A/N: Once again, Eliza Brookson is my friend and authoress Scarlet Rurouni.
She'll have her own fic to complement this story from her perspective and
of course share in the closet goodness, as Vash The Stampede from Trigun is
the choice character that decided to pay her an impromptu visit quite like
Gilderoy Lockhart did to me. To view her story go and find "The Student,
The Typhoon, and the Closet" and I will be playing some cameo's in that one
as she will be doing a few in mine.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*
Yawning, I turned over on my bed in very groggy movements. Images of Gilderoy being set to sleep on my sofa in the living room growing dim as I grew more aware and alert.
*Now that was the freakiest dream I've ever had. Note to self: no more cake frosting in the middle of the night from now on.*
I then sat bolt upright in my bed, my two blankets bunched around me and my Eeyore fleece sweater riding up a few inches. I made to rise and grab my slippers from the floor but the combined effort and the lingering images in my mind made coordination very very difficult. The end result was my toppling over onto my hardwood floor with a resounding thud.
"Bugger! Ohh, that was quite brilliant Stephie." I groused to myself as I tried to stand up slowly, my right arm and hip hurting slightly from the fall. Once I managed to stand up with no further accidents I went over to my door and opened it slightly, just to get a quick view of the living room from my vantage point.
"What in the faerying forest? It wasn't a dream?" I asked myself as I spied the sleeping form of Gilderoy snoozing away on my sofa. I closed the door then, and bit my lip. What to do? "Huff puff! This situation can wait. Everything always looks a little better after breakfast anyway." I then got out of my sweater and black "I Don't Do Costumes" Halloween shirt underneath. I moved to my dresser and pulled a plain blue V-necked shirt from it's depths as well as my one good pair of jeans. Once I donned my wear for the day, I left my room and purposely did not glance at the sleeping wizard as I made my way to the kitchen.
I slid close the kitchen door and made straight for the CD player on the counter beside the laundry alcove. I turned it on and put in my mother's Bee Gee's "Saturday Night Fever" album and pressed play, waiting a moment until I heard the familiar opening tunes to "Stayin Alive". There's something about this particular disco song that gets stuck in my head, which is strange because I am not much for disco or anything from the 70's. In any case, it is my morning ritual to listen to this particular song followed by "Danger Zone" from the "Top Gun" soundtrack as I make my breakfast. As such, I was not going to deviate from my morning ritual. No, I was going to go through with it especially because I needed it. Considering the strange event that befell me the day before, I'd say I deserved it.
After rationalizing this, I began to move around my kitchen getting the different items required to make my usual scrambled eggs a la Stephie. I figured since today was going to be a long day I would further treat myself by making my rare cheesy eggs. Nodding to myself, I went to the refrigerator and grabbed the little packet of graded cheese and set it out by the milk and the eggs I would be using. However, before I could go through with the cooking process I was momentarily startled by the ringing of the phone. I nearly jumped out of my skin before I had the presence of mind to turn down the music and grab the receiver.
"Hello?" I nearly squeaked.
"Stephania, it's mom, I just wanted to call and make sure things were okay." My mother's heavy Brazilian accent sounded through the phone.
"T-things are fine. Have y'all settled in well?" I asked, trying to steer away the conversation away from things on my end, as they included a wizard that technically didn't exist rooming in my living room, but of course she doesn't need to know that now does she?
"Oh it was a long drive, but we're fine." She answered over the sounds of my step-father and little sister in the background.
"That's good. Er ... mom, do you perchance know where know where that huge red and green comforter of yours is?" I asked, thinking that tonight Gilderoy would at least be warm, as opposed to the night before. I didn't have much in the way of blankets to offer him as my parents and sister had taken most of the bed linens and blankets we had.
"It's in the garage up on the loft. Why? Don't you have your comforters?" She asked me.
"Oh ... er ... well I need it because Eliza is coming over. Yesh, and I only have my one quilt to offer her." I had the presence of mind to come up with.
"Oh, well of course she can use it. I am glad you've got a friend coming over. I still don't like the idea of you being alone for three weeks. Is she going to stay over all the weeks or do you have some of the other girls coming over?"
