Out of habit, I had to tell my friends the moment I next saw them about the ordeal with Fleur. I greatly enjoyed Mila's reaction, who was so envious of Fleur that she had turned mean on the topic.
"She probably just wanted another girl to fawn over her. She's still dumb as a stack of bricks."
"Or maybe," Marie said, coming to my aid, "she's actually nicer than you think and did a kind thing by helping Ava." She turned to me expectantly. "So what's your plan now? Going to become friends with the popular girl in school? Hijack us?"
"I would never!" I responded in disgust, only to hear Jacqueline laugh from behind me at her approach. Gisele was next to her, with a newspaper rolled up in the crock of her arm, her hand clutching a mirror with her red lipstick held in the other, trying to freshen up her lips while Jacqueline dragged her along.
"I heard something about Fleur helping the American, but I didn't know if it was true."
"How could you have possibly heard that?" I asked in disbelief. "I'm not that popular. Nor is Fleur."
"Yes but Fleur's friends are gossips and that fool Dominique sat right behind us talking about it during transfiguration," Jacqueline explained.
"Dominique is one of Fleur's friends," Gisele clarified, as she popped her lipstick back into her bag with her compact mirror.
"You sure Fleur is smart?" Mila asked, turning to Marie who was looking back at her, pensively. "Because I doubt a smart person would have a friend as dumb as a door post like Dominique."
"Can't we move this conversation to the Great Hall, please? I'm starving." Rosalie pleaded, pushing us to argue on the level of brain power Fleur possessed on our trek back to the castle. Once we actually sat down to eat, the bitterness of said conversation was gone, and our usual routine returned. I welcomed it happily.
Thanks to my run in with Malfoy, I missed the opportunity to give Sam a heads up about meeting my friends. So, we pushed it back until the weekend, when the lot of us would have more free time, avoiding studying for example.
Marie was quick to suggest how to orchestrate what could have been a very simple get together had she not spooked me into remembering that Sam found the group of us to be intimidating.
"We need to spread ourselves out and show up at different times so she doesn't feel like she's entering a lion's den."
"By all means, let her be intimidated. It'll be fun," Ana said happily from her perch on the table. We were in a corner of the library, where bookshelves leaned on desks and lamps gave off a golden glow to the otherwise winter backdrop of Friday night.
"I don't think that's helping," Mila said, turning to her friend beside her. An open book lay on her lap but she was only idly flipping through the pages out of habit.
"How do you suppose we split up?" Rosalie asked from her seat. She was trying to get work down with Gisele tutoring her but was having little success.
"I'll come with Ava to meet her by the Slytherin common room and we can be introduced there so she can get used to me," Marie began. "Then we will meet Rosalie next, as you speak English perfectly and might be a relief to her thoughts on us all being stuck up French-"
"I'd just like to say that that is a hurtful stereotype made out by the rest of Europe who are just jealous of us," Jacqueline said indignatiously from the aisle with her shoes off, happily avoiding all work. Gisele shook her head comically while Rosalie leaned back to smile openly at her. Jacqueline gave her cherry-haired friend a pat on the head while Marie gave her a demanding look.
"Are you done?"
"Not quite. Where are you going to have the horrid French women come in from to say hi?"
"I was just getting to that actually," Marie said ruefully. "You and Gisele will come in together from the hall once we are settled in an abandoned classroom. Gisele, you may need to play translator again and soften any sentence that comes out of her mouth," Marie added, eying Jacqueline's wicked smile.
"Don't worry, I'll behave," she cooed, but no one believed her.
"When do we show up?" Mila asked, pointing between herself and Ana.
"Last of course," Marie replied. "But only because you two have the biggest personalities and we wouldn't want you to outshine anyone else here," Marie added quickly sensing their distaste at the idea.
"No, please, go ahead and outshine me. I insist," Jacqueline said with an inclination of the head. Ana had to bite back a laugh while Mila continued to pout.
"But what if she doesn't like us?"
"Who cares! I thought you wanted her not to like you," Ana questioned adamantly.
"No I didn't! I just said I wanted her to feel intimidated-"
"Do you know if she and your brother had made up by chance?" Jacqueline asked me, cutting the girls off. I shrugged, truly unsure.
"Probably. I did tell him I was talking to her again. Why?" Jacqueline shrugged, playing it cool before saying, "I'm just curious."
"Smooth," Mila commented, causing the lot of us to snicker. Jacqueline did not in the least bit seem phased which unsettled me just a bit.
On the day of, Marie and I left right on the dime toward the Slytherin common room entrance. On the way, I told Marie about my fear of seeing Malfoy potentially popping up, but she doubted his appearance the same as she did about Jasper.
"If anything, I'd say both boys just want to avoid you now, which should work in your favor if you play your cards right."
