Eunoia | Sirius Black

|19|

Two cards exploded in my face. 

"I HAVE TWENTY POINTS AND I WIN LOSERS!"

I stare at Marlene. "I have twenty-one."

"No, you don't - what the fuck."

I smirk, even though I could've had twenty-two if this one hadn't gone wrong. "Beginner's luck."

"You're not telling me that you haven't ever played this game before and still won!"

"That, darling is exactly what I'm telling you."

Marlene gapes with an unhinged jaw. "Don't worry 'bout her," says Lily. "She's just never lost before."

"At least never with us." Dorcas intervenes. "Either we're actually very pathetic at this game or she's somehow better."

I laugh. "Considering you both have five points each and this is the first time I'm playing, and yet I won – I'd say you're both pathetic at Exploding snaps."

Lily gasps. "You're not insulting me with my Exploding Snaps abilities! I have actually won a game with the marauders once."

Marlene snorted. "Yeah, because Peter fucked it all up."

"That's not true —" Lily gets redder and redder.

"Very much is, Lilyflower, but don't you worry, we'll play again and this time I will win." She said the last bit with a glare towards me. I smirked.

"Yeah, no, that's not happening." Lily tossed her hair behind her back. "This once, I am winning. Enough of me letting you deliberately win."

Marlene laughed out loud, clutching her stomach and all. "Deliberately — yeah sure, whatever helps you sleep at night."

Lily could not possibly get redder, her flushed face rivalled my own embarrassed one. "What about a wager?"

This perked me up. "What about one?"

"If I win, you'll owe me a favour. If you do, I'll owe you one."

"Nope." Said Marlene at once. "I don't trust you and your favours, I have a distinct feeling it will consist of books and studies."

"I'm in." I grin.

"What – you are?" Lily frowned, looking as though she was secretly hoping no one agreed. Well, too bad.

"Yes."

Her pride won't let her back off so we rearranged the cards and the wands were out.

I pointed them at cards faster and faster while they struggled to keep up with the speed, moving so quickly it was almost a blur. Lily was battling sweat as her wand wavered and nearly fell out of her hands when the cards shuffled quicker and quicker.

It didn't last more than two minutes. There was no mistaking who'd won. I was grinning from ear to ear.

"This is a fluke!"

"Nope, Lily, she won fair and square. Games are not your thing, just admit it." Marlene teased, pouring candies into her mouth like water.

Lily was humiliated but I wanted her to know she shouldn't be. Just when I opened my mouth, she spoke first, "What is it that I owe you?"

I frowned, forgetting for a short moment she now owes me a favour. I am about to ask her to be honest with me and tell me why she was briefly annoyed after I pranked Snape but then another thought crosses my mind.

"I want you to go on a Hogsmeade date with someone of my choosing."

She opens and closes her mouth like a fish and then, finally resigning, nods. "How bad can it be? I'll go."