Chapter 9
Happy New Year's Eve
Clara was more than happy to join me to Potter and Black's party. We somehow managed to get through her little slip up and her efforts to get close to me increased tenfold. She was especially excited when I asked her to come with me to the party, already planning out her outfit two days before. While I still couldn't forget how natural her old habits came to her, I tried my best to move past it and trust her.
It could have been an effect of my talk with my mother, whom I put more effort in too. I could tell she still hadn't told my dad of her plans but I let her take her time. Ever since our trip to Diagon Alley, I noticed she also tried harder with me, often including me in her conversations and even joining us in a passing game with the ball in our backyard. The general mood in the house had lifted and it was refreshing to say the least.
Lacey, whom I frequently exchanged letters with, was excited to attend the party too. The day I returned home from seeing Potter, I was welcomed by her owl who sat patiently in my room. She talked about the invitation she received from Potter and Black and demanded I came to the party with her to mingle.
What on earth she meant by mingle, I had no idea. But I knew since Lacey was determined to go, I couldn't think of any excuse not to. I was probably walking into another one of life's traps and anything with the Marauders involved didn't exactly scream a normal night, but the recent events of this school year were already crazy enough that nothing could possibly happen that would top that.
Famous words spoken by literally anyone before something disastrous happened? Probably.
Nevertheless, at half past seven in the evening, Clara and I were rushing to get ready. The invitation stated the party would start at seven but Clara had taken almost an hour looking for her wand, which she misplaced outside when we played football in the morning. After we found it, only then could we both start getting ready and I knew Lacey was going to kill me for showing up so late, probably convinced that I bailed on her.
Clara and I apparated by the front door ten minutes to eight, her taking me on side along. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust at the size of the house, two-story but wide, and the front porch was decorated with a variety of garden furniture. It was complete with lounge chairs grouped in pairs with large umbrellas, fancy wooden benches, a tall fountain with a stone fish spewing out water into its basin, and a plethora of pansies blooming beautifully colorful in the winter. Even Clara, who hailed from a well off family looked impressed, gaping at the flowers that led us to the front door.
"Your friend knows how to decorate, doesn't he?" she said almost breathlessly.
"I'm sure he wasn't responsible for the decor," I said, but equally as impressed.
When a gust of cold wind blasted our way, we took it as our cue to hurriedly make our way to the door and ring the bell. A second later, the door swung open by itself and the beat of the music from indoors filled my ears. Clara and I slowly stepped in, hanging our coats by the hanger next to the entrance, most hooks already taken. The vague chatter of Potter's guests flooded the hall and I almost felt nauseous.
"Fair warning," I said to Clara, "Hogwarts students are a bit barmy."
Clara laughed. "I think I can manage."
We slowly made our way to the first room to our right where the chatter seemed to pool from. We were welcomed by a large living room with enough space and couches to host at least thirty people, a crackling fireplace alight by the corner, and an arch connected to the dining room where more people stood happily chatting with their drinks.
In typical Lacey fashion (mentally kicking myself that I expected more from her), by the time we arrived, she wasn't even there yet. I couldn't spot her blonde head anywhere and I bitterly concluded she was late, as bloody usual. My eyes couldn't find any of the four Marauders anywhere either so Clara and I stood awkwardly by the corner.
"Another fair warning," I whispered to her. "I don't know like ninety-five percent of these people. So until we find Potter and his friends, might as well make yourself comfortable standing here."
But before Clara could give a reply, a group of three boys had approached us. Surprise, surprise, I couldn't name a single one of them.
"Hey!" the one with the tousled brown hair and freckles greeted us confidently.
"Hi," Clara said politely, side-eyeing me as if telling me to make conversation.
"Er, 'ello," I said awkwardly. "You, er, Potter's friends?"
"I'm Tim." Another one of them with bright blue eyes and overly gelled blonde hair extended his hand to Clara.
A moment later, the third of them, probably the most good-looking among the three in my standards, extended a hand shake to Clara as well. He radiated a creepy vibe though.
"I'm Will Anderson," he said with a cheeky grin, dark eyes glinting.
"Oh, pleasure to meet you all. I'm Clara," she said, shaking both their hands before stepping back closer to me. "Um, this is Monica. She's the one who actually goes to Hogwarts. I'm just tagging along."
