The fool's awakening
Parents were pushing their children around, prefects were chasing students that were overly excited about coming back to Hogwarts and large groups of girls just stood there, smiling widely at the popular boys. Between all of this stood a lad with blond, spiky hair (thanks to an unbelievable amount of gel) and astounding green eyes. Gabriel Iodovin was tired of being that exemplar kid, with a lovely personality and, being completely honest, with a nerdy attitude.
So, during summer's vacation, he decided to change himself into something more… grown up. Not that he achieved what he was hoping for, but let us allow him to think that way. Now he was using one of his ears pierced, wore a leather jacket (despite the hellish temperature at King's Cross Station) and chew a gum, like he owned the place.
He would surely love to see his friends. The look of their faces would be plain hilarious. "Minna is going to flip out like hell", he thought as he pictured the short and shy pixie-like girl.
- Hey, Iodovin!
It was Andrew Ollivanders. He wore his 'weasleyish' ginger hair pulled back and a Puddlemere's t-shirt.
- Hell, man, I almost missed the train.
Then his eyes finally landed on Gabriel.
- What the hell?
- Don't get me started, Ollivanders. – Gabriel muttered, trying to not let his disappointment show.
- Seriously, what happened? Did you go to the muggle cinema lately? You saw that vampire crap, didn't you?
In that precise moment, a couple of Ravenclaw girls (that apparently went to see muggle movies), passed by them, smiling and whispering things to each other.
- Ladies… - Andrew smiled back, what caused the whispering to go more intense.
- That's just plain stupid – Iodovin rolled his eyes, startling his companion.
- Girls? – Andrew was confused. – Are you still on THAT phase?
- Shut up, Andy. That whispering, those fake smiles. That's what's stupid.
- Girls without fake smiles and whispering and all that make them adorable? Well, that leaves us with our man, Wihelminna Moncharmin. But, as you know, she does not count as a girl.
- I know that. Sholk is more woman than she is.
- Speaking of the devil, he is saving us a spot on the train. Hopefully not on the Slytherin side.
- You wish you were that lucky. Let's find him.
As they entered the train they saw Christian Sholk, with his well-known black-knotty mane of a hair leaning eagerly against a window. His eyes were frozen and, apparently, he was seeing something outrageous outside the train. His gaze didn't move an inch, as he signalized to Gabriel and Andrew to join him.
- Look. Wood THINKS he is getting some sugar on the trip.
- Who taught you to speak like an old uncle? – Andrew complained, before joining him. – Well, apparently he IS getting some sugar on the trip. Who is she? I don't know her hair and I can't see her face.
Gabriel joined them and saw Oliver Wood, in all his Gryffindor-like glory, with his sparkly eyes and shining smile that made him want to throw up. He wore a jacket with the letters "OW", for old Merlin's sake. He was talking with a black-haired girl, who was facing the other way. Her hair was just as long and thick as Sholk's – but probably clean and free of all the knots.
- Yeah, never saw her. Someone's sister? – Gabriel theorized.
- Just shut up, let's hear them – Sholk punched him lightly on the shoulder.
- How many years have been since we last saw each other? I mean, a century? You don't look the same.
- Well, I can't say that much about you. Your movie star looks just kept increasing. And now a captain? I mean, girls are going to throw their bras towards you.
- Don't say that, Minna.
- MINNA? – Gabriel called, quite surprised. As the girl turned towards him he saw that, under her new hair, the girl was practically the same – the green eyes, the freckles and the shy smile.
- Hey! – She answered, seeming really happy to see them. – What are you guys doing squeezed on that window?
Sholk, Gabriel and Andrew looked at each other and realized that they resembled a pack of mutts looking at butcher's shop. As they tried to go back inside the cabin, they got stuck.
-Let's join those losers, Minna. – Wood called.
When they finally broke free, Minna and Oliver were already inside, laughing at them.
Gabriel's eyes soon landed on the girl and his brows puckered together.
- Why are you looking at me like that? – she sustained his gaze and Iodovin realized that she had a small piercing in one of her nostrils.
- You were hoping that we wouldn't notice your procedure? – Sholk asked.
- What procedure, Sholk? – Minna muttered her smile fading.
- In your nose. This new hair and the… - everyone saw Sholk's eyes flicker towards Minna's breasts. -… the rest of it.
- What have you been smoking? I just dyed my hair. – she lowered her gaze.
- And it looks good. Seriously – Oliver tried to be cordial, sensing that Sholk made a terrible mistake.
- Hell, no. – Sholk kept going. –I liked the old Minna. Blondes are always the better.
- Better for what, Sholk? Just shut up already – Andy interfered.
- Ok, I won't talk about the hair. But, seriously, why did you have your nose pierced?
- So she could match with me – Gabriel smiled, standing by Minna's side. She looked at him and, just by her stare, he could see that she had approved his new looks as well.
- My god, what the f*** happened with you two? – Sholk sat, his mouth hung open, as if he just realized that Gabriel was in the room too. Oliver just grinned at them and said:
- I think it fits. For Minna, I mean. Iodovin, not quite. But we'll get used to it.
- Did you really send each other letters saying' "hey, let us both become psychos together"? – Andrew joked.
- We don't need to send each other letters agreeing on being psychos. We established that since we agreed to hang out with you guys, in the first year. – Minna answered with her humor back.
- Uhhh, so much for the fearsome Shorty Slytherin – Wood messed with Minna's hair, like he always used to. But something in the gesture captured Gabriel's eyes. An hesitation on Oliver's hands, and a strange tone on his voice.
Suddenly, Gabriel realized that, this one time, touching Minna was not comfortable for him.
Minna, sat, smiling again, on one of the cabin's benches. Gabriel hurried to her side, so that Wood wouldn't sit next to her.
- Ok, everyone, how was your summer? – She asked, pretending that she wasn't seeing Sholk and Andy fighting over the remaining window seat.
Oliver started to answer, but he was interrupted when Percy Weasley entered the cabin.
- Hey, stop that, you two.
- You're not my mom, Preciooous – Andy mocked his cousin while still pulling Sholk's hair.
- But I'm your prefect, so you better obey.
Sholk and Andy sat down, like two perfect gentleman – gentleman laughing their faces off.
- That's more like it. So, have you seen Fred and George? Those two mountain trolls were running up and down the express telling people all about Harry Potter.
- What about him? – Oliver asked, despite seeming more interested in some loose skin around his nails.
- Well, he is in the train, but the students were not supposed to know.
They looked at Percy waiting for it to hit him. Took him around five seconds.
- Shoot. I guess I'll have to trust you to stay quiet.
- We're angels, precious, you know it. – Andy made a halo above his own head with his fingers.
Percy rolled his eyes and left.
- I guess I'll have to leave. You know, to buy some candy. – Minna grinned. – Ok, I'm lying, I'm gonna find Potter. Who's in?
- Suit yourself. – Sholk waved his hand at her and closed his huge eyes – I'm napping. Now leave.
- Yeah, I agree with Sholk on this one. – Andrew said.
Since Oliver and Gabriel didn't move as well, Minna decided to go on her own.
- Maybe I'll find someone more interesting on the train, after all.
- Let us know when you meet her. – Sholk answered, his eyes still closed.
- Who said it will be a woman?
- If it's not, I don't care.
- Fine then.
Minna closed the cabin's door. Gabriel had counted exactly until three when Oliver stood up and followed her, saying nothing.