Chapter 2- In Which I Must Explain Myself
"Where have you been!" Dennis demanded as I entered the common room. "I was sure they'd got you. You do realize how terribly stupid it was for you to haul off and slug him like that, the great brute. I am quite capable of ignoring insults. S'not like 'Mudblood' is much of an insult anyway.
I mean, look at Hermione! She's been picked on for years by those idiot Slytherins and she's smarter than all of them put together times three!"
"If you have finished your speech, Dennis, I will explain," I said snottily. Dennis huffed in an irritated way, but eventually I managed to get him sitting down. I then proceeded to explain about Blaise Zabini.
"Incredible," Dennis breathed when I'd finished. "Absolutely dashing! Are you sure he was a Slytherin?"
"Yes," I answered firmly. "I've seen him around. He always seemed a bit distant from most of the other Slytherins, though. He hangs around with Pansy Parkinson and another guy. Can't remember his name," I said thoughtfully.
"If I were you, Erin MacGillian, I would find out just a wee bit more about this mysterious Mr. Zabini," Dennis cautioned his friend.
"He seemed so sincere. It was like I was meeting a bug brother or something, you know?" I thought about the way he'd just pointed Kent off in another direction then escorted me all the way up through the castle. He even showed me a shortcut. "I bet that stairway comes in handy!" I exclaimed to Dennis. Dennis just stared off into space, considering recent events. Suddenly, a group of rowdy people swept into the room, laughing and talking at once.
"Unbelievable!" crowed Dean Thomas.
"Excellent catch, Harry!" Ron Weasley said with great approval.
"I hope your girlfriend'll treat you alright after this. They were defeated pretty well!" exclaimed Lavender jokingly.
"Stand still everyone! I need a picture!" cried a skinny, pale boy , holding out his camera.
"Sure Colin," Ginny Weasley said kindly. "Come one you guys, pose nicely!" A flash of bright light left the group of excited students blinking furiously for a few moments.
"Cho said she wouldn't let anything that happened during Quidditch affect her feelings for me, okay?" Harry Potter told his friend with the air of one who was explaining something for the millionth time. "Honestly Lavender, you know she isn't dumb like that! Hey, where's Hermione?" the tall boy inquired, looking around.
"She went down to the kitchens to get us some post-game party snacks," Ron answered with a grin. "Now that's a good girlfriend." Ginny elbowed him in the side.
"I bet that's not all she's good for," she teased her brother. Ron blushed with a lopsided smile.
"Most certainly!" admonished a new voice. A tall, brown-haired girl swept through the portrait-hole, carrying a large, lumpy bundle.
"Hermione! Excellent!" exclaimed Seamus Finnegan. "Lemme help you with that," he offered, taking the bundle from her. Hermione promptly turned to her boyfriend and threw her arms around his neck.
"Awwwwww…" sighed the entire group of teenagers teasingly. Hermione stuck her tongue out at the room in general. Ron just blushed again, sliding his arms around her back, holding her close. I watched them from the corner of my eye, almost sadly, pretending to watch the fire burning in front of me.
Dennis patted me on the back and I looked at him gratefully. His intuition was a nice thing to have around every now and then. Dennis Creevey was the only person on the planet who knew about my tiny crush on Ronald Weasley and my longing for a relationship for than 'just friends.'
"Come on, Erin, let's play some chess," he offered, drawing me off of the squishy sofa to a table occupied by a chessboard and a ragtag bunch of mouthy chess pieces. We played for a good half hour before I finally beat him.
"Checkmate," I grinned at him as his king fell over with a theatrical gasp. 'You let me win, didn't you."
"'Course not!" Dennis said in mock disbelief. "Moi? Never. Do you want something to munch on?"
"Sure. thanks," I said as he stood up. Dennis disappeared for a minute and returned two cups of punch and two plates of various snacks suspended on a tray in midair. Dennis flicked his wand, and the tray lowered itself to the table and evaporated, leaving the cups and plates between us.
"Cool, huh?" he grinned at my brightened expression. "Flitwick taught it to me after class one day last week. Just an excuse to show off!" We laughed and dug in, occasionally talking to people who floated by our table.
"Hey Neville! How's Eloise?" I inquired of the older boy.
"Oh, she's dong alright," he replied. "Thanks."
"Tell her I said hi," I responded with a smile.
"Sure," Neville replied and trundled off to water a lone jumping bean plant on a windowsill. The plant's pot was bouncing up and down on the hard stone. As Neville approached it, the pot began to bounce higher and higher until t seemed that the pot would break at any second. Neville managed to sedate the bobbing weed with a well aimed stream of water shot from the tip of his wand. Dennis and I applauded as the pot settled back onto the windowsill without so much as a crack on its pot.
"Bravo!" Dennis congratulated. Neville bowed with a small smile and a wave, then moved away. I yawned behind my hand and looked tiredly over at Dennis.
"I guess I better get to bed, Dennis. Sorry I can't make it a late night, but you know how I'd be in the morning if I stay up any later than it already is." I said apologetically.
"No problem Erin," Dennis assured me. He walked me over to the stairs leading to the girl's dormitories. "Good night," he patted my shoulder gently. "Don't dwell on things too much, Erin," he advised. "Honest, I know there's at least one person who is noticing you now and thinking 'Yum, I wish she was mine!'"
"Thanks, Dennis," I sighed. "I just wish I knew who it was!" Dennis laughed. I turned up the stairs and made my way up to the fifth door which opened into a large room holding three large four-poster beds. Amanda Beilhart and Eunice Midgen lay on their beds reading. I flopped over on my own and kicked off my shoes onto the floor.
"Hey girls! Anything new?" I asked.
"Not really," Eunice answered. "How was the game?"
"I dunno how it finished, except that we won," I answered. "I had to leave during the middle of it due to unfortunate…erm…distractions."
"Not Flint again?" Amanda moaned.
"The same," I sighed. "He was picking on Dennis again, so I slugged him. Broke his nose," I smirked in satisfaction.
"They never stop do they?" Amanda complained.
"I know. Those Slytherins are just so nasty. I hate having to sit near them during classes. Can you believe," Eunice exploded, "this whole unity thing Dumbledore's been going on about? I mean, being a whole unit that works together instead of apart is great, but not when I have to sit next to that Michael Pritchard character. You'd think," she said "that a kid with a younger brother would be nicer, but nooooo."
I giggled. "Sounds like he's a favorite of yours! Who's his brother?"
"Graham. He's in fourth year. Cute, for a Slytherin, but doesn't hold a candle to the older boys," Amanda answered contemplatively.
"Like who," I asked curiously.
"Oh!" Eunice giggled. "Like Draco. He's evil, but dead sexy. And that Zabini character…what's his first name?"
"Blaise," I answered quietly. For some reason, the fact that someone else found Blaise Zabini attractive made me uncomfortable. "Gee guys, I really oughta go to bed. See you in the morning, I guess," I yawned.
"G'night!" chorused my friends, still giggling quietly on their beds. I drew my curtains and lay back on my pillow, thinking. Why did the idea of Amanda and Eunice liking Blaise agitate me so much? Didn't I have a crush on Ron? I fell asleep minutes later and slept deeply, dreaming of a tall, silent shadow.
