Distorted Lines ✓ | GREGORY GOYLE

≺ Eight ≽

It had been a few days since what Celia had thought was a minor argument and Katie was still acting weird around her. At first, she'd dismissed Katie's argument, saying that Katie was simply in a bad mood but it had been plaguing her, what Katie had said. Cormac was not in the right in the situation but nor was she. She knew that now but she still couldn't figure out why Katie had been avoiding her, it just didn't make sense.

Cormac did need to be spoken to about how he'd acted, Celia was sure of that. He had been dismissive and rude but she regretted slapping him and what she really needed was to discuss it all with her best friend. Sadly that didn't seem to be an option, Katie had been cutting their conversations short, that is if she even spoke to Katie instead of running away.

Alicia and Celia were just rounding the corner towards the Gryffindor tower when they saw Katie walking towards them. Celia saw her opportunity and seized, grabbing Katie who flinched slightly. Celia hated the look of concern that flashed across Celia's face, Katie was clearly having just as much (perhaps even more) trouble dealing with the slap.

"Katie, please can we talk - "

"I'm so busy right now," Katie replied, hastily, "I have... history of magic homework to do."

"Can we talk though?... Please?" Celia said, her tone calm but her eyes pleading.

"Maybe later, Celia, I am so busy right now..." She looked guiltily down at her feet, "Sorry."

With that, Katie vanished again, leaving the two girls to stare awkwardly after her.

"She'll come around, just give her time," Alicia said, staring at the empty space that Katie had left behind, "She's just processing."

"What does she have to process?" Celia asked, "I'm the one who got attacked by Goyle again, who slapped their oldest friend. I just want to talk to her, she always gives good advise."

"Okay, I may not be Katie who seems to be so wise she belongs in Ravenclaw," Alicia said, "But I can do my best. First lets be logical about it, what are your main problems."

"Too many problems," Celia replied. Alicia rolled her eyes."

"Okay, name the top three," Alicia said, "I'm pretty sure I can guess them but tell me what you think."

"This isn't how Katie does it," Celia grinned slightly.

"Do I look like Katie to you?" Alicia asked, folding her arms, "No. Now list."

"Okay... I guess Katie, Goyle and the fact I took it out on my friend."

"Let's start with Cormac. Celia, be honest, is he still your friend?" Alicia said with a grin, "Arsehole had it coming, if you ask me."

"I don't know if he is... if he'd still want to be. He has a big ego, he won't like that. I wish I hadn't slapped him," Celia said softly, "I think he's ignorant but not malicious. I don't know, I think he genuinely didn't know that he was upsetting."

"Doesn't sound like that good a friend," Alicia said.

"He wasn't... he used to be," Celia admitted, "He used to say that he'd be my knight in shining armour if I got hurt - "

"So you were the damsel in distress whilst he swooped in and saved the day?"

"I mean... yeah," She gave a small laugh, "Although one time, I complained and asked to be the dragon. He got all grumpy about it but agreed and it all went wrong. Long story short, it ended with me setting fire to his trousers. Things never work when I become 'the dragon'. I tried to be brave like a dragon and speak to Goyle and instead it happens again. Maybe I should have just let Cormac deal with it, be the damsel - "

"Nah, that's just dumb," Alicia cut in, "Sorry, Celia, but you're talking rubbish. You be the damn dragon, you spoke to him and you tried to stand up for yourself. I don't like Cormac, I think I've made that abundantly clear. I think the fact you slapped him is hilarious and that you owned it but that doesn't matter really, what I think because you are a damn dragon and even if I forbade you from becoming friends with Cormac again, you'd just sneak off and do it anyway."

"He is my friend," Celia said, stopping in the corridor and slumping against a wall, "I still want to be friends - "

"Horrible decision," Alicia cut in, "Sorry, go on."

"He's my old friend, Al," Celia replied defensively, "I still want to be friends but I don't know if we can. I slapped him because he was being an arsehole and now he's even more annoyed at me. If we became friends again, we'd just be stuck in this vicious cycle of him being an arsehole and me slowly getting angrier and angrier. I just miss how we used to be."

"Sounds like an unhealthy relationship," Alicia replied, standing next to Celia, "In fact it is. if you actually want to be friends with him, you need to have a change in dynamic. He can't be this cocky knight and you can't just be either a damsel or a dragon. That's so outdated anyway, not healthy. I suggest just talk to him about it, if he starts talking crap be completely honest. Don't let him interrupt and let him talk to. Just get it out into the open. Okay? Now onto the next one."

"Alicia, you're good," Celia smiled slightly, "It sounds obvious but I can safely say I wouldn't have come up with it. I was sort of planning to just apologise and... well, that's it."

"Nah, he needs to apologise too," Alicia said, "Okay, onto Katie. Katie is a funny one. She's wise and very compassionate but everything is black and white. You were just the victim before, she understood that. Now you're the victim and you did something that in her eyes was wrong. She's a good person but she's... straightforward, you know that."

"And your surprisingly good advice is?"

"Not sure I like the surprisingly in that but my advice is talk to Cormac."

"Talk to Cormac?" Celia raised her eyebrow at her, "Not talk to Katie?"

"Nope, trust me on this," Alicia said, "She'll only consider talking properly when she sees that you're well... just the victim again. Then you try and reason with her. As for Goyle... I don't know."

"Well, your advice was good at first and worse at the end but still better than I could come up with."

"Better than Katie?"

"... no comment," Celia said with a laugh, "Do you know where I could find Cormac?"

"You're his friend, how would I know?" Alicia smirked, "Oh wait! My advice isn't done yet! You're basically Cormac's only actual friend - "

"He says he has lots of friends!"

"I bet he does but have you ever met any of them?" Celia opened her mouth to defend him but closed it again: Alicia seemed to know Cormac ridiculously well, perhaps better than Celia, "Anyway, lonely people tend to congregate in the common room. Go find him!"

"Okay, okay, I'm going to talk to him and than talk to Katie and then... maybe not Goyle. We'll see," Celia began to dart away before whipping around, "Alicia, where are you going now?"

"The library, I'll try and reason with Katie," Alicia replied, "Good luck, C!"

"Thanks," Celia said with a smile before dashing down the corridor back to her common room.

Although part of her had wished that Alicia was wrong and Cormac had other friends, but Alicia's predictions were confirmed when Celia entered the common room to see Cormac working by the fire. He was at least pretending to work, she could see from the look in his eyes that his mind was a thousand miles. She slowly walked up to the table, clearing her throating which made Cormac look up with a start. For a second, she thought he was going to ignore her and she wasn't exactly sure what she'd do then but Cormac began to speak.

"Are you going to slap me again?" He said in a whiny tone. She sat herself down in the seat opposite him.

"Are you going to be an arsehole again?"

"... I'll try not to be," He looked away nonchalantly, "What do you want?"

"I want to talk about us. Properly talk where we both talk and listen to what the other one has to say. I think it's well overdue," From the look on Cormac's face, Celia was pretty convinced he was going to reject her proposal but he nodded.

"Okay, let's talk."