By the time we finished talking, it was well past 2:00 A.M. The only
light was the pale crescent moon overhead, which lit everything with a very
soft glow. My room was as dark as black velvet.
Suddenly, a mischievous idea formed in my mind, and I grinned evilly to myself. No one noticed because it was so dark.
I slipped inside my room and groped around on my bed for one of the huge pillows. As soon as I found one, I hid myself behind the curtains, peeking out so I could see my target. When I saw the silhouette of a messy haired boy with glasses, I leaped forward out of my hiding place and brought my pillow down on his head. Harry yelped in surprise, causing the room to suddenly be luminated so Harry could see his attacker. He locked his eyes onto mine, his face slowly cracking into a malicious grin. I couldn't move, but I should have.
Ron, who had been sneaking up on me, grabbed me around the waist and hoisted me up into the air, while I kicked my legs wildly in the air, laughing at the same time. He was at least 2 or 3 inches taller then me, and much stronger, so he was able to hold onto me without a problem while Harry scooped up a pillow.
"You know this isn't fair, Harry," I gasped, still struggling to get out of Ron's hold.
"Hey," he replied, getting into position, "I didn't start this."
Harry raised his pillow, ready to strike, when out of nowhere, a pillow collided with his head. "She's right, you know, Harry," Hermione giggled, getting ready to strike again. Harry dodged her second blow and whammed his pillow into her stomach. Hermione fell onto the bed and rolled off it just as Harry smacked the bed where she'd been a moment before.
"Ron, let go of me!" I laughed, trying to squirm out of his grasp. Ron just laughed in my ear and tightened his grip.
Suddenly, two pillows walloped him on the head, causing Ron to stumble forward and release his hold on me. Not wasting a second, I plucked up a pillow and started to pound him with it.
"Hey, now this isn't fair!" Ron protested, trying to get a pillow.
"Now ya know how I feel!" I laughed back.
Before long, though, Harry managed to shut Hermione in the closet by the bathroom (Hermione had been holding him off so I could wallop Ron). He threw his pillow at my head, and I tripped over Ron, landing on the bed. In an instant, Harry and Ron started to attack me with their pillows.
"Sirius!" I gasped, covering my face with my hands. "Help!"
"Sorry, Emerald," he chuckled, "you're on your own. I think I'll go back to bed now." And he slipped put the door after changing back into a dog.
"Fine, be that way!" I yelled back. Suddenly, in the back of my mind, I heard D.C. chuckle.
What's so funny? I thought.
I'm laughing at myself, Emerald, D.C. replied.
Why? Harry and Ron had switched tactics now. Ron was pinning me to the bed while Harry continued to whack me with his pillow.
I forgot to teach you something useful. It's a shield, but not a Power. To activate it, just say Hdielsi noi. It'll throw Ron and Harry off of you, but won't hurt them, so you can get Hermione out of the closet. It also comes in handing when blocking curses and pillows.
Thanks, D.C. I thought. Then, I warned Harry and Ron, "You had better get off of me now." "Why?" they asked at the same time.
"Or else."
"Or else what?"
"Or else this," I said evilly. "Hdielsi noi!"
A golden light surrounded me. It was pleasantly warm and tingled a little bit. I saw Ron and Harry's astonished faces for half a second before they were thrown into a pillow of pillows.
"You can't say I didn't warn you," I said, shaking a finger at them. Then I turned around, walked to the closet Hermione was in, and unlocked the door. She tumbled out of it.
"Thanks," she gasped, struggling up. As soon as she saw the golden mist surrounding me, her eyes widened. "How-?"
"I'll tell you later. Right now," I grinned devilishly, "we have some butt to kick."
Hermione laughed. We picked up a pillow each and stood in front of Harry and Ron, who were still struggling to get up from the mass of fluff surrounding them.
"Ready, Hermione?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," she replied. We raised our pillows and brought them down time after time upon Harry and Ron. In the meanwhile, they were throwing as many pillows as they could at us. The shield blocked them for me, but that meant they just bounced onto Hermione.
"Eurgh," she said after a pillow hit her in the face. "Emerald, how do you get rid of that thing?"
"Hmm. I'll try to remember," I took a step back from the battle, and thought, D.C, how do I turn it off?
