Two weeks passed rather uneventfully, or at least as uneventfully as things
seemed to go around here. That meant that Ben Harcourt has set fire to half
the classroom yesterday in Charms, Seamus had tipped over a cauldron in
Potions and three people in Shrinking Solution, and Jen had been forbidden
to touch many of the plants in Herbology after accidentally killing off a
few Sunroses when she forgot that she wasn't supposed to water them. The
trio were finally getting used to the workload and the classes, and they
could finally find their way from one class to the next without too much
trouble.
The parchment lay unnoticed in the bottom of Jen's bag as she, Seamus, and Ryan gathered in front of the fire after a particularly nasty night stuck working on Potions.
"Wish I had my broomstick," said Seamus wistfully. "I'd go flying off around the grounds and have myself some fun."
"I'm surprised your parents let you on a broomstick," said Ryan evilly. "You seem to have plenty of problems on the ground," he continued, then paused. "Particularly with walls."
Jen chuckled, and Seamus glared death at Ryan. Seamus had managed to run into several walls and a suit of armor between classes that day, and she and Ryan had decided he couldn't be trusted to speak and walk at the same time.
"I dunno," she said conspiratorially, "We might be able to get one sometime... just a matter of getting into the broom shed."
"You'd steal one, just so you could ride it?" asked Ryan incredulously.
"No," said Jen. "I would get my broomstick, the one my bloody brother always steals and takes with him to Hogwarts. Technically, it's my family's, so it's not stealing, and since I don't own it and didn't bring it, there's no problem with that blasted first-year rule."
"And as long as we don't get caught, we don't have to worry about any of that," said Seamus triumphantly. He was clearly excited about the prospect of riding a broom again. Looking at Jen, he asked, "When d'ya reckon we should try it? Tomorrow?"
"I was thinking we'd try tonight," she replied thoughtfully. "We're still about the castle for a couple more hours- it's only seven- and Patrick was complaining that the shed's just got a Muggle lock, so I can pick it."
The boys stared at her, and Jen looked uncomfortable. "Mum's a muggle," she replied, by way of explanation. "She always locks stuff up with muggle locks, since she can't open the others and all, and I sorta wanted my trick wand back before she'd give it to me..."
"Shouldn't we be going?" asked Ryan, looking at the clock. Seamus and Jen looked at him in surprise, and he replied, "Well, you two gits are going to do this no matter what I say, and I want a go on a broomstick."
"Wait... you mean you've never ridden before?" asked Seamus as they hurried down the stairs. "Deprived child, that's what you are," he said, shaking his head at the sadness of it all.
Jen mimicked the movement as she pushed open an outer door to a breath of cool air. They headed toward the Quidditch pitch, a huge area on the opposite side of Hogwarts from the dark, menacing Forbidden Forest. It had been made quite clear that students weren't allowed into the trees, and Jen consequently felt a strong pull to the area. Later, she thought. Once I've gotten to see my broom again.
Creeping through the growing shadows, the trio heard voices inside the pitch, and redoubled their speed and silence. Apparently, a few of the older students were playing an unofficial game and having a wondrous time. Jen was filled with envy as she quickly picked the lock, but the feeling dissipated as her hands found her broom.
Grabbing it, she locked the broom shed and gave a thumbs-up to Seamus and Ryan, who grinned widely. Jen mounted up comfortably and swiftly kicked her broom high into the air. The rushing air buffeted her face as she spun downwards at high speed to where Seamus and Ryan waited. She took a few more dives, swoops, and spins before reluctantly descending and handing the broom to Seamus, who took his turn quickly. He was a capable flier, and better than most Jen had seen, though Jen was pretty sure that she could beat him in a contest. Screaming downwards, he leveled out a few feet off the ground and stopped where Jen and Ryan sat.
Teaching Ryan to fly was challenging at best. Though he had obvious athletic prowess, and, Jen though, looked like he'd make a great football player, he wasn't particularly confident and seemed determined to hold the broom wrong. They finally fixed his grip, but there wasn't time to do more as they sprinted back to put the broom away before the older students finished.
Racing up to the common room, they shuffled in just in time to wish each other goodnight and head to their dorms. If any of the other girls in Jen's dorm noticed she was flushed and slightly breathless, the made no comment as she put on her pajamas and bade them goodnight.
----
They continued their nighttime flights, several of which became more eventful than intended when they were nearly caught by Filch. Hagrid actually caught them once, but he laughed and told them, "Take care the ol' git doesn't find ye doin' that. But don' worry 'bout me, I won't tell no one. Besides, that broom needs usin'- your brother never does- and yer good fliers. Well, cept you, mate," he said, no unkindly, as he looked down at Ryan. "But yer doin' better. Just promise me yeh'll try out for Gryffindor, will ya? They need new blood."
