Try as I might to deny it, though, I did fancy Emma. Everything about her. She came back into Transfiguration with Proffesor McGonogall. Wearing her robes the way they were supposed to be.
I think I heard McGonogall say, "And I don't care what Dumbledore says, I do not think young ladies should wear make-up. It's just tacky."
Emma slid into the seat next to me. "Tacky?" She said. "McGonogall thinks MY make-up is TACKY? Did you see how much rouge she was wearing. Now, that's tacky."
I held back a laugh and grinned broadly.
Percy turned around and looked at us.
"Really, some of us are trying to do our work, could you keep it down?" Percy growled.
"It's funny," Emma said, twirling her wand so that a 'I'm a brown-nosing twit' sign appeared on Percy's back. "But I just don't see how HE is related to Ron and Fred and George. I mean, he's so SERIOUS."
I nodded. "Yeah, but you have to get to know him." I defended Percy, but didn't make a move to remove the sign.
"I'll take your for it Oliver," Emma said.
"Shhh!" Percy whispered.
"Well, I'm being as quiet as I know how to be." Emma said, with an "innocent" smile on her face. "Scout's honor, Percy. Oli was just helping me with our assignment."
"Well, do it quietly," Percy instructed. "We are all trying to concentrate."
Percy turned around and Emma flipped her wand once more and the sign now read, 'Kick me, Percy, the "wonderful".' I laughed and Percy turned around and gave me a horrible frown.
"What?" Emma asked.
"Americans." Percy whispered, indignantly.
Once we got out of class, I couldn't stop laughing.
"I think Percy'll kill you by the end of the semester if you don't be careful. You know how it is, Mr. Prefect Head Boy. He thinks he owns the place."
"Well, well. He'll just have to warm up to me. Or me to him. I'm not sure which one would be easier right now."
"So, what happened with McGonogall and Dumbledore?" I asked.
"Not much." Emma waved her wand at a broken nail and it replaced itself. "Just told me I couldn't alter my robes again. They put an un-seamstress charm on all my robes. We do get free weekends, don't we?"
"Well..." I started, but Emma's attention had already been distracted by a poster we passed on our way to Potions with the Slytherin house.
"Look, Oli," she said. "It's about that Quidditch thing. Our house is playin Ravenclaw for the first game. Are you nervous."
"You know it's funny," I said. "But I really haven't been obssesing myself with it as much as I thought I would be."
"Oh really?" Emma asked, still staring at the poster. "Why's that?"
I couldn't really say why that was, because it was that my mind was on her. I'm sure if I didn't get my act together for the team, Angeline, Katie, the Twins, and Harry would have me for it. I am the captain after all, and I do have responsibilities. Even before girls.
Potions class is everyone's least favorite. Well, not the Slytherins. They love it. Mostly because of the unfair treatment from the Potion's teacher, Severus Snape. He liked Slytherins and Slytherins only.
"I'm good at potions," Emma whispered to me.
"Oh really?" I asked, surprised. Most girls were better at things like Divination or Arthimancy or even Transfiguration, but most girls loathed potions.
"Don't get me wrong," she said. "The icky frog's legs and such gross me out. But I have been making my own perfume for years now."
"Is that why you smell so good, then?" I asked. Emma nodded and Percy dropped down a few seats in front of us, in a huff.
"Something wrong, Percy?" Emma asked.
"No." He said flatly.
"That means he fought with Penny, his girlfriend." I whispered.
"Oh, now see, that I could help with." Emma said. She looked sympathetic and swiped her wand so that her sign was removed from Percy's back. "But he would have to ask for my help." She sighed. "Boys just don't get things sometimes."
I nodded, as if I knew what she was talking about.
"Are you two planning on chatting away all period again, like you did in Transfiguration?" Percy yelped.
"Sorry," Emma said. "At my old school, all we did was talk. Well, that's not ALL we did. But, you know."
"Don't worry about Percy," I said. Shifting my gaze to the teacher that had just Apparated, I pointed at Professor Snape. "Worry about HIM."
Emma looked up. She gave a disaproving look. And didn't say anything as Snape began and the class came to order.
"Oliver," Emma whispered after we had started our work on a potion to prevent the reactions of a wherewolve bite. "That is so sad."
"What is 'so sad'?" I asked.
"Well, that poor guy is so pale. I'm sure he would smile more and be nicer to his students if he just yoga-ed ten minutes every morning and went to the tanning bed five minutes every afternoon."
I looked at her and checked if she was being serious. She was, though. And she was biting her bottom lip as Snape drew ever closer, checking everyone's work. I laughed.
"I didn't REALLY mean that you should be afraid of him, you know."
Emma nodded, but continued to bite her bottom lip in insecurity, anyways.
"But, he looks, so... so... so..."
"Miss Sims, Mister Wood. Can I help you two? Or are you just going to sit here and talk all period?" Snape said suddenly. I saw Emma clamp her teeth down on her bottom lip. I was afraid it was going to start bleeding soon, if she wasn't carefull. "Not getting off to a very good start, are you, Sims? First your abomination of a copy of our robes and now you can't seem to keep your mouth shut." Snape turned around, grinning with approval of his knock down of student enthusiasm.
"Well, it seems to me," I heard Emma say, but didn't quite believe it. "that it's only fair for us to talk, because we have already finished our potion in record time and without any errors, you will see, Professor."
Snape turned around and looked down at Emma. But she wasn't biting her lip anymore. Just staring proudly. He checked our potion and Emma was right. She was good at Potions. Snape looked utterly depressed and skulked back to the front of the room.
Emma clapped her hands and smiled. "Well, I geuss that's that. But he should STILL start tanning. And that Yoga WOULDN'T kill him."
