"I insist," Professor Slughorn smiled giddily.
Scarlett's returned it, feeling honored. "Alright, you've sold me." His hand reached out to shake hers and she did. Her face rosy and delightful. "I'll go to your Christmas party."
"Great!" he clapped his hands delighted. "You're now apart of the slug club, and it is customary to attend these types of functions."
Scarlett smiled. She had never been invited to join a club before. "Alright Professor, see you there. I'll try to look my very best!" she beamed before running off to tell Draco of this new development.
Lately, Draco had taken it upon himself to fix the Vanishing Cabinet in the room of requirement. Honestly, Scarlett saw no point to the damn thing seeing as it was clearly broken. Draco spoke seldom about the cabinet, but Scarlett managed to learn that it had a twin in Borgin and Burkes. Draco had yet to tell her how the blasted thing worked and Scarlett was too lazy to look it up in the library.
As she raced up to the seventh floor she noticed Crabbe and Goyle outside keeping watch. She sneered at the two pest. They hadn't left Draco's side since the incident in Hogsmeade with Katie. It put a damper on their sex life that was for sure.
"Hello Idiots," she greeted in disgusted as she saw them munching away at some pumpkin pastries. "I need to see my boyfriend so if you'll just move to the side-"
"Can't do that," Crabbe interrupted.
Scarlett saw red. "And why the bloody hell not?"
Goyle answered. "Malfoy has strict instructions on no one entering the room."
"But I'm his girlfriend," she argued.
"No matter. He said no one and that includes you!" Crabbed gobbled away while talking.
Scarlett could not believe these two imbeciles. She reached into her robe for her wand, ready to hex them into oblivion, when a hand stopped her. Turning around she noticed James was there, smirking at her. And as adorable as he looked with his Ravenclaw robe and reading glasses, she needed to see her man and tell him about her day.
"Stop it, Liz." He paused as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a quill and handed it to her. "Come with me somewhere, I need your help with something."
She stared at the quill in bewilderment. What could he possibly need help with that involved a quill pen. She began to say no, but the hopeful expression on his face made her think twice. Scarlett knew Draco would be upset but here he was ignoring her.
"Why should I go anywhere with you?" She argued.
He smirked. His amber eyes soft, almost as if amused by her question. "Simple. You should come with me because you want to." She went to argued but he cut her off. "Stop. Don't deny it. You miss having a friend and here I am. I know you better than anyone else."
She thought about it for a moment and followed him without another word.
James led the way into the library. Scarlett began to regret her decision once he steered them towards a table in the back. She noticed he had a potions book with him and it made her nose scrunch up in confusion.
"You brought me to the library?" She asked, confused.
"Yes," he paused timidly. His hand reaching behind his head to scratch. It was a nervous gesture she noticed. " I need help with my homework."
Now hell had frozen over. Never, not ever, in their entire relationship had they ever sat down to do any type of work. They were always known as the lazy couple. And even broken up they never did anything productive.
"Wait. So let me get this straight. You brought me here to do home-" she stopped. The word too vile to pronounce.
He laughed. "Homework. Yes, is it that hard to believe?" She nodded hurriedly and he laughed again. It was a wonderful laugh. "Come on Elizabeth. You know I hate work but I'm in Ravenclaw now. Yes shocking but when I was in school I was pretty damn smart. But it's been a while, you know with the whole dark lord taking over the world thing, and I simply forgot."
Scarlett nodded. "Okay. But why me?"
James smiled. "Because my love, as uninterested as you may pretend to be, I know you're smart. And besides I heard the news."
She shook her head. "What news?"
"You're in the Slug Club, that must mean something. Congrats by the way. I've always had a thing for smart girls."
She giggled in delight. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that last part. But I know right ? I can't believe it either ! He picked me ! I can't wait to tell Hermione."
As she spoke James had a loving expression on his face and it made her heart ache. She loved Draco but James woke up something inside of her and it made her entire life all the more difficult.
"So...will you help me?"
His expression was so hopeful and a bit shy that she had to agree. "Alright I will. But you must do me a favor then."
"Anything."
She smirked deviously. "I want some chocolate cake and they have the best stored in the kitchens freezer. You, my unlucky friend, must retrieve it for me."
