My Story
A/N: As you all know, I write my little stories on online love experiences once they come along. *coughfoo&cedriccough* It's kind of hard trying to write a story that revolves around a visual chat room, so what better way to transform it into something better? Harry Potter fanfiction! Well, actually, it's not fanfiction at all. I needed a place to put it, and I know my way through the Harry Potter universe so it all fits. But for the most of it, this is actually a true story in some way. Some way... Yes, and if you're one of the HP's people reading this, I'm sorry if you can't find yourself in here. I got lazy. Personality and physical descriptions are also somewhat changed, so don't be disappointed if you think you are in here and I got your looks screwed up. Some of these things did happen, but some of them didn't. For instance, there was never a wedding, and I wasn't even there because I was in Canada. Well at least I think there wasn't :O The amethyst crystal necklace is supposed to represent my love for my idol and inspiration, Mena Baines. Thank you oh so much, Mena dear. And as for other things, I exaggerate way too much. Sorry if you think things are getting out of hand. I mainly wrote this in the early hours of the morning. If mistakes are found, gladly report them to me and I will take care of it. Oh, and the title sucks but I am the author of Hermione's Story, so maybe this one should be called My Story. Other then that, enjoy! (Yes, I am a hopeless romantic who finds love over the internet. Shut it.) Oh, and another thing, I got too lazy and didn't feel like changing Rick's name but it's obvious anyway so leave me alone. *hides* JKR owns all HP stuff. Bow down to her!
The Hufflepuff Common Room was illuminated by the crackling fire, not to mention the few floating candles above my head. I watched the red orange flames sway in different directions as the chilly, autumn air blew in from the open window to my right. The common room was silent and empty, except for my motionless body which was laying on one of the golden couches adjacent to the fire. It was about one in the morning, and all of the Hufflepuffs were sleeping comfortably in their canopy beds. Why was I awake in the first place?
My eyes traveled from the window, to the dancing flames of the fire, and finally to the high ceiling above me. I can't help but remember what you said to me. I hope you're feeling as much pain as I am right now. Hm... Do you waste countless hours thinking about me? Well, I know I've spent all of mine thinking about you.
I don't think you understand. You never really did... Not until reality slapped you in the face. I want you to know completely now. Let's go back to the past, love. Tell me what you feel when we contemplate the memories etched in our young minds.
It all started one, long season ago, when Professor Dumbledore finally decided to allow students to stay over the summer vacation…
I walked down the large marble staircase, entering the ample Great Hall. Lunch was almost over, but most of the students who were staying at Hogwarts for the summer decided to picnic outside on school grounds. I searched for Nora, one of my best friends, who was also placed in the Hufflepuff house. She wasn't sitting at the long Hufflepuff table, so I assumed she was outside. I stepped towards the door, but stopped before I opened it. A large sign was plastered on the stone wall in front of me. I looked up slowly and read the sign aloud, "The Summer Ball will be held on July 12th, 2003 at 7:00pm." There was some more wording underneath the date and time, but my mind blanked out.
I snapped out of it ten seconds later, and opened the door, allowing the warm summer rays of sunlight engulf my body. My soft lips curled into a smile, and I headed out to find Nora. I knew where she was, sitting on the edge of the lake. That was our favorite spot on the grounds. Personally, I love the gardens behind the greenhouses, but still, this spot isn't too bad, either.
Nora saw me walking slowly towards her, and waved joyfully. I came up and sat next to her. Her light blue eyes glittered beautifully, and her strawberry blonde hair rested at her shoulders. She smiled and started our conversation, "So Summer, did ya hear about the ball?"
I laughed softly, "The sign is hard to miss. Did you find a date yet?"
"Nah, I think I might attend this one dateless. There are a lot of men here who don't have any common sense, y'know? I mean, take Salazar for example. What the hell was I thinking?"
"I know. Wait, what day is it?" I asked her. I always end up losing track of time during the summer.
"It's Thursday," Nora answered, and turned her head towards a group of sixth year Ravenclaw boys who were chatting on the stone steps leading into the school.
"No, no. I meant, what's the date?"
"Oh," she grinned at me, "It's July 10th."
"So that means we have two long days to go through…" I wondered if I would find a date that wouldn't disappear this time.
"Yup. I wonder if we could sneak off to Hogsmeade… I need to buy a dress for the ball," Nora smiled sweetly, and waved to a Slytherin boy who was walking by.
"But it's a weekday, Nora. Besides, I can probably turn one of your old dresses into something better with my wand, if you'd like," I replied, looking into the glassy waters of the lake.
"Like Cinderella," she smiled and stood up, "I'm going to go choose a dress that I can part with… You wanna help?"
"I'll pass… I'm going to stay outside for a little longer. It's nice out," I said, looking up at her. She shrugged and disappeared into the colossal school after winking at those Ravenclaw boys.
My eyes turned to the water again, and I studied my reflection. Flaming red hair that ended at my shoulders, bright green eyes that resembled glittering emeralds, and an innocent expression completing what was my fairly pale and round face. Wait, what is that? I saw another face over mine, and blinked. I turned around, and one of the Ravenclaw boys was standing over me.
"Hi," he said simply, and sat down a foot away from me.
"Hello…?" I stared at him. He had green eyes with a brown tint to them, and sandy hair. He was quite tall too, and I could tell he was around sixth year. Brilliant.
"I'm Layke," he smiled and I wondered if I was in heaven.
I smiled back and said, "I'm Summer…"
"So, do you have a date to the ball?" he asked softly. Wait, was he going to ask me? Oh wow.
"No, I… I don't," I looked at the ground, and started counting blades of green grass for some reason unknown.
He turned away, "Oh... Well... I'm sure you will find one soon."
What?! He's not going to ask me? Why not? Is he taken? What in the world is going on?
I stood up and shook my head, "I really doubt it." I walked away not looking back. What was the point of that? Please, and thank you.
I walked into the abandoned Hufflepuff Common Room, up the girls' dorm staircase, and into my dorm. Nora was sitting on her bed, looking at three dresses. She looked up from the dresses and held my emerald eyes. She could tell something had happened.
"What's up?" She asked sweetly as I sat down on my bed, which was across from hers. I sighed and hugged one of the light, amber colored pillows.
"Well, this Ravenclaw boy, Layke, he wanted to know if I had a date to the ball…"
"And…" Nora motioned for me to go on.
"And, well, he said he was sure I'd get a date," I hugged the pillow tighter.
"What?! So he didn't ask you?" Nora looked back down at one of the dresses. It was cerulean in color, strapless, and looked like it stopped above the knees. It was pretty, but too plain for Nora's liking. She fancied things with style that's hard to miss and decoration that would catch everyone's eye.
"No. He sounded like he would've though…" I sighed and looked around the dorm. My half was neat, clean, and organized while Nora's was… Well, totally opposite.
"Don't worry, love. I bet he wants you but he's too shy. You should go back out to the grounds and find him," Nora said, smiling as always. I nodded and hopped off the large bed.
"I'll see you later then," and I traveled out of Hufflepuff house and back to the school grounds. My eyes looked towards the spot where I was sitting earlier. He wasn't there. I started to walk more quickly, turning my head in every direction to find him. Then there he was. Sitting under an oak tree… With someone else.
I surveyed his expression. He didn't look happy, and he was faking sweet smiles while the Ravenclaw girl talked on and on. I could tell. She looked a year older than me, long blonde hair, and blue eyes which I could point out nicely, even standing away this far. Layke looked up and saw me. I bit my lip hard, and he frowned. The only thing I could think of doing next was storming away. So that's what I did.
I didn't go back to my dorm where Nora was. It didn't feel right. I walked around the school with the boy in my mind. What was wrong with me? Before I could answer that question myself, I bumped into, literally, another Hufflepuff. He was a year older than me, and looked kind of strange.
"Sorry…" I said quietly, rubbing my right arm.
He grinned a replied, "It's okay… Hey, do you have a date to the ball?" Where in the world did that come from? I didn't even want to ask, my head was spinning enough.
"No," I said, and looked at my black shoes.
"Do you want to go with me?"
I looked up and half-smiled, "Sure. What's your name?"
"King…And you're Summer," he looked down the deserted hall, then back to me, "I better get going… See you at the ball?"
"Alright, see you," I replied. Something didn't feel right about this. Oh well, I had a date now. It didn't satisfy me enough though. I continued walking around the silent school. There were no classes, just study halls for work you had to do over the summer, or tutoring sessions for those who didn't do so well during the regular school year.
My feet brought me all the way up to the Astronomy Tower. I hated Astronomy. It was my worst subject. The only part I liked about it was star gazing. I stood outside on the balcony where telescopes were lined up in a row, all pointing to the summer sky.
I heard the door slam behind me, and I quickly turned around. It was Layke. What was he doing here? Did he follow me?
"Hello?" I said, with an odd expression.
"Hi," He said, and walked over next to me, "What are you doing up here?"
"Well no, the question is what are YOU doing up here? Did you follow me?"
"No… I just have to work on an Astronomy assignment, but I'm glad I bumped into you," He grinned and dropped a few books on an empty table. I looked up at the turquoise blue sky.
"So, did you find a date yet?" He asked once more. Why did he care? Someone please answer that.
"Yes, I did. Did you?" Stupid question. Stupid, stupid question.
"Well, I did but I'm not going," He leaned against the steel bars of the balcony and sighed. Something was bothering him, but I was too vain to ask what was.
"Why not?" I touched my bottom lip with my index finger. It was bleeding freely. I must've bit it too hard when I saw him with… that girl.
"Well… I... have to get some work done," he said, but he wasn't looking directly at me. He was probably lying, but I didn't even open my mouth to ask. I looked up at the sky once more, and dark clouds were rolling in over head. I headed to the door without saying good-bye. I don't know why, but I started running. I ran back to Hufflepuff to find Nora, who was still deciding over what dress to get rid of. She had decided to keep the cerulean dress, now it was between a heather gray halter dress, and a pale orange one that looked exactly like the cerulean one.
I pointed to the pale orange one, "Get rid of that. It's a hideous color," I fell onto my bed with my arms outstretched and sighed for the fiftieth time today.
Nora laughed loudly and shrugged, "Alright… Hey, did you find the boy?" I nodded and tossed an amber pillow up into the air. "And…?"
"Well, he's obviously taken, but he's not going to the ball. Oh, I meant to ask you this too, do you know of a Ravenclaw girl with long blonde hair, blue eyes, and talks a little too much? She's a year older than us I think."
"Oh wow. I think you're talking about Christina."
I look out of the window and see nothing but darkness. I can hear rain starting to fall quietly, hitting the windows and rooftop. My insides hurt, my vision is blurry, and I'm lightheaded like you wouldn't believe. I need you…
"Christina? Who is she?" I sat up and covered myself with a warm, yellow and black striped blanket.
"Well, apparently, she's Layke's girlfriend. Ya want me to do something about it?" She winked and picked up the orange dress from her bed.
"No… Let me talk to her first. If she's a snob, you can do something about it," I laughed because I would never send Nora to do anything of the sort, "But if not, then we'll leave them be. In fact, I don't know why I even care so much about her and Layke… And ugh."
"You like him, that's why you care. Besides, he wouldn't ask you if you had a date if he didn't like you either," she said while putting back the halter dress into our small closet. I blinked and looked up at the ceiling. He didn't like me. It didn't seem like it. He was just being nice. Or maybe he wanted someone to talk to? I don't know.
I looked down at my silver watch. It was 5:30pm already! Time sure flies by when you like someone...
"I'm going to go down to dinner… Are you coming?" Nora stood up and walked over to the dorm door.
"Nah... I'm not really hungry tonight. Say hey to Callie and Rebecca for me?" I fell back onto the bed again, now with my pale arms crossing my chest.
"Okay…" Her facial expression showed concern, but she left without another word.
I had been thinking about Layke and Christina for hours, and soon lost track of time again. My eyelids became quite heavy, and before I knew it, I drifted off to sleep.
The morning came more quickly than I had imagined. I sat up, and I noticed that I was still clothed in my Hufflepuff uniform. I turned my head to peer at Nora's bed. She was still very much asleep. Since I was still not hungry, I decided to pop into the library for a bit. I pulled my hair up hastily, and strolled down and out of the Hufflepuff Common Room, which wasn't full with chattering students like it usually was.
Very few people were in the library at the time, probably because of breakfast. I hurriedly rushed over to my favorite scarlet armchair and fell back into the inviting cushions and pillows. It took me thirty seconds to realize it, but Christina was sitting right next to me. I turned my head to look at her, and she smiled wide.
