"I think it's time for us to head back, Oliver," Marcus said as he stood up, looking at his watch that's showing that it's 4.00 PM. Cundrie follows behind him.

"Sure, come again next time-" Oliver nodded, standing up also. "Eh'd loove tae hear mair abit ye tois."

"I bet Cundrie more than me, right?" Marcus chuckled.

Neither Cundrie nor Oliver made a sound as Cundrie looked down whilst Oliver bit xyr lips.

"Feel free tae visit me at onie time, baith ay ye-" Oliver smiled as xe tried to get back to the subject, opening the door for Marcus and Cundrie to leave. Oliver turned to look at Cundrie, who gave glances at xem. "Cundrie?"

"Yes?"

"Err, ur ye free at onie time thes week?" Oliver asked, xyr hands playing the edge of the t-shirt xe is wearing. "Ye ken, mebbe we can gie in tooch again?"

"What a coincidence, Cundrie has no plans on Saturday, 7 PM!" Marcus jumped in. Cundrie hits his side, glaring at him as she pressed her jaw together. "Ow!"

"I'll let you know-" in a hurry, Cundrie grabbed Marcus' hand and they both apparated away, back to the doorstep of Amber Cottage.

"What is up with you and Oliver?" Cundrie sighed, her hands in the pockets of her pretty pink pouffe dress as she looks up to Marcus.

"What?"

"You seemed so close with xem a moment ago, and now you're so distant again," Marcus notes. "What is up with that? I know there must be something between you two before, or else you wouldn't have acted this way."

"I liked xem, ok?" Cundrie answered, giving an annoyed glance at Marcus before whispering below their breath, "still do."

"Then what's the problem?"

"Well, I gave hints that I like xem but xe never understood them so I got a girlfriend to give xem a little push, but xe never seemed to get the hints! I felt so bad for using Penelope like that, she was such a nice girl!" Cundrie grunts as they laid down the sofa, hands on their face. Marcus choked back a snicker but was heard and Cundrie whipped their head at him. "What?"

"Xe did," Marcus said, his answer muffled as he had a fist on his mouth. "Besides, you girls are way too complicated. I mean, getting a girlfriend to get your targeted joyfriend motivated to ask you out? That's not how it works!"

"Well, it seems that Oliver's head got hit with too many bludgers, I wouldn't have used Penelope like that if xe just understood the code!" Cundrie exclaimed exasperatingly, grabbing a nearby couch pillow and screaming into it. Marcus' chuckle grew into a full-grown laugh. "Oh, how else would you have done it?"

"I would've said it plain and clear!" Marcus exclaimed. Cundrie furrowed their brows and Marcus sighed exasperatingly, scratching his head roughly. "I swear, where are your damn bravery? I thought Gryffindors are supposed to be brave!"

"We are brave, not romantic!" Cundrie defended herself. "What I did was easier, trust me."

"Easier, my arse! You wrote an entire fucking play!" Marcus retorted. "You could've just went to Oliver and say 'I want to ride your Wood'! Just be blunt! Xe was clueless as fuck, beating around the bush won't do it!"

"Like you know a thing or two about romance!" Cundrie glared from her couch pillow. "You were a Slytherin! I bet your version of romance is knocking on the girl's door and ask her father's hand for marriage in exchange for goats!"

"I'm not THAT old!"

"Slytherins value tradition."

"Whatever!" Marcus grunts. "The point is, you're not going to get a joyfriend if you just sit around and hope to get one. You need to say it."

"Why do I have to be the one to say it?" Cundrie asked, pointing to herself. Marcus sighed. "Why can't xe say it? I still like xem, so why not?"

"If you asked when we were still in Hogwarts, I can assure you that Oliver does like you-" Marcus raised a brow. Cundrie blew a raspberry. "Now, I don't know. But there's no harm in trying."

"Well, if xe has a crush on me too, why do I have to be the one who starts?" Cundrie asked, pointing to herself, her back still laying down the sofa.

"SOMEONE has to start!"

"Well, let xe start it then!"

"Why don't you?!"

"I just can't!" Cundrie bit the edge of the pillow in frustration. Marcus grunts and stood up, Cundrie looking at him in confusion. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to get the ingredients to replicate the ginger tea Oliver made and I'm going to force you to drink at least one cup a day every day until you ask Oliver out," Marcus threats. Cundrie sat up, stomping their foot down the floor. "You like that tea, but I know you can't drink that tea without remembering xem."

"Try me, bitch." Cundrie lifted her head to see Marcus right in the eye. "Besides, do you even know the recipe? You don't! You didn't go to where Oliver went, you only tasted the cooked version."

"No, that's why I say you'll ask xem out just to make me stop making it-" Marcus smirked evilly. "I don't know the real recipe and I won't search for it, my only guide will be the mere memory of the taste, which means you're going to be stuck with a terrible knockoff of the good ginger tea we had with Oliver until you ask xem out."

"But you have to drink your poison with me, or it won't be fair-" Cundrie shook her head, dread in her heart.

"Oh I will, and I will keep nagging you on how horrible the knockoff is and you'll be frustrated with me to the point of asking xem out just to get me to shut up-" Marcus nods, immediately apparating out of the house before Cundrie can make any more protests.