A/N I am so miserable. The Wallabies lost the quarter finals (And therefore my source of entertainment for Saturday nights is gone), my love life is in tatters, I have three thousand assignments, I'm bloody tired, I have to work tomorrow and all in all, I just want to do the teen angst thing. ANGST.ANGST.ANGST.. Okay, okay. I'll stop doing the teen angst thing. If anyone wants to whine with me go right ahead.
This chapter took about twenty hours (Many hours with me just looking at it miserably because I kept getting completely lost) so hopefully it resembles something decent.
Disclaimer: I own nothing... No really, I don't even own the chapter. It's basically taken word for word from the Yule Ball chapter of the Goblet of Fire Whistles innocently :)
Chapter Fourteen - Angie
Lydia stared at herself long and hard. She pointed her chin down towards her neck and then lifted her head. She pouted, she bared her teeth and she smiled. Nothing convinced her that scarlet lip stick looked even remotely attractive on her lips.
"I think it looks good on you." Lily said reassuringly.
"I don't want to sound like a shallow teenager here." Lydia said, sure that she was indeed becoming a shallow teenager, "But are you completely sure?"
"You've just never tried it before." Lily said waving off her insecurities, "Embrace change."
Lydia looked back at her own reflection. Embrace change? Embrace change? She hated change, little barstard of a thing. Once upon a time she would not have felt attracted to Sirius, but something had changed and she'd attempted to kiss him in a potions store cupboard under the influence of Krazzaz crystal fumes.
Yes change was a little barstard with deadly fangs.
"Plus, Frederick Gooble will think it looks hot." Jane said with a nod.
Frederick Gooble would think it was hot? Lydia was becoming more convinced by the minute that Frederick didn't see hot. Frederick Gooble didn't see anything it seemed except the bloody path to the library.
"Do you think Emmy Jones will think it's hot?" Lydia asked sarcastically pulling at her blonde curls self consciously.
Jane and Lily sniggered.
Lydia looked down at her red dress, she was becoming more convinced by the second that red wasn't her colour. The only reason she had consented to having a red dress was because she had dark red robes.
"I don't think I'm going." She said.
"What?" Lily exclaimed, "You have to go! I don't mean to sound like a shallow teenager here but it is the last ball you will ever attend at Hogwarts, you're in seventh year."
Lydia sighed and took a look at her reflection again.
"Fine." She said bitterly.
The three girls had spent all of four hours getting ready. Showering, hair washing, exfoliating, hair styling, nail painting, make up applying… The list went on and on. Now only fifteen minutes from the ball starting, they were staring to look ready.
"I'm excited." Jane squealed.
"Good for you." Lydia muttered.
"Oh snap out of it will you?!" Lily said impatiently, "Look, you're going out with Frederick! He knows that! Tonight things will be better, I promise."
Lydia turned back to her own reflection; her own doubting expression. She sighed and then nodded. Things would be alright. Frederick wouldn't ignore her at the ball. They had a chance to fix everything.
"You cut off my supply early!" Sirius whined as James looked himself over in the mirror, running a hand through his hair nervously.
"I didn't want you intoxicated for the ball." James said shortly. Sirius had been drinking butterbeer since his great breakthrough the day before. Twenty six hours of an intoxicated Sirius had been quite entertaining to start with, but had fast become very irksome especially when James was trying very hard not to vomit all over the floor due to nerves. Shuddering at the thought of accidentally vomiting on Lily he ran his hand through his hair… Again.
Sirius rolled his eyes and said; "Look, Prongs, no matter how many times you do that you're not going to make your hair any messier."
"What?" James said absently his hand in his hair.
"You'll do fine with Lily." Remus said patting him on the back reassuringly as he fastened his watch, "Just don't be you."
"Oh thanks Mooney," James said sarcastically.
"I meant the bad parts." Remus said with a grin.
"Of course you did." James muttered.
"Okay… I'm coming out!" Peter yelled from the bathroom.
"God help us." Sirius muttered. "Why can't we just stay here and celebrate my great break through?"
"We've already celebrated your breakthrough! Besides, we've got dates. Quit whingeing and be happy or get a date and be happy." James said impatiently, "Come on Wormtail we're not waiting all bloody night."
Wormtail emerged, looking quite charming. His new blue dress robes suited him.
