First of all THANK YOU for the lovely reviews! They simply made my week! I was so happy to see the amount of effort and time that was put into them. It felt amazing to read them and they motivated me greatly.

Maybe we can repeat this? They made me feel so honoured!

Please read and review and most importantly enjoy!

CHAPTER 20

I took the floo to my aunt and uncles house so I could pick up my adopted cousin Stacy. I had promised to take her into Diagon Alley for her school supplies but aunt Odetta thought she was too young to use the floo by herself. As soon as I stepped out of the fireplace I became aware of violent shrieks echoing through the house.

'Cecilia!' Stacy exclaimed as I appeared in their kitchen. She dashed forward from her place on top of the kitchen counter to wrap her thin arms around my waist. I hugged her back and once she stepped back I saw that my aunt had come into the kitchen from the sitting room. 'Hello darling, thank you for taking Stacy shopping.' She said as she came up to us to hold me in an embrace as well. 'Roderick is up for a haircut today and that is a challenge by itself.' She told me.

That was when my uncle Irving came in too, carrying a screaming Roderick. 'Hello!' Uncle Irving yelled over the surprisingly loud nine year old's shouts. 'Look Ricky, your cousin is here!' He added and Roderick stilled his cries to clamber out of his dad's arms and look at me. He started grinning, his dark curls bouncing of his head as he ran up to me. 'Cecil!' his greeting was muffled by my robe as he pressed his face into my stomach.

'Wow, I feel very welcome!' I said with a laugh. 'I would stay longer but I think Stace and I need to get a move on; I have plans this evening.' I said. And what kind of plans. Mathilda had owled me back, obviously overflowing with excitement. How she had already picked out our outfits, the music to which we'd be getting ready, how she'd prepare dinner in the morning so she'd have all day to do whatever she was planning to do. She was positively mental. The last I had heard of her was in her letter this morning asking me if I had any idea on how to get to central London from Oxford without apparition license or personal floo powder pouch. I didn't and had told her so in a short scribble before I had gone to my aunt and uncle's.

'Of course, you and Stacy should go. Here is some money to pay for her supplies.' Aunt Odetta said, handing me small purse with jangling galleons inside, grabbing her son and prying him away from me in the meantime. He protested but giggled when uncle Irving started tickling him.

Stacy and I said goodbye to the three smiling spectators and took some floo powder from the powder pot on top of the hearth. Before we knew it we were back in my own living room. Mum was out for lunch with her sister (she complained a lot at breakfast 'Tamora is guaranteed going to tell me why she's not enjoying marriage anymore.') and dad was downstairs manning the shop.

'You want something to drink first or do you want to get going?' I asked Stacy but Stacy had practically run to the door already. 'Let's buy my school stuff!' She opted.

I followed after her, the two of us silently passing my dad as he helped a customer with an 18th century book on medicinal potioneering. He shot us a quick grin and wave before focussing back on the wizard in front of him. And then we were outside, in the busy street that was Diagon Alley.

Stacy looked thrilled, taking a deep breath and relaxing her shoulders. 'Do you have your Hogswarts letter?' I asked her and she nodded, taking it out of her robe pocket. 'Where do you want to go first?' I asked her as she looked over the supplies list. 'Wand?' She wondered out loud and I smiled. 'A right of passage!' I called out and I put my arm over her shoulders, pulling her down the street.

The bell of Ollivander's shop rang as we opened the door. He wasn't behind the dusty counter but I was sure he was somewhere in the back. Aidan used to sweep his floor in exchange for a couple of sickles. Mr Ollivander was really just doing him a favour; he could've charmed the broom to do it by itself, but Aidan had always been charming and people were always eager to please him. If it was only to see his disarming smile.

'Cecilia Wiggleswade. Larch, 11½ inches, flexible with a unicorn hair core, is it?' The cracking voice of Mr Ollivander said. We both spun around to see him standing in the door opening of his stockroom, a big box in his hands. His milky eyes studied me closely. 'Your memory is impeccable, Mr Ollivander.' I told him. His eyes left me and landed on Stacy. 'And who's your companion?' He asked. 'This is my cousin. She is up for Hogwarts after the summer.' I said. 'Hello sir, I'm Stacy Toots.' Stacy said nervously, although it didn't still her excitement.

