Disclaimer: Me no own Harry Potter, Oliver Wood, Percy Weasley, and rest of characters from all HP books. But me do own Charlottie and other original characters! Meow! =)
Chapter Two: Breakfast Babble
"Morning!" The girls wearily greeted their fellow Gryffindors.
"Hullo, late-risers!" greeted back a deep, annoyingly cheery voice.
It was Harper McGinley, greeting the girls as they found seats around the crowded Gryffindor table for breakfast, of course, Carey sat beside him as he was her boyfriend.
"We're not late-risers, okay!" argued Carey as she playfully whacked
Harper on the arm.
"Well, at least you are today!" intercepted a tall lad with light brown
hair, unique gray eyes hidden behind oval shaped glasses and lusciously
red lips that are every girl's dream to give a kiss. His name, Welles Eastwick,
Nanzel's cousin and permanent bicker partner.
"We have our reasons," snapped Nanzel as she sat between Welles and
a raven-haired boy with dark blue eyes and a small loop earring on his
left ear. This lad's name is Bryton Sandburg.
Bryton was the renowned all around cool guy. Half the population of
girls in the school voted for that a few weeks back.
"What are they, then? Your reasons, I mean," asked Bryton, coolly running
a hand through his unruly hair.
"Girl business, if you please," said Charlottie, sitting in front of
him, with Serenede to her right, "And it's obviously none of your business
when it comes to that."
"She's right y'know," said Alletty, stacking pancakes onto her plate,
"A girl's business is a girl's business. No need of men piracy."
"What are you talking about, over there?" snapped an irritated voice
from the far left. The speaker had flaming red hair, brown eyes, horn-rimmed
glasses, and a long face with a scowl plastered on that made it look longer.
It was Percy Weasley, concentrated on a book that could easily be mistaken
as a large piece of a solid red brick.
"Sorry, Perce." said Charlottie, earnestly waving at him for emphasis.
"He's been at it for a fortnight," whispered Bryton from across the
table. He lowered his head to signal a secretive chat, the others complied,
"Said he had to be at the top of the class to get into the Ministry."
"He's desperate, then?" said Alletty, not troubling to keep her voice
low as she drank her pumpkin juice.
"Shh! Keep it down!" hissed Welles, pushing his glasses up his nose
before adding in, "He said that he was going for the top of the whole school.
Something about making a record or whatever it is that he said. Also said
he wants to beat his brothers at the academics department… he even plans
on beating you, Charlottie."
Seven pairs of brightly colored eyes turned to Charlottie who was listening
but was hurriedly finishing her buttered toast and pumpkin juice.
"I'm not saying that I'm any better than him, but I also have
a lot of work to do," said Charlottie in a passive voice as she stood up,
gave her friends a waning smile that only meant she rose to accept the
challenge placed in front of her, and strode off towards the Marble staircase.
"But it's the Easter Holidays!" yelled Carey at Charlottie's retreating
back.
"I know but examinations are coming, I need to finish the whole lot
so I could start skimming my notes!" Charlottie yelled back without turning
a head before disappearing at the top of the Marble staircase.
"That lassie's desperate, as well," said Harper, tutting and shaking
his head helplessly.
"No." said Carey, absent-mindedly and in deep thought, "She's not desperate…
she's obsessed."
The whole lot of them were silent for a moment, letting Carey's comment
sink in, when Serenede who had been busy eating all throughout, finally
entered the discussion
"Does that mean she wants to do all the work for a small grade?" asked
Serenede, tilting her head in confusion to what Carey uttered a moment
ago; showing her naiveté in all its glory.
The others snorted and shook their heads in disbelief.
"No, Serenede." said a frustrated Alletty as she poured herself another
round of pumpkin juice, "It means Charlottie just wants to work and work
and work because she likes it! Honestly! How in bloody hell did you pass
all those classes?!" Alletty, no longer frustrated, was utterly disbelieving
the fact that the innocent yet unconditionally pretty seventh year in front
of her could be more oblivious about the simplest of things.
"You know, if you think it over… deeply, something about what Serenede
said held a bit of truth. Or maybe a great deal of truth…" said Carey,
adjusting her glasses and tucking a stray of black strand behind her ear.
"What d'you mean?" said Nanzel, disbelieving could be right; beating
her in terms of the intellect.
"I'll tell you later… it has something to do with him." said Carey
in a low whisper, her eyes were following a tall, burly and simply handsome
lad with short auburn hair, brown eyes and a dazed look on his face. He
was carrying a black, leather-bound book with a quill between the pages
on one hand and a small model of a Quidditch pitch on the other. Yes, him.
Oliver Wood.
"Him?" asked Bryton, loud enough for everyone to hear.
Almost everyone in the Great Hall swiveled around to look at him, including
a deranged Percy Weasley, the adoring girls from every table, the snickering
Slytherin seventh year boys and even the grim faced Oliver Wood.
