Just Add Love

☆ chapter 10 ☆

~ recap ~

After the tournament, Iris, Soleil, and Ezra are walking back onto the school grounds. Ezra is going on about the mermaids that live in the Black Lake, when Soleil gets lightly yanked by the arm. She turns around, annoyed by the sudden jerk of her arm, and looks up at the source.

Viktor Krum.

Soleil mumbles out, "Uh...Can I help you?"

~

Viktor, from his towering height, looked down to Soleil with a fake, albeit perfect, smile and said with confidence, "You could help me out a lot, Sunshine."

Flustered, Soleil furrowed her eyebrows and stepped back slightly, loosening her hand from his grip. 

"Do you think before you speak? Or does it just come to your mind as grunts, and you have to translate?" Soleil retorts, crossing her arms over her chest. 

Viktor opens his mouth to respond, but is cut off.

"Can you save both our time and get to the point? What do you want?" She says, irritated with his presence.

She wouldn't have minded talking to Viktor in a civil manner, but grabbing her by the arm and pulling her? Then that perverted comment? She refused to give him the time of day.

Viktor, feeling himself cave in, mutters out, "I just...I wanted to see if you'd be my date...to the Yule ball?" He says, like it's obvious that's why he had been talking to her. He tried to keep his height and composure, pushing together his shoulder blades, but the weakness in his voice gave him away.

That was the last thing Soleil had expected to come out of his mouth. Especially with such fear in his voice. She looked him over, how his role as a strong authority figure disappeared after being put in his place. By a fourth-year, at that.

She scoffed, "Viktor? Are you serious? You've been nothing but boastful and crude towards me. Why would I want to go with you?" 

Viktor slightly deflates, but keeping his chin high. He nods, without saying another word, and slowly walks away from Soleil and her friends.

Soleil had dealt with guys like Viktor in the past. A tough exterior kind of guy, but deep down, wants to feel needed. They get all the attention from girls, but only crave the ones who don't show interest. Like a bet against themselves.

She felt bad for him, honestly. If he showed a deeper side of him, a side Soleil was sure he had, he could open himself up to much healthier opportunities and relationships. 

Then, an idea came to her. Soleil looks in Viktor's direction and catches up to him.

"Listen, I'm flattered, really, but I think you should go with someone more your...type?" She says, question in her voice. She looks around, searching for someone that would be a good realization for Viktor. Her eyes land on Hermione Granger, walking with Harry and Ron.

"How about Hermione Granger? She's very beautiful, and I'm sure she's waiting on the right guy to ask her. That could be you!" She says cheerfully, hoping he would listen to her.

He looks in Hermione's direction, tilting his head slightly. "That's not a bad idea, Sprout, thanks." He nods his head gratefully, and walks towards Hermione and the group.

As Soleil walks back to Iris and Ezra, she shakes her head, a small smile playing on her lips. 

"What the hell just happened?" Ezra asks, looking towards Viktor, who is now talking to Hermione as they walk together. 

Soleil chuckles and says, "I love playing matchmaker!"

ฅʕ•̫͡•ʔฅ

Soleil sat in her dorm room, all alone, for once. She sat at the bench below the window, looking down at the muggy courtyard. She saw so many familiar faces, but she found herself looking for one in particular.

She didn't know where these feelings for Neville were coming from, or even if they were actual feelings.

All she knew is that she liked being around Neville. He brought out the best in her, the real Soleil. A side only a few, like Iris and Ezra, had seen. Was this friendship, or something more?

Her lingering eyes led to Neville, in the courtyard with Seamus and Dean, walking to one of their classes. He looked so happy, so at ease. 

Soleil couldn't help the smile creeping up her face.

Yeah, these feelings were real, and they didn't seem to be going anywhere, anytime soon.

Her cheeks flush and she let her face fall into her hands, that smile still stuck on her lips.