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Cassius quickly examined the walls in the stairwell as Alicia ushered him up out of the bar by her hurried pace. Photographs lined the both sides of the narrow stairwell, asymmetrically hung up in a sporadic manner as though each one had been added over the course of time with no particular design plan in mind. It was quite the opposite of the Warrington and Rosier properties, which were periodically redesigned by his mother with purpose and intent over the years as she did her estate circuit, following the sun.
The photographs were an interesting mixture of both moving and unmoving, and the further up the stairs they went, it was as though they were travelling back through time. Cassius watched in astonishment as Alicia and the other photograph occupants grew younger and younger as he passed frame after frame, and it gnawed at his heart to see how happy a person she seemed. She was never that happy around him.
He paused at the top of the stairs and stared at a picture of when she had to have been just born, for in the picture after that, a smiling couple waved back at him and the woman, who resembled Alicia had she been blonde and fair, was heavily pregnant. Even as a baby, she'd been happy.
"Keep moving," she grunted, breaking the silence for the first time since she'd growled I hate you at him earlier in the pub.
He stepped onto the landing and she shoved past him without a word.
He took a quick look around. It was an open-concept corridor that looked onto the kitchen and a little sitting room. Around the corner was another flight of stairs. The walls were decorated much like in the pub, with framed vinyls and vintage looking muggle advertisements, though there were a few vintage wizarding ads as well, like an old moving ad for the original Shooting Star featuring the now-famous chaser Gladius Royce who'd actually only recently passed away.
"Take off your boots," Alicia muttered as she stormed past him into the kitchen, refusing to look at his face. "You can hang your coat up on the wall."
"Er, thanks."
She didn't respond, and instead busied herself by throwing open the door to what looked like a gigantic wardrobe that emitted a light from the inside. Cassius stared in astonishment as she pulled out an assortment of food and drinks. Alicia glanced up to see why he was still standing by the entrance, and smirked at the look of curiosity on his face. She shut the door to the fridge with force, and the bottles on the inside of the door clinked loudly against each other.
She sat down at the breakfast bar on one of the stools and popped open the top of a contained which contained her father's famous Bailey's cheesecake. She immediately attacked it with her fork, despite the fact that her mother would have her head for it later, avoiding Cassius' burning gaze as she inhaled the creamy sweet goodness that missed her so while she was at school.
God, why on earth was he here? When she and Skylar had set out to find her cousins shortly after her parents had left for the cinema, the only thing she'd been expecting of her night was wandering about the streets, forgetting her shitty day with a pilfered bottle of rum and spliffs while keeping lookout for Angel and Michael if they decided to bomb a wall somewhere with their eloquent graffiti. Instead, the boys had ran into them at the local grammar school playground where she and the girls had been gossiping over drinks and weed, only to spoil her night by half-screaming, half-singing "Alicia has a boyfriend!" They hadn't even mentioned a name until her cousin Stella asked for it, and when the words Cassius Warrington instead of Carson Bishop had tumbled out of Carlos' mouth just as they were about to burst into the bar, she'd nearly had a heart attack on the spot.
And here they were now.
In her home.
In her parents' home.
He was still standing by the stairs, looking half dumbfounded himself, as though he wasn't the one who'd popped up out of nowhere to pay her a little visit without warning. And here she was, sitting in the same spot she'd claimed as her own since her high-chair days, stoned, hungry and in disbelief. A heavy silence hung in the air, except for the sound of Alicia's fork scraping across the bottom of the plastic container every few seconds.
Rendered uncomfortable by his staring, she quickly slammed down the lid over the container and threw the fork into the sink along with her empty glass of milk before returning the cake to the fridge. She turned on her heel and walked into the living room, pretending that Cassius wasn't there. He could stand by the stairs all night for all she cared. Then when her parents came back, her father could happily throw him down to the bottom landing and that would be the end of that.