Mr Ollivander didn't react other than scurrying to the counter, putting the box on top of it. 'Maybe..' he murmured, bending down and reaching under it. He surfaced with a sleek looking wand box between his fingers. 'Try this one.' He said, handing the wand to Stacy.

Stacy looked thrown off by his lack of formalities, shooting me a questioning look but I nodded at her and she took the wand from him. 'Go on then, give her a wave!' Mr Ollivander urged and Stacy slightly flicked her wrist. A lantern exploded and Mr Ollivander swiped the wand away from her, waving his own wand to repair the damage. 'Wrong, wrong, wrong!' He yelled out to the anxious looking Stacy.

It took about a dozen tries before Mr Ollivander's frown lightened, a small smile softening the wrinkles on his face. Stacy seemed to feel it as well, her worries fleeing her expression and a satisfied grin taking it over. 'Blackthorn, 13¼ inches, unyielding with a phoenix feather core.' Mr Ollivander said. 'Congratulations Ms Toots.' He added.

Five minutes later and seven galleons lighter we were standing on the cobble stones of the street outside. 'You want to get some ice cream before we get the rest?' I asked and a giddy Stacy nodded. Mr Fortesque was happy to see me. 'I know you usually like your yuzu and mint but do you want to try our oats and rose hip today? My wife came up with it.' Mr Fortesque said, already scooping the ice cream onto a cone. I didn't want to say no so I merely nodded. 'And you young lady? You want to try the same?' Mr Fortesque asked Stacy. Stacy wildly shook her head. 'I want chocolate and star anise!' Stacy requested and Mr Fortesque laughed. 'You are very right, it is my favourite too.' He said with a chuckle, handing her the cone.

Late that afternoon I was proud to say that I had made sure that Stacy had an unforgettable day. We were sitting on the sofa, laughing and looking through her new school supplies. 'You think I'll be in Ravenclaw with you?' Asked Stacy, curling her legs up underneath her. I leaned my elbow on the back of the sofa. 'That depends; do you want to be?' I asked her instead. She thought about the question. 'I don't know.' She said eventually. 'Your parents were both Hufflepuffs obviously. Maybe you'll follow in their footsteps.' I offered and she gave a curt nod. 'I wonder where my biological parents went.' She said, leaning her head back. I didn't know what to say to that. 'Do you think it matters?' I asked her and she once again took a moment. 'I don't know.' She repeated herself. We both looked up when the fireplace roared to life.

'Mum!' Stacy greeted aunt Odetta, jumping up from the couch to hug her. 'We had so much fun! I have everything I need and when we get home I just got to show you the parchment we got and it has matching quills and I have purple ink and-' she rattled off and aunt Odetta interrupted her. 'I would love to hear all about it but Cecilia mentioned having plans tonight so maybe we should talk about it when we get home, okay?' She said and Stacy agreed.

She turned to me. 'Thank you so much, I had a great time.' She said, her blonde braids bouncing off her shoulders. Aunt Odetta mirrored her daughter's grin. 'She's lucky to have an older cousin like you.' She credited me but I felt uncomfortable under the praise. 'It was nothing really. I was happy to help.' I said.

It wasn't ten minutes after they had left that mum came home. She flopped onto the sofa next to me. 'You are very fortunate not to have a sister.' She informed me. 'I went to get my hair done after our lunch, just to try and get rid of the stress she causes me.' She said and I took note of her unchanged hairstyle. 'It looks nice.' I tried to compliment her. She rolled her eyes.

'Tamora is so predictable, whatever she might think about it.' She continued as if I had said nothing. 'Isn't even married for four months yet but is already moaning about her new monotone married lifestyle.' Mum huffed. 'They live on opposite sides of England for Merlin's sake, don't see each other more than once a week. What does she know about being married.' She grumbled.

I would probably have listened to my mother's complaints for a while longer if it weren't for the owl that flew in through the open window, delivering a letter to me from Mathilda. 'Is that Mathilda? Tell her hi!' She called out as I read the letter.

CECIL!

We NEED to figure out this transport thing! I mean we could go out in Oxford near my house but I'd much rather go out in London. Come on, think with me! Knight Bus? I'm pretty broke and asking dad for money before a supposed sleepover might be a bit suspicious.

Suggestions! Please!

