Chapter Text
Just keep on keeping your eyes on me
Its just wrong enough to make it feel right
Carefully, Lexi tugged the golden letter tightly on Cassie’s owl, a faint band glittering on its foot.
“I can’t believe we actually forgot to write mom ever since we returned.” Cassie giggled, stroking her wavy blonde hair behind her shoulder.
Lexi smiled, as she caressed the owl’s head. “Yeah, she will give us a lecture about that over Christmas.”
“You’re probably right, just as she did when we forgot to tell her about your O.W.L.S.”
Lexi recalled the memories of the end of the last school year, where she had spent a lot of time at the lake, sunbathing with Rue and comforting Cassie about her break-up with McKay. She had totally forgotten to tell her mother about her successful exams, let alone update her with her recent life events. She had been furious, but more sad when they went home that summer; she just missed her girls so much.
October was lurking around the corner, filling the already cold and draughty Owlery with a chill breeze. Lexi clung tighter to her cloak, as she watched Cassie’s owl Silver Thunder turn towards the glassless window.
Cassie gave her a slight nudge, as Silver Thunder pushed herself from the pole and flew into the approaching sunset, coloring the sky in a faint purple-pink.
“Let’s just hope she won’t send us a Howler.” Lexi giggled, receiving a heartwarming laugh from Cassie.
“Oh gosh, that would be the death of us.”
Cassie clasped around Lexi’s arm, as they trudged through the cold ground, covered in straw, owl droppings, and the regurgitated skeletons of mice and voles that rose right up to the top of the tower.
“Are you going out tonight?” Lexi asked Cassie as they approached the stone staircase.
“No”, she shook her head slightly. “I have to be fit for tomorrow.”
“Oh, right.”
Tomorrow morning was the first Quidditch game of the year, Slytherin would play against Gryffindor – a rivalry match made in heaven. Cassie was the keeper, a really good one, but the rest of the team hadn’t been really successful last year – it was still a bit cringe between McKay and Cassie, not only on the field.
“Are you going out today?”
Lexi laughed, shaking her head. “No, I’m not.”
Cassie tightened her grip on Lexi’s arm, pulling her a bit closer. “Well, how about a sleepover then? We haven’t done that in ages! And I miss you already.”
Her sister’s gentle laugh filled her heart with warmth, with comfort, that she had missed so much during the summer, when Cassie was struggling with the fresh aftermath of her abortion.
At home, they had always shared a bedroom, ever since they were little, which pulled them closer, made them more familiar. Of course, it had its bad sides, a lack of privacy, yes sometimes a lack of peace too – but as much as Lexi loved to be for herself, she had slowly felt alone in her dorm room. She wasn’t alone there either, she was sharing it with the rest of the Ravenclaw girls from her year, but she had missed Cassie’s presence, had missed having her sister around.
A big smile curved around Lexi’s lips, as she rested her head on Cassie’s shoulder. “I would love that!”
***
Lexi had enchanted her dorm bed, making it big enough for both of them to sleep in, to have enough space. She had also put a muffling spell around it, so they could talk, without waking up the others, without being overheard.
Cassie was just telling her about the forest party, giggling about the countless nights she had now spent with Rue partying. “It’s always so fun, like everything Rue says is just so funny .”
“Rue is a comedic genius even when she isn't drunk”, Lexi agreed, thinking about Rue’s major crush. Rue could be good to Cassie, would be gentle and loving – so would be Cassie for Rue. They would just make a really nice couple. If they both felt the same way, of course.
“She really is”, Cassie snorted slightly, as her giggles fainted in the darkness.
“Cassie?”, Lexi whispered, even though the others were fast asleep, and Cassie was lying right there, next to her.
“Yeah?” Cassie was breathing a bit heavier now, still exhausted from her laughter.
Lexi pulled her blanket over her chest. “Do you think you can receive love again?”
After all that had happened, Cassie had sworn to herself to be alone, on her own, quit dating. It had been the first few months that Cassie hadn’t been someone’s girlfriend, that she was just by herself.
She had been glowing ever since, had been blooming with life again.
“I don’t know”, her voice was quieter now, “I kinda want to. I miss that feeling.”
Lexi sunk even deeper into her mattress. “But not just from anybody right? Maybe from someone you feel the same?”
“That would be amazing. I know I have to take better care of myself and really think through who I let in my heart. I don’t want to have an abortion again.”
The words hit Lexi like a sudden rainstorm on a warm summer night. Cassie didn’t talk much about it, and Lexi never knew how much she could push, how much she could ask. “Well, have you ever thought about hooking up with a girl?”
“Of course, I have.” Cassie snuggled closer to her.
“Really?” Lexi tilted her head to face her sister, who’s eyes were watching the dark blue canopy above their heads.
She nodded. “Yes, I think I don’t really care about the gender, really. It’s about the person, you know?”
“Yeah, I think so too.”
Cassie looked at her, smiling, a bit of surprise glancing in her eyes. “Is there someone you like? A girl?”
Heat rushed into Lexi’s head in seconds, as she darted her eyes away from her sister. “No, not really.”
“A boy then?”
“Ion know.”
Cassie turned sideways, cupping her hand under her cheek. “Oh my god, really? Tell me all about him!”
Lexi shook her head. “There is nothing to tell.”
“It’s Fezco, isn't it?”
Their gazes met; Cassie’s ice blue eyes sparkled knowingly. “Why would you think that?”
“Because I am not an idiot”, she giggled, “I see how you two are staring at each other.”
Lexi felt her stomach curl. She knew she hadn’t been unobtrusive with her feelings; it was simply because she couldn’t help it, couldn’t look away, couldn’t stop counting the little freckles that sparkled in his face. “It doesn’t matter. He has a girlfriend.”
The smile on Cassie’s face faded, a faint wrinkle placed between her brows. “Does he really?” She turned on her back again.
“Yeah, I think so…”, Lexi muttered, suddenly wondering why no one else was seeing how close he and Faye were.
“Cassie? I hope you know that you can always talk to me about… about the whole thing from the summer, right?” Lexi whispered into the darkness, the words floating above them, around them, capturing them in a sad atmosphere.
Cassie felt for Lexi’s hand, squeezing it tightly. “I know, Lexi. Thank you.”
More silence, more darkness, before Cassie’s voice rushed through the room again. “It’s just so hard, I’d rather try not to think about it.”
“I can understand that”, Lexi mumbled, wanting to tell her that talking might help, that turning everything inwards could be bad, could worsen things. But she didn’t want to fight, didn’t want to disrupt the closeness she finally felt to her sister again.
“You know”, Cassie cleared her throat, “I thought about ice-skating when I was lying down at the doctor’s office. It kinda calmed me down. I miss these times.”
Now, Lexi was the one squeezing her sister’s hand, taking in all the warmth of her soft skin. “Me too. Maybe we can go ice-skating in the winter? There will be an ice rink in Hogsmeade this year.”
“That would be wonderful”, Cassie’s voice was slightly trembling.
The Howard sisters fell asleep, holding hands and dreaming about a past, where everything had been easy, had been filled with lightness.
***
The next morning, Lexi walked alone through the stone corridors of the castle, on her way to breakfast. Cassie had to go back to her dorm room to gather her things for the upcoming game.
