"Won't you look at that interesting sight," commented Black from the side as he watched Gryffindors precious badge eat lunch with none other than Zabini.
"Did we miss something? And why is Cissney so calm about it?" Asked Pettigrew although he didn't seem like he was as offended as Black.
But probably the one that felt the most confused was James Potter. He pouted for the whole time they ate and gave a huge sigh when he witnessed Ophelia laugh at something Zabini said. It was rather loud which made him drop his head on the table.
"You are taking this a bit too seriously. Ophelia can have other friends than us." Remus came with the calm and logical explanation.
"Nooo, she shouldn't. She is our badge not theirs." He said and threw the Slytherins a nasty look. "What if I suddenly go and tell jokes to Snape? Wouldn't that make you mad?"
"No."
"That will never happen."
"Very unlikely."
These were the answers that should have made Potter quite proud of his friends' loyalty and knowledge of their four-eyed classmate. But James scoffed and rolled his eyes.
"Potter is ready to cut me in pieces." Zabini said as he glanced for a moment at the Gryffindors. Then he looked at Ophelia's face and could see how that was possibly her intention. "Why did you ask me to eat with you? To piss him off or to draw Evan's attention?"
"Both." She answered truthfully. "Rosier is a pain in the ass but I'd prefer it to be mine and mine alone. My friends don't have to suffer."
"Did he really ask you to go with him to the Juicy Halloween?" Zabini asked still stunned by the way Rosier was trying to corner Ophelia. If violence was not good enough, he was leveling up his game with psychological schemes.
"He did and I refused him. I'm not an idiot, I wouldn't go to a party where I'd have to accompany the person that wants to dissect me."
"What did you tell him?"
Ophelia looked to the side and thought if she should say it or not.
"That I already have a date." She mumbled. Seeing Zabini's reaction she couldn't help but start stuttering. "A-at that p-point in time it felt relevant!"
"And who are you planning to drag into your trouble?"
She pointed at him with no shame. Zabini laughed, drawing another glare from Potter.
"I already have a date. Better luck next time." He said and grabbed his books before he winked at her and left.
Ophelia really wished Rabastan was at Hogwarts.
The Lestrange Household was cold on a daily basis but ever since the Dark Lord has started to visit them it felt as if Rabastan wasn't living there but was merely a guest. The happiest of them all was Rodolphus, especially because Voldemort was incredibly picky and yet the older Lestrange brother was always chosen to accompany him. Rabastan wasn't jealous, not anymore, but not the same could be said about their father, Aeron Lestrange. As of last week, he has been on hiatus, spending most of his days in his study with either Mr. Malfoy or Mr. Littlewood, planning over a drink how they could draw even more pure bloods and even half bloods to their side.
"Ah, Rabastan, I wish I could be as lazy as you but there is so much to do," started his brother as he sat on the armchair. Rabastan was always there, looking at the sizzling fire in the chimney and thinking about his status in society.
"Good for you, brother," was his short answer.
"What about you?"
"I'm coping..." he answered rolling his eyes.
"You know what I mean." It sounded so much like a mix of a threat and a brotherly advice, which pretty much explained their relationship.
Rabastan sighed and reached out for his glass of scotch. He quite liked muggle alcohol and the bitter aftermath of a good spicy drink.
"Father has been visiting Rosier for the past few months. He has plans for you." Rodolphus continued in a matter-of-fact tone, "He wants Lucius to organize a small gathering at his house on Christmas."
"I told him already I don't want to marry anyone, why is he even dragging Lucius into this? It's a family issue not a pureblood business." As soon as he said that he looked at his brother, whose marriage was exactly that: a deal between two families. "You don't even know what your wife is doing,"
"That doesn't concern me. As long as she doesn't disturb the family honor, she can do whatever she wants." Rodolphus replied, also taking the scotch bottle to pour himself a glass. "Marriage wasn't in my plan either and I wouldn't have chosen Bella if it was and yet here I am,"
The two brothers were sitting across each other and yet both were staring at the fire with their own thoughts. They really didn't look alike and their interests were very different but the one thing they both cared about was family. No matter how fucked up the Lestrange household was, it was family.