Love,
Mathilda

'I should get ready for the sleepover at Mathilda's.' I said, excusing myself from mum's company. I wasn't sure what to pack. Probably just the regular; night clothes, tooth brush and my current work of literature (still busy with the Great Gatsby) but what else? Should I bring a dress? Mathilda said she had something picked out but I wasn't sure I trusted her choice.

Nonetheless, soon after it was time to leave. I had packed nothing other than the aforementioned after telling myself that Mathilda, if it were only to please me, wouldn't pick out anything too outrageous.

We ended up agreeing to put all our money together so we could take the Knight Bus to London. I felt guilty leaving home. Dad was still in the shop but mum saw me off in the living room. 'Floo if you need anything, yeah?' She said and I had nodded, kissing her goodbye before stepping into the fireplace.

Mathilda had waited for me at her end, her hair in a ponytail and huddled in flannel pyjamas. 'Cecilia!' She shrieked, pulling me out of the floo as soon as I arrived. 'I have your dress ready for you and my outfit is all picked out already. We just have to wait till dad comes home from work first because otherwise he's going to come up to say hello. 'When is he coming home?' I asked and she shrugged. 'Around seven? Seven-thirty maybe?' She answered me, hurrying me upstairs to her bedroom.

The Wireless was turned onto an upbeat pop song when I came in (Rosemary Elphick's newest hit "Bewitched Bitch"). 'We can't get ready until he's seen us all innocent and in pyjamas. Then we can disappear upstairs, jump into our heels and climb out the window.' Mathilda fuzzed as she pushed me down on the bed and went up to her closet to pull out the dress she envisioned me wearing.

'I'm not wearing that!' I immediately said as I saw the velvety red dress she had in her hands. 'What! Why not?' She replied indignantly. I stood up again to look at the dress up close. It was a very pretty dress but I could tell that the spaghetti straps would allow for way more cleavage than I was comfortable with. I didn't even have all that much cleavage!

I took the dress out of her hands and held it up to my body, pointing at the low chest. She rolled her eyes. 'I knew you'd say that. You're wearing a t-shirt under it.' She told me, grabbing a plain white t-shirt from the back of her desk chair. 'Oh.' I murmured, taking the shirt from her. 'The dress is a bit short though.' I tried but she just raised her eyebrows, taking both the dress and the shirt back from me. 'You'll live.' She only said.

Downstairs we heard a door bang close. 'I'm home!' I heard Mr Goodfellow's voice bellowed. 'Quick, put on your pyjamas!' Mathilda hissed. She opened up the door an inch. 'Shrewt, he's home early!' She cursed as I hurriedly dug through my bag for my pyjamas. 'Hi dad! I'll be down in a sec!' She called down, shutting the door right after. 'Tonight is going to be incredible!' She said. I was too busy feeling nervous to agree with her.

When we walked in the kitchen Mr Goodfellow was looking in the pots on the stove. 'Smells good Blossom!' He said, grinning widely. 'How was work?' Mathilda asked, sitting down at the kitchen table. I sat down next to her. 'Hiya sweetie, how are you?' He said, waving his wand as he sat across from us. 'Very well, Mr Goodfellow.' I answered.

The pots flew over to the table and from the cabinets shot bowls and spoons. 'Work was killing!' He answered Mathilda as he caught a ladle from the air. 'The equipment manager of the Caerphilly Catapults came round to order new Firebolts for the entire team. Wanted Wind Resistance Charms, Compass Charms, Water Repellent Charms and the whole lot for all his brooms.' He told us as he scooped us all a bowl full of tomato soup.

'The Cearphilly Catapults? They have a budget for Firebolts?' Asked Mathilda, slurping her soup from her spoon. 'Some Chinese businessman bought the club.' Her father replied. 'Wants the team in the top three and is willing to invest in it.' He yawned, sitting back for a moment. 'It was tiring, but definitely a nice change from sitting in the office all day.' Mr Goodfellow admitted. 'I'm glad you had a good day dad.' Said Mathilda. 'Thank you kiddo.' Mr Goodfellow answered with a smile.

