...Uncle...
Colin nudges me as class wraps up. "Apologize!" he mouths. "Hell no." I reply. He frowns at me and Ginny kicks both of us under the table. I wince and put my head down rubbing my hurt leg. "Miss Black, would you kindly stay after class?" professor Lupin smiles. "I kindly would not." I mumble under my breath. Colin coughs to hide his laugh.
"You too Mr. Creevey and Ms. Weasley." Lupin raises a knowing eyebrow. I nudge Colin and he nudges me back. As the class cleans up and begins to leave Lupin turns around to gather the papers on his desk and Colin and Ginny make their way to his desk. I slip out amongst the others and hurry up to my dorm.
I'm halfway through my potions homework when Ginny storms in. "You! You! You little brat!" she screams and begins chasing me around. I tear from the room barreling past Katie, Angelina, and Alicia. I jump down the stairs and run right into Colin. He smiles at me but it's not a normal smile, no, he's conspiring with Ginny. I go to run but he's steps ahead of me. He shakes his head trying to corral me to the door.
I pout at him with puppy dog eyes. His eyes flicker for a mere moment as if deciding something. "Don't cave!" Fred cheers in a loud whisper. I use Colin's distracted glance at Fred to side step him and bolt as Ginny finally makes her way down. I can hear her yelling at Colin as I run down the hall. I collapse on the lake shore and stare up at the sky. There's a rustling nearby and I jump looking for Colin and Ginny.
The next morning at breakfast Snape and Lupin are talking and glancing my way. "You left us to be scolded yesterday." Colin pouts as he sits down. I ruffle his hair and he smiles. "You shouldn't have been telling me to apologize in the middle of class then!" I scold pinching his cheeks. He taps my hands trying to get me to stop but I pinch harder and tut. "Then I had to run all the way to the lake to get away from you and Ginny. Luckily Luna was going to visit the Thestrals and I escaped with her." I smile and wave across the hall at Luna.
Colin takes the chance to pinch my face in retaliation. We wind up sitting there pinching each other's faces while laughing. "If you two don't wind up together in the future I'll kiss a Thestral." Ginny mutters. We frown at her confused by her statement. "What do you mean? Why would we end up together?" Colin laughs. "Yeah, look at me! I have standards. I couldn't possibly be with someone so hyper. He'd be more suited to date someone like Luna." I tease.
"OH REALLY! Well, that's sounds like you admitting you can't handle me or are you deflecting because professor Lupin is your mother's brother? I overheard them talking on the platform that day. Your gran is getting your things from your mum's place as we speak. Your little rant made your uncle very worried about your well-being." Colin pats my head.
"Are you messing with me?" I ask all traces of joking vanish from my face but Colin doesn't look like he's joking. I shake my head slowly as if to wake myself. Just then grandpa's owl swoops down. I untie the letter with shaky hands and read it. It explains everything. As usual gran went to check on mum and found her in her room, bottles strewn around the room, passed out from an overdose. I rub my face as Colin reads over my shoulder. "Again?" he mutters. "What? What happened?" Ginny asks.
"Mum overdosed again.", I sigh heavily getting to my feet, "I'm going to send gran a quick owl. I'll see you guys in class." I leave before they can respond. I go up to the Owlry and write my grandparents a heavily worded letter and then watch their owl soar out. I hear the bell ring signaling the start of class but I can't bring myself to actually attend class. I go back to my dorm and toss my bag at the foot of my bed then walk the grounds.
I'm daydreaming by the lake when I hear someone sit down behind me. "Here, you need to eat something." Colin mumbles handing me a sandwich. I give him a nod of thanks and he scoots closer. I put my head on his shoulder as I eat. "You yelled at your grandparents, didn't you?" he sighs. I shrug. "Eat up. Ginny and Luna are worried about you." he sighs handing me another sandwich.
"I care too just so you know. I don't really like it when you shut down like this. If you need someone to talk to I'm always here to lend an ear." he whispers. I smile despite myself. I finish my sandwich and close my eyes. I wake up on a couch in the common room. Yawning, I stretch and sit up. I stumble up to my dorm and fall onto my bed into a deep sleep.