"I'm Quentin," the first boy who spoke said charmingly. "So where do you go, Clara? If not at Hogwarts?"
"I've already graduated from Beauxbatons," she said, looking a bit uncomfortable at the attention all three boys were giving her.
I rolled my eyes, not exactly offended that they practically ignored my existence but wondered if these three dolts actually thought they had a chance with her.
"Ah, a French woman!" the boy called Will exclaimed happily. "No wonder I couldn't recognize you anywhere."
"Yes, well, like I said, Monica's the one who goes to—"
"Dyer!" A booming voice cut off the pending harassment case of our conversation and I never felt more pleased to see James Potter making his way towards me.
He easily stood out from the three boys we just met, natural confidence from his gait and nothing creepy radiating from his aura.
"Was getting worried you wouldn't show," he said when he reached us then he noticed the group of boys who were practically glowering at him and asked, "What are you guys doing here?" unfazed by their glares.
"Introducing ourselves, Potter," Tim said coolly.
"Oh, sure, this is Monica Dyer and that's her cousin Clara. Run along now," he said, waving a lazy hand to signify their dismissal.
The three boys begrudgingly left us alone and bickered in mumbles between each other as they headed to another corner.
"Sorry 'bout that," Potter said. "They're Malcolm's plus ones. Or plus three, I suppose."
I recognized Malcolm as the captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, nice bloke and apparently good friends with Potter despite being rivals.
"Bit assertive, aren't they?" Clara said, still looking a bit uncomfortable.
"Rather odd for a bunch of Hufflepuffs, innit?" Potter shook his head solemnly. "Anyway, thought Lacey would be with you?"
"She's not one for showing up on time," I said.
"You too, apparently," he shot back jokingly. "Bit of her rubbing off on you, eh?"
"Sorry, that's my fault," Clara jumped in. "Misplaced my wand."
"Well, I'm sorry to tell you, Clara, that latecomers are subject to three Firewhisky shots," Potter said in a fake solemn tone. His face broke out into a grin and he darted straight to the dining area where the drinks were at. He beckoned us to follow, and Clara and I exchanged uneasy looks before walking after him.
"Now I'm well aware that you're not off age, Dyer," Potter said as he charmed the bottle of Firewhisky to pour six shot glasses that floated perfectly on the table. "But what the Ministry won't know won't hit 'em. Drink up, ladies!"
Clara eagerly finished her shots and I hesitated before following her lead. The sensation of the drink was quick in my throat, burning my lungs but I couldn't let it show on my face. I finished the last of my three glasses and felt an uncomfortable bubbling in my stomach. By no means was it my first time to taste an alcoholic drink but muggle beers definitely were much easier to take in.
"Whiskey tastes much better here," Clara said.
"Well, this one's flavored," Potter admitted, examining the bottle.
Suddenly another familiar face popped in from the living room, holding a tray of empty bowls.
"Oi, Prongs, someone's using your mum's bathroom again."
"Merlin, are you serious?" Potter snapped, placing the bottle down and prepared to storm out.
"Actually could you show me to the loo?" Clara asked quickly.
"Oh, yeah, sure," Potter said. "Come on, it's on the way to the git who can't follow house rules."
Black curiously watched the pair leave then finally noticed me by the table. I thought I noticed him nearly losing his balance of the tray but he quickly straightened up and addressed me.
"Dyer," he said, blinking twice. "When did you get here?"
"About fifteen minutes ago," I said.
"Prongs welcomed you right in, hasn't he?" Black said, eyeing the empty shot glasses by the table.
"Punishment for being late apparently." I felt a bit lightheaded.
"Well, those things hit like a hippogriff," Black chuckled, making his way further into the dining area. He pulled out his wand and wordlessly charmed the finger food to fill the empty bowls.
"Anything interesting happen in fifteen minutes?" he asked.
I shook my head. "Not unless you count a group of horny Hufflepuffs hitting on my cousin the second we got here."
He barked out a laugh. "Did you really just say horny?"
"It's not a crime," I said, laughing with him despite myself. "And it's true."
"Prongs invited them, not me," Black defended himself.
"I didn't even say who they were."
"You had me at horny Hufflepuffs," Black said, face serious.
I laughed again, probably the alcohol affecting my head.
"So that was your cousin? The one we met at the platform?"
"Yes," I said, keeping a wary eye.
