Chapter Nine
Come and Gone
Stole sighed as she leaned against Terry. "I can't believe it's almost been a full year!" she said.
He combed his fingers through her hair in a way he knew she liked and sure enough she sighed again and leaned further into him.
Terry stroked her hair and considered what had happened over the past year. Terry and Stole had a great thing going. The entire school, even Terry's sisters were convinced that Terry and Stole were neck deep in a feud.
Stole loved every minute of it but Terry had to wonder if she wouldn't get bored of it before long. What happened then?
He decided not to think about that. He'd burn that bridge when he came to it. For now he knew he could make her laugh and that was enough. Someday he would want more but she was eleven and he was fifteen. He had time.
"How's your family?" Terry asked.
Stole vibrated as she giggled. "Phil's got a girlfriend!"
"Really?" Terry asked. He was curious about her other family members. She didn't talk about them as much as he would have expected from a Weasley. According to his Dad, the Weasleys were fiercely familial. Yet Stole never mentioned them. Maybe because he had never asked.
"Well, maybe not really," Stole conceded. "She's his partner at work but Mom says she's really love struck over him. Phil probably hasn't noticed yet."
"What's her name?"
"Blaine Zabini."
"Zabini? Any relation to Cameron Zabini?"
"Sister, actually. Do you know Cameron?"
"Kinda. Yvette, my older sister, met him a few years back. They hit it off pretty well, as I recall. I think she'd like to get back in touch with him, especially now that she's done with school."
"Oh yeah, congratulate her on graduating. Remind me and I'll Owl you his address."
"You plan on Owling much this summer?"
"I'd like to, if you don't mind. I don't often have much to do over the summers. I can't do any wand practicing unless my parents let me in the Greater Hall at the Manor."
"Greater Hall? You have more than one?"
"Five, as a matter of fact. Dad and Mum converted one into an indoor playground but they're talking about changing it into a water park now that we're all a little too old for that."
"I don't know," he objected. "I think there's something nice about swinging on a swing set."
She laughed again. "Well, I'll see what I can do."
"What about the other Four Halls?"
"Well, there's the Greater Hall. It's got all sorts of wards on it so we can practice magic in there but Mum and Dad have it child locked so we can't get in unless they let us. It's a little annoying but I can understand. There's the Grand Hall, where we have social functions."
"Do you have many of those?"
"A fair few. I'll see if I can't get you in for one this summer. Where was I? Oh, and there's the Dinning Hall."
"That doesn't sound so grand."
"You haven't seen it. Finally there's the Hall of Records."
"Records? Like the family history."
"And then some," she commented. "When we were little we used to have scavenger hunts in there. You know, find a book that screams if you open it. Find a book that has fangs. We had grand times until Dad remembered all those dark arts books were still in there. We still have a ton of them but they're more theory and Defense against rather than practical."
"So you want to learn the Dark arts?"
"Of course not. But they don't deal as much with countering spells as I'd like."
Stole looked at her watch. "Oh, bugger. I should go hang with my sisters. Do you mind?"
He smiled down at her. "Not at all. Go be the sister. I should find mine too."
He watched her leave and wondered if she would really remember him this summer.
(A/N: So, this story still refuses to have a plot. Go figure.
To Lady Gray: I have this compulsion where I have to finish stories that people like to read. I'm glad you like the story and while it may take me a while between updates, until I write "the End" you can anticipate more!
