xii. wine
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❝ Correct me if my ears heard wrong but did I just hear your say that women travel in packs?❞
Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley may not have been very similar but they did have one common interest: their horrible lack of confidence with girls.
Dawn who was chewing on a piece of peppermint gum, and sat down beside Ronald Weasley.
"You still haven't gotten a date? I'm surprised."
Harry nods. "I know, I'm confused about it-"
Dawn interrupts. "Oh no, Harry I was talking to Ron, I mean I know why you don't have a date, but Ron you're not half bad-"
Harry rolled his eyes. "You're such a pleasure to be around Dawn. What's up now?"
"I sense you don't appreciate my company."
Ron looked between the two amused.
"What about you?" Harry inquires, "You're telling me you've got a date."
"No, but I'm not worried about that one. If I don't get a date I'll just dance with Drew, and go alone."
"Have you found out what the task is yet?" Harry grinned, knowing she hadn't. "Or are you still asking Cedric?"
"Well Harry, not everyone can have a giant tell them. Some people have to actually work for stuff and not get it handed to them on a silver platter." Dawn flicks her hair.
"Ouch." he says sarcastically.
"Some of us aren't rich and don't have all the luxuries."
" Ha ha very funny." Harry pretends to clap, " Got me there. And by the way I wouldn't get it hadn't on a silver platter, a gold would be more suitable-"
"It's a metaphor-"
"If you really need help you know you can ask me," Harry tells her and he almost sounds nice before he adds, " But I will be beating you in once again another task."
She crossed her arms. "Harry I'm not loosing the bet, which means I won't be asking for your help-"
"What bet?" Ron asks.
"It's a secret." Dawn says pretending to zip her lips shut, she looks at Harry who nods with an apologetic look towards Ron, "Sorry. Champions only."
Harry smiled at her.
"-but you are right and I'm waiting for Cedric to come up from Herbology right now. He should be here any minute-"
Dawn suddenly takes off her jacket and begins fixing her hair. " There he is now! Right see you later. If you still need help getting dates tell me later and I'll find you someone."
She was gone quicker than either of the boys could react as she entered the grounds. Once Dawn was walking past him she purposely dropped all the books in her hand and sighed as she leaned down picking them up.
She silently thanks Merlin when the blonde hufflepuff leans down and begins helping her pick them up.
She looks up- " Oh Cedric, fancy seeing you here."
The happy Hufflepuff grins. " Yeah it's not like I've seen you outside my classes nearly every day this week."
" We have the same professors-" Dawn lies.
" Actually no we don't," Cedric interrupts with a small chuckle, before she could even say anything another word he says, " You don't know what the second task is, do you?"
She shakes her head with no shame. " I know you know what it is."
Cedric looks around then before she could react he suddenly leans closer to her and says: " You know the prefects bathroom on the fifth floor, it's not a bad place for a bath."
Dawn suddenly steps back away from her and raises both her hands. " Woah-Woah-Woah. I don't know what your trying to-"
Cedrics eyes widened. " No I didn't mean it-"
Dawn raises a hand- " Just because I'm having trouble figuring out what the task is doesn't mean I'm going to do anything with you-"
"I meant that," Cedric interrupts loudly. "Take your egg there, and mold things over in the hot water."
She put two and two together and finally understood what he said. Her mouth parted and she raised a hand to her mouth. She didn't even know what to say for a moment. Instead she looks around.
"Oh," she coughs, "Yeah that's er what I meant as well."
Cedric shakes his head in her direction with a small smile.
Dawn holds her fist out. "Go team Kale and Diggory!"
He looked at it unimpressed.
"Come on fist pump it." Dawn groans.
Cedric shakes his head but none the less offered a semi fist pump.
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Dawn has an issue and for the first time in her life she couldn't ignore it.
He was six foot five, he had brown hair and he always carried around gum.
Occasionally he answers to the name Fletcher. Currently she stood on a ladder in the library hanging up a banner alongside Fletcher for the Yule ball. Since Drew and Colleen both started making accusations about her having feelings for him, she felt awkward in his company. She felt like he knew as well. All day, he was grinning at her and smiling, and she for once noticed it.
At this moment in time she would have preferred to be taking the dance lessons with Professor McGonagall.
" How does it feel?" Fletcher mentions with a leather jacket on over his uniform whilst chewing gum, he extends his hands onto the ladder, " To have your life in my hands."
"I would feel safer in the hands of a mass murder."
Before she could react the ladder tips and she slips. Dawn screeches and lands back onto Fletcher who clearly did it on purpose.
Fletcher holds her tightly. "Oh look at that. You've fallen for me."
She smacked his chest as she removed herself from his grip. "Get off of me."
Her face beamed red and she had to walk away in order to not let it show. She proceeds to stroll around the library and hang up the Yule ball posters ignoring her stalker.
She stands by the doorway attempting to glue the poster onto wall.
