Alexei

“It needs a lot, Alexei.” She countered, dragging him to the photobooth. Hestia sat beside him, throwing an arm around the other so that they could fit properly. After making a few faces, she slid out of the booth to get their photo strip only to see that half their pictures… weren’t them. “Erm… what the fuck is going on here?”

“Who are you and why- she stopped as soon as she heard the voice leaving her lips. It wasn’t him and after taking a look at her hands she noticed that those weren’t hers either, at least not like she remembered them. “Fuck, I’m a girl. Did the photobooth do that? Are you... Hestia?”

“Mmm, we’ll see how it goes.” Rita said with a shrug. She never really had much planned for her future, but gossiping was something that sometimes brought her a little bit of joy. “Now you’re talking. Maybe we both can pretend our own deaths.” The blonde smirked before nodding in agreement. She was sick and tired of wedding talk. Tired of her mother talking at her, at least. “Lets forget we’re betrothed tonight and actually enjoy ourselves at this dull school.” Her nose crinkled as she spoke.

“At least you have something in mind, I don’t have anything planned.” He had given up on the only thing he had once wanted to be a long time ago and now with the betrothal and his dramatic impending doom, he didn’t really have the time to plan anything new. “Now you are turning it into some Romeo and Juliet thing, and I think we all know how that ends.” He mused before nodding at her idea. “If it’s that dull to you then maybe we should do something to change that.”

“Give me credit, my ego needs the boost.” She stated with a grin. At him calling her out for flirting with him, she merely shrugged. “Who said I’d ever be done?”

“Fine, whatever your ego needs.” Alexei said with a chuckle. Her reply to his latter comment wasn’t unexpected but he wasn’t sure what to say in return. Maybe she did like him that way, and if she did then he wasn’t sure if he could reciprocate. “Yeah. but I don’t think this photobooth will be here all night.”

“Yeah, they have a lot to make up for. Though, I can say this has been amazing for my gossip career.” Rita quipped with a grin. The school really should try to fix all the shit that happened fairly recently, especially since it happens so damn often. Maybe it will happen again tonight, but who knew. Her nose crinkled up at the flowers when he brought them up. “Oh, absolutely not. They’re hideous and I would burn the building down if I saw them.”

“Is it really a career now?” He was unsure as to why he had even asked, of course it could be a career. Maybe he was just under the impression that she could outgrow that, but that probably wouldn’t happen. Taking another look around, he shrugged and placed his hands in his pockets; nothing that exciting could happen if they were inside the castle. At least he hoped that. “Then maybe we should,” he mused, “go out with bam and use it as a distraction... but let’s not talk about that. I had enough of it over the holidays.”

Rita had an interesting break. Alexei turned out not to be as bad as she thought he would be, but any time spent with her mother was horrible. She was terrible to her, but she was use to it and now he at least saw why she was so screwed up… though she almost didn’t like how much he knew now. When she saw her tall betrothed, she gave a small smirk before shrugging her shoulders. “Well, I can absolutely say that I’m truly surprised.” The blonde hummed before glancing around as well. “I think they just want to be the best school around, even if that means falling flowers.”

Having spent time with both Rita and her mother had brought a new form of appreciation for the her, she wasn’t as insufferable and he no longer held grudges for whatever had happened between them in the past. At least it wasn’t as intense as before. “Can’t blame them, not after everything that supposedly happened.” Alexei said, glancing up at the enchanted flowers. He had missed half of the fun last term, so this one had to be different. How? He wasn’t sure, but attending events was a good start. “We better not have these at our wedding.”

“That’s only a question you should be able to answer. Although the answer should be no since you’re with me.” She offered up before rolling her eyes. “Just smile like a normal human being and you’ve pretty much got cute covered.”

“I’m not, and maybe I’ll give you credit and agree.” He replied playfully. “I forget how to do that, you’ll have to teach me after you are done flirting with me.”

“Are you miserable?” At his suggestion, she shot the boy a grin before dragging him towards the photo booth. “Let’s do this. And be cute in at least one photo, yeah?”

“Not in the slightest, should I be?” He had actually asked himself that question earlier but that night wasn’t one to worry about his other ordeal. “Just one? You are asking too much.”

“I like when you smile.” She replied, pointing out it was probably the first time she’d really seen him crack one. “I mean probably since always… but more so the act of saying someone is a good person rather than someone being a good person. Now I’m rambling so…. yup.”

“Is that your way of saying I should do it more often?” He mused. “I get it, and what can I say? I try, I enjoy fighting cliches.”

“I mean I sure do.” she said, chewing on her lip. “I am not sure this is the way to win though – I don’t want to cheat to win. Won’t it be easier to break their seeker’s arm or something?”

“They are just techniques, doesn’t mean he’ll use them.” He said with an exasperated sigh. “I didn’t quit the team to see you all fail, again.”

     “ Christ, somehow that’s almost worse. What potion has the scent of liquefied flobberworms ? ”

“One that’s supposed to make me feel like one.” He replied with a shrug. “It’s one of those things where if I tell you I’d have to kill you or something.”

​❝ no offense but it really smells. ❞

“You’ll get over it, It’s just a potion. I’m not going to wear it, I’m going to consume it.” 

She paused, looking up at him. “You’re going to think that this is cliche or lame but… you’re a good person and someone I like to be around.”

Alexei smiled before shrugging, he had never heard such a thing from anyone. Not even from his parents, so he didn’t know whether to believe it or not. “Since when is being good a cliche?” he wondered. “I guess I should say you are not pretty bad yourself”

“You do realize I am a prefect and should probably be putting you in detention for this?”

“You do want Slytherin to win the next match, don’t you?” Alexei said halting to a stop. “Someone said Potter keeps his techniques notes in her locker, we just take a picture and go.” 

❝ how can you see anything? it’s pitch dark. ❞ 

“I’m accustomed to it, I used to sneaking out here quite often but just give it a couple of minutes and your eyes will adjust.”