Oh give it a rest, I could persuade you.
- Girls, The 1975
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The Great Hall was, as always, bursting with energetic chatter and movement, the candles floating suspended in mid air casting flickering golden light over everything.
Lydia rolled her eyes at the Marauders holding court in the middle of the Gryffindor table, their gaggle of adoring bimbos giving Scott and Isaac their undivided attention as they told a story that involved a lot of energetic hand gestures and Scott laughing at his own jokes.
Danny, as usual, was sitting beside Isaac quietly, occasionally contributing to the story, but content to watch the scene unfold for the rest of the time. And Stiles... was staring straight at her, Lydia suddenly realized. She suddenly became conscious of her every movement with his gaze following her, his eyes full of amusement at her discomfort.
Lydia found her friends in the middle of a debate about whether or not it was worth getting up early to watch Gryffindor Quidditch practice on Friday morning. Malia argued that it was a perfect boyfriend scouting opportunity for Allison, who refused adamantly with an insistent line about needing her beauty sleep.
Lydia hid behind Allison thankfully, cutting off Stiles' persistent stare. Her palms were sweating.
"What do you think, Lyds?" Malia's voice broke her concentration, letting Lydia forget about the fact that Stiles was acting much stranger than usual. At Lydia's confused reaction, Malia sighed dramatically. "Quidditch practice. Do you wanna go with me and Ally on Friday morning?"
"I am NOT going," Allison interrupted. "I would prefer to shove needles een my eyes than get up that early to watch a bunch of testosterone-addled meat 'eads fly around on brooms."
Allison's French accent became stronger when she was annoyed, making her malevolent expression completely useless because everyone found her irritated babble positively adorable. She had transferred from Beauxbatons Academy in third year, immediately becoming close friends with Lydia, and was soon friends with Lydia's friends. She and Malia still didn't quite click, though.
"Besides," interjected Lydia teasingly. "You just want to see Stiles Stilinski get all hot and sweaty." She winked at her friend, who bit her lip as a furious blush colored her cheeks. "Why, I have no idea, considering that he's an arrogant prick with no respect for women." Or their personal space, apparently, Lydia thought.
"Who is?" Kira Yukimura plopped down next to Lydia, taking in Malia's blush, Allison's barely-hidden smirk, and Lydia's scowl. "Ah. Never mind." Allison let a giggle escape as Malia frowned at Kira in annoyance.
"It is not funny," Malia snapped at Allison, who was turning pink in her effort to contain her laughter.
"Not. Funny. At all!" Allison choked out, fanning her face with her hand. Tears of laughter formed in her eyes as Malia stabbed her steak viciously.
"Al..." Lydia chided quietly. Allison sobered up, seeing Malia's bottom lip fall into a pout and her little hands drop to form fists in her lap.
"Oh. Sorry Lia," Allison said gently. "Eet's just... Stiles, you know?"
"Yeah. I know," Malia responded dejectedly, staring at her hands. "He likes Lydia, anyways." She shrugged. "I wouldn't have a chance even if he did notice me."
"That is not true," Lydia responded sharply. "He never has liked me and he does notice you, Lia, but I don't know... maybe he's scared to talk to you?" Lydia trailed off hopelessly, knowing that on some level, Malia was right. Stiles never had noticed her, always preferring to associate with the girls who came to him, not the other way around.
"So... what? You think I should talk to him?" Malia's eyes held a shadow of doubt as she twirled a fork around her fingers.
"Non Lia, you should defeenitely continue not talking to 'im," said Allison sarcastically. "Because zat ees working so eencredibly well."
"Ally's right," piped up Kira. "You don't even know the guy. You just like his face."
"And his butt," added Lydia with a giggle. "And his hair and his arms and his shoulders and those stupid glasses and his 'oh-so-delectable' voice." Lydia fluttered her eyelashes mockingly with a dreamy sigh. Allison stayed quiet, her eyebrows raised pointedly at Kira. Malia didn't notice, frowning at Lydia as she pretended to swoon into Allison's arms.
"Whatever Lydia," Malia said coldly. "I'm heading back. Anyone coming with?" She got up, brushing a stray pea off her lap.
"Sure." Kira hurriedly stood with her, stopping by Allison on the way out to quickly whisper "Discuss later?" in her ear. Allison nodded with a knowing smile, and Kira gave her a covert wink as she left, her arm linked with Malia's.
"Maybe we were a touch 'arsh?" Allison suggested worriedly, staring after a now smiling Malia. Lydia shrugged.
"Aren't we always? She needs to see that he's not as wonderful as she thinks."
"I don't know... eet's Lia's first real crush. Per'aps we should just... leave 'er?" Allison turned back to Lydia, her dark eyes unsure and guilty.
"Leave her to get her heart broken by a mysoginistic asshole who treats girls like objects? No." Lydia shrugged, unapologetic. "She's my friend. And I'll be damned if I'm going to let him hurt her."
"I suppose," Allison replied, eyeing the chocolate cake that had just appeared in front of them. "C'est horrible... making fun of 'er."
"I know. I don't like it either," Lydia admitted. "But I just... she's in too deep, Al. If he paid her attention now and then broke her heart, it would hurt her too much. She likes him too much. That's why we need this to go away slowly."
Allison sighed, placing massive slices of the cake on each of their plates.
"Yes. Anyway, why were you late?" Her mouth was already crammed with cake, a smudge of frosting on her chin. Lydia wiped it away with a napkin automatically, her ever constant maternal and protective nature shining through her layer of indifference. She treated them all like they were her little sisters, sometimes. It irritated Malia, whereas Allison couldn't help but find it endearing.
"I just got distracted with something I found in a book," Lydia lied easily, tossing the napkin onto the table.
"Oh. Well, you meessed quite a show. Someone 'exed Jackson Wheettemore blue een the face - leeterally. And zey chased 'im out of the room with fireworks charms." Allison giggled delightedly.
"Nobody could feegure out 'oo! I mean, the Marauders were meessing, so eet couldn't 'ave been zem. Someone suggested zat 'e deed eet to 'imself... you know, to get zem in trouble... only zey weren't 'ere. But eet must 'ave been someone talented, one of the seventh years, I bet." She sighed contentedly. "Eet was beautiful."
Lydia smiled placidly, placing her empty plate on the growing stack in the middle of the table.
"Sounds entertaining. Shame no one could figure out who it was - I'd like to buy them flowers." She flashed a grin at Allison, standing up and stretching.
"You would," Allison laughed. "Now come on, I need you to force me to do my Muggle Studies 'omework." She grabbed Lydia's hand, leading her out of the Great Hall with her, oblivious to Stiles winking at Lydia as she left.
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1. I wanted a Beauxbatons transfer, and Argent is a French name. Actually, it's a French family, full stop. But uggggh imagine them all with their adorable British accents and Allison with a sexy French lilt to hers and I just. (Sorry about Allison's dialogue being hard to read, but I wanted her to be a very Fleur Delacour like character, and that includes speech.)
2. OPINIONS ON MALIA'S CHARACTER. I'M SO INTERESTED. Don't get me wrong, Malia on the show makes me want to throw myself off a building, but Enchanted Malia... I'm a bit attached to her, tbh. She reminds me of myself about six months ago. (Shut up, Liv.)
3. ARE THE GIRL'S NICKNAMES NOT THE CUTEST EVER OR.