Fletcher stands above her and leans down and before she could even try to pretend she didn't see him he speaks. "Want some help?"
Dawn is pretty sure that then and there she stared but looks away, "That is why were both here. Give it your best shot tall boy."
He literally reaches up and sticks it down. She sighs.
"So," he asks, he glances at her then at the poster, "I presume you're going to Hogsmeade?"
She offers a nod then walks away.
She covers her face as he follows her into the next aisle.
She proceeds to hang up the posters but the only thing in her mind right now was why he asked her that? She was, with Ethan but frankly she didn't want to go anymore. She liked Ethan, Ethan was nice but he was normal to say the least. And she hated that she thought that.
She couldn't help it but turn and sigh in his direction whilst he grins. "Why do you want to know?"
Fletcher didn't answer straight away instead he took a step forward and took one of the two books in her hand, he winked and then was gone.
"Such an idiot." she breathed before making her way back to the Common Room where she met Harry along the way, "Speaking of idiots."
Harry rolls his eyes.
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Hogsmeade was in Dawn Kales word one thing and one thing only: stupid.
She had gone with Ethan and to say it was better than she thought was true; he actually bought her a pack of lemon drops which was rather sweet of him considering she did mention the second time they met that she liked anything lemon.
Maybe she was being picky and didn't give him enough of a chance.
As she made her way back to the school grounds she was thinking about the ways to annoy Harry when all of a sudden she heard her name being called:
"Oh my god it's Dawn! Mary look it's Dawn!"
She heard the voice and instantly she heard footsteps, she turns and was greeted by Marlene McKinnon, the blonde she met at the first task and Mary McDonald, the pretty brunette she encountered at the charity event.
"Dawn! How are you doing?" Marlene squealed.
The conversation after that flowed for quite some time and both of them explained that they were on a short fifteen minute break of getting their nails done, Dawn didn't know what they were saying but it was something about allowing the gel to set. She was fully prepared to leave until Mary spoke up.
"Are you busy right now?"
She ran a hand through her hair and without even thinking she answers, "No."
"Come in with us!" Marlene suggests, "Yes yes Come gets your nails done with us! Oh come on it will be fun and besides, and it'll take your mind off that task you have next!"
"I'm not sure-"
Before she cools react she was being dragged into the nail salon she was being seated beside both women and a tall middle aged black haired woman was doing her nails. She found that Mary wouldn't have mind either way but Marlene was rather forceful.
" So-" Marlene turns around and Dawn got a chance to look at her nails which were bright red,
" Dawn, since your practically family now, you know since your in the tournament with my sweet nephew. I don't know much about you, what do your parents work as?"
"Oh my mum works for the ministry, I think you two were in the same lessons when you were both in Hogwarts." Dawn mentions and then Marlene nods with a smile as she continues, "She's in charge of writing up any attacks on Muggle families, it's pretty cool. And well my dad... he left when he found out my mum was pregnant."
Another sigh from Marlene. "That's sad. He must be a real dickhead."
There was something about her tone that made Dawn look at her oddly. She almost sounded sarcastic but then again she usually could never tell the difference half the time.
Mary looks over towards Marlene.
"Yeah I suppose but I don't really care-" Dawn's word's brought a raised eyebrow from Marlene, " I just mean it happened, and I guess when I was younger I did want a dad but now I guess I don't. I do have a Dave though."
Mary looks at her confused. "A Dave?"
Dawn elaborates. "My stepfather."
Marlene eyes widened and her first thought had been oh no. "You have a stepfather, oh my god I never knew that?"
Dawn tears her eyes away from her nails as Marlene asks her, "And is your relationship with this Dave good?"
"Yeah he's like a father to me." Dawn smiles half heartily, " He's always been there for me and my mum, also, he taught me how to play the one thing I love the most- quidditch."
Marlene attempts not to listen to the last part; James Potter was going to absolutely hate this Dave.
"That's lovely," Marlene fakes a smile at the same time Mary goes, "How lovely."
Dawn sends a smile in their direction then peers down at her hands to see the women working away. She looks back at Mary and Marlene and with the more comfortable side to her showing she spoke.
" So you just sit here all day drinking wine and doing your nails." Dawn notices.
"What else would we be doing." Marlene stats with a grin, she holds out her glass, "Do you like wine?"
She notices the confused look on Dawns face then gaps. " You've never tried wine?! What age are you again?"
"I'm fourteen," she says awkwardly.
Marlene holds her glass out. "Would you like a sip?"
Mary immediately intervenes. "Marlene! You can't offer her that! She's underage."
"She's fourteen!" Marlene says gesturing towards her, "She's not a baby...although some people might think so."
( some people referring to James )
With the glass in her hand Dawn took a sip.
"I don't like it," Dawn hands her back the glass and scrunches her nose up, "It tastes disgusting! I'm going to puke."
Marlene laughs. "Adorable. Absolutely adorable."
