Sorry for the wait!
Hope you enjoy!
I walked in to the dorm room. I'd just got back from McGonagalls with Potter, and thrown a mini- tantrum at the fact that he was Qudditch captain and not me. Roxy and Lyndsey were both already there, along with Tallulah and Charlotte, our other two dorm mates. Our dorm was probably one of the most divided dorms in the history of Hogwarts. Tallulah and Charlotte were best friends,while Charlotte was innocent and nun-like, Tallulah seemed to hate our guts for no particular reason at all. They never went to the parties or hung out with all the cool seventh years like us, mostly because we didn't invite them to. All in all, they were the complete opposite of us, and as such were on the complete opposite side of the room.
"Where have you been all evening?" Roxy asked.
"She's probably been out snogging the boys" Lyndsey joked.
"Actually, I was at McGonagall's with your idiot of a cousin" I told Roxy.
"Which one?" She asked, jokingly.
"Were neither of you listening to that announcement earlier?" I asked.
"Yeah, don't worry. So, you gonna tell us what the meeting was about?" Roxy asked.
"My behaviour, apparently if it doesn't improve I'll get kicked out of school" I told them. "Like I care"
"I don't know Woody, maybe you should. I mean, you have a year left, what are you going to do if you get kicked out for the rest of your life?" Roxy asked me.
"Oh Godric Rox you sound just like my dad!" I exclaimed, rising from my bed. "It's simple. I'll be a socialite!"
"A socialite. Really?" Roxy said. "What about Quidditch? You know the Harpies are ready to sign you on the spot"
"I don't want to play quidditch and you know that Roxanne. Especially not for them." I whispered.
"Fine. I'm just saying it might be a bit more fun than running around at a party every night getting drunk" she stated.
"Roxanne Weasley, do you not know me at all?" I asked her. "Well what are you going to do if you've got it all worked out?"
"I'll be a healer like my mum" She explained. "I've got it all planned out"
"What about you Lyndsey" I asked, turing to the blonde that was painting her nails.
"I'm going to go into muggle beauty and work as a beautician, painting people's nails and doing their hair and make-up" She announced. This suited her, as if there was one thing Lyndsey knew about, it was how to look good, which she always seemed to do.
"Oi, Tallulah, Charlotte. What do you two plan on doing once you leave this place?" I shouted over to them.
"Joining a covenant probably" Roxy whispered in my ear, causing me to laugh.
"I was going to take a year or two off, then come back here to work as a care of magical creatures teacher" Tallulah told me.
"What about you, Brown?" I asked Charlotte
"I was thinking about working as a curse breaker for Gringotts" She told us, a little shyness coming through in her voice.
"See Blake? Everybody's got it planned out, just not you! You need to try to think what you might want to do. What happens next in the world of Blake Wood?" Roxy asked.
The world began spinning around me when I realized that I wasn't a child living in a child's world anymore. This was real. I needed to decide.
"I need some air" I announced, almost running out of the room and into the common room.
"That's mine!" I shouted at Potter as he snatched the bagel out of my hand. It was breakfast the next morning, and after hardly getting any sleep due to my conversations with McGonagall, Potter and even Roxanne, I was deathly tired. And grumpy.
"Do you really want it now?" He asked through a mouthful of it. I scoffed, grabbing another one and turning my attention to that.
"Don't forget guys, Quidditch practice on Friday before try outs for Saturday at 10am" Potter announced to the table. "Sorry Wood but it doesn't look like there is going to be a place for you on the team"
"For me? You honestly think you'd be able to win the Quidditch cup without me on your team?" I told him sincerly.
"Fine, maybe there is a spot for you" He responded, obviously realizing his stupid mistake.
The owls flew overhead, dropping the daily prophets for everyone around us. I couldn't care less for the Daily Prophet, which was why my subscription was non-existent. However I always had Roxy read me the Quidditch league tables, just to check how my dad was doing.
"So, who's at the top this week?" I asked Roxy.
"Well, Puddlemere are first at the moment, followed by the Harpies..." She began.
"I don't care about the Harpies" I reminded her in a dry, monotone voice.
"Followed by the Canons in third." She finished.
"Great" I told her the same tone as before.
"Cheer up Woodey, it's the first day of school. Nothing has gone wrong yet" Louis told me.
"Not for you it hasn't" I reminded him.
"So, Seventh years. Here are your timetables!" Longbottom announced handing them out to the group at the end of the Gryffindor table. "Please alert me if you find anything wrong with them, otherwise, I'll see most of you in Herbology."
I checked my timetable giving it a once over. Charms, Care of Magical Creatures, Transfiguration, Herbology. However my whole day on Friday seemed to be taken up with a subject that I was pretty sure I was not taking.