"You should prepare yourself, Rab. Lord Voldemort won't accept your relationship with his daughter forever." Rodolphus started in a quite, softer tone.
"Why not? I am a noble pureblood, aren't I? I am a perfect suitor for the daughter of his Highness,"
Rodolphus shook his head but couldn't help chuckle bemusedly at his brother's innocence. He clearly liked Ophelia more than he wanted to admit and wasn't willing to give her up so easily. Ophelia was just as stubborn which was making everything even more complicated.
Finding a date for the Juicy Halloween (idiotic name they came up with, really) proved to be harder than Ophelia imagined. All the people she trusted were either already taken (almost everyone she asked) or not going at all (Severus). Rosier knew that as well because he wouldn't stop staring smugly at her every time they'd meet in the halls.
"How can it be so hard to find someone willing to come with me to the party?" she asked feeling insecure about her looks, "Am I not pretty? Should I dress differently? Maybe I should wear dresses more often but I hate feeling cold around my legs." She went on and on and Severus blocked her out. He really couldn't care less about her dating life, especially knowing she did have a boyfriend already even if he wasn't a student anymore.
"Why don't you just not go?"
"Because that would mean Rosier wins and I don't want that. I hate losing."
Severus rolled his eyes again. She was so much like her father in some aspects that it was worrying. What if she was going to be just like him after graduation? What if she was going to change her name into Queen of Darkness or Mistress of Evil or something? Severus laughed out loud at his own ideas. One look at Ophelia and he was sure she would never reach that level of self-absorption.
"What's funny?" she asked seeing how he was not paying attention, "Should I check myself?"
"Why don't you ask one of your housemates? Or even better, Goldstein." Severus replied knowing the golden haired Ravenclaw had a crush on her. Everybody knew, it was hard to miss.
"Frank is going with Alice and Remus is not going even if I really, really tried to convince him. He said he has better things to do and I believe him. I wouldn't have gone if it wasn't for Rosier." She stopped speaking and surveyed the Great Hall. Seeing how there were very few Ravenclaws, she decided to go on with what she wanted to say, "I truly respect Timothy but I can't go with him when I know he expects more than just a friendly shake of hand."
"Why don't you ask another Gryffindor then? Go with Potter, for example,"Severus meant that as a joke, he even started to chuckle at the idea but she didn't seem amused.
"Maybe I should...Desperate times do ask for desperate measures."
"What do you mean she asked you to go with her to the party but not me?"
James Potter was growing more and more annoyed with his favourite badge. They were on the Quidditch pitch, all four of them, but only Potter was flying. Peter was on the ground, copying his homework from Remus and Black was leaning against the wall.
"Seriously James, your jealousy is scary. You're a changed man." Remus said playfully seeing how Potter's annoyance only amplified. "Why don't you ask her then? I'm sure she'll say yes."
But Potter blushed and shook his head feverously.
"I already have a date and believe me, it needed a great amount of persuasion."
"You asked Lily?" Black asked with a smug smirk. James' expression was enough for an answer. Good for you mate!"
"Why don't you do it, Sirius? Even Peter's going with that Hufflepuff, Marianne or something."
"Mary-Anne," was Peter's blushing commentary.
"She's not going to accept. We're not exactly best friends and there's...other stuff too." Sirius said thinking mostly about Ophelia's intriguing relationship with Malfoy and Lestrange. But then again, that may not be such a bad idea. He could even get some answers from her, if only he could...no. That as bad, he knew it was a bad idea but still...
And so, when Halloween came about, students seemed to enjoy their lessons a lot more than normally. It was Friday so they could easily get drunk and pass out because there were no classes the next day. Sirius did shake hands with the Ravenclaw he mentioned before in the library and at midnight he was expected to take his goods. But it was a two way transaction so he also had to deliver what he promised to Goldstein, the intermediary in this business of theirs.
But until then, he had to wait for his best friend to get dressed.
"James, I'm really losing my patience here. Are you a girl or what?! It's only Halloween!"
