Safe to sayā¦ neither of them showed up to class the morning after.
Two weeks of hell follow in the wake of the first party. If hell can even be equated to the boredom of a monotonous routine. School is decidedly just the same as always, a daily chore that Louis must endure in order to further his personal narrative. Though made much easier when every class is shared with a distraction as glorious as Scorpius Malfoy. He isnāt sure what he would do without him there. Maybe die of boredom? Apparently, Scor felt the same way about Louis - he never went to class if his boyfriend didnāt.
Honestly, thereās only so many times Louis can sit through a Binns lecture before he starts daydreaming of ways to kill a ghost - there's got to be a way right? He asks Scorpius one day, the answer isnāt so much words as it is a look of bemusement that turns to wandering hands and that turns to a letter written home to his parents about their sons misconduct and how the next brazen display of sex by the lake is going to get the both of them expelled - yeah right.
If hands under tables and dirty words in earshot of other students havenāt done the job yet then it's a safe bet the most theyāll ever have to deal with is McGonagall's stern lecturing and the half-hearted attempt at an intervention. No Professor, nor parent, has been capable thus far of curbing their behaviors. Besides, Louis gets top marks despite having no inclination to participate in the class itself; By-product of Vic nagging him to death over his assignments. Looks like sisters are good for something after all. And Scorpius is ... well, passing.
The classes themselves are another story altogether on most days. It is a rare occurrence to have both Louis and Scorpius in one room and have one or both of them pay attention at all to anyone or anything that is not the other. Professors had long since stopped trying to force participation. It was a game that they would and always have lost in the past. Louis could care less what they think, especially with it being the last year heās going to have to sit through the droning on and on of subjects he could learn easier by simply picking up a book.
Their last year. That thought posed another issue as the days continued steadily on. A steep incline into smothered anxiety. Louis resolutely refused to acknowledge the date of their final departure from Hogwarts. He had better things to focus on. Scorpius seemed to have adopted a similar philosophy, the only time he admitted to it being his last year was when he spoke to his friends about upcoming parties or trips. Everything had to be ābigger and betterā.
And that bigger and better seemed to be coming upon them quickly into the form of a trip; Hogsmeade. Less party since they'd be in public but more real in a sense too. Louis couldn't say he was excited, that was too broad of a word for his narrow field of emotion. But neutral? Perhaps. They could relax and unwind in a way that didn't completely have to do with the shack and its intoxicating aura.
They were all going, for the most part, the key members of their troupe and then some. Friendships that wove together like the spiderweb of a particularly drunken arachnid. But still friendships nonetheless. As weird as it seemed since most of their social circle consisted of some of the strangest types currently residing within Hogwarts. The mishmash of personalities almost comically dependent on one another for human interaction.
Louis rarely spoke with other people - outside of Scorpius - and when he did it was consistently in the same way. If he didn't resolutely hate the other it was simple sarcasm and biting remarks. If he did - well, generally speaking, those he truly hated didn't get to interact with him. Ever. The students invited to the shack regularly were among the few that got a pass on his usual animosity. The most they received was blank nothing, maybe sarcasm if the situation called for it.
āThere's going to be so many people.ā He complains again for about what feels like the thousandth time. Which is why he could not say he is excited about the trip. But he isn't dreading it either. Simply knows it's going to be an exercise in patience. Something he doesn't have in droves. Scorpius gifts him with a half smirk. It wasnāt like he was exactly Mr. Sociable either, but he seemed to thrive off as many people as possible participating in debauchery.
Between that, class, and leisurely trips to detention; which is a laughable place to put either of them considering the lack of care. The day of the trip comes up quickly.
Hogsmeade has its charms.
Louis remembers the first time they were allowed to travel into the village. Back when parental permission had been required. He had bounced from shop to shop buying whatever he so wished, filling his pockets with candies and trinkets, avoiding Vic at all costs - she always wanted to shop for books, which Louis found incredibly boring - and longing for a taste of fire whiskey when he'd come upon the Hogs Head. Excitement hadn't ever factored into the mix per se.
Because, well, most of them had grown up with this. Had been entrenched in their culture.
Louis could mope if he wanted to. Could have stayed at the castle really. But anywhere Scorpius was it wasn't a wrong assumption to say that Louis would be right there as well. He held the other boy's hand as they walked side to side. So close that they may as well have been one body moving stitched together, unashamed of the public display; there wasn't really anything in the world that could make Louis feel shame.
Scorpius, likewise, had a general air of Devil-Could-Care about him. His usual apathetic expression clashing with how closely he kept Louis and the plans that were most definitely spinning through his mind.
His free hand would occasionally press into anothers, passing on thin sheets of paper. Roseās invitations werenāt subtle enough for the public, but neither was a full-blown party. Still, that didnāt mean he, Teddy, and James hadnāt thought of something.
There may have been a smirk on Scorpiusā face, but it disappeared into red hair as he pressed a shameless kiss against Louisā head.