Disclaimer: I own Marti and friends, Andy and friends, and you do not. Got it? Oh, and I'm just borrowing a few professors from Jo... they so aren't mine...
Two weeks is a very long time, especially without a best friend to talk to.
In that time, I saw neither hide nor hair of Zinny… and even I had to admit it, it was killing me. I missed her fiercely. But… well, being the dunce that I am, I did not want to think about what I had heard from Clay. His words had left behind a strange feeling in my head, and it seemed like every five minutes or so I would wonder, ‘did Zinny have a crush on me?’ The fact that I hadn’t seen her since she’d dashed off was perhaps an indication that she did, and was now unable to face me.
Why was she acting so girly all of a sudden?
Well, yes, she is a girl, but she didn’t act like that our first five years at Hogwarts, so why now?
I was also having some strange thoughts as to what Professor Weasley had said to me. I didn’t even know what to do with it… it was like having a book and trying to put it on a shelf, but not knowing which shelf it belonged on.
I could almost see it, my brain as a bookshelf. Right at eye level would be a shelf labeled ‘Zinny’. Higher up and almost out of reach would be a shelf labeled ‘Marti’. In between, above, and below, there would be shelves labeled, ‘Clayton’, ‘Ridley’, ‘Professors’, and way too many others to count. Then, in my hand, I would be holding the book entitled, ‘Swallow Your Pride and Kiss Her,’ and it needed to go on a shelf. It was most definitely not going on Clay’s shelf, or Ridley’s, or any of my other friend’s shelves… the cumulative Professor shelf wasn’t even an option. That only left a handful of places I could put it…
And that was something I didn’t want to think about.
So, that left me holding a book and reading the cover over and over again, feeling like I was going to explode.
So, in two weeks, I spend most of my time working, if you can imagine that. Well, I tried to, at least. It was my sixth year, after all. I buried myself in my studies and was rewarded by my marks going up from the constant average. I was learning things well, but it wasn’t solving my problem. I was avoiding it, and I knew it.
So, one night, about a week later, after I finished reading three extra chapters of Charms to get a head start on the upcoming lesson, I mentally reread the cover to my shelf-less book. Slowly, in my head, I started to see some small print on the spine… it read, ‘Talk to Potter’.
Well, it was either that or lose what was left of my marbles.
I checked the time. My watch said it was a quarter to eight. Perhaps I could still catch Professor Potter before it was too late to get safely back to Gryffindor Tower and not get caught? I had to risk it, either way.
I headed down to the common room, which was filled with students who had just come from dinner. The Great Hall was on the way, so hoping he might still be at dinner, I decided to stop by there first.
When I reached the large open doors, I looked inside quickly…
Marti and her friends were sitting and laughing at the Ravenclaw table. It wasn’t as though I was looking, or anything, but they were causing suck a ruckus that it was hard not to. Marti was making fun of something, widening her eyes and frowning while staring at the wall for a brief moment before the girls around her would start laughing…
A loud noise sounded through the hall as I slammed full into one of the doors. More giggles met my ears.
“Smooth,” drawled a Slytherin Prefect in passing as I stood there dazed.
I shook my head, and then scanned the teacher’s table. Potter wasn’t there. I shrugged to myself and started towards his office.
“Mr. Audierus?” called a voice behind me. I turned to see Professor Granger.
“Yes, Professor?”
She came up to me, with a roll of parchment in her hand. “Mr. Audierus, what is the meaning of this? I do not tolerate copying, and you know that.” She held out the essay I’d turned in two days prior. For the first time in my entire life, it had surpassed the length requirement by six inches.
“I didn’t copy that,” I said a little defensively, “I worked hard on that!”
She pressed her lips together and eyed me warily, “You have been paying attention in class, too. Is there something wrong?” she asked.
I sighed and shook my head, “No. Well, there is, but… it’s just a bit of… well, girl trouble. While trying to avoid it I’ve been studying and working.”
“Oh,” her face softened and she smiled, “Is there anything I can do to help with your problem?”
I shook my head again, “Thanks, but that’s actually where I’m headed now… Professor Weasley gave me some advice and said that I might want to talk to Professor Potter about it.”
She pulled a face and rolled her eyes, “Well, a talk with Professor Potter will help you some… but here’s my advice about Professor Weasley: do not listen to any advice he has to say to you about girls. Trust me; he doesn’t know much on the subject. I swear that man has the emotional range of a teaspoon!”
