Hufflepuff house
The last day of break lirum woke a little excited, because the last of their friends would be returning today. They readied themself for the cold weather. They grabbed their gloves remembering what happened on Christmas. They wouldn’t be caught unprepared this time as they made their way to meet their Hufflepuff companions.
Running down the stairs earning several odd looks from other students they quickly arrived at the great hall. They had been exchanging owls with the pair since the start of break planning tonight. Lirum would sneak out and stay over in the Hufflepuff dorms. Seeing their friends already talking at the Hufflepuff table they made their way over.
“Did you bring the stuff?” Lirum asked the pair of Hufflepuffs beaming.
“Oh yeah, you sure you can follow through?” said Tonks parting their bag.
“If both of you are ready to back me up if anything happens.” Lirum said, rocking back and forth on their heels in anticipation.
“And what’s the story?” Cedric asked, pulling out a spare set of Hufflepuff robes.
“My name is Guin Tonks, I’m a second year student and I’m just shy. That's why no one remembers me! That’s everything right?” Lirum said as they listed out their agreed upon backstory to make sure everyone was on the same page.
“Don’t forget to call me Dora. You're my little sister, it'll make it way more believable, we both have your back if you get nervous or anyone asks to call one of us. Got it?” Tonks said, reminding Lirum of the last of their back stories.
“You got it Dora!” Lirum said excitedly.
“Go get dressed and don’t forget about your hair! The pink like last time, when everyone thought you looked like Tonks. You can do it a little more purple right?” Cedric asked, trying to make it as convincing as possible.
“I’m on it I’ll be back!” Lirum called out running to the bathrooms to change.
Lirum ran all the way to the second-floor girls' bathrooms. They’d heard it was haunted and no one ever went in there. It was the perfect place to change their identity, no one to see them go in, out, or change form. Quickly they ducked into one of the stalls to change robes before making their way to the mirror.
They looked into the mirror for a moment thinking about their own appearance, they always avoided mirrors. When they looked for to long things would start to change. Then they couldn’t even remember their own face. They shook away the thought and started by attempting to turn their hair to more of the pinkish purple Tonks always appeared to be. Tonks had also sent them a picture of her mother to help change a few features to sell the story a little more. Once satisfied with their appearance they made their way back down the stairs to join their new house. As they made their way to the table they heard Cedric speak.
“Wow that’s scary good.” Cedric spoke under his breath so no one would hear except the two “Tonks'' kids sitting across the table from him.
“Well, we should all get back to the common room, right?” Dora gestured for “Guin” and Cedric to head back to the Hufflepuff dorms picking up their bag stuffed full.
The trio of “Hufflepuffs” walked together back to the common room finding a secluded corner.
“Well, that’s gone over much smoother than I expected. No one's seemed to question it at all so far.” Cedric said as he had collected a pile of pillows from around the room to pad their corner.
“Are you ready? I brought some muggle tech just for this. I got it for Christmas. Everyone say thank you to the Tonks side of my family for the entertainment and music!” Tonks said as they pulled out a small CD player with speakers and some makeup.
“What does it do?” Cedric asked, inspecting the odd round thing Tonks put in the middle of the three.
“It plays music!” They said pulling out a square plastic case with a cd in it she waved around.
“Like a record player?” Lirum asked, leaning back and relaxed.
“Exactly now sit up and come here Cedric.” Tonks said pulling out a hair band from their bag before using it to pull Cedric’s hair back.
“What are you planning exactly I’m still not sure what I’ve agreed to?” Cedric asked letting the pair of metamorphmagi continue regardless.
“We’re gonna put makeup on you and make you stunning! Not that you aren’t already!” Lirum said sliding forward to start digging through the makeup.
“You boys ready for some tunes? You’re lucky this thing holds a charge else we’d have no music.” Tonks said, popping the CD from before into the player as the music starts.
“How was Christmas here at the castle lirum?-But girls, just wanna have fun~!” Tonks says grabbing a brush holding the hair sticking up on Cedric’s head back as they applied something to his face.
“It was good I spent a lot of time with my ‘Gaggle of Weasleys’ as you put it before. We’re all officially friends now, I think. How about the two of you?” Lirum answered.
“It was good spent it with mum and dad like any other-Wow this song is really catchy. -Isn’t it weird though if none of us are girls?” Cedric asked to be cut off halfway through as Tonks brought the brush over his mouth.
“Look we take what we can get alright it’s not like we had a lot of options.” Lirum joked. Watching and laughing as Cedric spit out a bit of makeup that got in his mouth when Tonks cut him off.
“Mine was pretty normal too, London is London after all! I got makeup from my dad's side of the family. And this thing from my parents.” Tonks said patting the top of the player causing it to skip for a second.
“Did either of you actually study for the exams coming up? Oh, girls just want to have!~” Cedric sang under his breath, dancing a little while getting his makeup done.
Tonks finished what they were applying to his face and went back to digging through their pile of makeup. Lirum held up the pallet next to his face, deciding on a shimmery silver color to go with his eyes. While Tonks grabbed a pencil from the pile.
“Not a chance, but I’m sure Lirum did. Now, you need to sit still and look up for a second. Trust me!” Tonks said scooting closer to get a better angle on Cedric’s face.
“Of course I did! Do you think The Percy Weasley would let me get out of studying just because it was Holliday? He even wanted to study on Christmas!-They just wanna, they just wanna~” Lirum said, only half paying attention to the conversation trying to apply the makeup to Cedric’s other eye.
“You can act like you don’t like him all you want. I saw how you looked at him at the Quidditch pitch!” Tonks said, giving a little nudge to lirum.