"Hiya!" Christina shut her rather wide book and placed it on her lap, "I'm Christina." I tried not to look like I wanted to avoid the conversation with her. "I've seen you around before, what's your name?"
"Summer…" I said almost silently, "My name's Summer. How are you?"
"Oh, I'm fine… I'm kinda tired though, since the Ravenclaw's were up for a wedding reception," She playfully twirled a piece of her golden blonde hair and tapped her book with her left hand.
"Wedding reception? Someone got married? Here at Hogwarts?" I sat up from my slouching position and looked at her intently. A wedding? I didn't hear about a wedding, and what surprised me was Nora didn't either. Otherwise she'd say something, and obviously Nora knows everything that happens at the school. Nothing could get past her… Well, almost nothing.
"Hah, Jane Tanzillo and Sean Sutton. No one's supposed to know outside of the Ravenclaw house though, so don't tell anyone, okay? Even the teachers don't know, because well, they're not even legal," Christina kept twirling the hair that was wrapped around her index finger. It was driving me mad.
I nodded, even though I definitely couldn't keep this from Nora. I told her everything I could, besides, you can never hide anything from her, so don't even try it. "I won't tell… How long were they engaged?"
"A day," she replied simply. I snorted, and she looked at me obliviously. You know, Christina didn't seem all that bad… I felt guilty for thinking otherwise, but either way, she's going out with Layke and I can't do anything about it. "Do you have a date to the ball yet?" She said it, not me.
"Yes, King from Hufflepuff. Do you have one?" I bent my neck back and stared at the library's ceiling.
"Well, I'm going out with Layke. He's from Ravenclaw too, but unfortunately for some reason he can't go to the ball… So I'm going alone," she stopped twirling her hair and let out a sigh. She loved him; I could see it in her eyes and hear it in her tone of voice.
I quietly whispered, "Oh…" and stood up from the comfortable, scarlet chair. "I'm going to go down to breakfast and enjoy the last five minutes of it. I didn't eat dinner at all last night, so I might as well grab a muffin or something. I'll see you around school?"
"Sure… Hey, do you mind if I walk down with you? I want to check and see if Layke's there," I bit my bottom lip and nodded. She smiled sweetly and we walked without another word to breakfast.
I sat down next to Nora, who was munching on her last piece of toast delightfully. I grabbed a blueberry muffin and broke off little pieces to eat. She looked at me and said in between bites, "Where were you," she took a bite, "this morning? I thought you ran off or something."
I checked up and down the Hufflepuff table to see if anyone was listening, and then quietly said, "I have to talk to you about something, but I can't tell you here. No, it's nothing serious and I didn't win over Layke yet," She smiled after I said that, "But it's funny and I'm surprised you haven't found out about it yet."
"Tell me, tell me!" She cried out quietly. I grinned widely, finished the last few bits of my muffin, and motioned her to come outside with me. She followed eagerly and we sat outside on the stone steps in front of Hogwarts.
"Well, surprisingly, I was talking to Christina this morning. She told me last night there was a wedding in Ravenclaw," Nora's face lit up, "It was somewhere here in school and not even the teachers knew about it. They're not supposed to, so keep your mouth shut, alright?"
Nora laughed, "I can't believe I didn't find that out. Who got married?"
"Jane and Sean, whoever they are. It's just funny. Getting married at Hogwarts? Secretly? When you're still a student? That's funny," I watched a red butterfly flutter past my eyes and grinned, "I don't think I believe it."
"Hey! It's kind of cool. I can see a lot of students doing it, especially when they're here at Hogwarts where parents are never going to find out," Nora pulled her hair up in a messy bun and stood up, "Wanna go fix up my dress now?" I laughed softly and rose from the steps, following Nora back to our dorm.
She held up the dress and handed it to me, "Alright, do whatever you need to do to change it."
I looked up at her, and then scanned the dress, "Well, what you want it to look like?"
"My favorite color is lavender... so if you can do something with that color, I'd love you to death," She grinned and sat down on her bed.
I twirled my wand in my right hand, trying to picture something lavender… Something that would suit Nora. I closed my eyes, flicked the wand, and voila! I opened my eyes slowly, and looked up at Nora. It was unusually long and strapless. A few inches above the waist, the dress was pleated, each layer being longer than the last. The gradient of the dress was dyed from bright lavender, to a more pale purple. I smiled to myself as I saw Nora's grin widen. She got up and hugged me, careful not to step on the dress.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She took the dress from me and held it up to herself, spinning once, "This is absolutely perfect, and I just adore the colors." I was quite happy that she liked it, because at first glance, I thought it would be too elegant for Nora. She seemed to think otherwise.
"Now, all I have to do is figure out how I want my hair," she looked into the circular mirror next to our dorm door. "Hmmm…"
I laughed, and soon realized that I didn't have anything to wear yet. It didn't bother me as much as it bothered Nora, so I took out one of the old dresses I bought over spring break that I didn't have a chance to wear yet. It was a light tan colored slip with a neck line that plunged a little more than my liking, but somehow I didn't care.
The rest of the day didn't consist of talking to Layke, because Nora and I were too busy going through magazines and beauty spell books for a noticeable appearance tomorrow night. I decided to keep my hair down, but give it a little more "bounce", and wear almost no makeup. I didn't understand why girls decided to keep their naturally beautiful faces covered up with a fake mask, making people believe you're someone that you really aren't. Oh well.
That night, my stomach flipped so many times just thinking about him. I tried not to, I really did. I couldn't help it. His face, his presence, his voice. They warmed my soul in a way I couldn't explain, and I've only known him for two days.
Saturday had to be the longest day ever. I was so anxious to see everyone at the ball, especially King whom I haven't spoken to since that day he asked me. I arrived at lunch with Nora, sitting down all the way at the end of the Hufflepuff table.
"You know, we still have time to go to Hogsmeade and just hang out for a little while," Nora said, then taking a sip of her pumpkin juice, "Wanna go with me? I think Callie's going to go after lunch."
"Ah, what the hell, I'll go. Don't you think Callie's a bit tired of hanging out with us though? Y'know, because we're Hufflepuffs and she's a Slytherin?" I turned my head slightly to see Callie talking rather cheerfully to a short, brunette Slytherin girl.
"Nah, she talked to me about that a few days ago," Nora flashed a smile, "She says that most of the Slytherin are scum, and she'd rather be in this house with us now that she thinks about it." I didn't really believe that, because Callie was very popular among the Slytherin house, so I just grinned and finished lunch without another word to Nora.
When we were finished, we both stood up and waited for Callie outside. Everyone was so cheerful, most likely because of the ball. I wondered where King was, but I decided I'd just wait for him outside of the common room before the ball.
The large front doors opened, and out strutted Callie in her Slytherin uniform. Callie had long, curly light brown hair, and small black eyes that were the doors to a soul so pure. Sure, she was a Slytherin, but Nora and I both realized four years ago that she wasn't all that bad. Some good DOES come out of evil, y'know.
Callie looked at us and crossed her arms, "So, what are you guys waiting for? We better grab an empty carriage or we'll have to split up," she smirked slightly and started running across the grounds. Nora and I followed her, and we both jumped into the last empty carriage.
"What's up with Rebecca? Is she still sick?" I asked, tucking some red hair behind my left ear.
"Yeah," Callie answered, "Apparently some lame ass Ravenclaw second year decided it would be funny if he concocted a little potion to get all the Gryffindor girls sick." Nora started a giggle fit when she heard this, and I couldn't help but laugh too. "It's okay, though. I dueled his ass from here to New Zealand, and he won't be coming out of the infirmary for at least another week," Callie licked her glossy lips, "revenge is sweet."
After many fits of giggles, we finally arrived at Hogsmeade. I checked my silver watch once more, "Well, I want to start getting ready for the ball at around five… It's one now, so let's just get our shopping over with more quickly than usual, okay?"
Nora playfully punched my left shoulder, "C'mon, Sum! We have the whole afternoon to shop, so let's just take our time," she smiled wide. Nora always amazed me because of the fact that she was always smiling. Why was she so happy? Doesn't that get tiring after awhile?
Our first stop was Honeydukes, of course. Nora had the greatest sweet tooth of us all, so it was normal that she walked out with innumerable bags and bags full of candy. Still, she never ceased to amaze me. Callie was the one who usually walked out with candy that harmed people, today it just happened to be acid pops. I, on the other hand, was satisfied with a few sugar quills and a small, velvet bag full of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.
After walking in and out of basically every shop there was in Hogsmeade, the three of us were rather tired and headed into the Three Broomsticks to sit down. We picked out a table all the way in the back near the window, and slumped down into the chairs.
"That was fun! But how the hell are we going to shove all these bags in one carriage?" Nora laughed loudly.
Callie stood up, "We might need three separate ones," she picked up her bags and headed out of the Three Broomsticks. I groaned, and Nora and I both followed her out, both of us trying to keep our balance with the uneven weight of the bags.
I can't believe how badly this is hurting me right now. Every inch of me wants to give up. I just want to die knowing it's basically over. Is it over? Was this all just a dream? Or maybe a nightmare? Maybe we don't exist...
It was five o'clock in the evening. Nora and I were going through all our newly purchased items cheerfully. Nora stood up and wrapped herself in her new black cloak, "Ah, it's 'bout time I bought a new cloak. Even though it IS the summer and it's hot as hell, but whatever." I smiled and noticed that Nora had way more bags than I did. I guess I was completely satisfied with my shopping after I bought an amethyst necklace. I opened the black velvet case, and ran a finger over one edge of the amethyst crystal.
Nora walked over and sat on my bed, "That's really pretty, Summer. You should wear that tonight!" I smiled and shrugged. She grabbed all of her bags from her canopy bed and tossed them near the closet, "We better start getting ready."
I looked at the clock near the dorm door and nodded, "Good idea."
I knocked on the bathroom door, "Nora, you ready yet? 'Cause I should go outside and wait for King in a few minutes."
Nora called out a faint, "Just a sec!" and then the door opened. She looked absolutely stunning, and I was proud with how the dress turned out. "You go find King then. I'll go meet up with Callie." I nodded, and walked outside to wait in front of the common room entrance. I heard someone walking behind me and turned around. It was King, obviously.
"Hiya," I greeted him by giving him a hug.
"You look…" He pondered for a word.
I smiled sweetly and tried to help him out, "Amazing? Stunning? Brilliant?"
"All those plus beautiful," He grinned wide. I muttered "thanks" quietly, and we both started walking down the corridor to get to the Great Hall. As we stepped down the marble staircase, we could see that there were no long, tables for houses, but small, circular ones lined up against the walls with lacey, white table cloths that seated six people each. The decorations also caught my eye. Candles floated everywhere, and the ceiling was dotted with bright stars. Everything sparkled, or at least had a soft glow.
"I'm going to go sit with my friends for awhile, do you wanna come?" I asked politely. I didn't think any of my friends had dates, so he'd probably feel uncomfortable around them.
"That's alright; I'm going to go talk to mine for a few minutes too. Be prepared to dance with me when I get back, though," He laughed quietly and walked off to find his friends. I walked in the opposite direction, heading towards the table where Callie, Nora, and amazingly Rebecca, were sitting at. I sat in the empty seat next to Nora and waved to everyone.
"Hey, Summer!" Rebecca said first, "where's your date?"
"Ah, he went off with his friends. Hey, you're not sick anymore?" I asked, and took a sip of butter beer.
"Nope. Good ol' Poppy cured me just in time. She said she wanted some alone time with the two sick sixth year boys… Whatever that means," she laughed softly. Rebecca was a sixth year Gryffindor student. She had chestnut colored, wavy hair that stopped a few inches above her waist, and soft, amber eyes. She was quite tall too, because I had to bend my neck a little to look up at her.
"It's too bad we all don't have dates, well, except for you, Summer," Callie mentioned, looking around. I noticed that many people were showing up to the ball. I didn't exactly realize so many people decided to stay at Hogwarts for the summer.
"Well, we seriously have a lack of boys here at Hogwarts this summer," Nora noted, "besides, most of the boys here are complete idiots."
"That's true, but Summer usually always manages to get a date anyhow," Rebecca smiled and turned to look at me.
"Hey! Of course I don't. I've only had like, four dates out of… How many balls and dances? Ten or so?" I crossed my arms and Nora laughed. "Look, you guys have fun, I'm going to go and try and find King since I feel like dancing."
"Ooh, she feels like dancing," Nora grinned.
