Potions class always seemed to be never-ending.
This was especially true today since all they had done all class was listen to Slughorn's lecture about the uses of dittany leaves. The only thing that kept Daisy from zoning out was thinking about the upcoming Christmas party for the Slug club.
"For members of this year's Slug club," Slughorn had announced at the beginning of this lesson, which now felt like days ago, "the annual Slug club Christmas party will be taking place this Saturday, or two days from now! Please be sure to wear formal clothing and invite a partner to the event. It will take place from seven to ten."
Daisy, Gwen, Marlee, James, Thomas, and Benjamin had been discussing the event in whispers for the past hour while Slughorn rambled on. It helped that they were sitting at the back of the classroom.
"Who are we supposed to invite?" asked Gwen for the third time. Daisy was struggling with the answer to this question, as well. "It's not like I have an obvious choice."
"Can't we just go together?" Daisy asked. Thomas shook his head.
"I asked," said Thomas. "Slughorn said we shouldn't just bring our friends."
"Why does it matter?" groaned Gwen. Her eyes suddenly lit up. "Ooh, Daisy, what if we pretend we're dating and—"
"Slughorn isn't that dim," chuckled Marlee. Gwen smiled.
"Daisy, will you go with me?" asked James, raising his eyebrows. Daisy shot him a look.
"James, you've asked me this five times in the past hour," said Daisy. "I can't go with you!"
"Why not?" he said, frowning. "I've been wanting to say this for a while, but ... I fancy you!"
"Yeah, we all know, lover boy," said Marlee, rolling her eyes jokingly. James' eyes widened.
"How, I've kept it under wraps so well!"
The six of them burst out laughing. Slughorn stopped talking.
"Anything you'd like to say, Miss Jordan?"
Marlee straightened up and shook her head. Slughorn nodded and continued.
"Anyway, why can't you go with me, my lady?"
"First of all, I don't fancy you, James," said Daisy, smiling. "Second of all, I don't want to get nasty looks from other girls at the party. Third of all, Slughorn loves you and I don't want to draw more attention from him to me. I want to be able to leave the party early and no way can I do that if I'm with you!"
"So ... is that a yes?" he asked. Daisy shoved his shoulder lightly.
"Oh, I know who you should bring, Daisy," said Gwen, perking up. "You should bring that boy ... Greengrass! What was his first name?"
"Miles Greengrass?" said James incredulously, his jaw dropping. Gwen snapped her fingers.
"Right! He definitely has a thing for you. Also, you clearly fancy him. It's so obvious. You literally said he's not bad-looking which basically means you think he's attractive and also, you guys both like nerdy stuff like books or whatever. So—"
"You can't go with Greengrass!" interrupted James. Daisy raised her eyebrows as if to ask "Why not?" James shook his head. "He's so annoying and thinks he's so smart. I could beat him at Quidditch, you know."
"Yeah, and so could Daisy," said Marlee.
"You don't have a say in who I bring, James."
"Daisy, you can't bring him," said Thomas this time, which shocked Daisy. She turned to her brother who looked very firm on his decision. "I know he's a fan of Puddlemere United. He wears their pins. What if he's after the wrong thing?"
"I doubt it," said Daisy. "Everybody loves Puddlemere United. Besides, I don't think he's that type."
Thomas still looked weary. Gwen, on the other hand, looked ecstatic.
"Also, Daisy, I was in the bathroom and I heard some Slytherin girls talking about him," she said, leaning in. The other five leaned in closer, as well. "They all think he's attractive. They said he's super tall, like one hundred eighty-five centimeters, he has really nice hair, and he treats girls really well. They said out of all the Slytherin boys, he's the best one. And out of all of the boys in our year, he's fourth in their ranking list!"
"They have a ranking list?" asked Thomas.
"He's that tall?" gasped Benjamin.
"I have better hair," commented James.
"He does treat girls well, doesn't he?" said Daisy, feeling a blush rising to her cheeks. Thomas rolled his eyes at the sight of it.
"Anyway, you should ask him to the party," said Gwen. "Then maybe, you guys will see a mistletoe and kiss and have your first kiss—"
"OK, OK, stop," said Thomas, who was now looking very uncomfortable. "Forget this whole date thing, Ben, I'm taking you. If Sluggy hates it, the worst thing he can do is kick me out. I mean, that's the best-case scenario."
