Disclaimer - I do not own Harry Potter.
Note - Well, after so many people wondering what happened at moments we didn't see, and mainly at the suggestion from misspotter94, I have decided to write, and then compile all the moments of our favorite characters that we won't see in Slytherin's Potter. So, the result is Slytherin Potter: The Outtakes. I'll be showing you moments that we won't see in Lily's story, or any of the others'. And if you have a moment you want to see, let me know, and I'll see if it's one that I can write for you guys. So, enjoy, and let me know what you think.
Slytherin's Potter: The Outtakes
Lana and Dante: These Rare Things
Date: August 13, 2023
Ages: Lana - 18, Dante - 19
Lana sighed as she stirred her coffee. Her mind was moving as sluggishly as her spoon was. She was too tired to be up this early. And it wasn't like she had anything to do. Astoria wasn't having a photo shoot today, so having a makeup artist wasn't needed.
"What are you doing up this early?" Amanda Baddock inquired as she entered the kitchen. She immediately began to pour her own cup of coffee.
Lana shrugged. "I don't know," she mumbled. She and Tamara Nott had moved in with Amanda and Beth Crowley not long after they'd both graduated. Lana didn't know Tamara's reasons, but she could hardly stand having her mother fuss over her on days like this. Not that her mum was against Lana being a makeup artist, but whenever Lana wasn't working, her mother was always trying to cater to her. Lana never knew being spoiled could be irritating.
"It's a bit surprising to see you up is all," Amanda commented as she began to make breakfast.
"That was my thought," Lana replied.
"Has the mail come yet?" Tamara asked as she joined them in the kitchen. Unlike the other two, she went for a glass of milk instead.
"Not yet," Lana told her. "Shouldn't be long though."
Tamara slammed down her glass, then quickly put it in the sink. "Well, if there's any for me, just leave it on the counter. I've got to go into work early."
"You work at Madam Malkin's. What the hell does she need you in early for?" Lana asked.
Tamara shrugged. "I don't know. I just do as she says. Anyways, see you girls later."
"Bye," Amanda said from the cabinet.
"Later, Tamara," Lana said with a small wave. Then she looked at Amanda. "What have you got going on today, Mandy?"
"I don't need to go into work until this afternoon," Amanda answered.
Lana rolled her eyes. "You're self-employed," she commented.
Amanda gave her a brief grin. "Exactly, and I say that I don't have to be in until this afternoon." Lana suppressed a laugh as she took a sip of her coffee. "What about you, Lana? Are you working today?"
Lana shook her head. "No, I'm not. I don't know what I'll do today."
"Well, you've got me until later," Amanda joked. Then she glanced at the hallway. "Is Beth ever getting up? Or did she even come home?"
"Yeah, with Wade," Lana told her. "I'm starting to be really thankful for that Silencing Charm you put on her room."
"After so many years, you get tired of hearing Beth's escapades in action," Amanda muttered.
"You know, I thought she was dating Ted West," Lana commented.
"She's not dating either of them," Amanda retorted. "She just goes back and forth between them. She sleeps with one on Monday, the other on Tuesday."
"Well, I'd call her lucky, but considering it's Ted West and Wade Macnair, she really isn't," Lana joked.
Amanda laughed. "I think Ted's kinda cute. Definitely cuter than Wade."
"Why those two? I mean, of all the men Beth could choose?" Lana wondered.
"Like I said, Ted's cute. And Wade's making big money," Amanda pointed out.
"Our friend's a gold digger," Lana said with a chuckle.
"Pretty much," Amanda agreed.
Their discussion was interrupted by an owl tapping on the window. "I've got it," Lana said as she stood from her seat. She opened the window, letting the owl in. It dropped the mail on the counter, and looked at Lana expectantly. She dug into the little bag on the counter, money kept especially for the mail, and pulled out the needed amount. Then she placed it in the owl's little bag, and closed the window after it left.
"What have we got today?" Amanda inquired.
Lana moved over to the pile. "The paper, Witch Weekly, a letter for Tamara, one . . . two for you. I've got a letter from my mum, and there's a thing of flowers." Lana brought it all to the table, but left the flowers on the counter.
Amanda sighed. "Lana, you know those flowers are for you."
"Prove it," Lana muttered as she opened the letter to her mother. Although she knew Amanda was right, but she didn't want the flowers. Because she also knew who they were from.
