Disclaimer: I own nothing except Marti, Andy, and their classmates. You steal them, and I have the right to maime you.
Once we were in the hallway, Potter let me go. I pointed my wand at my throat and whispered, “Quietus,” so that if I had to raise my voice, I wouldn’t shake the castle apart.
Instinctively, I crossed my arms over the coconuts I was wearing.
Potter noticed this and took out his wand, conjuring me a funny colored cloak to wrap around myself. I took it from him gratefully and muttered a pitiful, “Thanks, Professor.”
“Marti, what were you thinking?” he said, suddenly looking angry.
I looked at the ground. He’d been so nice to me, and he was my favorite teacher, and now I did this… I wasn’t ungrateful, but I knew it looked like I was.
I smiled and tried to make seem like it was nothing… after all, I couldn’t tell him about the ransom for my violin. “Well, you know me, attention hog.”
He frowned at me, “I don’t believe that for a second, Martina. This isn’t you at all. What happened? Tell me the truth.”
I sighed, “I can’t Professor, and that IS the truth.”
He frowned slightly, “Can you tell me why you can’t tell me?”
Oh boy, he would go there, wouldn’t he? Deanne and I had been doing this for several days. I sighed and thought on how to word what I wanted to say. “I can’t tell you because, first of all, I agreed not to tell any teacher when I signed…something. Secondly… if I were to tell you, and go back on my word, my… I mean, something dear to me would be… would get… they’d...”
He rolled his eyes. “You may not know this Marti, but I know exactly what you mean, or who you mean, as the case may be. There are only two students I know of, who would have the gall to make you do something like this. And they make you sign a magical contract, in which you aren’t allowed to mention anything specific.”
I was dumbfounded. Potter had managed to get that much out of what I’d said? He noticed the look on my face and smiled, “I have heard students with your same stutter and hesitation, on several occasions. I’ve caught them using contracts before. I’ll take care of this.”
“No!” I shouted, nearly dropping the cloak around me. “If you do, I…” tears welled up in my eyes, because I didn’t know if I could get my violin safely back or not, even though I had already done the dance. “Please, Professor, I need to wait… for safety…”
He nodded again, but drew his wand and gave a flick. Then he, after telling me to stay put, marched into the Great Hall. I used the brief time alone to rid myself of the idiotic costume I’d been forced to wear, coconuts and all. There was an awkward moment when I didn’t know what to do with my wand, as this left me mostly naked, but I finally decided that pulling the odd cloak around me closer and sliding my wand in the band of my underpants “ the only thing I now had on “ was my best bet. It felt odd, standing out in front of the Great Hall Entrance, basically naked… but I could guarantee that I was more comfortable than I’d been wearing those coconuts. Don’t ever wear them… trust me.
A few moments later, Potter re-emerged from the Hall.
He smiled kindly at me, and then said, “They must have taken something very dear to you, for you to be willing to make such a spectacle of yourself.”
I turned my head down, “You have no idea. Hey! Whoa, what happened to me? I’m gone! This wasn’t part of the deal!”
Potter put a hand on my shoulder, “Marti, it’s alright. It’s an invisibility cloak. I would like you to follow me, and I thought you would like to not be seen… for a change,” he added with a grin.
I smiled in return, then pulled the cloak over my head and followed behind Potter. It was stuffy under the cloak, I had to admit, but as we passed a few people here and there, I found that it was nice. No one looked my way, no one noticed me. And the fact that Potter trusted me enough to use this cloak was astounding.
After a few corridors, we passed a group of Hufflepuff girls who were laughing. Out of curiosity, I paused to hear what was so funny.
“She really sang that all over the hall?” one girl laughed to another. The second girl nodded and the group burst out in laughter again. A knot sank into my stomach as I understood that they were talking about me. How could news like that spread so quickly?
“She’s such a freak!” the second one said, “I don’t know why she thinks she can get away with that.”
A third one snorted, “I heard she’s related to McGonagall, that’s why she keeps getting away with such stunts. I still can’t believe she was half naked!”
