TEN | DOUBLED THE TROUBLE

     THE AFTERNOON SESSION ON A FRIDAY WAS ALWAYS ONE OF ANTICIPATING THE BELL TO RING. Each student sat in their desk, staring intently at the clock—not a single word their teacher said sinking into their tired brains. Seline Winchester thinks they should be given half days on Fridays, especially on the ones before Hogsmeade trips. It's not like anyone learnt anything in those lessons anyways. Everyone was just making mental checklists of what they would fill their weekends with.

Seline, personally, had barely unpacked her book bag. Instead she just sat there the whole lesson in anticipation to make a speedy getaway. Besides, Nicolette was her desk buddy and she wasn't prepared to stay back and chat. Thankfully, there hadn't been a moments gap in their professors ramblings for them to talk. She had nothing to say to the curly haired witch.

It was mere minutes until the clock would strike 3pm and students all over the room began to shove their possessions into their bags—much to the dismay of their professor. Thirty seconds now. Seline tapped her foot anxiously in time with the sound of the seconds passing by. She'd half pushed her chair out, ready to leap to her feet.

And then rang out the high pitched sounds they'd come to love and hate. Not to be dramatic but the feeling of euphoria that filled Seline every-time that final Friday bell rang out was incomparable to anything else. Professor Flitwick tried to get everyone to listen to him as he shouted about homework but half his class had already left. "The bell doesn't dismiss you, I do!" He called out meekly, sighing as he slumped into his chair in the front of the classroom.

Hermione Granger, that brown-noser, stalked towards him—probably to ask for extra homework. Loser behaviour. As Seline scurried to the door, Pansy caught up to her and linked their arms. "As stunningly pretty as a chipmunk," Pansy quoted the article in Grangers ear as they walked by and Seline held back a grin as her fist clenched.

"I'm hoping Draco will ask me to lunch at Hogsmeade tomorrow so tonight we need a serious beauty session," Pansy rambled as they entered the bustling corridors. Students of all year levels and houses pushed through one another to get to where they wanted. Pansy's depression over Draco had quickly turned back into delusion within a few days and they were back at square one. It was like clockwork, her and him. "—Mother sent me this book on beauty spells that I think we should test on Millie and then if they work. . ."

Seline nodded, only half paying attention. Apollo Venus, with his twin Artemis by his side, had just walked past them. He'd left behind the delicious smell of his cologne and she was too busy basking in it. She couldn't quite place what it smelled like (could they put rich and hot into a bottle to sell as a scent?). The royal twins were sixth years and would obviously never look her way but a girl could dream of marrying a prince, couldn't she? (She'd only ever interacted with Asteria Venus because she was head girl and a major control freak.) But Apollo had to be one of the tallest blokes in all of Hogwarts with creamy skin and pale hair—the whole package if you ask Seline. She loved men with light hair, she'd decided when she was younger. And his jawline. . . Don't get Seline started on his jawline—

"Earth to Seline, hello?" Pansy said for what had to be the fourth time, waving her hands in front of her face.

"Oh— Sorry. . ." She shook her head and turned her focus back onto Pansy, who was giving her an unimpressed look. Seline racked her brain, trying to remember what they'd been talking about. "So, Hogsmeade tomorrow?"

Pansy huffed, trying to hold back a slight grin. Suddenly, though, her eyes lit up in remembrance. "Have you spoken to Wayne lately?"

"Hopkins? No—why?"

Her friend nodded thoughtfully. "No reason."

But alas, the reason was revealed later that evening in the common room. Just after dinner, everyone had put on plenty of pounds and was lounging lazily across the green velvet couches. Seline and Wayne had ended up on a two-cushion couch together, talking about school and life. Though Wayne was always around, Seline still felt like she knew hardly anything about him.

"So, Hogsmeade tomorrow," he said, suddenly changing the subject from his family to that. She watched him scratch the back of his neck awkwardly.

"I'm aware," she responded, her tone playful. Unintentionally, she'd slowly been slipping into a higher pitched voice and batting her eyes at him.

He nodded rapidly, clasping his fingers together on his lap. "Have you planned anything specific while you're there?" He asked, staring down at his hands.

"No. . ? I'll probably get some more quills and perhaps get some sweets but nothing set in stone—why?" Seline already knew why. It was why Pansy and Astoria had insisted she sit there and not on their couch. It was why the boys hadn't interrupted their conversation once in the entire hour they'd been sitting together.

Wayne pondered this for a moment. "So, like, do you have any lunch plans while you're there?"

Seline Winchester was no stranger to being asked out—she could count on all her fingers and toes how many times she'd been asked out. Sure, it slowed down when she was at Hogwarts but whenever she went home for the summer she'd have all the neighbourhood boys busting down her door.