"Fine," said Gwen. "I'll take ... oh, James, what if we go together so that neither of us has to think of dates! And no girls can glare at me because you're practically my cousin!"
"Alright, sounds like a plan," said James. "If Daisy changes her mind, though, I'll have to ditch you."
"That's not going to happen," assured Gwen. James rolled his eyes. Slughorn clapped his hands, moving their attention back to him.
"Everybody, thank you for your attention, and class is over!" he announced. "For those of you in my Slug club, I'll see you on Saturday evening!"
Everybody began standing up and a sound of zippers and rustling filled the classroom. Daisy looked around and saw Miles packing his backpack a few tables over. He was surrounded by other Slytherin boys and girls.
"Daisy, go ask him now!" said Marlee.
"I can't watch this," said Thomas, and he as well as James and Benjamin hurriedly left the classroom. Many of the students had left by now, leaving Daisy, Marlee, Gwen, Miles, and a handful of other students. Marlee pushed Daisy forward, causing her to yelp. This alerted Miles, who turned around and pushed his sandy brown hair back. His eyes lit up.
"Hey, Daisy," he greeted. Daisy's face felt warm. "You alright?"
"Yeah, thanks," she smiled. "How're you doing?"
"Pretty bad," said Miles, chuckling. "Only 'cause that lecture was so long it made me sick. How about you?"
"Exquisite!" exclaimed Daisy. She mentally cursed herself, thinking 'Who says "Exquisite"?' "Look, you've probably heard about that Christmas thing that Slughorn's throwing, and ... I don't have a date yet."
Miles' eyebrows raised as if he could tell what she was about to ask. Daisy felt very flustered.
"You definitely don't have to if you don't want to, but," said Daisy, beginning to stammer. "Would you ... would you want to go with me?"
Daisy muttered the last part so quickly that Miles furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
"Would I, what?"
"You don't have to if you don't want to," said Daisy quickly, beginning to turn away. "It's alright, I just—"
He grabbed her hand to stop her from walking away and shot her a warm smile.
"Daisy, relax, it's OK," he said. "Just slow down a bit. I can't understand you."
"Right, sorry. Would you like to go to the Christmas party with me?" asked Daisy, much slower and clearer this time. Miles seemed to understand this time.
"Yes, I would," he said, with a soft smile. "Thought you'd never ask."
Daisy smiled, too, her heartbeat slowing down now after the anxiety that she had just endured.
"Great!" she said. "So ... could you pick me up at six fifty on Saturday in front of the Gryffindor common room?"
"'Course, I can. See you then!" he said, shooting her another smile before walking off. She turned around to see that Marlee and Gwen were staring intensely at the scene from across the classroom. She gave them a thumbs-up, and they whooped.
─ ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ─
"So ... I'm guessing he said yes?"
Daisy nodded at her brother as she, Marlee, and Gwen walked into the common room. Daisy had a smile on her face. James groaned. Daisy sat down beside him.
"Stop groaning, James," she told him.
"I would if you went with me," he said, offering a charming grin. She shook her head with a small smile on her face. "Let me know if you change your mind ..."
"Right, so here's the game plan," said Gwen, standing up. Daisy looked away from James to look up at her. "On Saturday evening at six o'clock, Daisy, Marlee, and I will get ready in our dorms. Thomas and Ben, you guys can just leave for the party whenever. James, you'll wait until I'm done and Daisy's date gets here. Then, we'll all go together."
"Sounds simple enough," said James, leaning back. "And what's our plan for sneaking out of the party?"
"Ooh, I have an idea!" said Daisy. "We can distract Slughorn with James and then the rest of us can leave! He won't even notice us."
"Hey, what about me?" said James. Daisy glanced at him, a mischievous look on her face.
"Sometimes you need to sacrifice yourself for the greater good," she said. "And, well, Thomas, Ben, Gwen, and I outnumber you."
"Sounds like a plan!" said Gwen, high-fiving Daisy. James rolled his eyes.
"I've got a better plan," he said. Daisy raised her eyebrows. "Thomas, Ben, and I pour Butterbeer on Greengrass. Slughorn will be so focused on cleaning up the mess and trying to cover it up that we can just sneak out! And an added bonus, Daisy gets a new date: me!"
