Chapter Six:
I yawned loudly, attracting the attention of the rest of the Quidditch team. The sky was still dark, and yet Aaron had us practicing before our big game against Slytherin already - at five in the morning! He'd said we needed all the practise we could get. While I agreed that more practise was better than less, I couldn't help thinking that it meant we weren't up to scratch. It was so early. I was so tired...
"Lily!" I heard somebody shout. I felt myself falling. Quickly I tightened my legs around the broom, and lunged forward to grab the stick with my hands. I swung upside down, still holding onto the broom. I could feel the blood rushing to my head.
"Lily, you ok?" Aphelia cried. I bent my head back and looked at her.
"Never been better, Lia. What do you think?" I yelled, my face turning purple. Aaron flew over to me, and helped turn me over.
"Lily, stop messing around," he instructed me. I scowled.
"I wasn't. It's just too bloody early to practise, I fell asleep," I said hotly. Aaron looked surprised at my tone, then flew away from me. I raised my eyebrows, then pulled my hair into a ponytail.
We stayed on the pitch until seven o'clock, going over and over tactics, before Aaron finally allowed us to leave and grab breakfast, with a reminder that we needed to be back by ten. Aphelia and I headed up to the castle together, too exhausted to talk. I slumped down into my seat at the Gryffindor table - Robert graciously abandoned his friends to sit with me, which was nice of him. I was cold, and his arm around my shoulders really helped me warm up. When the post came, I was surprised to see that not one, not two, but three owls landed in front of me. I recognised Sera, and the owl with its face in my still-full bowl of cereal - I'd been too nervous to eat - after it crash-landed could be none other but Errol. The other I didn't recognise. I opened the letter from Sera first.
Lily,
Scorp's tour went amazingly well! The audience loved him, and guess what? He's been properly signed to a record label! They want him to shoot a music video for his song Fire-Headed Girl! It's so exciting! I really want to stay out here with him a bit longer, so would you mind going along with the story that I've been offered a short internship at a hospital out here? There's no way a medical convention could go on this long. That's the story I've told my parents, remember - imagine if they knew I was out here with Scorp! Trés effrayant, as they would say over here! We found this amazing little restaurant out here the other night - very quiet and romantic. A very picturesque Parisian style little place, I'll show you if you ever come out here.
How are you, anyway? How's Hogwarts? And, Robert Edgecombe? The guy who always has tiny spots on his face that look like the word SNEAK? I asked my mum how that was possible, and she says she once hexed his mother, and she supposed it must have ended up being passed on to him. Medically, I've never heard of anything like it before. But you know my mum. Brilliant and all that.
Scorp says hi.
Say hi to the Scamanders.
Rose
I rolled my eyes. Rose seemed to have such a brilliant life. But what's that about Robert? Curious, I looked up at his face, and saw to my horror, that there were faint pimples on his face that looked like the word SNEAK. Noticing my expression, Robert frowned.
"What's wrong?" he asked, his pimpled face creasing. I shook my head.
"Nothing," I shrugged. I unfolded the letter from Errol.
Lily,
Congratulations on getting onto the Quidditch team, Hugo told us! We're so proud of you!Remember to focus on your NEWTs! School is for learning, not for messing around.
Mum and Dad x
I felt slightly annoyed at the briefness of the letter, but they both had very important lives, I could totally understand how they could barely find any time to write to their only daughter. Frowning, I opened the second letter. My mouth got wider and wider with every word.
Lily,
I made a mistake. I want you back. I am so sorry. I don't know what I was thinking, breaking up with you. You are amazing. There could never be anybody else. It's only you. To show you how sorry I am, I have sent you a promise ring. If you write back to me and tell me that you accept it it will make me so happy.
Take me back. I apologise.
Kej
I was suddenly extremely conscious that Robert's arm was around my shoulder. What if he read this? Not that it mattered, since I wasn't going to reply to Kej, but still...
This was uncharted water. I'd never been in this situation before.
Delving into the envelope, I found the ring Kej had mentioned. Merlin, it was beautiful. It was a thin gold band, with what looked like a genuine ruby set in the middle! While I admired his taste in jewelry, I knew I wouldn't write him back. I glanced over at the Slytherin table, to see if Sharon had received a letter from Kej. Judging by how she appeared to be bossing everybody around as per usual, I assumed not.