"Oh, sorry." muttered Bryton as a slight pink shone on his cheeks,
then he added awkwardly, "Just discussing…"
"Beowulf and his great successes in driving away the monsters that
wrecked havoc in his land and people," whispered Alletty, helping him to
cover up his blunder.
"Beowulf's adventures!" said Bryton as if he knew what he was talking
about. And made it even more convincing by adding a brilliant smile.
A tumult number of girls swooned. Some of them were overheard saying
in a giddy voice, "He's so brilliant! He's not just a handsome face, he
has brains as well!" which was obviously annoying.
"What does Charlottie have to do with him?!" hissed Bryton, ignoring
the swoons and faced Carey with agitated and impatient eyes.
"Easy, old boy!" said Harper who was between him and Carey, and trying
to restrain him from pouncing on his girlfriend.
"Tell me NOW!" urged Bryton; he was very persistent on finding out
about Charlottie's involvement with other men… boys.
Carey, giving up, sighed heavily and quietly told them to hurry and
finish up what they were eating. They did so and streaked out of the Great
Hall in a crooked line, up the Marble staircase towards the painting of
the Fat Lady and giving her the password. They all shuffled into the Gryffindor
common room, finding seats as far away from prying ears as possible. They
decided to sit near a window then gathered some chairs around Carey and
Harper who were seated on the windowpane.
They were all ears as Carey made sure that no one was listening. Bryton was the most anxious of them all because it was a known fact in their house that he has been interested in Charlottie since their fourth year at Hogwarts. It was also known to every one of Bryton's admirer that he was interested in Charlottie, hence jealous remarks often came her way but she was used to it thanks to some unfairly, rude Slytherin seventh years who have been wanting to be on top of the class ever since first year. And besides, Charlottie had had a lot of experiences with loathsome students. What with her perfectly slender body, long auburn hair that reached her thighs, expressive almond shaped dark brown eyes and five curiously small moles aligned from beneath her left eye, proceeding to her left cheek that others rumored to be the path of her tears, though she had never cried for years. Hundreds of innocent, fickle-minded boys were bound to fall madly in love for her. Thus, making Bryton a sly fly tailing her.
"If you all remember our first year here at Hogwarts, you'd know why
Charlottie was and still is such an insufferable know-it-all," Carey started
in a low whisper, "If you've noticed, before we even started on actual
Transfiguration, she already knew almost everything, the same way in Charms,
Herbology, Defense Against the Dark Arts and so on and so forth. She was
just like that Granger girl, one of Potter's best friends? Only, Charlottie
never ceases to amaze people because she rarely had to open a book. She
does suck herself up when we visited Hogsmeade or during break times, lunch
and even during those Quidditch matches! She would always stay either at
the library or here at the common room, doing all her reports, researches,
background of every possible thing she might have overseen and every possible
work available that she can do. She never had time for going around, being
a girl or even just being a child, and having fun. She never fancied the
things most girls would usually do at their age. Nor did she fancy any
guy; not that she needed to…" Carey paused then glanced at Bryton in particular,
making him understand, before continuing, "Anyway, what she wanted the
most was to work, study and learn as much as she can even if there's no
given reward for her. Mind you, her mum doesn't even encourage her to study
that much, but instead tries to get her to go out once in a while and have
fun for a change.—"
"Yes, but what does all of that have to do with Oliver Wood?"
asked an impatient Bryton, shuffling his fingers nervously.
"I'm getting there," hissed Carey, just as agitated, "It seems rather
impossible for a girl of her age to not know a thing about fun. You remember
that do you?" the three other girls nodded as they recalled their experiences
with her during first year, then Carey continued, "It's also impossible
to think that any of you would believe me if I said that an obsessed, workaholic
person like Charlottie used to be best of friends with a giddy, Quidditch
obsessed person like Oliver."
"WHAT!"
The whole common room; which was already packed with breakfast-filled
students, fell silent and stared at their half-guilty, half-shocked faces.
The majority of the students in the common room were looking daggers at
them for disturbing the still air of chitchat where they worked for extra
assignments and advanced preparations for the examinations.
Guilty and preventing others from over-hearing their own conversation,
Carey and Alletty quickly muttered a number of 'sorrys' for everyone else.
Once the tension was gone and the other students went back to their own
businesses, their attention was diverted back to Carey.
"Now where did I stop?" she asked, adjusting her glasses.
"Oliver Wood being Charlottie Hengins' bestfriend." intercepted Bryton,
ignoring some sixth year girls who just passed by and swooned behind him.
"Oh, right," whispered Carey and lowered her voice a few more notches,
"It seems pretty unbelievable that they used to be inseparable when they
were just children. Most people would believe that a starting relationship
like that would last forever, even when they both get married to different
people and have children of their own and die of old age, it would still
last. But, somehow, their relationship took a big twist just a few months
before they entered Hogwarts as first years."