They'd gladly agreed, and Hagrid had walked off quietly, acting like he'd never seen them in his life. Afterward, they'd seen the gamekeeper in something of a new light, and helped him whenever possible, as well as being far more cautious when they practiced.
Their practiced caution didn't really extend to the halls, though they were quickly learning new tricks to cause havoc without being pinpointed. However, they were still perfecting their art, and thus managed to acquire a number of detentions along the way. Most, they agreed, were worthwhile- there was just something so very special about the way Filch looked when he'd figured out they'd covered the door to the Great Hall in stinksap- but it still meant they were no longer able to find times to fly, because of detention, Quidditch teams using the pitch, or homework.
----
"Bloody Filch," muttered Jen darkly after a particularly nasty bout of punishment, in which Filch had taken sadistic delight in making them clean off every suit of armor on the first three floors. He had not been pleased, either, when Jen had climbed into one of the suits and walked about for the amusement of her companions, and had nearly given her another detention.
"If I see another suit of armor, I'm going to barf," said Seamus, and he looked like he meant it.
"Close your eyes," suggested Ryan as they passed yet another gleaming suit.
"Wish we'd get Flitwick again," said Seamus dreamily. Filch usually forgot half the tasks he'd meant to assign them as he worked to fix charms gone awry, and all he ever ended up making them do were basic cleaning chores around the classroom and gathering together materials for his next lesson, things far better than Filch's brutal cleaning regimens.
"So long as it's not Snape," muttered Jen. Snape believed, as Filch did, in making his detentions as hellish as possible. "Remember that time we had to de-wing Doxies for him, and some were still alive and biting?"
"It's hard to forget things that result in several hours in the Infirmary," replied Ryan dryly.
"Or at least it is when you haven't been knocked out," amended Seamus as they came to the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"You poor dears, you look awful," she said, pity on her round face.
"Lacewing," murmured Jen, and the door swung open to reveal a nearly empty common room; everyone else was asleep, it seemed. She sat herself down with a thump as the other two grabbed their bags. Reaching over the arm of her chair, she rummaged through her bag to find a healing potion to use on her hands, which were raw and painful from Filch's caustic cleaning potions and her hard labor. When it proved elusive, she grabbed the bag and emptied its contents on the table before her. Rifling through the parchment, ink, books and personal effects, she found the piece of parchment she'd stolen from Filch their very first day.
The parchment lay unnoticed in the bottom of Jen's bag as she, Seamus, and Ryan gathered in front of the fire after a particularly nasty night stuck working on Potions.
"Wish I had my broomstick," said Seamus wistfully. "I'd go flying off around the grounds and have myself some fun."
"I'm surprised your parents let you on a broomstick," said Ryan evilly. "You seem to have plenty of problems on the ground," he continued, then paused. "Particularly with walls."
Jen chuckled, and Seamus glared death at Ryan. Seamus had managed to run into several walls and a suit of armor between classes that day, and she and Ryan had decided he couldn't be trusted to speak and walk at the same time.
"I dunno," she said conspiratorially, "We might be able to get one sometime... just a matter of getting into the broom shed."
"You'd steal one, just so you could ride it?" asked Ryan incredulously.
"No," said Jen. "I would get my broomstick, the one my bloody brother always steals and takes with him to Hogwarts. Technically, it's my family's, so it's not stealing, and since I don't own it and didn't bring it, there's no problem with that blasted first-year rule."
"And as long as we don't get caught, we don't have to worry about any of that," said Seamus triumphantly. He was clearly excited about the prospect of riding a broom again. Looking at Jen, he asked, "When d'ya reckon we should try it? Tomorrow?"
"I was thinking we'd try tonight," she replied thoughtfully. "We're still about the castle for a couple more hours- it's only seven- and Patrick was complaining that the shed's just got a Muggle lock, so I can pick it."
The boys stared at her, and Jen looked uncomfortable. "Mum's a muggle," she replied, by way of explanation. "She always locks stuff up with muggle locks, since she can't open the others and all, and I sorta wanted my trick wand back before she'd give it to me..."
"Shouldn't we be going?" asked Ryan, looking at the clock. Seamus and Jen looked at him in surprise, and he replied, "Well, you two gits are going to do this no matter what I say, and I want a go on a broomstick."
"Wait... you mean you've never ridden before?" asked Seamus as they hurried down the stairs. "Deprived child, that's what you are," he said, shaking his head at the sadness of it all.
