Here We go Around Again
Chapter 4
Isabel woke up a little desoriented as to where she was; she didn't remember having maroon drapes for one, and the window-she apparently had forgotten to actually close the drapes-was facing the wrong way.
-'Oh, yeah...',-she thought, as the events of the day before came rushing back at her.,-'I'm at school now...'
Yawning a little, she blinked the sleep out of her eyes, looked down to pull the covers back, noticed the mattress laying one foot beneath her, and gave a little yelp as she fell back down onto the bed.
Grunting, Isabel sat up and angrily threw the covers off her; she *hated* when that happened.
At least at Hogwarts she would learn to control her magic. Supposedly.
She got up gingerly as to not wake the other girls up, and went about her morning ritual.
After taking a quick shower and getting dressed with the school robes-'Merlin, this feels weird...'-she braided her hair and made her way downstairs to the common room with her bag.
She didn't expect to find anyone awake at this time in the morning-it *was* pretty early-but she proved herself wrong when she walked into Nicholas sitting at a table, scribbling something on a piece of parchment.
She blushed a little as he looked up and smiled when he saw who it was.
-Hey!,-he greeted her with a little wave.
She smiled shyly at him and walked over to where he was.
-Good morning, Nicholas... what are you doing up so early?,-she asked, dropping her things on a chair and sitting across from him on the table.
He wrinkled his nose at her playfully.
-I should be the one asking you that...,-he waved at the pile of parchments on the table, which Isabel recognized to be Quidditch charts and diagrams.,-working on some strategies for the team. Oh, and please call me 'Nick'; we're friends, right?
She gave him a lopsided smile.
-Sure... are you the captain?,-she asked him, starting to feel even more comfortable around him than she already was.
Nicholas grinned.
-Yeah, made it last year.,-he said proudly.,-we won the cup twice in a row, and I'm planning on doing so this year as well. Bloody Slytherins don't even stand a chance!!!
Isabel was amazed at the passionate look on his face; it reminded him a lot of her father's when he talked about his time in the Gryffindor Quidditch team. She liked that.
-Robin's on the team too, you know...,-he said, tilting his head to the side.
Isabel smiled.
-Of course I know; a beater, right? Who's the other one?
His eyes twinkled merrily at her, which raised a suspicion in her.
-Can't you guess? Cathy, of course!
She let out an amused chuckle.
-Really! How do they manage without killing each other?
Nicholas chortled.
-Oh, wouldn't you know; for all they seem to 'hate' each other, they manage to work quite well as a team. Doesn't stop Catherine from sending the bludger at him from time to time, though. Keeps the adreline high.
She giggled.
-They're quite a pair, aren't they?
He nodded, and then grinned maliciously at her.
-We'll have to team up to help them!
Isabel raised an eyebrow.
-Set them up, you mean...
He gave her an innocent look.
-Oh, I wouldn't call it that, more like... giving them a little incentive.
She chuckled again, shaking her head amusedly. This boy never ceased to amaze her...
-So...,-he continued, leaning forward to prop his chin on his hand.,-do *you* play Quidditch?
Isabel nodded timidly at him.
-Yeah... sometimes. With my dad, mostly, but we like to pair up against uncle Ron and Robin when they're home for the holidays... and we also play with Ron's brothers and nephews quite often...,-she smiled blissfully at the memory.,-the only one who doesn't really enjoy to see me fly is mom, but that's because she gets so worried that I'll fall.
She blushed as she noticed the look on his face; it was surprised, but fond.
He gazed silently at her for a minute before he smiled and leaned back on his chair.
-That sounds very nice... what do you say we go flying together next Saturday?
Isabel's eyebrows raised to her hairline.
-What?
Nick's smile widened at the look on her face. She looked so pretty like that.
-Yeah, since you seem to love flying so much, why don't we both go on a little crusade around the school lands?
Isabel was a little unsure; was it normal to like someone you barely knew so much? Enough to trust him the way she did? She wasn't sure, but one look at his eyes made her decision.
-Sure, I´d like that...
His face broke into another smile, which she promptly answered with one of her own; pushed by a sudden impulse, he leaned across the table to place a chaste kiss on her cheek.
-Great,-he whispered as he straightened again.,-you won't regret it.