"Professor L, my timetable says I'm taking Lifestyle lessons on Friday, I'm pretty sure I didn't choose that" I told him.
"Same" Everyone mumbled after me, all in the same confusion. Yes, well, more will be explained on Friday, but it is now a mandatory lesson for both sixth and seventh years" He told us, strolling away as if afraid to stay more.
"Lifestyle lessons, what do they have to do with forcing us to be prepared for adult life?" Lyndsey asked, followed by repeated words of agreement.
"I wonder" I stated looking James strait in the eye. It was obvious what was happening. So painfully obvious.
Friday came around quicker than imaginable and I soon found myself waiting with Roxy and Lyndsey in the 'Lifestyle Lessons" Classroom, surrounded by our other seventh year peers. Basically, it was just an old unused room with a sign on it and a couple of desks placed inside.
"May I have your attention please" A petite lady of about thirty said as she exited the nearby office. "As I am sure most of you are now aware, this is your lifestyle lesson, for which I will be your new professor. I am professor Johnstone, and I'm sure soon I'll become very familiar with all of your names"
She looked excitedly about the room, at each of the class members uninterested faces.
"How long do you reckon she's got till she runs out of this door?" Roxy whispered in my ear. "Two or three weeks?" She suggested.
"More like two or three days" I mumbled, causing us both to laugh.
"I am sorry can I help you young lady?" She asked me, her face falling from the overly happy annoying one to one of an attempt of anger.
"No, I don't think you can" I replied.
"Well, would you like to come up here and explain to all your classmates who want to learn what lifestyle lessons are all about?" She asked.
"Not particularly" I stated nonchalantly.
"Okay, Miss..." She asked.
"Wood. Blake Wood" I told her.
"Of course. Blake Wood" She repeated. "Right, well as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, Lifestyle lessons are all about preparing Hogwarts' NEWT students for adult life. We will be teaching you how to cook, handle your finances and live in a way that allows some of you to fit in with muggles. There will be no final examination, you will be assessed on the work you show throughout the year. So some of your results are already damaged" she said looking straight at me.
"Part of your assessment will be taken just before the Easter break in which you will take a trip with an assigned 'partner' to try to teach you about married life in the muggle world with a pretend child. Believe me, it is the best method of contraception you will ever find. Which leads me on to the next thing. You will be working in pairs, one boy with one girl. Don't get too excited however because I have yet more good news for you. Your 'spouses' have already been chosen." She told us, causing sighs to break out under the many mumbles. "So, if the young gentlemen will stand on the left side of the room and the ladies on the right"
We followed her orders, waiting on each side of the room. She placed a charm and moved the tables so the sat in a straight line along her classroom that was larger than I originally thought.
"Vivian Adams and Louis Weasley table one." She called out, directing the loud Gryffindor and dull Ravenclaw to the first table. "Charlotte Brown and Jack Hart to table number two. Roxanne Weasley and Joshua Stone to table three..." She continued on and on until the numbers dwindled. Soon, I found that it was just me, Tallulah, Edward Sagen and Potter. Edward Sagen was the most revolting boy you could ever meet. He picked his nose constantly and was pervy and seemed to be very well acquainted with his right hand. For anything. Yet somehow, I hoped that he was my partner.
"And the final two pairs, Tallulah Keane and Edward Sagen at table thirty-one and Blake Wood and James Potter at table number thirty-two" She announced causing a loud groan to escape my lips.
"Is there a problem with that Miss. Wood?" She asked me in an almost condescending way.
"Not at all Miss. Johnstone, Right Wood?" Potter said casually throwing his arm over my shoulder.
"Right" I grumbled back, as I through his arm off.
"Well, that's good now isn't it" Johnstone smiled. "So, now that you all seem to be acquainted with your partner I can give you the first task. I told you before that these were your spouses, however I was lying. These people are in fact only your fiances, so you are to begin to plan the happiest day of your life: your wedding. You have the next two weeks in which you and your partner will work together and compromise to come up with a plan for your perfect wedding. You will be assessed on the way you approach this task. Two weeks from today, in this very lesson, you will be presenting your wedding idea to the class. I shall hand out some parchment with everything you need to know on it. Any questions? Begin" She informed, causing a wave of excited squeals from the girls across the classroom and a groan from the boys. Me? I'm not sure how I feel. Planning a party is great, but planning a wedding to Potter? Just thinking about it makes me feel sick.
"I've got this" I told him, "Party planning is my field of expertise"
"Really? Who was the one that hosted the party at the Ministry of Magic last year?" He sung, almost begging me to hit him.
"So? Just because it got in the paper doesn't mean it was a good party!" I told him, "Besides, we don't need you to destroy another building"
"Wood, Potter don't forget, this needs to be a joint effort!" Johnstone shouted over at us.