Jen mimicked the movement as she pushed open an outer door to a breath of cool air. They headed toward the Quidditch pitch, a huge area on the opposite side of Hogwarts from the dark, menacing Forbidden Forest. It had been made quite clear that students weren't allowed into the trees, and Jen consequently felt a strong pull to the area. Later, she thought. Once I've gotten to see my broom again.
Creeping through the growing shadows, the trio heard voices inside the pitch, and redoubled their speed and silence. Apparently, a few of the older students were playing an unofficial game and having a wondrous time. Jen was filled with envy as she quickly picked the lock, but the feeling dissipated as her hands found her broom.
Grabbing it, she locked the broom shed and gave a thumbs-up to Seamus and Ryan, who grinned widely. Jen mounted up comfortably and swiftly kicked her broom high into the air. The rushing air buffeted her face as she spun downwards at high speed to where Seamus and Ryan waited. She took a few more dives, swoops, and spins before reluctantly descending and handing the broom to Seamus, who took his turn quickly. He was a capable flier, and better than most Jen had seen, though Jen was pretty sure that she could beat him in a contest. Screaming downwards, he leveled out a few feet off the ground and stopped where Jen and Ryan sat.
Teaching Ryan to fly was challenging at best. Though he had obvious athletic prowess, and, Jen though, looked like he'd make a great football player, he wasn't particularly confident and seemed determined to hold the broom wrong. They finally fixed his grip, but there wasn't time to do more as they sprinted back to put the broom away before the older students finished.
Racing up to the common room, they shuffled in just in time to wish each other goodnight and head to their dorms. If any of the other girls in Jen's dorm noticed she was flushed and slightly breathless, the made no comment as she put on her pajamas and bade them goodnight.
----
They continued their nighttime flights, several of which became more eventful than intended when they were nearly caught by Filch. Hagrid actually caught them once, but he laughed and told them, "Take care the ol' git doesn't find ye doin' that. But don' worry 'bout me, I won't tell no one. Besides, that broom needs usin'- your brother never does- and yer good fliers. Well, cept you, mate," he said, no unkindly, as he looked down at Ryan. "But yer doin' better. Just promise me yeh'll try out for Gryffindor, will ya? They need new blood."
They'd gladly agreed, and Hagrid had walked off quietly, acting like he'd never seen them in his life. Afterward, they'd seen the gamekeeper in something of a new light, and helped him whenever possible, as well as being far more cautious when they practiced.
Their practiced caution didn't really extend to the halls, though they were quickly learning new tricks to cause havoc without being pinpointed. However, they were still perfecting their art, and thus managed to acquire a number of detentions along the way. Most, they agreed, were worthwhile- there was just something so very special about the way Filch looked when he'd figured out they'd covered the door to the Great Hall in stinksap- but it still meant they were no longer able to find times to fly, because of detention, Quidditch teams using the pitch, or homework.
----
"Bloody Filch," muttered Jen darkly after a particularly nasty bout of punishment, in which Filch had taken sadistic delight in making them clean off every suit of armor on the first three floors. He had not been pleased, either, when Jen had climbed into one of the suits and walked about for the amusement of her companions, and had nearly given her another detention.
"If I see another suit of armor, I'm going to barf," said Seamus, and he looked like he meant it.
"Close your eyes," suggested Ryan as they passed yet another gleaming suit.
"Wish we'd get Flitwick again," said Seamus dreamily. Filch usually forgot half the tasks he'd meant to assign them as he worked to fix charms gone awry, and all he ever ended up making them do were basic cleaning chores around the classroom and gathering together materials for his next lesson, things far better than Filch's brutal cleaning regimens.
"So long as it's not Snape," muttered Jen. Snape believed, as Filch did, in making his detentions as hellish as possible. "Remember that time we had to de-wing Doxies for him, and some were still alive and biting?"
"It's hard to forget things that result in several hours in the Infirmary," replied Ryan dryly.
"Or at least it is when you haven't been knocked out," amended Seamus as they came to the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"You poor dears, you look awful," she said, pity on her round face.
"Lacewing," murmured Jen, and the door swung open to reveal a nearly empty common room; everyone else was asleep, it seemed. She sat herself down with a thump as the other two grabbed their bags. Reaching over the arm of her chair, she rummaged through her bag to find a healing potion to use on her hands, which were raw and painful from Filch's caustic cleaning potions and her hard labor. When it proved elusive, she grabbed the bag and emptied its contents on the table before her. Rifling through the parchment, ink, books and personal effects, she found the piece of parchment she'd stolen from Filch their very first day.