♫ star shopping

- lil peep

"right now I know that I'm not really worth it

if you give me time, I could work on it..."

Content Warning at the end of the chapter

✧

Priscilla rather enjoyed laying outside on the Hogwarts grounds. She kept coming back to the same tree on the far end of the field to think whenever she had spare time, and this time she had plenty to think about. She was bundled up in her hat and Slytherin scarf, laying down on the grass and looking up at the sky.

The joint in her hand definitely helped too.

"Is that grass?"

She was startled for a moment but was relieved to see it was just Cedric. "We're surrounded by grass, actually," she said with a smile, patting the ground around her. She handed him the joint and he took an experimental drag, coughing a bit. He plopped himself down next to her on his elbows, looking out at the Black Lake in front of him.

"Are you ready for the first task tomorrow?" 

He nodded, having another hit, doing much better this time. He handed it back over with a smile. "Yeah, I'm not nervous at all, actually. Where'd you find the weed?"

Priscilla chuckled deviously. "They should do a better job at checking trunks at this school."

The two sat and chatted, enjoying each other's company under the setting sun. They finished the joint quickly between the two of them and let the gentle high take over their senses.

"I kissed him again," she finally admitted, letting the weed give her a little bit more courage than usual. She covered her face with her hands in bashful shame.

Cedric smirked at her lazily and rolled over to face her. "Is that so? Your little detention romance?"

"Stoooop," she said, brushing him off with a push. "It's not like that. We're just messing around. No strings, Cedric. We made it very clear."

"He seems a good guy, but I see the way he looks at you, Cilla," Cedric warned. He was so kind it should be illegal somehow. He was always looking out for her.

She sighed and rubbed her temples. "Don't remind me."

"I think Malfoy has a little crush on you too," he teased, wiggling his eyebrows. "He follows you around like a lost rich puppy."

"Ugh! Cedric!" she groaned, making a face of disgust. Then with a wicked smile, she turned over to him and wiggled her eyebrows. "What about Cho, hm?"

"She's great," he admitted with a far-off glance. Cilla smiled in response, happy for him, but inside she was hurting a bit for Nitara.

"This is all going to get interesting when the Yule Ball comes around," Priscilla sighed, laying back down on her back to face the sky. She shifted over and put her head on his shoulder, which he reciprocated. 

"D'you think Fred will ask you to the Ball?" Cedric asked curiously.

"Blegh," Cilla replied, shaking her head. "You Brits and your balls, this is the real world, not Cinderella."

He laughed and poked her in her side, making her jump. "Do you?!"

"I don't know!" she exclaimed, pushing away his ticklish hand. "I don't think so. Have you seen him? He could have his pick of any girl in the school, no way he'll ask me." She hated the sad look in his eyes, so she shrugged it off and changed the subject. "Are you coming to Nitara's birthday after?"

"I think so, and I think my parents are throwing a big party for me with friends and family. Me being a Champion and all that. You guys are welcome of course."

"They must be so proud," she said sadly.

Cedric gave her a kiss on the forehead, already knowing what she was thinking about. Her parents.

"So are yours, Cilla."

"That's because they have no idea I've had detention for the past week straight," she joked. "Or that I snuck out of Ilvermorny more times than I can count. Or... well, to be honest, I'm not sure how much they know about me anymore," she admitted sadly.

"Well, I know you," Cedric said, putting his arm around his friend.

"How? We just met like, two months ago," she replied.

He shrugged. "I am an excellent judge of character, and I know you're a lovely person and a great friend. I don't think I've seen Nitara this happy in years."

Cilla furrowed her brow in confusion and turned to look at him. "Why?"

He bit his lip and looked away from her, a story in his eyes from years past that she couldn't decipher. "She had this other best friend a few years back. I was always around, yeah, but she was even happier when he was too. One summer she came back to school and he didn't seem to have time for her anymore, and it broke her heart. Ever since then it's been just her and me, and I think... well I think that's why she isn't that fond of Cho. I'm not stupid, I can tell," he admitted truthfully. "I just want her to be happy more than anything else, and I'm glad you're in our lives now to help with that."

Cilla wasn't sure what to do with all the truth he was telling her. She wanted so desperately to believe it and hold onto every word, but her past at Ilvermorny made it difficult. "Sap," she joked with a smirk, trying to hide how she truly felt about his honesty.