"What's with that look?" Sirius asked, comically acting offended. "I'm not going to try anything. I do acknowledge the boundaries of first cousins."
"I'm relieved," I said with a roll of my eyes.
"Can't say the same thing for James." He smirked. "I think I saw a bit of drool in his mouth when he left."
"Don't be gross," I snapped.
"I'm not the one blabbering on about horny Hufflepuffs here." He raised his hands up.
I fought another smile and he picked up his tray with full bowls of food.
"Do you need help?" I offered.
"Well, I think I can handle it," Black said with a glint in his eye. "But my back's actually quite sore, y'know? These people eat like giants. Been going back and forth the kitchen to refill these things."
"Why don't you just make them float there?" I asked bluntly, eyebrows raised.
"Ah, well, what's the point of being a good host then?" he said.
"Point taken."
I grabbed another tray by the counter and transferred a few filled bowls to lessen the load on his.
"Only because Lacey will probably get here in an hour still," I said, trying to act burdened but actually quite relieved I had something else to do that wasn't mingling.
"And Prongs said you weren't the nice one." Black grinned before heading out the door.
I rolled my eyes again and followed his lead with my own tray.
"You can do the tables at the back," he said, pointing to the backdoor which led to a large backyard with even more people huddled in groups. He saluted me and said, "Thanks for the help, Dyer."
I shot him a sarcastic tight-lipped smile and headed out as he proceeded to serve and mingle with the guests inside. Potter's backyard didn't look as fancy as his front porch, actually giving a more homey feel with the wooden platform and tiny table sets. There was a larger grass space where they presumably played Quidditch given the tattered broomsticks thrown by the corner.
I started to place the food one by one on each table, excusing myself to the groups of people. One particular group consisted of the Gryffindor Quidditch players, one of which was Carter Robins whom I conveniently managed to avoid as soon as I recognized him. It wasn't a surprise that he was here as he was part of Potter's team, but I didn't think I was ready to face him yet since word was out that he dumped me for a fifth year.
By the time I reached the last table, I successfully hid my face from him and in my self-satisfaction, I didn't notice the group I'd served last were the seventh year Gryffindor girls.
"Monica?"
I perked up at the voice, staring wide-eyed at Lily Evans as I crouched down to serve her table the food.
"Oh, hi," I said in an awkward mess, shooting back up to stand straight and tucked the empty tray under my arm.
"What are you doing?" she asked with a frown, green eyes darting to the food then back to me.
"Er, serving the guests?" I said, voice about five times too high.
"Yeah, I mean, why?" she asked incredulously. "Did Black make you do this?"
"No, I offered, really," I laughed uncomfortably. "It's not a big deal. I think I can count how many people I know here in one hand."
"Oh," she said. "Well, stop that. You're a guest too, you know."
I could see why people would find her quite bossy, but I didn't really find her words unpleasant. She had a weirdly assertive personality but it somehow suited her.
"Sorry, I'm being rude," she suddenly said with an embarrassed laugh, then gesturing to two familiar girls to her right and left. "You've met Marlene and Dorcas." Then she gestured to the fourth girl seated across her, whom I didn't recognize at all. "This is Mary."
Mary was tall, even if she was seated. She had black hair, falling in soft waves over her shoulders. Her eyes were dark too and she looked at me with strange uncertainty, as if she suspected me of something.
On the other hand, Marlene and Dorcas greeted me with warm smiles as Lily pulled over a chair next to her.
"Come on, take a seat," Lily said kindly. "And put away that bloody tray."
"Oh, it's okay, Evans. I don't want to intrude," I tried to explain, but Dorcas grabbed my arm and pulled me to the seat.
"Don't give us that rubbish," she said, effectively pushing me to sit. "You can add us to the list of people you know now. You could probably fill up the fingers on both your hands with all of us combined."
"And it's Lily, by the way," Evans (or Lily) said lightly. "Only the boys call me Evans."
"So you're in sixth year, right?" Marlene leaned forward on the table. My eyes were practically pinballing in all directions the way they were talking after one another.
"Yeah, I am," I replied blandly.
"No wonder I've never seen you before," Marlene said after a thought.
"Don't be rude, Mar," Lily snapped.
"What's so rude about that?" Marlene scoffed. "Tell me, Lil, who do you know from sixth year?"
"Her friend," Dorcas spoke up. "Lacey, right?"