"Or maybe more than just dancing, young Nora," Callie winked at me and I laughed while starting to walk away from the table. Where WAS King anyway? He said he was going to hang out with his friends, but I didn't see any Hufflepuff boys.
I decided I might get a better view of everyone from the top of the marble staircase, so I walked up and peered down. Unfortunately, my focus on the ball ended when I heard uh, strange noises coming from the broom closet down the corridor. I turned around and started walking. I came up to the broom closet and knocked on the door, "Hello?" It could've just been a boggart or something, but I decided to take the risk anyway and open the closet door.
The image I saw has been etched in my mind ever since. "KING?!" I laughed without letting him answer what was going on, and closed the closet door. I couldn't stop laughing, and I went back down to the ball pushing my way through couples who were dancing to a rather lovely slow song. I fell back into the chair at my friends' table and bursted out laughing.
"…Summer...?" Nora looked at me oddly, "what's so funny?"
"I. CAN'T. BREATHE." I laughed and laughed, ruining the slow song.
"What is it, woman?" Callie clapped her hands in front of me and grinned. I inhaled deeply but continued to giggle.
"King. Girl. Head. BROOM CLOSET!" I seriously could've died right there. I mean, sure, he was my date and I should've been mad, but it was just so hilarious at the time. Nora got the hint and started laughing with me. Callie and Rebecca rolled their eyes and went off in their own little conversation.
"Oh god, Nora, I think I've had enough of the ball for tonight," I said through some laughs. Nora frowned at me.
"Aw, c'mon. We've been here for a little less than an hour. Let's stay until at least ten, okay? There's nothing else to do," Nora smiled and tugged on my arm, "Let's go say hi to random people." I laughed and stood up from the chair.
The rest of the night consisted of more laughs and long, memorable conversations. I couldn't ask for a better night, even though my date turned out to be, well, kind of perverted in a sense. But hey, boys will be boys.
The next few days went by quickly. It was a dreadfully boring and rainy Wednesday, so everyone was inside looking for things to do. In my case, I was lying down on the large, black sofa in the Hufflepuff Common Room with Nora, sitting on the floor next to the lit fire, who was filling me in on the latest "gossip" I suppose you could say.
"And anyway, I don't think you're going to like my next bit of information, Sum. Do you still want to hear it?" Nora asked me, "Sum? Are you paying attention?" She grabbed a pillow and threw it at me.
"Oh, yeah, sorry. I usually start drifting off on rainy days." Of course, that wasn't the real truth. I still had Layke on my mind.
"Yeah... Okay, so, well, I might as well say it. Layke's getting married to Christina," I could see her sympathetic expression through the corner of my eye. It took me a while to realize what Nora had said.
"He doesn't love her," I accidentally blurted out.
Nora raised an eyebrow, "Huh?" Oh god, I'm so stupid.
"Nothing... Never mind. When are they getting married?" I sighed and looked into the fire.
"Saturday. Apparently the teachers know too, so I think the whole school is invited," she rose from the floor, "You want to go down to dinner? I'm starving."
"No, I'm not hungry," I closed my eyes tightly, and heard Nora walk out of the common room. What is WRONG with people these days? Okay, sure, there was such a thing as divorce, but why be so stupid? Besides, I knew from the look on his face that Layke did not love her. Like her, yes, but love her, no.
I sighed and grabbed the same soft pillow that Nora threw at me, hugging it tightly as if it were the only thing I could hold on to anymore.
After an hour of watching people come and go and staring into oblivion, I decided to get up off the sofa and take a walk. I grabbed my black cloak and wrapped it around me. I headed out of the silent common room and into the noisy corridors, buzzing with the laughter of many, many students. I guessed that the weather wasn't so great, since not that many people would be inside. Before I could walk down another flight of stairs, Nora ran up to me and smiled gleefully.
"Whatcha up to now?" she said, and the stone stairs moved in a different direction before I could get down. I groaned and muttered, "Nothing." Nora studied my face silently and crossed her arms, "It doesn't look like 'nothing' missy. Now tell me what's up."
What was up? I soon realized that I was jealous. I was more jealous than I had ever been in my entire young life, and I wanted to get away from it all. "I need a vacation," I said suddenly to Nora, whose gleeful smile had turned upside down.
"What do you mean you need a vacation? Summer, this IS your vacation. Don't you want to stay at Hogwarts for the rest of the summer?" I turned around; ready to walk back to the Hufflepuff Common Room, but Nora placed her small hand on my shoulder. Nora's voice became low, so the curious students and teachers that were walking up and down the nearby staircases would not catch her words.
"Summer, if this is about Layke, then I really think you should go to the wedding," I scowled and pushed her hand away from me. "I don't want to talk about this," I said quickly as my feet started to carry me back to the common room. Nora sighed and caught up to me from behind.
"Well... I do. I think you need to stand up and say something against what they're going to do this Saturday," Nora said almost silently. I stopped walking and put my forehead against the cold, stone wall. Nora stood behind me and waited for an answer.
"It's not going to make any difference, Nora. He wouldn't do this unless he really wanted to," I closed my large eyes tightly, and inhaled deeply.
Nora laughed, "How do you know? You hardly know the guy. C'mon, Sum. I'm going, and I know you want to because you're always curious." I picked my head up and took a good look at her. She was really beautiful, making my jealousy build up into something I didn't want to deal with. "What do you say? Are you going or not?"
I glanced at my black shoes and then back to Nora. I shrugged, "Fine, but you're supplying me with the box of tissues, okay?" Nora squealed with delight and grabbed my arm.
"Don't worry, love. We have to pick out nice things to wear though, preferably for outside since they're having it in the gardens," Nora had another one of her sweet smiles spread across her face, and I couldn't help but smile back. There was always something about her that I didn't understand. Even the girl's presence had a good affect on people.
It was a sunny, Saturday morning and I had waked up before Nora, as always. She was sleeping peacefully in her bed and her strawberry blonde hair fell limply across her face. Everything about her was flawless, and I was still jealous but I easily hid it.
I yawned for what seemed like five minutes, and groggily pushed the warm, fleece blankets off of me. I didn't get much sleep the night before... Well, at least I didn't think so, since I lost track of time. My thoughts had wandered to Layke again, and I can't help but admit that I'd never go a night without thinking about him.
I stepped out of bed, and looked at the wall clock. It was 10 o'clock in the morning. The wedding was to be started at 2 o'clock behind the greenhouses in the flower gardens. Knowing Nora, I vowed to myself that if she didn't wake up by noon then I would wake her myself.
I slipped on my Hufflepuff uniform and brushed my red hair while nearly falling asleep again. To pass the time before Nora would wake up, I decided to head down to the Great Hall for a late breakfast, and maybe run into Callie and Rebecca. I walked out of the Common Room and got to the Great Hall after what seemed like forever since I was so tired.
Callie waved to me from a distance. I was quite shocked since she was sitting at the Gryffindor table, and I recognized Rebecca sitting next to her. Rebecca beckoned for me to sit down next to her. I took a seat on the bench and smiled, "So Callie, finally giving in to the Gryffindors?"
Callie laughed and shook her head, "Not really, it's just that most of the Slytherins that are staying for the summer are complete idiots... And I'm not an idiot." I snickered and looked at her, "You sure about that?" Callie reached over Rebecca and tried to punch me in the shoulder, but I slid away and grinned.
"Are you guys going to that Ravenclaw wedding later?" Callie said while tossing a red apple in the air and catching it once it fell. Rebecca nodded, "That what's-his-name is cute though."
"You mean Layke?" I thought 'what's-his-name' was a little rude. Rebecca shrugged, "Whatever it was. I don't think he should get married. As for the girl, I don't care. She's too blonde."
Callie beamed, "Well, I think this whole wedding thing between the Ravenclaws is getting out of hand. I mean, it seems like someone gets married every week in that house." Rebecca laughed, "That could be true, Callie. But I'm still going since there's really nothing else to do today."
"It's Saturday, you guys could go to Hogsmade," I suggested, and Rebecca frowned as if she didn't want me to give any ideas.
"Yes! We should do that, Rebecca... Since you didn't go last week," said Callie. She took a bite out of the apple and put it down again, "Please? For this poor, evil Slytherin?"
"No! No one is going to be there. The whole school is going to this and I'm not going to miss out," Rebecca answered and stood up, "I'm going to go take a walk." Rebecca did just that out of the almost empty Great Hall.
"Hah, some friend. You sure you're going to go too, Summer? I'm always free if you change your mind and Nora refuses to leave," Callie continued to take bites out of her apple, and I glanced up the marble staircase.
"Alright then. I'll be sure to come to you if it's too much for me to handle. Thanks, Callie. I'm going to go back to my dorm and see if Nora's awake yet," I got up off the bench, smiled at Callie, and walked back to my dorm.
Surprisingly, Nora was awake, but barely. I sat on my bed and looked at her, "Did you just wake up?"
She nodded, and tidied up her bed, "Do we still have time to get ready? I didn't think I was going to sleep in so much," she yawned and I nodded. "We have time," I said, "Considering I'm still in my uniform, yeah."
Nora yawned once again and talked some more, "I'm going to go see if I can grab some toast out of the kitchen, wanna come?" She trudged over to the small closet and picked out her identical Hufflepuff school uniform.
I shook my head no, "I was just in the Great Hall with Callie and Rebecca. I don't think Callie is going to the wedding but I know Rebecca is. I'm going to take a long shower... I need to relax or something. Shall I run into you later?"
"Sure, sure," Nora said, focusing on her blonde hair more than talking to me. Without another word, I walked off to start getting ready for the wedding that I didn't want to go to in the first place.
I hope you know how I feel now as I sit here and cry while my heart continues to break, over and over. I opened my bloodshot eyes slowly, taking in the sounds from the rain as it pounded on the roof above. Somehow, I managed to stand up shakily. I wiped away my tears with my right hand quickly, and checked to see if anyone was around. Of course not, it was three in the morning. Oh God, Layke, where are you when I need you?
Hours went by as Nora and I anxiously waited for the wedding to roll on by. It was 1:30 in the afternoon, and we both decided it was the right time to start heading down to the gardens. I loved it there, but seeing the boy I was crushing on get married in my favorite place to some other girl just didn't seem like an ideal thing to do at the time. I ran a pale hand through my hair and sighed, "C'mon, Nora. Let's go now before the good seats fill up." She mouthed an 'okay' and we both headed out to the gardens behind the Herbology greenhouses.
When Nora and I arrived, a lot of people had already taken their seats. We sat in the middle on the groom's side because most of Christina's side had filled up. I looked around and noticed everything was set up beautifully, including the flowers. The colors ranged from purple, pink, to white. In the front of the white chairs, there was a large fountain lined with lavender and white flowers. Christina and Layke were to be wed in front of that fountain. I sighed and looked at Nora, who frowned.
Rebecca walked up to us and took a seat next to Nora five minutes later. "So when is this thing starting?" said Rebecca, who was looking around in all directions. Nora shrugged, "Any time now."
"Well they better hurry. I want to get this over with," I put my palms to my face, and told myself I wasn't going to cry.
Nora poked me in my right side and pointed behind us, "It's starting!" The many seated students hushed down and turned their heads to see what was going on.
Soon, everyone was up there except for the bride. I twirled a piece of red hair between my fingers and groaned, "Get it over with..." My wish was granted, as Christina came walking gracefully in her wedding dress. Her dress was a pearly white, strapless, and very cute. Small beads created flower patterns from the waist and all the way down to the end of the dress. There was a small tiara glittering atop of her blonde hair, half of which was in a bun and the other half curled and resting softly at her shoulders. A long veil that stopped in the middle of her back covered her small head. She was holding a large and simple bouquet of the same lavender and white flowers that lined the glorious fountain.
"She's really beautiful," I heard Rebecca whisper, as she watched in awe. I scoffed and looked at the back of the chair in front of me.
Sadly, I did not pay attention to the wedding at all. I wasn't listening to anything, but as soon as the 'I do's' came along, Nora nudged my arm to make sure I was listening. I snapped out of my trance and looked up, focusing my attention on Layke. He didn't look happy and he didn't look sad. I couldn't read out his emotions at all, and that made me feel very uncomfortable.
I didn't catch what the priest was saying, but I knew what came next. Christina grinned widely at the priest and nodded, "I do," she said simply, then turned to Layke. He didn't smile at her.
I couldn't help but be so angry. I don't think I've ever been madder. I gritted my teeth together and narrowed my green eyes. I hate her. I hate her, I hate her, I hate her. He doesn't love her...