I keep my head down in classes for a week and remain sad for a month. "Come on Gwen, you need to get some fresh air." Ginny sighs dragging me out of the dorm. I let her lead me to the baths and I brush out my curly black hair while staring into my blank green eyes. I braid my hair and toss it over my shoulder then wash my face. "How long are you going to be staying with your grandparents this time?" Ginny asks. "A year maybe two. They sent mum to a rehab center in America this time. They also thought it best to pay off her debts and whatnot. Gran was able to find my father's heirloom for me so I guess that's good." I murmur.
Luna skips in and runs over. "You got Gwen out of her bed. Colin will be so happy. You know he gets all gloomy when you're gloomy right?" Luna pokes my cheek. "He does not. Have you ever considered that maybe he was feeling down because Harry refused to hang out with him?" I sigh sinking lower into the steaming bath. "Ah, so you two are still in denial. Well, that's alright. As long as you realize it before we graduate, all's well." Luna smiles literally jumping into her bath. Ginny tuts disapprovingly at her and I submerge myself under the bubbles and foam smiling.
I join them for lunch but keep quiet. Someone pinches my cheek and I look up. "You've been moping for a month now." Colin frowns. I turn to him with sad eyes. "I dropped my cookie on the floor." I point to the lone cookie beneath the table. He stifles a laugh and ruffles my hair. I put my head on his shoulder as I eat. "Why aren't you two just adorable!" George chuckles.
"Why thank you! I am quite adorable." Colin smiles and I choke on my juice. Ginny and Luna share a look and I take my head off his shoulder. I choose to rest my head on Luna's shoulder instead as Colin pretends to rub his 'aching' shoulder. "Narcissism is infectious. I'll stay over here and be a pure child." I smile at my hands. Colin snickers and nudges me. "Did you hear yourself the day you were ranting at professor Lupin? No pure child would rant like that." he scoffs.
I suck my teeth and roll my eyes. "Are you saying you're better than me? I didn't almost get hit by a bludger because I wanted a close-up picture of the Quidditch match." I poke his arm. He gasps like he's been doused in ice water. "You take that back." he demands. "No, I don't want to." I stick my tongue out. Luna scoots away as Colin faces me fully. "You're not going to take it back?" he laughs. I smile and turn back to my food. He chuckles and looks at ceiling. "Insanely irritating!" he mutters.
"Hypocritical lion." I murmur reaching for my drink. Colin grabs my hand and drags me outside. I follow him mumbling insults all the while. When we near the lake I try to turn back to the school. I struggle like a mad woman but he's stronger than I am. He throws me over his shoulder and I hit his back. "Do you want me to put you down?" he laughs spinning me around. I squeal unable to form words. I hear splashing but I'm too dizzy to comprehend where he's carrying me.
"Time to put little Gwen down since she's dizzy. We can't have her being dizzy all day." Colin chuckles spinning me around again and then he drops me into the lake. I yelp and jump to my feet to find Colin laughing in the shallows I run over splashing him as he runs away laughing. We spend the afternoon splashing each other until we're drenched. We squelch up to the castle and Ginny and Luna, who are waiting in the courtyard, burst out laughing.
"Did you guys... did you guys go for a... a swim?!" Luna gasps between bouts of laughter. People inside are pointing and laughing as they walk into the Great Hall for dinner. Colin and I look at each other confused pouts on our faces. McGonagall walks by with Lupin but does a double take when she follows the pointing students to our sopping wet clothes. They walk out suppressing smiles. "Explain yourselves." she demands.
"She was insulting me professor so I dropped her into lake to cool her off." Colin shrugs nonchalantly and I punch his arm. Professor Lupin turns away coughing but I'm positive he's just hiding his laughter. "You were being narcissistic. You deserved to be brought down a notch or two." I huff. "I was not!" he scoffs. "You probably don't even know what narcissistic means. Go ask Hermione, she'll tell you. I'll give you an example before you go. You were acting a bit like Draco Malfoy. Merlin's beard! You're Draco Malfoy Junior, DMJ. That's my new nickname for you." I laugh. Colin has gone beet reed and is pointing at me accusatorially while stammering.