The counter charm is Hdielsi fofi. Oh, and to include someone who's touching you when you use it, say Necludii and then the persons name. And also, you will be able to contact me through your thoughts from now on if you need any advice.
OK. Thanks again, D.C, I thought. "Ok, now I remember; Hdielsi fofi!" Instantly, the golden mist faded and the tingling stopped. I stepped next to Hermione and joined the pillow fight once more.
"I win again, Harry!" I said, flopping onto the bed. "Well, Hermione and I win."
"Yeah, but you cheated!" Harry complained, pulling himself up into a sitting position on the floor. "With that hidle-thingy."
"Hdielsi," I corrected him. "And besides, you're forgetting something. Don't you remember our last pillow fight?"
"Er," he said sheepishly.
You've had another pillow fight?" Ron said in mock-awe. "Couldn't resist her charm, I guess."
At this, both Hermione and I fired our pillows into Ron's face. Harry shoved him back into the pile of pillows, bright red.
Ron sat up, laughing crazily.
"Honestly," said Hermione, shaking her head. I smiled tiredly, my eyelids drooping.
"Emerald?" Harry asked; his voice sounded far away.
"Hmm?" I was fighting, now, to keep my eyes open. God, I tire easily, I thought to myself.
"Ron and I could leave," he said, his voice drifting even further away. "If you want to go to bed and all-"
"Nah, that's ok," I said. "Just [I yawned] 'sleep-over' here for tonight. We're already in our p.js, so it really [I yawned again] doesn't-"
And then I gave in to the inevitable; I fell asleep.
The next morning, I awakened to someone shaking me gently. For a second, I thought everything about escaping had all been some wondrous dream and I was Voldemort's prisoner again. Hey, I was more than half- asleep, so can you blame me? But then I realized that the person's touch was much too gentle for Goyle's. "Wake up, Emerald," someone said softly.
"I don' wanna," I whined, turning over.
"Shhh! You'll wake him!" the voice hissed. Now that I was (more or less) awake, I could recognize the voice. It was Hermione's.
"Wake who?" I asked, more softly this time.
"Harry!" Hermione whispered back. "Now get dressed. We've got to go to Hogsmeade."
"For what?" I rolled out of bed and began to fumble with the latches on my trunk.
"And here I thought you were an 'expert,' from reading those books," said Hermione vaguely, picking her way around the sleeping forms of Ron and Harry. I was about to reach for a plain shirt when, suddenly, everything clicked. I slapped myself on the forehead.
"Of course I should've known!" I said. I walked lightly around Ron and Harry into the bathroom and dressed, splashing some water from the sink onto my face. When I emerged, Hermione was sitting on the unmade bed, talking quietly to Ron. Harry slept on.
"Ok, then. It's all worked out," Hermione said triumphantly. "When Harry wakes up, Ron's going to lead him out to the Quidditch field. Mrs. Weasley is going to bake the cake and lunch, and Mr. Weasley is going to take us to Hogsmeade to get all the decorations and party favors. You can buy Harry's birthday present over there-"
"Um, Hermione," I interrupted, "I only have my muggle money."
"Hmm? Oh, that would be a problem, wouldn't it?" Hermione thought for a moment, and then said, "Well, maybe we can make a quick stop by Gringotts. If not, you can always borrow some money from me and pay me back when we get around to Gringotts."
"Really? Thanks, Hermione!" I said, a little too loudly. Harry grunted a little and rolled over. I covered my mouth with my hands to suppress my laughter. "He looks like an angel, doesn't he?" said Ron sarcastically.
"Hmm. Quite," said Hermione. I rolled my eyes.
"So, what are we waiting for?" I jumped up and seized Hermione's wrist. "Let's go!"
I dragged her out of my room and down two flights of staircases before letting go. Mr. Weasley was waiting for us in the living room. He was standing next to a huge stone fireplace with a purple drawstring bag in one hand. Even though it was July, there was a roaring fire in the fireplace.
"Floo powder?" I asked skeptically.
"Yes. Now, stand back." Mr. Weasley pulled out a pinch of powder from the bag and tossed it into the flames. They roared up even higher and turned a brilliant shade of emerald.
"You first, Hermione," instructed Mr. Weasley. Hermione stepped into the flames and shouted, "Hogsmeade!" In a whirl of green light, she was gone.
