Chapter 23: Heiress To All That's Left Behind
Prue looked at Casey dumbly, "What did you say?"
"I said Happy Birthday, dumb butt," he raised an eyebrow, "Don't tell me you forgot your own birthday?"
"Ah, no," Prue smiled sheepishly, "I was just hoping we could avoid it this year."
Serendipity smacked her palm against her hand, "So that's why the owls dropped that huge package for you at breakfast!"
The redheaded girl and Bobby exchanged 'we fucked up' looks. They'd known they forgot something, why didn't Prue mention it back at the Three Broomsticks?
"That was from my mom," Prue shrugged, not wanting to admit that until the owls had dropped the heavy box in her lap she had indeed forgot today was that day.
"What'd you get?" Casey demanded excitedly. Witches and Wizards always got wicked thing for their seventeenth birthday.
"Well, in the muggle world you're not legally an adult until you're eighteen," Prue explained, "So, clothes."
Casey wrinkled his nose, "That's no fun."
He'd had a time of showing off his new antique, super shiny, very expensive guitar during his seventeenth birthday back in October.
"Prue," Serendipity said apologetically, "I'm sorry I forgot. And I'm sorry for Elanore too."
"Oh, Ellie didn't forget. She gave me her present when you were in the bathroom this morning," Prue smiled.
"And she didn't remind me?" squealed Serendipity, immediately plotting to injure the smaller girl.
"I'm sorry too," Bobby said quietly. He'd still been reeling from the semi-date when they'd returned from Hogsmeade. Now he felt his heart drop. What kind of boyfriend forgets his girl's birthday?
"Bobby, it's cool. I guess we never told you boys, but I don't really like making a big deal out of birthdays," Prue bit her lip. That much was true. It had bothered her a little that her best friends had forgotten, but in the end she'd decided that the trip to Hogsmeade was a great way to spend a birthday.
"Yes, but we Icemen do!" Bobby exclaimed with a sparkle in his eyes, "I'll make it up to you, I swear. Tomorrow."
Prue looked amused, "We have Quidditch against Slytherin tomorrow."
"After Quidditch," Bobby corrected himself with a slow smile at her, "Nothing big if you don't like that. Just you and me."
Casey scowled, but was polite enough to turn his face towards the wall so that neither would see.
"Speaking of Quidditch, we'd better get to sleep," Serendipity chipped in, already partially up the staircase, "You coming Prue?"
"In a minute," the blonde called back, glancing at Casey and the presents.
Bobby cast Prue an affectionate glance, then told Casey in a half joking growl, "Keep your hands off my girl, mate."
He didn't want to admit it, but Bobby had always wanted to say that. Especially in reference to Prue. Just to drive home the point, he strode up to Prue and ran a hand lightly over her shoulder, "Need you bright eyed and bushy tailed for tomorrow."
"I'll be ready for the game," Prue promised.
"I didn't mean for the game," chuckled Bobby. Grateful that he now was completely just in doing so, he leaned in and pecked her on the lips. Prue caught him before he withdrew and kissed him more deeply, forgetting that they had an audience. Said audience had to make some rather rude gagging noises before the couple disengaged. Waving a hesitant goodbye to his girlfriend, Bobby made his way up the stairs with a euphoric smile on his lips.
Prue blushed, and told Casey, "Ah, sorry. Forgot you were there for a second."
Casey wasn't sure whether or not to be more insulted that Bobby was snogging his ex girlfriend right in front of him or that she had forgotten he was there. How could she forget?
He fumbled with the presents in his lap, "I, uh…did you have fun at Hogsmeade?"
The blonde took a seat in the big, paisley print chair closest to the slowly dying fire. Earnestly she replied, "Yes. You should have come. It was fun."
In reality she realized how awkward it would have been had Casey accompanied her. She was intent on keeping him as a friend now that the entire Steffie ordeal was order. Even if she wasn't dating him, Prue had come to realize she depended on Casey Hargrove's presence in her life. Sometimes she half wondered if she could really live without him. It was a silly thought, but one that popped up consistently in the past week and a half.
"It was better I stayed here," Casey mumbled, "Practice was okay. I think Cerulean and Cherridy almost forgive me."
"Almost?" Prue asked wryly.
"Almost," Casey agreed.