"Nah, my plan's better," she said, punching James' shoulder.
─ ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ─
"Alright, come out in three!" Gwen yelled.
Gwen was inside the dorm's bathroom while Daisy was inside the closet. Marlee was sitting on her bed. Both Gwen and Daisy had their dresses on and were revealing them to each other in three seconds. Daisy looked at herself in the mirror; she was wearing a pink, ankle-length, sleeveless dress with small pink flowers sprinkled all over it. The dress had a sweetheart necklace and a small pink ribbon.
"Three, two," Gwen counted down, "... one!"
Daisy opened the closet door and walked out into her dorm room. Marlee's eyes widened. Daisy set her eyes on Gwen's dress: it was a short-sleeved purple dress with an empire waistline. Daisy beamed at her.
"Merlin, you look gorgeous!" squealed Daisy.
"You look stunning!" exclaimed Gwen.
Marlee shoved the two of them down into chairs facing the mirror; she had taken on the role of hair and makeup.
"So, we're all escaping after we eat, right?" said Gwen as Marlee began tugging her hair. "Ow, Marlee!"
"Sorry!" said Marlee, but she didn't sound sorry.
"What if Slughorn catches us?" asked Daisy. Gwen shook her head.
"As long as we leave James behind, we'll be fine," she assured her. Daisy frowned.
"We can't just leave James," said Daisy. "I know I said we should, but that was a joke! Plus, what if he actually goes through with his plan of pouring Butterbeer on Miles? He'll never speak to me again."
"James'll find his way out, don't worry," said Marlee, swatting Gwen's face with a brush. She turned to smile at Daisy. "How much do you really fancy Miles? A little? A lot? Less or more than you fancy James?"
"I don't fancy James," said Daisy at once. "It's not like I like him a lot. Honestly, I barely know him. He's just so different from James, you know? Quite the opposite, really. James is so chaotic and brings out like fifty different emotions. I dunno if that makes sense."
"Oh, you mean when James makes you want to punch him in the face but also hug him till he suffocates?" offered Gwen. Daisy snapped her fingers.
"Exactly!" she said. "But Miles is so much calmer and peaceful. You know?"
Marlee tied a fancy ponytail on Gwen's hair and clapped her hands.
"Alright, you're done!" she said. "Daisy, you're next."
Daisy nodded as Gwen admired her reflection in the mirror. Gwen sighed dramatically and Daisy laughed.
"What're you sighing for?"
"I just can't believe I'm going to this thing with James," said Gwen, rolling her eyes. "He's practically my cousin. I really have to get myself a boyfriend."
"What?" said Daisy, feeling very shocked. "You want a boyfriend? Why? Boyfriends are lame."
"I mean it's just a matter of time till I'm the last one, isn't it?" Gwen said. "Marlee's kissed like five guys so far." Marlee chuckled, holding up six fingers as a correction. "Right, six. Daisy, you've got James and everybody knows it's going to happen at some point." Daisy opened her mouth up to argue. "If not James, you've got Miles, who you're literally going to the party with. And, Thomas and Ben clearly have a thing, so—"
"Thomas and Ben have a thing with who?" asked Daisy obliviously. Gwen smiled.
"Each other, of course."
"What are you on about?"
Gwen and Marlee looked at her incredulously.
"Oh, don't tell me you haven't noticed!" said Marlee, putting a clip in Daisy's hair. "Of course, you haven't. You're way too naïve. Haven't you seen how red your brother's face gets whenever Ben flirts with him? Oh, of course, you haven't noticed the relentless flirting. You're hopeless."
"Oh my Merlin, I'm an idiot!" cried Daisy. Thinking about it, it was quite obvious. She had just never expected it.
"Alright, anyways," said Gwen. "I've never even kissed anyone! I'm sixteen!"
"Neither have I," chuckled Daisy. Marlee smirked at her.
"What if that changes tonight?"
Daisy saw herself blush a furious red.
"No, absolutely not!" she exclaimed. "I'm not ready! I haven't even thought about that! I'm only sixteen!"
"We'll see," said Marlee, clapping her hands. "You're done, by the way."
Marlee had curled Daisy's eyelashes up and clipped two strands of her hair back. She looked up at the clock above them and saw that it was six forty-five. She stood up.