"What happened?" asked a wide-eyed Serenede.
"Charlottie's father died…" Carey said it in a dead whisper that it
could barely be heard.
But they all heard it, alright. And they were all consumed in silence
for a moment. For a whole minute, no one spoke a word nor moved an inch
in his or her seat. The silence was only broken when Harper asked the question
that mingled in all their minds.
"How?" he asked, his voice held a glint of sadness and remorse.
"I don't know how…" answered Carey, taking Harper's hand that gripped
her shoulder firmly and looped her own fingers through his.
"How did you know, then? That her father died, I mean?" asked Alletty
as she ran a hand through her long, black hair. Her voice was seemingly
coarse, a first for the whole time they've known her.
"My dad used to work for her dad," said Carey, a dazed look on her
face. Harper put a soothing arm around her shoulders and drew her closer,
but Carey continued, "If it weren't for her dad, my father would never
have entered the Ministry's top committees. Our family had a bit of problem
back then and because Dad's party, the Committee for Unethically Deranged
and Unreliable Wizards, was closed down because a more advanced group was
laid out by the new Minister. So my dad lost his job and Mr. Hengins heard
about it. He, being a helpful man and believing in second chances and trusted
the untrustworthy, gave my dad a job as his partner."
"What kind of job?" asked Serenede, curiously.
"Committee for Illegally Exported Magical Goods," answered Carey in
a hoarse voice, "My dad had a hard time indeed, but it was the best he
had ever had. He loved working for Mr. Hengins. No matter what the difficulties.
We are eternally grateful for his kindness… that's also how I got to know
more about Charlottie than any of you did because we've met a few times
before we entered Hogwarts.
Back then, Charlottie was like a boy, instead of a girl, always running
around with her bestfriend, Oliver. Playing at a back marsh was their favorite
hobby especially when there's a big pool of mud after the rain. They all
lived without pain, problems, or unhappy thoughts that would keep them
awake at night. I never saw Oliver without Charlottie, or Charlottie without
Oliver. But then, Mr. Hengins died… I didn't know how, but he did. It was
so unexpected that it turned their lives completely around that neither
one of them could stop it…"
At about this time, Carey had her head resting against Harper's shoulder
and the rest of them pondered on the thought that Carey had, once again,
left hanging out in the open.
"How did they break apart?" asked Nanzel, toying with a few strands
of her bushy red hair.
"I was hoping no one would ask about that… it's too… just mind boggling
and I don't know the whole story of it," said Carey, sniffing at a tissue
Serenede had given her.
"Tell us what you know, then," suggested Alletty.
"I don't think that's such a good idea, I mean, let's give it a rest
for now… maybe later." said Harper, worry evident in his voice as he stroked
Carey's hair.
"No," said Carey, firmly, "I'll tell them… they need to know. They
deserve to."
She looked at Harper who defeatedly nodded in agreement.
"Have you all ever wondered what that black book contains?" asked Carey,
lowering her voice even more.
"What black book?" asked a confused Welles, whisking a cluster of light
brown hair away from his face.
"The one that Charlottie's been carrying around for ages."
"No, I haven't." said Bryton, knotting his eyebrows, "What else would
she bring besides her school books?"
"It's sure as hell that you don't know an inkling about the girl you
claim to adore." said Alletty with a smirk plastered on her face
as she forced herself to keep her eyes on Carey instead of Bryton who was
glaring at her with utmost loathing.
"Enough childishness!" hissed Welles as flashing his uniquely
expressive gray eyes upon them, quieting them down.
"I'm not sure what that book really contained," said Carey after a
short pause, "But I was informed by my father ages ago that there was a
bit of trouble between a Muggle and a wizard who had nothing and decided
to sell his possessions as a scrap dealer. He said that Mr. Hengins solved
the problem and got the senseless old wizard off the hook from the Ministry.
So in thanks to his kindness, the wizard gave Mr. Hengins a rare black
book that can show some of the most important things you want to keep that
you want someone to read in the future. But you have to choose a certain
someone who will be able to open it with a given password. And I'm guessing
that that's what Charlottie's been carrying around, trying to open it.
Her father's journal."
"But what does an old journal have to do with anything!?" Bryton was
now fuming with impatience that boiled inside of him that if he hadn't
asked, he would have exploded.
"Shh!" hisses found their way as the lot of them concealed Bryton's
ferreting.
"Everything!" Carey answered for his outburst, as if Bryton had asked
in a casual tone.
"But, how? I mean, Charlottie and Oliver separated because of an enchanted
journal?" asked Nanzel, sounding as if she thought that the idea was preposterous.