A fourth girl frowned at the other three, “Well, sure this is funny, but she keeps doing these things! She’s making a mockery of Hogwarts! We are the most prestigious Wizarding School, pretty much in the world. If we weren’t, you can bet that Potter wouldn’t be teaching here, right? Whoever’s idea it was to allow a transfer student to come here was just stupid!”
“Five points from Hufflepuff,” came Professor Potter’s voice from behind me, sounding very angry, “For spreading such unbecoming gossip. So that you know, Miss Reidhead, I teach here because I was taught here, and Hogwarts has many pleasant memories for me. Also, most of the staff was consulted in allowing Miss Owlsten to attend Hogwarts. No one is solely responsible for it, though if you want someone to blame, you might as well blame me, as I was the strongest supporter for her coming here.”
The girls squirmed under his gaze, which he held until the four headed off in the direction of the Great Hall.
One we were alone again, Potter swept his arm out until it touched my arm. He took hold of my hand and then gently pulled me along. It wasn’t until we were well into walking again that I noticed I was crying. Hot tears were falling down my face and my nose was starting to run. I sniffed and Potter glanced in what he assumed was my way.
“What they say doesn’t matter, Marti,” he said comfortingly as we walked.
“Am I really a freak?” I choked from beneath the cloak.
To my surprise, Potter laughed. I frowned. Was I that big of a joke to everyone?
“You have no idea how many times I asked that same question to myself when I was younger,” he said quietly, “I wasn’t a freak, though it took me a long time to believe that, and neither are you. You are different and unique, yes, but those are all good things to be. Take my advice and only listen to people who matter, who can really see the world for what it is, and be honest with you. Ignore what others say.”
I choked and sniffed, “And who would that be?”
He paused and smiled at me, “Miss Liles, for one. Alice Longbottom, for another. And then there are your professors, Hermione, Luna, Ron and myself. We’ve been friends for years, and I “ oh, sorry, I meant to say Professors Granger, Lovegood, and Weasley “ and I can promise you that they will never willingly steer you in the wrong direction.”
“And what about Malfoy?”
Potter tensed up a little, “McGonagall trusts him well enough, and you can’t find anyone in all of Britain who is better at potions, but he’s often blinded by his pride and house loyalty.”
I smirked in spite of my tears, “So you don’t like him, either?”
“I can’t answer that one, Marti. You should know better than to ask me that,” he said sternly… but was that a hint of a smile on his face? Ha-ha, I knew it. No one likes Malfoy!
We stopped finally in front of a large painting of a fat lady in a pink dress. I frowned, but Potter smiled. So did the fat lady.
He motioned for me to stay where I was, then the portrait swung open to reveal a hole in the wall! I nearly fell backwards. It had to be the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. He stepped inside and the picture swung shut. I waited a few moments alone in the corridor and then the painting swung open again and Potter stepped out, holding a white box under his arm.
“I believe,” he said, removing the lid carefully and reaching inside, “That this is yours,” he gently lifted my violin out of the box.
I pulled the cloak off my head and wiped away the tears that had stained my face, “Please, Professor, can you check it to make sure it’s alright? No charms or hexes or anything? I would, but I can’t lose this cloak…”
He gave me a knowing smile and waved his wand over my instrument. After a moment, he handed it out to me and said, “It’s clean.”
More tears stained my face as I took it with one arm and held it close to me. It was safe. That was all that mattered.
*** *** ***
The Hall was still rolling with laughter when Potter marched back in and over to where Zinny and I were sitting. The anger on his face silenced my laughter, and not only because it meant I was caught. If Marti had told him, then her violin would be in trouble.
Not that I really cared, or anything, I just hated to see such a beautiful instrument get ruined. And, I really didn’t want parents mad at me for that one. I didn’t have the money to replace something, if it couldn’t be magically fixed… alright, I decided that it might be a good idea for Zinny and me to check on if something can be magically fixed or not before we make out our contracts.
Zinny happened to see Potter coming and sobered as much as I did.
“Oh dear,” she muttered as he approached, “We’re in for it this time.”
He raised a hand and pointed a finger at me, then at Zinny, then back at me. “I don’t really want to know anymore about this than I already do. Tell me where it is, Audierus.”
