'And I'm so sick of love songs.' - Ne-Yo, So Sick
"But I see your true colours shining through, I see your true colours and that's why I love you. So don't be afraid to let them show, your true colours. True colours are beautiful, like a rainbow." Scor twirls Emma around the corridor, skilfully dodging the mass of students hurrying to lunch. To be honest, even if he crashed into them, I doubt they would mind; he's Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy after all, the people's king.
When he spots me, he spins Emma into Lysander's arms and gallops over to join me.
Yes, he quite literally gallops over, neighing and shaking his ice-blonde hair. He's perfect for Rose.
I quickly arrange my features from an expression of panic into one of cool indifference. I've been thinking about the Amortentia for two weeks, and have therefore been panicking around Ria, and consequently around Scor as well (they're basically the same person). But I pride myself on being an excellent actor (amongst my many other talents); I'm certain they haven't noticed.
"Dude, why've you been acting weird around Ria and I?"
Well, that throws my acting skills into shit.
"What are you talking about? I'm perfectly normal." I giggle.
Godric, I just giggled. I may as well die of humiliation now before my manliness is completely shot down.
Scor looks at me weirdly but shrugs and throws an arm around my shoulders, grinning broadly. "Today is the day I ask Rose on a date!" he stage-whispers to me.
"Good for you, man." I say distractedly. Should I ask Ria on a date?
"Wish me luck!" he kisses me on the cheek (that's it. My manliness is officially at an all-time low because of one conversation with my best mate. I need new friends.), and pulls me into the Great Hall to sit at the Gryffindor table with Ems, Sander and Rose.
"Where's Ria?" I look around for the distinctive black and silvery-white hair, as I have been doing all fortnight.
"Just arranging an owl for me. She'll be here soon." Scor is bouncing in his seat with anticipation.
"When are you asking Rose?" I whisper to him.
"You'll see. I just hope Ria beats the owl here."
I roll my eyes. I learned long ago not to ask questions where Scor's involved.
I have just served myself a slice of steaming shepherd's pie, when Ria saunters into the Hall and slides into the seat opposite me, grinning. I inhale sharply. She's wearing her hair in a casual up do, with a little gold bow keeping it from falling in her face, and her eyes sparkling. Godric, she looks perfect.
She catches Scor's eye and an understanding seems to pass between them, as he straightens his tie and stills his bouncing.
The Great Hall suddenly quietens and then breaks out in whispers. I follow everyone's gaze upwards, to where a lone owl is flying in, carrying something neatly wrapped in silver paper, with a sparkling pink ribbon tied around it.
"Hey, Al, isn't that your owl?" Emma remarks.
As the owl comes closer I recognise my sleek black pet, Macho. True to his name, the little guy is carrying the big parcel without complaint, despite his tiny size.
Ria catches my gaze. "Affy was being a bitch so I had to use Macho." she quietly offers in explanation.
I shrug, curious to see what's in the parcel.
Macho carefully drops the parcel in front of Rose, and then collects a potato from my plate before flying off again.
Aw. He's such a good boy, unlike Scor's bitchy owl Affy.
Rose is staring at the beautifully wrapped parcel in front of her in shock. The entire Great Hall is silent, waiting for her to open it.
I throw a potato at her. "Open it, whore."
The potato seems to snap her back to reality, as she gives me the finger, and rips open the paper eagerly.
There's really no point in wrapping a present nicely for my animalistic cousin.
She pushes away the last of the wrapping paper and her eyes widen in shock when she sees what's inside.
I hope it's not flowers, especially not roses. Rose hates roses because she thinks they're too mainstream, considering she's named after them.
Two tiny pink fairies fly out from the carnage of the wrapping paper, holding a small black satin box in between them.
If there's a ring in there, Hugo will murder Scor. To be honest, I couldn't care less if Rose gets married at seventeen, but I would get pissed if my best mate dies at the hands of my geeky sixteen-year old cousin.
They open the box and the girls all gasp when the fairies carry out a necklace. Even I'd say it's pretty. The chain is delicate silver, with a small, diamond encrusted (yes, diamond encrusted) snowflake pendant hanging from it.
Good idea, Scor; Rose adores snow.
The fairies carefully fasten the necklace around Rose's neck, before giving her a kiss on each cheek.
Rose's eyes move to Scor when the fairies curtsey to him before flying off.
Scor is eerily calm now compared to the excited mess he was five minutes earlier. He stands up on the table and pulls Rose up next to him, spreading his arms wide.
"Rose Marie Weasley," he says, his voice echoing around the silent Hall, "I've known you and loved you as one of my best friends for six years."
Godric, he is proposing to her.
"But recently, I've begun to notice more about you. Like the way you bite your lip when you're nervous, and try to make everyone around you happy when you're happy. You're the most beautiful girl here, and to me you're more than a friend now. So Rose, will you go to Hogsmeade with me?"
That speech was so fucking smooth even I nearly fell in love with him.
Which is why I'm not surprised when she squeals "YES!" and throws her arms around him, amidst cheers and whoops from the other students, kissing him soundly on the mouth.
Ria touches my hand, taking my attention away from my cousin swapping saliva with my best mate on the table.