Professor Lupin is now laughing so hard he has to excuse himself. McGonagall does a quick drying spell and sends us to eat. "After dinner go to Madam Pomfrey for a Pepperup Potion just in case." she calls after us. We eat in silence. "Are you two fighting again?" Hermione asks warily. "Gwen here came up with a new nickname for me after calling me narcissistic." Colin pouts. "You don't even know what narcissistic means DMJ!" I laugh. "DMJ?" Fred asks a hint of a smile on his face.
I turn to Colin with a smirk "DMJ, Draco Malfoy Junior." I pinch his blushing cheek. The Gryffindor table roars with laughter. "I'm going to dump you in the lake again." Colin frowns. I jump up. "I think I'm full. Bye guys! Bye DMJ!" I wave and bolt. Colin chases after me and I speed up trying to get to the girls' dorm. Colin isn't far behind when I give the Fat Lady the password. I tear inside and keep running but he catches me.
"Is teasing me fun for you?!" he pants as he spins me around. I'm not prepared for how close he is to me. His eyes lock on my lips and he gulps. I lick my lips nervously and he leans in closer. We both freeze and back away from each other. "ERM, I'm going to go put myself in timeout. I'll see you later." I mumble going up to my dorm. I peek at him from the balcony and note he's blushing as badly as I am. I run to my dorm and slam the door shut and fling myself on my bed.
We don't talk or dare be near each other without at least four others present. "Did something happen between you two?" Luna asks after a month. I shrug and return to tearing apart a bread roll. "So, why is he sitting so far away?" Ginny smirks. "Because, he told me he's in love with a siren." I murmur. Luna spits out her juice and laughs. Ginny hops to her feet and tackles Colin and begins shaking him. "What just happened?!" Ron asks his mouth full to bursting with food. "Lover's quarrel." I lie getting to my feet and leaving.
The entire hall is watching Ginny shake Colin so I escape unnoticed. I bump right into professor Lupin. I nod and go to pass him. He steps right into my path. "We need to talk Gweneth, about your mother and the way she raised you." there's no hint of his usual carefree nature in his tone. This is an order. I sigh and follow him to his office. He waves for me to sit down and I do. We sit there in silence for a while. "How long has Esme been like this?" he asks.
"Esme's been like this since dad died a few months after I was born." I shrug. There's a knock on the door. Snape walk in with a bottle of potion. I smirk and look away. "Looks like Esme was telling the truth. You are a werewolf! I didn't know she could tell truths. I thought she only knew lies." I mutter. The men watch me with curious eyes. "She said you were upset with her. Why?" Lupin asks. "She keeps trying to sell dad's things and heirlooms. That's why Kreacher doesn't come over anymore. I miss talking to him. He hid all the heirlooms and things at the Black family home until I come of age and can take them back." I sigh sadly.
"Black family home?" Snape asks mildly curious. "Yeah, the Black family home. Dad was a Black." I sigh looking at the floor. "Was?" Snape asks obviously wanting me to say more. "He died. In a cave. Kreacher told us. He'd found out a secret about Voldemort and died in the process. He was only 18 and mum was 17. She kind of lost her mind according to Kreacher. That's why gran stops by every now and then, to straighten her out. She'd tried to sell the watch he left for me." I mumble.
Snape sits down across from me staring at Lupin. "You're fighting with Esme over a watch?" Lupin chuckles. "It's not just a watch! It's a locket too. It has a picture of the three of us inside. R.A.B, E.R.L, and G.H.L.B are engraved on the inside of it. It's the only thing he left me and she wanted to pawn it for drugs and alcohol. She was completely inconsiderate!" I huff. "R.A.B?" Snape mumbles.
