FOURTEEN GOLDEN GIRL (PT. II)

♡

       HOLLY FINDS HER MOTHER WAITING for her in an empty classroom, one of the Potions ones that are never used. It leads Holly to believe that Snape knows about her mother, and what she's planning, but she isn't going to mention it to him. Firstly, she doesn't like him, and secondly, she's not going to give all of this away, is she? Merlin, could you imagine — the reason her mother's plan, built to be so indestructible it's practically iron-clad, falls apart is because Holly presumes someone knows about it. Holly isn't risking that. She doesn't want to see her mother's reaction, if that's the reason it all failed.

       Margo sits at the desk, the door having been locked behind them. In half an hour there's an assembly, a special one that's being held in the evening, so Holly keeps an eye on the clock in the room. Her mother, though, looks comfortable where she's sitting, the blazer of her dark purple suit a little lopsided from how she's sitting, slouching back.

       "Have you heard about Barty Crouch?" says Holly.

       Margo nods, and it's the sort of acknowledgement that makes Holly think, You had something to do with it.

       "Was he... not nice?" says Holly, quietly.

       "From what I've heard, he was terrible," says Margo. "Your friend Livvy was raised by him, wasn't he?" Holly nods, and Margo sighs. "Bless. From what's been said about Crouch over the years, he was never nice... Too absorbed in his work. Apparently he was distraught when he realised his three children were all dead or worse, that's why he took Livvy and the golden girl."

       Holly frowns. "Golden—?"

       "I knew Laurel Crouch, a little bit," says Margo, quietly but bitterly. Aggressively. "When I last saw her, what, that daughter of hers must've been one, or two, at the most? They always treated her like she was the best thing to walk on the earth..."

       "Isn't that a nice thing?" says Holly, frowning slightly.

       "It builds the worst sort of person," says Margo, and she stands up, to walk towards her own daughter. She places her hand on Holly's cheek, smiling softly. "See, you know you're beautiful and perfect... But Briar Lupin is different." Holly almost questions Lupin, but then realises Margo would've known of her when that was her surname. "Just watch her, the next time she's around. Nothing can burst that bubble of arrogance, of ignorance."

       Holly looks away. She feels weird about this. She's barely spoken to Briar, but from what she's heard, she isn't bad? Maybe she is a little full of herself, but she isn't mean to others because of it? From what Harry's said, Briar's helped him out a lot, actually...

       "Also," says Margo. "Whilst the Aurors look into Crouch's death, could you let me know, if Briar gets involved?"

       Holly frowns. "Why?"

       "Well, Holliday, dearest," says Margo, with a smile on her face. If Holly hadn't been raised by it, she would see it as malicious. But to her, it's nothing short of normal. "We don't want the golden girl ruining the plan, do we?"

       Holly can feel her stomach tying into knots.

       "Do we?" says Margo, again.

       "No, Mother," says Holly quietly.

       She keeps this in mind when she leaves her mother in the classroom, to go to the assembly. Golden girl. It's weird to her, to think that her mother has something against a girl she never really knew. Maybe her mother didn't like her parents, or something, because it just seems strange to Holly. She never would've thought of Briar as the golden girl...

       She supposes it could make sense. Could. Holly still feels strange thinking of her like that, but she guesses it makes some sense. Briar's really pretty, anyone with eyes can see that, and she guesses Briar's pretty popular, too... Not to mention, from how Livvy talks about her, she's been put on a pedestal by most people, because she can predict the future without thinking twice about it...

       Still feels weird to think about, though.

       Holly sits at the Slytherin table next to her cousin, a frown still on her face. She glances across, and luckily, as she looks across at the door, Briar Crouch is walking on, talking to one of the Weasley twins. Halfway through, the two of them stop, and she quickly smiles at Cedric Diggory, then his best friend... And it starts to click.