"Speaking of Hogsmeade, do you wanna go with me?"
My stomach swoops.
Shit.
What do I say? The Great Hall is still talking loudly about Scor and Rose, but I can tell without looking that the two in question are no longer kissing, instead watching me for my answer, along with Lysander and Emma.
"NO!" I blurt out.
Ria is still looking at me, her jaw tense and eyes unreadable. What is she waiting for?
Oh shit, she wants a reason.
"Erm, I'm going with Betsy." I bullshit, pointing to a beach-blonde seventh-year sitting further down the table whom I dated for a while in fourth year. I'll ask her out later.
"Okay." Ria shrugs, expression still unreadable, and turns to talk to Scor who has sat down next her.
"BLACKSTER!"
Godric, why?
Ria beams and stands up to face my brother. "Hey, J-Dawg, 'sup?"
James grins at her, "I need to talk to you." He pulls her away to the Great Hall entrance.
There is an awkward silence. Scor is determinedly ignoring me, Rose is playing happily with her necklace, Emma is slowly pushing food around her plate, and Lysander is watching me carefully.
"What?" I snap finally.
"Why'd you say no?" Lysander asks immediately.
"Look dude, I just –"
"She knows you're bullshitting about Betsy." Scor cuts in frostily. "You're a shit liar, Al, so just say you don't like her that way instead of making up shit."
"But I think I do like her that way." I groan, dropping my head into my hands.
"Then why did you say no?" Emma asks quietly, gently taking my hands away from my face.
"Because she can't ask me!" I'm nearly yelling now. "It's the guy that asks the girl out! I have to be the one to ask her to Hogsmeade, not the other way round!"
"Don't be such a misogynist, Al." Rose slaps me. Ouch. I would complain, but I have a feeling I deserved that.
"Look, mate, she's coming back now, just say you panicked a bit, and ask her out, okay?" Lysander advises.
I nod and look up to see Ria making her way back towards us. She slides in next to Scor again, smiling happily.
I open my mouth to apologise, but she cuts me off. "I'm going to Hogsmeade with James!"
Well, shit.
The others all look at me sympathetically, and Lysander quickly asks her why, before I can get up to go and cry in a corner (joking, I wouldn't cry…much; I'm too manly for that.)
"You know how he's been chasing after Amy for ages now but she just insults him every time he does something nice?"
Boy, do we know. The whole school fucking knows how much James is in love with his fellow Gryffindor seventh-year Amy Livingston.
"Well he actually asked her on a date today, instead of just professing his undying love for her as usual."
That's a big step up for my brother. I would sarcastically applaud him, but I'm too pissed off at him for asking Ria out.
"But Amy, the fucking cunt, said no."
I should mention that though Ria is friends with Amy, she's closer to my idiot brother (Godric knows why) so she's on his side in this war of love.
"So he asked me out so he doesn't look like a sad loner on Hogsmeade weekend."
So he basically asked Ria out to save face, not because he's got a huge crush on her. That makes me feel a lot better.
She smiles at me, eyes curious, and I just get up and leave. I hate love stories.
"Fuck yellow."
"Fuck blue."
"Fuck red."
"FUCK COLOUR!" I scream as I throw my entire palette at the canvas.
"Alboos?"
I look up to see the Art class staring at me.
Sapphire, the Art professor, a transgender hippie goblin, is pushing my art materials away from me quickly.
"Alboos, you paint good picture, but do you vant to talk it out?"
"NO!" I yell at Sapphire. "FUCK THE WORLD!"
And I storm out, swinging my bag to knock over as many people's canvases as possible.
I hear light footsteps running after me and I turn around fuming, to see Emma, looking nervous.
I exhale roughly. "What do you want?"
"Come on." She pulls me gently into an abandoned classroom and sits me in a dusty seat. Then she perches opposite me and waits.
"I'm not going to fucking talk, you know."
"Look," she hangs her head, "I know Lysander's normally the one whom you talk to, but he's in Arithmancy, and you're obviously not okay, so I just thought…" She trails off.
Well shit, I feel guilty now.
I drop my head onto the desk in front of me. "You know what it's about."
"Al, she's not going on a date with James. It's okay."
"THEN WHY IS HE FUCKING TAKING HER TO HOGSMEADE?!"
She pushes her chair back, scared.
Fuck. Being mean to Emma is like being mean to a puppy; it's just not done.
I reach out slowly and take her hand. "Sorry Ems. I'm just so angry with myself. I should've said yes when she asked me, but now she's going out with my idiot brother."
Emma relaxes and clasps my big hand in her small ones, her glittery pink nail polish catching the dusty light. "They're just friends and you know it. It's like me and her going to Hogsmeade together: no romance. The next Hogsmeade trip is in December, ask her then if you want."
"She won't want to go with me anymore after I was such an idiot this morning." I groan.
Emma smiles and stands up, giving me a soft hug. "Ria likes you Al. Who knows why?"
I laugh and push her gently.
"But seriously," she leads me out of the classroom, "I know she likes you a lot, which won't disappear just because you rejected her."
I wince. Rejected is such a harsh word. Although I did scream 'no' at her.
Emma squeezes my hand. "Trust me, she won't say no."