I started to say something, but then realized what she said. I snickered, involuntarily.
“Is there something funny?” she asked.
“No, Professor. See you in class tomorrow,” I nodded to her and hurried down the corridor, trying to hide my laughter… and not doing a very good job of it.
A few moments later, I entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and headed to the front and up the stairs where Potter’s office was. I knocked on the door and waited for him to answer.
No one came.
I frowned, and knocked again.
Still nothing.
Alright… Potter was a regular person, and he was dependable. Maybe he was listening to music and couldn’t hear my knocks…
I knocked louder and harder, a third time.
“The door is open,” called a strange voice from inside. A little confused, but still hoping the smaller voice was Potter, I turned the handle and opened the door.
I froze. This had to be a joke. There was no way…
“That was fast, Harry,” said the scantily clad red-head sitting on Potter’s desk with her back to me… my mouth fell open. She had long red hair and was wearing what was obviously a modified Chudley Cannons Quidditch uniform… it was still bright orange but looked like it was shrunken, so that the robes were hanging off her shoulders and barely down to her crossed knees. “I’ll just have to make my clues harder, next time…” she started to lean over backwards and look my way…
“Uhhh…” I said. Good job, Mr. Articulate.
Then she saw me. There was a small gasp just before the situation hit her fully. When it did, a second later, she screamed. I yelled, too, and jumped back against the wall. She tried to cover herself while shrieking, but that didn’t work, so she finally dropped to the floor and hid behind the desk. We both stopped yelling when all that could be seen of her was her eyeballs and the top of her head.
There were hurried footsteps from the classroom outside. I wanted to move, but I couldn’t. “You’re not Professor Potter,” I gasped.
“Neither are you!” she snapped, her breath coming in short spurts.
The footsteps grew faster and closer. A moment later, a rather flustered Professor Potter entered the office. “Whoa!” he shouted, seeing the woman behind the desk, and me standing there, looking terrified.
The three of us remained where we where for just a moment, I had the chance to see him more clearly. His robes were mussed, and there were the strangest things in his pockets. Hanging from an orange belt around his waist was a pair of orange and black boots tied to the belt by their laces. Something that looked like a handkerchief was sticking out of his left pocket, and something lacey was sticking out of his right; both were orange. I had a shuddering suspicion as to what they were… and then the girl cleared her voice and said, “Hi Harry…”
“Bollocks!” Potter said, suddenly taking me by the shoulders and shoving me out the door. He followed me, slammed the door behind him, and leaning against it as though the woman inside would burst out at any moment. “Andran… Andran is there something I can help you with?”
I swallowed, giving the door behind him a furtive glance, “Professor Weasley said... he said that... I ought to talk with you about some problems I was having… with some girls…”
Potter smiled at me kindly and nodded. “Sure… why don’t you wait for me out here, and I’ll be right with you. Is that okay?”
I nodded dumbly as he raced back inside his office. The moment the door was shut, as I walked down the stairs, I heard two things. First of all, I heard someone laughing hysterically, presumably Potter, and then I heard someone shouting. It was a bit muffled, through the door, but I could still hear, “HARRY JAMES POTTER, STOP THAT LAUGHING RIGHT THIS MINUTE! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HUMILIATING THAT WAS! A STUDENT…” That was about it. I decided it was best if I didn’t hear the rest, and moved farther back from the door, down in the empty seats where what was being said was less recognizable. I sat down in one of the chairs and waited.
Potter emerged from the room a moment later, his face still very red. I looked up at him, “Is this a bad time, Professor?”
He coughed and smiled as he headed down the steps to where I was sitting. “No, this is fine, Andran. You said Professor Weasley said to talk with me?”
I nodded and noted that the various orange-things he’d been carrying were gone, with the exception of the lacey orange-thing in his right pocket. He’d forgotten it was there, but I sure noticed. It made what I had to ask about even harder, and more awkward.
“Um,” I tore my eyes away from his right robe pocket and looked him in the eyes as he approached and sat on top of the desk just ahead of me, “I’ve got some problems with girls, and, well, Professor Weasley gave me some advice that I don’t know what to do with.”
He raised his eyebrows, “That advice wouldn’t be his, ‘just kiss her’ advice, would it?”