The nerve, she thought to herself angrily as she flopped down on the old leather couch and flicked on the telly. After a moment of silence, she heard Cassius' footsteps approach, and she tensed as she felt his presence off to the side.
"Can I sit?" he finally ventured, and Alicia almost laughed at the insecurity in his voice. It was outstanding - Cassius, insecure? Timid, even? Afraid of her?
"Why are you asking me?" she retorted without looking up at him, keeping her eyes glued onto the screen, "You invited yourself over. Don't see why you need my permission to sit."
He remained standing.
"Alicia -
"Don't Alicia me," she said shortly, repeating one of her mother's preferred line whenever she got into a tiff with her father. "Lord, just think what your friends would say if they knew you were here. I bet Montague -
"Don't say his name," Cassius snapped suddenly.
Alicia jumped onto her feet and glared at him with the most violent expression of hatred she could manage.
"Fuck you, Warrington," she said in her calmest voice possible. "Just... fuck you. You don't get to come into my house - my father's house - and tell me what to do, do you understand?"
"Fuck, Alicia, you know I'm not trying to -
"Shut up, Cassius, just shut the fuck up. You had nothing to say to me for two fucking weeks and all of a sudden you want to be Mr. Goddamn Mouthy?"
"Alicia -
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY MY NAME, blood-traitor!" she snarled, stomping forward until she was close enough to strangle him, close enough to smell him.
"Alicia!" he shouted back, suddenly losing control, his eyes wild unlike she'd ever seen them before. "That's your goddamn name, isn't it? Alicia, Alicia, Alicia - Alicia Jade Spinnet - don't tell me They call you Spinnet while you fuck them -
She lunged at him before he could finish the sentence, her fist just barely clipping his chin as he dodged her. She whirled around and jumped at him again, half blind with tears and rage, shouting obscenities at him as he clasped his arms around her like Montague had earlier that day. She screamed at him, half out of fear, half out of anger, as she tried to pummel her fists against his chest, but his arms held her in a vice grip. Eventually she gave up and cried long and loud, hate mounting in her as disappointment set in. I hate you, I hate you, I hate you -
He stroked her hair as she quieted down until all that pierced the air were her whimpers and his apologies, his own voice choked with something she didn't dare label as remorse. She wanted to throw up because it shouldn't have felt so good to be back in his arms. Never had there been anybody so pathetic, so shameless...
She shoved him off of her and they stood there, breathing heavily, staring wordlessly at each other.
"Why are you here?" she finally demanded, looking at him straight in the eye. "And don't you dare bullshit me or so help me god, I'll curse you right where you stand."
He stared back at her unhappily, this small, sad little girl who brandished her wand at him with cold weariness and hurt in her eyes.
"I had to know," he replied after a moment of silence, feeling stupid even before he said it, and she let out a hollow, barking laugh as she pocketed her wand.
"You're just sad, Cassius," she said suddenly, sliding down against the wall in front of the next flight of stairs so that her chin was pressed against her knees. And even as she looked away from him, staring up the stairs from the floor like some sorry child, he could hear the truth in her words and it made him sick. "You're just sad and I feel bad for you. You have no friends. You think friends do things like that? Fuck around with girls you like -
"I -
"What? Don't like me? I got it. I'm just some half-blood piece of shit. It's cool. I'll get over it." She paused and looked at him straight in the eye. "I'll get over you. And one day you'll think back and say to yourself, I fucked up. And it'll be too late. Maybe I'll be dead - who knows, war's coming, right? Or maybe I won't. Maybe I'll live through all the bollocks. And maybe I'l be somebody else's - maybe I'll be Carson's. Maybe I'll be Graham's -
Her eyes pierced his own with a mocking expression, and it took him all his effort not to hurl the glass vase on the little stand next to him against the floor. She spoke again before he could open his mouth, her face twisted cruelly, humourlessly as she looked away from him once again. "And you... you'll just be your sad little self, wishing to the gods you'd had some dignity, fuck it - wishing you had some balls when it still mattered the most. Because you couldn't trust yourself enough to believe that we had something going, and because you couldn't trust me. So it's over. It's really over now. I should have put an end to this as soon as Carson asked me out. Carson's a good guy. He isn't like you. His friends aren't out to hurt the girl he likes because his friends aren't cowards. He's not a coward -
"And he doesn't have the label Death Eater practically stamped to his forehead!" Cassius interrupted furiously. "You think this is easy for me? To watch you walk around with that twat, laughing with him while he slobbers all over you? To have to admit - god, to have to admit that I actually like you? Fuck, that I actually love you? Knowing that if I ever acknowledge you in public that you'll have a bullseye attached to your name?