“Good morning, Sir Cadogan”, Lexi mumbled to the portrait that was following her ever since she left her common room.
“Ahh Ms. Howard”, Sir Cadogan smiled, “what are your bets on the quidditch game?”
Lexi laughed. “As much as I would love for Gryffindor to win, I think it will be Slytherin.”
The knight nodded. “Yes, it looks like that, I swear if Slytherin will win another quidditch cup this year, the bloody Baron will eat me alive.”
Lexi suppressed her comment that he had nothing to worry, that he was already a ghost trapped in a picture - but they didn’t like to be reminded of their life status. “Well, there is still Ravenclaw who could win the quidditch cup and maybe the house cup as well”, she answered instead.
“Let’s hope for the best.” With that, he had vanished in the depths of his portrait, riding through the emerald green forest on his white horse.
Lexi smiled to herself. Oh, how she loved to be a witch.
As she stepped into the great hall, her breath hitched in her throat, her eyes darted towards the ceiling that was enchanted like the early grey October sky. Even after six years, Hogwarts managed to cast a spell over and over her again, surprising her every day with something new.
But her sudden awe was interrupted by the screams of her sister, which were echoing through the corridor behind her. “This is a fucking disaster!”
Lexi turned, the great hall fell in silence altogether, something that only ever happened when Professor Dumbledore was standing on top of the teachers table, ready to give his speech.
Cassie stormed into the hall, the rest of the Gryffindor team behind her, heads down. As Rue tilted her head, she gave Lexi a fearful gaze, her lips were pressed together.
“What’s wrong?” Lexi asked her sister, who stopped in front of her, being followed by the noisy eyes of the other students.
“Melanie and Ruth were partying so hard last night that they won’t be able to play! They took some of this stupid brain fucks and now they can’t even go to the bathroom!” Cassie clapped her hands over her head, her expression tensed.
Rue took a step forward. “We can’t play without them. Not without a seeker.”
“Oh no”, Lexi breathed out.
That would mean that Slytherin won - and probably that Gryffindor would be disqualified for the rest of the term - Cassie’s biggest nightmare.
“I can’t believe this”, Cassie was shaking her crimson red head, “how stupid could they be? The day before the first match?”
Lexi wanted to put her hand on her shoulder, calm her down somehow but when Cassie was in rage, it was the best to leave her alone, to not make her even more mad.
“What’s up?” A voice behind them appeared and as Lexi turned around, she looked in the narrowed face of Gia, her arms crossed in front of her chest.
“We can’t play, we miss players”, Rue groaned, gaining a slight nod from her little sister.
“You know you can always ask the other houses to step in, right? It’s allowed at least once in a term.”
Cassie’s face visibly relaxed, her arms falling down her side. “Oh my god, yes you’re right!”
“Will you be our seeker?” Rue asked, glancing at her sister with her biggest brown puppy eyes.
Gia smirked. “Of course, sis.”
Rue jumped, tugging her into a hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She muttered.
Lexi had a slight feeling that Rue was happier about the fact that Cassie wouldn’t be mad, rather than about the fact that she had to play now.
“We still need another beater.” Cassie sighed.
“I volunteer as tribute!”
Lexi turned again; Jules was standing up from the Hufflepuff table and grinning widely. For a second, Lexi’s eyes wandered over the table, locking in with Fez’s who was watching their whole conversation, eating his cereal. Lexi backed away, focusing on her sister again.
Now it was Cassie who was swinging her arms around Jules. “Thank God!”
Rue frowned, scrunching up her mouth but eventually nodded slightly at Jules; her arm was still lying around her sister’s shoulder.
Cassie released herself from the hug, turning towards her team. “Alright, get some breakfast! We need energy because we have a game to win.”
Lexi giggled. It was just too cute how passionate Cassie was about the team, well, she was the team captain for a reason, after all.
Lexi straddled towards the Ravenclaws, feeling his gaze still burning through her skin.
*
Lexi had just begun to eat her French toast and started discussing climate change with Bobbi, as the great hall fell silent again, a quick glance towards the teachers table told her why.
Dumbledore was standing on his golden lectern, wearing a long, blue-silver cloak, his white beard almost reaching to the ground. His dark blue eyes sprinkled through his grey half-moon glasses, the same color as his velvet hat. He cleared his throat, grinning towards the crowded students that were watching him with confusion, with curiosity.
It was very odd for him to announce something in the middle of the term, let alone at breakfast time - normally, dinner was reserved for special announcements.
“Dear students of Hogwarts, dear teachers, dear ghosts and every other being in the holy walls of the castle”, his voice soaked through the castle, whistled around the enchanted ceiling, “I have a special announcement to make, which was just finalized this morning and due to the excitement rushing through my bones, I couldn’t wait for dinner to report this back to you.”
The great hall filled with whispers, with murmurs, quickly falling back into silence after another clearance of Dumbledore’s throat.
“I am delighted to tell you that after various discussions with the ministry of magic, this winter the famous Yule Ball, which is traditionally held during the Triwizard Tournament, will take place in the great hall of our Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry.”
Lexi’s heart jumped in her chest, as the students in the great hall broke out in conversations, in astonishment and marvel.
“The Yule Ball?” Bobbi asked, her eyes widened.
Lexi saw her sister gasp at the Gryffindor table, shaking Rue in excitement, who didn’t seem to know what was going on - as always. Rue didn't like to listen to any of these teacher's speeches - she was too cool for that, whatever that means.
“Hell yes, bitches!” Maddy screamed through the hall, laughter following her remark.
Automatically, Lexi’s gaze wandered towards the Hufflepuffs, meeting Fez’s eyes as always. Her stomach curled, as Faye was grinning, nudging him slightly with her shoulder. He still had a girlfriend. She should remind herself more often about this.
“We thought it would be a nice tradition to continue this ball even though the Tournament isn’t taking place this year, to strengthen the connection of the students and houses. The ball can be attended by fifth, six, and seven years - for fourth years only if they accompany someone from the higher years.”
A general disappointment rushed through the fourth years, while Lexi couldn’t help but feel the nervousness, the dizziness rushing into her head. There was no way she would find a date, at least not the one with whom she had wanted to go. She could only think about one person, anyway.
“For now, I am excited for the upcoming quidditch match - the first of this season. May the better team win.” As Dumbledore stepped back with a gentle smile, the students fell back in conversation and the great hall was filled with voices again, with excitement and amazement that was buzzing through the crowd.
Lexi swallowed a piece of her French toast, wishing to be able to disappear. It seemed like she was the only one who couldn’t share the flurry, the cheers that were wafting through the air.
As much as she wanted to shine, to feel happy about the ball, she knew she would just be another shadow, another lonely girl that would have to take care of her friends.
***
“Here you go.” Lexi passed her binoculars to Kat, Fez and Faye, with whom she was sitting in the top row of the high raised seats of the quidditch pitch. Bobbi had saved them the best seats next to her – she was the commentator of the games, and therefore knew where you could have the best view.
“Damn Lex, that’s smart as hell.” Fez grinned as he peaked through the black binocular.
Lexi smiled. “I always use them to get an even better view. Sometimes it’s just so hard to see something when they are all swirling through the air.”