"Mhm, yeah," I said almost incoherently, and mentally noting that Black was right when he said it was difficult to get a word in with them.
"There, Lacey," Dorcas said to Marlene with a snap of her fingers.
"We met them both at the same time, genius," Marlene said.
"The two girls who try talking to Sirius all the time," Mary suddenly spoke, voice soft but somehow I managed to get every word she said.
"Are they in sixth year?" Marlene asked incredulously.
"Becca and Polly?" I offered.
"Oh, yeah," Lily said, nodding in revelation. "They are."
"Oh! Alex!" Dorcas jumped, pointing furiously at Marlene. "The Gryffindor Chaser!"
"Okay, so we've named the girls, shall we move on to the boys?" Marlene said to her, sarcasm dripping.
"You asked," Dorcas reminded her, crossing her arms.
"So now that we've concluded that the sixth years do exist," Lily said, side-eyeing Marlene before turning to me. "Monica, how'd you get to know the boys?"
I could have sworn I saw Mary raise her eyebrows in a quick move. Marlene and Dorcas eagerly waited for my response. She didn't have to be specific who the boys were and somehow we managed to go from an innocent discussion about Gryffindor sixth years to the most dreaded question I could think of.
"Er, I… caught them outside after hours," I managed to slip out.
"Typical," Marlene said with a laugh. "Probably sneaking in Firewhisky from Hogsmeade."
"You're a prefect?" Lily asked innocently.
"No," I said before I caught myself.
"So you were sneaking out too," Dorcas said, eyes glinting.
"I just needed some fresh air," I explained quickly, erasing whatever dirty thought she had in her head. "Then I ran into them. Sort of."
"Tough luck," Marlene said solemnly.
"Oi, Dyer!"
"Speak of the devil," Marlene muttered as I twisted my head at the sound of my name, finding Sirius Black making his way towards me.
"There you are," he said before frowning at the group. "Who paid you to sit with this lot?"
"No one, arsehole," Marlene said with a glare. "What sort of charms did you cast on her to make her do your work for you?"
"I know none of the sort," Black snorted.
"Pity," she said. "I would've used them on Lily to do my homework."
Lily gave her the middle finger.
"Why are you here, Sirius?" Mary asked coldly.
Black either didn't catch her words or completely ignored her, taking hold of my arm and pulling me out of my chair.
"Don't you dare make her serve tables for you again!" Lily said wildly.
"Relax, her best friend's just arrived! Merlin, I'm not kidnapping her!"
I turned towards him, wide-eyed. "Lacey's here?"
"Yeah, she just got here." Black checked his watch. "Nearly an hour and forty five minutes late, mind you. Think we'll have to double her punishment."
"Triple it," I said, still annoyed that she was so late in the first place. I turned back to face the group of seventh year girls and politely excused myself. "Thanks for keeping me company. I'll see you guys later."
They waved me goodbye and I walked after Black. I followed him to the living room where I immediately caught sight of Lacey's bright blonde hair. She was chatting with Remus Lupin and I didn't hesitate in interrupting.
"The bloody hell took you so long?" I hissed.
"Hello to you too, Monnie," Lacey said, unfazed by my anger. "What's up with you?"
"Why did you come so bloody late?" I asked snippily.
"Blame Benjy! He talked back at my mum over dinner and she sat him down for a good hour. How was I supposed to get here without him apparating us both?"
"Wait, Fenwick's here too?" I said in surprise.
"Yeah, Potter invited him," Lacey said, scanning the guests in the room. "Think most of the seventh years are here."
"They are," Lupin confirmed then nodded at me. "Hey Dyer."
"Hi," I said, finally feeling guilty I barged in their conversation. "Sorry for interrupting."
"Don't worry about it," he said kindly.
"So where's Clara?" Lacey asked and I perked up, actually not quite sure where my cousin had gone. Feeling guilty I'd ditched her, I tried to scan the living room but couldn't spot her head. Instead I found Black approaching us from the kitchen, tray floating after him with six filled shot glasses.
"Glad you could make it, Lacey," Black said charmingly. "Unfortunately we can't let the tardiness pass."
"What do you mean?" Lacey looked uncertain at the tray.
"Come on, Sirius, she's not even off age yet," Lupin laughed.
"Dyer did it with no complaints," Black said. "Can't let her show you up, can you?"