"Now you, Emerald."
Taking a deep breath, I walked into the flames. Enjoying the pleasant warmth, I shouted, "Hogsmeade!" over the roar of the flames. Everything started to spin; so fast it made me dizzy and I had to close my eyes. When I felt myself slowing down, I flung my hands out in time to stop myself from falling onto the floor.
I coughed and sputtered ash from my mouth and shook the dizziness from my head. Hermione was standing over me and helped me to my feet. A pop beside me told us that Mr. Weasley had arrived. "Where are we?" I asked, looking around. There were several tables and chairs everywhere, but only a few of the seats were filled. Their occupants were either drinking deeply from a tankard, reading a newspaper called The Daily Prophet, or chatting with friends.
"We're in the Three Broomsticks," said Hermione briskly. "Now, let's go! Who knows how long Ron'll be able to distract Harry."
"I'd say pretty long, since it involves 'Quidditch' and 'field' in the same sentence," I guessed, making Mr. Weasley chuckle.
Mr. Weasley, Hermione, and I spent a happy three hours roaming throughout Hogsmeade. First, we went to Zonko's Joke Shop and bought a ton of Dungbombs, Filibuster's Wet-Start Fireworks, the party decorations, and at least fifteen cans of this new kind of silly string that changes colors as you spray. Then we visited Honeydukes. We bought so much candy that Mr. Weasley had to make it levitate behind us.
As we walked around the street, our purchases floating behind us, I asked Hermione, "Hermione, what do you think Harry would like for a present?"
"That," Hermione replied, pointing at something behind me. I turned and saw, in the display window of a novelty Quidditch supply shop, a golden Snitch floating above a violet cushion. Below the Snitch was a sign that read:
The All New Practice Snitch!
Tired of throwing substitute Snitches at the Seeker in practice? Well, now you don't have to! With the all new Practice Snitch, give your Seeker a chance to practice with a perfect model of the Snitch. The Practice Snitch is just as small and fast as a regular Snitch with one difference: when practice is over, just whistle and the Practice Snitch will come right to you! Only five galleons each!
"Wow," I said, finishing reading. "I bet Harry would love that!"
"Which is why I went in and bought it," said Hermione, holding out a wrapped box. "Gift-wrapped and all."
"Oh, Hermione!" I said, throwing my arms around her neck. "Thank you so much!"
"No problem," she said, prying me off her. "Now let's get going. We still have to decorate!"
Ten minutes and a wild ride of spinning flames later, we were back at the cottage, decorating the dinning room while Ron kept Harry busy outside. When we were finished, Hermione told me to go get Harry and Ron.
"Go on!" Hermione hissed, pushing me out the door. Harry and Ron were throwing apples at each other, soaring at least forty feet high in the air.
"Harry! Ron!" I yelled, waving at them to come down. "Time to get you heads out of the clouds; lunch is ready!" Harry and Ron zoomed down to the ground. Well, Ron did, at least. Harry just flew straight at me. I crossed my arms and tapped my foot.
"You know, if you wanted to play games," I said as Harry flew over my head at the last second, "you could at least choose a board game or some- HEY! You put me down right now!"
Harry had flown up behind me, put an arm around my waist and pulled me onto his broom.
"Harry, the would be fun is I was on my own broom," I complained as Harry soared higher.
"Well, now I know what to get you for Christmas," Harry replied.
"Ha, ha. Very funny," I said sarcastically. "You know Harry, if you want you lunch to spoil, fine. Soar higher. You're gonna get hingry sometime."
"Fine. I'll just drop you off with Ron," said Harry, his eyes gleaming.
"That's better. No-wait," I said suspiciously. "I know that look."
"What look?" he asked innocently.
"Just fly down to the ground and let me get off myself," I said, ignoring his question.
"Jeez. Girls don't know how to have fun," commented Harry. He turned his broom around and sped toward the ground. I yelped with fear and grabbed his neck.
"I do too know how to have fun," I protested. "I just don't want to end up an Emerald-pancake, thank you very much."
Harry laughed. He was about three feet above the ground, so he pulled to a halt. I stepped off.
"Thank you," I said, brushing invisible dust off of my arms. "Now, if you don't mind-"
I grabbed his ear and hauled him from the broom. He started to protest, but I cut him off. "Just think of this as payback."