       Everyone looks at Briar likes she's special, like she's got this golden glow about her, like an actual fucking halo is floating above her head. The Weasley looks at her like she's the world, sure, but Livvy's been saying for months that one of them's in love with her. But Cedric Diggory and his best friend, two very different people regardless of their close friendship, look at her and it's as if their eyes light up. It makes no sense. But there she is: Briar Crouch, the Seer, the girl that has an amazing power and she doesn't even have to try to use it, to be gifted. Briar Crouch, arguably one of the prettiest girls in Hogwarts. Briar Crouch, the girl that's so special and so pretty and, look, she's got someone completely wrapped around her finger. And for all of that, she didn't even try. How. Holly doesn't get it.

       Holly watches Briar walk away from the Weasley, to where the Beauxbatons students are sitting, and she makes herself look away. An intense feeling of guilt consumes her. She feels wrong, even beginning to believe what her mother was saying. How would Margo know any of that? She hasn't seen this girl in years...

       "Good evening, everyone, I hope the week has been treating you well," says Dumbledore, and begins to go into a strange tangent about how his week's been, and something about running out of jam...?

♡

       "THE YULE BALL IS APPROACHING — a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and an opportunity for us to socialise with our foreign guests," says Dumbledore, to all of them sitting in the hall. As he mentions foreign guests, Fred catches Briar's gaze, who's sitting with the Beauxbatons lot on the Hufflepuff table. He winks at her, and she rolls her eyes. "Now, the ball will be open only to fourth years and above..."

       Briar doesn't know whether she's excited, or whether she's nervous. Part of her is excited to wear the dress she bought with her dad, especially now that she knows why they actually bought it — but then another part of her starts to worry. Believe her, she knows who she'd like to go with... But she doesn't know if Fred would actually ask her, anyway...

       "Dress robes will be worn, and the ball will start at eight o'clock on Christmas Day, finishing at midnight in the Great Hall. Now then — the Yule Ball is of course a chance for us all to, as you may say, let our hair down."

       Fleur, sitting next to Briar, snorts. Briar hides her smile.

       "Now, I wish you a good evening, and an enjoyable dinner," says Dumbledore, and he sits back down, finishing his little speech.

       The food appears along the tables. Briar takes some of the broccoli and roast potatoes.

       "I wonder when Fred's going to ask you," says Fleur.

       Briar almost chokes on her food. "What?"

       "He literally winked at you, Briar, when Dumbledore mentioned socialising with guests," says Fleur, giving Briar an odd look. Briar's unconvinced, and Fleur rolls her eyes. "I'm just saying. It'll happen soon. You don't need to be a Seer to figure that one out."

       Briar shakes her head. "Well, uh, you don't need to be a Seer to know that that totally will not happen and actually, I may want it to happen but it won't," she says. "We're just friends. Why would he ask me, anyway?"

       Fleur scoffs. "Because he looooooooves you."

       "No, he doesn't."

       "Yes, he does."

       "No—"

       "All right, then, who are you going to go with, if he doesn't ask you?" says Fleur, as she butters her bread roll. She raises her eyebrows at Briar.

       Briar shrugs. "You."

       Fleur rolls her eyes. "Not again."

       Briar pulls a face. "But Madame Puddifoot already thinks we're in love—"

       "But you are in love with Fred," says Fleur.

       Briar sighs. "But he won't ask me."

       Here's the thing: Briar doesn't think she loves him, or at least she isn't sure about that, but she knows for a fact that she absolutely has a crush on her best friend. And she knows that he doesn't feel the same, because why would he? It makes no sense. She's just his best friend. There's no reason why he would fancy her... And there's no reason why he'd ask her to the ball, because again, why would he?

       At the end of dinner Briar leaves with Cedric, his best friend having left a couple of minutes prior. Fleur's speaking to Maxime about the tournament, so Briar walks alongside Cedric, since the walk to the Hufflepuff common room is similar to that of the walk to the Beauxbatons carriage... And, the kitchens are further down the hallway to the Hufflepuff common room, which Briar was thinking of visiting, having heard that Crouch's fired house-elf is meant to working for the school now...

