i n s u r g e n t ;

“Yeah mate, I know I’m not wrong.” Staring down at his cauldron with a pinched forehead, Edgar felt his head slowly tilt to the side. “I mean - I don’t think I did it wrong. I rarely do. Did I?”

❝Only when you’re greatly exaggerating the thing that’s put you in the infirmary.❞ It wasn’t a stretch. How many times in all their time together had Edgar slightly s t r e t c h e d the truth, for little more than a gasp or reaction? ❝And I regret it already. In fact, I’m going to take it back. It never happened. I don’t have the faintest idea what you’re talking about.❞ Though she tried to keep a straight face, she couldn’t help the small hints of a smile that forced their way through. ❝’M surprised you haven’t thought it would make them the perfect companion for you. After all, if they don’t want any, it’s just more for you.❞ His suggestion of finding a solution to that problem, if it were even a problem, intrigued her. ❝’Exactly - some. I figured it would have long run out by now. We’ve said pie more than three times, and yet, here you stand.❞

“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about. I never exaggerate anything, let alone something so important. Do you always make up lies about me?” Eyebrows raising in mock surprise, he did his best to keep a straight face, surprised at how well he’d kept it up so far. “Rude. Making up stuff once again, you’re on a bit of a roll.” That was okay though - it was permanently ingrained in her brain no matter how many future times she’d deny it ever happened. “That’s a good point - I’ll have to keep that in mind, I suppose. Also pertains if they like flavours of pie that I don’t. Strawberry rhubarb, for instance. They can keep that one.” Pie was a gift, but not every kind was on the same playing field. “Exactly. Are you proud of me?”

❝Wha- I- No! I most certainly am not! Deciding for you would be my running off to tell her, leaving you here to await whatever happens.❞ Katrina could feel herself getting more flustered, more annoyed at his accusation. Really, she just wanted to help. It wasn’t often she had conversations of the sort with others, but when she did, she tended to be vehement in her opinions. ❝You can’t run from these things forever, and you know that. You can’t sit there and try to suppress feelings - feelings that are very clearly there. You’re an idiot if you think you’re fooling everyone.❞

“Well that would be a little rude,” Edgar huffed, ignoring how much anxiety he felt at the possibility of that scenario. Emmeline finding out from him was bad enough, but from someone else? Disastrous. “You’d think calling me an idiot would have some effect but I’m very used to it I’m afraid.” Rightfully so, the majority of the time. “Sure I can. I can run from whatever I’m want, I’m actually in pretty decent shape. You’d be surprised. But hell, how do you know I can’t surpress them? You seem to have very strong opinions on my capabilities.”

me: guys… don’t worry, i’ll handle this

Eyes closed and a cloak of grey surrounding her, Gwen stood with her back pressed against the Hogwarts castle. It had taken her time to find the perfect smoking spot, somewhere she could nurse cigarette after cigarette without being bothered. With another long inhale, she released a breath of smoke and nearly smiled - until she heard a twig snap only feet away. 

Technically, he should have been in Transfiguration - but he was far from in the mood to sit in a class, and History of Magic had been hard enough to get through. Instead Edgar found himself mindlessly wandering the grounds, hoping to not run into a Professor or Prefect of any sort. Not that they’d be surprised at this point. Hearing a voice, his head immediately snapped in that direction, immediately grinning at the face he was met with. 

“ —i fail to see how that was my fault. ”

“Well you’re the one who put the last ingredient in, and now our potion is bubbling over, so I fail to see how it’s not your fault.”

“You’d have to try a lot harder than that to hurt my feelings, Sirius. Don’t flatter yourself.”

❝Is it, Edgar? Is it really unfair? Or is that being generous, not making them go through the ropes of seeing you multiple times a week, having to listen to your ridiculous antics?❞ As soon as he began to grin, Emmeline regretted what she had said. She should have known better, really; he could hear her say something nice and would latch onto it, refusing to let it go for Merlin only knew how long. ❝You  m i s s e d  the whole point of that, didn’t you?❞ Waving a hand, Emmeline dismissed his cheeky grin and tried to move past it. ❝What happens when you finally fall for someone and they don’t like pie? What happens when they’re one of the people who have gone and fallen so easily for you?❞ She knew too well how unlikely that was. Edgar didn’t do relationships; the closest he had been was when he and Lily had dated a few years previously. Since then, though, she hadn’t cared enough to pay attention to how many flings he’d taken part in. ❝’M surprised you haven’t tried to get to the kitchens by now for some.❞