"It's time, let's go!" she said. Marlee and Gwen stood up and the three of them walked down to the common room to see that James, Thomas, and Benjamin were sitting in front of the fireplace. The three of them looked up at the sound of them walking down the stairs. Daisy glanced at James' whose eyes had widened. "How do you guys like our dresses? Oh, and the hair that Marlee did."
"Merlin, Daisy, it's beautiful," said James, his eyes glued on her. She smiled, her stomach spinning as he spoke.
"Why are you two still here?" asked Gwen to Thomas and Benjamin. Thomas seemed to be too preoccupied looking Daisy up and down with a stern look on his face, so Benjamin opened his mouth to answer.
"We're going to intimidate Daisy's date," he said. Daisy rolled her eyes at the boy.
"And how're you going to do that?" Daisy asked him. He grinned.
"Glad you asked!" said Benjamin. "Since Thomas is the tallest out of the three of us, he will stand right in front of him and talk in a really deep voice. James and I will stand on both sides of Thomas to make him look even more scary. It'll work."
"Whatever," said Gwen, who didn't seem to be paying attention. "Think he's here now. Let's go."
The six of them waved goodbye to Marlee and began walking towards the portrait hole, Gwen at the front, Daisy right behind, and the three boys at the back. Once they walked out, Daisy saw Miles standing in front of her, an anxious look on his face. Once he spotted Daisy, his eyes lit up.
"Daisy!" he said, his eyes drifting from her smile to her dress to her hair. "You look beautiful tonight. Nice hair."
"Thanks! Marlee did it," said Daisy. She glanced at his black suit and bowtie. "Nice suit. Very fancy."
"Thanks!"
Daisy turned around at the three boys and noticed that they had, indeed gotten into their promised position with Thomas in the middle, James on the right, and Benjamin on the left. She slapped her hand to her forehead. Miles tilted his head, looking slightly confused. Once he had spotted James, his gaze hardened.
"Are they all coming?" he asked Daisy, keeping his eyes on James.
"Why d'you think we're all wearing suits?" snapped Benjamin.
"And we were actually invited by Slughorn, not just as somebody's date," spat James. He and Miles seemed to be having some sort of intense staring contest.
"Sorry I wasn't invited," retorted Miles. "Guess my last name doesn't hold as much weight as yours, Potter."
"Watch it," said Thomas in a voice more serious than Daisy had ever heard. Miles' eyes snapped up to him and for the first time, Daisy saw him falter. She didn't know why—it wasn't like Thomas was going to do anything.
"Knock it off, Thomas," said Daisy, rolling her eyes. "Let's just go." She could barely stand to watch this—she wasn't sure what to call it—stand-off any longer, especially when none of the four boys looked even the slightest bit intimidating.
Daisy was relieved when they finally arrived at Slughorn's classroom. The walk there had been uncomfortable, to say the least. With Gwen trying to make awkward conversation and James, Benjamin, and Thomas glaring harshly at the back of Miles' head, Daisy was longing for Slughorn to take James away and to be able to have some food. Her wish was finally granted when Slughorn spotted them as they walked in and rushed over. She heard James groan.
"Welcome, welcome!" greeted Slughorn heartily. "We'll be having dinner in an hour so for now, mingle around. Oh, James, I have got some people to introduce you to! Come along now, boy."
Slughorn waved James over. James shot them a desperate and pleading look as the rest of them stared back at him helplessly. Daisy saw him mouth the word "TRAITORS" before he disappeared into the crowd.
"Wanna get a drink?" asked Miles, gesturing towards the table with an assortment of cups and plates. Daisy nodded and the two of them made their way over to it. Miles began pouring Butterbeer into two cups. "So ... you've got some protective friends, eh?"
"You could say that," said Daisy, laughing. "They usually aren't like that—especially my brother. Don't be scared or anything, it's not like they're going to do anything."
"I'm not scared," he smiled. Daisy smiled back.
"Good, 'cause that's probably something you're going to have to deal with every time we hang out."
He looked up from the cups, raising his eyebrows.
"So there'll be a next time?" he asked. Daisy was caught off guard by this. She had never been an expert in making friends or any kind of relationship, never mind romantic ones, if that was what this was turning out to be. Part of her felt ready, ready to try things she hadn't before and make new connections with new people outside of her little friend group. Still, another part of her still resonated with that five-year-old girl that had gotten her ribbon stolen at a playground and could never feel safe away from her loved ones.
