By now, he and Arden were better acquainted”they’d found time to talk in the hallways, at meals, at the first Triwizard Task, and during free time on weekends. It was nice to get to know new people, and to get to meet the real Arden, not hidden behind her shyness.
Ted got along well with shy people, he realized”though nowhere near as shy and frightened of new people as Arden was (at least, not anymore), Ivy was an introvert who didn’t always show her feelings.
Arden greeted him upon entering the Shack; she was one of those people who was never late for everything. She was holding a book, not a sketchpad, but a thick, leather-bound volume. “What’s that?” asked Ted.
“Oh, it is nothing. Just my journal,” Arden said quietly, setting it down on one of the beds.
“Like, a diary?” Ted grinned. “You’re not writing horrible and slanderous things about me in there, are you?”
“It is not a diary,” the French girl protested. “I write poetry. Mostly in French”it is not very good… much of it is about transformation.”
Ted, goofy as always on full moons and determined to make far-too-serious Arden laugh, struck a dramatic pose and clasped his hand to his heart. “When the moon hits your eye,” he recited in a theatrical voice, “like a big pizza pie… it’s transformation time…”
“Perhaps a bit better than that,” Arden admitted with a smile.
The boy took a seat. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you for awhile,” he said after a short, contemplative pause.
“Yes?” Arden looked up at him with questioning eyes.
“I mean, I just wondered… what does escargot taste like anyway? No offence”I mean, I’m sure it’s very nice and all, but the thought of eating snails always makes me feel sick.” He wrinkled his nose.
Arden wore a curious expression, as if the laughter that had lit up her face had died inside her. “That is all? Er, I am afraid I cannot tell you that,” she replied. “I am a strict vegetarian.”
Ted laughed. “A vegetarian werewolf? That’s definitely a new one.” He settled back on his bed. “You know, you draw, you write, you’re smart, you’re nice… did you ever think that you’re leaving your school out of something?”
The girl blinked confusedly, and he continued, “You don’t really have friends at your school. Nobody else really knows you, and I kind of feel bad for all of the kids at Beauxbatons, ‘cause I’m the only person who gets that chance.”
His pronunciation of ‘Beauxbatons’ was laughably bad, but Arden was too tactful to point out this fact. She simply said quietly,“Sometimes, I wish that I had friends. But the problem is, if I did, they might find out that I am… that I am… you know what it is that I mean. And then, the whole school will find out, and I will be chased out with, how do you say…pitchforks.” Her dark blue eyes had grown wide with fear, and her voice rose higher and higher with emotion.
“I think you underestimate people!” Ted told her, alarmed. “Nobody’s going to chase you with pitchforks”believe me, everyone knows about me, and even though it was a big deal at first, they got used to it, just like I did. I guess few little kids are scared of me at first, first years and stuff, but still, they get over it, especially since I’m a Prefect. You know, in the public eye and all.” He laughed. “I mean, so you transform and you suddenly get hairy and bloodthirsty… that’s not so bad. It happens to everyone…it’s called puberty.”
Arden smiled weakly. “I do not think it is quite the same thing,” she pointed out.
“Well, I’m not telling you that you should let your whole school know like I did or anything,” Ted told her. “I mean, I’m weird. But I’m just letting you know, it’s not so bad.” He lay back on his bed and changed the subject.
“So, is fifth year work as stressful for you as it is for the Hogwarts kids? Everyone’s studying like mad”I don’t think my friend Ivy’s seen the light of day since school started, except for the first Triwizard task. And even Haley’s working harder; she’s kind of a slacker normally.”
“School is not so terrible. We have our examinations in sixth year, and we do not have so much to do, since we are living at Hogwarts for the year,” replied the girl. “Is Ivy the blonde girl who we saw at the first task?”
Ted nodded. “Yeah, she’s one of Harry Potter’s kids. She’s really cool.”
Arden began to say something, but before a single word fell from her lips, the moon’s silvery rays sliced through the room, and Ted felt himself changing fast. The conversation would have to wait.