Remus was laughing on his spot on the couch. He preferred to stay in and read, particularly because most of his colleagues were out. Just the thought that he was about to have the common room for himself made him feel warm.
"Shut up, Black. I can hear you all the way into the hallway," mumbled Ophelia as she just got in. She wasn't dressed for a party and her expression was one of a lost puppy. She's been looking thoroughly disappointed ever since she found out that Potter was also unavailable for tonight.
"Excuse me, a humble peasant, for creating discomfort to your Majesty's ears." the dark haired boy said sarcastically, making her glare at him. "Aren't you coming too?"
"I don't have a date, in case you forgot. And I don't want to see Rosier's smug face." She said and sat next to Remus. Sirius fumbled with something he had in his pocket, biting his lips in anticipation. It wasn't hard to find/steal a phial of Amortentia in the cupboards of the Potions classroom but he couldn't help feel a bit guilty. He was giving his friend for a case of fire whiskies...damn it sounded even worse than when he made the deal.
The plan was that Goldstein was to await Ophelia in front of the Fat Lady. Sirius was going to come out with her, tell her that she looks a bit pale and take a shot of ale together before going out. the first person she was to meet was Timothy and so she'd 'fall in love' with him. But it could go in so many bad ways.
"I'm here!Let's go party!" Potter came down dressed to impress. Even his hair was neatly pushed to one side. He looked clean and rather handsome.
"I'm impressed, James. I truly am." Hearing Ophelia's compliment, Potter was assured that Lily will also love it. "The girls are already there since they helped Cissney with decorating."
"What did you do?"
"Hid." She answered in a matter-of-fact tone. "Rosier's probably making fun of me as we speak so why bother? I'm just going to stay here and do homework,"
"NO!" Was the answer that echoed throughout the common room. One was Remus, who already made plans and didn't want anybody to break his little alone time. The other was Sirius, for obvious reasons. And the third was Potter's, who did not accept his badge to return to her past self.
"You are coming to the party and that's final, young lady! Come on! Get up and move those tiny legs of yours to the Great Hall or I am going to have Sirius drag you!"
Ophelia raised an eyebrow at Potter's fatherly attitude. It would have been funny if he wasn't so serious about it.
"Fine. I'd like to see Sirius try to drag me out of the common room." She said in the same defiant tone as she used with her father once or twice.
She didn't have to say it twice. The fire whiskies were on the line so Sirius quickly wrapped his hands around her and swept her off her feet, literally. Ophelia squirmed and pushed onto him but Sirius was not a feeble young man. He let her down right in front of the Gryffindor entrance and grabbed the phials from his pockets. One he took from his left pocket of his pants, the one that he gave her and the other he kept for himself.
"Let's just have fun tonight, Molley. One shot of incredibly strong ale and Rosier will become just a blurry memory." Sirius started, eyeing her every movement and twitch.
"Where's mine?" Potter asked with his hand already out to receive his own party-appetizer.
"Shush, James," Black said with a wave towards his friend. Ophelia stared at it for a few long minutes before she finally drunk it empty. Now Sirius only had to get her out and into Goldstein's sight...if only the Fat Lady could move faster!
"I can't believe you only had two phials of strong alcohol..." Potter rambled on about loyalty and friendship and women and yet the Fat Lady wouldn't open.
"What's taking her so long?"
"She's probably missing her portrait again...I heard she does that a lot lately but it never happened to me." James knocked once or twice before he started to shout, "Not the best time, Lady! I have a date waiting for me downstairs!"
Sirius was annoyed and impatient. The phial he found had instruction on it from its maker and it said that whoever drinks it will fall in love with the first man he or she sees. It wasn't just Amortentia, it was a bit stronger and it was supposed to last for 24 hours.
"Sirius, I feel a bit dizzy," He heard her speak and he knew it was very, very bad. He gulped nervously and glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Ophelia was blinking and rubbing her forehead, she gave him the impression that she was fighting against the potion. She suddenly looked up and he froze. Ophelia looked straight at him and she blushed.
"This night is ruined..." He mumbled to himself feeling like nothing could get any worse from here on.