“Where what is, Professor?” I said, trying to look innocent. That, along with girls, is something I’m not good at.
“Don’t give me that, Andran. Pearson,” he said, rounding on Zinny, “Tell me where it is. She didn’t tell me anything “ she refused, actually “ but I know you two, too well. Just tell me where whatever-you-took-from-her is, and I will lessen your punishment considerably.”
Zinny’s mouth fell, “What! We didn’t do anything! That girl does a hootchie-coochie dance, and you’re going to punish us? That’s not fair!”
“Pearson!” he shouted, looking livid, “Do I look like a fool to you? No? Then don’t treat me like one by lying to me. I’m not asking questions, like I really should in this case. I just want to know where her possession is.”
Zin and I looked at each other and sighed collectively. “Under my bed,” I said, “In a white box.”
He nodded and hurried out of the hall as quickly as he had entered it. I started to say something to Zinny, I think it was something along the lines of how we needed to pull our act together, and how we really ought to check if things can be magically fixed before we hex them, and how we really ought naught to make such binding contracts.
But, when I looked at Zinny, I started laughing again as she was humming that Muggle song to herself and wiggling in her seat.
*** *** ***
A week after I was given, and then served, a week’s worth of detention “ doled out by McGonagall herself, for severe school disruption “ I tried to keep my life as normal as possible. I had a long talk with Deanne about it, and she agreed after a while.
“I don’t quite understand,” she said at first when I told her about my goal of normalcy, “Are you saying that until now, you were aiming for an abnormal life?”
I shook my head, “No, but… okay, I will be the first to admit that I’m an impulsive person. Most of the time, I just do things that I know will lead me into trouble, just because I think they’ll be fun and I have a slim chance of getting away with it. Exciting as that is, it’s not doing me any good, so this behavior needs to stop. I need to buckle down and act like a normal person.”
Deanne looked at me from where she was sitting on her bed, cross-legged, doing her Herbology essay. If I wasn’t mistaken, she looked distressed. I frowned at her, “Aw, c’mon, Dee, the essay isn't that hard, is it?”
She smiled briefly, “No, that’s not it… I just… I know you do dumb things now and then, like jump on Bailey and pin her to her bed with your knees,” we both grinned at that (after it happened, and after I got my violin back, Deanne decided that Bailey’s face had been rather funny when I’d lunged at her), “but you’re great the way you are! I don’t want you to change.”
I scoffed, “Well, I like me too, but something’s got to give, Dee. If I don’t start being at least a little bit more normal, I’ll get expelled.”
She sighed, somewhat sadly, “Well, that would be worse than you changing. I guess you’re right.”
“Eh, don’t rub it in.”
So I buckled down. I made a vow for three days to not use my wand out of the class room. It was a pain in the rear, especially when I saw Bailey bending over in the hall way… Oh, my wand was out in a split second and it was aimed at her posterior with the words for a bat-boogey hex on my lips and thoughts of what the result would look like running through my head. And I almost did it, too, but then I thought of what Professor Lovegood would say, and perhaps even Professor Potter. He’d been so nice to me… I kept thinking about what he said to the Hufflepuff girls while I was under his invisibility cloak, that he was the person who pushed the most for me to be allowed to come to Hogwarts.
I didn’t want to disappoint him more than I already had, so I put my wand away.
But that was only the beginning. After I caught myself numerous times thinking absently about some odd prank I could do, I started to wonder what it was exactly that other normal girls did if they didn’t spend their time pranking people. It was something I’d not really thought about before. Well, not really what they did, but what did they think about? I sighed, for I knew the answer: boys. That’s what it had to be it.
This was a subject that had always seemed too complicated for me over the years, so I’d not really bothered with it, but the girls at Hogwarts “ well, the Ravenclaw girls, anyway “ seemed to think it was a major deal. I was sixteen and had never had a real boyfriend. According to Amber Moore, this was a serious thing. I didn’t think so, but she assured me that it was. Hey, could I help it if I’d gone to a mostly girl’s school?
According to Jean Fitzgerald, Amber’s best friend besides Bailey, the first step to get into this subject, if I was going to be starting from scratch “ and she assured me that I was “ was to find someone I thought was cute, funny, someone to be the object of my affection.
