If Love is a Game...

Chapter Twelve

Nightmares and Narks

Sirius lolled lazily on his bed under the comforter. He hadn't gotten as much sleep as he would've liked. James was already downstairs, eating breakfast with Lily and her family. Sirius had pretended to still be asleep and had told himself that James needed some "quality time" with just Lily and her family. After all, he was her boyfriend; he was just a tag-along best buddy. Of course, that didn't bother him one bit. At least he was having a nice Christmas.

Someone walked past the door and stopped to gaze into the extra bedroom. Sirius frowned. He rolled on his side, pulling the comforter over his head, and acted like he was asleep. Whoever the person in the doorway was, they didn't leave. Sirius couldn't stand it; it was bugging him. It was one of his unusual pet-peeves, he had. He couldn't stand it if someone was staring at him, and especially if he was in his bed trying to go back to sleep.

"What do you want?" Sirius grumbled from underneath the blanket.

"Mother says that breakfast is on the table if you want any," a girl said. Sirius peered out of one of his eyes, though he could only see the white wall in front of him. Before he could say that he didn't want any, she added, "She also says that you should eat."

Sirius rolled back over and sat up straight to see who was talking to him. He was slightly surprised to see that Petunia, Lily's Muggle sister, was the one standing in the doorway. He would've acted out something, but it was too early in the morning and he hadn't gotten enough sleep. Instead, he was grumpy and moody.

"I thought you didn't talk to abnormal people?" Sirius chirped sarcastically.

"I didn't choose to do so, but Mother insisted on me to go fetch you because Lily is all too giddy and blissful with her boyfriend, Potter," Petunia explained dully. Sirius rolled his eyes and swung his feet over the bed. The carpet was soft on his bare feet. She continued to stare at him. He raised an eyebrow almost cockily.

"What?" he simply questioned her crankily. He was never the happiest person when he didn't get enough sleep. Well, that was usually true, unless he was with Krystyna.

"What, what?" Petunia asked confusedly, gawking at him strangely.

"What are you staring at?" Sirius asked her snappishly. Petunia stuck her nose in the air and harrumphed at his impatience. She disliked men like him, but couldn't help but noticing that he looked surprisingly handsome.

She had come to believe that Wizarding men were supposed to be ugly and have very little manners. He had had manners at first and it was the morning. Lily could be grouchy in the mornings if early enough. He was just so... good-looking, and considering that he had just gotten up from bed and his hair was all ruffled, that was fine.

"Not at me, I hope," he mumbled, interrupting her inquisitive thoughts. She gazed at him with a rather lazy glare and threw her hair back.

"Of course I'm not staring at you," Petunia said sternly. "I was just noticing that black mop on top of your head. Unless you're going to clean the floors with it, I suggest you wash and comb it neatly. We won't have anyone thinking anything." Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Whatever; you sound a lot like my old parents..." Sirius murmured. She stared at him, even though she told herself she wasn't. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

"Waiting for what?" Petunia asked. Sirius thought he was never going to stop rolling his eyes. From what Lily had said, he had thought she had at least some brains.

"I'm going to change, get out of the room!" Sirius said moodily. "What are ya; thick-headed in the mornings?" He stood up and stalked over to the door. Petunia jumped back and he slammed the door shut in her face. He scuffled over to his trunk to gather his clothes and to find a comb.

~*~

Sirius walked down the stairs after he had taken a much needed shower. The smell of breakfast had died down since he had first smelled it and James had wandered off almost obediently. He leaned over the railing and peered into the kitchen--the door was closed. He jumped the last remaining three stairs and stalked into the kitchen, slowly opening the door.

There was no one in the kitchen when Sirius entered. He stepped in completely and let the door go, letting it sway back and forth. He walked over to the table and found a plate filled with breakfast food and a glass of cold orange juice. He thought about sitting down and to eat, but he wondered if it was someone else's. He hesitated to sit down.

At that exact moment, Mrs. Evans bustled into the kitchen from the living room. Sirius jumped a little in surprise. She stopped and smiled at him warmly.

"Ah, Sirius, I was beginning to wonder if you were coming down," Mrs. Evans greeted warmly.

"Oh, I was quite tired, Mrs. Evans," Sirius replied formally, spacing out for a second.

"Well, I'm not surprised," Mrs. Evans chirped softly. Sirius looked at her with confusion. "I asked why you weren't down for breakfast and James told me that you lacked sleep because you contemplate everything before you go to bed; therefore, you don't fall asleep until late at night."

