cloudy with a Chance of freedom

chapter 33

Skull had to blink twice when Fleur asked him out.

"Uh...what?"

"I said would you like to be my Yule Ball date," she repeated amused.

"Why? I mean I'm obviously well out of whatever league you're in and there are plenty of guys willing to trip over themselves to be your date," said Skull baffled.

He had been planning on skipping the entire thing, to be honest.

"You're not affected by the Allure, you're an actual gentleman, you're not half bad looking once you've been cleaned up properly and I've been told you actually know how to dance without stepping on your partner's feet," she listed. "Besides, from what I've been told by your sister you're a very good conversation partner who won't treat me like some sort of beast simply because I'm part Veela."

More like Camellia had made a point to track Fleur down and suggest her brother. She wanted him to suffer...er, enjoy being the center of attention at the dance. She was already going with Fon, who hadn't hesitated to promptly ask her to be his date.

Verde was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that he apparently acquired two girlfriends since Luna finally managed to wear Granger down into the idea of a threesome with him. Not that they were going to do anything until Luna was at LEAST fifteen or older, but it was the principle of the thing.

He had gone an entire lifetime without a proper girlfriend, and now he had two of them thanks to Skull's meddling. He wasn't entirely certain if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Fleur was inwardly frowning, as she realized Camellia wasn't joking about her brother being something of a kicked puppy who was honestly baffled when someone displayed interest in him beyond that of a friend or family member.

Instead she kept up her smile, but didn't come on too strong. She had the feeling she would only push him away if she did and he was honestly one of the better choices in the school.

Skull, once he got over the shock of being asked rather than how it went the first time (relying on Hermione's pity and getting a girl last second...only to be a lackluster date in the end), was able to bounce back quickly.

He was someone who had been through so much that the idea of being caught off guard in a new situation wasn't an option. He had learned the hard way how to adapt quickly to survive.

That being said, he had absolutely no idea what he was doing. All his previous experience came from one night stands, which had cut off rather abruptly thanks to Luce and her leading them to being cursed into toddlers. Any chance of having a real meaningful relationship died after that.

Thank god Camellia and the other girls were more than willing to at least help him look decent. While his hair was and always would be a lost cause, the rest of him cleaned up rather nicely.

Fon and the other boys took pity on him...mostly Blaise when he realized his Sky and best friend had absolutely no idea what one did at a dance. Sure, Skull was an excellent dancer and wouldn't step on Fleur's feet during the first dance, but outside that? He was a fish entirely out of water with no idea how to breath. It was taking a lot just to avoid going into panic mode.

Not for the first time, Blaise cursed the name Albus Dumbledore.

He knew conditioning when he saw it, and anyone with eyes could see Skull had been conditioned into acting as a weapon that wouldn't hesitate to die for his 'cause', even if it was one discreetly implanted by the people around him. He was a warrior that didn't have the first clue how to survive outside of the battlefield, though he had adapted better than some would have.