Chapter 4
A Duo
Thanks for the help!: this chapter had two people write it however so far i have had three people working on the story possibly going to gain more! thank you to everyone that is helping!
Darren was not happy with himself; in fact, he felt terrible about what he had done to Kyra. It was three days later and she still avoided him. He didn't blame her, but that didn't stop him from feeling terrible.
Argon was Darren's phoenix- a deadly bird if you pissed it off. It was resting on Darren as he plucked the strings on the guitar his father had made for him. Though electric, the guitar didn't need an amp because it basically had one inside it. He had just reached the chorus of the song.
"I walked a lonely road, the only one I have ever known, don't know where it goes but it's only me and I walk alone," Darren sung along to the chords he was playing.
Argon squawked, breaking Darren's train of thought as well as the song.
"Does sound like me, doesn't it, Argon?" muttered Darren, patting the bird on the head as it squawked again.
Darren laughed and put on a fake smile on for the bird. He felt kind of sad; he didn't have friends- well, except for Kyra- so he was all alone in the massive castle.
He knew that he wouldn't have many friends; he spent too much time reading and studying creatures. Argon and Kyra were his two friends; out of those two Kyra was the only human. Argon was a great friend, even though he didn't speak English But they understood each other nonetheless. Darren liked to play his guitar- rock n' roll was his favorite, though sometimes he would play some metal songs by other bands like Iron Maiden and Power Man 5000. But most of his music was rock n' roll, like The Living End, Hoodoo Gurus, or even some Oasis. Well, actually, the only song he'd play from Oasis was Wonder Wall.
The music he listened to seemed to express his life. All alone and down- or at least, most of it was. Sometimes he played happy songs, when he was happy any rate. Today was an alone song because he couldn't find Kyra, and Argon, although on his shoulder, was too sleepy to do anything. So there Darren sat in the empty tower- well, not empty; there was an old, but still functional couch, though Darren preferred the hard wooden floor. Maybe it was all those times out in the wild with his father sleeping on the ground. He didn't know, but still it was nice and peaceful until someone walked in...
XxxxxX
Joelle Bella was known throughout the school as a moderately insane brainiac. She liked this persona. She encouraged it, in fact. In her opinion, being thought of as smart made people respect you, and being thought of as crazy made people leave her alone.
That was why nobody knew that she could sing.
If people knew that she could sing, then they would flock her like monkeys going after a banana. This, she was sure of; it had happened in her Muggle neighborhood in Ireland after her first solo in the church choir.
The thing was, she was good. Better than good, in fact. She was fantastic.
The Third Year Ravenclaw possessed the extraordinary gift of being able to sing nearly any type of music. Showtunes, opera, jazz, soul, rock n' roll... anything. She loved singing- it wasn't an obsession of hers, like it was for some people- but she still did it often, only she did it where no one would hear her.
The Empty Tower was one of her favorite places to do that. There was always an atmosphere of peace, serenity and loneliness that soothed Joelle.
As she made her way up to the Empty Tower, she was, of course, singing. This time, it was "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones. One of the best songs ever created, in her opinion. A broad grin stretched out across her face as she sang loudly,
"Please allow me to introduce myself. I'm a man of wealth and taste. I've been around for a long, long year... Stole many a man's soul and faith."
Suddenly, reaching the Empty Tower, she stopped.
She wasn't alone.
Oh, shit.
Trying her best not to appear frantic and panicking, she brightly said, "Hello!" Her eyes drifted to the magnificent phoenix on the boy's- a Ravenclaw like herself, she guessed by the boy's robes- shoulder. "That's a beautiful phoenix," she commented, meaning every word of it. "What's its name?"
"Ah, hello. His name is Argon- my father found him when I was about six and ever since then he has been at my side," said Darren, patting the elegant bird. "I heard you singing before; you're really good. Where did you learn to sing like that?"
"Thanks," Joelle tried to smile, but she was sure that it turned out as more of a grimace. "I didn't really learn how to sing, I just... do. My mum was a good singer, too; that's what my dad told me." Yeah, back when I was ten and he still talked to me, she added in her head.
Argon jumped onto Darren's guitar and tried to strum it by itself, but failed as its beak kept getting caught on all the other strings. Darren silenced the guitar with his palm and the bird flew up and started soaring in circles around the room.
"My name is Darren... if that helps!" exclaimed Darren, picking some strings on the guitar.
Joelle giggled as that phoenix- Argon- tried to play the boy's guitar. "You're beautiful, Argon," she told it, frankly mystified, as it began to fly in circles, flapping its great wings. "Magnificent, in fact."
She wasn't sure if it was her words, or some sort of phoenix intuition, but Argon came flying past Darren's shoulder and landed gracefully on hers instead. She grinned at it and tentatively stroked its soft feathers; the phoenix, to her glee, let her.
"I'm Joelle, by the way," she told Darren, remembering her manners. "Joelle Bella."
