another gorgeous one by Magic_Phoenix.
“Erm...” He started, before exhaling sharply and looking around, as though trying to ignore the awkward atmosphere.
Whether I liked it or not, it was awkward to be the only person in a room with a boy that -
a) You have never had a proper, alone conversation with before.
b) Is dating the girl you hate with a burning passion.
c) Is actually pretty gorgeous.
d) Is a member of the male species.
Because, you see, when confronted with a member of the male species that is not like a brother to me - like Albus, James or Fred - I go incredibly red, stammer and struggle to make eye contact.
I am so full of win, clearly.
And sure enough, I could feel the steady red flush creeping up my exposed neck.
I looked at my feet determinedly.
“So, do you want to get something to eat?” He asked, trying to break the awkward silence.
“Sure.” I nodded.
Score! I didn't stammer!
I am the epitome of all that is coolness.
... It's quite sad that something like not stammering results in mental celebrations. But hey, some things just come with being Vanessa McIver.
I shuffled towards the table and sat down on the chair opposite Hugo. It was either that or the one
next to him, and I knew which one was
marginally better.
A house elf came scurrying up to me almost immediately. Not bad service, I noted.
They seem to be getting even faster.
“Miss McIver,” they squeaked, “would you like your usual?”
“Please.” I nodded. “Oh! And some cookies for Lily, if you don’t mind. You know which ones she likes.” I added.
I looked up to see Hugo staring at me with a cocked eyebrow.
“Come here often?” He asked sarcastically.
I blushed but managed to grin anyway (well, it was more of a constipated
grimace than anything else, but I'm trying) and nodded slightly. I’m sure I just ended up looking like I either had a spasm or I had pulled a muscle in my neck.
Great.
We sat in not too uncomfortable silence for another minute before the elves came hurrying back, carrying a large plate of pumpkin pies covered in lashings of whipped cream and small, sliced up strawberries, as well as a steaming mug of warm pumpkin juice.
Say what you want, warm pumpkin juice is yummy.
I stared for a moment when I realised that they had put two glasses on the tray this time. I stared in surprise. I noticed Hugo was doing the same.
“Y-You like warm pumpkin juice?” I asked incredulously.
“Yeah.” He grinned. “Do you?”
“Y-Yeah, it’s my favourite. You’re the first person I’ve met that likes it. Lily says it tastes like sick in a cup.” I said back in surprise. Wow,
smooth. Talk about
sick in a conversation with Hugo Weasley, that's the way to do it. Honestly.
But mostly I was shocked, because it seems that I have something in common with Hugo Weasley.
But more importantly,
I just had a whole conversation with a member of the male species and only stammered twice! I believe this calls for more mental celebrations.
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
Oblivious to my internal partying, he picked up his glass and sipped from it lightly, smiling as the delicious liquid hit his taste buds. I immediately picked up my own glass.
I drank, and enjoyed the warm explosion of flavour on my expectant tongue.
Yummage.
“So,” He said, “You come here and eat cake a lot?” He asked.
I nodded, blushing, and pushed the plate towards him slightly. The elves had brought twice as much as usual.
“W-Want one?” I asked nervously.
“Sure.” He replied, and picked up the largest one.
Greedy. I wanted that one.
How come he could have a conversation with me perfectly coolly and calmly when I turn into a nervous pile of mush around any type of boy kind?
I am pathetic.
I always knew it, but it’s now official.
I needed something to do, so I pulled the little pastry lid off my pumpkin pasty and took a large bite out of the edge. I smiled, and then used my finger to scoop up some of the fluffy whipped cream.
Mmm. I love cream.
I '
mmmmed' audibly, and then shovelled the rest of the top half of my cake into my gob at once, rendering myself unable to speak.
I looked up to see Hugo staring at me with raised eyebrows. I blushed and grinned, which resulted in me spraying him with a large amount of dry crumbs. He snorted and brushed himself off in a mocking manner.
