General Disclaimer: No I'm not J.K. Rowling and no I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters.
Chapter Two – Chess match
Kyle jumped at feeling the warm sweet breath at his ear and a shiver went down his back at the words. Shaeleigh stood there with both hands on her hips staring down at the boy while she awaited his answer. He turned around slowly gulping. He looked up into her entrancing eyes unable to speak for a moment before saying, "no... Ahem, no problem here."
"Good. You can stop starting then." Shaeleigh said with a slight sarcastic tone in her voice. She dropped a small 3 by 5 picture. "Here a picture lasts longer." Shaeleigh turns and leave the picture of her here lying on the table before Kyle. The picture is dated last year. Stonehenge Academy Logo embossed on the bottom right corner .The school photo was black and white. Her portrait stood for a moment... then like a mini movie it showed more. Shaeleigh walks back over to the table only to find her seat has been taken. Shaeleigh sits in another spot still facing the Slytherin's table
Gunther calls after her, "yeah I'll make sure he frames it and kisses it every night before he goes to sleep." He chuckles, "what was she on about, Man?" Kyle doesn't' answer watching her walk back to her table and Gunny continues, "The nerve of the Slimy chicks, I tell ya!"
Kyle nodes, " yeah, the nerve of the whole lot of 'em."
Gunther goes back to talking to the girls around him; Kyle takes the picture watching it with his back to his friend so he couldn't see. Flying on a broom, obviously playing Quidditch. Then she was goofing around with tow other girls. The last photo was here in a very tight and form fitting ball gown. She looked very glamorous and hot. The picture rotates back to the portrait. Sacred Circle Guardian title flashes. Then picture fades out. After two second it fades back in and the same rotation of pictures start over again.
Kyle finally put the magically moving photo away in his robes before trying to join in on the conversation with his friend but his mind wonders from the photo to the girl sitting not 20 yards away. Shaeleigh sits at the table, twirling a piece of her hair around her finger. She looks up and down her table. The faces are all unknown, but she's sure the names that belong to the faces aren't too hard to learn.
Food appears on what used to be empty platters and Kyle digs in forgetting all about the girl. Shaeleigh reaches to take a few food items, however she notices her hand being dirty. She rises up from the table and goes against the rest of the students. They all are trying to enter and she is leaving. She knows she's creating a bit of a commotion, but doesn't really care. Upon reaching the doors, the House Prefect for Gryffindor tries to stop her. Shaeleigh and the prefect have a few words about her leaving. Though they remain calm and their voices don't raise... many people notice the discussion.
The Gryffindor House Prefect seems to be adamant about her remaining in the Great Hall. Why Shaeleigh on the other hand is set and determined to leave. Shaeleigh light pushes past the House Prefect and leaves the Great Hall, as she said she would she returned a few moments later. She walked down the isle back to her seat. The Herbology notes she scribbled on her hand were washed away. Her make-up had been refreshed. It not like the scuffle at the doors made Shaeleigh stand out. She did that very well on her own. Her skirt was a bit shorter than all the other girls. Her shirt was a bit tight and a bit lower cut than majority as well. Of course her piercing ice blue eyes and black hair didn't hurt the situation. Feeling refreshed and Shaeleigh flashed a few coy smiles at a group of Slytherin boys who looked to be 7th years Gunny begins talking with Kyle exclusively, asking when Quidditch trials will begin and things pertaining to his favorite sport. Kyle and Gunny are now pigging out and telling crude jokes to each other not caring who's listening. After a particularly raunchy joke from Gunny, Kyle thinks, thank God there's no beer here or there'd really be an uproar. A few other 5th and 6th year boys join the dynamic duo in talking about girls and other things that healthy, young men talk about.
The Ravenclaw boys that Shae made eye contact with even started to shove a bit around claiming they were the one smile was looking at. Of course Shaeleigh looked at Gunthar and Kyle. She smiled at a boy, yet only a smug grin at them. She thought of how that boy had looked whom he had given her picture to and how he looked when he turned around to answer her about staring. He almost looked like he was trouble, but there was something else in eye thought. Shaeleigh couldn't quite place it though.
Kyle and Gunther started a chant and began banging on the table with there fists: "We're big, we're pissed, and we'll see you on the pitch were the mighty Gryffindors here to crush you!"
Shae knew with Gryffindor's chants and the sudden response by the Ravenclaws that Quidditch was in air. She took her seat and started on dinner. "Ravens one. Loins two. Gryffindor will beat you" Shaeleigh overheard being called out by Ravenclaw.
Gunther stands up on the table continuing: "He's hard, he's loud, he's worth a million pounds, and he's Kyle Quodrono, and our captain, oh my captain, here to lead us marching to victory!"
Slytherin's table roared into laugh. Shaeleigh stood there with one eyebrow raised at the boy she overheard being called as Gunthar. Cheers ensued from the Gryffindor table drowning out the Slytherins as Professor McGonagall rushed over carting Gunny away out of the hall and things return to a dull roar. With Gunther gone Kyle returned to his usual aloofness at the table mostly eating.
