Never have I written a whole Harry Potter story, but I thought I'd have a crack at it. I hope I do this story justice. It's an amazing series, and I recommended both the stories and the movies. Srsly. JK Rowling is the epitome of badassery, and I bow to her writing skills. That is all.
This story takes place after the war.
"Protego!," I yelled, as Lucius sent me a particularly nasty attack spell,, shielding me from the strike. I shouted, "Expulso," intent on hitting my target, one of the three large white knight chess pieces behind him.
He said that if I made two out of the three crumble, then I would have passed my first offensive trial, and I could move onto the next exam. We had been going at this for nearly an hour, and all I had been able to do was nick the horse's muzzle, a little, and watch as it crumbled to the floor. I was beginning to lose my patience, however I knew that I needed to keep my cool, because Lucius would hit me, and it would hurt.
Growling under my breath, and feeling the sweat bead across my forehead, I paused, for a moment, before rolling out of the way of Lucius' precise, would-be painful spell. I had to be smart about this, and to do that, I needed to outsmart Lucius. Almost like a Godsend, I felt the knowledge swell inside of my mind, and in my mind's eye, I saw myself carry out this ploy, before I actually did it, and it worked.
Steeling myself against the thought of pain, I charged straight at Lucius, who, honestly, looked a little disappointed. Well he sure as Hell wont be when I'm through with him. He sent a well-timed, yet premeditated Stupefy, and I found myself diving directly beneath the line of fire, and now, I was about four feet away from him. It was time.
Before he could recollect himself, I had rolled out of the way, onto my hands and tip-toes, before shuttling a sharp, quick Incarcerous and watched as ropes wound themselves around his body, tightening to my mental satisfaction, rendering him incapacitated and unable to do anything. Just to make sure, I reached down and removed his wand from his hand, and lay it on the dewy ground a few inches to the left of him. Turning to the side, never facing completely away from my momentary enemy, I pointed my wand at the first knight piece, and shouted, strongly, "Bombarda Maxima," and watched as it crumbled to the floor, like an unstable piece of cliff-face. Towards the other, I smirked, and whispered, just as strongly, yet with a little more flare, "Confringo!"
The same thing that happened to the first, occurred with the second, and the third, understanding its fate, respectfully bowed, before simply cracking and breaking apart. Such is the game of Wizard's Chess - Draco had been teaching me, unsuccessfully, how to play.
He wasn't very good at it.
Swivelling back to Lucius, I pointed my wand at him, and said, "Finite," and watched as my ropes faded into nothing, and Lucius brushed himself off as he stood, pride shining in his eyes.
"I think I would have preferred not to have been bound, but.. The facts remain the same. You did it. You pass Charms," and scuffed my hair a little, before stating, "Onto Potions, Evie."
-0-
"You've got two hours," Draco said, waving his wand through the air, and red digits stating 02:00:00, and said, "Make me a Sleeping Draught."
It began counting down, and my body started to move of its out accord. I pulled out a clean silver knife, as well as a marble mortar. Collecting the appropriate ingredients; four Valerian and Lavender sprigs, Standard Ingredient and Flobberworm Mucus - yeah, it smelled just as gross as it sounded.
Firstly I cut up the four lavender sprigs, then added it to the mortar, along with two measures of the Standard Ingredient - which was just a mixture of green, sweet-scented herbs, and mashed it into a smooth, creamy paste using the pestle. The two blobs of the dreaded Flobberworm Mucus was added to my special cauldron, and I was hit with the distinct urge to heave at the stench that emitted from it. As quickly as I was able, I diced up two more measures of the Standard Ingredient, and added it, also.
All the while, the cauldron was being heated with a gentle intensity, and was left for half a minute. Carefully, I added three more measures of the crushed mixture from the mortar to the cauldron and I waved my wand, watching as it changed from a lumpy green to a soft lilac viscous liquid. I left the solution to brew for seventy minutes, whilst I watched as the glaringly bright clock counted down, trying to ignore the stares of everyone watching me as I worked. It was off-putting. As soon as the 70 minute mark hit, I added two more chopped measures of the Standard Ingredient to the cauldron, and switched up the heat onto its highest temperature for exactly sixty seconds.
It had turned from the lilac-coloured liquid to a chilling blue, that reminded me far too much like Draco's eyes. I threw in four diced Valerian Springs, feeling the aromatic gas being emitted from the fluid, and stirred, clockwise, exactly seven times, before waving my wand, once, over the surface of the potion to complete it.
