Edmund was furious. Not just the fleeting anger that can be dispelled by a joke, but the fury that was so consuming that it quivered over every inch of skin, every nerve ending pulsating with undignified hate. He stormed through the common room, keen not to make eye contact with anyone. It was rare to see the usual charmer move through without saying a word - pleasantries and signature smiles were the last thing on Edmund's mind. A few younger third year boys looked up, eager to exchange a nod of the head - but he was gone quicker than he had entered, briskly stepping up towards the boys dormitories.

And all because of George Carter. His rather uncouth statement regarding Waker and Edmund had not only hit a raw nerve, but smashed down upon it with a mallet made of concrete. How did he even have the nerve to bring it up? How did he know the ins-and-outs of everything that had gone on? It was an unspoken truth that Carter and Klint despised each other, but their conflict had never been so apparent. Edmund knew that he shouldn't be bothered about it - he had a new girl now (who was the greatest girl he'd ever clapped eyes on), yet it was the fact that he'd lost. And he'd lost out big style to someone like George Carter. Even imagining his name written out in the cretin's childish scrawl made Edmund's blood boil.

He'd humiliated Edmund in the worst way possible, and it had only happened because of Waker. That's what hurt the most. Even after she'd dumped Edmund as quickly as their fling had begun, they'd remained friends - no, best friends. And she'd obviously been spouting off the gossip to George. They'd just kissed, and that had been good enough over the summer for Edmund, but evidently, not good enough for Waker. Had she been laughing behind his back the whole time? Mocking Edmund's apprehension to attempt to take things further? George had 'taught' her things that Edmund never had, he was a better boyfriend than Edmund could ever have been. Edmund theorised that even Carter wasn't as moronic or stupid enough to make such a claim without the evidence of his girlfriend. She must have said something.

Barging through the dormitory door, he immediately slammed it behind him, the age old oak frame rattling within its stone archway. Edmund gritted his teeth, letting out a short but intense grunt of wrath. He'd lost. Not only his control of the situation, not only the battle with George Carter, but he'd lost out on Waker, and now, even she was laughing at him. He grabbed his satchel and threw it against the wall as hard as he possibly could, burgeoning tears of anger appearing in Edmund's normally cool and tranquil eyes. Sheets of parchment and textbooks escaped their leathery cell, fluttering across the room as the satchel fell to the floor.

Edmund sank to his bed, sitting on its edge with both hands on his knees. Deep breaths, Edmund. Don't be such an idiot. Don't let George Carter of all people make you feel like such an idiot. It was futile however, because Edmund felt like the world's biggest idiot to have ever existed. And it was all Waker's fault.

It was starting to become a common thought for Leon... That he would be forever single and dateless. He was a handsome boy, but lacked the confidence and social skills to make it with a proper girl. Another issue of his was that he didn't even know who he would ever ask if he were to even gain the mental capacity to. He watched as his friends gained the love and affection of girls here and there. But Leon had only ever went on a few dates. Those girls didn't want to take their relationships seriously. Leon was seemingly a loser. He knew a few girls sort of liked him, but they were generally all taken up or much too young.

Which was why he lacked a date for the upcoming dance. Pity.

He had crawled up into his dorm, waiting for his next class to start. He was already caught up with his work, thanks to his endless need to be distracted. Leon had taken to reading old books his father had sent him in the mail by request. Leon needed things to do. He didn't like thinking badly about himself, but it happened so often. One would think that, if Leon was supposedly good looking and had a nice personality, girls would ask him out. Not that Leon would like that, since it was a bit unorthodox, but... Leon was beginning to doubt he had any appeal to himself at all. He must come off as a nerd... Head Boy with strong intelligence. Sure, he was the Quidditch Captain... But even then he wasn't the best out there. He had let a quaffle through the hoop because he was too concerned about his best friend being hurt.

