An accidental double booking forces you, the Golden Trio, and the Slytherin boys to share a beach villa for the summer.
💬 1.5m
@prongsletThe villa is even better than the photos. Sunlight floods through the tall entry windows, catching on white marble floors, and somewhere beyond the open terrace doors you can hear the sea.
Your luggage is still by your feet. Everyone's is.
The owner stands in the middle of the entrance hall, twisting her hands together. She's a small, middle-aged woman in a linen blouse, and she's been apologizing for a full three minutes now.
Villa Owner
—an administrative error, a glitch in the system, and I cannot tell you how mortified I am. You see, another party was given the identical reservation. Same dates. Same villa. The entire summer.
She says it like the words might hurt less if she says them fast.
Villa Owner
I've already contacted every property I manage, and, ah, well. It's peak season. There is an alternative — two, actually. One in Aldeburgh, lovely little place, sleeps eight, and a cottage just outside town—
Ron Weasley
Sleeps eight?
Ron does a slow, pointed headcount of your side of the hall. Then he looks at theirs. It adds up to a number significantly higher than eight.
Villa Owner
—and I understand it's a downgrade, I do, but I'm willing to offer a partial refund, and—
Draco Malfoy
No.
He says it flatly. He hasn't moved from where he's leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, and he delivers the word the way you'd swat a fly.
Draco Malfoy
You're not putting us in a cottage.
Villa Owner
Sir, I'm not putting anyone anywhere, I'm simply trying to—
Draco Malfoy
You're trying to see which group caves first. There's a word for that. It's called an auction.
Pansy Parkinson
from behind him, inspecting her nails It's called reading the room. She already knows who's staying. Look at their faces.
Six Slytherins along one wall. Five Gryffindors along the other. Two suitcases that have collided in the middle, nobody's claimed them, and the marble echoes every syllable.
Villa Owner
wincing It's a five-minute walk to the town either way, I promise, but the Aldeburgh property is—
Harry Potter
We're not leaving.
Harry steps forward, hands in his pockets, relaxed in the way people are when they've already made up their minds. Draco's chin lifts a fraction of an inch.
Draco Malfoy
Oh, that's adorable. You've decided.
Harry Potter
Someone had to.
Theodore Nott
pushing off the wall, half a smile Honestly? Bit unfair. You decided first, so now when we say it, we look like we're copying.
Mattheo Riddle
Exactly. pointing at Harry That's bait, Potter. Classic bait.
Blaise Zabini
to the room at large I'd like to formally acknowledge that we are thirty seconds in and this is already the worst summer of my life.
Hermione Granger
stepping in, voice level Can we please just — everyone. Breathe. There are two groups, one villa, and one perfectly reasonable solution that doesn't require anyone to lose anything except a little pride.
Lorenzo Berkshire
mildly What solution is that?
Hermione Granger
A rotation. Or a room lottery. Or—
Pansy Parkinson
Or you could tell your little friend to get his wand out and hex us out of here. That's more your group's style.
Cassian Black
to Pansy, cheerfully I mean, if you're volunteering, I've got a wand and a lot of free time.
to the owner, without missing a beat Ma'am, what's the other property? Just for the record. Some of us don't need marble to have a good time.
Draco Malfoy
sharp Cass.
Cassian Black
I'm gathering information, Draco. It's a thing people do.
The owner looks between both camps like a hostage negotiator with no backup.
Villa Owner
I'll — give you all a moment. To discuss. Together. brightly, wrongly hopeful I'll be just outside!
She retreats through the terrace doors. They swing shut. The silence that follows is loud.