“Oh my god”, Faye was now also trying them out, “You can zoom in? That is soooo cool.”
“Thank you”, Lexi muttered.
“For real, I was always ripping my fuckin eyes out to see something, but this is soo much better.” Faye was stretching every word like an elastic band, her full lips curling into a smile.
“Are you high?” Kat asked her, brows quirked.
Faye nodded. “High as fuck.”
Fez’s eyes met Lexi’s, only for a short glimmer of time, before she turned to her bag again, rummaging around in it. She had enchanted the little blue velvet pocket with an expansion spell, making it much bigger from the inside as it was from the outside. With a little smirk, she pulled out the banner she had prepared with Kat yesterday. “We almost forgot this. Wingardium Leviosa .” With a quick flick of her wand, the banner was flying over their heads, the enchanted words Go Gryffindor were flashing in different colors – red, yellow, orange, golden – and the little lion on the top corner was roaring, all thanks to a tricky little spell.
“Shiiit.” Fez tilted his head to get a better look, smiling as he took a pull of his joint.
“This is soooo cool”, Faye agreed.
Kat laughed. “This took ages actually. They better win with this one.”
“Fingers crossed”, Lexi said and put on her binoculars. The teams were already on their way to the field. If Gryffindor would win this game, they would move up into second place in the House Championship, about which Cassie could barely stop talking.
“Welcome back students of Hogwarts”, Bobbi’s quirky voice rang through the speakers and echoed around the whole pitch, “to the first game of this term. Slytherin against Gryffindor.”
The entire field filled with roars, with cheers, with screams vibrating through the crowd. Lexi let her gaze wander through the splitted groups of people, wearing green or red, holding up banners, or screaming the name of their favored house. It wasn’t a secret that most of the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs cheered for Gryffindor – the Slytherin team was so strong already, they didn’t need to be encouraged even more.
The two teams walked towards each other, to the middle of the pitch, where Madam Hooch was already standing, her broom in hand and her pipe around her neck. Lexi zoomed in to get a better look at Cassie and Rue – Cassie was holding firmly to her broom, her blonde hair was tight into a ponytail, which was falling loosely on her scarlet ropes, a hard expression on her face. Rue on the other hand was walking on weak legs, gripping the broom as if it was the only thing that would steady her, support her. Her brown locks were waving in the air, floating around her face.
“Rue is freaking the fuck out”, Fez whispered next to her, the sudden closeness of his voice let the blood freeze in her veins – she could have sworn to feel his breath on her skin.
“Yeah.” She breathed out, zooming towards the Slytherin team. McKay and Cassie were now standing in front of each other, both of their expressions unreadable, their teams being positioned behind them. Lexi shot a quick peek at Maddy, whose dark eyes sparkled as if she were about to kill someone, her black hair also tied in a high ponytail, her eyeshadow the same color as her olive-green robe. Maddy glanced at Nate, twisted her mouth as she did so – Nate however was staring at the other team, specifically towards Daniel, who seemed to duck himself behind Ethan.
“Captains, please shake hands”, Madam Hooch said, standing between Cassie and McKay.
Lexi could see the tension creeping around them, as they were watching each other and finally, shaking hands. She could also hear the murmurs buzzing through the crowd – there had been a lot of rumors, why they had broken up. Sadly, the abortion was one of the major topics to be discussed, even though, no one really knew if it was true. Except for Lexi and Rue.
“I want a nice fair game!” Madam Hooch warned, more to the Slytherin team, “Mount your brooms, please.”
The players clambered on their brooms – some of them were shaking, trying to hold on for support.
“Three, Two, One.” Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle. The students rose into the silver-grey gloomy sky, as the balls released from the box, ready to swirl around, ready for the game to begin.
“The quaffle is taken by no other than Ethan Lewis himself, as he is speeding towards the Slytherin Hoops, in which Elliot is getting ready to keep him from scoring.”
Lexi followed Ethan’s movement, watching how Rue and Daniel were speeding behind him, as he circled towards the pitch.
“Maddy Perez is following Lewis, behind her Troy and BB.”
“Yo, look at Ash”, Fez pointed his finger towards the air, “that’s my lil bro.”
Lexi swung her field glasses around, watching Ash and Gia, who were flying sternly towards the ground, as something golden flattered around them.
“The golden snitch has been spotted by both seekers, who deliver a close head-to-head race…”
Ash was in front, sticking his arm out, but Jules came up just above him and threw the bludger past him, nearly throwing him off balance. He quickly swung his broom back up. Gia sped past him, but the snitch was gone.
“Damn it, Jewel”, Fez muttered.
“What just happened?” Faye asked, holding her glass the wrong way around. “I can’t see a thing.”
Lexi laughed, as Fez gently tucked her binoculars and turned them around. “Here ya go, kiddo.”
Lexi silently wondered why he was calling his girlfriend like that, not giving her a cute little nickname. Maybe he did when they were alone, in private. Yes, that must have been it.
“Meanwhile Lewis fits the ball towards Daniel, who can nearly escape a thrust from Nate Jacobs, as he is speeding towards the hoop – closely followed by Rue Bennet, who seems to have troubles holding herself on the broom…”
“Oh no…”, Kat uttered under her breath, as Lexi zoomed in. Rue was having an anxiety attack, being unsteady on her broom, as McKay was racing up towards her, only to kick her away with a quick jolt against her broom.
“Hey, that was a foul!” Lexi exclaimed and grabbed Fez’s arm in the heat of the moment, not thinking about what she was doing.
“Foul from Slytherin – Rue Bennet stumbles back on her broom, as Daniel throws the ball to Ethan again – the quaffle gets taken over by Maddy, who rushes into the opposite direction.”
“That was close”, Fez said. Lexi looked at him, realizing she was still holding on to his arm, as she snapped her hand away, her head turning crimson red.
A disappointed growl penetrated the crowd. “Come on, Maddy!” Kat was throwing her arm in the air, whistling.
Lexi nudged her side. “Hey, we are cheering for Gryffindor.”
“But Maddy is my best friend.” Kat shrugged with a slight grin.
“And Ethan is your boyfriend!”
Something in Kat’s expression faded, darkened, as if the sudden remark reminded her of something, as if something was bearing her down.
“Perez is throwing the ball to BB – a bludger from Roy is missing her head only a few millimeters – AND THE QUAFFLE IS BACK WITH GRYFFINDOR!”
The crowd started cheering, as Rue was holding the quaffle in her hand, studying it as if it was a crying newborn. Ethan rushed to her side in seconds, taking the ball and speeding towards the other side of the pitch like a leopard.
“Lewis is in possession of the quaffle again, speeding towards the hoops, as Gia has spotted the golden snitch in the crowd.”
It was very hard for Lexi to follow the whole game in its integrity. As soon as she watched Gia and Ash speed towards the crowd, she could hear the screams of the Slytherins and watched Nate and McKay throwing bludgers around, as Maddy, BB and Troy were racing Ethan – Daniel and Rue following him. Meanwhile, Cassie was guarding the Gryffindor hoops, throwing desperate advice behind her players.