Okay, so was there anyone I liked? Hmm, that was a good question, one that needed to be thought over.
Well, after I finished my Herbology essay, that is. It wouldn’t do me any good to switch completely from pranks to boys and still neglect my schoolwork… that wasn’t normal.
One day in the halls, I noticed a young boy with sandy hair that seemed nice enough to look at, but I made the mistake of asking Alice Longbottom who he was.
She frowned at me, “He’s off limits, Marti,” she said flatly.
“What?” I looked at her and was confused, since this boy had been the first decent looking boy I’d seen in… well, I’d only looked for five minutes, but still, he was decent looking. “Why?”
“That,” she said with a nod of her head in his direction, “Is Gryffindor fourth year Cory Longbottom, my younger brother.”
I smiled at her sheepishly, “Whoops, sorry there. Ooh, what about that boy, next to him?”
A small smile played on her lips, “Gryffindor third year Joshua Longbottom. He, too, is-”
I waved a hand at her, “I know, I know, off limits. Sheesh, Alice, forget I ever mentioned it.” Dejected and feeling rather frustrated, I headed to the Ravenclaw CR.
I was starting to think that I’d go insane in general after that one… what was I doing looking for a man, anyway? That’s not how a person went about getting a boyfriend! Did I even want a boyfriend? Was I ready for that? Maybe, but that wasn’t the way to go about being normal.
Had I really listened to Jean and Amber? They were Baileys friends! Man, I was being stupid, again.
Hmmm… Bailey… My mind began to think about sneaking something smelly into Bailey’s underwear drawer, but caught myself in the process.
“What am I doing!” I shouted out loud. Then I remembered that I was sitting with Deanne in the Ravenclaw CR, which happen to be crowded with a lot of students… and they were all looking at me.
“Uh,” I swallowed, looking around, “H-here I am, sitting around, when I have an essay to write… heh.”
Deanne snorted into her book that she was currently reading, and when everyone went back to what they were doing, she leaned over to me, “You finished it yesterday, Marti. Are you feeling alright?”
I sighed and leaned back in the couch that we were sitting in, “No, Dee, I’m not. This normal thing isn’t going well for me.”
She gave me a sympathetic smile, “That bad?”
I nodded, “I was thinking of putting some coleslaw and tuna in Bailey’s underwear drawer.”
Deanne burst out laughing, and nearly dropped her book.
“This isn’t funny!” I hissed at her, “How can I keep busy?”
“Marti,” she said, trying to be reasonable, “You’ve only been at this for a few days! You and I will think of something,”
I folded my arms over my chest and slumped back into the couch, slouching like there was no tomorrow, “If we don’t think of something soon, Bailey will be smelling like a Kentucky-fried tuna.”
Deanne snorted again, and had to shove her face into the couch for a while to stifle the sounds of her laughter. After a moment, she came up, wiped her eyes and cleared her throat, “Well, um, what about Quidditch? I think the Ravenclaw tryouts are this week, Marti. You have a broom, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I do. But, I don’t think that’s a very good idea… I get violent when I play Quidditch.”
She closed her book and looked at me, “What position to you play?”
“Chaser. I’m quick and a small target for bludgers. But-”
“That’s awesome!” said a voice from above me. I looked up to see Rich Westman, a seventh year judging from the size of him. “You’re the new girl, aren’t you? Martha is it?”
I shook my head. “Martina Owlsten, but call me Marti. You’re Rich, right?”
He nodded and leaned on his elbows on the back of the couch, extending a hand to me as he did so. While he mauled my hand, he said, “Yup, Rich Westman. I’m Ravenclaw’s Quidditch Captain, and Deanne here is right, our tryouts are this Tuesday night, at five. After Rita and Mitch graduated last year, we’re in need of some new chasers. Think you could be up for it?”
I smiled at him, though a little weakly, “You think you’d want me?”
He frowned at me, “Why wouldn’t we?”
I grinned sheepishly, “In my last match, I practically shattered my leg kicking a bludger back at the beater who knocked it my way, who then was unconscious for two days afterwards.”
