November
Dear Julia,
Flik and the others are making me go to a party tonight. It's Albus Potter's birthday, and apparently he told Scorpius and his cousins to invite our whole group along. I haven't been to a party in ages- this is going to be a nightmare.
That's all I have to say for now, I just needed to complain to someone.
Lots of love,
Mika
"I don't understand why you're making me go with Finnegan," I growled at Flik through the open bathroom doorway. Rose giggled from her own bed as she did her makeup in a mirror she'd charmed to float.
"Louis and I will be together," Flik reasoned. "Rose will be with Scorpius, and obviously Trevor and Lucy. This way you won't be a seventh wheel." The bitch was putting earrings in as she spoke- I silently and spitefully wished she'd fuck up and stab herself.
"I don't want to go with Luke Finnegan," I whined. "He's my Quidditch captain and he's rubbish!"
"Well too bad," Flik sang. "You agreed."
"You didn't give me a choice," I snapped. "You told him yes for me."
"You could have cancelled," Rose pointed out. She'd become much more bold in the last month; I appreciated it, actually.
"I couldn't, actually," I grumbled, staring at my reflection loathingly. My dumb brown hair was so boring. It could lie flat, and that was about all it was good for. If I wanted to try anything fun with it? Fat chance. "Flik told him to give me laps if I try and back out."
Rose snorted. "That's friendship, that is."
"Thanks so much for the support, Rose," I turned to glower at her. Her own hair was down in waves, and it looked so naturally pretty I couldn't help the envy that struck. Stupid family of gorgeous redheads.
"You'll be fine, Mika," Flik rolled her eyes. "And Luke is friends with Louis, so it means you can stay by us the whole time."
"I don't even know why I need a date," I said for probably the fifteenth time that evening. I angrily brushed at my hair, pointlessly since it had already been brushed.
"To give you a break from fangirling over Albus," Flik snorted.
"I do not fangirl!"
And I was being honest. Albus and I, despite remaining friendly when we'd see each other in the halls or in class, spent little to no time together, and I'd become too busy with Quidditch and classes to really spend any time staring at him like a loon the way I had in Hogsmeade. Mostly.
"I think you and Al would actually be kind of cute," Rose said thoughtfully. "You both have such tasteless humor and tendencies to glare silently at inanimate objects. No offense, I speak with love."
I snorted. "Thanks, Weasley. You make me sound like an utter delight."
"You are a delight! Your personality is refreshing. I think Al agrees," she added with a pointed smile.
"I don't like it," Flik frowned. "I mean don't get me wrong, he's fit, but I feel like Mika needs to be with someone that can be sunshine-and-rainbows enough for the both of them. Otherwise it'd just get sad."
"He's not depressing," Rose countered. "Just a little sarcastic, and sort of…"
"Droll, Rosie, the word you're looking for is droll," Flik shot back before throwing her hair over her shoulder and evaluating her appearance.
"No one actually uses the word 'droll,' Flik," I snorted.
"And be nice, Corner, that's my cousin," Rose said, looking a little irritated.
"Sorry, sorry."
I said nothing on the actual matter beyond criticizing Flik's diction. I didn't want to take sides and find myself in a row with anyone. I just wanted to get the night over with and move on with my life.
But inwardly, I had to admit, droll was my favorite sort of humor.
About twenty minutes and twice as many outfit changes later, we were ready for the party. I opted for a simple black shirt and a mustard colored corduroy skirt, with my go-to ankle boots. It was passable, I'd decided, and Flik approved which was a good sign.
We met Louis and Luke down in the common room.
Luke looked nervous, which was ridiculous to me since I refused to acknowledge this as a real date.
"Hey Captain," I grinned wryly when we reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Hey Hawke," he smiled back slightly. "You look nice."
"Thank you."
Flik, meanwhile, had jumped into Louis's arms and snogged the living daylights out of him for a full twenty seconds before they remembered where they were. She pulled away and sheepishly grinned and Rose and me, while we glared back.
"Right," she mumbled. "Uh- let's go!"
The five of us headed up to the Room of Requirement, where the party was held. Some Slytherin I didn't recognize was perched outside, letting people in. He recognized Rose before the rest of us and ushered us all inside.
Inside was a massive room, with what looked like a stacked bar, a huge dance floor, and lots of food. I smiled when I caught sight of the dessert table. I knew where I'd be spending my evening.
We found Scorpius and Albus off to one side, playing some drinking game I hadn't heard of that involved cups, gobstones, and tiny goal posts.
"Happy Birthday, Al!" Rose squealed when we reached them, throwing her arms around her cousin.
"Oof, thanks Rosie," Albus grinned. "Although you made me miss my shot just there, so you're going to have to get me extra presents."
She rolled her eyes before giving Scorpius a quick hello kiss.