I looked at him intently, and sighed as the priest finished what he was saying. Layke looked at the priest, then Christina, then me. I swallowed the tears that I had been holding back, and looked away from his penetrating gaze.
"I... I can't do this... I'm sorry, Christina," He quickly glanced back at me, and then walked down the aisle. The students gasped and conversations had broken the silence. I turned my head to watch Layke walk back into the castle. I turned back to see Christina standing there quite dazed. It took her ten seconds to realize what had happened, and she had a fit.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE HIM!" She picked up the bottom of her dress and threw the bouquet at the students. I caught it, without meaning to of course. Nora winked at me, "You know what that means!" I stared at it breathlessly.
"What just happened?" I managed to say, but quite quietly. Rebecca laughed and got up from her chair, "Well, I better go find Callie and go to Hogsmeade then." She walked off leaving Nora and I to ourselves.
"Did... Did he just walk off like that? Do I need to get my eyes checked?" I honestly could not believe what was happening. Nora chuckled and grabbed my arm to make me stand up, "Want to go to Hogsmeade with Rebecca and Callie to celebrate?"
A huge grin had spread across my face and I nodded, "This has been one of the best days of the summer so far. Let's go to the Three Broomsticks, I'll pay for the butterbeer." Nora smiled, and we walked away from the rest of noisy the students, "I'm glad you're finally looking happier."
"Me too," I said, "Me too."
A few, short weeks had gone by, and I had not seen Layke anywhere. I was guessing he was upset, or scared of Christina and her group of "popular" friends. Well, I think the first option was the closest to reality as I could get. I wanted to know why he didn't do it, I really did. I just didn't have the guts to go and ask him, or even talk to him for that matter. I guess I would just have to wait until he came to me. And that warm, summer day, he did.
Nora was inside Hogwarts getting tutored for Arithmacy, which was her worst subject. I told her over and over to drop it, but she refused relentlessly. Most of the time we always pick the same classes, but I went off to choose Muggle Studies, while she was more interested in numbers and math. Nora was a very, very odd girl.
Callie was hanging out gossiping with her fellow so-called completely idiotic Slytherins, and Rebecca was supposedly creating a new Gryffindor robe to wear. This left me with no choice but to go outside and take a walk. I went outside, and headed towards the gardens once more. When I got there, everything was gone except for the flowers and the fountain of course. While thinking of something I could do, I remembered a trick to do with my wand that my Aunt Kiara had taught me back home over Christmas break. It wasn't a trick really, but it was something to do when you got bored.
I whispered, "Oliavoreno," and watched as many gold sparks came pouring out of my wand like a small waterfall. The point was to twirl the wand around, and act as if it was one of those muggle contraptions where you'd spin around with a ribbon and it would look so very graceful.
I closed my eyes and worked my magic with the wand, spinning and dancing around without a care in the world as the gold sparks continued to flow. I danced around the fountain twice, holding my oak wand high up in the air, creating long trails of gold. I felt a bit dizzy so I opened my eyes to make sure I knew what I was doing, but to my surprise, Layke was sitting on the edge of the fountain watching me.
I gasped in surprise and whispered the counter spell, stopping the gold river of sparks. I held my hand to my mouth and giggled, "I'm sorry... I'm a bit insane today."
Layke smiled and shook his head, "That was cute" I felt my pale cheeks turn bright red and looked up slowly, "You think so?" He nodded, and I sat down next to him on the edge.
"How have you been?" He asked suddenly, and I dipped my hand in the cold water. My eyes traveled from the water to his face and I sighed, "Okay I guess, you?"
"Alright," he said, and I suddenly had the urge to ask him why he didn't marry Christina. I thought it wouldn't be appropriate so I didn't, and I never would. Layke looked around the flower gardens, "So, why are you out here alone?"
"Well... I was alone... I don't know, everyone else is doing something so yeah," I took my hand out of the fountain water and looked up at him.
He smiled and said, "Aw, well, I'm not doing anything." I smiled one again and looked towards the blue sky. Was this really happening to me? I saw him look at his watch, "But I have to go and finish up some stuff inside. I'll talk to you later?"
I frowned slightly, "Okay, see you around." As soon as I finished that sentence though, he pulled me into a hug that seemed to last forever. I closed my eyes and wished that the moment would never end... But it did. He smiled, and left me wondering why in the world that just happened.
I grabbed my long, black cloak and threw it over me as the tears continued to flow. The dancing fire in the Hufflepuff Common Room had died down now, leaving the room with almost no light. I took my oak wand out of my robe pocket and muttered, "Lumos!" The tip of my wand lit up almost immediately, allowing me to see where I was going. Making sure no one was watching me; I headed out of the common room and into the dark, empty corridor.
I checked my silver watch that was wrapped around my left wrist, and assumed Nora would be done with her Arithmacy tutoring by now, so I walked happily back into Hogwarts. I smiled wide at everyone, even the Slytherins, most of which gave me a dirty look back. I couldn't help but feel so giddy because soon my problems didn't matter anymore.
"Summer?" I heard Nora call from further down the corridor, and she ran up to me, "I was just about to go find you." I smiled, and she noticed, "What happened this time, Sum?"
"I was outside messing around with my wand by the fountain, and Layke was watching me. I didn't realize it at first, but he was just there, and then he had to go... But he hugged me!"
Nora laughed, "Only a hug? Not anything else?" She winked, and I lightly hit her shoulder, "Shut up!"
She shrugged, "Wait until you see the rest of the things boys can do..." I gasped after hearing that, "Don't tell me you've... You know."
"Maybe..." I looked at her in disbelief. "I'm just kidding! God, Summer." She laughed, and I laughed with her although a little nervously.
It was another summer Saturday, and I was outside again, but this time at the far edge of the lake. Rebecca, Callie, and Nora had gone to Hogsmeade without me because unfortunately, I slept in a little too late. I decided to take the time to write, which was my passion at the time. Holding my battered notebook in one hand, and a very expensive phoenix feather quill in the other, I pondered how to start my next story. Should it be suspenseful? Romantic? Or maybe a long fantasy tale?
Before I could answer that question myself, someone had sat down next to me. It was Layke.
"Hey you," I waved, with the quill still in my hand.
"Hi," he said simply, "What are you up to?"
I smiled and looked down at my old notebook, "Trying to think of what to write."
"Why are you writing in the first place?" he said, looking at me.
"Well, I like to, and plus my friends went to Hogsmeade without me."
He smiled again, "Aww, I'm sure they didn't mean to do that on purpose. Hey, can I help you with your writing?" I looked up and grinned, "Sure... What did you have in mind?"
"Well..." He said softly, "Okay, I've got it." I motioned him to continue. "There once was a boy named Layke and a girl named Summer."
I sniggered, "Go on..."
"Alright, so Summer realizes she likes Layke," that part made me blush a whole lot, "And she decides to ask him out."
Meanwhile, I was wondering what he was getting at. God, was I that obvious? "And...?" I asked with a smirk.
"And he said yes. The end," He grinned and stood up. I got up off the grass covered ground as well.
"That was interesting," I said, and we both looked out at the lake. He just nodded slightly, and I turned to look at him. He didn't look back at me. I noticed how sure and content he looked, and I wondered what he was thinking about.
"I better go," he said, but he still wasn't looking at me, "I'll see you around?"
"Sure," I answered, "Bye..."
The summer had been going by quickly, day after day, and month after month. Layke and I were still on the same page. I was afraid our bond wouldn't progress into something more, but Callie always seemed to reassure me that he had his eye on me. Maybe that was true, but he was always the one trying to get something out of me.
One breezy, August afternoon, everyone was joyfully talking out on the Hogwarts grounds, including Callie, Nora, Layke, and me. We had all become close friends, because it seemed that Layke had always wanted to follow me one way or another. I always thought that was quite cute, but perhaps a little invasion of my privacy. Either way, I didn't mind, because he stood or sat close by me all the time.
As I was whispering to Nora about something or other, I saw out of the corner of my green eye that Layke was whispering something to Callie. I was a little curious as to what was going on, but Nora kept talking. I decided to keep my focus on her.
"And so, he might still like..." Nora whispered. I guessed she was talking about Layke, but I really didn't care either way since Callie was drawing something in red sparks with her wand around Layke and me.
For a moment, I didn't know what was going on, but Layke smirked and I saw that Callie had drawn a red heart around both of us. I stared at him, quite puzzled, and he laughed.
"So you do like me, don't you?" he grinned, and I moved the red sparks in different directions with my hand to mess up the heart.
"Shut it, I wasn't paying attention," I mumbled and looked at the ground. He laughed once more.
Callie peered at me, "He told me to do it, Summer. It's not my fault."
Layke smiled and looked up at the blue sky, "I love summer."
Nora's eyes widened, "What?"
He snickered, "The season, of course. It's nice out." I sighed and got up, "C'mon, Nora." I grabbed her left arm and pulled her away from Callie and Layke.
"He's ridiculous," I said quietly so they wouldn't hear.
Nora winked, "Or is he?"
More days had gone by, and still nothing out of Layke. Well, I wasn't really sure what I wanted him to say anyway. What was weird was that Nora had grown to hate him with a passion. I wasn't really sure why either.
"You're too good for him. He doesn't deserve you," she had once said while we were in the Hufflepuff Common Room.
I didn't understand it. We had also once gotten on the topic of Layke using me for his image or something. I don't know. It was all too crazy. Nora had hated him even more, and Layke and I had a small fight.
"Ugh, you're impossible!" He said, and it echoed through the empty corridor.
"Impossible, eh? Yes, I like that," I replied, as I couldn't think of anything else to say.
"And I was starting to regret not asking you out," Layke had said almost inaudibly, and had walked away into darkness. He had left me standing there, wondering what that was supposed to mean. Was that the end? He isn't going to anymore?
Of course, we had said our apologies one after another, but I was mainly the sorry one since everything happened to be my fault. He had seemed to never get angry at me. I, on the other hand, had always found something to complain or yell about. I shrugged these things off, and we both went on with life at Hogwarts. School had started come September, and happy students turned into depressed ones, including me.
I missed everything that the summer had been. I missed Layke especially, who had seemed to be busy all the time. I would occasionally see him and say hello, but that was it. Soon, we didn't really talk at all, and it hurt quite badly. Nora could care less, since she didn't know what I saw in him. What did I see, anyway? I don't even have the slightest clue.
I realized that it was probably time to forget about him, but I just kept holding on. Once, when we were alone atop of the Astronomy tower, I could have sworn I was dead.
"I'm depressed," I said, and looked at him longingly.
He gave me a concerned look and walked over to me, "Why?"
I sighed and closed my eyes, "Because I love you too much."
Layke had put on a very odd expression and sighed, "Don't worry. There are probably lots of guys out there who like you, and you'll get over me. You're always sad because of me..."
I blinked, and my hands started to shake. I wanted to ask him if that was what he wanted, for me to get over him. I couldn't say anymore, so I just left and headed for the showers.
I had never cried so much in my life. My head felt light and my body shook as I sobbed. Cold water hit my face and mixed in with my tears that kept flowing down my face. I felt like I was going to die. I wanted to die.
I didn't tell Nora about what happened that day, or tell anyone for that matter. It bothered me so much. Everything was a blur, and I decided to not talk to Layke for awhile. I supposed that was what he wanted, since I had always gotten the feeling that I was a bit too annoying. He assured me that I wasn't, but I didn't believe him. Of course I didn't understand why he said he always makes me sad. Maybe it's not him; it's just the fact that I can't have him you know?
Nora and the others had soon gone off in their own worlds once school had started. New friends, new problems, new lives. It didn't bother me at first, but then I realized that soon Layke might stop talking to me and go off like the rest did. I didn't want that at all, so I told him that I didn't want him to drift.
"I don't drift away from people," he said. He lied.
We still talked, but never had conversations. I thought it was over really. Plus, the hugs had worn off completely. That was disappointing...
I figured that was it and I really needed to get over it, so I made a record sixteen days and didn't talk to him.
But I ruined all of it for nothing. It would probably take a very, very long time to get over him. I keep trying, but things always fail.
And so that is the end of that chapter. Though, I know things will happen in the future. This is just the beginning of my story that seems to never end.
