![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
brightflower posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
rarepair_shortsTitle: Of the Unfairness of the Universe
Character Pairing: Zacharias/Marietta
Prompt: a house is not a home
Rating: PG
Word Count: 985
Summary: It is misery being with Zacharias Smith, though not quite for the same reasons as it used to be.
Author's Notes: The sixth of the series.
Link to Prompt Table: http://briony-tallis.livejournal.com/77461.html
Cho throws her arms tightly around Marietta's neck, squeezing so hard that Marietta feels both comforted and strangled at once. "Harry kissed me," Cho whispers fiercely, pulling back with a nervous, teary smile. Marietta's comfort is immediately vanquished.
"Great," she says lifelessly, without even bothering to smile.
Cho is not pleased with this reaction; she bites her lower lip. "Is that a bad thing? Am I being unfaithful?"
Yes, but not to Cedric, Marietta thinks, but instead she awkwardly pats Cho's shoulder. "You know me, never a fan of Gryffindors," she says.
Cho laughs. "Oh, Mari, I'm going to miss you over vacation! Have a happy Christmas, won't you?"
"I'll try my best." This time Cho seems to miss the sarcasm.
"Off for Christmas, I expect," says Zacharias, his blond hair messier than usual in the cold winds of December. Cho has already boarded the train, which is a relief to Marietta, for it's hard enough dealing with one unfortunate attraction. Smith looks almost pleasant with his hair that way, and the slight tinge of pink in his cheeks.
"Actually, no, I'm not," she says to Zacharias, tightening her scarf. It helps to obscure her own reddening face, or so she hopes. "Staying home this year." This is really for the better; Marietta's mother would fling her child out the window if she knew what Marietta is up to this year at Hogwarts. There are so many unwanted worries on Marietta's mind that she isn't sure she can keep them from her parent. She used to be able to tell her mother anything, but that's before Cho got prettier than ever and forced Mari to join an illegal Defense organization. Madame Edgecombe would not be thrilled about either of those things.
Zacharias stares at her for a moment and nods. He is frowning, as usual, but there seems to be less malice behind it for once. "Good luck to you."
"I suppose I'll see you afterward, then," Marietta says as she begins to move away from the platform. It's good enough she's come to see Cho off; she doesn't think she can bear watching the train leave.
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure," Zacharias replies, following her, and Marietta gets a sinking feeling in her stomach. "I'll be sitting beside you at the Christmas feast, I believe."
"Why in the world are you staying? Don't you have a family to visit?" Marietta's voice grows louder and shriller with every word. It is misery being with Zacharias Smith, though not quite for the same reasons as it used to be.
"Please, Edgecombe. What makes you think my family wants me?" He is smiling now, but he does not sound happy. Marietta tries not to let her heart ache, but he is making it so impossibly difficult.
"I figured someone had to care about you," she finds herself saying.
"I'm barely welcome in Hufflepuff house," Zacharias replies, slightly less sadly than before. His smile widens. "A house, perhaps, but not a home. Neither of them."
"I'm not sure you're not just trying to win sympathy from me," Marietta says shrewdly. "Is this some sort of ploy? 'Poor Zacharias, I ought to give him a Christmas snog?' You're getting more pathetic by the day." She is blushing harder than ever; this mix of emotions is killing her.
Zacharias loses his smile immediately, glaring at Marietta with an expression of superiority severe enough to rival any Slytherin's. "A Christmas snog? From the likes of you? You've made it incredibly obvious you'd rather snog Cho Chang, and I am nothing if not used to that sort of nonsense. I gave up on you ages ago, Edgecombe." He stares her down, his upper lip curling slightly. "It was rather easy."
A rush of anger overwhelms any of Marietta's other emotions. The flush of her cheeks remains, though for an entirely different reason, and she shoves Zacharias with an animal grunt. "You infuriating arse! I am so close to murdering you right this instant! How dare you use my own weaknesses to humiliate me? How dare you follow me around with your little insinuations, your 'understanding,' only to insult me? You are an evil little rat, you know that? You disgust me." There are tears of anger in her eyes, tears of frustration at the unfairness of the universe. Harry Potter has kissed Cho Chang, and Zacharias Smith has given up on her. It is disgusting and wrong and Marietta doesn't want any part of it, and yet it bears down on her with such a heavy weight, and she is crying despite herself.
"I don't know," says Zacharias, with a gleam in his eyes. He stops, his anger fading, and tugs at the end of Marietta's scarf. "Such a violent show of emotion. I'd think you'd be happy to hear I didn't care about you, if you weren't secretly fond of me. Sounds to me like there's hope for us yet."
"Oh, sod off, you pathetic little worm," Marietta says. She pulls at her scarf, intending to yank it from Zacharias's grasp. Somehow she finds herself pulling him closer, his fingers wrapped tightly around the woolen strip, a mix of indecipherable emotions on his face. She pulls him closer, and he smiles wryly at her, and the word hope lingers in Marietta's brain as she smashes her face onto his, her lips barely meeting his own in a awkward kiss. It is dry and cold and painful, as it is a terribly cold morning, and Marietta has no idea what she is doing.
"I guess I got my Christmas snog after all," Zacharias says as their mouths part. He is still smirking at her, with something dark in his gaze. "Another house without a home, I suppose, seeing as your heart belongs to Cho."
"My heart," says Marietta, breathless and befuddled, "belongs to no one."
"We'll see about that," says Zacharias.