And, coincidentally, as soon as he had that thought, Edmund Klint came barreling into their dorm. Normally, Leon would have greeted him with a pleasant smile and a warm "hello", but one glance at Eddie's face... The head boy immediately cringed and thought about jumping over his bed and hiding away from him. Leon loved Eddie like a brother... He knew Eddie like a brother... So when Eddie was angry, Leon was on edge. Edmund was typically laid back and happy. That was why Leon enjoyed him so much. But... An angry Edmund was like being around a ravenous raccoon. Only not fluffy and much more large.

Eddie's bag was suddenly thrown across the room. A huge mess on the floor thanks to Eddie's fury. Leon stared, warily, at the scattered papers, thinking about how it will take forever to organize them back together while Edmund threw his tantrum. It was frightening, almost. Seeing his friend get so upset. But Eddie was a beater, and Leon learned long ago that beaters were generally violent people.

Instead of hiding, however, Leon swung his legs off the side of his bed, tossing his book to the side. He sat opposite of Edmund, their beds luckily right next to one another's. It took him a moment to find a comfortable position. Long legs lightly touching the floor, arms on either side of him, clutching the edge of the mattress. His lips parted... Eddie was breathing funny, shaking almost. Trying to calm himself down. Leon considered leaving him be, so he could stew in his on mess and settle down before talking to him.

But Leon was better than that. If Edmund was upset, Leon needed to know. They were like brothers, after all.

"You... You alright, Eddie?" Leon finally asked, a deep look of concern taking over his expression. He hardly ever seen Edmund like this. Of course he wasn't alright. "Dumb question. Forget that. Ummm..." He paused, gaze dropping away from his friend's face and to the floor below them, "What happened? I- If you don't mind me asking, yeah?" He shifted, slightly, uncomfortable for prodding. Leon was in no position to ask questions. He was too afraid of Eddie's wrath. But he knew he had to get past it. He had to comfort his friend. Sometimes Leon seemed to treat Edmund more like a respected acquaintance, rather than a best friend. He knew how annoying that could be.

"Or do you want me to wait until you calm down?" he bit his lip and secretly hoped Eddie would wait a moment, "Ummm... Forget that, too... Just... Tell me what's going on..."

(Warning: one expletive used in Edmund's fit of anger.)

Edmund hadn't even noticed or thought that Leon would be back, let alone any of their other dormmates. He glanced up, his eyes red, blinking furiously to hold back a few tears of pure anger. The Ravenclaw didn't feel embarrassed at totally losing his temper in front of his best mate, but felt bad that he potentially could've ruined whatever mood Leon was in. When asked if his general well-being was alright (which it decidedly was not), Edmund shook his head slowly, taking a deep breath.

He parted his lips to speak, his voice that followed delayed by a few short seconds.
"Waker..." Edmund murmured, his voice scratchy and coarse. "Ever since we were kinda together... She's been laughing at me the full time." Edmund shook his head again, gazing up at the ceiling, biting down on an already tender bottom lip. "I got paired with that absolute prick, George Carter. He was trying to get a reaction out of me all lesson, and then he brought up Waker, said he knew we never got..." Edmund paused, reluctant to bring up that sort of topic with Leon. The kid was his best friend, and a good friend at that - but they never really discussed such intimate details, and as such, Edmund tried to put it as diplomatically as possible.

"That we never really did anything more than kissing. Said he could tell she'd never been with a 'real man' before, and that she's learned so much since." Recounting the story raised the hairs on the back of his neck - he'd lost, he'd lost to someone like George Carter. That was humiliating enough. "How could we know about stuff like that unless she'd told him, Leon? They've been joking about me ever since they get together, clearly."

They were supposed to be friends, the three of them. And Edmund was letting his own insecurities get the better of him. When it came to girls he was a self-confessed professional charmer, but when it was a girl he really liked, he was a nervous wreck. What else had Waker told George? That sickening pang in the bottom of his stomach reappeared, that very same pang he'd suffered when Waker had broken things off.
"She must've told him Leon. She must've."