CHAPTER EIGHT

"Seriously?" Elodie asked, pushing her foot against Fred's leg in exasperation. "Why are you so persistent when Black obviously has a thing for you?"

Fred looked at her incredulously, puzzled. "Right, so her constant mockery and hostility are somehow signs of affection?" he countered with an arched brow.

She released a sigh, shifting her gaze away from her book to regard Fred with a shake of the head. "It's quite simple, really. It's a well-known fact that people have a tendency to pick on the person they're fond of," she explained.

Fred looked at her, unconvinced. "I understand where you're coming from, but Black? Nope."

"Whatever you say Fre—," she muttered, resuming her reading. But before she could even finish the sentence, James plucked her book out of her hands, causing her to let out an exasperated sigh.

James glanced back and forth between the two of them as they sat together on the couch, his gaze fixed on Fred who looked puzzled.

"Why are you two just sitting here reading books on a sunny Sunday?" he questioned.

Elodie shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, Fred and I are some lazy arses, so we thought we'd relax."

Fred simply shrugged, a cheeky grin forming on his face. "We figured, it's a Sunday, after all, so why not relax a bit?"

James rolled his eyes, but a smirk tugged at the corners of his lips. "Right, lazy arse's, both of you," he remarked, playfully shaking his head at their relaxed attitude.

Elodie made a face in response to James' mirroring expression, causing him to playfully reciprocate. Meanwhile, Fred observed the interaction between the two, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Since when did the two of you stop avoiding each other?" he inquired curiously, his gaze flickering back and forth between the two.

James pretended to huff in annoyance, "Really, Fred? Let me refresh your memory. It was Elodie who avoided me."

He reached out and poked her face teasingly, which she promptly swatted away.

Elodie stifled a yawn and rolled her eyes playfully at James' comment. "Oh, poor you," she remarked sarcastically.

James leaned forward on the couch, shaking his head. "Anyway, about a week ago," he chimed in, before reaching over and messing up her hair. He then suggested, "Why don't we go outside and do something?"

Elodie shot James a glare as she defiantly leaned back into the couch, a smug look on her face. "You can try all you want, but you're not getting me off this couch," she declared confidently.

Fred remained silent, utterly transfixed by the peculiar scene unfolding before him. He had witnessed the animosity between Elodie and James develop since they'd met, and now, seeing them engaging in casual conversation left him utterly flabbergasted.

Fred's heart tugged at the sight of Elodie and James now standing on friendlier terms. While he cared deeply for both of them, a pang of worry and protectiveness gnawed at him. The thought of them developing a deeper bond and potentially getting hurt in the process didn't sit well with him.

"You don't think I won't take you up on that challenge?" a hint of mischief sparkled in James's eyes as he lifted Elodie over his shoulder. Before she had a chance to react, he darted out of the room, leaving her to cry out for help.

Fred got up from the couch with a resigned sigh, unable to hold back a smile as he followed their mischievous escapade. He pushed the thoughts of negativity aside, choosing instead to focus on the positive possibilities.

"Throw her in the lake, James!" Fred yelled out as he ran after the two. He couldn't help but grin at the look of betrayal Elodie sent his way, but inside, he was actually quite amused by her feigned anger.

While continuing to run along, he chimed in with a playful tone, "Oh, don't give me that look, Elodie. You're secretly loving this, aren't you?"

As they continued their chase through the hall, James shot back, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Oh, no way, Fred. You can't get me to dump her in the lake!"

Fred raised an eyebrow, a cheeky grin playing on his lips. "Come on, James, it's a great way to cool off and have some fun," he insisted playfully. "And if she doesn't want to, you know she'll enjoy it once she's in there."

As they continued their chase, Elodie, realizing it was futile to escape, rested her elbow on James' back and smirked. "I'll tell the giant squid to drag you both in if you even think about it," she threatened with a playful challenge.

James and Fred both chuckled. "Right, as if the squid would listen," he teased.

Fred chimed in, "Right?"

Elodie grinned, further fueling the speculation. "Please, the giant squid practically adores me. It frequently appears at my common room window for conversations."

"Yeah, right. I doubt it really likes you," James retorted with a chuckle. Fred nodded in agreement.

Elodie rolled her eyes, continuing to lean against James, clearly enjoying the back-and-forth banter. "You underestimate the squid's fondness for me," she countered defiantly.

"Oh, yeah, sure," James responded sarcastically, his eyes rolling. "Because the giant squid is just a regular conversationalist."

He continued to carry Elodie on his shoulder, feigning indifference.

Fred chimed in with a smirk, "Yeah, and the squid probably just wants to hear all your deep thoughts."

"Oh, please," Elodie retorted with a smirk, pretending to be offended at both of their scepticism. "You both underestimate the depth of my conversations with the giant squid."

She leaned her head down further onto James' shoulder, a hint of amusement in her eyes. "The squid and I have some quite meaningful chats, you know."

"Right, because talking to a giant squid must be intellectually stimulating," James taunted with a playful eye roll.

Fred chimed in, a smirk plastered across his face. "Well, now I'm just curious. What are these meaningful topics the squid and you discuss?"

Elodie shot back through playfully narrowed eyes. "Oh, you two have no idea," she declared confidently. "Our conversations are incredibly insightful and enlightening. For instance, we recently discussed the importance of squid ink in potions."

She paused, letting that sink in for a moment, and then, with a mischievous grin, she added, "And of course, we never miss a chance to gossip about Hogwarts' latest drama."