"But Malfoy doesn't seem to be avoiding me. In fact, he has leverage over me now, Marie."
"Only if you let him. Why not just admit to your parents when they ask that it's true that you kissed him but it's over?"
"Because my mother is best friends with his mother and would make drama out of nothing."
"Sounds like a fun time."
"Don't start with me," I warned. We paced ourselves down the stairs only to find Sam already there waiting for us. As it was the weekend, she wore jeans and a comfy cranberry red sweater that illuminated her dark curls and warm complexation. If she was nervous, she hid it well.
"Do you lot ever get out of uniform or is there an unsaid rule about the French and silk?"
"Actually, I'm Dutch," Marie said simply, stopping short next to the brit. If Marie was trying to come off as sweet, she was failing, as she stood towering over Sam and looking down for good measure. Sam merely gave Marie a once over, unfazed.
"No kidding." She then turned to me and I saw a hint of nerves flash in her eyes.
"Where's everyone else?"
"About. Marie wanted to meet you first. I've kind of told her that she reminds me of you back at school." This news startled Sam, as her gaze immediately returned to Marie's as she gave her a once over again.
"I assume this has nothing to do with looks as I do not have your coloring nor your especially long legs," She said, gawking at Marie, like an animal at a zoo. "No offense," She added quickly. Marie's eyes gleamed.
"None taken. I think Ava meant we both keep her in line. Or so I pieced together from the stories she's told."
"Oh lord. Were these stories from my glory days or when I was ghosting her?"
"You weren't ghosting me, Sam," I said sympathetically but Sam shook her head defiantly.
"Don't sugar coat me, Ava. I did more than ghost you, I was a bit ridiculous."
"As was I at some point," Marie said to both my surprise and Sam's, who turned to her again, startled. "Oh?"
"Yeah," Marie confirmed causally. "I think maybe twice, right?" She asked, glancing my way. I shrugged, unsure where this was going.
"Honestly I've lost track." Sam looked at me with a growing frown.
"There was that debacle over Christmas break," Marie started counting on her hand.
"Then there was that fight over you breaking a girl's leg-" Marie went on, making Sam laugh.
"Oh, I went after her for that too. Mental, I tell you." Marie nodded in agreement.
"You'd think she'd have more sense-"
"Uh, no we are not starting this-" I warned, pointing at my two friends looks of understanding. They seemed to be under the same wave length, but at what cost?
"What else did you fight about?" Sam asked eagerly to Marie, who seemed only too happy to go on. There was this breakdown over letters and Malfoy," Marie explained, making me face palm while Sam's brow rose to look my way in disbelief.
"Even in France you were dealing with Malfoy drama? Fountaine did you ever think to ghost him instead of me?"
"Actually my parents forced me to come to his parents' house for Christmas. Hard to ghost him when he sleeps in the room five doors down." Sam grimaced at the idea while Marie shook her head slowly.
"I can't imagine my mother doing that to me."
"Oh Mrs. Fountaine is a completely different creature," Sam explained, knowingly. "Trust me, I've met her when she was in a foul mood. Barely spoke two words to me."
"Really? I met her when I first roomed with Ava, and she was very well put together," Marie explained. Sam looked unconvinced.
"You obviously didn't see her under pressure."
"Or maybe," I broke in, "the pair of you just saw her experiencing different scenes. I mean, think about it Marie, you saw her right after she did an honorary speech at Beauxbatons. Of course she would seem put together... not to say that she ever isn't put together..."
"And I saw her in the middle of a mass monster break in," Sam concluded, catching my thought. "Not to mention Ava decided to ditch her mum with me of all people." Marie looked only too curious about that story, so on our way up the steps toward the 2nd level classrooms, Sam explained her experience of handling my mother while I went on a suicide mission.
"Which failed by the way," I concluded at the top. I saw Rosalie walking toward us, her red curls clashing vibrantly with her blue uniform, hat gone. Marie saw her coming as well and directed Sam to her attention.
"This is Rosalie, also not French."
"You mean to tell me that half of Beauxbatons isn't French?" Sam interjected before Rosalie could speak. "A bit confusing, no?"
"Oh it is. Especially when you don't speak a lick of French," I added, nodding to Rosalie who was smiling cautiously to the floor. "I'm getting better," she defended with a sure smile before turning her attention to Sam.
"Rosalie, you know Sam." She offered a friendly hand which Sam shook, feeling oddly formal.
"I'm actually a friend from Rhode Island. Just happened to join Ava at school," Rosalie explained, shyly. "Though now that I'm here, I think I made a mistake. I wouldn't have needed to learn an extra language to come here."
"No kidding," Sam replied, though her face was calculated, as if she was trying to piece something together. "You don't happen to be around when Ava broke that girl's leg, were you?"