Besides, she wasn't sure if she was prepared for anything romantic. All the romance that she had ever experienced had been from James, but never had she returned those feelings. But James was familiar; he was someone that Daisy knew wouldn't hurt her. Was she ready to step out of that kind of safety and familiarity? Perhaps she should feel ready, considering she was turning seventeen in three months and had still never had any romantic interests rather than ones that lasted a few weeks at most. But Daisy had always been too naïve, too immature, too scared to form new connections. Plus, she could see James out of the corner of her eye talking to some old wizards.
"We'll have to see," she replied, before taking her Butterbeer from Miles and chugging down half the cup immediately. After she had swallowed and set her cup down on the table, the music changed to a slower tune and she noticed a number of couples entering the dance floor. "Wanna dance?"
"Thought you'd never ask," he said, taking her hand and guiding her to the centre of the room. She looked around: Thomas and Benjamin were standing hand-in-hand, laughing so hard they were shaking; Gwen was a few couples over from Daisy and had her hands on the shoulders of a tall and quite good-looking blonde boy who Daisy assumed was a year older than them; James was just two couples away from Daisy and was standing across a thin woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties.
"I should warn you, I'm a terrible dancer," said Daisy, turning her attention back to her own date. "Like, I don't know any rules or moves or whatever."
"Right, well, I'll try to teach you while we go," offered Miles, sounding amused. "Put your left hand on my shoulder and your right hand in my left hand." Daisy did as told as he put a hand on her waist, making her shiver. "Good! I think I recognize this song. It makes you rotate from person to person until you've danced with everyone and returned to your original partner. When I say so, spin to your left and put your hands on the shoulders of your next partner."
"Sounds easy enough," said Daisy, though she was desperately hoping for an opportunity to escape before the song began. Suddenly, Slughorn clapped and everybody started moving. "What am I supposed to do?"
"I'll spin you," he said, spinning her around, "and dip you." He dipped her back. She had to admit, he was an amazing dancer with the fluidity of a master. He lifted her back up and they spun around once more, stopping as the music slowed. Their eyes met and she saw him look down at her lips. Her heartbeat quickened, but instinctively, she pulled back, her eyes widening. He looked back up at her eyes and let out a nervous laugh. "Daisy, I—oh, shoot, rotate!"
Daisy barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief before she spun around and was met with a familiar face, making her grin widely; it was Benjamin. She placed her hands on his shoulders.
"Benny boy!" she exclaimed. He laughed loudly in joy, putting his hands on her waist, and Daisy felt herself relax—this was the familiarity that she couldn't help but stay in. "Having a nice time?"
"Yeah," he said, spinning her around. "Can't say the same about yourself, huh? Thomas and I were spying on you." Daisy feigned being shocked. "You looked madly awkward."
"What if I told you that I'm just a generally awkward person?" said Daisy. "Good things take time. Maybe you just don't have the patience that it takes, Ben."
"Maybe you just don't have the right boy for this," suggested Benjamin. Daisy shook her head. "Oh, speaking of the right boy, rotate!"
Daisy only had time to shoot him an angry look before spinning around and meeting the eyes of James. Daisy beamed at him, placing a hand on his shoulder at once. He grinned that famous James Potter grin that she knew all too well before taking her right hand in his. As his fingers closed around her hand, she felt as if a crowd of cornish pixies had been released in her stomach.
"How's Greengrass treating you?" he asked, tilting his head. Daisy laughed, shoving him lightly. "Having fun? You know, I'm still up for grabs ..."
"Really, because I saw you with that one lady," said Daisy, referring to the middle-aged witch that she had seen him with. "Not going to lie, Potter, I'm a bit jealous."
"What can I say," said James, shrugging. "I've just got too many contenders. You know you're still my number one, though, my lady." He placed a hand on her waist and pulled her closer. Daisy could feel her blood rush up to her cheeks and she couldn't seem to see anything now but James' bright green eyes. "C'mon, Daisy, don't stand so far from me. You hate me that much?"
"I hate you quite a lot, actually," said Daisy, trying but failing to suppress her smile. The music quickened and he spun her around and dipped her, their faces mere inches apart. Her heartbeat picked up and Daisy could swear she could hear it pounding in her ears. This time, she didn't pull away—this was James, the same James that Daisy had known for nearly her entire life. He lifted her back up and ruffled up his hair.