He put the bowl at his lips and took a big gulp. 'So, what are you girls planning for tonight?' He asked when he put the bowl back down. 'By Circe, dad, none of your business!' Mathilda whined. 'Just girl's stuff!' She added. He laughed. 'Alright, alright, I'll just leave you alone then!' He said, turning around to summon the bread from the counter. I saw Mathilda smirk next to me. 'But pancakes tomorrow morning?' Mr Goodfellow asked when he turned back. 'Obviously!' Mathilda called out.

When we were done with dinner Mr Goodfellow offered to clean up and we cheerfully thanked him. 'Say Cecilia, sweetheart, you know my little pumpkin's boyfriend, don't you? Tell a concerned father she's going to be fine?' He asked as we had tea. I laughed as Mathilda groaned. 'The two of them are a very nice couple.' I tried to reassure him. 'Yeah, yeah, he's not some creepy dark wizard who tortures kittens and steals away innocent girls from their anxious fathers.' Mathilda said impatiently, tugging me along out of the kitchen. I could hear Mr Goodfellow chuckle as we ran up the stairs.

'Now!' Mathilda said, clapping her hands together. 'Get your outfit on, I'll get mine on and then I'll do your hair.' She said and I did as she said. 'Are you not taking this too serious?' I asked her but she looked annoyed with me for even mentioning it so I let it go immediately after.

Turned out that Mathilda had given me only the second most beautiful dress because the one she was going to wear was simply magnificent. I had never seen her look so glamorous before. 'Wow, where did you get that?' I asked her and she looked up. 'Mmh?' She answered. 'Oh this old thing?' She said fondly, ironing the dress out with her hands. 'I bought it about a week ago. I was planning to safe it for my birthday party at Adrian's but I think going out with you is more important.' She said. I felt vaguely honoured.

The dress was a fairly tight number, reaching halfway down her thighs, the base was white in colour with fluorescent snitch-sized polka dots in yellow, green, orange and pink covering it in a horizontally striped pattern. It looked fabulous, making her seem much older than her almost sixteen years old. Like a proper celebrity. 'You look incredible.' I told her honestly.

Although Mathilda generally liked being in the centre of attention quite well, she was different with me. 'That's enough of that now; sit down so I can brush your hair.' She said, a very rare blush high on her cheekbones.

It took quite long to get ready but once we were I felt weirdly accomplished. We stood together, looking the other over for flaws or irregularities but once we found nothing we grinned in unison. 'Can we do this?' Asked Mathilda. I felt like she was giving me one last way out if I wanted it and I felt that was very considerate of her but her enthusiasm had caught on and I felt as excited as her. 'We can definitely.' I replied.

It turned out that climbing out of a window on the first floor was not so easy. I never considered the first floor to be all that high up before but right now it might as well have been three or four floors. 'I don't want to fall!' I squealed and Mathilda shushed me. 'Don't be so loud!' She hissed. She let herself glide down the plants that were hugging the side of the house and hopped onto the grass. 'Now you!' She said and I shut my eyes tightly as I followed her example and slid down as well. I couldn't help but let out a small shriek but Mathilda clamped her hand over my mouth immediately and after a couple of seconds of tense silence we went on as we were. We both picked up our shoes as we had thrown them down in order to climb downstairs. They were hardly climbing boots, especially Mathilda's white platform heels. Although neither were my own saddle shoes. Mathilda hadn't been pleased with my shoes, saying it didn't compliment the outfit she had picked out for me, but we didn't wear the same size so there was nothing we could do about it.

After we had hastily put our shoes on we ran quietly across the garden, crossing the street and running a couple of blocks the other way. We didn't want to hail the Knight Bus too close to a place where either Mathilda's dad would be able to see it from the window or any of the neighbours that were close to her dad would.

'Are you sure you have everything?' Asked Mathilda and I nodded. 'You?' I replied and she nodded as well. With a nervous grin she stuck out her wand arm. Within seconds the big purple three-decker bus appeared in front of us, coming to a screeching halt. 'G'evening ladies, where can we take you t'night?' Asked the conductor, Stan Shunpike. 'To London.' Said Mathilda as we stepped aboard. 'Any particular spot?' Asked Shunpike and Mathilda pursed her lips. 'We're looking to go out tonight. Can you recommend us anything?' She asked. He looked at her and I saw his eyes go over her dress and her bare legs before coming back to her face. 'Yeah, I know a place.' He said.

