arrays | [ closed ] take just a little bit of time just to make you feel right

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[ closed ] take just a little bit of time just to make you feel right

The thing Leo has come to love most about being a half-blood and going to wizard school isn't the magic - it's the parties. Any normal teenagers can throw a decent party if given half a chance, but throw magic into the mix, and all bets are off. And, of course, he knows exactly the right way through the secret tunnels to get to Hogsmeade, and there is this one bar that'll give something a little stronger than regular old butterbeer to a bunch of underage kids, and then there's the entrance to the kitchens where Piper can talk the house elves into just about anything... Add all that together, and it's simple math, when you get right down to it.

The only thing to make your standard teenage wizarding party better here at Hogwarts is to bring in all the Houses in the Room of Requirement. The best part? Not having to sneak in anything from Hogsmeade, because the Room takes care of everything for them, and the supply is neverending.

It doesn't take much for these affairs to start getting out of hand, and Leo of course isn't one to let a good party pass him by. The Room is making sure he has a steady supply of his favorite drinks throughout the night, and the stereo he rigged up for a friend in third year is still going strong, playing some of the better tunes that both the Muggleborns and Pure-bloods can get behind. It's all to hang out before Christmas break, and to celebrate a great game of Quidditch - and there are even a good number of Hufflepuffs around, those that are too good-natured to hold a grudge against the Ravenclaw team for doing their jobs. All in all, it's a great shindig, and it's not until long after curfew that Leo even considers going back to the common room.

By the time he actually does go, the task turns out to be more difficult as he'd imagined it would be. The portraits are about ten times as entertaining as usual, especially that one knight, and even the ones that chastise him as he stumbles down the hall, trying not to laugh at how ridiculous some of them sound, ordering him to get back to his common room before one of the prefects or professors catch him.

"The prefects are still down the hall," he slurs, and Sir Cadar- Sir Cardigan? Whatever the name is, Leo doesn't care, but it's still funny that the guy thinks he needs an escort back to the tower. Like he's that bad. He's walking in a perfectly straight line, except for where the wall curves. And he's totally almost there, anyway. At least, he thinks he is.

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And that is when he does stop, wheeling about to face her and nearly losing his balance in the process.

"Who said you get to decide who I should or shouldn't fancy?" Leo demands, irritation flashing in his dark eyes. The slur of his words lessens the roughness of them, but only just. "Since when do you get to decide who I flirt with, especially with how you... you... jerk me around since, what, fourth year? What is your deal, Goodman, what are you so scared of? Why d'you always say one thing and do another, eh? Make up your bloody mind!"

When she doesn't wince, she just knows she's grown accustomed to pushing his buttons that this is nothing to her. "It would be so much better if you did all of that with someone who isn't me," Natalie replies softly, offsetting the harshness of his words, not even realizing how she's thrown her arms out to catch him in case he fell again.

"I'm sorry." She swallows. "I shouldn't flirt back either."

"No, no puedo creer esto," he spits out, stepping closer, "no te puedo creer. You. Don't. Get. To decide. You don't get to choose what's better for me Goodman, I do. And remember the last time I did all of that with someone who wasn't you? You ruined the entire night!"

By now, his voice has started to rise in volume, but Leo can't be arsed to care. Natalie Goodman has long since gotten into his head, driving him to the brink of frustration for any given reason. And here they are again.

"You're sorry for flirting with me, you're sorry for pushing me..." He shakes his head, looking a good deal disgusted with the entire situation. "You should be sorry for a lot of things, but flirting with me isn't one, you twat. Go back to your bloody dungeon. I can find my own common room." And to prove it, he spins on his heel, still wobbly, and storms down the corridor, not even fully certain if it's the right way but not caring.

His words shake her a little harder than the last several times they've argued like this. She's taught herself not to need anyone, to defend herself at all costs, to shut everyone out when they get too close. It's safe like this, and it makes school that much more tolerable. He's a constant reminder to her of the horrible girl she becomes when you pull on her pigtails a little too hard and she doesn't like how sick she feels right now, tears welling up in her eyes.

"You're going in the wrong direction," she informs him once she can find her voice.

"She's right, you know."

He pauses, glaring at the portrait.

"Ravenclaw is that way," another adds helpfully, pointing.

With a groan and a roll of his eyes, Leo turns to follow their directions, making a point not to look at Natalie as he passes. He won't stop long enough to notice how she looks, won't apologize, and why the hell should he? This isn't the first time she's done something like this, and he's tired of it.

Maybe they were better off pretending the other didn't exist, like last year. It made things boring but at least there was none of this crap.

Like this will get her somewhere, she still decides to follow him down just to make sure he gets there safely. She says nothing for quite some time, fully aware of how, for some reason, she's still shaking. She awkwardly meets the gaze of an 18th Century witch who actually gives her one sympathetic smile, gesturing onward.

"I am bloody scared," Natalie blurts out, "of relationships, I mean."

Merlin. Here we go.

Edited 2014-08-25 16:01 (UTC)

"Dios mío, are you still following me?" Leo groans, throwing his hands into the air in a clear show of frustration. "What does it even matter? You're obviously not going to do anything about it, anyway. Why won't you just leave me alone?"

"Because," she sighs.

"Despite my best efforts, I still haven't managed to make you completely hate me." A pause. "Well, except for now, though it'd be foolish to hope that I've had that effect." She will never, ever understand why he still likes her, but she doesn't repeat that thought.

