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Chapter Eight
How could I be so stupid?
Pacing, I whirl around and walk to the other end of the room.
What was I thinking?
Pace. Pace. Pace.
Clearly I wasn't. At all.
Pace. Pace. Pace.
"Kenna?" I come to an abrupt stop, turning to face Susan. "I know that was hard for you-" She stops, startled as I wrap my arms around her shoulders and bury my face in her hair. "I'm sorry, Kenna." She whispers, wrapping her arms around me. I struggle to hold back the taste of defeat and tears.
"He will always be the one others choose. My mother. My father. My godfather. Dumbledore. I thought I had gotten over it...but I haven't. I feel worthless. Pathetic. And it angers me so much. Because I don't want to feel that way. I deserve to feel good about myself. I deserve to feel- to be better. So when are they going to see that? I know most of you do. My friends...but I want them to notice it too. Is that selfish?" I ask, my voice thick with the tears I will never let fall.
"Not at all." Susan whispers back. "Let them see how awesome they are." She whispers.
"But I already have. And they have noticed. I just- I don't want them to notice me like this. I wanted them to remember me on their own. Without me having to speak up. It is why I never said anything before. Now that I have their attention though...I can't let go of the pain of them forgetting me. I can't forget every time they went somewhere and left me behind. I can't forget. I just can't. And why should I? Why do I have to be the forgiving one?" I whisper, pulling away and turning to the window with wide, blank eyes.
"You shouldn't. And you don't. I know you love your family but you don't have to forgive them." Susan consoles and I nod, staring out the window. We stand in silence for a few minutes and then Susan sighs. "I'll go now." She whispers and when she leaves, I turn. Staring at the room, hurt and hatred mix in my heart.
My eyes locking on a cup, I reach out and pick it up, rolling it in my hands.
Then I throw it.
It collides with the wall in a loud crash, the shards hitting the ground. I stare at the mess for a second before picking up something else and throwing it. Anger flares to life and I find myself destroying the room; tossing desks and exploding chairs. Darkness wells up and I narrow my green eyes, breathing hard as I let my magic loose.
It fills the room, shifting shadows and dangerous sparks.
A wild feeling rises in me and I get the sudden urge to make them hurt. I slam my fists down on a destroyed desk with a strangled scream, wanting to let these feelings out but not knowing how. In another fit of rage, I toss the desk and the satisfying sound of wood smashing against brick soothes the anger some. Allowing my magic to...stretch, for lack of a better term, I effortlessly crush a few desks with blank green eyes and slowly sink to the ground.
Looking around at the destruction of the room, self-loathing fills me.
Hurt wells up so suddenly, it catches me off guard. A loud sob breaks out and I clap a hand to my mouth, trying to keep it in. Why couldn't they have remembered me on their own? Because they wanted to remember me and not because I forced them to remember me?
Why?
~-Masterpiece-~
Leaving the now-fixed room, I trace my steps back to the Great Hall where the last pairing is finishing up.
Taking a seat among my friends, I smile a little stiffly at them and their worried looks intensify. I clench my jaw as anger starts to brew in my veins but force it down. These are my friends. They don't deserve to have my ire aimed at them. Vukan stirs under my robes, the ashwinder anxious to get out. He hasn't been allowed as much freedom as he has had during the summer and it puts him on edge. Gently stroking his heated scales through my robes, I struggle to keep my anger in check.
The problem with that though, is the very reasons I even have such burning anger are still here.
I can see my father sitting beside my mother and my godfather and they are talking excitedly with proud looks on their faces. I follow their gaze to Harry and jealousy twists in my gut.
I don't even get my own reactions some times.
I hate when they pay attention to me because it reminds me that they forgot me for so many years but, when I don't have their attention, I want it. Sighing, I look away from the and blankly watch as the final fight gets finished.
The names of the top 6 are deliberated by the judges and then Professor Lestrange turns to us.
"The top ten are as follows: Harry Potter-" The Gryffindors burst into loud cheers as Harry gets jostled and shoved playfully in congratulations. He is blushing a little, his beaming grin is far too charming and I have to nudge Susan to get her to look away. Flushing a little, she shoots me an apologetic look as Harry gets on stage. "Hermione Granger, Hannah Abbot, Daphne Greengrass, Theodore Nott, Draco Malfoy, Susan Bones, Blaise Zabini, Kathrine MacDougal and Kenna Potter." Cheers rise as names are said. Shock resonates through me and I sit still as the group celebrates.
"I made it in the top ten...how?" I ask Susan and she turns to me with a fondly exasperated look.
"Professor Lestrange told us while we were walking down to the Great Hall that we would be scored on our fights. The ten with the highest scores would make the top ten, regardless of whether they won or not." Susan explains and my eyes widen the slightest bit. It still doesn't matter though, because Harry won that fight, regardless of what the scores were.