The next day was a Hogsmeade weekend, and although Ted was pale and tired-looking, he was in a very good mood. Upon entering the Common Room, he snuck up behind Ivy’s armchair and dangled a piece of parchment in front of her face, reading “Hey!”
Absentmindedly, Ivy brushed it away, then blinked, realized that notes did not normally float in midair, and turned around to see Ted. “Hey to you, too,” she said.
“So, do you think you could spare a few hours of your studying to go to Hogsmeade with me?” asked Ted. He made big, sad puppy-dog eyes at her. “Please? I miss you. I’ve, like, forgotten what you look like, I’ve seen so little of you this year!” He squinted at his friend. “Have you always been blonde?” he asked jokingly.
Ivy chuckled, and she set down her textbooks. She couldn’t possibly study all day on a Hogsmeade weekend, especially with an invitation like the one she’d just gotten. “How about the others?” she asked.
“Jordan’s holding Quidditch training again,” replied Ted. “He’s a man obsessed. And Emma and Haley are going accessory shopping for some ball later this year or something”if you’d rather do that, I understand”but if you want to come with me, that would be fun, too.”
“I’d like that,” replied Ivy, pulling a blue-grey cardigan on over her wool sweater and throwing a scarf around her neck faster than you could say ‘sphygmomanometer.’
The two Gryffindor Prefects walked down the road to Hogsmeade together through the chilly air, crunching through the light, fluffy snow of the previous night. Ivy had always loved cold weather, and the chilly wind made her cheeks pink and her eyes sparkle as she and her friend talked and laughed.
They couldn’t resist visiting Honeydukes candy shop, where they bought all of their favourite sweets, an assortment that, oddly enough, did not any include any cockroach clusters, blood lollipops, or acid pops. Ted said that he’d heard of a boy who had burnt a hole straight through the roof of his mouth with an acid pop, and that his brains leaked through it. Ivy was inclined to believe that this was an urban legend, but she could never be too cautious.
As they munched Fizzing Whizbees (both of their favourite) and made their way toward the Three Broomsticks for butterbeer, Ted mentioned, “So, Ivy, you don’t need to answer this if you don’t want to or anything, but what have you been studying so much? I know we have a lot of homework ‘cos this is our O.W.L.s year and all, but… you’re always so busy.”
“Oh, it’s nothing,” Ivy said quickly. “I mean, just some extra stuff that I wanted to understand better.”
They entered the warm bar and found a table where they could sit together. They enjoyed a long, meandering conversation over steaming mugs of butterbeer, discussing everything that popped into their heads.
“I had an odd dream last night,” mentioned Ivy. “It was pretty vague”I don’t really remember much of it, but I don’t think I was myself it, and I remember running a lot. And lots of trees.” She paused contemplatively for a moment. “I guess it’s not that interesting, but the thing is, I basically never have dreams, and if I do, they’re about things like reading a book or eating breakfast or being in Charms class or something normal like that.”
Ted nodded. “I sometimes have really crazy dreams,” he said. “Like one time, I dreamed that I was deathly allergic to the word ‘yeah,’ and I had to try and keep people from saying it. Another time, I dreamed I was in a huge skyscraper, and I was holding a black rose that I had to give to someone wearing a blue shirt before the sun went up, or else the building would explode.
“But the weirdest dream I’ve ever had, actually, had you in it. So, I was at some zoo, and I really, really wanted a snow cone. But Zabini was selling the snow cones, and he said I could only have a peanut-butter flavoured snow cone”which, to me, sounds disgusting”unless I told him the chemical formula for snow cones. But then, you came in on a flying carpet, and””
Ivy never did get to hear what exactly she did, because Ted’s voice cut off when a girl entered the Three Broomsticks. She was small with curly, dark hair and a tired-looking face, and Ivy recognized her as the girl who had sat with Ted at the first Triwizard task. The girl waved, and Ted called “HI!” loudly.