Both James and Fred couldn't help but chuckle at her comment. "So, you're discussing squid ink and Hogwarts gossip?" James quipped, trying to keep a straight face.

Fred joined in, his smirk growing wider. "Wow, sounds like some highbrow stuff, alright. I bet you two become all scholarly just talking about squid ink."

Elodie shot them a stern frown, her resolve strengthening. "Fine, if you don't believe me, you both should come and see for yourselves. Watch the giant squid pull you guys in the lake," she declared with conviction.

James and Fred just smirked, clearly amused at her assertiveness. "Oh, we'll be watching, alright," Fred responded, a hint of excitement in his voice. "But we doubt the squid has those kinds of dragging abilities."

"Oh, you doubt it, do you?" Elodie countered with a challenging glimmer in her eyes. "Let's see how quickly you change your tune once the squid gets its tentacles on you."

James and Fred exchanged glances, their smirks turning into full-blown grins. "Oh, we'll hold you to that promise, Elodie," James replied, thoroughly enjoying her determination.

Her determination quickly grew as the two challenged her. They headed towards the Black Lake, anticipating fun interactions with the giant squid.

However, their confidence wavered when they watched James swiftly toss her into the lake, expecting nothing more than a harmless dip.

Suddenly, as the seconds ticked by and Elodie didn't resurface, pure panic set in. Fred and James exchanged startled looks, their eyes widening in disbelief and concern.

"I really hope she can swim, uh she can right? We didn't just throw her in and doomed her right?" James chimed in, his complexion turning pale.

Fred chimed in, his own eyes wide with concern, "Listen, James. I'm sure we're like, best mates and all, but even I have no idea about Elodie's swimming abilities."

James shot Fred a look of disbelief, but his expression quickly turned into shock as an unexpected situation unfolded.

"Oh, for the love of--" he exclaimed, his voice rising in a high-pitched squeak as something wrapped around his ankle, yanking him into the lake.

"What the he-" Fred's words were cut off mid-sentence as the unexpected scene before him left him momentarily speechless. He stood there, utterly flabbergasted, as he witnessed James getting dragged into the lake, his voice rising in a high-pitched scream.

"I can't believe it," he managed to blurt out, shaking his head in disbelief. "The squid really did it."

Fred's eyes widened as he saw Elodie resurfacing, laughing, completely unflustered by the whole ordeal.

His heart sank as a tentacle began making its way towards him. He momentarily gave a look of defeat before being pulled under the water.

Elodie burst into laughter upon seeing James slowly rising from the water, a defeated smile on her face. "I should have trusted you," he declared, shaking her head.

Fred surfaced from below the water, spluttering and gasping for air, completely drenched. He was stunned, both amused and impressed by Elodie's calm demeanour.

"I'm still trying to process what just happened," James admitted, wiping his dripping hair away from his face. "I didn't think the squid was actually going to drag us in here, let alone make me scream like a girl."

"I can't believe it either!" Fred sputtered, his heart still racing from the unexpected underwater adventure. "I mean, I honestly thought you were just teasing us, Elle!"

As he spoke, Elodie couldn't help but grin at his reaction. "Frankly, you looked like an absolute drama queen," she teased, unable to contain her laughter.

"How was I supposed to know it was serious?" Fred retorted, his own laughter starting to kick in. "I honestly thought we were just bantering, and then BAM! Tentacle attack."

Both James and Fred watched as a tentacle emerged from the water, but to their surprise, it didn't make any menacing moves. Instead, it appeared to be waving, causing both guys to flinch with unease.

Elodie, on the other hand, broke into a smile and began waving back at the tentacle. "Oh, hello there," she greeted with a small giggle.

"What are you doing?" James asked, stunned at Elodie's casual interaction with the tentacle.

Fred chimed in, equally bewildered. "Is she... waving back at it?"

"She's absolutely fearless," Fred whispered, still in awe of Elodie's audacity.

James looked at her with a mixture of fascination and disbelief. "How does she even know it won't attack her?"

Elodie gave them a sidelong glance and responded with a casual roll of her eyes.

"Because it's my friend," she declared with a mischievous wink.

Fred and James shared a bewildered look before watching her glide effortlessly through the water, floating on her back.

"Did she just..." James began, his words trailing off.

"Yeah," Fred chimed in, equally stunned, "She just called the squid her friend."

James shook his head, still struggling to process what was happening. "How does she even know the squid won't eat her?"

Elodie, blissfully floating on her back, simply shrugged. "Because it's my friend," she repeated effortlessly.

The tension between the two males eased slightly as they glanced at Elodie, floating calmly in the lake. The initial worry about being dragged back down melted away, replaced by an air of awe.

"She looks like she doesn't have a care in the world," James commented, a hint of admiration in his voice.

"I know. It's like she's in her own little world," Fred concurred, watching Elodie with a mix of amazement and curiosity.

James shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips. "How does she manage to be so calm and collected in a situation like this?"

Fred chuckled lightly, "She's got nerves of steel."

James crossed his arms, unable to hide his admiration for Elodie. "Seriously, she takes everything in stride."

The two continued to watch as Elodie hummed contentedly. Fred moved towards her, joining her in the water.

James, on the other hand, stayed put, his gaze transfixed on her for a few moments. He couldn't quite pinpoint the fluttery feeling in his chest. So, in an unconscious attempt to distract himself, he dove into the water and playfully splashed water at them both.