"Do you think she'll like it?" Wormtail asked referring to the look he had donned for the ball.
"Mate, she'll love it." James said.
"Look at all that butterbeer." Sirius protested pointing to the butterbeer on James' bedside table.
"There'll be butter beer at the ball." Remus said. And then quietly under his breath he muttered, "Unfortunately for anyone who has to sit at your table."
"Yeah well… There'll be a Lydia Johnson too..." Sirius muttered himself.
"What was that?" James asked.
"Nothing. I'm just saying I think the whole celibacy plan might be tarnished if I go to the ball… All those pretty girls… In revealing dresses… I might just shag them all!"
"You're coming." Remus said with a smirk as James threw his head back and roared with laughter, "Not coming, because you're afraid you'll give into testosterone and hormones, is not exercising your abstinence skills."
"That and I need someone to show me how to dance properly." James spluttered, still laughing heartily, "Lily's an expert."
Sirius sighed looking up at the three of them as if they were traitors; Remus still smirking slightly though looking like he was trying hard not to, James laughing and Peter vainly trying to suck in his cheeks obviously worried about the chubbiness of his face.
"Well how can I possibly say no then?" He exclaimed standing up, "Come on, let's get it over with…"
The entrance hall was littered with brightly coloured figures, throwing Lydia off balance straight away. The effect of so many fluoro colours was nauseating and she wondered briefly if it should be illegal for someone as ruddy faced as Mildred Capperwhale, to wear a dress as yellow as the one she was wearing.
She pulled her red robes around her tighter and scanned the entrance hall. Lily had gone off in some mundane search for James, and Jane was surrounded by several hundred of her Hufflepuff friends who were all squealing loudly.
She spotted Emmy before she spotted Frederick. Emmy was dressed in a sickeningly bright pink dress and had her silky hair pinned up to perfection. If the dress colours were anything to go by, Lydia knew they were going to clash horribly.
Standing beside her was Frederick Gooble, who was wearing handsome black robes. He was smiling widely at something Emmy had just whispered in his ear. Whingeing inwardly to God about the unfairness of having a boyfriend who wasn't interested in her and having to share him with the best looking girl in the school, Lydia walked over to them with a smile that looked more like a grimace.
"Hi." She said frostily.
"Hello." He replied kissing her softly on the cheek. It was barely noticeable, but Frederick drew away from the kiss slightly faster than usual and Lydia was reminded painfully of their experience the evening before hand.
Wishing the entrance hall floor would swallow her whole she looked away from Frederick to avoid an awkward glance of some kind.
As she did, she looked straight up at Sirius Black who was descending the stairs two at a time.
His robes hung over his arm carelessly. He was the only boy in the hall who had already taken them off. His first few buttons were undone and Lydia thought that that was probably deliberate on his part. She noticed with an uncomfortable feeling in her belly that was far too clichéd and romantic for her liking that his mouth opened slightly at the sight of her.
She turned away quickly and pushed Emmy and Frederick into the hall. The last thing she needed was a confrontation.
The hall was decorated superbly. It was quite dark but the affect was marvellous. It appeared to be snowing lightly but the snow flakes faded into nothingness before reaching the heads of the students. The only sources of light were the fireflies flying around that had obviously been bewitched. The light they created cascaded off the crystal chandelier in the middle of the great hall and speckled the entire hall with pretty transparent spots - spots Lydia had always associated with her Father's most prized muggle possession; his disco ball.
Lydia watched Sirius Black out of the corner of her eye as he strode over to a table occupied by his friends. Lily was there and was laughing at something James had just said. For a moment, she wished she was there, sitting beside Sirius listening to James tell jokes.
She shook her head furiously and tried to squander every single tiny ounce of her that felt attracted to Sirius (which unfortunately, seemed to be most of her.) She needed to give Frederick a chance, she could forgive him for his disinterest in kissing her and his insistence on being within a meter of Emmy Jones at all times if he just did his Prince Charming act one more time.
But… A small voice said in her head, He's never really done it once in the first place
She pulled out a chair violently and fell into it.
"Someone's not in a good mood." Emmy remarked with a smirk, " Frederick, could you please get me a drink."
"Of course."
Lydia waited for him to ask her if she wanted anything, but he stood and walked away without saying anything.
