While the mouse is away tending to a friend, the cat will play. I hear that Ms. Innocent Greengrass earned herself a few nights of detention with the castle's resident cameraman. Professor Binns wasn't all that thrilled with his new classroom decor.

Nott, do you know where your girl is tonight?

~xoxo, Gossip Witch

"I'm not innocent," Astoria huffed, tossing the piece of parchment as she reached for the sponge. She wrung it out over the bucket before pressing it against the wall.

"I can't believe he's making us do this without magic," Colin laughed, nudging Astoria with his shoulder as he swiped the sponge over the top of their collage. He had pressed upon his tiptoes once before and almost lost his balance. This time he decided to clean as far as he could. After they were done with the part of their design they could both reach, they could figure out how they would clean the rest of it.

Colin glanced at Astoria out of the corner of his eye and noticed a smile on her face. That was something he hadn't seen on her in a very long time. In fact, he hadn't seen a genuine smile on her face since she started dating Nott. He knew she was happy with him, but it seemed like most days, she was afraid to be herself. She was always trying to be bigger than her sister, competing for everyone's attention because she was always in Daphne's shadow. It made him so mad to think that anyone was struggling to see that Astoria was anything less than amazing.

Colin hated to admit it, but he was jealous of Theo. That's why he had been more than happy to share some of his knowledge of Theo's whereabouts with Gossip Witch. He needed Astoria to see Theo as the low-life that he was, even if Theo was a good guy. He just wasn't the right fit for Astoria. Colin just needed to get Astoria to see that.

"Who called you innocent?" Colin asked, attempting to focus on the task at hand. All he wanted to do was bask in Astoria's beauty and enjoy the fact that she was hanging out with him for more than just a study break.

"Gossip Witch," Astoria shrugged, bending over to resoak her sponge. "Apparently, our artistic endeavor was gossip-worthy."

"That's pretty cool," Colin replied, flashing a smile towards her.

"I know, right?" Astoria replied, her cheeks glowing pink as she smiled back at him. "I think she's trying to get Theo's attention away from Daphne, though."

"Why would you say that?" Colin asked, furrowing his brow as he bent down to get more water for his sponge. He was trying his hardest not to roll his eyes at the mention of Theo's name, but he knew that as long as the two of them were together, he would be forced to listen to her talk about him.

"Because you know how she is," Astoria sighed, shaking her head as she focused on a spot of the mural that was being particularly stubborn. "She likes to paint pictures with her words, and everyone loves them. They eat them up like it's their last meal on Earth, no matter how many lies are lurking around the stories. Every word is chosen for a reason to get under someone's skin."

Colin nodded his head slowly. "Go on."

"I don't even know where I could continue to," Astoria laughed, turning to lean up against the wall. She dropped her sponge into the bucket, causing a splash. She crossed her arms over her chest and took a deep breath. "I just wish she'd go away. I'm sick of her sticking her nose into my relationship. I just want to be happy."

"Are you happy with Theo?" Colin asked, leaning his shoulder against the wall. He looked Astoria up and down as he waited for an answer.

Astoria lowered her head and found a knot on the floor to focus on. She wasn't sure how to answer his question. There were certainly times that she was happy in her relationship with Theo, but for every happy moment, there were pieces of parchment that would come floating down that made her question everything she thought she knew. She trusted Theo more than she had ever trusted anyone, but she also knew her sister.

Daphne had a way of getting exactly what she wanted from people without them even realizing that she was pulling them into her web. Sure, Daphne would apologize when she crossed a line, but Astoria had been on the receiving end of those apologies too many times to know just how insincere they were. If Daphne wanted Theo, then it wouldn't take much for her to be able to steal him away from Astoria. And no matter how many times Astoria pretended that her sister would never do that to her, the reality would set in after every blast that Gossip Witch shared.

"Tori?" Colin asked, reaching out and looping his finger under her chin. He lifted her head to look at him and took a step forward. Colin moved his hand to cup her cheek as he brushed gently across her skin with his thumb.

He stared at her for a few moments before his eyes fluttered closed as he leaned down. The kiss caught them both off guard at first, but after the initial shock faded its way, they both gave into the kiss. Astoria's arms wrapped around Colin's neck and his hands rested on her waist. They stayed that way for a few moments until reality sank in.

Astoria's eyes went wide as she pulled away from Colin. She pushed herself off the wall and made her way past him, refusing to look back when he called her name. This was the last thing she needed in her life right now.

~xoxo, Gossip Witch ~

Want to be a part of the Gossip Witch fun?

This story is meant to be slightly interactive. Submit anonymous blasts about the students at Hogwarts and you might find your prompt used as inspiration in a future chapter! Submit your blasts to the xo-gossipwitch blog on tumblr.

Thanks for continuing to inspire this story!