𝓜𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐞 𝓑𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐬
⟠
Edelyn had never realized just how far the dungeons were from Gryffindor Tower until the following morning. Walking to Slughorn's classroom felt like travelling endlessly through rows upon rows of shop windows. Heads turned. Whispers stirred.
Rounding a corner, she was met with sniggers from a group of Slytherins and Edelyn halted and huffed. "Alright, just throw it at me now, Hermione. Rip it off like a Muggle plazzer — or whatever you call it..."
"A plaster, Lyn," Hermione said gently. "And are you sure you want to know?"
"Better I hear it from you than someone else."
Hermione looked reluctant but acquiesced nonetheless. "If you're sure..." she spoke tentatively. "According to Parvati, the hearsay is that you slipped Malfoy a love potion, slept with him, and since he claims he can't remember anything, obliviated him."
Edelyn did not immediately respond. She stared down the dimly lit corridor and nodded slowly. "That...That is..."
"It's absurd, that's what it is," Hermione said briskly.
Edelyn sighed. "Shagging Malfoy's one thing, but love potion and a memory charm? People really think I'm that pathetic and desperate, huh...Brilliant. Just brilliant."
Her eyes drifted down to her feet. She tugged at her sleeves.
"Don't listen to any of it," Hermione said, hooking her arms around Edelyn's and guiding her down the corridor. "Childish gossip, that's all. Besides, you've been on the wrong end of rumours plenty of times before."
Edelyn shrugged Hermione off. "I think I preferred it when I was the daughter of an escaped mass murderer." She chewed her bottom lip and kept her head hung low for the rest of the way.
Right at the entrance to Slughorn's classroom, Edelyn bumped into something hard and stumbled backwards.
"Shite. Sor—" She stopped mid-word, gaze flickering up to meet a pair of emerald green eyes.
"Lyn—"
Her expression hardened. She shoved past him and marched straight to her seat at a faraway bench, slamming her textbooks onto the table.
"Black," a voice greeted.
"Malfoy," Edelyn replied coldly, pulling out her copy of Advanced Potion-Making.
"So, let me get this straight," he jeered, "You drugged me to have sex with me, but you won't even call me by my first name?"
Edelyn groaned and plonked her head onto the table. "That never happened!" she seethed, to which Malfoy responded with a sound Edelyn hadn't know he was capable of making. She straightened up to face him. "Did you just...chuckle?"
A smirk tugged at the corners of Malfoy's mouth. "It just amuses me that people think I would ever touch you, love potion or not."
Edelyn squinted. "I'm not sure whether I should feel relieved or insulted."
With a hint of a smile — short-lived, but there —, he said, "While I don't believe in the whole shagging part of the rumours, I know you were the one who obliviated me, and I want to know why."
Edelyn tugged at her sleeves. A bout of dread hammered in her chest. It quickly disappeared, however, as she sipped a steadying breath and remembered the well-rehearsed line she had gone over and over again in her head the previous night. Looking away from him, she said in a quiet voice that rang with well-acted embarrassment, "You saw me cry, and I panicked."
Malfoy narrowed his eyes, then returned his attentions to the blackboard. "Pitiful."
Edelyn stole a glimpse at Harry. "Yeah," she muttered.
The rest of the lesson did not go as poorly as Edelyn had anticipated. With fewer spats than usual, they finished their assigned potion just in time for Professor Slughorn's end-of-lesson rounds. After examing their steaming cauldron, Slughorn nodded satisfactorily and said, "I look forward to seeing you tonight at the Christmas party, Miss Black."
"Oh, sir," Edelyn began quickly, "I — erm — I won't be able to make. I have a — erm—"
"No, no, no, Miss Black." Slughorn chuckled. "You've wiggled your way out of all my invitations so far, and I am not letting you wiggle yourself out of this one."
Edelyn racked her brains, then swallowed hard and admitted defeat. "I look forward to it, sir."
"Excellent!" Slughorn beamed and moved along to cautiously lean over Boot and Corner's cauldron.
"Excellent, my arse," Edelyn grumbled beneath her breath.
"Not party shy, are you? Or did you not brew enough love potion for a date?"
"Bugger off, Malfoy!"
Later that evening, Edelyn stood alone by a bowl of gillywater, swaying her hips to the music playing in the corner. She traced the rim of her glass, wondering how long one had to wait before politely leaving a party.
