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. . .
"HEY Enoch," Elijah's voice whispers through the darkness, "Would you like to go to an exclusive Christmas party?"
It takes Enoch a long second to respond, mostly because he'd been half-asleep until he heard the older boy's voice cut through it. Then he grunts, mostly in confusion.
"Exclusive Christmas party?"
"Yeah. Only... specially chosen students get to attend." Enoch is silent, everything taking him slightly longer to comprehend. But Elijah takes this as uncertainty, or more confusion, and he keeps talking. "You know Slughorn? He has a club—Slug Club—where we all get together, have dinner, talk. I got invited because of my family, had planned on declining or skipping but Mother said it was good for connections."
"Slug Club is an awful name. Sounds like you... do gardening or something, kill slugs, support slugs. Slugs."
There's some soft snorts of laughter in the beds around him. Evidently more than just Elijah and Enoch are listening to this conversation.
"It's all about the popularity and potential. A load of bull if you ask me." The boy in the bed across the room pipes up.
"You're only saying that because you weren't invited, Alexander." Another voice says. This starts an argument between the two boys, one that Elijah chooses to ignore.
"So yeah, anyway, would you like to be my plus one?" The curly haired boy asks, now propped up on the edge of his bed. Enoch can't see him, but he can hear him moving around. "You can borrow one of my suits if you'd like, Mother always makes me pack too many."
"Are you suggesting that I wouldn't have my own suit?" The brunet retorts, before he pauses, realising that he doesn't have his own suit. His bags were so full of comfortable clothes and his wizarding ones, he hadn't even thought to pack any in case of a formal event. He's not even sure he actually owns a suit, even at home. "Because... you'd be right."
"So you'll come?"
Enoch isn't sure he's making the right decision but, half asleep, he's not really sure of anything. He just hums in response, closing his eyes to the darkness.
The two boys are still arguing over why they weren't invited to the Slug Club.
. . .
Elijah looks at least two years older when he dresses up, hair slicked neatly back, suit fitting him perfectly. Something about it seems to make him stand up a little straighter, like dressing up boosts his confidence just a little—Enoch can't blame him. Though, on the other hand, he feels a bit silly all dressed up in his friend's suit. He'd feel silly dressed up in his own suit. He's never been much for dressing up, putting up a fight every time his parents told him to, wearing as casual as he can. Suits make him itch, feel suffocating in a way he can't even explain.