I rolled my eyes, but grinned anyway. I'm sure he got a lovely glimpse of the half digested pasty molded to my teeth.
I then noticed he had only taken one bite of his cake. I felt mortified.
I tried to chew quickly to cover up the fact that I was an absolute pig when I ate, but he smirked at me regardless and I flushed a fuming crimson.
How attractive. I’m sure it is now considered incredibly sexy to strongly resemble a tomato.
I wanted to say something to wipe the irritating smirk off of his face, but my mind was completely blank, and my mouth was glued together with half digested pumpkin chunks.
I swallowed hard, sure I was going to suffer serious indigestion later for this, and used some pumpkin juice to wash the mush down with.
I cleared my throat and tried desperately to think of something interesting and witty to say.
I got nothing.
And I mean
nothing.
Not even something useless that would make me seem crazy and mentally unstable.
My mind was completely blank.
I whistled and raised my eyebrows, looking at him hopefully as though he may suddenly come up with a conversation starter.
The awkwardness was mounting by the second, and I think he noticed it too.
I didn’t know
why it was so awkward though.
Sure, I was always uncomfortable around boys, and I didn’t really know Hugo very well - other than spending half of the summer with his family every year - but why was he also seemingly affected by the current lack of conversation?
“S-so, Quidditch?” I asked timidly.
He looked up, relief plain to read on his face, and I quickly used this time to take a bite out of the bottom half of my pasty.
“Well, you’ll know I love Quidditch, I’m on the Gryffindor team. Do you like it?” He asked.
“Erm,” I said thickly, quickly trying to empty my mouth of cake, “I watch the matches when they’re on, and I love it when Gryffindor are playing, but I’m hopeless on a broomstick and I don’t really get all the rules and stuff.” I admitted.
“What do you mean; you’re hopeless on a broomstick?” He asked, looking confused. “How can you just not fly a broom, it’s simple!”
“For you, yeah. Loads of your family were on the old Quidditch teams, it’s in your blood. None of my family has been, and I
kinda, sorta, have a
bit of a fear of heights.” I blushed.
“You have a fear of heights?” He said, making the statement sound like a question.
“Yeah. When I was younger I got stuck on the top of a climbing frame, and my parents couldn’t get up to help me down, so I was stuck there until the fire brigade arrived to get me down with a crane. It was one of the most scarring things that has ever happened to me, which is stupid because it was just me being an impressionable and reckless four year old, but ever since then, whenever I get high enough to think I’m back on the climbing frame I seize up and can’t move properly.” I said, wincing as I relived it.
Hugo let out a low whistle and leaned back in his chair.
“I can’t imagine my life if I wasn’t able to fly a broom.” He said, looking shocked.
I grinned, and rolled my eyes.
“I get by.” I smiled, and he chuckled.
Oh my flipping Merlin.
I am having a semi-decent conversation with Hugo Weasley and I have not stuttered in the past two and a quarter minutes.
I am so fucking incredible I am surprised the rest of you don’t run screaming when I enter the room.
Ha. I should be so lucky.
“So, did you ever think of doing that whole ‘conquer your fears’ thing, and learning to fly?” He asked, still looking flabbergasted.
I
love that word.
Flabbergasted.
“Not really, I don’t care about it that much. I would only ever need to learn to play Quidditch if I was on the team, and that will never happen, so I’ll just stick to watching the matches and avoiding heights.” I shrugged. He shook his head.
“Wow.” He said. “I’m surprised our Lils didn’t make you learn how to fly. We won’t let her play with us, ‘cause she’s a girl, and the rest of the girls in our family don’t like to get dirty, or get their hair all messed up, so she has no one to play with.”
“She did try once. Then she saw how scared I got, and never tried to make me again.” I said quietly.
I hadn’t wanted to tell him this. I didn’t really want him to know how pathetically catatonic I got in the face of heights.
“Geez.” He muttered.
I snorted and picked up a second pumpkin pasty; separating the lid from the pumpkin-bowl bit and placing the top back down on the plate. I took a small bite out the bottom half and chewed happily.