"Who's that one from, anyway?" I heard Robert ask. I turned my face into a mask of indifference, folding the letter.
"Nobody important."
"Who?" Robert pressed.
"Just my uncle," I shrugged, lifting Robert's arm off my shoulder.
He paused, then said, "Would you mind doing my Defense Against the Dark Arts homework with me?"
I looked at him, raising my eyebrows. "The essay on the Unforgivable Curses? But I only just finished my one! It took me all night!"
Robert looked down. "Please, just help me out - I don't really have a knack with words."
"You seemed pretty good the day you asked me out," I pointed out, shrugging and taking a minuscule bite of toast. Robert blushed slightly.
"What?" I asked. "It's true." The flush on Robert's face reached his ears. I realised that the new and improved Lily would probably have to help him out, rather than further his embarrassment. Shame, it's kind of fun watching him squirm. I sighed as if I were committing a great sacrifice. "Fine, I'll help with the essay. Tonight, after the game?"
Robert grinned. "Thanks. If you could have it done before tomorrow morning that'd be great. Bye," he said, before getting up, kissing me on the cheek and walking out of the hall. I stared after him, dumbstruck. Is he making me do his homework? Looking at my plate, I decided I was too anxious about the game to eat any more food. I tapped Lissy's shoulder.
"Let's get out of here," I said.
Lissy looked up, folding a letter she'd been reading into her pocket. "You left lots," she said, bemused, pointing to my plate that was still laden with food.
"Too nervous to eat. Let's go," I said. Lissy looked surprise, but said, "Ok," and followed me out of the hall. I saw Brooke, Agnes and Felicity standing amidst a group of boys. I took hold of Lissy's arm and directed her over to them. Agnes waved madly when she saw us.
"Hi! Lily, I'm sure you'll play much better today than you did in practise!" she squeaked. I rolled my eyes.
"Thanks, Agnes, I really appreciate that," I simpered, my eyes hard. Sometimes Agnes is so bloody annoying.
Felicity smiled at us. "Guys, I haven't seen you in, like, three weeks! You still with Robert, Lily? Or is he with Sharon now, like Kej?" she asked. I bit my tongue so hard at that remark that blood welled up in my mouth. I just managed to keep a straight face.
"No, we're still together. Why, jealous?" I asked. Felicity looked amused, and shook her chestnut hair over her shoulder.
"Seething with it," she replied, sarcastically. Then, for some reason, we both laughed. I wondered inwardly why I was friends with her. I felt Lissy tug at my sleeve.
"Come on, Lily," she said, nodding her head towards the door. I grinned at her, turned back to Felicity, who smiled and said, "Ta!"
"Ciao," I replied, mimicking her tone. If she noticed, she did a very good job of concealing it.
"Are you scared?" Lissy asked, as we walked down to the pitch. Yes.
"No," I shrugged. "Why should I be, it's not as if I have anything to worry about. I'm great at Quidditch. And the rest of the team is, too," I added on as an afterthought.
"You're confidant, then?"
"Please, I couldn't be more confidant if I tried," I lied. Fortunately I am an extremely accomplished liar. Lissy shrugged, seemingly unbothered to discuss it further.
When we got to the pitch, where we would have to go our separate ways, she tapped my shoulder lightly.
"Please thrash Sharon," was all she said, before slipping off to get a good place in the stands, her bubbly hair bouncing as she walked away.
I felt a tap on my shoulder. "Hey!" Aphelia said. "Nervous about the match?"
I raised my eyebrows. "Um, no. Should I be?"
Aphelia laughed. "Well, it's a pretty big deal. Quidditch is really important to the rest of us. I know you're only on the team to spite Sharon, but -"
"I am not just here to beat Sharon!" I interrupted Aphelia. "I like the game. It's kind of a family thing to be on the Quidditch team. I just don't get why it's so imperative that we win."
"Because last year we lost!" Aphelia said, lowering her voice. "Do you not get how embarrassing that was for everybody? To win the Championship one year, then not only get thrashed but beaten to a bloody pulp and whipped on the floor too the next? We need to win this year, Lily! If you're not fully committed to us, then maybe you should get out, and let Roxanne back on."