Hearing that, it's hard to keep his temper in check. His hands are balled into fists and he can barely restrain the urge to pull out his wand, drop a hex on her, and leave her here until it either wears off or someone finds her, whichever comes first.

"I don't bloody hate you," Leo grinds out, not stopping for even an instant. "Merlin knows I should. I'm bloody furious that you think you know what's best for me, and you're still doing it, so you can just... sod off already!"

It isn't the smartest thing to do, reaching out to grab his arm to try to make him face her, but that's what she does. For once, she's not the one blowing up in a rage, and while she isn't exactly rational, she can at least try to reason with him.

"Tell me why you think being with me is the better option."

Though he does stop, it's only to wrench his arm out of her grip and step away, scowling.

"Tell me why you think it's so much better to give up before you even try."

Natalie holds up both hands before letting them drop to her sides.

"I asked you a question first."

Of course. She would have to be difficult.

"Alright. Fine," he agrees, shaking his head and turning away, taking a few meandering steps as he tries to work it out. "I think... I think I'm tired of you and everyone else telling me what's best for me. I don't think it's better, but I think I'm at least willing to try. And I think you," he says, turning back, pointing at her like he had before, "need to get over yourself. Happy?"

"I think we're a horrid combination of people and despite the obvious ... tension, I think you're just fooling yourself, thinking that anything good might come out of attempting to date," Natalie retorts, "I was impossibly stupid to ruin your one date but obviously you will have a better time with her than with me. I don't see what this will accomplish."

"How would you know?" he snaps. "You haven't even tried! That's like saying a brand new charm won't work before you even say the stupid spell! I've been called self-centered before, but you... you give it a new meaning entirely!" The words are just spilling out, with no way for Leo to stop them. Maybe, if it weren't for all he'd had to drink at that party, he would have, but now that they're out here, it's beyond him. "It's like you think you're going to ruin someone's life, just by dating them. Bloody idiot, you are. I can't believe I actually thought you were smart."

And he's just going to start walking again, because this is utterly ridiculous. All he wanted was to go to bed.

"I am," Natalie snaps, following him. "I'm a complete disaster and I have no idea why you can't just see that. Everyone else does. You know people call me a freak, right? Even in bloody wizard school, I'm still a freak because of my - "

She closes her mouth. It's not the time to bring up her sociopathic ghost brother and her hospital-bound mother. "You're right. I am mad. Have a nice life without me."

"I do know, because I did too, or did you forget that little detail?" Right, reminding her of that is exactly what he wants, just the thing to tip this argument in his favor. "I thought you were a freak, too, until I actually started talking to you instead of trading hexes all the damn time! And yeah, maybe you are a ruddy disaster. Maybe you're right, eh? But you aren't all the time, and you can't even see that!"

"I do like you," she finally admits after a long, long silence. She wishes she didn't, but that's the way things go.

She takes a step backwards, preparing to spin around and run away, but something keep her grounded, glued to the spot. "Prob'ly should have said it before or after you were drunk."

He simply rolls his eyes, the obvious finally out. There had only been a small token of doubt in his mind, because as he said, she keeps coming back, and he never took her, even as a Slytherin, for the type to do this sort of thing just to get to him.

Even if that's exactly what she's done.

"Great," he says, voice finally lowered to normal volume, though the anger hasn't faded. "That's great. Beautiful, even. So what're you going to do about it, then? Pretend I don't exist for another year?"

"No," she sighs, rubbing her forehead.

"What do you want me to do, snog you here? That doesn't seem appropriate after you've just blown up at me." Not the best time for a joke, no. "I dunno what I want to do, maybe just leave you here and talk about it in the morning."

"What do I want you to do?" he echoes, incredulous. Hasn't he made that clear already? "Merlin, I... just want you to stop, alright?"

He closes the distance until there's only a little space between them, where he can reach out and poke her in the chest. "I like you, Goodman, and not just because of..." Leo says flatly, looking her up and down again like he had minutes before, shameless as he waves a hand vaguely at her dress, "whatever that is, or because you're pretty. There are reasons, and just because you can't see them doesn't mean they're not there, so don't you dare try to tell me I shouldn't feel like I do, you big prat."

It looks like he's finished, and he is. At least, until he thinks to add one little thing. "And a little snogging wouldn't be so bad, but you wouldn't want to take advantage, would you?" he asks, mocking tone and all.

It's odd, hearing him say those things, telling her that he can see her better qualities when she can't, eve through his offhanded insults.

"I don't like when you give me onceovers like that," Natalie whispers. Her guard has been lowered but that doesn't stop her from daring him a little more. "It's disrespectful."

And that, he decides, eyes narrowing, is a challenge. He very deliberately looks over her again, taking his time to enjoy the way that fabric falls over each little curve. Once he reaches the floor, it's back up again until he meets her eyes defiantly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. What was that about being disrespectful?"

"I bet you wouldn't go further than just staring out here."

It's even odder, this rough and rocky transition from playful banter to full out arguing to ... whatever this is. It's still considerably better than slamming harsh words like curses at each other.

"Considering," Natalie continues, "that everything else has been in private."

Did she just...?

"I could've sworn I heard you say not too long ago that some things should be private," he returns cooly, watching her carefully and trying to decide if this is a joke or just bait for some curse she's got waiting to blow.

But Merlin, is he tempted.

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