#18 Getting Lucky

Jacob shuddered, looking over his shoulder as he hurried through the castle. A girl had asked him out for Valentine's Day tomorrow and he felt really weird about it, mainly from how flirty she'd been and the clear romantic implications of the proposed date. He'd turned her down with a flourish and smile, then fled for his life. 

He got asked out often enough. More than often, if anyone asked him and dared to believe it. Dates were fun, but romantic dates? Something about it just... it made him feel uncomfortable inside, in a way he couldn't explain. Only when it came from people he didn't really know or wasn't close to, and he had no idea why. But he did know that apparently Cupid had him in its crosshairs so he needed to do something about it.

He needed a way to be occupied on V-Day.

So, he'd found his way to the basement with the perfect plan that totally couldn't fail. Legit perfect. Foolproof... no wait, that was a promise too big.

'Lucky?' Jacob yelled, arriving where he was convinced the Hufflepuff entrance was... somewhere. He knew it involved the barrels. 'LUCKETT LANGFORD. You have a package.' Him. He was the package.

He made wild, yelling noises hoping it would travel to the common room. Jacob abruptly stopped as as young Hufflepuff emerged, giving him bewildered and slightly terrified looks.

'Hey.' He nodded at the kid. 'How's it going? Good to see you. Lovely day, huh?' Jacob waved, then waited for the kid to scurry off before yelling again. He sounded certifiably insane.

Scrutinising the barrels, he gained an inflated sense of his own genius. Getting out his wand, assuming that was somehow needed, he stared long and hard at the barrels with zero musical inclination in his entire soul. He tapped on random ones as if they were drums, but then got so caught up in the beat he forgot what he was doing.

A girl smiled and waved at him as she passed.

Oh crap. Yeah.

'LUCKY,' Jacob yelled again, banging on the barrels as one would a door. 'C'mon buddy, I need ya. If you don't get your fit butt out here right now, I'm going tell Seabrook you're resigning as Captain and hopes she wins in your honour.'

He frowned, first to shudder at the thought, then in realisation he had absolutely no confirmation whatsoever that Lucky was even in the common room. Why had he even assumed that? Or was the Basement simply the first place he'd thought of? Well, too late to change tactics now, so he just yelled like a wildman some more.

Did they have snacks at Saint Mungos?