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"Lily, honestly! I understand that you are excited, but I'd really appreciate it if you refrained from making me look like those inhumanly 'perfect' dolls you used to play with!" I exclaim, wincing as she tugged my hair once more.
It was 45 minutes before my date with Oliver, and Lily had taken it upon herself to prepare me for the date.
"Shut up, Rose. I have a lot to do and you did not give me enough time to fix," she gestured vaguely at my entire body, "this." My squawk of indignation quickly turns into one of pain as she applies a hair removing charm to my legs.
"Oh, thank Merlin that's gone." Lily said, turning me around.
"Now we must work on that abomination." She pointed to my hair and forced me into a chair. Lily waved her wand a few times, and I immediately fell the painful pull of a brush (or three) being pulled through the confines of my curly red hair. To my surprise, it had grown to be quite long, reaching past my waist.
30 minutes of agony and humiliation later, Lily finally stepped away to survey her work.
"There. Finished." She smiled widely and pushed me towards the mirror. I nearly faint when I see my reflection.
I had chosen to wear a pretty white blouse along with a black skirt that reached a little past mid-thigh. It was topped off by kitten heels.
My hair was in slightly manageable curls that fell quite prettily down my back, and my bright blue eyes were slightly highlighted in black liner.
However, there was one slight problem.
Lily had outlined my lips in the brightest, most garish shade of red.
It made me look like a girl found in the 'gentleman clubs' that Dad was sometimes required to raid.
"Lily, my lips make me feel like those 'pleasure witches' we saw on the streets of Knockturn Alley once. Remember that?" Lily waves off my concern.
"Don't be ridiculous. You look amazing!" I shake my head stubbornly, and whip out my wand, quickly changing the color to a subtler pink. Lily reluctantly lets me keep it.
"Well, you still look amazing. You should show Malfoy, make him jealous. I heard that he caught up to you before dinner and tried to demand that you 'stop seeing his best mate'?" Lily shook her head exasperatedly, as if wondering how far the rumors would go.
"Um, Lils? That was actually true," I mumble, fidgeting.
Malfoy had cornered me sometime later, demanding that I leave his best mate alone.
"Really, Weasley. I know you're desperate, but do you honestly think that you can get a chance with me by trying to seduce my best friend? Merlin, Weasel. I knew you were pathetic, but now you're just sinking to new levels. No, Weasley, I won't let your pathetic love for me hurt Oliver. Stay away from him, you sorry bint." He spat malevolently. His grey eyes, usually impassive and icy, were filled with a fury and fire I had never seen before.
I hated to say it, but his words had actually penetrated my protective walls.
For the first time in years, Malfoy had gotten through to me.
He had hurt my feelings.
And I'd had enough.
"You are not his fucking mother, Malfoy. I'm perfectly entitled to do whatever I want. And how can you be so delusional as to suggest you're the one that I want? Why are you meddling in my life? It was my choice. I don't know if it escaped your omniscient notice, but he chose me, you bigoted bastard. Now butt out of my life, Malfoy, before I fucking make you," I hissed, pulling out my hand.
He stepped back, seeming a little shocked at the venom in my words. Then, he seemed to collect himself.
"This isn't over," he warned, glaring. His eyes lost their fire, yet retained their icy cruelty. I raise my eyebrows and bare my teeth.
"Bring it on."
Malfoy then spent the rest of his day harassing me. Wherever I was, he was. He threw insults at me with a new vengeance.
"Hey everyone! There's a redheaded troll on the loose! It's a Weasley offspring. Quick, kill it before it's ugliness blinds you!"
"Alright, Weasley. I've been researching ways to help improve you, and this is all I came up with," hands me a potion, "here's some poison. Just drink it, will you?"
I had to admit, the last insult hurt. I brush it off, preparing myself for my date. I turn to Lily and wrap my arms around her tiny waist.
"Thanks Lil," I mumble into her shoulder, "you were a giant help." She smiles and pats my back.
"Go get him," she responds, smiling proudly.
I scurry out to the Common Room as fast as I can. Before I know it, I trip over my own book (curse my clumsiness) and find myself hurtling towards the fireplace.