Screw you, Alicia - you think you know who my friends are? You don't know shit, so don't you ever preach to me about how fucking sad my life is. They might be fucked up, they might play some twisted fucking games, but at least I know who they are, at least I know the rules. You think Johnson could ever find out about us and kept her goddamn mouth shut? You think Bell would have risked being expelled to fish a fucking stopper out of Pomfrey's cabinet if she knew I'd fucked you three ways to Sunday?
You want to call me a coward? Fine, I'm a fucking coward because I want to live - because I want you to live. I'm a fucking coward because I'd rather die than see you dragged down with me. I'm a fucking coward because it'd be better for me to stand by and watch you get married to some fucking arselicking imbecile like Carson goddamn Bishop and watch you have half a dozen shitty little Bishop brats because it would mean you'd get to have some semblance of normalcy and safety and fucking happiness in your goddamn life.
I'll take that any day over having to hide you away for the rest of our lives, forcing you to watch while I send our kids off to some fucking orphanage in Russia or in Brazil - because that's what my people do, do you understand? And I can't fucking just let go of everything and everybody that I know, just like I would never ask that of you. So don't fucking judge me. I made a mistake and I'm sorry, and goddammit, I'm never sorry but I am, I really fucking am. I'm sorry I called Bishop a blood-traitor and I'm sorry I thought you'd fucked around with Graham. I'm sorry you have to sneak around your - your boyfriend, and if this is the end, then fine. This is the end. It had to come sometime. I really hope you'll be happy. So have a nice life, Alicia. You deserve it."
He looked at her once last time, pretending that she didn't have her face buried in her hands as she quietly sobbed. He stormed back towards the front stairs and grabbed his shoes. He'd spied the fireplace in the living room and quickly decided that it would be best if he Flooed home - having a run-in with Florrie or the rest of the Spinnets was the last thing he wanted right now. He would leave some money on the table as payment so that they couldn't quite accuse him of theft, on top of making their daughter cry, when Aurora and Alan Spinnet came back home.
Cassius walked past Alicia once again, his heart clenching painfully, gut churning horridly with every step. He felt like scum. He was scum. She didn't even look up as his pant leg literally brushed against her side.
It had been a mistake coming here. But... but it was for the best. It was over now and things would soon settle back into place. They had to. This could not go on.
And...
Oh god.
Merlin's fucking balls.
Had he actually said that he'd loved her?
He glanced back at her one last time, but her face was still buried in her palms, as her shoulders shook from the force of her quiet sobs. She was pathetic and he loved her.
He was pathetic.
The End.
He scooped a handful Floo powder out of the jar and lit a fire with the flick of his wand before tossing the powder in and shouting his new address for the second time that day: "Berkley House, 47 Bramwood Lane, London."
It was time to get wasted.
"Alicia, open the door, it's Sky."
Though her mother had pulled an alohomora, Alicia had shoved her desk behind the door so that nothing short of a blast could gain anybody access into her room unless she desired it. But hearing Skylar's voice made her feel guilty that she'd locked the poor girl out with Florrie and her harried, enraged parents. She'd heard her mother yelling at Florrie through the floorboards, and though she wanted to explain that it wasn't Florrie's fault, she hadn't dared venture out of her room just yet. But as Skylar continued to hammer on the door, Alicia opened it a crack out of her growing guilt. Skylar looked back at her with a strange expression on her face.