"You look lovely," he smiled at her, wrapping an arm around her waist. She blushed, her smile so wide I thought it'd break her face. He drew her in for another kiss, this one lasting a bit longer than the first.
Albus caught my eye and mimed vomiting, to my amusement.
Louis came forward and clapped Albus on the back. "Happy Birthday, mate," he said. "Your present is… incoming."
Albus raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Yeah?" Louis punched him in the arm suddenly, making Albus grunt and grab his arm. "Ow, Louis, you fucker."
"There's seventeen more to come," Louis said cheerily before grabbing Flik's hand and dragging her off to the dance floor.
Lucy kissed her cousin on the cheek and handed him a small parcel, and Trevor shook his hand. They too left to dance shortly after.
Luke looked terribly out of place. "Hey, Potter," he smiled a little awkwardly. "Happy Eighteenth."
Albus looked a little surprised to find Luke present at all, his eyes darting back and forth between us. "Oh- thanks Finnegan. Glad to have you."
"Who's winning?" I asked, looking at their game that still made no sense to me. I wanted to divert attention away from my awkward "date" as quickly as possible.
"That depends," Albus smirked. "Technically, I'm losing, but I'm also getting drunk faster, which is a sort of win in itself, wouldn't you say?"
I laughed. "Absolutely."
"Don't go too fast, Al," Rose reprimanded as one of Scor's gobstones shot into Albus's goal post. I didn't even see him send it forward, and I had no idea how it worked.
"That's another point to me," Scorpius smirked. Rose threw him a scathing look. "Sorry, love, it's not my fault he's rubbish at this."
"That's alright," Albus rolled his eyes. He passed the drink over in front of me. "I'm calling in a guest drinker."
I could feel Luke's eyes on me as Albus placed the cup down. I grinned easily. "Well, if you insist." I grabbed the cup and chugged down whatever was inside. It didn't burn, so I was pretty sure it wasn't Firewhisky. Honestly, drinking a random cup handed to me was probably a bad idea, but I was among friends.
"Tastes like piss," I frowned.
Albus laughed. "It's beer."
"Disgusting."
Albus shook his head, still smiling. "I made sure to have some rum stashed at the bar just for you, Hawke, go crazy."
"Not too crazy," Rose amended, though she was also smiling.
"You got it Rose," I saluted her, before turning for the bar. Luke followed at my side, probably feeling a little lost.
"This is weird," he said, his voice raised over the music.
I smiled sympathetically. "It is. I'm sorry."
He waved a hand. "Not your fault, this was Flik's doing."
We reached the bar, which was being tended by Jory Zabini, one of Albus's roommates. I nodded at him, to which he nodded back. We'd had enough classes together to be on good terms.
"Hey Zabini," I greeted. Luke's eyes had narrowed slightly. He wasn't particularly fond of his rival Keeper.
"Alright Hawke?" Jory replied with a lazy grin. "I have a bottle of rum with your name on it- literally, Albus wrote on it."
I snorted. "I didn't realize he and I were so close. Pour me a glass, please?"
"You got it."
He sent me the glass before turning to Finnegan, his smile becoming less friendly and more of a smirk. "And for you, Finnegan?"
Luke eyed the other bloke warily, probably worried about his drink ending up spiked. It wouldn't have been an unfounded concern, honestly. I wasn't worried, but these two weren't fond of each other.
"I'll take some mead," Luke said at last, watching Jory very closely as the latter filled up a glass.
"See you around," Jory nodded to me, and I waved back.
"You're very friendly with the Slytherins," Luke commented as we headed back toward Albus, Scorpius, and Rose.
I shrugged. "They're good blokes."
"They're also our biggest competition this year," Luke said seriously.
I sighed and took a large swig. This was going to be a long night.
"Thank you for the rum," I beamed at Albus when we returned.
"Any time," he winked, making me blush slightly.
"Oi!"
I groaned inwardly, recognizing Flik's voice. I turned to her with a smile, however. "Hey Flik!"
She and Louis looked like they'd already had at least a drink each by then, which was impressive since I'd only just acquired one.
"Come dance, you two!" She commanded, pointing at Luke and me.
I grimaced. "I hate dancing, Flik!"
Luke raised his eyebrows. "What, you bad at it?"
"Absolutely!" I agreed loudly. "And besides, I heard my name being called."
"From where?" Flik demanded, still half dancing in place while Louis started dancing against Albus, who was shoving him away.
"From the dessert table!" I exclaimed. "Someone over there must want my attention, I ought to go check it out."
She glowered at me. "Come on, Hawke, don't be lame."
"Not dancing isn't lame," Albus cut in, saving me from a reply. "It's my party, I'm not dancing either."
"That's because you're lame!" Louis laughed, kissing his cousin on the cheek.
