This is just a short follow up to the original Wynlan story, as I work on the next one (which will be much bigger. I also need to figure out how to separate stuff into chapters.) As normal, things are messed up, italics and bolds are missing, Paragraphs are messed up. I'll put a * at the end of a para.And also, if anyone knows how to mark a paragraph change or make chapters, please let me know. -Jack.
Wynlan awoke, bleary eyed. The sun filtered beautifully through the curtains, reflecting off the silver stars on the ceiling, making them glitter. Its rays hit Wyn square on the face, warming him with their Summer heat. With the exam pressure gone swiftly, Wyn and the Ravenclaws were free more than ever to enjoy a study-free Saturday. In fact, all of the other boys were still asleep. Rubbing his eyes, stretching and yawning widely, Wynlan sat up. The air was filled with the sound of James snoring, a low rumble punctuated with sniffs. Beside him, in another four poster bed, was Tobias. He was completely covered by the blue duvet, only his shimmering gold hair peeking out of the top. Wyn got out of bed and dressed slowly and quietly into a light blue shirt and jeans. With a slightly weak curse (Wynlan was still getting used to profanity), he realised he had misplaced his wand. "Tut tut tut." Came a muffled voice. Wyn smiled, and Tobias lifted the covers from over his head. A grin was firmly plastered on his face, his hair was askew, and his eyes glowed. In an outstretched hand he twirled Wynlan's wand. "Thought you were asleep." Wyn laughed, "Can I have my wand now?"
"Hmm. I could," Tobias stretched the word out, "But maybe I'd rather keep it for a while."
"What do you want?" Wyn sighed, still smiling.
"Let me lie in. Just two more hours! I promise I won't be late to the picnic." Tobias pleaded.
"Fine." Wyn laughed and took his wand. Tobias made a contented noise and went back to sleep. Wyn shook his head.*.
April was curled up in an armchair, her raven resting on her shoulder. Her auburn hair fell across her face. She was still in her green pajamas, and a book lay on her lap. "Hey, April. What're you doing up so early?" Wyn greeted her and flopped into the chair opposite.
"Could ask you the same thing. Stupid Lisa's been bothering me." She sighed with a smile.
"Forget her. What's she done?" Wyn asked with concern. April's smile grew sadder by a fraction.
"She tried to poison Caw. And she hasn't exactly been kind to me lately." April muttered.
"Never mind. She does anything again, and she'll find herself scuttling about the Quidditch Pitch at toe height and with too many legs." Wyn said with mock darkness. April laughed and suddenly perked up, "Ooh, you haven't told me about your grades yet!"
"Well, Herbology and Defence Against the Dark Arts weren't exactly brilliant. I nearly failed DADA. Charms and Transfiguration were top, and potions wasn't too bad either. Professor Hagrid gave me a really good score on Care of Magical Creatures too. Sort of sad that I'll never see Riley again." Wyn said wistfully.
"I don't know about that. Hagrid told me that the Crups didn't find owners, so the duties of care will pass on to anyone who wants them." April replied with a grin. Wynlan made a note to go and see Riley and Hagrid as soon as he could. "Anyway, congratulations on your grades. I knew you'd do well. I barely scraped by in Charms and Herbology, and everything else was fairly average, save for DADA. The only person who got higher than me was Tobias." April said with pride. Wyn patted her on the back, much to the indignation of Caw, the raven, who nipped at his fingers.
"Hey, are you ready for the picnic later? I was going to go and see how Iona was getting on." Wyn said.
"Oh, sure. I'll have to get changed when Lisa goes for breakfast." April replied.
"Trust me, me and Tobias'll sort her out." Wyn flashed a smile and left, leaving April to her book.*.
The Slytherin common room was, outwardly, a terrible place. But Iona had told Wyn many times that, on the inside, it was wonderful. Wyn still thought that Ravenclaw had the best common room, however. He waited outside the wall that led to it, and she came out after a few moments. She wore a long black dress with a green belt that matched her eyes, and her black hair framed her face with its curls. "Hello." She said, in her beautiful Irish accent.
"Hey. Ready to raid the kitchens?" Wyn asked, a crooked smile on his lips.