I nodded, “Yes, sir, that would be it.”
Potter smiled and shook his head, his messy hair going this way and that. “He should talk. I remember when he was back in school; he may not. He claims that worked for him, but it was Herm-the girl he fancied who took the first step. She was the one who swallowed pride enough for both of them and finally kissed him, and that was after bickering for about three years before coming to terms with the fact that they liked each other,” he sighed, “Well, not to say that that advice doesn’t work… it just depends on whom you intend to use it on. Do you mind me asking who?”
I shook my head, “That’s my problem. Things aren’t that simple.”
He nodded, “Alright, then why don’t you explain to me what’s going on?”
“Well,” I shrugged and told him the situation as best I could, then added, “…I don’t know what to do with any of this!”
Potter hung his head down in thought, “I see your dilemma,” he said thoughtfully, “I had a crush on a Ravenclaw girl, once. It wasn’t easy. But, as it turns out, Gryffindor Girls aren’t any easier,” he smiled briefly then stood and stretched his legs, “Andran, here’s something for you to think about. First, if you need to talk things out with Miss Pearson, remember that this is only one school, and there are only so many places she could hide. And, every night, she does go up to her dorm, and you are in the same house. Try harder, and you’ll get a chance to explain how you feel “ or don’t, as the case may be. But, be kind. Second,” he started to walk a little bit, “In regards to Miss Owlsten…” He paused in his steps and turned towards me. As he did so, the orange lace in his right pocket caught on the edge of one of the desks, “I know from first hand experience that feelings and emotions can do a lot of damage when not dealt with. You need to work out how you feel about her, honestly, on your own…” Potter started walking again, but the lace was still stuck on the desk, and so it started to pull it out of his pocket, “and you need to make a move on it. If she doesn’t feel the same, oh well, you can move on, but if she does and you do nothing, things, you could be missing out on a whole lot. Does that make sense?”
The lace item had pulled completely out of his pocket, much to my horror, to reveal a somewhat transparent pair or underwear.
“Yes,” I said hesitantly, “It does… Sorry, Professor, but I have to ask, was that who I thought it was, in your office?”
Potter paled a little, “That depends on who you thought it was,” he said lightly, his tone belying the look on his face.
“Well,” I couldn’t help but smile, “Was that Ginny Weasley? THE Ginny Weasley, Seeker for the Chudley Cannons?”
Potter’s face went stern and he looked me in the eye, “It may have been. But, due to the fact that I am not eager for my name to be in the newspapers again, or for reporters to come snooping around Hogwarts for interviews, or for a certain Professor, whom I teach with, to personally maim me and render me unable to ever have children of my own, I won’t confirm or deny that…”
With a sigh, his face softened and he looked at his shoes. “Consider your lack of fame a blessing, Mr. Audierus. In my youth, I had to endure more slander than you can imagine,” his voice fell to a whisper.
I nodded. My parents had told me much of it. “Is that why you didn’t become a professional Seeker? I heard you were the best.”
He smiled faintly, though still didn’t look at me directly, “By the time I finished Hogwarts, I had enough of fame and all that went with it, without asking for it. So had many of the other teachers who are here at Hogwarts, teaching today. Andran,” he met my eyes, “I know you have a lot on your shoulders now, but I am asking you not to mention what you saw tonight to anyone. Sooner or later, we’ll all have more reporters than we can stand poking their noses where they ought not to be. But, until then, I am not willing to risk hurting the lives and careers of those I care about, of those I love,” he cast a quick glance at his office door, “Can you swear to that?”
I nodded, “I swear, Professor. Not a word, to anyone.”
“Good lad,” he said with a smile, “Now, if there isn’t anything else I can do for you, I have a… appointment to attend to…”
“Thanks for your advice Professor,” I said, getting to my feet, “That’s all I came here for… but sir?”
“Yes?” he had started to head back up to his office, and turned back.
“I think you “ or someone “ left something on the desk, just there,” I pointed to where the orange undergarment still clung to the desk.
Potter went very red and flicked his hand at the underwear. It flipped into the air and he caught it deftly, stuffing in into his pocket with some difficulty.
“The things these “ students “ won’t leave in class… absurd, the lot of it...” he muttered while struggling to free it from a button it had snagged onto on his robe front while trying to get it into his pocket.