“Ethan throws the quaffle to Daniel – back to Ethan – Ethan fires against the hoop – Elliot is rotating – a straight ball – SCORE FOR GRYFFINDOR!”
As soon as the pitch filled the cold air with cheers, with howls and moans of the opposite team, Lexi didn’t think but swung her arms around Fez, as she was screaming. “Yes!”
Fez giggled, pulling her a bit closer. “That’s our lil fam up there.”
Before Lexi could realize what she had done, she released herself, took back her binoculars and watched Maddy speeding towards Cassie, the quaffle in hand.
*
Half an hour later, Slytherin was leading with 60 – 20 points – Cassie had been able to keep most of the balls from entering the hoops, but Nate had thrown a bludger at her arm, making her unable to move as fast ever since.
“The seekers had left the pitch; the golden snitch was spotted at the castle – Slytherin is in position of the quaffle – Ethan und Daniel are racing behind BB – “
Faye had given up following the game, she was lying down on the bench, singing to herself. Kat fell silent, she hadn’t talked for the last twenty minutes but instead, she had fixed her gaze on the pitch, watching the players without a single twitch in her expression. Lexi tried to follow, tried to observe everything going on.
“Nate is throwing the quaffle – hitting his own team member Perez – Perez is turning on her broom, hastening into his direction – she is yelling something…”
Lexi zoomed in. “What is going on?”
“I think that was Maddy’s final straw”, Kat muttered now, scrunching up her face.
Maddy was at Nate’s side now, pushing him and screaming something, that was probably similar to “You fucking cunt!”
“Team captain Christopher McKay is asking for a time out – it seems as if his players are having a rough time.” The sarcasm in Bobbi’s voice couldn’t be missed, was as sharp as the wings of the golden snitch. Speaking of which, Ash and Gia were still nowhere to be seen – chasing the snitch in the depths of the castle.
The game stopped for a second, as Nate and Maddie were screaming at each other, pushing each other around. McKay flew towards them, followed by the rest of his team, trying to take them apart.
The audience gasped as Maddy raised her arm, slapping him across the face.
“What was that about?” Lexi asked, shooting Kat a suspicious look.
Kat shrugged. “Just Nate being Nate.”
Okay, something was definitely going on and they didn’t want to tell Lexi about it – she was used to that, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt – always being an outcast.
“Oh look”, Faye was giggling, pointing at something above her. “It sparkles. So beautiful.”
Lexi looked up, seeing the golden snitch hovering above Faye, as she was holding out her hand, trying to grab it.
“Don’t!” It was Fez who caught her hand seconds before she would have touched it, pulling Faye away from the ball, closer to him. “What is wrong with you? For real kid, are you trying to ruin their game?”
Faye couldn’t stop giggling, was grinning to herself, her white teeth glaring. “I want to wear it as a necklace. Oh look, there is Ashy!”
With a loud whoosh, Ash flew over their heads, followed by Gia, just as the snitch hissed into the air again and hurtled towards the pitch. Lexi's hair flapped in the wind as the two sped past them, so close they nearly knocked her over.
“The snitch is back on track – Gia and Ash racing against each other – Also the teams are back, Madam Hooch is about to throw the quaffle back into the game.”
Lexi’s eyes snapped back to the field, taking in every detail, as the crowd was roaring again.
“The quaffle is released back into the game – Rue Bennet is in possession.”
“Come on, kid, you can do it”, Fez muttered, making Lexi grin to herself. She loved how supportive he always was with Rue.
“Rue Bennet is closely followed by Nate, who seems to have his bludger ready – I swear I can see his cheek burning from that punch”, Bobbi suppressed a giggle, as Maddy held a thumbs-up towards the air, calling something from her broom.
“Meanwhile, Jules is throwing her bludger towards Ash, trying to keep him from getting the snitch and winning the game – Rue is almost there, holding out the quaffle to throw – she throws it and oh damn!”
The bludger hit Rue directly into the face, knocking her over her broom in an instant. Lexi jumped to her feet, as her best friend was falling to the ground, from a height that couldn't exactly cushion her fall. “Rue!”
Gladly, Madam Hooch speeded towards her, detaining her fall with a spell, so that she stopped closely over the ground, hovering over it for a few seconds, before collapsing.
Cassie bolted towards the ground, not carrying over the fact that Maddy had gotten the quaffle back and was now flying towards the Gryffindor hoops.
“Issa foul! Pause the fuckin’ game!” Fez screamed at Bobbi, who was sitting in her little cabin.
“Foul from Nate Jacobs but the game isn’t stopped – why is no one stopping the game?”, Bobbi said, as Madam Hooch was kneeling next to Rue. Cassie jumped up from her broom, bending over her, repeating her name.
“Maddy throws another goal – Howard is not keeping the hoops anymore. Does this even count?”
“No!” Lexi's screams were lost in the tumult of the crowd, in the cheers of the Slytherins, in the protests of the Gryffindors. It took a while for Madam Hooch to pause the game, as she was making sure that Rue would be okay.
The paramedics eventually picked her up, taking her into the hospital wing, even though she was mumbling “I’m fine, I’m fine.”
“She is not fine!”, Cassie exclaimed, furious with rage, her head swollen red. “This was a foul! The score shouldn’t count!”
Madam Hooch shook her head. “Get back on your broom, the game continues!”
With another scuff, Cassie climbed back on her broom, positing herself in front of the hoops, as a general disbelief washed over the students and teachers.
*
As the match proceeded into the early afternoon hours, the sky became more and more overcast until finally the first raindrops fell. Professor McGonagall was enchanting pavilions over the students’ heads, as the players had to struggle their way through the rain.
The Gryffindors were only with six players left on the pitch – Rue hadn’t been injured very badly, but she had to get at least some rest in order to recover and was banned from the rest of the game (Lexi had asked the house elf Dobby to go check on Rue, who sometimes liked to watch the Quidditch matches).
“BB is taking over the quaffle – Roy and Jules are following her, distracting her with her bludgers – she passed the ball to Perez – Daniel and Ethan are on either of her sides – another bludger from Jacobs hitting Daniels’s broom.”
Faye was asleep, her head buried into Fez’s lap and Lexi had never been more jealous of her than in this moment. Heat was rushing into her head, as she was wishing to switch places with her, being so close to him. It struck her that he wasn’t affectionate with her, wasn’t stroking her hair, wasn’t holding on to her – he just let her be, let her rest, as he was watching the game with curiosity. He must have been someone who hated to show affection in public, must have really hated it. Why else would he literally ignore his girlfriend?
“BB is close to the hoops – throwing a fastball – another goal for Slytherin – Slytherin is leading with 280 to 120 points.”
The cheering was limited, the students were tired, didn't feel like watching in the rain anymore and somehow the game was already decided.
“Ash and Gia are visible again – following the snitch.”
Lexi watched them, as they were dashing towards it, close together – one of them could have easily snapped the other away, only with a faint movement of their brooms – but they were friends, they were fair, they wouldn’t foul but only win the game decently.
And it was with a small movement, crashing more force into her broom, that Gia leaned forwards, reached out her hand, capturing the golden snitch in it. For a short moment, she grinned, before she bent over too far, falling off her broom.