"Hell yeah." She replied. The pair hurried down the corridors towards Hufflepuff's residence. It was still only six in the morning, so they were cautious not to wake anyone. When they reached the Hufflepuff entrance, they turned to the painting opposite it. With a few words, Iona made the painting open to reveal a vast room. Its walls were a pleasant creme, and its floor was chequerboarded with black and white tiles. Cooking paraphernalia was littered around haphazardly, with a few tables and chairs here and there. But the main focus was the house elves. Tens of them wobbled around, busy with duties. Four elves appeared brandishing trays of food and drink upon their arrival. "Hey! Winky!" Iona called to an elf cheerily. Winky rushed over to her, and went into a deep bow. "Eye-ow-na!" the elf exclaimed, struggling with the name, as usual. "How is you?"
"I'm good, Winky, very good. Listen, we're having a picnic later and.." Iona was cut off by Winky.
"Of course, miss eye-ow-na! Picky-nicky food! Anything you likes, miss!" And with that she hurried off to prepare a veritable banquet of food. Even Wyn, who never ate much, was enamoured by the sheer amount and variety. Profiteroles, drenched in chocolate; tarts, filled with jams; cakes, topped with swirls of solidified creams and decorative figures; all of them dominated the area. "Strange, that. Winky always seems so ready to help, but I heard it wasn't always that way. Apparently she used to hate working at Hogwarts." Iona mused, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. Wyn went for his wand, ready to levitate the vast array of food that had appeared, seemingly from nowhere, for their use. But Iona stayed his hand. "It's fine. I have this, and Winky might help me. Meet by the lake at ten, you'll see us, Grainnè'll shoot up some sparks." She smiled.
"Kay. Anyway, what time is it?" Wyn asked.
"Eight. Why?" Iona replied.
"I promised Tobias two hours. He'll get no more!" Wyn left with a wicked grin, leaving Iona chuckling softly.*.
"Uhhh, Wyn, why do I have to wake up?" Tobias moaned, hiding further under the covers. Wynlan rolled his eyes and stood, hand on his hips. He felt like Tobias' mother. James was away in the bathroom, getting ready for his little date with Iona. "We've been through this. To do anything in the day, you first need to wake up." He said slowly.
"Don't you ever just want to stay in bed?" Tobias muttered, his voice muffled.
"Toujours. But we have things to do today." Wyn smiled. He knew Tobias liked the French, even if he only understood a few words.
"Come and get me." Wyn knew that Tobias was grinning to himself. He shook his head and threw back the duvet off his friend, and tripped on a trailing end of a blanket. An awkward moment ensued; in a flash of tangled limbs Wyn fell on top of Tobias, who grinned widely, a strange glint in his pale eyes, golden hair flying in every direction endearingly. Wyn felt an unknown feeling well up inside of him. He got off, smoothing his clothes down. "Sorry, I, uh, slipped." He stuttered apologetically.
"Oh, don't be sorry." Tobias' grin grew and he catapulted himself out of bed. "I'm going to get dressed!" He proclaimed.
"Don't need to know!" Wyn said as he left the dormitory, without turning around. Tobias laughed loudly. James passed Wyn, looking positively bemused.*.
"It's hot. Wyn, why is it so hot? I hate days as hot as this." Tobias groaned as the pair walked down to the picnic spot, coming nearer and nearer to the jet of emerald sparks in the sky. Even in the simplest of activities, Grainnè O'Byrne couldn't help but honour Slytherin. The day was, indeed, hot; the glaring sun was high in a blue sky unmarred by clouds, and the grass smelled freshly mown. Ahead of them was the lake, and its clear blue water shimmered and reflected the light from above, like the image of heaven on Earth. "Tobias, it's the height of Summer. It tends to be warm. You can swim in the lake later." Wyn spoke with a smile in his voice. Tobias was a funny person to be friends with, and their relationship was an odd one.
"If I do go for a swim, you're coming with me. I need a friend by my side as the Giant Squid devours me whole." Tobias grinned.
"I'll tickle it. It likes tickles. Might make it release you." Wyn mused. Tobias snorted, a mental image appearing. The pair reached the others, and the place was no ordinary picnic ground; there were long oak tables lined on the floor, hammocks of house colours stretched from tree to tree and a magically enlarged hamper was brimming with a feast waiting to be laid out. Iona was sat on the edge of the lake, dipping her toes in, talking with James who sat next to her. April slumped against a tree trunk, sketching the scene with remarkable accuracy, as usual. Grainnè was struggling with the task of moving the food to the table. "Here, let me help you with that." Wyn offered, after Grainnè's wand crackled and sizzled with the effort of lifting six sets of cutlery. Grainnè stormed away to sulk, irritated as usual that someone could do something that he couldn't. Tobias burst into laughter at Wyn's side, once the short tempered Irishman was out of earshot. Wyn couldn't help but join in. "Come on then, Wyn, work your magic." Tobias sighed pleasantly after he finished laughing. Wyn obliged. His wand arm whipped around as he juggled silver plates, knives, forks and spoons. They shot across the table, settling neatly into their places with a slight pop of displaced air. The food was much trickier; there was a great deal of it, and bits could fall or break. In the end, he and Tobias merely stowed their wands and did the job by hand. Tobias rubbed his hands together, "Food, glorious food!" He hummed and sang. Everyone save for James, who laughed, looked at him oddly. They were both muggle born, and recognised the song.*.
