CHAPTER TWELVE: SNOW BALLING
The remaining days left in the semester dwindled down to just seven, as the Knaves plopped down onto the bench of the mostly empty Ravenclaw table. Having just finished their last final exams, most of the boys were relieved to be free for the rest of the break, albeit a bit mentally tired. The exception to this feeling was of course, Ali.
"What did you lot get for question fifty-three on the Herbology final?" he asked, clearly paranoid. Drew groaned.
"We don't remember! There were like, ninety questions!"
"Ninety-two…" Ali mumbled, propping his head on his hands. Drew rolled his eyes as his friend stared off into space.
Drew had faced more struggles just trying to get from day to day at Hogwarts than he did on the tests, and though previously stressed, he now felt boundless, full of new energy.
"The D.A.D.A test was cake," Tyler announced, stretching his long arms. Alberto looked Appalled.
"How do you reckon?"
"It was all common sense!" Tyler squealed, obviously annoyed. "'What d'yu do when faced with a monster you've never encountered before?' Oh, I dunno… Flee the area, perhaps?"
Alberto stared blankly for a moment before cracking a smile and shaking his head blushingly.
"Wizards…" Tyler said contemptuously.
The boys attempted to discuss what to do with their free afternoon, but Ali's constant interruptions about test scores weighed on their spirits.
"Come on, Ali… You're the top of our year. You need to lighten up!" Tyler said finally, after Drew slammed his fists against the table in result of another of Ali's academic outbursts. Ali nodded his head understandingly and went back to his thoughts.
"He needs to lighten up," Alberto whispered, watching the big bodied Christopher Patil walk into the great hall, accompanied by Matthew Ray. "I mean, look at him. You think he's got any relation to Hagrid? I bet-"
"Shut up." Drew cut in, silencing Alberto. Drew's face grew grim and his friends undoubtedly noticed his hand dip into his wand pocket.
His transactions with Ray and Patil had been so minimal he hadn't a clue on whether or not they still wanted his head. Nevertheless, his attendance to dueling club this year had him confident in facing the worst.
Patil gazed around the shallowly populated great hall, before pointing to Drew and the others and exchanging a few words with Ray. The two then made a beeline for the Ravenclaw table.
Ali caught Drew's eye, and Drew understood that he'd have backup in a brawl if one occurred.
"Oi, Henry!" Ray shouted brutally.
Drew turned around slowly.
"Ray?" He stabbed coolly.
Matthew and Christopher said nothing, but strolled towards the boys. Drew felt his heart pumping, but to his shock, the boys simply swung their legs over the bench, and joined the Knaves.
"Listen Henry," Ray began uncomfortably. "After hearing about what you—both of you," He restated, nodding to Alberto, who was listening into their conversation intently. "What you two did against Peeves, and how you found Emile… Well, I guess you aren't such losers."
These words seemed to take a great effort from Matthew, and Drew wasn't sure on how to respond. On the other side of the diminutive Ray, Christopher Patil gave Drew thumbs up.
"Er… well, thanks." Drew said awkwardly, loosening his grip on his wand handle.
Matthew gave a forced smile.
"Us Gryffindors need to stick together. We aren't too far out of first place after beating the Puffs in Quidditch." Matthew said, and Drew could see a fiery passion in his house mate's eyes.
"GO GO GRYFFINDOR!" Christopher bellowed to the great hall. His echo bounced off of the ceiling. Alberto, Ali and Tyler eyed Drew gawkily, as if to say You room with these jug heads?
"Ha-ha," Drew said hollowly. "Well I'm glad to hear this from you lot, but we were just about to go… erm—"
"Outside," Ali piped up. Drew frowned at him, "McGonagall said that we were allowed out as long as we stayed near enough to the castle." Ali said innocently. Matthew and Christopher seemed to be content in the great hall as they set up a game of exploding snap.
With this, the knaves hopped off of the bench and swung on their winter cloaks and scarfs, sprinting out of the castle.
"You sure we're allowed out here?" Alberto asked, slipping on his dragon hide gloves.
"Not exactly… but I saw some of the older students going on, and… what could it hurt?" Ali replied.
The three other boys stared at him as if he were some sort of alien life form, but went on with the adventure, regardless.
The boys romped out into the foot tall snow that decorated the Castle lawn. The scenery was white. And white was all there was. A couple of students were huddled up against the stone steps, just out of view of the great oak doors that the boys had walked out of. A boy with white blonde hair and a girl with brown locks held hands in the flurries that drifted from above.