Aphelia's words hung in there air for a long, pregnant pause after she'd spoken. I felt as if she'd smacked me in the face. I felt my skin redden, not with embarrassment, but anger. Red, hot, boiling anger.
"How dare you!" I cried. "How dare you think I'm not committed to this! Do you think I don't want to win as much as the next person? More, in fact, since even though you think I'm unworthy or whatever, I am actually a part of this team! I don't get why it's so important that we win, but I do know that I'll do whatever it takes so that we do. I want to thrash Slytherin, slaughter Ravenclaw and beat Hufflepuff so badly they will crawl into the kitchens and never come out ever again! So don't dare tell me you think I shouldn't be here! I earned my place here just like you!"
When I stopped yelling, my throat felt hoarse and sore. I hated fighting with my friends, since I had so few real ones, but sometimes it couldn't be helped. Especially when they were so mean.
Aphelia looked apologetic."Lily, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that," she said, trying to grab my arm, but I jerked it away. I glared at her for a second.
"I'll see you on the pitch," I said, before turning on my heels - making sure that my hair swished her in the face as I turned - then walked into the changing rooms.
Aaron was already in there, giving a pep talk. I pulled on my robes quietly, trying to push all thoughts of Aphelia out of my head, doing an unsuccessful job of it. I couldn't really hear what Aaron was saying. I sank down on a bench, closing my eyes, trying to block everything out of my mind apart form tactics. I must have been sitting there awhile. When I came out of my trance, I realised that Aaron had stopped talking a long time ago, and now everyone was talking quietly among themselves. I wiped my face clear of emotion, determined not to show any sign of weakness.
"Lily, do you need some water?" I heard somebody ask. I looked up to see Aaron holding out a bottle of water towards me. I smiled at him, and began to raise my hand to take the bottle he as offering, when something rung a bell. Two boys had offered me water before. Water spiked with Amortentia. It hadn't exactly ended well. But Aaron wouldn't do that, would he? No...oh holy Merlin...
"Not-you-too!" I cried, leaping to my feet, whacking the water out of his hand, letting it spill on the floor. I felt my temper flare to match my hair. It was strangely exhilarating, to finally let all the emotions that I'd been controlling so rigidly over the last few weeks run wild. I hadn't thought Aaron would sink to this level. "You know, I always thought you were different! I never thought you'd ever try to do this! I mean, practically every guy in this school has tried to get with me at some point! But I never thought you would! You're supposed to be my friend, not just another sleaze! Just -" here I used a few more explicit words, with the general meaning that he go away in a rude way and do something rude to himself like the rude person he is. I imagined that by this point my eyes had taken on a red tinge. I jabbed a finger in his face, my blood hot. "Leave me alone. Stay the hell away from me. I don't need another tosser! I needed my friend, but if you can't be him, I don't want you around anymore."
Only then did I realise that the whole team had been watching me, mainly with open-mouths. I saw Hepiliya and Lucy looking, as Lissy would say, flabbergasted. There was a moments silence, and then Aaron turned away from me, and instructed the team to go to the pitch now, and to 'kick Slytherin where it hurts.' So in their pride, then. I walked stony faced onto the pitch, my lips pressed into a thin line. I had fought with two of my friends today - which, with the limited number I had of them, meant it was one of my least favourite thing to do. And right before a Quidditch match. Why are they all ganging up on me? I thought as I mounted my broom. First Lia, saying I'm not committed to Gryffindor, but now Aaron...Merlin, I was so hoping we could just stay friends! But he tried to give me Amortentia - no friend would do that. If he wanted me to like him in that way, wouldn't it be much better to make it real for me? By being nice to me, rather than poisoning me - in a way?
I saw the Quaffle flying towards me, suddenly. Damn, I didn't realise we'd started playing. Instinct overpowering tactics, I ducked, letting the Quaffle fly over my head and into the waiting arms of Caroline Zabini. She scored barely five seconds later. I heard the groans of the Gryffindors. Lucy flew over to me.
"Why did you duck?" she asked, not sounding angry at all, to my surprise. I shrugged.
"Panicked."
She smiled sweetly. "You play really well, you know. You don't need to panic."