"Nice to meet you Joelle" said Darren, watching her stroke the phoenix. "By the way, I knew the song you were singing, Sympathy for the Devil; I play a fair bit of Rolling Stones"
"I see you that you like music," Joelle smiled down at Darren and his guitar. "So, really, I'm not surprised that you like the Rolling Stones. Any self-respecting musician knows them. They're gods." She said it as if it was fact; and, to her, it was.
Darren plucked a string on his guitar. "Were your parents famous by any chance? Like singers or something?" asked Darren in wonder as Argon cawed. "Oh shut up Argon, you stupid bird, I wasn't talking to you."
Now, that wasn't a question Joelle got often. She shook her head abruptly. "Hell no!" she exclaimed with an incredulous laugh. "My dad runs a small restaurant in my hometown; my mum was a grief counselor." Was was the key word there. Joelle's smile faltered briefly; too quickly for Darren to notice, however, she plastered it back on.
Darren felt a breeze go through the door and hit his hands. It was cold, but Darren bore through the short breeze. He felt goose bumps on his arms but kept himself from shivering or making any movement. His Gibson swung side to side thanks to the gust, making small muffled sounds through the speaker. He hadn't worn a jumper to the tower and couldn't be bothered to walk all the way to the Ravenclaw Tower to grab one.
Joelle noticed that Darren looked cold, and her heart swelled. He looked so alone and helpless, even though she was sure that he'd hate her for thinking that. Almost without thinking, she waved her wand, and a navy sweater appeared in thin air. She snatched it out of the air as it fell and held it out to her fellow Ravenclaw.
"Here," she said, her brown eyes filled with warmth. "This should keep you from getting too chilly."
"Thanks," said Darren, putting the jumper on over his Iron Maiden shirt. It muffled his voice. "So how come I never see you in the Ravenclaw common room?" He could tell she was Ravenclaw from how she talked and looked like the typical Ravenclaw "I mean, I am there al lot and I never see you down with the rest of everyone else- but I really can't talk, I usually sit in a corner by myself."
"I don't hang out in the Ravenclaw Common Room that much; that's probably why you don't see me there, I presume," Joelle said. "I normally hang out in the library; there's this little corner nestled in the back, right between the fiction and the textbooks, with a big, plush chair. I practically live there." She chuckled. "I think that I might be the one student Madame Pince has ever liked. She brings me fresh baked cookies. They're quite good, actually."
Argon shook his small bird head and flew up into the top of the towers roof. Almost scraping its head on the roof, it started to circle around again and Darren decided that the bird had lost its mind, being so close to the roof. The bird flew behind Darren, who felt a thud in his back, knocking him forwards a few steps.
"Bloody bird can you ever fly properly!" Darren said looking back at the bird that was now flying around again. "You probably think I am a loony, talking to a bird, but I can talk to many creatures; the hard thing is understanding what they say," he muttered to Joelle. He was just a bit taller than her, but he was taller than most people in Ravenclaw. It was a gene on his father's side, making anyone from his family extremely tall for their age. It was going to become an annoyance, as when he reached a certain age he was going to continuously hit his head on whatever low hanging outcrop or door rim that lay in front of him, just like his father.
"Oh, don't worry, I don't think you're a loony," Joelle assured the boy. "I talk to my pets all the time. They're intelligent enough to understand." She paused thoughtfully, cocking her head to the side. "You know, that really says a lot about us. Animals can understand us; but we can't understand them. So much for that oh-so-great human intelligence!" She laughed.
Joelle only just realized something: This boy was tall. Especially for a First Year. Now, granted, Joelle was shorter than most people- only being five feet tall- but she was generally taller than First Years, at the very least! Despite her maturity (which was beyond her years), she pouted.
"I hate being short," she grumbled. "It's such a pain in the ar- I mean butt!" Though she herself rarely refrained from bad language, she didn't want to be a bad influence on a First Year. "You're so lucky that you're tall."
"It isn't that good," muttered Darren, smiling. "Trust me- when I get older, I'll be hitting my head on every low ceiling!"
Argon flew down and landed on the ground behind Joelle and looked at Darren. Darren silently beckoned Argon to come over to his side as he watched Joelle, who was looking at the height difference. Argon obeyed and flew behind Darren whilst Darren laid his guitar on the Couch, one of the only pieces of furniture in the tower. Argon bit at Darren's heels, making him step back into Joelle, knocking himself and Joelle over. He fell on his back next to her, luckily landing safely without any injury.
"Sorry!" exclaimed Darren looking at Joelle next to him. "Bloody bird is a demon!"
"It's no problem," Joelle assured Darren, landing safely on her butt. "Argon's not a demon; he's just having fun. He's playing with you." The phoenix nodded at Joelle like she was right, and she giggled.
Joelle held out her arm, and Argon hopped onto it. His talons dug into her skin, but she didn't mind. "A little looser, please," she requested; to her surprise, Argon obeyed, and loosened his grip on her arm slightly. Then, he blinked some tears onto the cuts, effectively healing them.
"You're lucky to have such a magnificent bird," Joelle informed Darren. Argon let out a caw, and Joelle found herself wishing that she could understand the bird.
Suddenly, she had an idea.