For a few minutes they sat in silence, staring at each other through the cooling air. Unconsciously, Prue was twirling a ring around her middle finger as if she were nervous, and Casey was drumming his foot against the carpet. Neither seemed to be able to think of anything to say. We're acting like complete strangers, Prue thought sadly.
"I almost forgot!" Casey exclaimed, happy to break the overbearing silence, "Presents!"
The tall boy clumsily shoved the larger package into Prue's lap, and warned, "It's nothing special."
"That's okay," Prue replied warmly. She primly undid the tape from either side, which was in less abundance than it had been on her Christmas present. It had obviously been store wrapped. The box beneath the thin green wrapping was mint colored and made of textured paper. Deftly her fingers unclasped the lid, revealing a smooth black satin pouch. Inside the pouch Prue found two items. One was a large vial of perfume. It smelled slightly of citrus and had undertones of something much sweeter. She couldn't place it.
"My sister helped me pick that out. I thought, uh, well I helped Bobby pick out that perfume bottle he gave you for Christmas, and I thought maybe you could put it in there," Casey pulled at his collar anxiously, hoping she would like it.
"Pretty," she affirmed with a soft smile.
When she pulled out the other item, she gasped slightly, "I can't accept this. It's too expensive!"
"Not as expensive as you might think," Casey assured her, which didn't convince her at all.
There was a thin watch made of glinting white gold. A chain lead from the center up to a tiny circlet of a ring. The band of the watch was imprinted with a blackened constellation design, and the face had an opalescent sheen and tiny jewel insets. The ring was engraved with the phases of the moon full around.
"The necklace you gave me," Casey held up the pendant from around his neck, "inspired the idea. I was going to get it engraved, I bought it right after we started dating. Then everything happened and I thought better of it."
Prue opened her mouth again to say that she couldn't take it, then the closed it again.
"The chain detaches, by the way. I figured that would get in the way of Quidditch."
Nodding mutely, Prue studied the watch and ring. They were beautiful.
Nervous because she hadn't commented yet, Casey inquired meekly, "Do you like it?"
"Of course," Prue felt a lump grow in the back of her throat. Why did he have to be so sweet all the time? It made it really hard for her to not throw her arms around his neck and kiss him. Bobby, Bobby, Bobby became a mantra in her head. Think of Bobby.
"I'm glad," Casey smirked, "I was hoping you would."
"Isn't it going to seem odd, giving a ring to a friend?" Prue asked, not really willing to part with the beautiful present.
"I suppose. Like I said, if it makes you uncomfortable, you can detatch the chain and just wear the watch or the ring by themselves," Casey rolled his eyes to show that he didn't really give a hoot what exactly people thought was odd.
Prue brightened, "I know! It will still seem odd, but at least this way it won't lie around the dormitory and get lost."
She pulled out the chain of the necklace she'd been wearing, unhooked it, and slid off the pendant. In it's place, she put the ring, then refastened it around her neck, "Perfect."
"I'll say," Casey replied, looking at her beaming form.
Realizing where this might go, Prue stared hard into the fire and said, "Casey, you know I want to stay friends with you."
"I know," he replied agreeably, deciding now was not the time to push the issue about wanting more. He had to figure out a way to steal her back out from under Bobby, even if that wasn't a very friendly action.
"I just don't want you to think that we can go back to what we had," she said gently.
"Don't be silly," briskly, Casey stood from his chair. He bent over Prue and gave her a back crunching hug in what he thought was a friendly manner. He missed the pained grimace on Prue's face as her spine cracked.
"You're okay with it then?"
"Yes. Naturally," Casey threw her a lopsided smile, "I messed up Prue. I get that. I'd rather be your friend than lose you completely. By the way, I have a belated birthday celebration planned for you as well. This weekend."
After he'd said that he escaped up the stairs, desperately thinking that if he stayed he wouldn't be able to stay in control. That stupid girl drove him wild sometimes. Ironically, Prue was thinking the same thing about him, and stayed in the common room for a long time, presents in lap, staring into the last embers of the fire.
Quidditch turned out to be an exciting affair. For one, all the Ravenclaws turned absolutely mutinous when Elanore insisted on wearing a Slytherin scarf and gloves to cheer on Joshua Kenth, the opposing team's beater. Prue and Matilda actually refused to talk to her that morning at breakfast once they saw her attire, hurt that she'd choose to support beaters other than them.