"You have to let me in. Your mum wants us out -
"What?"
She sent the desk back to its place with the flick of her wand and she opened the door so that Skylar could step in.
"What do you mean she wants you out?" Alicia exclaimed as Skylar hurriedly set about packing her things, which were jumbled on the floor amongst Alicia's belongings.
"She wants us out. As in back to France," said Skylar tonelessly without looking up.
"But why -
"Why do you think why?" Skylar snapped, standing up to stare expressionlessly at Alicia. "Obviously they're pissed my mum let you two up here unsupervised -
"But that wasn't her fault, she was trying to help -
"Well your mum thinks my mum is an idiot for letting a Warrington into your house, and you know, as much as I think it's rude of her to kick us out in the middle of the night, I actually kind of agree. What the fuck were you thinking?"
Alicia slammed the door to her room and locked it, before staring helplessly back at her friend.
"You don't understand -
"Oh, I understand perfectly," said Skylar coldly, cutting her off. "You're shagging him. That much is obvious. I just never thought - well, a Slytherin. That's just low, even for me, and we all know I'm the slag around here -
"You're not a slag -
"Cut the crap, Alicia. Everybody thinks I'm a slag. My own mum thinks I'll turn into a proper whore for a career. But for chrissake... and you know how many people in this neighbourhood are witches and wizards! God, all it takes is one of your cousins to say one thing to the wrong person - oh, Alicia's dating this wanker named Cassius Warrington, yeah, real posh type - and then what? And for fuck's sake... a Warrington! A goddamn Warrington! Don't you know who his uncles were? Merlin, I don't even know the bloke but I can tell you he comes from one line of fucked up people, sickos, all of them - and for all you know he's just playing you so that when war breaks out he can kidnap you and sacrifice you to you-know-who or something equally disgusting and messed up -
"He wouldn't do that," said Alicia quietly.
"He wouldn't do that?" Skylar repeated indignantly. "Are you mad? Did you smoke a little too much back there? Have you even heard of the Rosiers? I just spent an entire fucking semester learning about these people in History because that's how fucked up they were. And do you know who they're related to on this side of the Channel? The Blacks, the Malfoys, the Lestranges, and oh, that's right, the Warringtons through your little fuck-buddy's mum, and that's not even including all the other crazies they're related to in - in - in Albania or whatever -
"Look, Sky," said Alicia warily, "I know all this shit, alright? So if all you're going to do is yell at me about the obvious, then if you don't mind, do it in your head while you pack. Otherwise, you can come down with me and help me convince my parents that you ought to stay because it isn't fair and I haven't seen your or your mum in like two years, and my business with C - Warrington is my business so my parents can just fuck off."
Skylar scoffed scornfully.
"I'd like to hear you say fuck off to your parents," she said sarcastically.
Alicia rolled her eyes.
"You know what I mean."
"Yeah, well... well you look like shit."
"Good one, Sky."
"No, I want them out and that's final."
Alicia glared at her mum, who crossed her arms and returned the stare.
"Well that's just being stupid," Alicia replied. "Florrie's like your best friend and you're going to kick her out because she -
"Let a Warrington into our house? Yes, yes I will. Not only did she allow your safety to be compromised -
"What?" Alicia shrieked. "My safety? Are you insane? What is this, the fifteenth century -
"That's enough, Alicia," said her father sharply.
"No, you two are mad -
"Alicia," said Florrie suddenly, "Don't talk like that to your parents -
"You don't talk to her," said Aurora hotly, glaring at her former friend.
"No, you don't talk to her like that," Alicia exclaimed. "How could you even be so rude? She watched the bar for you while you dragged dad out to see some stupid Jane Austen -
"That's enough young lady, I've just about had it with your tone," said her mother thunderously.