She stood up, Argon still on her arm, and took out her arm. Searching through her head for her knowledge of Latin, she eventually said, "Narro Sun Lingua," waving her wand at Argon. A silver bolt of light shot out at the phoenix; she could see Darren panicking, but she shot him a look that said, "Calm down." Then, she turned to Argon and coolly spoke to him:
"Hello, Argon. How are you?"
To her shock and elation, his response came in her head: "I'm fine. How are you, Joelle?"
She had done it! She had invented a spell!
"What Happened?" asked Darren, looking at Joelle with a surprised face. "What'd the spell do?"
He was eager to know what she had done. The bird was looking directly at her into her eyes and now so was Darren. He had never seen someone quite as different as Joelle. She was smart and could sing very well. He wondered why no one liked her that much and why she never hung out in the common room.
He wasn't surprised he was rejected a lot, considering he was called "Beast Boy" most of the time, which probably made people think twice when approaching him.
Joelle was so elated, she could barely answer Darren's question. "You know the spell I just did?" Darren nodded. "Well, you may have noticed that after I said it, I asked Argon how he was, and then he cawed." The First Year nodded again. Joelle's already thousand-watt grin grew as she concluded, "While you heard Argon caw, I heard him in my head, speaking perfect English!"
This was, without a doubt, the proudest moment of Joelle's life. Not only had she invented a spell- at only thirteen years old!- but if modified correctly, then it could possibly be used to understand dozens, hundreds, maybe even thousands of creatures around the world! Oh, what people could learn from them...
"Don't you see what this means?" Joelle asked excitedly. "I've made a breakthrough- me, Joelle Bella, a thirteen-year-old Muggleborn- that could completely change people and our views of things! I've opened up a door to a whole new world of vast knowledge! Oh, this is wonderful!" She spun around in a circle, her long black curls flying out behind her, feeling more gleeful than she had in ages.
She turned to face Argon again and said, "Now, tell me, Argon: What do you think of humans?"
Argon cocked his head to the side, thinking it over, before he answered. While in reality he cawed, in Joelle's head, she heard, "Honestly, I think the majority of humans are quite stupid and arrogant. You have so much to learn about the world, and you really do need to learn some proper manners..."
As Argon went on and on about his thoughts on humanity, Joelle beamed at Darren. She was sure that he was still confused, at least slightly; but she hoped that he had a better understanding now. Once Argon finished talking, Joelle asked the younger boy, "Want me to teach you the spell?"
"Oh, yes please!" exclaimed Darren with delight "I can't believe you created that spell; it's so awesome!"
He smiled and walked over to Joelle, who was looking at Argon. The bird was looking at Darren now, making Darren break his train of thought.
"Joelle, what is he saying about me?" asked Darren, slowly walking over towards the third year girl.
The bird just kept staring as he walked over closer and closer towards the bird and Joelle. Joelle was standing there still as stone as Argon burrowed into her thoughts
"Joelle, what is he saying?"
Joelle was just about to teach her spell- her spell- to Darren when, suddenly, Argon turned his head towards his owner and said, in Joelle's head, "I love him."
The simplicity and abruptness of this statement stunned Joelle into silence, although really, she wasn't surprised. Pets were supposed to love their owners, after all. She heard Darren ask her what the phoenix was saying, and she was about to tell him, when Argon went on,
"He's lonely. He needs friendship. I want what's best for him. His social skills are lacking; he loves music, and he is good, but he needs companionship to be truly happy. I'm not so sure that he's realized that yet.
"Please... befriend him, Joelle. I understand that you are thirteen years old and relatively well liked, and that Darren is just a measly First Year. But it is essential that he have a friend; otherwise, like all of you humans who think that they can survive on their own and without love, he will eventually fall into ruin."
Joelle blinked a few times, fully comprehending what the phoenix was saying. Note to self, she thought, phoenixes are really wise.
She nodded to Argon, silently signaling that she agreed, and that she would do it. Then, she turned to Darren, and told him, "Argon cares about you. He wants you to make friends, so that you don't grow old and lonely quite so soon." She offered the boy a smile, extending her hand to shake. "May I be the first?"
"Well, Argon, thanks for the help, but I can make friends by myself; I don't need you to go around telling everyone I need a friend," said Darren. "And yes, it's nice to meet you and you can be my first friend."
Darren shook Joelle's hand and smiled at the bird on her arm.
It cocked its head to the side and looked at Darren. Darren didn't need to ask Joelle what that meant; he knew the bird was basically smiling at Darren.
"Looks like it is going to storm," muttered Darren pointing out the door. "Badly. Argon, you should get back to the Owlry before it comes. Joelle do you want to sing along whilst I play guitar, or are you going to leave 'cause of the storm?" Darren asked as Argon took off "It's your choice."
Joelle smiled at Argon, who was smiling at Darren. They really were quite a pair.
"Why would I leave my friend alone, out in a storm?" she asked, laughing with slight befuddlement. "There's a reason the Sorting Hat almost put me in Hufflepuff, Darren. My loyalty's as strong as my intelligence. Besides, I like the rain."
