the kiss list, adrian pucey
𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓, 𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟐

chapter thirty-one
number 11: HEIDI MACAVOY

✧ ━━━ · ✦ · ━━━ ✧

BIANCA DIDN'T THINK SHE WAS TIRED. She didn't see much point hanging around outside alone, but she also wasn't too keen on the idea of going back into the party, and nor could she see herself asleep in the next half an hour.

She liked being alone. Time alone is well spent, Bianca thinks. And so, even if she complained several times to multiple people about the aching in her feet, Bianca decided to take the long route back to Gryffindor Common room, where she was going to dissolve into the pages of a good book.

The halls weren't as silent as she expected them to be. Despite it being the early hours of the morning, and that morning being Christmas, she could still hear the thumps of the music from the trapped doors of the Great Hall, and the groaning of the school's Ghosts, begging for some kind of peace and quiet.

A few couples were badly hidden behind doors, and in cornered nooks, but Bianca did her best to pretend that she couldn't see them. That was another sound that made the Ghosts wish they had the ability to shut off their ears for the night.

Since she had been ignoring the sound of lips on lips — which was also a little too familiar for Bianca's liking, to begin with — everything was quite peaceful.

That was until the slurred words: "Oi! Bitch!" yelled out to her, from the other end of the corridor. Yet another reason the Hogwarts Ghosts were wishing they had made it to Heaven.

Bianca swiveled on the spot and was met with a sight she had not planned to — a drunken Heidi Macavoy, red cup loosely gripped in her hand, spilling half of its contents onto the cobblestoned floor, strolling in an attempted casual manner, right towards her.

Bianca had had near to no experience with Heidi Macavoy before. Very little actually. They were two very different people. Bianca chose books over boys and disliked the egos of most Quidditch players. Heidi was as straight as could be, never read books unless she had to, and was a Quidditch player that spoke way too highly of her skills on a broom.

Heidi was tall, seriously blonde —blonder than Bianca, but at least she was academically smart enough to endure literature — and to Bianca, annoying as fuck. Which leads to the question of how on earth Bianca was ever going to kiss her. Number eleven, see. Bianca was just planning on leaving a girl like her till last — till she had to face Heidi. Which wasn't supposed to be this soon. Procrastinating, essentially.

Before she knew it, Bianca was being slapped across the face, by a Hufflepuff that had barely said a sentence to her in all of five years.

Bianca's cheek stang, like someone, was poking a dozen different needles into her skin at the same time. There was a red mark, slowly fading into the tone of her face.

Bianca's mouth hung open, as she ran a single finger along her cheek. "Why, good evening Heidi," she said sarcastically. "Everything okay?" she asked, fighting the urge to hit the girl back.

A drunken cackle echoed from the corner that Heidi had crawled out of.

Tamsin Applebee was crouched on the floor, arm clutched over her stomach, the same red cup on the floor beside her, howling with laughter at the sight of Bianca's somewhat subtle pain.

Bianca forgot — bitches befriend bitches.

Heidi looked as though vomit could erupt from her mouth any second, as she tried to spill out some words. "Y-you can tell that boyfriend of yours that Tamsin is over him." she was throwing her arms about like a raging ape. The alcohol seemed to have taken its toll. "She can do so much better." Heidi slurred, her breath wreaking of Firewhiskey. Bianca would know — she was familiar with the scent.

Bianca assumed the boy in question was Adrian, which made this whole encounter, just that little bit more amusing.

Bianca folded her lips to stifle a smirk, "I'm sure she can." she agreed.

Tamsin stumbled onto her feet, still ripe with laughter. "And. And fuck you, boyfriend stealer," she called out; her words strung together into one long intoxicated yell, causing Heidi to roar with irritating giggles. Tamsin held up her middle finger.

Bianca glanced over at the paintings on the wall, that were now all rubbing their eyes, and wagging their own fingers to the two Hufflepuffs for not only drinking but for waking them up. And in a loud, obnoxious manner.