"Why won't you just talk to Dante?" Amanda questioned. "It's obvious that he's sorry about the fight with Clete. And it's really obvious that the man loves you. Let him be sorry."
"The last thing I need in my life is another oveprotective, and violent git. I've got too many brothers that are like that," Lana mumbled. She'd been so furious with Dante after that fight, she'd refused to talk to him the entire night, and every day since. But honestly, it was killing her. She really did love him . . . but she hated when boys would act like she needed protection.
"At least let him explain," Amanda replied.
"Ooh! Who got flowers?" Lana glanced at the doorway to see Beth entering with only a large shirt and small shorts on. She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.
"Lana, again," Amanda answered.
"Lana, tell him you love him. I'd be thrilled if a man loved me enough to send me flowers every day for over a month now!" Beth exclaimed. She pulled two cups from the cupboard, and began filling one with coffee.
"I don't fling my panties as easily as you do, Beth," Lana said casually.
"You assume I wear panties at all," Beth retorted cheekily.
Lana smiled. Although Beth was a bit of a tramp at times, Lana did enjoy the teasing they shared.
"Besides, Dante has his own place. No roommates! That would be perfect!" Beth commented as she began to fill the other cup with juice.
"Next time you should sleep with a guy that lives alone," Lana replied. "Besides, doesn't Wade make enough money to live alone?"
"He says that he enjoys living with his friends. Besides, we're not in a commitment, so I can't ask him to get his own place," Beth commented.
"Why don't you just commit to one of those boys?" Amanda asked.
"Because it's hard to choose," Beth replied as she sipped from her juice. "I mean, they both have good qualities. Ted's cute, and funny, and charming. Wade has a great job, he's a gentleman, and extravagant. And they're both terrific when it comes to sex."
"Decisions, decisions," Lana muttered.
"Right back at ya," Beth countered. "You need to talk to Dante, and tell him that you love him. He obviously loves you."
"And just act like he didn't do anything?" Lana retorted. "I mean, he knows me! He knew I would hate him fighting about me, and because of me! But he still did it! And for what? Clete making a comment about him wanting to sleep with me? Clete's been telling his buddies that since my sixth year. I've known about that for years."
"Then just go and scream at him," Beth suggested. "Angry sex is always fun."
Amanda rolled her eyes as she handed a plate of food to Lana. "If you do, I wouldn't mention Clete to Dante. I'm sure it wouldn't help." Then she sat down and began to eat from her own plate.
"Well am I wrong about the angry sex thing?" Beth asked as she began to make her own plate for breakfast. Then she sat down at the table with them. "I've always found it very enjoyable."
"Is there any kind of sex that you find unenjoyable?" Lana mocked as she tore the crust off of a piece of toast.
"Well how could any sex be unenjoyable?" Beth argued casually. "I mean, unless it ends before you have an orgasm, that is. Then that's understandable."
Lana couldn't help but drop her head onto the table. Amanda just closed her eyes and sighed heavily. Lana looked up at Amanda. "She's your best friend."
"You chose to live with us," Amanda muttered.
Lana later found herself escaping an empty flat by walking around Diagon Alley. She didn't really need anything, so she found herself mainly just browsing or window-shopping at different shops. Too bad the idea of simply wandering around blew up.
"Lana!"
Lana froze where she stood. That voice angered her, but at the same time made her heart ache. But before he could get close, she regained her senses and started walking away. "Go away, Dante!"
"Lana, will you just let me talk?" Dante requested, as he finally caught up to her. Lana mentally cursed him for having longer legs. He was always able to catch up with her.
"Talk all you want. I can't stop you. Just don't expect me to listen," Lana snapped.
"Oh, come on, Lana!" Dante groaned. "I mean, I want to apologize! How many other guys would do that? You think Parson would?"
Lana turned on him. "I don't give a damn what Parson would or wouldn't do! I don't care what Clete says about me, or if he thinks he has a chance of sleeping with me! And I really don't give a damn about your apology!" Then she turned on her heel and began walking again.
But Dante was insistent. "Lana, I wanna fix things between us!"
Again she stopped, and this time glared fiercely at him. "You wanna fix things? Now? So, you just had to wait until you heard about someone else taking an interest in me? I'd been out of school for a month, and you never even tried to talk to me!" Lana hissed. "No. But once you heard that someone else was going to try and get with me, then you had to be all macho, and pretend to defend my honor! Well guess what, I can take care of myself! And it would have been no business of yours if I had slept with Clete. You weren't my boyfriend then, and you aren't now! So just leave me alone, Dante!"