"You don't need to worry, I won't be alone the whole three weeks." Well it was close to the truth wasn't it? I wouldn't be alone, but of course Gilderoy isn't exactly a girl so that's where the fib breaks down.
"Oh good, but I had better go. I just wanted to make sure things are fine. Remember to keep things in order over there. I'll call again sometime soon."
"When have I not kept things in order, mom? Don't worry." I told her, drumming my fingers on the kitchen counter.
"I still worry, but okay. Bye." She said before hanging up.
"Of course you'll still worry, and at this point I wouldn't blame you." I muttered as I placed the receiver back in it's proper place. I went over to the pantry beside the kitchen door, but instead of opening the pantry door to grab whatever it was that I had intended to grab, I sighed and leaned heavily against the kitchen door.
*And here I was looking forward to a nice quiet and solitary three weeks. Oh well.*
Suddenly the door behind me slid open and gravity pulled me down. I fell backwards heavily onto Gilderoy knocking him off his feet.
"Ow! Cripes!" I groaned and sat up, rubbing the back of my head, wondering if I had a bruise or a bump.
"Hello. It's a bit early for you to be throwing yourself at me, wouldn't you agree?" He smiled that smile and looked up at me, looking the picture of a swaggering peacock.
I glared at him. "If you were to thick to notice, you opened the door that I was leaning against. I would hardly call that throwing myself at you. Even if I were stupid enough to go after vain and vapid types like you, I'd be a little more composed about it thank you very much." I told him scathingly and got to my feet, turning my back on him as I went again into the kitchen.
I didn't look back at him so I couldn't say what expression he might have had, but I heard him come into the kitchen behind me. As I cracked the egg shells and placed the contents in my measuring cup to beat, I snuck a glance at him and could see he was busy looking around at the completely mundane things in my kitchen. I went back to my eggs and then took out my preferred frying pan and placed it on the stove and then placed some butter on it after turning on the fire. After doing that I then placed the beat eggs onto the pan and added some of the graded cheese.
All the while I had been doing this I had felt his eyes suddenly on me. I turned as I went to place the measuring cup in the sink for washing and saw him observing me as I went about.
"Did you need something?" I asked him, feeling very self conscious with him looking at me that way.
"No, I was just wondering what you were doing." He said, still looking at me as I washed clean the measuring cup.
"I'm simply making our breakfast." I told him, drying my wet hands on the blue towel hanging from the stove door.
"Yes, but with no wand? Don't you know any of the useful household spells?" He asked, looking confused.
I sighed. "Weren't you listening yesterday? You and magic do not exist. It's just a fantasy. This is the world of reality and we cannot do magic. There are no broomsticks that fly, no magic wands, no wizards, no apparating or disapparating, no charms or spells, no quidditch, and the like. It's all make believe. At least it was until you showed up in my closet of all places." I explained to him as I went back to the stove to stir the eggs.
"Merlin's beard you can't be serious! No magic? None at all?" He asked me completely flabbergasted at the prospect.
"You have a short term memory don't you? You are a character from a series of books. You and magic exist only in the books. In this world where I live, none of it is real. You are a manifestation from author J.K. Rowling's vivid imagination. Do you understand that?" I asked him in slow tones after I had explained it again.
"I do understand, but it still doesn't make sense. If I am not real, how did I come to be here?" He asked, and I could see he was truly trying to understand.
"I don't know Gilderoy, I really don't. I'm sorry." I said in a softer voice, for the first time thinking of him. He must really be feeling out of the loop after all, being spirited away from the world he called home only to be planted in a world that did not believe in his existence, or in the existence of magic.
I looked away and finished my cooking and placed the eggs on two separate plates for the both of us and poured some milk for the two of us and took all of it to the table in the dining room. I went back and brought forks and napkins too and sat myself down beside him. We both began to eat in silence until he spoke up.
"So, in this world, I'm not famous?" He asked.
*Oh merlin!*
"No, you are not." I sighed heavily and put my face in my hands.
*This is going to be a long three weeks. I think I need to e-mail Eliza. No, this is too strange to try and convey in an e-mail, but she's as quirky as I am, she'd believe me right? Yes she would, if she actually saw him. So that quite puts sending an e-mail out of the question.*
As I made a mental note to call my friend Eliza Brookson and tell her it was imperative that she come over, I thought at least she'd know I am not crazy, though I do doubt my sanity at times and especially times like these.
