The party was well underway the second the team arrived back to the common room. Already the music was exceptionally loud, being played in deafening, heart-thumping beats.
Excessive laughter and excited voices were all that could be heard from the very top of Gryffindor tower, trailing to flood the dorm rooms with thunderous pulsations of noise.
The match had ended with an astounding score of 260-40 after only half an hour of gameplay. The match had been extremely slow moving from the Hufflepuffs and the entirety of their gameplay had been sloppy and predictable, giving the Gryffindors the upper hand at securing their second victory.
The whole team was down at the party, as well as the rest of Gryffindor house.
Well almost everyone.
"Marlene!" Hallie screamed, banging her fist forcefully against the bathroom door. The blonde had been hogging the bathroom for over 15 minutes and Hallie was in no patient position to wait any longer. "I swear to merlin, if you don't get out of this bathroom right now I will decapitate that pretty little head of yours!"
"Like you have the power to do that Frenchie!" came Marlene's shout in reply from behind the locked door. Sneaky git wouldn't dare come out to face the wrath of Hallie Brennan, who was only moments away from grabbing a chair and ramming it straight into the door.
"Frenchie?" Hallie cried, utterly astounded. "That's like me calling you a piece of shit McKinnon because that is what you are!"
Sophia was soaking in the moment, unable to abstain from her fits of laughter. She was already completely made over, dressed in a blood-red dress, which complimented the paleness of her skin.
Lily on the other hand was having none of it. She had been trying to usher each of the girls out of the door, since arriving back at the dorm room just under 1 hour earlier. "Hallie Brennan, put some clothes on right now!" she ordered, still bustling herself around the dorm room.
"I am wearing clothes!" Hallie cried, banging her fist against the door once more.
"I didn't know underwear was considered clothing?" laughed Mary. The claim was true, but it wasn't entirely Hallie's fault. Her dress was hung up on the inside of the bathroom door and Marlene McKinnon was the most annoying git Hallie Brennan had ever met.
Hallie rubbed her temple, not taking notice of Mary and Sophia, who seemed to find the situation highly comical. At this point, Hallie really was considering breaking down the door with her head as the main driving force.
"J'en ai tellement fini avec toi," she muttered angrily. [I'm so done with you].
Marlene's head soon peeped its way around the door. "Oh no, the angry French muttering is coming out." Marlene took the opportunity to bite her nails in 'fear'. "I'm so terrified."
"Vous devriez être," Hallie said, rolling her eyes. [You should be].
"Ok! Ok! Calm it down girlfriend," Marlene smirked, watching as Hallie crossed her arms over her chest affirmatively. The blonde reluctantly emerged from the bathroom, as Hallie noticed the girl was about as ready as she had been 15 minutes beforehand.
"About time," Hallie groaned, shutting herself in the bathroom and locking the door behind her. But she also couldn't quite help herself. "Tu es un morceau de merde complet McKinnon!" [You are a complete piece of shit McKinnon!]
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Hallie's eardrums pulsated with the deafening beat of the music - the strobe lights lighting up every inch of the room. People were already wasted; abandoned cups were scattered across the floor and body's were swaying as if they were one.
As Hallie observed the room, her eyes instantly latched onto Elijah who was laughing euphorically at something Tom Heddler had said to him. Hallie noticed as his face illuminated pink from the spectral light and his eyes lit up each time he moved to speak.
Although Hufflepuff had just previously lost the match, they both seemed in a pretty good state - even Luca Findlay was present at the party, who had played beater for the Hufflepuff team just hours beforehand.
Hallie thought he would be with the rest of the quidditch team, whom Hallie imagined were wallowing back at the common room in their sorrows. Hallie also couldn't quite take the picture out of her mind of the Hufflepuff 'Captain' crying his eyes out in the shower, fully dressed in his quidditch gear.
According to Marlene, who had heard from Aubrey, it was a true story!
Elijah looked good - in fact more than good and even Hallie was finding it hard not to admit to it. She shook her head, stopping herself from gaping any longer.
"Ahhh look at Miss Hallie Brennan!" enthused Fabian, as Hallie walked over to the drinks table - the table that the two boys seemed to be manning. "You look a treat, doesn't she Gid?"
Gideon looked up with a smile. "She sure does Fab. She also looks like she is in need of one hell of a drink."
Hallie laughed softly, as Fabian threw an arm over her shoulder. "I sure do boys, make it extra strong. Without the drinks, my head is not in the right place."
Gideon poured her drink, adding in as much firewhiskey as he could, before the liquid brimmed the cup. "Is the fire whiskey for you or is it so you stop ogling Samuels over there?" Gideon questioned with a smirk.
Hallie scoffed, taking the drink and downing the whole cup in one. Busted. "Merlin! You crazy woman!" Fabian cried, snatching the cup out of Hallie's desperate hands. "I know our job is so you can get wasted as much as you want, but at that speed Brennan you're going to be hammered."
