joelle | d.m

19 | first task

November, 1994.

"Hello, the beautiful Jo-Jo," Devonte said in a singsong voice. He lifted her legs and dropped beneath them on the couch before letting her legs rest over him.

"Hey." Joey had her book standing on her chest as she read.

He was humming to himself and drumming his fingers against her shins, seeming as though he were in a good mood.

The common room was empty since it was the middle of the night. Joey wasn't tired because tomorrow was the day of the first task, so in her pajamas, she'd left her dorm to lie on the couch in the common room to read. Apparently Devonte wasn't tired either.

"Joey." His voice was light and airy.

"Hm?" She flipped the page of her book.

"Are you nervous for tomorrow?" he asked quietly.

"Not really," she admitted, which was true. She was seeing tomorrow as an outlet for this strange feeling she was going through. Battling a dragon—or out-smarting it.

"I haven't seen you talk to Malfoy in a few days," he mentioned slyly, and ran a large hand over his natural head of tight curls. "He's been asking me about you. Says you don't talk to him during your tutoring."

To that, she said nothing.

"You've been much quieter lately too, mate." His tone softened and he hooked two fingers over her book to push it down, so he could see her face. "Something happened?"

She shook her head.

"That means yes." He exhaled and took her book from her. He put the bookmark that was on her stomach between the pages before he placed the novel on the coffee table. "Joey, talk to me."

She lay there, hands on her stomach. "I'm fine, Devonte," she grumbled.

"Something happened," he said, like it was a fact. "You're always quiet and shit, but you've never distanced yourself like this from us before."

"I'm not distancing myself," she countered evenly.

The way his eyes stuck to her face felt like he was reading into her soul. "You like him," he said at last.

"Who?" She knew who.

"Malfoy." A tender expression overcame his features. "Jo-Jo, you actually like someone."

"No, I don't." She sat up and brought her legs to her chest, lower back pressing against the arm of the couch. "I hardly see how me not speaking to him means I like him. That's stupid logic."

"Because not everyone reacts to crushes in the same way," he replied smoothly, angling his body towards her. His arm sprawled across the back of the couch. "You like Malfoy."

"Mm-mm." She shook her head and enveloped her arms around her legs. "I don't like him."

He looked like he wanted to say something much more, but he instead softly said, "Okay. Whatever you say. You don't like him."

"I need to get some sleep for tomorrow." She got off the couch and grabbed her book. "Night, Von."

"Sleep tight, Joey. We'll go over the plan tomorrow one last time before the task," he replied earnestly, and watched her disappear up the stairs of the girls' dormitories.

_____

Joey dropped onto the bench at her table in the Great Hall. She reached for a banana in the fruit bowl and peeled it.

She needed to be early since she was one of the champions and was demanded to be early. As she was demanded to be early, she was also demanded to wear a certain attire for this outfit given to her by Dumbledore.