Sirius stared at her with utmost amazement. But she was not why he was amazed.

"James said that--all of that?" Sirius stammered.

Mrs. Evans nodded her head. "Yes, all that and more," she added lightly. "He knows you well. He must be a fine friend for you."

"Yeah, he's great," Sirius replied. He had always thought that James had thought that he was asleep. He had never known that James had been awake at times when he felt like the entire world was on his shoulders. Night was such a good time to gather your thoughts, but it ended up keeping him awake because not everything he was thinking about was good. James was a better friend than Sirius had thought, but he wondered why James had never confronted him about it.

"James is quite the charmer," Mrs. Evans chuckled. "I remember Lily ranting on and on about how James Potter was such a show-off; she never stopped talking about him. I just knew this was what would happen, because it was the same way with her father and me. When I got the letter from her, pleading with us to let James and you to come, I knew it was set right. He's a good boy."

"Yeah, a real good guy," Sirius sniggered. James, a good boy, it was rather amusing to hear him being called that, but he had been so polite to them since he first met them. It was like a totally different person had taken over James Potter's body. Sirius had been taken aback himself.

"Well, you better eat up, Sirius," Mrs. Evans advised, looking over the food on the plate and then up at him. "Lily and James are gathering some of the other children your age to have a snowball fight."

"So it snowed last night?" Sirius said hopefully.

Mrs. Evans laughed and nodded her head. "Quite a bit, actually," she quipped. Sirius grinned and sat down at the table slowly. He took a bite out of the bacon. "Is it too cold? Would you like me to warm it up for you?" She took a step towards him.

"Oh, no thank you, Mrs. Evans; it's wonderful," Sirius said quickly.

"You're welcome," Mrs. Evans said with a warm smile. "I'll be tidying up the living room for tomorrow night if you need me."

"Tomorrow night? Christmas Eve?" Sirius questioned. Mrs. Evans turned back around to look at him. Then, she nodded her head.

"I'm sorry for not explaining this to you," Mrs. Evans chuckled softly. "We always have some of the family come over for a dinner and to unwrap presents so that we have all of Christmas Day to ourselves. You probably don't do that normally." Sirius swallowed his biscuit down with the help of some orange juice and shook his head.

"No, not usually, but I think I can get use to it," Sirius replied.

"Good, well, you know where I'll be if you need anything," Mrs. Evans said brightly. She walked back into the living room to clean up some more.

Sirius watched as the door closed and turned back to his food. He was quite ravenous, having not eaten since last night, and he hadn't eaten that much since he had been thinking of Krystyna the entire time. He took another swig of his orange juice and ate the rest of his food.

~*~

Lorena peered out of her door slowly. She hated the mornings at the Malfoy Manor. They never seemed like the mornings at Hogwarts; they seemed more like the night to her here. She had one tiny window in her room, but the black curtain was always drawn over it. She didn't want anyone looking in her room at her. She was always so... vulnerable at the Malfoy Manor.

Her fears could easily creep up on her as she lie in the bed as a silent siege was being built around her very heart--a raging war battling in her very soul, mind, and heart. It was always the same thing. It had haunted her forever since the summer after her Second Year--since that night in the alley. No one would get it. Many people would think it amusing, what she was afraid of, but it was a very serious matter to her and it frightened her much.

Where do your loyalties lie, Lorena?

It was always the same question. She had been asked that countless times by her aunt, uncle, cousins, and parents. She had never answered them--never. Therefore, they kept asking her and she kept being silent out of fear of her answer. But she knew it not.

Who will you stand by in the end?

She was afraid that she would choose the wrong path. She sometimes wished to be like Lily--pretty, brilliant, and almost care-free Lily Evans. Lily was just a Muggle-born witch, and though Lorena knew it was not a bed of roses being such, she had never gone through the pressures of deciding if you would stand by your family or your friends. Lorena kept silent.

Will you stay with your family--your blood--or will you go with your friendships--that will not be with you for eternity? Who, Lorena, will you choose to be with?

Lorena never answered. She would not answer--not yet. She wasn't ready to answer just yet. She was getting there. After five years of getting there, she could see the end of the road in sight. She was getting there. Yet, she knew the answer perfectly well as she stood there. She knew where her loyalties lay; she knew who she would stand by; she knew who she would choose to be with. Her friends... but would she cave in out of fear and weakness? She did not know the answer to that.

