Chapter 3
The Importance of Being Blasé
Gaele woke up to the strangest thing ever in the Hogwarts. On Lisa's bed was small radio playing muggle music. It was joy to Gaele's ears, even though she had never been very fond of Bob Dylan.
She must have been staring at the device, because when Lisa called her name she jumped.
"Sorry what was that?"
"You looked out of it." she said.
"I was just stunned."
"Why, you've never seen a radio before?"
"No… it's just that my MP3 will not work in here, nor did it in Diagon Alley. How did you make it play?" she asked excitement in her eyes, but never her expression. She wanted very bad to have that ability. She had not read of any spells that were able to do that.
"Knockturn Alley." Lisa said.
"What?" Gaele asked confused.
"You're American?"
"Yeah."
"Okay that explains a lot. Well, in one of the other many alleys, one of them is called Knockturn Alley. Whoever took you, probably didn't even get near that place, but that is where I got it."
"Oh." Gaele said. "Do you think I can get one?"
"How much do you have on you to spare?"
"A couple hundred galleons."
She whistled low. "We've got a rich girl."
Gaele didn't get mad at the insult though, she just smiled. "If you really want to put it that way."
"Twenty will get you a really good one." Lisa said.
Gaele smiled, "Cool."
She would probably die if she didn't get it.
Padma came out of the restroom and saw the two of them talking. She grabbed her things from her unmade bed and left the room while Gaele and Lisa packed their things.
Gaele exited the common room and made her way towards the Great Hall. But halfway down the fourth floor main corridor, Lisa caught up with her.
"I'd like you to meet someone." She said, matching Gaele's speed.
Gaele was silent in recognition of the statement.
"Padma was upset." She added as they walked.
"Of what?" Gaele asked, curiosity getting the best of her.
"Are you homophobic?" she asked.
"No, I had enough neighbors."
"You see, Padma is homosexual. Nobody knows, so I'm assuming you won't tell."
Gaele shook her head, reassuringly.
"Well, I think she has a thing for me still. Or she likes you."
"Oh." It wasn't the first time that this had happened to Gaele, she seemed attractive to lesbians, and she really was starting to wonder if she gave off that vibe.
When they got downstairs Lisa led Gaele towards a group of three guys: Anthony Goldstein, a seventh year Ravenclaw, Miles Bletchley, a seventh year Slytherin, and Tamsin Applebee a sixth year Hufflepuff.
They all had an air about them of nonchalance. And they accurately reminded her of Peter and Paul.
"Gaele this is Anthony Goldstein, chaser in our Quidditch team." Anthony was easily the tallest and best looking of the lot, well-built, blue plastic glasses and light brown with blue eyes. He shook Gaele's hand.
"Miles Bletchley, he is the Slytherin Keeper and my cousin." He shook her hand with a smirk on his face. He was about 5'10, the shortest of them all. He had medium tanned skin green eyes sparked with amber and blue streaks, and wavy black hair that went past his ear lobe in a shaggy yet fashion-ly manor.
"And the humblest; Tamsin Applebee. He is one of Hufflepuff's Chasers." Tamsin was the fairest and nicest looking. He had dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes. She reminded Gaele painfully of Paul in the winter, when he'd drag Peter and her from the beach to the mountains.
"Hello." He said actually smiling.
Gaele send him a small smile.
"This is Gaele Reeds, you guys. She is the one that solved yesterday's riddle." Lisa continued.
"She told you! And you took the credit?" Anthony said rather angry.
"I was being shy." Gaele said.
"Well let's eat! I'm starving." Tamsin said, sensing an argument between Anthony and Lisa. He led Gaele, by the hand lightly towards the Great hall saying in a low voice. "These two have it in for each other, not only verbally but physically."
Gaele smiled at this. Yes this was definitely her new clique. And she really like them all.
After Transfiguration, Minerva told Gaele to stay behind while the rest of the class headed out for lunch.
"Yes, Professor McGonagall?" Gaele asked making her way towards Minerva's desk.
"Ms. Reeds," she started not once looking up from her paper. "Since I could not be the best flying teacher out there and Dumbledore was out doing other things when I was teaching you, we decided to leave it to the Head of house to teach how to do it."
"Professor I think that Anthony-
"Professor, you wanted to see me?" Ian asked, approaching Gaele and Minerva.
"Mr. Bradley, this is Ms. Reeds. She is new to this school." She started, while Ian nodded in identification of Gaele. "She does not know how to fly, and as Captain of your Quidditch team, you are the best candidate for the job."
"Sure Professor, when do we start?" he asked.
"I would like you to teach her the basics starting today at 7:30pm. That will give you both enough time to settle your stomachs after dinner. You will teach her until 9 pm. Is that understood?" she said, when she said this last statement she was looking at Ian.
"Yes, Professor McGonagall." He said.
"You're both dismissed." Minerva said, looking back down at her work.
Gaele left the classroom with Ian behind her. Gaele slowed her pace, to let him pass, and then made her way slowly towards the Great Hall. All the while thinking, that she did not like the sound of flying on broomstick at all!
"What did McGonagall want?" Anthony asked Gaele as she joined them at the table.
"She told me who was going to show me how to fly." The terms sequences were still alien words to her.
"Well you've got three of us to show you how." Anthony said.
"Yeah, I mentioned it. But she cut me off. Apparently she wants Bradley to do it."
"Oh-oh!" Lisa said.
It felt like Gaele had just accidentally stepped on dog dung.
"Why is he bad news?" Gaele asked.
"Because Fawcett is going to want to kill you?" Lisa said.
"Not that she can get past Lisa." Miles said.
"There are many things you still have to learn about cliques and gossip here." Tamsin said.
Gaele had never been one for gossip nor labels. But she had walked into one already. A very distinguished one too, she could see.
"You see, well, we normally don't care much for any of these things, but to be on the safe side, we should at least know. Therefore you must know." Tamsin added.
"Okay. Lay it on me."
"Fawcett has been behind Bradley since this ball thing in our fourth year. Bradley, you see, being the smartest guy and most popular Ravenclaw, now that the previous head of house, Roger Davis has graduated, didn't really pay attention to Fawcett. She created this whole drama last year that he really liked her, when the bloke hardly looked at her all. Not that he was trying to be mean to her. He just had a load of things on his mind, apart from trying to get perfect grades in all his classes. Bradley is a really nice guy, but Fawcett, a real beauty herself, can be a bitch when she wants something. She's known for her cunning ability."
"So I overheard," Lisa began, "yesterday while we were waiting for the carriages, Fawcett telling her friend Miranda Shanty about them "growing closer", and by the looks of it, it seems like Bradley is either really considering her, or he was just glad that he managed to get the post of Head Boy."
"So when Fawcett, finds out about your private lessons with Bradley. She'll want to skin you out alive." Anthony finished, looking down at Gaele.
Great! Gaele thought. A freak, plus people that were after her and a jealous girl in her house that would like to ruin her life, were just what she wanted.
"She won't get to me." Gaele said.
They all turned to look at her. There was determination in her eyes. she could just ignore the whole situation. Maybe if this did get out of control, she'd tell McGonagall about it and have Anthony or Tamsin teach her how to fly. She was not going to tolerate this.
"We're just telling you how bad it could get if it should."
Gaele hadn't really liked Sophia. She thought that despite her beauty and glamour, there was something that made her not all that great, that she was desperately trying to cover up.
"She's a strong girl you guys. I mean come on who learns five years of magic in three months?" Miles said grinning.
"That's about the nicest thing you've ever said, Miles." Lisa said as they walked towards the second greenhouse.
Gaele grinned. Was she really twisting things around here? She decided that she might as well enjoy it.