"Look," said Carey, frustration in her voice as she gave the others
a look, telling them not to interrupt her, "If you love someone very much
like your father, someone who has taught you everything… everything you
know in life. But the problem is you didn't understand it then because
you were just a child, and then that person dies before he can explain
it further for you as you grow older, you'll want to keep the only thing
that's left of him with you and try to learn how to open it!"
Carey breathed deeply before looking at their guilty faces and continued
again, "Now, what I know is that Charlottie wanted so badly to learn how
to open that book to see what her father wanted for her or what he felt
or if he loved her as much as he loved him or what her father was trying
to tell her… but she never did find out… up until now." Carey said, her
voice was now hoarse from telling the long tale.
Just before anyone of them could move a muscle or voice out a comment,
Oliver Wood approached their group so suddenly that they all jumped.
"Oliver! Um? hello…" said Alletty. It was so obvious that she was hiding
something; all of them, at that. They looked at him with guilty faces,
except for Bryton who had an ugly scowl across his face. Though, these
indications were so apparent, Oliver, somehow, didn't notice that there
was something wrong because he, too, was a bit preoccupied.
"Welles, did you borrow my scrapbook?" asked Oliver, frustration and
distaste in his voice. His face was all screwed up with his eyebrows knitted
together, as if they were glued together.
"Um… what scrapbook?" asked Welles in confusion.
"The one you always borrow from me!" Oliver seethed impatiently.
"The one with the Arithmancy notes at the back?" Welles answered slowly
as he winced.
"YES!" hissed Oliver, his jaws were clenched and his eyes bulged in
agitation. Then, without warning, he exploded with fury that was way too
obvious, "I don't remember you asking me if you can borrow
it nor me allowing you to borrow it!!!"
"Yes, you did! And I asked you just two days ago if I could borrow
it so I can copy the rest of the notes!" Welles bellowed back, "You might
not have noticed because you had your eyes glued to that Quidditch thing!"
"That is absolutely none of your damned business!" Oliver had yelled
his voice hoarse, and once again, the Gryffindor common room was dead silent.
Death stares were, again, given their way. It would've been worse if Carey
hadn't done so much as to step in the conversation; intercepting them all.
Please, discuss this matter in an orderly and civil manner."
said Carey, that firm hold and strict air making its way through her voice.
"FINE!"
Both were fuming and obviously too stubborn to forgive and forget.
But then…
"Bloody Hell! Are you really taking your studies seriously,
Oliver?! Or do you just study on a holiday?" asked Alletty, a fake and
unmistakable mocking of awe in her voice. She gave out a gasp that had
the same amount of sarcasm.
"No," said Oliver in irritation, "Quidditch final's on Saturday! D'you
think I have the bloody time to study?! NO!"
And with that, he stormed down the spiral staircase to the seventh
year boys' dormitories.
"Definitely got his priorities all wrong, that lad." said Alletty in
a defeated voice. She shook her head sadly and turned her attention back
to Carey. She was about to make another comment when her eyes suddenly
widened as it wandered across the common room and fell upon the hole that
was the entrance to the Gryffindor common room.
"Charlottie…" a strangled squeal came from the pit of Alletty's throat.
Indeed, it was Charlottie, carrying a very large and heavy stack of
books. Her face was all red from running, probably, and she was breathing
sharply to go with it.
"Carey, can I borrow a role of parchment?" asked Charlottie, breathing
heavily as she approached the guilty faced group. Though, Charlottie didn't
notice it either and just continued talking on, "I left my extra roles
in the library. And I didn't want to go all the way back so that I wouldn't
waste any more time. So, can I borrow some of yours?"
"Sure, sure." said Carey, waving a hand at Charlottie, trying to be
as casual as possible.
"Thanks! I'll pay you back when I'm done working later," said Charlottie,
giving them a warm smile.
"No need!" said Carey, waving yet, another dismissive hand at Charlottie.
"What! That's a conspiracy! Of course, I have to pay you back! It's
the only fair way to 'do unto others what you want others to do unto
you'! Even friends are encouraged to practice to do such." Charlottie
said all this very fast while the group stayed stock still; cautious. And
she was only cut off when a preoccupied, grunting and muttering Oliver
appeared out of nowhere.
"Welles, did you happen to have borrowed my red ink bottle, as well?"
asked Oliver. He, himself, didn't have his eyes on who he was talking to,
what more the ones surrounding him! He was only listening for the unsaid
answer while prodding a large, tattered quill on what looked like a thick
drawing book or sketch book.
"Welles! I said—"
Oliver finally took his eyes off the book he was holding and turned
his impatient eyes on Welles. It was only to find Welles staring back at
him blankly as if he was waiting for Oliver to make an interesting move.
___________________End Of Second Chapter___________________
What'd'ya think? Pwees review me work and tell I if me should continue
with this stowy. =)
c"_,)_)_)_)_)_)_)0o –Wormmymon woves you!!!