Disclaimer: I don't own…
Thank you to my wonderful beta, moonlightshadowdancer! I'm going to miss you so much when you move to Switzerland at the end of the year… leaving me all alone here in South Africa…
Crystal's Point of View:
"He's doing it again!"
"You're just paranoid."
"Em, is he staring at her?"
"Why, yes, Roxanne, he is…"
"Yeah, and pigs can fly."
"Emily, get your wand, we have a pig to transfigure!"
Hi, my name is Crystal-Frost Hyper. I know, weird name. Formally people call me Crystal and informally they call me Chris. My close friends call me Chrissie, they say it suits me better.
I guess in some way, it does. I'm built like a pixie with absolutely no muscles and small hands and feet. Not really a tomboy, right? My other appearances are dirty blond hair, which my friends say is the colour of honey, and blue eyes. I'm sixteen years old and in my sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
I'm a bookish type of person, preferring to stay in the back seat, if you know what I mean. I read a lot and write a lot, though I prefer to write at home with the use of my laptop. Strictly speaking I'm a muggle-born. You see, I have two older brothers who are wizards along with my cousin. The three of them are now 22 and 17, my elder brother and my cousin being the same age. They are the dare-devil, Quidditch playing type. Me, not so much…
So, yeah, I guess you're getting bored at this long and boring account of my life that no one really cares that much about. Let's get to business, shall we?
The 'him' that my best friends are referring to is Louis Weasley, you know: part-Veela, tall, blond, famous and apparently hot as hell. Personally, I couldn't be bothered by how hot the underworld is.
Roxanne Weasley, his cousin, and Emily Powel, my best friends, seem to think that he's started to get interested in me. Me? Yeah, right. I don't think I fall under that typical guy criterion: Big boobs, fake blond (aka, as stupid as heck), obsessive, hour-glass figure and hot. I guess I am stereotyping, stating that he falls under the category of guys who look for those sorts of things when I don't know that much about him.
Anyway, back to us, sitting at the Gryffindor table. I am reading a book, while my friends are peering over at the Ravenclaw table- Louis house.
"Chrissie, the bell is going to ring any second now." Says Emily, probably giving up teasing me, thank goodness!
We pack our bags and get going to our next lesson, Transfiguration. I love Transifiguration. Sure it is hard and challenging, but that is what I like about it. It's just absolute bliss to sit and try and figure out the spell. When you finally get it right, your world just feels complete…
I walk to our usual table in the middle row at the furthest wall, a nice place to hide yet to know what is going on in class.
Professor McGonagall walks in, still not looking a day over 50. A couple of years ago, she was offered the job of Headmaster, but she declined, stating that she loves teaching too much. Now Professor Longbottom is Headmaster.
She greets us in her usual stern manner and launches into human transfiguration. I listen, as always, fascinated by the subject.
"What is the most difficult part about sole human transfiguration?" she asked, looking down at us. I twitch, a nervous habit that I have when I know the answer but, like always, I don't move.
Roxanne, being the attentive little Weasley that she is, notices my twitch and thrust my hand up in the air. I look at her in shock and try to pull away my hand, but she is too strong for me.
"Crystal?" asked the Professor and Roxy smiled that bold Gryffindor smile of hers… I'm going to kill her!
I flinch as everyone turned to look at me. I could just feel their eyes burning into me.
"Not being able to turn back." I say, but no one moves. I flinch again,
"Excuse me?" says McGonagall, and I groan in my head because I realised that I was speaking to softly again.
"Not being able to turn back." I say a bit louder, staring hard at my parchment. McGonagall nods and the class continue.
"We really have to work on your public speaking skills." Comments Roxanne, sharing a rather suspicious look with Emily. I just shrug, not looking at her.
Sometimes I am so shy that I'll just look at a person, open my mouth and no sound will come out. All I want to do is crouch down and cover my head.
It is not like I have nothing to say, just look how I am talking now. When I write, it just feels like an overflow that nothing can stop. Words written on paper, means that no one can judge me or humiliate me for my thoughts… on paper, I am safe.
Xxx
The day goes by just like any other and soon we are in the Great Hall again, having dinner. Today the House Elves have made mashed potatoes, which Emily just absolutely adores. She ignores everything else on the table and only piles about half of the dish of mashed potatoes on her plate.
I smile. I love my friends, they are funny and sometimes crazy but never insane. Emily and Roxanne met on the train ride. Roxanne wanted to escape from her family and Emily was the first First Year that she came across, so she grabbed her arm and pulled her into a carriage. Emily must have had a great fright when a stranger grabbed her arm, but that's Roxanne for you.
I only met them in our dorm. My bed was between theirs and we soon became fast friends.
I suddenly notice that Emily had stopped devouring her beloved mashed potatoes and was staring at the Ravenclaw table, her eyebrows sky high.