       "I don't know who I'm gonna take," says Cedric, shrugging. He puts his hands in his pockets, as he glances across at Briar. "We've already been told that the champions have to dance first, and that it's a big deal." He mentions taking one of his friends, mentioning specifically his family friend, now best friend, from the year below Briar.

       Briar smiles at him. "I bet she'd wanna go."

       "I think it might take her mind off of things..." says Cedric.

       "Yeah..."

       "Is there anyone you wanna go with, then?" says Cedric.

       Briar pauses for a second. Cedric grins at her.

       "Oh, OK," he says, looking mischievous. "I get it."

       "I didn't say a word," says Briar, giving him a look.

       Cedric shakes his head. "I bet Fred will—"

       "Shut up!" says Briar, quickly.

       Cedric grins at her. Briar scowls at him.

       "You are terrible," she says.

       Cedric starts to laugh. Briar sighs.

       "How did you know, anyway?" she says.

       Cedric shrugs. "I think it was when he got jealous about me, during the Quidditch World Cup, that I realised..." he begins. Briar frowns. Hang on...? "And I thought, oh OK, no surprise there, but then I dunno, I sort of noticed you looked at him in a certain way, too..."

       "Oh," says Briar.

       Fred fancies me?

       Fred fancies me!

       Briar leaves Cedric as he reaches his common room, Briar walking the final feet on her own, a small smile across her face. Thoughts are swimming around her head, as she finds Winky in the corner, who bursts into tears when she sees Briar.

       "Briar!" says Winky, sobbing. Briar crouches down, embracing the house-elf in her arms. Winky sobs into Briar's shoulder, and Briar quickly feels the fabric of her Beauxbatons uniform becoming damp with Winky's tears. "Winky is a disgraced elf, Briar! Winky has put shame on the Crouch name!"

       "Um," says Briar, raising an eyebrow.

       "Winky is disgusting, Briar!" she says, and she pulls away from Briar, shaking her head violently, tears flying in the air. Briar looks at her worriedly. "Do not look at me, Miss Briar! Winky has disgraced the family she loves the most!"

       "Winky," says Briar, slowly, frowning. "... You haven't."

       "Yes Winky has!" says Winky.

       "Right, OK," says Briar. "Winky, look, you've got your friend Dobby—" She gestures towards Dobby, who's standing in the corner, looking apprehensive. Briar turns back to Winky, who shakes her head at the idea of being Dobby's friend. "Look, you're better off without my grandpa — he wasn't a nice man, Winky. Look at how he left you, all on your own..."

♡

       THE NEXT FEW DAYS GO BY slowly; Briar thinks it's because of the God-awful rain that won't seem to end, drizzling from day into the next, but another part of her thinks it's got to do with how torturous every waking moment is now, for her. Briar knows she's pretty, but this is getting ridiculous. Every minute she is outside of the Beauxbatons carriage, her inner eye is counting down for the next boy to ask her out to the Yule Ball. Lee's started keeping count. He lost track at nineteen.

       It's gotten to the point where Briar's avoiding going into the castle itself, unless it's absolutely necessary. Fred keeps on greeting her like they're actually together, which has managed to scare off some of the boys asking her out — it doesn't help, though, that it always feels strange afterwards, Briar looking up at Fred, who's arm is around her, and she remembers what Cedric said. How Fred apparently likes her back... If anything, she'd appreciate him growing the balls to actually ask her. There's a reason she's turning everyone down. (And some of them? Uh, yeah, Briar's proud of herself, managing to get someone that good-looking asking her out... Some of them are from the year above. That's, like, powerful.)

       You know what, actually? Briar knows Fred fancies her back. If anything, it's a little fucking annoying, Briar sitting around, waiting for him to come out with it.

       She sits in the hall with Fred, George, and Lee, as they eat their dinner. Fleur is meeting with Maxime tonight, to discuss the second task, even though it's months away still. But Fleur's busy, and Briar's a little safer from the ambushing when she's with a group of boys. It manages to scare the other ones off.