When she walked away this time, Dante didn't follow her. But he wasn't finished. "Lana, I love you!"
Lana almost winced at his words, but she didn't stop.
"Tough break," Tamara commented that night. Tamara, Lana, and Amanda were sitting in their living room, and Lana had just explained her encounter with Dante.
"You know, he was wrong to wait until then," Amanda agreed. "But you have to admit that Dante has never been a bright one. Maybe it slipped his mind."
"Lars told me that he'd hung out with Dante and a few guys not long after we came home this summer," Lana retorted. "Dante obviously figured out that Lars had graduated. And since I'm his twin, wouldn't that mean I had too?"
"Maybe he didn't think that far," Tamara replied. "It wouldn't surprise me."
"Nice to know he got used to not thinking about me," Lana mumbled. "I still thought about him."
"Maybe he was caught up with being around the guys," Amanda suggested.
"And at that party?" Lana pointed out. "I'd seen Dante before he started that dumb fight. I'd even said 'hello' to him. And he said it back. But nothing of wanting to get back together."
"Well, then maybe he's just dumb," Tamara suggested.
"Why are you defending him?" Lana demanded. "You used to hate him."
Tamara rolled her eyes. "He irritated me, I didn't hate him. But anyways, I know you love him. And you hate not being with him. And as your best friend, I don't want you to be miserable just because you're stubborn."
Lana looked away and stared at her feet, which were propped up on the table. "I'm not miserable."
"How'd you feel when he said he loves you?" Tamara inquired.
Lana avoided the question, and she didn't care how obvious it was. "Which boy is Beth out with tonight?"
"Ted," Amanda answered. "Like I said this morning. One boy on Monday, the other on Tuesday. She alternates."
"Do the boys know she does that?" Tamara asked.
Amanda shook her head. "No. They know that Beth is refusing an actual commitment, but she hasn't admitted to them that she's sleeping with another person."
Tamara nodded in understanding. "So, either they're going to find this out, or she's going to catch a disease. My money is on the disease."
Lana finally laughed a little with the other girls. "You know we give Beth crap, but we have to admit that at least she has a love life we can poke fun at."
Amanda grinned. "Yeah. Our day would include much more free time if we didn't take time to joke at her."
"Well who else has such an odd and . . . well slutty arrangement?" Tamara mocked.
"I wouldn't say slutty," Amanda defended with a sigh. "I think she really is torn between them."
"Yeah, but I don't think she's torn due to love," Tamara replied. "More like she can't decide which one guy she can get the most benefits out of."
"Well, Beth has always loved the idea of being taken care of," Amanda told them.
"Sounds like an old-fashioned pureblood girl," Lana muttered.
"Well Beth's the only girl in that family. You can't blame her for being raised to believe that," Tamara sighed. "I mean, if my father could have gotten away with raising me like, I know he would have. Thank Merlin my mother hates double standards."
"My dad wanted to arrange my marriage," Amanda scoffed. "Imagine my situation."
Lana grinned. "Who'd he want you to marry?"
"Tyson Derrick," Amanda said with obvious disgust. "Just the thought is horrifying."
"Ew," Lana agreed. "That big priss?"
"Give your dad a little credit for at least choosing a cute guy," Tamara laughed. "I once heard my dad hinting to my mum about having me marry John Howell."
"Oh, that's gross," Amanda said with a small laugh.
"More like hideous," Tamara muttered.
"What'd your mum say?" Lana asked.
"She said only if he made Will marry Nikki Montana," Tamara said with a laugh.
"Oh, I'm sure that shut your dad up," Lana laughed.
"Quicker than he's ever opened his mouth," Tamara agreed.
Suddenly their front door slammed open, making the three girls jump. They all turned to see Beth stepping through the door, and then slamming it closed. And when she raised her head to look at them, they immediately noticed her running mascara, messy hair, disheveled state of dress, and tears on her cheeks.
Beth let out a shuddering breath. "He cheated on me!" she cried.
"Oh, Beth!" Amanda was the first one up, and hurried to her best friend.
"I'll get her a thing of tea," Tamara offered, hurrying toward the kitchen.
Lana moved from the couch, letting Amanda lead Beth to sit where she previously had. Lana picked up a box of tissues, and placed them next to Beth.