"Who're they?" Drew asked, his nose stingingly red in the chilled air. He clearly wasn't touched by the romantic scene before him.
"That," Tyler said weakly as he rubbed his hands together, "Is Timothy Xioshen. Zi-Oh-Shen." He pronounced slowly. "He tried to jinx me in the common room after I misread his name on the prefect's list. It's not every day you come by a name like that!"
"Some prefect he must be." Drew said bitterly, taking notice of the emerald and silver scarf the older boy wore.
"Unless you lot have anything to do, I'd love to leave this arctic hell that you've dragged me into." Alberto said loudly. A single tear slid from his face, and froze instantly. It was clear that he wasn't used to the cold weather.
Drew whined about having to see Ray and Patil again, and suggested they do something more with their time outdoors. So the boys began to roll snow, and cliché as it was, they began to build a snow man. After Alberto added a stick they'd planned on using for a nose in an inappropriate place, Drew took to kicking it down heartily. The boys laughed a while longer, pretending to be dragons with their chilled fog breath, before being forced to stop by disdainful looks from the prefect Xioshen. Moments later, Drew suggested the boys all go in, much to Alberto's delight.
"We can leave after this," Ali said distantly, and the other boys spun around to see him a few yards away, scooping ice up with his dragon hide glove. He patted the snow into a ball and before any of the others could stop him, he sent it flying. It arched up into the blue sky before landing with a crunch against the back of the Slytherin prefect's head.
"RUN!" Ali bellowed through fits of giggles. And the boys tore off towards the steps once again, Alberto leading the pack. Alberto slipped on the first step, but scrambled to his feet quickly, heaving the oak door open.
Drew caught sight of Xioshen's swinging wand arm, and a jet of silver light splashing into the snow banks just below the steps on which the first years stood. In the glee of the moment, Drew made a rude gesture at the older students as he slammed the Oak doors closed behind his friends.
Once inside, the boys didn't stop their running, instinctively all sprinting up towards their hideout within the fireplace on the second floor.
Once they arrived on the second floor landing, they stopped to take a rest. Heaving heavily but laughing the whole while.
"Ali, where did that come from?" Alberto cried, clapping Ali on the shoulder.
"You lot told me to lighten up!"
The boys roared with laughter as the recounted what happened.
"…Drew you did that? Bloody hell, mate, we're all dead!" Tyler said, sipping from a test tube shaped container he pulled from his robes. "Xioshen's kind of an Alpha male in Slytherin. He's got friends, man… friends like—Him." Tyler pointed at a conveniently close large Slytherin boy who stalked towards the first year's direction.
"I know him! That's Ryan." Alberto said, his voice sounding like a mixture of excitement and fear.
The other three boys were brought back to when they had all met on the train to Hogwarts in September. Alberto had told them all about a boy named Ryan who was an old timey Blood purist.
"Wait a minute… that's the bloke you were talking about?" Ali said, squinting through his glasses. "Ryan Patil. That big lug Christopher is his brother." Drew's eyebrows rose, seeing the similarities between the two large black haired boys. And just how Christopher had wandered over towards the first year boys in the great hall earlier, his brother did the same.
"H-hey, Ryan! What's up?" Tyler asked, his smarminess being replaced with respectful fear. Ryan looked around at the boys suspiciously, pausing at Alberto who had instantly formed a face concealing wrapping out of his Hufflepuff scarf. Ryan frowned.
"Harper," He said, poking Tyler in the chest. The two were nearly the same height, though Ryan was about three times as wide. "And you two are…" He pulled out a piece of parchment and squinted down at it before continuing, "Acra and Henry?" Drew and Ali nodded quickly.
"You three—Not you, Pizzaro," Ryan spat with disgust, Alberto dropped his façade embarrassingly, seeing he'd been found out.
"Have been invited to Professor Slughorn's Christmas Party, being held on December twenty-third, the evening term ends. You are expected to bring a date of your choosing and dress cordially. Festivities begin at five pm, sharp."
Ryan finished reading and Drew, Ali and Tyler looked at each other in shock, Alberto building a silent rage over not having been invited. Without another word, Ryan slammed through the boys (knocking Tyler to the floor) on his way down the grand staircase.
Rushing into the fireplace as soon as nobody was around, the boys had a lot to discuss.
"Why the bloody hellam I not invited?" was the first thing Alberto said.
