Thanks for the input guys!
CHAPTER TWO: CATERPILLARS AND FOOLS
"Minnie, Fil." The library was supposed to be a quiet place but Arianne did not care for the rules of where she should be quiet or where she should be loud. "Oliver's got something to say." Oliver leaned forward so they would not draw any attention.
"I think we should have a name for ourselves."
Minerva raised an eyebrow while Filius just looked confused.
"Oliver and the Caterpillars." Said the blue eyed boy. "What do you think? It's magical right?" They would never reject this kind of group name.
"I think it's horrid." Minerva said, crossing her arms. "Absolutely horrid."
"Why caterpillars? And why does your name come first before any of us?" Fil asked curiously.
"Come Fil let's get out of here before they infect us with their silly follies."
"Come on Minnie!" Arianne stood up before Minerva or Filius could. She received a lot of SSSSHHHH in the room. "Shut up!"
"I have a better group name than that; let's all meet up at the common room tonight at midnight." The regal witch stood up. "Merlin's beard I've been infected with your follies." She walked away leaving them.
"But I have detention tonight!"
Charms class had not yet started when the 'Caterpillars' arrived. Minerva sighed in relief while the Gryffindors and the Slytherins were already talking as to what happened to Professor Penrose. They could see Mary McDonald motioning for them to sit. Apparently Mary McDonald is named after a long line of McDonald women who were always named Mary after their mothers.
"Where is Professor Penrose?" asked Minerva disappointed that class has not started.
"We don't know Minnie." One of the girls in the group replied.
"Maybe she got ill."
The door burst open and everyone was silent. Professor Hollen appeared as skinny, he was terribly near sighted.
"Professor Penrose won't be able to attend classes today." He said in his low voice. "If any of you are interested to see a Hippogriff come with me!" He said aloud and a lot of Gryffindors cheered while the Slytherins just looked on.
They started filing out the room except for the four Gryffindors.
"Are you coming?" Asked the professor; waiting patiently.
Minerva was the one who took long for any of them to give him a reply.
"I don't think so professor." Oliver replied.
"Suit yourselves."
The professor left when Minerva snapped out of her thoughts.
"What is it Minnie?" asked Filius who looked up at her.
"What did you remember about last night when Professor Martell called you Arianne?" Minerva asked this time, ignoring Filius' question. "Who was there with you?"
"Professor Martell?" She replied. Obviously, she said to herself. "And there was Professor Penrose too; I think they were talking about peanut butter or butterbeer something like that." She added.
"Everyone knows she's allergic to butter." Filius said and they all looked at him. "I mean just the Ravenclaws."
"I think I know where she is." Minerva said and they all went out of the room.
Nick and Poppy were snogging on his bed, and neither of them were sure why. Nick had a Defense Against the Dark Arts class in ten minutes with the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw seventh years and Poppy did not even bother to go to her classes. They both knew that it would only be a matter of time when Dumbledore finds out and when he does, both of them knew that they would get fired. Relationships between co-workers were not tolerated after all, even in the magical world.
"Nick." She said out of breath, wiping the saliva from her lips. "Nick." He looked down at her his hair messy.
"Yes?"
"I think you should be going to your class now." Said Poppy; looking up at him. "If they find out you've not been in your class they'd get suspicious don't you think?"
"You're right." He replied. "But my seventh years have been telling me to get it on with you long enough."
"I don't think we should get serious about this kind of relationship Nick." She said. "Not after what happened before." He remembered of course, they both had to let it go.
"I remember." He said. "Let's just be casual about this."
"I'm alright with that." Poppy smiled. "But I do love you…as a friend."
Just friends? He wanted to ask.
Nick had dreamt of being with her since they were students back in the day but he felt awkward because of how tall he had gotten by their third year. During their sixth year he was close to asking her to the year end ball when Thomas Kingston beat him to her. She had everything a man wanted during their day, intelligent, sweet, the ultimate girl next door and she did not mind getting her hands dirty at all. She was the cause why his cauldron during finals melted halfway through the whole thing in their fourth year. Their graduation party in Hogsmeade was what bought them together for the first time with all their friends getting drunk from the butterbeer and they were left in the corner in casual conversation.