They stayed there under the tree, talking nonsense and dragons in preparation for the match tomorrow. At some point, they sat in perfectly comfortable silence, letting the Scottish breeze and the sound of the Black Lake wash over them as they enjoyed their high.

Then, a conversation she almost forgot about in her ears.

"Fine! I'll spend a night with that insufferable -" Nitara looked at Fred who was giving her a warning look. She sighed and turned over towards the wall groggily, "nevermind. I'll help you."

"I thought you two were friends in second year," Fred pointed out with a chuckle.

"Friends is a strong word for it, I merely tolerated him," Nini replied grumpily.

Her eyes went wide in realization.

The friend that abandoned Nitara was George Weasley.

✧

Priscilla had a S.P.E.W. meeting with Hermione, Neville, Harry and Ron later that night in the Great Hall. Harry was completely indifferent on the matter and had a far-away look about him, likely worrying about the task tomorrow, and Ron kept criticizing Hermione's every decision. 

Cilla wasn't entirely fond of Ron. He was always shoving food in his mouth or criticizing something, so their energies clashed rather hard. Against her better judgment, she didn't say something witty or shoot back at him when he said something stupid. She was here to support Hermione... and the house-elves, by extension.

Every time Cilla looked at Hermione, she was reminded of the girl crying in the hallway while being discriminated against for her blood. It was a fate Cilla was too much of a coward to face, and a fate she didn't wish on anyone. So while she was never fond of school clubs to begin with, here she was.

Hermione wanted to make a petition and start getting signatures during the first task the following day. Neville was in support of the idea, offering to help by starting another piece of parchment at the event to cover more ground.

Fred and George made their way over to them, Fred looking much cheekier today than the previous day. The sight of Fred and that smile of his made Cilla forget all about George and Nitara's history. "You know they actually enjoy working, right?" George pointed out.

Priscilla and Fred shared a nervous smile from across the table.

"That's preposterous! It's slavery!" Hermione snapped.

The two argued for a bit while Priscilla and Fred kept exchanging knowing glances. She tried to keep her cover, biting her lip and trying to look away, but she couldn't help it.

The little bastard.

The twins said farewell and ran off to test one of their latest products on an unknowing first year at the other end of the hall.

The meeting was adjourned and the boys departed to the Gryffindor common room with the plan in mind. Ron was still muttering that the club itself was "rubbish," but Hermione pretended not to hear him.

Priscilla sat with her chin on the table, still in a daze.

"Priscilla!" Hermione whisper-yelled. "You and Fred?"

Cilla pursed her lips. "It was one time," she admitted.

Hermione chuckled and crossed her arms. "His face says otherwise."

"A few times?"

"Priscilla!"

"Alright then, what about you and he-who-has-some-bullshit-to-say-about-anything-ever Ronald Weasley? You didn't take your eyes off the little fucker the entire meeting," she pointed out. Maybe she was being a little harsh, but she knew Hermione could take it.

"Ronald may be insufferable, and crass, and well, a right ass, but I never -"

A large bang erupted from the other end of the hall. People turned around to look at Priscilla accusingly, but she just pointed at the Weasley twins, who were covered in soot from their failed experiment.

"Bollocks," they said in unison.

✧

When Priscilla made it back to the Slytherin common room that night, she was still a little high but ready for a good night's rest. Finally, after nights and nights of detention, she would be able to sleep in her own bed and not a cobblestone floor.

To her surprise, Draco was the only one left in the common room. He seemed to be waiting for her by the big window looking out into the Black Lake. The water swirled in the moonlight, and if you looked closely you could see mercreatures swimming about.

She still wasn't thrilled with him after he called the twins idiots, so she crossed her arms and made her way over to him with a scowl. They both looked out onto the water standing next to each other. 

"Evening," she said coldly.

He looked at her with a sigh. "Priscilla -"

"Why do you act like such an asshole in front of your friends? I'm not buying it," she snapped, turning to face him.

"I do not!" he insisted.

She shook her head. "I know you do. And I don't like how you talk about my friends in front of me. I know you have a history with them, but that doesn't give you the right to be an asshole. Got it?"

He fought with himself before responding, then sighed, defeated. He knew he couldn't fight her on this and win. "Yeah."

"Can you at least apologize?"

He huffed. "I'm sorry, Priscilla."

"Good enough. Thank you," she replied. She knew that was the most she was going to get out of him tonight, and perhaps ever.

"Sit next to me at the match tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure."

Content Warning: Marijuana Smoking