"Yes, R.A.B. Funny thing was, Kreacher supposedly came back with the locket watch and another locket. The other locket has gone 'missing' since though. How fucking weird." I mutter. "Language!" both men scold at the same time. I pout in my chair. "Just how much debt is Esme in?" Lupin asks after taking a calming breath and drinking his potion. I wince and look away.
"A thousand?" Lupin asks and I scoff. "If it was just a thousand, she would've paid it off by now. Try hundreds of thousands. She promised some shady creep Black family heirlooms that are thousands of years old and when she couldn't get them, she sold herself." I roll my eyes. "Hundreds of thousands?!" Snape chokes. "What creep?" Lupin asks trying to remain calm. I pull a photo from my bag and hand it over.
"He comes over twice a month. More if mum's drunk and high enough to sleep with him.", I glare at the man in the photo, "He's the scummiest man I've ever met." Lupin puts his face in his hands. Snape taps a piece of parchment and hands me a quill "If you can't verbalize the debt, write it down." I nod and write down: around 4,450,000 pounds.
I slide the parchment onto the table for them to read. What little color remains in their faces goes away. "Oh, you've got to be joking!" they gasp. "If grandma hadn't warned the goblins at the bank, she would've taken the money dad left for me out of my account and used that up too." I sigh.
"Does Esme not realize how much debt she's in?" Lupin asks. "Grandma Black never told her the full amount. Esme thinks she only has to pay off a couple thousand. The Debt Collectors used to go find Grandma Black but she passed away a few years before I came to school." I confess trying to suppress the sadness leaking into my voice.
"Oh, I nearly forgot. Grandma Black wanted me to give this letter to Grandma Lupin. Kreacher brought it to me this morning." I pull out a very old letter. "I'll make sure she gets it. Go on to class. You still have a few weeks until winter break. I'm sure mum and dad are worried sick about you." Lupin sighs. "Can't I just skip class for today?" I ask hopefully. "No!" the men say at the same time. "For old rivals you guys sure do agree on a lot of the same things." I huff leaving the room.
I skip Herbology but make it just in time for History of Magic. Ginny purposely sits me next to Colin and we both tense up. "Did something seriously happen between you two?" she asks with a smile. We glance at each other and Colin gulps. I punch his arm. "Stop doing that!" I growl. "Sorry!" he mumbles rubbing his shoulder. I switch seats with Ginny and slam my books on the desk.
I take notes refusing to look at either of them and am the first to leave the classroom. I run straight up to the dorm and stow my things away. I spy Luna walking the grounds and race down to her catching up to her at the forests edge. We spend the remaining daylight with the Thestrals.
"You and Colin haven't spoken in a long time." Luna points out as we drag ourselves onto the train and find a compartment. "And? He's a big boy. If he wanted to talk to me, he would." I shrug and fling myself into an empty compartment. She shares a look with Gin and I roll my eyes. "We don't like each other like that. Please, please, please stop making random shit up. It's putting a bad strain on our friendship." I plead.
They sigh and sit down across from me. We eat treats from the trolley but the majority of the journey is spent in silence. They leave first having spotted their families. I move much slower taking my sweet time and bump into an all too familiar body as I walk out of the compartment. "Your grandparents are waiting for you Gwen." Colin whispers. I sigh watching the families talking on the platform. He tightens the scarf around my neck and readjusts my coat. "There much better. Let me know when you get home." he smiles ruffling my hair.
"I don't have a home." I mutter hiding the bottom half of my face with my scarf. He tuts and takes my hand leading, pulling, me off the train. He laughs at my stubbornness and waves as he hurries off to his parents. I lean against a wall and my breath curl up in the winter air and rise into the sky. "Merlin's beard, Gweneth Hope Lupin-Black!" grandma shouts and I wince. She's runs over pulling me into a bone crushing hug. "We've been so worried about you!" she sniffles. I pat her back awkwardly as grandpa walks over.
"Darling, you'll hug the oxygen out of her at this rate." he scolds grandma. She releases me rounding on him. "I did not! I was just about to release her." she pouts. I shoot him a grateful look and he chuckles. "Come on, let's get to the car. We're shopping before we go home." he leads us both off the platform, out of the station, and to the car.