“Who’s she?” Ivy asked pleasantly.
“Oh, that’s Arden. She goes to Beauxbatons,” explained Ted. “She’s really cool”seriously shy, though, or I’d introduce you.”
Ivy smiled, but from that point, she was rather quieter. She couldn’t help but wonder how Ted had met this girl, Arden, and how the two of them had gotten to be so close.
Ivy was, by nature, a very calm, kind, and accepting person who almost never got upset with other people”even with individuals like Professor Zabini, she would try to see their point of view. The one major exception to this rule was Malfoy, who she knew she could never forgive. But a small, selfish corner of her mind that didn’t normally show itself felt jealous, even irritated with Ted.
I always thought Ted liked me, she thought, feeling ashamed at her own thoughts as they came to her. I know we’re best friends, but for some reason, I always thought he liked me… in a different way. But what if he never really cared about me? What if he just likes to feel like he’s doing good deeds by hanging out with helpless, shy, vulnerable little creatures like that Arden… and me…
Last year, we were always so close, but he felt sorry for me because Malfoy had escaped… he’s only my friend out of pity. It’s not a bad thing”just Ted being nice… it’s my own fault for misinterpreting the gesture.
“Ivy?” Ted was waving his hand back and forth in front of her face. “Are you all right? You look sort of spaced out.”
Ivy blinked and snapped back to her senses. “Sorry,” she said crisply, getting to her feet. “I’ve just remembered, I’ve got loads of studying to do. I’ll see you later.”
Her friend looked disappointed. “Are you sure you really have to study? It’s not healthy to have all work and no play. Can’t you just hang out with me a little longer?”
Ivy smiled tautly. “That’s all right,” she said.
“Well, okay, if you’re sure. Want me to walk you back?” offered Ted, raising his eyebrows.
“No, I’m fine,” Ivy told him, shaking her head. She didn’t need his pity, and she didn’t want to ruin a nice day in Hogsmeade that he could spend with Arden. “Have a fun time,” she called behind her, picking up her bag and adjusting her scarf.
Emma and Haley high-fived each other as they exited the robe shop, laden down with packages. “We are shopping geniuses!” exclaimed Emma, pumping her fist into the air.
“We should be on the Olympic shopping team!” added Haley. “I can’t wait until the Yule Ball. Everyone’s jaws are going to drop when they our outfits.” They made their way toward the Mouth of the Dragon, a little-known coffee shop that was the less-mushy alternative to Madame Puddifoot’s, and their favourite place to hang out. It was Hogsmeade’s best kept secret, and Emma had to be careful that her father didn’t find out about it, or he’d never leave.
After they placed their orders”mocha cappuccino for Emma and a strawberry milkshake with extra whipped cream and sprinkles for Haley, who wasn’t allowed to have caffeine-- Marina and several of her friends from Beauxbatons waltzed into the shop and sat down at the next table, speaking rapidly in French.
“I need to take a second language,” muttered Haley. “Bilingual Babe over there is making me jealous.”
Marina smiled over at them. “Sorry about that,” she apologized. “Yvette and Genevieve don’t speak much English at all.” She brushed some light snowflakes carelessly off of her bare shoulders”even in chilly November, she wore a black tank top. “So, Emma, are you busy trying to learn stuff about Hogwarts? If you study its history and stuff enough, you’ll probably do great in the second task.”
“I think I’ll do just fine without studying,” Emma told her. “I mean, I go to Hogwarts, so I know a lot about it.”
Her French cousin shrugged. “I’m just saying, you’re the youngest and everything, and I know the first task was a problem for you. I just think it’d be cool if we both scored higher than that Poliakoff prat.”
“The first task was not a problem for me. It was messed up! My ball of light led me off a cliff, and it was too dark to tell!” protested Emma.
Marina rolled her eyes. “Your ball of light led you off a cliff? Seriously, Emma. Look, it’s okay to admit you made a mistake. You’re not perfect.”