Suddenly, a mischievous idea formed in my mind, and I grinned evilly to myself. No one noticed because it was so dark.
I slipped inside my room and groped around on my bed for one of the huge pillows. As soon as I found one, I hid myself behind the curtains, peeking out so I could see my target. When I saw the silhouette of a messy haired boy with glasses, I leaped forward out of my hiding place and brought my pillow down on his head. Harry yelped in surprise, causing the room to suddenly be luminated so Harry could see his attacker. He locked his eyes onto mine, his face slowly cracking into a malicious grin. I couldn't move, but I should have.
Ron, who had been sneaking up on me, grabbed me around the waist and hoisted me up into the air, while I kicked my legs wildly in the air, laughing at the same time. He was at least 2 or 3 inches taller then me, and much stronger, so he was able to hold onto me without a problem while Harry scooped up a pillow.
"You know this isn't fair, Harry," I gasped, still struggling to get out of Ron's hold.
"Hey," he replied, getting into position, "I didn't start this."
Harry raised his pillow, ready to strike, when out of nowhere, a pillow collided with his head. "She's right, you know, Harry," Hermione giggled, getting ready to strike again. Harry dodged her second blow and whammed his pillow into her stomach. Hermione fell onto the bed and rolled off it just as Harry smacked the bed where she'd been a moment before.
"Ron, let go of me!" I laughed, trying to squirm out of his grasp. Ron just laughed in my ear and tightened his grip.
Suddenly, two pillows walloped him on the head, causing Ron to stumble forward and release his hold on me. Not wasting a second, I plucked up a pillow and started to pound him with it.
"Hey, now this isn't fair!" Ron protested, trying to get a pillow.
"Now ya know how I feel!" I laughed back.
Before long, though, Harry managed to shut Hermione in the closet by the bathroom (Hermione had been holding him off so I could wallop Ron). He threw his pillow at my head, and I tripped over Ron, landing on the bed. In an instant, Harry and Ron started to attack me with their pillows.
"Sirius!" I gasped, covering my face with my hands. "Help!"
"Sorry, Emerald," he chuckled, "you're on your own. I think I'll go back to bed now." And he slipped put the door after changing back into a dog.
"Fine, be that way!" I yelled back. Suddenly, in the back of my mind, I heard D.C. chuckle.
What's so funny? I thought.
I'm laughing at myself, Emerald, D.C. replied.
Why? Harry and Ron had switched tactics now. Ron was pinning me to the bed while Harry continued to whack me with his pillow.
I forgot to teach you something useful. It's a shield, but not a Power. To activate it, just say Hdielsi noi. It'll throw Ron and Harry off of you, but won't hurt them, so you can get Hermione out of the closet. It also comes in handing when blocking curses and pillows.
Thanks, D.C. I thought. Then, I warned Harry and Ron, "You had better get off of me now." "Why?" they asked at the same time.
"Or else."
"Or else what?"
"Or else this," I said evilly. "Hdielsi noi!"
A golden light surrounded me. It was pleasantly warm and tingled a little bit. I saw Ron and Harry's astonished faces for half a second before they were thrown into a pillow of pillows.
"You can't say I didn't warn you," I said, shaking a finger at them. Then I turned around, walked to the closet Hermione was in, and unlocked the door. She tumbled out of it.
"Thanks," she gasped, struggling up. As soon as she saw the golden mist surrounding me, her eyes widened. "How-?"
"I'll tell you later. Right now," I grinned devilishly, "we have some butt to kick."
Hermione laughed. We picked up a pillow each and stood in front of Harry and Ron, who were still struggling to get up from the mass of fluff surrounding them.
"Ready, Hermione?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," she replied. We raised our pillows and brought them down time after time upon Harry and Ron. In the meanwhile, they were throwing as many pillows as they could at us. The shield blocked them for me, but that meant they just bounced onto Hermione.
"Eurgh," she said after a pillow hit her in the face. "Emerald, how do you get rid of that thing?"
"Hmm. I'll try to remember," I took a step back from the battle, and thought, D.C, how do I turn it off?
The counter charm is Hdielsi fofi. Oh, and to include someone who's touching you when you use it, say Necludii and then the persons name. And also, you will be able to contact me through your thoughts from now on if you need any advice.