"I never knew you were this aggressive Nick, I took you for a gentleman." Poppy told him after he kissed her. They were both seventeen.
"I wanted to ask you out for a long time and with you always taken, I wasn't sure I'd get you." He replied. "I was so close last year during the year end ball but Kingston beat me."
"Awww…who did you ask instead?"
"I didn't go." He replied. "I went here and got drunk."
"Nick…"
He snapped out of his thoughts and went back to reality. She fixes his hair and his tie before they stood up from the foot of the bed.
She gives him a kiss on the cheek.
"Such a shame that we're both thirty-seven and still act the way we were back then." Poppy said and smiled.
"Such a shame we both ended up back here in Hogwarts and all our friends are Aurors and Ministry officials and they all have families of their own." Nick said smiling in return.
Surely enough they wanted all those things as much as anyone; just not sure how to get there.
They had just entered the hospital wing and Professor Penrose was nowhere in sight.
"Maybe she's just ill, and took the day off." Filius said to the group and they all nodded.
"Don't you think she'd be here?" Minerva asked.
"Maybe it's just a twenty-four hour virus." Oliver said unsure.
"Well I'm tired with all this running around." Arianne told them.
"Tomorrow's Saturday!" Filius said aloud.
"So?" They asked in unison.
"Maybe tomorrow we could finally go to the lake and wake the giant squid!" He replied, but before Minerva could object, Oliver spoke.
"Or we could do that today so tomorrow we could see the Hippogriff all to ourselves!"
They all cheered loudly except for Minerva.
"Come on Minnie! Aren't you excited?" Asked Filius.
"I'm not all too keen in getting expelled like the rest of you."
"Come ooonnnn…we all know how much you want to get into trouble as much as we do." Arianne tempted her.
The little witch sighed.
"Oh what the heck!" She said without a care this time. This will be fun Minnie, she said in her mind.
The group went down to the narrow bridge that led them to the lake and to the forest where the other Gryffindors were looking at the Hippogriff. The steps were steep and the strong winds did not help Oliver (who climbed down first) concentrate on his footing.
"What are you doing?" They all turned their heads to see Professors Martell and Penrose standing there
Minerva made a face. Arianne just shrugged and Filius did not know what to do. Oliver was busy keeping his head down in order for them not to see him.
"You're not fooling anyone Mr. Ollivander." Said Professor Martell, Oliver had no choice but to go back up the steps. "If you wish to be your father's successor stop fooling around."
Everyone knew that Cornelius Ollivander only had one son who would one day succeed him as the Wand maker, who would one day sell wand to their children and their grandchildren and their great-grandchildren and it was Oliver. Oliver who stood ashamed of his follies.
"If you don't mind us asking, where were you going?" Asked Poppy who crossing her arms.
"We were going down to the…" Arianne stomped her foot on Filius'. "Oww!"
"To the forest professor." Arianne said assuring him. "Professor Hollen said we could catch up with him and the others, there's a Hippogriff down there." She added.
"Oh Nick I always wanted to see a Hippogriff!" She said excitedly while the man beside her just smiled. "Remember when we were students and Professor Durant said we were going to see one but then it escaped somehow?"
"Yes but that does not explain why four twelve year olds are unaccompanied by a teacher to go down there with them." Nick said staring down at them.
"I could go down there with you if you want." She offered to the little ones.
"What?" Her companion said. "You can't go down there! It's dangerous!" He added furiously.
"Says the man who went into the forest in the middle of the night to pick mushrooms with his friends." Poppy said as she went down first. "You have class wit the seventh years don't you Nick? I'll see you at supper." She added already four steps down.
"Horse dung!" He checked his pocket watch; he only had two minutes to get to class. "I have to go…I'll see you at supper." He looked at Arianne. "Don't forget your detention with Professor Payne young lady."
Nick ran as fast as he could, but he knew even with his long legs he'd be late. He turned into a Barbary lion just a few feet away from them.
"Magical!" The children said and Poppy smiled, remembering the first time she saw him turn into one during thier sixth year.
Author's Note:Sorry I just got carried away by the whole Nick and Poppy thing, if you want I can start chapters dedicated to their point of view and another chapter to the little kids POVs. BTW English is not my first language.
