It had been a bit since the dance and he had given the girl a few days to recoup. It also didn't help that he had to hang out in the hospital to be checked out, but at least the matron was hot so it wasn't too bad of an ordeal. He figured his cousin would lash out, but he didn't figure he would react that violently to the display. Apparently he had cared he guessed not that it mattered now. He supposed he could just drop the girl since she already served her purpose, but what fun was that when he wouldn't get to rub salt in the wounds. There were enough other people that saw the kiss who were still whispering about it in the halls to be painful to his cousin. It did amuse him that everyone was so enthralled over the whole ordeal. Sure he hit his ass handed to him, but he still got the one person he had left, so he was still winning as far as he was concerned.

He had given the girl enough time to get her sorted and now it was time to move on to the next phase of the plan. The Great Hall was probably reaching max capacity which would be a perfect time to parade around with the bint before sitting down to dinner. She was quite attractive, so that was definitely a bonus. Now if only he could convince her to actually consummate the 'relationship' in the near future... that would make this all absolutely perfect. He leaned up against the wall outside the Gryffindor common room waiting for the blond to come out and accompany him per the deal.


@cecilia

If it was one thing that this situation was teaching her, it was that she really had been better off without friends. Cecilia had chosen being distant and rude for five bloody years for a reason. It had been working perfectly all that time and then Roman had to come along and muck it all up. Even that small moment of letting her guard down had been a mistake—then she was dating him, befriending Isabella and the few other friends she did have. And she had gotten comfortable. Bloody comfortable. Having friends had a learning curve, just as dating did, apparently, but she really had gotten used to it. So much so, that this was proving to be more difficult than she’d thought to get used to this again. She had been so damn good at being alone, so it bloody figured that going back to that wasn’t nearly as easy. But as enough time had gone by since the ball, Cecilia was at least able to pretend that everything was back to normal. Somehow, she didn’t think Trey’s standards would be on par with how she really wanting to be acting, and since she officially had Roman hating her for this, she absolutely knew she couldn’t handle Trey changing his mind and telling his cousin about her father as well. Cecilia still hadn’t talked to Isabella, but she was sure that getting Roman’s explanation was enough for her to never want to speak to her again either. All in all, Cecilia wasn’t sure that Trey was getting what he wanted out of this; it seemed to her that other than the altercation at the ball, Roman was relatively uncaring about the entire situation. Yes, Trey technically had taken what his cousin had had, which was probably the point, but when was Trey going to realize that Roman didn’t give a damn and just drop this ridiculous situation?

She really did hate that she was stuck actually having to do this upright, or she would have not even bothered looking mildly presentable. It wasn’t as though she tried all that hard to look good in any case, saving that for when it was forced on her back at home. But Trey probably would go right along and tell Roman everything if she didn’t meet his bloody ridiculous standards. Apparently, it would do her some bloody good to have a damn book of what his definition of standards were, she thought, scowling at the thought as she headed down the stairs of her dormitory and into the common room. That was something she probably should have agreed on before this entire absurd situation began, because now she really did feel like she’d be at risk of him changing his mind at any moment. How was this really a situation she was bloody in?

The moment that she stepped out of the common room and closed the portrait behind her, Cecilia noticed the irritating bloke was already standing there. She already knew from how empty the common room had been that the Great Hall was going to be absolutely packed, which was just bloody fantastic. Glad to see that there was no one else in the hallway, giving her at least a moment of not bloody having to be all that nice to him, Cecilia rolled her eyes and approached the Slytherin. “And here I was hoping you were going to stand me up,” she stated, as it really would have been so convenient if he was already bored of her.

Trey knew that this was all too good to be true. She was actually going to comply which meant word would get around quick about the pair being a ‘couple’. He had been meaning to write her father, letting him know of his triumph, and knowing he could probably find a way for him to finally see his daughter after so long. Her father had been a Death Eater after all and a well known one at that. His parents were still in the work camp, merely peons and pawns in the grand scheme of the second war. He could bring his family a lot more notoriety within their circle by working this just the right way. Maybe he could get the daft little bint to think he actually liked her. He was sure her father and Brant would enjoy having a new member. Maybe he could make it work. She had given him the impression that she liked her blokes that were quite rough around the edges, maybe a touch dangerous. He could do that… he just had to act like himself and shower her with attention as she was still an attention whore of sorts.