“Yeah,” I said, heading for the door, “Students nowadays…”
*** *** ***
I skipped down the corridor, humming to myself, on my way back to the Ravenclaw CR. When I reached it, I ran through the entrance way.
“Deanne! Guess what! Lovegood-oh!” and tripped over something… there was a kind of shrill shriek, and then I clearly heard Deanne call out a spell…
I landed on the floor “ something that should have bashed my face in for sure “ with a bounce. Rolling over and sitting up, I spied Deanne on her feet, wand drawn, and Bailey behind me with her bouncy curls all over the place. I also noted that there were papers everywhere… something I’m sure I caused.
“What the heck just happened?” I asked with a sigh. When Deanne started laughing, I turned to Bailey, who was gathering up papers all around her. “Are you alright, Bailey?”
Her head shot up and she glared at me, her face very red, “No, you great oaf! These papers are important! Now our Prefect-Project is going to be set back at least two weeks! Thanks to you, we’ll never get permission in time!”
My mouth fell open. “I so did not do that on purpose, Brat-lee!”
She didn’t pay attention to what I was saying, “Just because I thought it would be fun, and now the Heads put me in charge of getting all the proper permissions needed… Thank you very much, Marti! It’ll take me hours to get all these papers in order! Accio papers!” the lot of them zoomed into her hands. Still ranting, she dashed up the stairs to our dorm, clutching the papers to her tightly.
Still shocked at her, I turned to Deanne, “Am I missing something?”
She shook her head, “Don’t mind her, she’s just stressed. I guess the Prefects are putting together some kind of project, and she’s in charge of something or other. It serves her right, I told her not to sit right there, she was in the way, and too close to the door. You just tripped over her, that’s all. So,” she sat down on the couch, where I “ after de-charming the floor “ joined her, “What did Lovegood say?”
I smiled, “She said as long as I don’t cause any trouble, I can go early!”
Deanne squealed, as Alice came down the stairs.
“Merlin!” she exclaimed as she seated herself across from us on a chair, “Bailey practically threw me out! What’s her problem?”
I shrugged, “She’s a drama queen. But, hey, Alice, Lovegood said I could go!”
She smiled warmly, “That’s great, Marti! So, what’s the plan for the weekend? How do we work this?”
Deanne folded her arms and leaned back on the couch, “Well, students generally head to Hogsmead near nine in the morning. Marti, what time are you planning to go?”
Shrugging, I said, “I was thinking perhaps about six. Estimating about thirty minutes going and coming back, that leaves me about two hours for practice. I could meet you back here at nine.”
Deanne nodded her approval, “Sounds good. I’ll give you directions to the paddock, and you can meet us at the gate at, say nine-fifteen, so you have time to get your instrument back here. Does that work for you, Alice?”
“Sure. I’ll tell the others.”
I looked at her, “What others would that be, I wonder?”
She reddened, “Well, Marcia “ of course “ and then there’s a few Hufflepuff boys that we’ve invited-”
“No you didn’t!” Deanne hissed, jumping off her seat. “Tell me you didn’t Alice! Tell me you didn’t!”
I looked between a very upset Deanne and a very embarrassed Alice, “What am I missing? Deanne, are you holding out on me?”
Going redder than I thought was possible for her fair skin, Deanne sank down on the couch, “No… not exactly…”
My mouth fell open, “You liar! You like one of the Hufflepuff boys, don’t you?”
Deanne stared at me for a moment, still red, then grabbed a throw pillow and shoved it over her face and falling back into the couch. She so did! Ahahaha! I wanted to laugh myself silly!
“Who is it?” I asked Alice eagerly.
“Samuel Tate,” Alice said, “A Hufflepuff in our year.” Deanne gave a squeak from under the pillow.
I smiled, “Well, well, well! This may be a very interesting weekend indeed!”
*** *** ***
“Andran, will you come off it? I told you, you are welcome to come with us if you want to. Zinny said she might be up for it…”
“Well, I’m glad that at least one of us is still able to talk to Zinny. I've seen neither hide nor hair of her, in two weeks! And thanks, again, for the offer, Clay,” I snapped, trying to draw the curtains of my four-poster closed, “But something tells me I wouldn’t be wanted.”
Clay glared at me through the curtains. They were shut, but I knew he was still glaring.
“Andran, really, I think you’d have fun with us. I don’t know why you have it in you head that you wouldn’t be wanted!”