Lacey glared at me as if it were my fault they were making her drink that much then wordlessly drinking all six shots in one go.
"Bloody hell," Lupin said, watching her in shock.
That was pretty much where the party began for us. Apparently Lacey couldn't take her alcohol as well as everyone else in the party and one moment we were talking like normal people in the living room and before I knew it, she was shoving a bottle of Firewhisky down Peter Pettigrew's throat in the middle of the cheering crowd.
I don't know if it was the whisky getting to my head but the music was much louder by ten o' clock and every moment after felt like a buzz. I managed to find Clara after an hour since she left me to go to the loo but she looked to be having a good conversation with James Potter at the back. I briefly wondered if Lily was seeing all this but the effortless joy in my cousin's face told me to let it go, knowing she was just having her own fun.
Conveniently every time I found myself with an empty glass, Black would show up with his tray from hell and replace it with one that was filled. He also seemed too busy to chat with one person for more than five minutes as he tried to entertain anyone who called him over, which was basically everyone.
As parties went, it wasn't terrible. Lupin was kind enough to keep me company when Lacey was jumping from group to group, sparking a useful conversation about seventh year Potions which Lacey and I could take as much information as we could get to mentally prepare ourselves.
When he was dragged off by Black to help distribute more food (and I apparently couldn't come unless he wanted Lily Evans to hex his hair out), Clara finally joined me for the first time since we arrived together.
"Hey," she said from behind me as she entered the living room from the back.
"Oh, hi," I said, peeking behind her to see if Potter followed her in. I acted innocent and asked, "Where've you been?"
"I was with your friend," she said with a smile. "When I got back from the loo, you weren't in the kitchen anymore so he introduced me to a ton of people. I don't even remember all their names."
"Yeah, sorry," I said, actually feeling bad. "I helped out with the food."
She shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I'm having a great time! Thanks for taking me."
"I don't think I would've gone if you didn't agree to come with," I said truthfully.
"But they're quite nice, your friends," Clara said encouragingly. "I met Sirius too. He's so funny. Told me about how you guys met."
"And how did we meet?" I asked, voice small.
"Don't you remember?" she asked incredulously. "He said you caught them sneaking out earlier this year! He made the most hilarious impression of you." She stopped laughing when I glowered then quickly added, "Which wasn't that funny at all actually."
At least Black and I were aligned with our cover story.
"There was another guy I met," Clara said, looking a bit more serious. "He's in your year, I think? At least that's what he said. His name was… Carson?"
"Carter," I said, feeling a bit sick.
"Ah, yeah, that's right," Clara said, nodding but still looking a bit uneasy. "When I said I was your cousin, he looked so uncomfortable. Like… wait, did he do something to you?"
"Er, not exactly," I mumbled.
"You can tell me if he did," Clara said, taking my arm protectively then looking regretful. "Man, I was so nice to him too!"
I laughed a bit, sensing she wasn't exactly in the most sober state. Personally I didn't feel the giddiness and hyperactivity the way it affected Lacey nor did I feel unusually slow yet adorable like Clara. It was as if the more I drank, the more thoughts flooded my head but none I could say in words. Feeling a bit jealous, I finished my drink in one go and on cue, Black appeared next to me with his tray and offered me a new glass, taking the empty one from me.
"How do you keep doing that?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
"I don't know what you mean," Black said innocently then grinning at Clara who was still leaning against me. "Hello, Clara. I noticed you're not holding a glass."
"Oh, no, I'll take that," I said, reaching for the drink before Clara could get her hands on it.
"Two drinks, Dyer? You could have just asked."
"She's already out if it, Black," I tried to say with a straight face.
"But that's the point," he said.
At that moment, someone stumbled into Black and he lost balance of the tray, glasses slipping off and breaking into pieces on the tiled floor. The piercing sound of the breakage effectively stopped everyone in the room in place. The Firewhisky leaked out, spreading across the floor, and Black whirled around to face the culprit.
"You owe me an expensive bottle of Firewhisky, Anderson," he said furiously.
I recognized him as one of the guys who approached Clara when we arrived. He shook under Black's gaze, eyes clouded, either because he was absolutely piss drunk or scared for his life.
"Sorry!" he said quickly, then darted outside.
"Prongs!" Black bellowed, pulling out his wand.
