Closed I Should Go Back To Bed

[Gregory Friend]

Gregory hadn't clocked that this would be the year that his year group would end up having the chance at becoming prefects. It was unsurprising to him that he didn't get it. After all, he was a bother to everyone. His head of house probably hated him, and his grades were pretty awful. He wasn't going to be selected to represent his house when he struggled to listen in classes. The fact that he was half deaf wouldn't come up, it wasn't like he'd told anyone. Gregory came to the great hall, eagerly getting his breakfast before everyone else turned up. It was calm, there were only a few people about. The food he had was of no interest to him, but he was eating. God, he wanted to go back to bed. He didn't want to have to bother with any of what school was today.

 

[Cassius Styx]

Cassius Styx had the best break ever. He had @Snowdrop Chase come visit him at his house. She got to meet his folks, and his mother really liked her. Hades was a bit harder to read, but he did not tell his son to stay away. So, that was good news, right? Maybe it was because he earned the prefect badge too. He had straight Os. He was well on his way to getting what he wanted, and there was one more thing he needed to learn. And that was when his silver eyes landed on someone he knew had the biggest crush on Snow, but failed to land her. It was hard to compete with someone as amazing as Cass. He strolled over and sat down next to Gregory and noticed he had not eaten. "What, you weren't chosen to be a prefect? Not surprising, since you aren't really first choice for anything, are you?" Cass smirked as he grabbed an apple to start slicing it after referring to the fact that Snow did not want to date or kiss Gregory.​

 

[Gregory Friend]

Gregory's morning only got worse, as the one person he really didn't want to see was suddenly in front of him. He noted the prefect badge and then the boy spoke. Gregory immediately looked away, staring at his plate and feeling his cheeks redden. He wasn't surprised by not being picked, but it felt harsh from Cassius to rub it in his face. It didn't help that Gregory knew he'd never been picked first for anything. His adoptive parents hadn't glanced at him until after he'd been rejected by others, after his biological parents had rejected him. But he was sure this was about what he'd seen. About Cassius and Snow. "Go away, Cassius, I'm not in the mood," he said, glancing nervously back at him.

 

[Cassius Styx]

Gregory looking away from him did not go unnoticed by Cass. He even became red in the face, but was the Hufflepuff going to cry or get mad? Honestly, he would prefer to make the lad mad because it would be far more interesting. Yet, all he was told that he was not in the mood, and to go away. His words were bold, but the body language did not match. Cass smirked as he folded his arms across his chest. "Everyone is in the mood to be in my presence. You just haven't realized how much of an honor it is." Cass truly thought that way because where he came from, and the blood running in his veins. "You can always do something about it. I don't know, maybe, grow a backbone? Then you will find yourself in better company other than people like me that pity you." Cass thought that this was a way to help, no matter how much of an a** he sounded right now.​

 

[Gregory Friend]

Gregory couldn't believe that there had once been a time, pre-Hogwarts where he'd thought Cassius was a little cool, the boy was just the worst person. Gregory wasn't sure how no one else saw it. How they didn't realise what a terrible, terrible person he was. He glanced up at him nervously, his sentiments towards him never translating into what would help him against Cass. He wished he hadn't bothered to get out of bed. "Go away," he repeated weakly, not bothered to try to appear like he was 'growing a backbone'. "I just want to be left alone Cassius. Go do prefect things or kiss your stupid girlfriend, just leave me be," Gregory's bitterness was all over his words.

 

[Cassius Styx]

Now, Cassius could handle it when someone insulted him because it would just roll off of him. Even when told to go away, it fell on deaf ears. However, the moment that Gregory called his girlfriend stupid, Cass grabbed the first plate of food he could get his hands on, and threw it toward the Hufflepuff. "You can say whatever you want about me, but call my girlfriend stupid or anything negative, and I'll have your head." To him, that alone would make him a better boyfriend than Gregory could ever be. Cass would protect Snow's honor for as long as he knew about it. "There was a time she cared about you. As a friend, but then you had to go ruin that. I know I'm an a**hole, but even I have friends. You tend to drive people away. The problem is you, so f**king fix yourself." Cass only knew what Terror informed him of, so Cass knew about the entire thing with Dahlia, and now with Snow. He had no idea if Gregory had anyone outside of that - so he could be wrong. Even if Cass had some friends, he had a lot more people that did not like him.​

 

[Gregory Friend]

Gregory wasn't sure why but having the plate thrown at him felt right. Like he deserved it. Like he needed it. He was just about able to move out of the way and he stared at where it fell. He knew there were enough people around him to have them see what Cassius was really like. He glanced back at him and for a moment narrowed his eyes. The words that he said were no different than ones that Gregory had heard before. There was no fixing him, he was a useless student, a useless son and a terrible friend. No matter what he did he drove people away. Perhaps it was time to give on pretending that he was good. "Your girlfriend is a b1tch," Gregory met Cassius' gaze as he said it, ignoring the sentiment in him towards Snow, Snow who had at one point been his friend. Who was mostly nice. He didn't say her name, just used the title she had to Cassius, which made him feel just a little better about the words.

 

[Cassius Styx]

Cass had an array of spells that he could use, or he could use his fists, but the moment that Gregory actually referred to Snowdrop Chase, Gregory's friend - or former now, a b***h, he knew that Gregory managed to isolate himself from everyone. Who else gave the boy any time of day? Cass was about to lunge when it occurred to him that Gregory might have been wanting to be hurt, or make Cassius Styx himself lose his badge to bring him down to his level. "I know what you are doing. Maybe you aren't as dumb as I thought, but I'm a Styx." Cass felt that the surname alone was validation for him. "I'll make sure Snow knows exactly what you think of her." Cass thought about it, and actually formed a smile on his face. He thought of 'what would Terror' do to win this sort of thing? Cass remembered that he had everything that Gregory didn't. A girlfriend, excellent grades, loving siblings and parents, and came from a strong line of purebloods. Add a prefect badge on top of it. It must be agony to the Hufflepuff to stare at what he failed to become. Not even a fraction of what Cassius was. "Does it hurt, looking across the table to see someone the exact opposite of you? Really, what do you have to show for your time here?"​

 

[Gregory Friend]

Gregory was bracing himself, almost certain that Cassius would hit him, would fly off the handle as he always used to do. But perhaps the other had grown a little, got wiser. He could see that his anger flared but he didn't react, at least not physically. He gave an attempt at a casual shrug, he'd already completely soured his relationship with Snow, but that didn't mean that he actually wanted to hurt her. Him yes, her no. But the boy kept going, trying to wear him down with words and though Gregory flinched a little at them, they didn't hurt as much. Perhaps because it had been said so often, and he knew it deeply to be true. How much he agreed with it. "Your words don't hurt me nearly as much as you hope they do," he lied.