I giggled at his antics. From what I'd seen of Louis, he probably wasn't even drunk yet. He was just bonkers. Albus wiped at his cheek, pushing his cousin back toward Flik.
"You're being a shit date," Flik informed me, looking displeased.
Luke shrugged. "I don't think either of us wanted the date, Corner."
I beamed at him for offering support. "Thank you, Finnegan. Now if you'll excuse me, I do actually have a date with that- blimey, is that a cotton candy machine? How does that work here? Sorry, Flik, I've got to go!"
Her resigned laughter sounded behind me as I made a beeline for the dessert.
The rest of the party was much more fun. Albus found me by the desserts not long later, and came to chat with me about mundane things, but somehow he made even the most trivial topics interesting.
"-and then Lily set his pants on fire," he chuckled. We were standing a little ways behind the table, leaning against the wall.
I laughed as well. "I get it. Liar, liar, pants on fire."
"Exactly," he nodded, his eyes sparkling. "If Lily's first accidental use of magic wasn't going to convince Mum that James was full of shit about breaking her broom, nothing would."
"Your mum played professionally, didn't she?" I furrowed my eyes.
"She did," he nodded. "So yes, it was an expensive broom."
"Did James die?" I asked, my eyes wide. I might have been a little drunk.
Albus laughed at the question. "He absolutely died. Haven't seen him since."
I snorted. "I might have seen him once or twice. You know, when he was killing my legs."
"Ah," his eyes lit up in recognition, though it was slightly hard to tell in the dull lighting of the Room of Requirement. They had kept it dim to create a better party atmosphere, apparently. "I forgot you guys played Quidditch together."
"It was a nightmare," I shuddered, leaning my head against the wall.
"And now?" Albus raised an eyebrow, gesturing toward Luke, who across the room was walking toward the exit alone.
I shrugged. "Luke's not as much of a Nazi, but he's a shit captain, honestly."
"Apparently not a great date, either, if you ditched him," Albus pointed out, looking amused.
"It was never a date," I explained. "Flik set it up because she thinks I'm lonely."
"Are you?" he tilted his head, leaning forward a bit. I had to remind myself to breathe, which annoyed me because I'd always thought that was just a cliché you read in fairy tales about handsome blokes and princesses and shit.
"No," I said adamantly. "I have friends, and a sis- and a family, and a nice pet owl. That's loads of company."
"Right," he grinned. "Owls are good boyfriend substitutes, I bet."
"Bite me," I growled.
"That's a tad kinkier than I'm used to, Hawke," Albus smirked. "But if you absolutely insist-"
"Oh go hump a cactus," I snapped, grabbing for a cupcake on the table in front of us to shut myself up.
He laughed again. "You're one of a kind, Mika Hawke."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm glad I could entertain, Birthday Boy."
We fell into a small silence for a moment, and I took the time to scan the room for my friends. Flik was snogging Louis against a wall in the corner, a little enthusiastically for being in public.
They probably ought to get a room, I thought. This place smells like sweat and alcohol, that's hardly romantic.
Lucy and Trevor were playing that weird drinking game that Albus and Scorpius had been attempting before, and from the grin on Lucy's face and Trevor's look of frustration, I was pretty sure the latter was losing.
Rose and Scorpius were dancing slowly, despite the music still pumping quickly. They didn't seem to care though, and were simply swaying slowly on the edge of the dance floor. I made a face. Pansies.
Albus caught my look and grinned a little sardonically. "What, mushy love isn't for you?"
I shrugged again, crossing my arms. "There's a reason I'm, in Flik's words, 'desperately single' I suppose."
"That's a load of shit," Albus snorted. "There are plenty of blokes who don't want a cheesy, sickeningly cute romance. I'm sure someone will appeal to you eventually."
You're very appealing, I thought, but I stayed quiet. Albus Potter was the kind of bloke who dated the beautiful, popular girls. I was not ugly, don't get me wrong, but he was a fucking sex god.
"Maybe," I said softly. "Were you and Melanie ever like that?" The question surprised me, even though I'd said it. Alcohol does that, I suppose.
He seemed taken aback. "Uh- no, not really. I mean we dated a long time, like two years, but I don't think we were ever in love. Not like Rose and Scor."
I couldn't argue with him- Scorpius and Rose looked very much in love.
"How've you been, since all that?" I asked carefully.
Albus tilted his head back and forth once, looking thoughtful. "Not horrible, anymore. I was angry, definitely, but I've hit a point where when I see her in the hallways, she's just another face. And I no longer feel the urge to curse my cousin's lights out, which I'd consider progress."
I smiled. "I'd say so. Not wanting to kill your cousin is like the definition of character development."
He grinned back. "Well, since I'm obviously the main character of whatever story we're living, I suppose it's only right that I get a good character arch."
"Exactly," I nodded solemnly. "Wouldn't want to disappoint the fangirls, you know."