James and Iona lay together in a hammock, under the shade of a wide-branched oak. They shared passionate kisses every now and then, much to the exaggerated disgust of the others. April sat in the boughs of a tree, drawing the giant squid as Tobias and Wynlan tickled its enormous tentacles. Grainnè was, confusingly, nowhere to be found. "Wyn..." Tobias started, dragging the name out.
"What?" Wyn mimicked him.
"Race you to the other side!" Tobias cried and leapt into the water, tearing off his shirt. Wyn laughed and followed him into the depths. The lake was icy clear, like a melted glacier, and Wyn saw Tobias snaking ahead of him. He swam in powerful breathstroke, while Tobias was using his own strange but effective technique. The giant squid, inquisitive, propelled itself towards them, probing out with a tentacle. Wyn and Tobias surfaced for air, then in unison dived down once more. Through the water, the sun beat down on them, filling the lake with light and warming them slightly. Tobias stopped and turned, kicking his feet to stay afloat, surfacing every now and then to breathe. Wyn reached him, head tilted in curiosity. Grinning devilishly underwater, Tobias swept Wyn into an odd embrace, their bodies pressed together. Wyn inwardly frowned and smiled; he wasn't quite sure what was going on or why, but subconsciously he knew it was... right. After what seemed like a perpetual stretch of time, Tobias released him and, after taking a breath, swam back to the shore, Wyn behind him. Wynlan's head was spinning, and giddiness overcame him when he surfaced onto the soft sand of the bank.*.
The scene was almost exactly the same as they had left it. Iona was smothering James in the hammock and April was asleep in the tree she had climbed earlier. The way that her hair sprawled along the wide branch, her hands folded over her chest, one leg sloped upwards; the image incited an unusual twinge of some unknown feeling within Wynlan. He shook his head. Tobias ran a hand through his own hair, ensuring that, despite the water, it looked suitably windswept. His grin was still firmly plastered on his features. Wyn turned back to the lake. He saw his own reflection: his whitish hair already drying, his normally so dark eyes glowing azure, his skin even paler than his locks. A bemused expression was on his face. A normal day had turned so quickly into something stranger. Now all Wynlan wanted was to curl up in the common room and lose himself in a good book. "Hey, you don't know where Grainnè went, do you?" Iona extricated herself from James and called over to Tobias and Wyn.
"No, miserable old git." Tobias smiled. Iona laughed, but was cut off by James' lips. Tobias rolled his eyes and turned to Wyn. "Look, I'm gonna go back to the tower. I'm exhausted." Wyn sighed. Tobias laughed.
"We only swam half of the lake. Nah, I'm joking. You go back. I'll stay out for a bit, I need to settle a duel with an annoying Gryffindor." Tobias said. Wyn smiled weakly. April flopped down from the tree. "I'll come too." She said.*.
Wyn's family sent him books in the Owl Post quite regularly. Novels, they were. Fiction was a non existent thing in the Hogwarts library. The crackling flames warmed him as he slouched in an armchair. He was making his way through Oliver Twist. Tobias had recommended it. April got up from her seat, shivering slightly. She sat, hesitantly, on the arm rest of Wyn's chair. "It's cold." She mumbled, a hint of nervousness in her voice.
Whether on purpose or accidentally, she slipped down onto the armchair. Wyn edged to the side to give her room. She seemed to push aside her worries, and she snuggled and pushed into his side, strands of hair falling onto his shirt. He smoothed them down absent mindedly. He smiled. She smiled back and leaned further into the curve of his body. They lay there, together, for a while. Neither spoke, neither moved. Again Wynlan felt confused, even more so than before.*.
Sleep came slowly to Wyn. His mind raced, trying to figure out what had happened. Even the most complex of charms barely troubled him, yet making sense of this was near impossible. Both April and Tobias flickered through his head. He slipped off into oblivion
eventually, tossing and turning, dreaming of the holidays and them.*.