Lorena pushed the door open further. In the Malfoy Manor, she never knew when the proper time was to exit her chambers and head down for lunch. She could not smell any hint of lunch from where her room was and there were no sounds in the hallways. She always hated being at the Malfoy Manor. She walked out of her bedroom and shut the door silently. She sort of longed the laughter and havoc of her little twin brothers. It always seemed to bring a needed joy back into her life. Being at the Malfoy Manor appeared to take the contentment away from her. She stalked down the path of the hallway toward the formal living room.

~*~

"Sirius! Sirius, c'mere!"

Sirius slogged through the knee deep snow towards his best friend and his girlfriend. James had a hat on and snow on it. Strands of his messy black hair were sticking out from underneath the cap, doused with wet, dripping snow and a funny grin on his face. Lily had a cap on her head too with her wet red hair pulled back. Some of her neighborhood Muggle friends were watching Sirius and James, the newcomers. The girls especially had their eyes on Sirius, but he hadn't noticed it at all.

"Hey, James, what's up?" Sirius said boisterously.

"My grades," James immediately replied. While the Muggle teenagers hadn't quite gotten it, James, Lily, and Sirius all laughed at the joke. "I want to speak to you for a second--privately." Sirius took note in serious change in his friend's tone.

"Um... alright, no problem," Sirius said lightly. James nodded his head. He turned to the other teenagers and waved his hands in the air.

"Okay, everybody, time-out from the snowball fight!" James called to everyone. A few of the girls sighed with relief. "Go build a snowman or something." The boys chuckled while the girls got started on it. James glanced at Lily and she nodded her head. She went to talk to one of her friends that she had missed. James and Sirius wandered off from the rest of the group a little.

"What's this all about, James?" Sirius asked confusedly.

James took a deep breath. "That must've been one heck of a nightmare you had last night," he quipped seriously. Sirius stared at his friend. His dream hadn't been that pleasant. "I woke up with a start when I heard you screaming. You woke everyone in the house up, too. Everyone came running up to the room and you started shouting all this crazy stuff--you were twitching and everything! And then, you just stopped screaming and stopped moving. I thought you might've died..."

Sirius looked down at his feet. The dream had been a strange one and it had made him thought. It had been one of the reasons why he had pretended to be asleep: To reflect on the dream.

~*~

Sirius was standing in a black room. He was alone and it was quiet. No one was there but him. He was frightened and scared. He was so alone. It was so quiet.

And then, a high-pitched cackling erupted in the room, echoing in the room like it was bouncing off of the walls. He spun around, trying to figure out where it was coming from and who was making it, but there was no door, vent, or crack in the walls. He was alone. He was getting mad now. The cackling was almost taunting him--daring him to speak something and try to escape the black room.

"... I was never strong like you... you, James, and Remus..."

Sirius looked around when he heard his friends' names. He hadn't thought about the missing name. The voice was a man's voice, but it was quivering and it was frightened. It was almost sorrowful too and had plenty of remorse in it.

"... I just caved in... I'm sorry... you don't know how sorry I am..."

Sirius thought he shouldn't be in the room, but should rather be comforting whoever was speaking so softly. He looked for an escape and then froze. He knew this voice. It was different, but it was familiar. He knew the person--whoever the voice belong to.

"... I should've fought back... but I was always a weak-minded fool, never like you, James, and Remus... He knew it too... I was in the wrong House, I'm afraid... quite wrong, indeed..."

Sirius knew who this voice belonged to. It was somewhere in the back of his mind. He couldn't put a finger on it, but he was sure he knew it. He tried to concentrate on the voice.

"I never wanted it to end like this, Sirius..."

He knew the voice. He opened his eyes and the lights went out. He couldn't see. Someone was in the room and the cackling began again. He was angry at the laughing person, but didn't know who it was. He knew who the voice belonged to: It was a close friend of his, Peter Pettigrew.

The lights clicked on and he jolted back, screaming out of terror. He saw the bodies; the grin tinged in the air; the cowering Peter in the corner; the person mad with laughter; the fear in her eyes. He saw the bodies and the fear in her eyes.

"How could you?!" a voice screamed at him. His knees buckled and he fell to the ground, covering his ears with his hands like it would stop the screaming in his mind. "How could you do such a horrible thing? I trusted you!"

"I didn't do anything!" Sirius yelled back, tears on the verge. "I didn't do anything! Stop it! Make them go away! Please... please..."

"I trusted you..." she whispered. The screaming stopped and he looked up into her tearful eyes. Droplets fell down her cheeks and splashed onto the floor slowly. "I trusted you, Sirius..."