Harry immediately spotted her when he entered, and the first thought that came to his mind was how she looked even more beautiful than she had at the Yule Ball. Now, at sixteen, her face had lost much of its childlike features and instead held every hallmark of the aristocratic beauty she had inherited.
She wore a sleeveless chiffon cocktail dress, cinched at the waist and pooling down to her knees. It was navy in colour and brought out the blue in her eyes — the eyes that held a mischievous glint whenever she thought of a good laugh and sparkled when she smiled. Harry's gaze trailed down to her soft lips. They glimmered under the twinling light of the room with a light pink gloss.
They parted when Hermione rushed into her. "Lyn! There you are. Thank goodness!"
Edelyn lifted her brows. Hermione wore the distinct dishevelled glow of someone who had just fought their way out of a thicket of Devil's Snare. "What happened to you?" she asked.
"Oh, I've just escaped — I mean, I've just left Cormac," Hermione explained. "Under the mistletoe."
Edelyn stuck her tongue out in contempt. "Serves you right for coming with him, though, doesn't it?"
Hermione heaved a heavy sigh. "I thought he'd annoy Ron most. I debated for a while about Zacharias Smith, but I thought, on the whole..."
Edelyn yacked. "Disgraceful, Mione!" She nudged her teasingly. "Of all people, why did you just have to fall for Ronald Bilius Weasley?"
Hermione went pink in the cheeks. "I have not fallen for anyone!"
Edelyn simply hummed, her lips curled into a knowing grin.
"Oh shut up, Lyn," Hermione snapped. "Anyways, I'm starting to think that Smith might have been a better choice. Honestly, all Cormac has spoken of is Quidditch. He hasn't asked me one single question about myself. God forbid! No, I've just been treated to 'A Hundred Great Saves by Cormac McLaggen' non-stop ever since — oh no, here he comes!" And within a fraction of a second, Hermione squeezed between two guffawing witches and vanished.
"Ah, Edelyn, seen Hermione?" asked McLaggen, forcing his way through the throng.
"No, sorry," she shrugged coolly.
McLaggen hummed disappointedly. He studied the cup of gillywater held in Edelyn's hand and smirked. "Careful, there might be love potion in that."
Edelyn's face fell into a scowl. "Oh, sod off you, prick!" she hissed, then felt an arm wrap around her shoulders. The room spun and she suddenly found herself in the company of Harry and Professors Snape, Trelawney, and Slughorn.
"We were just talking about Harry and your talent in Potions," Slughorn beamed at her.
"Oh! Erm...I suppose it's one of my better subjects," Edelyn spoke quietly, avoiding Harry's stare.
"Oh, ho! Well, just like your uncle then. Regulus was always passionate about the subject — a great student, he was. Of course, Sirius was brilliant at Potions too...though, he never took much interest in it."
"R-right..."
"So, remind me, Harry, what other subjects you're taking?" Slughorn asked.
"Oh. Uh, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology—"
"All the subjects required, in short, for an Auror," said Snape with the faintest sneer.
"Yeah, well, that's what I'd like to do," said Harry defiantly.
"And a great one you'll make too!" boomed Slughorn. "And how about you, Miss Black?"
"I'm taking the same subjects, plus Arithmancy."
"Got a career in mind?"
"I'm thinking about becoming a professor."
"Oh, ho! And a fine one you'll be!" Then, with a chuckle, he said, "Now, I daresay, you two probably don't want to be spending all night with old professors like us. We'll leave you be. Enjoy the party!"
Edelyn opened her mouth to protest, but before she could utter a single word, she felt a hand grasp hers and Harry's voice saying, "Thanks, Professor!" The next thing she knew, she was being pulled — somewhat dragged — toward a more secluded corner of the office.
"Harry, what are you—? Let me go!"
"Lyn, please, just let me apologize," pleaded Harry.
"I don't want to hear it," she snapped at him, tugging her hand out of his clutch and making to walk away, only to be stopped a second later as Harry reached for her shoulder and spun her back around.
Mistletoe hung lamely above them.
"Please, Lyn, I'm really sorry. I know I crossed a line—"
"Crossed a line?!" Edelyn hissed angrily. "You did more than cross a bloody line, Potter."
"I was being stupid and I was angry. I didn't mean—"
"Yes, yes you did! People always say what they really mean when they're angry."