Potter appeared from the back and rushed to him. Everyone else inside seemed to forget about the chaos and returned to their chatter.
"What happened?" Potter said in panic, looking at the state of the floor.
"Just help me clean it up," Black snapped. "I'm shit at cleaning spells."
I side-eyed Clara, wondering if I should offer help but I couldn't use magic so I was completely useless. As if she read my mind, she suddenly pulled out her wand.
"I can help," Clara said, stepping forward.
"No, no, let me handle it," Potter said, lightly pushing her away from the broken glass and expertly casting a nonverbal spell that pieced the glasses back together in one fluid motion. They floated over the nearest table and placed themselves to rest in perfect condition. With a final flick of his wand, the spillage on the floor vanished.
"Good as new, eh?" he said, a proud look on his face as he examined one of the newly repaired glasses.
"That was a bottle of perfectly good Firewhisky," Black said desperately.
"Drink up, mate," Potter said with a chuckle, quickly summoning a new bottle, filling up the glass he held, and handing him the drink. "You're working way too hard. Have some fun now, yeah?"
"Damn right, I will," Black said with a huff before downing the drink. Potter refilled it immediately.
It was about an hour to the new year but I could see a few people already calling it a night. Black finally stopped with the serving and hung out with his mates, Pettigrew appearing shortly after Potter to inquire on what happened with the breakage. Clara was introduced to him and she happily joined in their conversation while I mainly stood by and drank more.
In another corner, Lacey was chatting with Lupin again, looking more at ease than half an hour ago when she was practically forcing strangers to drink with her. I briefly considered joining their conversation but watching them talk so casually, it felt like I would be intruding.
When I turned away from the pair, I caught the eye of someone else who seemed to be looking my way. Carter Robins blinked when I caught him staring but didn't turn away, a slight frown on his face like he wanted to tell me something.
Totally not ready for that conversation, I excused myself to Clara and headed outside. No one else was there which was a relief. I checked the area where Lily and her friends sat earlier but it was empty. I wondered if they left early too since half of the guests had already gone.
The lightheadedness from the Firewhisky had kicked in and I leaned against the wooden barriers of the platform. How on earth I went from practically secluded myself to everyone other than Lacey to attending a party hosted by the Marauders, I had no idea. But I begrudgingly admitted to myself that they were actually quite fun. It was almost a pity they were graduating too soon after I met them but the old Monica inside me thought it was probably for the best, not meant to be buddies long term anyway.
"Alright, Dyer?"
I nearly dropped my glass in surprise. Black appeared next to me, his own drink in hand and rested his elbows on the railings.
"You surprised me," I muttered.
"Don't break another glass, Dyer. I might just off myself," he said jokingly.
"Is it rude that I'm more tempted to break it now?" I shot back.
"Immensely rude, actually."
I laughed despite myself, realizing I was doing that more often with him and it was annoying.
"You like to be alone, don't you?" he said, staring up at the stars.
"What makes you say that?"
"I don't know," he said with a shrug. "You always seem to be when I catch you."
"Maybe," I said vaguely. "If you noticed, then why are you here?"
"I think you enjoy my company." He smirked, still looking up.
"Don't flatter yourself," I chuckled. "My options are you or Lily's possy."
"So Clara and Lacey aren't options then?"
"They're… preoccupied."
"You mean Clara's clearly into Prongs and Lacey's been chatting it up with Moony all night," he summarized nicely.
"Clara's just being nice," I defended her.
"He enjoys it though," Black admitted. "Been riling up Evans all night. Actually thought she left as soon as she noticed but I saw her drinking it up with Lacey about half an hour ago."
"Honestly if she fancies him, why doesn't she just tell him?" I asked but felt incredibly hypocritical.
"Cause she's mad," he said, then tilting his head after a thought. "Actually they both are. Mad about each other, but they got a decent thing going on, being civil and all. Prongs thinks he can't ruin the progress."
"But she's being so obvious," I said in frustration.
"I kind of get it. I mean, getting feelings after hating the guy for so long, must be hard to admit, eh?"
"Wouldn't she be happier if she just went for it though?" I argued. "It's like she wants to be miserable."
"Why, what about you?" Black suddenly turned to look at me. "If like… let's say Robins. He bothers you for years and you hate him. Then you realize he's not that bad and start to fancy him. Wouldn't it be hard to admit to yourself and everyone else for that matter?"
