A Little Game
I sat chatting to Marley behind our steaming cauldrons. We were both done with our potions. Mine, as usual, was the exact colour it was supposed to be. Clear buttercup yellow. It had a pepperminty smell rising from it and as I sniffed; my mind was cleared and filled with happy cheerful thoughts. Vera finished too, and then she turned to us and said,
"Hey guys, tomorrow, Friday, is the Hogsmeade visit, right? And it's Valentine's Day? Well, I have an idea…" She was smiling mischievously.
"Yeah Vera?" I asked, grinning back at her. Marley rolled her eyes at us.
"Lets all have a bet. Each of us chooses a boy for each other. As in, I pick one for you, Lily. Marley, you pick one for me. And Lily, you pick one for Marley. We meet for lunch with our dates. If we can't get the chosen boy, we'll have to suffer the consequences. Lets all pick now, while Sluggy's inspecting. Marley go first. I want to know the worst." A smile was coming onto a Marley's face slowly. An evil smile.
"I pick…James." Vera's mouth fell open.
"James Potter? Lily's brother? The most popular guy in Gryffindor?"
"Yup," replied Marley happily. It was my turn to roll my eyes. People seriously over-rated James. However, as one of Vera's best friends, I knew that she had a crush on him. She hadn't told me but I just knew. Vera bit her lip and blushed.
"But James probably already has a date!" she said. I snorted. Probably? I was sure he had changed his date at least thrice since yesterday. Marley's evil grin was widening.
"Even better. Make him ditch her." Vera gulped.
"Fine!" she said, "Lily's turn. Be really evil to Marley. For me. Please." I knew just what to do. I smiled sweetly at Marley. She wasn't at all deceived. She was looking at me as if I was bomb about to explode.
"Hugo," was all I said. I saw a whole range of expressions flit across her face. Her expression ended up as mutinous. I had always thought Hugo and Marley made a perfect couple. They were both so nice. And Marley was pretty and Hugo was cute. But, even though Vera agreed with me, Marley always denied it, like a little girl. I also knew Hugo liked Marley. We had been best friends since we were babies and I knew stuff about him which he would never tell me. At the sound of his name, Hugo looked up from his disastrous potion and turned toward our table. I smiled at him sweetly, as well. But he too looked at me like Marley had. He knew me just as well as Marley, though in a different kind of way. He knew what kind of pranks I got up to. But I wasn't going to back off. I knew that once Hugo and Marley got together, they wouldn't separate. And I didn't want them to. Vera was clapping her hands like a toddler who had got an unexpected ice-cream. Marley pursed her lips and remained silent. But I saw a flicker of a smile cross her face. I knew my work was done.
"And now, last but not least, for Lily." Vera announced this with great ceremony as if it was a grand prize or something. I waited with baited breath. Vera could be mercilessly cruel sometimes.
"I dare you to ask out……."
I'm going to be evil and leave it there. Guess who it will be.