That was it. “Oh, really?” I threw the curtains back open, “Who can forget that I am a complete moron, and ransomed Marti’s violin back to her for a school-wide hula dance? Or maybe that I creamed her good with Shepard’s Pie? Or that when I first met her, I couldn’t seem to do anything but fight with her? Think about it, Clayton! She and her friends hate me! And now Zinny does, too, for whatever reason you can fathom…”
Clay stared at me for a moment then smiled faintly, “It bothers you that much that I’m going to Hogsmead with Marti? For the record, it’s not a date, Andran. We’re just hanging out.”
I turned away from him. “I don’t know why it bothers me, Clay. I don’t think it would matter if it were a date… I’m just having mental issues.”
Ridley entered the room, heading to his own bed for the night, “What kind of mental issues?”
I snorted, “The I-am-going-mental kind. Are you going with them, too?”
Ridley laughed and climbed into his bed, “Nope. Scott and I are heading down to check out Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes and then the Shrieking Shack.”
Scott Hastings, one of my quieter dorm mates, had a huge fascination with the Shrieking Shack since he first saw it in our third year. Since then, he’d been determined to find a way inside… though he hadn’t found one yet. He’d been trying to get the rest of us to help him for just about as long. “Did Scott finally convince you that there’s more to that place than ghosts?” I asked.
Ridley shook his head, “No, but he says if I check out how tightly locked that place is, maybe I’ll change my mind.”
Scott, who was halfway asleep with his curtains closed already, sighed, “Ghosts don’t need to lock doors… so why would they be locked?”
“Anyway,” Ridley said with a brief nod to acknowledge Scott, “I’m just curious. What about you, Andy? Why’s that girl driving you crazy?”
“She’s not driving me crazy!” I snapped, “I don’t let girls drive me crazy! She’s just a problem, that’s all!”
Scott snorted, “Is that why you ran into the door of the Great Hall when you saw her inside?”
“Sod off, Scott!” I haughtily shut the curtains and pulled my covers over my head.
I had to find Zinny.
*** *** ***
When the morning struck, I quietly rolled out of bed and dressed. Without even thinking,
I pocketed my wand and retrieved my precious violin case from my trunk, slinging it over my shoulder and across my back. In Salem, music had been a great part of life, especially for me. My violin was everything, yet here at Hogwarts I hadn't had time to play it. Now, though, that could change.
Since I was the only one who had permission to leave so early, and I’d never been there before, Deanne had drawn me a map, just in case I got lost or something. As quietly as I could, I headed down the staircases and hallways through the castle. A few students were milling around, but I avoided them as best I could. I may have permission, but they didn’t know that, and if they thought I didn’t have permission, they could easily delay my expedition.
I rounded one corner and started down the corridor as quickly as I could, but could hear people coming down and around another corner. I looked behind me quickly… no, there wasn’t enough time to turn back and hide. They’d spot me long before that. I listened for a moment… great; it sounded a lot like the Head Boy and Head Girl. I had to hide…
I started up one direction, and then turned back… but the voices were closer, and I wasn’t going to make it to a classroom on time… I changed directions a third time… I just needed a door, any door! It didn’t matter what was on the other side, just something I could hide behind for a moment and let them pass…
I stopped and looked at the bare wall behind me, or at least what I had thought had been a bare wall. There, was a door. I frowned, rolled my eyes, and smacked myself with my hand… What was I? Blind? It was right there and I’d missed it “ what was wrong with me?
Well, there wasn’t time to argue, so I opened the door and jumped inside, shutting the door just as the Heads came around the corner. I pressed my ear to the door, listening to them as I passed. It was hard to hear, as the door was so thick (a good thing, too, for I was breathing heavily and a thick door meant they couldn’t hear me, either), and the rustling behind me wasn’t making it any easier…
Whoa, wait a minute.
I froze. Part of me started to panic, as it was just then that I realized I hadn’t looked inside when I’d opened the door, I’d just jumped in. I wasn’t alone in the room.
There was a sinking feeling in my stomach as I listened to what was happening behind me… I wasn’t stupid; I knew what that sound was. I suppose I stumbled upon a large broom cupboard with two students inside, sucking each other’s faces off.
I swallowed. My luck, right? Why do the stupidest things happen to me? Really, I’d like to know.