"The top ten will meet in Headmaster Dumbledore's office tonight at 8 to be told their reward. Thank you for watching!" Professor Lestrange calls and steps down. Headmaster Dumbledore steps forward, waving his wand and making the platform disappear. A few of the students watch the effortless magic with awe but I barely notice.
I walk to the next class with Susan, feeling like there is a large distance between myself and the rest of the people in Hogwarts. I glance up and meet Harry's gaze. His eyes are hopeful and for a moment, I feel a quick and painful longing as our emotions mix...then I slam the door shut and he winces as he gets cut off.
I toss my head, my green eyes dark and narrowed as we move past them.
If he wanted these emotions, he never should have cut himself off from them. I link my arm in Susan's and draw her into a conversation about what spell we would use if we faced off against each other in the final rounds. Harry continues to shoot me those pathetic puppy eyes but I do my best to ignore him as we finish our classes. Potions is the easiest class though because Harry is forced to pay attention to his own potions or be ridiculed by Sev.
This time, even when he is put on the spot, I don't rescue him.
"You guys wanna go flying today?" Isobel whispers to me, my current Potion's partner. Instantly, I beam and nod. Lily groans behind us, knowing she will be reading in the stands today. She hates to fly because she fell off her broom once when she was seven. That ruined flying for her so she usually prefers to watch.
As Isobel turns and whispers to Theo and Blaise, I turn to my side and hiss at Fay until she looks at me. I tap the locket and direct it at her.
"Flying today after class. You in?" I whisper into it. She nods subtly and I gesture at Parvati and Dean. Neville is great but the poor guy still has no confidence on a broom. We may or may not be able to get him on one today, it'll just depend. Judging by the distressed look that crosses his face though, I am guessing he won't be getting on a broom today. Unless...the wicked smirk on my face makes him silently groan and turn away.
I snicker softly as I turn my attention back to my Potion. Susan may be able to persuade him to fly today. That boy adores her and she adores him.
Isobel and I finish our (flawless) potion and hand it in before turning and leaving. Once outside, I sink down against the wall with Isobel as we wait for Lily, Theo, Blaise, Parvati, Fay and Dean to finish their potions. I pull out my Herbology homework, wrinkling my nose.
"I don't get it. How can you be so terrible at Herbology? You love Potions and the two are connected!" Isobel teases and I roll my eyes, shaking my head.
"That is different. I- the plants don't like me." I tell her seriously and Isobel snickers. The last plant we did in Herbology was the Snapping Pea Vine. All we had to do was get the pea pods off the vine but true to its name, it snapped. Hard.
"I think plants are the only things you can't charm." Theo teases, coming out with Blaise, his potions partner.
"Ha, ha." I retort dryly as they sit across from us. Theo flashes me a charming smirk and I roll my eyes, wrinkling my nose at him. Blaise laughs at the two of us. Blaise and Theo have been best friends since practically birth. Of the two of them, Theo is more assertive and Blaise is more go with the flow. "Do either of you know how to calm a Tarantula Flower bush?" I ask and Isobel nods.
"You are supposed to recite a riddle. It will only be confused for a second though so then you have to grip the base of the plant and pull it out of the pot. Once out of the pot, it will be scared and won't do anything for fear you might drop it." Isobel says and I nod thankfully at her as I write it down.
A few minutes later, Fay and Dean are done.
"How much longer for Neville and Parvati?" Blaise asks, impatient to go flying. Fay rolls her cinnamon brown eyes, sitting down beside him.
"The last we saw of them-"
"-Neville was about to explode the potion." Dean finishes and I sigh, feeling bad for Neville.
"Ironically, you are terrible at Herbology and awesome at Potions while Neville is terrible at Potions and awesome at Herbology." Fay points out and I nod, pouting.
"One of the terrible realities of life." I say seriously and they pause, exchanging glances before bursting into laughter. Laughing happily with them, I shove her shoulder playfully as the door opens. Neville trudges out, covered in green goo and I wince, climbing to my feet. "You put the lionfish spine in too soon didn't you?" I ask and he nods morosely, causing Blaise and Fay to hastily muffle their snickers.
I shoot them aloof glares, hooking my arm in with Neville as Parvati and Lily exit the Potions classroom.
"I just don't see how it happened! I made sure to stir three times counterclockwise, turn the fire down and wait 3 minutes!" Neville exclaims and I wince.
"You were supposed to wait four minutes, Nev." I tell him, exasperated at his lack of Potions skills and my lack of Herbology skills. "We need to get together sometime soon or we are both going to get T's in Herbology and Potions. You have to help me!" I beg and Neville nods, looking a bit more cheerful at the reminder he isn't the only one having trouble with classes.
"Hey, can I get help with Charms? I can't nail the Aguamenti Spell. I keep shooting out rum!" Fay says and Dean smirks.
"What's wrong with rum?" He teases, dark green eyes gleaming playfully. "Seamus always appreciates it-oomph." He groans as Fay roughly elbows his side. I grin, loving when my group interact with each other. I can see a level of comfort that runs through all us and it binds us together. We are friends and family.