She stole another glance at Sirius' table. He looked slightly sullen. He was sitting next to a pretty brunette who was busy having an in depth conversation with Remus Lupin. Across from him Lily and James were only interesting in telling jokes to each other and even Peter was enthralled in his date (a date who seemed to be pretty enthralled in him too.)
"You know he's not that into you."
Lydia's head shot up. Blinking she looked at Emmy confused and said, "What?"
" Frederick." Emmy said with a smile that Lydia didn't trust, "He's not that into you. Don't take it personally. He's just not really into anyone."
Lydia felt like she'd been slapped. She felt like saying 'You know nothing! You seven foot, clear skinned shiny haired Barbie doll!'
Instead she looked at Emmy vindictively and said, "Thanks. But until he tells me that himself… Don't be too offended if I don't take your words to heart."
Emmy glared at her.
"Butterbeer." Frederick said placing a glass down in front of Emmy, he looked at Lydia for a moment and then realised, "Oh I completely forgot! Do you want me to get you some?"
Lydia gaped at him. Several sarcastic comments floated through her mind like 'Nah, you think?' and 'Bit late' and 'No it's fine, I'm on this new diet where you don't drink. At all. Ever. It's meant for suicidal teenagers who are sick of their boyfriends.'
She closed her mouth, stood and said, "No thanks. I'll get it myself."
Daring to throw Emmy a glare, she marched towards the bar. As she did, she watched out of the corner of her eye as Sirius stood and looked in her direction.
"Fire whisky." She demanded her heart speeding up to the point she felt it was about to jump out of her chest cavity. She stared ahead determinedly. She knew Sirius Black was heading her way, no doubt with the illusion that he was about to question her about their run in in the potions store cupboard days before… but she didn't care in the slightest. She had nothing to tell him on the matter.
"Mulled mead." She heard him say. She heard him clear his throat no doubt trying to catch her attention. Well that certainly wasn't going to work. He could French kiss the bar tender for all she cared; she wasn't turning to look his way.
"Look I've already forgotten about it." He said. She could imagine the placating look on his face. She immediately wondered why because Sirius had never been placating before. Was it placating?
Infuriated that curiosity had such a hold on her decisions she stole a glance at him and noticed that her guess had been accurate, "Forgotten what?"
Sighing in a frustrated manner (that she recognised more easily) he said; "Fine. Just fine."
"Fine." She replied still looking at the bartender. He didn't look very used to the attention, glancing uncomfortably at her every now and then as if glancing uncomfortably might make her look away.
"I got to the next step with the wolfsbane potion."
Her head snapped around fast, "You did?"
He nodded.
"Wow!" She said momentarily forgetting that she was trying to ignore him, "Congratulations. I honestly didn't think you'd do it."
"Well ye of little faith, I'm honoured to prove you wrong." He said with a grin.
Biting back a laugh she looked away quickly. Why hadn't she been gifted at alleviating awkward social moments? Why oh why was she so cursed?
"Anyway." Sirius said, now looking away himself. "You look really great tonight."
She snorted and looked at him to confirm her suspicions that he was fooling with her emotions. She was caught off guard however as there was no sign of malice or dishonest in his expression.
Her mouth fell open slightly and she tried to say 'Thankyou' but couldn't.
"Here." The bar tender said gruffly slamming the fire whisky down on the counter.
Lydia looked up at him distractedly, "I uh, thanks."
She hurried away, avoiding Sirius' glance as she did. It struck her halfway back to her table that Frederick had said nothing about her appearance. Hours and hours of grooming and Sirius Black was the one complementing her. Hours and hours of grooming only to have Sirius Black tie her tummy in knots.
Fan-Fucking-tastic.
Jane waved at her happily from a table on the other side of the hall. She waved back with a sigh making a mental note to berate Jane later for making the ball sound so much fun when it actuality it was right up there with wearing croissant vomit.
As Lydia sat down, carefully avoiding Frederick's glance as she did, Emmy looked at her pointedly and said, "What were you talking to Black about?"
"His potions project." Lydia said flatly.
Dumbledore interrupted their rather bitter conversation by standing and coughing politely.
"There are many things to be said," His eyes twinkled, "But I am sure, anything I say will simply hinder the dancing. So, I will say simply; 'Merry Christmas' and, enjoy."