I obviously preferred eating alone, as it was much more relaxing and peaceful, but it wasn’t too awful, eating with Hugo.
After the long conversation we just had, the silence that surrounded us was no longer uncomfortable, merely restful.
I chewed again and again, and took more and more small bites.
Hugo mirrored my actions on the other side of the table.
When the clock in the corner chimed, I realised that it was about time that I got back to the Common Room. I stood up, and to my great surprise Hugo did the same.
I blushed and pointed feebly towards the door.
“I was just going to go back.” I muttered.
“Me too.” He said quietly. “We might as well go together, then.”
I bristled slightly at the unwilling tone to his voice. Was I really that awful, he didn’t want to even walk for a couple of minutes with me?
That was a little bit upsetting.
He used the back of his legs to shove the chair out, and the legs made a horrible screeching noise against the gleaming white tiles.
I winced and he grinned at the expression on my face.
He turned and sauntered towards the door, which looked perfectly normal from this side of the wall, and then turned his head slightly when he reached it.
Well that was chivalrous. He seemed to be waiting for me to catch up with him.
When I reached him he pushed the door open and stood back to let me go first.
Wow, I guess he was more respectful than I ever imagined. He was acting like a right little gentleman.
I told him this.
He flipped me the bird.
I snorted and he gave me a light shove on the shoulder.
I clapped a hand to my mouth and pretended to stalk away with mock offendedness(pretty sure that isn't a real word).
He grabbed my arm and pulled me backwards, laughing. He actually had quite a nice laugh.
“Aww, I didn’t mean it.” He chuckled, knowing I wasn’t honestly offended.
I realised now how odd this was. I was messing around and laughing around with Hugo Weasley as though he was my friend.
Strange.
Very strange.
“Hmm... maybe I’ll consider forgiving you.” I grinned.
“Ah yes,” he said dryly, “I will not be able to sleep until I know that you have properly forgiven me.”
He fell to his knees and looked up at me through his eyelashes, widening his eyes so that they looked larger than saucers.
Bloody hell, how had I not noticed before that this kid is absolutley
gorgeous?
I swayed slightly on the spot and blinked rapidly.
“G-g-get up, you look s-silly.” I stuttered.
He grinned and used my arm to pull himself up from the floor. He staggered slightly and crashed into the wall behind him.
He made a dull thunking sound with the back of his head.
I winced. “That looked like it hurt. “ I grinned.
“Didn’t hurt.” He said gruffly, ruffling his hair. I think I just swooned.
Bloodyhellbloodyhellbloodyhell.
This cannot be happening to me. I must be drunk on pumpkin juice. Yes, that will be it.
I grinned. “Sure.” I shot back. He pouted.
“Very manly.” I said with a smirk.
He clouted me lightly on the shoulder and I elbowed him lightly in the ribs.
His mouth fell open jokingly.
I laughed, and he stomped his foot indignantly. I roared with laughter at this.
“Well then!” He said, and without any warning he scooped me up, tossed me over his shoulder and began to spin around so fast the walls all blurred into each other.
Okay, now I felt a little bit sick.
Rephrase: A lot sick.
Rephrase: I am going to throw up!
And then I heard a shrill shriek and the spinning came to an abrupt halt. I groaned and tried to look around to see what was going on.
Nope, not going to work, Hugo’s head was in the way.
“How
dare you!?” The voice shrieked, and I winced at the ridiculous decibel.
And I turned slightly cold. I recognised that voice. Oh god, I recognised that voice.
This was
not good.
It was after curfew, she shouldn’t be in the corridors anyway!
God, the psycho-bint probably went looking for Hugo when he didn’t come back to the Common Room straight away.
What a psychopath.
“How
fucking dare you?!” She roared, the high note still piercing my ears.
God, Ariadne had the most ridiculously nasal voice I had ever heard in my life. It sounded like she was constantly pinching her nose. And was squealing at the same time. Like a retarded baby piglet.
