Hey, I promised myself I wouldn't do multiple updates in a day, but technically it was Friday when I updated chapter eight, and now it's 12:19 Saturday morning, so that's a new day! Ha!
~Chapter Nine- Professor Balbossa~
The next morning, Wednesday, Cari and Lindsey started the day with History of Magic. Cari had the hardest time staying focused, keeping her mind from roaming to Draco… and Draco, and… Draco. Lindsey tried hard; she really did, but fell asleep within ten minutes of class.
After that was Care of Magical Creatures with Gryffindor, a fairly pleasant experience. Lindsey always like animals (and these were of quite a new sort!) and Cari took a liking to Professor Hagrid.
Finally it came time for their class with Slytherin: Defense Against the Dark Arts. Everyone filed into the classroom at their leisure and when Cari and Lindsey walked in they found every seat in the first two rows taken by expectant, giggly witches, quills quivering.
Cari and Lindsey exchanged a look of mutual disgust and took seats in the back. Cari noted with hidden eagerness when Draco walked in… and the only seat left was in front of her!
Lindsey observed all this as well, and couldn't help but smirk as her friend gazed dreamily at the white-blonde head in front of her as the bell rang.
The twittering class was hushed instantly. Several moments passed in utter silence. Why was it so quiet? And where was Professor Balbossa? Lindsey had a sudden strong urge to break this silence somehow. Thinking quickly but moving slowly she pushed her History of Magic book closer and closer to the edge of the desk. She waited excitedly for the final satisfying bang! as it plunged to the floor, but it never came.
She looked down at the silent book on the floor, then turned a quizzical face to Cari and tried to speak. Nothing came out! She looked around the room in alarm to see others finding the same fact: there was no sound.
Then suddenly, making them all jump, a voice sounded from the back of the room. Everyone turned soundlessly towards it.
"The silence is beautiful, no?"
Professor Balbossa leaned casually against the back wall of the room, smiling that sly half smile, looking around at them all.
"I just needed a few moments to collect my thoughts," he continued in a low, debonair, near-whisper, speaking with a soft French accent. He strode to the front of the classroom. With a queer wave of his wand the sound buffer seemed to have been removed. The students blinked wide-eyed at each other.
"Now," Professor Balbossa went on, slightly louder. "Can anyone tell me what charm I just used?"
Everyone just looked around at each other. Tentatively, Cari raised her hand.
"Yes?" Professor Balbossa called on her, seeming slightly surprised.
"A… a Silence Charm?" she guessed hesitantly. What she had read about this was not extensive, and she wasn't 100% sure.
Professor Balbossa quirked his eyebrows, cocked his head, and smiled. Several giggles were barely stifled and Lindsey rolled her eyes exaggeratedly in disdain. This guy sure knows what he's doing, she thought sordidly. Lindsey jumped inwardly to see he was looking right at her, obviously witness to her eye roll. However he made no mention of it then. He turned his eyes back to Cari before speaking again.
"Very well done, Miss…"
"Green. Cari Green," she answered quickly.
"Bond. James Bond," Lindsey mimicked under her breath. Cari elbowed her hard under the desk and Lindsey just grinned.
"The Silence Charm," Professor Balbossa went on, beginning to pace slowly and deliberately up and down the desk rows. "Aptly named, for not only does it put a stopper on all sound, but it is performed without the utterance of a single spell. No-Sound Charms, more formally known as the Sillhet-Stilte Charms, require no verbal spells, simply a highly specific wand movement. These can be highly useful if you wish to cast a charm without being heard by your enemy."
He had walked back to the front of the room now. Swiftly he turned around to face them.
"You," he pointed out to the class. "What's your name?"
Draco looked alarmed at first, then quickly replaced his expression with his usual one of degrading indifference.
"Draco Malfoy," he answered, sitting up straighter and putting a proud emphasis on his last name.
"Care to try?" Professor Balbossa asked challengingly, indicating his wand. Draco leapt at the chance.
Cari's eyes widened. Her heart rate sped up, and she yelled at herself to stop being like those annoying witches in the front of the class. Movement caught her eye as Draco got up and walked to the front of the class, standing tall with demeaning confidence, almost cockiness. When he reached the front of the classroom, Professor Balbossa spoke.
"Now, have you performed a summoning charm before?"
Draco nodded and sneered at this question. Of course he had done a summoning charm before!
"Well then, I'd like you to perform one, using the No-Sound method. I'll demonstrate first." Professor Balbossa borrowed a book from a particularly giddy witch in the front row, placing it on his desk. Then he just looked at it a moment, as if trying to stare it down. Suddnely he began moving his wand in another crazy pattern, and the book flew at him. Smoothly, he caught it with his free hand.
"Your turn Mr. Malfoy," he said smartly, smirking.
Draco glared at him a moment, as he glared at everyone, then took a deep breath and turned resolutely to the book, back on Professor Balbossa's desk. He had tried to watch as carefully as possible when Balbossa had just done it, but he wasn't all the way sure. Setting his face grimly he raised his wand, then moved it as closely as he could remember like Professor Balbossa.
However, instead of flying to him, the book made a shrill squeaking sound, then disappeared with a pop! and a tiny mushroom cloud of smoke. Most of the girls gasped and a few of the boys snickered.
Cari shook her head and turned her attention back to the front. Draco looked rather taken aback, staring at the place the book had been. Professor Balbossa stared there as well, his mouth twitching strangely.
"It looks like you'll be needing some practice," he said with a quiet and barely-there malevolence. Lindsey picked up on it. She furrowed her brow perplexedly, then glanced over at Cari. She rolled her eyes. Cari was simply rapt with attention… to Draco, of course.
"To your seat, Mr. Malfoy," Professor Balbossa said. Draco whipped around and returned to his sit in a fit of rage and embarrassment.
And so the class went on almost normally, Professor Balbossa lecturing them on the art and performance of No-Sound Charms, until the bell signaled the end of class. Everyone left all in a rush, eager to get to dinner. Lisa approached them just after they made it out of the room.
"So, what do you guys think of Professor Balbossa?" she asked eagerly, breathing hard after catching up and then trying to keep up with Lindsey's staggering pace.
"Eh, he's okay, I guess. He's just a Professor," Lindsey replied indifferently.
"I think his methods are questionable," Cari said rather hotly, thinking back to the humiliation of Draco.
"Uh-huh," said Lindsey, looking at her knowingly with a mischievous glint in her eye. Cari shot her a Look and Lindsey stopped there, but the roguish grin never left her face.
"Well, I think he is quite attractive," Lisa said generously.
"You and all the other witches in the class," Lindsey snorted. Cari hit her with her History of Magic book. Lisa looked unphased.
"Didn't you hear his accent? His voice is so… so sexy!" she went on fervently. Lindsey rolled her eyes and Cari gave her another warning glance. Lisa gushed all the way to the tower where they deposited their books, then all the way to the Hall, where they began the evening meal.
"Have you had Defense Against the Dark Arts yet?" she asked Pippy breathlessly as they sat down at the Ravenclaw table.
"Uh-huh. On Monday," she answered with her mouth full of clam chowder.
"We did too! Yesterday!" Kristin added, grabbing a roll.
"Is he not the hottest Professor you've ever seen?" Lisa prattled on. Lindsey looked about ready to be sick as Pippy but more so Kristin joined in their high-pitched, rather squealy conversation. She was almost glad to take the Potions book which Cari procured from under the table. Burying her head in the book she tried her best to block out the discussion of Professor Balbossa.