I'm not surprised in the slightest to be taken to a furniture shop. "You'll be staying with us until you graduate." grandpa whispers in a tone that tells me that they'll tell me the full story later. I nod and begin looking through the dressers with grandma. When we're done there we go clothes shopping, then grocery shopping. The furniture will arrive in two days so until then I just have a futon bed in my room. It's not like I had much in the first place though so it doesn't really matter to me.
I place my clothes in old trunks based on seasons and what color they are. Grandpa helps me take the trash from the room and we do a bit of cleaning. When grandma calls us for dinner, we're more than happy to stop cleaning. She made a vegetable lasagna with cheesy garlic bread for dinner. Also, there's parsnip white bean soup and pear salad. She pours some hot chocolate with marshmallows and crushed candy canes into a glass and places it in front of me. I smile and take a sip.
It warms every inch of me with only one sip. They make light conversation asking simple questions about school and my friends. "Your uncle Remus is coming by for Christmas dinner." grandpa mentions clearing his throat. I nod and continue eating. "How are his classes?" grandma asks tentatively. "They're good. Better than Lockhart's that's for damned sure. Pretty sure Snape is trying to oust him as a werewolf to all the students." I shrug.
Grandma drops her cutlery. "He's what?!" she cries. "Trying to oust him. Some old school beefs just don't die do they? Though when I skip classes they work together amazingly well, it's almost hilarious. But everyone knows the defense job is cursed. I don't think Professor Lupin plans on staying longer than a year so Snape's efforts are stupidly useless." I scoff getting more soup and bread.
Grandma and grandpa share a look. "His first week of lessons probably didn't help. I heard a third year, Longbottom, his boggart was Snape and he transformed him so Snape was wearing his grandmother's clothes. The entire school just collectively lost it." I laugh. Grandpa looks away trying not to laugh. Grandma serves me another slice of lasagna as if to change the topic.
We talk about my classes until it's time for bed. Gran bring me some thick quilts she made herself and they help me fall asleep faster. In the morning I'm roused by the smell of fresh baked cinnamon breakfast cake. That and the smell of butter croissants. Gran must've been up for at least three hours already.
I dress and slide into my new slippers before making my way to the kitchen. I give gran a sleepy hug and she laughs. "Go run a brush through that bedhead and then come eat." she nudges me gently from the room. I go grumbling and yank my brush through my black hair. My dad must've had curly hair of some sort because my hair is curly. I sigh and eye my reflection warily. My sleepy green eyes drifting over the mess that is my hair.
I wind up using a bit of water to help me tame it because my hair isn't nearly as curly and untamable as Hermione's. Then I wash my face and moisturize before skipping back to the kitchen. Gran chuckles as I do and I give her another hug.
I help grandpa set up my furniture when it arrives. We're just putting my dresser together when there's a knock on the door. We hear grandma squealing and grandpa gets up to greet the guest. I follow at a much slower pace and turn back when I see professor Lupin. I'm putting my desk together when the three of them enter. "Am I in trouble?" I mumble.
"No, not necessarily. Remus was just catching us up on some of your interactions since he started teaching. You never apologized for your little rant on the first day of classes did you Gwen?" grandma asks. I look out the window. "No..." I mumble fidgeting nervously. "It's ok. If she hadn't said what she said we wouldn't know how much trouble Esme's in or the one keeping her debt." uncle sighs. "I'm sorry." I mumble looking at the floor.
The three of them stare at me open mouthed. "There's no need for that reaction." I blush. They look away laughing and I continue putting my things away. Uncle helps grandpa put my bed together while grandma helps me put my books on the bookshelf. I wash up and help her with dinner while grandpa talks to uncle outside.
I wake early the next morning and stumble into the living room. Uncle and grandpa are awake and I sit at grandpa's feet. He pats my head and I groan. "Fell out of bed again didn't you." grandpa chuckles. I frown and nod. "Silly girl." he smiles. I spend the morning listening to my uncle and grandparents talking.
