She just waltzed in here (waltzed is the wrong word. I mean... Stumbled?) looking all pretty and then I immediately forgot I was supposed to be on a date with Melanie -MELANIE- and now I can't stop looking at her. And that is really,really bad.
I'd told myself I didn't like Tori. She was my friend, practically my cousin, and I don't like her.
So why can't I get her out of my head? Why can't I stop thinking about that day in the coal room?
And why can't I take my eyes off her now?
The boys waited nervously at the bottom of the stairs for the girls to come down. It was awkward. When they did everyone collected their respective dates (except those whose dates were in another house) and we went off to the ball.
Which was when I realised.
Tori was going with Lorcan.
Lorcan.
Lorcan.
As in part-of-my-group-of-closest-friends-who-is-never-supposed-to-do-anything-to-hurt-me Lorcan.
Here. With Tori.
On a 'date.'
--insert mental explosion here--
So here I am, standing by the fricking punch bowl, looking sour and watching them from across the room. I suppose I have no right to be mad. But I still am. And I can't tell anyone! Aarrgh.
I hear someone let out a low whistle behind me. I turn around and see Fred leaning up against the wall, smirking.
"this must be killing you."
I frown.
"what? Why?"
"them." he gestures to Tori and Lorcan.
"together. You cannot say you're happy about it."
"why should I care?"
Fred sends me a look of disbelief.
"seriously? I'm your best mate. I've noticed the way you look at her."
"oh yeah? Well, you're wrong." I splutter out, shaking my head. I don't like Tori. I don't.
"sure. And I don't have red hair. "
With a final knowing smirk, Fred walks off leaving me alone.
Git. What does he know?
I am officially sending him Out if the Misterhood. And Lorcan. They are OUT.
Almost an hour later, Jake Corner has just finished making a spectacle of himself, and almost everyone is bored. Not many people are dancing, and most of the other houses are gone.
Melanie is long gone. I don't think I even spoke to her. Oops.
I spy Rose- Clunky! Over in the corner with the two dweebs and wander over.
"hey Al, Clunky, Scorpius."
They all nod at me, and Rose looks at me, confused. ( its a nickname compromising the words Spunky and Clever. I'm boss.)
"what's up Teddy?"
"not much. Pretty boring right?"
"shouldn't you be drunk by now?"
"what!?"
Al shrugged.
"James said that all sixth years get drunk at parties, otherwise they are really lame."
Hmmm. I'll get James back soon.
They are way to cocky for first years, so I decide to make them squirm before I leave.
"hey Scorpius? I give you permission to marry Rose one day and have her clunky little babies."
They both flush a deep red, and Scorpius squeaks. If ever there was young love, this was it.
I walk away smirking, wondering what to do. I cant leave; not yet, it's far too early. But I feel the need to be involved with other people, otherwise I'll feel like a loser. I grin an idea forming in my head.
"EVERYBODY TRUTH OR DARE!"
Within ten seconds, all the Gryffindors were sitting in a circle at my feet. Some leftover Ravenclaws and Puffles were left standing looking confused, but they soon got the message and left.
I got out my wand, said the incantation and sat down with the others. I surveyed who was with us; Me, Fred, James, Lorcan, Lysander, Tori, Tally, Annie, Dana, McLaggen, Clunky, Al, Scorpius, another girl I didn't know, and some random fifth years. Not bad.
The wand began to spin like a compass as everyone waited with baited breath. It landed on Tally.
"Dare." she said confidently.
The wand spun again, and landed on McLaggen. He looked a little lost and James had to explain that he had to make up a dare for Tally.
"ermm... Lick the.. Um.. Ear? Of the person.. To your right?"
Tally snorted.
"easy."
She leant over to Fred, and stuck her tongue straight in. Fred yelled and backed off, but Tally had done it.
"eww..."
Fred moaned as the rest of us laughed.
It got later and later, we got drunker and drunker, and the dares got wilder and wilder. We lost the firsties, the fifths and the randomer; good thing too because the dares had gotten slightly PG to say the least.
The wand landed on me.
"Dare!" I proclaimed, feeling the alcohol give me giggles.
The wand landed on Tally. She giggled mischievously and thought.
"I dare you to go up to Filch's old office and steal something from there." she says, slurring her words.
Everyone gasps.
I can do this!! I am no longer Lois Lane- no wait. I am no longer Clark Kent, I am Batman, no Spiderman, no-
"Superman!!"