Then, I don’t know why I did it, I guess I was just strangely intrigued, but I turned around to see…
“Holy crap!” I yelled, jumping back and smacking the door behind me with my violin case. Rather than two students, it was two adults…
Professor Potter and some redheaded woman I didn’t recognize “ though, this may have been because her face was half hidden by his own “ were standing there, totally making out. Heck, I only recognized Potter from his messy hair, which was getting messier by the second.
Hearing me cry out, Potter broke away from the girl “ woman, I should say “ and shoved her behind him. “Marti!” he said, just as startled, in a strangled sort of voice.
“I’m sorry!” I blurted, feeling like my eyes were going to pop out of my head, “I just needed to hide from some kids, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to walk in on anything “ not that I saw, or didn’t see, anything “ I’m so sorry!”
“Marti-”
“I didn’t even know what room this was! I still don’t know what room this is! There’s nothing in here! Why is that? Never mind “ please, I’m sorry!”
“Marti!” he took a step forward and took my shoulders, giving me a shake, “Calm down!”
I noticed that the redhead behind him was laughing slightly as she straightened her hair. I still couldn’t see her well…
Then she brushed some more hair out of her eyes, and over Potter’s shoulder, I got a clear look at who he had been locked with a moment before. I gasped.
“You’re Ginny Weasley!” I swallowed hard, “The famous seeker-”
Potter clamped a hand over my mouth and smiled, “Look, Marti,” he said, “You’re not in trouble, but there a quite a few people whom I don’t want to know about… this…” he motioned to Ginny with his head, “I need you to keep silent, and speak of this to no one, got it?”
Wow, she was pretty! I’d only read about her in papers… in America we’d focused mostly on American Quidditch teams, but I had heard about the Cannon’s Seeker from time to time. Since coming to Hogwarts, I’d heard more about her, especially since it seemed that Professor Weasley was her brother. She was a big star… Clay had told me quite a bit about her, though at the time I couldn’t see why he was so fascinated with a Seeker, even such a good one… now I knew why. She was beautiful! I couldn’t think of any teenage boy who wouldn’t be fascinated with her.
She glanced at me and smiled shyly. I looked back at Potter and nodded. He released me and I quickly scooted out the door, only turning back for a moment to say, “I’m sorry… I didn’t even know this room was here!”
Both of them laughed. Potter looked at me, going a little red, “That’s what we were counting on,”
Feeling my own face go hot, I closed the door and dashed away. I didn’t look back until I’d reached the gate. At that point, I didn’t think it mattered if anyone saw me or not.
Once there, I took Deanne’s map from my pocket and headed down towards the town.
*** *** ***
Sleeping had been a tough thing that night. I think I slept at some point, but I wasn’t really sure. Thinking it was about five-thirty or so, I decided to get up and go for a walk. It sounded good. I dressed and left Gryffindor Tower, and started walking, nowhere in particular.
It must have been really close to six when I heard hurried footsteps. Thinking that odd for a Saturday morning, I looked up. Dashing past the end of the Corridor, with a large case on her back, and her eyes larger than I’d ever seen them, ran Marti.
I followed her, not really meaning to be a stalker, but through interest. She was annoying, but she was new to Hogwarts. Perhaps she didn’t know that students left for Hogsmead at nine?
This morning, as I followed the moronic excuse for a girl, I noticed that there seemed something mysterious about her... blond hair catching wind, and her violin case over her shoulder... What was she doing sneaking out so early on a Saturday?
Once in Hogsmead, she seemed even more strange and beguiling. What was she up to?
I followed her to the end of town, into a field, then to a small paddock of trees. What would she be doing here? Blimey, for that matter, what was I doing here?
I waited, wondering... and then... music. Nothing else, just music. I peered around a tree to see in the small grove and spotted her jumping around, dancing while she played her violin. So that's what she’d come here to do…
I felt more than a little stupid.
*** *** ***
Hogsmead was just barely waking up, and the morning sun was bathing all in a whispering light. I hurried, nearly running with my violin case slung across my back, to the far end of the town, far out where people cared little to travel. There, I found a field that looked as though it hadn't been farmed in too many years. Taking Deanne’s map from my pocket, I double-checked that I was in the right place. Nodding I climbed the fence and dashed back to the paddock of trees that seemed just as unused, at the far end.
