Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related characters belong to J.K. Rowling. They are used without permission, and no money is being made from this story. All original characters are my creation.
Lessons Taught, Lessons Learned
Chapter Eight: A Date of the Entire Day
In the three weeks since receiving the letter from her parents, things had gone rather well for Trista. Isabella's Miracula Exubero had worked wonders, and they'd had to take their snargaluff down to greenhouse eleven the previous morning. Professor Longbottom had been so shocked and impressed that he gave them each fifty points in both extra credit and house points. However, it was the look on Scorpius Malfoy's face when Professor Longbottom praised their extra effort in class that really made Trista feel good.
Now there was only one day until the Halloween Costume Ball. Everyone had received their costumes from Madam Malkin's, and the ball was the only topic of discussion in the corridors and at the tables in the Great Hall. Trista's friends had already tried on and modeled their costumes, but when they asked Trista to show them hers, she insisted that she wanted it to be a surprise.
Her costume had turned out beautifully. It was a ball gown from an older era, but Trista couldn't really put her finger on which one. The color was perfect; it matched the feathers on her wings and had a pearly sheen to it as well. The crystal beads the lady at the shop had showed her were embroidered into loops near the hemline of the skirt, and they were also embroidered into an intricate pattern on the bodice. The shop had even sent a pair of shoes to go with the dress.
Trista's nerves did funny things whenever someone brought up the ball. When it was one of the girls, she felt very excited about it, but when it was Patrick she felt nervous. This would be their second official date even though they had gone to the last Hogsmeade weekend together and were spending nearly all their free time with one another.
The ball was to be two days before Halloween since Halloween was on a Monday and the school didn't want to interrupt classes for a ball. The students didn't mind much at all because that meant that the ball could last longer and everyone could sleep in the next day. There was even a rumor going around the halls that there was to be a costume contest and the winner would receive a thousand galleons, but Trista doubted that was true.
Trista was currently working on her weekend homework to get the ball off her mind. She sat down to write up her potions essay, and even though her thoughts occasionally drifted to her costume, she was able to finish her essay rather quickly. She did her charms homework after that, and then she did her History of Magic essay. She didn't take a break from her homework until Gertrude interrupted her while she was doing her Transfiguration homework.
"Trista?" Gertrude asked, "Are you coming to dinner?"
"What?" Trista asked, "Is it dinner time already?"
"Yeah," Gertrude replied.
"Goodness, I got so caught up in getting my homework done," Trista muttered as she put her things away.
"Why are you doing your homework now anyway?" Gertrude asked.
"Well, I won't have time tomorrow, and I don't want to rush it on Sunday," Trista replied.
"Oh," Gertrude replied. "Well, shall we go to dinner then?"
"Yeah, let's go," Trista replied.
Trista and Gertrude talked on the way to the Great Hall, and when they got there, Trista sat next to Patrick and fixed herself a plate. Patrick's friends, the other sixth year boys, had joined them, so it was like the sixth year Hufflepuffs had formed a club. The topic of discussion was, of course, the costume ball, so Trista elected to stay out of it lest her friends try to trick her into telling them about her costume.
"Come on, Trista, at least give us a clue," Amy begged.
Trista put a forkful of mashed potato in her mouth and shook her head. Her friends sighed dramatically.
"I'm starting to think I should have kept my costume a secret too," Allie said.
"You'll all see it tomorrow night," Trista assured them.
Trista finished her meal and then excused herself by claiming she wanted to go finish her homework. Honestly she was going to go try and figure out how to do her hair for the ball. It had to be done in such a way that it complemented her wings instead of competing with them.
She reached the Hufflepuff dorm and, after giving the bees the password (clover honey), she went up to the sixth year girls' dorm and stood before the floor length mirror. She charmed her hair in several different styles and tried to imagine how they would look with her wings and the style of dress. When she'd finally decided on a hairstyle that she thought would work, Trista finished her homework and then relaxed and began really looking forward to the ball.
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When Trista woke up the following morning, she swore she could feel a buzz of energy in the air. Perhaps it truly was there, the excited energy of the students going to the ball, or perhaps it was all just her excitement at going to the ball. Whatever it was, it made Trista feel nervous and excited all at once. She checked her bindings, but knowing that the other Hufflepuffs were still asleep, she didn't worry too much about them, and then went into the bathroom for her shower.
She bathed especially carefully that morning and risked a few extra minutes with her wings exposed to apply a nice smelling lotion to her skin. After that, she wrapped her wings taking care not to wrap them too tightly. They were an integral part of her costume after all; they needed to look their best. She dressed in a set of plain robes and went down to the common room to wait for breakfast time
Much to her surprise, Patrick of all people was already up and sitting in one of the overstuffed yellow chairs. He grinned at her and jumped up when she came into the common room.
"Good morning, Patrick," Trista said, "You're up awfully early."
"I know; who knew five a.m. even existed?" Patrick joked.
"I was going to go down to breakfast soon," Trista said after chuckling softly at his joke, "Do you want to come with me?"
"Well," Patrick began, "Actually, I was sort of hoping we could make a date of the entire day. You know, not just going to the ball together."
"Oh," Trista replied completely surprised by Patrick's idea. "I…yes, that sounds great!"
"So, when does breakfast start exactly?" Patrick asked.
"Five-thirty," Trista replied.
"Five-thirty? Who's up then?" Patrick replied, shocked by breakfast's early appearance.
"I am," Trista pointed out. "And a few of the teachers."
"Well, by the time we get down there, it should be on the tables," Patrick said after checking his watch. "Want to go now?"