"Gwen, you start your third year in September. Do you know what classes you're going to take?" uncle asks. "I'd rather not take any. There's nothing that interests me." I sigh sadly. Uncle looks at grandma for an explanation but she shrugs. "Maybe her friends can talk her into it. Mr. Creevey in particular." uncle shrugs. I frown and growl quietly. Grandpa ruffles my hair and I stop. "Luna is my friend. Ginny became my friend because of Luna. Colin is a by-product." I mumble.
"A by-product. You two seem awfully close though." uncle Remus chuckles. "He gets too hyper and talkative to be around anyone else. Give it a year or two and he'll have finally made some good friends." I sigh hopefully. "Ah, so you're not friends with Colin. Then the rumors flying around the school that you two like each other are correct." uncle smirks. "No, why does everyone like to spread that rumor." I huff.
"I saw him pull you off the train. That didn't seem like just friendship to me." grandpa adds. "Gran they're messing with me." I sniffle and make my way over to her. "But if you two did seem like you were dating." she smiles. I groan and change course going to the kitchen. "Are you going to cook for us?" grandpa asks. "Of course, better than being teased. There's a 30 plus year old man in there you can tease in my stead." I grumble.
Their laughter makes me smile as I start on breakfast. Gran drifts in as I take the bacon and egg cups out of the oven and set them next to the chocolate croissants. "It smells yummy." she smiles as I dust the croissants with powdered sugar and drizzle chocolate on top. "Is breakfast ready yet?" grandpa whines. "No." I laugh. "Isn't it?" gran whispers. I point to the fruit in the sink. "I need to make some passionfruit tea." I bite my lip and put the food on a cooling tray.
Gran washes the fruit and helps with the prep. Once everything is done gran calls grandpa and uncle in. We enjoy a nice meal then spend the rest of the day watching movies. That night I dream about my parents standing over my crib smiling at me looking totally in love. I wake up crying in gran's arms. I curl up and hide as I continue crying.
She strokes my hair until I fall back asleep. When I wake, she's talking to uncle and grandpa at the door. "Ah, she's awake." uncle smiles but it's a sympathetic smile. "We need to talk Gwen." grandpa sighs. I shuffle out of bed and follow them to the living room. Gran fixes tea and I sit on the couch in between uncle and gramps.
They wait until gran comes in with the tea to start. "As you know your mum had an overdose. Kreacher found her passed out and came to get me and your gran." gramps sighs looking at the ceiling. "According to the hospital she overdosed on cocaine, ecstasy, LSD, ketamine, PCP, Psilocybin Mushrooms, several various antidepressants, Tylenol, Vodka, Everclear, Whiskey, and rum." gran continues.
"How much this time? Did she go easy on herself? Did she leave a note again?" I wonder reaching for my teacup. Uncle scoffs and shakes his head. "What?" I ask innocently. "It's a shame that that's your first response. You didn't even ask if she was ok." he frowns. "He's right Gwen. Although Remus, this is the 1,645th time Esme has overdosed since Gweneth was 3 months old." gran snaps and sniffles. Gramps hands her a tissue as she leaves the room.
"Forgive your mum Remus. She went over to Esme's with Walburga and found Esme passed out on the floor. Gweneth was wailing in her crib and neither looked like they had any food or water for days. When Es was taken to rehab for the first time, she admitted she wanted to die and take Gwen with her." gramps sighs and downs his tea, "She tried 50 more times to take Gwen's life with her own before we finally got her to a therapist. Sadly, when Gwen started school, she stopped going and started increasing the number of drugs and alcohol she consumes. I expect Gwen has already filled you in on the rest."
Uncle leans his head back and closes his eyes. "Colin told me that you and Esme often get into fights. Is that true?" uncle asks. "You could say that." I mumble. "It's mostly one-sided arguments and Gwen dragging Es to therapy or out for fresh air." gramps chuckles. I fidget trying not to look too happy. "This is what you were fighting with Esme over?" gran says holding up the watch. I hold out my hand and she drops it into my palm.