His eyebrows rose as she approached him with a snarky comment before wagging his finger at her as if she were some kind of errant child. ”Now, now, now… is that any way to speak to your boyfriend? I don’t believe so.” He said smoothly as he took her hand and pulled her close to him before placing a kiss on her cheek his arm snaking around her waist. He pulled away from her with a smirk. ”Now would you like to try that again?” He asked using his free hand to move a piece of hair from her face. ”I wasn’t convinced.” He whispered.

This was going to be challenging, at least in the beginning. Hopefully it would get easier—and she was irritated that this was something she even had to hope. But she couldn’t picture a time where Trey’s presence alone didn’t irritate her. Cecilia only had to keep two thoughts in mind in order to remind herself that she could and would do it. First of all, she had lived with two misogynistic Norwegians since she was a second year and had gotten incredibly good at acting like her mother, and how they all wanted her to be. If she could do that, then she could tolerate a bloke’s presence long enough to keep her ex-boyfriend from finding out the one truth she really couldn’t have him knowing anymore. That was the only other thought on her mind… that the alternative at this point was it coming out that her father was a Death Eater on top of Roman already thinking that she cheated on him with his cousin. She had unintentionally gotten herself into a worse situation than she’d already been in, and all because she hadn’t broken up with Roman before Trey decided to take matters into his own damn hands, making her look worse in the process. Now, she just had to keep it up until he got bored. How hard could that be, really?

“Had to get it out of my system,” she said, acidly, though before she could stay much more he was pulling her against him. Cecilia stopped herself from rolling her eyes, which she deemed another improvement, though she did tense when he wrapped an arm around her waist, his lips brushing her cheek. She wanted to smack him at his words, and she might have if she didn’t know that he had too fast of damn reflexes. Bloody seeker, she thought, irritated that she even knew his position in Quidditch. Apparently, she was not only dating the bloke, but he was going to nitpick at her acting skills and make her try again if it wasn’t up to par. But her real life had been a big damn act for many damn years—at home, at school before she started being more herself, and she could pull this shit off easily. It would be irritating that she was doing what he wanted, but it had to be done. She relaxed in his grip, an amused smile playing on her lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him closer. “Hi,” she whispered, before bringing her lips to his and kissing him soundly. Bloody irritating prat.

All Trey could think about was the success and boost to his reputation this little façade would give him. He had no intention of keeping her around. He didn’t care about her, how she felt, what she was thinking about. She only served one purpose… and that was to benefit him. He hadn’t imagined this would be so easy, but he could tell it wouldn’t be difficult at all as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Well she certainly was a needy little slag. He tightened his grip on her deepening the kiss, wondering just how far she would let him get in the corridor. He was sure there was a classroom they could duck into if necessary.

It was hard to concentrate on anything when her body was pushed up against him as it was in that moment. Whatever little show she was putting on was dangerous as he had no problem taking her in that bloody hallway if it came down to it. Yes, this was definitely working in his favor. If she was willing to give it up this easily maybe he could give her a bit more freedom from having to be seen with him constantly. Then again she seemed like the clingy type that he probably wouldn’t be able to shake off regardless. No, if she shagged him he could deal with that. After all he was giving her a way out, and popularity, this was the least she could do for him. Granted he would never force her to do anything sexual in nature… but it would certainly work to benefit her in many, many ways. He allowed his hand to slide down to her lower back wondering at what point she would tell him to stop or if she would just give in.