He sat and picked up the silver menu at his table. He scanned it in a bemused manner and said clearly to his plate; "Pork ribs."
The dish appeared in front of him. Unaware that every pair of eyes in the hall was fixed on him he picked up his knife and fork and began to eat.
Conversation began again as students began to scan their menus. Emmy took the only one on the table promptly. She scanned it slowly.
" Frederick, what do you think about Greek salad? Do you think I'd like it?"
Lydia rolled her eyes.
Frederick nodded and said, "Of course you would. Interesting story actually, when I went to Greece in the summer…"
Lydia could hear what he was saying clearly, but she didn't listen. He was after all, addressing Emmy, not her. And his trip to Greece didn't interest her in the slightest.
She looked over at Sirius' table again but this time he was looking back. She felt her face going warm and looked away quickly. The Slytherin who had asked her to the ball weeks before and who was sitting a table away smirked at her in a superior manner and whispered something to his attractive date that had her falling about laughing.
Wonderful. I'll really recite this to my grandkids one day as one of the best nights of my life…
" Lydia what do you want?"
"Huh?" She turned and Emmy and Frederick looked at her expectantly, "I'll just have something that doesn't sound French. Or Greek." She smiled at Emmy sarcastically.
"You don't like foreign foods do you?" Frederick asked frowning slightly handing her the menu.
"Nope." She said shortly looking down the list of dishes. There were many dishes that rarely appeared at Hogwarts and others, like Shepherds pie, that were quite common. Finally deciding that she wanted as bigger contrast to Emmy Jones as she could possibly manage, she chose the same dish Dumbledore had chosen. It was obvious by Emmy's look of disdain that a meal like pork ribs was far inferior to her Greek salad.
The air was icy at their table. The entire hall seemed to be enjoying themselves; chatting and laughing merrily much like they did at normal meal times. But Frederick, Emmy and Lydia seemed to be an isolated case of awkwardness. Lydia was sure that on their own, Frederick and Emmy might have engaged in a very interesting conversation, as was obvious by the opening of Frederick's mouth, and the then quick closure of it after an awkward glance her way.
"So Lydia…" Emmy began, "How do you know Sirius?"
Lydia looked up from her pork ribs, "He was my potions partner."
Emmy sniffed, "I suppose he tried the moves on you then?"
Lydia blinked, "No. He didn't."
Frederick glanced up at the both of them as if he was attempting to ease the awkwardness. The fact that he didn't come to her defence worried Lydia. Although, at this point, she was beyond worry when it came to her relationship with Frederick Gooble.
Soon clear plates were being replaced with sweets. Lydia was tucking into a chocolate pudding when the Black Witch band members appeared on the stage. There were cheers from the crowd as the guitarist struck a chord.
Some people put down their sweets and began to dance. Remus Lupin and his brunette girlfriend who Lydia didn't know for instance, were one of the first few on the dance floor.
Soon more than three quarters of Hogwarts was dancing. Lydia glanced at Frederick. He wasn't looking at her, but he was watching the dancing couples. He had to ask her. She could put aside him getting a drink for Emmy and not her and talking to Emmy for the majority of the night and showing disinterest in her and doing whatever else he had done, just as long as he asked her to dance.
Please let him ask me to dance
"Padfoot, why don't you just ask her to dance?"
Sirius looked across at James. His eyebrow was raised and he had an annoyingly patronising expression written all over his face.
"Who? And why do you call each other such stupid names?" This question came from Remus' date – Sally. She directed it at Remus with a flirtatious smile which momentarily rendered him speechless.
" Lydia Johnson. And our nicknames are a marauder secret." James said filling in the blanks. Lily, whose arms were draped around James neck, rolled her eyes and said pointedly, "Everything to do with you four is a marauder secret."
"Sirius Black and Lydia Johnson?" Sally said with a raised eyebrow, "No way."
"Yes way." James argued.
"No way. Sirius is celibate remember? And she's going out with someone. That someone being the biggest wanker in the school…"
"How he can be the biggest wanker in the school and the king of celibacy at the same time, I don't know." James muttered under his breath referring to the nick name Sirius had used before for Frederick Gooble.
"Sirius is also referring to himself in the third person." Peter's date Marcy chipped into the conversation, "This means that Sirius is not in the right state of mind and therefore must be in love."
