A/N: OMFG. Two chapters in one day? No way! I am back! Sorry for the four month delay. Again.
Chapter 28 - Dirty Little Secret (Rose)
We got back to Hogwarts with little incident. Besides the fact that now everyone in our group except for Al is single. Funny that, because when we were kids, I always thought he was going to turn out to be gay.
I just wish there was some way I could get my friends back without telling them the truth. Because at this point, the truth would completely destroy everything I've been working so hard to do.
The appearance part was easiest to do, hands down. But the reputation was harder to build. Of course, now that I've got it, I can lie all I want and no one will think it's anything but the truth.
Cheap, heartless tart? One life I never thought I'd be living.
Fortunately, I don't actually have to.
"Can we please just have sex now?" the seventh year Hufflepuff I was currently engaged in snogging asked.
I pretended to think about it.
"Well, under normal circumstances, I'd say yes," I lied. "But it's that time of month, if you understand me."
"Fuck," he replied, looking severely disappointed. "But my friends already know we were coming up here to have sex."
"I'll tell you what," I said. "You can tell your friends we had sex anyway. I don't mind."
"Really?" he asked. "Because they've all been giving me shit for being a virgin as a seventh year."
I smiled at him and put my hand on his cheek. "Well, you can tell them you slept with Rose Weasley," I said. "And they'll believe you."
"Thank you," he said, looking genuinely grateful.
"Sure," I said.
I wasn't lying when I told Scorpius that a full score of men would swear to sleeping with me.
I was just lying when I said I'd actually slept with them.
I've only actually slept with three boys. Ever.
But no one would believe me at this point. As long as Scorpius keeps believing that I'm beating him at this stupid game and he keeps sleeping with girls, eventually, he's going to get some sort of disease or he's going to get someone pregnant and then I'll never have to deal with him again.
It's not like I'm actually stupid enough to sleep with twenty men. And it's not like I'd ever actually stoop to his level.
But I don't have anyone to talk to. At all.
OOooOOooOOooOO
"Ly, can you keep a secret?" I asked, halfway through November. We were sitting on a balcony during a party in the Tower. Gryffindor had just beaten Ravenclaw in Quidditch.
"Sure," she said. "I'm not Sam. I can actually lie."
"So can I," I grumbled, taking a drink of the alcoholic beverage I'd procured from Dylan before escaping to the balcony.
"Shouldn't you be down there, I dunno, shagging someone?" Ly asked.
I nodded slowly.
"I don't actually sleep with them," I said. "Any of them pretty much. I've slept with three people. Ever."
Ly choked on her own drink and stared at me with wide eyes.
"What the fuck?" she demanded. "You just let people say you're a whore because…"
"Because it makes your brother actually try to be," I said, becoming thoroughly more ashamed of myself.
"Holy shit," Ly replied, staring at me with her jaw hanging towards the ground. "Scor thinks you've slept with twenty three people."
"I figure out how many he's actually slept with and then I pretend to sleep with a few more people," I said. "You can't tell anyone this."
She stared at me, still slack jawed. "But…but Lucy hates you! She wouldn't hate you if she knew you didn't actually sleep with her sister's boyfriend!"
I nodded slowly again. "The only problem with that is that I did actually sleep with her sister's boyfriend," I said, staring at my drink and then finishing it off.
Ly frowned at me. "Why?"
"Because he was a dick," I said. "He spent the first three nights he was there trying to seduce, in turn, Lily and Victoire and then me. So I slept with him and he got run out of the house on a rail."
Ly stared at me. "Which other ones did you sleep with?"
"I did actually sleep with Ioan," I said. "And I did sleep with Tommy Townsend."
"But none of the others," Ly said incredulously.
"Not a single damn one," I said.
"Holy shit," Ly repeated, looking out over the Tower. "You know Scor has actually slept with nineteen girls or something, right?"
"I know," I said. "But the difference is he has real issues. I'm just pissed off."
"Holy shit," Ly said again, drinking more of her drink.
"Please don't tell anyone," I said.
She shook her head at me in disbelief.
"Yeah, okay," she said finally. "Holy shit…"
I nodded and looked out across the crowds again.
From what I could see, Sam and Dom were dancing together for the first time in a long time. They always used to dance together at parties, but then they stopped, mostly when Dom was dating Liam Wood and Sam was dating Roxie.