"Yes, we can work on Charms. Merlin knows that Seamus doesn't need any rum." I mutter and Isobel laughs, knowing I am referring to the incident in our fourth year when he completed the water to rum spell. The Irish lad got so sploshed that he stripped naked and ran into the Great Hall. Rumor has it some of the third years that were first years that day still have nightmares and go out of their way to avoid crossing by Seamus. Bloody wanker.
"Even if Seamus did get into the rum, I'm sure Lily could handle him." Isobel says, laughing a little. Our Lily can be a bit of a firecracker.
"And look fabulous doing it." Dean adds, winking playfully at her.
"Are we getting the rest of the group?" Lily asks, beaming happily at Theo. He laughs, never more amused than when she glows every time she gets a compliment. That is seriously the best way to get something from Lily. Even if she is in a murderous rage, the moment you compliment the way her hair falls, she almost instantly calms down.
"Yeah and I'm gonna swing by the DADA class to see if George is free to come with us." I add and she nods, used to bringing George along.
We split up, Neville and Lily going to get our Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw counterparts while the rest of us get our flying gear. I link arms with Isobel and Theo, speeding up into a run. Laughing, they speed up with me and we skid around corners, this quickly becoming a race. I grin over at Isobel, laughing as Theo pulls ahead.
"Theo!" I shout and Isobel hops to a stop, taking off her shoe and flinging it at him.
"Slow down!" She shouts, ignoring my frantic laughter as we clasp hands and race after him. We race around the corner, screaming as Theo springs out at us. I react automatically, flicking my wrist and grasping the cool length of my want as it shoots into my palm.
"Flipendo!" I shout, flicking it in the proper movement and a jet of yellow light shoots at him, knocking him back. Theo shouts after us as we take advantage and race forward, giggling happily at the look of shock on his face.
"Get back here!" He shouts, chasing after us. Giggling, we swing around the corner and time it so that we can spring out at him this time. Shouting, he falls back, fumbling for his wand. Exchanging looks, Isobel and I double over, clutching at our stomachs as we laugh harder. "Bloody women!" Theo grumbles, but the wide grin on his face clearly shows his affection.
The sound of something falling makes us look up. A stunned group of first year Hufflepuffs stand at the end of the hallway, a copper cauldron rolling on the ground at their feet. Despite the new, tentative relationships between the four Houses, the younger years don't really have much to do with the older years in separate houses. As a result, we still have our fearsome Slytherin reputations to these tiny little badgers.
I exchange a look with Isobel, composing myself and sauntering forward.
"You didn't see anything." I tell them, pouring on the menace and struggling to keep my laughter back as their eyes widen and one of them squeaks. "Get out of here." I wave my wand threateningly and they trip over each other in their efforts to escape.
"Evil!" Isobel laughs and I giggle with her, Theo shaking his head at my antics. I beam cheekily at him, my emerald eyes gleaming merrily as I tuck my wand away.
"Last one to the common room is first year Hufflepuff!" I shout and take off.
"Hey! Cheater!" Isobel shouts and I can hear the pounding of her feet behind me.
"Guys!" Theo shouts, exasperated as he too begins to run. "Wait!" He shouts and I laugh happily, flinging my head back and letting it ring through the halls. I fling my arms out in the air and twirl happily, waiting for Isobel to catch up before running with her. By the time we make it back to the common room, the three of us are breathless with glee and tumble through the entrance together. The older years look at us, surprised but not getting the chance to comment.
Theo hurries off to his dorm, yanking his robes off and nearly tripping with the effort.
I try to muffle my snickers, Isobel giggling with me. During the run, I snuck a little Itching Powder into Theo's robes.
"Not swift!" His indignant shout echoes back to us and I double over in laughter, tears appearing in my eyes from the force of our laughter. We hurry to our room and strip down. I pull on a pair of dark green suspender shorts, letting the straps hang down. Next, I pull on a soft, black cropped cami with a silver and gold snitch across the bust, black converse with the Slytherin badge on the side and my broom necklace. I curse under my breath as it gets tangled with my deer head necklace but don't stop to undo the tangle.
Scrambling down, I haul my trunk from under my bed and pull my Lightningbolt 0004 out (a present from Isadora last year). My Lightningbolt is the fourth in the line. It is made from gleaming ebony wood, glossed until the black wood shines beautifully. The bristles are dark and smooth, a light green coating the bottom and winding up the bristles. It is the best present I have ever gotten and I adore the speed I can coax from it.
I pull on plain black robes, sliding my wand up into the built in wand holster and grabbing a hair band just in case.
"Come on!" I chant, waiting impatiently by the door as Isobel finishes getting ready. Huffing, she grabs Lily's favorite book and we hurry from the room, trying to keep our excitement in check. Theo is waiting by the exit, huffing and scratching his neck. I hide my grin, my eyes sparkling wickedly as I exchange a look with Isobel.