"Is this you asking me on a date?" She queried, her voice going up a few octaves as she turned her head to the side and blinked slowly up at him. She'd learnt that drove boys crazy and couldn't help it when she knew a boy already liked her. Seline liked the feeling of being in control.

His face reddened. "Is this saying yes to going on a date with me?"

"Hmmm," she mused playfully. "I suppose it is."

Draco Malfoy sat at the armchair adjacent to them, completely ignoring everything Pansy was rambling about in order to listen in on Wayne and Selines conversation. He couldn't believe she associated with someone as pathetic as Wayne—that was not how you asked a girl out (if you had any sort of class, which he clearly didn't). You bought them roses or sung them songs (so he'd heard), you didn't stutter through your vague words until she filled in the blanks herself. If he had been the one to ask her out—god, can you imagine—he wouldn't have done it in such a lame and underwhelming manor. And he wouldn't have made his friends all act as wingmen either.

His eyes narrowed as she stood up to excuse herself to bed, placing a hesitant but very delicate kiss against the side of his face. He felt his jaw tighten as a stupid smile spread across Wayne's face as he watched her leave. Draco's eyes couldn't help but roll when Wayne started gushing about her to Theo. He decided not to involve himself in their conversation, to just act as observer while the rest of the girls slowly dispersed upstairs.

Pansy Parkinson almost knocked the dormitory door off it's hinges as she barged in squealing with excitement. "Oh, my god!" She chirped, jumping up and down in front of Seline.

Across the room sat Nicolette and Astoria on the latter girls bed. Their legs were tangled amongst a mess of parchment and textbooks. Nicolette looked up at the scene unfolding, annoyed and slightly jealous she wasn't involved. Astoria placed a comforting hand on her forearm as the two ex-enemies gossiped together about god knows what.

"Can you keep the squealing to a minimum? Some of us want to get all our homework done before Sunday night," Nicolette snapped when Seline didn't even look over at her dirty look. It'd been over a month of radio silence between them.

The two brunettes stopped what they were saying to glare at them, though, Seline's didn't hold the same passion as Pansy's. "It's not our fault you're just jealous that no boys ever even look in your sad direction," Pansy remarked, rolling her eyes at them like they were gum stuck to the bottom of her expensive shoes.

Astoria looked into Selines eyes, searching for any semblance that she missed them but the girl quickly looked down at her feet as Pansy and Nicolette began to bicker. "Oh, please, the only reason Draco so much as looks at you is because you're constantly throwing yourself at him."

Some of the colour drained from Pansy's face. "That's not even true," she grumbled, crossing her arms across her chest protectively.

"I'm sure even Seline knows it," Nicolette added, going in for the kill. It was petty, she knows but hard to resist.

Pansy looked at Seline expectantly, waiting for her to tell her it wasn't true and that Draco was just playing hard to get but she didn't say that—she didn't say anything, actually. She just stood there with her mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. Pansy could not believe her. She stormed into the bathroom without a second thought, slamming the door behind her. It was safe to assume she wasn't coming out until everyone had gone to sleep—at a minimum.

"Why'd you have to say that shit to her?"

Nicolette's glared deepened. "She's said worse to you for years, Seline."

"That's in the past, we're friends now," Seline retorted, not liking Nicolette's attitude.

"For now, you are," Nicolette scoffed. "As soon as any of their parents catch wind of you, they'll drop you."

"Just like you did, right?"

"You dropped us."

"You kept things from me and abandoned me all the time!"

Nicolette could've said more but she closed her mouth and stared sadly down at her parchment. She'd spent most of this time being angry at how easily Seline moved on from them—how much happier she'd seem that she'd hardly even bothered to look at things from her perspective. It was all too little too late now though, she supposed.

     THE FIRST FALL OF SNOW WAS WELL AND TRULY ON ITS WAY. It wasn't quite ready yet but when it came, Seline knew it was going to be glorious. That being said, the outside remained as cold as the snow which meant her cute date outfit was covered by her giant North Face puffer and green scarf. She wasn't a fan of scarves on dates but she'd had no choice but to slap a beanie on over the top of her perfectly placed hair (a small part of her wanted to die). Even her makeup wasn't going to withhold through this weather so she ended up going with a very minimal look.

At breakfast, Draco had made some dramatic display in giving Pansy a bouquet of flowers and asking her to get lunch with him that day. "We could go on a double date!" She said excitedly, clapping her hands together as she sniffed the flowers once again before she put them in a vase on her bedside table. "We could do a little shopping and then meet them at Madam Puddifoots."

Unfortunately, Seline could not come up with an excuse as to why they couldn't. So, there she ended up in front of the tea shop just before noon, huddled with Pansy as the cold wind attacked them while they waited for the boys to show.