"Does she have an off switch?" Sirius asked Peter.
"It's in the same place yours is." Remus said with a smirk.
Sirius rolled his eyes and looked back at Lydia. She was sitting beside Frederick and looking at him pointedly. He rolled his eyes again and half heartedly swayed to the sounds of the 'Black Witch.'
"I'm not following, why would you ask Lydia to dance?" Lily asked. She stood still for a moment her arms at her sides and a frown beginning to form.
"Because since she tried to kiss him in the potions store cupboard he's been thinking that maybe he likes her as more than a friend."
"She what?" Lily exclaimed her lower jaw down at her knee caps.
"I never said that!" Sirius cried in injustice, "I've just been… Confused, about why she would try and kiss me. She told me at the bar that's she's already forgotten about it so I suppose it was just the Krazzaz crystals..."
Part of him seriously doubted the truth behind that.
"Pffft." James muttered, "Krazzaz crystals my broom. She's nervous around you."
"How do you know?" Sirius asked.
"Can we establish when and how this 'attempted kiss' happened please?" Lily demanded, though no one paid her heed.
"We were watching when you talked to her at the bar." Remus explained referring to he and his fellow marauders, "She wouldn't look at you properly. That and she keeps looking at you nervously every now and then."
Remembering her glance earlier Sirius realised he was right. "That doesn't mean anything. Besides, I'm still celibate."
"Then why do you keep looking back at her?" James asked knowingly.
"I'm not!" Sirius cried in protest.
"Are." Peter chipped in, "And you're nervous around her too."
"Me nervous? Around a girl? You're mad, you're all bloody mad!"
"You didn't want to come tonight." Peter said with a shrug of his shoulders, "Why would it be a problem unless you're afraid that Lydia Johnson might tarnish the vow."
"You know sometimes Wormtail." James said, "And when I say sometimes I mean 'very rarely,' you actually make a lot of sense."
"I'm not nervous." Sirius said hotly, "And the only reason I keep looking back at her is because I'm trying to get my mind around why she would try and kiss me!"
"Prove it then." James said cutting Lily off who was just about to ask another pesky question, "If you can ask her to dance with your usual air of confidence and then come back at the end of it with the reason why she tried to kiss you – and you can then stop talking about her all together – we'll believe you."
Sirius looked back to the only three people not dancing in the school. A twinge of a feeling he couldn't readily recognise began to niggle at him. He was sure he could do all that, he just wasn't sure when she gave him the answer as to why she had tried to kiss him, he could continue with the vow
"Fine." He sighed
Lydia sipped her fire whisky quietly. She wasn't quite sure how much time had passed but the Black Witch had belted out eight songs and Frederick Gooble, Emmy Jones and she seemed to be the only students not on the dance floor
The last chords of a fast erratic tune rang out and the guitarist struck a chord to begin the next song. Lydia recognised it immediately. 'My Bloody Wand' had been one of her favourite songs in fourth year. She begged God for Frederick to ask her to dance.
Please God… Please let him ask me to dance
" Frederick… Do you want to dance?" Emmy asked battering her eyelashes innocently.
Frederick looked at Lydia cautiously.
"Do you mind if I dance with Emmy?"
Lydia gaped at him. He couldn't be serious. He…could... not... be… serious.
Emmy smiled at her in a sickly sweet way and Lydia felt like hitting her.
"Do you mind?" Frederick repeated .
"No of course not. Go ahead." She said lividly. She expected Frederick to pick up on her anger and ask her again if it was alright. Instead he took Emmy's hand and joined the other countless students on the dance floor .
She felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and to her utter dismay felt her heart leap again – as it seemed to nowadays at the arrival of Sirius Black.
"Do you want to dance?"
She glanced at Emmy and Frederick entwined on the dance floor. A twinge of something that could have been Sirius induced lust or acceptance that Frederick Gooble was a prat worked its way into her body.
Clenching her teeth she evaded it with all her might. She wasn't ready for it yet.
"Uh, no thanks." She said trying to smile politely, "I need some air."
She jumped up and rushed outside. It was lightly snowing and the flakes felt fresh on her shoulders. She was tempted to go back in and get her robes but dismissed the thought immediately knowing she couldn't face Sirius or Frederick.