"I don't believe that innocent look for a second." Theo says, pointing a finger threateningly at me. Grinning innocently, I hold up my hands.
"Who? Me? What did I do?" I ask teasingly and Theo shoots me a dark look, taking up a stance in front of the door. Sighing, I pull a little phial out of my pocket and toss it to him. "Just sprinkle it on." I instruct moving past him. Theo does and I glance back in time to see the relief spread across his face. Muffling my snickers, I pick up the pace, jogging through the halls with Isobel and Theo following closely behind. We have to dodge Peeves and I make sure to toss the extra phial of Itching Powder to him with a wink and shhing finger. Peeves salutes with a wicked grin and zooms away, cackling.
"You are evil." Theo mutters and I shoot him a rakish grin, raking my fingers through my dark curls.
"You know it and you love it." I tease merrily, diverting our path through a secret tunnel. Used to my little tricks, Isobel and Theo latch onto my shoulders as I effortlessly lead them through the pitch black tunnel and out the other end. We wind up on the fourth floor, right across from the DADA classroom and I shoot them a cocky grin as I saunter forward and knock.
I enter the room with Theo and Isobel flanking me.
"What do you want, girl?" Professor Moody (the real one) growls, lurching forward on his club foot. I meet his gaze evenly, glad we paused to shrink our brooms and hide them in our pockets. Out of the corner of my eye, I can George perk up and grin, elbowing Fred. The red-heads mime expressions of relief and I can't suppress the smirking grin that crosses my lips.
"Professor Evans-Potter requested George Weasley and Fred Weasley. It seems someone set off a group of dung bombs on the sixth floor." I lie effortlessly, Theo and Isobel backing me up with their expressions of disgust. It is so realistic that even I almost believe our lie.
"It went off in a group of Gryffindor's faces." Isobel adds, causing the other Gryffindors to shift in their seats and aim annoyed looks at the twins. I have to hold back a laugh, seeing the glee on Isobel's face at stirring up a little trouble. Slytherin to the core. I approve with a slight nod and turn back to Moody.
"Permission to escort them to the sixth floor?" I request respectfully, conveying innocence with a touch of Slytherin annoyance at having to escort Gryffindors. My green eyes are clear and wide, framed by long, thick black lashes that I know automatically give me an innocent look. I run a hand through my dark curls, ruffling them a little and he nods curtly.
"Weasleys, you heard the girl. Get your arses out of my classroom!" He growls, pointing his wooden staff at them. Grinning gleefully, the two of them scramble up and shove their stuff in their bags before swinging them over their shoulders and joining us. I smirk up at George and he smirks back, tugging lightly on my curls. "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" Moody suddenly booms and instantly I have my wand out and silently casting a spell. A silver shield shimmers into existence, deceptively fragile but the jet of red light collides with it and my shield sucks it in, turning a solid grey before spitting the spell back out at Moody and fading away.
"Bloody hell!" George yelps, ducking and flailing awkwardly. I dodge his limbs, trying to focus on Moody's contemplative expression as he deflects the spell.
"Do you mind?" I question snarkily, dodging flailing limbs and George pauses, smiling sheepishly. The look is so adorable that I have to grin back, wide enough that a dimple in my cheek appears.
"What spell was that Potter?" Moody asks roughly, swinging forward and leaning heavily on his staff. His magic eye swirls around so that I can only see white. A little unnerved, I take a quick step back, reassured by body warmth of Theo and Isobel flanking me. I glance back at them, my emerald eyes a little wide but turn forward.
"One of my own, Professor." I tell him, dipping my head respectfully and diverting my eyes away from his. There is a shadow of old submissiveness in my posture and I see George shoot me a look. For the moment though, I ignore it. I can see shock cross Moody's face out of the corner if my eye and clasp my hands behind my back.
"One of your own." He states and I nod. "Am I supposed to believe that you created that spell?" Moody growls disbelievingly and I stiffen, my pride wounded. George shifts on his feet, knowing of the trunk at home that I have full of spells but doesn't say anything.
"Yes, sir." I bite out, clenching my jaw but refusing to show disrespect to the Auror. I probably wouldn't be taking this from someone else but I have respect for his career as an Auror and how he survived the fourth year kidnapping. The fearsome old Auror has amazing skill in Dark wizard hunting and by all rights should have been dead years ago with all the enemies he has amassed. The fact that not only is he alive but thriving...it deserves the proper respect.
"We don't even teach Spell Creation at Hogwarts." Moody rumbles and I narrow my eyes the slightest bit. I may respect him but I dislike anyone doubting my magical skills. They are a source of pride for me, especially since there are few witches or wizards in Magical Britain that even practice Spell Creation (and successfully at that) anymore. "How did you learn this?" He asks and I raise my head the slightest bit, my eyes kept respectfully diverted.