There, I put down my case and opened it up, revealing the golden wood violin I treasured so very much. In no time at all, I was able to fill the small paddock with all the sounds of my heart.
The Bow crossed the strings again and again, lifting my spirits. Music was so much, and as I danced around the paddock, my hair catching in the breeze, I realized how much I’d missed it. Music was a magic all its own, or so my Aunt had always insisted. Back in Salem, I had grown accustomed to it surrounding me everyday; but at Hogwarts, though I loved the school, there was never a time to really play it. The past few weeks had been hard, but the music made it better.
I had just begun to enjoy myself when I got the alarming feeling that I was being watched. Being that music was a magic all its own, I had a kind of bond with my instrument. It was weird, and I’d never had it officially tested to see if it was true, or just me being paranoid, but I could always feel when my music was being heard by someone else. I stopped dead and held my instrument at my side.
"Who's there?" I demanded to the trees, "I know you’re there, don't bother to hide from me!" I sat my violin down and drew my wand. "You'd be surprised how accurately I can throw curses and the distances at which I can transfigure things!"
*** *** ***
Uh-oh… she knew I was there.
Bollocks.
Not really knowing to take her warning as real or a bluff, I gave her the benefit of the doubt. "Hold your wand, I come in peace!" I shouted as he entered the paddock.
She scowled at me, "I can see that, I'm not blind. The real question is, why?" she still hadn't lowered her wand
I gave her his most charming smile, or at least the best that I could manage with her pointing her wand at my head. "How… um…how else would I… hear such heavenly music?"
Marti’s glare deepened, and she blandly blurted, "Can the flattery. Why are you here?"
I stopped smiling and shrugged, "I woke up early and saw you sneak out with a case over your shoulder. Tell me, why does one such as you sneak? Those who sneak only have something to hide, so I followed you. That wand arm of yours shows no mercy, does it?”
“Never,”
I swallowed, “Okay… well, I know now that I shouldn’t have come here, and with that, I’ll be on my way…”
“I hate spies!” she shouted at me, her face growing redder by the moment, “I came here to practice my violin, which I have been too frightened to do since you stole it, thank you very much, and here you are? Heavens! Somehow I am not surprised… but either way, I am not very happy right now…”
I started to back away from her, “Look, I’ll just be going now…”
Her violet eyes got really large, “I swear you haunt me as badly as Peeves! When will I be free? Huh? And you always get away with it, too,” her wand arm began shaking with her fury, “I ain’t gonna let you get away with this! Oh no… not this time…”
Oh dear.
*** *** ***
If there was anything I hated, it was spies and sneaks. Normalcy could just take a hike! Andran Audierus was about to be sorry for… well, for everything.
For a moment, I was afraid of what he would do to me... He was much taller and stronger than I was... No, I told myself, there was no time for fear!
I kicked up a cloud of dust and cast my two spells. They were special, as me and my friends had developed them just for odd duels. The first spell transfigured the dust into whatever I wanted, and the other spell banished it where I wanted it to go. I pulled up my wand, took careful aim, and muttered the words ...ones would shoot a wad of extra sticky toothpaste right where I wanted it… NOW!
*** *** ***
What in the world was she doing? What was that anyway? I tried to get out of the way, but it followed me… finally hitting me square in the face.
“Toothpaste!” I coughed, swearing around the goo, “Are you bloody mad? What’s wrong with you?!” I tried to wipe it off, but it only smeared and stuck to everything…
“You are what’s wrong with me!” she cried, sending more wads of the mint-goo my way.
Oh, Merlin, that stuff was nasty. I drew my wand. It was my turn to take aim.
*** *** ***
Man, that felt good! I couldn’t help but giggle as he swore and tried to get the toothpaste off his face. It was truly a classic moment.
“Potty mouth!” I shouted, “You’d better clean-up that pie-hole of yours!” I kicked up more dust and turned it into mouthwash, and began to send a spray at him…
But somewhere in there, I’d not noticed that he’d drawn his wand. Something hard and gooey hit me in the side of the head and began do ooze down me. Horrified, I touched it… it was…
“Pie? You actually threw a pie at me?” I asked, totally taken aback.
He shrugged, trying to wipe the paste off his hands onto his pants, “It seemed like something fitting for you. Care for more?”