I run my finger along the watch until it clicks open. The engraved initials shine in the morning light in all their golden glory though my focus is on the photo. Dad and mum are sitting side by side with me in dad's lap. Mum actually looks happy and healthy. Her brown hair looking more vibrant and cared for than the stringy dirty mess I know and her green eyes full of life.
The three look over me at the locket watch in silent fascination. "By May Esme will be alright enough to see you. Would you like to see her?" gran asks gingerly already knowing my response. "No, I'd rather not. I'd rather wait a year or two." I mutter. They collectively sigh and I frown at the locket watch. "I wonder who took the picture." I murmur. "What do you mean?" gran asks. I point to a small blur on the photo that is quite obviously someone's finger. "Well, that is a good question." uncle mumbles.
I jump on Gin and hug her. She laughs and ruffles my hair. "Did you have a good holiday?" she asks as we trek up to the castle through the snow. "Yeah, it was fun. We played a lot of games and watch movies and cartoons." I smile. She frowns and I know she wanted to ask about Esme and I shake my head. Luna joins us in the Great Hall for cocoa.
"Colin said you didn't answer any of his letters. Why?" Luna wonders. "I was with my family and couldn't reply." I shrug. Colin leans over into my field of vision. "Are you sure you're not just avoiding me? I told you to let me know when you got home." he frowns. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't know I had to answer to you about everything." I smile. "Your uncle just stopped me on my way in and told me you burned my letters when you thought no one was looking and you don't want to take any elective classes. Explain." he demands.
I frown at him. "No." I huff and turn back to my drink. He sits next to me as Luna and Gin get comfortable like they're watching a movie. "No, you don't want to talk about it or no you're just not going to sign up for anything?" he frowns. I fidget and turn away. "Both." I murmur adding more marshmallows to my drink. He takes my drink and slides it down the table. "I want a proper answer and not a half assed answer." he grumbles.
I look him up and down and turn to Luna. "So, how was your break?" I ask with a smile. She and Gin shiver and move away. Colin grabs my hand and leads me out of the hall and up the stairs. Once we're alone he releases me and we sit on a bench in front of a window. I look out the window pouting. "Come here." he holds his arms out. "No." I mumble. He pulls me into his arms hugging me tightly.
"How bad was it? How long will it take your mum to recover?" he whispers. I don't answer and he sighs. "That bad. Well, I see you got your watch back. Can I see?" he murmurs. I run my fingers along the watch until it pops open. He stares for a long time not saying anything. "You were quite an adorable baby. What happened?" he wonders.
I snap the locket portion closed. "Life." I spit the word out and storm past him. He runs after me in full apology mode. He scoops me into his arms and spins me around leading me to a nearby bench. Sitting me on his lap he taps the watch again and I open it for him. He stares at the photo some more then closes it. I wrap my arms around him and rest my head on his shoulder.
"Ready to talk about it now?" he whispers. I nod and tell him everything. He leans his head back and sighs. "You know, you're one tough girl. You're dealing with all that at home, and then you still had to make sure you got your school supplies and made it to the train on time, then you had to keep your grades up here and ace your exams. Do you want a cookie? A trophy? A bar of gold?" he tickles me until I laugh.
I hide my blushing face as he holds me closer. I slowly look up at him and regret it instantly. Our faces are practically touching. His eyes are fixed on my lips and he leans in closer. Then he's kissing me and I'm so shocked I can't even move. He leans back tucking my hair behind my ears. "Sorry I just wanted to..." I don't let him finish. I cup his face and kiss him back. It feels so natural that I can barely control myself. Panting heavily, we break apart.
Someone lets out a wolf whistle and we turn to see the Weasley twins and Lee watching. I cover my blushing face with my hands and take off running in the opposite direction. I avoid the four of them for the next three months. I lie on the grounds while Luna feeds the thestrals. "You've been avoiding Colin for months now, why?" she demands. I groan and roll around.