"I took a two years away from Hogwarts and enrolled at Durmstrang." I tell him with pride. His face twists and I know it is because of Durmstrang's fierce some reputation. I refuse to be ashamed though. Durmstrang was the first school that made me feel at home. They are all about the magic and bloodlines. If you have them, you are accepted. You still have to prove yourself and sometimes in violent ways for the more stubborn and idiotic people but I excelled there and if I had my way, probably would be enrolled there this year.
"How do you do that spell?" Moody questions and I really do meet his gaze that time.
"With all due respect, Professor, I am not giving away any of my spells. I put time and effort into them and if you notice, I cast that spell wordlessly for a reason. I won't have anyone using my spells without my express permission." I tell him, pride glimmering in my voice before I tuck it away. Moody looks me over for a second before nodding curtly.
"You're a Slytherin. What about a trade?" The gruff man proposes and I perk up, an anticipatory grin slipping across my face. Theo muffles a groan and my smile widens. If there is something I love it has to be deals.
"What are you offering?" I ask and he points his gnarled staff at me.
"I train you in Dark wizard training. You want to be an Auror, don't you?" He questions, clearly thinking as a Potter that is my dream. I shake my head with a small smirk gracing my lips. Suddenly, I am portraying an utterly disinterested teenage witch. I lean against George's side, a lazy smirk on my face. Surprise and shock crosses Moody's face and he scowls, swinging forward. "What do you want to do?" He snaps.
"I want to become a Potion's Master, like my Godfather Severus. Then I plan on gaining a Mastery in Charms as well as DADA. All while juggling the politics. My father and siblings have no care for politics, with the one exception of my older brother-" I pause to nod at Landon curtly. He nods back, his hazel-green eyes wary. I glimpse Regulus sitting to his left but don't let that catch me up, gliding my gaze over him like I don't see him there (despite the way I warm when I see him.) "-and he has shown more interest in Ministry politics rather than Wizengamot politics." I answer, pride in every inch of my lithe form.
"That is ambitious. Most people only ever gain one Mastery in their life and that is while focusing single-mindedly upon that Mastery." Moody says and I grin with pride, straightening my shoulders and resisting the urge to ruffle my curls.
"I didn't go into Slytherin because I like to insult those beastly little Gryffindors-" I shoot a smug smirk in my brother's direction, causing him to narrow his eyes at me as his friends shift in their seats and glance between him and me. "-I got into Slytherin because I am ambitious and I have the power to follow through with my ambitions." I tell him, some of my arrogance showing.
"You also have the pride and arrogance that will most likely be your downfall." Moody grumbles but waves his hand at us. "If you aren't going to accept my offer-"
"I never said I wouldn't." I cut him off, sauntering a little closer. Moody stares suspiciously at me, his magic eye swirling around in the socket. Unlike before, I don't allow it to get to me.
"Then we have a deal?" Moody asks roughly and I grin, emerald eyes lighting up.
"Not quite." I tell him, an almost playful edge to my voice. "I want you to train me but not just in your Auror training. I want you to train me in everything you know." I tell him seriously, conveying my meaning through my eyes and body language. Moody scowls, knowing I am alluding to the rumors of him using Dark magic against Dark wizards to catch them. He narrows his eyes but gives one curt nod. I smile, satisfied. My smirk is reminiscent of the cat that caught the canary, the mouse and the cream.
"Every lesson I give will earn one more spell." Moody clarifies and I nod, twirling my wand absently in one hand, my focus trained intently on him.
"It's a deal. And don't worry-" I turn to go and pause to shoot back a rakish smirk. "-Harvey taught me a lot." I finish before leaving the room as the astonished expression spreads across his face.
A lot of my respect from Moody comes from Harvey. They used to be Hit Wizards together and Harvey entertained me with many stories about their exploits over the years. They used to be best mates but then something happened and they split up. Harvey was really reluctant to talk about it and I could sense the pain behind the stories so I didn't pry. I had too much respect for the portly wizard to do that.
"Who's Harvey?" George asks, right on my heels.
"He's the guy that trained me, remember? I told you guys about him." I answer, kneeling down and pulling out my broom as the other follow suit. "Neville's grabbing your guys brooms." I tell them as I walk across the hall and press my palm to a stone. The stone wall slides back and everyone holds on to everyone as we walk through.
~-Masterpiece-~
"Finally, there you guys are! What took so long?" Kat exclaims as we reach her at the bleachers. Her chocolate eyes are gleaming and her wind-tossed hair shows me she must have gotten impatient and started flying without us. Everyone else has made it and Neville is sitting nervously beside Susan and Lily.
"Why so impatient, Kat?" I tease, swinging a leg over the slender handle of my broom.
"Like you don't know?" Kat teases back and we take off. The moment my feet leave the ground, all my worries are gone. I get a swooping feeling in my stomach and whoop happily as the wind gently buffs me. This right here, the wind raking through my hair as the ground gets smaller- it is moments like this that I live for. Grinning wildly, I let go of my broom (holding on with my legs) and fling my arms out as I just let myself fall.