       "You know what's the worst thing, actually?" says Briar.

       George frowns. "Knowing the majority of our year fancies you?"

       "No," says Briar. "But also, yeah, that's weird."

       Fred nods. "Maybe us three have been blind."

       You fucking prick, Briar thinks to herself. I know what you think. Jesus Christ. ASK ME ALREADY.

        "Uh-huh," says Briar. George gives her a look. She lets out a grumble. "The worst thing is the fact that they're all so boring. All of them just ask you."

       "What do you want?" says Lee. "Them to sing it, or something?"

       "No," says Briar. "I want them to properly ask... Like, I'm not being funny, but it hasn't been that many years since True Romance came out, so obviously romance isn't dead. Maybe I want flowers... Something original." She grumbles again, picking at her broccoli aggressively enough that it severs in half. "Merlin's beard. They could at least show they fancy me."

       ".... Right," says George, frowning at her. "You... OK, Briar?"

       "I'm just saying," says Briar.

       "OK..."

      They end up going back to the Gryffindor common room, the twins dragging her across the room to where Ron, Hermione, and Harry are sitting, the two of them explaining that they need to borrow Ron's owl for something. Fred holds onto her hand, without even thinking, and Briar looks down at it, and thinks, ask meeeeeee!

       "Ron, can we borrow Pigwidgeon?" says George.

       "No, he's off delivering a letter," says Ron, frowning at them. He looks at Briar for a second, still obviously weirded out by her Beauxbatons uniform. Which is understandable. The entire common room still glances across at her when they see the light-blue uniform. Thank Malecrit she doesn't have to wear the hat every day. "Why?"

       Fred gives his brother a look. "Because George wants to invite him to the ball," he says, and he crosses his arms.

       "Because we want to send a letter, you stupid great prat," says George.

       Briar smiles at Harry and Hermione. "Hi, guys..."

       "Who d'you two keep writing to, eh?" says Ron.

       "Nose out, Ron, or I'll burn that for you too," says Fred, waving his wand at his little brother. He slips it back into his pocket, and Briar frowns at him. "So... you lot got dates for the ball yet?"

       "Nope," says Ron.

       Fred nods. "Well, you'd better hurry up, mate, or all the good ones will be gone," he tells him.

      Um? Hi?

      "Who're you going with, then?" says Ron.

      Yeah, Freddie?

      "I'm working on it," says Fred, somewhat confidently.

       Briar looks at him oddly.

       You're working on it?

♡

       A FEW DAYS HAVE PASSED, AND HOLLY'S avoided Harry for all of them. They were in the kitchens, and they mentioned the ball, and when it clicked in his head that it would be easy for the two of them to go together, Holly excused herself, and got out of there. She isn't doing it. She knows this is a part of her mother's big scheme, but she can't do it. Why don't they get the daughter of the woman they're forcing to help, maybe, why can't she get roped into this like Holly has done?

       Merlin... She feels bad for thinking that way. But she can't. She doesn't want to hurt Harry. She talked to him at first because she felt bad for the shit her cousin pulls, she genuinely wanted to be nice to him. Maybe even make a friend... And then her mother's turned it sideways, turned it into some awful scheme to hurt him. Holly hates this, so much.

       It's five days after they've been told the news now, and Holly has avoided Harry since the first. Maybe she can just avoid him for the rest of the year. Because then, the plan will be finished with anyway, so then Holly can apologise and they can move on and it'll all be fine because the plan would've happened, or maybe it won't happen because Holly isn't taking part in it. (Holly likes to think she could stop it...)

       So now, when she looks at the note from him, she frowns.

       There's a boy in her year, in Slytherin, who she's good friends with. A nice boy called Harlow  Capote. They're quite close, she likes to think, or at least close enough that they've helped each other out with homework, especially when Holly's struggling and Pansy doesn't know the answer. So, when Holly sees the note from Harry, asking to meet her later on, she finds Harlow, and takes him to the side.