“I am going to fucking pummel you to a pulp for cheating on me, you
fucking rat bastard!” She screamed.
And before I knew it, I was in a heap on the floor. Hugo had very unceremoniously dumped me on the ground and was now walking briskly to where Ariadne stood, her face contorted in anger and shaking with fury in her six inch heels.
Merlin, that girl is a tart.
“Ariadne,” he said quietly, “I have not been cheating on you. I’ve never even spoken to Vanessa before; she’s just the best friend of my cousin. We just met in the kitchens; we were both getting something to eat.”
My mouth dropped indignantly.
She’s just the best friend of my cousin.
Bloody charming.
The bloke was exactly what I thought he was.
A flirt and a shallow bastard.
The way he was still trying to stay with Ariadne after the way she was screaming at him showed me what a spineless git he was.
“Fine.” She said, her anger still obvious in her voice.
“Now you!” She spat at me venomously. “How do you have the
fucking nerve to try and get with
my boyfriend?”
“Why on earth would I want to get with your boyfriend?” I asked scathingly, making sure to avoid Hugo's eyes and stare straight at Ariadne's mascara. “He is a
flirt, shallow and to be perfectly honest, just a generally
spineless git.”
Yes, I did just repeat the mental list that I just made. I didn't come up with it for kicks and giggles. I glanced sideways quickly and had to try very hard to ignore the incredibly hurt look in Hugo’s eyes, as they stared reproachfully at me.
“But Ariadne, I
do apologise if it is now a serious offence to be civil to someone that I met in the kitchens.” I finished, flicking my gaze back to the bint.
I swear she grew a foot in anger.
“YOU DON’T HAVE TO RIGHT TO BE CIVIL TO MY BOYFRIEND!” She screamed, her voice so loud that I swear a couple of tiles fell off the ceiling.
And at that moment I caught sight of the expression on her face, and look of terror and warning on Hugo’s.
So I did what any true Gryffindor would do.
I ran for my fucking life.
Screaming.
-x-
I kicked open the door to the fourth year girls dormitories. Six very surprised girls looked up from getting themselves ready for bed. I waved a hand at them from my current position.
(By the way, this position is curled up in the foetal position, my arms wrapped around my legs and turning purple from lack of oxygen. I am so fit.)
“Sorry, g-g-g-g-guys.” I panted.
They stared at me like I was a hippogriff with six heads.
Three of the girls staring at me looked utterly terrified, and the other three were rolling their eyes and clutching their stomachs as they laughed.
“What you do to piss off Ariadne now?” Roxanne Weasley asked.
“Talked. To. Hugo.” I said, still panting.
“Oh, you didn’t!” Shrieked Molly Weasley.
“You must have known she would go mad!” Lucy Weasley cried, throwing her hand to her head at my stupidity.
“To. Be. Perfectly. Honest. I. Didn’t. Think. She. Would. See. Us.” I said between breaths.
I
really need to start exercising more.
The three of them rolled their eyes and chuckled, along with the other three in the dorm. They only had to hear the name 'Ariadne' to understand why a stranger would run into their room screaming.
“Do you mind if I sleep here tonight?” I asked, when my breathing had regulated. “I’ll sleep on the floor; I just really don’t want to go back to my dormitory tonight.”
“Sure.” Roxanne laughed.
I thanked them and pulled the spare blanket out of the airing cupboard, tossing it on the floor with a large fluffy pillow I had found.
I pulled the elastic band out of my hair and let it spring across the room, laughing when it hit a surprised Lucy in the face.
She chuckled and rolled her eyes.
I
love these girls!
I lay down on the floor and pulled the blanket over my legs, wiggling to try and get myself comfortable. Because believe it or not, it was
not comfortable to be sleeping on a wooden floor with nothing more than a blanket in the middle of October.
I opened my eyes when I tossed onto my side a minute later, to see a very bemused looking Roxanne staring at me.
“Do you want to do top and tail in my bed, Van?” She asked, raising her eyebrows.