There isn't anything quite like free falling through the air. Wind rushes past your ears, deafening you to everything but the pounding of your heart and the blood rushing through your veins. The ground grows closer and I can see Neville shouting something. I grin, laughing wildly as I get closer and closer to the ground...and at the last possible second pulling up. I flip upside down so my head gently brushes the ground before I pull up and shoot into the air.
My broom is one of my most treasured possessions. It is so lightweight that it is perfect for a Chaser (my favorite position). I can do all my stunts on the broom at the same time getting the eye-watering speed that I crave. I slow down as I glimpse George out of the corner of my eye, turning my broom to face him.
"Since when do you want to die?!" He shouts and I laugh, flinging my head back; feeling gloriously worry free. After a few moments, George can't keep up the stern glare and begins laughing with me. "Race you down!" He shouts and takes off. Grinning happily, I turn my broom and take off.
Though we are supposed to be racing, we just end up winding around each other as the rest of the group rises in the air. Hannah tosses a Quaffle in the air and we all take off. We are't playing Quidditch just a version of Muggle toss. It is everyone for themselves until someone decides to team up with someone. Then we are laughing and arguing playfully as we zoom around tossing the Quaffle back and forth.
Right now, Terry has it but I can see Oliver coming up from the side to steal it. Grinning, I fly in and steal it first, laughing at the mock-outraged look on Oliver's face. I toss it to Susan, who tosses it to Blaise, who tosses it to Hannah, who tosses it to George, who tosses it back to me. The five of us are unstoppable, tossing it back and forth and laughing.
I start laughing so hard that I begin slipping to the side and the next thing I know, Parvati has stolen the Quaffle. For a fashion girl like her, she has more skills on a broom than any of us had expected. Padma doesn't like flying but we can distantly see her cheering for her Twin. Shouting revenge, George and I try to corner her but she drops like a stone and passes over to Dean. Instantly, Seamus is taking off after him.
And we descend into chaos.
Everyone is racing around, dodging and twirling and tossing the Quaffle. It is the most fun we have had since we got back to Hogwarts. This is the perfect bonding time (except for our non-flyers: Mandy, Justin, Neville, Lily, Padma and Anthony.)
As the sun begins to lower, we begin to slow down some until we all drift to the ground. Our six no flyers join us, handing out water and sweets. I lounge on the grass with my head propped up on George's stomach, munching on a Pumpkin Pastry and feel so...peaceful. The sun is a fiery ball of orange, pink, gold and brilliant yellows that soften into reddish orange and soft pinks that light up the clouds like the sun's halo.
We are chatting comfortably about random things. We go from: exploding cauldrons to fashion fails to who we think will win at the next Quidditch World Cup. Everyone is comfortable as we lay on the ground, draped around and even on each other. Susan is sitting beside Neville as they talk quietly and I smile, glad to see them growing closer.
Fred is laughing with Seamus, who has an arm around Lily. Kat is giggling with Hannah, Mandy and Isobel while Kevin, Justin, Oliver and Anthony shout with mock-outrage. As I look around, I can't help but think this is the perfect mix of all four Houses. We have our Ravenclaw wit mixing with Gryffindor banter. Slytherin teasing mixing with Hufflepuff friendliness and laughter. It is perfect.
I settle back against George and he smiles down at me, blue eyes soft and warm as he looks at me. I hesitate but smile adoringly back. Right now it doesn't matter what we said we would or wouldn't do. Right now we don't have to hide. We can just be ourselves. I feel my heart give a quick, sweet throb in my chest and I blush as I look away from him. My curls fall over my face, a dark curtain until George reaches out and tucks them behind my ear; his fingers lingering on my cheek.
My breath catches in my throat and I look over at him, feeling cautious. He smiles playfully, tugging on my curls before lightly flicking my nose.
"Hey!" I tease and lunge at him, mussing up his hair. Laughing, he catches me around the waist and buries his fingers in my side. The second he does, I dissolve into laughter as he finds my ticklish spots. Squirming and laughing, I push at his hands until he relents.
"Have I ever told you that I think you have the most infectious and warm laughter?" George asks and I shake my head, still laughing a little.
"Nope." I say teasingly and he buries his fingers in my hair, pulling me closer. Shocked, I fall forward and brace my hands on his chest. His skin's warmth seeps through his shirt and warms me in a familiar way. I stare down at my hands on his chest before flicking my gaze tentatively up from under my lashes.
"Well you do. And I like when you look at me like that." George adds, smiling our smile. It is playful with a hint of something deeper, something more.
"Like what?" I whisper, George leaning a little closer until our faces are separated only by a thin sliver of air. My heart is beating rapidly in my chest as anticipation stirs through me.