It was just the three of them, however, and it made Bianca think of Adrian. And then the Kiss List. And then her train of thought halted back to Heidi. Her procrastination plan was sure to fail now. Tamsin and Heidi were two overcooked peas in a pod. Two girls that claimed to be popular, but were the only two people that actually liked them. Two people that Bianca liked to avoid. She had escaped kissing Tamsin; Bianca just hoped she could do the same to Heidi.

Bianca smiled, not sarcastically, just sickly sweetly, "Merry Christmas to you too." she sang. "Is that all? Can I go now?"

Heidi didn't verbally reply, but rather shrugged Bianca off with a slice of her arm through the air, and a stumble towards Tamsin, still both lost in drunken laughter.

Bianca tried to escape quickly. She ran through the halls in the most nonchalant way she could muster.

Adrian had told Bianca that he was tired, and so, Bianca being the delightful, non-nagging person she is, had to go and find him, to discuss the case of Heidi Macavoy.

She could practically predict his reaction. The rolling of the eyes. The attempt at acting as cool as possible, without giving away that there wasn't a tinge of confidence in his body. It would be wonderful.

Bianca believed the topic of Heidi was just an excuse to go and see him.

There's a difference between loneliness and peace. Bianca thought she had just met a moment of tranquility, strolling through the halls of Hogwarts before she locked herself away beside the fire in the Gryffindor common room. But now that she had made it her mission to talk to Adrian about not having to kiss Heidi Macavoy because of an issue that he technically created, she realized that she was actually lonely without him.

Bianca's first thought was that Adrian would be in his dorm room, in the Slytherin chamber, in the dungeons where she could not go. Obviously, she had thought that — he had told her that. And so, Bianca thought it would be a lot more comfortable if she made sure that Cassius Warrington and Graham Montague, weren't going to be there too. Think of all the awkwardness she could avoid if she walked into one half-asleep boy in bed, rather than three — two of which she was hardly friends with.

As she hurried to the source of the music, Bianca thought about the last time she was in Adrian's dorm. Oh, how things were different back then. It was probably the first time ever that Bianca had thought that Adrian Pucey wasn't the complete and utter dick that she had portrayed him to be.

She slid through one of the slightly open doors and was immediately struck with a wave of sounds — music, scuttering feet, excruciatingly loud laughter from Fred and George Weasley.

Bianca stood on the sidelines, trying her best to conceal herself behind a group of people, whilst simultaneously trying not to come across as seriously odd as she stood slightly too close to them. She was trying to avoid anyone that would spark a conversation with her if they noticed where she was nervously stood.

It didn't take her long after continuously scanning the crowds to locate a very drunk Cassius Warrington, and what looked like a very sober, but therefore very fed up Graham Montague on the dance floor.

Bianca made sure Adrian wasn't amongst his group of Slytherin friends, before making a dash out of the hall.

Once behind the closed door, she slowed her pace and began trying to navigate her way to the Slytherin common room. Finding the dungeons wasn't a problem, and it wasn't too difficult finding the large stone wall that concealed what Bianca could remember was the Serpent's lounge.

She cautiously uttered the word that had granted her entry the night of October 31st, and the den was revealed; the wall scratching along the floor as it slid to an open.

And just like that, she was overwhelmed with a gushing sensation — nostalgia. But not like she had ever felt before. Some kind of very unfamiliar, and comforting deja vu. Good memories.

Bianca now confirmed that wanting to remove Heidi Macavoy as a target on the Kiss List was just an excuse she could award herself to talk to Adrian. For right now, the Kiss List wasn't what was so important. She could surely manage the Heidi situation given some time, but no, she just wanted to talk to Adrian. Like earlier wasn't quite long enough.

The common room was empty. And eerily silent. For a Gryffindor, Bianca had certainly walked this pathway a few too many times. Especially considering Adrian Pucey's bedroom was always the final destination.

She counted the rows of doors to make sure she definitely didn't walk into a group of random Slytherins fast asleep and therefore possess the desire to suffocate on the spot. And finally, she reached his dorm.