So walked forward a little and stood beside Darren. "I have to admit, I'm eager to hear you play guitar; you seem pretty experienced, so I'm sure you'll be really good. I don't play an instrument, personally; I've always wanted to try the drums, though." She paused, realizing she was blabbering; an unfortunate habit of hers. "So, what song do you want to sing?"
"I was thinking of something slow, easy going, nothing fast. Hmmm…" muttered Darren, picking up his guitar.
"Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you, By now you shoulda, somehow, realized what you gotta do I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now Back beat, the word is on the street that the fire in your heart is out, I'm sure you've heard it all before but you never really had a doubt, I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now... And all the roads we have to walk are winding and all the lights that lead us there are blinding, There are many things that I would like to say to you But I don't know how Because maybe You're gonna be the one that saves me And after all You're my wonderwall."
As Darren sang and played his guitar- he was pretty good, too- Joelle absorbed the words. The secret to singing a song right, she knew, was knowing what the words meant, and contributed that to the tone and inflection of her voice.
Even with singing, I'm thinking like a Ravenclaw, she thought with a smile.
Darren kept strumming, looking at Joelle. "You going to join in, or are you just going to listen?" he kept strumming the chords waiting.
In response, Joelle grinned at him and joined in singing where he had left off:
"Today was gonna be the day
But they'll never throw it back to you
By now you should've somehow
Realized what you're not to do
I don't believe that anybody
Feels the way I do
About you now
And all the roads that lead to you were winding
And all the lights that light the way are blinding
There are many things that I would like to say to you
I don't know how
I said maybe
You're gonna be the one who saves me ?
And after all
You're my wonderwall
I said maybe
You're gonna be the one who saves me?
And after an
You're my wonderwall
Said maybe
You're gonna be the one that saves me
You're gonna be the one that saves me
You're gonna be the one that saves me."
Joelle and Darren sung and played in a perfect harmony that twisted in the night air for all of Hogwarts to hear, though they couldn't see the sources. On the last note, Argon sang along- or tried to, it appeared- in his beautiful, mystical phoenix's voice. It cheered Joelle's soul just to hear it; and, she was sure, it did the same for Darren.
She beamed at him. "We sound good together."
"Thanks; that's the first time someone has ever complimented me. My dad tells me to turn down the racket," muttered Darren, blushing a little as he plucked a string on his guitar. "So what about your family? Are they nice to you? My mother... don't worry about it," Darren looked away for Joelle trying to pick himself up he didn't like the topic of his mother and sometimes forgot about that.
He sat down on the couch and exhaled as the storm got worse. He didn't know anything about this girl but he felt right at home with her and didn't know why.
The storm was steadily worsening, and the wind whipped around Joelle's hair. "You're more than welcome," she assured the boy with a smile. "You deserved that compliment."
Less than a minute later, when Darren asked about her family, she froze. Her whole body was suddenly completely still; her brown eyes were hard as rock as she stared forward into the vast, dark sky. Finally, she admitted, albeit slowly, "My father and I... at one time, we were... close. Very, very close." She laughed hollowly. "You couldn't imagine how close we were; we weren't just father and daughter, we were best friends."
She sniffed, to her dismay, and quickly wiped her nose. "Then... I got my Hogwarts letter. I- I don't know why, but ever since I left for Hogwarts..." She paused, not sure how to phrase it. "My dad... he doesn't treat me badly, necessarily. He's not mean to me. He provides for me. But- well- he just ignores me. It's as if I don't exist. He never answers my letters, he hasn't hugged me for two years, he doesn't tell me anything."
At this point, she had to take a deep, shuddering breath. She had told very, very few people about her father; but Darren was... different. She knew that she could trust him. Besides, she wanted him to feel like he could confide in her (and he clearly had something to tell), so why not confide in him first?
Slowly, once she had fully regained her composure, she went on, "My mother... well, I didn't really know her all that well. She died, you see, when I was four years old. In a car crash. I- I don't really remember much about her, but everyone tells me that I look just like her, except with my dad's eyes."
The thirteen-year-old sat down beside the younger boy on the couch and smiled at him comfortingly, lightly squeezing his hand. "I don't know what happened with your mum, but... you can tell me anything. You know that, right? That's what friends are for. I promise, I won't judge you, and I won't tell anyone. Or anything, for that matter."
"My mother... she died by a dark wizard. Well, that isn't entirely true- no one knows if she is dead or not, since no one ever found a body. But you know plenty of spells can get rid of bodies. But my dad is really depressed about it; we are very close and I just want to see mother walk back through the door and for us to all go back to living normally- well as normal as we can."
He pulled out the necklace he was given by his mother before she had left for the dark wizard. It was a golden phoenix encrusted with jewels and the chain was gold as well.
"This was my mother's; she gave it to me before she left. At the time I thought she was just going to keep it safe, but now I understand she knew she was screwed from the moment she heard it was her job to catch the wizard and she wanted to give me something to remember her by." Darren put his free hand on Joelle's other hand.
"I have dreams of what it would be like when she gets home, well if she gets home; she is probably dead I am just hoping one day she'll walk through the door into my home again. He winced keeping the tears from rolling down his cheek. He was going to be strong; he was not going to cry. The only problem with his mother was that he wasn't sure if she was dead. It would be easier if he knew it, but he didn't, and the possibility taunted him.
