Prongs {Book One}

Chapter Twenty-Six - Discovery

SEV.

"We need to talk."

I mentally cringed.

That was one of the things I had thought was an unspoken rule between Reese and me. We didn't talk. We didn't judge. We just existed alongside each other for te sake of company.

"About what," I said warily, trying to convey through eye conact that this is not okay, Reese, what the hell are you thinking?

"Charity."

"Uh," I paused, considering my options here.

Did Reese like Charity? Was he friends with her? No, I didn't think the latter was an option - Charity talked about her friends all the time. He must like her, I concluded, and he's suspected that I'm trying to make Lily jealous.

"Sure," I said confidently, putting on my best noncholant expression. 

"Let's, uh, go to a less... crowded place." Reese gestured around the common room. I nodded.

We exited through the fake wall and went into the first unlocked classroom.

"So," I said, perching on a desk, sticking my hands in my pockets, and looking at Reese, "what about my girlfriend?"

Reese shuffled uncomfortably. "Listen, mate. I know we aren't best buddies, or anything. This isn't really any of my business, but I, uh..." he swallowed nervously, eyes darting anywhere around the room but my face, "I just think... you moved on from Lily pretty fast."

"You've already told me that." In fact, Reese had stated thus multiple times. It was annoying.

"I... yeah, I know, but I'm elaborating now. Are... are you... using Charity? To get back at Lily?"

I fixed Reese with my deadliest glare. I knew he'd ask this. I just had to act like I actually cared about Charity, now, like I actually cared about anyone except Lily freaking Evans.

"You think I'd want to hurt Lily- to hurt Charity that way?" I hissed, summoning all the malice I had, "you must have low standards for me, Reese."

Reese looked scared. Properly scared. "N-no, I mean, uh, yeah. Sort of. But I just wanna- I- I just want the truth, man," he finished weakly.

"You think I'd lie to someone as perfect and beautiful as Charity just to get back at someone who rejected me? I wouldn't sink that low," I practically spat.

Reese looked up at me. His gaze locked on mine, and he suddenly went from fear to defiance.

"What do you like about her, then? Why do you deserve her!?" He almost shouted the last sentence. 

I mentally released a string of curse words.

"Charity..." I trailed off, grasping at information. 

But every time I tried to picture Charity, Lily swam into view.

"I love her," I breathed, "her eyes. Their colour - no, colours - the way she looks at you with a thousand words, the way her eyes just speak emotions. It feels like she can tell exactly what I'm feeling, and she can. Her smile is like nothing else. Nothing's comparable to her smile, when she's laughing, when she's talking to you..."

I realised I wasn't even thinking about Charity any more, but I couldn't stop.

"Her hair. It's like lava, only a waterfall. It looks like a waterfall of fire, that's what it is. It's her personality summed up. Beauty, but strength. She could beat anyone in a duelling match. There're a couple of freckles on her cheeks. She hates them, but I think they're a sign that the sun kissed her. It's like it blessed her, you know? Her hair shows that too. Sun kissed. Except she's more beautiful, more incredible than the sun. She's the-"

"Stop." I looked at Reese, not realising I was looking away. 

I was taken aback to see Reese was crying.

He looked angry.

More than that - he looked furious to the point of hatred.

"Y-you were using her. Do you know how long I've liked her? She started talking to me, after I started realising how perfect she was. We were really good friends for, what? Two, three years? I thought she liked me back, that something was gonna go right for me for once after Amyra Collins ditched me at Sluggy's party, but then all she wanted to know from me was if you had a girlfriend. Of course I told her about Lily - that would give me a chance, right? But then she stopped talking to me."

A tear rolled off Reese's face. He clenched his fist. 

"You never liked Charity. I don't know why - why would anyone want anyone else over her? But I guess that's how you feel about Lily. That much is obvious. The way you were talking about Lily just now..." Reese looked away from me for a second. "Do yourself a favour - break up with Charity. She'll be devastated, but it's better than her finding out the hard way. I'm not saying this because I want to go out with Charity. I'm saying it because I love her. I love her more than you love Lily.

"Before you say anything, let me tell you why. I don't even care who Charity ends up with anymore. I just want her to be happy. But you can't give that to Lily, can you? You want her to be happy but only if it's with you."

Reese ended with an accusatory glare in my direction, full of malignancy. 

"It's because she won't be happy with anyone else," I said, barely audible, "because Potter isn't good for her. No one's good enough for her. I've known her the longest out of anyone. I deserve her!" I threw the last words out desperately. 

Reese shook his head. "You don't. You don't deserve her, or Charity, because you won't let them make their own choices. It isn't for us to decide who's 'worthy', or whatever. They're humans, and they can make their own choices. Sometimes you gotta respect that, Sev."

"I-"

"Listen, I'm going to tell her. Charity, I mean. So you'd best break up with her before that."

"You won't."

Reese shrugged. He was completely different in composure to twenty seconds ago. He looked noncholant, positively calm. "Whatever you want to believe, man."

I didn't move from the desk.

How had I messed everything up so badly in such a short amount of time?

"I do love her," I whispered, as a confirmation to myself. But the words seemed hollow. Maybe because I'd said them so often, thought them every day. 

Or maybe because you don't deserve her, hissed a voice at the back of my head.

No, I said firmly back at it, I do. I deserve her more than anyone.

--

Woooop, Asshole Snape is raring to go. What Crazy Acts will he commit? Who knows. Next chapter will have some more James POV, seeing as this was a Sev chapter. 

Hope you guys enjoyed!

Until next time, amigos.