Once in the sky, the team's mood perked up given the mild, clear conditions, despite the chill. Once Madame Boggs had thrown the quaffle into play, Belinda Knell managed to fumble the ball, losing it to Whitney's skillful hands. They scored within minutes.
Things turned bad after that. Yaeko Niwa, the Slytherin seeker was quick and agile, more so than Radovan. She'd already had three near run ins with the snitch, and might've caught it had Matilda and Prue not interfered with some well hit bludgers.
"Get your head in the game," Whitney screamed at Radovan, who gave her a sulky look. He just hadn't been playing well, not even at practice. Everyone suspected it was because he was sore at Whitney and her illicit relations with Apollo, but nobody wanted to confront him about it.
Flying by the other chasers, Whitney called, "We need to get a lot of goals. I don't know if Radovan will catch the snitch."
"I doubt it," Joshua Kenth sneered, whooshing in to snatch the quaffle out of Whitney's grasp. She had a tight hold on it and practically shoved him off his broom. Prue could practically imagine Elanore's distraught look. Sure enough, the tiny girl was jumping up and down in the stands screaming obscenities. Most of the Ravenclaws surrounding her had shifted away for fear of association and her flailing arms.
Bobby and Cherridy nodded their acknowledgement and proceeded to score one goal after another past Barnaby Roderick, the keeper for Slytherin. Serendipity, in particular, was in spectacular form that day, and didn't let a single quaffle through. Still, the game went on for over two hours with no sight of the snitch. By then, Ravenclaw had well over the amount of points needed to put them back in the running for the Quidditch Cup.
"I hope one of them just finds the darned thing," Prue told Matilda, examining her nails. The brunette nudged her when a bludger came near, but Prue just tiredly batted it away, right into Peregrine Vandelia's head. It was her fault, the Slytherin girl had been making gooey faces at Cardinal Briallen again. Luckily, Madame Boggs hadn't seen it, otherwise there might have been a foul.
When Yaeko finally did catch the snitch another hour later, the entire crowd groaned in relief. The game was over and Ravenclaw had managed to stay in the hunt for the cup.
When they touched down, Polaris was standing near the entrance to the locker room. Warmly he held out his arms to Serendipity, "Great job."
"It was nothing," the redhead blushed, "I could have done better."
Elanore was also down on the field, waiting impatiently for Joshua. He'd had a few near misses with bludgers himself, and the small girl was glaring defiantly at Prue and Matilda as they walked past. Annoyed, Prue muttered, "For christ's sake, he's a beater. He's supposed to hit the bloody balls."
Unfortunately her reasoned argument didn't make Elanore flinch. When Joshua walked by she threw herself into his arms, "Are you okay?"
The brunette boy smiled shyly, and needless to say most of the Ravenclaws were shocked. "Slytherins don't smile," Matilda told Prue under her breath, "It's not natural!"
Apparently, Elanore was doing Joshua some good. He assured her that he was fine, and that he didn't hold a grudge against Prue or Matilda. Here he cast them a nasty sneer, and Matilda felt reaffirmed in the order of the world. Right up until he yelled after them, "Good game."
Matilda groaned, "It's not natural!"
Bobby was already in the locker room with the rest of the team, "Prue! We did it!"
"You had doubts?" Whitney called over her shoulder, "That's not the Ravenclaw spirit."
"Chill, Whitney. We're going to win the cup," Bobby returned jovially, "I just know it."
Sidling up to her boyfriend Prue teased, "I hope your intuition is good then."
Only slightly startled, he placed a hand affectionately on her hip and pulled her in close, "I have the best intuition. By the way, are you ready for tonight, birthday girl?"
"Sure am," Prue giggled, feeling slightly nauseated at herself. Sometimes she just couldn't believe she was going in for this lovey dovey thing. Still, here in the cheery locker room after the victorious if not boring game, it felt right. Even Elanore had put aside her dislike for sweaty people and was giving Joshua a good long snog. Wait, was Elanore even allowed in the locker rooms? Prue wisely decided not to say anything. What Whitney didn't notice wouldn't hurt her.
After the game they had a half-day of classes. Usually, Quidditch wasn't held on school days, but Headmistress McGonagall had made an exception. Herbology was one of the classes that only half the sixth year Ravenclaws took. However, almost three quarters had passed their OWLS for Transfiguration, despite the difficulty of the class. Even Casey had managed to scrape by. Today, Professor Snips stood white faced at the front of the class.