From the moment she’d agreed to this nonsense, Cecilia knew that it was going to be a challenge. First she had to break up with her boyfriend of over a year—which had worked… not in the way she’d expected and a bit more dramatically than she would have liked, and now she was subject to this aggravating Slytherin’s whims and standards of this fake relationship. They should have made rules, or something, at the beginning, though Cecilia was sure he would have laughed that off. So far, though, this wasn’t taking all that much acting. She just really did have to pretend that this wasn’t someone that she greatly dislike—then she could kiss him with no problem. Everything else, like actually having to bloody talk to him in public and look like she wanted to be there, would be a bit more challenging.

Roman already thought the worse, so there was no making that any better, and she still hadn’t talked to Isabella or Evan. Today was just going to make that situation worse, more than likely, even if she really would guess that they were already pissed at her. But she told herself that it wouldn’t last long and then she could just go back to how she spent her first five years at Hogwarts… being a bitch and avoiding most if not all human contact unless required. Or at least, she would do the latter, as she had no idea how easy it would be for her to pull back up that bitch persona that had worked so well for her before. Trey was pressing her closer to him and she felt his hand moving down her back, which made it seem like a good a time as any to cut short this little demonstration. If he still thought he was going to get laid from this, he was just bloody kidding himself. Bloody finally, she pulled away slightly, raising an eyebrow at him. “Convincing enough, sweetheart?” She asked, scathingly, waiting for him to let go of her so that they could get on with whatever ridiculous scenario he had planned.

Trey had been so sure that the girl would give in to his advances only for her to back off as he tried to push the envelope a bit more. He was definitely attracted to her, anyone with two bloody eyes could see that from a mile away. He wanted her, he wanted her right in that moment but he would never force a girl to do something she didn’t want to though part of him was pretty sure she would flip shit if he tried to lead her into an empty classroom at this point. Hell, Trey was impressed that she hadn’t given in so easily, though that didn’t mean he would stop trying anytime soon.

He smirked as she spoke leaning forward to press another kiss to her lips. ”It will do for now. He replied smoothly with a light chuckle at her pet name for him. It was actually perfect as she seemed to have no issue being physical with him. He had a feeling that might be the easy part. He wasn’t completely sure she would be able to tame that bloody mouth of hers. ”Are you sure you don’t want to see what benefits you can get from this?” He asked with an arched eyebrow still trying to hold out hope that she would change her mind as their kiss had left him a bit uncomfortable. He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear with a sly smile as he waited for an answer.

If Cecilia had to pinpoint what she disliked the most about Trey, beside the obvious, it would be his damn ego. He was apparently really bloody convinced that she would eventually give in and shag him—like he hadn’t blackmailed her into ending her relationship with her boyfriend, and wasn’t holding information over her head about her father. Like he was that damn attractive that she would just forget all of that. It was bloody ridiculous. It wasn’t like she couldn’t admit, though she wouldn’t out loud unless he prompted her to which actually wouldn’t surprise her either, that he was attractive. She wanted to roll her eyes at the thought, but she couldn’t really dispute it. Cecilia personally just didn’t bloody think looks could make up for a shit personality, which he clearly had. If he had any redeeming qualities, which was still up in the air, then they were well bloody hidden and she certainly didn’t think she’d ever be seeing them. She was a means to irritate his cousin, and he was an unfortunate conclusion of her needing to keep a secret from said cousin. Obviously, he didn’t like her and probably just thought she was some ditzy slag, and she just thought he was a mildly psychopathic prat. Though the ‘mildly’ aspect was still up in the air as well.

Irritatingly enough, he did not let go of her, leaning in to kiss her again. She found that she really could deal with that, begrudgingly, so long as she tried to forget who was actually kissing her. It helped that he was a great kisser. No it bloody doesn’t, she corrected herself, equally surprised and pissed off by the thought. What he was or was not good at made no difference to her, because she was just doing what had to be done until he got bored and she could be in the clear. Friendless and boyfriendless, but that wouldn’t be all that bad. Certainly manageable for one more year, and then she’d be out of Hogwarts. “Glad I passed your high standards,” she replied, rolling her eyes. Damn it, she thought, wondering if her acting skills actually were up to par when everything he said just pissed her off. Cecilia supposed he might be a bit more tolerable in public, or he better be if he wanted her to act the part—he’d have to realize he’d be unnecessarily complicating things by continuing to be so damn aggravating. “I’ll pass.” Cecilia stated, watching as he moved a piece of hair behind her ear. She could already tell that he was going to be doing a hell of a lot of little irritating moves like this when they were around people, since he was already doing it in relative privacy. Bloody fantastic.