Hallie laughed, already feeling the alcohol coursing through her body. "Boys it's fine I'm hardcore. I'm not a sad little drunk that gets wasted on the first cup. Pour me another."
Gideon looked at Fabian wearily. Fabian sighed. "You heard the girl Gid."
"So are you going to tell us why you were staring at Samuels or are we going to have to start making assumptions," Gideon asked, pouring the girl yet again another firewhiskey. "Because I'm telling you now, it's safer on both of our parts if you just tell us the truth."
Hallie ignored the question completely, absentmindedly casting her gaze around the room. She caught sight of Sophia, who was sat on the sofa laughing at something Ethan had said to her.
"Ok," Hallie said, turning around to face Fabian and Gideon once more. "Wouldn't Ethan and Soph be like the cutest couple?"
Fabian rolled his eyes. "Yes I do agree with you Brennan, but why do you keep avoiding the..."
Hallie took her cup sharply from Gideon's outstretched hand. "Thanks boys, catch you later?"
Yet Hallie didn't give either of the boys the chance to reply, as she hastily made her way through the crowds, the fire whiskey swinging dangerously in the cup.
"Oh, I'm so sorry..." Hallie began, crashing into a couple who were in the midst of a hungry make out session. She cocked her head up slightly, recognizing the couple she had bumped into instantly. "Oh wait no, I'm not sorry," Hallie said with a smirk, as Marlene unwrapped herself from a blushing Dorcas Meadowes. "It's ok, you two carry on."
Dorcas glanced nervously up towards Marlene, who only stared at Hallie with a look of 'i'll explain later.' That was all the input Hallie intended on setting, taking one last glance back towards the two, before squeezing her way through the crowd once more.
From the safe corner of the back of the room, Hallie discreetly watched James, Sirius and Peter from afar. All three of the boys stood in the far corner, talking in hushed, lowered voices in an attempt to attract as little attention to themselves as possible. Oh how the roles had completely reversed.
The party seemed like a decent attempt, presumably from the Gryffindor 7th years. 'Was it as good as the Marauders throwing a party?'
Not even close.
Hallie glanced across the crowd, watching as Lily worked her way through it with an expression morphed into a state of worry. She made her way over to Hallie, grabbing her hands tightly. "Hallie, I'm so sorry."
"What do you mean Lils. What's wrong?" the blonde asked in perplexion. Lily merely shook her head, casting her gaze across the room.
As Hallie cast her gaze to the back corner of the room, her heart instantly dropped at the mere sight. Her empty cup fell, splattering excess firewhiskey across her shoes. She didn't even care. All she cared about was the sight before her eyes.
The blonde watched in horror as he pulled the tall brunette girl closer, his hands resting themselves on the elegant curve of her hip. Her dainty arms strung themselves around his neck, tousling the back of his hair with her hand. He pressed his lips against hers in a flurry of compassion, pulling her body indefinitely closer to encase the trapped air between their bodies.
Hallie...Hals," Lily spoke desperately, attempting to get the girl to tear her eyes away from the two.
However, Hallie couldn't bring herself to do it. He had lowered his hands to the side of the girl's thighs, brushing his fingers alongside the hem of her dress in tantalising movements. Soon enough, his hand disappeared under her dress, going unnoticed by the savage drunks dancing fanatically around them. The girl gripped his hair tighter in her fist, letting Elijah tip his head back, as she trailed sultry kisses across his jaw.
Hallie wanted to throw up, cry and scream all at the same time.
"Hallie, please look at me," Lily spoke anxiously, as she finally tore her gaze from the two. Hallie tried her best to withstand the emotional breakage, blocking out the feeling of heartbreak and avoided the tears from spilling down her cheeks.
Lily pulled the girl tight to her chest. "I'm so sorry sweetheart. He really doesn't deserve you."
Once the two broke apart, any signs of tears had completely vanquished, instead replaced with Hallie looking more determined than ever. She paced herself over to a table in the far corner of the room, as Lily could only watch helplessly from behind. She knew better than to follow - she knew when her best friend wanted space.
Hallie downed the cup of fire whiskey on the table, enjoying the prickling, burning sensation the firewhiskey left in her throat. The firewhiskey would help to wash away the pain. Wash away the anger. Wash away the sorrows. Help to forget his stupid face.
Another firewhiskey was sitting next to the first. Soon after, that one had been gulped down too, the liquor burning against the gloss of her lips. She didn't care. She needed to forget.
The firewhiskey, Hallie knew that if she had enough of it, would make her forget. And after four cups she began to forget how much it burned her throat, instead opting to chug them faster and more repetitively, one after the other.
"Well what do we have here?" slurred a voice. Hallie turned around, meeting the eye of Luca Findlay, who was casually leaning up against the wall. "I must say Brennan, you don't take me as the type to get wasted."
Hallie swayed slightly on the spot, trying her hardest to attain her composure. She shrugged her shoulders, looking towards him without any hint of nervousness. "I'm just trying to have a good time."