“The golden snitch had been captured by Gia Bennet – being the seeker for the Gryffindors in this match, gaining the team 150 points – the game is over – Slytherin wins with 280 to 270.”
Ash helped Gia, pulled her back up to her feet and gave her a quick hug, as Lexi leaned back in the bench, squeezing up her face. For a last time, the crowd was cheering again, as the Slytherin players aggressively threw up their fists into the rainy air, falling into each other’s arms. The Gryffindors flew back to the ground, the rainy day matching their mood.
“You know what this means?” Kat looked at Lexi and Fez. “Common room party in the dungeons tonight.”
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
The game was interesting. Fez had never been a big fan of quidditch, but he was just so proud of Ash. The kid had a real talent. He was lonely wandering through the quiet halls of Hogwarts, heading to the Slytherin common room. Faye had run there already, because she wanted to hook up with some guy, Crustor? Custer? Something like that. Fezco had seen him just briefly, and he didn’t like the bloke already. He seemed like bad news. But it was Faye’s life, he could express his opinion, but she made her own decisions. He sighed a little. Today was a long day, and his scar was burning like hell since the game, and everything just seemed so messy and chaotic.
“Oh, young Fezco! It’s so nice to see you out here at such an hour!” the painting next to him bubbled. It was lady Arnea, supposedly a French fairy who had some kind of weird crush on him.
“Hello, mademoiselle, how are you doing tonight,” he smiled at her and continued his way. She accompanied him by jumping from her painting to another painting and then to another.
“Very well, thank you so much, these kids don’t have good manners anymore. Your friend Rue tried to draw a mustache on me! And your brother was encouraging her!” ,she complained, and he just sighed again. Of course, Rue would pull something like that. And Ash was stupid, but still just a kid, so he shouldn’t be really surprised about it.
“Oh, I am sorry about that. I’ll talk with them tonight, promise,” he smiled at her, making herblush a little. Why couldn’t he have such an impact on Lexi?
“Thank you, by the way professor Snape just took his sleeping potion a while ago, so he won’t bother you during your big celebratory party,” she said, and he thanked her once again. That was the reason why he was always nice to paintings. It was way better when they helped him than when they snitched on him. And sometimes it was really nice to talk with someone centuries old. The knowledge they had was incomparable.
“See you around, young Fezco,” she waved at him as he was entering the Slytherin dorm.
The party immediately hit him. This wasn’t just a party celebrating Slytherin victory but also a party celebrating the whole concept of quidditch, like McKay tried to tell everyone. Kind of weird but Fezco wouldn’t complain. This party smelled like big money for him.
***
Fezco looked around, trying to find something, well someone, specifically just one person. Lexi Howard.
“Fezco! My dearest friend!” drunken Jules exclaimed and hugged him immediately in the doorframe.
“Hey, Jewel. You played greatly today, but I thought we were supposed to go here together,” he said, not really sure if it was actually true. He was confused a lot lately.
“Yeah, yeah, sorry dear, but Elliot just sent me a note and I had to see him,” she showed him the goofiest smile.
“That’s okay, I was just a bit worried,” he said, and she nodded.
“Yeah, I know, sorry again. You are such a good friend! I want to introduce Elliot to you; I’ll find you later?” she asked with hope.
“Sure, Jewel,” he smiled at her and watched her dance away from him.
*
He tried to concentrate on his task again. Finding Lexi. It was really hard because it was dark, there were just a few party lights, and the smoke was everywhere. His brother was probably selling a lot.
“Ash?”
“Hey, bro,” Ashtray nodded at him when Fez finally got to him.
“Congratulations! Amazing game, you were great, truly!” Fez said sincerely and Ash smiled a little.
“You really think so?”
“Obviously! You were amazing! The best seeker I’ve ever seen! I don’t really like quidditch, but when you are playing it’s actually interesting,” he said.
Ash gave him a slight nod. “Thank you, I also have some good news; I’ve just sold everything that I had for tonight. So, now I am just going to enjoy the party! Gia wanted to play some games that the Slytherins prepared, so I am going to find her.”
“Yeah, enjoy your time, bro. I’m going to sell!”
“Great, make some money and don’t just give it for free to your friends. Especially Rue, she’s always trying some tricks on you! By the way I saw your girl being curled up with some dude on the couch in the back,” Ash said and pointed behind himself.
“Lexi?”
“Yeah, exactly, the chick you are drooling over every time you see her,” Ash shrugged and Fezco pushed him a little.
“She isn’t my girl and I’m not drooling over her,” Fez said, and he actually hoped that was true. He could drool over her and not be even aware of it…
“Okay, don’t be so pissed off, I’m just saying what I saw back there,” Ash rolled his eyes.
“I am not and don’t mess around lady Arnea no more, you know that the paintings are important,” Fezco lectured, but Ash just rolled his eyes once again.
“Fine, but it was Rue’s idea! I was just watching and supporting her…” Ash giggled, making Fez sigh.
“Bruh…”
“Yeah, I get it. No more messing around with the paintings. Enjoy your night and gain some money!” Ashtray exclaimed and disappeared.
*
Fezco was really curious with whom Lexi was curled up with, so he slowly went to the back part of the Slytherin common room.
“Move yourself!” Maddy scuffed, as she and Kat were passing him. She seemed to be in a very bad mood. Whatever.
He was finally close enough to the couch and it was true. Lexi was there with some boy and he was talking and gesticulating very expressively. Who the fuck was that?
Lexi looked mesmerizing, and as always, he couldn’t take his gaze away from her.. She was wearing some pink squared sweater and a tiny black skirt; her hair was wavy all around herself and he just wanted to run his hands through it. He just wanted to be near her.
“Hey man, can I get some weed?” some Ravenclaw boy asked. He quickly shifted his attention away from Lexi and sold him drugs. Fezco’s mind was slippery now and he had to count the money two times. Still, he wasn’t sure if he didn’t make some mistake. The smoke, the lights, Lexi, and everything else made his headache even worse.
*
He looked at her again. And the jealousy hit him like a speeding car. He hated to be jealous, especially jealous of a girl who barely considered him as a friend.
The boy was Ethan, he finally recognized him. Wasn’t he dating someone already? Fezco was really bad at keeping track of these things. He simply didn’t care normally but now he would love to know. Rue would know. Where was that girl when he needed her? Maybe they were just friends? But what if not? He needed a drink.
He was pouring straight firewhiskey to his glass when the color pink appeared right next to him.
“Hey Cassie,” he smiled at her. He always liked Cassie; she was a good kid just with some bad luck.
“Hi Fez! Are you having a good night?” she asked sweetly, and he nodded.
“Yeah, money is coming, so it’s a good night tonight. You? Aren’t you here with Rue?” he asked and looked around trying to find his friend.
“Yeah, yeah, we were lying on the couch, just chilling, so Rue could recover better. But now I have to actually do something, and I need your help,” she said nervously.
“Really? Sup?”
“Well, I need something for courage. Do you have something like that?” she asked and Fezco understood. She wanted something so she would have more courage to make a move on Rue. He was sure of that.
“Sure, this is the thing you’re looking for, but it takes a few minutes to kick in,” he handed her a small potion bottle.
Cassie paid him and smiled at him: “Well, wish me luck.”