Rich’s face went blank, “Did you have the Quaffle at the time?”
“No. I was going after it.”
“Did you get it?” his eyes narrowed.
“Did, and scored, thank you very much.”
He smiled, “I’ll see you Tuesday afternoon, then.”
*** *** ***
“Andran? You still plan on being Keeper this year?”
I frowned at Paul, the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain. “Why wouldn’t I?”
He shrugged, “You had a rough year, getting knock unconscious three times last year, and I thought you might not want to go through that again.”
“Paul,” I glowered at him, “I was ambushed by those two Ravenclaw chasers, and you know it. They’re gone this year, so I doubt there’ll be an issue.”
Paul looked at me and raised an eyebrow, “I wouldn’t be too sure on that.”
“Wait, what’s going on?” Zinny asked, looking up from her essay she was working on. “Why wouldn’t Andy be able to keep playing as keeper this year?”
Paul didn’t take his eyes off me, but said to Zinny, “Because I just came from the Quidditch Pitch, where the Ravenclaw team was holding their tryouts. I wasn’t allowed into the pitch, but I could see some of the flyers from the castle steps.”
I gave Paul an incredulous look, “And what is your point?”
“The transfer student,” he said slowly and raising his eyebrows, making me shiver slightly, “Martha? Marti, that’s her name, Marti Owlsten. Yeah, I saw her fly. She’s good.”
Zinny dropped her essay and stood up suddenly, “I’m still not hearing a point from you, Paul,” she said coolly.
He looked curiously at Zinny, I’m not sure why, and said, “I heard her friends talking out there, too, while they waited to hear some results from the tryouts. Rumor has it that back in America she shattered her leg kicking a Bludger into the head of a beater while heading after the Quaffle. Then she scored. My point,” he held up his hand to stop us from saying anything further, “is that I watched her fly, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that was true. She’s really good, and if we want to beat Ravenclaw this year I thought I should ask you if you think you can keep your head around her. She’s a really good flyer, but she’s also a mean player. Nothing illegal “ so far “ but she’s tough. Can you deal with that?”
What “ that hairy midget was a mean player? So what? What more could she do to me than try and pull my hair? Besides, I was keeper, not chaser, so I really shouldn’t have to bother with her too much…. right?
I started to say something to Paul, like that he was in need of some new medications from St. Mungo’s or something, but before I could, Zinny “ a very red faced Zinny “ stepped in between us and pointed her finger down at him.
“Andran is one of the best keepers we’ve had since Weasley himself played here. Shouldn’t you be asking the chasers and beaters, as we’ll be the ones dealing with her directly?”
Paul thought about that for a moment, “Fine. Can you handle her, Zinny? You’re our best chaser.”
Zinny’s eyes narrowed, “Oh, I can handle her just fine. Don’t worry about that.”
*** *** ***
The morning after tryouts, I was sore and tired, but I managed to drag myself out of bed in time for breakfast.
I made my way down stairs, my hair still a huge mess “ I was too tired to bother with it “ when I was suddenly being mauled by Deanne and Alice.
“Marti!” Deanne squealed, “The Results are posted!”
“Results?” I muttered.
Alice did a little dance in front of me, “About who made the Quidditch team! Go see, go see!”
Ah, I was instantly awake.
There was a crowd around the notice board where the results had been put up. Somewhat shakily, I wiggled my way through the throng and up to the parchment. For a reason I didn’t understand, when people noticed I was the one trying to get through to the results, they parted like… well, like magic. It wasn’t long before I was face to face with the parchment.
It read:
Results from Quidditch Try-outs:
Keeper: Rich Westman
Beater1: Veronica Appleby
Beater2: Donald Garrett
Seeker: Todd Helquist
Chaser1: Evelyn Russell
Chaser2: Jason Barde
Chaser3: Martina Owlsten
Reserve Chaser: Aaron Detrich
Reserve Beater: Tammy Buttons
Reserve Keeper: Evelyn Russell
Reserve Seeker: Martina Owlsten
The rest of the day went on in a haze for me. I was so thrilled to be a chaser and the reserve Seeker… I think Rich was impressed that I’d do anything to get what I was after, even kick a bludger head-on, and that would make a good seeker if they needed it. Really, I was honored to be seen as a valuable player.