He laughed. "Done."
" Alright then, show me what you have to learn."
***
After spending a few hours with James, Scarlett had to admit that it was fun. James was a pretty nice guy once you got over the whole bad boy thing. And as she walked back to her common room, she couldn't help but smile. Today was a great day and it made her feel empowered. Usually she felt like the tag along friend. Never had she been deemed super smart or crowned a captain but today she felt special. Slughorn and James made her feel that way. Especially James.
Walking into the common room she sat on the couch and ignored all of the other occupants. She was waiting for James to bring her her cake.
"What are you smiling about?" Draco whispered in her ear from behind her.
She shook her head and nuzzles into his embrace. She loved when Draco did this. He stood up abruptly and went around the couch to sit beside her. He looked drained and tired. Scarlett pressed a kiss to his cheek and folded herself into his body. They remained like that for several moments before she spoke.
"I missed you today."
Draco sighed. " I missed you too." He placed a kiss to her forehead. " I heard you were looking for me today."
She jumped up at the mention. "Oh yeah. Draco guess what?" She beamed and he shrugged his expression soft as he watched her smile. "Slughorn invited me to join his little Slug Club can you believe it ?" She laughed. "I certainly can't !"
"What ?" He sneered.
Scarlet reared back confused at his anger.
"How dare that old coot pick you and not me ! I even heard he picked Potter!"
Scarlett was flabbergasted. She couldn't believe her ears. "Wait what do you mean he picked me and not you? I'm plenty smart!"
Draco shrugged. "I'm sure you are," he said dismissively. "Wait till I have this school burning to the ground. That old infuriating idiot. How dare he!"
Scarlett was close to tears. "How dare he! How dare he? Draco how dare YOU!!!" She shouted. "You make it seem as though I'm dumb!"
Draco looked pensive, as if she weren't speaking. "Stop overreacting."
"Overreacting? You little-"
"Liz?" Scarlett heard from behind her and his voice made her heart ache. How could James be so nice yet Draco so mean. "Are you alright?" He asked, his voice laced with concern.
"No one asked you!" Draco intercepted.
James' face turned angry. But Scarlett wasn't paying attention to that. She noticed the cake in his hand. Her cake. She began to sob. How dare Draco act so mean? She waited all day to tell him and instead she found comfort in her ex. All this time she had been ignoring James. Scarlett had thought it better to avoid him after the Shrieking Shack incident with Draco and James but now she realized how wrong she had been. Draco could not shut her out of his life and then expect her to do as he says. She refused to be tamed that easily.
"Let's go James," Scarlett stood up, her hand grabbing James by his robe.
Draco's shocked expression morphed into rage. "No! You will not go anywhere with him."
"Leave me alone Draco, don't you have someone to curse or something?"
Draco's hands shook. "Scarlett if you go with him, we're through."
Scarlett shrugged. "You're acting like that's a bad thing." And with that she walked off with a gapping James, leaving Draco alone. His face both shocked and mortified.
***
"You were pretty fierce back there," James paused with a flirty smile. "I like it."
Scarlett laughed as she stared out of the Astronomy Tower. Today had gone by too fast to even wrapped her head around it. First the invitation to the Slug Club, then James stirring up feelings and now Draco being an idiot. It was all to much but most of all she was crushed. Draco's callous attitude towards her accomplishment made her feel inferior. There was only one other person besides her father that ever made her feel that way.
"Have you heard from Gertrude?"
James paused mid-drink. And yes they were in fact drinking fire whiskey. She couldn't help herself and James was more than happy to accommodate.
"What?" He asked baffled by the question. Gertrude was Scarlett's ex-bestfriend. The one he cheated on her with. It was a touchy subject.
"Alright. Play dumb." She took on a sour expression before taking a drink. "Lately, have you fucked her or anyone else for that matter."
James' smile broadened. "I love it when your jealous. But to answer your question, although you have no right to ask anymore....no. I haven't even spoken to that wench since you left me and I have no need for anyone but you in this school. Scarlett love, you're the only one for me, I swear it."