Glancing at the timer, I found that I had little over three minutes left, so, quickly, I transferred some of the potion into vials, corked them, and placed them in front of the cauldron, before washing off the apparatus and equipment I used.
I felt Draco's invasive aura shadow my own, and I turned around to see him smiling, proudly, at me, my breath catching in my throat, and he said, "You've got it. Onto flying now. Good luck, Evie," and kissed my forehead, then ruffled my hair in a way that made my heart soar in happiness.
-0-
"Complete this course, in under 5 minutes, and you can move onto Care of Magical Creatures," Blaise said, with his usual demure swagger, as he was dressed in the gear of a typical Quidditch referee. The weather wasn't as haggard as it could have been, considering it was early September, however I presumed that was down to some kind of magi cal influence of their home grounds. Hesitantly, I glanced up at the course they had set up for me to do, and blanched, momentarily, simply over the sheer magnitude of the obstacles.
There were three hoops, each higher, yet smaller in circumference that its predecessor, and I was expected to ride through them all, while avoiding any obstacles they had placed in. The hoops were held up by thick, steel poles - the shortest standing at a strong 60 feet in the air, the next 90, and the last 120. Quickly, I pulled my wind-resistant goggles over my fearful eyes, and stepped to the side of my broom.
"Up," I commanded, and it followed its orders, with ease.
Mounting the Nimbus 2013 had become easier over the last few weeks, and after receiving a pretty reassuring grin from my vampire mate, I kicked off the ground, my mind completely focused on the challenge ahead. Immediately, I heard the familiar sound of a quaffle being thrust in my direction, and I dodged it, effortlessly. Another was shot, faster this time, along with a sudden change in wind direction, however I stayed on my route. Tunnelling through the first hoop, I heard a jovial fanfare that I didn't have time to enjoy.
Instead of watching the timepiece above Blaise, I focused on my own heartbeat, and noticed just how quick and intense it had gotten. I was enjoying myself.
My glove-clad palms were clammy, my forehead was damp, from the spitting rain that was now falling - another distraction, apparently - and my goggles had long steamed up, partially blocking my vision.
I wouldn't let this beat me.
Rocketing through the second hoop, hearing the fanfare once more, I found that the air had begun to get thinner, or at least I thought it did, however I shook it off, in favour of shooting through the air, cutting past any blunt objects that were thrown my way.
I couldn't let this beat me.
The final, and smallest, hoop was in my sights, if only I could push myself a little faster, I could get it. I was so close that I could practically taste the sweet victory, however I had been so focused, that I hadn't factored in the possibility of a Tracker-Quaffle - one that followed its target until it hit it. I didn't know why they'd let this in the game, but I couldn't worry about that now. The back of my broom was destroyed, throwing me completely off-kilter, however I wasn't going to let that be the end of me.
I wasn't going to let this beat me.
Thrusting myself, and my broken broom, through the hoop, I yelled in triumph, which soon turned to abject fear as I hurtled through the air, and towards my doom.
Grasping the curved tip of the Nimbus 2013, and using all of my might and strength, I just about pulled myself upwards, so when I did collide with the ground, it wouldn't be face-first, but my legs would be completely destroyed instead. My heart trebled in trepidation, however as I closed my eyes, mere metres from the ground, I felt warmth encase my being, and I sighed, besides myself with anxiety.
Is this what heaven feels like? If I were in heaven, that means I'm dead, right? I hit to floor, and my light snuffed out? Oh my God, I was killed by a household object! How am I ever going to live this down? Well.. I guess I wont, will I?
A tender chuckle brought me out of my musings, and, tentatively, I blinked my eyes, upwards, and found myself staring into the indigo eyes of my ever-so perfect mate.
"You need to watch your back," he said, seriously, "You'll get hurt one of these days."
He had used his own broom to guide my now-lifeless one towards the ground, and he set me on my feet, holding onto my arms, just in case I, you know, passed out, or something. Smirking to himself, he asked, breathlessly, "Do you like scaring me out of my skin?"
I shook my head, apologetically, and stammered, equally as winded, "I-I don't mean to.. I'm sorry."
He ran a hand through his hair, tugging slightly at the ends, and sighed, "You passed, by the way."
My eyes widened, and I stammered, "R-Really?"
"Yeah, you finished in 3 minutes 49 seconds," he said, grinning, proudly, "You're onto Care of Magical Creatures now," he kissed just beside the corner of my lips, "Good luck, Evelyn."