"What happened, sweetie?" Amanda asked softly.
"Ted cheated on me," Beth cried. Tamara returned, and placed a cup of tea on the table in front of Beth.
Tamara moved to stand next to Lana. "Bad time to point out that she cheats on him constantly?" she whispered to Lana.
Lana nodded. "Yeah, let's wait a while before we reveal that to her." Then she moved to sit next to Beth. "Did he tell you this?" She began to push Beth's wild hair from her face, trying to return it to its naturally smooth style.
Beth nodded as she choked on a sob. "The subject of Adrian Flint's party came up. And he asked why I wasn't there. Well, I remembered that I was with Wade that night, so I lied and told him that I was spending time with my father, but that I felt guilty for leaving him all alone there."
"So, he had sex with some girl at the party, then?" Tamara guessed as she sat on the table.
Beth hiccuped on an intake of breath. "He said it was ok that I wasn't there, because he ended up spending the night with Megan."
Lana's jaw almost dropped. "Megan Montague? Dante's little sister?"
Beth shrugged. "I didn't ask for her last name. I mean, that's the only Megan I know, though."
"What'd you do when he told you?" Amanda asked. She took a tissue, and began to wipe away the trails of mascara.
"Yelled, got dressed, and stormed out. I didn't start crying until after I left his building," Beth said through another sob.
"Well if he's willing to cheat on you, then he's not worth the tears," Amanda said firmly. "Besides, Wade's a much better catch."
"Yeah, he can take much better care of you. And he'd never think of cheating on you," Lana supplied, subtly making it up as she went.
"And you've said that he's willing to commit to you. Maybe this is the incentive you needed to make your choice between them," Tamara suggested.
"I just can't believe he'd do that to me!" Beth cried. "Ted was always so sweet!"
"But he was always a little immature," Amanda replied. "You deserve someone better than Ted. Someone that will love and take care of you."
Beth buried her face into her hands. "But I really liked him!"
"But you like Wade, too," Amanda replied. "And it's not often that a girl finds a man that will always love and take care of her. One that makes her happy. Wade does all of those things for you. That's rare. You can't give that up. And unlike Ted, he'd never break your heart."
But Beth rested her head onto Amanda's shoulder, and continued to cry.
Tamara motioned for Lana to follow her, so they both left to the kitchen. Tamara began to pour herself her own mug of tea. "Well, that was fun."
"Never thought Beth would be that broken up over Ted. I mean, the guy's always been a bit of a jerk," Lana sighed.
"I can't believe that Ted slept with Megan. Isn't she like fifteen?" Tamara said with a laugh.
"She's sixteen now," Lana corrected. "I wonder how Dante's taking the news. I know he hates Ted."
"I doubt Dante knows. I'm sure Ted's aware that Dante would kick his teeth in, and I doubt Megan told her older brother," Tamara muttered as they both sat down at the table.
"I guess you're right," Lana replied. "Although, doesn't surprise me that Megan would do it. She's always been a bit . . . confident in every thing she does. She always has a reason."
"Can't wait to find out what this reason was," Tamara joked.
Lana nodded silently, her mind going over what had just happened. "You know, Amanda's a really great friend to Beth."
"Well they've been friends forever now. I'm sure she's used to Beth's flaky attitude," Tamara pointed out.
"And she was right. It is rare for a girl to find someone that will love her and make her happy," Lana murmured.
Tamara glanced over at Lana. "Yeah. Thankfully, Beth hasn't lost Wade. Because it would be a shame to lose something like that."
Lana stared at the polished wood of the door in front of her. Her mind and heart were racing in sync, and she felt like she could barely breathe. She didn't know who to blame for this. Beth for going through her temporary heartbreak, Amanda for being so good with comforting words, or Tamara for pointing out how Amanda's words related to Lana herself. For the moment, she would just blame all three of them.
Pulling in the deepest breath she could first, Lana then knocked on the door in front of her. She waited . . . and then knocked again. After a few tense seconds, there was still no answer. Lana knocked again, this time harder, and longer.
"Just hold on a damn minute!" a voice called from the other side of the door. It was another moment before Lana heard footsteps, and then the doorknob twisted. The door opened, and Lana was greeted by the sight of a shirtless Dante, his hair soaked, and a towel around his neck. Not to mention the surprise in his eyes. "Lana," he murmured.
