminder of that irked me a little, though I knew it shouldn't have.
Elliot stepped up to the wall, leaning his back against it next to me but with a comfortable amount of space between us. He wore the same leather jacket from the last time I saw him, except now he wore a crisp white button up shirt beneath it, untucked. I wonder if he got the memo on the attire or if this is what he considered dressy. I hate to admit it, considering it's him, but I very much approve of his choice. He gazed out across the room. "We're friends but not as good of friends as you seem to believe, Gwen," he said flatly.
Interesting. Oddly, that put me at ease a little. "Sorry about that," I said.
"No need to be. It doesn't take a genius to realize how much the two of you dislike each other, with or without knowing it first hand," he said.
I laughed generously. "I'll drink to that. Or would if I drank."
He laughed lightly at my comment. Somehow that felt comforting. If only things didn't feel so complicated.
I drank the remaining pumpkin juice from my paper cup then tossed it into a nearby trash bin. "So, I was wondering... about that stuff you told me."
Elliot quirked his brow a bit. "Care to talk outside then, away from prying ears?" He asked.
"Alright," I said. I walked away from the wall and out the open front door, straight into the faint coolness of the night air. Elliot followed behind me.
We walked along the open field in front of the house in silence for a little while until we stopped and I finally spoke up. "There's something that I don't understand about what you told me."
"And that would be?" He asked.
"Well, all of you got expelled but your friend Wren was the one doing harm. The rest of you were merely trying to help aid and defend. Why didn't the school just expel Wren?" I asked.
"Ah, that. Hogwarts reviewed the case but since they already let little things slide for most of us in the past with the use of magic they weren't lenient with what happened that day. The school felt if they expelled all of us then it was in the best interest of the school and the students. They said that because we were such a closely knit group and because of past incidents then Wren's mishap was only just the beginning. So, because of Wren we all had to take the fall," he said.
I frowned at his last words. "That's horrible. I know Penn and I would gladly take the fall for one another but we wouldn't purposely do something that we think could expel one another."
Elliot shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly just as Edan had, except with better reason for it. "It's in the past and doesn't matter anymore. It happened a long time ago." He studied me as I looked at him questioningly. "I know you have another question. I can tell by the look on your face," he said.
I flushed slightly even though annoyance shifted in me due to what he said. "I do."
"Ask it then," he said.
"It's about Tim's Mother. Why didn't she use magic on Wren since she's a witch? And much stronger than him I would think, considering the age differences," I said.
"Simple. She's very strict about using magic while living around muggles. The only way she will use it is if something magical was attacking Little Tim or Little Tim's Father," he said.
"Strong woman. I don't think very many wizards and witches would be able to do that." The night air began to grow a bit colder, causing me to wrap my arms around myself.
"You have no idea," he laughed. Elliot removed his jacket and draped it around me. "Here. Can't have a witch freezing to death."
The awkwardness moved up a few more notches. As awkward as it may be, it was certainly much warmer now. I felt like I had a toad caught in my throat.
Elliot started walking back toward the house while I just stood there. I ran up to him, catching up. "Wait up," I said. He stopped and began walking at a slower pace, my foot steps falling in line with his next to him. I glanced up to him. "What made you tell me everything? You didn't have to... considering what it was. I didn't realize what it was even."
He looked down at me in silence then placed his focus back on the house. "No one else knows what happened. Just the group, the school, and Little Tim's parents. Until now."
"Until now," I repeated after him.
He nodded, almost seemingly with reason. "Maybe one day I'll tell you the rest," he said.
A small amount of anger welled up inside of me as we approached the house. "What do you mean one day?"
He turned around and looked down at me, his eyes locking on mine. "Exactly what I said," he said.
Not wanting to fight tonight, I simply caved and nodded.
"Gwen?" he said in a questioning tone of voice. My eyes locked on his on their own without my control at my name being spoken.
I swallowed dryly. "Yes?"
Elliot took a step closer to me and leaned down, gently pressing his lips to mine. My eyes widened in shock and I froze in place, but as he tenderly kissed me I melted. My eyes fluttered closed and I began to slowly kiss him in return. My thoughts seemed to go into hibernation as the only thing I could seem to think of at this very moment was complete and utter relaxation. Magical. He cupped my face gently with his hands, lingering the kiss. As he slowly began to draw away from my lips and release my face I opened my eyes, staring at him as my heart started to slow down from the racing that he had caused. "I..." I stuttered out.
Elliot grinned softly with a hint of a smile forming at his lips. "Breathe, Gwen," he said softly. I don't know if that was even possible at the moment, no matter how easy breathing sounded.
Without another word to break this tension, this awkwardness, he turned back to the open front door and went inside.
I stood there in the cold, still wearing his jacket, staring into the open front door. What just happened here? A dream perhaps? No, I know better than that. Well, bloody hell, what am I going to do now? I sighed, removing his jacket, walking through the open front door and back into the party. Like I really needed any evidence of ever having spoken to him alone.
The tension of tonight seemed to linger in the air. At least for me anyways. I walked over to the buffet table in the dining room that held a large crystal bowl of pumpkin juice and an assortment of snacks. Any other type of drinks were to be found in one of the numerous ice chests, chilling. Picking up a plastic cup, I filled it with pumpkin juice.