I whip around to see what she was staring at and my eyes met a sparkling blue pair. Louis Weasley face broke out in a smile and he waved elegantly. My hand sort of twitched, before I whipped back around again.
Roxanne wiggled her eyebrows at me and I just starred at my own plate, suddenly hating the sight of mash potatoes…
Xxx
The next day when we walked into Transfiguration, Roxanne grabs my arm and pulls me away from my preferred table at the back, to a table in the middle, the centre of attention.
I want to yell at Roxanne and ask her what she is thinking, to pull away. But I don't, I never do. I just let her pull me, my eyes cast down at the floor. She sits us down and smirks at me, I frown and she says,
"Chrissie, just another step in operation de-shyness."
Xxx
I love Hogwarts but I find that breakfast is the worst time of the day. Take today; I am sitting all alone because Roxanne and Emily are not down yet. Just me, all alone, with my book. Usually, I like being alone, but at breakfast it just feels weird. I always get this feeling that everyone stares at you as they walk in because you are the person sitting by themself.
Sometimes Jared, my older brother who is in his last year here and in Ravenclaw, comes and sits with me, but this rarely happens. He's Mister Popular and rarely has a spare moment for me, his little sister.
Owls hoot, I look up and see the owl post has arrived. A letter is neatly dropped in front of my plate by a brown spotted owl and I reach out to get it.
A hand with perfectly manicured nails beats me to it, snatching it away quickly.
"Gemma," I say, looking up to see the girl I have never really liked. She is holding my letter, flipping it around her fingers. "My I have my letter back, please." I say softly and she giggles,
"No!" and she walks away. I want to stand up and get it back, but my legs feel like lead. I sigh, picking at my bacon. You know what, forget eating. I grab my bag and walk off to sit in the empty classroom of my next class. I really hate breakfast sometimes…
As I walk in a corridor on the fifth floor, I hear someone calling my name.
"Crystal! Hey, Crystal!" I whip around to see Louis Weasley running after me.
I flinch as he gets nearer; scared that he will bump into me at the speed he is going. Somehow he manages to avoid the collision.
"Hey!" he tries to say smoothly as he leans on the wall that he had crashed into moments ago. My lips twitch as he just looks ridiculous.
"I believe this is yours, my lady." He says dramatically, bowing and holding out my letter.
I slowly take it, mumbling a thank you and walking off. My stomach turns and I have to force myself to keep walking.
"Don't worry, Gemma is a piece of work!" he calls to my back. I can't help myself; I turn around and give a small wave, shoving my letter into my bag.
Xxx
"Oh, my Merlin!" squeals a girl as we walk out of another lesson of Transfiguration. She probably was bursting to say it, but was forced to bottle it down in the presence of McGonagall.
"I can't believe that they are actually coming here!" she gushed to her best friend, stopping and making me crash into her. She sends me a look, not recognizing me and walking on unfazed. I sigh, turn sideways and walk to Roxanne.
"Someone walked into me again…" I said and Roxanne gave me a sympathetic look.
"What is this new news?" I asked, fiddling around in my bag for something.
"You don't know?" says Roxanne and shakes her head at me disappointed.
"Sorry, that I do not know the latest gossip. Please, sum it up for me in a way that I can understand." I respond sarcastically, grinning at her. She knew very well that I never paid attention to the latest going on of students that I did not even know the names of.
"Professional Quidditch players are going to come play here. For some type of PR thing" She says simply and I nod, she knows I do not care much for sports, so she keeps it simple.
"Actually, they are here right now. Let's go see!" she squeals excitedly, grabbing my arm. I pull back slightly and she turns to me with a knowing look,
"Library?"
"Yeah, I'll see you later."
Xxx
Later that day, I was still sitting in the library when Emily and Roxy came running in.
"Merlin, there were so many people we could not see a thing!" said Emily, actually sounding disappointed.
"Yeah," agreed Roxy, crossing her arms at her chest, ""And Teddy is in the team, I could not even say hello!"
I nod, still reading my book.
"But," says Roxy and I look up at her warily, suspecting that what was coming and that I probably was not going to like it.
"Family can go to the pitch while they practice!" I groan, she was going to drag me along, I knew it.
"Not much of a practice if your family is hanging around." I try to reason but Roxy just grabs my arm in response and pulls me out of the library,
"And you're coming too!"
"Roxy, I don't even know the players' names!"
"True, but you know about Quidditch…"
"Not by choice, trust me."
Roxy ignores my comment and she keeps dragging me through the castle, down to the pitch.
Xxx
We come to the pitch, me still being dragged by the flaming Weasley. As we arrive to the entrance we all stop in surprise,
"I forgot he also played for this team," says Emily and I nod.
"Oh, Merlin, look at him flaunting that stupid new motorbike of his." We look at the offending quidditch player as he tried to look cool for the girls, mostly Weasley's.