Darren's story was, to put it lightly, a tear jerker. The story itself, accompanied with the sorrowful and heartbroken expression on his face, was almost more than Joelle could bear. Almost. But she was even cleverer than she came across, and she had taught herself long ago not to show her true emotions. She had taught herself to suppress tears.
It sure helped when you had to be strong for someone else.
"I'm so sorry," she said quietly. "I had no idea- with my mom, they found the body- it was sort of hard not to, she was in her car, after all- so at least I know that she really is... passed on." Geez, I can't even say that she's dead. How pathetic am I? she thought with a scowl.
She took a deep breath before she spoke next. "Darren, don't take this the wrong way... But I think you should just... stop hoping that she'll come back. Don't get me wrong, if I were you, then I'd love for my mom to come home, too, but..." she sighed, trying to find the right words. "The chances of her ending up being alive are slim to none. I really hate to tell you, but... you might end up being less hurt and disappointed in the end if you just... you know."
Joelle's smile was strained, yet comforting. It was a real skill of hers, this smile; it was as sympathetic as it could get. It showed that she was sad for you, hence her problem with smiling; yet it also conveyed that she was there for you, for whatever you needed.
Tentatively, the girl reached forward and fingered the gold phoenix necklace. "It's beautiful," she murmured, entranced by the way the gold glinted, the way the bird's eyes shined. She looked back up at Darren. "Your mother obviously cared about you a lot; she was a brave, brave woman; that much is clear."
Suddenly, Joelle heard a loud, hoot! She looked into the sky, and barely made out the outline of an owl flying towards her and Darren. She couldn't see what it looked like, so she didn't know if it was her owl, Daltrey (named after Roger Daltrey, lead singer of The Who, bless him), or if it was Darren's owl (if he had one, that is).
Looking back at the boy with a small, confused frown on her face, she asked, "Is that your owl?"
"No, but it's my dad's," muttered Darren, getting up slowly. "I use Argon; he is much faster"
He looked at the ground, years old yet still standing, unlike his mother who had been gone for years and not standing probably on the ground. He remembered what Joelle had said.
"Maybe it is time to let go" said Darren to himself not caring if Joelle could hear or not. "I mean what has it been- three years, four sightings, and no actually proof they really did see her." He remembered the first time someone told them they had seen her, In Godric's Hollow, but when they went, she wasn't there. Three other sightings and three other times she wasn't there. Now he was at school with this really cool girl that had just created a spell and he was depressing her with the story- he knew it was depressing. He looked back at Joelle; she was easily a smarter Ravenclaw than Darren, easily better than him in every way. It was times like this when he would walk away, but Joelle was a friend. He wasn't just going to walk out on her.
She was more than a friend; she was someone he could confide in, someone he knew he could trust and someone that was always nice to him.
Joelle stood up next to Darren, saying nothing as he spoke. She knew that sometimes, talking to yourself was the only way to make yourself feel better, because, really, the only person who truly understands a person is themself. And they say the talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity. Morons, she inwardly snorted.
She smiled at Darren when he looked back at her; she could tell that he felt insignificant in comparison to her. It was clear in his eyes. Joelle knew exactly what that looked like nowadays- people tended to feel it around her quite often. It wasn't her fault that she was intelligent! Sheesh!
Joelle wanted Darren to feel like they were equals. So, when she was sure that he was done talking, she told him, in that matter-of-fact tone that she had mastered so long ago, "I'm not better than you, you know. No one's better than anyone else. Not really. Everyone has their faults, and everyone has their talents. Everyone is different, in almost every way. So who are we to compare ourselves to each other and say one person is better than other people?"
Silence reigned for a moment. Then, in a lighter tone, Joelle noted, "Your dad's owl is almost here. What do you think he wrote about?"
"Probably about his trip to Australia," muttered Darren as he watched the owl enter the tower. "Smart bird."
Darren watched the owl fly towards them before landing on Joelle's shoulder. "Stay still until I get the message of her," said Darren, looking at Joelle. "She doesn't like any sudden movements."
Darren picked the note off the bird's leg and it flew off, unlike Argon, who had gone back to the Owlry because he hated rain. "Dear Darren, I had an eventful month in Australia and I am proud to say I have found a thought to be extinct animal over here," read Darren out loud from the letter. "We are shipping it home this week and I'll be back at the house by next week after we find it a suitable habitat. I hope you are making friends and remember that people can be like animals sometimes so be careful." He flipped the parchment over. "Also I'd like to note that I have a new girl friend and I want you to respect her like your mother." Darren scrunched up the letter and threw it away. "Great, as if this day could get any better!" he sat back down on the couch and put his head in his hands.
As Darren ordered, Joelle stayed perfectly still until Darren had finished reading the note aloud. Her heart swelled with sympathy when he sat down and put his head in his hands in despair.