Bianca knocked ever so lightly onto the wood and waited a few seconds for a reply to come through. It didn't really occur to her that he would be completely flat-out asleep. After all, it had only been around fifteen minutes since he had left her in the courtyard.

Forgetting her manners for just a second, and pretending that what she was doing wasn't completely creepy, Bianca gently pushed the door open and stepped inside to see ... no one. The room was empty. Sheets untouched, pillows unaccompanied by sleeping heads.

Adrian wasn't there.

So he wasn't that tired, Bianca thought to herself.

Almost at the point where all hope was lost, and any enthusiasm to stay awake that little bit longer had been crushed, Bianca spotted a note, resting on the trunk in front of bed number two, the initials A.P engraved on the leather.

Bianca's mind ran in circles trying to decipher what "roof" Adrian was referring to. It was like a riddle that Bianca almost grimaced at the fact she was so eager to solve.

There were a few options, but as lonely as she felt, Bianca wasn't up for meandering around the entire castle, aimlessly trying to find him.

When her first yawn came, Bianca took it as a sign to head to bed. There was no doubt that it was late, and she couldn't see herself dancing anymore, so she shuffled out of his dorm room, back down the long green corridor, and out through the stone wall at the end of the common room, feeling slightly defeated. At least it was Christmas morning.

Just as Bianca was beginning to come to terms with the thought of going to bed as everyone else, including Adrian, stayed awake having fun, Bianca made it to the end of a corridor on her way to the Gryffindor common room. Where the wall met another wall, a spiral staircase looped upwards towards a black void. The black void being the night sky.

It was the same roof she and Adrian had ventured up to during Prefect Duty. They hadn't been up there since, as Percy Weasley had decided to return to the old rituals, and made the Prefect pairs the same house, meaning Bianca was now back to nodding and humming as Percy talked about Penelope Clearwater.

The wind tickled her scalp as she stepped out onto the roof.

Adrian was sat by the edge, his hands resting behind him, holding up his weight, as his legs were folded up in an upside-down V. His bowtie was now resting on his chest, untied and loose, his jacket on the floor beside him, and his hair messy at the front.

He looked so peaceful.

Bianca took a deep breath in before speaking, "You need to stop angering so many people. It's making my job too easy."

Adrian's whole body jumped out of his skin, but somehow, it wasn't obvious. His glee of being surprised by this one girl, eliminated any feelings of fear by her sudden appearance. "Couldn't sleep without a good night's kiss?" he teased but felt a pang of instant regret with further thought about how that was exactly what their night had lacked.

Bianca shrugged, playfully hinting that her answer will be "yes". She took a seat next to the boy, placing her legs over the edge, so she had to look behind her to meet his hypnotising eyes. She noticed that the moon made a beautiful shape in his pupils.

"Not quite," she said. Bianca wanted to get straight to the point. They couldn't have a full-blown conversation about anything — that would make it painfully obvious that Bianca sort of missed him. "Just ran into Heidi Macavoy though."

Adrian hummed understandingly, "Oh yes? And is that why you came looking for me? To gloat? Or were you unsuccessful and so came here because the rules weren't fair or some bullshit?"

Bianca swayed almost in time with the wind, "Close. She slapped me." she said matter-of-factly as if it were nothing.

Adrian pondered this for a moment. "No, no, Bianca. That's not the game. They're supposed to kiss you, not evoke violence upon you."

Bianca let out a chuckle that was a lot less subtle than how she actually wanted to react, "Very funny, Adrian. But no, it's actually your doing." she turned to face him, her back now to the moon, and her legs crossed. "You see, Heidi's good friends with your darling Tamsin, and Heidi holds grudges. Heidi seems to think that Bianca is at fault for her friend's tragic evening and so Heidi takes it out on Bianca."

Adrian's eyes narrowed as it became apparent that Bianca just wanted to talk business rather than returning to finish what she started when she almost kissed him. Wishful thinking, Adrian. Wishful thinking. "Interesting use of the third person." he acknowledged, letting his eyes wander away from her, to distract himself with the constellations above. "But I thought Tamsin lucked out with some Ravenclaw?" he asked eventually.

