Match, made.

“Well, if that’s quite all, gents, I’m needed elsewhere.”

He rolled his eyes as his mates began to catcall and tease, though he naturally loved the attention. It had been a slow summer for most of them. They had only just hit the age where it was appropriate for them to begin their courting, and they were all a bit thrown. They’d never admit it but he had seen them struggle all summer through countless introductions. It was a very detached experience to have your parents describe your positive attributes to people you had known your whole, while a matching young lady tried to watch you for reactions. It was a brutal, critical process.

And in it, Cosmo thrived. He had grown like a weed under public observance, reaching for the limelight and the nourishment it provided. He had heard his parents speak of him as though he wasn’t there from birth, talking so confidently of a boy who was as smart as he was talented as he was handsome that Cosmo couldn’t help but trust their judgment. What did he have to worry of with these introductions? He was a catch.

He liked Annabelle. She was detached from it all, it seemed, didn’t quite put the stock into it that the other families did. She wasn’t a forever match, he was pretty sure, but she was cute, she was independent, and she seemed to like his affections. It was a low pressure way of getting comfortable with this whole Relationship game. Not that they have a Relationship. They were just talking, just hanging out.

Plus, you know, the occasional snog.

Cosmo and Annabelle had a standing date to work on their Muggle Studies homework together. They both liked the subject and were good at it. He enjoyed the conversations they had over the books.

It was nice out - which meant they’d be at the lake. She seemed to like to spend time together where they could have some privacy. Which was fine by him - drove his mates nuts that they couldn’t spy on them. He headed out into the sunshine, greeting a few fellow fifth years from Ravenclaw who were headed in, nodding to Lily Potter as he passed her. The girl had begun to crack under the pressure of OWLs it seemed, was skipping classes. And a prefect no less. What a waste.

He could see Annabelle sitting under a tree, their tree he couldn’t help but think with a bit of a smirk. Right off the water, shielded from the sun by its leafy shade.

He flopped next to her, grinning. “Nice to see you today, Miss Mulciber.” He gave her a peck on her cheek, smiling widely at her as he did. “Hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long. The snake pit was especially entangled today.” He began to pull his books out. “How were your classes?”

"I don't know why you spend time with him, honestly."

"That's because there's nothing for you to know."

Anabelle turned on her heel without more of an explanation to Cronis. He'd been so defensive since he found out about her and the Barbary boy. She didn't understand why he felt the need to constantly ask her about what they did, or didn't do. It was none of his business and he knew that she wasn't so loose lipped. Even if she something to say to him about it, she wouldn't.

But there was nothing to talk about. They didn't do much else besides hang out and that was enough for her. Anabelle wasn't very touchy feely, with the exception of snogging, and she'd prefer to keep it that way. Cosmo seemed to understand that, and that was probably why their "relationship" worked. He wasn't asking more of her than she wawanted to give.

At least, not yet.

But those thoughts could be saved for later. She had arrived at the lake just a few minutes before the time they had agreed on and she'd sat herself down at their usual spot. Whether he would be on time, or a little late, Anabelle didn't mind. She could enjoy the view of the lake while she waited.

She shifted and looked over when she felt a light breeze created by movement from next to her. She couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips when she saw Cosmo. While she couldn't say she liked him in the form her parents hoped she would, she definitely did enjoy his company. They did one thing right for once.

"Hey, you." She replied, returning his peck with one of her own shortly after him. "No, I got here just a bit ago. So you're fine." She reached for her bag that sat on the grass next to her to retrieve her books from it. "Boring, you know. The usual. Had an argument happen in Transfig, between the Yaxley boys. Not sure what it was about, though. Anyways, how about you? How was your day?"

Cosmo smiled at Annabelle, eyes tracing her face. She was lovely to look at, and he enjoyed the novelty of dating a Gryffindor. So long as she was pureblood, no one scoffed, but it made things a little more fun. Like the perks of a taboo relationship without any of the drawbacks or consequences.

"They're always arguing," he said, rolling his eyes. He saw how Cronis looked at his girlfriend. Everyone saw it. He didn't do a great job at hiding it. "You're very patient for putting up with them," he said, offering a small smile that didn't betray the irritation he felt towards Yaxley. He wasn't at all threatened, Annabelle had eyes for him and him alone. It was just... disrespectful. Uncivil. Unfriendly. Where was the Slytherin camaraderie?

"It was fine, I guess. Too long. Much too boring," he said, yawning as he did. He leaned against the tree and gazed over at her. "Do we have to study?"

"I think I'm just used to it." Anabelle sighed. She'd grown up around the Yaxley boys, it was actually one of their get-togethers that her father had drunkenly accused her mother of sleeping with another man. It had been there where the rumors of her not being Alexander Mulciber's daughter had begun.

Cronis and Evander were a grim reminder of that night, though she tried her best to keep it from them. The embarrassment she'd gone through was only rubbed in her face by the empathetic looks the boys' parents always gave her when she went to their home. The twins tried their hardest to keep the subject from coming up whenever she was around.

The arguments between them really didn't phase her at much as they originally did. For one reason or another, they bickered and at some point Anabelle had just stopped listening. She played the part of the unbiased third party whenever their arguments got too out of hand, but that was about it.