“Good luck,” he lifted his glass, drank it and instantly refilled it..
*
Should he go to greet Lexi? They were kind of friends, right? So, it wouldn’t be that weird, right? Oh, fuck him, he had no idea what to do. Why was she talking to Ethan for so long?
“Here you are, my dear!” Jules' voice surprised him and he turned around.
“This is my dear friend Fez, and this is my boyfriend Elliot,” Jules said happily and the boys shook their hands.
“Sup man?”
“All good, Jules is talking about you and Faye a lot, it’s nice to finally meet you officially,” Elliot smiled at him, and Fez just nodded.
“Same.”
“Oh yeah, we have to find Faye so I can also introduce you to her! She’s so amazing! Do you know where she could be?” Jules turned to him, and Fez just shrugged.
“She wanted to be with some guy tonight, so it’ll be really difficult to find her,” he said and Jules giggled.
“Oh, you are right, she told me all about him. So, are you also going to spend the night courting some special girl?” Jules asked and giggled once more.
“No idea what you are talking about…”
“Lexi Howard obviously!” she exclaimed, and Fez just wanted to disappear.
“Are you for real, man? You can basically go to her and tell her.”
“Can I?” Jules asked with some hope.
“Absolutely not! Take your boy, enjoy the rest of your night, and don’t interfere in my love life,” Fezco said with all seriousness but that just made Jules giggle more.
“So, you do love her? I can’t wait to talk to Faye about it! Omg, this is so amazing!”
“Jules!” he actually used her real name which stopped her.
“Okay, okay, mister grumpy. Your secret will die with me, promise,” she said and there was silence for a moment.
“Hey man, do you have the berries?” Elliot asked suddenly and Jules turned to him with interest.
“Berries? That sounds good, something new, Fez?” she asked and Fezco’s head suddenly hurt even more. He didn’t care about this Elliot, but he didn’t want Jules to fall into it. Weed was enough.
“Not ready yet, sorry,” he shrugged and both of them frowned a little.
“Yeah, well it doesn't matter. We are going to hook up now, try to talk to Lexi!” Jules told him and he rolled his eyes.
“Too many details, Jewel.”
“Talk to Lexi!” she told him for the last time and then dragged her boyfriend away. Maybe he could take her advice. Maybe.
*
Fezco was watching them again. He found a perfect spot to spy on them while smoking his weed. It seemed like the only solution to his problems. Alcohol evidently didn’t help at all.
Why was Lexi still talking to him? What was going on? He had no idea that they were friends in the first place. Yeah, obviously Ethan was an actor in her play, but he didn’t think that they were so close.
Ethan was just drinking something and Fezco couldn’t really control himself. He sent a little spell and the boy spilled his drink all over himself.
Fezco giggled a bit but then he felt pathetic. It didn’t help that Lexi was the one who casted a drying spell on Ethan who started to thank her and got even closer to her.
What was he even doing there?
“Man, what are you doing here? You look pathetically sad and shit. Are you alright?” Rue asked him as she appeared right next to him.
“Yeah, I don’t know. I am just tired, I am probably going to bed soon. I’ve already sold everything anyway,” he confessed, and Rue growled.
“Everything? I just wanted some weed, man.”
“I sold you yesterday, you smoke all of that already?” he asked surprised, and Rue shrugged.
“Well, tonight is a long night.”
“Why?”
“Well for once, I was hit during the game if you didn’t notice, and…” she stopped herself and looked at the other side of the room. Fez tried to find the object of her interest but failed. He was too distracted, too much in pain.
“And?”
“Have you seen Cassie?” she asked.
“Yeah, she was buying from me,” he said honestly, and Rue just nodded.
“Well, good for you,” she said a little bit angrily.
“She isn’t with you?” he asked dumbly.
“Obviously not, she is there,” Rue pointed to the table where Cassie and McKay were sitting and talking.
“Huh?” So, Cassie needed something for courage so she could talk to McKay, not Rue. He felt dumb again.
“Do you think she’s getting back together with him?” Rue asked sincerely.
“I…”
“Because I would literally die if she’ll get back together with him. Like I was thinking there was something between us, you know. The feeling when you are talking with this one person, and you are suddenly sure that you don’t want to talk with anyone else anymore. Do you know that feeling?”
“Yeah, I know that feeling,” he said honestly, and his mind immediately jumped to Lexi.
“See? So, what do you think about this?”
“I dunno, man. Try to ask Lexi, she is your detective or whatever, right?” he asked, and Rue’s eyes sparkled immediately.
“Oh, you are right! You are so right! We have to find Lexi!” she exclaimed and took his arm.
“We?”
“Yeah, do you have an idea where she could be?”
“She is in the back part of the common room, on the couch, I think,” he said too quickly but Rue didn’t really care at the moment.
“Let’s go then!”
***
“Lexi Howard! Are you hiding from me?” Rue jumped on the couch and seated herself between Ethan and Lexi. Fezco was pleased with that. He couldn’t really hide the fact that he turned into some kind of jealous monster tonight. But then he was standing before them, not really sure what to do. Lexi smiled at him and made a little space right next to her and he took it immediately.
“I’m not hiding, we were just talking,” Lexi shrugged.Rue looked at her and then at Ethan. Fezco was almost uncomfortably aware of Lexi’s presence. Their legs were almost touching and…
“What is going on? Are you flirting with my best friend, Lewis?” Rue asked and Lexi rolled her eyes. Fez was just confused. Well, they were flirting the whole night, right?
“What? No, are you crazy? I am with Kat and besides Lexi is my best friend, not yours,” Ethan said and Rue gasped.
“This is even worse! How dare you say that? Lexi, who is your best friend?” They both turned to her, and Lexi sighed.
“Well, Bobbi obviously!”
“What? No! I am your best friend, Howard! Say it!” Rue exclaimed and tickled Lexi a little bit. Lexi squeezed and pressed herself more into Fez. Now, he was aware of everything, and he couldn’t even breathe. Lexi wasn’t flirting with this guy, that was such a relief.
“Fine, fine! You are my best friend, stop now, Rue!”
“Okay, Howard, and don’t ever forget that again,” Rue threatened, and Lexi finally realized how close she was to Fez.
“Oh, sorry, Fez,” she said with a small voice, and he just wanted to kiss her right there.
“It’s okay, so what were you discussing here?” he asked, trying to sound like he didn’t really care.
“Uhm, just Kat, she is basically ghosting me,” Ethan sighed in the castle full of ghosts.
“Oh yeah, relationship problems, I know that song,” Rue nodded.
“You aren’t in a relationship…”
“Well, that’s actually the reason why we came to you, Lex. Do you know why Cassie is talking with McKay the whole night?” Rue asked and Lexi looked in that direction.
“Oh, I don’t know, sorry Rue,” she said, and Rue nodded with a sad expression.
“Yeah, I thought so. Will you find out later for me?”
“Sure,” Lexi smiled at her best friend and took her hand. Fez was happy that Rue had someone so amazing in her life.
“So, weed now, Fez?” Rue asked him and he immediately felt uncomfortable. He hated to talk about his business in front of Lexi.
“Ehm, yeah,” he shrugged and passed the joint to Rue who took it immediately.