"Unfortunately," I said. Emma smiled. And Percy turned around and shook his head.
I think I heard McGonogall say, "And I don't care what Dumbledore says, I do not think young ladies should wear make-up. It's just tacky."
Emma slid into the seat next to me. "Tacky?" She said. "McGonogall thinks MY make-up is TACKY? Did you see how much rouge she was wearing. Now, that's tacky."
I held back a laugh and grinned broadly.
Percy turned around and looked at us.
"Really, some of us are trying to do our work, could you keep it down?" Percy growled.
"It's funny," Emma said, twirling her wand so that a 'I'm a brown-nosing twit' sign appeared on Percy's back. "But I just don't see how HE is related to Ron and Fred and George. I mean, he's so SERIOUS."
I nodded. "Yeah, but you have to get to know him." I defended Percy, but didn't make a move to remove the sign.
"I'll take your for it Oliver," Emma said.
"Shhh!" Percy whispered.
"Well, I'm being as quiet as I know how to be." Emma said, with an "innocent" smile on her face. "Scout's honor, Percy. Oli was just helping me with our assignment."
"Well, do it quietly," Percy instructed. "We are all trying to concentrate."
Percy turned around and Emma flipped her wand once more and the sign now read, 'Kick me, Percy, the "wonderful".' I laughed and Percy turned around and gave me a horrible frown.
"What?" Emma asked.
"Americans." Percy whispered, indignantly.
Once we got out of class, I couldn't stop laughing.
"I think Percy'll kill you by the end of the semester if you don't be careful. You know how it is, Mr. Prefect Head Boy. He thinks he owns the place."
"Well, well. He'll just have to warm up to me. Or me to him. I'm not sure which one would be easier right now."
"So, what happened with McGonogall and Dumbledore?" I asked.
"Not much." Emma waved her wand at a broken nail and it replaced itself. "Just told me I couldn't alter my robes again. They put an un-seamstress charm on all my robes. We do get free weekends, don't we?"
"Well..." I started, but Emma's attention had already been distracted by a poster we passed on our way to Potions with the Slytherin house.
"Look, Oli," she said. "It's about that Quidditch thing. Our house is playin Ravenclaw for the first game. Are you nervous."
"You know it's funny," I said. "But I really haven't been obssesing myself with it as much as I thought I would be."
"Oh really?" Emma asked, still staring at the poster. "Why's that?"
I couldn't really say why that was, because it was that my mind was on her. I'm sure if I didn't get my act together for the team, Angeline, Katie, the Twins, and Harry would have me for it. I am the captain after all, and I do have responsibilities. Even before girls.
Potions class is everyone's least favorite. Well, not the Slytherins. They love it. Mostly because of the unfair treatment from the Potion's teacher, Severus Snape. He liked Slytherins and Slytherins only.
"I'm good at potions," Emma whispered to me.
"Oh really?" I asked, surprised. Most girls were better at things like Divination or Arthimancy or even Transfiguration, but most girls loathed potions.
"Don't get me wrong," she said. "The icky frog's legs and such gross me out. But I have been making my own perfume for years now."
"Is that why you smell so good, then?" I asked. Emma nodded and Percy dropped down a few seats in front of us, in a huff.
"Something wrong, Percy?" Emma asked.
"No." He said flatly.
"That means he fought with Penny, his girlfriend." I whispered.
"Oh, now see, that I could help with." Emma said. She looked sympathetic and swiped her wand so that her sign was removed from Percy's back. "But he would have to ask for my help." She sighed. "Boys just don't get things sometimes."
I nodded, as if I knew what she was talking about.
"Are you two planning on chatting away all period again, like you did in Transfiguration?" Percy yelped.
"Sorry," Emma said. "At my old school, all we did was talk. Well, that's not ALL we did. But, you know."
"Don't worry about Percy," I said. Shifting my gaze to the teacher that had just Apparated, I pointed at Professor Snape. "Worry about HIM."
Emma looked up. She gave a disaproving look. And didn't say anything as Snape began and the class came to order.
"Oliver," Emma whispered after we had started our work on a potion to prevent the reactions of a wherewolve bite. "That is so sad."
"What is 'so sad'?" I asked.
"Well, that poor guy is so pale. I'm sure he would smile more and be nicer to his students if he just yoga-ed ten minutes every morning and went to the tanning bed five minutes every afternoon."
I looked at her and checked if she was being serious. She was, though. And she was biting her bottom lip as Snape drew ever closer, checking everyone's work. I laughed.
"I didn't REALLY mean that you should be afraid of him, you know."
Emma nodded, but continued to bite her bottom lip in insecurity, anyways.
"But, he looks, so... so... so..."
"Miss Sims, Mister Wood. Can I help you two? Or are you just going to sit here and talk all period?" Snape said suddenly. I saw Emma clamp her teeth down on her bottom lip. I was afraid it was going to start bleeding soon, if she wasn't carefull. "Not getting off to a very good start, are you, Sims? First your abomination of a copy of our robes and now you can't seem to keep your mouth shut." Snape turned around, grinning with approval of his knock down of student enthusiasm.
"Well, it seems to me," I heard Emma say, but didn't quite believe it. "that it's only fair for us to talk, because we have already finished our potion in record time and without any errors, you will see, Professor."
Snape turned around and looked down at Emma. But she wasn't biting her lip anymore. Just staring proudly. He checked our potion and Emma was right. She was good at Potions. Snape looked utterly depressed and skulked back to the front of the room.
Emma clapped her hands and smiled. "Well, I geuss that's that. But he should STILL start tanning. And that Yoga WOULDN'T kill him."
"Unfortunately," I said. Emma smiled. And Percy turned around and shook his head.