A/N: Thanks for taking the time to read this. I got very lazy at the end, so I'm sorry for that. But this is not the end! Don't worry. I plan on improvising for the next few chapters/sequels/whatever, if nothing does happen in the future. But again, thank you, thank you!! *cough* Reviews would be nice too... =)
A/N: As you all know, I write my little stories on online love experiences once they come along. *coughfoo&cedriccough* It's kind of hard trying to write a story that revolves around a visual chat room, so what better way to transform it into something better? Harry Potter fanfiction! Well, actually, it's not fanfiction at all. I needed a place to put it, and I know my way through the Harry Potter universe so it all fits. But for the most of it, this is actually a true story in some way. Some way... Yes, and if you're one of the HP's people reading this, I'm sorry if you can't find yourself in here. I got lazy. Personality and physical descriptions are also somewhat changed, so don't be disappointed if you think you are in here and I got your looks screwed up. Some of these things did happen, but some of them didn't. For instance, there was never a wedding, and I wasn't even there because I was in Canada. Well at least I think there wasn't :O The amethyst crystal necklace is supposed to represent my love for my idol and inspiration, Mena Baines. Thank you oh so much, Mena dear. And as for other things, I exaggerate way too much. Sorry if you think things are getting out of hand. I mainly wrote this in the early hours of the morning. If mistakes are found, gladly report them to me and I will take care of it. Oh, and the title sucks but I am the author of Hermione's Story, so maybe this one should be called My Story. Other then that, enjoy! (Yes, I am a hopeless romantic who finds love over the internet. Shut it.) Oh, and another thing, I got too lazy and didn't feel like changing Rick's name but it's obvious anyway so leave me alone. *hides* JKR owns all HP stuff. Bow down to her!
The Hufflepuff Common Room was illuminated by the crackling fire, not to mention the few floating candles above my head. I watched the red orange flames sway in different directions as the chilly, autumn air blew in from the open window to my right. The common room was silent and empty, except for my motionless body which was laying on one of the golden couches adjacent to the fire. It was about one in the morning, and all of the Hufflepuffs were sleeping comfortably in their canopy beds. Why was I awake in the first place?
My eyes traveled from the window, to the dancing flames of the fire, and finally to the high ceiling above me. I can't help but remember what you said to me. I hope you're feeling as much pain as I am right now. Hm... Do you waste countless hours thinking about me? Well, I know I've spent all of mine thinking about you.
I don't think you understand. You never really did... Not until reality slapped you in the face. I want you to know completely now. Let's go back to the past, love. Tell me what you feel when we contemplate the memories etched in our young minds.
It all started one, long season ago, when Professor Dumbledore finally decided to allow students to stay over the summer vacation…
I walked down the large marble staircase, entering the ample Great Hall. Lunch was almost over, but most of the students who were staying at Hogwarts for the summer decided to picnic outside on school grounds. I searched for Nora, one of my best friends, who was also placed in the Hufflepuff house. She wasn't sitting at the long Hufflepuff table, so I assumed she was outside. I stepped towards the door, but stopped before I opened it. A large sign was plastered on the stone wall in front of me. I looked up slowly and read the sign aloud, "The Summer Ball will be held on July 12th, 2003 at 7:00pm." There was some more wording underneath the date and time, but my mind blanked out.
I snapped out of it ten seconds later, and opened the door, allowing the warm summer rays of sunlight engulf my body. My soft lips curled into a smile, and I headed out to find Nora. I knew where she was, sitting on the edge of the lake. That was our favorite spot on the grounds. Personally, I love the gardens behind the greenhouses, but still, this spot isn't too bad, either.
Nora saw me walking slowly towards her, and waved joyfully. I came up and sat next to her. Her light blue eyes glittered beautifully, and her strawberry blonde hair rested at her shoulders. She smiled and started our conversation, "So Summer, did ya hear about the ball?"
I laughed softly, "The sign is hard to miss. Did you find a date yet?"
"Nah, I think I might attend this one dateless. There are a lot of men here who don't have any common sense, y'know? I mean, take Salazar for example. What the hell was I thinking?"
"I know. Wait, what day is it?" I asked her. I always end up losing track of time during the summer.
"It's Thursday," Nora answered, and turned her head towards a group of sixth year Ravenclaw boys who were chatting on the stone steps leading into the school.
"No, no. I meant, what's the date?"
"Oh," she grinned at me, "It's July 10th."
"So that means we have two long days to go through…" I wondered if I would find a date that wouldn't disappear this time.
"Yup. I wonder if we could sneak off to Hogsmeade… I need to buy a dress for the ball," Nora smiled sweetly, and waved to a Slytherin boy who was walking by.
"But it's a weekday, Nora. Besides, I can probably turn one of your old dresses into something better with my wand, if you'd like," I replied, looking into the glassy waters of the lake.
"Like Cinderella," she smiled and stood up, "I'm going to go choose a dress that I can part with… You wanna help?"
"I'll pass… I'm going to stay outside for a little longer. It's nice out," I said, looking up at her. She shrugged and disappeared into the colossal school after winking at those Ravenclaw boys.
My eyes turned to the water again, and I studied my reflection. Flaming red hair that ended at my shoulders, bright green eyes that resembled glittering emeralds, and an innocent expression completing what was my fairly pale and round face. Wait, what is that? I saw another face over mine, and blinked. I turned around, and one of the Ravenclaw boys was standing over me.
"Hi," he said simply, and sat down a foot away from me.
"Hello…?" I stared at him. He had green eyes with a brown tint to them, and sandy hair. He was quite tall too, and I could tell he was around sixth year. Brilliant.
"I'm Layke," he smiled and I wondered if I was in heaven.
I smiled back and said, "I'm Summer…"
"So, do you have a date to the ball?" he asked softly. Wait, was he going to ask me? Oh wow.
"No, I… I don't," I looked at the ground, and started counting blades of green grass for some reason unknown.
He turned away, "Oh... Well... I'm sure you will find one soon."
What?! He's not going to ask me? Why not? Is he taken? What in the world is going on?
I stood up and shook my head, "I really doubt it." I walked away not looking back. What was the point of that? Please, and thank you.
I walked into the abandoned Hufflepuff Common Room, up the girls' dorm staircase, and into my dorm. Nora was sitting on her bed, looking at three dresses. She looked up from the dresses and held my emerald eyes. She could tell something had happened.
"What's up?" She asked sweetly as I sat down on my bed, which was across from hers. I sighed and hugged one of the light, amber colored pillows.
"Well, this Ravenclaw boy, Layke, he wanted to know if I had a date to the ball…"
"And…" Nora motioned for me to go on.
"And, well, he said he was sure I'd get a date," I hugged the pillow tighter.
"What?! So he didn't ask you?" Nora looked back down at one of the dresses. It was cerulean in color, strapless, and looked like it stopped above the knees. It was pretty, but too plain for Nora's liking. She fancied things with style that's hard to miss and decoration that would catch everyone's eye.
"No. He sounded like he would've though…" I sighed and looked around the dorm. My half was neat, clean, and organized while Nora's was… Well, totally opposite.
"Don't worry, love. I bet he wants you but he's too shy. You should go back out to the grounds and find him," Nora said, smiling as always. I nodded and hopped off the large bed.
"I'll see you later then," and I traveled out of Hufflepuff house and back to the school grounds. My eyes looked towards the spot where I was sitting earlier. He wasn't there. I started to walk more quickly, turning my head in every direction to find him. Then there he was. Sitting under an oak tree… With someone else.
I surveyed his expression. He didn't look happy, and he was faking sweet smiles while the Ravenclaw girl talked on and on. I could tell. She looked a year older than me, long blonde hair, and blue eyes which I could point out nicely, even standing away this far. Layke looked up and saw me. I bit my lip hard, and he frowned. The only thing I could think of doing next was storming away. So that's what I did.
I didn't go back to my dorm where Nora was. It didn't feel right. I walked around the school with the boy in my mind. What was wrong with me? Before I could answer that question myself, I bumped into, literally, another Hufflepuff. He was a year older than me, and looked kind of strange.
"Sorry…" I said quietly, rubbing my right arm.
He grinned a replied, "It's okay… Hey, do you have a date to the ball?" Where in the world did that come from? I didn't even want to ask, my head was spinning enough.
"No," I said, and looked at my black shoes.
"Do you want to go with me?"
I looked up and half-smiled, "Sure. What's your name?"
"King…And you're Summer," he looked down the deserted hall, then back to me, "I better get going… See you at the ball?"
"Alright, see you," I replied. Something didn't feel right about this. Oh well, I had a date now. It didn't satisfy me enough though. I continued walking around the silent school. There were no classes, just study halls for work you had to do over the summer, or tutoring sessions for those who didn't do so well during the regular school year.
My feet brought me all the way up to the Astronomy Tower. I hated Astronomy. It was my worst subject. The only part I liked about it was star gazing. I stood outside on the balcony where telescopes were lined up in a row, all pointing to the summer sky.
I heard the door slam behind me, and I quickly turned around. It was Layke. What was he doing here? Did he follow me?
"Hello?" I said, with an odd expression.
"Hi," He said, and walked over next to me, "What are you doing up here?"
"Well no, the question is what are YOU doing up here? Did you follow me?"
"No… I just have to work on an Astronomy assignment, but I'm glad I bumped into you," He grinned and dropped a few books on an empty table. I looked up at the turquoise blue sky.
"So, did you find a date yet?" He asked once more. Why did he care? Someone please answer that.
"Yes, I did. Did you?" Stupid question. Stupid, stupid question.
"Well, I did but I'm not going," He leaned against the steel bars of the balcony and sighed. Something was bothering him, but I was too vain to ask what was.
"Why not?" I touched my bottom lip with my index finger. It was bleeding freely. I must've bit it too hard when I saw him with… that girl.
"Well… I... have to get some work done," he said, but he wasn't looking directly at me. He was probably lying, but I didn't even open my mouth to ask. I looked up at the sky once more, and dark clouds were rolling in over head. I headed to the door without saying good-bye. I don't know why, but I started running. I ran back to Hufflepuff to find Nora, who was still deciding over what dress to get rid of. She had decided to keep the cerulean dress, now it was between a heather gray halter dress, and a pale orange one that looked exactly like the cerulean one.
I pointed to the pale orange one, "Get rid of that. It's a hideous color," I fell onto my bed with my arms outstretched and sighed for the fiftieth time today.
Nora laughed loudly and shrugged, "Alright… Hey, did you find the boy?" I nodded and tossed an amber pillow up into the air. "And…?"
"Well, he's obviously taken, but he's not going to the ball. Oh, I meant to ask you this too, do you know of a Ravenclaw girl with long blonde hair, blue eyes, and talks a little too much? She's a year older than us I think."
"Oh wow. I think you're talking about Christina."
I look out of the window and see nothing but darkness. I can hear rain starting to fall quietly, hitting the windows and rooftop. My insides hurt, my vision is blurry, and I'm lightheaded like you wouldn't believe. I need you…
"Christina? Who is she?" I sat up and covered myself with a warm, yellow and black striped blanket.
"Well, apparently, she's Layke's girlfriend. Ya want me to do something about it?" She winked and picked up the orange dress from her bed.
"No… Let me talk to her first. If she's a snob, you can do something about it," I laughed because I would never send Nora to do anything of the sort, "But if not, then we'll leave them be. In fact, I don't know why I even care so much about her and Layke… And ugh."
"You like him, that's why you care. Besides, he wouldn't ask you if you had a date if he didn't like you either," she said while putting back the halter dress into our small closet. I blinked and looked up at the ceiling. He didn't like me. It didn't seem like it. He was just being nice. Or maybe he wanted someone to talk to? I don't know.
I looked down at my silver watch. It was 5:30pm already! Time sure flies by when you like someone...
"I'm going to go down to dinner… Are you coming?" Nora stood up and walked over to the dorm door.
"Nah... I'm not really hungry tonight. Say hey to Callie and Rebecca for me?" I fell back onto the bed again, now with my pale arms crossing my chest.
"Okay…" Her facial expression showed concern, but she left without another word.
I had been thinking about Layke and Christina for hours, and soon lost track of time again. My eyelids became quite heavy, and before I knew it, I drifted off to sleep.
The morning came more quickly than I had imagined. I sat up, and I noticed that I was still clothed in my Hufflepuff uniform. I turned my head to peer at Nora's bed. She was still very much asleep. Since I was still not hungry, I decided to pop into the library for a bit. I pulled my hair up hastily, and strolled down and out of the Hufflepuff Common Room, which wasn't full with chattering students like it usually was.
Very few people were in the library at the time, probably because of breakfast. I hurriedly rushed over to my favorite scarlet armchair and fell back into the inviting cushions and pillows. It took me thirty seconds to realize it, but Christina was sitting right next to me. I turned my head to look at her, and she smiled wide.
