As soon as the door closed behind Albus, I sighed and collapsed into the nearest desk. I dropped my head into my palms and began to ponder the depths to which I would go to in order to help a friend. Apparently they were pretty low. I was mentally kicking myself for agreeing to this whole fiasco when the sound of the door opening broke me from my thoughts. I looked up to see James standing in the doorway. He was holding his wand and tucking what looked like an extremely old piece of parchment into the pocket of his robes.
"Good afternoon." He said cordially.
"Not really, actually." I replied. Then struck with a curious thought I said, "Hey, how is it you always know exactly where to find me?"
"Just chalk it up to good timing." He said shiftily. "Anyway," He continued, sitting down in the desk beside me, "I realised that neither of us have prefect duty tonight and I was wondering if you wanted to take advantage of our free time and go exploring."
"Huh?" I asked, uncomprehending.
"Our date." He reminded me. "I promised you all of the wonders of Hogwarts didn't I?"
"Oh right. Of course. But I can't tonight. I'm busy."
James' eyebrows furrowed. "Doing what?"
I averted my gaze and muttered, "Going on a date..."
"A date? With who?"
"Mark..." I muttered even more quietly.
To my surprise, he began to laugh. "No seriously. With whom?"
"I wasn't kidding." I replied irritably. The grin slid off his face.
"What happened to 'Mark's cool but he's just a friend and that's all he'll ever be'?"
"He is just a friend." I said defensively.
"Really? Because the whole going on a date with him thing suggests otherwise." James crossed his arms and turned the full power of his eyes on me.
"I didn't make the date. I'm doing a favour for Albus."
His responding scoff fanned the flames of my already burning temper.
"Oh just shut up. You know I'd rather be with you tonight ten times over so stop acting like such a child."
He looked slightly stunned by my obvious tempre, but rallied almost instantly. "You know Vera, I can't help but notice how many of my peers I seem to be fighting for your attentions."
I bristled. "What are you trying to say, James?"
He shook his head, now looking simply defeated. "Look, I don't want to argue with you, Vera. I guess I'm trying to say...just call me when you're ready to just be with me."
He rose to his feet.
"James - " I started, feeling the tempre drain out of me only to be replaced by the dread of his departure. He didn't turn to acknowledge me, but simply walked out of the empty classroom, slamming the heavy wooden door behind him.
It continued to amaze me how easily I managed to screw up perfectly good relationships on almost a daily basis.
I didn't return to lunch after that but simply sulked up to my dormitory and took advantage of its emptiness by getting ahead on homework. This attempt proved unsuccessful however, because I had an incredibly difficult time focusing on Golpalott's Third Law when my social life was in shambles.
I returned to class at the bell and drifted through my last two subjects. I'd made up my mind to talk to Albus and tell him I couldn't help him, then go and jump into James' arms and apologise endlessly until he forgave me. That plan was quickly scrapped however after fourth period, when I was heading back to the common room to find Albus.
"Vera, I need to talk to you."
I winced when I heard Don's voice. I knew what was coming. I turned slowly to face him. His jaw was taught and his fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles were white. I didn't trust my voice so I simply nodded and followed him into an abandoned alcove.
"It's not true." Don said once he had glanced around to ensure we were alone.
"What-What isn't?" I asked, though I knew the answer.
"Mark. Everyone in school is talking about you two."
Dear god news travelled fast around here. I'd just found out about it myself a few hours ago.
"It's not what it seems..." I started.
"Don't give me that rubbish, Vera. We broke up because you had feelings for someone else. Now you've made a date barely twenty-four hours later and it's not even with that someone else. What is wrong with you?"
"I didn't-" I tried again.
"Don't try to deny it." He cut me off. I could see him working himself into an uncharacteristic rage now. It almost frightened me. "People always told me that Malfoy was more than just your name, it was who you were as a person too. But I always defended you. Because I knew you. Or at least I thought I did. But I've come to realise that you don't care about anyone but yourself. You don't care who you crush as long as you get what you want. You're more of a Slytherin that Salazar himself. And you know what? I honestly feel bad for Mark and James and whoever is stupid enough to fall in love with you in the future. Because one day they will realise all this too and come to see you as nothing more than a huge mistake, just as I have."
His face was red by the time he finished. He stood there, staring and breathing heavily for a moment before he spun on his heel and stormed away.
I felt as though he had punched me in the stomach. My knees were weak as I collapsed back against the stone wall and slid to the floor. I quickly went about numbing my insides so as not to go mad from the torrential flood of emotions that was threatening to overwhelm me. I wasn't sure how much time had passed before I finally picked myself up off the floor and made my way slowly back to Gryffindor tower, where I proceeded directly up to bed. When I reached my four-poster, I collapsed into it and fell asleep instantly.
The next thing I was aware of was a soft, feminine voice whispering my name.
"Vera, wake up." I opened my eyes and found Janie sitting across from me on her bed, fully dressed and holding a plate of buttered toast. I sat up and she offered me the plate, which I dug into gratefully, only now realising how hungry I was.