"I'm not feeling well," she announced, "So I expect class to go without a hitch. No malarkey."
She looked sternly at Prue, Elanore, Serendipity, Bobby, Sylvester, and Casey when she said this. All six looked guiltily at the floor, trying to feign innocence without much success. It wasn't a double class this session, so the room was filled with relatively no one.
"Today we'll start group projects. Diesel and Feehan will not be working together. Don't look at me like that girls, last time I put you together your work was simply unacceptable. Diesel, you and Rue may work together. Feehan, you're with Ridley."
Antoinetta glanced at Sylvester disdainfully while Seprie actually moved over to sit with Odysseus.
"Kingston, against my better judgment I'll allow you to work with Watson," Serendipity and Elanore broke into cheerful smiles, scooting closer together. Despite her misgivings about Elanore's choice in Quidditch teams, Serendipity had obviously forgiven the dark haired girl. Only Casey, Bobby, Prue, and Winston Taft were left. The blonde girl was hoping against hope she was put together with Winston. He was a bloody genius when it came to Transfiguration, even if he was a bit wet when it came to personality. Bobby was okay with the subject, and Prue knew for a fact that Casey was horrible.
"Again, against my better judgment, Stone and Hargrove. That leaves you with Taft, Gelliston," Professor Snips shook her head as though she couldn't believe she'd let things turn out the way they were.
Bobby and Casey exchanged looks and high fives, "Alright!"
Winston, on the other hand, looked positively depressed at his choice in partner. However, Prue suspected he'd feel that way with anyone and didn't take too much offense. She left her seat to go join him, and cheered, "Howdy, partner."
Glaring, Winston replied, "I will not help you get an easy pass."
"Of course not," Prue answered sweetly, not believing a word of it. She rightfully assumed Winston wouldn't do anything to damage his reputation as teacher's pet, such as getting a fail grade. And it wasn't like she didn't plan on assisting him. She would be fully cooperative. As long as it didn't interfere with any of her other plans.
"This is a two week long project," Professor Snips clarified, "I will be teaching you this week how to transform an animal into a fully functional human being. Points will be deducted for remaining tails, ears, or other animal traits. By the end of the period, I expect you to be able to transfigure an animal of my choosing into a human being with no remaining resemblance. This will be good practice for your human transfiguration practice next year."
Most of the class groaned. They still had trouble turning lamps into tortoises. Creating fully functional humans seemed beyond many of their capabilities.
"Now, let's get started. Class, this is Galen. Say hi to Galen, class," Professor Snips was referring fondly to a small red fox that she'd lifted onto her desk. Even Seprie and Antoinetta softened a bit and made cooing noises in the direction of the desk. All in all, it turned out to be a good lesson, although both the Saints and the Icemen doubted they'd be able to transfigure a living, breathing creature into anything resembling a human.
Bobby caught up to Prue at the end of class, "I have to go to the library through dinner, so I won't see you all day. But tonight, midnight."
Prue met Bobby in the common room at midnight. Most everyone had gone to sleep, except for a third year snoring away in a corner couch and Sylvester playing a game of wizard's chess with Quant. Frank was with them. Since he'd been outted, Sylvester seemed reluctant to associate with the boy. Both the Saints and the Icemen told him he was being a giant berk, but he was hesitant to take their advice. Frank also knew he wasn't wanted, and had resolved to stay away until Sylvester could squash his homophobia.
"I doubt you're dressed warm enough," Quant observed, offering Prue his cloak.
"That's what I'm supposed to do," Bobby protested, but allowed Prue to take the cloak anyway. Prue wasn't sure what she needed it for. It was only when Bobby opened the fireplace that she realized they were going through the passageway.
"This is my birthday gift?" Prue demanded, awed at the gaping hole in the wall. The third year in the couch hadn't even started.
"Part of it," Bobby replied mischievously, taking her hand and walking through the archway.
"Have fun," they heard Quant call after them. For a solid ten minutes they walked in silence, Prue clutching Bobby's smooth hand in the dark. He had remarkably soft hands for a Quidditch player.