"It'll be relatively painless I promise." Someone's voice rang out in the silence of the night, "I rarely step on toes when I dance… Well I suppose there was one time when I was ten…"
"Are you stalking me now?" She demanded turning and glaring at Sirius accusatively.
"If following you out here is stalking I guess so." He looked at her for a moment with a frown. She looked back mirroring his expression in an irritated manner.
"Alright." He conceded, "I'll admit it… I haven't forgotten that you tried to kiss me… I mean… I'm the main cause of your nastier temper tantrums. How on earth did you end up-"
"Firstly." She said her eyes flashing dangerously as she stalked forward and halted in front of him promptly, "I was under the very dangerous influence of Krazzaz crystals. PINK Krazzaz crystals. The gaga crystal as it's commonly called on the street. Fairy dust. Fairy floss. Pink Tinkerbelle."
"Pink Tinkerbelle?" Sirius asked with a chuckle.
Ignoring him she continued, "Secondly…" She stopped and thought for a moment, "Well I don't have a secondly, but the first reason should be good enough. So if you're harbouring any ridiculous ideas of me being even remotely attracted to you then stop harbouring them. I'm not. Not even. You're attractive but not in any way the kind of attractive I find attractive. I think of you in a strictly platonic manner at all times. Actually sometimes I think of you in a less friendly manner."
"You're beginning to convince me that you're very attracted to me." Sirius said with a raised eyebrow.
"What?" She demanded quickly.
"Well nobody gives a five minute monologue like that if they're not trying to hide something."
"They do so. "
"No they don't." Sirius continued. "You like me."
"No I don't!" She exclaimed, "I like Frederick!"
" Frederick's in there suffocating my ex girlfriend!" Sirius exclaimed, "How naïve are you?"
"I'm not naïve!" Lydia snapped looking at him horrified.
"You are naïve you stupid naïve idiot."
"Don't call me an idiot!" She roared. "I'm not an idiot!"
"Yes you are!" He yelled, "Why won't you admit it?!"
"Because there's nothing to admit!"
"Yes there is!"
"Now you're just going in circles!" She exclaimed in frustration. "This is why I find you completely unbearable. You're so bloody immature."
They stared at each other for a moment, both stubbornly refusing to blink. Lydia became aware that her heart was beating rapidly again and she took a deep breath to try and calm it.
Sirius felt very much like committing a violent act with a blunt object. The confusion whirring inside him was infuriating as was the girl standing in front of him. What had he felt after she'd tried to kiss him? What did he feel now? Confusion, that's what. He considered maybe for a moment that it wasn't a feeling. It was just the absence of a definition of feeling. That's what it was. But knowing what it was didn't help any because he still couldn't define how he was feeling. Angry? No. Sad? No. Happy? No. Excited? No.
He tried in vain to collect his thoughts. He definitely felt curious as to why she'd tried to kiss him. The why to that seemed to keep coming back to the fact that she liked him. Why else would she stand there and defend herself until she was blue in the face? Why didn't she just say 'I didn't know what I was doing,' and be done with it. It was much easier than standing in front of him and giving him fifty street names for pink Krazzaz crystal.
And if she did like him? Well how did he feel? How did he feel that she didn't want to admit it? Well that definitely peeved him off. It had from the very beginning. He felt the same way about that as he had about her going out with Frederick pussy Gooble. That had really pissed him off.
It pissed him off he supposed, because it was so strange. Strangeness was infuriating because it was so difficult to understand. Why would she not want to go out with him? Why would she want to go out with Frederick Gooble?
And he realised then that that was probably why he liked her. Because she was strange and was scarily unpredictable. Because that made her interesting and unlike Emmy Jones. And maybe because, as Mooney said, he was as susceptible to hard to get as the next schmuck.
He blinked. When had his immense dislike for Lydia Johnson evolved into immense like?
Just then, he supposed.
Or maybe, he'd only just realised it. Maybe it had been a very gradual evolution. As most evolutions were you didn't notice them until they were complete.
Like Lydia Johnson? It sounded strange. Just like her. He supposed that was the reasoning behind not approving of Frederick Gooble (Although that did have a bit to do with Frederick Gooble being the biggest prat alive,) finding her 'lack of attraction' towards him very irritating and finding her attempt at kissing him very intriguing.
