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"Josie," Mary whispers, capturing Josephine's attention in the midst of another charms class.
Josephine turns, her brows raised, a silent question lingering in her eyes. The day unfolds with a tedious monotony, punctuated only by a handful of pranks orchestrated by James in the great hall.
Mary leans in and proposes, "There's a party in the Gryffindor common room tonight. Wanna come?"
Josie, deep in thought, narrows her eyes before responding, "I'll think about it. What time?"
"Nine," Mary replies.
"Okay," Josie says, offering Mary a small smile before returning her focus to the assignment at hand. Perhaps attending the party could break the monotony, and besides, Dorcas is likely already going, thanks to Marlene.
Josie hesitates, torn between the options of spending the evening alone in her dorm or distracting herself for a few hours at the gathering. To be honest, both seem unappealing.
But why not? She might as well go.
~~~
Josephine sits on her bed, patiently waiting for Dorcas to finish getting ready. While she has invited Pandora to join them, Pandora has declined, opting to spend time in the Slytherin dorms with, well, Regulus.
Josie harbors no negative feelings toward Pandora for the choice. She completely understands, and if anything, Pandora probably feels more guilty about it. Josephine reassured her that it's fine; after all, Regulus is her brother, and she understands.
Lost in her thoughts, Josephine absentmindedly picks at her nails, the previous nights spent crying in Helena's dorm until the early hours.
"Okay," Dorcas sighs, emerging from the bathroom. "How do I look?" she asks, doing a playful spin.
"Cute," Josie replies, herself dressed in a simple ensemble of jeans and a loose black sweater. Her jewelry is minimal, deliberately avoiding anything gifted by Regulus. Unwanted thoughts briefly creep in, but she quickly pushes them away and sits up. "Ready to go?" she asks Dorcas.
Dorcas nods with a smile, and they leave their dorm, making their way to the Gryffindor common room.
Josie is aware that Gryffindor parties can be a bit wild, and her suspicions are confirmed upon their arrival. At least, there are no Slytherins present, meaning no Regulus.
"Come on!" Dorcas pulls Josephine in a particular direction through the lively crowd.
The common room is packed, filled with enthusiastic, screaming students, and the music is blaring. Josephine's head is already throbbing, and she notices several visibly intoxicated individuals. The song playing seems to be from Queen, if she is not mistaken.
Dorcas guides her toward Marlene and the other girls, where Josie exchanges smiles with Mary.
"Josie!" Lily greets her with a bright smile. "How are you?"
