#8 | Gobstones

Having gotten lost in fears for his hair and the outcome of the game, Lucas lost track and had to re-count the gobstones. It was his 4th one, right? He dreaded every move he had to make now, regretting sitting down to start this awful event.

He flicked his gobstone and shot Teague a look. The Hufflepuff prat seemed cold. Good. Serves him right.

'You on the team?' Lucas asked, raising an eyebrow curiously. 'Quidditch, obviously. You look like the type.' He said the last bit in a way that wasn't a compliment yet couldn't entirely be passed off as an insult either. He reached behind his back, frowning at confirmation there was nothing for him to sulk against. Why couldn't these stone things be actual chairs?

Now that was interesting. Why was Lucas asking him about Quidditch? Harris harbored no illusions that the Slytherin boy cared for him or about him in any way, and the lad didn't seem the type to be making small talk. Was he trying to spy for Amara Seabrook or something? No, that didn't make sense either... she would know that Harris wasn't on the team already.

"Nope, not on the team, though I do love Quidditch." He flipped his gobstone and watched it spin. "Plus I grew up Muggle, so never really asked my parents for money to buy a broom. Didn't seem practical." Harris shrugged, still unable to shake the strange feeling he got from Lucas's question. "Why do you ask?"

It was his final gob stone he had flicked, so now the rest was up to Lucas and fate. There was nothing more he could do.

Lucas didn't like his chances. He eyed the board, nervously shifting his last gobstone among his fingers. He was so intently focused on the game he almost didn't catch Teague's words.

'Just curious,' he said evasively, watching the board again, still processing what Teague said. 'Muggle, huh?' There was something not very reassuring about his tone. Given his proud pureblood boastings over the years, and his company with Seabrook, perhaps Teague had just been a bit too honest?

He flicked his gobstone, then leaned back away from the board - bracing himself. Lucas putt hands at his scarf-made-beanie, unsure if it was enough or if he should be protecting his face as well. Please, Merlin, don't let him lose this game...

If Teague had something to say, Lucas never got the chance to hear it. As soon as he saw his appalling mistake of knocking one of his own gobstones from the board, especially considering how close to a win he was, he knew he had only seconds to react.

Lucas screamed, falling/sliding off his stone seat in effort to avoid the burst of goo sent his way. Some of it touched him, he knew it, but he was already up and fleeing before anything else could threaten his hair or face. He didn't even care that Teague was a witness right now - he just needed to get away.

So Lucas snatched anything of his in reach and fled the courtyard, making a beeline for the grounds though he'd soon realise he probably should have gone to opposite way. He didn't even say anything to the Hufflepuff as he left, too concerned with saving himself.