This was the wrong thing to say. The Hogwarts champion stood up, her dark brown eyes flashing. “You know what? Shut up!” she instructed, barely realizing that she was now shouting. “I have news for you. You’re not perfect, either! I know, you’re about a thousand times prettier than anyone in the school”so what? That doesn’t make you better than everyone else!”
“I never said I was bett””
“You know, when we were little and you still lived in England near us, you weren’t like this! People who met you for the first time thought you were a boy, for crying out loud! You had that short hair, and you were always covered in dirt. We used to have fun, before you turned into some prissy, girly little snob like your mum!” yelled Emma. Everyone in the shop was staring at her now, and Haley shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
“I AM NOT A PRISSY, GIRLY LITTLE SNOB!” Marine screamed, her eyes narrowing and her beautiful face distorting with anger. “And how dare you talk about my mum like that? You should think about your own mother before you talk about mine. She’s a bossy hag, and she doesn’t even have good looks to go with her stuck-up attitude!”
“Not everyone in the world can be a beauty queen like you!” Emma bellowed, her cheeks flushing. “My mum’s not ugly! And you know what, Marina? I’M going to win this tournament! As far as I’m concerned, you’re the enemy!”
“Oh, go chase another imaginary ball off a cliff,” Marina snarled. “You know what? I’ve never accused anyone of this before, but I can’t help it. You’re jealous of me.”
“Of a cow like you? Not hardly!” And Emma stomped out of the shop, Haley bobbing discombobulatedly behind her. “Haley, I have to blow her score to smithereens in the next challenge,” she hissed. “I’m going to make her look like an idiot.”
Haley looked wide-eyed and confused. “You don’t need to get so worked up,” she assured her friend. “You’ll do I good job, I know it. It’s like Thomas Edison said”I didn’t fail, I just learned two thousand ways not to make a light bulb!”
The Hogwarts champion stared at her. “WHO THE [CENSORED] IS THOMAS EDISON?” she roared, and stormed away.
Haley blinked”she’d known Emma ever since she was born, for over fifteen years, and she knew all about her temper. She had seen her get mad at almost everyone, but she and Marina had always gotten along quite well, and Emma couldn’t have exploded at Haley more than twice before. “This tournament is really stressing her out,” she thought, feeling rather shell-shocked.
At that moment, Tyrone sauntered out of Zonko’s. “Hey, Hales! Seen Emma? I bought some really brilliant biting candies, and I want to try and trick her with them. I can just see the look on her face when she bites into a sweet that bites back!” He and Emma often tried to pull pranks on each other, though Tyrone rarely succeeded, as Emma was a pranking genius as well as a shopping genius.
Haley laughed dryly. “I wouldn’t risk it,” she said.
Jordan let out a long breath of air as he jogged up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower. It was odd, really, how much he was enjoying being Quidditch captain. The team was his responsibility to train, and he took that responsibility seriously”they were better than they’d ever been before in his time at Hogwarts. True, his methods were a tad unorthodox”they did all sorts of Muggle exercises and drills. This might have had something to do with the fact that, thanks to Giorgi, he was rapidly becoming something of a football junkie.
Speaking of Giorgi, he had a new email from her:
To: sgtjpepper@magicworks.co.uk
From: rainbowbrite04@interweb.co.uk
Subj: I’m bad…
Message:
Jordan, my main man, I have not emailed you for exactly nine days, but there’s a reason for that. You see, I’m grounded, due to me being a Horrible Irresponsible Child of Doom. More on that later, but how am I sending this email now if I’m grounded, you may ask? Hmmmmm? Well, me being the Horrible Irresponsible Child of Doom that I am, I decided to snake onto the computer while I’m home alone!!!MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
So here’s what happened. My friend Perri and I were at a sleepover at a girl named Jasmine’s house, but it got boring, so we TP’ed my maths teacher’s house”he lives near Jasmine, poor girl, and WE DIDN’T GET CAUGHT!!!!!!! IT WAS AWESOME!!!!