"Hey, at least your dad told you he had a new girlfriend," Joelle tried to smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. She sat down beside her new friend. "I came home for the holidays this year and found out that my dad had gotten married! Luckily, the woman's nice enough and makes him happy; she doesn't know I'm a witch, though." She scowled. "She's a devout Catholic; as in, she believes that magic and everything to do with it is the work of Satan. Rubbish, of course, but try telling her that. Honestly, I've never met a more narrow-minded woman in my life!"
Joelle sighed. Her stepmother, Lucinda Bella (formerly Greene) believed that her husband's daughter went to a prestigious boarding school in Scotland (which actually wasn't too far from the truth), and tried almost too hard to get Joelle to like her. Not to mention she preached about how "rewarding and enriching" being a Catholic was whenever she saw Joelle. Now, Joelle had nothing wrong with Catholicism, nothing at all; she just found it unbearably annoying when a person constantly went on and on and on about it.
"I'm sure your dad's girlfriend will be perfectly nice," Joelle soothed Darren. "After all, he sounds like a nice man, which presumably means he has good tastes. I'm sure he doesn't expect you to start calling her 'Mom' or something; he just wants you to respect her and get along with her as best you can."
"Thanks," said Darren, looking at Joelle. "Hey, you should come to my place in the holidays. We have this awesome farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. Me and my cousins play Quidditch all the time; dad put up some goal posts. No seats, but goal posts," he said, remembering his house. "It is so cool, and we are near the mountains and forest so we just kind of go out looking for animals."
He remembered the time when his cousin had found a salamander and forgot there were different types and it spat magma at him. Luckily he dodged it and they ran away. In fact, he hadn't seen his cousin for ages; he was over in France at a different school. His parents moved over there when he was ten.
The owl flew off Joelle's shoulder and out of the doorway into the rain. "Didn't even want a treat."
"That sounds cool," Joelle admitted, thinking about how fun Darren's farmhouse must be. "I'm absolutely awful at Quidditch, though. Broomsticks hate me; I can't seem to get more than five feet off the ground without falling!" The Third Year laughed, reminiscing about her many failed attempts at flying. "It's just not my thing. I'd like to come visit, though; I'm just not sure I'll be able to. My dad might pretend I don't exist, but he's still really protective of me. He'd never let me go to a boy's house for the holidays, even if he was two years younger than me and just a friend."
Joelle smiled at the owl as it flew away. "Maybe he prefers the excitement of catching his own food," she mused. "Who knows? He might be off to catch a mouse or some other small woodland creature as we speak!"
Darren smiled. "I don't know what that bird does, it is different by a mile. Last week it crashed into a tree, but when it came out of the branches it had three mice!" He looked out at the storm. "Good, that rain is getting heavier."
He liked rain and storms; they put him to ease and made him sleep easier, especially the wind whipping away at his window at home, Making the shuttering sound. It just made him feel safe for some reason and rain was just water. When he saw all the Muggle kids running around with umbrellas, he just walked through it and when he got home he'd be soaked but he'd just have a warm shower and he was all good. It was like the fact he didn't wear shoes unless needed.
"This is quite a heavy storm," Joelle observed curiously. "It's delightful, don't you think? If we're lucky, then we'll get to see some lightning; it's so beautiful to watch, especially at night, when it's really dark outside. With a single flash, the lightning... well... lights up the whole sky!"
The Third Year stared out at the sky, grinning. "I don't get what about storms scare people. I mean, really, can't they just use their imaginations and come up with something to help ease their minds? For instance, my dad always told me that the sound of thunder means that God went bowling, and he got a strike- that's the lightning and the thunder. The rain is his tears of joy. And, because of that story, I've never been afraid of storms."
After revealing that story, Joelle became more somber, remembering the time when her dad had told her that story. She had been five years old when the storm suddenly appeared, accompanied by the loud clap of thunder. Scared out of her wits, she had run to her dad's room and leaped onto his bed, snuggling under his arm. Instantly, he had woken up, and, learning what Joelle was afraid of, told her the story. This had put Joelle's mind at ease; but her dad still let her share his bed that night, because he knew that it made her feel better.
Joelle sniffled, wiping her eyes. What had changed? Her father had promised her that he would always love her more than anything in the world, no matter what. All that changed when she had gone off to Hogwarts. Not when she had found out that she was a witch- when she had gone off to Hogwarts. She had come home for the holidays and found her dad cold and quiet. What had she done wrong?
Suddenly, the girl looked up at Darren's face, and realized that she had just said all that aloud. She blushed.
"Sounds like your dad is a bit cold," muttered Darren. "Mine has never cared what I have done or what I do, so I have grown up with it, but you-" he paused, trying to find the right words. "Your dad loved you, then just left you to care for yourself. I mean sure, you still have a home, but he doesn't talk to you about stuff." Darren looked down into the girl's eyes. "If you need help just tell me, I mean you could crash at my place or if you just need a talk and don't blush, it needed to be said any rate."
Darren couldn't believe he was trying to solve someone else's problems when he had enough of his own he couldn't solve. Including his father who didn't give a crap about him. In his letters he sounded so nice, but when you met him and tried to look him in the eye, you'd just die. It was easier for Darren because his father had always been "far away". He cared for creatures more than his own son.