"You've brought that up before," Albus noticed. "Do I have fangirls? There's no way I wouldn't have noticed."
"I may be exaggerating," I admitted. "They're more like gawkers-from-afar."
"Ah, yes, I've seen some of those," he smirked devilishly. "One's got brown hair, blue eyes, sort of smells like marshmallow, and wears a lot of funny shirts, I've noticed."
My eyes widened and I found myself coloring deeply. "Er- yeah, she does sound quite… bothersome," I frowned, feeling thoroughly flustered.
"Could be worse," he shrugged. "She wears a lot of distractingly short skirts, so I can't say I haven't stared back."
Oh holy Merlin Almighty, I thought. Pinch me. Wait- don't pinch me. A pinch from some all powerful wizard godlike figure would fucking hurt, wouldn't it?
"Oh," was all I managed. Oh? Oh? Oh you're getting zero sleep tonight, Mika Hawke, this is your inner voice and I will keep you up ALL NIGHT for this.
His smirk deepened. He looked pleased to have thrown me off. "You alright, Hawke?"
"I am super," I mumbled back, feeling dazed. "And you're a prat, Albus Potter."
He laughed at that, his face shifting to show more genuine amusement than mockery. "I can't disagree with you, there."
As confused as I was feeling, having no idea whether he was making fun of me or genuinely flirting with me, I really didn't want to leave.
Fate, however, had other ideas, arriving in the form of the one and only Flik Corner.
At some point she'd apparently detached herself from Louis Weasley's face, and had stumbled over to the wall against which Albus and I were leaning.
"Mika!" She shouted.
"Yes, love?" I smiled. I was still a little peeved with her about earlier, but it was hard to stay mad at someone so obviously drunk.
"I need your help," she pleaded, coming forward and draping her arms around me. "I threw up and I need you to help me back to the dorm."
"Where's Louis?" I frowned, lightly pushing her away at the mention of her having puked.
"He's getting me some water," she explained. "But I'll need you to get me up the stairs. Please, please, oh please?" She pouted at me, her hazel eyes wide and her lip jutting out. It was the full fledged puppy-dog face, and I am apparently far too good a friend.
"Alright," I sighed. I looped an arm through hers, despite my desire to stay far away from any potential splash zones. I glanced at Albus apologetically. "Looks like I'm out. Thank you for having us, though, and Happy Birthday again."
He smiled back at me. "I'm glad you came. See you around, Hawke." He winked, and I had a suspicion that he was referring to the aforementioned "gawking" that we'd been discussing.
"Right," I mumbled, blushing deeply as I escorted Flik away from the floor of raging dance moves and hormones. Louis caught up with us as we reached the door, taking Flik's other arm and helping me support her.
I glanced back once before we could leave.
I suppose it was just confirming what Albus had been teasing me about earlier. And, to my dismay, he was watching us leave, still in his same spot at the back. He smirked when he caught my eye, and he nodded once. I couldn't help but grin back.
Despite having a sneaking suspicion that this would just be another of our one-off moments together that seemed to occur every now and then, I couldn't stop smiling regardless.
Dear Julia,
I had a wicked time at a lovely party. I can't imagine things going sour from here, honestly.
Yours,
Mika
Note: Never say something like what I said in that letter. Because the moment you think things will stay good, everything will go wrong.
Seriously. Never say it. You might genuinely save lives.
December
Dear Julia,
I'll be honest, today really sucks. It's complete and utter rubbish. I know I've written you like eight times about how much I'm not looking forward to the holidays, but I just can't help it. What the bloody hell were Mum and Dad thinking, leaving me here? After what happened over the summer? Are they fucking mad? I know overseas tickets are a little pricey, but if they couldn't afford a third ticket couldn't they just have, oh I don't know, made different plans?
Sorry. This became more of a rant than I'd intended. I'm so just pissed off, and kind of embarrassed to be the girl-whose-parents-fucked-off-to-America-Without-Her-For-The-Holidays. Bloody hell, writing those dashes out was fucking irritating.
I didn't even tell the others- they think I'm going home. We aren't usually all together on the train anyway, so I reckon they'll just assume I'm sitting with others and that I'm on my way back like the lot of them.
I guess I'll be going, now. The train's scheduled to leave around now, which means anyone going home is probably gone. I want to see how depressingly empty the castle is.
Love you always,
Mika
The dorm had been empty when I woke up that morning. Everyone was down at the station in Hogsmeade, I imagined. I wondered why no one had awoken me to question why I wasn't packed, but then I remembered that Rose and Flik had both been with their respective boyfriends the night before, and had their stuff with them already. They probably figured they'd see me on the train. Josette wouldn't care much, and I barely knew Anna.