"Well - just listen to yourselves! God, you make me sick. What do you think he was going to do? Tell me! Rob the house? Yeah, right. We could probably fit this place into his bathroom or something ridiculous. So what? You think he was going to rape me? Kill me -
"Alicia!" said Florrie sharply.
"No, it's okay - that's what you're all thinking, isn't it? That he's some sort of deranged psychopath, that I'm just some stupid bint who prances around oblivious to the world - well it's not like that, okay? God, he's not even my goddamn boyfriend. We worked on a project together, okay? We're just friends. FRIENDS. I get that's hard to believe, but I've got an actual boyfriend, people, and you can ask gran all about it after the Debbie if you want proof because you all obviously think I'm a liar. And as strange as it may seem, not every Slytherin is a fucked up murderer waiting to happen. So don't punish Florrie just because she treated him like a normal person. And you people wonder why I never bring friends around?"
"If he's just a friend than why did he disappear like that? Why are your cousins going on about -
"Oh my god, you're not seriously going to listen to a word Angel says, are you?"
"Angel wouldn't lie to me -
"And I'm sure that's what Cassius told him so that he wouldn't get the shit beaten out of him. And he didn't just disappear like that - I told him to leave because I just knew this was the kind of crap you two would pull."
"Listen, Alicia - just stop, it's alright. Your parents are right, I should have kept you two downstairs if anything. It was my mistake and -
"And anything could have happened!" her father jumped in.
"No! That's just the point! That's what you keep saying but what? What could have happened? You don't trust him or you don't trust me? You haven't even met him. And for chrissake, take one look at Angel and Michael. Even Carlos - you think any of them are up to any good? I was probably more in danger hanging out with them in the street than I was for the whole twenty minutes I was up here with Cassius. You know what we did? We - I ate some cheesecake and we talked, watched some telly and yeah, alright I'll admit it, we smoked a couple of fags. But that was it. He went home. The End. Then you people came home and started shouting the roof down and insulting Florrie who hasn't done anything, and in front of Skylar too. If that isn't low, I don't know what is."
Alicia stopped and took a deep breath before crossing her arms and glaring at her parents.
"Is that it?"
"I've said my bit," Alicia retorted. "If you aren't going to apologize to Florrie and Skylar, then too bad for you. You're losing some of the coolest people in the world who love you even though you're acting like they're utter trash."
Her parents actually had the decency to look ashamed, and Alicia looked away to hide her smugness, though it was a failed attempt.
"Not so fast, young lady," said her mother sharply. "I'm sorry Florrie. Skylar. We treated you wrongly and Alicia's right, none of this is your fault. You were just trying to be helpful. If you don't ever want to talk to us again, I understand. I only hope we can get past this one day and continue being friends. But you - you knew your father and I would not approve of your - your friend paying you a little private visit and you should have explained that to Florrie. In fact, you should have just known that we wouldn't have approved of your friend at all -
"Which is just stupid because you don't even know him -
"Then invite him over," said her father suddenly.
All heads turned to stare at him.
"What?" said Alicia and Aurora simultaneously.
"Invite him over. If he's just a friend, then tell him to come over, since you're so adamant about pointing out that we've never met the bleeding fellow -
"You - you think I'd invite him over to meet you people after all of this?"
"Enough with the you people, Alicia, we're your parents. And if he's such a damned good friend of yours, that he's the first one to visit since you started school, then I think we ought to meet him, don't you? Honour the occasion with dinner, some wine."
"Some wine? So you can booze him up and get him to spill the beans on his entire life? Why don't I spare you the trouble and describe to you his breathing habit -
"That's enough sarcasm from you," said her mother sharply. "Your father is reaching out -
"Reaching out?" Alicia echoed. She glanced at Skylar and Florrie, who were quietly creeping up the stairs now that they were no longer involved in the situation. "You call this reaching out?"