That is, until a pair of strong, pale hands shoot out and grab me by the waist. I groan, harboring the futile hope that it was Lily.
"Wow, Weasley. Do you try to be such a failure?" Malfoy chuckles. His arms are still encircling me from behind, and I relax into his arms against my will.
And then I remember who he is.
"Eww, Malfoy! Get off!" I shriek trying to pull away from his hold. He lets go of me, and I spin around to face him.
"Wow, you mad bint. I just saved your fucking life!" He almost shouts. For some reason, my eyes burn and my throat constricts.
"Well, next time, Malfoy, kindly just let me burn!" I shout back. I scramble out of the room, cursing the oncoming wetness.
I hated how he always did the weirdest things.
Rose: 2
Malfoy: 2
"Hey Rose. You look great," Oliver smiles.
"You don't look too shabby yourself," I reply, smiling. His smiles really were contagious.
I wasn't lying when I said he looked nice. His brown hair was brushed neatly and left to hang down his forehead. His chocolatey brown eyes shined and sparkled. He wore a white button down that contrasted nicely with his chocolatey skin.
Oh, Merlin. I sounded like a lovesick fool.
I shake off the cliche thoughts and politely take the seat offered to me. He turns to me, showing some of the books on the table.
"These were the reading materials given to us. I think this is all we need to write the essay. But I wonder when we're actually going to get the ingredients?" He wonders, turning to me expectantly. I wrack my brain.
"Well, I suppose they won't want to give us the potion ingredients outside of class, considering that Polyjuice is rather dangerous in the wrong hands…" I think aloud, "But I suppose I can write to my mum and ask her where she had found the ingredients and directions. That way, we can see the full effect and even conduct better research," I finish, my brain transitioning to research mode (or nerd-mode, as Lily called it). Oliver nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes, that's a wonderful idea, Rose. Good thinking." We work in a comfortable silence for a while, until I checked the time.
"Oh merlin, it's 10:30!" I exclaim, quickly throwing everything in my bag. Oliver began laughing at my clumsiness. I glare at him playfully.
"Got a problem, Zabini?" I ask primly. He chuckles.
"I didn't know you were such a klutz, that's all." I look at him curiously.
"Err, what's a klutz?" I ask slowly. He frowns, then slaps his forehead.
"Right, sorry. It's an american term, that's why you didn't recognize it. It means a clumsy person. It's synonymous with Rose Weasley," he added, smirking. It never occurred to me how similar he looked to Malfoy when he did that.
Mainly because Oliver didn't smirk that much. I shriek in indignation and smack his head.
"Oww," he complains before herding me out of the library. We practically run back to the stairs, hoping against hope that nobody *cough* Filch and his stupid cat *cough* would catch us out of bed.
Before I knew it, we came to the place where we had to separate. Olier offered to walk me back, but I was less likely to get in trouble than he was.
"Alright, Oliver. I'll see you tomorrow. Tonight was really fun, you know. I wouldn't," I gulp and steel myself, "I wouldn't mind doing that again." I turn away slightly, waiting for his reaction.
"I would love to go on another date, Rose." He replied, pulling me around to face him. I smile, and turn to go. However, before I leave, he leans down and brushes his lips against my cheeks.
He kissed my cheek.
He kissed my cheek.
And then he left.
And like the gobsmacked klutz that I was, I stood there, alone.
I trudge back to the common room, still rather shocked. This wasn't the first kiss on the cheek from a non-family member, but the area where his lips touched me tingled a bit.
Could this be love? It certainly didn't feel like it. It feels like infatuation intensifying. Well, I didn't really know. It's not like I was ever in love with anyone before.
Well, there was that one muggle boy whose face I was definitely in love with. His personality, on the other hand? Not so much.
I'm so lost in thoughts and possibilities that I barely pay attention to my surroundings as I clamber through the portrait.
However, what I see causes me to stop short.
There, practically in front of the portrait, is Malfoy.
Naked.
And he's not alone. His body is intertwined with another girl's.
A small, petite girl's.
A redheaded girl's body.
"Lily?!"
That's the end of the chapter! I hoped you like it! School starts again soon, so I won't be able to update that much. Sorry. :(
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