It was half an hour later when Stan Shunpike called us from the front. 'Girls, this is your stop.' We shakily got to our feet, the wild ride having shook our bones and when we arrived at the front Shunpike stopped us before we got off. 'It's just through the alley. It's the poster on automobiles; the password is "Vampire Funk".' He said. 'Like the band?' Mathilda asked. 'Exactly like the band. They used to own the place back in the day.' He answered.

We got off and the Knight Bus disappeared behind us again as we looked around the muggle street. It looked vaguely familiar, as if I had been there before or maybe I had seen it in pictures but before I could try and place it Mathilda had already dragged me towards the alley that Shunpike had talked of. The street had been busy with muggle nightlife (I suppose Saturday nights had that same significance in the muggle world) but inside the alley it was eerily quiet, garbage containers filled to the brim and reeking of rotten vegetables. The ground was moist, despite not having rained in days and it made me want to not stand in one place too long. 'Do you see the poster?' Asked Mathilda and I was about the say no when I saw it. 'Right here!' I called out.

It looked worn out and the ink had run out a bit as if it had been hosed down with water a couple of times but it definitely advertised some kind of muggle transport vehicle, a smiley blond pointing at it, giving us the thumbs up sign with her other hand. Mathilda and I both looked at it critically and the blonde's smile soured. She raised her eyebrows at us as if to ask us "what do you want?". 'Vampire Funk.' Mathilda said and the blonde rolled her eyes and stepped aside as if to grant us passage and the whole brick wall turned liquid as if washing itself away, giving us the illusion of a waterfall, if it were brick-like with watery posters on it.

'Come on!' Mathilda said, pulling my wrist as we both stepped through the surprisingly warm waterfall, coming out dry at the other side. 'Welcome to the Watchfire House.' A cool voice welcomed us and we saw a sleek looking wizard with broad shoulders stand by a heavy blue curtain. He was all smiles until we stepped closer and into the light. His smile faltered and he raised his eyebrows. 'Are you girls even of age?' He asked and I felt my face flush but Mathilda just raised her own eyebrows. 'My cousin turned seventeen today. You're not going to ruin that, are you?' She asked him and it took me a second before I realized that I was supposedly her cousin. The Welcome Wizard looked at us sceptically for another moment but then he shrugged and said 'Happy birthday' while waving his wand, the curtain shimmering as it slid aside.

It was a huge hall, it almost looked like a mixture between a factory hall and a ballroom. Cast iron staircases at the back led up to an elevated stage and even further up to some sort of private area. Against the walls there were round tables with cosy yellow lamps illuminating fancy cocktails and white linen and it seemed like a huge contrast to the vibe of the rest of the nightclub.

And what a vibe it had! The hall was smoky, making the flashing lights pulsate almost mysteriously through it, huge glass chandeliers overhead had black flames casting shadows over the dancing bodies. Wizards and witches and a multitude of other magical creatures were moving together in close proximity, making them seem like one organism almost rather than hundreds of individual ones.

'Let's get a drink first.' Mathilda yelled in my ear. I would've told her not to scream but the deafening rhythm of the music made it hard to hear her otherwise. The bar was pretty full but we squeezed in between a goblin and a group of giggling witches halfway through their twenties as it seemed like. 'Gigglewater?' Mathilda questioned and I nodded. She held up two fingers to the barwizard and shrieked "TWO GIGGLEWATERS PLEASE" at him. He seemed to understand.

'Aren't you two a bit young for this place? Or those drinks?' Asked a voice to our right and we turned to see the goblin looking at us with an amused smirk on his face. His long fingers curled themselves around his firewhisky as his pointy eyebrows moved up. 'Mind your own business.' Mathilda said as she took the drinks from the man behind the bar, paying him quickly before handing one to me. 'Forgive my indiscretion.' The goblin said, the smirk not leaving his face but turning away from us again.

Mathilda looked at me, her eyes wide and her forehead shining, the heat in the air already making us both sweat. 'On three?' Mathilda asked and I nodded. 'One.' Mathilda started. 'Two.' I continued. 'Three!' Finished Mathilda and we both put the tiny glass to our lips and swigged it back together. I felt it burn on the way down and I was about to cough but before I could something else came up and an explosive laugh escaped my lips.