Lana felt a flush on her cheeks. She knew it wasn't due to his lack of a shirt. After all, she'd seen him naked plenty of times. No, this flush had to do with the way he said her name. There was such a soft tone to his voice.
It took Lana a moment to remember what she'd wanted to say. "Um, I think we should talk," she admitted quietly.
Dante nodded, and moved aside to let her in. Lana stepped inside, happy to see that they were obviously alone, and surprised to see that Dante was capable of keeping his flat clean. The door shut, and Dante cleared his throat. "Um, can I get you something?" he offered. "Anything?"
Lana shook her head. "No, I just want to be done with this," she replied.
Dante sighed as he came into her line of sight. "Ok. Well, go ahead and sit down. Just, give me a moment to make myself a bit more presentable."
Lana nodded, and took a seat on his couch. He disappeared down a hallway, and Lana heard another door close. She found herself trying to make herself relax, but her pulse kept jumping at the tension of the moment. The thrill of what she had to say. So she tried to simply look around to keep herself from worrying about what was about to happen. Sadly, there was much to look at. Besides the basic furniture, Dante's flat was kind of bare.
"So," Dante spoke, his voice almost making Lana jump in surprise, "what did you want to talk about?" He moved so that he was sitting in the armchair that was near the corner of the small coffee table, looking at her.
Lana gulped quietly. "You know, your flat's kind of empty."
Dante looked at her in confusion, but looked around as well. "Oh, well it's never really bothered me. I mean, if I'm not working, then I'm always with a friend. At least, lately. Besides, I've never been good at decorating or things like that," he admitted. Then he looked back at her. "So . . . you came to talk about my flat's decor?"
Lana sighed. "No, I didn't. It was just easier to say than what I had really wanted to say."
Dante tapped his fingers on his knee. "Well . . . what was it that you did want to say?"
Lana bit her tongue for a moment, before finally speaking. "About that party."
"Look, Lana, I'm sorry," Dante said quickly. "I knew that the last thing you'd want was me fighting over you . . . but he was being infuriating, and I just snapped. Before I knew it, I was dragging him outside."
"I was angry about it," Lana agreed, "but that wasn't all."
Dante scowled in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Dante, I'd been out of school for a month. I'd seen you at the party, and briefly talked to you," Lana pointed out. "But you never took the time to talk to me after I graduated, and all you said to me at that damn party was 'hey' and then you continued to talk to Will."
Dante sighed as he leaned back into his chair. "Lana, I didn't know what to say. I mean . . . we'd broken up, and you'd started dating again."
"Woah!" Lana interrupted. "What do you mean I started dating again?"
"Lars told me that you went out with Justin for a couple of months," Dante admitted.
"Yeah, at the beginning of my seventh year," Lana retorted. "And it didn't last, and I never expected it to. And are you going to tell me that you didn't date again?"
"I didn't," Dante countered.
Lana stopped short, and looked at him in surprise. "What?"
Dante scratched at his head. "Lana, I'm always working, or I'm having casual business dinners, or my mum is insisting that I have dinner at home every weekend. I never had much time to look, and I never really wanted to."
Lana closed her eyes and groaned. "Wow, don't I feel guilty," she muttered.
Dante chuckled. "Lana, don't feel guilty. We broke up so that we could see other people. The difference is, you had time for other guys to act on their feelings toward you. I've always been too busy for things like that. The most I've seen of other girls is when my mum tries to set me up with a pretty pureblood girl."
Lana tried to push away her irritation at the news of Dante being set up with other girls. "But you still could have at least attempted to talk to me," she whispered. "And I won't lie. It hurt when you didn't try."
Dante stood up, and immediately moved so that he was kneeling on the floor next to where she sat. At seeing how tall he still was, Lana remembered a time when she would have been irked at their height difference. But now, she was only gently thrilled that he was able to lock eyes with her easily. His hand covered hers, his skin almost hot after his shower.
"Lana, will you let me make it up to you?" he whispered, his fingers curling softly around her hand. "I promise, I won't fuck it up this time."
Lana stared at him. His warm, dark eyes. Shaggy black hair that he never attempted to tame, which she'd grown to love. And that small half-smile on his lips that held more meaning than it seemed. Luckily, she knew the meanings behind that small half-smile.
So Lana smiled back. "Sure. But let's start with slow steps."
Dante nodded. "I can do that. I'd do anything you wanted, as long you'll give me the chance to."
Lana squeezed his hand. "I'll give you that. But remember: These things are rare."