"Well," said her father coolly as he grabbed himself a bottle of beer out of the fridge, "If he hasn't anything to hide - if you haven't anything to hide - then I think it would be a lovely occasion for us to get to know your good friend, since you've been so keen on pointing out to us how we can't judge him as we don't even know him. Hmm, how does Wednesday sound? Two days should be ample enough time for you to prepare some harebrained scheme to get yourself out of this mess - and while you're at it, might as well invite this real boyfriend of yours over, whom - might I add - you've failed to mention until now. Hit two birds with one stone, no? What do you think, Aurora?"
"I think it's a wonderful idea," said her mother just as coolly, glaring at Alicia as Alan handed her a glass of wine.
"Well I think it's a terrible idea," Alicia replied. "And anyway, Carson's in Thailand -
"Only junkies go to Thailand -
"With his grandparents for their anniversary or something. There you go making judgements all over again. As usual."
"Fine," said her mother crossly. "And I suppose Cassius is going to be off in Timbuktu by Wednesday morning -
"I'm not making it up!"
"Well then."
"Well then what? He's got a bleeding life, you know - I'm not going to force him to come here for some horrible dinner-slash-Spanish-Inquisition because my insane parents want to prove that he's a bleeding murderer-rapist and I'm sort of lying slag."
"But you'll ask him, won't you?" said her mother in an irritatingly calm voice, as though Alicia was the irrational one.
"Fine!" Alicia snarled.
"Well then," said Alan just as calmly as Aurora, "I'll set the table for six on Wednesday, then."
"Argh! You people are insane!"
"... so what are you going to do?" Skylar yawned after Alicia finished explaining how she and Cassius came to... be.
"I dunno," she mumbled irritably as she wiped mascara off her face. "How about not invite him? I'll just tell them he's busy."
"Which will only make them think they're right."
"Yeah, because they're absolutely nutters! I mean, if he wanted to kill me, don't you think he would have done it by now?"
"Hey, don't ask me - I'm still on the fence about this whole thing. I mean... Wow. And he said he loved you? Jesus, don't you think it sounds a bit like he's laying it on thick?"
Alicia sighed and chucked the dirty cotton ball into the rubbish bin.
"I don't bloody know -
"Well do you love him?"
Alicia flushed, and Skylar let out a high-pitched squeal.
"I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! Oh my god, you're so fucked, you're in love with the nephew of a bunch of psychopath-murderer-rapist-death-eaters!"
"No need to sound so giddy about it," Alicia muttered dryly.
"Hey, it's either that or cry, right? And jesus, did I tell you? Mum started smoking again!"
"What?"
"Yeah," said Skylar, nodding her head vigorously, "Right after the two of you went upstairs, we saw her through the window! Lit one up right in the bar!"
"Wow... mum told me she hasn't smoked anything since, like, you were born!"
"Yeah, well I guess old habits die hard, right? Anyway, next time she busts me I'm going to call her out on it. She's such a hypocrite. Seriously, it's like as soon as you pop out a kid, you become a gigantic... hypocrite. There needs to be another word for that, by the way. It must be hormonal."
"Tell me about it," Alicia snorted.
"So now what? You're just... never going to talk to him again? I thought you have all those classes together -
"We do. It'll be fine. It's not like he even existed before - before all this."
"Pfft, easier said than done. And you love him! Alicia and Cassius sitting in a tree -
"Oh shut up," said Alicia. "And anyway, it'll be fine. I'm telling you. And you have to swear to me, you can't tell anybody about this. Like, nobody. If anybody finds out -
"Oh my god, Alicia, who's the Ravenclaw here? You think I'm stupid enough to go blabbing about this -
"Ex Ravenclaw -
"Yeah, because I moved!"
"So? People change!"
"Not that much. But I think you should invite him over. Otherwise your parents are just going to be on your case forever and you'll die an old spinster -
"I think you have to be a virgin to qualify as a spinster," Alicia interrupted, and Skylar giggled.
"Which we've determined that you are not... hey, is he any good?"