~*~

"What was it about?" James asked him. Sirius looked up at his friends. He couldn't bring himself to tell his own best friend the truth.

"I dreamt that Malfoy hurt Krystyna," Sirius automatically lied. James stared at him. He must've been satisfied with Sirius's answer because he left it at that and nodded his head.

"You know that won't happen," James muttered firmly.

"I know; it was just a nightmare," Sirius replied calmly.

James nodded his head. "Yeah, only a nightmare," he said softly. He grinned. "Now let's show these Muggles how snowball fights are really done." Sirius grinned.

"True to that," Sirius mumbled. He and James laughed and returned to fight in a snowball battle. All memories of the nightmare vanished instantly and Sirius was back in the cheery mood.

~*~

Sara walked through the hallways of the Gryffindor Tower serenely. She wasn't use to being so alone on the Christmas holidays. Usually, she had Krystyna, Lily, and Lorena here, but they were not. True, Remus and Peter were here with her, but she had just begun being friends with them and was still quite leery about them: Remus especially. She didn't know why she felt that way, but it was something about him that just seemed... out of place.

There were a few things about him that didn't seem to fit him quite well. He was rather pale at certain times of the month and sickly at those same times; all of his senses were very acute; he was stronger than any usual person of his height; his eyes looked so tired and weary; and there was just something about his... demeanor that seemed stranger than normal. He was tall and strong, just like James and Sirius, but he was different. He walked differently. He talked differently. He looked differently. It was just something about his calm voice that made her quite confused.

Then, there was Peter. He was quiet, just like her, and smaller than the rest. She was also shorter than her friends. They both needed some help many times from their friends, and she wasn't as talented as her friends. All the same, they liked her and she felt comfortable with them. Peter was much smaller than Sirius, James, and Remus. It had always seemed so strange to her to see him tag along behind the three boys. Much of anything could excite him. He was simple--very simple. But then there were also not-so simple things about him. His fear, for example, was one of the things. He could not stand pressure--he hated it, she could see it in his eyes. He caved in easily to pressure--whether it was hard or soft. Anyone could frighten him. He didn't seem so much like a Gryffindor. But maybe she just couldn't see it, and it was down there... somewhere in him.

Sara stopped to stare outside of a large window. It was snowing lightly outside and she wondered what her friends were doing at this very moment. She tugged at her cloak to warm up. She liked the quiet, all the same, but there was something about this silence that didn't seem correct to her. Maybe she was just being paranoid; she could be like that. She smiled when she saw a few younger students having a snowball fight on the grounds. She continued her morning walk.

~*~

"Krystyna, are you ready to go?" Mrs. Melanie shouted from downstairs.

Krystyna wrenched her closet doors open quickly. As she slipped on her shoes hurriedly, she fingered through the hangers, searching for her matching cloak. She knew it was in there somewhere, but where she didn't know. She finally found her dark red cloak and pulled it out of the closet. She tugged it off its hanger and chucked the hanger behind her somewhere; a soft thump told her that it had landed on her bed. She pushed her foot down in her shoe and jammed her arms in the sleeves.

Finally dressed completely, she scrambled out of her room quickly and suddenly stopped at the stairs. Her mother--and father--always scolded her for running down the stairs. She turned around and shut her door silently and walked down the stairs almost elegantly.

Mrs. Melanie was waiting by the fireplace impatiently while Andrew lounged on the couch lazily, as usual. When he heard the footsteps, he perked up and saw his sister walking towards them. He jumped up off of the couch and stretched.

"It's about time, Krystyna," Andrew yawned. He stopped stretching and smirked at her. It was very unlike Sirius's smirk and very unlike Lucius's smirk. "When you said 'I'll be down in just a jiffy' I thought you meant a few seconds; not an hour."

Krystyna grinned mockingly.

"Shame on you, Andrew," she said sarcastically. "After knowing me for all of your life, you'd think you'd get these things straight." Andrew's smirk disappeared and he appeared to be thinking about what she had just said as she passed him by.

"Children, settle down now," Mrs. Melanie warned cautiously. Andrew turned around as Mrs. Melanie gave them a handful of what appeared to be black dust. Krystyna frowned at it; she always disliked traveling by Floo Powder. James had joked about her on that. "We're going to Diagon Alley, alright everyone?" They nodded their heads obediently. Her mother especially gazed at Krystyna as she said this. She looked back at the formal living room door.

"Marlena, she's finally ready to go!" Mrs. Melanie called loudly. Marlena, adorned in light green dress robes, emerged out of the formal living room and briskly walked over to their positions. She took a handful of the powder.

