"Give them a sick note for me?"
"They'll want to see Madam Ackehurst's signature on it."
"Forge it."
"Terebellum!"
"Ugh, fine. I'm just saying."
Terebellum and Druella were making their way down the stairwell to the common rooms, the stone walls catching and amplifying each syllable. Neither girl was particularly worried about being overheard, as Terebellum had slowly gotten ready that morning, making the pair later than their roommates. Terebellum did not intend for them to be able to talk privately down the stairwell, she really was only trying to delay the events of the day as much as she could. Her fingers dragged along the halls as she went, as if she could grab at cracked stone to hold herself back.
It was a last resort option really, Terebllum wanted so badly to skip just an hour or two out of the day. She had gone to the library the night before to find out if there was some sort of spell she could quickly learn to do just that, but the librarian, Madam Powell, would not lend her anything relevant as books on the subject were tucked away in the Restricted Section. The second idea that came to mind was a polyjuice potion, so that Druella could simply take her place. Unfortunately, Terebellum would have had to have started on that ages ago and, again, the instructions to make it were hidden away in the Restricted Section. Madam Powell was actually rather nice about helping Terebellum, the young witch never actively researched anything in those hallowed halls before. If anything, the old maiden proved a better teacher than nearly all of the professors combined, it was a shame she wasn't lecturing any classes.
When the girls made it to the common rooms, Terebellum made a grab for Druella's arm and attempted to rush the two out as fast as her legs could carry her.
"Terebellum!"
The sound only encouraged her to hasten her speed.
"Slow down…" Druella muttered next to her.
"Terebellum…! Goodness!" Ascella came from in front of the pair, easily able to intercept Terebellum before she could leave.
"What is it?"
"Got a letter from mum this morning." Ascella brought a section of her hair forward to rest on her shoulders, an attempt to regain composure.
"You ran all the way back down here to tell me you're a mommy's girl?"
Druella snickered, but averted her gaze as soon as Ascella locked eyes with her.
"I came to tell you that mum wants me to help her with making Christmas dinner this year. She's even put me in charge of making the Christmas pudding."
"What a strange thing to come and gloat over. How lovely for you."
"So, you don't mind that?"
"No, not at all."
"Really?" Ascella's eyes squinted and shone in joy, her cheeks puffing up to look like a chipmunk. It was the most genuinely pleased Terebellum had seen her sister in a while. "Well then, see you!"
Druella followed Ascella's movements as the younger witch practically skipped off. "You should have given her a hard time for that one, unless you want her to start thinking too highly of herself."
"Nothing I can do about it if mum has already given her the job. So, might as well not let her think it's too important to me."
As the two made their way to the Great hall, Terebellum's mind did wander to past Christmases. She supposed that Mrs. Crouch was more pleasant to be around when she was preparing the largest feast of the year for everyone with the help of house-elves, it was an activity that the family had inherited from the Crouch's. Mrs. Crouch told Terebellum the story of when she learned to make the family recipe for the Christmas pudding from grandma Crouch, it was the same year that she had gotten engaged to Terebellum's father. Oh, well.
When Terebellum got to the Great Hall, she put her mind to ease with the same swiftness as she used to plop herself down on the bench. Before she grabbed anything, however, Terebellum ran her eyes down the Slytherin table, then the door from which she came, to see if Cygnus was around and watching. From her quick scan she found him completely absent from the hall. Strange, but perhaps he had only a quick breakfast before running off to study or talk to a professor before class. Regardless, Terbellum felt safe enough to plop herself on the bench and dig in.
"Thank the stars we're almost done with the partner switch."
"Oh, yes… wait, when's that over with?" In the pandemonium, Terbellum had failed to keep track of the week.
"Tomorrow, Tuesday. The Hufflepuff I have to sit next to is such a dolt, he's started over I think three times each class since the switch. Someone worse with potions than you at least."
Terebellum made a face at her. "Well mine seems about on par with me. Will be nice to leech off you again soon." Then she winked for good measure. Really it was also something else she soon wouldn't have to worry about anymore, what with Druella having already found her behaviour around a muggle-born suspicious after only a few classes.