"I'm quite a good dancer, aren't I?" said James, smirking. Just as Daisy was about to disagree, he said, "Rotate!"
She spun for what felt like the millionth time, this time on someone who she recognized at once, but was in complete disbelief to be looking at. With braided black hair and brown eyes, it was Gwenog Jones, the former Captain, and Beater of the Holyhead Harpies. Growing up with her father, she had learned the names of all the Quidditch teams in the league and their players. Of course, her favourite had to be Puddlemere United, but coming in a close second was the all-females, award-winning Holyhead Harpies. She had always admired the strength and persistence of Gwenog Jones as well as her talent. The fact that she was standing right in front of Daisy felt unreal.
"Oh my Merlin, you're Gwenog Jones!" exclaimed Daisy, her jaw dropping. Gwenog chuckled at the bewildered look on her face.
"Yeah, that's me!" she said. She spun Daisy around.
"How are you here, at Professor Slughorn's Christmas party?"
"I knew him when I was a student here," explained Gwenog. "He thought I was an incredible Quidditch player and would go on to do great things, so he added me to his Slug Club and helped me study, and was lenient when I missed homework assignments. Of course, as a thank you, I've given him tickets to our games and we're still friends years later! How about you? What talent brought you to this group?"
"I've got nothing as crazy as your skill," said Daisy, still in shock. "If I had to say ... I would say I'm a pretty strong student. I love reading so I think that's helped me get some good marks."
"Oh, are you top of the class in one subject?"
"I'm the top of the class for Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Astronomy, and Care of Magical Creatures," listed Daisy. "I try hard in Defense Against the Dark Arts, but James Potter always gets that one."
"You're brilliant, aren't you?" said Gwenog, looking nearly as shocked as Daisy. "Oh, right, I saw the Potter kid. Looks just like his father with those green eyes." Daisy nodded. "Do you do Quidditch?"
"Yeah, I do!" said Daisy, excited to be talking about Quidditch with Gwenog Jones. "My father taught me since I was able to walk—he's in Puddlemere United ... Oliver Wood, if you know him—"
"You're Wood's kid?" interrupted Gwenog. Daisy nodded enthusiastically and Gwenog's eyes widened. "Tell him I say hi! I've met him quite a few times. Incredibly talented, that kid. So you're probably as talented as your father, then?"
"Well, I'm not sure," said Daisy, laughing. "I'm a Seeker on the Gryffindor team and I'm actually Captain this year! I love Quidditch and I actually want to be a professional player after I graduate. Most people think I'd be an Auror or a Professor since I'm so focused on high marks, but Quidditch is just, you know, it just gives you that feeling."
"I know the feeling," said Gwenog. "What's your name, kid?"
"Daisy."
"Right, Daisy," she continued, "you're clearly talented, passionate, and driven. You remind me of myself when I was in Hogwarts, minus the good grades, if I'm being honest. Let me give you some advice: don't be scared to pursue a Quidditch career. It seems unstable, but since you've clearly got the talent, you'll surely be able to handle it. It's like Quidditch every day with a team that becomes like your family. If you need any more help or guidance, don't hesitate to reach out to me. Your dad will know how."
"Thank you so much, Gwenog Jones, you have no idea how much this means to me ... you've been like my idol since I was three and I admire you so much—"
"Time to rotate!" she said, saluting in farewell. Daisy felt over the moon. She rotated through a few more people, including Gwen, who was gushing about the tall boy that Daisy had seen earlier, Thomas, who was freaking out about Gwenog Jones talking to him, and Slughorn, who told Daisy that dinner would be starting soon. Finally, she was back to Miles, who looked very exhausted indeed.
"You okay?" she asked him, a small smile on her face. He chuckled as the two of them went to sit down at the dinner table.
"Yeah, just so much rotating," he replied. Daisy nodded heartily back. "You know, there hasn't been a Gryffindor versus Slytherin Quidditch match in a while, eh?"
"True," said Daisy, thinking about it. "I think it's 'cause we would sweep the floor with you guys, so it'd be a boring game."
Miles chuckled as Daisy took a bite of her chicken. It was surprisingly delicious, especially after what felt like a million years of dancing.