"Fuck off!"
"Oh my god, he is, isn't he? Anyway, fine. You don't get to be a spinster, but you'll die alone and childless in a ramshackle cabin in the woods somewhere -
"Gee, thanks -
" - dead of a broken heart!"
"Oh, fuck off!"
"Hey, I'm just saying... for somebody who's convinced they're going to just drop the love of their life -
"He's not the bloody love of my life -
" - with the bat of an eye, you sure defended him pretty well out there! And your parents could easily have been Inquisitors in another life or something."
Alicia rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, only because I was trying to keep mum from throwing you out! You think they would have let you and your mum stay if I let them think he's -
" - the nephew of a bunch of psychopath-murderer-rapist-death-eaters? Yeah, that probably wouldn't have gone over so well."
Alicia blinked.
"Wow, you really like saying that, don't you?"
"Has a nice ring to it, what can I say? Psychopath-murderer -
"Anyway, as I was saying, I highly doubt mum and dad would have let you two stay if I let them think he's like his uncles. God, isn't that weird? I just realized that our mums went to school with them."
Skylar wrinkled her nose.
"Yeah, that is weird. Like, they actually sat in class with all those -
"Don't say it!"
"- Psychopath-murderer-rapist-death-eaters! Imagine how messed up that is... like, killing somebody you played Quidditch with, or somebody who was your potion's partner, or your -
"Yeah, I get it. It's messed. All of my mum's friends are pretty much dead. Except for professor Lupin, but they don't even talk to each other. Too many bad memories I guess -
"Professor Lupin? No way. Your mum was friends with him?"
"Well what about your mum? My mum said your mum was a huge pothead -
Skylar burst out laughing.
"My mum? A pothead? Yeah right -
"No, really! And all her friends were blokes -
"Sure," said Skylar sarcastically. "My mum? Friends with a bunch of blokes? I don't think I've ever seen her hug a guy who wasn't your dad. I swear, if she didn't have me, I'd tell you she was a lesbian or something. And it's not like she's ugly or anything, she's always got loads of men trying to pick her up!"
Alicia raised an eyebrow.
"I thought the French were super racist or whatever."
"Yeah, they're pretty racist," Skylar admitted, "But it's weird... it's like racist in this I-don't-even-realize-I'm-being-racist kind of racist. They're like that about blood too... like they'll openly be pro-pure or however you want to put it, but they'll be friends with halfbloods or muggleborns at the same time. Anyway, you think men care about that kind of shit when it comes to getting laid? I mean, shit, look at you, shagging some pureblood progeny. Yeah, I guess for marriage and stuff they care about it more, but mum's always getting propositioned at work."
"That's just weird. God, men are such pricks. I hate them. Fuck men."
Skylar snorted.
"That's got to be the most quotable quote ever. But listen, you should just invite him over as friends. That way, you prove to your parents that you don't have shitty taste in friends and that he isn't deranged, thereby also proving to them that they had nothing to worry about when you two were up here screaming each other's ears off, and that way my mum's really in the clear. Plus, then when you go back to school, things won't be all weird. Cause you have to admit, if the next time you get to see him is at school - and that stupid ball doesn't count, you'll never be within ten feet of him without like fifty other people being all in your face - then how awkward would it be if the last thing you'd said to each other was... well, yeah."
"And how would it be any less awkward, pray tell, to have him over for an Inquisition?"
"Hey, it's a sign of - of truce, no bad blood, that you guys both accept there will be nothing more between the two of you besides friendship -
"If even that."
"If even that. And anyway, I want to meet him. But yeah, it's still loads better than leaving everything hanging like it is now, right? And if he says no, then so what? You extended the olive branch and if he's busy or too pissed or too scared to accept, then whatever. That's the end of the story. Life moves on. You move on. He can't hold you back forever, right?"
"Right..."
"Oh Alicia, trust you to fall in love with the nephew of some-
"Skylar!"