After Terebellum cleared her plate she felt a lot better about the day. Perhaps her thoughts of illness found their way to Cygnus, and manifested within him. Nothing too serious, just a runny nose and sore throat would do the trick. It was such a pleasant thought to Terebellum that she kept a smile on her face as she and Druella got up and grabbed their books, ready to start with History of Magic. A thought had to be particularly good for Terebellum, or anyone, to be so happy on their way to that bore. Druella thought maybe there was something wrong with her best friend, so she nudged her arm.
"You planning something for Binns or what?"
"Oh, no Druella, I was thinking about-"
"About me, of course."
Oh, bother.
"Eat breakfast yet, Black?" Terebellum asked, dismissing his entrance. Of course the slime ball was hidden in the shadows waiting for her to come round, although she didn't think he had the patience to wait out her breakfast.
"Have, yeah." Cygnus falls into step with Terebellum and Druella, as if it was something they did any other morning.
"Go on to class then, why don't you? You must do well on your OWLs."
"Concerned about how I'm doing, are we?"
"Just don't want to hear about it if you do poorly, is all."
"Rosier here helps you out, don't you?"
"When I can…"
"And I've got my own help. No need to worry about me."
"All right then. Good." Terebellum felt somewhat awkward, having nothing conversational left to say to Cygnus. "Well I still want to be punctual, so-"
"Just wanted to make sure you remembered about lunch today, in the courtyard I think. Still warm enough for it."
All Terebellum could do was nod in response. "See you later then." Pleased, Cygnus gave a cockeyed smile and turned around completely, taking a different set of stairs which soon after turned him in a new direction.
"Oh, honestly!" Terebellum groaned exhaustively.
"Honestly is right!" Druella, for her part, looked like her eyeballs were about to pop out of her head.
The wait for the girding potion to finally turn green seemed like it wouldn't end. Terebellum just stared at the blue hue of it. Last week Druella showed hers off when she was done, the ending colour a sickly green with a putrid smell to match. Now every little bubble, every wave of liquid slowly folding over liquid was a tantalizing symphony to Terebellum. How did the seahorses know that it was she, a witch, who stirred them? The answer was probably already discussed in a theoretical lesson in years gone by, it really was a shame that she only seemed to muster enough interest when everyone else moved on.
"You aren't going to stir?" Roddrick asks from his side of the table. He'd gotten the hint from their last class, or at least didn't have a reason to think Terebellum had warmed up to him again to any degree.
"Druella told me not to for this bit, and the instructions also don't say to do that, just to let it heat."
"Looks like you're about to hop into the cauldron."
"Maybe I will. Can't be the worst thing to happen today."
"This whole arrangement will be over soon." Roddrick reminded, as if that's what was getting her down. "Least you can look forward to your thing with Cygnus Black."
Terebellum turned round on Roddrick and moved in on him with a force to rival a banshee's. "Where did you hear that from?"
Startled, Roddrick grabbed at the table behind him, seeking some reprieve from her dark stare. "J-just when I was getting into class, I overheard a couple Slytherins talking about it." For his own defence, Roddrick pointed at Hilda and Florence, both girls presently peering at their potions textbook. Terebellum stared holes into their backs, of course neither of them realized the terrible looks she aimed at them. Satisfied with the response but overall confused, Terebellum stepped back from Roddrick and returned to her side of the table. Her cheeks sunk further, her eyelids hooding her stare.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know it was a secret, or a sore spot with you. Those girls seemed really excited about it like they wished they were you, so I thought it was a good thing."
"It's…" Terebellum wanted to say it was really a horrible thing, but if word already got around about their courtyard meetup then rumours were bond to catch on about her distaste towards Cygnus if she openly discussed it in class. Besides, Roddrick wasn't to be trusted with the information regardless of an additional audience. "I'm just nervous. Maybe."
"Oh. Hm. Surprising. Thought he would be nervous around you."
"You can't have met him, then. Only person who makes him nervous has to be his mother."
"You know his mother?" Now, Terebellum registers what Roddrick is doing. He's caught up well, putting one seahorse in and waiting to put in the next. "Suppose you must've met her at some pureblood party or whatever hoity toity stuff you lot get up to."
"Well she married one of my cousins so I had to run into her eventually."
"Cousins. Bleh, forgot that was still a thing for your kind."
"'Your kind,' eh? Sounds a bit like a blood supremacist to me!" Terebellum took a finger scoop of her girding potion and flung it towards Roddrick, the glob landed next to his textbook.
