Gwen is trying her hardest not to fall asleep as Professor Binns drones on about some ancient war between the trolls and giants. She can barely keep her eyes open they are that heavy that she is considering casting some sort of charm to keep them from falling. She hasn't been sleeping well at all, what with everything whizzing about in her head driving her crazy.
"Honey, are you okay?" Lily asks.
"Wake me up when he's finished," she yawns. She's just about to go to sleep when she hears Bella giggling softly; so she turns to see Severus with his hand on her knee. The anger descends like a thick fog and it makes her hands roll up into a fist. She closes her eyes trying to block them out and calm down, and it's like she can't even breathe. She tries to count to ten but everything is pushing down on her and she's sinking with the strain. She will be out of the little classroom soon enough.
"Gwen?"
She looks at her best friend tired of always seeing that concern in her green eyes. "I'm fine Lil's," she sighs because shouldn't this be the happiest time of her life? Merlin that's one depressing thought that it will just go downhill from here. "I'm just bored," she hopes that just this once Lily can drop it.
Bella laughs again and it grates Gwen's nerves, a fact that isn't helped by the feeling that the Slytherins are laughing at her. She even goes to the resort of actually looking at her text book, but seriously how can a war be so mundane? Aren't battles supposed to be interesting or something?
An origami bird lands gracefully in front of her and she opens it quickly to find a cryptic note, I can't stop thinking about last night J x. She looks over to Potter who has gone a lovely shade of pink and smiles.
"Love I think this is for you," she says sliding the note to its intended precipitant. "So what happened last night exactly?"
"Nothing," Lily blushes.
"Oh come on spill. I wouldn't be much of a mate if I wasn't willing to squeeze every last little juicy bit of gossip out of you, now would I?" She needs some good news right about now and Lily getting secretive notes from Potter is very good news in deed.
"I'll fill you in later,"
"You better,"
They are finally let out of the classroom and Bella is still laughing, just what is so funny exactly? Gwen looks at her to find her wrapped around Severus and whispering in his earlobe like a real couple. She tries to ignore them and hurries past them.
"That's it run away," Bella calls after her. "And Severus never thought you were that funny, I think that you're hysterical." To proof her point she cackles in her face.
Gwen has tried to rise above it despite her anger and act like a reasonable adult. "You should have let me pass LeStrange." She says darkly reaching for her wand and hitting Bella with a super quick Stupefy that stuns everyone else as well. "Really you should have let me go!" She takes a last look at Severus and just walks away.
Severus pulls away from Bella, "This plan doesn't seem to be working," he says darkly.
"But you saw for yourself," Bella smiles. "She was willing to fight for you Severus, and that means she still cares."
Severus nods kissing her cheek, "You're absolutely right." He walks off feeling reassured not knowing that his so called friends have their own agendas.
"I do admire your work ethic sister dear," Narcissa smiles taking Bella by the arm. "I mean letting that filthy half-blood touch you, it's just disgusting"
"He might be spoilt fruit but he's still ready to be picked," Bella smiles cackling with laughter. "Now let us pay your darling Malfoy a status report."
Mary closes the door to the dorm, "So come on then ladies dish the gossip already," she smiles. "Or I will just have to eat all of these by myself," she says holding the big bag of sweets from Honeydukes. Gwen puts down her magazine and Lily closes her book. "Okay then who wants to start?"
"Well James and I met in the astrology tower last night," Lily smiles; she picks up a handful of every flavour beans. "We were both doing our rounds and well I thought I heard something so we went to investigate." Her face screws up as she finds a flavour she doesn't like, "Ear wax." She frowns.
"And then?" Gwen asks.
"We started fighting as usual," Lily blushes and in her head she can see it all so clearly. The astrology tower is breezy and James is throwing stones out of the window. She tells him off and he just laughs at her, she says that as head boy he should be making a good example. He says that he is making an example of how school should be fun, she tells him off because he never takes anything serious. He argues that he takes her seriously and she asks him to proof it. He kisses her and his lips are warm and she loses herself into the moment and years of rivalry and fighting turn into the hottest of kisses.
"He tasted like cocoa," she smiles finishing her story. "He was a really good kisser."
"Do you want to see him again?" Mary asks smiling.
"Yes," she answers. "We're going to Hogsmead together at the weekend."
"Just don't distract him too much we're playing against Slitherine on Saturday," Gwen laughs. "Oh honey I'm so happy for you. What about you Mary, any progress with Lupin?" She asks changing the subject from Slitherine Gryffindor interaction.
"Not with Lupin no," she smiles. "But there is someone else, and he actually seems to like me too."
"Well I hear that helps," Gwen smiles. "So who is your mystery fella?"
"Mark Hodges, he's in Ravenclaw and very nice he is too," she smiles, "We met in the library whilst I was sort of following Remus and I knocked a book off a shelf and it landed on his head. Poor thing, the book looked kind of heavy."
Gwen hugs her, "That's some impression you made, huh?"
"That's what Mark said," she laughs helping herself to a chocolate. "He also said that I have the most beautiful smile that he's ever seen."
"That's brilliant," Lily smiles. "So come on then Gwyneth feel free to share."
The atmosphere changes and it's like the room gets a lot colder, Mary even shivers. "I think Sirius is trying to add me to his collection," Gwen sighs. She puts her handful of sweets back in the bag, "Maybe I should just shag him and get it over and done with,"
"What about Snape?" Mary asks feeling confused. "Do you even like Sirius anymore?"
"I still fancy him," she admits. She stands up and goes to the window, "As far as Snape, I don't know? I'm beginning to doubt that it was anything in the first place, it wasn't that long ago he swore that he loved you Lil's."
"But he made you so happy," Lily argues. She's worried because Gwen doesn't turn around she just stands facing the window her shoulders shake and Lily is just about ready to set James on Snape for hurting her friend this much.