“Ah, this is the good shit I am talking about, your weed is just the best my dear friend,” Rue praised him, and he hated every moment of it.
“Chill, kid. It’s already free…”
“Do you want to taste, Lewis?” Rue asked, and Ethan took it.
“You are smoking?” Lexi asked him.
“Nah, but I have an anxiety package tonight, I need to relax a bit.”
“Hmm, well I want to try it too then,” Lexi said which really surprised Fez.
“Wait, I’ll prepare you a new one, not so strong,” Fezco jumped into their conversation and Lexi turned to him with genuine surprise.
“You’ll?”
“Of course, it’s your first time, shawty. I don’t want you to have some bad experience with this. Besides who knows what Rue had in her mouth before this,” he said as he started to prepare the joint.
“Hey, man!” Rue exclaimed, offended.
“Molly?”
“Oh, okay…”
“See, well, here you go,” Fez said and put the joint on Lexi’s palm. She started to scrutinize it. Rue turned to talk to Ethan and the two of them were suddenly forgotten. Well, on her defense, she was talking about Cassie’s hair.
“You don’t have to, Lex,” he said, and she looked at him.
“Can you show me how to do it properly?” she asked and handed him the joint back.
“Of course,” he said and pulled it into his mouth, then took two breaths and blew everything out. He felt nervous because she was watching him intensely the whole time.
“Like that,” Fez smiled at her softly and she took the joint. Lexi imitated him but she started to cough and Fezco tried to help her, but he just ended up with his hand on her back. Well, he liked that.
“Not bad for the first time,” he smiled at her again and she nodded. If he really thought about it they were practically kissing now….
“Fez?” she asked nervously.
“Yeah?”
“I need to talk with you about something, in private,” she said, and his hopes jumped right into the sky and above.
“Yeah sure…” his attention was suddenly drawn to the other side of the room.
“Don’t fucking touch me, Nathaniel! You are fucking psychopath!” Maddy yelled and pushed Nate away from her.
“I am not touching you, bitch!” He lifted his hands in the air and suddenly the attention of every student was fixed on them. The music was turned down and everyone was completely quiet. Fez wasn’t really interested in some school drama, this wasn’t really his fight, but Maddy was a good kid, so if she would need help with sorting out Nate, he would happily do it.
“Stop acting like a fucking creep or I am going to talk about the shit I saw…” Maddy smiled sweetly, while Nate clenched his fists.
“You shut the fuck up, Maddy! I am serious!” he hissed at her.
“What are you going to do, Nate? Choke me? Kill me? There aren’t many options anymore, right?” she laughed at him.
“Shut up, shut up, shut up!” Nate yelled at her, but Maddy stepped closer to him, the mischievous grin on her face growing wider by the second.
“Oh, poor little boy, your fucking dad is not going to help you here,” she said as she stepped even closer, their faces almost touching.
“Maddy,” Kat said, rushing to her side, trying to calm her friend down.
“Listen to your bitchy friend and just shut up.”
“No, Nate, I won’t let you threaten me anymore. Fucking touch me or Kat once more and I am gonna fucking kill you, I mean it,” she said, and Fez was sure that she wouldn’t need any help with sorting out Nate.
“Fucking insane bitch, I am…” Nate’s stupid speech was interrupted by sound of someone screaming. All eyes shifted to the left side of the room right next to the stairs where Troy McKay just landed harshly on the ground.
“Look at her once more and I am going to kill you!” Ashtray said calmly as he walked down the stairs, facing the frightened Troy, laying on the ground.
“I did nothing, please, I did nothing, Ash,” the Slytherin boy pleaded but Ashtray just shook his head and then attacked him again. Fuck, this was Fezco’s fight. He stood up and rushed to his brother’s side.
“Ash, calm the fuck down!” Fez yelled at his brother, but that didn’t stop him from punching Troy once more, so Fezco had to interfere. He grabbed his shoulder and pulled him from the trembling boy.
“Fucking let go of me, Fezco! I am going to beat this mutherfucker!” Ash yelled and tried to free himself.
“Ashtray, calm down, he is beaten up already,” Fez sighed and watched as the other Mckays came to them. This won’t end well.
“What the fuck is going on here?” McKay senior asked as Roy helped his twin to stand up.
“I dunno man, but we can definitely sort it out calmly,” Fez tried, and Ash wasn’t fighting anymore. Fucking finally. This kid will be the end of him.
“What the fuck you want to sort out calmly? Your fucking brother just completely beat up my brother, I won’t just stand here, Fezco!” McKay hissed.
“Well, we don't know what this is about, Ash?”
“I won’t talk about it in front of the whole school, fucking playboy knows what it was about. He deserved way worse, right Troy?” Ash asked,sending daggers with his eyes right into his skull.
„Yeah exactly, sorry Ash,” Troy said and looked down sheepishly.
“What the fuck, Troy. I want to know what the fuck is going on!” McKay turned to his brother who just shrugged.
“Hey man, just calm down. They are okay and we won’t continue in this,” Fez said, trying not to burn himself on the tension around him.
“No, Troy, speak now!” McKay wasn’t going to give up. Cassie was suddenly by his side, and she placed her hand on his shoulder.
“Chris, we all can talk about it somewhere in private, there is no need to make a show.”
“Fuck you Cassandra as if you didn’t say enough tonight,” McKay hissed and then grabbed both of his brothers and walked away with them. Cassie looked ashamed and Fez was fucking confused. What was going on here? He needed to talk with Ash.
“Come on, bro,” he sighed and headed back to the couch where he was sitting before. There wasn’t Ethan anymore and instead of him Gia Bennett was sitting between Rue and Lexi.
“Gia, you okay?” Ash asked and rushed to kneel before her. The young girl nodded.
“I am fine, Ash. You shouldn’t do that, he isn’t worth it,” Gia whispered and Fezco looked at Lexi who was stroking Gia’s hair. She looked at him, just shaking her head. Oh fuck. Fezco had the feeling that he suddenly knew what this whole fight was about. Rue was hugging her sister from the side and she looked frightened.
Gia looked at Ash and sighed again. “Can you tell them what happened?”
“Sure, if it’s what you want?” Ash asked, and Gia nodded again.
“Fucking Troy tried to drug her, I saw him as he dropped some red pill in the drink and then he went upstairs. My grandma would never sell these fucking pills, so I followed him and found him as he wanted Gia to drink it,” Ash explained.
“Why were you in his room?” Rue asked immediately.
“He promised to show me his new broomstick,” Gia whispered ashamedly.
“Bet that it wasn’t the only thing he wanted to show you,” Rue said angrily.
“Rue! Stop it. Gia, you did nothing wrong, you should report it. Dumbledore could expel him,” Lexi said, and Gia shook her head.
“No, everyone would get in trouble because of this party. And besides, nothing happened, Ash saved me,” she said with a fake smile and Lexi sighed.
“You shouldn’t care about anyone else; he deserves to be punished,” Lexi continued but Gia shook her head more firmly.
“It’s okay, Lexi. I just want to go to my room. Ash?” she asked her friend and stood up.
“Should I go with you? I could sleep over?” Rue asked genuinely and also stood up.
“No, Ash will accompany me and then I just want to be alone. I am really okay, Rue.”