But, honored or no, this news made me rather absent minded. I mean, more than usual. I had made a stop in the bathroom, and then had zoned out while looking the mirror so I was running late for Herbology. We had it today with the Gryffindors “ not really what I was looking forward to, for whatever reason, in greenhouse three.
Not wanting to give Professor Bones a reason to be angry with me (and not wanting a detention as apart of my new-found normalness) I ran top speed down the halls in the direction of the greenhouses, and… well, it was me, what do you think was going to happen?
I skidded around a corner, and almost made it without wiping out, but someone else was skidding around the corner, apparently doing the same thing I was. I saw robes heading my way and I panicked. There was a sea of black, I turned to see who it was, lost my balance and… yeah, there was a rip somewhere, I fell, the other person fell, and people who were standing nearby groaned and winced. I think I flipped over the person I crashed into… either that or the person flipped over me… well, even then I’m not too sure.
“Oh, cripes!” I shouted, trying to disentangle myself from the other person’s robes. “I’m so sorry! I “ I have a tendency to do things like this, and I’m really, really sorry…” I trailed as I noticed that this other person was larger than I was, and was therefore a boy. Then I noticed a red and gold badge on the robe, and I froze.
No way. It couldn’t be Audierus, could it? Well, that would be my luck, wouldn’t it? I frowned and waited for the person to sit up…
But a boy with darker hair and blue eyes pulled his hood off and smiled at me. It totally startled me, as I was seriously expecting it to be Andran. Then I frowned at myself, because, well, Audierus wasn’t the only Gryffindor boy, now was he? I really should have known better than that.
“It’s alright,” he said kindly, still with a smile. He looked me over, concern starting to spread on his face, “Oh, did I hurt you?”
I gave a small smile back at him, feeling my face go a little red as he looked at me so nicely, “No. I do things like this enough that my body is close to being numb to it.”
His smile widened and he laughed, “That doesn’t mean I couldn’t hurt you!” he rolled onto his knees and stood up, brushing himself off. I felt really bad for doing that to him, especially since he was so nice to me. I felt like I had to do something, so I hopped up and helped brush off the back of his robes.
“Again, I’m sorry about all this,” I muttered, seeing my shoeprint on his robe hem, “I really should have been watching where I was going.”
He laughed lightly and started picking up my things “ what? He was actually picking up my bag and books for me? “That would make two of us, then,” he said once he had shouldered his own bag and held mine out to me. “I’m Clay. Clayton McAfee, Gryffindor, sixth-year.”
I took my bag and shook his hand, “Marti Owlsten, Ravenclaw, also sixth-year. Nice to meet you, Clay.”
He glanced at his watch, “I assume you were running to Herbology?”
I snorted, “Yeah, trying to be normal and be on time for a change.”
He met my eyes, “Me too. But, it looks like we’re going to be late no matter what we do now, so… mind if I accompany you to class?”
I felt my cheeks go red again. What was it with nice guys and me going red? It’s not like he was flirting with me, he was just being a gentleman! And I had to go red. I’m so stupid!
“I’d like that,” I said, rubbing my cheeks, trying to hide my blush.
“So, Marti,” he said after we resumed our mutual course, “You’re the transfer student?”
“Yup,” I said dryly, “That’s me.”
“You’re from Salem, right?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I absently fiddled with my bag’s strap as we walked.
“How do you like England so far? Salem sounds like it would be a very different place to live,” he seemed to be fiddling with his strap, too.
Surprised by his interest in me, I smiled at him “ like an idiot, I might add “ and replied, “It was. Well, I wasn’t born there, I was born across the United States in Arizona, but I lived with my aunt and uncle in Salem since I was old enough for school.”
He nodded, “I always wanted to go to Arizona,”
“Really?” I said, turning to him slightly, “Most people hate the heat there. With that in mind, you’d still want to go?”
He nodded, “I hear that the Magical community there is very strong. But, I suppose it would be strong in Salem, too. I read about the Witch-hunts… did that make it hard to live there?”