“Are you saying that seeing me multiple times a week is a bad thing? That wounds me, Emmeline. Here I thought you genuinely enjoyed my company. Years of friendship and suddenly I have to reevaluate everything.” Laughing as she attempted to dismiss the topic at hand, he nodded slightly. “Yeah, I usually do. But hey - you did say it.” Any sort of compliment from her was clung to, anyways. “If they don’t like pie, how could they ever like me? It’s an extension of me, a part of me. You gotta enjoy it to be in my life. Or, you know, they’ll learn to love it. We’ll find some sort of solution.” Not that he was keen on thinking about falling for anyone at all. Best to avoid thinking about it, let alone talking about it. How girls did it all the time was beyond him. Feelings were far too annoying to be properly acknowledged. “I do have some self-restraint, you know. Not a lot, but some.”

❝Oh, I was taking you into account when I said that. If you wouldn’t try it, surely nobody else would,❞ she teased. Emmeline knew better than to think Edgar would ever be silly enough to try it - the fight they would put up wouldn’t be worth the pain it would cause him. For a moment, she stared at him, then shook her head gently. ❝Yes, because convincing them that it should be larger than the castle is exactly what the hard part would be. Not getting it done in the first place, or having it put on the pitch.❞

“I’m glad that I’m your barometer for what stupid things people would do.” Rightfully so, at least. He was prone to making terrible decisions, despite having the best intentions. At least he tried. “Please, getting it on the pitch would be easy. They can even incorporate it into the game, I wouldn’t mind. They might just be hesitant that it would outshine the school in all its glory, y’know.”

❝Not even if there’s the slightest chance of reciprocation?❞ She had never felt more irritation over a subject than she currently did - not even when it came to discussing Charms. ❝No. What you don’t do is hide something from someone you care about. You don’t get to decide what you think is best for them, just because you care. You don’t get to decide what makes them happy. You speak your mind, you put yourself out there, and you live with the consequences.❞

“Oi, aren’t you deciding for me right now? If I don’t want to tell her, that’s up to me. If I do tell her, that’ll by my decision. One that I won’t be making, since I already have.” How did he get himself into this conversation? He didn’t talk about things, especially not things like this. Eyebrows raising slightly in disbelief, he couldn’t help but jokingly scoff. “Consequences? You know me better by now than to think I would ever live with those.”

❝Yeah, that’s why it won’t be Pomfrey who tells you. It’ll be someone you haven’t seen at least once or twice every week or two.❞ A smile spread across her face as she attempted to conceal another laugh. ❝Sure, not EVERYONE is immune. But do you really want someone who falls so  e a s i l y  for a brilliant smile and silly jokes?❞ She raised her eyebrows expectantly. ❝I would never. It would be pointless to even consider it, as you couldn’t be boring if your life depended on it. You’re too stubborn. Once you got drunk? Edgar, you wouldn’t need to drink to get to that point. The moment you see pie, your eyes light up. Merlin help the person that falls for you - they’re going to have a hell of a time coming between you and the love of your life.❞

“Well that’s just unfair, because then they’ll know nothing about me. I never took you for being unfair, Emmeline.” Immediately grinning at her words, it quickly warped into a cheeky grin - an expression he wore far too often. “Brilliant smile, eh? I’m flattered. Any other comments you want to throw my way? My ears are wide open.” Despite how often he complimented himself, it always felt great hearing it from other people. Especially her. “True - I have a brilliant smile, silly jokes, and I’m never boring. What a catch. Even if I have an undying love for pie. People come and go, but pie? Pie is forever. Until you eat it, and then you just make another one.”

❝I don’t think anything in this world would be idiotic enough to try something like that.❞ Alice had been the one person Emmeline hadn’t tried to push away - ever. Many late nights had been spent sat together in one bed, Alice pulling all nighters when she could have easily shrugged Emmeline off without a second thought. But she hadn’t, and for that alone, Emmeline would be eternally grateful. ❝Well obviously there would be pie. I couldn’t refuse you that much. The statute, however, may take a bit of time. And convincing.❞

“A bold statement, considering how many idiots we’re surrounded by. Take a look at who you’re talking to, for instance - but I would never try because I don’t have a death wish.” Edgar undoubtedly did many, many stupid things but even he had a line that wouldn’t be crossed. Besides, he’d never do anything that’d make her unhappy, which Alice definitely did. “Convincing? The only convincing that’ll need to be done is ‘no, that’s a bit too large, it shouldn’t be taller than the castle’.”