Duplicitous | T.N.

XXXII • Bad news at Breakfast

Visiting Anthony had become a weekly habit. An addition to her flawless routine. Every Sunday morning would go as follows; Wake up, refreshments, readying for the day and then breakfast With Anthony at the Three Broomsticks. Her routines comforted her, it reminded her of the control she could still hang on to regardless how chaotic or difficult her life had become.

Conversation with Anthony typically lightened her mood also, his wise and friendly demeanour was one she envied and had always attempted to replicate, but for all she knew he had secrets too.

"Anthony?" A voice came from behind her.

She and the muggle boy had been conversing about the chocolate croissants they were eating. They had chosen their typical window seat they had agreed portrayed the best view the bar had to offer.

Aurora loved her planned mornings, so did Anthony, they were in for a shock, when the voice from behind them came from Colin Creevey, Anthony's younger brother.

"Colin? Oh hello." Anthony spoke with his mouth half stuffed, a speck of chocolate smudged on the corner of his bottom lip. Colin, surrounded by his friends, cringed at his brother.

Aurora hadn't seen much of Colin that year, when she did it was mostly in the DA meetings, he was surrounded with his buddies those days. Rory hadn't failed to notice the slight change in his own personality. It was rare to catch a glimpse of the enthusiastic boy he once was. She still deemed him a sweet kid.

"What? What are you doing here?" Colin's eyes shot to his fellow Gryffindor peers who surround him, arms crossed, all wearing matching goofy grins.

"Breakfast?" Anthony grinned.

Aurora noticed the slight tension that took place between the muggle and the fourteen year old wizard, she was confused by that. She had thought Anthony had come to stay at Hogsmeade to visit his brother.

Then she realised, if Colin noticed it was Rory eating with his brother he would surely mention her. Anthony still didn't know how old she really was and she intended to keep it that way. She lowered her head and mumbled to Anthony about going off the the bathroom. She made sure to cover the side view of her face with her hair. A substitute curtain per say.

Her heart was thumping profusely in her tightening chest. Either Colin hadn't noticed her, or he was currently asking his brother what Anthony was doing with a sixteen year old. She had hoped the latter wasn't the current case.

She sort of hung around in the bathroom for five minutes, not actually needing to use the loo. She had figured that it was finally the perfect time to leave, for if she had chosen to stay for longer than that, he might've thought she had stomach issues.

Peaking through the crack in the slowly opening door, she spotted Anthony devouring this breakfast alone. Sighing, she bottled up the courage to approach him. Before she could make it two steps out of the toilets she was stopped by a body.

Colin, a few inches shorter than her, crossed his arms. "What are you doing with my brother?" He didn't seem to be judging but rather curious, she just had to hope he wasn't curious enough to ask this to Anthony.

"Breakfast?" She repeated Anthony's previous statement.

"He's twenty three." Colin frowned.

"And I'm not mature enough to make acquaintances with adults?" She gave him a small smile to assure she was okay. He smiled back before walking off to his large group of friends. She released a shaky breath before continuing her way back to Anthony and her breakfast.

She trudged back towards Anthony with an unsure expression. She had prayed he hadn't just learnt of her true age and would hate her for it, lying to him had been a trick of her drunken tongue and revealing the truth was too difficult for Rory to do.