Character Pairing: Zacharias/Marietta
Prompt: a house is not a home
Rating: PG
Word Count: 985
Summary: It is misery being with Zacharias Smith, though not quite for the same reasons as it used to be.
Author's Notes: The sixth of the series.
Link to Prompt Table: http://briony-tallis.livejournal.com/77461.html
Cho throws her arms tightly around Marietta's neck, squeezing so hard that Marietta feels both comforted and strangled at once. "Harry kissed me," Cho whispers fiercely, pulling back with a nervous, teary smile. Marietta's comfort is immediately vanquished.
"Great," she says lifelessly, without even bothering to smile.
Cho is not pleased with this reaction; she bites her lower lip. "Is that a bad thing? Am I being unfaithful?"
Yes, but not to Cedric, Marietta thinks, but instead she awkwardly pats Cho's shoulder. "You know me, never a fan of Gryffindors," she says.
Cho laughs. "Oh, Mari, I'm going to miss you over vacation! Have a happy Christmas, won't you?"
"I'll try my best." This time Cho seems to miss the sarcasm.
"Off for Christmas, I expect," says Zacharias, his blond hair messier than usual in the cold winds of December. Cho has already boarded the train, which is a relief to Marietta, for it's hard enough dealing with one unfortunate attraction. Smith looks almost pleasant with his hair that way, and the slight tinge of pink in his cheeks.
"Actually, no, I'm not," she says to Zacharias, tightening her scarf. It helps to obscure her own reddening face, or so she hopes. "Staying home this year." This is really for the better; Marietta's mother would fling her child out the window if she knew what Marietta is up to this year at Hogwarts. There are so many unwanted worries on Marietta's mind that she isn't sure she can keep them from her parent. She used to be able to tell her mother anything, but that's before Cho got prettier than ever and forced Mari to join an illegal Defense organization. Madame Edgecombe would not be thrilled about either of those things.
Zacharias stares at her for a moment and nods. He is frowning, as usual, but there seems to be less malice behind it for once. "Good luck to you."
"I suppose I'll see you afterward, then," Marietta says as she begins to move away from the platform. It's good enough she's come to see Cho off; she doesn't think she can bear watching the train leave.
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure," Zacharias replies, following her, and Marietta gets a sinking feeling in her stomach. "I'll be sitting beside you at the Christmas feast, I believe."
"Why in the world are you staying? Don't you have a family to visit?" Marietta's voice grows louder and shriller with every word. It is misery being with Zacharias Smith, though not quite for the same reasons as it used to be.
"Please, Edgecombe. What makes you think my family wants me?" He is smiling now, but he does not sound happy. Marietta tries not to let her heart ache, but he is making it so impossibly difficult.
"I figured someone had to care about you," she finds herself saying.
"I'm barely welcome in Hufflepuff house," Zacharias replies, slightly less sadly than before. His smile widens. "A house, perhaps, but not a home. Neither of them."
"I'm not sure you're not just trying to win sympathy from me," Marietta says shrewdly. "Is this some sort of ploy? 'Poor Zacharias, I ought to give him a Christmas snog?' You're getting more pathetic by the day." She is blushing harder than ever; this mix of emotions is killing her.
Zacharias loses his smile immediately, glaring at Marietta with an expression of superiority severe enough to rival any Slytherin's. "A Christmas snog? From the likes of you? You've made it incredibly obvious you'd rather snog Cho Chang, and I am nothing if not used to that sort of nonsense. I gave up on you ages ago, Edgecombe." He stares her down, his upper lip curling slightly. "It was rather easy."
A rush of anger overwhelms any of Marietta's other emotions. The flush of her cheeks remains, though for an entirely different reason, and she shoves Zacharias with an animal grunt. "You infuriating arse! I am so close to murdering you right this instant! How dare you use my own weaknesses to humiliate me? How dare you follow me around with your little insinuations, your 'understanding,' only to insult me? You are an evil little rat, you know that? You disgust me." There are tears of anger in her eyes, tears of frustration at the unfairness of the universe. Harry Potter has kissed Cho Chang, and Zacharias Smith has given up on her. It is disgusting and wrong and Marietta doesn't want any part of it, and yet it bears down on her with such a heavy weight, and she is crying despite herself.
"I don't know," says Zacharias, with a gleam in his eyes. He stops, his anger fading, and tugs at the end of Marietta's scarf. "Such a violent show of emotion. I'd think you'd be happy to hear I didn't care about you, if you weren't secretly fond of me. Sounds to me like there's hope for us yet."
"Oh, sod off, you pathetic little worm," Marietta says. She pulls at her scarf, intending to yank it from Zacharias's grasp. Somehow she finds herself pulling him closer, his fingers wrapped tightly around the woolen strip, a mix of indecipherable emotions on his face. She pulls him closer, and he smiles wryly at her, and the word hope lingers in Marietta's brain as she smashes her face onto his, her lips barely meeting his own in a awkward kiss. It is dry and cold and painful, as it is a terribly cold morning, and Marietta has no idea what she is doing.
"I guess I got my Christmas snog after all," Zacharias says as their mouths part. He is still smirking at her, with something dark in his gaze. "Another house without a home, I suppose, seeing as your heart belongs to Cho."
"My heart," says Marietta, breathless and befuddled, "belongs to no one."
"We'll see about that," says Zacharias.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-02 04:14 pm (UTC)Nice job!
no subject
Date: 2011-11-02 09:35 pm (UTC)