Accidents Happen ∙ Garreth Weasley

6 - No excuses

If eyes could burn, Evangeline would be a mere pile of ash. Walking into the great hall, whispers flitted between the students, badly hidden behind hands and phone screens. Lina furrowed her brow. Why were they staring? Was her hair still a mess? No, it couldn't be, she had (rather painfully) raked her brush through it, tearing out both knots and bristles. Did she do something embarrassing last night? She didn't remember anything happening, and besides, she didn't drink enough to get that crazy. What could it be?

She spotted Garreth at the Gryffindor table, and sat down opposite him. She could feel even more eyes fixated on her face, her name rolling off people tongues. 

"What's going on?" she asked, pouring a steaming mug of black coffee. "I keep hearing my name everywhere."

"I really don't know," Garreth exclaimed, shaking his head. "It's the same with me: Weasley this Weasley that. Driving me insane."

"Bit strange. Anyways, did you sleep alright?" 

"As well as I can in an armchair. And after you left, Leander's snoring was so bloody loud I couldn't hear myself think," He joked whilst buttering a piece of toast. 

"I could have easily gone back to my dorm last night. You didn't have to give up your bed for me."

"It was fine, honestly. I didn't want you to get lost and accidentally fall off the astronomy tower."

Lina swatted him with her hand. "I would not! Merlin, Garreth, how lowly do you think of me?"

"Pretty low."

That afternoon, Garreth, Natty and Leander took a trip into Hogsmeade for quidditch gear, leaving Lina in the Ravenclaw common room.

"So, you and Evangeline, eh?" Leander ventured as he kicked a rock beneath his feet.

Garreth choked, his cheeks blushing slightly. "What?! Lina and I... we're not... were just friends! Why'd you think that?"

"Only something Everett told me," he shrugged. "Who was told by Adelaide. Who was told by Cressida."

"Spit it out, Prewett!" 

"No, it's nothing," he said, awkwardly dodging the question.

 "But are you and Lina not a thing?" Natty queried.

"No! We're just friends! Like I said!"

"Sure you are. The way you talk about her to me says otherwise, though."

"I don't talk about her that much... do I?" Garreth sputtered.

"You talk about her all the time. Honestly. D'you remember when you tried learning French when she first joined, just to impress her?" Leander recalled, quirking his eyebrows up.

"Shut up! It wasn't to impress her, it was so Lina and I could talk in her first language!" Garreth said, trying to excuse his past behaviour. He was becoming very flustered very quickly, red flush blooming in his cheeks. 

"And the time you skipped almost a week of classes to sit in the infirmary with her because she caught the flu? What about that?" Natty added. "And how you stay up for hours texting her? Or just two weeks ago when you were caught trying to get into the Ravenclaw common room?"

The past twenty four hours, Garreth had blamed his pining on the love potion. However, when Natty and Leander started listing off the things he did for Evangeline, it made him realise it was not just the amortentia speaking. 

"I- no, but- I promise you, we're only good friends. Now shut up before I take the nearest floo back to the castle."

"Yeah, but you want to go back anyway to see Lina."

"Shut up!"

EVANGELINE POV

I groaned. Not more pages of wiggenweld potion. How I wish I hadn't skipped half of my potions classes last year, if I hadn't I wouldn't be here studying, but be in Hogsmeade with my friends. Thin pages like dried leaved crackled under my fingers as I flipped through pages, scowling at the sheer awful-ness of my fifth year potions textbook. 

Slamming the book shut, I tossed it aside and headed over to my record player. I ran my fingers along the edges of each vinyl case, I unsheathed one and gently placed it onto the turntable, letting the needle drop. Music spilled out of the speakers, and I began to hum as I tidied. 

I had always preferred vinyl to music on my phone. Garreth could never understand why: 'You could have infinite songs on a chunk of glass and metal, almost free. Why would you pay for each album?'. I couldn't describe it, but music always sounded better on record. 

I slotted books back into their shelves and folded clothes into my wardrobe, and absentmindedly, I picked up the jumper I'd borrowed off Garreth that morning and tucked it away into my chest of drawers. The thick navy stripes fitted perfectly in amongst my other hoodies and sweaters, and I pushed the drawer closed without a second thought. 

There was no chance I would pick that textbook up again today, so once my tidying was finished I crashed back down on my bed. I did the first thing I thought of: call Garreth. The phone rang for hardly five seconds before he picked up.

"Hey Lina."

"Hey Gare, where are you all? I might come and meet you 'cause I finished my potions work."

"Uh, we're outside Honeydukes right now."

I heard a muffled "who is it?" come from the other end of the phone, and a whispered "Lina" come from Garreth's mouth. "Course it is", someone muttered: most likely Leander.

"Alright, stay there. I'll see you in a moment or two." I told him, chucking my wallet into a bag and pulling my scarf on.

"See you in a sec."

The air in Hogsmeade was cool, and I yanked my scarf further up around my neck, feeling goosebumps creep down my back and arms. Natty, Leander and Garreth hung around the square, a broom in Leander's hands and a new bat in Garreth's. He also held a stack of books under his other arm, looking up and waving when he saw me, sending the books skidding across the cobbled ground. 

Leaning over to help him pick them up, we butted heads. "Ow, that hurt," I murmured, half-laughing as I passed back his books. 

"Sorry," he apologised, grimacing slightly, a sightly shade of red. 

"It's fine, Weasley," I told him as I laughed at the shade of his face and his sheepish smile. 

"Shall we go and grab a butterbeer?" Leander proposed, slowly drifting in the direction of the Three Broomsticks.

"Yes, let's," I nodded in agreement. 

Warm hues of orange shone from lanterns that lined the streets, flickering in the wind. The back of my hand brushed against something warm and a little rough - Garreth's hand. His fingers brushed mine, which made my fingers tickle a bit, almost like tiny fireworks that crackled on my skin. I twitched them slightly, trying to get rid of the tingling, and he pulled his arm away, rubbing over where our hands touched. Did I scratch him?

Author's note:

They're in denial and I love it