The Ladders Of Love: James Potter

11

the break

"SO YOU GUYS JUST SNOGGED THE LIVING SHIT OUT OF EACH OTHER... AND THEN YOU SHAGGED?" Elliot Selwyn asked the girl as he crossed his legs, mid jump onto her bed.

The blonde ex-hufflepuff had been staying at the Russo residence since the start of the holidays, his bed placed cleverly in Carlo's room resulting in Clarisse being even more suspicious of her brother and his best friend. The Russo residence most definitely had guest rooms and usually Elliot stayed in one.

Elliot was the one person that she would tell all her secrets to and this was mostly because she knew that he was a phenomenal secret keeper. Although he was Carlo's best friend, he was practically a part of the family and considered Clarisse as a younger sister, so it was only natural that the girl spilled the beans on her confusing adventure.

"Don't say it like that, you make it sound gross." Clarisse whined as she smacked the boy.

"And you were a virgin?" Elliot asked curiously, his eyebrows furrowing. "You didn't do anything with Pandora?"

"No, Pandora is more of a spiritual being."

"Riiight." Elliot dragged, his head tilting as he lay on her bed, facing the girl upside down. "And he just left before you woke up in the morning?"

Clarisse curtly nodded, her lips pursing. "Then we all got on the train home and I didn't see him. I think he was avoiding me."

"Was it bad sex?"

"ELLIOT!" Clarisse gagged, her pillow smacking the boy in the face. "I'm not about to discuss my skills with you!"

"Don't be dramatic." He rolled his eyes before sitting up quickly as he heard a sharp rap on the door.

"Hello? Sister?"

Clarisse huffed as she stood up off of the floor, dusting her skirt off before opening to door to her brother Carlo.

The boy looked sheepish and gave a small wave. "Can I have my best friend back?"

"No." She slammed the door in his face, ignoring the snickers from the Hufflepuff. "So should I be upset?"

"Yes," Elliot nodded furiously fast, "a boy has sex with you and then disappears the next day? You should be fuming. Don't invalidate your own feelings just because you're too nice."

Clarisse groaned as she fell back onto her bed, her eyes shutting closed. "This is so complicated, I wish we never did it at all."

"Well you did." Elliot pointed out dryly. "Probably not the best first time but who actually has a good first time-"

"It was actually kind of nice, he was very considerate." Clarisse had a lopsided smile plastered onto her face making the older boy scrunch up his nose in disgust.

"No! Bad Claire!" Elliot smacked the girl on the arm.

"OW!"

"He left you all alone the next morning!" Elliot exclaimed before pausing quickly. "Wait did you guys use a condom? Or the contraceptive charm?"

"Yeah we did both." Clarisse waved him off.

"I hope you did because I'm not ready to be an uncle-" smack "-OW!"

✤

"CLAIRE!"

Coffee brown hair obscure Clarisse's view as she was pulled into an intense bear hug from big and muscly arms. "Cosimo?"

The man pulled back, almost unrecognisable from when the last time the girl had seen him. He had grown at least three inches taller, standing at the intimidating height of 6'5 (which was probably the italian genes). He had grown out a bit of a beard and his usually dull green eyes were bright and excited.

"Cosimo, I missed you!" Clarisse shouted gleefully as she hugged the man back, her arms almost choking the life out of him.

"Oh hey Cosimo." Carlo waved casually as he passed a mug filled with tea to his best friend who was sitting anxiously on the sofa, awaiting his turn to greet the boy.

"Carlo!" Cosimo pulled the younger boy into a restricting hug, his smirk wide and proud. "Still denying your obvious feelings for your best friend?" He whispered into his ear.

Carlo turned a beet red, his eyes rolling. "Still an arsehole?"

"Elliot!" Cosimo shoved Carlo away onto the sofa before gathering the other boy into a big hug making Clarisse coo. Cosimo had always treated Elliot as if he was part of the family and it always made Clarisse happy.

"Cosimo!" A heavily accented voice broke through the house, Claudio Alessio Russo shoving through the crowd to get to his son. "My first born! My heir!"

"Wow we're really feeling the love tonight." Carlo murmured as he gestured between himself and his sister.

"Don't be dramatic Claudio." Camilla Russo appeared in the kitchen as graceful as ever.

Claudio was about the same height as his eldest son and Camilla was unusually tall too, standing at the height of 5'11. The couple matched perfectly even down to their outfits. Now rocking silver hair from old age, Claudio wore a dark navy suit, his wife matching in a dark navy dress.

"Why are you guys dressed so fancily?"

"You said you were bringing round your girlfriend." Camilla gestured. "We need to make a good impression."

Claudio sent a pointed look towards the three forgotten children. "That means put something smart on."

Cosimo chuckled as Carlo, Elliot and Clarisse all shuffled out of the room with groans, his eyes finding his mothers as he welcomed her with wide arms. "She won't be coming round till later, she's stopping by her own house first."

"She'll come by floo I assume?" Claudio asked as he dusted off their fireplace.

Cosimo nodded. "Yeah."

"What's her name?" Clarisse called from the other room as she shoved a dress on, her ears perked waiting for her brother's reply.

"Megella Avery."

"Ew Avery!" Clarisse scrunched her face up with disgust as she sauntered out of her room. "Her younger brother is a prick."

"Is this a bad time to mention that he's coming too?" Cosimo winced slightly at the look on his younger sister's face. "I'm sorry! He had nowhere else to go!"

"How about his mansion?" Clarisse snapped back as she rolled her eyes, strolling off to her bedroom. "It's Christmas Eve! We shouldn't have to entertain arseholes, it ruins the Yule spirit!"

"Language!" Claudio reminded his daughter from the kitchen as he prepared the food. "He can't be that bad!"

"Their parents are on a business trip and if Megella left he would be all alone-"

"Don't play the guilt trip card Cosimo Giovanni Russo! I know Finlay Avery, and I know he sucks."

Cosimo shrugged from the other room under his mother's piercing eyes. "I'll agree to that but Meg wouldn't come if her brother couldn't."

Clarisse grumbled underneath her breath as she shoved golden hoops into her ears, a dangling gold necklace hanging over her black satin dress. "Stupid Avery."

Almost as if on cue, the floo made a loud whooshing noise and Clarisse scowled as she heard a familiar voice.

"Cosimo, so nice to see you-"

The doorbell rang.

"Clarisse can you grab that please!" Camilla yelled her daughter as she welcomed her son's girlfriend out of the fireplace with open arms.

Clarisse beamed as she rushed to the door on the opposite side of the house, glad to prolong Avery's visit for as long as humanly possible. She opened the door with curious eyes, expecting to see a delivery driver or a postman, but what she saw made her eyes widen in surprise.

"Antlers?"