Distorted Lines ✓ | GREGORY GOYLE

≺ Four ≽

After her chat with Vicky, Celia couldn't help feeling that Vicky was only the first 'demon' she had to slay. She'd passed one test and managed to at least make Vicky second guess her story but there would be plenty of other people who Goyle had told his story to, plenty more people to convince.

As she lay in her bed, late at night it occurred to her, she didn't need to eliminate all of them, she only needed to eliminate the root source: Goyle. If he stopped telling people that she'd led him on, if she could make him see then pretty soon the people would move on and she could to.

She needed to talk to him.

She was about to talk to the girls but looking around at them, they all looked so peaceful, she didn't mind too much. She needed someone that she didn't mind waking up, who could never really be mad at her even if she could be at him. Cormac. She knew his advice was terrible usually mainly because he didn't see what the issue was but maybe that's because he was just another 'demon' to slay.

She tiptoed out of bed, slipping her feet into her fluffy slippers before slowly creeping out of bed and towards the Boys' dormitory. She was forever grateful that girls could come into the Boys' dormitory, it made decisions like this a lot easier to follow through with. She crept into Cormac's room, shutting the door behind her, an accident she instantly regretted as the room was plunged into darkness. Her nose instinctively wrinkled at the smell, it was almost as if ten thousand dirty socks had just been left on the floor and the worst part is that she suspected this was close to the truth.

She walked a few steps before tripping on what felt like a massive pile of fabric, grabbing onto one of the curtains of the beds to steady herself. Her body froze as she heard a groan, realising that her other had hit the covers, making contact with a leg. 

"Who is that? Dexter, is that you?" The voice said and she breathed a sigh of relief as she realised by pure chance she'd landed on Cormac's bed.

"No, it's Celia, I need to talk to you?" Cormac reached for his wand, whispering 'Lumos' to see if it really was Celia.

"Celia? What the hell are you doing here?" He whispered, rubbing his eyes with his spare hand. Cormac looked very different when he didn't have time to prepare himself. His eyes were narrowed and squinty due to the light and his usually perfect hair was messy and curly with strands sticking out in odd directions. In a weird way it suited him but it didn't match the clean cut, preppy jock look he was going for.

"I told you I needed to talk." Cormac checked his watch, rolling his eyes dramatically. 

"It's four thirty, can this wait?"

She shook her head firmly, "No. It can't. Please Cormac."

Cormac studied her face for a few seconds before realising she was serious and pulling himself out of bed, "Fine, let's go to the common room as I don't want to wake up the other guys. They won't be happy if I do."

The pair of them crept out of the dorm and walked down the stairs to the Common room. It was empty although the fire was still crackling and burning in the fireplace; she wondered if the fire ever actually went out. Cormac made a beeline for the point on the sofa with the most cushions and casually lay down, stretching his legs along the sofa. She sat in the same position opposite him, holding one of the cushions to her chest.

"Okay, what?" He yawned, "What was so important that you woke me up this early?"

"It's about Goyle - "

"Not this again, Celia," Cormac said irritably, "I thought we talked about this and you said you'd drop it."

"Please just listen to me, Cormac!" She snapped which was very unlike her, "It's easier said than done to just drop it when someone does something like that."

"It was just a kiss," He noticed her glare at him and raised her hands up slightly, "But fine, talk. Say what you want to say, I won't stop you."

"Okay. I was speaking to Vicky, she's in Slytherin, she's - "

"I know who she is," Cormac replied haughtily, "You know how involved I've been with Quidditch. She's the back up beater, very strong and tall."

"Yeah, her. She came to let me know I was being a bitch." At this Cormac bristled, for the first time annoyed about someone being cruel to Celia.

"What? Why? I'll find her - "

"Please don't do that, Cormac. I don't think it was her fault, it was what Goyle told her. He said that I was leading him on and kissed him back and now I'm being a bitch for not talking to him."

"You didn't kiss him back though, he's so ugly, why did anyone believe him?" Cormac said wrinkling his nose, "You're way out of his league, don't worry."

"I wasn't worried about that but I was thinking - "

"Go on."

"I was," Celia said quickly, getting a little annoyed at his frequent interruptions, "I managed to talk to Vicky and I think I got her to think, to stop and reconsider what she'd been told. So I could talk to every single person who thinks I was leading him on and stuff but then I realised that I could just talk to Goyle directly... what do you think?"

"I have a better plan," Cormac said, "I talk to Goyle, punch him for spreading rumours about you... it's gross, as if you'd ever go out with someone as ugly as him. That's just... gross. Leave it to me, Celia, if you go and see him it will only make things worse."

"But I don't know, I want to talk to him to set it straight and asked why he kissed me when I said no - "

"Celia, you need to move on about the whole kiss thing, okay? The rumours on the other hand, that's awful. An ugly guy lying about it, I can't stand that. If you want the rumours to stop, I'll punch him for you."

"Goyle is about twice your size and stronger." Celia pointed out dryly.

"Yeah, well I have skill and technique," He stared Celia dead in the eye, "But if this is all about that kiss, I think you need to move on. That's old business and you want me to punch him because of that, you're overreacting... Celia?"

Celia had abruptly stood up and began to dash away from the common room, running back to the Girls' dorm. She was aware of Cormac standing up to follow her and it gave her a slight sense of amusement to watch as the stairs became a slide causing him to topple over onto his back.

"Celia, don't wake me up at four thirty just to leave - " Cormac called but it was cut off by Celia closing the door to muffle his voice. She quickly realised her mistake in slamming the door as Alicia sat bolt upright, fumbling for her wand and illuminating the room.

"Celia? What are you doing?"

"I was talking to Cormac..." She replied, gritting her teeth as she realised she'd made the wrong decision, "I was talking to him about meeting Goyle..."

"Celia, I'm tired and we'll probably make better decisions in the morning," Alicia replied, sleepily, "But I don't think you need to meet Goyle... you need to see McGonagall."

"Thanks, Alicia," Celia replied, "We can talk in the morning."

"Okay," Alicia replied, lying back down again and turning her light off. Celia lay slumped against the door. She had no idea what to do.

A strange thought occurred to her and she walked over to her bedside table on her knees. She rifled around in the drawers, her fingers clasping around a small cigarette. She'd bought it thanks to peer pressure but apparentely it was meant to be relaxing, maybe it would help.

She crept out of the door, using her wand to light it. She examined the cigarette that was delicately placed in between her fingers, "Well, maybe you'll help me decide and relax." She whispered. One inhale of the smoke and chemicals told her this was not the case.

"Oh well," She whispered, keeping the burning cigarette in her hands as she sat in the corridor, "It was worth a shot."