Luca laughed brightly. "I can see that. You downed three of my firewhiskeys."
Hallie swayed yet again, another empty cup falling to the ground. Luca grabbed her elbows in an attempt to steady her body. "Sorry," she muttered, her eyes seemingly scanning every inch of the boy's face without any hint of care. "I needed to relax and there was no way in hell I was going back over to the Prewitts."
"They give you a hard time darling?" he questioned, his body slowly leaning closer to Hallie's. Luca was hardly sober enough to function effectively by himself it seemed, not that Hallie was minding. To Hallie, it was all blurring into one. "What he's done to you is a dick move Brennan," Luca spoke, gesturing to the opposite corner of the room, where Elijah and his newest girl were still wrapped in each other's embrace. Looking back at it again, made Hallie's heart ache even more than the first time.
"I told him to stop and he didn't. Kept saying he wanted her and shit," Luca continued, as if the girl in front of him wanted to hear what had really happened. Hallie didn't. "He's only slightly pissed, not too drunk right now either."
Tears once again slowly started to cloud the girl's vision, as Luca's face paled dramatically upon noticing. His brows drew themselves together in alarm, unsure on how to stop the girl from having a full blown meltdown.
"Sweetheart please don't cry," he added, as a few stray tears slipped down her cheeks. Luca had moved his hands to cup her face, his thumbs slowly pushing the tears from her blotched cheeks. "The guys a bloody player. He always has been. I wasn't supposed to tell you, but he's been with a couple of girls since the two of you started talking," spoke Luca, once again swaying and holding onto Hallie to keep himself steady. "He doesn't deserve you."
Luca wrapped a securing arm around her waist, as Hallie nodded her head in validation. Too intoxicated to realise what Luca was hinting at, she let him pull her body to meet his. The smell of his cologne was odorous and empowered every one of her senses, only adding to the home-like sense of his embrace.
"You know who does?" he whispered softly, as his lips closed the gap, now only mere inches from her own. The putrid smell of firewhiskey was strong smelling in his breath. "I do. I deserve you. And you deserve someone who's gonna treat you fucking right."
Hallie nodded dutifully, running her fingers tantalisingly up his chest, before snaking them around his neck. His hands were firm and gripped her hips roughly, yet Hallie enjoyed the roughness Luca's touch possessed. It was yielding and exhilarating on her aching heart, that soon began pulsating just as violently as it had for Elijah that morning.
Who knew his best friend could be just as thrilling?
Hallie wanted to forget Elijah. She wanted to forget her crush on him and the way he had kissed her before the match. Kissing his best friend wasn't initially what Hallie had in mind to forget him completely. Kissing Luca was more so a deceitful revenge.
Hallie soon got to the stage where she was too drunk to stop. She could feel his hot breath fanning across her face with every haggard breath he took. The smell of his cologne was now only a distant smell between the two - instead the smell of firewhiskey was so potent, it infrared her nostrils with a fiery, rancid concoction. It created a disorderly sense of unreality, firing into her confidence and dispelling the numbness of her mind.
Luca pushed forwards, connecting his chiselled lips onto Hallie's own in a lustful race for dominance. Hallie's heart thundered in longing and leapt with joy, adding to the heated thrill of the moment. Hallie couldn't remember the last time a kiss had felt so electric, so alluring and so hungry for more, all at once.
Lucas' hands ran themselves down her hips in long, harsh motions, like an assertion of dominance that Hallie had no intention of letting him have as easily.
She pushed her hips roughly against his pelvis, thrusting her body forward. He allowed his hands to move lower, scoping out the trace of her arse around the high cut of her dress.
The synchronisation of their lips was appetitive, the movement of their hands across the other's body was lustrous and their bodies moved together like they were dancing a rhythmical ballad - as one.
The feeling of revenge felt rather bittersweet. She didn't even consider a glance to see if he was looking, given that she already knew she didn't need to.
She could practically feel the burning glare on her face from across the room. She knew he was watching.
And she'd make sure to give him the best fucking show of his life.
Hallie enjoyed the flutter of her stomach, as his lips pushed themselves once again against her own. She cupped his face roughly in her hands, finally glancing sideways to watch Elijah's deepening glare from out the corner of her eye.
'To show you what you're missing.'
Hallie, in her deviant attempt to show up Elijah, was actually enjoying the moment between herself and Luca Findlay. However, she had become far too caught up in the moment. Too caught up to notice Lily, Sophia and Mary watching sceptically from the opposing end of the room.
Hallie failed to notice the boys watching her from close by, etching to intervene. Yet they stayed put, knowing it wasn't their rightful place to doubt any of Hallie's own choices. Even if they weren't the right ones. They instead opted to observe with unsubtle glares.
Hallie also failed to notice when a few minutes later, the girls all left to go to bed. They had gotten Remus to promise he wouldn't let Hallie leave from his sight.
And Hallie was so utterly pissed, that she was painfully unaware of the shit she would have caused by the next morning.
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Word count: 2891
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