"He's probably sick of seeing you so much after those detentions…" Drew recalled, dismissing Alberto for the moment.
"How are we supposed to find a date? And er… clothes?"
"Oh come off it, we all know you're going to go with Brooke Mars." Tyler said casually. Drew shook his head.
"But I've got to ask her. I think I'd rather have another go at Peeves." He said truthfully. Alberto shivered from behind him.
"And it said cordially, mate. Meaning we can get away with sweaters- I can't have been the only one to get a holiday sweater from the house elves last week." Ali said, wiping his glasses.
It was true for all students, as the House Elves had taken to knitting as a pass time over the last years. Drew knew that dress robes were a wizard custom, not to be ignored.
"I've got dress robes- Plenty." Alberto added seemingly reading Drew's mind after he'd subsided his fuming, "And no bloody complaining from you lot… I'd love to go to one of Slughorn's shindigs. I heard from Danny Derrick that they were real posh… a perfect place to set some dung bombs off if you ask me…" he trailed off.
"Look, we just have to find dates. Not a big deal…" Tyler said, brushing dirt off of the back of his robes. Drew and Ali sighed. It seemed to be problem after problem at this school.
A few moments later, Drew changed the subject to Ryan's run through of Tyler.
"Heh- I've got it easy compared to Wasim Kabu." Tyler said, sitting on the stone floor with the rest of the boys. Ali dipped into his rucksack and pulled out a chess board, unfolding it, he then dumped out thirty-two squirming chess pieces. Drew sat across from him and began to set up the board for a game of Wizard's chess. A game that Drew knew he had no hope in winning at.
"What'd Wasim do to Ryan?" Alberto asked disinterestedly, tapping his wand against the floor. Tyler shrugged.
"Dunno, Ryan's just kind of a bully, isn't he? He's the one who kicked me and Wasim out back on our first night here."
Alberto's eyes flicked over to Tyler, remembering an occasion he was involved in.
"You know I told Wasim to tail Slughorn, right?" He asked the room of boys. Drew and Ali shrugged, enticed in their game (Ali's Queen had put one of Drew's pawns in a choke hold).
"IF Slughorn's up to something- Like you lot all seem to-" Ali began skeptically, "Then I reckon Kabu's the right guy to figure something out… I saw him in Slughorn's office the other day when I turned in that research paper-"
"-Three days early." Drew chimed in. Alberto was annoyed at Ali's predictable doubt.
"It all fits, mate! Look, you lot were attacked by Centaurs in the forest, correct?"
The three other boys nodded.
"And then a few days later, that Firenze bloke was attacked and sent to St. Mungo's… Well, that next day, Slughorn told our class that he'd been in the forbidden forest -the place where Firenze was found KO'd, mind you- getting bloody spider pincers!" Tyler nodded at Alberto's assessment. Drew took his focus off of the chess match and looked at Alberto, his brow furrowed.
"That's fairly suspicious, I'll give you that."
In the background, Ali smacked his lips dubiously.
"I think he's got a point." Tyler said patting Alberto on the shoulder. "Good on you for getting us a little spy, too." Alberto looked thankful for one friends' support.
"Well tell you what; you two are staying here for Holiday, correct?" Drew asked. Alberto and Tyler nodded. Neither quite fancied a chat with their parents about school at this point in the year- Alberto due to his acquaintances being the wrong type of wizard, and Tyler due to his acquaintances being wizards at all.
"You should pay a visit to the gamekeeper, Hagrid. If anyone has an inside scoop on this Centaur madness, it's him. He practically lives in the forest." Drew continued. Alberto nodded, taking this idea into consideration. None of the boys were on particular friendly terms with Hagrid. They knew that he taught Care of Magical Creatures to the older students, but only Drew seemed to know anything more about him. Alberto shuttered. Drew figured he was thinking about their last interaction with the half-giant, when he was dragging in massive Christmas trees and told the first years to 'Get outter the way!'
The evening of December twenty third rapidly approached, and with all of the free time the boys were given, the anxiousness of the upcoming party only grew.
Drew, Ali, and Tyler were all set in the clothing department, each deciding to wear their festive House Elf made sweater under a pair of Alberto's borrowed dress robes. In Drew's opinion, the easy part was done- But with only two days left, he was still dateless. Tyler showed up to breakfast one morning happier than usual, having agreed to take a fellow Slytherin first year, Amanda Monroe.
"How'd you do it?" Drew asked him incredulously, leaning over his breakfast plate at the Hufflepuff table.