Emily turns to me with that glint in her eye that she got from years of being friends with Roxanne.
"Up for a joy ride?" she asks and my face breaks out into a smile. He deserved to have a bit of a heart attack, so I nod.
The bike and player, in both Quidditch and women, are standing with their backs facing us, not that far away. We wait for the right moment, him and the audience looking anywhere but at us, before we ran.
Roxy gets there first and she quickly places her hand out stretched at her knee. I get there second and I stand on her awaiting hand, swinging my other leg around the giant bike. Emily is pushing my back, urging me to hurry. My hands find the right buttons, I riff the engine and hit the gas. All of this happening in a matter of seconds.
I shoot of, all on my own and probably looking like an ant riding on a giant. I have never ridden a fast and sleek motorbike, just dirt bikes and I loved it. Needless to say, I always forget something and after I have ridden ¾ of the Quidditch pitch, I fall of when I steer to sharply.
I fling into the ground, the motorbike some few feet away. It hurts all over and I hear someone running after me, cursing like mad.
So, what do I do? I laugh. Not that shy giggle I usually give, but a full-throttle maddening laugh. I laugh even more when someone picks me up and crashes me to their chest.
"Chrissie, are you okay? Merlin!" says the Quidditch player as he pulls me slightly away to look me over,
"I'm fine!" I manage to say between burst of laughter. He only pulls me to his chest tighter and I yelp,
"I'm suffocating," he ignores me, choosing to rant on about how I could have gotten hurt.
I lean over him, holding out my palm to Roxanne, who was running towards me with the rest of the people.
She joins in with my laughter when she saw that I was fine, slapping my hand with glee.
The Quidditch player turns to them, keeping me still in a squashy hug.
"And none of you noticed anything?" he asks his team mates, the one guy with blue hair, Teddy Lupin, shakes his head amused,
"Happened so fast, mate."
"You are not allowed anywhere near motorbikes! Dad is going to kill me and what about Jared, oh, merlin! You weren't even wearing a helmet! What if you got hurt, what would we do then?"
He pulls me into another hug and I gasp again, "Can't breathe!"
"Steve, who is this?" asks a big buff dude, probably a fellow Quidditch player.
"My baby sister, Crystal-Frost!" says my brother proudly, turning me around so that they could see me. I wave shyly and blush, trying to hide away in my brothers big arms.
"She is going to be the death of me if she continues on like this." He continues saying and everyone laughs.
"Just because I can drive the thing better then you can." I mumbled and everyone laughs again, making me blush some more. I probably look as red as a tomato by now.
"Yeah, right, I'd like to see you try!" says Steve jokingly,
"Cool," I say, walking out of his embrace to the motorbike,
"Nah-uh!" says Steve quickly, stopping me before I can reach it.
"Like I said, you are not allowed anywhere near motorbikes, Chrissie-Bessie!"
My friends laugh at the nickname and I look down, embarrassed… as you can see, a common thing with me.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" I ask,
"I sent you a letter this morning!" he says, and I sigh, "Forgot to read it."
"Now who's at fault, here." Joke my brother, poking my side.
"Still you!" says Emily, pulling me into her side, playfully shielding me.
Unfortunately, Emily is a bit stronger then she thinks. She pulls me, but rather sends me flying into the person next to her.
I gave a small scream as I hit somebody and I feel that person steady me at my arms. I quickly pull back to see Louis looking down at me and I blush some more. I never realised just how tall he actually is.
"Sorry, Weasley," I mutter, glaring at Emily who was smirking. Maybe she did mean to send me flying into him…
Louis' PoV:
Merlin, that girl! I think, looking at her as she is enveloped in a tight hug by one of Teddy's fellow players. I feel kind of jealous as the man holds Crystal. No, I think to myself, you can have any girl you want! You do not take time to think about such things.
Okay, so maybe I cannot have any girl I want, but I sure have a lot to choose from. Any guy, especially a Weasley, does.
But I have to admit, I have been intrigued by her and I have been definitely not subtle with my approaches as Roxy and her other friend Emily, I think, has caught on.
My friends also notice that some girl has taken my fancy, I mean, I stare at her a lot. Who would not, she's beautiful. But I guess I do not know a lot about her, especially at the stunt she just pulled. Wow, such a tiny girl who can drive those big muggle contraptions, bet you don't see that every day. Guess beneath her cute shy demeanour, there is a true Gryffindor hiding.
"…my baby sister, Crystal-Frost…" Says the guy and I sigh in relief. Not that I care on anything!
Okay, maybe a little bit… or a lot or- my reflexes goes off as I see Crystal flying at me. I grab her as she falls on me, realising just how small and fragile she is as I hold her.
Soon enough, too soon for my liking, she jumps back.
"Sorry, Weasley," she says softly, so softly that I barely hear her. I smile, but she does not see it for she is trying to glare at Emily.
Oh, yes… what a girl!