OK. Thanks again, D.C, I thought. "Ok, now I remember; Hdielsi fofi!" Instantly, the golden mist faded and the tingling stopped. I stepped next to Hermione and joined the pillow fight once more.
"I win again, Harry!" I said, flopping onto the bed. "Well, Hermione and I win."
"Yeah, but you cheated!" Harry complained, pulling himself up into a sitting position on the floor. "With that hidle-thingy."
"Hdielsi," I corrected him. "And besides, you're forgetting something. Don't you remember our last pillow fight?"
"Er," he said sheepishly.
You've had another pillow fight?" Ron said in mock-awe. "Couldn't resist her charm, I guess."
At this, both Hermione and I fired our pillows into Ron's face. Harry shoved him back into the pile of pillows, bright red.
Ron sat up, laughing crazily.
"Honestly," said Hermione, shaking her head. I smiled tiredly, my eyelids drooping.
"Emerald?" Harry asked; his voice sounded far away.
"Hmm?" I was fighting, now, to keep my eyes open. God, I tire easily, I thought to myself.
"Ron and I could leave," he said, his voice drifting even further away. "If you want to go to bed and all-"
"Nah, that's ok," I said. "Just [I yawned] 'sleep-over' here for tonight. We're already in our p.js, so it really [I yawned again] doesn't-"
And then I gave in to the inevitable; I fell asleep.
The next morning, I awakened to someone shaking me gently. For a second, I thought everything about escaping had all been some wondrous dream and I was Voldemort's prisoner again. Hey, I was more than half- asleep, so can you blame me? But then I realized that the person's touch was much too gentle for Goyle's. "Wake up, Emerald," someone said softly.
"I don' wanna," I whined, turning over.
"Shhh! You'll wake him!" the voice hissed. Now that I was (more or less) awake, I could recognize the voice. It was Hermione's.
"Wake who?" I asked, more softly this time.
"Harry!" Hermione whispered back. "Now get dressed. We've got to go to Hogsmeade."
"For what?" I rolled out of bed and began to fumble with the latches on my trunk.
"And here I thought you were an 'expert,' from reading those books," said Hermione vaguely, picking her way around the sleeping forms of Ron and Harry. I was about to reach for a plain shirt when, suddenly, everything clicked. I slapped myself on the forehead.
"Of course I should've known!" I said. I walked lightly around Ron and Harry into the bathroom and dressed, splashing some water from the sink onto my face. When I emerged, Hermione was sitting on the unmade bed, talking quietly to Ron. Harry slept on.
"Ok, then. It's all worked out," Hermione said triumphantly. "When Harry wakes up, Ron's going to lead him out to the Quidditch field. Mrs. Weasley is going to bake the cake and lunch, and Mr. Weasley is going to take us to Hogsmeade to get all the decorations and party favors. You can buy Harry's birthday present over there-"
"Um, Hermione," I interrupted, "I only have my muggle money."
"Hmm? Oh, that would be a problem, wouldn't it?" Hermione thought for a moment, and then said, "Well, maybe we can make a quick stop by Gringotts. If not, you can always borrow some money from me and pay me back when we get around to Gringotts."
"Really? Thanks, Hermione!" I said, a little too loudly. Harry grunted a little and rolled over. I covered my mouth with my hands to suppress my laughter. "He looks like an angel, doesn't he?" said Ron sarcastically.
"Hmm. Quite," said Hermione. I rolled my eyes.
"So, what are we waiting for?" I jumped up and seized Hermione's wrist. "Let's go!"
I dragged her out of my room and down two flights of staircases before letting go. Mr. Weasley was waiting for us in the living room. He was standing next to a huge stone fireplace with a purple drawstring bag in one hand. Even though it was July, there was a roaring fire in the fireplace.
"Floo powder?" I asked skeptically.
"Yes. Now, stand back." Mr. Weasley pulled out a pinch of powder from the bag and tossed it into the flames. They roared up even higher and turned a brilliant shade of emerald.
"You first, Hermione," instructed Mr. Weasley. Hermione stepped into the flames and shouted, "Hogsmeade!" In a whirl of green light, she was gone.
"Now you, Emerald."