"We thought you'd never be done," Marlena noted, though she sounded as though she still had not gotten over what Krystyna had told her last night.

"Oh, you know that I have to get all prettied up before I can step foot out of this house," Krystyna said sardonically. Marlena looked away from her. Mrs. Melanie glared at her, while Andrew was being fully entertained by her jokes.

"I'll go first," Mrs. Melanie announced. She stepped into the fireplace and threw the black powder onto the ground. "Diagon Alley!"

She slowly disappeared as green flames engulfed her. When the flames had died down, Marlena stepped in and did the same exact thing. Andrew had always loved watching Krystyna reappear so he bounced into the empty fireplace. He waved goodbye to her.

"See you in thirty seconds or less!" Andrew laughed. He threw the powder on the ground and green flames engulfed him. Krystyna stepped into the fireplace.

She hesitated throwing the Floo Powder down. It was not that she didn't like the green flames--she happened to like the tickling sensation they gave her--but she had never landed quite well. Unlike her top-notch landings after a day of Quidditch, she found it difficult to land after the spinning from a fireplace to another fireplace.

But she had to do it. So, Krystyna stood up straight and threw the powder down onto the ground in the fireplace quickly.

"Diagon Alley!" Krystyna said clearly. Suddenly, the green flames rose up to surround her body and tickle it gently; she was caught it a vortex of a whirlwind of bright colors.

Then, she immediately felt the ground again and she crashed out of another fireplace onto her knees. As her vision came clear again, she saw Andrew guffawing wildly, Mrs. Melanie frowning, and Marlena rolling her eyes. Krystyna stood up and brushed the soot off of her shoulders and out of her silky, black hair. She walked over for them.

"You need to work on your landings, Krystyna," Mrs. Melanie scolded. She rolled her eyes.

"Yes, mother," Krystyna muttered. Marlena sauntered out of the front door and Mrs. Melanie followed, beckoning them to come along quickly. Krystyna didn't move and let Andrew pass her, still laughing uncontrollably. As he passed her, she punched him in the arm.

"Ouch, what was that for?" Andrew questioned, rubbing the spot where she had punched him. She smirked and walked away.

"You were annoying me," Krystyna simply answered. He watched her walk out, flabbergasted, and then remembered that he was supposed to follow her. He ran to catch up with her.

~*~

Lorena meandered through the clothing store. According to Mrs. Malfoy, they had to shop for new dress robes because they were having a Christmas Dinner with the Melanie family tomorrow. The only reason Lorena had not complained was because she did not want to be shut in her room and leave Krystyna stuck with Lucius and Marcus. Of course, Lucius was bad enough for Krystyna--not so much for Lorena. He was, at least, afraid of her. Marcus was older than her; she was afraid of him--not anymore, though.

Shopping had never been that fun for Lorena. Sara was always excited when shopping and had loved to hear the clothing styles of some Muggles. She had some Muggle clothing, but she was absolutely fascinated with the stranger types. Lorena had a pair of jeans and a t-shirt Lily had given her, the rest of her clothing was witch clothing, because the Fawcetts and Malfoys don't wear Muggle clothing. She could almost laugh at that. She just grinned.

Mrs. Malfoy was looking for the perfect dress robes for her; she certainly seemed like a professional dresser to her. Lucius was looking for some new dress robes too, but he was good enough to look for his own clothing. He had one of his friends from Durmstrang, too. His friend had come down to visit some of his family for the holidays and they had run into each other. They had decided to hang out for the day. He was just as bad as Lucius was, except he could tease Lorena in ways Lucius couldn't. Of course, she was never affected by it; he was, after all, just another stupid boy from Durmstrang.

Lorena had never too much cared for the school in Bulgaria. They supposedly taught Dark Arts there, and she cared nothing about the Dark Arts at all. She despised the school for doing it. Durmstrang was a mainly Pure-blooded school and that's why families like the Malfoys and Fawcetts liked it. Their children wouldn't be around that many Mudbloods--Muggle-born witches or wizards--there. If there was one, they would not get treated so fairly. And with all the Dark Arts spreading throughout the school, there were many bad things happening around the area. Lorena never did care much for it.

As she passed a mirror, someone's reflection from behind her caught her eye. She didn't have enough time to ponder though because the next moment, someone had grabbed her around her waist. She jumped and pushed whosever hands were on her. She spun around as someone started laughing. She scowled when she saw that it was Lucius and his friend, Brandon Hemmingway.