"Like I am the center of your world...and you love it." George whispers, completely serious as he gazes into my eyes. His fiery eyebrows are scrunched as he looks at me and I smile softly, raising my hand to straighten them out. George keeps his eyes locked on my face as his hands slide down in my hair and he sweeps his thumbs over my cheeks, almost as though he is about to kiss me. I sink my teeth into my lower lip, avoiding the silver ring.
I slowly trace his face down to his lips, pausing as I stare at them. George's lips are so much softer than I had thought they would be. I remember what it was like to kiss him and a pulse of longing shoots through me. I don't bother to hide it, raising my eyes to his and letting the longing reflect at him.
Ducking his head closer, George closes his eyes and groans before burying his face in my hair. My breath catches as I feel his warm breath on my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. I bring my hands up, burying them in his hair and tugging lightly. George leans back and presses our foreheads together, sliding one of his hands down so that it lingers on my waist, tugging me closer until nothing separates our bodies.
"George?" I whisper softly, nudging his nose with mine as his hand tightens gently in my curls. If he chooses to kiss me, I will kiss back. And once he is mine, I will never look at another man again. Regulus will never catch my attention and I will put Ash out of my mind. It won't be easy but I do care so much for George. He has always been there for me, holding me as I cried, laughing with me, pranking with me, reading with me (the horror), casting spells and even just...talking.
If George chooses this- chooses me...then I will choose him...and I'll never look back.
George sighs, looking deeply into my eyes before dropping his head down onto my shoulder. I circling his shoulders with my arms, resting my cheek on his neck as I wrap my legs around is waist. Right now I am sitting on his lap as he struggles with himself. I close my eyes, the sweet moment a little bitter at his indecision. I can't blame him for it though.
Then George raises his head, determination in his deep blue eyes as he tugs me closer until our breaths mingle. George locks our gazes together and tilts his head, moving in closer. My eyes flutter shut as our lips ever so lightly brush-
"What are you guys doing out here?" My heart drops when I hear my father's voice and George abruptly pulls away. Disappointment spirals through me as George grasps my wrists and gently tugs them down from around his neck, shifting until I am only sitting beside him. I clench my eyes shut for a second before pushing the moment away and laying out until my head is draped on George's side like before.
My father is standing at the edge of the group, an amused smile on his face as he slowly scans us all. His gaze finds mine and stops, focusing on me.
"What's it to you?" I ask, raising an eyebrow but the heat is missing from my voice. My father smirks playfully, ruffling his hair as he stretches.
"Considering you are my daughter, everything. But bigger than that, all of you skipped your classes. The staff has been searching for a little over an hour for all of you. We even had to get Dumbledore involved." He says, smirking proudly. "I have never raised such a fuss like that during my time here. Congratulations!" He says and we cheer for a moment. "Now let's get your trouble-making arses back into the castle." He calls. Grinning, we all scramble up and grab our brooms. I swing mine over my shoulder, laughing as Susan has to duck or get hit in the head.
"Kenna!" Susan cries and I laugh as she lunges at me, ducking behind George and standing on my tip toes to peer over his shoulder. Susan scowls playfully, her blue eyes glinting.
"Last one to the school is a Bludger!" I call and we all pause, looking at each other before taking off for the school. Laughing, I hop on my broom, gesturing for George to climb on after me. He does with a grin and we push off from the ground, soaring above the group as they laugh and shout at us.
"Cheater!"
"Hey!"
"How could you!?"
"Bloody wankers!"
Giggling, I lean forward as we shoot for the castle. The whole group makes it at about the same time though and I turn my head back, my cheek brushing George's.
"Hold on!" I shout and then we fly right into the castle, through the hallway and into the Great Hall before touching down. Laughing, I climb off with George as our group floods around us.
"Come on! So not brill!" Fay shouts, causing me to lean into George's side, laughing hysterically. Susan playfully shoves my shoulder and I grin at her, wiggling my eyebrows and shooting her a knowing look. She blushes but returns the look pointedly at George's arm around my waist. A pink flush tinges my cheeks but I wrinkle my nose playfully at her, my smile turning even brighter.
"What is going on in here!?" Moody booms and instantly, silence falls in our group. He grinds his staff into the cobbled floor of the Great Hall, glaring at us with both of his eyes. "Well?" He growls and my group shuffles a little so that I am at the front and they are surrounding me. I shoot them disgruntled glares and Susan snickers. The low laughter sweeps through the group, prompting a bright smile out of me before they muffle their laughter.
"We are just coming in for food." I try, innocently blinking at him but his dark glower doesn't waver. My father finally runs in, squeezing through my group to reach Moody. I purse my lips, leaning into George's side as I cross my arms. My animosity is dulled but still very much there.
"Is your Prongs gonna help us out or sell us out?" George leans down and whispers. I turn my face up to his, shrugging as my father converses with the irate ex-Auror.
"Who knows? I just wish the bloody wanker would hurry up." I grumbled and George laughed lightly under his breath, a smile spreading across my face at the cheerful sound.
"That is terrible of you to talk about your own father like that." George teased and I gave him a droll look, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.