“Don’t do that you’ll make me mess up. And it’s not like he has a girlfriend.” Lirum said pulling back so they don’t ruin Cedric’s makeup.
“What did I miss? You’re telling me their was drama and romance and no one told me? I’m hurt!” Cedric said, leaning back to look at the pair.
“Lirum has a crush on Percy Weasley. You know, that fifth year Gryffindor prefect that’s tutoring them.- and don’t even try to deny it like I can’t see you looking at him awestruck.” Tonks said casually collecting more product on the brush.
“You’re telling me you went to a quidditch game with a field full of attractive boys and girls and you chose the uptight nerd! Straight laced Percy Weasley! That’s who you have a crush on? At least his brothers are attractive.” He said, earning a side-eye glance from both the metamorphmagi. “A man can admire another man without it being gay!”
“Sure and you didn’t ask me if I looked forward to necking on with you the first time I came here.- also I do not have a crush and even if I did Percy is very sweet you meathead not everyone cares about sports or being sporty!” Lirum joked.
“I might be a meathead but I’m a meathead with heart!” Cedric cheered, earning a laugh out of both his friends.
“What are you doing?” a short young girl in Hufflepuff robes asked.
“A makeover.” Cedric shrugged.
“But aren’t you a boy? boys don’t wear makeup? And who are you?” The girl asked, crossing her arms looking at the trio.
“Hannah, boys can do whatever they please and that’s Tonks sister. Guin Back to you being in love with Percy!” Cedric said, looking back to Lirum.
“I am not in love with Percy! And even if I was, he has a girlfriend!” Lirum snapped, crossing their arms.
“If you’re Tonks' sister, why don’t I recognize you!” Hannah butted in again, seemingly the only person In the common room to even send a second glance at the trio in the corner.
“She’s shy and you’re a first year student, don't be so full of yourself to think you know everything. And did you see the way he looked at Oliver Wood? That boy's gay and you know it even if he was straight. You could be his girlfriend.” Tonks said, teasing , moving to finish Cedric’s other eye.
“Dora! You can’t just say that!” Lirum said shocked Tonks went so far in both regards.
“What it’s true he doesn’t even seem to like her. You could easily slide in their Guin. Gay or straight, some people like both. You could be any or all.” Tonks said, nudging a very stunned Lirum. Causing Lirum to flush red almost certain their hair matched their face. The first-year girl left after that.
“So what’s so good about Percy anyway? I mean all the people out there to gawk at and you chose the scrawny ginger?” Cedric asked, still caught up on Lirum’s poor taste in men.
“Hey! He’s pretty up close!” Lirum defended thinking about Percy’s flush face from Christmas.
“You called it.2 galleons it is then. I hoped you’d have better taste in boys. My money was on one of the twins.” Cedric said, pulling the two gold coins from his pocket, handing them to Tonks in defeat.
“Were you taking bets on my crush?! Why were all of the options Weasleys!?” Lirum shouted in shock.
“You have a thing for gingers” the two Hufflepuffs said in unison.
“I do not! I also don’t have a crush, this is nonsense!” Lirum argued.
“Oh dear! You’re even starting to talk like him” Cedric teased.
“He’s sweet when we’re alone! And he has a very nice smile! One that you only see if you earn it, it’s real, genuine. Not like your fake one you wear! His eyes are pretty so when he takes off his glasses you can see them much better. His freckles are nice too…and his pretty curly hair it’s colored like a sunrise….” Lirum trailed off as they realized how what they said sounded.
“You sure got it bad hun. Now let me give my little sister a makeover!” Tonks said, pulling away from Cedric to look at Lirum.
“You said he’s ‘sweet’ when you're alone, how so?” Tonks asked as they dug through the makeup.
“He’s just nice? Our first time studying together he was kind of a jerk-“
“He’s the one you where crying by the lake because of, yeah?” Tonks said considering different shades of makeup.
“Crying by the lake?” Cedric rushed to cut in.
“Day with the troll keep up.” Tonks said nudging Cedric who looked more confused than ever between the makeup and bonding time he’d missed.
“Yeah well he apologized and he was genuine about it too! Told me to pretend he wasn’t a prefect. and just talk to him like a normal person. He’s started talking to me now too, like genuinely not just ‘Mr Ollivander i hope your doing well’ genuinely talking! I think his mum has something to do with why he is the way he is most of the time, but he very clearly doesn’t want to talk about it. I think when the lake thaws I’m gonna make him come with me out there. straight this all out once and for all.-uh speaking of witch how did you know what to tell me?” Lirum ranted about Percy and their issues.
“Well it seems like you’ve got a plan to be the next Mx. Weasley.” Cedric joked looking to
“I just told you honestly what I felt, and what I thought you needed to hear. It wouldn’t surprise me though if Ms. Weasley was putting to much pressure on him though Charlie only ran all the way to Romania to get away from her.” Tonks said, applying things to Lirum’s face.
“I’m sorry, what? You mean-pfft-oh that tastes terrible they couldn’t make it taste better” lirum said it being their Turn to sit there slitting the awful product out.
“I know, tell me about it right!” Cedric said fixing his hair now that his makeup was done.
“Charlie was Percy’s older brother. He’s got a talent with dragons and says he went to Romania because it had the best opportunities for working with dragons, but if he wanted to stick around there are more options then you might think.” Tonks continued.
The night continued on the same, music and chatting. Lirum was stuck thinking about what Tonks said for the rest of the night. Cedric talked about his family and what they did for Christmas as well as his budding crush on a second year girl. Apparently she’s the new seeker for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. When it came time for Tonks to discuss their love life they declared it was time for sleep obviously avoiding the topic but no one pushed it was a comfortable night for the three.