Taking a deep breath, I walked into the flames. Enjoying the pleasant warmth, I shouted, "Hogsmeade!" over the roar of the flames. Everything started to spin; so fast it made me dizzy and I had to close my eyes. When I felt myself slowing down, I flung my hands out in time to stop myself from falling onto the floor.
I coughed and sputtered ash from my mouth and shook the dizziness from my head. Hermione was standing over me and helped me to my feet. A pop beside me told us that Mr. Weasley had arrived. "Where are we?" I asked, looking around. There were several tables and chairs everywhere, but only a few of the seats were filled. Their occupants were either drinking deeply from a tankard, reading a newspaper called The Daily Prophet, or chatting with friends.
"We're in the Three Broomsticks," said Hermione briskly. "Now, let's go! Who knows how long Ron'll be able to distract Harry."
"I'd say pretty long, since it involves 'Quidditch' and 'field' in the same sentence," I guessed, making Mr. Weasley chuckle.
Mr. Weasley, Hermione, and I spent a happy three hours roaming throughout Hogsmeade. First, we went to Zonko's Joke Shop and bought a ton of Dungbombs, Filibuster's Wet-Start Fireworks, the party decorations, and at least fifteen cans of this new kind of silly string that changes colors as you spray. Then we visited Honeydukes. We bought so much candy that Mr. Weasley had to make it levitate behind us.
As we walked around the street, our purchases floating behind us, I asked Hermione, "Hermione, what do you think Harry would like for a present?"
"That," Hermione replied, pointing at something behind me. I turned and saw, in the display window of a novelty Quidditch supply shop, a golden Snitch floating above a violet cushion. Below the Snitch was a sign that read:
The All New Practice Snitch!
Tired of throwing substitute Snitches at the Seeker in practice? Well, now you don't have to! With the all new Practice Snitch, give your Seeker a chance to practice with a perfect model of the Snitch. The Practice Snitch is just as small and fast as a regular Snitch with one difference: when practice is over, just whistle and the Practice Snitch will come right to you! Only five galleons each!
"Wow," I said, finishing reading. "I bet Harry would love that!"
"Which is why I went in and bought it," said Hermione, holding out a wrapped box. "Gift-wrapped and all."
"Oh, Hermione!" I said, throwing my arms around her neck. "Thank you so much!"
"No problem," she said, prying me off her. "Now let's get going. We still have to decorate!"
Ten minutes and a wild ride of spinning flames later, we were back at the cottage, decorating the dinning room while Ron kept Harry busy outside. When we were finished, Hermione told me to go get Harry and Ron.
"Go on!" Hermione hissed, pushing me out the door. Harry and Ron were throwing apples at each other, soaring at least forty feet high in the air.
"Harry! Ron!" I yelled, waving at them to come down. "Time to get you heads out of the clouds; lunch is ready!" Harry and Ron zoomed down to the ground. Well, Ron did, at least. Harry just flew straight at me. I crossed my arms and tapped my foot.
"You know, if you wanted to play games," I said as Harry flew over my head at the last second, "you could at least choose a board game or some- HEY! You put me down right now!"
Harry had flown up behind me, put an arm around my waist and pulled me onto his broom.
"Harry, the would be fun is I was on my own broom," I complained as Harry soared higher.
"Well, now I know what to get you for Christmas," Harry replied.
"Ha, ha. Very funny," I said sarcastically. "You know Harry, if you want you lunch to spoil, fine. Soar higher. You're gonna get hingry sometime."
"Fine. I'll just drop you off with Ron," said Harry, his eyes gleaming.
"That's better. No-wait," I said suspiciously. "I know that look."
"What look?" he asked innocently.
"Just fly down to the ground and let me get off myself," I said, ignoring his question.
"Jeez. Girls don't know how to have fun," commented Harry. He turned his broom around and sped toward the ground. I yelped with fear and grabbed his neck.
"I do too know how to have fun," I protested. "I just don't want to end up an Emerald-pancake, thank you very much."
Harry laughed. He was about three feet above the ground, so he pulled to a halt. I stepped off.
"Thank you," I said, brushing invisible dust off of my arms. "Now, if you don't mind-"
I grabbed his ear and hauled him from the broom. He started to protest, but I cut him off. "Just think of this as payback."