'Dance!' Mathilda said and we made our way onto the dance floor and we laughed and danced around to the beat. Before we knew it we had been absorbed by the mass of people like a huge sponge. From all sides I felt people pressing into me and though that would normally would make me feel uncomfortable and claustrophobic, it made me feel alive and exhilarated now. I was at a nightclub! A proper and real nightclub! I was fifteen years old and my best friend and I had snuck out of the house and we were at a nightclub!

I moved and I kept moving, my hips twisting and my shoulders shimmying and my arms were raised over my head, swaying in the rhythm of the music. I didn't feel self-conscious; everyone was here for the same thing. Nobody was going to see me as anything out of the ordinary.

'The way you move is simply lovely.' A deep voice whispered in my ear, an incredibly posh accent lacing it. I spun around to see a tall handsome man stand in front of me, black hair swept aside and equally black eyes staring into mine. I felt on a high, almost in a different universe and who cared if he had to be around ten years older than me and I had never even met him before, I just couldn't help but smile at him brightly. He smiled back and my heart skipped a beat when I saw his pointy fangs. A vampire. Probably a bit older than just the ten years then.

I had only consciously seen a vampire twice before. One time when I was having dinner with my mother and grandmother in the Leaky Cauldron when I was about nine years old. He had come in and sat down at the bar and my mother had made me switch seats with her so I sat further away from him. I couldn't remember how they knew he was a vampire but I remember the hushed discussion mum and her own mother had while I sat in between them about vampires and their legal standing as Beings. 'The Ministry is out of its mind!' Grandmother had said. 'It's well known what their dietary preference is.'

The other time was when I was back home for the Christmas holidays in third year. It was snowing and everyone was wearing their winter cloaks in Diagon Alley but I had seen a stately looking redheaded woman come out of the passage to Knockturn Alley, wearing nothing but a light silk cape and robe, a shimmering black that contrasted strongly with the pure snow and her pale skin. She was walking alongside a small man and she had grimaced at something he had said, exposing her fangs. We had talked about vampires a lot during Defence Against the Dark Arts (there were even questions about them on the O.W.L.'s) but this was the first time I had personally met one.

'Thank you.' I said after a few seconds, overcoming my shock, not even remembering what he had said to me. 'You too.' He raised an eyebrow and his smirk widened into a smug grin, giving me a better look at his teeth. My eyes lingered at them, probably slightly too long because I could tell that he had seen my hesitance when I looked him back in the eye.

'I can tell you are too young, you know. Your friend as well.' He said. I started shaking my head, excuses milling through my head but before I had picked the best one he had reached up and softly stroked my cheek. 'Such innocence.' He said and although the music was playing loudly and he wasn't speaking in a tone to equal it, I heard him clearly as if he spoke directly in my ear. I suddenly realized that we had both stopped dancing. His hand trailed down to my neck and I was distinctly aware of my heart beating fast in my throat and the glistening hunger in his gaze told me he was as aware as I was.

'Cecilia!' I heard yelled in the distance. I didn't react, just kept staring up but then I heard it again and a hand grabbed me by my shoulder and I broke away, looking around to see Mathilda. 'Excuse us.' Mathilda said to the vampire and she pulled me away through the throng of people. I could barely catch his disappointed look, his face turning into a frown and his fangs disappearing behind his no longer smiling lips.

'You can barely handle a boy in school, I'm not going to let you go off with some man at a nightclub.' Mathilda said with a chuckle. 'Tilda, he was a vampire!' I said with some urgency. She looked surprised. 'He was? He did seem pale. How do you know?' She asked. 'How do you mean "how"? I saw his fangs and everything.' I said. 'He had his hand on your neck. Why didn't you stop him?' She asked and I shook my head in frustration. 'I could barely fathom what was happening. I think he hypnotized me perhaps.' I said. 'You're safe now though.' Mathilda said.

I was shook enough to consider asking Mathilda to leave with me but she looked so thrilled that I decided to try and get over it for now. And we did have fun. Mathilda made an effort to get me to have fun by taking my hands and spinning me around and I couldn't supress my laugh when she started making silly faces.

We danced at least another hour before Mathilda backed away from me in her dancing routine into a girl behind her who spilled her drink over her own dress and yelled out in a startled shriek. Mathilda spun around and immediately started apologizing but the girl wasn't having it. I stepped closer, putting my hand on Mathilda's elbow and the girl looked at me before narrowing her eyes at Mathilda again.