"First of all, in the case of Carter Robins, it's the complete opposite," I said, the lightheadedness taking over my rational thinking and the small voice in my brain telling me to shut up.
"How so?" Black asked, looking curious.
"I mean…" Hesitating, I looked up at him and oddly enough the encouraging look on his face to get me to continue worked. "I stupidly cooked up this fantasy in my head that he was so perfect. And I… I fancied him for years, you know? I mean, you don't know, but like now you know. Anyway, it turns out he could actually be a real git."
"Huh," Black said, turning away from me with his back leaning against the railing.
"Whatever. It's whatever," I rambled on. "I mean, I don't know if you've heard but apparently he told people he dumped me before Slughorn's party and brought someone else instead. It's not even that big of a deal. He just said he was coming with me to help me so who am I to judge what he says about me after, right? Like it's… it's…"
I paused when I noticed him trying to hold a laugh, attempting to hide it by taking more sips of his drink.
"Why are you laughing at me?" I snapped.
It took him a while to get himself together, nearly finishing his drink in the process.
"You're a bit drunk now, aren't you?"
"What?" I said in surprise.
"I don't think I've ever heard you talk that much," he said, grinning.
"Shut up," I said, laughing a bit with him. "I'm pathetic, I know."
"Nah, I don't think so," he said, still smiling. "But it is rather backwards, isn't it? Spent all that time thinking about a guy who apparently isn't shit. Oh, and I heard about the break up, by the way." He raised four fingers to quote the words break up.
I looked at him, shocked. "I knew he was the one spreading that."
"Well, he didn't tell me," Black said, giving me a ray of hope then effectively blocking out that light as he continued with, "He told Prongs. Apparently because you were so boring."
"Boring?!" I exclaimed, more offended than I would have been if I were in the right state of mind. "If anyone's boring, it's him! His life goal is probably to work as a PA in the Ministry!"
Black barked out a laugh. "Merlin, I didn't know you knew him so well."
"I don't know him at all." I wrinkled my nose. "He just seems like the type."
"What's so wrong about the Ministry?" he asked playfully. "Prongs wants to work there."
"I thought you had plans of fighting You-Know-Who on the frontlines?" I asked bluntly, still miffed at the rubbish Carter Robins was spreading around.
Caught off guard for a moment, Black chuckled at my question.
"You don't easily forget, do you?"
"You guys practically ran out of the common room when I asked the first time. Who wouldn't be curious?"
It took a moment for him to respond, as if contemplating if he should satisfy my curiosity.
"Well, the plans haven't fallen through," he admitted, sounding a bit more serious now.
"So there is a group to fight You-Know-Who?" I pushed.
"You can call him by his name, you know," he said coolly. "It's not like he's gonna appear out of nowhere."
Taken aback by the instant mood change, I said, "Fine. Voldemort then."
He looked at me, examining my face as if looking for any sense of fear and hesitation at the use of his name. But Black was actually right. It was just a name.
"So how do you join it?" I asked out of curiosity. "Is it… like invite only or what?"
"Well," he began, posture softening and voice returning to its usual playful tone. "I suppose there are qualifications. First, you have to be off age. Second, you have to be morally sound."
"I can tick off one of those then."
"Oh, when did you turn seventeen?"
I made a move to punch his arm but he caught my wrist on time, my nearly nonexistent brain cells noting he was much too close for my liking.
"I heard your punches were brutal." He smirked.
"Padfoot, you there?"
He instantly dropped my hand and I took a step back, head searing at the sudden movement.
"There you are." Pettigrew's head popped outside. "Mary's looking for you."
"Why?" Black said with a deep frown.
"She's vomiting in the toilet and she won't stop bloody calling for you," Pettigrew said snippily. "If she keeps this up, she could wake up Prongs' parents."
"Nonsense," Black said, not moving from his spot. "My silencing charms are godsent."
"Just help her out, will you?" Pettigrew pleaded. "She's crying."
I watched Black groan and frustratedly ran his fingers through his hair. After a moment's thought, he finally made his way to the door.
"Keep Dyer company, Wormtail. I'll be right back," he said irately before disappearing inside.
"Er…" The plump boy slowly stepped outside, eyes darting nervously from the house to me. "Do you wanna come in too? They're playing truth or dare. It's quite entertaining."