"I'm not the one starting a blood war!" Roddrick counters, scrapping the blob onto his own finger and flinging it back, to land right in front of Terbellum's feet.
"What's going on here?" An interlude from Slughorn interrupts the potion fight. The old codger checks out every inch of their station, looking longer at the wet spot on the table and the sludgy remains on the floor. "Was there a dispute we need to work through?"
"Nothing of the-"
"Oh he's perfectly irritable, Professor. I'll try to be more civil."
"Good, good. And your potion is coming along splendidly I see, should be tip-top by the end of class!" He gives a good natured grin at Terebellum's cauldron, its content hisses back, and Slughorn moves on.
"He didn't even hear me out!" Roddrick complained, gob-smacked.
"He just wanted to hear what he wanted to hear. As useless as everyone else."
"Professor Sprout is pretty good. Very hands on, open to questions…" Roddrick lowers another seahorse into the cauldron, as if it were going to kick him if he went too fast.
"Boo!"
Instantly Roddrick let go of the seahorse. "Hey!"
Terebellum smirked. "Well it needed a little push to get going! It won't mess up your potion anyways, loosen your panties."
"Chummy over here," Hilda comments under her breath, loud enough for Terebellum to hear, while she passes by their table swiftly. She gives Terebellum a secret smile as she goes. Terebellum falls silent, folding her arms together.
This time she's more prepared when Hilda comes back around with a cloth in hand, making sure to level her stare with Hilda's. "Mind your own, would you?" Terebellum jeered, mustering up her worst look, eyes narrowed to needles and mouth tight.
Terebellum wasn't sure if Hilda would take her look seriously or just laugh in her face, but the willow of a girl did toss her head in another direction. Crisis, maybe, averted.
Roddrick didn't seem to notice the exchange, and Terebellum carried on as if she were busy reading her notes until class ended. Just before it did Slughorn gave the thumbs up on her girder potion. Terebellum was glad to have done something correctly that day.
"Over here, Bells!"
Terebellum tried to broaden her shoulders a bit, broaden her smile. When it came down to it, she promised herself that what she owed Cygnus was cordiality, nothing more or less. Following that rule, Terebellum ignored the nickname no one called her since she was about four.
Cygnus sat on the grass, his school robes pooled out around him. It was still warm enough in the autumn season to spend some time in the outdoors. Thankfully the basket next to him meant he had the common sense to bring her something to snack on. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, Druella never brought her anything to eat when they met up anywhere. It could be like spending time with a friend who dotes on you here and there. Yeah, Terebellum could do that!
"Hi, Cygnus. What have you got in there?"
"Packed up some mash, shepherd's pie, veggies… oh and some custard tarts for dessert." Cygnus rifled through the basket and pulled out a couple of containers and cutlery, offering one to Terebellum.
"Thanks, I'm starving. Got anything to wash it down with?" Terebellum practically snapped the lid off of the container.
"Here." Another offering, a mug of hot chocolate that must have been charmed not to spill over or get cold.
"You've really thought of everything for this!" Terebellum took the mug gleefully.
"Well I asked Druella what sort of date you might like."
"That's… thoughtful of you. Guess she knows I won't turn food down."
"So then… I've got myself in your good graces?" Cygnus's voice was strangely hopeful.
"For now." Really, Terebellum didn't expect Cygnus to make so much effort. To her his invitation was almost a thinly veiled threat, a walking letter to her family. Why make effort when he could just manipulate her into going with him wherever he pleased?
"Then Christmas shall go swimmingly."
"I'm sorry—Christmas?" Terebellum sputtered, nearly choking on her hot chocolate.
"Don't you know? Got the letter this morning-" Everyone was getting letters that morning, it seemed, "-even Aunt Cassiopeia and the Potters are coming, your mum wants us all together."
"I see…"
"You're in the dog house with her, aren't you? Don't worry it'll pass, my mum got right pissed with me five hundred different ways when I was in fourth year." Well didn't Terebellum know that! "Just listen to her for a few weeks and she'll forget all about it."
"That's what I've been trying to do."
"Maybe I'll tell her about today. Could smooth things over with her."
"That's quite nice. This might be the most tolerable I've ever seen you."
"I'm agreeable when others are agreeable. There are some perks to playing nice with me." Cygnus winked. Really every second seemed to prove that- "Oi, look, a flock of mudbloods!" Cygnus pointed at a small group of students along the path, as if they were encaged animals at a zoo.