It wasn't that Prue was scared of the dark, or particularly claustrophobic. Yet perhaps it had been because of the large group presence that she had felt more comfortable the previous time she'd walked this way. It couldn't have been because Casey's large hand had held hers. She counted their steps and listened to Bobby's rhythmic breathing, trying to shake the squeezing terror in her chest. When they finally broke out into the star lit forest, Prue breathed a sigh of relief.
"You okay?" Bobby questioned, noticing the paleness of her face.
"Superb," Prue gasped, trying to erase any sign of fear, and the fact that she was clutching her wand so tightly in her other hand that her knuckles were white.
"You remember that shard of cauldron Quant found in the passageway?"
"Vaguely."
"I think it came from Steffie Devereaux. I saw the cauldron that the Professors said she mixed Casey's potion in, and it was an exact match," Bobby said conversationally, "I bet she knew about the passageway."
"Could be," Prue replied, wondering if Bobby had brought her all the way out here to talk about Steffie. Still clutching at his hand, Prue followed Bobby down what seemed like a dark dirt path. She tried to shake the feeling that eyes were on her. It couldn't be the stars, because they had vanished over the leafy canopy a few minutes earlier. Bobby helped her over tree roots and thorn brambles as they delved deeper into the Forbidden forest.
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see. It's a bit of a hike," Bobby said mysteriously, and Prue's heart melted for a minute. He had obviously gone through a lot of trouble on short notice to be romantic.
About five minutes later he turned to her and warned, "You'll have to be quiet for the next fifteen minutes. We're going through centaur territory."
Fabulous, Prue thought. Centaur territory. They'd be shot through with arrows by the end of this trip. Poor Quant's cloak would be filled with holes, and how would she ever return it then, Prue wondered a bit hysterically. She trusted Bobby. Really, she did. She didn't feel quite as safe with him as she did with Casey, which she knew was silly, because Bobby was in much better shape than the redhead. He would probably be able to take care of her. Now what was she thinking, she could take care of herself. Stop being a git, Prue told herself firmly. She didn't even hold her breath through the centaur lands as she normally would after that. And she guessed the eyes she felt following their every move were those of the noble centaurs, and not some spirits of the night.
When they came to a clearing, Prue was relieved. The stars were back in sight and the air smelled clean, of country and lemongrass.
"We're about halfway to the center, I'd wager," Bobby grinned, "But we're not going any further."
Prue noticed a large wicker basket sitting atop a long, flat stone and a checkered blanket beside it.
"A picnic," Bobby announced, "I got the idea from Polaris, actually."
Prue recalled the vampiric boy had done something similar for Serendipity.
"Plagiarism, how quaint," she teased, glad to be away from the tall, dark trees. She watched as he created a spell for warmth.
"Hey, if somebody had told me it was her birthday I would have come up with something better. Here," Bobby pulled a large package out of the wicker basket after they'd been comfortably seated on the blanket.
Prue tore off the paper, revealing a collection of CD's, including Dark Symphony's and The Black Orbit's latest, and the limited version Maniac Charm had been selling around school. There were also a few muggle CDs.
"This one's really hard to find!" Prue held up The Dark Orbit's first edition ecstatically. Seconds later her face fell, "I doubt it will play on a muggle device."
Bobby's face lit up, "I figured you didn't have one of these."
He dug deeper into the basket and produced a shiny pink player, and said proudly, "I had it owl ordered last night. They have fast delivery. It says it will play the muggle ones as well, although I presume you have a player for those back home."
"Bobby," Prue said, touched, "You didn't have to do all this."
"No, no I did. It's the first thing we get to celebrate together," he replied, "It should be special."
He produced two bottles of butterbeer and a box filled to the brim with pumpkin pasties and custard pie, "I figured you already ate dinner, so we'll just skip to dessert. It's nothing great, just what the house elves could gather for me."
"It's perfect," Prue replied, eyes shining. Soon the air was warm enough to remove their cloaks. They ate their way through the box, discussing anything from muggle bands to Quidditch teams. Bobby even told her about his brother Ronnie and his girlfriend, Bianca.
"It was great fun, snowboarding with them. They get along so well."
"I wish I could snowboard," Prue said sincerely, "I can ski. Snowboarding looks so difficult though."
"You're not scared," Bobby taunted her lightly.
"No. I just don't want to try it by myself."
"I see, you want to embarrass yourself in front of friends," he smirked, "I'll go with you. How about next winter?"
"Wicked, I'd love too!"