"What time is it?" I asked during a pause between bites.
"Around one. You've been asleep for nearly sixteen hours."
I nodded and continued eating. Janie looked as though she had something else to say but I didn't press her, as I currently found my food ten times more fascinating.
"So what exactly happened last night?" She asked after a while.
I sighed and set aside the now empty plate. "Why?"
"Well, armed with the knowledge that you recently had some kind of interaction with the two best-looking guys in school and noticing how sulky they both were last night, I figured you must have had something to do with it."
Janie didn't miss the guilty expression I conjured after hearing her words. After several promptings from her I finally gave in and revealed the story. Her mouth was completely open by the time I finished. Taking advantage of her temporary silence I continued,
"...and now I don't know what to do and I feel just awful now."
To my surprise she rolled her eyes and said, "Oh shut up Vera."
"I beg your pardon?" I demanded.
"You keep complaining about your relationship problems but do you have any idea how much every girl in this school would kill to be you right now?"
"I - "
"I mean, you have three gorgeous guys following you around like puppies day after day and you still find time to complain about them."
She crossed her arms and adopted a huffy expression.
"I-I'm sorry, Janie. I didn't realise you felt so strongly about it."
"Well I do." She answered irritably. There was a beat of silence then she said, "Well? Aren't you going to ask me for advice?"
I chuckled and she couldn't help but smile. "Alright, let's hear it then."
Janie started off as though she was reading a prepared speech. "First, I think you should go out with Mark tonight. If not to give him a chance then at least to keep your promise to Al. After that, you should go find James and snog his face off. Finally, give Don a few days to calm down then go apologise. Except, don't mention that you snogged James' face off, alright?"
I laughed again. "Sounds like an excellent plan to me. Shall we put it into action?"
She giggled. "We shall! But first we need to do homework. I'm way behind already."
I spent the day hauled up in a back corner of the library with Janie, trying to focus on homework but actually thinking longingly for tomorrow when all this would be over and I could turn all my attention to James.
At eight o' clock that evening, I descended the marble staircase, purposely underdressed and wearing minimal make-up. I felt nauseous, as though the butterflies in my stomach were actually playing Russian Roulette instead of flapping around harmlessly. I didn't want to do this. I really didn't want to do this. Not just because everyone at the school now officially thought I was a harlott but also because, well, I WAS GOING ON A DATE WITH MARK! Of all the things I had tried over the last few years, all the excuses I had dreamed up, he had finally cornered me. And instead of admitting defeat, I now felt as though I was heading toward my death. I wanted to go find James and fling myself into his arms, but he was furious with me. I, on the other hand, was furious with Albus.
I finally reached the last step of the marble staircase, realising I wished the walk had been ten times longer, and found Mark waiting there for me, wearing a dark T-shirt and actually looking quite dashing.
His dirty blonde hair was arranged in casual but perfect spikes and his hazel eyes shone with anticipation. I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans and closed the distance between us. Mark hugged me hello and said,
"You look lovely."
Damn it. I'd been trying not to deserve that compliment.
"Thanks. So, er, what are we doing tonight?"
"I thought we could grab some coffee and dessert in the kitchens. Then take a stroll around North Tower. There are some excellent constellations out tonight that I'd like to show you."
"Er, alright." We descended into the basement, walking casually. I was relieved when he didn't try to hold my hand. We arrived in front of a portrait of a bowl of fruit and Mark reached forward to tickle the pear, as though he had done it a hundred times.
The portrait swung forward to allow us entrance and a scene was revealed. House elves roamed busily around the low-roofed kitchen, shouting squeakily at each other and already working on what appeared to be the next morning's breakfast.
"Hello sir and miss." Said an unnaturally petite house elf to our right. It was sometimes hard to tell with house-elves, but I'd hazard a guess to say this one was female. "I is preparing the table you asked for, sir."
"Thank you, Holly. And my mum made these for you for Christmas." From within his pocket, Mark pulled a small pair of red and gold knitted socks and knelt to hand them to the small elf.
The small creature's eyes lit up. "You's is too kind sir." She pulled the socks onto her feet and skipped off into the depths of the kitchen. Mark followed her and motioned for me to join him. Holly weaved through aisles of pots and pans, scores of elves, and seas of haphazard dishes until arriving in what seemed to be the farthest corner from the door. She pulled back a plain white sheet to reveal a table set for two with a small candle in the centre.
"Thanks so much, Holly." Mark said. The little elf nodded and disappeared back into the crowd of her fellows. Mark inclined his head for me to sit down and I did so, relieved that he hadn't offered to pull the chair out for me. I hated when boys did that. He took a seat opposite me and said,
"Holly should be back in a moment with some butterbeer." He leaned back in his chair looking extremely relaxed, far more relaxed than I was, anyway.
"Er, Mark..." I said hesitantly.
"Yep?" He asked.
"Don't take this the wrong way but...I saw that you gave Holly a pair of socks...are you allowed to do that?"