After signing my letter, I sealed it and made for the door, only stopping to put my boots on. I caught my reflection on the way out and felt surprisingly good about it. There was something invigorating about putting effort into my appearance when almost no one would see me. I had a black denim skirt over the funny Beatles-magical-creatures-spoof shirt I'd bought in Hogsmeade back in October. It was probably a weird choice of clothing for December, but I was sure I'd wind up either in the kitchens or in front of the fireplace in the common room for most of my day.
Downstairs, I was nearing the portrait hole, when I opted to stop at the bulletin board, a memory coming to mind.
The club ads hadn't changed, still splattered about the board, and I quickly found the one for Castle Crashers. Flik had said it was made up of the people who stayed at Hogwarts over the holidays.
I supposed that included myself.
The posting included a meeting date and time, showing to be that night, in an empty Charms classroom.
I left Gryffindor tower and departed for the kitchens, figuring I could get a good glimpse of the emptiness of the castle on my way there.
The castle really was all but deserted for the holidays. I traversed across most of the grounds for the duration of the day, and I only ran into a handful of people. Even most of the professors seemed to be gone. I knew Headmaster McGonagall would probably still be around, and Filch of course, but most of the other staff members were either hiding in their own offices or quarters, or they just weren't in the school.
Ella fixed me up with a lovely bowl of cereal from the kitchens before bidding me a happy Christmas- per their contracts, house elves weren't obligated to remain at Hogwarts for the break if they didn't want to, and were entitled to paid vacations. As far as I could see, all of them took the break, and I wondered who took over meals during the holidays.
Don't get me wrong, I can cook, but I know for a fact that most Hogwarts students are lazy pieces of shit who wouldn't last a full day on their own- not to be cynical or anything, just realistic.
I was on my way back up to Gryffindor tower, figuring I'd read by the fire until the Castle Crashers meeting, when I ran into Jory Zabini.
"Hawke?" He furrowed his eyebrows when he saw me coming down the corridor. "What are you doing here, I don't usually see you hanging around over the break."
I smiled at him. "Hey Zabini. And I don't, usually, but my parents went to the States this year, so I'm hanging around."
He grinned. "Well cool. Going to try out Castle Crashers, then? Last year we played a castle-wide game of hide and seek that literally took 12 hours."
I snorted. "I better remember to eat a hearty meal beforehand, then."
"Cheers," he laughed. "See you tonight."
"Bye," I sent him a wave with my spoon before continuing on my way. At least I'd know someone at the meeting, then. I wondered what game they'd have us play tonight.
I was a great runner, thanks to James Potter forcing me on runs for most of my Quidditch years, so I hoped we'd play a game that'd require speed. I was quite competitive.
The meeting was at seven that evening. Having no idea what to expect, I should probably have changed into something a little more athletic, but I was feeling lazy.
Whatever. I can run in heels. Hopefully.
The meeting was being held in the Charms classroom on the third floor. I felt a weird twinge of nervousness. I'd know Jory, sure, but I had no idea who else would be at this thing. And let's be realistic, who's actually comfortable going into situations where they don't know people?
Of course, I shouldn't have been worried about that. If I hadn't been such a scatterbrain I would have remembered that Jory wouldn't be the only person I'd know at this meeting.
I was only about three steps through the classroom door when I came to an abrupt halt.
How the hell had I forgotten that Albus Potter would be staying at the school over the break? It'd caused such a fuss with Rose and Lucy when he'd first brought it up!
Albus was sitting beside Jory at one of the desks near the middle of the room. He was still dressed in uniform to an extent, despite us being on break. He had his white button-up on with the sleeves rolled up and a green tie hanging loosely from his neck. He looked sexy.
Mind out of the gutter, Hawke, I told myself. He could do a hell lot better than you.
There were only four others beyond us there, all students I didn't really know, though I vaguely recognized them from passing.
"Hawke?" Albus sounded surprised to see me as I came to sit at the desk beside theirs. "What are you doing here?"
I hopped onto the tabletop of the desk, facing the two Slytherins, and shrugged. "My parents wanted to leave the country and couldn't afford to bring me along," I explained.
He frowned. "Brutal."
"Eh," I shrugged again. "I don't mind. They could use the vacation, honestly, I don't blame them." Actually, I was pretty pissed off, but who wants to hear that?
"Oh. Well, nice to see you, then," he said, a smile forming. "Ever been to one of these before?"
I shook my head. "It's my first time staying over the break. I forgot you weren't going home."
He snorted. "My family didn't. Lily tried to forcibly drag me out of bed this morning. I'm not even sure who let her into the common room."
"Pretty sure it was Scorpius," Jory supplied. "He wanted you to leave, too."
"Couldn't leave you here by your lonesome," Albus winked at his roommate. "Where would you be without me?"
"Probably in the dorms with whatever willing partner I could have procured," he smirked.
"Was Albus not willing?" I tilted my head with a playful grin, crossing one foot over the other and swinging my legs back and forth.
