Dumbledore's Army and the Year of Darkness

Chapter 14: Sins of the Father

It was six thirty-eight on Saturday, February 14, and less than ten minutes after dinner had ended, the Gryffindor boys bathroom had become a free-for-all nightmare. There had already been two fights, one throat almost sliced in a grossly unwise attempt to charm a razor, and Euan Abercrombie had nearly drowned in the sink after a sixth-year climbed over him to get to the mirror.

Neville and Seamus exchanged a look, and the young Irishman shook his head ruefully. "I don't recall it's ever been this mad before, do you?"

"There've been Prefects, we weren't going to die, and there wasn't a nine o'clock curfew." Neville pointed out.

"True enough." Seamus shrugged. "However, we are seventh-years who have dates with grown witches, and I think that probably gives us some level of priority, don't you?"

After another long look and a few mental calculations of what exact time he was supposed to meet Hannah, what exact time it was now, and the melee at the sinks, Neville nodded and stepped forward, raising his voice to echo loudly off the tiled walls. "THAT'S IT, I'm pulling rank! Jack, hand over the cologne before you poison us all. Ritchie, if you put any more Setting Potion on your hair, your head will deflect the Killing Curse. Leslie, get your wand away from your face, Ginny has Spot Remover. Geoff, give that back to whoever you borrowed it from. Colin, I am not donating more blood if you slice your face open with that thing, and it's all blonde anyway."

The bright blue eyes turned to him with a surprisingly dirty glare. "It's a Muggle razor, I'm more comfortable with it, and I've been using it for a year and a half now... it's not about how it looks, it's about how it feels when you kiss."

Jack Sloper laughed. "Who's complained about how it feels, Creevey? Your Granny?"

"For your information, Sloper," Colin said calmly, tilting his head to run the oddly-shaped blade along the underside of his jaw, "I've actually done pretty well with girls."

"Demelza's the first date you've had!" Ritchie scoffed, attempting to coerce his hair into a part.

"At Hogwarts," Colin corrected him. "Fourth year, they all either hated me for supporting Harry, or had crushes on him. Fifth year, they all had crushes on him... however, both those years, I did just fine with the Muggle girls on holidays, thank you very much, because they think I'm cute and mysterious and know I go to some kind of exclusive and super-secret private boarding school."

"Look out, boys!" Andrew Kirke flicked a handful of soap suds at Colin, landing them squarely on the back of his head and ignoring the murderous look in return. "We've got a proper Gilderoy Lockhart here! Just call me if you need any help, Gil... you've just got the one really good hand, and Demelza's—"

"ANDREW!" Neville put down the soap he was lathering up and turned to catch the other boy with a sternly disapproving glare. "That's enough. We've got kids in here."

Kirke blushed, "Sorry, Sir."

"I'm not a kid!" As the youngest one in fourth year, Geoff Hooper looked highly offended, planting both hands on his hips as he faced Neville sternly. "I'm in the D.A., aren't I?"

"Using one of these seriously yet?" Neville gestured towards the boy with his razor.

"Not exactly."

"Do you honestly know how Andy was going to finish that sentence?"

Geoff looked down, his hands falling to his sides. "No," he admitted.

Neville nodded as he finished touching up the last bit on his chin and rinsed his face in the basin. "Then you're a kid."

"Don't listen to Fearless Leader," Seamus smirked. "He just got his first kiss this fall."