Truly Cursed

CHAPTER TWO ~ FLOWERS

James ecstatically bounced down the cobbled Main Street  of Hogsmeade. Exactly the way a five year old boy would whose just been told by his parents they'll buy him an ice cream. He had his arm firmly wrapped around his girlfriend's waist,  as if  she was his only point to secure him to the ground, for compliment after compliment filled James's head like helium gas.
"Absolutely brilliant," cheered James fellow griffindors.
"You'll be a star one day you know."
It was as if the entire Griffindor house was stuck to James like he had his own gravitational force.  They sent violent  vibrations through the poor fragile thatched cottages as they thundered down the street, clogging the wide pathway for all other travellers.
"Lucy - you remember Lucy, right- Anyway she was saying that that you had to be taking Liquid luck to be winning but I told her-" Aubrey was suddenly cut short by her own boyfriend.
"You told her I needn't take liquid luck because my blood was already made of it?" He planted a kiss on her cheek.
"Oooo," went the griffindors.
Aubrey blushed before furiously shaking her head. "No, I told her to stick her lying mouth into the wrong end of a blasted ended skrewt."
She looked up and James as if hoping he'd be impressed. He gave a pained smile as he was internally in tears over the great opportunity she just missed. Aubrey beamed back at him, hazel eyes twinkling bright in the sunlight. Her freckles were splattered under a think layer of "morganna's magical blemish concealer" and her lion mane hair was thick with some other magical beauty product.
Suddenly Louis shouldered his way between them.
"Hey Aubrey," he panted, blonde hair drenched in sweat.
James tore away from his stunned girlfriend and slapped a hand on Louis's shoulder. "Mate, where 'ave you been?"
Louis replied with, "Your brother's looking for you."
James waved a dismissive hand. "Screw him."
Louis shook his head. "He's upset mate. Upset that you knocked scorpius of his broom on his first quidditch match."
James begun opened his mouth to explain that he had not knocked scorpius of his broom but that scorpius had actually been accidentally collided into by an inattentive  teammate, but then slowly pulled the corners of his mouth up into a mischievous grin.
"Are there any florists in hogsmeade?" He quite suddenly asked.
Louis pulled his head back in surprise.
"There aren't any florists!" Aubrey butted in. She tried to squeeze herself back between the two boys but they paid her no attention.
"Where can I get flowers then?" James asked Louis.
Louis shrugged.
"The only place that has flowers is in hogsmeade is madam puddifoots tea shop!" Aubrey was hysterical now, desperately trying to be noticed. "They have flowers on the tables!"
James pulled a face.
"Dude the tea shop ain't that bad. It's quite nice actually," Louis said
James pulled a face at Louis. 
Louis shrugged, "you can always pick your own flowers."
"Nah," James said, "too much hard work."
With that he changed direction, heading towards the tea shop. Leaving behind a pack (or pride rather) of confused Griffindors. Louis and Aubrey scurried after him, also terribly puzzled.

James threw open the door to the tea shop. It hit the wall with an impressive bang. The inhabitants of the little tea shop turned to look at the lanky, scruffy teen in the doorway with utter shock. Louis casually joined James. Aubrey on the other hand sheepishly stuck her head around the corner.
"Flowers?" Was all James said to the waitress when she came over.
"No..." the woman shook her head and tapped her nametag, "I'm - "
James cut her off, " I mean can I take the flowers on the tables," he gestured to the bright red roses that were stuck in small red vials on each table. The woman turned in the direction he gestured and creased her eyebrows she turned back to James and stuttered unintelligently, as if unable to make sense of his request. James took the woman's stuttering as confirmation.
He marched right pass the poor waitress who was simply too stunned to react. Aubreys cheeks and ears were flushing red and she quickly pulled her head back around the corner of the door. Louis sighed and leaned on the wall. The waitress looked over to him mouth opening and closing like a fish and Louis nodded his head at her, as if to say "yeah I have to deal with this moron all the time."
James strutted between the tables and plucked a rose from each one - to the surprise of the stunned couple or group of friends sitting at each - until he had a bouquet of flowers. He then said his thanks to the stunned waitress and walked out, Louis filing out after him.
"I can't believe you did that," Aburey hissed at James as they were walking back along the streets of Hogsmeade. Her voice cracked with despair, "They'll never let me back in there again".
James furrowed his brows, never let her back in that stupid place, he was pretty sure that counted as a favour.
"No," she wailed, "No, no, no." She gathered herself and asked "Who are the goddam flowers even for anyway?"
"Scorpius" James answered, "and that other slytherin."
Aubrey threw her head back and moaned at the sky. She veered away from James, marching toward Hogwarts in a different direction, Cheeks red and tears in her eyes.
When she was gone Louis turned to James and raised an eyebrow, "Think you lost another one thanks to another one of your shenanigans."
James shrugged, "She was hard work anyway."
"Then why'd you go out with her?"
"Meh, she asked me out?"
Louis looked at him utterly bewildered, "you know you can say no if you don't actually love them."
James shrugged, "She'll get over it. Anyway she hasn't like, you know, officially broken up with me."
Louis gave him a "you gotta be kidding me" look and sighed.
They reached the Hogwarts castle and entered. James navigated his way past the rooms, through corridors, up and down stairs, until he reached a particular room.
"Dude...?" Louis looked at his friend uncertainly.
James upon the doors and marched right in, leaving poor Louis to once again sigh and follow.
"Hi madam pomfrey," Louis politely greeted the astounded Hogwarts nurse as James walked right past.
James continued on to the occupied infirmary beds. Five people lay, lined up next to each other. One was a hufflepuff first year with a wand jammed up his nose, the other also a hufflepuff who appeared to be unconscious with a nasty lump on his forward, the third an angry looking griffindor who kept chanting away meaningless riddles, the other two were the slytherins James had messed with on the quidditch pitch.
Forgot-his-name was staring up at James with the most disapproving look James had even seen that James felt inclined to give him a gold star. Forgot-his-name's eyes were a steely gray, his hair a mossy black which was slicked back with more hair gel than there was water in the lake. He was about James's age with a jawline that could cut a hair.
Next to him was poor innocent looking scorpius. Who, before noticing James, had been prodding his arm curiously, it could only be concluded that he had broken the bone and madam pomfrey had recently waved her wand and cleanly fixed it. Now he looked up at James with a fearful "what now?"
James got down on one knee in the space between the two beds.