James and Fred were in the centre of the mosh pit, where they always should have been. Will was dancing on the fray of the pit with Lizzie. That can't mean anything good.
Roxie, to my surprise, was dancing with Frank Longbottom. Lucy was sitting a few balconies over, talking to Lysander Scamander.
Alamanda were making out in a dark corner. Scorpius was sucking on some girl's neck.
"Erm, Rose," Ly said, pointing towards the door of the Tower.
I looked where she was pointing. My jaw dropped almost comically.
"Oh, fuck," I said. Ly nodded in agreement.
"That's not good," Ly said. Instead of staring at the door, she turned and glanced at the dark corner that Alamanda was occupying. I looked as well. Al's eyes were open and he was watching the door with the same horrified expression Ly and I were wearing.
I glanced back at the door in time to see my idiot little brother kiss Dylan and then close the door behind them.
"Hugo…and Dylan…" I said slowly. "My fucking brother and your fucking step-brother."
Ly was shaking her head slowly. "That's not how that is supposed to go."
"How is it supposed to go?" I asked.
"It's supposed to be my fucking step-brother and your fucking cousin," she explained, nodding back at the dark corner where Al was still staring at the now closed door.
"This is really not good," I said.
There was a squeak and a bang and Ly turned pale.
"It just got worse," she muttered, staring wide eyed at the door.
Professor Longbottom was standing in the doorway, flanked by Professor MacMillan and Professor Spinet.
"Fuck," I muttered.
The music died and everyone in the room turned and stared at the three teachers in mute horror.
"Hey there, Dad," Frank said from the floor, looking like he might die at any moment.
Professor Spinet looked at the engraving over the door that said "Teddy Lupin, Victoire Weasley, Jake Wood."
She turned to face the room at large. "If your last name is Wood, Lupin, Weasley or Potter, you will be staying here. Everyone else, get out."
In blind panic, the majority of the people in the room ran for the door and disappeared into the corridor.
"Sorry, Rose," Ly said, standing up and running as well. I nodded and walked down the stairs. Eventually, it was down to me, Lucy, Roxie, Fred, James, Al, Lily, Dom, Louis, and Kelly Wood, the third year who'd been made Seeker.
"We're missing a Weasley," Professor Longbottom said.
"He's busy," Al said darkly. He grumbled and called Hugo impolite names under his breath.
"I realise that those are not your names," Professor Spinet said, "but they are your family's names."
"Okay, so?" Kelly Wood asked.
"And this party is breaking almost every single school rule if I had to guess," Professor Longbottom said. "For the love of Merlin. The lot of you are Gryffindors!"
"That wasn't synonymous with party animal alcoholic in your day?" Lucy asked.
Professor Longbottom gave her a death glare and she fell silent.
"At least we had the decorum to throw our Quidditch parties in our own common room," Professor Spinet said quietly.
"Yeah, but Professor Spinet, if we did that, we wouldn't be able to invite people from other houses," Dom said.
"How many houses were in representation here?" Professor MacMillan asked, looking aghast.
"All of them," I said. "Always."
"There were no Hufflepuffs here," Professor MacMillan said. "My house would never."
"There were Hufflepuffs," Louis said.
"Besides," Roxie said. "It's not like anyone can get in unless they're a third year or they have an invitation."
"What about you lot?" Professor Spinet asked, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at us.
"Well, we're different," James said.
"Yeah, we're the only people who can issue the invitations," Louis said.
As one, we shot him a look that told him to shut the fuck up.
"And why is that, Mr Weasley?" Professor Longbottom asked, sounding dangerous.
"Because you have to be a Weasley, a Lupin, or a Wood," Louis said nervously. "Besides! It's not like we even throw the parties! They just happen!"
Everyone except Lily, Louis, and Kelly Wood cringed in horror.
"Alright then," Professor Longbottom said. "Who does throw the parties?"
James, Fred, Al, Roxie, Dom, Lucy and I stared at our feet.
"You lot?" he asked. He did a quick headcount. "And the rest of your cadre of lunatics?"
"We've essentially had complete control of the Tower since third year…" James admitted.
"Alicia, Ernie, I don't actually need the two of you," Professor Longbottom said. "I do, however, need Will Corner, Sam Baker, Dylan Abernathy, Emerald Zabini, Lyra and Scorpius Malfoy, and my son."
"Okay," Professor Spinet said, heading for the door.
