Duct Tape-
A One Shot by Good Luck Kitten
? Are you positive this Duck... Stuff," Ginny winced, hating that word, but unable to remember the muggle one. "will hold me up?"
Colin flicked his fingers nervously, and twirled the roll of duct tape on his extra finger. "Whether it's strong enough isn't the problem here, Gin. I doubt anyone, but you, really understands what you're trying to accomplish here. We're just going to get into trouble."
"So be it! Besides, Colin, I've told you time and time again that I'm doing this for the good of house elves everywhere. It's so terrible the way they... Did you know in Bulgaria, they—"
"Kill their house elf slaves the morning of the birth of a house elf child? It's tradition apparently, to infuse obedience in the elf child, yes, I've been told," he replied with another twirl of the duct tape roll.
She huffed and snatched the tape from his hands. "How can you say that so... Oh just! Just! Tape me!" She handed back the tape and positioned herself on the back of a dragon statue eating an unfortunate wizard. It was actually quite grotesque... This would help serve her purpose, of course.
Colin ripped out a large strand of silver tape— surprisingly not bringing any teachers to their attention what with the noise it made— and with one of his finer muggle talents, broke the strand from the roll with his teeth. Ginny lay still and flat against the dragon's back and waited for Colin to apply the tape. Carefully, he applied the first strip across her stomach to the flanks of the dragon, the next over her legs and the dragon's hinds, continuing until she wouldn't have to hold herself up anymore, and looking quite like a giant spider's lunch for the night.
"Kay Colin. Now all you have to do is spell-o the words 'I'd sacrifice my life to stop the house elf homicides.'"
He set the tape down with a sigh and reluctantly pulled his wand from his sleeve. "...Gin... That still doesn't make sense."
"To the shallow mind!!" she retorted, narrowing her eyes in what she hoped was a threatening manner.
He sighed again and spell-o'd the words on the wall, slowly, asking how to spell 'homicide' and making sure not to forget anything. "Alright. I'm done. But when you get detention, don't come looking for me."
"Piss off!" she tried glaring... Unsuccessfully once again. "Just! Leave. Wait! Put a piece over my mouth too... I want to look slightly more like a victim here." He complied, then picked up the tape, wished her luck and rushed off to enjoy the last few hours of his Hogsmeade weekend.
'Now I just have to wait for everyone to get back from Hogsmeade' she thought, chipper. 'Hermione will be so proud of me!'
Minutes began to tick on... She hadn't anticipated this. Perhaps she should have begun her project a little later? When... People would actually be closer to getting back? Beginning to get bored, she decided to close her eyes and try to get a little sleep. Merlin knows she never got enough of it during the school-week.
"Ginny? Oh Merlin, Ginny, what happened?!"
She opened her eyes with a snap, startled to see a certain Harry Potter leaning worriedly over her. She strained to wriggle her way into a seating position, but it vain. Colin had done too well a job with the duct tape. He must have thought her struggle meant she was obviously in danger, for he promptly ripped the tape covering her mouth from its secure position.
Her eyes watered and she refrained from crying out. "Ow" she finally managed in a sort of wheeze-ish-gasp-thing. "I think you just completely ripped off my mouth."
He suddenly quirked a smile, "It's slightly puffy-looking, but nope. Still there." She smiled too, but he began looking worried again. "Seriously, what happened?"
Ginny frowned, frustrated. "You didn't see my note??" He shook his head. She sighed, "Look up. Its spell-o'd on the wall." She watched his eyes dart across the wall and his lips slowly curve into another silly grin.
"I didn't know you were doing this whole house elf thing too."
She was angry now. She wasn't even really sure why. Maybe it was that no one took her and Hermione seriously. Maybe it was just her years of pent up emotion finally having an excuse to attack him. "What do you mean 'this who house elf thing'?? Didn't you know that in Bulgaria they—"
"Kill their house elf slaves the morning of the birth of a house elf child? It's tradition apparently, to infuse obedience in the elf child, yes... I've heard it many a time from Hermione queen of the SPEW herself."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "...And that doesn't mean anything to you? ...Don't you feel it wrong?"
He thought a moment. "Well yes. It's wrong. But I've got bigger things on my mind. As, I think, do all of us."
She was suddenly very aware of her silliness. If she could've she would've clasped her hands over her mouth, the eminent war and final battle hanging over her head. Instead, she had to settle for a gasp.
"Harry... I'm so sorry."
"Don't be."
"No really. You're right... I really do care about these house elves though. Sometimes it seems like with my age, I can hardly do anything to help our world but... Gah! Look at me! I'm bloody duckied to a statue!! I—what's funny?" ...At the word 'duckied' he'd burst out laughing.
"Oh Gin! You make life seem a little less stressful." Ginny was shocked at that, and even more shocked when he stood up from the statue and took a few steps away.
"Wait... wait what? Where're you going?!" he ignored her and kept walking. "Now that I've seen the errors of my ways, could you umm... You know? Get me down from here before everyone gets back?? Please??? Pleeeeease?!?!" He must not have heard her though, what with his laughing fit he could hardly even walk down the corridor anymore. "Ohh I'm gonna –kill- that boy when I get down!" She began struggling furiously, painstakingly, this time trying to wiggle loose some of that blasted duct tape.
-End
AN: Dedicated to JamieBell, for requesting it, ::heart::. You'll probably never read this anyways...
1,000-ish. Duct tape just sprouted all sorts of little plot lines in my brain... Perhaps I'll have to write a sequel. I just couldn't contain this one to around 200 words!! Ah well, took me long enough.
Another quick note (CAUTION SLIGHTLY MOPEY): I realize how OOC they are... Especially Harry. Heh. Sometimes (most times) I just feel like writing them however I want, and I think that's one of my biggest drawbacks as a fanfic writer—not to mention I don't really write that well either.