So, from this conversation Freddie had learned three things:

(1) Both blonde Lestranges at Hogwarts were adults, or at least near-adults. He was not making out with a child, with—as a given—was a good thing.

(2) One of them was Seneca Lestrange, Lucius Lestrange's daughter. Being involved with her, whether in the past, present, or future might result in his metaphorical (or maybe literal—that had yet to be seen) death.

(3) The other, whose name Arthur did not apparently know despite knowing everyone else's names, was orphaned and lived with her uncle. She was the less dangerous option, but less was known about her.

Freddie did not know what to think, what to hope, or really, what to say. He sat in silence, his hands folded in front of him and his eyes focused on a random spot in the room in front of him. "Mother saw us together—the first time," he said quietly. "She said nothing to her family, of course, but she told me to stay away from her. But I didn't. I've never done anything like that before."

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Freddie was quiet and was staring at the wallpaper somewhere behind Art, and Art knew what he meant even if he didn't say it outright. Ugh. What was it with his friends and troubles with women? Fitz was going to start deflowering rich girls, Lachlan was all hung up on some letter-writing woman, Ben had his evident troubles, Freddie was interested in a Lestrange, and Arthur and Desdemona were -

Art was -

He shook his head, to clear the thought, and then cleared his throat, to get out any whatever that may have arisen there. "So you like her," Art said, "Enough to defy your mother. That's a lot. Are you going to start staying away from her now, or - ?"

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The following 1 user Likes Arthur Pettigrew's post:1 user Likes Arthur Pettigrew's post
   Reuben Crouch

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set by MJ <3

Freddie's gaze snapped to Arthur's, his brows knitted together and mouth open in protest. "To be fair, the second time she found me, and I wasn't intending to kiss her." But he had, because it had been the natural thing to do in that situation, right? They'd been alone in one of the rooms, and she'd been flirting with him back, so it wasn't really his fault, was it?

"But that's not the point. I don't think my mother would be opposed if she didn't think I was out to ruin her, so how do I prove that I'm not?" And how did he do that while simultaneously sneaking off with her, because how else was he supposed to get to know a girl who hadn't even properly debuted yet?

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The following 1 user Likes Freddie Prewett's post:1 user Likes Freddie Prewett's post
   Arthur Pettigrew

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Arthur made a vague motion with one of his hands because intent did not matter when the consequences of kissing were involved. And Freddie's next question caught him off guard, because Art wasn't sure he'd ever been asked how to avoid ruining someone. "Well, maybe don't kiss her again," he suggested, a little tongue-in-cheek.

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set by MJ <3

Well, that seemed like the obvious answer, didn't it? But if they were already having to sneak off to see each other, why should he avoid kissing her if the chance presented itself? Of course, she'd said they would not see each other again, but Freddie knew himself; he would not be able to avoid looking for her at social gatherings, and if by some chance he spotted her he knew he wouldn't be able to avoid it. It had only been two days since he'd seen her last and he'd already envisioned every scenario in which they might meet again - so.

"That sounds easy, but..." But last time Miss Lestrange had asked him if he wanted to kiss her again, and if ever in that situation again, how could he refuse her? Wouldn't that be the opposite of wooing her? "But it still doesn't solve how I'm supposed to prove anything if I'm not even supposed to be seen with her."

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"You can either be around her or you can convince your mother you're not going to be seen with her," Art said, with a wave of one hand. Freddie had evidently created a conundrum for himself, and other than the whole Lestrange situation, this didn't seem entirely impossible to Art. There were worse problems to have. "Why does your mother think you're running around ruining women, anyways?"

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The following 1 user Likes Arthur Pettigrew's post:1 user Likes Arthur Pettigrew's post
   Freddie Prewett

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set by MJ <3

That didn't seem like the answer he was looking for, but maybe there wasn't a right answer. Maybe Freddie would just have to hope he could convince Miss Lestrange that being seen with him wasn't going to ruin her reputation as long as they remained respectable, and he'd also have to convince his mother that, despite their slip in the billiards room, he didn't intend to ruin her reputation or take her virtue.

Intentions he was not exactly set on, as of yet. Of course he did not want to ruin her, but everything he wanted to do to and with her came with a chance of just that - so. It really was a conundrum.

"I don't think she thinks I am," he explained, smiling sheepishly, "only that she's afraid that I'm going to start—which I'm not, for the record. It was a a momentary weakness. Both times."

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"Fitz probably doesn't help," Art said, because Fitz was at any given moment within three steps of ruining someone, probably. He tilted his head, considered Freddie, who was not the Prewett he would have pegged as a debutante-ruiner. Or a not-debutante-ruiner. All the maybe-girls were students. "From personal experience, it's easy for momentary weakness to become several moments of weakness. Especially if she's into it."

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"No, this is totally Fitz's fault," he agreed, nodding his head. Anything to take the blame off of himself; he did not want to think himself as a Ruiner of Women, and it was much easier to pin the blame on the one member of their family who was known for his flirtatious nature.