"Well that was the whole reason for us being here, wasn't it?" She raised an eyebrow at him. Studying wasn't the most exciting thing, but it was the best way to ensure good grades. Especially with this year being their OWL year. "What else did you have in mind?"

If there was anything that Cosmo could point to being the cause of their inevitable break up, it was Anabelle's passivity. He wasn't sure that was the best word, but it would do for now. And not that he found it any sort of problem now. He didn't expect them to last forever. Not at any fault of hers or his, but they were fifteen. Marrying your school sweetheart might have worked for other purebloods, but times were changing. His own parents married late, compared to the parents of many of his friends.

Point was, he still had a lot of changing to do. Changing, growing, living. And Anabelle was part of that, certainly, but they'd both need to go their separate ways to get there.

He shrugged. "Well, the whole point of being in school is to set us up for a happy life, isn't it? And grades aren't the only thing that determines that. Experiences, memories - those really make up character don't you think?" He leaned back, a smile hitched to his face in a lopsided fashion. "C'mon. Here, what did you think about that last muggle studies class? The discussion on whether or not muggles should know about magic. Thoughts?"

Anabelle tilted her head to the side in thought. Her gaze was on Cosmo, fixed. He was handsome, there was no doubt about that and as much as she thought she could like him, she wasn't sure it would ever go beyond that. Her parents were too traditional, still thinking that marrying off their daughter to keep their bloodline pure was the way to go.

If she were anyone else, she couldn't say she blamed them. She knew herself, and because of that she knew that she would purposely try to marry someone who was less than pureblood, just to spite the two of them. But right now, she was quite enjoying the time she was able to spend with the Slytherin boy. It was odd, though, to be with a Slytherin when the house rivalry was still a thing - though it was quickly going away.

"I suppose." She stated simply. "Well.. there's two ways to see it. The first way, is that it'll help us if they know because we won't have to worry about hiding it and we'd be able to live among them as ourselves. But on the other hand-" she out her hand out as though she was weighing the options, "it could cause something like a war. The muggles could become scared, enraged and take measures to destroy the lot of us." She paused for a moment to think.

"That being said, I personally think they should be allowed to know I don't think it's entirely false that they'd want to rid the world of us, bit I'd like to believe we can all live amongst one another without the need for a bloodbath."

Cosmo knew that the topic of muggle studies would get her off of studying. Not that there wasn't a time and a place for it, Cosmo certainly enjoyed being able to claim high grades and a sharp mind. But half of the point of having a girlfriend was to sidestep responsibilities. Hardly gave his mates a reason to hoot and howl if they were just getting ahead on Potions essays.

But their shared enthusiasm for the muggle studies subject always guaranteed some enthusiasm, even if his friends didn't understand it. Cosmo could see through, however, could see how truly believing something meant approaching it from every angle. Anyone who believed what he believed, and as deeply as he believed it, could benefit from taking the subject more seriously.

"A war is inevitable," he agreed. "Look at their history. Do you know how they followed up 'The War to End All Wars'? With a bigger, worse war. Invading each other when they don't agree. How do you think they'll respond to magic, undetected beneath them? They used to light us on fire, and that was before they had automated weapons."

He paused, before coolly continuing. "But I think we should. It'd be easy enough to disarm them. Show a strong arm, show them how futile attempts to fight are. Show them how easily we could take over, flatter them that we haven't already, and explain the benefits of magical sovereignty. We could solve so many of their problems, make their world a safer, more secure place. And in return, we can set them up with simple lives, fulfilling our needs so we can be free to explore more magical breakthroughs. Imagine if no witch or wizard of a strong bloodline ever had to worry about the economy, or other burdensome thoughts, and could focus purely on magical exploration. A muggle labor force that is well taken care of benefits both worlds, magical and nonmagical."

He was getting excited. He didn't often talk to others about this, not outside of his close friend group and his family. It made such sense, though. Anabelle, an intelligent pureblood with an interest in muggle studies… she’d certainly understand.

"Not inevitable." Anabelle help her finger up in protest to Cosmo's words. "There are plenty of muggles who've had magical children and they've managed to make it work. I know there are many more. Just as there are those families who don't accept them right away. But those are the key words." She bit her lip. "Just because something doesn't make sense at first, doesn't mean it never will. You already know how I am when it comes to wanting to live alongside muggles without hiding the truth.

"I believe it all depends on the people who would be in charge of handling the way the truth comes out."

Anabelle was always trying to think of pacifistic ways to get the muggle world and the magical world to coexist. She refused to believe that the only way to start it off was with a war; there just had to be another way. She also didn't like the idea of "flattering" them as Cosmo was saying.

"I don't think we should go around flaunting that we may have more power than them, that's the best way to start an unnecessary conflict. Just because we have magic on our side, doesn't mean they can't harm us if we let our guards down because we think we're above them.

"Just like we could easily hurt them, they can do the same to us."

She was trying to stay calm about the entire matter, but she had to admit that the subject always got her a little riled. Good or bad, it was always a sure thing. And being able to debate it with Cosmo certainly earned him points, regardless of which of them had the better argument.