She had been staring at the dark wooden door in front of her for what must've been ten minutes. It didn't personally bother her that he was taking his time but she was starting to think about the possibility that he would never come out to meet her.
As soon as she had woken up on Sunday, after the...bizarre situation that had happened the night before, Ophelia readied herself and without wasting so much as a second she made her way to the Hufflepuff common room. The location of it wasn't a secret to her, after all, she had been invited on a number of occasions by her cousin whether it was to simply hang out or being forced to attend a party. She had knocked three times until someone had opened it, then she asked them to call Ernie.
It was a safer bet.
Her cousin didn't take long to appear before her, his blonde hair messily looking in every direction while he rubbed at his eyes, trying not to let a yawn in her presence but failing miserably. She met him with a small smile. After finding out that he had been responsible for gossiping about her a while back, it had taken a bit of work on his part to get her to forgive him but eventually, she had turned a blind eye and proceeded like it never had happened. She didn't have that many allies in the school to start icing out the little ones she did have.
"What are you doing here so early?" he asked. "You could've wait until we were both at the Great Hall to–"
"Actually, I'm not here to speak with you." she said. Ernie's curious expression gave her time to continue. "I'm...looking to speak with Justin...but–"
"You feared he would've slammed the door on your face?" She nodded. "Well...it's not like you don't deserve it."
"Oi! I'm your cousin—"
"And he's my best friend. Who you stood up last night, mind you."
She dropped her eyes to the floor then. Shame washing over her. He wasn't...incorrect, but he didn't know the whole story.
"That's why I'm here," she looked at him. "I wanted to explain, but I need you to convince him in case he doesn't want to—"
"Oh, he doesn't want to talk to you, in that aspect you're correct." The judgement in his voice pained her.
"That's fair," she agreed. If things were reversed she wouldn't just not want to see him, she would want to see him suffer. Thankfully, he was a Hufflepuff. "But could you try to persuade him? It's really important."
Ernie seemed to be thinking it over, unsure. She hated to do this but it was the secret card to play. "You owe me, Ernest." Her harsh tone surprised her, it seemed like she wasn't entirely over her grudge with him.
He finally sighed. "Fine, I'll try. Can't make any promises, though."
"Great, thanks."
"Sure, whatever." He turned around and disappeared behind the wooden door. Which brought her back where she was now, waiting.
When another five minutes passed, her worst fears became a reality. He wasn't coming. She didn't have any other option now but to turn around and leave and it was at that precise moment, when she had made two steps towards the exit corridor, that she felt the heavy door creak.
"What do you want?" Justin's voice made her turn around almost instantly. He looked similar to her cousin, his hair a mess and still wearing his pajamas. The main difference being Justin's angry expression. His brows were knitted together in a frown that only accentuated the hardness of his eyes. She took a deep breath, unsure of how to start.
"I...I wanted to come and explain what happened last night." She hated how small and uncertain her voice sounded. He was still holding the door, almost like he was ready to slam it in her face at any minute.
YOU ARE READING
Pulling Strings - Theodore Nott
Fanfiction"Do not doubt it, you're the most insufferable," she poked her finger into his chest. "Self-centred," Again. "Shallow and-" He caught her hand before she could continue, looking down at her with a crooked smile. "Aw, darling," he bopped her nose, fo...