"You remember the day I came back from break and Colin dragged me out of the Great Hall?", I mumble and she nods, "Well, he kissed me and I kind of, sort of kissed him back." Luna lets out a high pitch squeal that startles the Thestrals. "Then we realized we weren't alone and that Fred, George, and Lee had been watching. I took off running and haven't spoken to any of them. Ugh, I feel bad now." I groan.
"Was it a bad kiss?" Luna smiles. "No." I admit feeling my face heat up. "Did it feel weird like you shouldn't be doing it?" she giggles. "No." I confess. "Did you want it to stop?" she laughs. "No, it was quite nice. It felt, it felt natural being in his arms." I'm blushing to my roots, a dark scarlet. "You like him! You really, really, really like him!" she laughs.
I roll over and hide my face as she continues to tease me. Gin joins us after class and loses it when Luna tells her. Gin takes off for the castle and I try to run after her but Luna catches me before I can. I struggle but she eventually pulls me to the ground. I lie there squirming in vain whilst she teases me and pokes my blushing face. A shadow passes overhead and I groan. "I've got it from here." Colin smiles.
Luna jumps up and leaves with Ginny. He helps me to my feet and pulls me into his warm embrace. I whine and he chuckles. "I heard Luna's been teasing you for a few hours. It sounds like you've been punished enough. I've missed you but you've been ignoring and avoiding me." he whispers. I wrap my arms around him and he laughs. "What's that supposed to mean?" he wonders. I lift my head and kiss him.
"I missed you too." I mumble against his lips. His smile grows as he leans in to kiss me back. "How much did you miss me?" he whispers. "About as much as I miss that basilisk." I tease. He frowns and I stifle a laugh. "Ha, ha, ha, very funny." he turns away and starts back up to the castle. "Colin. Colin. Colin!" I yell and chase after him. He turns just in time for me to jump into his arms. "Do you wish to take back what you said?" he wonders. I nod and kiss his cheek. He sets me on my feet despite my protests and leads me inside.
I go grumbling and he shoots me a disapproving look. I pout up at him and then frown for real. Without my noticing he grew taller than me to the point where I have to look up at him. I must have a dark expression on my face because he immediately sighs. "You just now noticed, didn't you?" he tuts. I ignore him already measuring the distance between us now. At most I'd have to stand on tip toe if he leans away from me.
"Come here Gweneth." he pulls me to his chest. I flinch a bit at the use of my full name. He knows I don't like it but he loves to use it when I'm upset. "Colin that's hardly fair." I roll my eyes. He lifts my chin and I force myself to look at him. "I'm not going to lie, I kind of like being taller than you." he smirks. I lightly smack his chest. He shrugs nonchalantly but his shoulders shake with silent laughter.
We study in the common room next to the window sitting so close together there's barely room for a piece of parchment to slip through. "If you two get any closer you're going to merge into one person." George comments as he passes with Fred and Lee. "Ugh, that sounds terrible." I shiver moving away. "Don't let her fool you. They were quite closer earlier." Ginny scoffs.
Colin pulls me back once they stop teasing us and leave. He kisses my cheek and puts an arm around my shoulder pointing out where I went wrong in my work. I frown disapprovingly and he places a finger under my chin turning me to him. He kisses me softly. "Now, now. Don't get mad. I'm just trying to help." he whispers. I hide my face in his chest. He laughs and rubs my back. "One more?" I whisper.
"What was that? I don't think I heard you quite clearly." he chuckles. "I said I'm going to bed." I huff cleaning my things up. He grabs me by my waist and pulls me onto his lap. I squirm until he cups my face and kisses me. My mind completely empties and I feel the blush rising in my cheeks. Whenever I go to move away, he pulls me back.
I sit there with my face hidden in his shirt. "That was uncalled for." I pout. "You said one more." he whispers rubbing my back. I shiver and kiss his neck. "It was too much." I pout. "Should I try again?" he wonders. I lightly smack his chest. I look up at him and he freezes. He caresses my cheek and kisses the top of my head.
I sit there and play with his tie. "What was in those letters you sent me?" I wonder. "Not telling. You should have read them instead of burning them." Colin frowns. I frown sitting up. "Please tell me." I insist.