"Quodrono. I wonder if there is a relation there." Shaeleigh softly spoke to herself knowing there's a famous Quidditch player with the same last name. She looks at the boy briefly, thoughts ensuring her that she's not staring this time. She steals a few glances here and there, but mostly as he's eating. Shaeleigh munches on her food that is on her plate. The young man beside her strikes up a conversation and soon the two are in a deep conversation that is until the Great Hall doors open. Professor McGonagall walks through. Many students including Shaeleigh look to see if Gunthar returns with her. Rumors quickly fly that she was sent back to his as punishment. Some say he's already in Dumbledore's office
Kyle looks up disappointed that his comrade isn't with her and decides he probably got detention for disorderly conduct and sent back to his dormitory on house arrest for the night, as usual. Once again the Slytherin table snickers at Gryffindor as Professor Snape's voice is heard deducting 5 point from Gryffindor. Shaeleigh looks at Kyle. She can see he's disappointed. She feels sorry for him. Her eyes convey her feelings very well.
Kyle scowls. He thinks, well as long as I can make it up the points tomorrow in class its all good. He gets up stuffing a few rolls and pieces of steak in his pockets for Gunny and heads out of the Hall taking a glance at the Slytherin table and makes eye contact with the black haired girl again and he quickly looks away before he exits the large doors.
Shaeleigh sees Kyle's eye contact. This time smiles at Kyle, an honest sweet smile. Kyle stops dead in his track trying to decide if he'd seen a smile or not before trudging on slow in a vague direction of Gryffindor Tower.
She watches Kyle leave the Great Hall even though the young boy to her left still is trying to have a conversation with her. Shaeleigh wonders why no one stops him as he exited like she tried to do. She continues on with her meal until she's full. Many students had already left. The student's were asked to adhere to curfew and head straight to their Houses. Shaeleigh gets up and leaves. She walks alone down the hallway. Wondering if the boy who she encountered was related to the famous Quidditch player or not.
Typical student behavior, students were mingling one of the open quad areas by the stair case. Shaeleigh leans up against a pillar and watches the interactions of the students. She guesses the boy were making dates for the Winter Ball that was several months away. However most students had been here 5 year together and knew that if they don't then the girl would find someone else as their is more boys than girls at the school
Kyle walks around the common parts of the school shaking hands with students and making small talk about Quidditch and theories on how the season will go this year. Kyle comes back to the entrance hall still talking lightly with different people trading scowls with Slytherin players before he saw the black haired girl from the great hall and decided to go talk with her and find out the straight dope on her.
She doesn't see Kyle approach as he say, "Hello miss... I'm sorry I don't think I every quite caught your name." He extends his massive hand to Shaeleigh smiling
She doesn't jump or try to let on her surprise of his presence.
"Shaeleigh. And you're related to Logan Quodrono aren't you?
Kyle chuckles, "yes he's my father. I guess you can't keep much secret in this school."
Shaeleigh felt she had gone out on a limb asking the question. She giggled.
"If you meant it to be a secret then the whole school knows or so I've noticed. Well you know mine do I get to know yours?" Shaeleigh asked.
He smiles wider, "Yeah, the names Kyle, Kyle Max Quodrono. And no kidding about the secrets! I'm going to go out on a limb and ask: Are you related to anyone of note? Not that it matters," Kyle injects quickly.
"Me? I think everyone is worthy of a note. So I guess my answer would be yes," Shaeleigh said in a very coy manner.
Kyle laughs hardily, "I like how you said that!"
She was playing with him. She smiled and remained quiet for a moment, before saying, "and how's that?"
Kyle nods, "that you said that very, very carefully."
"Well technically I come from a long line of wizards and witches, so I'm sure I'm related to of someone of note."
"Aren't we all...?" Kyle murmured.
Shaeleigh looked up at Kyle as he was taller than she. Her attention had drifted off for a moment before coming back and saying, "Not everyone here is from a magical family."
"And since you brought it up about being related to someone, I think there was more you wanted to say. Wasn't there?"
Shaeleigh smiled again, but said nothing
Kyle smiles down into what he though were the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen saying, "Well I like that you said what you said very, very carefully. This leads me to draw several conclusions. First being if you are related to someone you don't want to talk about them as you don't want to get bugged with stupid question from devout fans, second someone your ashamed of, or third a combination of the above two" He said playing with her back and testing her.
"I knew you appreciated the clever way I dodged your question, yet still gave you a descent answer. I was to say I assumed it was the history angle, but I knew it wasn't."
Kyle nods, "ah yes the true cleverness of a Slytherin."
Just then a groups of students warned that Professors were heading this way. Everyone knew that meant it was time to move. A Slytherin tugged on her shirt to move along. She nodded and then turned back to Kyle. She smiled and leaned in towards him, invading his personal space, which he didn't seem to mind because he didn't step back. "Its conclusion number 4." Shaeleigh whispered before stepping out of the conversation and following her Slytherin housemates to the dormitories. She looked back, smiled and waved bye. Shaeleigh knew the boy hadn't mentioned a fourth conclusion. He would probably rack his brain over what it could be. Shaeleigh softly giggled. This was a chess match. In this chess match, metaphorically speaking, Shaeleigh had made her move and now it was Kyle's turn.
Kyle scratched his head dumbly trying to figure out what that meant. He returned waved before she disappeared into the dungeons and started to head back to Gryffindor dormitories with his own flock.