Jory looked thoughtful. "Come to think of it, I didn't actually ask. Hey Potter-"
"Pass," Albus rolled his eyes, resting his chin on the desk. His eyes drifted up toward me, lingering on my legs, to my amusement.
Jory sighed, before turning to me. "Mika?" He asked hopefully.
"Keep dreaming," I scoffed.
He frowned. "Well this is going to be a rubbish break." Oh he had no idea. I had no idea. We were all fucking in for it, and no one had a bleeding clue.
Three more students arrived over the next few minutes, including my roommate, Anna. She smiled curiously when she noticed me before going to sit on the other side of the classroom with Grace Cannon, her friend from Ravenclaw, and her brother Edward, a Fifth Year Hufflepuff.
There was a pause during which no one joined the room again, and the lot of us were left waiting in silence for someone to start the meeting.
"Anyone know who runs this club?" I asked, loud enough for the room to hear.
Everyone just shrugged. I looked at Jory, knowing he'd been in the club the year before. "It was some Seventh Year Gryffindor last year," he shrugged. "I don't know who's replacing him."
Our curiosity was quenched, a moment later, when the door swung open once again. I turned on the desk, swinging my legs around. Six people walked inside, to my surprise. I wasn't expecting to see many people here. After the war, fewer students tended to stay at school, as families felt motivated to remain closer.
Three of those who entered were more students I didn't really recognize. They made for the nearest open desks, sitting amongst the rest of us.
The fourth was Simon Cook, a Ravenclaw. I was remarkably intimidated by that one- he was very quiet, very intelligent, and built like a brick shithouse. He'd never been a particularly enthusiastic person from what I'd seen.
Or, I thought he was. When he entered with the others, he looked positively peppy. The fifth person with them was one of Lucy's roommates, a Hufflepuff girl named Meg Donahue. She had an arm around Cook's waist, while he draped his own over her shoulders. They were laughing as they entered the room, and made for kind of a funny sight since he looked twice her size.
And the sixth person?
"Finnegan?" I furrowed my eyebrows. "What are you doing here?"
Luke Finnegan wore an easy grin, his hands in his front pockets as he strode in behind Cook and Donahue. "Me? I run this club. Well, I co-run it, with Meg and Simon here." The three of them stood at the front of the room, flanking each other.
"Huh," was all I could say. His grin turned into more of a smirk, like he was enjoying some joke I wasn't in on, and it bothered me. I was curious about the meeting, however, so I stayed quiet.
"Welcome," Luke greeted us all. Minus the three club heads, there were thirteen of us there, scattered about the classroom in chairs- well, mostly in chairs, I was still on the desk for some reason. "This is Castle Crashers. We're the sad, pathetic lot that stays at Hogwarts over the holidays rather than going home. Some of us didn't want to go, some of us couldn't, but what we all have in common?" He paused for effect. "We all have some banging fun evenings ahead of us."
I thought it was rubbish that he could give off such a charismatic leader vibe for some stupid club when he captained like a git.
"Over the next few days," Luke went on. "We're going to play some games that in any other scenario, would probably be childish and dumb. Here, however, in a nearly empty, massive castle? They'll be an absolutely wicked time."
"Do you provide the alcohol, or is more of a bring-your-own type of deal?" a bloke across the room asked, leaning back in his chair.
Something like anger flashed in Luke's eyes for a moment, but it was gone so fast that I could have imagined it. "No alcohol," he said simply. "We're having fun the old fashioned way."
"I, for one, am excited," Donahue grinned widely. "We have so many fun games lined up for you all, it's going to be such a good time! You excited, babe?" She elbowed Cook playfully.
"Oh, I'm fucking pumped!" he agreed, jumping up and down a little. "The rewards for these games are beyond your imaginations."
I turned around and caught Albus's eye. He raised an eyebrow at me and smiled slightly, looking amused. "Is he on some shit?" I mouthed. Albus rested his mouth against his fist to muffle a snigger before nodding at me.
"I'm sure you're wondering what the first game is, then," Luke said loudly, shooting me an annoyed look when I turned back around.
There's the prat I know and mostly tolerate.
"Meg?" He gestured to the small girl beside him. She really was tiny; I was surprised we were in the same year.
Meg Donahue stepped forward and held her hands behind her back, leaning forward in a very professor-like manner. "The first game will be a scavenger hunt. We're going to split up into pairs and search the castle for hidden objects."
"How are we supposed to manage all this without getting caught?" Grace Cannon asked. "Aren't there going to be professors patrolling?"
"Actually," Cook smirked. "We have it on good authority that Headmaster McGonagall was called out of Hogwarts for some important business. And there were only four staff members left on the grounds- we slipped each one some sleeping potion, so they won't be interrupting us tonight."
Well that's not sketchy at all, I thought with a frown.