"Thanks," Joelle smiled at him. "I'm still hoping that, eventually, he'll talk about his problems with me, so we can make up and be happy again." She paused. "You know, I do think that your father loves you, even if he doesn't show it. Some people... they just show their feelings in different ways than other people. It's unfortunate, but all the same..." She trailed off. "Anyways, I'm sure that your father cares about you."
There was silence for a few moments, so Joelle continued, "So, I take it your dad's some sort of naturalist? That he has a job involving creatures, perhaps a bit like Newt Scamander? That kind of job always sounded interesting to me. I'm going to be a Spell Maker when I grow up, though; I practice a lot. That's why I could make that spell with Argon. I'm pretty experienced at designing my own spells, even if they don't always work quite how I plan."
Darren looked at the girl; she was so optimistic. "I was left by myself for most of the time; my dad would leave for months at a time and I would cook myself food and care for the creatures. My dad taught me everything about life, including the whole 'Birds and the Bees' thing," he muttered, blushing a bit, thinking of the embarrassing moment. "He has never been there when I needed him most, and when he is home he is like 'do your chores' and so on."
He looked away from Joelle as a tear fell down his face. "So why would he start caring now!" He kicked the ground with anger. His father was not the person everyone believed he was; everyone he has met has been ether mentally destroyed or physically destroyed. "He is an author that travels the world and leaves his son to fend for himself and then brings back some tramp!" Another tear went down Darren's cheek and fell to the floor.
Acting on pure instinct and nothing else, Joelle wrapped her arms around Darren and gently patted him on the back as tears trickled down his face.
"Shh, it's okay," she soothed him quietly. "What your dad's done is unfair and cruel to you, and I understand why it makes you angry. Believe me, I get it. But- and don't take this the wrong way- maybe your father thinks that he's being a loving, caring father. Who knows? Perhaps he never received proper... training, for lack of a better term, on how to be a good father. Now, that's no excuse, mind you, but... just think about it.
"As you said, he's taught you everything about life- even the Birds and the Bees." At this, the girl let out a slight chuckle. "That alone says that he cares about you, Darren. It may not seem like it- and Merlin knows that I get this better than most people you'll ever meet- but your father does care."
Joelle paused. Darren was silent, and she was afraid, more than anything, that he was angry at her. She had never been very good at the whole sympathy thing, after all; she was too much of a Ravenclaw. She had a bad habit of using logic to try and make people feel better, and more often than not, it just annoyed them.
But, she reminded herself, at least being annoyed takes their mind off the sadness.
Darren was still silent, so Joelle spoke again. "I know you probably still don't believe that your dad cares about you. But, let me ask you this: If he acted differently towards you, would you still be the Darren you are today? Strong, independent, intelligent? Or would you be entirely different? Think about that," Joelle urged. "Just for a moment... think about it. Do you get what I mean? The way your dad treats you isn't right, but... if he didn't treat you that way, then you wouldn't be you.
"And if you ask me," she added with a smile, "you're a pretty darn good person."
"Do you really think so?" asked Darren, looking out at the rain, "I think I am a terrible person; I make people feel sad when they are around me when I am sad." He had only done this once, to a Slytherin girl named Kyra who had befriended him down by the lake. The pair was nearly inseparable, but here he was alone because he had made her feel sad and now he couldn't get her out of his mind.
He couldn't do that originally but that was a happy thought. Now all he could think about was her sad face and it was driving him partially insane. He did not understand why he thought about the girl all the time and was amazed by how badly he felt. He had this happen many times but he never felt as bad as he did now. He thought that he could say sorry, but she was avoiding him; he even saw her cry once or twice when she thought he wasn't looking. He felt so strongly about her and had no idea why and he wished he could understand what his problem was.
"I don't know what I think or do; I had a friend and we were really close, then I screwed up and she avoids me. I think about her all the time; that is bad. I am not a good person." He looked at the lake down on the grounds, remembering that day. It was peaceful and nice, with nothing distracted them but each other. He remembered Kyra's hair blowing in the breeze as she leaned over him. And when he had hugged her telling her things will be fine with her life. He remembered those because they were the only good things that had ever happened in his life.
"Stop thinking that," Joelle ordered firmly, not letting Darren tear his eyes away from her own brown gaze. "You are a good person, Darren. An extremely good person, in fact. You've just made a mistake; and do you know what that means?" The question was rhetorical, and Darren seemed to know it, because he didn't respond. Joelle went on, "It means that you're human, and there's nothing about that that makes you a bad person.
"Now, about this girl," Joelle changed the topic, a sly smile creeping its way onto her face. "From what you've told me, you feel pretty darn bad about making her sad... and you think about her a lot."
The Ravenclaw girl sat down on the couch and patted the seat next to her, silently telling Darren to sit down. Once he had done that, she told him, quite seriously, "Darren, your father may have told you about the Birds and the Bees, but from the sounds of it, he didn't tell you a thing about crushes. You know- fancying someone." Joelle paused, wondering how to best word what she was about to say. Finally, she made her decision.
