GYMNOPÉDIE

Chapter 35

      The blond raised his pointed finger to touch her cheek and she turned with rosy-tinted skin, "What now, Watson?" she queried back, voice euphonious.

     "Did you get the OWL questions from Alphard?" he inquired right back, grinning devilishly as the blond leaned back to the girl. "You sent a letter to him the other day didn't you—is that it?"

     Gemma's first respond was pressing the palm of her hand against his incredibly close face, pushing him back. "No!" she chuckled silently, shaking her head before spoke, "That's cheating, McKinnon."

      "Come on." Martin rolled his eyes, shrugging, "I was just guessing." he defended as she returned to her notebook. Eyes fixated on the witch, wandering on her side profile. Five years and he never got tired of the witch, he watched her from the shy Irish girl bloomed into sight of sore eyes kind of girl.

"I'm just in a good mood." she began with a soft huff, mumbling inaudibly after that. Hands raised to comb-out between her obsidian hair. "Or you prefer me to vex the hell out of you?"

God, he thought to himself, he could feel his heart rate picked up the slightest. Persephone had been the Elysium's eternal flower for so long and if he had an eternal life to waste just to adore her he would, always will—as long as he wouldn't lose her.

Martin hummed, "No," he denied calmly, turning back to his herbology book. He had tried to undo what infatuation did to him, but feeling was a double sided-knife. The moment he tried to chase the feeling away, it would stab his heart even further. He squinted his eyes then said, "Potter's inviting us to sneak in their common room tonight."

     It had been a routine for the marauders sneaking the two fifth years to the crimson and gold common room. Blame the chaos on the McKinnon siblings, in spite of missing what they called television back at home. The siblings introduced them to monopoly, and needless to say their friendship had never been the same since then.

      James had been a little too ambitious in winning the game. Sirius would repeatedly ask Marlene how did the game work. Peter would be sniggering at the back while the blond siblings running out of breath yelling to the chaotic Gryffindors. Most of the time, Gemma would sit and talk to Remus while Sirius and James fought over paying money.

     The witch turned her head with knitted brows, "They do really love monopoly or what?" she clicked her tongue, grinning widely at him.

    "Nah, it's Lily, she brought uno." stated the blond coolly. Gemma tsk-ed quietly remarking how close Lily had become to the four trouble-makers. The boy put down his quill and raised his hands for stretch. His quidditch biceps poked through his shirt, giving her a side-eye, "So, do you want to go?"

     Out of his speculation, the witch shook her head briskly hand brushing the azure P pinned to her robe with a bitter smile, "I have to do the patrol tonight." informed the girl, he groaned dramatically as he tossed his head back in defiance.

     "Can you just switch your schedule with Levy?" he suggested, mimicking the Merlin's heiress pout as she grinned. "I mean—" Martin paused, hands nudging the pile of books before her, presumably whatever made Gemma so happy had made her doubled her brain capacity. "—You've been such a book nerd. A night to pass the goody two shoe and be you know—"

       "What?" The Irish girl jested, brows raised as she placed her hand on top of her book. Martin held his breath as he met the pair of sapphire.