“Huh? AAACK!” More pies flew at me, hitting me from what seemed like all sides. And they just kept coming! One after the other… a whole volley of them hit me. Cherry was the worst, I think. I shot some mouthwash at him, but it’s hard to aim when you have coconut and bananas in your hair, and so I missed…
I felt my anger rising and I started to throw more toothpaste at him, but this time he was ready.
*** *** ***
I cast a special shield charm around myself. It was special because it was more like a reflection charm that would throw curses back at the sender. Marti screamed as her own toothpaste splattered all over her.
She screamed again while trying to wipe it out of her hair, which, as I could have told her, was useless.
But when she screamed, a curse flew from her wand and hit me square in the chest. I fell over backwards and coughed when I hit the ground. Shaking my head, I sat up and tried to catch my breath.
There was one problem…
*** *** ***
It was everywhere!!! Toothpaste, extra sticky, all over me!!! It was in my hair, on my clothes, and some had even slipped down my back and down my pants!!!
I screamed in frustration, as I couldn’t even get it off my face enough to open my eyes, and ever since I got a face full of Bubotuber puss, I didn’t like things in my face. I finally brought the neck of my shirt up over my face and wiped it clear, just in time to see Andran sit up.
Had I cursed him accidentally? I couldn’t have… could I?
He glared at me and looked like he was going to say something to me, but he coughed and bubbles went everywhere… little pink bubbles. His eyes went wide in surprise, and he started to say something else, but all that there was little green bubbles.
Despite everything, I laughed.
“Bloody woman! Just laugh away!” he shouted amid a spray of purple bubbles. I was still laughing when he hit me with a tickling charm…
Oh, heavens! I couldn’t stop laughing!
*** *** ***
I smiled as she fell to the ground and began laughing hysterically. I got to my feet and walked to where she was lying in the grass, her face red with laughter.
“Finite Incantatum,” I muttered, releasing her of the tickling charm. Her laughing faded and she struggled to get to her feet and face me. She kept slipping and sliding in the mouthwash and pie filling.
“Really now, Marti, you need to learn to play nicer,” I smarted off.
“Shove it!” she shouted, and sprayed me directly with more mouthwash. It hit us both, but we each stood our ground, dripping.
“You are such a brat!” I yelled at her, coughing slightly.
“Ditto, rat breath!” she hollered, taking as step towards me.
“Wench!”
“How DARE you!” she shouted, taking another step and getting herself right up in my face, “I’m a wench? I swear you are the most irritating person I have ever met! You just can’t seem…”
And then the oddest thing happened. I stopped listening completely, as my heart began pounding in my ears, along with the advice Professor Weasley gave me, even though I was told not to heed it… I just couldn’t stop thinking about it…
I found which shelf that book belonged on.
*** *** ***
I was just yelling “ heck, I was so furious that I didn’t even know what I was saying “ when it happened. Oh, heavens, I didn’t even see it coming, except that the frown on his face vanished, he raised an eyebrow at me, and then…
Holy crap.
Andran grabbed my face and kissed me.
Oh dear… my mind went completely blank.
*** *** ***
Okay, so, I don’t know how to kiss. I’ve mentioned this before, I’m not that smooth with women…
When I realized what I was doing, I let her go and stepped back, somewhat horrified at my own daring. She just stood there, silent, not even blinking. A panicked apology tried to come out of my mouth, but instead I just burped up some more pink bubbles…
And then a wave of embarrassment, unlike any I’d ever felt before, washed over me, and I just couldn’t stand to wait there for her to snap out of it. I turned and ran from the paddock as fast as I could.
If I didn’t get back to Hogwarts before she came to, I was dead meat.
*** *** ***
I watched him run, a string of different things going through my head. He, the bane of my existence, had just kissed me and ran off.
That was my first kiss… well, since I came to Hogwarts, anyway… it wasn’t that bad…
Yes it was! He just did that to shut me up! What kind of man does that? My first kiss here was a shut-up kiss!
He ran away. Was kissing me that bad? It had to have been, I saw that look on his face. Why did he do that?
He kissed me.
Andran Audierus kissed me. That rat kissed me. He… he…
“I’LL GET YOU FOR THIS!!!” I shouted, punching the air around me angrily.
There you go! I hope you enjoy it!
Oh, and please check out my Ron/Hermione one-shot, I surrender.... I'd love to know what you all think of it!