"Sure," Trista replied.
"Okay, let me grab something," Patrick replied
He grabbed a satchel off the back of the chair he'd been sitting in. He slung it over his shoulder and then held his hand out. Trista smiled shyly and took his hand; it was soft and warm, and it seemed like it was made especially for holding her hand.
They didn't say anything as they walked hand in hand up to the main floor of the castle and into the Great Hall. They were a few minutes early for breakfast, so they sat at the end of the Hufflepuff table nearest to the doors.
"It's so different," Patrick observed.
"I know," Trista replied, "It's quiet."
"Yeah, I mean, it's nice really," Patrick replied. "Is this why you're always up this early?"
"Yeah, and I'm used to getting up this early," Trista replied. "I've been doing it since I was nine."
"Nine?" Patrick repeated, "Wow. Why?"
"I don't know, I just have," Trista lied, and as she said it, breakfast appeared on the tables. "Oh, good, we can eat now. What are you doing?"
Patrick was putting food into the satchel he'd brought with him. He grinned at her, but didn't reply. Confused, but not overly concerned by his behavior, Trista picked up a plate and looked at the food spread on the table. However, just as she reached for a piece of toast, Patrick took the plate from her.
"Hey, I'm hungry," she said, frowning at him.
"I know, that's why I've got the food in here," he replied patting the now full satchel.
"What good is it in there?" Trista asked.
"I'm sure it'll be fine when we take it out," Patrick replied.
"And when will we take it out?" Trista asked.
"When we find where we're going to eat," Patrick replied, "Come on."
Trista followed Patrick back out of the Great Hall unsure of where he was going or what he was doing. She followed him up the marble steps to the first floor, watched him look around, and then followed him back down them and out the front doors.
The morning air was chilly and slightly wet; a thick fog lay over the school grounds. Trista wished she'd known she would possibly be eating outside that morning; she would have brought a light cloak.
Patrick led the way to the courtyard and through it, and then turned toward the greenhouses. They reached greenhouse number seven, but when Patrick looked at it, he shook his head and turned back. They returned to the courtyard when Patrick had Trista wait just outside with her back to the entrance so she couldn't see what he was doing.
"Okay, you can turn around now," Patrick said a few minutes later.
Trista turned around and gasped. He had set up a small breakfast picnic for them in the middle of the courtyard. The food he'd put into his bag was spread out on a blanket, and he'd even transfigured a couple of rocks into pillows for them to sit on. Patrick smiled at her and walked over offering his hand again, which Trista took. They walked back to the blanket and sat down.
"This is…amazing, Patrick," Trista gushed, "How did you think of this?"
Patrick shrugged, "I thought it would be fun," he replied.
"You know, we could get into trouble if we get caught," Trista replied with a smile.
"Well, that's half the fun," Patrick replied. "But really, what's the worse that'll happen? We'll get yelled at, a few points taken away, and maybe a detention. I think it'll be worth it."
"Yeah, it would," Trista agreed.
"Well, have a seat, Trista," Patrick said, "I just have one more thing to do." He reached into the pocket of the jeans he was wearing and when he pulled his hand out, he had his fist closed around something.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Yes," Trista replied with a giggle, "Ready for what?"
"This!" he exclaimed and threw whatever was in his hand into the air.
It turned out to be seeds; puffapod seeds to be exact. They showered down around the two of them and burst into pretty pink flowers when they hit the ground. A few landed on their heads, but they both laughed and left them alone. The ground around them was littered with pink flowers that speckled the gray stone floor of the courtyard with color.
"Where did you get them?" Trista asked as they started to eat.
"The seeds?" Patrick asked, and Trista nodded, "Ordered them, they're quite cheap. I usual get some for my younger sister, she likes them. She says they're like these cracker snaps we played with when we were in America for vacation a few summers ago. Only they're not loud and they leave flowers behind instead of bits of paper."
"What are cracker snaps?" Trista asked.
"Not sure really," Patrick replied. "They're these little things you throw on the ground and they make a loud popping noise."
"Well, that doesn't sound very fun," Trista replied.
"It's not. Don't tell my sister, but I like these better too," Patrick replied.
"How old is your sister?" Trista asked.
"She's almost eleven," Patrick replied. "She's starting secondary school next year."
"Oh, so she's not…" Trista began, but her voice trailed off when she remembered Patrick was a Muggleborn. It was entirely possible that his sister was a Muggle.
"No," Patrick replied. "Well, as far as we know she's not. Strange things don't happen around her like they did me. Though, I suppose if she gets a letter in the summer, we'll know for sure."
Trista didn't know how to respond, so she shifted the subject slightly. "I'm an only child," she said.
"What's it like?" Patrick asked.
Trista shrugged, "I don't know really," she replied. "It was lonely at times, not having anyone to play with, but that also meant I never had to share my things or any secrets."
"Do you have any secrets?" Patrick asked grinning mischievously at her.
"Yes," Trista said and laughed, "We all do."
"What's your secret?" Patrick said.
"I can't tell you," Trista replied.
"Aww, you're no fun," Patrick replied. "Well, it looks like we're done. Shall we go inside?"
"Sure," Trista replied.
They cleaned up where they had sat and transfigured the pillows back into rocks before they headed back inside. It was still very early, so most students were still in bed, and only a handful of teachers would be up.
Luckily, when they got back inside, there were no teachers to be seen. They went back down to the Hufflepuff dormitory where they thought they would have the common room to themselves for a while. However, when they got there, a few other Hufflepuffs were milling about the common room. Trista and Patrick looked at each other and sighed and smiled.