She then tucked a strand of soft strawberry blonde hair over her ear and flew off again. Lucy seemed like a quiet girl. Kind of like Lissy. Then anger seared in the pit of my stomach as I realised the underlying message of Lucy's words. She pitied me. I hated pity. It made me feel weak, insignificant. I didn't need little Lucy's pity. I didn't need her. Or any of my so-called friends. I couldn't trust any of them anymore!
As the game progressed, I retreated further and further into my thoughts. I never thought Aaron would try to do that to me. He's betrayed my trust. He was supposed to be my friend -
A sharp whack brought me to my senses. I realised the Quaffle had smacked me in the face, when someone had thrown it to me and I hadn't realised. I lunged forwards and grabbed the Quaffle, and for a moment it was between my hands. Then Aphelia and our fight popped into my head, and the red ball fell through my fingers. Luckily, Scarlett caught it - not without shooting me a dirty look - and flew off. I was barely conscious of the pitch for two seconds before I went back into my own head.
I seriously cannot believe that Aphelia would say that to me. She said that Roxanne should be on the team instead of me! How mean is that? She knows how Roxanne treated me like crap! I mean, I know she's good at Quidditch, but I am too! I beat her onto this team, completely fair...
"Miss Potter!" someone cried. I blinked, and saw Sharon was hovering in front of me. She was smiling the smile that meant she was about to insult me.
"Brilliant Seeker," she said, pointing to herself. Then she smirked. "Dead weight," she said, pointing to me. I cursed her - not magically - and then pretended to look surprised, and said, "Oh, Parkinson, is that the Snitch?"
She turned manically, scanning the sky for a sign of the Snitch. I made a sound like a was realising something. "Oh, actually, don't worry, it's just your tiny brain."
Sharon let out a high-pitched shriek of exasperation mingled with hatred that rang around the whole stadium, then without warning shot forwards and grabbed my broom handle and pulled it sharply downwards. The broom swung downwards and I shot off. For a moment I was flying, flying without a broom, wing, winged creature or magically enchanted motorbike - then I was falling. Luckily, I had sense.
"Accio broom!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, swiping my wand out of the front pocket of my robes. I knew I was going to hit the ground soon, it was getting closer, and closer, and closer...
The flash of wood hit me before the grass ground did. Thanking Merlin, I swung a leg over it - my foot brushing the soft green blades of grass that sprung from the ground - and shot back upwards, just as Madame Lawson blew her whistle loudly. The adrenaline was coursing through my veins at having narrowly avoided a most likely near-fatal injury. I looked over my shoulder; Sharon was called down to the ground, but surprisingly let back up in under a minute. I swore loudly.
"Lily, are you all right?" said a familiar voice. I scowled and turned to look Aaron in the face. I told him where he could stick that question. Aaron coughed, then said, "Yeah, completely fine," to himself, then flew off again. What a jerk.
I that moment I knew I could never forgive Aaron. I couldn't forgive him for being my friend, one of my only real friends - I had a strong sense that Agnes, Brooke and Felicity didn't count somehow - and then taking that away from me, becoming yet another guy who would do anything to get with me. It was like he'd betrayed me. He had betrayed me. We couldn't be friends anymore. Couldn't ever be friends. Besides, I'm totally in a relationship with Robert. Even if he does have strange pimples on his face.
I tried to concentrate on the game, I really did, but every time somebody passed me the Quaffle I caught a glimpse of Aaron or Aphelia, and my confidence was shot by some unknown force. I didn't always drop the Quaffle now - although it wasn't a rare occurrence - but I still couldn't bring myself to play well. At all well. I think that a boy as tiny as Charlie Duntrot could have taken me on and won with ease. Although come to think of it, I've never seen him play.
It was a crucial point in the game. I could sense that Lucy Tomlinson was trying to postpone catching the Snitch for as long as possible so that we could score the twenty points necessary to win the match. I knew I could help the team towards a win if I really committed. Unfortunately, my concentration was divided. Mainly on Aaron, then Aphelia, and then the Quidditch match. Every time I caught sight of either one of them, my mind spun off into cutting remarks I should have said, harsh words I will say to them as soon as we are off the pitch. Unfortunately, during this planning, I usually got passed the Quaffle. And dropped it. Instead of Gryffindor's points increasing, we stayed stationery at seventy points, which Slytherin soared up to one hundred and forty. By this time my team was getting impatient with me. I was fighting tears. Maybe they're all right. Maybe I am crap at Quidditch and being in Gryffindor. I totally deserve Hufflepuff. I shouldn't be here. I bet the only reason Aaron let me on was so that he'd have the opportunity to try and give me Amortentia.