They spent over two hours devouring the treats and talking. Prue felt like she knew Bobby better than ever before. He was such a sweet guy, and attractive to boot, she thought gleefully. When the desserts were gone, the blonde boy produced a deck of exploding snap, Prue's favorite wizarding game. They played well into the wee hours of the night, laughing when Bobby almost burnt his finger off as a card exploded.
Attempting to sober up, Prue pulled his finger over, "Let me see."
Softly she blew on it, noticing the redness even in the dull light. The moon was descending beyond the canopy of trees, leaving the sky black but for the pinprick lights of stars. She noticed Bobby's eyes widening as her breath warmed his finger and decided to tease him a bit more, pulling the fingertip into her mouth. She flicked her tongue at the sensitive skin and his gaze became serious. He had that look in his eyes that said he wanted nothing more than to kiss her.
She let him. For a few minutes they kissed chastely, hands roaming slowly. Bobby intensified their embrace, moving his tongue inside her mouth, exploring. She allowed him to push her down to the blanket and gave herself over to the feeling of him. His hands massaged the expanse of her back, and he was never too insistent, wary of scaring her away. When his fingers touched the skin of her back, she arched into it.
That was when she heard the voice, no louder than the wind whisper vehemently, "Mudbloods."
Prue jerked back, "Did you hear that?"
The feeling of eyes watching her was back, and she looked wildly around the clearing.
"I…I'm not sure," Bobby said uncertainly, "It was the wind, wasn't it?"
The mood was broken. The heat spell was waning anyway, and they gathered up the basket and blanket quietly, as if scared of invoking the wrath of the speaking wind. The wary couple made their way through the forest in record time, and was back through the passage before four am. The common room was empty, but neither felt like continuing their snog session in the safety of their familiar house.
"I had a great time," Prue told him in a heartfelt manner, "Thank you for the gifts."
"I had a great time too. Happy Birthday Prue," Bobby kissed her gently on the cheek, and she tried not to see his haunted eyes as she clambered up the stairs and collapsed in her bed.
The following day, Casey wasn't sure why he was lurking around Dana and Dirk Drake. Sylvester was torturing first years in the fourth floor bathrooms, and Quant was spending time with Fortune in the greenhouse. He imagined Bobby was off snogging Prue's brains out, and he knew for a fact Frank and Noah were shacked up in a classroom. He'd had the misfortune of walking in on that. Classes were over for the day, and he was bored.
"Why exactly are you here?" Dirk asked irritated. He'd been attempting to bury his nose in their astronomy text for the past ten minutes, but Casey's company was grating on his nerves.
"Hush, Dirk. He's lonely," Dana clucked kindly.
"Can't he be lonely elsewhere?" Dirk insisted loudly. The librarian swooped out of nowhere and held a finger to her lips. Dirk just shook his head and wondered why life was out to get him, "At least can he stop drumming his bloody fingers on the table?"
"I am right here," Casey muttered.
"That's the point," Dirk scowled, "We'd like you to leave."
"Ahem," Dana raised an eyebrow.
Looking slightly abashed, Dirk corrected himself, "I'd like you to leave."
Casey ignored him, having spotted Prue wandering dazedly in through the library doors. It didn't look like the good sort of daze, "Your wish is my command."
Dirk snorted in disbelief, then spotted Prue, "Leave Gelliston alone."
"Now that is a wish I can't grant."
Casey left Dirk and Dana to talk amongst themselves and followed Prue into the stacks. For a few minutes he watched her dwell amongst the medieval magic section, not really searching for any particular book. Her eyes had a blank quality to them that suggested daydreaming more than studying. She stooped low and placed her bag on the ground, arranging her notebooks in a way that they wouldn't fall. Grabbing a red leather bound edition of The Hags of Norfolk with big, gold lettering Prue sank to the ground. He took that as his cue to intrude.
"Why so glum, Prue?" Casey solicited with a smile. He plopped down across from her, crossing his legs.
Timidly, Prue looked up and said, "Casey? Remember what I said in potions? About how I only started dating you to get out of my relationship with Cerulean? And that I never really loved you?"
To be honest, Casey had completely forgotten that particular speech once he'd found out Prue and Bobby had truly betrayed him. It had hurt like crazy when she first told him though. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten. He doubted she was down about that, so why was she asking now? Darkly he responded, "Yeah."