But then, we made a big mistake. We walked back to my house and we climbed up a tree and through my bedroom window so we could get more toilet paper. But Perri tripped and woke up my dad, and he caught us holding the toilet paper, and we got in trouble. I kinda loathe this.
SOOOoooOOOoooOOOOooo… how did Emma do in that first challenge, and what have you been up to? Anything interesting going on in the happenin’ hotbed that is Scotland?? WRITE BACK BEFORE MY PARENTS GET HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!
GIORGI!
Jordan simply stared at the screen. He couldn’t believe how much trouble Giorgi and her friends were always getting into”and why someone as cool and crazy as she was would be even mildy interested in Jordan’s own dull lifestyle. He struggled for something to write.
To: rainbowbrite04@interweb.co.uk
From: sgtjpepper@magicworks.co.uk
Subj: Re: I’m bad
Message:
Giorgi,
Don’t write back until you’re on parole, because I don’t want to be an accessory to your crime. Emma didn’t win the first challenge”actually, she fell into a ditch and got knocked unconscious, but she’s all right. My cousin Marina won the contest.
Right now, I’m a little worked up about career consultations, which we have tomorrow. I’ve already told you what I want to do for a job, but it might be a bit of a surprise to my Head of House.
--Jordan.
P.S. The football team is shaping up to be absolutely fantastic!
He pressed ‘send,’ and sat back in a haze of Quidditch-induced happiness.
“Career advice wasn’t so bad,” sang Emma, bounding into the Common Room the next day. “I just told Mum that I wanted to be an Auror like Dad, and she made a few wisecracks, gave me the paperwork and qualifications, and bang! I was done!” She looked over toward Ivy. “You already had your consultation, right? You said you wanted to work in experimental charms?”
Her cousin nodded. She’d been even quieter than usual lately, and seemed to be studying more than ever. Her face looked pinched and nervous now, like it had the previous year during the stress from Malfoy’s escape. Her friends didn’t push her any further on the matter of career advice, as it seemed she had enough on her mind as it was.
“I had career advice already, too,” said Tyrone. “I just said, ‘Hey, I want to play pro Quidditch,’ and she gave me a huge lecture about how that’s a job, not a career, and that it would only last me a few years, less if I got injured, blah blah blah. Like I care! After I make it to the big leagues, I’ll be rich and famous, and I can retire early and buy a pet giraffe.”
Haley looked at her watch, which was pink and sparkly on a denim wristband. “It’s my turn to go,” she announced. “And Jordan’s after me. Well, I’m off… wish me luck, and let’s keep our fingers crossed that Aunt Hermione doesn’t pull a Zabini and tell me, ‘don’t even think about pursuing that career,’ and so on.” She got up from her armchair, where she’d been writing in Lee, and headed for Professor Granger-Weasley’s office.
It was, somehow, both a very long and a very short walk, and she was rather nervous by the time she got there. But her aunt greeted her with a smile. “Hello, Haley, have you thought about what you want to do after leaving Hogwarts?” she asked.
Haley took a seat opposite the professor’s desk and brushed a shiny strand of hair out of her face. “Yes, I have,” she said seriously, her voice vastly different from its usual high-pitched squeal. “I’m going to be an actor.”
Professor Granger-Weasley blinked at her. “Haley, this isn’t a time to discuss fantasies. You have to think about the real world and what you want to do. Not everything in life is a game”sometimes you have to take things seriously.”
Haley stood up, drawing herself up proudly to her full height of five feet, one and a third inches. “Actually, I take acting very seriously. I’m prepared to work hard and do anything it takes to get there, and it’s not just a game. I’m growing up now, you know,” she stated in a clear, calm voice.
Now her aunt looked very surprised, rather pleasantly so, in fact. The truth was that Haley did not look her age, and she normally didn’t act it, either, so it was rather unsettling to see her being so mature about things. “Do you have any specific goals?” she asked after a pause.
