Midnight Rain - L.B.

T H I R T E E N

Hogwarts Great Hall
September 23rd, 1997
12:39 pm | Lorenzo Berkshire

"He's what!?" Blaise's eyes widened almost concerningly fast, leaning closer to Onyx so she could continue whispering into his ear. "No, he did not. What the fuck has come of the world?"

Blaise is a loud guy.

Draco walked by and patted me on the back with a laugh. "Nice, mate."

"What?" I looked up as he sat down across from me and started loading food onto his plate to make a sandwich.

Pansy and Daphne sat down a few seats from him before he could answer.

Draco lowered his voice and leaned towards me. "I mean good job. A fucking hotel is a little ambitious but good for you 'cause it clearly worked."

I shook my head. "Grow up, Malfoy. We were just too tired and drunk to walk back. Nothing even happened, not that it's any of your business."

"Mhm. Sure. I believe you." He put his hands up in defence when I stared at him. "I'm serious. I totally believe you. And you know, it kind of is my business. I'm the one that gave you the proposal."

I stood up, throwing my bag back over my shoulder. "Where's Val?"

He looked around. "I don't know. Why? You going in for a round two?"

"Draco, learn to respect women before I fuck Narcissa, become your step-mum, and then ground you for being an asshole." Pansy threw a bunched-up paper at him, hitting Draco square in the forehead. 

"Fuck off, Parkinson," Draco grumbled, tossing the paper back in her direction, and turning to talk to Lucille as she sat down beside him.

Lucille ignored him, looking at me with a small smile. "She was helping the Weasleys with something in the Gryffindor common room last time I saw her."

"Thank you, Lucy." I nodded to her, walking off and out of the hall, moving around the clusters of students filing in, all of them already late for lunch.

I didn't have to walk far before I heard Ron Weasley and Harry Potter laughing and walking my way.

"Alright. Thank you, Tatum. We'll talk to you later." Harry smiled as he rounded the corner, him and Ron nodding to me as they passed.

I walked over to Tatum who was locking a door to an empty classroom. "Hey,"

She looked over at me, slightly surprised. "Hey, Lorenzo. Uh- What's up?"

"I didn't start the rumour." I huffed. "I didn't tell anyone we slept together or that we went to a pub or even that we went on a walk. Well, I told Blaise and then I guess Pansy and Daph and them found out but I didn't say anything that didn't happen."

"Okay." She moved her lips to a straight line as if she couldn't care at all.

"Okay?"

"Lorenzo, I never said you did tell anyone anything. I knew you wouldn't because you don't give a shit." She laughed, hand on my arm for a moment. "And plus, I already know who started it."

"So you're not mad at me?" I brushed my hand through my hair, the cold of her hand seeping into my robes and shocking my arm with the temperature difference.

She slid the set of keys into her robe pocket and briefly rattled the classroom door handle, double-checking that she locked it. "You didn't do anything wrong. I'm annoyed that I'm having to deal with the consequences of that rumour but you didn't start it, so no, I'm not mad."