Lily Potter and the Shadows' Misfortune

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Finally," Hugo said with a groan. "You take forever. You're such a girl."

"Seeing as I am a girl, thank you?" Lily said, raising an eyebrow at her cousin. "I guess you're such a boy then?"

"Why thank you," Hugo said. "I've been waiting for that compliment all morning."

"Your relationship is honestly one of the weirdest things that I have ever seen," Rudy said, looking between Lily and Hugo, who both were laughing. "I'm serious. That wasn't a joke."

"I second that," Eli said. "You two do have a strange relationship."

"It's my cheekiness mixed with her logic that makes for our strange, working relationship," Hugo said as though he had rehearsed it. "It also helps that we're cousins."

"Did you just come up with that?" Lily asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nope, that's the way I've always explained our relationship when anyone's asked," Hugo said, standing up from the sofa. "Now, what are we waiting for? There is food to eat and Quidditch to watch."

"Or play," Eli said, looking Lily's way as the four started out of the common room.

"Can't forget that we're Chasers," Lily said, pointing to her Quidditch jumpers.

Hugo rolled his eyes, "What are Rudy and I then? Chopped liver?"

"Precisely," Eli said, elbowing his best friend.

"I'm hurt. Deeply hurt," Hugo said, putting his hand over his heart. "It really stings."

"You are literally the biggest drama queen that I have ever met, Hugo Weasley," Rudy said. "And that's saying a lot because I went to Muggle primary school."

"Damn Muggles, always being drama queens," Hugo said, shaking his head back and forth. Lily wanted to interject and scold her cousin for swearing, but, as typical of Hugo Weasley, he kept going on and on. "But they've got nothing on Hugo Weasley. No one's got nothing on Hugo Weasley. Not even the Minister for Magic. Sorry, Lil, but Uncle Harry's got nothing on me."

"Don't refer to yourself in the third person," Lily said as she ducked out of the portrait hole. "It's tacky."

"I am not tacky," Hugo said. "That hurt more than the whole chopped liver comment. Hugo Weasley is everything except for tacky and chopped liver."

"I guess that means you're also annoying and diced asparagus," Rudy said.

"All of which are true," Hugo said as the Fat Lady's portrait swung shut behind the group. "I am, in fact, every single vegetable ever grown."

"You're so weird," Lily said, shaking her head at her cousin. "Unadulterated weirdness."

"Lily, I don't even know what unadulterated means," Hugo said, nodding to his cousin with a wide smile.

Lily rolled her eyes, "You're never letting your shtick go, are you?"

"Nope."

The four continued their light chatter on the way down to breakfast, enjoying their time together.

"And that's why I am not redoing my History of Magic essay on Morgan le Fay," Hugo said as the four Gryffindor second years walked into the Great Hall.

"Binns decides to give you a chance to redo a poorly researched essay on an extremely important witch, and you aren't taking the opportunity," Lily said, shaking her head. "I honestly can't believe you sometimes. Why would you say no to that?"

"I'm a busy man," Hugo said with shrug.

"You're busy, Hugo?" a voice from behind the four asked.