'Did you even look behind you?' The girl asked in a haughty tone. Her own friend backed her up. 'Don't even bother with these children, Norma, they look like they aren't even of age yet. Let's just go to the bathroom to scourgify those stains.' She said, turning her nose up to us. Mathilda looked affronted, a bit misplaced considering that we were indeed not of age, but it didn't hinder her biting reply. 'Well, take it from this child that you better touch up on those glamour charms while you're in there; your wrinkles are showing.'

Both their jaws dropped at her nerve and I couldn't believe in what kind of situation we had ended up now. 'You listen here girlie, that young face of you might get some interest now but soon enough there will be another younger face and you'll be left in the dust in no time.' The first girl said. 'You'll only ever be as good as the looks you get and the looks are limited.' She added before grabbing her friend by her arm and dragging her off to the bathrooms.

I stared after them for a few seconds but then turned to Mathilda. 'Well that was all very unnecessary.' I commented and I expected her to make a nasty remark in expense of the two women but she stayed quiet. 'Mathilda?' I asked, shaking her shoulder. She shook her head, looking me in the eye. 'Is it alright if we go somewhere quiet for a little?' She asked. 'Yes of course!' I said, a bit shocked. Mathilda wanted to go somewhere quiet? Mathilda?

We couldn't go to the bathroom in risk of seeing the two witches again so we went out through the curtains back out the front, standing in the cool lounge. The Welcome Wizard tried to seem like he wasn't looking at us but I saw him glancing at us from the corners of his eyes. I tried not to be self-conscious as we stood in the corner of the room, Mathilda leaning her back against the wall. 'I'm sorry, I just suddenly didn't have a lot of fun anymore.' Mathilda muttered to me.

It was an unfamiliar feeling to have to comfort Mathilda as it usually was the other way around, especially because I wasn't quite sure what I was comforting her about. She had had way bigger rows with way more important people than two bints in some club.

We were silent. There must've been a silencing charm on the curtains because I couldn't hear any of the music that was playing inside. Sometimes people would come in through the waterfall that was the entrance and the Welcome Wizard would be all smiles as he led them in. The longer we stayed by the wall, the more questioning glances he'd throw our way.

'You want to go home?' I asked Mathilda and she took a while to answer. 'Yeah, okay, let's go.' She said eventually. 'I hope you had a good night?' The Welcome Wizard asked as we neared and it might've been intended nice but it just came off as nosy. Mathilda seemed to feel the same way. 'Do you know there are vampires in? One hypnotized my friend.' She said in annoyance. The man flushed but nodded. 'This placed was opened by Vampire Funk, the band, and was owned by them till '87. A lot of their old friends still frequent.' He answered. 'You ought to keep an eye out.' Mathilda said. She didn't wait for an answer but just walked out, passing through the waterfall and I quickly ran after her. I was glad to see that she was at least partially herself still.

We didn't say anything as we called the Knight Bus but when Stan Shunpike caught sight of us he let out a laugh. 'Already done? It's only one in the morning!' He yelled and Mathilda shot him a glare that shut him up although I heard him and the driver laugh from the front as we sat in the back. 'Don't listen to them.' Mathilda whispered. She didn't look at me but looked out the window where the landscape was swirling by in a display of colours, while gripping the seat in front of us as we were thrown around by the bus constantly changing directions rapidly. I had my legs locked against the seat in front of us as well, digging my fingernails into my bus seat. 'I'm not listening to them.' I lied.

We once again got off a couple of streets away, walking away while ignoring the cheery goodbyes of Shunpike before the Knight Bus sped off again. We didn't really talk apart from the occasional 'through here' when pawing through the bushes and 'watch out' while climbing the branches up the side of the house to Mathilda's bedroom window.

It wasn't until we both had our pyjamas on and were sitting in bed (or on the conjured cod next to Mathilda's bed) that I decided to ask. 'What is it, Tilda?' I asked her and she sighed, letting herself fall backwards on her pillow. 'I don't know.' She admitted. 'They just struck a chord I suppose.' She told me. 'But why? What struck what chord?' I kept on asking. Mathilda didn't open up much. I felt like it was important to take this opportunity.