*Well, I always wished for my life to be anything but dull and this is what I get. Lovely. I'll be more careful with my wishes in the future from now on.*
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*
Yawning, I turned over on my bed in very groggy movements. Images of Gilderoy being set to sleep on my sofa in the living room growing dim as I grew more aware and alert.
*Now that was the freakiest dream I've ever had. Note to self: no more cake frosting in the middle of the night from now on.*
I then sat bolt upright in my bed, my two blankets bunched around me and my Eeyore fleece sweater riding up a few inches. I made to rise and grab my slippers from the floor but the combined effort and the lingering images in my mind made coordination very very difficult. The end result was my toppling over onto my hardwood floor with a resounding thud.
"Bugger! Ohh, that was quite brilliant Stephie." I groused to myself as I tried to stand up slowly, my right arm and hip hurting slightly from the fall. Once I managed to stand up with no further accidents I went over to my door and opened it slightly, just to get a quick view of the living room from my vantage point.
"What in the faerying forest? It wasn't a dream?" I asked myself as I spied the sleeping form of Gilderoy snoozing away on my sofa. I closed the door then, and bit my lip. What to do? "Huff puff! This situation can wait. Everything always looks a little better after breakfast anyway." I then got out of my sweater and black "I Don't Do Costumes" Halloween shirt underneath. I moved to my dresser and pulled a plain blue V-necked shirt from it's depths as well as my one good pair of jeans. Once I donned my wear for the day, I left my room and purposely did not glance at the sleeping wizard as I made my way to the kitchen.
I slid close the kitchen door and made straight for the CD player on the counter beside the laundry alcove. I turned it on and put in my mother's Bee Gee's "Saturday Night Fever" album and pressed play, waiting a moment until I heard the familiar opening tunes to "Stayin Alive". There's something about this particular disco song that gets stuck in my head, which is strange because I am not much for disco or anything from the 70's. In any case, it is my morning ritual to listen to this particular song followed by "Danger Zone" from the "Top Gun" soundtrack as I make my breakfast. As such, I was not going to deviate from my morning ritual. No, I was going to go through with it especially because I needed it. Considering the strange event that befell me the day before, I'd say I deserved it.
After rationalizing this, I began to move around my kitchen getting the different items required to make my usual scrambled eggs a la Stephie. I figured since today was going to be a long day I would further treat myself by making my rare cheesy eggs. Nodding to myself, I went to the refrigerator and grabbed the little packet of graded cheese and set it out by the milk and the eggs I would be using. However, before I could go through with the cooking process I was momentarily startled by the ringing of the phone. I nearly jumped out of my skin before I had the presence of mind to turn down the music and grab the receiver.
"Hello?" I nearly squeaked.
"Stephania, it's mom, I just wanted to call and make sure things were okay." My mother's heavy Brazilian accent sounded through the phone.
"T-things are fine. Have y'all settled in well?" I asked, trying to steer away the conversation away from things on my end, as they included a wizard that technically didn't exist rooming in my living room, but of course she doesn't need to know that now does she?
"Oh it was a long drive, but we're fine." She answered over the sounds of my step-father and little sister in the background.
"That's good. Er ... mom, do you perchance know where know where that huge red and green comforter of yours is?" I asked, thinking that tonight Gilderoy would at least be warm, as opposed to the night before. I didn't have much in the way of blankets to offer him as my parents and sister had taken most of the bed linens and blankets we had.
"It's in the garage up on the loft. Why? Don't you have your comforters?" She asked me.
"Oh ... er ... well I need it because Eliza is coming over. Yesh, and I only have my one quilt to offer her." I had the presence of mind to come up with.
"Oh, well of course she can use it. I am glad you've got a friend coming over. I still don't like the idea of you being alone for three weeks. Is she going to stay over all the weeks or do you have some of the other girls coming over?"
"You don't need to worry, I won't be alone the whole three weeks." Well it was close to the truth wasn't it? I wouldn't be alone, but of course Gilderoy isn't exactly a girl so that's where the fib breaks down.
"Oh good, but I had better go. I just wanted to make sure things are fine. Remember to keep things in order over there. I'll call again sometime soon."