Scarlett took another sip of her drink and gulped hard. This conversation was taking a really deep turn. But she decided to be honest. "I have always had love for you, maybe not deep in love like I am with Draco, but I do care for you as well."
James remained quiet.
"You were always so mean to me, but I knew it was an act because when we weren't in front of others, you'd act like this." She sighed. "But you hurt me. If you would have waited on me a bit longer I would have been irrevocably in love with you. But instead you fucked my best friend, so there's that," she sneered.
"I was an idiot."
"Agreed."
James sighed. "I thought I was a king. I thought you'd never leave me. But as much as I hate it. I see the way you look at him. You've looked at me with adoration and lust but never like that."
"Like what?"
He cringed, "Like you're in love. You look at him with love in your eyes and it hurts like hell. I realized how I felt about you after you left. But fuck, I didn't think you'd switch schools and leave me. I was younger and way more stupid than I am now." She giggled, her vision blurring a bit. "Yes, because I'm still stupid but for once I'm not blind. I know that I love you and I know that I want to be with you forever. I even volunteered for this stupid mission in order to be closer to you. Fuck it, if I don't love you like a mad man."
And he kissed her.
It felt nice. Real nice.
But she pushed him away, tears gathering at her brims.
"I care for you James, but not like that," She sat back. "I-I've got to go."
She jumped up, almost falling but she was determined. Scarlett ran out of the Astronomy tower like she was on fire. She left a distraught James behind but she couldn't lead him on. She couldn't do that to Draco. And no matter how angry she was with him, she needed him. She needed him now.
Running and practically wobbling down the corridor, Scarlett made it to the seventh floor. She knew he'd be him. It was late but something was telling her to go inside.
Opening the door, her thoughts full of Draco, she stepped inside. It was a cluttering mess of things but her mind was elsewhere. She took out her wand and did a measly locator spell. A beam of light escaped from her wand and she followed it.
Soon enough she was in front of him.
Draco sat by a tall wooden wardrobe. He stood up immediately and whipped out his wand but stopped short when he noticed her presence. His expression grew annoyed and full of anger.
"Before you say anything," she began hurriedly. Her arm reaching out to steady herself with a table. "I'm sorry," she began to sob. Tears streaming down her cheeks at the emotions filling her. "I know I shouldn't have said what I said but I was sad. You made me feel so low, Draco. And dammit all if I am not smart, because I am. I'm lazy and pretend to be oblivious. And I hear you go on day and night about Granger think's she so smart this and Harry Potter is so stupid that and it kills me to see how you truly feel about me."
She wiped her tears as he remained silent. "I love you so much and I always hold you high on a pedestal yet you treat me like James used to. The only time you were super nice was when you were tricking me. I-I don't know how you feel and James just told me he still loves me and he thinks I'm smart and he always compliments me and he's trying. Yet it's you. I only want you." She sighed, her eyes hopeful. "Draco, please say something. I need to understand why you're so cold one minute and the next you're so warm. What's going on?"
Draco sighed, tired. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, hoisting her up on the table and pulling her close. "Listen and listen well. Today was a rough day. I couldn't get the blasted cabinet to work, so I was a bit edgy. I thought I lost you to that bloody git and I lost it myself. Look Scarlett, I am hopelessly in love with you but I am also a guy. I don't consider your feelings when talking and for that I am truly sorry. I am the damn Slytherin prince and it's hard to revert my old careless ways. I've never noticed your school ethic and from now on I'll pay more attention. You're probably smarter than Granger," he smirked at the idea. "I mean you did get invited to join that stupid club." His smirk grew. "My girlfriend, the smartest girl in Hogwarts, I kind of like the sound of that."
Scarlett giggled, her smile reappearing. "Oh Draco, you idiot, I love you."
Draco smiled right back. "Oh Scarlett, you genius, I love you too. Now help me get this blasted this working!"
Scarlett laughed. "Ay ay captain!" But her intentions were not good. She still had a mission. Her mission from the Dark Lord was to help Draco kill Dumbledore. Her true mission was to sabotage him. It was finally time to kick it up a notch.
Later that night, she took out a book. The book was for emergencies only. This mission needed a sense of finesse. This mission called for the one thing she was excellent at.
The book: The Art of Seduction