"Suppose there are…" Terebellum muttered, picking at her mashed potatoes.
"Are any of them your partner in Potions?"
"Didn't know Druella talked so much." Terebellum cursed to herself. Then, already tired, Terebellum huffed as she looked up like it was a great exhaustive sport. "He is yeah, the one right there with curly hair."
"Looks like he'd turn into a puddle if you poked him. Heard you've been quite pleasant towards him, too."
"Listen, it's only-"
"Smart, it's all so 'progressive' nowadays. Doesn't help if they know we'll never see them as equals, really know it. Saying it 'with the whole chest,' as it were."
"Hm."
"Hm?"
"It's only, you've been caught with some 'undesirables.' What would your girlfriends say about that?"
"Come on now, Bells, is that really why you've been twisting me about? It's like having affection for your dog, if anything. They please you with their tricks, so you give them a treat." Terebellum scrunched her nose in response, to which Cygnus barked out laughter. "No? Could give you a treat instead if you like." Ignoring this advance, Terebellum bit into a custard tart. "Anyways, it's just a matter of getting the halfbloods back into the fold, doesn't take long."
"You've always got an answer for everything, wish I was as clever."
"Oh, Terebellum," Cygnus smiled good-naturedly, and reached across to pat her thigh. "You've got other talents. Besides, haven't figured you out. Even still, I seem to repulse your tastes."
"You're fine."
"Fine." Cygnus mocks.
"It's better than absolutely abhorrent."
"Abhorrent, you say? Then please tell me, Terebellum, what is it you're looking for?"
That's the point, isn't it? I'm not looking for anything. "Didn't you just have fun, when you were in fourth year?"
"My company isn't riveting, then." Cygnus replied drily.
"Don't be so dramatic, you know what I mean." Terebellum corrected after gulping down the last of her tart. "Is this one of those baskets with no end?" She asked, distracted, peeking over into his basket.
"You don't need that kind of fun, anyways. You're a woman."
"True, I am."
"See!" Cygnus lit up, it was the cherry on top of his whole argument.
"What I'm looking for… suppose it's an Anglo-Saxon bloke, he must be at least a foot taller than me."
"Reasonable."
"He must be musically inclined, so that he can sing me joyful songs in the morning."
Cygnus nodded along.
"And, whenever I am feeling down, he must play me a tune from his lyre and catch my tears in a bottle."
"That's rather specific…"
"…then when he's collected enough of my tears, he'll make a little ship for the bottle and put them all on a row atop the mantle so we can admire them together."
"That's… well-that's-"
Terebellum couldn't hold it in anymore, she had to turn from Cygnus so she could laugh into her arm. "Oh, Cygnus, you can't have really fallen for that!"
Cygnus didn't say anything.
"Are you cross?" Terebellum asked, after calming herself down. When she examined his features for a tell, she couldn't read him at all. "I was only having a laugh."
"Are you always 'having a laugh?'"
"I don't know, yes? Don't you have that one friend that you all sort of pile on? Not in a mean way-"
"We're not friends, though," Cygnus countered, staring at Terebellum as if he were teaching a child to read. "That's not really how I date."
"Then how do you 'date'?" Terebellum sucked on the inside of her bottom lip, attempting not to look too put off. While she might get attention here and there, or a bit more than that, Terebellum never actually dated anyone.
"Sort of like this. We go somewhere, eat… I'd love to get a snog in but this time I'll only ask for a kiss. Can't be too hard for you, can it?"
"Ha… well, I thought that dating would be like…" Terebellum thought about it for a moment, and peered out at the courtyard to see if she could find any couples to represent the concept for her. But it seemed that none of the droopy-eyed lovesick students hanging their romance above everyone else were out and about today. Terebellum did, however, see that same group of Hufflepuffs with Roddrick in their ranks, about six of them sitting at a stone table. Roddrick wasn't at the centre of the group, actually no one really seemed to take the lead the longer she watched them. "I don't know.
"But it's not bad, right?" For a second Cygnus sounded so genuinely hopeful, seeking a win.
Terebellum still felt the taste of the custard tart, and the sun was feeling a bit warm on her shoulders but the slight wind reminded her that Christmas wasn't as far away as she thought. "So far." She gave him a treat, feeling graceful, feeling generous.