I heard a roar from the crowd. I looked up, desperately hoping that we'd scored. Instead, to my horror, I saw Sharon flying around the pitch triumphantly, doing a victory lap, the Snitch fluttering slightly in her tight grip. My body suddenly felt as heavy as lead, and I was surprised that my broom didn't sink. We'd had lost. Scratch that, I'd lost. I'd made the team lose, and we all knew it. Because of my rubbish playing, we had lost to Slytherin. And I had lost to Parkinson. Dear Merlin, will I ever be able to live this down? I saw my teammates were all glowering at me. No, not all of them. Aaron just looked crushed, Lucy looked 'very melancholy' as Lissy would say, but Aphelia looked...sorry. Pitying. She was pitying me. That's it. I can't take their pity. Without an explanation, I dived downwards and hurried out of the pitch, my face chalky white. At least I didn't blush or start bawling like a baby. I was completely in control of those two things. But right now I didn't appear to be in control of me feet. Because I had no idea where I was running to. I ran through the changing rooms, threw James' old broomstick down and dashed out of there, my blood icy cold. I had to get away from there, that was all I knew. I couldn't face them. I needed to be far away from them, even for a little bit. Not just my team. The whole of Gryffindor. I had let my whole house down today. Proving, once and for all, I didn't deserve to be in Gryffindor.
I finally stopped running, only partially aware of my surroundings. I knew I was near something large and wooden. I sank down on the grass, leant against the thing behind me and closed my eyes, shutting out the horror of what had just happened. I remained there for a while, occasionally stuffing a fist into my mouth to stop myself from screaming with frustration at myself. Only hours ago I had been saying to Aphelia how I didn't get why it was so important that we won. Now I knew - because it was completely, utterly humiliating if we didn't. That's how I felt right then. Humiliated.
A few minutes later, it dawned on me where I was sitting. I had run to Hagrid's hut. His old hut. It hadn't been torn down - my dad had pleaded with the school about that, and how can they disagree with him? I mean, he's Harry Potter. I could rarely bare coming here. Too many memories. Treasured though they were, they were sometimes unbearable. I remembered all the times I had spent here with Hagrid - my godfather - pretending to eat his rock cakes and chatting about his latest dangerous pet. I had been the only one able to stop him drinking at times after Olympe left him. She'd sent me a photograph of the baby she'd had. Hagrid's baby. It was a girl, waving chubby hands at me from the picture, a tuft of wild, dark hair that was the exact same colour and texture as Hagrid's had been. Olympe had included a letter, saying that Hagrid spoke of 'his goddaughter' often, and that she would like me to meet their daughter someday. Apparently her name was Ruby. Her young face was so much like Hagrid's had been. The same set of the mouth, same chin, same determined spark in her eyes. I hadn't been able to write back to Olympe yet. She'd sent me the picture over the holidays, but upon seeing it I'd run up to my room, slammed the door shut and just lied on my bed staring up at the ceiling for the rest of the day. I missed Hagrid too much already. Too much to bear. I couldn't cope with seeing so much of him in this little girl. My dad's godfather had died, too. But it was different for him. Dad's godfather had been the only family he had, but they'd only known each other about two years. I'd known Hagrid all my life. I'd had a lifetime to memorise the way he laughed at Uncle Ron's jokes, ruffle my hair, stroke a creature. Sometimes I hated Rose for singing that song at his funeral. It should have been me up there. I never had the chance to say goodbye to him. I couldn't do that here, now. His hut had been emptied, apart from a collection of his enormous mugs, that I could still see through the window, lined up on a dust-coated shelf. I remembered sipping various strange concoctions out of those mugs, some that I couldn't even name - those were usually the more disgusting ones. I missed Hagrid so much. Most days I was able to go through without dwelling, or even thinking too much about him. But some days, like today, he was unescapable. Some memories were just too strong.