"Thank you." I said archingly, causing him to laugh again. My father turned sharply at the sound and we muffled our snickers, turning away from each other innocently. He cast a suspicious look our way as Dumbledore and my mother joined them. We shuffled awkwardly at the entrance, the other students staring at us. "This would be the perfect time for a good prank. With all of us here, none of us could be blamed." I say mournfully, feeling the good opportunity being passed by. Then with a wicked grin, I slipped my wand out and cast a spell at my father before casting smaller, unimportant spells in case he decides to check my spell history on my wand.
Seeing my father slowly turning green from the roots of his hair down to his feet, I muffled my laughter as my group begins to notice. I shrug innocently as they all turn to the two of us. George grins, flinging an arm over my shoulders and tugging me closer. Smiling, I duck my head, my shoulders shaking as I try to hold back the silent laughter.
"-should be punished!" The group's voices slowly grew louder and then abruptly cut off.
"Prongs..." Sirius said slowly. "Why are you turning green?" He asked and I broke. My giggles spilled out and I tried to hide them behind my hand as I stumbled to the side, leaning into George as I shook with laughter. He's laughing too, the snickers spilling out of all of us. We burst out laughing, leaning on each other as we just lose it.
"Come on! Really?! Why green?!" He spat out and we just laughed harder, tears appearing in my eyes from the force as my stomach began to hurt.
"S-sorry, Dad!" I choked out before dissolving into laughter again. Shocked, he stared at me for a second but I didn't register what I said until a few moments later. Then, rather abruptly, my cheeks flushed a brilliant red as I cut my laughter off. Slowly, our laughter dies down and we are standing sheepishly in front of Dumbledore, my father, Professor Moody (DADA Professor for 8 years and up), Professor Lestrange (DADA teacher for 5th years to 8 years), my mother and Professor McGonagall.
"Now, explain why you 21 students decided to skip the rest of your classes and go fly around outside?" Dumbledore asked and there was a pause as we all looked at him.
"There is no good explanation, Headmaster Dumbledore. We- we were just skipping because we could, I suppose." I answered, meeting his gaze evenly. There really is no good explanation about why we skipped our classes. Honestly though, I'm surprised it took them so long to find us. They must have noticed when half the sixth year students were missing.
Dumbledore looked us all over for a few minutes, his wise blue eyes holding disappointment in us. Under the weight of his stare, I ducked my head and stared at my feet. I really hate disappointing my pseudo grandfather. That look of disappointment just cuts me right to the core.
"Well, I cannot let you all off because it would send the wrong message. 10 points from each of you and I want every single one of you to write a five foot essay on why what you did today was irresponsible and should never happen ever again. And each of you have detention for the next week." He looked at us for a moment more, shook his head and then walked back up to the Head table. I winced, that is a 220 points just gone. 50 from Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and 70 from Gryffindor. Stirrings of angry mutters rose from the Houses and I rolled my eyes.
"Please! Like we weren't the ones that earned most of those points?" I snapped, shooting a nasty glare at one of the Ravenclaws that was muttering with one of her friends.
"Like we can't earn them back? Unlike you, Sally." Padma snapped at her fellow Ravenclaw, tossing her head and folding her arms. The Indian beauty look furious and Sally quailed, turning away without another word. I shot her a sympathetic look and we all crowded around each other.
"Don't worry about it." George said and they nodded.
"Yeah, we all chose to go." Oliver consoled.
"It wasn't like you Imperious'ed us and dragged us along." Parvati said, matter of factly. I nodded, smiling fondly around at the group.
"You guys are awesome." I said, meaning every single word.
"You know it!" Kat sassed and I laughed as we split up into our four Houses. I glanced at George, the two of us exchanging smiles before Isobel, Lily, Blaise and Theo dragged me over to our table. Laughing, I sat down, playfully elbowing Theo in the side.
I love my friends.
xbamsod - I'm glad that you liked the duel! Honestly, that was so fun for me to write (not the end though.) I like to show the relationships between the characters because it gives a sense of realism to me inserting a character into a story line. It may have killed you to see her and Harry fight but I don't think that will be the last of those...Thanks so much for your review!
hiphop1chick1 - Thank you!
lightbabe - Yep, it is always Harry and that is something that Kenna will be struggling with. I can tell you feel for Kenna by your outrage so thanks for that! ;)
Outofthisworldgal - Yeah, I know you guys are rooting for Kenna. Honestly, for a second there I was going to make it be a tie but that didn't really fit with what I have going on now.
Thanks so much to LoverOfAllThingsFiction (nice name by the way;), LunarRazorblade20, ficfan365, Lady Layla Mikk, thedoane0816, SeleneAlice, JessicaWxo, AlexJMP, spud329, newmanlillian4, 4everreader3, Thedoctorswif3, Twylaheart, Bellanaris, SessyKagFan and JulesLillianTellar for following and adding my story!
