Hey! Thank you to those who decided to at least click on the first chapter and read! I appreciate you gave this story your time! In my gratitude, I'm posting 3 through 4. I hope you like it! I do promise that as the chapters progress, there will be more drama and evil Cedric will make his arrival...more likely after chapter 4. I'm taking this as smooth as possible so it'll flow right. :P
Chapter Three-Colin Learns Of Cormac
Friday night...
"Nom. I swear, these things never get old..'' Seamus said with a mouthful of éclair.
"Yeah, and you'll never stay fit if you keep putting these away like you do." Dean pointed out, taking the empty box from his boyfriend.
"You'd still love me if I'm fat." Seamus grinned, laying over Dean's lap.
"I will, but I'd like you to be alive for me to do just that...and this.'' he finished with a kiss on the Irishman's lips.
Cormac grunted slightly, rolling his eyes in a chair. "Get a room."
"Oh come on, don't ruin the party." Seamus whined.
"It's not a party, it's a fucking session waiting to happen."
Dean smirked. "Don't act as if you've never done it. Hm, how many times was it? Uh...25?"
"I'm estimatin' near 50...of course..that was before he turned 16." Seamus added, counting on his fingers.
Cormac replied "Haha...funny. Well, you're close. I was a horny bastard nearly every day...most of the day."
"Even on your mother's birthday." Seamus snickered, making them laugh.
"Like I said, nearly every day. It just so happened to fall on that day in particular. Oliver Wood, a few years older but with an amazing arse and cock. I loved making him moan my name. He's as gorgeous as I remember...saw him through the window last week."
Dean interjected. "You're not missing much, mate. He's still a pretty-boy jerk like most of your former entourage and I believe he's fooling around with one of Percy's brothers...it's either Fred or George."
"My money's on both!" chimed Seamus.
"Also, he tried flirting with Percy and Flint didn't take it too well. I heard he had to jam his tongue down Marcus's throat so he wouldn't put Oliver through the table."
Cormac snorted. "He's still quick to fight, huh? That's never gonna stop...even with Percy on his dick."
Seamus leered at his best friend. "Speakin' o' the words 'pretty-boy', 'gorgeous' and 'cock'...what you think o' our visitor earlier today, hm?"
Cormac raised an eyebrow. "What about him?"
Dean smiled. "Didn't you find Colin Creevey attractive in the slightest?"
"Is that his name?"
"Yeah, he told me. And his mum owns that bakery in town."
"Holy shit, really?! Lucky man!" Seamus exclaimed somewhat enviously over the fact he's not within close proximity of all those delectable treats on a daily basis.
"Anyway, what's your answer? Do you think Colin is hot?"
"I sure think so!"
"Is your name Cormac?"
Seamus pouted. "No."
"Then let him answer." They turned to the blonde, waiting on his response.
Cormac shrugged "I guess."
"You guess?" his mates chorused.
Dean scoffed incredulously "How can you possibly 'guess'? He's rather easy on the eyes...don't you agree?" he nudged Seamus.
"Oh yeah! Mmm...that hair, figure, and that mouth. Those lips are perfect. Think we should invite him for a threesome?"
Cormac nearly coughed on his drink. "Good Merlin, Finnigan. Where the hell was I when you began contemplating this?"
"In the loo."
"Ok."
"Hey, you've had three of those. Don't judge me."
"Don't worry, I won't." Cormac responded, finishing off his Butterbeer, then rose to stand in front of his bedroom window as they continued bantering farther away.
'Don't get me wrong, the thought is very tantalizing. And yes, I have thought about our visitor, Colin. I admit he is beautiful. Scratch that, he is more than b eautiful. He is absolutely divine, a vision. How is it that I've never seen him before with my enchanted window? Wait, that bakery didn't appear in Phoenixfeather until about three years ago, so I surmise he must have moved here. Amidst his beauty, he had a slight timid air about him given I nearly scared the soul from his body with my barking. Other than that, there's...there's something about him. I dunno what, he just has a certain draw. It seems..nice. Wait, what am I doing? I shouldn't get my hopes up. One look at me and he'll go running for the hills. Colin, that beautiful boy, he'll never go for someone like me.'
Sighing sadly, Cormac stared through the pane, wallowing in misery. Dean and Seamus watched his somber expression then looked at each other. They started whispering.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Aye. 'tis time to play 'Stupid Cupid'. I'm tired of seein' 'im like this. At this rate, he's not gonna find someone 'til he's old and gray...or worse...not at all. He needs to have some happiness."
Dean nodded in agreement. "Cormac's learned from his mistakes and he deserves a second chance. If he can't get a man all on his own, then we'll help him along. Colin seems like a nice choice. He's not from around here, so he's not biased. Therefore, he's a perfect candidate. All we need to do is nudge him in the right direction."