       "I... Do you have a date to the ball?" she asks him.

       "Not yet," says Harlow. "Why? Do you—?"

        "Only as friends," says Holly. "My... My mother keeps on asking. Says she'll set me up with some scary Durmstrang boy if I don't get a date soon."

       Harlow grins at her. "It's nice to know I'm not a scary boy."

       Holly smiles back. "You're just not one from Durmstrang."

       She meets Harry later on. Her friends still don't know that she's friends with him, she's managed to keep it hidden from them — if anything she's surprised her cousin hasn't found out, but then she doesn't think his parents know about Margo's plan — so they've been meeting during the night, after lights-out. Kitchens, midnight, that's where they go. Holly thinks it's cute.

       But she can't think that, can she? Not when her mother's lurking, about to spin everything great about Holly's life into her own corrupted web.

       "Hi," says Holly, smiling awkwardly at Harry. "Sorry I haven't been around recently... I haven't managed to get away from my cousin." Yeah, just make him hate Draco more. Nice one, Hol, throwing your cousin under the bus.

       "Uh, hi," says Harry.

       Holly already feels terrible.

       "I was, um, wondering, about the ball..."

       Holly leans against one of the tables, nodding. She crosses her arms, and she looks around awkwardly. "Oh, yeah," she says. "I bet loads of girls have been coming your way, what with being the chosen one, and all..."

       "Um, well, actually," he says, looking nervous.

       She hates this.

       "Harlow Capote asked me earlier," says Holly.

       Here's the thing: Holly doesn't want him to pluck up the courage to mention it to her, for her to say no, they can't go together. She knows it would make things worse. At least now, he hasn't had to go through all of that nervousness, all of that right OK we're gonna ask in three, two... At least now she's made it easier for him.

       She cares for Harry, she genuinely wants him to be OK. She only spoke to him, that first time, because she felt bad for how her cousin treats him. Holly doesn't want to hurt him. She wishes her mother didn't spot her, didn't see this as an opportunity for her own malicious plans.

       "Oh," is all that Harry says.

       Holly smiles weakly, and she steps forwards, putting her arms around him, hugging him awkwardly. "My mother would kill you," she says quietly. 

       "I—I was only asking as friends—"

       "She still would," says Holly, and she sighs softly, pulling away from him. He looks incredibly confused. She feels incredibly upset. She knows it's for the best, because it is, maybe if she starts to distance herself she can find a way to stop him from getting hurt, from the plan actually happening... She doesn't know. All she knows is that she doesn't want her friend to get hurt.

       Merlin, why couldn't they get that other girl involved, instead?

       After a while she leaves, once they've talked about other things, like Christmas, and the second task, and things that aren't that related to my mother wants you dead. She sees a white cat following her, walking in and out of the shadows, and Holly lets out a sigh, reaching her common room and standing in one of the corners, where no one can see her.

       "Holliday..." 

       "Realistically, Mother, it would be weird for me to go with him, wouldn't it?" says Holly, forcing the words out. She feels terrible... She feels trapped. "It would be weirder for me to agree... It makes more sense, if I tell him that we can't go together..."

       Margo nods, smiling softly at her daughter. She places her hand on Holly's head, running her fingers through her hair. "My clever little girl," she says under her breath. "As long as he's there in the graveyard, it'll be fine... And you'll make sure of that, won't you, Holliday?"

       Holly nods. "Yes, Mother."

       Margo smiles at her, pulling her into a hug. "I love you so much."

       Holly hesitates. "I love you more..."

       "I love you most," says Margo.

       Holly wishes this wasn't her, having to deal with this. She thought Durmstrang was bad enough, but this is a whole new level of terrible...

♡

       AFTER SCHOOL THE NEXT DAY, BRIAR walks out of the carriage, only to be greeted by Fred, his face lit up. He says to her something about an early Christmas present, that it's like the parchment, a joke shop product she thinks she'll like, and Briar smiles up at him. She isn't going to turn down an early present, is she?