To my surprise, he began to laugh. "You're such a pureblood." He managed to get out through his guffaws. I frowned at him,
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing." He said, gaining control of himself. "It's just that Hogwarts has eliminated the owning of house-elves. All the elves here are freed. Some of them even accept wages and vacations."
"Really?" I asked, intrigued. "How did they get them to do that?"
"It wasn't easy. Serving humans is so deeply ingrained in their psyches that it was almost impossible to break them out of it. But Albus' aunt, Hermione, remember? She campaigned for it for years and finally got them to agree to be free."
"Wow." I replied, making a mental note to take a closer look at that book Aunt Hermione had sent me for Christmas. "What else do you know about house-elves?"
As it turned out, quite a bit. In fact, Mark knew a lot about wizarding history that I could not recall Professor Binns ever even mentioning. I listened, enraptured by his tales of bloody goblin battles, fierce debates over cruelty to magical creatures, and much more. It had been so long since I'd had a proper conversation with Mark, that I'd forgotten how interesting he was to speak with, and had missed out on how much he had grown up over the last few years.
We'd finished eating by the time I looked at my watch again. I gave out a small yelp as I took in what the two clock hands showed me.
"Since when is it 11 o' clock?" I demanded of my watch. Mark chuckled. He had always enjoyed my frequent conversations with inanimate objects.
"I suppose we should skip the star-gazing and get back to the dormitory." Then he leaned forward, his face suddenly adopting a vulnerable expression. "Any chance you'd want to do this again sometime?"
"I would." I answered honestly. He looked taken aback.
"Really?"
"Yes, but... just as friends." His expression fell. Feeling guilty, I reached across the table and rested my hand on top of his. He looked up in surprise. "Listen, I had a really great time tonight. And maybe in another time, in another life, I could have really fallen for you..."
"But...?"
"But I've already met someone else. And this someone else is really special. And as amazing as you are, Mark, I have to give this guy a shot, because...because I've never felt this way about anyone before."
He took a deep breath. "It's alright. I think I understand. At least you finally gave me a chance."
I nodded in agreement. "I'm glad I did."
"But hey," He continued, looking suddenly hopeful. "If it doesn't work out between you and this other guy, be sure to send me an owl."
I grinned at him, "Of course."
Mark and I said our good-byes as the entrance to the girls dormitory. After hugging him quickly, I made my way slowly up the girls staircase. I was relieved, to be honest. Now that I had the Mark issue out of the way, I could work on fixing my other two relationships. At last I reached the sixth year dormitory and slid quickly inside. All the other girls were asleep, as it was almost midnight. I made my way to my bed and yanked the hair tie out of my hair, letting my golden curls tumble down around my shoulders. I sighed, running my fingers through my hair, relieved by its freedom. I was about to pull my shirt over my head and change into my pajamas when a pair of arms closed around me from behind.
Panic rushed suddenly up my body and I prepared to scream, but a hand closed over my mouth before I could make a sound.
"Would you relax?" Said a familiar voice. "It's just me."
The tension slid from my shoulders as I recognised the speaker. Then I stiffened again.
"James? What the hell are you doing?" I was, as you can imagine, ferociously irritated that he had frightened me so much.
"Shh." He crooned in my ear as the volume of my voice began to rise. "I'll tell you in a second. I just need you to be quiet."
I took a deep breath. "Alright, fine. I'm listening."
He wrapped his arms tightly around me and rested his chin on top of my head. The warmth of his body was like heaven after the withering cold of the basement. This pleasant moment was interrupted by the sudden realisation of where we were. I swiveled around in James' arms and pressed my hands against his chest.
"How did you get in here?" I demanded. He gave low chuckle.
"All part of the tour Malfoy." He said cryptically.
"But why are you here?"
"Come on Vera, you didn't think something small like you going on a date with another bloke would ruin my plans for tonight did you? I promised you all the wonders of Hogwarts and I intend to keep that promise."
"Let me get this straight, you snuck into my dormitory in the middle of the night and scared me half to death to take me on a date?"
"Yep. Sounds about right." He replied off-handedly.
I sighed, trying to decide between kicking him out and going out with him. His warm lips pressing to my forehead made my mind up rather quickly.
"Okay, so where are we going?"
The flash of his teeth in the moonlight filtering through the curtains told me he was smiling widely. He released me and politely held his hand out toward me,
"Welcome, Ms. Malfoy, to your first tour of the wonders of Hogwarts. Prepare to have your life completely changed."
Author's Note: Hey I'm sorry, I know I broke my promise. But here it is. I know it's ridiculously short but that's mostly because it was originally part of Chapter 14. But I can assure you that you'll have a delightfully long chapter by the end of the week which will show James and Vera's long awaited first date. Once again, I'd like to invite readers to give a shout out about any fluff they'd like to see in the upcoming chapters. I'll be happy to accommodate and I could really use some help because I'm not exactly the fluff expert. Sorry about the angst in this chapter, but PLEASE REVIEW ANYWAYS!
Special thanks to all the people who reviewed last chapter: TheEvilPinkCupcake, Forever Siriusly Sirius, Sydney-Jo, Griffie7198, rose013. You all are the best!