"Lily."
I leapt up at the sudden noise, brandishing my wand. I saw Robert standing there. I breathed a sigh of relief and returned my wand to my pocket. Robert's pimpled face was creased with worry. "Are you all right?"
I didn't hesitate. "Yeah. Course I am," I said, rolling my eyes.
Robert put his arms around me. "Don't lie," he murmured into my hair. I felt the sudden urge to kiss him. I leant my head into his, and pressed my lips against his. Robert's arms were suddenly at my back, enthusiastically pressing me into him. I moved my hands up to the nape of his neck, holding him down to me. His lips were firm against mine. It was comforting to have him so close when I needed someone. And he wasn't in Gryffindor, so I didn't disappoint him.
I could tell that Robert was getting pretty into it. Part of me was thinking, well,why wouldn't he? But the other part, the more dominant part was...ew. I'm standing behind Hagrid's hut snogging my boyfriend? That doesn't feel right. I need to stop this.
I pulled way sharply. Robert grinned at me. "How about we take this somewhere more private?" he said. I pursed my lips and tilted my head to the side.
"No thanks. I'd rather go to my dorm now if that's good," I told him. Robert shrugged.
"Sure, as long as you remember my essay," he said, kissing me briefly on the cheek. I raised my eyebrows.
"You going to walk me to my common room, or not?" I said, pouting slightly. Robert grinned.
"Will you dump me if I don't?" he teased. I leant my face very close into his, and whispered,
"Mmm, most definitely," my breath making a few strands of hair around his face shift a shade.
Robert grinned back at me, pecked me on the mouth briefly, then took my hand. We walked in silence for a minute or so, Robert being tactful enough not to bring up the appalling Quidditch I had just played. He eventually broke the easy silence.
"So why d'you go there?" he asked.
I frowned. "Go where?"
"The old Gameskeeper hut."
I felt my blood cool somewhat. For some reason, I didn't feel as if I could tell Robert about why I'd had to go there. It made me feel closer to Hagrid. He was the only person who had always, no matter what, seen the best in me. He had always ignored my mad qualities, and I truly believed he had cared a lot about me. My parents, though they loved me, knew about my reputation, and tried to change me, even if they were unaware of this. Even my dad's remark at the station - stay focused on your N.E.W.T.s - had been a warning not to get mixed up with boy drama. They both cared about me, but they had that parent worry. The worry Hagrid had been free of. No, I couldn't tell Robert about why Hagrid had been so special to me.
"It was private," I lied. "I couldn't look at everyone's faces."
"I understand why you had to get away from them. It was really bad out there. Even worse for you. I mean, I play better than that, and I'm not on the team!" Robert laughed.
"Gee, way to comfort me, Robby," I scowled.
"Just being honest. You didn't play so great today," Robert said, unconcerned.
I let out a huff. "You know what? Honesty hurts sometimes," I said, withdrawing my hand from his. Robert suddenly looked scared.
"Lily, I didn't mean it like that! I just meant that you play loads better than that usually! You're really good!" he stammered, his words landing on top of each other as they tried to form a coherent sentence.
I sighed. "Whatever," I muttered, letting him put an arm around my shoulder. Robert seemed to think we were all good now. Ignorant guy.
He walked me up the common room - me giving him the silent treatment - then tried to kiss me. I turned my head away at the last second so he only kissed my cheek. He seemed to notice this, but made no comment on it. He left me standing outside the Fat Lady portrait. I looked at her, shrouded by her voluminous pink dress.
"How is it in there?" I asked her. She looked over her shoulder at the painted canvas.
"Not brilliant, dear. Still, you'll have to face them sooner or later," she said, smiling sympathetically at me. I grimaced at her.
"Hungry Hippogriff," I said.
"Correct password, and what a fun game it is too!" she smiled, before swinging open to let me inside.
From the moment I walked in there everybody was silent. The atmosphere, from what I could tell, had been somewhat subdued already, but my presence had brought conversation down to nothing. Everybody knew it had been my fault we'd lost, because of my bad playing. Some faces were accusing, some furious, some simply upset. The next thing I was aware of was a goblet of clear liquid being given to me. I looked up to see Jack Kipplet looking down at me with his annoyingly blue eyes.