I nodded quickly and bounded onto the end of her mattress. She chuckled and moved over on the pillow to clear space for my feet. I did the same for her feet.
I slept very comfortably that night. Roxanne Weasley is definitely one of the better people to share a bed with if you ever got stuck in a very awkward situation where you needed to double up in the sleeping quarters.
Okay, I’m rambling.
-x-
When the morning of the next day dawned bright and early, I was awoken by Molly hitting me over the head with her very
heavy pillow.
What is wrong with my life?
I spluttered and rolled out of the bed, hitting the floor at a very uncomfortable angle and trapping my arm beneath myself. And it fucking hurt.
“You might want to get back to your dorm before Lily wakes up and finds out you didn’t go back last night, and you have to explain everything to her.” Molly said, smiling at me.
“Sure. Thanks for the wake up.” I grinned, and gave her a rough one armed hug.
I gave Roxanne a quick peck on the cheek as I went to leave, and waved to Lucy, who was pulling on a dressing gown.
I snuck into the room and quietly slid into my bed, ruffling the duvet and moving the pillow to an odd angle, to make it look slept in. I would just tell Lily I fell asleep in my clothes.
I closed my eyes and fell into a light doze.
I was awoken for the second time this morning by a pillow hitting me in the face. Lily’s wasn’t as heavy as Molly’s.
“Where are my cookies, bitch?” She asked, smirking.
And I knew from the expression on her face that she already knew what had happened.
Shoot.
“What’d Ariadne tell you?” I asked warily.
“That she caught you and Hugo all over each other last night and when she tried to break you up, you slapped her and stormed off down the corridor.” Lily grinned.
I groaned, and slapped my pillow over my face.
“What really happened?” She asked.
“I went into the kitchens and Hugo was there.” I said. “When we had eaten we were walking up to Gryffindor tower when Ariadne ran up to us and started screaming that he was cheating on her, and I ran off.”
Okay, so maybe I left out the whole lifting and spinning thing, but you get the rough gist!
“I knew it would be something like that.” Lily muttered to me, for the other girls were starting to wake up. “But I always thought you didn’t like Hugo very much.” She admitted.
“It’s not that I didn’t
like him. I don’t like him
now, but before I just never had an opinion on him.” I explained.
“Why don’t you like him now?” Lily asked curiously.
“You should have seen how blatantly dismissive he was of me when I was standing
right there just because Ariadne was watching.” I said. “It’s hard to explain, but I just don’t like him, he’s not the sort of person that I like to associate myself with.”
Lily shrugged.
And at that moment someone stomped to a halt at the side of my bed. I didn’t even bother to look up.
“What do you want Ariadne?” I asked wearily.
“You stay away from my boyfriend.” She hissed. “Or I swear to Merlin I will make your life not worth living. He is
mine, so
back off.”
“Right.” I deadpanned. “I’ll remember that if I ever suffer brain damage and decide that I want to put myself through the torture of talking to him again.”
Ariadne raised her eyebrows and took a step back, sticking her arse out and folding her arms.
I had forgotten that talking to Hugo wasn’t actually that bad.
“Don’t you
dare talk about my boyfriend...” She began, but Lily interrupted.
“Shut up.” She said simply. “Go
fuck off and snog my cousin or mess with your hair or whatever other useless
shit you fill your life with, but leave Van alone, she hasn’t done anything.”
I shot her an appreciative grin, but then stood up so I was standing in front of Ariadne, about an inch away from her face.
Without her heels on, she was actually pretty tiny.
She stared up at me, looking a cross between angry and affronted.
Merlin, has this girl ever smiled?
“Stay away from him.” She hissed, and then she stalked away, tossing her hair in my face as she went.
No problem, I thought to myself.
disclaimer: none of this belongs to me, and I own nothing you recognise.
so what did you think of chapter two? it was a little odd, i know, but do you have any thoughts on hugo? i'd love to hear them.
a/n: edited as of 09/04/2012.
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