Must Be Magic
Well, even in a school full of underage witches and wizards, you didn't see that every day, Bobby thought.
Kitty was standing in the corridor with her wand out. She was using it to prod a statue of some famous old wizard. Bobby couldn't remember who. He continued to watch the younger girl for another moment, an amused smile on his face. It was only when he saw her lips start to form words under her breath that he went over to her.
"Hey, Kit," he began, "what are you doing?"
Her face lit up. "Oh, good. Maybe you can help me."
"In any way I can," Bobby answered, grinning. Kitty rolled her eyes at this cheesy response and let out an annoyed huff. "Sorry. But really, I'll help if I can," Bobby continued.
"You took Professor Howlett's History of Magic exam last year. I heard there's an extra credit question about secret passages in the school on it. So my first question is is that true?"
Bobby nodded. "Yep," he said, making a popping sound on the "p".
She grinned now. "And I'd bet you know where at least one of them is," she said.
The Gryffindor boy grinned. "What makes you so sure?"
"Come on, Bobby, help a girl out," Kitty pleaded. She reached over and put her hand on his arm, "I'll be your best friend."
"You are my best friend," Bobby told her.
She ducked her head, her cheeks turning the faintest shade of pink as she did so. But she recovered quickly, offering him another smile. "All the more reason for you to help me," the brunette pointed out.
He couldn't argue with that. "Come on, I'll show you." Bobby started down the corridor with Kitty at his heels.
He led the way toward the third floor corridor. When he came to the statue of the one eyed witch with the humpback, he stopped and pulled out his own wand. The Gryffindor boy looked around to see if anyone was coming. He found that the coast was clear and tapped the hump with his wand.
"Dissendium."
The statue slid apart to reveal a narrow passageway. Kitty looked at it for a moment, incredulous. She flashed Bobby a brief smile before rummaging through her bag for a scrap of parchment and a quill. He saw her scribble down the incantation.
"Thank you, Bobby," Kitty said, sincerity evident in her voice. "How did you know about this, anyway?" she asked.
Bobby hesitated for a moment. Kitty, noticing this, frowned. "It's not some Gryffindor secret, is it?"
"No, no," Bobby assured her. "James's brother showed us when we were first years."
She nodded, a thoughtful expression settling over her features. "I think it's nice that you're so close with his family," Kitty offered.
The blond boy smiled ruefully. "Yeah, I guess. Sometimes I'd like to be that way with my own family, but I guess someone has to be the black sheep."
Kitty looked like she wished she hadn't brought up the subject of family. The last thing Bobby wanted was for her to feel bad. "Hey, how does two extra credit points instead of one sound?" he asked.
She brightened immediately. "Such a charmer," Kitty teased, winking. "Lead the way."
As directed, he led her out to the grounds. Bobby saw her looking around eagerly, as if she were trying to figure out where the passage was.
When they came to the Whomping Willow, Bobby stopped in his tracks, back far enough that the tree wouldn't sense their presence and attack. Kitty did the same. She had her head tilted to one side, curious now. "Here?" the Ravenclaw asked, voice laced with disbelief.
"Yep," Bobby said again. "See that knot there on the trunk?" Kitty nodded and he went on, "If you press it, the tree stops fighting and it opens into a secret passage."
A frown was etched into Kitty's face. "Professor Munroe never mentioned that."
"Well, it's a secret for a reason," Bobby pointed out. "It's not like they want us to go sneaking into the Shrieking Shack."
Kitty mused over this for a moment. "Where does the other passage lead to?" she asked.
"Honeydukes."
She offered him another grin, "I'm surprised you don't use it once a day," the younger girl teased. Bobby stuck his tongue out at her. She laughed, hard, tossing her head back. Bobby had to admit he liked making her laugh.
Kitty's laughter ceased. She seemed to realize something. "Oh," she said. "We missed dinner."