       So she walks alongside him, and he asks her about her lessons, and she goes off on a tangent about how Maxime was speaking to her, earlier on, about ways she can personally help Briar out with the full moons. "She was suggesting I can have mornings off, maybe, or even the full day, the day after a full moon, so I can recover," says Briar. "I'm meant to get free periods, next year, so she says it won't make much of a difference, really, but it'll help me out tons..."

       "That's good," says Fred, but he comes across as strange.

       Briar frowns. "Are you all right, Freddie?"

       "I just hope you'll like it," says Fred.

       She smiles softly at him. "I'm sure I'll love it."

       They walk down a corridor, one that's far enough from the hall that it's practically dead, now that school's finished for the day. The whole wall is blank, no doors visible. But Fred stops Briar, halfway down, and smiles at her.

       "Close your eyes," he says to her.

      Briar frowns. "Why? There are literally only bricks..."

      "Please?" he tries.

       Briar raises an eyebrow. "Wow," she says. "Fred Weasley, having manners?" She grins up at him, hoping it'll make him a little less worried, her smiling at him. "I must've stepped into another dimension."

       "Briar," he says.

       "Sorry," she says, and she closes her eyes. He puts her hands on top of her eyes anyway, so she isn't sure what good her closing her eyes was going to do, but she keeps quiet. Fred holds onto her, and he walks her to the side of the corridor — she hears a door open, in front of her, and Briar's so confused. She could've sworn this hallway had no doors...

       The door closes behind them. Fred still has his hands over her eyes. She can hear her inner eye starting to count down.

       "Can I just add, I was gonna do this before you said you wanted a grand gesture," says Fred, and Briar frowns.

       "What?"

       Three... Two...

       Fred takes his hands off of her eyes. "You can look, now..."

       Briar opens her eyes. The whole room — she wants to say it's an empty teacher's office, or just some sort of small room — is covered with flowers. All of them range from white to pink to red. Daisies, roses, tulips... Every flower under the sun covering the entire room. A smile appears across her face, and Briar turns to Fred, her eyes lighting up.

       "You didn't have to..." she begins.

       "But I wanted to," says Fred. "Look, Briar, I've known you for long enough to know what you're like. I know you like I know myself, or George... I know you don't tell us stuff that you think'll worry us, because you don't want us to get upset. I know you only think you're good at divination when you're actually really clever. I know you try and see the best in everyone... And I know this is the sort of thing you'd like. That's why it took me so long to get you here ­— believe me, I would've been the first person asking you out, when they announced the ball..."

       Fred looks nervous still. Or at least not nervous, more jittery, anticipating the near future.

       "I fancy you, Briar," says Fred, and he smiles nervously. "To the point George and Lee were complaining, I talked about you that much... So — will you go to the ball with me?"

       For a moment time freezes, and the whole entire world becomes a distant memory. In that moment, there was only Briar and Fred, Fred and Briar. Best friends since first year. In that moment, she forgets about the future. She forgets about everything going wrong in the world, and all she can see is him.

       Briar feels herself coming back to reality, and the instant she's back, she launches herself onto him, her arms wrapping around his neck.

       Briar smiles at him, her face completely lighting up. She looks at him as if he's the entire world. She feels as if her heart's growing by a thousand, as if the winter air has become as warm as it is mid-June.

       "Why'd you think I said no to everyone else?" she tells him.

       Fred grins at her, looking over the moon. She hugs him, and he picks her up, holding her tightly. He hugs her like he's holding the whole world, he looks at her and Briar can see, this is the look Cedric was talking about earlier... Briar smiles at her best friend, her heart growing and growing, as a thought strikes her.

       She doesn't think this is just a crush.

       Briar Crouch loves many things. Crowns made of quartz, the muggle movie True Romance (have you heard a xylophone so majestic?)... and, at the top of the list, Fred fucking Weasley.

it HAPPENED