CHAPTER TWELVE
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-: sixth year :-

── IN WHICH THEY HAVE FUN

. . .

Rosie was in her element. She loved parties, the loud music, the drinks, the feeling of everyone just letting go and having fun - she loved it all. It worked for her, it all made sense for her - that was where she felt her best.

That was maybe because she was drunk, and dressed in some of her best clothes - and partying had also been the reason she had been sent to Hogsmeade in the first place. Rosie had been a little worried she would be completely bored out of her mind when it came to maintaining her old love for partying when she came there, but she shouldn't have been worried.

The Gryffindor Halloween party was perfect. Her and James had brought back enough food and drinks to supply the students twice over, and everyone looked incredible with their costumes. The night had been fun so far, beginning with the feeling of risk that came with sneaking her into the castle.

James wanted another distraction for that night. She knew that was why he had invited her, even if he hadn't directly admitted it. But it wasn't hard to figure out. 

During the week, when the lessons within the school were taking place and everyone was seperated into classrooms and friend groups. From what Rosie had seen, the corridors in the school were such a maze that it would be easy to avoid someone - or get lost if you really wanted to. When it came to meal times, you could sit at opposite ends of the table, and afterwards you could go to various places when other people weren't.

But at a Halloween party.. well that was different. A house party would always have outside influence as well, people from Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were arriving constantly and filling up the room even further, but it seemed that the Gryffindors stuck together.

And Lily had been in Rosie and James' eyeline all night. Which can't have been the best for him. She could see him glancing over every so often, and quite obviously as well. 

"Potter - hey, Potter." Rosie raised her voice above the music - it seemed to be getting louder and louder, amplified by a spell cast by a seventh year, but that could just be because the bottle of Firewhiskey Rosie had snatched from the party's store for just her and James was only getting emptier. 

"Yeah?" James turned towards Rosie again, gaze sliding down to meet her face. "What's up?"

"You can't pretend you're over her if you keep staring at her!" She shouted her reply, hips still moving in time to the far too loud music. "Come on - I'm serious. If you wanted to mourn, you had your mourning when you got drunk in a booth at the pub." 

"I know - it's stupid." James shook his head. "And how do you recommend getting over her."

"By drinking more!" Rosie lifted the bottle, pushing it closer to him. "I've drunk far too much of this and you've drunk far too little!" She told him, her spare hand trailing up his chest. "And you shouldn't care!"

"But I do! I do care!" James swallowed another mouthful of Firewhiskey. "I don't want to care - I don't.. but I do."

"You, my friend-" a hand appeared over Rosie's as Sirius threw an arm over James's shoulder. "-Need more to drink. You haven't drunk enough, and you've got a girl in front of you who already helping you get over her!"

"Yeah.. yeah!" Rosie nodded, continuing to dance as James contemplated. "You don't care - you've already admitted it  - so show her you don't. Convince her, and convince yourself in the process."

James still didn't look any more reassured by the advice of his best friend and the girl he was already very much attracted to.  

"Come on, James." Rosie rolled her eyes. "We've already had sex, so what's the harm in continuing the rebound process!" 

"Are you sure - I mean... I don't want you to think I'm using you or anything." The Potter boy frowned, still looking confused by the whole thing. Rosie was taking a sip of the bottle, and she lifted it towards his lips.

"Drink, let loose. I need something fun to do, and hey - if you get attached, it's no big deal." The girl watched as he took a sip, which turned into several gulps. "There we go!" Rosie exclaimed. "Just have fun! We all just need to have fun!"

"Yeah." James nodded, looking down at the now empty bottle and discarding it. His hand raised, already feeling the burn of the Firewhiskey turned into a buzz, and his fingers pushed curled blonde hair out of the way. "We just need to have fun."

And with that, he was convinced, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her lips, indulging in the mixed taste of the alchohol and her lipstick, which tasted so shockingly - so satisifactorily and so, so addictively of cherry.

From her cheek, his hands reached for her waist, finding his way just beneath the hemline of the velvet shirt. In return, she wrapped her arms around his neck, losing themselves into the kiss and the music. 

Yeah, they would have fun.

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