At the end of the hour, Cygnus offered his hand to Terebellum to help her up. When she got to her feet, Cygnus lowered his head towards her, cockeyed smile in place and eyes beginning to close in expectation. Terebellum almost sighed into it, a brief touch was all it took. The secret was out. If their eating alone for lunch wasn't suspicious enough, now by dinner everyone would know that she and Cygnus were seeing each other. Were they boyfriend and girlfriend, now?
"Later, love."
Love.
Terebellum's cheeks were pink, the first time Cygnus ever got her off her game. He knew it, too, looking absolutely pleased as he sauntered towards a waiting group of upper year Slytherin boys. His lads were looking past him, winking and raising their brows at Terebellum, Thomas Lugz even wagged his tongue at her suggestively and Martin Blue whistled at her. For fun, Terebellum blew a kiss back at them, they wouldn't know it was just a game but Terebellum knew. "Oi, back off!" Terebellum could hear Cygnus shouting at them, but it wasn't angry, it was like having a laugh.
"Terebellum!"
Terebellum darted her head to the sound, spotting Druella getting up from a bench with a book in hand. "Were you spying on me?"
"W-what? N-no, of course not!" Druella huffed, offended. "I wanted to-"
"Oh calm down, Drew, it's all right. I don't care anyways."
"How'd it go?"
"Fine, not a brick I suppose. Thanks to you at least the food was good. But he can't take a joke at all."
"You know, you aren't as funny as you think you are…"
"That's because I'm always making fun of you!"
"Noooo that's Ascella," Druella argued, pleased with herself for finding a scapegoat.
"True. She's going to go absolutely mad when she hears about this." It was really something Terebellum knew she could look forward to.
"Can you blame her?"
"No. I can't."
Not everyone in Slytherin was buzzing about the news. Perhaps it wasn't shocking enough, so Terebellum felt that maybe she was overreacting to it all. By supper she was relaxed and chewing on a hunk of meatloaf, brain zoned out on one particular crack in the wall just above a banner. What with how impressive the Great Hall always looked Terebellum was mildly surprised that there wasn't some sort of sealing charm on the walls and things. Then she wondered if there were any charms like that and thought, well, of course there had to be, everything always seemed to already exist and perhaps it was just one of those jobs none of the staff had the time for. Of course, there was Pringle, but it was like Hogwarts was on a mission to hire the most insufferable people and once again, Terebellum believed that he just didn't fit the bill.
"So I've got good news for you." Druella said smoothly as she took a seat next to Terebellum, distracting her from the wall.
"We've got a crowing roach infestation so we all get a pass on our OWLs?"
"Slughorn's hosting a party before Christmas, we all get a plus one!"
"Fun for you."
"I am asking if you'll come as my guest! I know hardly anyone there anyways, much greater fun if you can come too. I'm a bit nervous to go, and I'm sure you'll make a great impression on him! All you really need is a good impression."
There was some truth there, after all Druella only got in because she was particularly bored in class last year. It was right towards the end of the year, too, she just made a potion to see what would happen and it turned out it could change the colour of the drinker's nails. "I think it might be a little late to impress him, but I will go with you if you stop going on about it. That's the most you've said all in one breath in days it's quite jarring!"
"Excellent. It's not until mid-November, so if you want to prepare something for him-"
"Prepare—what? Have you lost it? Has he brainwashed you? You've always been keen Drew but it's not as if you made it your mission to join the club until it was offered to you. If I remember, you were just as annoyed as I was that he was giving special treatment away to others and not you." Terebellum accidentally let her tone shift, let her hair fall over her shoulder manically and hunched her shoulders, tensed.
"Okay, I'm sorry!" Druella immediately averted her gaze, focusing on getting food onto her plate. "I just wanted to have someone else in the meetings…" Druella mumbled, distraught.
"Well… suppose I'll go, if you don't badger me about kissing Slughorn's arse the whole time."
"Deal." Druella brightened considerably, more enthusiastic about her plate.
"Ugh, there are too many things going on this year already." Terebellum pouted. Well, at least she got through her first Cygnus ordeal, it could only get better from now on.
A/N: It is really hard to write fanfic when you have a million other things to do, I hate being an adult :'( Anyways hope everyone reading enjoys!