"See that, my friend is the effects of alcohol. Tamsin apparently claims that you broke her heart and seemingly, Heidi is out for blood."

His eyes tightened even further, "And you came to me because?"

Bianca clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes at his incompetence, "Well I'm not exactly at liberty to manage a kiss with the bitch, am I?"

Adrian pushed off from his hands and shuffled closer to her. "So you want me to remove her?" he asked.

Bianca nodded dramatically, "Yup." she popped her "p" sound. "Heidi Macavoy is terminated."

Adrian shook his head, "I think I'm being too flexible these days."

Bianca now rested her hands behind her, careful not to fall off the edge of the roof in doing so. She leaned fully back. "Technically speaking, it's your fault."

Adrian didn't like the idea of making it too easy for her. But he could see where she was coming from. Maybe he didn't agree one hundred percent about it being his fault — that will be because of bias — but then again, Adrian had always struggled saying "no" to Bianca. He knew it would be his downfall one day.

There was increasing tension between the two of them, as they lapsed into a staring contest. First to look away loses. Bianca waited impatiently for his confirmation, which made the game easy, and Adrian debated whether he wanted to give it.

Finally, he sighed, letting his head loll to the floor, "Fine. Consider Heidi Macavoy terminated."

Bianca's grin flashed, her head inclined as if she wanted to make sure he knew how pleased she was that she managed to one, win the staring competition, and two, convince him to do what she wanted.

Adrian ran a hand through his hair, scruffing the loose curls when he made it to the nape of his neck, "I still think I'm going too easy on you."

➼

     THE SUN CAME WITH A SMILE. Surprising for a chilly, December morning, but maybe the universe knew that the 25th deserved some kind of cheery light, amongst the frost.

     Bianca was up and out of bed at the first sign of sunup, eager for the day ahead, and the festivities that Hogwarts provided at this time of year.

     Katie and Angelina weren't so enthusiastic about the arrival of the morning. Bianca's loud yells for the two of them to get up, followed by their duvets being tugged off of their beds, letting the cold get in wasn't the way they wanted to spend their first moments of Christmas day.

     Bianca was now glad that the champagne was only virgin because she didn't drink anything alcoholic the night before. She didn't even drink anything else. Katie and Angelina weren't in the same position, and so, as you can probably tell, yelling wasn't going to help their throbbing headaches in any way, nor were they appreciated. Christmas morning, or not.

     Ignoring her unsuccessful attempts to get her two dormmates out of bed, Bianca decided to go down after all. Once she had eaten the last little door in her advent calendar, her presents for her friends already placed and waiting underneath the tree, Bianca left for the stairs.

Once there, she was immediately greeted by the glinting star on the Christmas tree, and the crackling fire in the fireplace, officially making the Gryffindor common room her new favourite place, in the entire castle.

     There wasn't a lower year in sight, and Bianca was even surprised to see Harry Potter tucked away with a book, presumably waiting for his dormmates to make an appearance.

     Leo and Oliver were the only three sixth years awake. Although not sixth years, Fred and George were struggling just as much as Katie and Angelina to part with their duvets, even if Christmas meant sweets and pranks, all wrapped up in brown paper.

     She tiptoed across the carpet, loud enough for Leo to swivel in his seat, and throw himself off of the cushions, swift to pull her into a tight, warm, festive hug, accompanied by plenty of Christmas wishes.

      Bianca was surprised when Oliver too pulled her in for a hug, but, along with the blazing fire, and the drizzling snow, nestling her head into the crook of his neck, even if temporary, was comforting, to say the least. Just what she need actually.

      The three of them settled by the fire, still adorned in plaid pajamas, and fuzzy socks, waiting for Christmas to officially begin.