"I was really upset right then. I had no right to say it," Prue said gently. He wondered if she meant that she really did feel that way but was normally too polite to say so. Then he wondered when exactly Prue Gelliston was polite.
Gruffly, he choked out, "S'okay. You never loved me, it's fine."
Prue looked astounded, "No it's not. Casey, I had no right to say it because it wasn't true. Of course I didn't use you to get out of dating Cerulean. I should think I have enough courage to break it off with a boy myself."
Indignantly, Casey demanded, "Then why did you start dating me, hunh?"
"Because I love-" Prue paused, thinking that if roles had been reversed, she would hate to be hurt, but hate more to have her hopes up unjustly, "loved you."
Stung, Casey posed, "How can you stop loving someone so quickly? In the span of a month?"
"I don't know. You seemed to do a fine job of it, don't you remember? You told me you 'loved' me. Around the same time you told me we couldn't be friends," the blonde girl shifted angrily, feeling the library books' corners pressing into her back.
"Hell's bells Prudence. I was lovesick and furious and I thought you'd decided I wasn't good enough for you," Casey's stormy gray eyes grew more intense with every word, "I thought you'd decided it would be great fun to eff around with my heart."
"So that made it alright?"
"Of course I still loved you then. Merlin, I still love you now," Casey shook his head wearily, "You should have known that. When have I ever told an ex I can't be friends with her before? You know me, always keeping up reputations! Obviously I told you that because I didn't want to keep being reminded that of all the things I thought you'd done."
"You know, this information would have been nice before I started dating Bobby," Prue murmured softly, almost to herself.
Wryly, Casey said, "Regretting it now, are we? You can always dump him."
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
"I'd like you. You promised you'd be mine forever, remember," Casey pouted, gesturing to his pinky to remind her of the promise.
"Yes, a promise that only a five year old would believe," Prue grew red, "I like Bobby. I like him a lot. I just wanted to tell you that- I wanted to apologize. Okay? I've done it, so…"
"So…" Casey pressed, watching her gather her books with a frustrated expression.
She made no motion to get up or move away. Instead she placed her head in her hands, "I'm so confused."
Gently, Casey inquired, "So what's really bothering you?"
"I don't know. Bobby took me through the passage way last night. He said that the cauldron Steffie used to stir your potion, it missing a piece. Remember the shard Quant brought us? With the funny gold design? I don't know why that should bother me. I mean, obviously she just found the passageway like the rest of us and was using it as a secure place to brew her potions."
Secretly Casey thought Bobby would have to be nutters to take her into the Forbidden Forest so late at night. He'd murder the boy, even if he was his good mate. What if Prue had been hurt? Still, he tried to ask Prue objectively, "But it's aggravating you?"
"It's driving me mad," Prue laughed dryly, "The passageway gives me the creeps. And more than that, Bobby took me into the forest. Only a little ways. I felt as though I was being watched the entire time. Here he is trying to be all romantic, and…maybe I'm just making this all up in my head."
"Maybe you don't want to be with Bobby?"
"No, I try to convince myself that's what it is, but it's not. We were being watched. I know it. I could have sworn I heard someone hiss 'mudbloods'," Prue shivered.
Leaning across the aisle, Casey took her hand and said earnestly, "A Slytherin could have been in the forest."
"What would another student be doing all the way out there, and past midnight? I mean, it's plausible I s'pose, but I really don't know," Prue had started shaking, "What if there's something else out there? The hags of the forest? What if they're after muggle borns?"
Comfortingly, Casey released her hand and drew her into a hug, "It will be okay."
"I believe you," Prue relaxed into his embrace, then said, "You called me Prudence before. Don't do that."
The redhead chuckled.
They stayed in that position for a few minutes until Prue had stopped shaking. She apologized, mortified that she'd broken down in the middle of a library, "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I'm glad you can talk to me. By the way, I wanted to invite you and Bobby to my house over the easter hols."
"There are no easter hols," Prue said suspiciously.
"There's two days off around easter," Casey objected, "And, well, my Aunt Haterii is getting hitched. I hate weddings. Don't make me go alone."
He twisted his face into what he hoped was an angelic expression of need. Prue laughed, "Okay, okay. As long as we have no exams around then, and as long as Bobby agrees to come."
"Thank you, thank you. You're a goddess," he beamed at her.
Fin 22.