Donahue held up a folder. "The lists of items are in here, sealed so that even we haven't been able to see them. That way we get to play too."
"Wait," Albus called, sounding as confused as I felt. "Then who hid the stuff and wrote out the lists?"
She smiled secretively. "The club president. They're waiting for us in the Astronomy Tower. The first pair to find all their items and bring them up there wins."
"What's the prize?" someone asked.
"The prize will be announced when the game ends," Luke answered for her. "Oh, and by the way, you'll all be turning in your wands for the evening."
"What?" I hissed. I wasn't the only one. Sounds of protests echoed around the room.
"Calm down," Luke held his hands up in a placating gesture. "You'll get them back. We have to give ours up, too. This way no one can cheat or take advantage of their skill level. It puts us all on even footing."
No one looked happy about giving up their wands, but one by one, we took turns reluctantly bringing ours up and dropping them into a bucket that was waiting on the front desk.
Cook grinned broadly, wrapping an arm around Donahue. "If anyone manages to beat us," he said, "I'll be very impressed."
"We're very good," Donahue agreed, looking at Cook as she spoke.
"Very very good." He looked like he was seconds away from ravaging her.
"I'm going to hurl," Albus leaned forward to whisper to me. I hid my smirk in my hand, not wanting to piss off Luke too much with my lack of attention.
"Alright everyone," Luke rolled his eyes at his partners' behavior. "Pair up and come grab a list."
Uh-oh. Who the fuck is going to partner up with me?
I glanced around the room, watching people jump for their friends or the nearest in age.
"We partners, Al?" I heard Jory ask Albus behind me. I swallowed a pang of disappointment.
"Sorry, mate," Albus responded. "I've got Hawke."
What?
"What?" I said in surprise, spinning around and hopping off the desk. "Since when?"
"Since right now," Albus smirked as he and Jory stood from their chairs. "Assuming you're game, of course."
"Uh- sure," I said dumbly. Running around the castle at night with Albus Potter? Who the fuck would say no to that?
"Ditching me for a girl," Jory said in mock outrage. "Unbelievable."
"Right," Albus snorted. "Because you wouldn't have done the same."
"Fair point," Jory grinned. "Sure about him, Hawke? You can ditch him for me, if you'd like." He wiggled his eyebrows at me suggestively, making me laugh.
"Thanks, Zabini, but I'm going to pass," I said with a feigned sad smile.
"See mate?" Albus said arrogantly. "She knows a winning player when she sees one."
"In your dreams, Al," Jory shot back. "You're going down."
"You don't even have a partner," I pointed out, my hands on my hips.
"He does now," came Luke's voice. He looked thoroughly disappointed in who was left for him as he sauntered up to our small group.
Jory didn't look much happier. "You've got to be kidding me."
"I wish, Zabini," Luke scowled. "Look, let's just agree to leave Quidditch out of this. It's a whole new competition."
"Yeah, I guess," Jory muttered. "Fucking great. This is going to be a nightmare. You two better shut the fuck up!" He snapped at Albus and me, as we'd both erupted into sniggers at their situation.
"Sorry, mate," Albus shrugged, strolling to the front of the classroom to grab a list of items to find. "I've love to stick around and pity your sorry arse, but Mika and I have a game to win."
Donahue handed a sealed page to Albus with a wide smile, Cook shooting him a finger gun. What a pair, I thought.
I followed Albus out the door, sending Jory a parting wave and a mocking crying gesture for good measure. I've never been the best sport.
Albus and I made our way down the corridor as he opened up the parchment. "Are you as curious about who put this together as I am?" He asked.
I shrugged, watching the floor as we walked. "I'm more curious about the rewards, honestly."
"You would've made a good Slytherin," Albus commented, smirking at me as we rounded a corner.
I laughed at that. "I was very close to being put in Slytherin, but the hat said I was a little too bold, and not very ambitious."
"Fair enough," he grinned. "The first thing on our list is- what the hell?"
"What is it?" I asked, coming closer to gaze at the list. I blushed lightly as our arms brushed against each other. "A brewed Draught of Living Death? What happened to being on even-footing? The younger students won't be able to do this."
"Yeah, this sounds rigged," Albus frowned at the parchment. "Oh well. To the dungeons?"
I nodded. "Sounds like it. We have some brewing to do."
We started for the nearest stairs, and began our descent. "So you still wanted to stay here for the break, huh?" I asked.
He grimaced. "Yeah. I mean I forgave Fred a while ago, but I don't know. People in my family were a little quick to forgive and forget, and I didn't like that they couldn't really deal with me wanting to take some time to get over it."
"I get that," I said slowly. "So you're more or less punishing them for that by staying here?"
"Exactly," he agreed.
"Because depriving people of your company is a punishment," I then said, smirking.