"I just hope that Diggory or one o' the other bastards doesn't try to snatch 'im up. Also, I hope Cormac doesn't beat the shit out o' us for playing matchmaker. You saw how well that worked out when his parents tried it."
"Oh yeah, that bloke needed help, picking out all that glass from his face.''
At Saoirse's Sweet Nothings Bakery...
"Six o' clock. Closing time." Colin sighed, taking off his apron and freeing his hair of that constricting ponytail. He hated wearing his hair in that blasted thing, but hey...it's for health reasons and no one likes the smell of burnt hair, so he got over it. Saoirse shut the kitchen door and removed her pastry chef's jacket.
"So, love..how did that delivery go today? I never did ask ya."
"Oh, it went well. Rosethorn Manor's name fits perfectly. The entire property is covered in roses. You could nearly suffocate from the aroma." Walking out and locking the doors, they apparated home. Entering the front door, they saw Desmond setting the table. Dennis and Nigel were ambling down the hall, covered in soot. 'They must've been experimenting with fire charms this time. I'll look at the damage after dinner.'
"So, baby brother, what did you and good 'ol Nigel decimate today?"
Dennis mocked him before answering. "Just a few piles of wood. Nothing explosive."
"Please tell me you two weren't trying to attempt Fiendfyre in our backyard. We're not exactly well-equipped for that and neither are the neighbors."
"If they did, at least I'd have more patients to fix up...wait...they'd be dead. Nevermind." Desmond sipped his water, ignoring the stare his wife gave him.
"Really? Must you be so morbid at the dinner table?"
"Aye. Well, I do work at Phoenixfeather Hospital."
"Still. Boys, please do not try Fiendfyre here. Try an open field full of trash or somethin' far, far away from the population."
Dennis and Nigel sighed in disappointment. "Yes, mum." "Yes, Mrs. Creevey."
Colin directed his eyes to Dennis. "You know, you two made me late for work this morning. I should kick your arses for keeping me awake but remind me to do that later. I'm going to check out your mess then go to sleep." Rising from his seat, Colin went outside to survey the damage. Surprisingly, there were minor scorchmarks on the ground. Leaving it be, he left to his room, showered and laid down in his bed.
He couldn't fall asleep early like he wanted. He was too busy thinking about the earlier day- all the flirtatious customers, Cedric trying to ask him out...for the millionth time, and that delivery.
'Honestly, aren't there more decent people in this province? If so, then where are they?! Apparently, I'm getting the lion's share of pigs. Hardly any guy seems worth the trouble. The last time I tried that...' he sighed aloud '...we ended up moving. I had to leave everything behind because of some forceful fucktard who couldn't control himself. I thought this place would be much different but maybe I was wrong. Then again, I can't just condemn the entire village because of a...rather large...handful of arseholes. Maybe there's a chance I'll meet someone, if it's the right moment. You can't exactly rush these things. I'll think about this later, I'm meeting my friends in town tomorrow.'
Around 8:00 am that Saturday morning, Colin rose from his bed, went through his morning routine, bolted down breakfast and apparated into town. It was Justin's turn to pick their meeting spot, so he arrived at the front of his dad's legal office. Justin, Ernie, Susan, Neville and Theodore were already waiting on him.
"Morning, guys, where's Percy?"
Susan chirped. "Oh, he's gonna be a bit late. Marcus kinda kept him up late last night."
"Yup, by fucking him right into the mattress." Ernie smirked, knowing of Flint's sexual prowess.
Colin snickered. "That's always the reason, isn't it?"
"We don't hear him complaining about it, now do we?"
Theo smiled saucily. "Nope! So, what's on the agenda for today?"
Justin started naming off their activities "Firstly, we're gonna check out the bookstore. Then, there's the botanical shop...Neville's needing to pick up some seeds to germinate for spring.."
A few hours later, Percy finally showed up along with Marcus and they headed to Florian Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor and Café for lunch. Sitting at their round table, everyone was indulging in their meals and talking about their week.
"So, Colin. How has work been this week?" Percy queried, sipping his tea.
The blonde replied, absentmindedly moving hair behind his ear. "Eventful. Well, if you don't count the usuals making passes and Cedric stopping by to further irritate me. For the eventful part, I made a delivery which I have not done in forever."
"Oh? Where to?"
"Rosethorn Manor."
Everyone at their table silenced.
Colin scrunched his face in confusion. "What?"
Neville asked. "You actually went inside?"
"Yeah, I met two guys living there. The third, uh..Cormac, he didn't show himself. I dunno why. Maybe he's not a people person?"
His friends glanced at each other in surprise. Colin sighed in slight irritation. "Alright, what is it? What's up with me going to Rosethorn Manor?"
Theo tilted his head "You don't know?"
"If I did, I wouldn't be asking."
