❝You don't find me handsome?❞ Regulus' breath tickles the nape of Laura's neck, sending a wave of happiness down her spine.
She leans backward to fake a scowl up at him. ❝I find you utterly repulsive.❞
His lips quirk as he ducks his head down to k...
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"MERLIN, LAURA, are you truly this dense?" Mary shoots Laura a furious frown. "How on earth did you even manage to get into this school? You'll be lucky if you even get a mark on your exams, let alone a passing grade!"
In a weak attempt to cover her frown, Laura takes a long, drawn-out sip of tea. She still hasn't told Mary that she's supposed to be at a tutoring lesson with Black right now, or that she's been skipping her meals to avoid him as well. She can't find it in herself to muster the energy to deal with her contempt for the situation, or Black's opinions on it either.
In fact, Regulus Black can go fuck himself with a splintered wand, for all Laura cares.
She sighs. "I've got plenty of time until exams, Mary. That's plenty of time for me to learn about..." She turns the textbook she'd long since forgotten about to its front to look at the title. "Bloody hell, what's a Scrimdgeon?"
"For fucks sake!" Mary cries out, slamming her own book down. "Have you even been reading at all?"
Laura sets the book down on the couch frustratedly and tucks her knees in front of her. "I swear that I'm trying, it's just so hard to read when there are loads of other things to be done." Her eyes meet Mary's. "I had to tell Flitwick that I couldn't even finish the score for the gala, and then I had to skip dinner to—" Laura pauses, struggling to come up with an excuse, but Mary doesn't seem to notice. "I had to skip dinner to study more."
Mary nods sympathetically as guilt creeps into Laura's stomach. "Laura, that could be why you're doing so horribly. You need to eat." She places a hand on Laura's knee. "Don't let a silly grade put you down. It's not the end of the world."
Laura opens her mouth to speak, but a loud explosion comes from outside of the Gryffindor common room's portrait before she can form a sentence. "What on—"
"Lovegood!"
Heads turn towards Laura as McGonagall quickly approaches and sends her a shrewd, angry glare. "Go retrieve Mister Black before he sets poor Agatha Aldridge on fire."
Laura lets out an aggravated huff and stands from her seat. "This is hardly my problem, Professor."
"I would suggest you make haste before I lose my temper, Lovegood," McGonagall says, eyes narrowing as she peers down at Laura.
Laura groans and drags a hand over her face as she walks towards the portrait, ignoring the curious looks thrown her way from the other Gryffindors. As soon as she steps outside, Agatha sighs in relief and scurries through the open portrait.
Black is leaned against a wall, his lanky figure towering over Laura as she crosses her arms. "Are you honestly throwing a tantrum?"
"I waited for a fucking hour while Carrow prattled on about how delicious her brownie recipe is," Black sneers, "All because you couldn't be bloody bothered to show up to the library, when you're the one who needs tutoring and not me."
