Some Badgers like Snakes

Elle

I woke up much less enthused than the morning before.
"Elle if you don't get out of bed, so help me God, I will find a way to get you out myself." Lavender warned angrily shining her wands light in my face.
I groaned and rolled over, pulling the pillow over my face.
She sighed, "I didn't want it to come to this."
I felt her tug on both my arms.
"Noooooo!" I moaned groggily as she pulled me upwards.
"Let me sleep!"
She grunted as she wrestled me trying to get me out of bed. She was definitely using all her force to sit me up. She looked at me satisfied as I glared at her from an upright position. Her smug smirk was enough. I wiped the look right off her face as I collapsed back into the mound of wonderful sheets.
"Elle Williams, you get out of that bed this instant!" She yelled, not as playfully as before.
I felt like a toddler being scolded by their mother.
"Go away, the blankets have made me their queen, it's my duty to stay and look after them." I whined, stuffing my face into the warm embrace of my pillow.
I felt her grab my ankles, a dirty move. I desperately clawed at the mattress in an effort to save myself, I was too late.
I shrieked as I was yanked from the bed in one swift motion. I landed on the hard oak floor, the familiar smug face of Lavender looming over me.
"Good morning sunshine." She sang sarcastically, walking towards the door.
"I hate you." I mumbled
"Love you too!" She blew me a kiss and walked out.
I rolled my eyes and reluctantly stood up, brushing off my yellow pyjamas.
I hated mornings!
Of course it didn't help when you'd been up into the wee hours of the night thinking about...things. I sighed, the daydreams began again and gave me the strength to start getting ready.
I realized that I would be seeing Jacob in under....ten minutes! Oh no!
I started to see why Lavender got up so obnoxiously early, as I hurriedly brushed a mess of tangles out of my hair. I wished they taught us spells on how to get ready faster. I made a mental note to research something like that the next time I went to the library.
I finished with my hair and hastily threw on my robes as I ran out the door.
Lavender sprang up from her seat, her book flying from her hands and floating back up to the shelf. She jogged alongside me to keep up.
"Awfully fast today." She mumbled sarcastically.
"Don't start." I grumbled as I continued to flatten my hair and smooth the wrinkles out of my robe.
She rolled her eyes. "Toast?" She asked sticking out two pieces wrapped in a paper napkin.
I took it appreciatively and scarfed them down, finishing just as we got to class.
"Looks like you're the one that's late today." Jacob laughed as I slid into my seat.
"I spent my night with such a horrible person, couldn't sleep, it was scarring." I winked.
He rolled his eyes and looked down at the ground. He rubbed his neck, smiling goofily.
"Does that mean you were dreaming about me?" He joked, looking up at me coyly.
I blushed at both his smirk and the truth in his statement.
We listened as Slughorn gave us today's assignment and then chatted casually while we worked.
"Do you have any extra asphodel?" An unfamiliar voice interrupted.
I turned, a Slytherin with sandy brown hair and blue eyes was standing over us. He was smiling kindly, I was happy to see that Slytherins weren't all as mean as their reputations lead on.
"No Ethan, I don't." Jacob said stiffly.
It was odd, they were in the same house, same year, and clearly knew each other yet he was unfriendly. Jacob said this boy's name, Ethan, with a special...harshness. It was angry, embarrassed, pleading, annoyed, all mixed together in a steely,cold, cocktail.
Ethan looked over at me. I felt strange under his gaze, like a bug being inspected under a microscope.
"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't know your name." He said sweetly.
I was relieved. Despite his slightly hostile stare he was quite nice.
"That's alright, I'm Elle." I informed him sticking my hand out in greetings.
He looked at my suspended hand for a moment before apparently remembering himself and shaking it.
"Pleasure to meet you Elle." He smiled.
I felt a chill run down my spine.
"Sorry to trouble you, but do you have any extra asphodel? I'm in desperate need." He asked, whispering the last part comically.
I giggled.
"It's no problem at all." I assured him.
"I have some right here." I handed it to him and he thanked me.
I watched him walk back to his table.
Jacob was scowling in his direction.
He looked back at me and to my surprise he looked rather angry.
I sighed and set back to work, ignoring Jacob's annoyance.
"I don't see what your problem with him is. He seems very nice." I broke the silence, not looking up from my cutting board.
He snorted. "Who says I have a problem with him?"
His words were dripping in some kind of sarcasm,anger,arrogant, hybrid tone.
"I just know." I retorted softly as I diced my valerian roots as small as possible.
I could feel him rolling his eyes.
I felt bad, we'd had a good thing going and for some reason the mere existence of that poor boy, Ethan, had ruined it.
Jacob sighed, his tone softened.
"I don't have a problem with him. We're actually...friends, it's just, well...we haven't been getting along recently." He breathed slowly.
I looked up at him.
"What is this, daycare? You have a little spat and you toss him to the curb?!" I half joked.
Jacob gave the smallest chuckle.
"Not exactly. It's a bit different, difficult to explain even. Let's just say we don't exactly see eye to eye, at least not recently." He mumbled.
I could tell this was a touchy subject for him so I didn't want to press, but I had to ask...
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, just stuff. Ok...a small example would be, people." He began, seeing that I clearly was not going to really be letting this go.
"By that you mean...?" I nudged him along, confused by the vague answer.
"Well he likes to use people I guess. For example, he's charismatic and charming, as you no doubt figured out." He looked at me.
I blushed and ducked my head so he wouldn't see. I'm sure he did though.
"So when a girl likes him, he'll lead her on, saying how great she is and how nice and smart. Next thing you know all his homework has been done and some poor girl has gotten her heart broken." He whispered, the inner rage being let out through his words.
I couldn't believe it.
"That's....awful." I whispered.
I looked across the room, Ethan was talking to some large guy with oily black hair, also a Slytherin. He caught me looking and winked pushing his hair back from his face. I felt my blush return and turned back around. It was hard to believe the polite and seemingly sweet boy who'd just been at my table could be so...mean. I could see it a bit more thanks to his little "display" but he had just seemed so nice.
"Are you sure?" I asked, realizing I probably shouldn't have said it quite that way.
Jacob looked at me, an almost angry look in his eye, directed at me.
"Am I sure? Do you think I'd lie to you Elle? I've been his friend since our first night here, I think I know his tactics well enough." He grumbled and turned back to his work, slicing and dicing ferociously.
"No." I whispered.
To my surprise he'd heard me.
"No what?" He asked under his breath.
I looked up at him, even though he wasn't looking at me.
"No, you wouldn't lie to me. I believe you, Jacob. I always do." I said quietly.
He looked up at me.
"Elle. Elle look, I'm sorry. I don't like upsetting you. Me, I have my own issues but they're not your problem. I shouldn't take my anger out on you. I'm sorry. Can we just... can we just enjoy what little time we have left in class. Please?" He seemed so ashamed and genuine, I wanted to hug him.
I smiled. "I'd like that."
We both went back to our work, tossing our ingredients into the bubbling pink potion.
"And just so you know." I began softly.
"Your problems are my problems. I'm your friend. Even when you're angry." I finished, not daring to look up at him.
I could feel his gaze. He nudged me as if to say "ditto".
I smiled as the class ended.