The Green Trio

November 7th, 1994

There was something going on with both her friends. Subtle changes she'd made tiny notes on in the recessives of her brain that went beyond circumstances Luka knew about. Cersei's annoyance was something more than Cedric; there was an internal shift. Something reflective, she thought considering Cersei's ill-fitted silence during study breaks when she'd usually balance pencils on her nose or see how many paper planes she could have float over her head. And Diana's newfound happiness was just... by Merlin, it was just something more. Rather than stray away from the Slytherin common room, she was gravitating towards it. Even suggesting it as a place for the trio to hang out.

She imagined the incidents eliciting Diana's sublime and Cersei's irritation were uninvolved; the two were still hanging around each other, but it wasn't something Luka hadn't considered before it struck her as ridiculous. She would've known if a singular event involved both of them.

As she waited in the emptier-than-usual Hufflepuff common room, waving her wand over her charmed stereo, she couldn't help but wish she had her own secret to keep. Simply observing everything was starting to bore her. She was afraid it'd be all she ever did.

"Oh, I'm getting absolutely fucked up tonight," she mumbled as the stereo came to life, ignoring the curious looks from the few others around.

Behind her, the common room door opened. The sound of bottles clanking announced the arrival of the twins—it'd taken Cersei some convincing to give them the password—and Luka turned, a small grin on her face, to greet them.

"Shots?" she said, holding her hand out for the firewhisky. One would do well to settle her nerves; they still clenched around George. She could barely even bring herself to consider him a friend for fear of overestimating any interaction.

Fred threw her a bottle which she rushed to catch. "Getting ahead of yourself there, are you?"

"I deserve it." She said and transfigured a nearby plant into a glass. "Silenced this whole room and rigged the music."

George plopped onto the couch, laying out every ounce of alcohol they'd gotten. "Impressive. Could you pour one for me too?"

She could feel a pinch of heat in her cheeks, thankful she could throw her head back as she took her first shot, rendering it unseen. She poured George his own and passed the glass.

"How'd—damn, that burns—How'd it go with Beauxbatons?" she asked, glancing briefly at his jawline as his neck stretched and sat on the armrest of the couch opposite. She was already feeling the need for another shot.

"Well enough." George mused, smacking his lips together.

"That Fleur—woo. She is something," Fred said. "Might try my luck if she shows."

Luka had to agree. The champion for Beauxbatons was something. Anyone with eyes could see that. Rumours of her being part Veela had spread like wildfire across a dry field since the visiting schools had arrived, sparking a dreadful amount of jealousy in the many of the other girls including Luka herself. Her own green monster, however, was much more mild; she just wished she looked like Fleur. Being that beautiful would absolutely burn a handful of her insecurities to ashes.

Luka shook her head, chuckling at his foolishness. "Poor girl probably just wants to have fun and Fred Weasley's already got plans to harass her."

There was a moment of laughter, but only a moment before the twins fell silent, exchanging strange looks between each other. Luka adjusted herself awkwardly. Had she said something wrong? Were they not close enough for her to poke fun at them yet? This was why she kept from thinking they were friends. Her head continued to spin with anxiety-driven questions as her hand reached up to her lips to peel the dried flakes of skin off.