Without missing a beat, Rosalie replied with a bashful smile.
"Yes, I was actually one of her friends that pushed Annie off the runway."
The look of utter horror that appeared on Sam's face made me chuckle while Marie only shook her head, biting back a grin. Rosalie remained herself, looking charming and sweet as ever. Sam just didn't know how to compute this new information.
"You? But- you're just-"
"Why don't we finish this up in the classroom. I could swear I heard Peeves in the stair well," Marie pointed out, glancing behind us. We all went silent in time to hear a string of mischievous snickering that echoed down the stairs, making the lot of us rush to the classroom in question, and close the door with a satisfying click.
Sitting in desks, like quiet church mice, were Jacqueline and Gisele. Both of whom stood at our arrival, though only Gisele came forward to introduce herself and Jacqueline in French. Jacqueline crossed her arms and leaned on the desk behind her, watching from the back.
"These are the French friends in the group, in case you needed a cue," Marie confirmed, taking what I noted to be the leader role. I was impressed.
"What are you telling her about the French?" Jacqueline questioned in the language, startling Sam.
"Marie only said that we are French. Calm down," Gisele critiqued but Jacqueline was not impressed, and so stood up and came forward. Sam was watching her now as she approached.
"You were the one in the black and white dress from the Hospital Wing," Sam pointed out correctly. Gisele muttered the translation to Jacqueline who simply nodded.
"Oui. And you were the one vomiting in her own hospital bed."
Gisele gave Jacqueline a concerned glance but it was me who responded.
"She remembers you too, Sam."
"That's not what she said," Sam cut in, dropping the act. She returned her dark gaze to Jacqueline's.
"You must know Theo well by how close the two of you acted that night. What do you think of him?" Gisele didn't seem to need to translate much, as the name Theo rang a bell inside Jacqueline's head. She rose her brows at Sam before shrugging nonchalantly.
"Only so well as to kiss him a few times every once and awhile. Nothing too serious. How about yourself?"
Sam had no idea what was said back to her but by the reactions made by the Beauxbatons around her, she assumed it was interesting. The lyrical blonde who was supposed to be translating blanched, the red headed American, Rosalie, when entirely tomato red, and Marie was staring at Ava who had lost her smile.
"I freaking hate Theo," Ava muttered darkly while Gisele turned to Sam and explained in the kindest words what Jacqueline said.
Jacqueline was the only one in the room enjoying herself and promptly watched Sam to see how she would take this news.
Sam surprised herself by reacting rather lowkey. She knew Theo was a man whore of the highest order and had a thing for pretty dark haired girls. Jacqueline was his type to a tee, not to mention that effortless French casualness about her that made everything she did look attractive.
She was cool.
So, Sam responded simply with a scoff toward the ground, her smile reappearing on her face as she shook her head.
"Well tell me, was he a bad kisser? Or are the rumors true?" All the girls went silent as Gisele quickly translated. Ava looked ready to abort. Jacqueline's expression after understanding melted into a look of approval at this new Brit, before saying in broken English, " 'he is good, but too..." she waved her hand in the air, trying to think of the word, before muttering in French to Gisele who responded promptly with "clingy".
"I knew it," Sam muttered, glancing at Jacqueline's mischievous smile. "He always had that about him, I just couldn't pin point it."
"For the love of all that is good, will the lot of you shut up on my brother and how he..." I shuddered at the image of him with Jacqueline, while Rosalie giggled next to me.
"What are you laughing at?" Rosalie feigned innocence before muttering under her breath something about seeing this coming.
"You have to admit, your brother is a bit of a flirt," Marie confided in me slowly. I gave her a look that could melt metal.
"You don't say. He managed to charm Jacqueline of all people-"
"No, I'm pretty sure she threw herself at him," Sam said, turning past her shoulder at me while Jacqueline nodded along, blissfully unaware. Gisele didn't have the heart to break the moment so she only smiled at Sam approvingly.
A sudden screech was heard outside the door making all of us jump with a start and look toward the door. Running footsteps followed by the door swinging open revealed Ana and Mila looking horribly upset. For a moment, we didn't understand why until the stench of dung snuck in after them. The pair were furious.
"Peeves stumped us with a dung bomb!" Mila squeaked out in furry making the lot of us, Sam included, burst into laughter.
-
Hello There,
As you've noticed, these last two chapters having been fillers to the 2nd task happening in the next chapter. Since we are nearing the end of the book, things will be a little rushed in time between the 2nd and 3rd task. But I'm very excited to move onto the third book of the series.
The cover of the book has already been made (awhile ago actually) so I will post more on that when I have the exact number of chapters left in this book ready. I'll see you all Wednesday!
Until then,
-WG-