LIFELINE | 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙮 𝙒𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙮

▪︎ 30.

"Yes?" Percy asked, trying his best to make the situation seem as normal as possible.

Rehan narrowed his eyes while James scoffed.

Percy was slightly getting annoyed. "If there's something you'd like to say, Dara and Blackwood, I think now would be the best time."

"Oh yeah, there's plenty we'd like to say, mind stepping out of the library for it?" Rehan asked, rolling his wrist.

Percy's brows flew up a little as his eyes darted to Eliza and back to the two boys.

"And what is the purpose?" He questioned.

"You'll know it." James said coolly.

"You guys are so dramatic." Eliza hissed, whispering. "And pointless while at it."

Rehan beckoned Percy as he set the heavy books down.

"I'm coming with." Eliza said, getting up.

"You're staying right here." James said with authority, holding Eliza's shoulder to prevent her from getting up.

"Come on, Weasley, it's time for the dormmates to catch up." Rehan said as he and James guided Percy away, who looked at them with an eye-roll.

Those two were really dramatic.

***

When Percy came back to the common room, he was immediately cornered by Eliza, not caring if they looked suspicious at all.

"What did they say?" She asked, rambling on, "I tried searching, but apparently, those two idiots know the castle well. I asked everyone as well—"

"Alexandera." Percy cut her off, with a short laugh. "Calm down for a second, will you?"

Eliza looked at him, and his horn rimmed glasses. She huffed out. Obviously, she didn't believe that Rehan and James would do anything, but she also didn't bet on it. Those fools. She thought.

"What did they say?" Eliza asked again, in a much more calm voice.

Percy shrugged. "Not anything in particular. They were only behaving like how I would behave if I ever found out Ginny had a boyfriend and kept meeting him in secret all over." He said.

Eliza let out a breath of relief. "Of course, I knew those two idiots wouldn't actually do anything..." She muttered under her breath.

"Woah, woah, woah," Fred said, waltzing over to them. "Look, Georgie! What an uncommon pairing! Your crush and your brother!"

George feigned a gasp as he reached them right after Fred, "How could you do this to me!?" He said accusingly, taking out an imaginary napkin and pretending to wipe his non-existent tears.

"What a drama queen." Eliza commented, grinning and shaking her head while Percy frowned.

"How could you betray me like this, Perce?" George said, howling with sorrow. "Your own brother, too!"

"Shut up, George." Percy snapped. He really did not like it when people interrupted his conversations with Eliza.

Still feigning sadness, George rubbed his cheek lightly while Fred patted his back in mock sympathy. "It's alright, brother.... It's alright..."

"Oh, look! It's Jordan with a bag of Dungbombs!" Eliza said suddenly, pointing the opposite direction they were facing.

"Where?" The twins said in unison as they wheeled around, searching for their best friend.

Taking the opportunity, Eliza swiftly kissed Percy on the cheek and winked at him.

Snickering to herself, she said, "I'll see you guys later."

With that, she walked away, leaving a slightly blushing Percy, with his lips hanging and Fred and George, who were still caught up in the fact that Lee Jordon came with a bag of Dungbombs

***

"What do you think I should do for my parents?" Eliza asked, suddenly as the four were studying in the common room. (James and Claire were just pretending.) "Their twentieth anniversary is coming up this Christmas."

"You should give them some privacy during that time. You know, stay in the castle." Rehan said sagely.

Eliza frowned at that thought, "But they told me to come home straight away with all these attacks."

"You're pure-blood." James said pointedly. "If anything, someone should go home." He said, glaring at Rehan.

Rehan scoffed. "I'm not letting a stupid chambered monster scare me." He said.

"You're going home, Rehan! Or else I'm writing to your parents and saying that you have a girlfriend. That'll take you straight home!" James threatened.

"I'd like to see you try." Rehan said, gritting his teeth, menacingly.

James narrowed his eyes. He didn't like it when Rehan got all hot tempered.

"Anyway..." Eliza interrupted, looking from Rehan to James to Claire. "Should I sign up to stay here? I think I will actually let my parents have this Christmas to themselves."

Claire sighed. "You do what you want to do, Eliza. Chill out Rehan—"

"Fred and George! If I see you one more time trying to cheer Ginny up with your nuisance, I'll throw you in detention!" Percy shouted furiously. "And I will be writing to Mum saying that you both are troubling her despite her having nightmares!" He yelled, the common room going silent as he did so, walking up to his dormitory and slamming the door.

The three of them turned to Eliza, who, like them, had a pleasant expression of surprise.

"What?"

"Your boyfriend needs a new pair of specs because he evidently couldn't see that the twins were standing right in front of him, to shout."

Eliza rolled her eyes at them.

James looked as if he suddenly remembered something. "Oh, today would've been mine and Penelope's second anniversary if we were still together..." He added with a bitter undertone.

"Excuse me?" Claire asked. "Why do you still care about that?"

James shrugged. "I don't... I only remembered it because Eliza was talking about anniversaries."

Claire looked at him suspiciously before deciding not to comment on it.

"I'm going and asking McGonagall when she's going to come around for the Christmas staying over signatures." Rehan said.

"You are going home!" The rest three shouted.