"Hiya!" Christina shut her rather wide book and placed it on her lap, "I'm Christina." I tried not to look like I wanted to avoid the conversation with her. "I've seen you around before, what's your name?"
"Summer…" I said almost silently, "My name's Summer. How are you?"
"Oh, I'm fine… I'm kinda tired though, since the Ravenclaw's were up for a wedding reception," She playfully twirled a piece of her golden blonde hair and tapped her book with her left hand.
"Wedding reception? Someone got married? Here at Hogwarts?" I sat up from my slouching position and looked at her intently. A wedding? I didn't hear about a wedding, and what surprised me was Nora didn't either. Otherwise she'd say something, and obviously Nora knows everything that happens at the school. Nothing could get past her… Well, almost nothing.
"Hah, Jane Tanzillo and Sean Sutton. No one's supposed to know outside of the Ravenclaw house though, so don't tell anyone, okay? Even the teachers don't know, because well, they're not even legal," Christina kept twirling the hair that was wrapped around her index finger. It was driving me mad.
I nodded, even though I definitely couldn't keep this from Nora. I told her everything I could, besides, you can never hide anything from her, so don't even try it. "I won't tell… How long were they engaged?"
"A day," she replied simply. I snorted, and she looked at me obliviously. You know, Christina didn't seem all that bad… I felt guilty for thinking otherwise, but either way, she's going out with Layke and I can't do anything about it. "Do you have a date to the ball yet?" She said it, not me.
"Yes, King from Hufflepuff. Do you have one?" I bent my neck back and stared at the library's ceiling.
"Well, I'm going out with Layke. He's from Ravenclaw too, but unfortunately for some reason he can't go to the ball… So I'm going alone," she stopped twirling her hair and let out a sigh. She loved him; I could see it in her eyes and hear it in her tone of voice.
I quietly whispered, "Oh…" and stood up from the comfortable, scarlet chair. "I'm going to go down to breakfast and enjoy the last five minutes of it. I didn't eat dinner at all last night, so I might as well grab a muffin or something. I'll see you around school?"
"Sure… Hey, do you mind if I walk down with you? I want to check and see if Layke's there," I bit my bottom lip and nodded. She smiled sweetly and we walked without another word to breakfast.
I sat down next to Nora, who was munching on her last piece of toast delightfully. I grabbed a blueberry muffin and broke off little pieces to eat. She looked at me and said in between bites, "Where were you," she took a bite, "this morning? I thought you ran off or something."
I checked up and down the Hufflepuff table to see if anyone was listening, and then quietly said, "I have to talk to you about something, but I can't tell you here. No, it's nothing serious and I didn't win over Layke yet," She smiled after I said that, "But it's funny and I'm surprised you haven't found out about it yet."
"Tell me, tell me!" She cried out quietly. I grinned widely, finished the last few bits of my muffin, and motioned her to come outside with me. She followed eagerly and we sat outside on the stone steps in front of Hogwarts.
"Well, surprisingly, I was talking to Christina this morning. She told me last night there was a wedding in Ravenclaw," Nora's face lit up, "It was somewhere here in school and not even the teachers knew about it. They're not supposed to, so keep your mouth shut, alright?"
Nora laughed, "I can't believe I didn't find that out. Who got married?"
"Jane and Sean, whoever they are. It's just funny. Getting married at Hogwarts? Secretly? When you're still a student? That's funny," I watched a red butterfly flutter past my eyes and grinned, "I don't think I believe it."
"Hey! It's kind of cool. I can see a lot of students doing it, especially when they're here at Hogwarts where parents are never going to find out," Nora pulled her hair up in a messy bun and stood up, "Wanna go fix up my dress now?" I laughed softly and rose from the steps, following Nora back to our dorm.
She held up the dress and handed it to me, "Alright, do whatever you need to do to change it."
I looked up at her, and then scanned the dress, "Well, what you want it to look like?"
"My favorite color is lavender... so if you can do something with that color, I'd love you to death," She grinned and sat down on her bed.
I twirled my wand in my right hand, trying to picture something lavender… Something that would suit Nora. I closed my eyes, flicked the wand, and voila! I opened my eyes slowly, and looked up at Nora. It was unusually long and strapless. A few inches above the waist, the dress was pleated, each layer being longer than the last. The gradient of the dress was dyed from bright lavender, to a more pale purple. I smiled to myself as I saw Nora's grin widen. She got up and hugged me, careful not to step on the dress.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She took the dress from me and held it up to herself, spinning once, "This is absolutely perfect, and I just adore the colors." I was quite happy that she liked it, because at first glance, I thought it would be too elegant for Nora. She seemed to think otherwise.
"Now, all I have to do is figure out how I want my hair," she looked into the circular mirror next to our dorm door. "Hmmm…"
I laughed, and soon realized that I didn't have anything to wear yet. It didn't bother me as much as it bothered Nora, so I took out one of the old dresses I bought over spring break that I didn't have a chance to wear yet. It was a light tan colored slip with a neck line that plunged a little more than my liking, but somehow I didn't care.
The rest of the day didn't consist of talking to Layke, because Nora and I were too busy going through magazines and beauty spell books for a noticeable appearance tomorrow night. I decided to keep my hair down, but give it a little more "bounce", and wear almost no makeup. I didn't understand why girls decided to keep their naturally beautiful faces covered up with a fake mask, making people believe you're someone that you really aren't. Oh well.
That night, my stomach flipped so many times just thinking about him. I tried not to, I really did. I couldn't help it. His face, his presence, his voice. They warmed my soul in a way I couldn't explain, and I've only known him for two days.
Saturday had to be the longest day ever. I was so anxious to see everyone at the ball, especially King whom I haven't spoken to since that day he asked me. I arrived at lunch with Nora, sitting down all the way at the end of the Hufflepuff table.
"You know, we still have time to go to Hogsmeade and just hang out for a little while," Nora said, then taking a sip of her pumpkin juice, "Wanna go with me? I think Callie's going to go after lunch."
"Ah, what the hell, I'll go. Don't you think Callie's a bit tired of hanging out with us though? Y'know, because we're Hufflepuffs and she's a Slytherin?" I turned my head slightly to see Callie talking rather cheerfully to a short, brunette Slytherin girl.
"Nah, she talked to me about that a few days ago," Nora flashed a smile, "She says that most of the Slytherin are scum, and she'd rather be in this house with us now that she thinks about it." I didn't really believe that, because Callie was very popular among the Slytherin house, so I just grinned and finished lunch without another word to Nora.
When we were finished, we both stood up and waited for Callie outside. Everyone was so cheerful, most likely because of the ball. I wondered where King was, but I decided I'd just wait for him outside of the common room before the ball.
The large front doors opened, and out strutted Callie in her Slytherin uniform. Callie had long, curly light brown hair, and small black eyes that were the doors to a soul so pure. Sure, she was a Slytherin, but Nora and I both realized four years ago that she wasn't all that bad. Some good DOES come out of evil, y'know.
Callie looked at us and crossed her arms, "So, what are you guys waiting for? We better grab an empty carriage or we'll have to split up," she smirked slightly and started running across the grounds. Nora and I followed her, and we both jumped into the last empty carriage.
"What's up with Rebecca? Is she still sick?" I asked, tucking some red hair behind my left ear.
"Yeah," Callie answered, "Apparently some lame ass Ravenclaw second year decided it would be funny if he concocted a little potion to get all the Gryffindor girls sick." Nora started a giggle fit when she heard this, and I couldn't help but laugh too. "It's okay, though. I dueled his ass from here to New Zealand, and he won't be coming out of the infirmary for at least another week," Callie licked her glossy lips, "revenge is sweet."
After many fits of giggles, we finally arrived at Hogsmeade. I checked my silver watch once more, "Well, I want to start getting ready for the ball at around five… It's one now, so let's just get our shopping over with more quickly than usual, okay?"
Nora playfully punched my left shoulder, "C'mon, Sum! We have the whole afternoon to shop, so let's just take our time," she smiled wide. Nora always amazed me because of the fact that she was always smiling. Why was she so happy? Doesn't that get tiring after awhile?
Our first stop was Honeydukes, of course. Nora had the greatest sweet tooth of us all, so it was normal that she walked out with innumerable bags and bags full of candy. Still, she never ceased to amaze me. Callie was the one who usually walked out with candy that harmed people, today it just happened to be acid pops. I, on the other hand, was satisfied with a few sugar quills and a small, velvet bag full of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.
After walking in and out of basically every shop there was in Hogsmeade, the three of us were rather tired and headed into the Three Broomsticks to sit down. We picked out a table all the way in the back near the window, and slumped down into the chairs.
"That was fun! But how the hell are we going to shove all these bags in one carriage?" Nora laughed loudly.
Callie stood up, "We might need three separate ones," she picked up her bags and headed out of the Three Broomsticks. I groaned, and Nora and I both followed her out, both of us trying to keep our balance with the uneven weight of the bags.
I can't believe how badly this is hurting me right now. Every inch of me wants to give up. I just want to die knowing it's basically over. Is it over? Was this all just a dream? Or maybe a nightmare? Maybe we don't exist...
It was five o'clock in the evening. Nora and I were going through all our newly purchased items cheerfully. Nora stood up and wrapped herself in her new black cloak, "Ah, it's 'bout time I bought a new cloak. Even though it IS the summer and it's hot as hell, but whatever." I smiled and noticed that Nora had way more bags than I did. I guess I was completely satisfied with my shopping after I bought an amethyst necklace. I opened the black velvet case, and ran a finger over one edge of the amethyst crystal.
Nora walked over and sat on my bed, "That's really pretty, Summer. You should wear that tonight!" I smiled and shrugged. She grabbed all of her bags from her canopy bed and tossed them near the closet, "We better start getting ready."
I looked at the clock near the dorm door and nodded, "Good idea."
I knocked on the bathroom door, "Nora, you ready yet? 'Cause I should go outside and wait for King in a few minutes."
Nora called out a faint, "Just a sec!" and then the door opened. She looked absolutely stunning, and I was proud with how the dress turned out. "You go find King then. I'll go meet up with Callie." I nodded, and walked outside to wait in front of the common room entrance. I heard someone walking behind me and turned around. It was King, obviously.
"Hiya," I greeted him by giving him a hug.
"You look…" He pondered for a word.
I smiled sweetly and tried to help him out, "Amazing? Stunning? Brilliant?"
"All those plus beautiful," He grinned wide. I muttered "thanks" quietly, and we both started walking down the corridor to get to the Great Hall. As we stepped down the marble staircase, we could see that there were no long, tables for houses, but small, circular ones lined up against the walls with lacey, white table cloths that seated six people each. The decorations also caught my eye. Candles floated everywhere, and the ceiling was dotted with bright stars. Everything sparkled, or at least had a soft glow.
"I'm going to go sit with my friends for awhile, do you wanna come?" I asked politely. I didn't think any of my friends had dates, so he'd probably feel uncomfortable around them.
"That's alright; I'm going to go talk to mine for a few minutes too. Be prepared to dance with me when I get back, though," He laughed quietly and walked off to find his friends. I walked in the opposite direction, heading towards the table where Callie, Nora, and amazingly Rebecca, were sitting at. I sat in the empty seat next to Nora and waved to everyone.
"Hey, Summer!" Rebecca said first, "where's your date?"
"Ah, he went off with his friends. Hey, you're not sick anymore?" I asked, and took a sip of butter beer.
"Nope. Good ol' Poppy cured me just in time. She said she wanted some alone time with the two sick sixth year boys… Whatever that means," she laughed softly. Rebecca was a sixth year Gryffindor student. She had chestnut colored, wavy hair that stopped a few inches above her waist, and soft, amber eyes. She was quite tall too, because I had to bend my neck a little to look up at her.
"It's too bad we all don't have dates, well, except for you, Summer," Callie mentioned, looking around. I noticed that many people were showing up to the ball. I didn't exactly realize so many people decided to stay at Hogwarts for the summer.
"Well, we seriously have a lack of boys here at Hogwarts this summer," Nora noted, "besides, most of the boys here are complete idiots."
"That's true, but Summer usually always manages to get a date anyhow," Rebecca smiled and turned to look at me.
"Hey! Of course I don't. I've only had like, four dates out of… How many balls and dances? Ten or so?" I crossed my arms and Nora laughed. "Look, you guys have fun, I'm going to go and try and find King since I feel like dancing."
"Ooh, she feels like dancing," Nora grinned.