I thought about it for a second, curiously feeling cold now that Black had left. With a shrug, I decided to follow the boy inside and back into the living room where a large group of fifteen people formed a circle, some lounging on the couch, others leaning against the tables, and a few seated on the floor. They all listened attentively to a girl who sat on one of the tables, sharing a way too detailed story of her first kiss.
I slowly approached Lacey who stood next to Lupin closest to the back door and Clara was on the other side, seated next to Potter. When she saw me come in, she waved enthusiastically and I smiled back, trying to make my way unnoticed towards my best friend. When I reached her, I tugged at her sleeve to get her attention.
"What's going on?" I whispered.
"Mon?" she said, looking surprised. "Where have you been? I thought you'd already left!"
"Clara's still here, idiot," I said. "Why would I have left?"
"I couldn't find you anywhere! Were you at the back this whole time? Because I swear I checked!"
I rolled my eyes, not believing her at all.
"We're playing truth or dare," Lacey explained, pointing at the empty bottle of Firewhisky on the floor in the middle of the circle. "They spin it the first time to determine who asks a question or gives a dare then a second time for the one who has to answer or do it. If the majority isn't satisfied, both of them have to drink three shots."
Right on cue, the host of the game, who was none other than Lacey's older brother, Benjy Fenwick, more commonly known as just Fenwick, stood in the middle and clapped for the girl who just shared, encouraging the rest of us to do the same.
"Thank you, Holly, for that inspiring story of your first kiss with your childhood best friend. Touching, isn't it? Really warms your heart. So what's the verdict, everyone?"
A series of unsatisfied jeers erupted from the crowd as Holly protested angrily.
"Why do I have to drink if I get a rubbish question like that?"
"Rules are rules, Holly! Drink up! And you too, Robins, brainstorm on better questions, eh? First kisses are as interesting as Professor Binns. No one wants to hear that!"
I watched Carter begrudgingly drink his shots and I felt satisfied. Who's boring now?
"Alright, next up for a dare," Fenwick said excitedly. "Come on, people, it's the new year! Let's spice things up now, yeah?"
With a flick of his wand, the bottle spun by itself. Everyone eagerly watched as it slowed and the bottle eventually stopped to point at Will Anderson. The crowd cheered as he stood and gave high fives around the circle. Fenwick charmed the bottle to spin again and we all watched as it slowed to a stop by Potter and Clara's corner, eventually settling on Clara.
"You're kidding," I muttered as the crowd cheered once more, Clara looking uncomfortable as Anderson whispered to his mates.
"Will Anderson is such a creep," Lacey said in disgust. "He'll probably dare her to snog him."
I wouldn't have put it past him but I knew Clara would rather drink triple the number of shots she had to take for skipping out on a dare.
"Okay, I've got it," Anderson stood and faced my cousin. "Clara, since you're new, I dare you… to snog the first guy you met in this room."
The group howled and next to me Lacey mumbled "I knew it," under her breath. I tried to catch Clara's eye to try and tell her to just take the drinks. I couldn't even remember who among the three seventh year Hufflepuffs she met first but seeing all three of them grinning from ear to ear, they already expected at least one of them to be getting action tonight.
Curiously, she whispered something to Potter while the crowd cheered for her to get on with the dare. Then I realized, right as Potter looked at her in surprise and replied something I couldn't hear over the crowd, none of those Hufflepuffs were the first guy she had met in this room.
I assumed Potter had given her the permission because Clara snogged him full on, hands around his neck. Potter feverishly kissed her back. The entire room erupted into cheers and howls of surprise as Anderson and his mates gaped, utterly speechless. It only lasted a few more seconds before Clara pulled back, wiped her lips with the back of her hand and flipped her middle finger up at the Hufflepuffs.
Everyone doubled over in laughter then the sound of glass breaking echoed in the room. The noise died down slowly as heads turned to find Lily, Marlene and Dorcas standing by the hall and behind them, Mary looking utterly pissed leaning against Black, who stared at Potter with wide eyes.
A/N: I'm really happy to get some of your thoughts from the last chapter. To be completely honest, I've fleshed out the next few chapters already and try to update weekly. It really warms and motivates me to know some of your favorite scenes and your thoughts in general. Would love to hear more. :)
PS - Don't hate Clara, she doesn't know anything lol. I hope you guys liked this chapter! 3