"Your son has been smiling all morning like a git." Nixie pointed out to Sirius the morning after the Yule Ball. The two were sitting at the professor's table in the Great Hall. The woman was focused on finishing some papers that needed to be graded, that she had put aside for far too long. Sirius on the other hand was enjoying his breakfast when his wife pointed out their son in the distance sitting at the Gryffindor table.

"I thought he always smiled like a git." Sirius chuckled to himself. "He gets that from me."

"I'm well aware," Nixie responded. "But this is ...advance git. Look for yourself."

Sirius looked up from his meal to see his son, sitting beside Fergus at the table, a plate of food in front of him, but the biggest smile on the boy's face.  He couldn't help but let out a loud snort that startled the other professors at the table. Nixie only shook her head in response, while looking down at the papers to conceal her own smile.

"Seems his first kiss really left an impression on him, didn't it? Reminds me of someone I know."

Nixie's cheeks turned a slight pink but she didn't look up. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh yes you do, if I remember, someone was incredibly shy during our first kiss."

"Yes, you were actually very shy." Nixie retorted. "I'm glad you overcame that."

Sirius set his spoon down and gave her a look, Nixie covered her face with one of the papers.

"Don't you hide from me, Flipper! I can still see you."

'Actually, the person sitting beside you is just an illusion, I'm actually not here. You're just seeing things, there was something in your juice."

"Nixie!"

"HENRY!" Fergus clapped his hands in the boy's face. Henry finally looked up, waking from his dreamy daze before looking over at his friend.

"What?"

"What do you mean what? I've been trying to talk to you for the last ten minutes and you have straight up ignored everything I've been saying."

"That's not true." Henry said sitting up. "I've been listening. I've been listening to every word you've said."

"Oh really? Then what have I been talking about?" Fergus asked folding his arms and staring Henry down.

"Uh..quidditch." Henry said taking a shot in the dark.

Fergus narrowed his eyes at him. "And what else?"

"Armina?" Henry answered.

"Oh," Fergus' face lightened. "You were actually listening. "

"Uh...of course I was. Told you, didn't I?"

"Well, next time respond. I felt like I was talking to the wall.'

"Sorry, I'm just...I'm so distracted today."

"Why? You got plenty of sleep last night, I came into the room and you were already snoring away. So...wait, I'm guessing this has to do with Hope...oh my Merlin, did you guys...you kissed, didn't you?"

Fergus let out a dramatic gasp, clapping his hands to the side of his face. "And you didn't tell me?! I'm your best friend...besides Hope...but you didn't tell me?!"

"You didn't ask." Henry said.

"I shouldn't have to!"

"Why is Fergie having a fussy fit?" Hope's voice rang out from behind them.

A stupid grin returned to Henry's face as he turned around to face her, while Fergus rolled his eyes.

"Because you two kissed and didn't tell me." Fergus told her.

"But you didn't ask." Hope pointed out.

"I..I..." He let out a strange noise of frustration before dropping his head down to the table, while Hope and Henry exchanged a shrug.

The girl sat down beside Henry, the two of them stealing a glance before they both turned red and looked down at the table. She eventually glanced up to say something but they were interrupted by Elliot flopping down across from them on the bench.

Judging by the expression on his face, Angry Quidditch Baby mode had been activated and was in full swing.

"We didn't do it!" Hope blurted out.

Elliot's face softened for a moment as he looked at her. "I didn't say you did do anything," he told her.

"Sorry, force of habit, really. What's wrong? Why do you look so...upset?"

"This whole year has been nothing but drama." Elliot said resting his chin on the table. "Between this stupid tournament and Eliza, I just want it to be over with so I can go home."

"What? I thought you and Eliza were going to patch things up last night?" Henry said. "She seemed awfully concerned that you weren't at the Yule Ball."

"Oh really? Well I don't think she got the memo, Henry, because all she did was yell at me...thanking me for ruining her night. I don't see how I was the bad guy in all of this..she had herself a date, so what did it matter if I went or not."

"Because she wanted to go with you, dingus." Hope told him. "But since you made up your date, she figured she couldn't ask you to go and then you didn't even bother to show up-"

"She lied to me." Elliot said angrily. "And I'm supposed to be okay with that?"

"What did she lie about?" All three students had their eyes on Elliot waiting for the answer.

"She told me she wasn't going to bother with the tournament...after you two said you weren't going to bother. But it turns out that was all a lie, because she's the one who entered the names. She lied to me...right to my face." Elliot said with a hurt tone to his voice.

"And you lied to her about your date." Hope pointed out. "Now you're even. Time to patch things up and move on."

Elliot glared at her.

"Or not." She quickly added.

Without another word, the Ravenclaw boy picked himself up and left the Great Hall without eating or drinking anything.

'Yikes." Henry and Hope said in unison.

"Talk about awkward." Fergus said.  "I mean, I feel bad for the both of them actually. Here I thought Stella and Teddy were going to take ages getting together...glad I didn't put money down on that one."

"Speaking of which..." Hope turned Henry with her hand out. "You lose."

'Awww," he whined. "I thought you forgot."

"Oh no, dear GuppyPuppy, I forgive but I don't forget."

Henry sighed with a small smile. "Mind of an elephant, heart of a badger."

Hope furrowed her brow. 

"I just got the strangest mental image..."