"Well, we can't have that," Bobby murmured. He smiled. "Wanna learn another Hogwarts secret?" That Ravenclaw curiosity was clear on her face. "I'll take you to the kitchens."
Together they made their way back up to the castle. He led the way through the corridors to the kitchens. When they came to the picture of the fruit that masked the door, Kitty shot him a look that said he was crazy.
"Just watch," Bobby said, reaching towards the painting. He tickled the pear, which giggled and turned into a bright green handle. Kitty's disbelief turned to incredulity once again.
"What don't you know about this place?" the brunette asked.
He motioned for her to go first and followed after her once she had gone through. "Plenty," the blond boy answered honestly. "I only keep track of the useful stuff."
They were swarmed by a mob of house-elves, all talking over one another in tiny, shrill voices. "Guys," Bobby said loudly. At once they all stopped speaking.
"This is Kitty," the Gryffindor continued, gesturing at his companion. She waved, looking shy as every pair of eyes locked onto her. "We were studying and we missed dinner. Can we —"
There was a sudden flurry of activity as the house-elves began to pull out pots and pans. Kitty looked slightly alarmed at the rush.
"Something simple is fine," Bobby assured them. "Like sandwiches?" he suggested, glancing at Kitty. She nodded quickly. "Sandwiches," Bobby repeated.
He dragged a chair over to one of the long wooden tables and motioned for Kitty to sit. She did so as Bobby brought a second chair for himself and sat down across from her. The house-elves brought a pitcher of pumpkin juice and two goblets. Kitty just looked around the kitchens in fascination as the house-elves bustled around.
A few minutes later, a platter piled high with sandwiches was delivered to them. "Thank you," Kitty murmured to the elf that had brought it. He sunk into a bow.
She seemed distant as they ate. "Is something wrong?" Bobby asked after awhile.
She sighed, propping one elbow up on the table and resting her forehead against her palm. Then she tilted her face towards him and managed a half smile.
"I'm worried about exams," the Ravenclaw admitted.
Bobby nodded, a response on the tip of his tongue. Before he could respond, another house-elf appeared at his elbow with a gigantic bowl of ice cream. He offered them two spoons.
Bobby felt his face go red. But Kitty didn't seem to mind the idea of sharing the ice cream with him. She took her spoon and carved out a rather large bite.
"Sorry," she said when she caught him staring. "Rocky road is my favorite."
"Mine too."
The younger girl gave Bobby a quick smile. This one seemed much more genuine than the last one had.
They made short work of the ice cream. Kitty pushed the empty bowl away. "Listen, Kitty," Bobby said seriously, "you shouldn't worry about exams. You know and I know you're the best witch in your year."
Kitty ducked her head in that shy way of hers. "You're always so nice, Bobby."
"I'm not being nice. I'm being honest," he insisted.
"Still though," she answered, "it's a nice thing to hear sometimes."
The clock over the fireplace struck eight. A panicked look settled on Kitty's face. "We have to get back to our dorms," she said.
Bobby wasn't particularly worried about this, but he also was well aware of the fact that Kitty was not the kind of girl who was accustomed to getting into trouble. "Don't worry," the Gryffindor assured her, "we won't get caught." Bobby gave her his patented mischievous grin.
They thanked the house-elves for dinner before scurrying out of the kitchens. Bobby, used to getting into all sorts of trouble in his three years of Hogwarts, knew exactly which route to take to avoid being seen by teachers. It was far too soon for his tastes that they arrived at the spiral stairs that led to Ravenclaw Tower.
She started up a few steps before turning to look back at him. "Thank you for this, Bobby. For everything tonight."
"You're welcome," he answered. "I meant it though, okay? You're gonna be fine."
Kitty considered this for a moment. Then she came back down the steps and kissed him on the cheek, just as she had done weeks earlier before his Quidditch match. "Goodnight, Bobby."
"Goodnight," the blond boy called after her. Her face was a brilliant red, just as he knew his own was.
He couldn't help it though.
He smiled.