Penn rushed up to the table beside me, the adrenaline from the party going strong in her. She always did love a party. "You know, if you're going to turn into a pumpkin if you keep drinking that stuff. There's plenty of other drinks around," she said.
"Well, maybe for once being a pumpkin wouldn't be so bad. It certainly would be a lot less complicated," I laughed, though my words carried more meaning than she realized.
"Ain't that the truth!" she shouted. Penn's friend from Quidditch, and also the host of the party, strolled up beside her. His dark brown hair with faint natural blonde highlights was cut short but just long enough for a spiked hairstyle if he chose to run gel through it. His baby blue eyes settled on a bite size brownie on the table. He snatched it and popped the brownie into his mouth, swallowing it without barely chewing it seemed. Sheesh, he's worse than Penn when it comes to food. A slight smile of amusement tugged at the corner of my mouth at the thought of that.
"Hey there! What are you two lovelies up to?" Lucas Nelson said in his natural Australian accent. Penn recently made friends with him and also found out he's originally from Australia in the process. Australian accents are one of her weaknesses.
"I was just telling Gwen how if she drinks anymore pumpkin juice then she will turn into a pumpkin," she said.
"Hm, that sounds about right. If Cinderella makes sure she's home before midnight then she can bypass that dreaded spell!" We all laughed together at the reference to the muggle story book Cinderella. A story about a girl who was enslaved by her wicked Step-Mother and Step-Sisters. A magical Godmother cast a spell on her, her mice, horse, and a pumpkin, of course. They became royalty so that she could go to a ball to meet the prince of her dreams. However, at the stroke of midnight the spell lost it's power and her carriage turned back into a pumpkin.
Just then, Edan and Elliot appeared across the table from us. I looked away, focusing on a tray of strawberry tarts.
"Hey Mates! I don't recognize either of you so I'd be guessing that the two of you are friends of other Gryffindors here at the party," Lucas said.
"Yeah, we are. Actually, we're friends with those two," Elliot said gesturing to me and Penn.
"I, for one, only claim him, Elliot, as a friend," Penn said as she glared lightly at Edan.
Edan grinned with great amusement. "So much for that beach vacation creating a bond," he teased.
Penn rolled her eyes. Suddenly it felt like you could cut the tension with a knife at the table. My eyes betrayed me as they looked up, settling on Elliot. Our gazes locked silently.
Lucas popped another bite size brownie into his mouth, chewing briefly before swallowing. "Live the party up! Help yourselves to whatever you want for the night. Food, booze, women. All of the above," he said.
Edan smiled broadly. "We appreciate that... what was your name again?"
"Lucas. But I never gave you my name," Lucas chuckled.
"Of course not," Edan said. "The booze is good and the women are lookers. Haven't tried the food though." Both, Edan and Lucas laughed together as if they were both in on some private joke that only men could understand and women were completely ignorant of.
Penn glared at Edan briefly. She leaned a little toward me, whispering into my ear and causing my gaze on Elliot to break. "I think Lucas had a little bit too much to drink in the other room. Before I came in here he called his Mum on the phone but kept on calling her Grandmum. Needless to say his Mum was yelling at him even while he was telling her how much he loved her. It sounded like she was still yelling when he hung up." Penn whispered. We both laughed a little too loud at that, quickly clearing our throats when the guys looked at us weirdly.
"Who's up for a round of fire whiskey!" Penn shouted, beaming. I think Lucas might not of been the only one who had a little bit too much to drink tonight. Penn ran off back into the room where most of the dancing and drinking was taking place.
Edan was the one to clear his throat this time. "Drinks call me now. And women, of course." He stole a strawberry tart from the table and walked off into the same room that Penn ran into. I hope he doesn't get into Penn's way of drinking or else I'm going to hear an earful about Penn knocking him out for no reason at all.
"Drink up!" Lucase shouted as he raised his cup of pumpkin juice, with or without added liquor I didn't know, and steered his way into the living room.
I sat my untouched cup of pumpkin juice on the table, sighing as some of it spilled over onto the table. That's what I get for filling the cup up too high. I picked up some paper napkins from the table, dumping them onto the spilled pumpkin juice, attempting to mop up the mess.
"Here," Elliot said. I looked up as he handed me a paper napkin. I silently accepted the napkin. He walked off before I started my second attempt at wiping up the spilled juice. I dropped the napkin on top of the tiny bit of pumpkin juice remaining on the table. My body grew still as I read what appeared to be written in ink on the napkin. You look beautiful. Annoyance and warmth waged a war inside of me. I wiped up the remainder of pumpkin juice with the same napkin he gave me, crumpling the napkin in my hand as I gritted my teeth slightly. I tossed the napkin along with the already pumpkin soaked napkins into the garbage can in the corner.
I walked into the living room, finding Elliot's leather jacket still on the chair where I dropped it when I came back inside earlier. It stared at me as though it were mocking me. Bloody hell. I picked up the jacket, walking outside back into the night where I could think. Alone.