The girl blushed heavily at his action, but was actually feeling very warm.
Nick glanced down at his watch and then back up at her.
-Listen, it's almost time for breakfast, so what do you say we head down to the Great Hall now?
She nodded; she didn't seem to be able to mutter a word right now.
Raising from the table, Nicholas grabbed both his and Isabel's bags and, flashing her another smile, turned to walk to the portrait.
Isabel heaved a deep breath and got up to follow him, willing herself to calm down.
***
Nick had to be, next to Robin, the funniest guy she had ever met.
All the way down from the tower he was making faces at her, telling her jokes and stories about the years he had been at Hogwarts; she was laughing so hard that she didn't watch where she was going, and crashed right into someone as they rounded a corner. Nicholas kept her from falling, but the other person wasn't as lucky, and a loud scream rang through the hall as the other student went crashing against the floor.
-Watch where you're going, you IDIOT!!!,-a feminine voice shouted up at them.
Isabel's eyes opened wide, embarrassment written all over her face.
-God, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you!,-she apologized, her face going a deep red.
The girl snorted; she had long, soft platinum blond hair that reached her elbows, and a pale, pointed face that would have been beautiful if not for the scowl on her face.
-So I see.,-she sneered, getting to her feet and dusting off her robes.
Isabel bit her lip nervously, but thankfully Nick had placed his hands on her shoulders, and was scowling right back at the girl.
-Hey, it was an accident, ok? She apologized.,-he said in an annoyed voice.
The girl gave him a sensual look and a smile, and then turned to Isabel, the scowl back on her face.
-Potter, huh?,-she spat.,-My father's talked to me about your family. Your mother's a mudblood, right? Well, that makes you a mudblood too then.,-she went back to dusting her robes, more vigorously now that she'd seen who she had crashed into.,-Do pay attention to where you're going, *girl*, or didn't your mudblood mother teach you that walking into people that are better than you is unpolite? I didn't think. See you around, Nicky.,-she finished, turning around to go.
Isabel was shaking furiously, her face red-this time with rage-and trying really hard to keep her magic in check; it wasn't working very well, though.
Nicholas stepped forward, shouting after the girl and livid with fury.
-Malfoy, you had no right to talk to her like that!!!
The girl turned her head a little, winked at him, and walked away.
-Oh, I *hate* that girl!!!,-he hissed angrily, turning back to his friend.,-I swear, she's such a-whoah!!!
He ducked as a crystal pane flew past where his head had previously been.
Outside it started thundering.
Inside, a series of loud explosions was taking place as every window within sixty feet burst up, showering the floor with shards of glass.
Nicholas waited, his face burried in his hands and knees, until the last of the explosions was over and finally stood, on slightly wobbly legs, when there was complete silence. He glanced at Isabel, who was taking deep breaths and slowly trurning back to her usual color.
He looked around-the hall was a complete mess.
-Oh, God...,-Isabel whispered, having finally opened her eyes.
Bitting her lip as she survied the broken windows, she took out her wand and performed a series of "Reparo", after which everything was back to normal.
Dropping her gaze to the floor, she dared not look at Nicholas-she felt so ashamed.
-I'm sorry if I scared you...,-she said meekly, looking absolutely heart-broken.,-I'm sure you're thinking I'm a freak now...
He tilted his head to the side, so that he could look at her properly; his eyes traced about her face, then steadied on her eyes. She was amazed to see a kind of lopsided smile on his face, and her heart began to beat faster-he looked so cute like that.
-I don't think you're a freak...,-he admitted, which had the effect of making her blush and open her eyes wide.,-I think you have a problem controlling your magic, and that I'll be helping you get better at that if I can...
Isabel felt tears building up behind her eyelids at the honest offer of help.
-Thank you...
The smile that he rewarded her with was enough to make her heart flutter.
PhoenixGirl1234567, It was my pleasure to read your stories, and too see your review on my own.
I hope you like this chapter as well. I'm sure your 'next generation' story would be great, so I'll be waiting for you to post it, so let me know when you do. ***smiles***
kat6528, thanks for reviewing my story... can you think up any other prized possesion to add to the lot? I tried, but my mind was blank... let me know if you do.