LIFELINE | 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙮 𝙒𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙮

▪︎ 03.

"Not bad for a Monday." Rehan said as their timetables were being handed.

"Not bad? Not bad, Rehan?" Claire questioned incredulously. "It's double potions right after lunch! Snape's an absolute menace after lunch!"

Rehan shrugged, "Well, try not to fall asleep then."

Claire turned towards him furiously. "Easy for you to say! You love Potions!"

James rolled his eyes, "Oh shut up, Claire. Don't yell in my ear."

Claire's eyes blazing with anger, she turned towards James, but before she could day anything, a Ravenclaw of their year called out to James.

"Hey! Jameson! Your girlfriend is calling you!" The Ravenclaw boy yelled, whom Eliza recognized.

"Girlfriend? Girlfriend?" Claire repeated. "Since when did he have a girlfriend?"

Eliza shrugged. This was news to her as well.

James ignored and continued eating his breakfast. It seemed as though he was avoiding his so-called girlfriend.

Eliza looked at him, "Well? Aren't you going to that?" She asked, holding her spoon mid-air.

James scoffed and rolled his eyes yet again. Pushing his bowl away, he walked off towards the entrance of the Great Hall in silence.

Claire rounded on Rehan.

"Since when has he got a girlfriend, and why has he not told us?" She asked, her brows furrowed.

"Don't look at me! I just got to know it a week before you, in a letter!" Rehan said his hands raised in surrender, letting go of the Daily Prophet.

Claire narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "How long has it been going on?" She asked.

Picking the newspaper again, Rehan didn't bother looking at Claire, "Entire fourth year."

"Wow, now I see why he used to get into loads of late night trouble." Eliza said nonchalantly.

"Entire fourth year!?" Claire said. "That's it! I'm following him!" Getting her bag and throwing it over her shoulder, she got off the table, making her way towards the entrance.

"Claire! Don't be stupid! Have your breakfast!" Eliza shouted but to no avail as Claire stalked away.

"Why does she care?" Rehan asked. "Yeah, I would be upset if I didn't know it for an entire year, but I wouldn't be that upset."

"You aren't?" Eliza asked, surprised.

"I was more excited, to be honest. James and a girl. It's rare to get upset over." Rehan told.

Taken aback, Eliza questioned, "What do you mean?"

"Have you seen him talk to any girl other than you and Claire?" Rehan questioned back.

"I mean..." Eliza said, "He talks to McGonagall," She said, laughing.

Rehan laughed as well. "Oh shoot! I forgot, I had to return library books! Pince is going to skin me alive!" He said, jumping up and running away, "I'll see you later, Eliza! Sorry!"

"Get skinned by Pince Rehan!" Eliza shouted.

Eliza shook her head, smiling. She took up Rehan's newspaper, reading it while eating her breakfast. There wasn't anything mildly interesting, but it was better than staring into nothing.

When her breakfast was almost done and Eliza was about to get up, Claire and James arrived, both of them yelling at each other, deep into the fight.

"Shut up, James! You were the one who didn't tell us anything!" Claire shouted.

"Yes! And exactly for this reason!" James yelled back. "You are so nosy, Claire!"

"Nosy my arse, James!" Claire said. "If only you would've—"

"Oh, keep to yourselves both of you!" Eliza shouted at them, snapping James and Claire out of their argument. "Act more immature, please!" She said sarcastically.

"Tsk, should've let them fight. It's peak entertainment, you know?" Fred Weasley said, snickering alongside his twin, George.

"You know what's peak entertainment? Riling up your Prefect brother." Eliza said.

Fred cringed. "Please, Percy is a disgrace to the name of Gred and Forge. Thou shalt not talk about him!"

"Yeah, imagine a toy shouting commands. Stay in line! Do as you're told! You must listen to me!" George agreed. "That's exactly how Percy sounds."

"Gosh, you make him sound like an old man who has no other work than shouting at kids." Eliza said.

George clapped his hands, "Explained Percy better than I ever could."

"Do you guys have a spare Dungbomb? I might just put it under this guy's arse!" Claire said, interrupting their conversation and glaring at James.

Fred and George snickered again. "That's going to cost ten Galleons, mind you."

"Ten Galleons!?" Claire said back, "Forget it."

"Good. We don't have one anyway." Fred replied.

Eliza raised a brow. Fred noticed her expression and explained.

"We completed them all trying to throw them on our brother Ron. Mum got mad and screamed at us." He said with an eye roll.

"Ohh, his name is Ron?" Eliza asked excitedly.

"Yeah, proud of him too. Managed to make friends with Harry Potter, too." George boasted.

"Really? How is he?" Eliza asked. "Harry Potter."

Fred suddenly made his expression serious. "Ron's telling us that he's a complete nutter."

"What?" Eliza said, not believing his words. The child looked lost, more like.

"Apparently, he wants to recruit everyone like You-Know-Who. God knows what those muggles he has been living with have been teaching him." George said, playing along with Fred.

"Okay, back up," Eliza said, holding up a hand.

"Ron's too scared to sleep in the same room. He told us he would write to Mum to do something about it." Fred said.

But then, Eliza saw that Ron and Harry Potter walked into the Great Hall, Percy guiding them.

"What do you explain by that then?" Eliza said, jabbing her thumb towards them.

"She caught us, George!" Fred said, jumping out and sticking out his tongue. Eliza made an attempt to hit them lightly, but both of them bounced away, laughing out loud.

Eliza gave a short laugh.

"Fred! George! Don't run in the Hall!" Percy yelled. "Listen to me! You must listen to a Prefect!" He indeed used the almost exact same words George used to impersonate him.

"No chance!" Fred and George said loudly, doing the exact opposite of what Percy told them.