"I don't remember the part where I invited you along, Winchester," came Draco's grating voice from behind them. Seline slowly turned to face the arrogant prick and shot him a sarcastic smile. He was sharply on time and unaccompanied which bugged Seline.

"I thought we could double-date," Pansy told him, grabbing hold of his forearm. Draco didn't not smile—he hardly even looked at her, he was too focused on Seline.

She looked around for Wayne—he was late. She felt embarrassment crawl through her skin as they awkwardly waited for him to show up. Pansy offered Draco a compliment on his coat but he didn't seem to hear her. Where did Wayne get off on keeping a girl waiting like this? Imagine if it hadn't been a double date and she'd been forced to wait out in the cold alone. Draco would imagine his mother yelling at him for not being a gentleman if he so dared doing that to a girl.

"Are you sure he meant this Hogsmeade trip?" He asked impatiently, tapping his foot against the gravel roads as the minutes began to tick by.

Seline gave him a look that said 'don't try me today'. Of course, who was she to try to intimidate him?

"I'm sure he's not far," Pansy reassured her whilst staring through the windows. She wished Wayne would hurry up so she could finally start her first real date with Draco—in public.

"You guys can go in without me, I don't mind waiting out here," Seline told them, trying not to let the disappointment show in her tone.

As Pansy went to accept the offer, Draco cut her off. "We're not going to leave you out in the cold by yourself, Winchester," Draco replied, masking any sort of emotion from his tone. Their eyes met and she sent a confused eye squint his way to which he returned with a shrug only subtle enough for her to notice. Pansy continued to look inside the store longingly as the minutes ticked by.

Seline hugged herself, trying to block out some of the wind that was cutting through her jacket—that's what she got for wearing a cute outfit instead of thermals underneath. Draco noticed her shivering and quirked an eyebrow at the girl. "Are you cold?" He asked.

The brunette shrugged, not wanting to admit she was.

He sighed dramatically. "Ugh, here," he grumbled, sliding off his outer coat and then ripping off the knitted sweatshirt he was wearing underneath before tossing it to her. Seline was floored as his jumper draped over her arm and she looked at Pansy for help on what to do but her friend just scowled.

"Um, thanks," she said shakily as she unzipped her puffer to put his jumper on before zipping everything back up again.

Draco shrugged. "Mothers always pedantic about wearing heaps of layers so I'm used to dressing appropriately for the weather," he told her, shooting a disapproving look at her jeans. He doubted they blocked out any of the cold but giving away his  trousers is where he drew the line.

"I'm cold, too," Pansy said meekly, looking at Draco expectantly.

He didn't look at her. "We'll been inside as soon as Hopkins rocks up," he told her, huffing dramatically.

As if on cue, the boy came thundering down the cobblestone path. He pushed through the hoards, trying to protect something he held behind his back in the process. His cheeks were pink from the cold and his hair had specks of ice littered throughout. If he wasn't super late Seline would think he looked adorable. He stopped in front of them, hunched over trying to catch his breath. "I'm. . . so sorry," he panted, looking up at Seline with his brown puppy dog eyes. She looked away from him, not letting herself being charmed that easily by him. "They messed up my order and I had to get them to remake," he rambled, straightening up and reaching out to pivot her head to look at him. She'll admit, his vague statement caught her interest so she gave him a quizzical glare. A bouquet of roses materialised from behind his back and he offered them to her. She heard Draco, behind him, scoff as she accepted the flowers. They were bright red and had a glow about them that she'd never seen in roses before.

"Wayne. . ." She wanted to tell him how embarrassed she'd felt waiting for him but everything she'd wanted to say evaporated.

Wayne tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "They're enchanted," he told her, "they won't wilt until our love does."

Draco wanted gauge his eyeballs out and slice his ears off. Seriously? Romeo over there was going to make him vomit if he kept it up. There's no way Seline was buying this bullshit—they've not even gone on one date yet, what did he mean by 'their love'? He watched, annoyed, as she smiled sheepishly up at him—her cheeks had turned a deep shade of pink and her dimples had grown deeper then the Mariana Trench. "So, can we go inside now or what?" He cut in, sick of watching them act like characters from a soap opera (yes, the Malfoy family dabbled in muggle television on rare occasions behind closed doors).

Wayne coughed awkwardly and nodded before offering Seline his hand. The brunette hesitated for a second before accepting. Both their arms were stiff and there was still a great divide between their bodies (Draco doesn't think he could take intense PDA from them). At the same time, Pansy tried to slither her hand into his but he kept their arms tightly locked where they'd been before—he really didn't want her sweating all over his hands again.

A bell rang as Wayne held the florally decorated glass door open for everyone and the shop keeper smiled, delighted for them to be there. Draco hadn't expected the place to be so busy—almost every table was filled with a cringe, irrelevant couple from their school. A waiter led them over to a booth in the corner near the window. The table had flowers embellishing every item—even the table legs had peonies growing from it. There was almost more flowers then teacups in the store (which was saying something for a tea shop). Was it too late for him to admit he didn't like tea?