"I just asked her, mate. She's a pretty chill girl, thought she'd be a good time."
Alberto nodded at Tyler.
"That's my boy. You know, it's a shame I can't go. They must have me on some sort of 'do not invite' list, because I haven't been asked by any of these birds yet." He said looking down the table and waving at some of the females. Alberto's reputation had surely been tarnished ever since the night when Emile McGinnis was found. Everybody was well aware of this fact except for Alberto.
The Knaves were given a bit of a shock when they'd found out how few people were actually invited. The only first year boys seemed to be Drew, Ali, Tyler, Emile McGinnis (Now fully embraced as a battle worn hero), Wasim Kabu and surprisingly- Nick Gonzales.
"So have you asked Brooke yet?" Alberto asked, half way through his bacon. Drew 'shh'ed him immediately, eyeing Brooke at the very end of the table.
"She's never alone!" Drew complained after making sure nobody had heard Alberto's question. "She's always got that Gabriela girl dangling off of her shoulder!" Alberto nodded with an air of false familiarity.
"Yeah, chicks always travel together. 'Spose you could always go with ol' Tiffany Goyle." He said smirking. Drew reached across the table and punched his arm.
"Don't be a prat."
A brilliant idea then hit Drew, as he turned to Ali excitedly.
"Ali!" He squeaked, beaming. Ali looked at him questioningly. "You could ask Gabriela Saturn." Tyler snorted at her last name from across the table, Drew ignored him.
"No." Ali said flatly.
"What? You haven't got anyone else, have you?" Drew asked, not entirely sure of himself. Ali waited to swallow his bite of pancake before answering.
"Guess you'll have to see." He said as he shot his best friend a sly grin. Drew held out his hands, confused. Had Ali really gotten a date before he had?
"Shame," Tyler said as Ali left the table to head to the library, "Sure there isn't a 'Cynthia Uranus' for me to ask around here?"
That night, the perfect opportunity would arise for Drew to ask Brooke to Slughorn's party. Strolling down the grand staircase with Miles and Emile, the boys planned to ask Professor Longbottom his opinion of first years being allowed to go to Hogsmeade (As the trip for the older students was the next day) and the boys figured that Longbottom would be lenient enough for them to persuade.
Reaching the ground floor, Drew nearly bumped into Brooke as he opened the door that led to the Entrance hall. They locked eyes for a moment, and instantly Brooke turned tomato red.
"Sorry!" She mumbled, stepping past him.
"No- hey, Brooke!" Drew called after her, caught off guard. "I… how have you been?" He asked, deciding to start of casually.
"Erm… fine?" She replied awkwardly looking between the boys.
"Er… haha, yeah... me too!" Drew forced, desperately wanting to prevent silence. Brooke nodded uncomfortably, slowly turning back to the stairs.
"You know Drew?" piped up Emile suddenly. Brooke turned back to the Gryffindors and nodded. Her face looked burnt. Drew looked at Emile, what are you playing at? he thought angrily.
"Heh- I thought you were a bit of a loser, from class you know…" Emile said brashly. Brooke frowned.
"But if you know Drew, you're pretty ace!"
Drew blushed, scratching his head modestly.
"This is the daft mud that found my arse! If it wasn't for him, I'd probably be dead!" Emile shouted. Miles nodded knowingly. "Hey, Drew- Aren't you looking for a date to Slughorn's party?" Emile asked boldly. Brooke's eyes flashed. "Maybe you could take Brooke. She's not too bad." Emile shrugged.
Drew pretended to think this over for a bit.
"All right, what d'you say, Brooke?" Drew asked, feeling a surge of confidence provided by Emile.
"I er… yeah! Of course!" She said quickly.
Drew smiled, "Cool."
As the three Gryffindor boys left Longbottom's office (after receiving a prompt 'NO YOU CAN NOT GO TO HOGSMEADE') Drew thanked Emile thoroughly for his help with getting him a date.
"No problem, mate. I reckon I owed you." He replied, flipping his red hair out of his face. "Plus, Miles wanted to test out his little theory-"
"It's not a theory. I just said that if you build yourself up to a lass and she thinks you're better than her, she'll think you're the catch." This all seemed reasonable to Drew, though he wondered if it wouldn't earn Miles a few slaps in the future.
Once back in Gryffindor tower, Drew announced the news to his dorm mates. Matthew Ray and Christopher Patil whooped and hollered for him.
