Closed A Perfect Distraction

[Louis Alcott]

Louis was upset. He had lost the Quidditch match against Ravenclaw. Ravenclaw. He was honestly humiliated by it and he hoped everyone else would forget it soon. But what bothered him, even more, was the fight he'd had with René right after. Fighting with Caleb was normal, but he didn't think he'd had a fight with René ever since they had become friends back in first year. It was weird. He had been caught by surprise by René's bitter comments and he knew he had said some things he didn't mean. He knew he had to apologize soon, but not quite yet. Right now, Louis was going outside to distract himself. He hoped to run into someone he could hang out with, someone who took his mind off both René and Caleb. It didn't take long for him to spot the perfect person. Louis grinned, heading over to the Slytherin. "Hey, Avery." He said with a smile. "How's the Emerald streak treating you?"

 

[Avery Lancaster]

It was a clear day, and Avery was taking the opportunity to sit out in the grass and just think. Life had felt a bit unsettled as of late, but he couldn't quite place why that was. Nothing drastic had changed. Everything seemed more or less the same as it always was, there was just something...off. Different. He couldn't figure it out, so he'd hoped the time in the sun and open air would lead to some semblance of clarity, or shed some light on why he felt that way.

He'd not been there long before his reflection was interrupted, and he was reminded that some things had changed lately, even if those changes were small. "Salut, Louis." He said, returning the other boy's smile as he approached. "It's treating me well, I am very happy with it. It is still taking some getting used to. It's quite fast." He said. Not fast enough to outfly the bludgers, as the last practice had proven, but he didn't think that was a broom issue. "Thank you for recommending it. I've needed a new one for a while. It's nice to have one of my own." He had been happy with the Firebolt he'd had, but it had been in the family a long time, and he had not noticed how poorly it performed until he'd made the change.​

 

[Louis Alcott]

Louis knew deep down that he should probably not start hitting on Caleb's roommate if he wanted any sort of chance at dating Caleb himself anytime soon, but it was so tempting. It was so much easier and more fun than trying to figure out his feelings, or linger on René. So Louis sat down, smiling as the boy greeted him in French. "Are you fluent in French?" He asked curiously, as so far he had only heard the boy say one word. He was glad to hear the Emerald Streak was a success for the boy. He shrugged as he thanked him. "It's quite literally my job, but you're welcome." He said teasingly. "I'd be happy to help you get used to it if you want, we could go flying together sometime." He offered, glancing at him to see how he felt about that idea.

 

[Avery Lancaster]

Avery gave a small nod. "Oui, mon père est Français." He said. By Louis' accent, he had to assume he was fluent himself. "He played for the Quibberon Quafflepunchers." He added. Quidditch had always been a big part of his background, despite how much his mother avoided discussing the topic. He supposed it only made sense that he ended up playing for the school team. He responded to Louis' comment with a small, if slightly bemused smile. "Not everyone is good at their job." He said. Not everyone followed up with customers about their purchases, either. It was very good customer service. If he had to go back to the store, he knew who to ask for. "I would like that a lot. It would be nice to practice without needing to keep an eye out for bludgers all of the time." He said, mentally wincing at the memory of his last practice. Slytherin had to have the best beaters in the school. He only wished he didn't have to be on the receiving end of their bludgers. "What do you fly?" He asked. He'd watched Gryffindors matches, but it was difficult to pay attention to who flew what with so much else going on.​

 

[Louis Alcott]

Louis sighed dramatically and immediately switched over to French, putting a hand on Avery's shoulder. "Merlin, I love you. I can't believe I can finally speak French at Hogwarts with anyone but my sister." He said rapidly, eyes shining with excitement. "Wait, really? Your dad?" He asked, eyes widening as he realized just what Avery was saying. "It's my dream to play for them someday." He added with another sigh, then he slightly shook the other boy's shoulder. "Where have you been all these years?" He asked, as he was pretty sure the boy wasn't new to Hogwarts. Had Louis really just not noticed someone this cool? Louis finally let go of him but grinned when the boy made a comment about not everyone being good at their job. "I'm not actually that good at my job, I just love talking about brooms." He said with a shrug. "Especially with cute people." He added with a smile. It wouldn't hurt to flirt a bit, surely. "It's a date." He decided firmly. "I have a scarlet streak." He added casually.