Everyone looks at me and cheers. 'Teddy is superman!' they yell. I yell in triumph and run towards the door.
As soon as I out, I don't feel so fantastic any more. I stumble along, holding onto the wall for support, and trying to remember where I'm going. I reach Filch's office, sneak inside and grab the first thing I see. When I get out, I see it is a very old piece of parchment. Feeling proud of myself, I stumble back to the party. I enter as I see Annie and Fred kissing furiously over the middle of the circle.
"We're playing spin the wand now." says Dana.
"I got something!" I yell to noone in particular, but everyone wants to see.
"read it out!"
I oblige, and unfold the parchment. It appears to be a letter, and I giggle when I realise who from.
"it's from Professor Longbottom!"
There are 'oohs' and 'aahs' from everyone, and more encouragements to move on.
"who is it to?"
"the name has been scratched out."
"read it!"
I read the letter. Suddenly things don't seem great anymore.
"-----
I know it's late. I know you have him. But I want- no need, you to know that I will never stop loving you. What happened- it was bad, and it was my fault. But I can't forget you. All the times we kissed, the times we laughed, the times we cried, the times we said 'I Love You.' they can't be for nothing. I won't let them. Yet I know I have to, because you don't love me anymore, and you never will. It kills me. But I can't not have you in my life. Whatever it takes, whether you love me or not, please talk to me. Please talk to me, as a friend. Because I can't stand it when we don't talk.
Always,
Neville."
The room was shocked into silence. We all looked carefully at Annie, who seemed more shocked than any of us. As I was holding the letter, something else fluttered out. Tori grabbed it before I could.
I saw her scan it and her face went white.
"it's the reply." she whispered.
"read it." said two shaky voices at the same time; that of Annie's and Lysander.
Tori nodded.
"Neville-
I love you too. But it's too late.
Sorry.
Luna Lovegood."
The silence that ensued was deafening. We all seemed sober; there was no trace of the drunk, happy group we were ten minutes ago.
Lorcan and Lysander were paler than I had ever seen them. They both looks stunned into silence, and noone said a word for a long time. Finally, Lorcan spoke.
"My mum. And your dad." he said gesturing at Annie.
She and Lysander nodded faintly. The silence came back.
Several minutes later, Lysander spoke.
"Where does that leave dad? And Mrs. Longbottom?"
Noone answered.
Then Tori posed a question.
"what happened?"
We all looked at her, confused.
"in the letter, it said something happened. What could have happened?"
"I don't know. " the twins said together.
It was James who finally had the courage to say;
"you guys okay?"
The twins took a shaky breath, and began talking in alternate words, which is something they almost never do.
"yeah, we're fine-"
"it's just a shock-"
"to find out-"
"that your mum-"
"and your teacher-"
"had a thing-"
"but now it-"
"kinda makes-"
"sense!"
they finished, looking at each other with elated smiles of realisation, while the rest of us were bewildered.
"how does it make sense?"
"well, I know mum and dad love each other loads, but-"
"it's never quite the same as, for example, James' parents-"
"and sometimes mum cries when we talk about school-"
"and the old days of the war-"
"and when we asked who our godfather was-"
"which we still don't know by the way-"
"and when Neville comes round for dinner-"
"dad gets all bristly and mum, well mum-"
"gets really quiet and starts talking about Nargles and Snorlacks-"
"which Dad says doesn't exist-"
"but Neville always looks at my mum in a wierd way-"
"sort of the way Uncle Harry looks at Auntie Ginny-"
"and now it all makes sense!"
I blinked and tried to digest this information. Suddenly my body remembered it was heavily intoxicated and I felt ill. Tori must have been feeling the effects too, because she promptly bursts into tears.
"what's wrong?" Tally asks, sounding worried.
"it's just so- sad!" tori sobs.
"They loved each other so much! And then" sob " they had to break up and they had all these " sob " feelings and had to move on and that must be so painful" sob " and what if that happens to us? I don't want that to happen to us!" sob " any of us!"
She then became hysterical. It took a while to calm her down, but we managed it.
We looked at our watches and realised it was four in the morning, and decided we should sleep. Instead of risking the stairs up to the dorms, we all laid down and slept where we were.
Tori laid her head on my lap and was asleep within seconds. So was everyone else. I play with her hair and wonder what she is dreaming about.
A/N yeah I don't own anything. I'm a literary hobo.
Please review, if you want to, even if you have reviewed before, because it helps me think of what should happen next. Just type words into the doodaa down there.
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