Mary shakes her head. "Ignore her Dawn, Marlene has a strong stomach for anything with over ten percent alcohol."
Marlene simply shrugs. "Better than a weak stomach."
"Well said."
"So Dawn?" Mary turns in her chair and raises an eyebrow. "Why was your Hogsmeade date bad?"
Dawn aimlessly shrugs trying to think of an answer.
Marlene narrows her eyes- "Is he not nice to you? Because if he isn't I know a guy who will beat him up, seriously I could call him right now-"
"No no no no, it's not that," Dawn cuts her off, "I just don't like him as anything more than a friend."
She trails off with one other thing that popped into her head, but she quickly cleared it off.
Marlene raises an eyebrow. "Is there someone else? I can see it in your eyes."
She shakes her head. "No, no of course not."
"If I can give you any advices other then never take Marlene's advice then its follow your heart, your young, you have all the time in the world to think about it." Mary tells her. "And, never be with someone you don't want to be with. And if your unsure of anything don't do it, and if he doesn't respect that then he doesn't deserve you."
Dawn nods with a small smile, "I'll keep that in mind. How is Mr Potter doing?"
Marlene smiles at the question. "James is fine, he's worried about Harry obviously and of corse for your safety as well."
Dawn had thought James Potter was everything she wouldn't have expected him to be for how high up in the wizarding community he was.
"James is a nice person," Dawn mumbles, "I read an article once about him once and it was that he was a bad father or something and now I find it crazy anyone would say that."
"Ah yes I know the one your talking about!" Marlene immediately remembers the amount of drama got to do with the article written by a woman whose name she couldn't remember...
"-It was last year when Peter Pettigrew escaped Azkaban and Harry and his friends stayed out one night really late, he put an awful fright into his mum and dad, especially James and of course when James gave out to Harry and by give out I literally mean told him not to scare him like that again the Daily Prophet snapped a picture and seemed him to be a bad father."
Dawn felt bad for him and frowned. She would hate to be that famous.
" Its a joke," Mary agreed, " I mean James is a fantastic father of corse but sometime he doubts himself and his parenting skills with his children-"
Dawn looked at her confused. "Children?"
Marlene suddenly sucks in a sharp breath as Mary kicks her. " Ouch- I mean no, no of corse our dear Harry is an only child but uh- James always wanted another child preferable a daughter and sometimes we just say children so he doesn't get sad...."
( Marlene mentally scolded herself )
" He takes his parenting skills very seriously," Mary tries to play off what the blonde just said, she thought for a moment before speaking truthfully, " I think the one thing that matters to James the most is how he treats Harry, he loves that boy with his whole heart and I know he would never do anything to upset him- or any other kid for that matter, especially his own."
"Oh....yeah I guess I can see that."
Mary leans forward and he exchanges glances with Marlene. "Really? Why...just wondering..."
Dawn shifts in her chair and thinks for a moment about the number of times Harry spoke to her about his father.
"I mean Harry talks about him the whole time and Harry told me he brought him to the quidditch World Cup which is awesome, plus he seems like a cool type of dad not like a lame one."
Oh how James Potter would love to hear those words, Mary thinks, it will boost his confidence a million times more.
After many uncomfortable hours of sitting in a chair and having her fingers pocked and prodded at she couldn't help but grin once she left the nail salon. It was now dark and most of the carriages would be leaving soon.
"I think there beautiful," Marlene stats softly examining her hands. Mary silently agrees.
Dawn liked Marlene and Mary. They were friendly, and easy to talk to and she couldn't help but envy Harry slightly over how nice his godmother and close family friend was.
Plus much to her pleading Marlene and Mary had payed for the nails and wouldn't let her see the price either.
Oddly enough before Dawn could leave both of them had hugged her.
"It was nice seeing you again," Dawn pulls away.
"Actually we were meaning to ask you before you leave," Marlene nudges Mary who jumps, "When is your task?"
"Oh I think it's... February thirteenth." she answered to which they both nodded and Marlene took out a pen from her purse and wrote it on her hand.
She looked between them confused.
Mary smiles. " We'll make sure and clear out our schedules."
Dawn looks at them slightly shocked but grateful.
She hadn't really had anyone except for her mother and her step father and hearing that someone else was coming actually was rather pleasant. But then she wasn't expecting them to come, and it was nice to hear.
"You don't have to but thank you. If you do I'll make sure, and find you both."
Dawn after another goodbye gathered her belongings, and made her way back to Hogwarts. Once she left, both women watches her leave.
"Yep." Marlene shakes her head and pursed her lips. "I can totally see it now."
Mary turns to her friend. "See what?"
"How she's going to have everyone wrapped around her finger by the end of the year."
" Oh Marlene, I've seen that since the first day we saw that girl at the train station."
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Lily Collins and Freya Mavor as Mary and Marlene are the OG's. I love them
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