"Oh, she's right fit, mate!" Ray said. "I'd love to lick her face!"
The silence that filled the dormitory was immense.
"What? That's what grown-ups do to each other when they're in love." Matthew said, defensively. The other boys laughed for a few long minutes afterwards.
"Shut up!" Matthew cried, as he hopped into his bed and pulled his curtains closed around him.
Each of the boys spent the preparation for the party in their respective common rooms on the eve of the twenty-third.
Drew gazed at himself in a mirror, squashing down his now quite long curly hair. Alberto's robes fit him well, and his corny sweater looked more ironic than anything. He smiled at himself.
"You look nice." came a voice from behind him. Tiffany Goyle came stomping down the stone steps that led to the girls' dormitory, her high heels clacking against the stone floor. Drew tried to hide his look of shock at the fact that she was going to the party. He supposed that Slughorn did seem fond of her, as she was a fair student in potions.
"Why thank you." He said, patting down the color on the black robe he wore.
He looked at her light green dress and attempted a smile; the color might've been better suited in a guacamole bowl.
"You too!" He managed after a second.
"Don't be making eyes at my date, Henry!" Boomed Emile, as he trotted down the steps to the boys' dorms. He gave a jolly laugh and patted Drew's shoulder. He himself wore closed chested red robes, that clashed violently with his hair.
"I'm only joking, mate. You've got a fine date of your own!" Emile said taking his somewhat larger date's hand elegantly. Drew smiled sheepishly, wondering how one compared a loud mouthed witch like Tiffany to the mild mannered Brooke Mars, but he let it slide.
"I thought you two hated each other, the way that Tiffany grabbed you the night of the squid incident." Drew commented as the three made their way out of the common room and down the grand staircase.
"I wasn't too fond of her after that, but after being in solitude with Peeves for so long, I thought on it a bit more. I had to admire her guts, you know? Just something about a fiery woman that gets me!"
"Must be the Irish blood," Drew said, repeating an opinion he'd heard his father say once.
He had to respect Emile McGinnis, however. After the catastrophe with Peeves, he could've taken practically any girl in the school, but he chose Tiffany Goyle. That showed some Gryffindor Nerve.
Arriving in the entrance hall, Drew spotted his date, looking as dazzling as he could've hoped. Her dress was rather short, and blue, and her hair was done wavy. Drew grinned, experiencing a feeling of being the luckiest boy at Hogwarts and then the most underdressed boy at Slughorn's party.
The couple decided to wait for Ali and his mysterious date, ushering Emile and Tiffany forward. Drew tried to think fast, contemplating conversation starters.
"So is it really true that you fought off Peeves?" Brooke asked lightly. Drew looked up from his shoes (which he'd been previously staring at).
"Er… 'fought' is a bad word," He said, "Maybe I 'survived' Peeves." He told her modestly. She smiled at him toothily. The two waited in a bit more comfortable silence until their eyes were attracted to the sight of two other figures descending the entrance hall's steps.
Ali, dressed in Alberto's emerald green dress robes, looked dead ahead, not making eye contact with Drew who now stood with his mouth agape.
"Ohhh, Hey Drew, I didn't know you were invited!" Squealed Bonnie Kidd, as she hung off of Ali's arm. Drew didn't know how to reply, she seemed to have forgotten about their previous encounter.
"Ali-" Drew started into his best friend as they marched swiftly towards the dungeons.
"We've got to be going! I don't fancy being late… I heard there was an oriental theme!" Ali interrupted flamboyantly. Drew frowned, confusedly. Brooke caught his eye; she seemed to sense the awkwardness in Ali's choice in date, but said nothing.
Arriving in Slughorn's classroom that evening was liking stepping into a totally different establishment. Chinese paper lamps dangled from the ceiling, illuminating the usually damp room with fluorescent lights. Origami dragons and other creatures Drew didn't recognize glided above their heads, sprung to life. Fairies zoomed in and out, between the party goers, adding to the beautiful light show. Drew was dazzled.
"They're beautiful aren't they?" Brooke remarked whimsically, reaching out a finger for a sparkling blue fairy to shake. Both Brooke and the fairy giggled. Drew's heart leapt.
"Now, now!" Boomed a voice from the back wall of the classroom. Slughorn stood, one fat leg resting atop a chair as the center of attention. He twisted his white walrus moustache and watched the crowd slowly look upon him before continuing. "Thank you all for attending my… how many years has it been now? Oh, who keeps count of how many- Annual Christmas Bash! If you are here, I hope that you understand that it is my little way of showing utmost flattery," He gave a small wink to some of the students, "And I hope it is an enjoyable experience all around!"
