Chapter 7
The next morning Al was alone, moodily staring at his cereal, when the three of us girls entered the downstairs kitchen. "Why are you so grumpy? Tomorrow's Christmas Eve! Be excited!" I said enthusiastically.
"Why'd you snog James?" he asked, not looking at me.
I gave a frustrated sigh and said, "I didn't! Why does everyone keep saying I did?"
"You didn't? But Orion said-," Al began, but I cut him off.
"Don't listen to that… that bloody idiot," I told him.
"Blimey, Mae, that's some pretty strong language." Orion had entered the kitchen.
"Shut it," I growled.
"Temper, temper," he said, clicking his tongue.
I ignored him and sat down to my breakfast. Orion felt it necessary to sit by me and act like we were chums. "Get away from me!" I shouted at him when he put an arm around my shoulders.
"You know you like it," he said, smirking.
"Orion…," Al said from across the table, warning in his voice.
"Stay out of this, short one," Orion frowned at Al, but he moved a seat over.
"I'm not short," Al mumbled.
"Yeah, you are."
"Oh, be quiet, you lot," Rose said, gazing sternly at Orion. "We don't need all this bickering."
Ella, who had been watching the back-and-forth banter, took the opportunity of an open seat to place herself between Orion and me. As she did so, she gave me a look that said, "Stay away from my man!"
I gave her a look back that said, "He's not your man, and I don't like him!"
"Hi," Ella said cheerily to Orion.
"Hey," he said, slouching in his chair, looking bored. Unfortunately for Ella, James entered the kitchen and Orion's attention was immediately turned away from her.
Pretending James wasn't there, I started talking to Al. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him occasionally glance nervously in my direction as he conversed with his friend. He appeared to be afraid to talk to me. "Good," I said to myself. "He should be."
The rest of breakfast was spent talking to Al and Rose, and pointedly ignoring Orion and James. I would've talked to Ella, too, but she was too busy hanging on to every word Orion said to James.
Because of this, she could later tell me that James and Orion had, in fact, been talking about me. Again. So I was somewhat prepared when I was alone in our room, packing to go home.
Ella's parents had already taken her home, Al was taking an afternoon nap, and Rose was in the loo. Everyone else was out shopping, eating, or playing a game- every single person was doing something else, somewhere else. I had made Rose stay near me all morning and afternoon, but she eventually had to go. James took this short time to practically sneak up behind me as I bent to fold my jeans into my suitcase.
"Mae…"
I gave a small shriek and jumped. I turned to see who it was, holding a hand to my chest as if to calm my suddenly racing heart. "What do you want?" I asked warily when I saw James.
"I want to apologize," he answered, looking appropriately humble.
"Apologize?" I asked, shocked that James would ever want to repent of anything.
James took this to mean I didn't know what he was talking about. "You know, what I… almost did last night?"
I folded my arms. "You should be sorry," I told him. "Now go."
"What?"
"Go away," I said as I pushed him to the door.
Rose entered as James left. "What was that about?" she asked, looking suspicious, curious, and amused all at the same time.
"Oh, he was 'apologizing,' although he never actually said 'I'm sorry,'" I answered.
"Of course not, he's James," Rose said, making me laugh.
"I am sorry." James had reappeared.
I gave him a cold look, then went back to packing.
Finally, it was time to go home. I hugged Rose goodbye, and left before James had the chance to talk to me again.
We returned to Hogwarts feeling optimistic about the new year. My resolutions were to get James to leave me alone and to help Ella "win Orion's heart," as she put it. Thankfully, I was not harassed by Orion on the train- he was too busy snogging some Ravenclaw girl. Then Rose and I were busy comforting Ella, who began tearing up when she saw.
"I see the school!" Rose exclaimed. "You'll feel better once we're back."
Ella refused to look in Orion's direction at the feast, and I made it my priority to give him nasty looks, although he probably thought it was because of James.
Classes began again, and I threw myself into my studies. Being in the library quite often was one of my best defenses against James and Orion both, besides being in the girl's dormitory. Ella accompanied me several times to the library. She seemed to give up her stalking technique, especially when she learned Orion couldn't even remember her name. I felt quite awful about this and resolved to do something.
"We've got to make him notice you," I said one day as we studied.
"Huh?" Ella answered, not really listening to me. She was scribbling away in a little book.
"What are you writing?" I asked. She'd gotten the book for Christmas and had been writing in it almost nonstop since.
"Oh, nothing," she answered.
"Right. Well, could you stop writing nothing for a moment? I've got an idea."
"Alright, what is it?" she asked, putting away the book.
"We're going to get you a boyfriend. And then, like I said before, since all guys only want what they can't have, Orion will want you!" I grinned happily at this idea.
"You do that," Ella said, returning to her writing.
"I will," I said, already scanning the library for someone suitable.
Please review! All Harry Potter characters belong to JK Rowling. All other characters (aka Ella, Mae, and such) are mine.