"Kelly, Louis, Lily, the three of you can feel free to leave," Professor Longbottom said. "But if I catch you drinking on school grounds again there will be hell to pay."
"Yes, sir," the three of them mumbled before they ran.
"Dylan's busy," Al said, sounding angry.
"Same sort of busy as Hugo?" Professor Longbottom asked, looking pissed off.
"Precisely the same, actually," Lucy replied.
Professor Longbottom processed this information for a moment and then seemed to realise what we were talking about.
"Of course," he said, glaring at the wall.
Professor MacMillan looked concerned at the door, as did Professor Spinet.
"Do I really have to get Will Corner?" Professor Spinet asked.
"Yes," Professor Longbottom said.
"And Sam Baker?" Professor MacMillan asked.
"I don't care if they're your favourite students, go get them, because they are in loads of trouble," Professor Longbottom said.
The other two dashed off to get the rest of our friends.
"So how much alcohol is consumed at these parties?" Professor Longbottom asked.
"Depends on who you are," Fred said quietly, scuffing his toe on the ground.
"What about drugs?" Professor Longbottom asked.
"Nothing that doesn't come out of your son's garden," Roxie said.
Professor Longbottom closed his eyes in apparent distress.
As if to help his own incrimination, Frank arrived at that moment wearing a shirt that said, "Herbology: Bringing You Magical Mushrooms Since 3500 BC."
"Hey, Dad," he said, looking guilty and taking his place next to James and Fred.
Ly and Em walked in next. Ly walked over to Dom and Roxie. Em stood next to Lucy.
Scorpius sauntered in looking disinterested and leaned against the wall. Will and Sam were last, since Dylan wasn't going to be joining us.
They stood guiltily at the back and hung their heads.
Professor Longbottom regarded all of us with a look of disbelief and disappointment in his eyes.
"What do you all want to do when you finish school?" he asked. "I realise you all had to discuss this last year before OWLs, but I'm curious."
"Go pro," Dom said, addressing her feet.
"Be a singer," Roxie mumbled.
"Be a Healer," Al said.
"Go pro," Ly, James, and Fred said in unison.
"With Quidditch?" Dom asked, looking curious.
"No," they said in unison again. "The WWW."
Dom nodded and looked back at her feet.
"Figured I'd do something useful with Transfiguration," Will said.
"Something with Charms," Sam said.
"Open a sweets shop," Lucy said.
"Open a night club," I said, smiling sinisterly at no one in particular.
"Journalist," Scorpius replied.
"Something with the public service," Em said.
"Not teach Herbology," Frank said.
Professor Longbottom glared at Frank for a second then looked at all of us.
"And how does throwing wild parties in the 'Tower' help you achieve those goals?" he asked.
"I don't have goals," Frank said.
"Well, considering I want to run one of these things," I said. "It helps me practice for my future career."
"What about the rest of you?" Professor Longbottom asked, glaring around at all of them. "Because right now, your detention sentences aren't looking friendly."
I think I know how I can get my friends back.
"They don't throw the parties, Professor Longbottom," I said. "I do."
Everyone turned and stared at me until I gave them a pointed, "I'm trying to save all your asses" look.
"Really?" Professor Longbottom asked.
"Really," I said. "It's a test run for the managerial side of running a club. How to best supply the drinks, best wire the music, best layout for the actual club itself. Since recently finished Hogwarts students are going to be my target clientele, I figured there was no better way to test it out."
I really have become a very adept liar, haven't I?
Although now that I'm saying it, running a night club would actually be quite fun.
Professor Longbottom spluttered at me.
"You have detention until the end of term," he said finally.
I nodded.
"Go back to your dorms. All of you," he said.
We didn't need telling twice.
"Thank you," Roxie said the moment the five of us were back in our dormitory.
"Yeah," I said. "Sure. I only ever meant to be a heartless bitch to Scorpius. Not any of you."
"Because that worked," Lucy said, glaring at me.
Ly opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but I quelled her with a single glance.
"I figured I'd at least try to redeem myself," I said.
"Try all you like," Lucy replied.
"Well, we appreciate it," Dom said.
"You're welcome," I said, falling into my own bed.
I should probably stop lying. Sometime soon. Or at least start living some of my lies. Like the night club one. I actually like this idea. A lot.
Review!
Chapter title - "Dirty Little Secret" by the All-American Rejects. For fairly self explanatory reasons.
