LONG STORY SHORT, james potter

𝐭𝐞𝐧.

"Oh," Betty muttered as she looked down at her shoes. She didn't know why he hadn't mentioned it in the library, but, perhaps, her brother was more pressing at that moment.

"I saw that you and your brother left at the end of the year, but I didn't know why and now I guess I do," Kellan muttered uncomfortably.

"Right," Betty muttered. "Well we weren't dating anymore."

"Yeah," Kellan breathed out. "About that ... there's going to be a Gryffindor match this weekend and whether or not they win, your brother and his friends will probably throw a party. Would you come with me ... as friends of course?"

She looked up in surprise at the question, not expecting him to ask her out, even if it was just as friends. But then again, it was her who broke it off. She nodded slightly as she bit the inside of her cheek, turned on her heel and left.

"Bye!" he called after her.

She didn't acknowledge it, still mulling over what had just happened. The more she thought about it, the more she realized there wasn't any bigger part of her life before than Kellan. So maybe, this was good. Maybe he'd help her heal by letting her regress and fantasize, even for a little bit.

She did feel bad though, because didn't this technically count as using him? She didn't want to use anyone, but sometimes she needed the same help that she handed out to everyone else. She wanted a gold star sticker and a kiss on her forehead, even if it was fake.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by a loud bang! and the loud laughter of boys running down a hallway. She internally groaned and turned to walk the other way so she wouldn't have to be forced to 'catch' her brother. She really didn't understand how Potter was still Head Boy despite how despicable his behavior was.

The next corner she turned, she was caught face to face with Severus Snape with bright pink hair. She stood, wide eyed, at his fowl look, but shining hair.

"What?" he snarled. "I know it's pink, Lupin."

"Shove off, Snivellus!" someone called from down the hallway.

Betty turned to see the proud saunter of James Potter — his hair messier than usual and his uniform a little more rumpled — probably due to the mischief that just occurred. Had she not hated his guts, she might've swooned, but, she did hate his guts, so she just rolled her eyes. 

"I can handle myself," she shot back at James. "You look ridiculous, Snape."

"Burn in hell, Lupin," Snape growled.

"Save me a seat then, will you?" she retorted as she stepped to the side, flipped off James and continued down the hallway.

She dreamily walked back to her common room, admiring the vines that stretched over the side of the castle as she thought about her previous interactions.

"I'm back!" Betty announced as she entered the common room.

Aisling swiveled around from her seated position on the couch. Ever since they became sixth years, it meant they could reserve prime real estate in the common room and that real estate was the couch across the from the fire.

"What did he want?" she asked as Betty dropped her bag onto the couch as she sat down next to Aisling.

"He asked me to go to the Gryffindor party together as friends," Betty admitted quietly.