“Fine, but I am going to have breakfast with you tomorrow,” Rue said and hugged her sister. Then she kissed her on forehead and watched as they walked away.
“Your brother is a good kid,” Rue said and fell back on the couch. Lexi made a little space next to her again, where he sat down.
“Yeah, I just hope that she’ll be really okay. We should have a talk with Troy,” Fez said, and Rue nodded.
“Definitely, tomorrow. Now I just need more weed,” Rue proclaimed and the three of them stayed on the couch. The conversation was weird at first because all of them still felt the terrible thing that just happened lingering between them, but as the night continued everyone started to enjoy the party again. After another hour, many people were leaving, only fifteen of the students were filling the big dormitory now.
BB hopped on the table and turned off the music with one wave of her wand.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this night is really crazy so far, so we should do something even crazier! Let’s play Spin the bottle with Snape’s Veritaserum!”
***
“We could have just said no if you feel uncomfortable doing this,” Fezco whispered as the two of them were pussyfooting through the Hogwarts’ halls.
“But where would be the fun?” Lexi turned to him and giggled a bit. Lexi and Fez were chosen by the bottle to steal Veritaserum from Snape, so the truth could be more real.
“Have you been drinking?” Fezco asked, a little bit concerned.
“What? No. You think I can only be a fun person when I am drinking, Fezco?” she asked, offended.
“What? No, I didn’t say that, definitely not, you are always a fun person, great person to be around and yeah,” Fez rambled quickly, and Lexi giggled again.
“I am just joking, Cassie is telling me that I should loosen up more,” she shrugged and continued on her way.
“Yeah, it’s fine to just relax a bit but you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
“You are so sweet, Fez! I really think that you are the nicest person here,” she smiled at him.
“Well, I don’t think that many people would agree with you,” he whispered because they were dangerously close to Snape’s room.
“I don’t think that’s true, you are always there, for everyone, Rue, Ash, Jules, obviously Faye and even for me, you always let me talk about the stupidest nonsenses and just you are really great person,” she said so sincerely that he had to believe every word.
“Well…” Fez’s words were interrupted by some sound on the other end of the hall, so Fez quickly pulled both of them into the nearest doors. They found themselves in the small dark closet full of brooms and dust. The only light was coming from under the door, but Fez’s eyes quickly adapted and he was aware of Lexi’s proximity.
“Uff, I think you just saved us,” Lexi breathed out and stepped a bit away from him. Fezco tried to not let his expression change by her sudden distancing.
“Yeah, it was definitely Filch or his stupid cat…”
“I love that cat! And she actually likes me,” Lexi bragged, and he was impressed.
“Mrs. Norris likes you? What the fuck? Then you are the only student she ever liked.”
“Well, I am good with cats,” Lexi shrugged and suddenly the silence surrounded them.
“Fez?” Lexi asked with something in her voice that he couldn’t really classify.
“Yeah?”
“Can I tell you something?”
“Sure.”
“Well, I’m not sure, if I should tell you, maybe it’s not my place to tell you this and I just don’t want to cross any boundaries, but I also think that you should know this and…”
“Lexi, calm down, it’s just me, you can tell me anything,” Fez said calmly and stroked her shoulder.
“But this is just…”
“Lex,” he whispered her name and she nodded. Lexi slowly breathed in and out.
“I saw Faye kissing some guy,” she spilled quickly, and Fez was so confused, like what the fuck he was supposed to do with this information?
“Okay? And?” he asked, confused, and she looked at him with surprise.
“You don’t care?!” she asked, horrified.
“Ehm, no, not really?” Fez said almost in question.
“Really? But she is your girlfriend! You don’t care if she kisses another guy?”
“What?”
“Oh, you are right, I should not interfere in this. Uhm, I don’t hear anything anymore, we should just go,” Lexi said quickly and left the closet. Fezco stayed there for another moment completely confused and then he followed her. What the fuck was happening?
***
“We did it!” Lexi exclaimed and lifted the bottle with Veritaserum. Everyone in the Slytherin common room cheered and they made the circle around the bottle again.
“Great, so Lexi you can spin the bottle first and we can finally start!” said an already drunken BB and Lexi seated herself next to Bobbi and Fez took a place right next to her. It was weird between them now, after the incident in the closet, like Fezco was uncharacteristically silent and he was looking at her all the time.
“Okay,” Lexi said quietly and spined the bottle which stopped on Cassie or Rue, no one could really tell, because Rue had her head on Cassie’s lap and Cassie was stroking her hair. Well, they were friends again, Lexi assumed.
“It’s me!” Cassie said because she knew that Lexi would never give her stupid question or dare.
“Hey, no, it’s me!” Rue objected and the two of them were bickering for a bit.
“Oh, for Merlin’s sake, just shut the fuck up both of you!” Nate groaned and the girls just lifted their middle fingers.
“Well, okay, you can take it Cass, but just because you have so pretty eyes,” Rue said and was looking at the other girl with totally lovey-dovey eyes. Fezco and Lexi exchanged quick glances and then Lexi looked away because Fezco just stared at her. What was going on with him. She really shouldn’t mention Faye kissing that guy. But was that really that big of the deal?
“You cute, Rue Rue. Okay Lexi hit me, so we don’t block the precious time of mister Jacobs here,” Cassie said, Rue giggled, and Nate just scoffed. Cassie drank a bit from the Veritaserum bottle.
“Hmm, have you ever stolen anything from me?”
“Well, yeah.”
“What?”
“Candy, and not just when we were kids, like you are never eating it, so,” Cassie shrugged, and people giggled a bit.
“Boring! We don’t waste such a scarce potion on boring questions!” BB announced and the others just nodded.
The game continued on its own flow. It was boring most of the time, but Bobbi’s question was gold.
“Hmm, Nathaniel, have you ever thought about kissing a guy?”
“What the fuck? I’m not answering that,” he said a little bit too quickly. ,
“Uuuuh, you don’t want to answer! So, another question, have you ever kissed a guy?” Bobbi asked and a few of the students giggled.
“Why are you asking these questions? Isn’t it hella homophobic?” he answered angrily.
“Answer Nate, we can’t waste such a scarce potion!” Maddy exclaimed and he just glared at her.
“I am passing.”
“Boring!” BB yelled and then just went away. Yeah, the game was boring. Lexi started to think about leaving but Bobbi’s funny remarks always made her stay a little bit longer. Fez was still giving her those weird glances.
A few turns later, Cassie answered her question and then spun the bottle which pointed at Fezco. Suddenly interested in the game again, Lexi focused her attention back to Fez, who drank a little bit of Veritaserum, as Cassie smiled sweetly at him. Rue was already asleep, but Cassie didn’t stop caressing her hair.
“So Fezco, Fezco, Fezco. I’ll ask the question that everyone wants to ask you. How serious is your relationship with your girlfriend, Faye?”
“What? I don’t have a girlfriend, why do you all think that? Me and Faye are just friends,” Fez said honestly, making the blood in Lexi’s veins freeze. She felt like the dumbest person ever. And every hope, every feeling she had for him suddenly hit her with all the force.
Fez wasn’t dating Faye. What a wonderful evening it turned out to be!
