That evening Gaby chose a deserted classroom instead of the Common Room to
finish her Charms homework, to be away from it all was what she really
needed. Finally satisfied with her best result on the Theory of flying
objects, she looked dismayed at her ward. After fruitless trials of lifting
a feather into thin air, Gaby gave up hope. Once, for a fleeting split-
second, the feather lifted and her heart beat so fast at finally getting it
then she realized it was a gust of wind from the open window as the feather
flew straight off the table on its own accord. She needed Smith but where
was he now? He did not return from the grounds yet, at least she did not
think so.
Shoving the wand finally into her bag, she swung it over her shoulder and walked right into the door that swung open. The person entered, his face fell in the dim torchlight as he saw it appeared empty then Gaby, massaging her forehead, emerged from behind.
"Hey."
He jumped.
"What are you doing?"
"Well, I thought I'd...well- you going?"
"Just getting up, how was your date with Kara?" Gaby tried hard to sound off-handish and cheery.
"Ah...well, allright really..."
"Where is she?" Gaby asked when he did not look at her.
"She came down with the flu all of a sudden...think I gave it to her, thought it was gone..."
Gaby shook her head from thinking of ways she could have got it.
"She's very pretty."
"Yeah," he raised his eyebrows slightly and sighed at the same time.
There was an awkward pause after a while and as Gaby tuned to go through the door-
"I really don't like her, you know."
She froze, "What do you mean? You're perfect for each other..."
"You're just saying that," came the sullen answer.
His robes were pushed back and his hands were in his pockets again, the light from the brackets cast such a lovely glow on his solitary figure that her heart melted.
"What's wrong?" she asked him softly.
"She's real nice and all- but...I dunno," he shrugged half-heartedly.
"Give her a chance- I mean you'll never know."
Smith rose his eyes to look at her so suddenly at her she felt her heart jolt painfully and looked away.
"You really think so?" and there was a hint of hope in his low soft voice and Gaby knew she had done something right.
"Yeah...yeah, I think so," she said convincingly.
"OK," he said, a shadow of his old devilish smile lengthening across his brightening face.
"Let's go then? Heard Prats' report is due Wednesday.
"Ha-ha...you've been listening to the three of us way too much."
Next evening, after the drousiness of History of Magic class wore off the three witches were to be found sitting around the fire trying to finish the Potions homework from Snape.
"There...done," Gaby said. "How's that for five feet long..." she said, putting it aside of her working area then scrambling it again for a final spell-check.
When she was satisfied that everything was all right, she attempted Transfiguration.
"Good, lemme copy," said Vanessa quickly and when Gaby opened her mouth to caution Vanessa on would-be errors she blocked her.
"You know something?...You try too much."
Gaby was taken aback. "I dunno what you mean..."
"I mean," she took a breath, "that when you know you're on top you do everything in your will to stay there..."
"Still don' understand where you're comin' from."
"You can't stand being beat," said Jade suddenly, looking at Gaby's homework too to avoid eye-contact.
"Yeah, you can't stand comin' in second best," Vanessa continued upstream.
"No one would..."
They both rose their brows to look at her. "Sorry!" she said quickly, "but- but I'm not always best at everything- and what does thins have to do with me?"
Vanessa took the game, "we mean that...since someone else is in the running for Smith you feel you've lost-"
"What?" I was never "in the running" for anybody in the first place and I'm happy for him!" she finished though gritted teeth.
"We know that," said Jade, "it's just that we understand how you feel...even if we don't know what you're feeling..."
"Thanks..." Gaby said, smiling appreciatively at them. "Thas good to know," and she felt better.
"Gaby?"
"Hm..."
"You wrote Professor Prat instead of Snape..."
And Gaby scrambled he roll to correct the mistake, they wondered that sour look on Snape's face if he would have seen it.
Shoving the wand finally into her bag, she swung it over her shoulder and walked right into the door that swung open. The person entered, his face fell in the dim torchlight as he saw it appeared empty then Gaby, massaging her forehead, emerged from behind.
"Hey."
He jumped.
"What are you doing?"
"Well, I thought I'd...well- you going?"
"Just getting up, how was your date with Kara?" Gaby tried hard to sound off-handish and cheery.
"Ah...well, allright really..."
"Where is she?" Gaby asked when he did not look at her.
"She came down with the flu all of a sudden...think I gave it to her, thought it was gone..."
Gaby shook her head from thinking of ways she could have got it.
"She's very pretty."
"Yeah," he raised his eyebrows slightly and sighed at the same time.
There was an awkward pause after a while and as Gaby tuned to go through the door-
"I really don't like her, you know."
She froze, "What do you mean? You're perfect for each other..."
"You're just saying that," came the sullen answer.
His robes were pushed back and his hands were in his pockets again, the light from the brackets cast such a lovely glow on his solitary figure that her heart melted.
"What's wrong?" she asked him softly.
"She's real nice and all- but...I dunno," he shrugged half-heartedly.
"Give her a chance- I mean you'll never know."
Smith rose his eyes to look at her so suddenly at her she felt her heart jolt painfully and looked away.
"You really think so?" and there was a hint of hope in his low soft voice and Gaby knew she had done something right.
"Yeah...yeah, I think so," she said convincingly.
"OK," he said, a shadow of his old devilish smile lengthening across his brightening face.
"Let's go then? Heard Prats' report is due Wednesday.
"Ha-ha...you've been listening to the three of us way too much."
Next evening, after the drousiness of History of Magic class wore off the three witches were to be found sitting around the fire trying to finish the Potions homework from Snape.
"There...done," Gaby said. "How's that for five feet long..." she said, putting it aside of her working area then scrambling it again for a final spell-check.
When she was satisfied that everything was all right, she attempted Transfiguration.
"Good, lemme copy," said Vanessa quickly and when Gaby opened her mouth to caution Vanessa on would-be errors she blocked her.
"You know something?...You try too much."
Gaby was taken aback. "I dunno what you mean..."
"I mean," she took a breath, "that when you know you're on top you do everything in your will to stay there..."
"Still don' understand where you're comin' from."
"You can't stand being beat," said Jade suddenly, looking at Gaby's homework too to avoid eye-contact.
"Yeah, you can't stand comin' in second best," Vanessa continued upstream.
"No one would..."
They both rose their brows to look at her. "Sorry!" she said quickly, "but- but I'm not always best at everything- and what does thins have to do with me?"
Vanessa took the game, "we mean that...since someone else is in the running for Smith you feel you've lost-"
"What?" I was never "in the running" for anybody in the first place and I'm happy for him!" she finished though gritted teeth.
"We know that," said Jade, "it's just that we understand how you feel...even if we don't know what you're feeling..."
"Thanks..." Gaby said, smiling appreciatively at them. "Thas good to know," and she felt better.
"Gaby?"
"Hm..."
"You wrote Professor Prat instead of Snape..."
And Gaby scrambled he roll to correct the mistake, they wondered that sour look on Snape's face if he would have seen it.