"Lyn, I'm sorry, I—"
"Sorry doesn't cut it, Harry. For Merlin's sake, you brought Sirius into it! Sirius."
"I know...I shouldn't have — I wasn't thinking straight — Lyn, please, believe me, I feel terrible for what I said."
Edelyn shook her head. "It's not just what you said, Harry, but it's that you actually believed — still believe — that I would just fuck Malfoy atop a classroom desk."
"I saw your footprints on the map! I thought — it looked like — and you've yet to deny it or explain what actually happened—"
Harry instantly regretted his words.
"I shouldn't need to explain myself to you! We're friends! You should have just believed me when I said nothing like that happened between us. You should have just trusted me like I always trust you!"
"I do trust you!"
"Well, clearly not as much as you trust that map!"
"Lyn, please! I do trust you, and if you said nothing happened then I believe you. I wholeheartedly believe you. I was just — I was jealous, alright?"
"And what in Merlin did you have to be jealous of?"
"I thought — I thought you — I..."
His voice trailed off, weight shifting nervously from side to side, and he could no longer hold her gaze. Looking down at the floor, he searched for words, words that could express how he felt, but he found none.
Edelyn wrung her wrists. "I — I can't do this right now. I don't want to do this right now. Please just — just leave me alone, Harry."
And with that, she walked away, teeth biting down on her bottom lip, and a part of her hoping that he wouldn't just leave her alone.
But he did.
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"So...let me get this straight," Fred said, body leaned against a shelf. " You're just going to spend the rest of your life ignoring him?"
It was Christmas Eve and they were busy restocking and closing up the joke shop for a week-long holiday, wherein the twins would be returning to the Burrow to spend a well-needed rest with family.
"Stop being so dramatic. I never said that," Edelyn snapped, taking packages of Mary's Magic Mice, Repeating Rabbits, and Haunted Decks from out a box at her feet.
"Actions speak more loudly than words, Lynster," he stated, "and you've so far spent every day of your holidays working here."
"Is it such a crime to want to spend time with my favourite twins who I haven't seen in three months?" she asked, lips curled and eyebrows furrowed into an expression of sweet innocence.
Fred couldn't help but smile that adoring smile which was reserved for her and only her, and with his hands stacked over his chest, he cooed, "You pull at my heartstrings, love." Then, with his tone more grave, he added, "But in all seriousness, Lyn, are you sure you're—?"
"I'm fine," she said, rather too quickly as she busied herself with realigning the price tags. "It's like a weight's been lifted from off my shoulders, you know? I'm fine. Really, I am. I'm fine."
Fred quirked an eyebrow and folded his arms. "Say it one more time and I'll believe you."
"Alright, alright. Maybe I'm a little...upset, but I'll be fine." She shrugged. "Enough about me. How's Georgie doing with Verity?"
Fred hesitated, pained by her hurt, then reluctantly shrugged it off as she had. "She hasn't spent the night yet...if that's what you're wondering."
Edelyn shot him a disgruntled look. "That's not what I meant," she said, chucking a rubbery duck at him.
"Lynster, that's expensive merchandise you're throwing," George scolded as he sauntered over, voice contrasting the dazed grin on his face.
Edelyn tilted her head. "What's with the smile, Georgie?"
George quickly snapped out of his trance. "Nothing." He brushed down the front of his shirt.
Fred sniggered. "Right, if nothing means snogging Verity," he jeered, which earned him a scowl from George and a snorted laugh from Edelyn.
Edelyn looked down at the watch strapped around Fred's wrist. "It's almost noon. We should get moving. Your mum won't appreciate it if we're late again."
Meanwhile, in the Burrow's living room, Harry and Ron were lounged on the sofa, the latter offering the former his best advice.
"Look, mate, just sneak some Firewhiskey into her pumpkin juice tonight, right? Then, once she loosens up a bit, try and apologize to her again."
Bill, who had just entered and taken a seat in the armchair across from them, shook his head in incredulity. "That is the worst plan I have ever heard."
Ron slumped into the sofa. "Enlighten us to a better idea then, Bill."
"Why exactly is she not speaking to you, again?"
"Cause he's an idiot," Ron supplied.
Bill raised an eyebrow.