"Did I scare you?" Brandon teased her. She rolled her eyes. He was a typical, stupid boy from Durmstrang alright. He acted like Lucius too. What a terrible combination.

"No, but you disgusted me," Lorena replied. Brandon stopped laughing, while Lucius continued to laugh even louder. He gave her an innocent look.

"Ah, c'mon, you know you can't stop staring at me," Brandon said teasingly. She crossed her arms across her chest and put her weight on her left foot. "You know that I'm dashingly handsome and silver-tongued. You can't resist me. I could sweep you off your feet."

"Oh, please, don't make me laugh," Lorena sighed, rolling her eyes. Brandon's smirk only broadened as he looked brazenly at her. He advanced on her to see if she would back up, but she didn't make a move and continued to look at him as if he bored her.

"You're not afraid of me either, I see," Brandon said.

"There's no point in being afraid of you," Lorena quipped fearlessly. "You're just a boy from Durmstrang and I'm not afraid of anything." He was taller than her--and stronger than her--but she had her wand in her pocket, resting nicely just in case. He bent down to her level and got even closer to her, his face only an inch from hers. He grinned at her, but she didn't move still. She could feel his breath on her face, but held her ground tight, not afraid at all.

"I think you should be afraid of me," Brandon whispered darkly. She never blinked and never hesitated at all. He was now less than an inch from her face, but nevertheless, she held her dull expression. She gazed at him with idle eyes and he looked back at her.

Lucius had stopped laughing and watched the scene play out between his friend and his cousin. Brandon tucked a piece of her loose bright blond hair behind her ear and then cupped her cheek. She moved her hand swiftly in the air to smack him or do something, but his other free hand caught her wrist. He grinned, but she did not.

"See what I mean?" Brandon said quietly, his eyes still fixed on hers and his breath on her face. She didn't blink and frowned at him.

"No, I don't," Lorena spoke softly. His grin broadened.

"Such a pretty and sweet girl you have for a cousin, Lucius," Brandon chirped, his voice now louder than it had been before. He stood up straight and looked back at Lucius, who was smirking and nodding his head slightly. Lorena rolled her eyes at him and then looked at Brandon, who was still gripping her wrist tightly. His other hand combed through her hair. "I wish I had a girl like this one."

Brandon turned around to face Lorena again, but instead got slapped on his other side of his face. He blinked out of slight pain. Lorena's other hand was in the air. He took his hand out of her hair and put it to his cheek that was reddening.

"Then you can keep wishing," Lorena said with a small and sly grin on her face. She tugged on her wrist to get out of his grip but it only tightened. He looked back at her. Lucius had stopped snickering again and watched with anticipation.

"Ya know, no girl's ever slapped me until now," Brandon said, a rising anger bubbling in his stomach. She had the faint feeling that she shouldn't have slapped him, but didn't show it.

"I guess you had it coming to you then," Lorena quipped cockily. Lucius shuddered; he'd seen Brandon get angry once and the guy didn't look to good after it. He had a temper just like Lorena's, but she seemed to be holding it down for some reason. He watched her take a deep breath to calm down. He knew she was annoyed. Brandon was doing the same exact thing.

"No girl has ever smacked me before because they're not brave enough to and have enough common sense not to," Brandon said slowly, glaring at her. She glared right back at him.

"Maybe that's why I'm in Gryffindor and not in Ravenclaw at Hogwarts," Lorena replied innocently, smirking at him. Brandon didn't seem to take this too well. His grip tightened on her wrist and he twisted his lips. He took a deep breath and calmed down. His shoulders relaxed.

"Ya know, it would be a terrible shame to hurt such a pretty thing like you, Lorena," Brandon noted softly, his eyes closed. She tugged at her wrist again, but his grip on it only tightened. He opened his eyes to gaze into hers, heat in them. She looked back at him irately.

"Let me go!" Lorena muttered crossly, glaring at him heatedly. He leaned in to her and she tugged again furiously.

"It must be your lucky day," Brandon hissed in her ear. He kissed her on the cheek and let go of her wrist. She jerked a little backward and rolled her eyes, shaking her head and taking in deep breaths. She turned to walk away.

"Oh, all of your friends are such perverted idiots, Malfoy!" Lorena shouted crossly, looking back at her cousin to toss her bright blond hair over her shoulders. She glared at him and then at Brandon, who was grinning at her smugly. She looked upwards and shook her head. She stalked away from them irritably, feeling as if she had the worst cousin in the entire world.