The party was unleashed. Drew took in the attendees. Older students, other teachers, a few sketchy looking characters filled the guest list. After a few moments of taking in the decorations with Brooke he excused himself to have a chat with Tyler, who'd only just walked in. Waltzing toward his Slytherin friend Drew couldn't help but notice the look of disdain that Tyler's date, Amanda shot towards him.
"Hey mate, some party, eh?" Drew asked, after Tyler seemingly dismissed Amanda from his presence.
"I'll say. Top bloke, Slughorn is…"
"Implying he's not responsible for the Centaurs going berserk on us. Or the attack on Firenze." Drew reminded him scornfully.
"Yeah, implying that."
"Ali's being a bit of a prat, isn't he?" Drew said, noticing the Ravenclaw in the distance having an animated conversation with what seemed to be a vampire.
"Well- he was pretty worried about what you'd think about his date." Tyler said bluntly, receiving a cup of punch from his now returning date. He added his unusual ingredient to it. Drew shrugged understandingly, he wouldn't want people to know if he was taking that obnoxious thing out as his date, either.
"Tyler, what's that that you-" Drew started to ask him about his added liquid, before both boys were slapped on the back by a rose faced Horace Slughorn.
"Ah, my two favorite first years!" Slughorn said unashamedly, ignoring the presence of Amanda. Drew eyed the old man suspiciously, as this was news to him. "I remember your parents, m'boy! Your mother was always the rebellious one… but a good potions maker, indeed. Your father was in my house, of course… muggle born, was he not?" Slughorn asked rhetorically.
"Yeah, not sure what that has to do with… potions." Drew mumbled defiantly.
"No- Nothing, my dear boy! Don't think me prejudiced. Tyler here is also a Slytherin muggle-born."
To this, Tyler nodded carelessly.
"And quite the young brewer, I'd say!" Slughorn continued, beaming at Tyler.
"Heh- well I practice." Tyler replied. Slughorn nodded encouragingly for a few moments before catching another first year who was passing by.
"Ah, Hahnur Kent!" He greeted, bowing. The Asian Gryffindor boy eyed Slughorn oddly. "Enjoying the oriental decorations?" Slughorn asked. Hahnur shrugged. "Have you met my old friend Doctor Yuan?" Slughorn asked, guiding a reluctant Hahnur towards another part of the room. Drew snorted.
The rest of the evening was much of the same- Slughorn's 'fond memories' of everyone present at the party, Ali's pompous behavior and Tyler's care free attitude with his date. Drew took a bit of interest in Wasim Kabu who appeared dateless to the party, only to have spent most of his time chatting up Slughorn. Drew hoped that whatever they were talking about would be beneficial information for the Knaves in the future.
Drew enjoyed being with his own date, however. He'd managed a few conversations with Brooke about dueling club, and even danced with her.
As Drew left the slowly dying party, planning to escort Brooke back to her own dormitory before traveling up stairs to his own, he found the hall way blocked by the eight-odd foot tall Hagrid, having an animated conversation with a tiny house elf.
"I'm sorry, sir, but there aint a thing I can do about it, dig? You're not on the list- and Slugs doesn't want any trouble!" Squeaked the elf in what sounded like an East coast American accent.
"Look 'ere, I've got some er- news for Professor Slughorn, and if you don' let me in…!" Hagrid babbled threateningly.
"Uh huh, alright boss." The elf chirped, sticking a finger in its ear as if you were getting a message via headset. "I've got permission to magick you right out of here, ya lug." The elf said intimidatingly. Hagrid growled before storming out mumbling 'elves ge' a few more rights n' now they think they run th' place!'
"Jeez…" The elf sighed as soon as Hagrid was out of sight. "Why try and get into a party you aint even invited to? Heh, haven't had that much trouble since I had to get that bloody cokey coola." Drew and Brooke gawked at the Elf's uncharacteristic attitude before being told to "Get outta here, ya twerps!"
Drew took Brooke to her dormitory and gave her an awkward arm hug before jogging back to the seventh floor common room he called his own. He had a lot on his mind, mainly wondering what was going on between Hagrid and Slughorn. That was a situation surely linked to the Centaurs… a job for Alberto and Tyler to take up during break, he thought.