"I — er — I said some hurtful things," Harry mumbled simply. It was enough that Fred and George constantly looked as if they were prepared to commit bloody murder. He didn't want to add Bill to the list.
"Well, I suggest just giving her space, Harry. When she's ready to talk, she'll come to you," he suggested. "Trust me. Lyn's never been one to hold a grudge for very long."
Ron snorted. "What about that time she didn't speak to you for a whole summer?"
"Oh, yeah...forgot about that."
"What did you do?"
"I may have set a swarm of bees at her," Bill said sheepishly. "Well, it was meant to be a welcome-home prank for Fred and George after their first year — would have served them right for sending me a box at Easter that sprayed me in slime when I opened it. But, see, I didn't realize Lyn was visiting that day. So, when I saw the twins approaching the front door, I cast the spell at them, but the two gits ducked and it hit Lyn who was just getting out of Dad's old Ford Anglia. And well, she kept running as the bees followed her and it took forever to get her to stand still for me to perform the counterspell."
"Wait...is that why, in our third year, her boggart was—?" Harry wondered aloud.
"A swarm of bees?" Ron supplied. "Yup," he confirmed, an amused expression on his face as he recalled the sight of the nine-year-old girl running around in circles, swatting the cloud of yellow and black that buzzed around her head.
"What did you do to eventually get her to talk to you?"
"Bribed her with a box of liquorice wands."
"That's it?"
"Well, she was only nine, wasn't she?" Bill chuckled. "Doubt you'd get off the hook that easily."
Harry heaved a heavy sigh and buried his face in his hands.
Ron patted him pitifully.
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Edelyn was immediately put to work in the kitchen after arriving at the Burrow with the twins. Standing alone with Ron at the kitchen sink, they were peeling a mountain of sprouts for Mrs Weasley when Fred and George strode in.
"Aaah, George, look at this," Fred teased. "They're using knives and everything. Bless them."
"I'll be seventeen in two and a bit months' time," Ron muttered grumpily, "and then I'll be able to do it by magic."
"But meanwhile," George hummed, sitting down and propping his feet up on the kitchen table, "we can enjoy watching you demonstrate the correct use of a — whoops-a-daisy!"
"You made me do that!" Ron snarled, sucking his cut thumb. "You wait, when I'm seventeen—"
"I'm sure you'll dazzle us all with hitherto unsuspected magical skills," Fred drawled with a yawn.
Edelyn sniggered and grasped Ron's hand. She focused her eyes on his cut thumb. "Episky."
"Wait, how did you—?" Ron's eyes bulged as the cut began to heal itself.
"Blessed with wandless magic, remember?"
"You mean you could have peeled these by magic this whole time?!"
"Technically speaking, I probably could have, but then I wouldn't have been able to spend so much precious time with you, now would I?" she said with a playful grin. "We hardly ever get time to ourselves at Hogwarts anymore, not with dear, sweet Lav-Lav glued to your face."
The twins whistled and Ron's ears burned scarlet.
"Oh, shut it, you two!" He tossed a knife at them. Fred easily turned it into a paper aeroplane with a lazy flick of his wand.
"Fred, George," said Mrs Weasley as she entered the kitchen. "I'm sorry, dears, but Remus is arriving tonight, so Bill will have to squeeze in with you two. Then, as Charlie isn't coming home, that just leaves Harry and Ron in the attic, and if Fleur and Lyn share with Ginny...everyone should be comfortable. Well, they'll have a bed, anyway."
"Percy's definitely not showing his ugly face, then?" Fred asked.
Mrs Weasley stiffened. "No, he's busy — I expect, at the Ministry." She gave a quiet sniffle and Edelyn's lips fell into a frown. "Don't worry, Mrs Weasley. He'll come around soon enough," she said gently.
Fred snorted a humourless laugh. "Unlikely, seeing how he's the world's biggest prat."
Edelyn shot him a scornful glare. "Not helping," she mouthed.
"Well—" Mrs Weasley wiped the corners of her eyes. "I best see how Harry and Bill are doing with the tree."
Once Mrs Weasley had vacated the kitchen, Fred stole a cookie from the cookie jar. "You know," he chimed, "I expect this is going to be an interesting Christmas."
George leaned back in his chair. "An interesting one indeed."
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❛ One-sixty. ❜
published: May 3rd, 2018
⦅ thank you for reading! ⦆
―hugs, aelizia
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