Chapter 7

The four of them walked past the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom on their way back to Gryffindor Tower in calm silence, each buried in their own thoughts. Suddenly, Haylie heard frantic muttering and the sounds of someone searching through a suitcase. She tried to talk to Lexie, but she was too deep in thought to hear her. As they reached the bottom of a staircase, Lexie managed to stumble and start to trip over one of the many oversized duffel bags in the middle of the corridor. As she fell, the owner of the duffel bag in question straightened up, turned around, and caught her as she fell. Lexie regained her balance and looked up at him in appreciation, but Haylie heard her flustered thought: (Dammit, why do I always have to embarrass myself in front of really hot guys?)

(Don't worry about it, it gives them the chance to play the hero for you,)Haylie answered reassuringly. Then she looked up, and got a really good look at the guy.

"Holy mother of my God," she said softly. He was very tall, taller than even JT, with nearly black hair and dark brown eyes.

(You mean, 'Holy father of my children,') answered Lexie silently. Haylie snorted, and the "prospective father" looked up. "Hey, you ok?" he asked, offering her a hand up. Once she had recovered herself enough to stand, he cheerfully asked, "You wouldn't happen to know any of the passwords, would you? I think Dumbledore said they were all the same, and that they'd be in the book, but I was in such a hurry to pack when I got home that I think I forgot the booklet."

"Oh, don't worry about that, it's just your name tonight. Roll call purposes or something," said Lexie, dusting herself off and getting over her shock and embarrassment.

"Thanks. I'm Chris."

"You can call me Lexie." (Gorgeous,) she added.

"I'm Haylie."

"J.T."

"Jeremy."

Haylie noticed that there was a sort of icy tinge to JT's and Jeremy's voices. I wonder what that's all about? She thought to herself. Nah, I'm probably just imagining it. "So, what house did you say you were in? I didn't see you at the feast."

"I came late; I was on errantry, and it took longer than I expected, so I missed my worldgate at the Crossings and had to wait for the next patent gate back to Earth."

"Dai stiho, cousin." Said Jeremy, still icy, and in English, but different – deeper somehow. He was using the Speech, the language that is the root of all languages, that everything, from trees to trains, understands and speaks on some level.

"Oh, dai," Chris said, smiling at Jeremy from his considerable height, who only stared coldly back. "So when I got here, the feast was already over, so I went to Dumbledore's office and he assigned me to-"

"Where? Assigned you to where?" Squealed Lexie, almost in hysterics.

"Gryffindor."

Lexie and Haylie slowly turned to look at each other, then simultaneously they burst into coughing fits. They didn't see Jeremy and J.T. look darkly at each other, then at Chris, and finally at the two girls choking on the floor.

After a couple minutes, Haylie and Lexie calmed down a bit and got up.

"Are you O.K.?" Chris asked, looking genuinely concerned, though the ever-present glimmer in his dark eyes stayed.

"Yeah." Said Haylie, still giggling madly.

"Yeah, it must have been something we ate…at dinner…or something…" Lexie finished lamely.

"Well, if you're sure you're all right," said Jeremy mockingly.

"C'mon, let's get back to the dorm," grumbled J.T.

(What's wrong with them?) Asked Lexie as they walked back to the dorm, helping Chris with some of his stuff, oblivious to glowering stares from the other boys and a few predatorily jealous gazes from other girls still awake.

(I dunno, but from the moment they met Chris, they both got really grouchy. Didn't you hear how cold they were to him? Oh, no you didn't,) Haylie said, answering her own question, (Because you were too busy staring at Chris.) She smiled, and gave a soft wolf whistle. Lexie returned by baring her teeth at Haylie and giving one of her characteristically playful snarls. Haylie poked her.

(You know you were; don't deny it!)

(Oh, so were you and you know it!)

While they were talking, Jeremy and JT were having a private conversation of their own.

(I cannot believe they think he's hot! It's incredible!) Fumed JT.

(Yeah, I know. He's a total bum. And I really thought we had a chance…) Jeremy trailed off into silence.

(Not with him around. 'Are you OK? Can I help you? I'm such a gentleman. Adore me!' It's pathetic.)

Jeremy sighed. (Well, there's always the chance that he'll turn out to be a total jerk.) He said hopefully.

(No chance. Did you hear Lexie's thought?)

(How could I not have heard it? She practically shouted it for the world to hear. I'm surprised Chris didn't hear it.)

('Dammit, why do I always have to embarrass myself in front of really hot guys?' He is not hot!) JT exhaled sharply and sullenly. (And I guess he'll be with us, too, right?)

(Well, I don't think he'll be going with the girls, will he?) Jeremy snapped.

What they didn't take into consideration was that when Lexie had said "hot guys," she had been talking about them as much as Chris, which was something that at least Jeremy should have known, if no one else, given the conversation they had had at their first meeting.

When they all got back to the common room, the girls said good night and went straight to bed. Chris turned to Jeremy and JT.

"So I guess we're together, right?" He asked, scanning them both, his dark eyes still glinting.

"We look forward to it," said Jeremy. Chris didn't notice the sarcasm. They all climbed up the stairs.