Justin turned to Percy. "Hey Perce, why don't you tell him? You weren't too far away when it happened."
"Sure." The redhead faced Colin. "It was before you moved here in the summer three years ago. It was back in May and I was attending a party with Marcus at Rosethorn Manor, which is also called McLaggen Manor. The boy living there is Cormac McLaggen.."
"So that's his last name."
"Indeed. It was his sixteenth birthday. Everything was fine and good until he made a choice remark to Marcus, then I scolded him and we left. When we exited the doors and weren't too far from the apparition point, the wind blew and a flash of lightning struck the yard. A few minutes later, bright light shone over the walls. The short of it, Cormac got cursed by some mysterious enchantress."
Colin's curiosity was piqued. "Cursed? What do you mean? Why?"
"You see, I've known Cormac for years and he wasn't exactly the nicest bloke around. He was arrogant, self-centered..."
"A right arse." Marcus commented in a gruff tone.
Percy patted his hand. "...vain...and a handsome prick that flocked with the high society sheep who shared the same views on clothes, money, connections, and beauty. When I say he was handsome...I'm not exaggerating. Marcus, I know you don't like me to describe him but I have to be truthful to give Colin an idea."
Marcus shrugged. "Go for it."
Percy continued. "Cormac was one of those devilishly gorgeous young men and he ruled this village. He held everyone in the palm of his hand. He's had a lot of men and women on his arm and in his bed...you get the idea. Anyway, Cormac had a nasty habit of picking on those who didn't amount to his standards of outer appearance. One of them...is right here." He held Marcus's hand firmly in his own slender one.
Flint rumbled. "Yeah, I've been one of the main blokes he picked on...called me 'mountain troll', poked fun at my teeth, you name it. I wanted to rearrange his face so many times. Percy's had to stop me on numerous occasions. The good thing was it resulted in satisfying sex afterwards, that's about it."
Colin nodded in understanding. "I see, but how did the enchantress curse Cormac, though? And why is it that no one talks about him?"
Percy replied, after taking a deep breath. "She took away Cormac's beauty, basically saying that his outside should might as well reflect what's in."
"Is it really that bad?"
Percy nodded slowly. "Yeah, it is."
"How do you know?"
"After Cormac was cursed, he refused to return to school. His parents had him privately instructed and I was his personal tutor until he graduated. Let me put it to you this way...you know the fabled characters Quasimodo, Igor, Mr. Hyde and Shrek? Put all that together and that's what you get." Colin narrowed his eyes in thought, but still couldn't make out a vivid picture. That could be any combination.
Susan interjected. "Cormac stopped venturing into the outside world. From what I know from my sources; his best mates, he doesn't leave his property. He doesn't because the public made a rude display when they saw him and I assume it destroyed him further. The reason why nobody ever talks about him or aloud in public anyway, is because that'll get people curious and they'll want to seek him out like he's some carnival attraction. People have done that and it's sickening. Regardless of how he's looked for the past three years, he's still a human being and should be treated with dignity, not like a bloody monster."
"Don't forget that a lot of people here cringe at the mere thought of him and they're glad he stays away...like he's the scum of the earth or something. To them, he's best forgotten." added Theo.
The blonde whistled. "Sounds like he's been dealt a harsh karmic blow."
Percy replied. "All that in a nutshell. You'd think that with all the people he had flocking him, they'd have his back in the very end but when that happened...they were gone. The only ones who stayed by his side were Seamus, Dean and his family. The rest of us weren't exactly his friends nor did we hate him. Honestly, I'm not sure how they put up with his behavior for years but I guess even people of Cormac's behavior should have friends, too."
"If you ask me, they should have dumped him a long time ago."
"Marcus, now you know that's a terrible thing to say. Cormac has suffered a lonely existence and I believe he is truly sorry for what he's done. People are capable of change." Percy firmly chided him. Marcus lowered his icy eyes slightly in shame.
Colin folded his hands together on the table. "So, he doesn't have any other friends?"
Everyone shook their heads. "Damn. Well, uh...thanks for telling me. I hope I didn't bring down lunch."
"No, you didn't." Percy said softly, patting his shoulder. "You were curious and it was only right we told you the truth."
"Better us than some randomer in the street." Ernie pointed out.
As they continued with their lunch on a lighter note, the group was unaware of two wannabe-Cupids scoping them out from the back of the café.
''Hey, they did half the work for us...or..a third of it."
"I know, Seamus, but the job's far from over."
And so he learns of the reclusive Cormac. What will happen once he meets him? Hmm...
Haha...gotta love our scheming duo! I hope their cute quirks are good enough for those who ship Dean/Seamus! :P
I did give a little Percy/Marcus for my fellow shippers out there! XD
I do know that 'Florian Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor' serves really only that in the books/films...but I'm making it a café as well in this story.