     As the trio passed the time, with various chats, minus any tension because it was Christmas morning, the common room was slowly but surely coming to life. A few more fifth years greeting their friends and huddling onto the sofas in groups. But still no sign of people that actually mattered to Leo, Oliver, and Bianca.

     A few more minutes strolled by, and Bianca had become too impatient to care. She hopped off of the sofa she was once comfortable on and shuffled over to the tree, which was stood sparkling in the light, waiting for someone to use it properly.

     There weren't many presents tucked under the branches, but then again, most people didn't usually keep precious gifts for the entirety of Gryffindor house to see on display. Bianca had. And so had Leo, and apparently so had Alicia, so she scoured through the bundle of neatly wrapped gifts until she found the two she was looking for.

     Bianca tossed Oliver a small, rectangular box, topped with a golden ribbon. And Leo the same, his present slightly heavier, and denser.

     Oliver chuckled to himself, "Don't you think we should wait for the others?" he asked, staring down at the small present now resting on his lap.

      Leo scoffed, glad Bianca had done what he wanted to do five minutes ago. "Oh fuck those lazy gits. It's Christmas. They wouldn't have waited for us."

"That's our girlfriends your talking about there, mate," Oliver grinned, his lilt even more defined now.

Leo had already started opening his gift, ignoring Oliver's very valid point.

     Oliver shrugged, his expression waiting to burst into a grin, as Bianca plopped back into her previous position — her body dent into the cushions yet to fade.

     Oliver got his open first, and tugged the last layer off, to reveal a fresh, new pack of playing cards, box and all. His mouth let out a little snort.

     "Bout time I actually teach you, ey?" Bianca smirked, pulling her legs tighter into her chest.

     Oliver nodded his head enthusiastically, discarding the paper to the floor, and sending her his thanks and smiles of gratitude. She had agreed to help him improve his poker skills, in return for him sharing his wisdom in the sport of Quidditch, due to his giant sum of money he had so foolishly, and embarrassingly lost to the Weasley Twins whilst playing various card games.

     Leo finally got the paper off of his present, after struggling with the ribbon for a little while. Once the wrapping was gone, and the bow tossed, Leo's mouth practically shot into a deeper smile.

     Underneath the brown paper, was a cassette player — something Leo had been talking about for over a year.

     It was never a rare sight to see Leo Raywood and Bianca Larsson connected by the string of a cassette player. It was something the two of them had done since Bianca convinced Dumbledore to let them use this one Muggle item inside the castle. It was a way for the two of them to escape reality, and block out the things that were weighing them down. But as sweet as it was, they always had to share because Leo didn't have one of his own. It was always Bianca's cassette player, right between their ears.

     She thought it was about time that he had his own.

     Along with the cassette player, Bianca had also included a tape recording of the entire Back to the Future soundtrack — an album the two of them cherished in their first year.

     And Bianca had always thought that she was never one for sentiments.

     Leo almost squeaked when he first saw it and was quick to send his many thanks over to his best friend.

     Bianca smiled with content, knowing Christmas was already off to a great start.

     But before Leo had dived under the tree to retrieve his present in return, and just as Bianca had felt as though she had settled in the comfort of the big, red armchair once again, Dean Thomas had returned to the common room, after a second attempt at getting his own dormmates up — Ron Weasley and Seamus Finnigan were married to their mattresses. He noticed Bianca now sat down by the fire and quickly strode over to her side.

     "Oh, Bianca. Someone just came for you." he explained, "Since you weren't up, he left you a note, instead."

     Bianca glanced up at the boy, slightly startled by the unexpected news, as he pulled a slip of parchment out of his pocket, passing it to the still seated girl.

     Bianca skimmed the note, and there was only one possible "A" that would be wanting to meet her in Hogsmeade on Christmas day. Unless she just wasn't thinking enough.

But then, of course, the handwriting. She recognized the font from the note that had informed her that a roof would be her next place to look.

     Bianca stared back up at Dean, before getting up from the chair. "And he just left?" she asked.