"Fine, the wedding will take place in early summer..." Potter began.
"Late Winter!" I interrupted. 'It will be held in early winter on December 3rd"
"No" Potter stated. "June 11th, no other date would work better..."
"Except December 3rd"
"Whats your obsession with December 3rd?"
"Whats yours with June 11th?'
"There is no way I am having my wedding in December!"
"And me in June!" I shouted.
"See!" Johnstone said, running into our argument. "Class, Class! Here with Miss Wood and Mr Potter, they can not agree so they will be doing what married couples need to do: Compromise. Blake wishes for her Wedding to be held in December while James in June, so we need to compromise and pick a date in between. Perhaps February 15th?" She offered.
"Fine"
"Fine"
The rest of that long lesson continued with ridiculous banter like that over the stupidest things right down to the very minuet and second the ceremony would take place. Honestly I don't think either of us cared about how the wedding was actually going to happen, we just wanted to annoy each other because it was just what we were so used to doing.
Before I knew it, Roxy and I were walking down to the Quidditch pitch, with me in a small depression about the fact that even after my brilliant Summer of non-stop partying, my school year was so far one of the worst ever. Roxanne on the other hand, was completely loved up, having decided that after just over two hours of knowing Joshua Stone, he was the one for her.
"And have you seen his eyes? They're so pretty and blue. They're just as perfect as he is" She droned on. Usually I'd listen, ready to gossip on with some proper girl talk with Roxanne but today I just did not have the energy. My mind was in other places.
"Welcome team!" Potter announced looking at the group in front of him. The chasers were currently me and Potter, whilst Roxanne and Nick York were our beaters and Louis played keeper. This meant that we had two spots open to try out for, Seeker and another chaser position with me and Potter.
"So practice will be on every Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings from 5 till 8pm, not Saturdays and Sundays to allow us to recover from our hangovers." Potter stated. "Tomorrow however we must all be down here to assess those who are going to try out for our two open positions which are still Seeker and Chaser. The one thing I want is to win this year. I can't wait to see the look on those Slytherin's face when we absolutely thrash them in the final! Any questions? Queries? Anecdotes?"
"Yes." I joined in. "How are we supposed to practice on a Wednesday evening when we have a meeting with McGonagall for the rest of the year that just so happens to clash with that?"
"Fine, we we'll be practicing Monday, Thursdays and Fridays" Potter informed the group, looking annoyed at the fact I'd just reminded him of something obvious. I beat him! "So, let's start today with two laps around the field to keep healthy, but don't worry Wood. As promised, it's four for you" He smirked, reminding me why I hate this idiot so much.
The other three did there laps and left, heading back up to the main building to take a shower. When I'd finally finished my torturous laps, Potter stood at my finish line, laughing at me.
"You're an idiot, you know that?" I told him, shoving past him on the way to leave.
"You never fail to inform me, but remember we had plans after Quidditch, to talk about a certain, issue" He whispered, getting quieter and closer to me as the sentence continued on.
"Right, so have you got any ideas on what we might do? How to save the school?" I asked.
"Well, I was hoping you did" He claimed, his eyes dropping down to the floor in embarrassment.
"Right, well what did Benson say was wrong with it in the first place?" I asked.
"He said students educated here are less prepared for aspects of real life'
"and..."
"Well what does that mean? We all need to get 'O's in that ridiculous Lifestyle class?"
"If we want to keep this quiet, its our best hope"
"So we just want to persuade everyone to do well?"
"I guess so. Why don't you talk to your dad about this? He has a lot of influence at the ministry, I'm sure he can get them to change..."
"I don't want him to get involved!"
"Why not? He'd probably be our best shot!"
"Because I don't, it's complicated!"
"fine" I stated walking away.
"Where are you going?" He asked, chasing after me.
"Hogsmeade"
"No, you can't" He blocked my path.
"And may I ask why you now have the ability to make decisions about my life and what I do?" I told him.
"Well, firstly you get caught, you get kicked off the Quidditch team!" He told me, "And secondly, remember what Benson said. Hogwarts will be under random inspections from the ministry, how badly is it going to reflect on Hogwarts if you're in Hogsmeade."
"Potter, the biggest difference between you and me is that unlike you I don't get caught" I told him, walking a little further.
"Please Wood, they'll be people snapping photos of you if they can. Are you not going to be in the slightest bit subtle?"
"I promise I won't get caught!"
"Fine" He said, still following me.
"Well if you're oh so kindly allowing me to go why are you still following me?" I shouted, turning to face him.
"Because I am coming with you"
Great.
What do you think?
Also, any suggestions for how they might save Hogwarts?
Chapter song title from The Calling