“Yes, I do,” Haley replied smoothly. “I want to play Hamlet.”
Hermione swallowed a laugh. “Er, Haley, dear, you do realize that Hamlet was male, don’t you?”
The petite girl’s bright green eyes burned a passion that Hermione recognized and knew only too well: it was the look Harry got in his eyes when he was especially determined. And every time that Harry got that particular look in his eyes, it meant that there was absolutely no way that he would be swayed from following the course of action that he wanted to.
“Yeah, Hamlet’s a boy,” Haley stated. “I’d just have to be convincing. That’s why it’s called acting, isn’t it?”
Her aunt looked rather impressed. “Very well,” she said. “And good luck with your dreams.”
“Thank you.” Haley carried herself toward the door slowly and regally, her back straight and her head held high, as though she was the Queen of England. The second the door closed, however, she punched the air with her fist and twirled about like a mad top. Already, she felt like she was on her way to becoming a star, although she had only expressed this desire to one person besides Lee.
Seized with a spontaneous wave of energy, she raised her arms above her head and turned a row of cartwheels down the hallway… until she crashed headlong into somebody.
“Aagh! Sorry!” she screeched, helping the person up.
The person was Jordan. He glared at her, his lip curling in a classic gesture of sibling rivalry. “Grow up, Haley,” he muttered darkly. She simply smiled sweetly and skipped off down the hall, leaving him in front of the professor’s office.
“Jordan, sit down,” his aunt said kindly, gesturing toward the seat that his twin had just vacated. “Have you given any thought as to what you’d like to do for a career?”
Jordan had. He told her. She stared at him.
“Ivy, we are going to have a girl talk, and you’re not going to complain, and you shall tell us everything,” Emma instructed in a theatrical manner, flopping herself at the foot of Ivy’s bed in the dormitory. She plucked the thick volume Ivy was reading (Advanced Transfiguration) out of her cousin’s hands and cast it aside. “Sorry, no studying until we’ve had a discussion,” she ordered.
“I have munchies for the heart, soul, and stomach,” Haley added poetically, brandishing bags from Honeydukes. “Ivy, we’re worried about you. Why are you so down?”
“It’s nothing important,” Ivy reassured the other girls. “Just me being stupid.”
“No, Ivy, ‘stupid’ is me cartwheeling into Jordan in the corridor,” Haley told her sister gently.
“Or Tyrone thinking he’s got a cool mustache when he’s really got about six fuzzy hairs on his upper lip,” Emma put in.
“Though you have to admit Tyrone’s mustache is kind of cute,” chipped in Haley.
“If you’re deranged and half-blind, that is,” finished Emma.
Ivy sighed and drew her light blue dressing gown around her. Her friends were unstoppable when it came to such things”they could pry the secrets out of an Unspeakable, for the love of Merlin. “It’s Ted,” she told them baldly, avoiding their eyes. “He… well, I really, really like him.”
“We know,” chorused Haley and Emma in perfect unison. They grinned as if they just had indeed just pried the secrets out of an Unspeakable.
“That’s not the problem,” Ivy informed them, lying back down on her bed. “I think he’s got his eye on a Beauxbatons girl.”
There was an awkward silence.
“Oh.”
“Oh.”
Haley put a comforting hand on her sister’s shoulder. “If that’s really the case”in which case, Ted may one day soon wake up with a face covered in small but very angry crabs”he doesn’t know what he’s missing.”
“You’re a great person,” Emma chimed in. “Smart, pretty, impractically nice… there are plenty of fish in the sea. Somebody’s going to fall for you soon.”
Ivy looked her full in the face now, tears welling up in her eyes despite the valiant fight she was putting up against them. “It’s not the idea of having a boyfriend that I’m attracted to,” she said in a small, hard voice. “It’s… Ted.”
Her friends exchanged glances, then buried her in a huge hug.