"Or maybe more than just dancing, young Nora," Callie winked at me and I laughed while starting to walk away from the table. Where WAS King anyway? He said he was going to hang out with his friends, but I didn't see any Hufflepuff boys.
I decided I might get a better view of everyone from the top of the marble staircase, so I walked up and peered down. Unfortunately, my focus on the ball ended when I heard uh, strange noises coming from the broom closet down the corridor. I turned around and started walking. I came up to the broom closet and knocked on the door, "Hello?" It could've just been a boggart or something, but I decided to take the risk anyway and open the closet door.
The image I saw has been etched in my mind ever since. "KING?!" I laughed without letting him answer what was going on, and closed the closet door. I couldn't stop laughing, and I went back down to the ball pushing my way through couples who were dancing to a rather lovely slow song. I fell back into the chair at my friends' table and bursted out laughing.
"…Summer...?" Nora looked at me oddly, "what's so funny?"
"I. CAN'T. BREATHE." I laughed and laughed, ruining the slow song.
"What is it, woman?" Callie clapped her hands in front of me and grinned. I inhaled deeply but continued to giggle.
"King. Girl. Head. BROOM CLOSET!" I seriously could've died right there. I mean, sure, he was my date and I should've been mad, but it was just so hilarious at the time. Nora got the hint and started laughing with me. Callie and Rebecca rolled their eyes and went off in their own little conversation.
"Oh god, Nora, I think I've had enough of the ball for tonight," I said through some laughs. Nora frowned at me.
"Aw, c'mon. We've been here for a little less than an hour. Let's stay until at least ten, okay? There's nothing else to do," Nora smiled and tugged on my arm, "Let's go say hi to random people." I laughed and stood up from the chair.
The rest of the night consisted of more laughs and long, memorable conversations. I couldn't ask for a better night, even though my date turned out to be, well, kind of perverted in a sense. But hey, boys will be boys.
The next few days went by quickly. It was a dreadfully boring and rainy Wednesday, so everyone was inside looking for things to do. In my case, I was lying down on the large, black sofa in the Hufflepuff Common Room with Nora, sitting on the floor next to the lit fire, who was filling me in on the latest "gossip" I suppose you could say.
"And anyway, I don't think you're going to like my next bit of information, Sum. Do you still want to hear it?" Nora asked me, "Sum? Are you paying attention?" She grabbed a pillow and threw it at me.
"Oh, yeah, sorry. I usually start drifting off on rainy days." Of course, that wasn't the real truth. I still had Layke on my mind.
"Yeah... Okay, so, well, I might as well say it. Layke's getting married to Christina," I could see her sympathetic expression through the corner of my eye. It took me a while to realize what Nora had said.
"He doesn't love her," I accidentally blurted out.
Nora raised an eyebrow, "Huh?" Oh god, I'm so stupid.
"Nothing... Never mind. When are they getting married?" I sighed and looked into the fire.
"Saturday. Apparently the teachers know too, so I think the whole school is invited," she rose from the floor, "You want to go down to dinner? I'm starving."
"No, I'm not hungry," I closed my eyes tightly, and heard Nora walk out of the common room. What is WRONG with people these days? Okay, sure, there was such a thing as divorce, but why be so stupid? Besides, I knew from the look on his face that Layke did not love her. Like her, yes, but love her, no.
I sighed and grabbed the same soft pillow that Nora threw at me, hugging it tightly as if it were the only thing I could hold on to anymore.
After an hour of watching people come and go and staring into oblivion, I decided to get up off the sofa and take a walk. I grabbed my black cloak and wrapped it around me. I headed out of the silent common room and into the noisy corridors, buzzing with the laughter of many, many students. I guessed that the weather wasn't so great, since not that many people would be inside. Before I could walk down another flight of stairs, Nora ran up to me and smiled gleefully.
"Whatcha up to now?" she said, and the stone stairs moved in a different direction before I could get down. I groaned and muttered, "Nothing." Nora studied my face silently and crossed her arms, "It doesn't look like 'nothing' missy. Now tell me what's up."
What was up? I soon realized that I was jealous. I was more jealous than I had ever been in my entire young life, and I wanted to get away from it all. "I need a vacation," I said suddenly to Nora, whose gleeful smile had turned upside down.
"What do you mean you need a vacation? Summer, this IS your vacation. Don't you want to stay at Hogwarts for the rest of the summer?" I turned around; ready to walk back to the Hufflepuff Common Room, but Nora placed her small hand on my shoulder. Nora's voice became low, so the curious students and teachers that were walking up and down the nearby staircases would not catch her words.
"Summer, if this is about Layke, then I really think you should go to the wedding," I scowled and pushed her hand away from me. "I don't want to talk about this," I said quickly as my feet started to carry me back to the common room. Nora sighed and caught up to me from behind.
"Well... I do. I think you need to stand up and say something against what they're going to do this Saturday," Nora said almost silently. I stopped walking and put my forehead against the cold, stone wall. Nora stood behind me and waited for an answer.
"It's not going to make any difference, Nora. He wouldn't do this unless he really wanted to," I closed my large eyes tightly, and inhaled deeply.
Nora laughed, "How do you know? You hardly know the guy. C'mon, Sum. I'm going, and I know you want to because you're always curious." I picked my head up and took a good look at her. She was really beautiful, making my jealousy build up into something I didn't want to deal with. "What do you say? Are you going or not?"
I glanced at my black shoes and then back to Nora. I shrugged, "Fine, but you're supplying me with the box of tissues, okay?" Nora squealed with delight and grabbed my arm.
"Don't worry, love. We have to pick out nice things to wear though, preferably for outside since they're having it in the gardens," Nora had another one of her sweet smiles spread across her face, and I couldn't help but smile back. There was always something about her that I didn't understand. Even the girl's presence had a good affect on people.
It was a sunny, Saturday morning and I had waked up before Nora, as always. She was sleeping peacefully in her bed and her strawberry blonde hair fell limply across her face. Everything about her was flawless, and I was still jealous but I easily hid it.
I yawned for what seemed like five minutes, and groggily pushed the warm, fleece blankets off of me. I didn't get much sleep the night before... Well, at least I didn't think so, since I lost track of time. My thoughts had wandered to Layke again, and I can't help but admit that I'd never go a night without thinking about him.
I stepped out of bed, and looked at the wall clock. It was 10 o'clock in the morning. The wedding was to be started at 2 o'clock behind the greenhouses in the flower gardens. Knowing Nora, I vowed to myself that if she didn't wake up by noon then I would wake her myself.
I slipped on my Hufflepuff uniform and brushed my red hair while nearly falling asleep again. To pass the time before Nora would wake up, I decided to head down to the Great Hall for a late breakfast, and maybe run into Callie and Rebecca. I walked out of the Common Room and got to the Great Hall after what seemed like forever since I was so tired.
Callie waved to me from a distance. I was quite shocked since she was sitting at the Gryffindor table, and I recognized Rebecca sitting next to her. Rebecca beckoned for me to sit down next to her. I took a seat on the bench and smiled, "So Callie, finally giving in to the Gryffindors?"
Callie laughed and shook her head, "Not really, it's just that most of the Slytherins that are staying for the summer are complete idiots... And I'm not an idiot." I snickered and looked at her, "You sure about that?" Callie reached over Rebecca and tried to punch me in the shoulder, but I slid away and grinned.
"Are you guys going to that Ravenclaw wedding later?" Callie said while tossing a red apple in the air and catching it once it fell. Rebecca nodded, "That what's-his-name is cute though."
"You mean Layke?" I thought 'what's-his-name' was a little rude. Rebecca shrugged, "Whatever it was. I don't think he should get married. As for the girl, I don't care. She's too blonde."
Callie beamed, "Well, I think this whole wedding thing between the Ravenclaws is getting out of hand. I mean, it seems like someone gets married every week in that house." Rebecca laughed, "That could be true, Callie. But I'm still going since there's really nothing else to do today."
"It's Saturday, you guys could go to Hogsmade," I suggested, and Rebecca frowned as if she didn't want me to give any ideas.
"Yes! We should do that, Rebecca... Since you didn't go last week," said Callie. She took a bite out of the apple and put it down again, "Please? For this poor, evil Slytherin?"
"No! No one is going to be there. The whole school is going to this and I'm not going to miss out," Rebecca answered and stood up, "I'm going to go take a walk." Rebecca did just that out of the almost empty Great Hall.
"Hah, some friend. You sure you're going to go too, Summer? I'm always free if you change your mind and Nora refuses to leave," Callie continued to take bites out of her apple, and I glanced up the marble staircase.
"Alright then. I'll be sure to come to you if it's too much for me to handle. Thanks, Callie. I'm going to go back to my dorm and see if Nora's awake yet," I got up off the bench, smiled at Callie, and walked back to my dorm.
Surprisingly, Nora was awake, but barely. I sat on my bed and looked at her, "Did you just wake up?"
She nodded, and tidied up her bed, "Do we still have time to get ready? I didn't think I was going to sleep in so much," she yawned and I nodded. "We have time," I said, "Considering I'm still in my uniform, yeah."
Nora yawned once again and talked some more, "I'm going to go see if I can grab some toast out of the kitchen, wanna come?" She trudged over to the small closet and picked out her identical Hufflepuff school uniform.
I shook my head no, "I was just in the Great Hall with Callie and Rebecca. I don't think Callie is going to the wedding but I know Rebecca is. I'm going to take a long shower... I need to relax or something. Shall I run into you later?"
"Sure, sure," Nora said, focusing on her blonde hair more than talking to me. Without another word, I walked off to start getting ready for the wedding that I didn't want to go to in the first place.
I hope you know how I feel now as I sit here and cry while my heart continues to break, over and over. I opened my bloodshot eyes slowly, taking in the sounds from the rain as it pounded on the roof above. Somehow, I managed to stand up shakily. I wiped away my tears with my right hand quickly, and checked to see if anyone was around. Of course not, it was three in the morning. Oh God, Layke, where are you when I need you?
Hours went by as Nora and I anxiously waited for the wedding to roll on by. It was 1:30 in the afternoon, and we both decided it was the right time to start heading down to the gardens. I loved it there, but seeing the boy I was crushing on get married in my favorite place to some other girl just didn't seem like an ideal thing to do at the time. I ran a pale hand through my hair and sighed, "C'mon, Nora. Let's go now before the good seats fill up." She mouthed an 'okay' and we both headed out to the gardens behind the Herbology greenhouses.
When Nora and I arrived, a lot of people had already taken their seats. We sat in the middle on the groom's side because most of Christina's side had filled up. I looked around and noticed everything was set up beautifully, including the flowers. The colors ranged from purple, pink, to white. In the front of the white chairs, there was a large fountain lined with lavender and white flowers. Christina and Layke were to be wed in front of that fountain. I sighed and looked at Nora, who frowned.
Rebecca walked up to us and took a seat next to Nora five minutes later. "So when is this thing starting?" said Rebecca, who was looking around in all directions. Nora shrugged, "Any time now."
"Well they better hurry. I want to get this over with," I put my palms to my face, and told myself I wasn't going to cry.
Nora poked me in my right side and pointed behind us, "It's starting!" The many seated students hushed down and turned their heads to see what was going on.
Soon, everyone was up there except for the bride. I twirled a piece of red hair between my fingers and groaned, "Get it over with..." My wish was granted, as Christina came walking gracefully in her wedding dress. Her dress was a pearly white, strapless, and very cute. Small beads created flower patterns from the waist and all the way down to the end of the dress. There was a small tiara glittering atop of her blonde hair, half of which was in a bun and the other half curled and resting softly at her shoulders. A long veil that stopped in the middle of her back covered her small head. She was holding a large and simple bouquet of the same lavender and white flowers that lined the glorious fountain.
"She's really beautiful," I heard Rebecca whisper, as she watched in awe. I scoffed and looked at the back of the chair in front of me.
Sadly, I did not pay attention to the wedding at all. I wasn't listening to anything, but as soon as the 'I do's' came along, Nora nudged my arm to make sure I was listening. I snapped out of my trance and looked up, focusing my attention on Layke. He didn't look happy and he didn't look sad. I couldn't read out his emotions at all, and that made me feel very uncomfortable.
I didn't catch what the priest was saying, but I knew what came next. Christina grinned widely at the priest and nodded, "I do," she said simply, then turned to Layke. He didn't smile at her.
I couldn't help but be so angry. I don't think I've ever been madder. I gritted my teeth together and narrowed my green eyes. I hate her. I hate her, I hate her, I hate her. He doesn't love her...