"Just hold up your wands when you're ready to order," said the waiter, handing them a stack of menus before quickly rushing to help another table.

As Seline opened a menu, Wayne rested his head on her shoulder to get a better view. "Get whatever you want, I'll pay," he told her in a low voice. Draco wanted to roll his eyes—was he trying to flaunt his family wealth to impress her? Seline hardly seemed like a girl impressed by such shallow things and besides, every second person in their friend group was probably more well off then the Hopkins family. (Draco had been to his family home and can assure anyone that Malfoy Manor was much more grand.)

"What're you thinking of getting?" Seline looked up at Pansy expectantly.

The pureblood witch pressed her lips together as she read the options over. "I might honestly just start out with an earl gray and then I'll get some scones after I finish that."

"Hm. . ." Seline had never been invited to Madam Puddifoots before and she wanted to get the full experience—her Nan could make her an earl gray any day but she didn't always get the chance to try wizard tea. The amount of options scrawled across the menu made her head spin; all the variations she never knew tea was capable of having.

Wayne pointed to a flavour on the menu: Rambunctious Galloping Glory (she had no idea what on earth could be inside something with such a name). He told her it was his mothers favourite tea—that she had a special cupboard stocked to the brim with it. Seline wasn't sure she wanted to drink something that would remind him of his mother on their first date. Her eyes continued to scan, each name more absurd then the last—with no information as to what they contained, might she add. It was going to come down to blind luck if she managed to choose something she actually liked.

"Why do you look like you're trying to decide between life and death, it's just tea Winchester," Draco sneered, his eyes having barely left her since they sat down.

The brunette gave him a sarcastic smile before looking back at her menu. "Why do none of these say what's in them? What about people with allergies?"

The three pureblood exchanged confused looks. "It's magic tea, the content don't matter but the affects do," Draco told her as if it were the most obvious thing ever.

Seline looked down at the menu once again, the organisation of it starting to make more sense now. Joy, Love, Fertility, Luck, Health. . . they had a tea for just about anything. Her eyes landed on the tea Wayne suggested again, the description read as follows: 'to keep the first love ablaze forever."

She skimmed through until she found the happiness section again and ordered the tea with the least terrifying name. Draco scoffed at her choice before ordering his own.

As more and more bodies continued to pile into the cafe, Seline found herself starting to grow a bit overheated. Plus, her puffer jacket made a loud scratching sound every-time she breathed and she could feel Draco's side-stare every-time (seriously, he needed to quit it with the staring problem). Trying to be as quiet as she could, she slide the jacket off her shoulders and onto the back of her chair. Wayne, who'd been talking about something (she can't remember) stopped to look down at her.

His browns arched inwards. "That jumper looks rather loose on you," he remarked, tugging at the fabric hanging off her arms.

She looked down at it, analysing the garment. The fabric was a thick, wooden material—probably cashmere, knowing Draco. It was a black colour with silver trimmings on all the edges. While it definitely wasn't intended her size frame, it's not like she was swimming in it. It was tight around her chest but too long for her arms and didn't go in at the waist which made her build look off. She opened her mouth to reply but Draco cut her off with a scoff. "Did you expect us to be the same size or something?"

Wayne looked annoyed now as he looked from Draco to Seline. "You're wearing his jumper?" His tone was accusing and she didn't like how small it made her feel.

"Not by choice," she replied, shrugging it off. It wasn't a big deal.

"You can't. . . We're on a date? It's weird that you're wearing another blokes clothes," he told her, looking at Pansy for backup but the girl just played with her napkin. She had a habit of turning a blind eye when it came to Draco.

The blonde boy shook his head. "You left her to stand in the cold for nearly twenty minutes, Hopkins—would you rather her freeze to death before you show up?" Draco spat. "You're acting like she's thrown herself at me or something; it'll rain hippogriffs before that happens, mate."

Seline, annoyed with the whole situation, ripped the jumper over her shoulders and head before tossing it across the table to Draco. "Happy?" She turned to Wayne looking less then impressed.

Before he could continue, their teas were brought over and Pansy decided it was the perfect time to ask the server where she got her broach. The topic of sharing clothes wasn't brought up again, though, Wayne continued to send dirty looks Draco's way every-time he put a hand on Seline. Around her shoulders, resting on her thigh, holding her hands—Wayne was essentially on a mission to check off every single act of PDA before this lunch was over.

🌸 KARLA RAMBLES 🌸

i feel like this chapter didn't have enough umph but i can't quite place exactly what else i should've added. obliviously jealous draco is sooooo fun to write omg

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