     Dean nodded his head, "Yeah, bout a minute ago." he confirmed. "Missed him by a margin. Came to the portrait hole." he finished, loosely gesturing to the exit of the common room.

     Bianca smiled, "Right, thanks, Dean."

     As the boy walked away, rejoining his group of friends, Bianca walked hastily in the direction of the portrait of the Fat Lady, the note still grasped in her hand. She swung the door open and stepped outside just an inch.

     The echoes of footsteps could still be heard, as Bianca scanned the moving staircases and distant corridors.

     A figure, adorned in checkered pajama shorts, and a white shirt, not too far away was still in view. His footsteps the ones that were reverberating against the empty hallway's walls, as he walked down the steps of a staircase, moving to a stop at the other end. It was comforting to know she hadn't completely missed him.

     Bianca decided to call out, considering he wasn't too far away. "Did you send this?" she yelled, recognizing the hair, and stamina.

     The boy swiveled around at the sound of her voice, now off of the steps, and staring up at her still stood just outside her common room's door. "That depends on your answer," Adrian replied back, raising his voice so it was understandable.

     Bianca stepped a little closer, resting her free hand against the banister, "Well tell whoever did send it that the answer is yes." she said, her smile creeping up her mouth.

     It was clear who had actually sent the message, but Adrian decided to go along with her little joke, her grin too pleasing to see, "I shall pass on the message. Is there any particular time you want them to meet you?" he smirked.

     Adrian had had a sleepless night when he returned to his dorm after their talk on the roof. It was a debate that tittered in his mind whether asking Bianca to Hogsmeade was a wise idea or not. Considering the night before — the awkward almost-kiss — it was a risky move. But a move he was willing to take.

     Bianca shrugged, contemplating for a moment, "Say one at the carriages."

     Bianca wanted to forget her moment the previous night when part of her wanted to kiss Adrian. Partly because her feelings were genuine, which meant she couldn't let herself get distracted, and partly because it made everything awkward. Bianca knew for a fact that neither one of them wanted that. Everything to do with their relationship was okay now, almost fun. Why should she let a little temporary, not-thinking-straight moment ruin all that?

Besides, the roof was about the most non-awkward encounter, Bianca thinks they've ever had. It counterbalanced the almost-kiss.

     Adrian gave a single, punctuated nod, "Got it. I'll make sure they know," he replied, glad that the distance between them was too far for her to realize just how big his smile had gotten since she announced herself at the top of the stairs.

     Bianca sent him a timid wave, before heading back through the portrait hole, where she was quick to rush up the stairs to her dormitory, sending a quick "I'll be back in a minute" in Leo's direction. The whole group was now waiting by the fire, Leo eager to give Bianca her present off of him, seen as he had already opened his. "A Hard Days Night" on Vinyl was wrapped slightly roughly and was nestled at the back of the tree. Leo excused the bad presentation on the fact that he had had the present ready for months.

     With Katie and Angelina now downstairs, Bianca was grateful that she could avoid any curious questions. She entered the room and hastily fell to her knees, ducking her head so she had the full view of the underneath of her bed.

     Upon spotting the bright red wrapping, she reached her arm down and across, until her fingers made contact with the wrapping paper. She pulled it out from under the bed and rested it on the sheets. She stared down at the ribbon.

     Bianca was happy Adrian had been the one to ask her. She couldn't quite bring herself to do it first. She could barely admit that she liked spending time with the boy, let alone invite him out to the little village, to give him a Christmas present.

➼

     BREAKFAST AT HOGWARTS WAS RAVISHING ENOUGH, BUT CHRISTMAS MORNING WAS SOMETHING ELSE.

     The group of Gryffindors waltzed down to the Great Hall, their smiles inextinguishable, Fred and George adorned in their chunky, knitted sweaters, embellished with their initials.

     The Great Hall had never been so cheerful. The first night back was always a special occasion, but the long and dragged-out sorting ceremony drained all of the older years' excitement. But the atmosphere was unchangeable. It couldn't be touched.