"Darren, you fancy this girl."
Well, she thought, smirking inside, that works.
"I have never thought of her in that way," muttered Darren. "She has been so nice to me, then I crushed her and I felt so bad I never got to think of her in that way." He looked slightly embarrassed. "I guess it is true if you think about it, but what do I do?" He looked to the ground. "It isn't as if I can just walk up to her, say sorry, then ask her out."
He remembered the book he gave Kyra; his father had made it for him but he let Kyra keep it. That was before the problem had occurred. He had literally destroyed someone's life- he was her only friend and then to do what he had done would've crushed her completely. She didn't talk to anyone, avoided Darren, and cried behind his back so he wouldn't see how torn up she was. God, even when she hated him, she was still nice.
Darren pondered on what Joelle had said. "Maybe you're right, maybe I do like her, but I don't know how to say it to her! I suck with words; I am only good with songs and I don't have the best self-esteem to go up to her and serenade her, do I?" Darren was now remembering all the fun times he had with Kyra instead of the bad one. "A girl like that… I don't know if she'd like me or what would happen, I don't even know if I would I pass out from being too scared. Joelle, Kyra is someone special to me, but I just don't know if I can pull this off." He opened his wallet and looked at a picture of him and Kyra at the lake.
They were both being really silly but Kyra's features were still there; her black-red hair was getting blown around by the wind, she was on top of Darren's shoulders. He hadn't let anyone see the picture but he guessed showing Joelle wouldn't hurt "This is Kyra," he said, handing Joelle the picture. "This is what I wrecked on that day, only minutes after the photo. She is the nicest person I know in my year, always smiled, always laughed and I wrecked that. I highly doubt she did or ever will like me not after that maybe friends but..." his voice trailed off. "Now you see why I am so scared of what might happen, she is cute, she has a great personality, and yeah, I like her, but does she like me?"
I never thought that I'd be giving an eleven-year-old boy advice on girls, Joelle thought with a bit of humor, reflecting on what Darren had said while looking at the picture of Kyra. Then again, I don't know everything.
"First of all," she began, "just because you like her doesn't mean you have to ask her out. For crying out loud, you're eleven- I may be old-fashioned, but I personally don't believe in dating until you've at least gone through puberty.
"Second, before you try telling Kyra you have a crush on her, try getting her to befriend you again." Joelle could tell that her housemate was wondering how exactly to do this, so she went on, "Tell her exactly what you just told me. About how bad you feel, and how much you wish you two could be friends again. Then, she's bound to forgive you- how could she not?- and from then on, you just have to try your best to go back to how you were before. Just... hang out. Don't talk about serious topics in the beginning, though, unless she brings them up, because that's what tore you guys apart in the first place."
She paused. There were two more matters for her to address: Kyra liking Darren back (or not), and where Darren should apologize. Joelle decided to give him advice on the latter first.
"As to where you should apologize, it's pretty simple. She sounds like a bit of a loner, so I'm going to assume that she wouldn't like her personal business broadcasted. I suggest that when she's leaving the Great Hall after lunch sometime- or when she's going to the Great Hall- go up to her, ask if you can talk to her, and then take her aside to a nearby corridor or something. But make sure that it's empty first," she added hastily, "or else things could go very wrong. Then, you can apologize there, and she won't feel pressure from anyone else.
"On the matter of whether or not Kyra likes you back, I've never met her, nor have I seen her around you, so I couldn't say. But right now, that's not what matters. What you need to focus on now is being her friend again- from the sounds of it, she needs that. Besides, over time, good friendships can sometimes blossom into something more; and there's a good chance of that happening with Kyra."
Joelle smiled at Darren kindly, hoping she had been able to help him, at least some. She was pretty sure she had; giving advice was one of her strong points.
"Thanks, Joelle; you are smarter than normal Ravenclaws." Darren smiled as he said this. "I don't know what is going to happen, but I guess that is life: you just go with the flow and sooner or later something good happens." He looked out at the rain. "Maybe there is a light in my gray life after all." As he said this he picked up the note from his father. "Maybe I should give my father a second chance, maybe I should smile more often, maybe I should completely change my ways. I could be more happy and enthusiastic, gain more friends, live life to its full potential. Joelle, thanks for all this; you have made me a new boy" he grabbed his bag and guitar. "I'll see you later; I have to go, but you know, I am sure I'll see you up here or in the common room. You know we will see each other again." He hugged the girl as thanks. "See you later!" he exclaimed, leaving into the rain from the storm, leaving Joelle by herself in the tower.
Joelle could only smile as Darren spoke about all the things he could be, now that he had a new outlook on life. He already looked so much happier.
And I made that happen, she thought with a little bit of wonder. That really felt pretty darn good.
She tightly hugged Darren back, and told him sincerely, "Good luck with everything! If you need help, you know where to find me." Then, the boy exited the tower, leaving Joelle alone in the rain, waving after him.
For a few moments, she just stood there, letting the water thoroughly soak her. Then, she waved at the Owlry- wondering if, just maybe, Argon could see her- and walked back into the castle.