"Vodka, if you like," he muttered, so low that nobody else would hear what he was offering me. Tempting. Very tempting. I lifted the goblet to my nose, and sniffed it once. That's strange. It didn't smell like vodka. Sure, it had an underlying vodka-y scent, but it smelt more strongly of peppermint, rain and something that smelt like men's cologne. I knew those smells all too well. Amortentia. Again. I considered my options for about a millisecond. Sure, I could yell at him like I had with the others. But I had a better idea.
I smirked at him in a sexy way, lifted it to my mouth and pretended to drink it. I made sure that not a drop passed through my tightly pressed together lips. I then wiped my mouth, pouted sexily up at him, and murmured, "Delicious. Why don't you take a sip?"
Jack seemed pleased that - or so he thought - his plan had worked so well. He smirked at me, then lifted the goblet to his lips to sip at it.
Then I hit it into his face.
The spiked liquid splashed all over his face, and dripped down his cheeks in such a way it looked as if he were crying. I knew better. His face was red from anger, not humiliation or sadness. I glared at him.
"Arrogant boy. You think I don't know what Amortentia smells like to me? I thought you'd have known better!" I cried, slapping him on the face for good measure. Then I stalked off, ignoring the shocked looks from my classmates, to my dormitory. That. Felt. Awesome.
The moment I opened my door I got a face full of curly hair.
"Are you ok?" Lissy breathed, hugging me.
"Please, I'm fine. Just threw Vodka-spiked-with-Amortentia back in Jack Kipplet's face, so never been better," I said, looking at Lissy. Thankfully, she didn't appear to be angry with me.
"Vodka-spiked Amortentia?" she said, moving back to sit on her bed.
"I know! Second time today, as well! Because Merlin knows I'm such a catch," I laughed.
"Second time?" another voice asked. I froze. Aphelia's voice.
I looked at my friend. She looked sorry enough, I decided. I wouldn't be mean.
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, the first was A..." I trailed off, because that was when I realised. Of course Aaron hadn't been offering me a love potion. Comparing him to Jack, Dave or Kurt, I suddenly knew that he would never do that to me. I had totally overreacted. He literally had just been offering me a drink. Merlin, could I have been more of an idiot? I was just so paranoid lately I had stooped to accusing my mates of trying to do that to me!
"A...?" Aphelia prompted, questioningly.
I shrugged. "Know what? Doesn't matter. What does matter is that I suck at Quidditch."
Aphelia laughed. "Suck? You don't suck." I looked at her, shocked. "You stink," she corrected me.
I raised my eyebrows. "Only stink? Surely I qualified for super-suckiness-stinkiness today!"
Aphelia grinned. "Everyone had bad days. And I didn't exactly help with it, did I?"
I looked at her. "No, you didn't," I agreed. "How did everyone take it?"
Aphelia knew what I meant. She related to me the stories of what my teammates had said while Lissy looked under her bed for a quill so that she could write a letter.
"Well, Aaron was fine, and Lucy. Neither of them said anything about it. Scarlett kind of trashed you, suggesting you go -" Lissy coughed loudly at this point so I couldn't hear what Aphelia said, but I knew what it was anyway, "- yourself. Hepiliya told her to sod off, but Thomas seemed to agree with her, and suggested to Aaron that Roxanne should come back." I had barely had time to open my mouth in fury before Lissy said, "So what next?", demonstrating once again her aptitude for defusing anger and changing a topic.
"What d'you mean, what next?" Aphelia asked, confused.
"What's the comeback?" Lissy asked. I frowned, still confused. Lissy sighed, and looked up from her parchment - which I noticed was already over a foot long with her letter.
"Beating Sharon again. You proving yourself. Making a comeback," Lissy said, before turning back to her parchment.
I thought for a moment. "The answer comes in one boy named Kej," I said, smirking. Aphelia grinned, knowing that she was forgiven. Lissy glanced up at us, grinning too.
"Revenge on Sharon? More like reKejne," she giggled. I laughed at that, as did Aphelia.
"Yeah, Project ReKejne is so underway," I said, grinning, a plan already formulating in my mind.