"When have I not kept things in order, mom? Don't worry." I told her, drumming my fingers on the kitchen counter.
"I still worry, but okay. Bye." She said before hanging up.
"Of course you'll still worry, and at this point I wouldn't blame you." I muttered as I placed the receiver back in it's proper place. I went over to the pantry beside the kitchen door, but instead of opening the pantry door to grab whatever it was that I had intended to grab, I sighed and leaned heavily against the kitchen door.
*And here I was looking forward to a nice quiet and solitary three weeks. Oh well.*
Suddenly the door behind me slid open and gravity pulled me down. I fell backwards heavily onto Gilderoy knocking him off his feet.
"Ow! Cripes!" I groaned and sat up, rubbing the back of my head, wondering if I had a bruise or a bump.
"Hello. It's a bit early for you to be throwing yourself at me, wouldn't you agree?" He smiled that smile and looked up at me, looking the picture of a swaggering peacock.
I glared at him. "If you were to thick to notice, you opened the door that I was leaning against. I would hardly call that throwing myself at you. Even if I were stupid enough to go after vain and vapid types like you, I'd be a little more composed about it thank you very much." I told him scathingly and got to my feet, turning my back on him as I went again into the kitchen.
I didn't look back at him so I couldn't say what expression he might have had, but I heard him come into the kitchen behind me. As I cracked the egg shells and placed the contents in my measuring cup to beat, I snuck a glance at him and could see he was busy looking around at the completely mundane things in my kitchen. I went back to my eggs and then took out my preferred frying pan and placed it on the stove and then placed some butter on it after turning on the fire. After doing that I then placed the beat eggs onto the pan and added some of the graded cheese.
All the while I had been doing this I had felt his eyes suddenly on me. I turned as I went to place the measuring cup in the sink for washing and saw him observing me as I went about.
"Did you need something?" I asked him, feeling very self conscious with him looking at me that way.
"No, I was just wondering what you were doing." He said, still looking at me as I washed clean the measuring cup.
"I'm simply making our breakfast." I told him, drying my wet hands on the blue towel hanging from the stove door.
"Yes, but with no wand? Don't you know any of the useful household spells?" He asked, looking confused.
I sighed. "Weren't you listening yesterday? You and magic do not exist. It's just a fantasy. This is the world of reality and we cannot do magic. There are no broomsticks that fly, no magic wands, no wizards, no apparating or disapparating, no charms or spells, no quidditch, and the like. It's all make believe. At least it was until you showed up in my closet of all places." I explained to him as I went back to the stove to stir the eggs.
"Merlin's beard you can't be serious! No magic? None at all?" He asked me completely flabbergasted at the prospect.
"You have a short term memory don't you? You are a character from a series of books. You and magic exist only in the books. In this world where I live, none of it is real. You are a manifestation from author J.K. Rowling's vivid imagination. Do you understand that?" I asked him in slow tones after I had explained it again.
"I do understand, but it still doesn't make sense. If I am not real, how did I come to be here?" He asked, and I could see he was truly trying to understand.
"I don't know Gilderoy, I really don't. I'm sorry." I said in a softer voice, for the first time thinking of him. He must really be feeling out of the loop after all, being spirited away from the world he called home only to be planted in a world that did not believe in his existence, or in the existence of magic.
I looked away and finished my cooking and placed the eggs on two separate plates for the both of us and poured some milk for the two of us and took all of it to the table in the dining room. I went back and brought forks and napkins too and sat myself down beside him. We both began to eat in silence until he spoke up.
"So, in this world, I'm not famous?" He asked.
*Oh merlin!*
"No, you are not." I sighed heavily and put my face in my hands.
*This is going to be a long three weeks. I think I need to e-mail Eliza. No, this is too strange to try and convey in an e-mail, but she's as quirky as I am, she'd believe me right? Yes she would, if she actually saw him. So that quite puts sending an e-mail out of the question.*
As I made a mental note to call my friend Eliza Brookson and tell her it was imperative that she come over, I thought at least she'd know I am not crazy, though I do doubt my sanity at times and especially times like these.
*Well, I always wished for my life to be anything but dull and this is what I get. Lovely. I'll be more careful with my wishes in the future from now on.*