"Psychopath-murderer-rapist-death-eaters!"
"... you have problems, you know that?"
"Bonne nuit Alicia."
"G'nite Skylar."
Cassius awoke to water being dumped on his face, and he sat up in bed, still half asleep, still three-quarters drunk, and absolutely pissed off.
"What the fuck -
"Get up, boy -
He forced his eyes open and found himself staring into the murky depths of his father's livid eyes.
"Father -
"Get. Up. NOW."
Cassius scrambled out of bed and glanced at his watch. It was half-past-seven. Shit. An hour-and-a-half late for work. And he was still dressed in yesterday's clothes, and his father was here - HERE.
"Don't just stand there like an imbecile! Get dressed!"
"Yes sir."
"Look at you, sleeping in your shoes - you're worthless. For fuck's sake, are you drunk?"
"No sir -
"Look at me when I speak to you, and don't you dare lie to me," his father hissed, grabbing him by the arm. Cassius froze and stared into his father's eyes, instantly putting up walls in case his father tried to pull a legillimens on him.
"You disgust me," he snapped. "I've given you the opportunity of a lifetime, fed you, housed you, clothed you - and this is how you repay me? How you repay the family? You think I can die in peace knowing that everything the Warringtons have worked for are going to end up in your useless hands? I should have sent you to Drumstrang when I still had the chance. You are an embarrassment to this family. Because of your absenteeism I had to take time off work to come and fetch your sorry arse. Do you have any idea how bad it looks? We run a law firm, boy - our livelihood depends on how we present ourselves. And do you think a drunk makes for a good representative? Do you? Get your fucking clothes on and do something about those eyes. If you're not at the office in ten minutes, clean and sober, you start praying to god that I don't find you, do you understand me boy?"
"Yes father."
His father left the room, slamming the door behind him without another word.
"Silencio."
Cassius hurled the empty pitcher of water on his bed-side table against the door and watched in satisfaction as it shattered into a million little pieces.
"FUCK YOU TOO ASSHOLE!"
"Wow, you look like shit, mate."
"Fuck off."
"Look, is this about yesterday?" Montague asked as he dusted Floo Powder off his robes. "Because you know I only did it to prove a point -
"Graham," said Cassius coldly, "You need to shut your mouth before I make you. I've had it with your fucking games, alright? I'm a big boy now so keep your goddamn nose out of my business for just once in your fucking life before I do something I regret."
"Like what?" said Montague sarcastically. "Look at you, all worked up over what? Some bitch! No, really, let me finish. Why do you think I would fuck around like that? Huh? Alright, I hate her, I'm not going to lie - she's a stuck-up little bitch and you know it just as well as I do. But you think I'd go out of my way to fuck with her just because I don't like the girl? I did it for you! You need to wake the fuck up and see the light, mate - this thing you have going with her, it isn't going anywhere, do you understand? I mean, look at yourself! You're a goddamn mess, you look like you just rolled out of some filthy pub in Knockturn! You smell like you rolled out of some filthy pub in Knockturn. My bloody house elf looks better than you do right now. This isn't you, mate! Merlin, you realize your father actually ordered me to get your arse moving? She's just fucked you all up and I hate to say it, but you've changed. And I don't think I need to spell it out for you, but this has got to be the worst time ever besides the First War for you to have gotten involved with - with the Other Side, can't you see that? So fine, you want to drop all your friends for little-miss-Gryffinbitch? You go right ahead and do that, but you just see if she'll take you in with open arms. I bloody dare you to announce to all of her goddamn friends what you two have been up to and see if they'll pat you on the back and welcome you to the club. They'll kill you -
"Graham," Cassius sighed as he put out his cigarette. "Just shut up, alright? It's over. So just... stop. My head's pounding enough as it is."
"... Well. Circe, mate, why didn't you say so? It's only about time - "
"Graham. Shut up."
"Does this mean we're still friends?"
"Graham. Shut. Up."
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