He laughed. "Absolutely, Hawke. What would you be doing this evening if I hadn't stayed? It was in everyone's best interest."
"I'd probably just have partnered up with Jory," I rolled my eyes. "I think I would have been alright."
"He'd try to get in your pants all night," Albus informed me as we started down another hallway. The castle wasn't as dark as I'd expected it to be; candles were lit intermittently, giving us some dim lighting.
"Well then it's probably good that I'm wearing such thick heels," I said thoughtfully. "They'd do an absolute number on his arse if he tried."
"Bloody hell," Albus chuckled. "That what they're for, then? A defense mechanism?"
I laughed. "Totally. Not at all for the look."
"So it's just a fortune bonus that they make your legs look hot, then?" Albus grinned cheekily. I elbowed him, smiling nonetheless. The flush in my cheeks increased ten-fold. "Ow," he moaned, holding his side. "Can't even take a compliment."
"I think that was more of a chat-up line than a complement," I said wryly.
"Well you're blushing like crazy, so I'd reckon it worked rather well," Albus pointed out, lifting a hand and brushing a knuckle against my cheek.
I bit my lip to keep from grinning like a crazed loon. "I refuse to answer that," I said stubbornly.
Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on your point of view), we reached the Potions classroom by then, so I didn't have to.
"Alright," Albus said, looking like he'd rather go back to our conversation. "I sort of remember what we need. I'm sure there are some spare textbooks around here somewhere, and ingredients down in the basement."
"Right-" I started to agree, but my words were cut off at the sound of others coming. "We have company."
"I hear Jory's voice," Albus whispered, looking excited. "Let's hide, I want to scare the fucker."
"Hide, where the fuck are we going to-?" Before I could finish my question, Albus grabbed my arm and tugged me after him into a nearby tall cupboard. I opened my mouth to yell at him but he clamped his hand over it before I could, using his other to pull the door shut.
"This is ridiculous," Jory was saying as their footsteps grew louder. I could hear them enter the room. "Why do we need to brew a potion for a scavenger hunt? Shouldn't we just be grabbing little trinkets scattered about and be on our way?"
"Stop whining, Zabini," came Luke's voice. Through a tiny crack, I was able to peek at them. Luke leaned against a table, his elbows resting on the top, while Jory sorted through some of the potions supplies left on Slughorn's desk at the front of the room. "It's supposed to add to the experience."
"These games were much less weird last year," Jory mused. "You and your friends are making this club shit, now."
"Last year's pricks didn't understand how to run a good club," Luke growled, looking surprisingly angry at such a small statement on Jory's part. "We're improving things around here."
"Sure you are," Jory snorted. He picked up a cauldron off Slughorn's desk, placing it on one of the student ones. "Here. I'm not sure what ingredients we need, though."
I wasn't sure when Albus was planning on scaring the two. I wasn't in any hurry, though. He was pressed against my back, closely, his arm still wrapped around my shoulders with his hand over my mouth. I could feel his chest rise and fall with every breath, and could smell some sort of soap on him. It was making me lightheaded.
His head dipped slightly, and he lowered his mouth to my ear. "Shh," he breathed into it, making me shudder. "Almost…" I swallowed hard as his lips brushed the edge of my ear, his breath tickling my neck.
Sweet Circe, I could die like this.
I tried to concentrate on Jory and Luke outside, but it was becoming less and less feasible. Albus, at some point, seemed to notice what sort of effect he was having on me, as I could feel him smirk against my skin.
Meanwhile, Jory was laying out ingredients to begin preparing their potion, while Luke searched Slughorn's drawers for something. Whatever he was looking for, he seemingly found, because he started back toward his and Jory's table.
I missed what it was, however, as Albus began to drag his lips away from my ear- but not away from me. Instead, he lightly traced my jaw, his mouth just barely touching me. I was near quivering, but I kept watching the other two as determined as I could.
His hand that wasn't over my mouth found my hip, effectively holding me in place against his body.
Good god.
Jory was bent over a textbook, while Luke glanced at his watch.
Albus's hand crept down my side, along my skirt, until he reached the end of it a little less than halfway down my thigh.
Luke pulled out whatever he'd taken from Slughorn's desk, though it was hard to tell what it was still. It was shiny, I was pretty sure, because it caught a gleam from the candlelight of the classroom.
Albus played with the end of my skirt, teasingly.
Luke raised his arm.
Is that a knife? I suddenly noticed.
And then he brought his arm down quickly and powerfully, the knife plunging into Jory's head.
A/N: Uh oh. Just as a future warning, all coming chapters will be much more brutal (I'll add warnings beforehand just in case). But YAY we've gotten to the meat of things!
Also, this was long, I know. The rest of the story will have normal length chapters now that introductions are done.
Let me know what you thought :) I appreciate any and all reviews!
Disclaimer: Anything or anyone you recognize is JK Rowling's.