     The tree seemed to sparkle more; the candles seemed to glow brighter; and the tinsel was twinkling like it had never twinkled before. More students were staying this year, so no "special centered table" had been set up for the little students that would usually board until the next term started. That was why the Great Hall seemed to light up like a bulb. The more the merrier was living up to its name.

     Adrian was already seated at the Slytherin table for his Christmas morning feast. Everything seemed great until Bianca came in with her bright smile and yellow hair. His sausages didn't taste as burned at least.

     Usually, her being there meant everything was a little better, and yet, Adrian knew just how his friends would react to her appearance, after a night like the one before. There was no doubt that they had picked up on every detail of the grand ball on Christmas Eve.

     It was apparent that eleven-year-old Adrian hadn't considered "girl-talk ability" when choosing his friends at the very start of school. And it was now, at the bright, old age of sixteen when "girl-talk" was ripe and inevitable, that it was coming back to bite him in the ass.

     Adrian watched her take her seat, desperate to escape his nosy friends and their irritating sense of humour.

     "So, you two a thing now?" Marcus asked, giving Adrian a small nudge, following the boy's eye line as it stretched to the Gryffindor table.

     Adrian darted his eyes back to the grain of the wooden table, his fork barely sitting in his grasp, "No, Marc." he said, his voice far too fed-up for Christmas morning.

     Terrence leaned over, "You sure? I'm not convinced."

     Adrian dropped his fork onto his plate, the sound of metal echoed as the two made contact with a clatter. He sat up straighter so he had a better view of the two of them. "You wanna drop it now, or?"

     Graham snorted, "Someone's sour."

     Adrian glared at the boy, who had taken it upon himself to join into the conversation regarding Adrian's love life. Correction: Adrian's non-existent love life.

     "Why would I be sour?" Adrian asked, his eyes narrowed and his face bitter.

     "I saw you two last night," Graham said. "Pretty close, huh? Dropped out at the last second didn't she?" his smirk went from "proud of you" to "ouch, you loser" in one sentence.

     Marcus nodded his head, grimacing, "That's gotta hurt."

     "Will you all shut the fuck up, or am I gonna have to leave?" Adrian snapped.

     Cassius Warrington inched a bit closer, seeing his chance to tease Adrian as well, "Oh please, go ahead. Because I'm going to be hanging this over your head until we leave this joint."

     "Hang what over my head?" Adrian asked, already expecting to hate the answer.

     Cassius cut his fried egg in two, "The fact you got rejected by the first girl you've ever loved."

     Adrian slouched in his seat, "And why would you do that?"

     "Because," Cassius smirked, as he sucked the yolk from his knife, avoiding the blade, "that's what you did to me. Angelina Johnson. Third-year."

     It was no secret that Cassius Warrington had a thing for Angelina Johnson when they were thirteen. Like many others in their year group, the boy had a thing for female Quidditch players. And Angelina just happened to be exactly that. Adrian believed that Angelina's rejection towards Cassius was the reason Cassius was the man-whore that he is today. Adrian liked to mock Cassius' failure to progress his and the Gryffindors relationship, and so Cassius felt it only fair to do the exact same to Adrian.

     Adrian chuckled for the first time since Adrian's possible new girlfriend became the topic of conversation, "Ohh yeah," he laughed. "Ouch, that was embarrassing."

     Graham laughed a little, followed by Terrence and even Miles had remembered the aftermath that followed Cassius' harsh rejection three years prior, sparking a mix of second-hand embarrassment and amusement to the group.

     Cassius clicked his tongue against his teeth, "Okay, yeah, we get it." he tried to silence the laughter, which eventually died down. "Let's not lose focus on the current saddo in our midst." he pointed to Adrian with his knife, before returning to his bacon and eggs.

     Adrian rolled his eyes, "I'm not a saddo. I wasn't rejected. And I'm doing great."

     Cassius raised his eyebrows, not convinced, now fully focused back onto his breakfast, "That's what they all say."

     Adrian stabbed a sausage from his plate, as he hoped one o'clock would come around quicker.