Trey was cocky and he knew it, but he also knew he had damn good reasons to be that way or at least he felt he did. Aside from his obvious good looks, he could say confidently that he knew how to properly please a witch. Not only that, but that he was quite skilled in physical as well as magical ‘combat’. From the moment he was born he was destined for this life. There was never a point in his life where a Death Eater had been a close personal friend of his family’s. His own parents had been Death Eaters and now were rotting away in that disgusting work camp in Knockturn Alley. He had been trained well in dark arts as well as physical fighting. That was what was needed in order to survive in that area and he had learned that lesson quickly.

That was another reason blackmailing the girl worked so much in his favor. It wasn’t so much about Roman anymore as it was about his status outside of those walls. Once summer came around he could put her to full use. If he could trick her into meeting her father face-to-face that could give him a major advantage and put him on even better terms with the man he looked up to. His parents would surely hear of his success before he even had the opportunity to see him. He had been toying with the idea of writing to her father about the good news, but knew it probably wouldn’t be the smartest thing seeing as he was sure the post was being watched now.

She hadn’t seemed to move away from him as he kissed her again causing him to grin widely though he was curious as to why she was able to do it with such ease given her personality. From what he had heard she had a nasty temper and wasn’t much for anyone telling her what to do. Part of him was disappointed as he hoped to get a rise out of her, but was falling terribly short. ”Oh don’t be that way. I don’t think that little eye roll was entirely necessary. There is only one reason I would ever condone you rolling your eyes…” He said with a smirk still holding her against him. He supposed he might not be getting his wish… this time. ”You know you won’t be able to resist forever.” He said slyly before loosening his grip giving her the option to move away from him.

She was surprising even herself with how calm she was managing to pretend to be about this situation. Apart from the shit she had broken in the east wing after their first interaction, Cecilia had been in relative control of herself and really didn’t know what to blame it on. After the ball, she had been too… upset or frazzled to be pissed off about how everything had occurred there. Then, she had been too focused on avoiding everybody, and she still was; now, she supposed, she had to focus on not punching Trey in the damn face because he would most certainly not appreciate that display. If anything annoyed her in this situation, other than being broken up with Roman and being blackmailed obviously, it was that she had to actively not piss off Trey. Aggravating him even slightly might amuse her into making this shitty situation marginally better, but she couldn’t risk it. Yet, she told herself, because there could be a point where she could figure out just how much she could piss him off without passing whatever line she was sure was drawn that would make this situation not worth it for him. Although he had said he wouldn’t go back on this agreement by telling Roman the truth anyhow, Cecilia didn’t trust him in the slightest to keep his word. Which meant that she had to be careful, for now, and that was just plain infuriating.

Cecilia immediately wanted to smack the grin off of his face once he had moved his lips away from hers, apparently amused that she was not making this aspect of this ‘relationship’ more difficult. If only I bloody could, she thought, not liking the idea of him thinking she actually enjoyed kissing him; she was just doing her part, obviously, and he was still going to get an ego about the whole thing. She shot him a look at his words, biting her tongue to prevent another retort from leaving her lips. Yes, this part was going to be more difficult. “Sorry I don’t control the movement of my damn eyes,” she snapped, nearly groaning at herself in frustration. Cecilia had no bloody idea that it was going to be this difficult to control herself from snapping at him, though she would continue to hold out hope that it would be a hell of a lot easier around other people. It didn’t help that he still hadn’t bloody let go of her, and why were her damn arms still around his neck? Unless she was planning on bloody strangling him, that seemed unnecessary. “We’ll see about that,” she said, dryly, dropping her arms back to her sides as she stepped away from him. About bloody time, she grumbled to herself.