“Did the history make it hard?” I shook my head, “Not as much as you’d think. The Muggles in that region have changed a lot since then. Their Witch-history is accepted and even adored, now. For some reason, the Wizarding and Muggle communities there are very close. Many Muggles know about our world, and don’t mind. They think it’s great.”
“Really?” he looked shocked, “I can’t imagine…”
“You know, my best friend was a Muggle. She knew I was a witch, because she knew my aunt and uncle, but she didn’t care.” I smiled and remembered my friend.
“That must have been… different. Do you miss Salem?” he questioned.
“Yeah, every day. I like Hogwarts and all, don’t get me wrong, but I miss home,” I fought against the images of Salem and my friends… “What about you? Where are you from?”
He adjusted his bag and smiled down at me, “I was born in Gloucestershire, but I was raised in Surrey.”
Uh, where? Glocken-chicken-tire? I knew little to nothing about England. “I wish I knew where those places were,” I said apologetically, feeling somewhat pathetic. I could say ‘Surrey’ well enough, but I might insult him if I called his birthplace bow-kiss-and-miner. I decided not to try.
He laughed lightly, his almost black hair sliding into his eyes. He brushed it away, “Well, both are in Britain, if that helps.”
“Eh, your accent told me that much,” I snickered.
He frowned at me as we walked through the doors that led outside, then shook his head, “Sorry, dear, but you’re the one with the accent.”
“I do not…” I trailed off, and paused, “Fine, you win. I have the American accent, but if you ever come to America, you’ll be the one with the accent, got it?”
“Fair enough,” he conceded. We walked a while longer without speaking, not because we had nothing to say, but because a group of first year girls were gaggling together in the middle of the corridor, so we split and met back up on the other side of them. Clay coughed and ran his hands through his hair, “Um, I hear you tried out for Quidditch. Is that true?”
I nodded, “Yup. I made chaser.”
He smiled at me, his blue eyes sparkling, “Congratulations! Is the rumor true, then?”
I eyed him strangely, “Depends on the rumor. There are quite a few about me.”
“Well, the one that says you shattered your leg kicking a bludger at a beater?”
Rich Westman was so dead for letting that one slip. “Ah, that would be true…”
Clay shook his head, “Why would you do that?”
I shrugged, “It was coming at me headlong, and was going to take me out anyway, so I thought I had nothing to lose. I figured that if I was going down, I was going to take that freakin’ Beater with me!” Clay took a step back, and I blushed again, “Sorry, Quidditch gets me all riled up.”
He laughed out loud, “Don’t apologize for everything! I’m looking forward to a good match.”
“Oh, are you on the Gryffindor team?”
“Yes” he said softly, “I’m the Gryffindor Seeker.”
“Oh,” I couldn’t help but feel a little crestfallen. He was on the opposing team, and if I talked to him about Quidditch, he could feed them any information I let slip. Dang it. “Well, that would make us enemies, then…”
We reached greenhouse three and he opened the door for me, and whispered, “Nah, we’re both too clumsy to be enemies.”
“Well, well, look who decided to grace us with their faces this morning,” Professor Bones said. She was teasing, but we were rather late, so we both had it coming. “Mr. McAfee, Miss Owlsten, please take your places in your groups and lets all continue. And remember, class,” she cautioned, “Don’t let the puss squirt across the room! I know Bubotubers can do that from time to time, but please try to keep things under control!” We’d been collecting Bubotuber puss for the last few lessons with Professor Bones, as she had a lot of it to collect. It was really quite below us, as we learned about them a few years back, but she needed the extra help.
I watched Clay head over to his group where they were working on the plant. He was tall and nice and friendly… maybe I had someone to think about after all “
“MARTI! LOOK OUT!”
“Huh?” I turned to see who had called me… I think it had been Deanne, but I didn’t see much. I screamed just a splurt of Bubotuber puss hit me in the face, and knocked me down.
Ah, crap it all! That stuff burns!
I believe this is the longest chapter so far! Took me long enough, didn't it? Well, don't forget to vote on you favorite relationship and plot twists! Next chapter coming soon!