"They've been practicing, you know!" defended Miles. Daisy raised her eyebrows challengingly. "Really! Our Captain drags them out of bed at eight o'clock in the morning on weekends sometimes. It's harsh."
"You think that's harsh?" said Daisy, grinning. "I wake them up at six o'clock on Sundays sometimes. They usually don't complain, though, which is why it is important to have players who are passionate and committed. That's why we always win. How come you don't do Quidditch?"
"Oh, I'm no good," he said, after taking a sip of his pumpkin juice. "I never bothered to learn until Flying lessons in my first year and by then, I was extremely behind."
"Maybe I can teach you the basics sometime," offered Daisy kindly. She had to admit, talking to Miles was enjoyable and natural, especially when they were talking about Quidditch. She urged herself to step out of her comfort zone, which were the five friends that she had made over six years ago.
"Aren't you afraid Slytherin will beat Gryffindor?"
"That'll never happen," shrugged Daisy with a grin. "We're just too good."
"Maybe it's just that you are too good," suggested Miles. Daisy tilted her head. "I've seen you play. It's like watching a phoenix: so smooth, so fluent, so fast."
"You watch me during games?" she asked. He smirked.
"Maybe I do, maybe I don't," he said. "You can't be shocked. Pretty much everybody watches you, even us Slytherins. I've never seen anybody so focused as you in a game."
"Focus is an important aspect," said Daisy seriously. "You must keep your eye on the prize and not let anything distract you. During the game, nothing matters but yourself and winning—"
"Alright, alright, come down," he chuckled at her rant. "You're cute when you talk about Quidditch. You get really intense."
She laughed, not knowing how she was supposed to reply to that. He looked at something behind her and then turned back to Daisy, a small smile on his face.
"What is it?"
"James Potter is glaring at me."
Daisy raised her eyebrows and turned around. He was now talking to the same lady that she had seen him dance with. She looked around and noticed that Thomas and Benjamin were still animatedly talking to each other and Gwen and the tall blonde boy were sitting suspiciously close to each other, both with pink cheeks. It seemed that James had nobody to talk to; Daisy frowned.
"Don't mind the glare," she said, turning back to Miles. "Think he's just bored and has no one to talk to."
"Why do you put up with him?" asked Miles suddenly, making Daisy furrow her eyebrows. "You know what I mean. He's arrogant, full of himself, and prejudiced toward Slytherins. You're the complete opposite. Doesn't it drive you mad?"
"Well, he's not just arrogant," said Daisy, not wanting to talk badly of James. "James is a good person if you get to know him. Of course, he has people that he doesn't like, like everybody else, and you happen to be one of them. But he's incredibly supportive, determined, caring, and just a great friend overall. Trust me, he's not a bad person. I'm glad to be his friend."
Daisy had decided that she would no longer take James for granted. After not talking to him for months, she realized the important part that he played in her life. Miles didn't seem convinced, however, and was grimacing.
"Anyway, you don't have to be friends with him, so it doesn't matter," she smiled, longing for a change in topic. "So ... are you excited for Christmas break?"
"Yeah, my parents and I are going to Hawaii," said Miles, his eyes lighting up. "We go nearly every break since my sister lives there. How about you?"
"Nothing as fancy as your plans, I think," she replied. "Just staying at home with my family. But I like it that way so we can play Quidditch in our backyard and bake cookies together!"
"I'll write to you," said Miles. Daisy raised her eyebrows. "You better write to me, too."
"Won't your owl get tired from flying such a long distance?"
"He'll be fine."
Just then, Daisy heard glass clinking. She turned and saw that Slughorn had stood up and was requesting everybody's attention. He smiled while looking around the room.
"I just wanted to say a little toast!" he began, putting his glass back down. "I hope you've all enjoyed the party so far—I know I sure have. With Christmas break coming in just a few days, what better way to celebrate than with your friends and peers? I wish you all a happy Christmas and to those in my Potions class ... be sure to finish up your Christmas break Potions homework!"
He chuckled and sat back down. Daisy as well as the other guests gave a warm round of applause. She heard Miles chortle.
"Yeah, like I'm ever going to do the Potions homework," he said. She shook her head, a smile on her face; it was really beginning to feel like Christmas.
─ ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ─
a/n: I hate writing Miles scenes:)