But then Art had to go and remind him that Miss Lestrange had been into it, and the goofy smile snuck back onto his face. He wanted to kiss her again, and that was a terrible thing to think about now that he knew she was either Lucius Lestrange's daughter or some sixteen-year-old who wouldn't debut anytime son, but he did. "I'm not going to - sleep with her, you know? I just want to - see her. Eventually."

That was another point that Freddie did not regularly share with, well, anyone: he did not sleep around with just anyone. In fact, he had never slept with anyone at all. But somehow, the thought of doing so hidden away with Miss Lestrange seemed, well, enthralling.

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The following 1 user Likes Freddie Prewett's post:1 user Likes Freddie Prewett's post
   Arthur Pettigrew

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"Have you ruled out sleeping with her, or do you just want to be someone who doesn't sleep with respectable ladies?" Arthur asked, "You can tell me, I won't judge." Well, he would a little, but that was not exactly the point. The point was that Arthur had ruined his life so thoroughly that nothing Freddie said could shock him, and so Freddie might as well tell him the truth. Or maybe the point was that Art did think Freddie wanted to sleep with her. He hadn't decided, couldn't settle, was probably not in the right headspace to give this advice anyways.

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The following 1 user Likes Arthur Pettigrew's post:1 user Likes Arthur Pettigrew's post
   Freddie Prewett

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set by MJ <3

"I don't want to sleep with respectable ladies," he admitted, all too easily. He would have slept with Miss Lestrange—in theory—if she hadn't been Miss Lestrange, but he was - scared, and Merlin he couldn't say that. So he said the next most damning thing: "And it's not like - you know, I haven't - haven't ever slept with... anyone." His cheeks flared red, and his eyes closed shut, not wanting to see whatever face Arthur pulled in response.

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Art stared at Freddie, eyebrows raised. "You're telling me," he said, slowly, voice flat, "That you're a twenty-seven year old virgin."

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The following 1 user Likes Arthur Pettigrew's post:1 user Likes Arthur Pettigrew's post
   Freddie Prewett

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set by MJ <3

That... sounded worse than it actually was. Twenty-seven sounded so ancient in that context, but he in any other situation he still felt like a child (never mind that some of his friends were doing big things with their life—getting married, creating tiny people, managing departments and offices at the Ministry and hospitals). He wasn't that old, and, yeah, most men had lost their virginity by now, but was it really that big of a deal?

Apparently Arthur thought it was, and maybe he did, too, just a little; he suddenly felt insecure, but not necessarily ashamed.

"It's never came up," he reasoned, his cheeks pink in a way that made him look like the nineteen-year-old he'd been the first time he'd rejected the advances of a prostitute. Okay, so it had come up—once, twice, maybe three times. But being the youngest, Freddie had naturally spent time with his sisters in his earl years just as much or even more than he had his elder brothers, who were grouped together do their tutoring. He knew girls weren't supposed to sleep with anyone, and somehow tha guilt—however silly—had continued to weigh on him into adulthood. He'd tried to push it aside before, but it kept coming back.

"And it's not like I'll stay that way forever. Maybe this summer - maybe I'll meet girl and she'll have sex with me because she wants to," he continued, his lips spreading into a dorky smile. Wanting to was different in his mind than willing to; there were brothels all over the place, and any man of his station knew where they were, but he didn't want a whore. It felt cheap.

(What he really wanted was Miss Lestrange—but that didn't seem to be an option. Yet.)

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The following 1 user Likes Freddie Prewett's post:1 user Likes Freddie Prewett's post
   Arthur Pettigrew

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— set by mj <3 —

Arthur cupped his face in his hands and breathed into his fingers, like Freddie was testing him on some deep level, instead of just mildly. There was some version of Arthur that could process this in a functional way, he was sure — some version of Arthur who could tell Freddie that he hadn't paid for sex often when he was having it pre-maritally, that there probably was a girl who would have sex with Freddie and probably be more experienced than he was, that maybe it would happen but that Freddie had to be a more confident flirt if it was going to. Art knew exactly what that version of himself would say: he couldn't access it, though.

Instead he said, "Fitz doesn't know this, does he," from behind his hands.

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set by MJ <3

Freddie's smile faded from his face until it slowly morphed into a look of confused concern, his eyes stuck on the spot on the back of Arthur's hands where his eyes were hiding behind. Was it really that bad? He knew it was uncommon for most men to be virgins at his age, but there had to be a fair few, right? Or maybe Art had simply expected that he—Freddie, Fitz's brother and former law-breaker—would be more promiscuous by nature?

"Wellll...." he started, tilting his head from side to side, considering, "I've never told him, but I've also never told him I have slept with someone, which is basically the same thing, right?" he asked, a twinge of hopefulness in his tone.

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Arthur made a muffled, deeply pained noise into his hands. "You're here for advice, right?" he said, although he wasn't sure; Freddie could just be here to vent because Fitz had left on the cruise yesterday. "Is it advice on sex?" He could give Freddie advice on sex if he had to, although it was not in his usual wheelhouse; he hoped he wasn't advising him on sex with a debutante, which was a whole separate issue, but — he could give advice on sex. The trouble lately was that Art could not figure out what his friends needed from him, whereas it felt like a year ago he just knew — now he could not get his head on straight long enough to manage it.

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set by MJ <3