'People are going to lose interest in me.' Mathilda said. 'What?' I questioned, surprised. 'That's what I'm afraid of. The girl at the nightclub said that people are only temporarily interested.' She continued and I looked at her seriously. She looked at the ceiling.

'You know, Cecil, that I consider you my sister in all the ways that matter.' She said and I felt my heart warm at her words. 'Vice versa.' I simply said. 'Is it okay that I mull it over for myself a little? I can't answer your questions yet.' Mathilda said and I nodded. 'Yeah alright. You should sleep.' I said. 'I really should.' She said with a smile.

'I hope I didn't ruin your night.' She wondered as she turned off her little night light. 'Of course you didn't, you know me; I'm much more at home at home.' I said with a laugh and she chuckled as well. 'I still have too much energy bouncing around my body so I'm going to read a couple of chapters in my book before sleeping. Will the light bother you?' I asked, leaning back to reach into my bag, fishing out the Great Gatsby. She shook her head, putting her head on her pillow and closing her eyes. 'Nah, part of me is sleeping already.' She murmured.

She was right. Not five minutes later a slight snore whistled from between her lips. I smiled at he from over my book. I wasn't tired yet, despite the late hour. I had said that the energy was still bouncing around my body but it was my mind more than my limbs, the adrenaline keeping my brain alert and wide awake.

I was reading but the words didn't reach inside. It was a relatively thin book but for some reason I was taking a long time reading it. Normally I would've read a book this length in an afternoon or in two or three lunch hours. I had been carrying this around with me everywhere already for days and I could still not get through it.

The small light shone over my shoulder onto the pages. I turned another page. I could barely remember what had happened up till that point of the book. I stilled and looked up when Mathilda groaned in her sleep, turning around. I stayed frozen for a little while longer, making sure that she wasn't about to wake up but then turned back to the book in my hands. I let out a soft sigh. Maybe I should just start over. I wasn't that far in anyway.

Before I could change my mind I closed the book and opened it once again at the first page. I was soon glad I had started over. First time round it had not really sunken in, the words on the thin muggle paper bouncing off my brain as my eyes glided along. Disconnection to the world that it described was probably the main culprit; it spoke of things and places and cultures that were unfamiliar to me. Muggle studies had left me ill prepared. Sometimes I'd come across words that Felix had mentioned, most notably university (apparently called "college" in the American lingo of the book). It was too difficult, almost like I was trying to read a foreign language that I only spoke a mouthful of words from. This time though I felt my blood flow faster and faster and hotter in my veins as the book peaked my interest and imagination.

Soon I felt my bladder was about to burst and I was forced to put the book down again, running on tiptoes to the bathroom. As I looked at the blue and white tiles beneath my feet I imagined myself in the place of Nick Carraway moving "East", hoping to find more excitement, more people that were more like myself.

When I snuck back into Mathilda's room, Mathilda's breath was still slow and heavy. I picked up the paperback again but held myself off from reading a second longer, looking at my friend's sleeping face. She looked so normal all of a sudden. When awake Mathilda had such a larger than life air about her; charming, unapologizing and always a force to be reckoned with. But sometimes I'd be reminded about how insecure she was and how unsure and uncertain she was about herself and her own standing in life.

I eagerly went back to reading.

I was rather literary in college—one year I wrote a series of very solemn and obvious editorials for the "Yale News"—and now I was going to bring back all such things into my life and become again that most limited of all specialists, the "well-rounded man." This isn't just an epigram—life is much more successfully looked at from a single window, after all.

How right he was.

How was that? Review?

Also; Monkey87 (or something - can't remember by heart and too lazy to look it up hehe) - welcome back to reading for pleasure! Happy I could help a little in that haha!

Also also; Soleil the whatever exchange student at Twente University (you know who you are) - liberation day was awesome! But it's thanks to your canadian (great) grandparents! (also did you know the funny history behind the name of the university of Twente? Or the abbreviation in particular?)

IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN MATHILDA'S DRESS THIS CHAPTER BY THE WAY: www.1stdibs fashion/clothing/ day-dresses/gianni-versace-vintage-1990s-90s-neon-polka-dots-body-con-dress/id-v_539512/?utm_content=test (Make sure you remove the spaces - I've had that dress saved somewhere for ages already and planned for Mathilda to wear it for just as long! It's an absolutely fabulous 90's versace number)