She'd almost succeeded in calming herself down enough to do something rational like walk away. Almost. Running away was a pretty good idea too. Apparation would have been nice but as she was on Hogwarts soil and hadn't yet mastered the art of not leaving behind her eyebrows she thought that might have been a bit ambitious.
She made to take a step but he cupped her face gently before she could.
Then before she could object or offer another seventy reasons for not liking him (seventy reasons she had thought up the other night when she couldn't sleep) he kissed her.
Her first instinct was to stand still, but that only seemed to work for a few seconds before she began to feel pleasant feelings working their way through her blood stream. She was barely aware of the arms that were draped around her waist and she couldn't recall telling her hands to play with the hair at the back of his head. She wasn't quite sure how they had gone from an immense dislike to complacency to this – this being utterly wonderful whatever it was - but they had.
A small cough brought her back to reality. They broke away and found Slughorn standing a mere meter away with a mischievous grin.
It was not his presence that made Lydia feel like a complete utter prat. She found herself embarrassed to look at Sirius. To admit that 'Hey, You're not actually a prat, I am for pushing you the hell away and Frederick Gooble is because… Well actually he just is.'
"Miss Johnson are you acting indecently with all the male members of your potions class?" Slughorn asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Uh no Professor." In normal circumstances she would have felt extremely foolish – perhaps she would have run away in embarrassment. But it was her treatment of Sirius that she felt embarrassed about. Her idiocy towards their entire 'relationship' that made her feel like a complete and utter prat.
She fled quickly, releasing her hold of Sirius as she did. She was going straight back to her dormitory where she was going to either throw herself out the window or inject green Krazzaz crystals into her eyeballs (green Krazzaz crystals caused great pain unless the taker was suffering from dragon burn.)
She pushed her way through her dancing school mates to get to her table. She'd left her robes there and she thought that if she was lucky she might also be able to score some more fire whisky to dull the ache of humiliation.
Sirius couldn't see Lydia over the crowds. Just as he passed Marcy and Peter in a close embrace (and shuddered) the song changed and the opening chords of 'No Magic' reached his ears.
I've got this tiny problem
I can't quite explain
I can't get you to love me
I'm going insane
I guess it seems so simple
So mundane and wrong
The fact I can't bewitch you
Has made me write this song
When you're not around me
It makes me sick
But when you are
Girl I've got no magic
Lydia bent down and picked up her robes shakily. Her fire whisky was nowhere to be seen which disappointed her greatly. Sighing she stood up straight and saw them. They were dancing innocently (unlike many couples who were sickeningly open about their affection.) They looked like they were quite enjoying themselves and Frederick didn't seem to have noticed that she was no longer sitting at their table.
Something rose in her throat. Part of it was anger, but mostly it was humiliation.
"Oi!" She yelled catching his attention.
He released his hold on Emmy and looked at her strangely. She raised her eyebrows to beckon him over and he walked towards her.
"You know…" She said bitterly, "If I didn't know any better I'd think she was your girlfriend."
" Lydia I'm really-." Sirius appeared pushing his way through the crowd, coming to a halt at the irate look on Lydia's face .
Emmy went rigid at the sight of Sirius while Frederick looked uncomfortable, he turned his attention back to Lydia and her question, "We discussed this before… We're just-."
"Keeping her company." Lydia finished, "I know. And you know what? I actually believe you. But I also believe that you don't like me nearly as much as I like you, which I'm glad to say at this point, isn't much."
His expression became quite blank.
"So, I'd just like to take the time to tell you its over." She smiled once more, "And that you should please get out of my way in future."
She flounced off angrily biting back any kind of unwanted emotions like sadness
"In simple terms, fuck off." Sirius said pleasantly. He turned and ran back through the crowd trying to catch up with Lydia, but when he reached the entrance hall she was nowhere to be found. With a sigh he climbed the stairs, intent on going back to his dormitory and finishing his butter beer.
Ok, down to very serious business. Reviewers will receive a kiss from a marauder of their choice, a ticket to an exclusive ball (the 'I reviewed Frankly My Dear I Don't Give a Damn' ball), Fire Whisky or Butterbeer (or both if you're in need like me after the rugby :) and lots and lots of virtual cookies (NOTHING beats virtual cookies)
Review thank you's in the mail! Please review:)