I looked at him intently, and sighed as the priest finished what he was saying. Layke looked at the priest, then Christina, then me. I swallowed the tears that I had been holding back, and looked away from his penetrating gaze.
"I... I can't do this... I'm sorry, Christina," He quickly glanced back at me, and then walked down the aisle. The students gasped and conversations had broken the silence. I turned my head to watch Layke walk back into the castle. I turned back to see Christina standing there quite dazed. It took her ten seconds to realize what had happened, and she had a fit.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE HIM!" She picked up the bottom of her dress and threw the bouquet at the students. I caught it, without meaning to of course. Nora winked at me, "You know what that means!" I stared at it breathlessly.
"What just happened?" I managed to say, but quite quietly. Rebecca laughed and got up from her chair, "Well, I better go find Callie and go to Hogsmeade then." She walked off leaving Nora and I to ourselves.
"Did... Did he just walk off like that? Do I need to get my eyes checked?" I honestly could not believe what was happening. Nora chuckled and grabbed my arm to make me stand up, "Want to go to Hogsmeade with Rebecca and Callie to celebrate?"
A huge grin had spread across my face and I nodded, "This has been one of the best days of the summer so far. Let's go to the Three Broomsticks, I'll pay for the butterbeer." Nora smiled, and we walked away from the rest of noisy the students, "I'm glad you're finally looking happier."
"Me too," I said, "Me too."
A few, short weeks had gone by, and I had not seen Layke anywhere. I was guessing he was upset, or scared of Christina and her group of "popular" friends. Well, I think the first option was the closest to reality as I could get. I wanted to know why he didn't do it, I really did. I just didn't have the guts to go and ask him, or even talk to him for that matter. I guess I would just have to wait until he came to me. And that warm, summer day, he did.
Nora was inside Hogwarts getting tutored for Arithmacy, which was her worst subject. I told her over and over to drop it, but she refused relentlessly. Most of the time we always pick the same classes, but I went off to choose Muggle Studies, while she was more interested in numbers and math. Nora was a very, very odd girl.
Callie was hanging out gossiping with her fellow so-called completely idiotic Slytherins, and Rebecca was supposedly creating a new Gryffindor robe to wear. This left me with no choice but to go outside and take a walk. I went outside, and headed towards the gardens once more. When I got there, everything was gone except for the flowers and the fountain of course. While thinking of something I could do, I remembered a trick to do with my wand that my Aunt Kiara had taught me back home over Christmas break. It wasn't a trick really, but it was something to do when you got bored.
I whispered, "Oliavoreno," and watched as many gold sparks came pouring out of my wand like a small waterfall. The point was to twirl the wand around, and act as if it was one of those muggle contraptions where you'd spin around with a ribbon and it would look so very graceful.
I closed my eyes and worked my magic with the wand, spinning and dancing around without a care in the world as the gold sparks continued to flow. I danced around the fountain twice, holding my oak wand high up in the air, creating long trails of gold. I felt a bit dizzy so I opened my eyes to make sure I knew what I was doing, but to my surprise, Layke was sitting on the edge of the fountain watching me.
I gasped in surprise and whispered the counter spell, stopping the gold river of sparks. I held my hand to my mouth and giggled, "I'm sorry... I'm a bit insane today."
Layke smiled and shook his head, "That was cute" I felt my pale cheeks turn bright red and looked up slowly, "You think so?" He nodded, and I sat down next to him on the edge.
"How have you been?" He asked suddenly, and I dipped my hand in the cold water. My eyes traveled from the water to his face and I sighed, "Okay I guess, you?"
"Alright," he said, and I suddenly had the urge to ask him why he didn't marry Christina. I thought it wouldn't be appropriate so I didn't, and I never would. Layke looked around the flower gardens, "So, why are you out here alone?"
"Well... I was alone... I don't know, everyone else is doing something so yeah," I took my hand out of the fountain water and looked up at him.
He smiled and said, "Aw, well, I'm not doing anything." I smiled one again and looked towards the blue sky. Was this really happening to me? I saw him look at his watch, "But I have to go and finish up some stuff inside. I'll talk to you later?"
I frowned slightly, "Okay, see you around." As soon as I finished that sentence though, he pulled me into a hug that seemed to last forever. I closed my eyes and wished that the moment would never end... But it did. He smiled, and left me wondering why in the world that just happened.
I grabbed my long, black cloak and threw it over me as the tears continued to flow. The dancing fire in the Hufflepuff Common Room had died down now, leaving the room with almost no light. I took my oak wand out of my robe pocket and muttered, "Lumos!" The tip of my wand lit up almost immediately, allowing me to see where I was going. Making sure no one was watching me; I headed out of the common room and into the dark, empty corridor.
I checked my silver watch that was wrapped around my left wrist, and assumed Nora would be done with her Arithmacy tutoring by now, so I walked happily back into Hogwarts. I smiled wide at everyone, even the Slytherins, most of which gave me a dirty look back. I couldn't help but feel so giddy because soon my problems didn't matter anymore.
"Summer?" I heard Nora call from further down the corridor, and she ran up to me, "I was just about to go find you." I smiled, and she noticed, "What happened this time, Sum?"
"I was outside messing around with my wand by the fountain, and Layke was watching me. I didn't realize it at first, but he was just there, and then he had to go... But he hugged me!"
Nora laughed, "Only a hug? Not anything else?" She winked, and I lightly hit her shoulder, "Shut up!"
She shrugged, "Wait until you see the rest of the things boys can do..." I gasped after hearing that, "Don't tell me you've... You know."
"Maybe..." I looked at her in disbelief. "I'm just kidding! God, Summer." She laughed, and I laughed with her although a little nervously.
It was another summer Saturday, and I was outside again, but this time at the far edge of the lake. Rebecca, Callie, and Nora had gone to Hogsmeade without me because unfortunately, I slept in a little too late. I decided to take the time to write, which was my passion at the time. Holding my battered notebook in one hand, and a very expensive phoenix feather quill in the other, I pondered how to start my next story. Should it be suspenseful? Romantic? Or maybe a long fantasy tale?
Before I could answer that question myself, someone had sat down next to me. It was Layke.
"Hey you," I waved, with the quill still in my hand.
"Hi," he said simply, "What are you up to?"
I smiled and looked down at my old notebook, "Trying to think of what to write."
"Why are you writing in the first place?" he said, looking at me.
"Well, I like to, and plus my friends went to Hogsmeade without me."
He smiled again, "Aww, I'm sure they didn't mean to do that on purpose. Hey, can I help you with your writing?" I looked up and grinned, "Sure... What did you have in mind?"
"Well..." He said softly, "Okay, I've got it." I motioned him to continue. "There once was a boy named Layke and a girl named Summer."
I sniggered, "Go on..."
"Alright, so Summer realizes she likes Layke," that part made me blush a whole lot, "And she decides to ask him out."
Meanwhile, I was wondering what he was getting at. God, was I that obvious? "And...?" I asked with a smirk.
"And he said yes. The end," He grinned and stood up. I got up off the grass covered ground as well.
"That was interesting," I said, and we both looked out at the lake. He just nodded slightly, and I turned to look at him. He didn't look back at me. I noticed how sure and content he looked, and I wondered what he was thinking about.
"I better go," he said, but he still wasn't looking at me, "I'll see you around?"
"Sure," I answered, "Bye..."
The summer had been going by quickly, day after day, and month after month. Layke and I were still on the same page. I was afraid our bond wouldn't progress into something more, but Callie always seemed to reassure me that he had his eye on me. Maybe that was true, but he was always the one trying to get something out of me.
One breezy, August afternoon, everyone was joyfully talking out on the Hogwarts grounds, including Callie, Nora, Layke, and me. We had all become close friends, because it seemed that Layke had always wanted to follow me one way or another. I always thought that was quite cute, but perhaps a little invasion of my privacy. Either way, I didn't mind, because he stood or sat close by me all the time.
As I was whispering to Nora about something or other, I saw out of the corner of my green eye that Layke was whispering something to Callie. I was a little curious as to what was going on, but Nora kept talking. I decided to keep my focus on her.
"And so, he might still like..." Nora whispered. I guessed she was talking about Layke, but I really didn't care either way since Callie was drawing something in red sparks with her wand around Layke and me.
For a moment, I didn't know what was going on, but Layke smirked and I saw that Callie had drawn a red heart around both of us. I stared at him, quite puzzled, and he laughed.
"So you do like me, don't you?" he grinned, and I moved the red sparks in different directions with my hand to mess up the heart.
"Shut it, I wasn't paying attention," I mumbled and looked at the ground. He laughed once more.
Callie peered at me, "He told me to do it, Summer. It's not my fault."
Layke smiled and looked up at the blue sky, "I love summer."
Nora's eyes widened, "What?"
He snickered, "The season, of course. It's nice out." I sighed and got up, "C'mon, Nora." I grabbed her left arm and pulled her away from Callie and Layke.
"He's ridiculous," I said quietly so they wouldn't hear.
Nora winked, "Or is he?"
More days had gone by, and still nothing out of Layke. Well, I wasn't really sure what I wanted him to say anyway. What was weird was that Nora had grown to hate him with a passion. I wasn't really sure why either.
"You're too good for him. He doesn't deserve you," she had once said while we were in the Hufflepuff Common Room.
I didn't understand it. We had also once gotten on the topic of Layke using me for his image or something. I don't know. It was all too crazy. Nora had hated him even more, and Layke and I had a small fight.
"Ugh, you're impossible!" He said, and it echoed through the empty corridor.
"Impossible, eh? Yes, I like that," I replied, as I couldn't think of anything else to say.
"And I was starting to regret not asking you out," Layke had said almost inaudibly, and had walked away into darkness. He had left me standing there, wondering what that was supposed to mean. Was that the end? He isn't going to anymore?
Of course, we had said our apologies one after another, but I was mainly the sorry one since everything happened to be my fault. He had seemed to never get angry at me. I, on the other hand, had always found something to complain or yell about. I shrugged these things off, and we both went on with life at Hogwarts. School had started come September, and happy students turned into depressed ones, including me.
I missed everything that the summer had been. I missed Layke especially, who had seemed to be busy all the time. I would occasionally see him and say hello, but that was it. Soon, we didn't really talk at all, and it hurt quite badly. Nora could care less, since she didn't know what I saw in him. What did I see, anyway? I don't even have the slightest clue.
I realized that it was probably time to forget about him, but I just kept holding on. Once, when we were alone atop of the Astronomy tower, I could have sworn I was dead.
"I'm depressed," I said, and looked at him longingly.
He gave me a concerned look and walked over to me, "Why?"
I sighed and closed my eyes, "Because I love you too much."
Layke had put on a very odd expression and sighed, "Don't worry. There are probably lots of guys out there who like you, and you'll get over me. You're always sad because of me..."
I blinked, and my hands started to shake. I wanted to ask him if that was what he wanted, for me to get over him. I couldn't say anymore, so I just left and headed for the showers.
I had never cried so much in my life. My head felt light and my body shook as I sobbed. Cold water hit my face and mixed in with my tears that kept flowing down my face. I felt like I was going to die. I wanted to die.
I didn't tell Nora about what happened that day, or tell anyone for that matter. It bothered me so much. Everything was a blur, and I decided to not talk to Layke for awhile. I supposed that was what he wanted, since I had always gotten the feeling that I was a bit too annoying. He assured me that I wasn't, but I didn't believe him. Of course I didn't understand why he said he always makes me sad. Maybe it's not him; it's just the fact that I can't have him you know?
Nora and the others had soon gone off in their own worlds once school had started. New friends, new problems, new lives. It didn't bother me at first, but then I realized that soon Layke might stop talking to me and go off like the rest did. I didn't want that at all, so I told him that I didn't want him to drift.
"I don't drift away from people," he said. He lied.
We still talked, but never had conversations. I thought it was over really. Plus, the hugs had worn off completely. That was disappointing...
I figured that was it and I really needed to get over it, so I made a record sixteen days and didn't talk to him.
But I ruined all of it for nothing. It would probably take a very, very long time to get over him. I keep trying, but things always fail.
And so that is the end of that chapter. Though, I know things will happen in the future. This is just the beginning of my story that seems to never end.
A/N: Thanks for taking the time to read this. I got very lazy at the end, so I'm sorry for that. But this is not the end! Don't worry. I plan on improvising for the next few chapters/sequels/whatever, if nothing does happen in the future. But again, thank you, thank you!! *cough* Reviews would be nice too... =)