Chapter 8
When Gaëlle woke the next morning she grinned to herself. The girl's team had won the night before and they had butterbeers coming to them on their next Hogsmeade visit. She dressed in Muggle style: blue jeans and a t-shirt that said "Vive la France" on the front. She pulled on some shoes and walked down to the Great Hall, where other students were stumbling in groggily for breakfast. Gaëlle joined her Gryffindor friends at one little section of their House table and sat in between Duo and Ivy.
"Morning." She said as she reached for some toast that Lie passed to her. The others echoed her as they continued eating and their senseless chatter.
When they finished, as a group, they headed outside to one of the great big oak trees. They arranged themselves under the shade, but near one another. Heero had brought with him a set of wizard's chess and set it up.
Someone, a Slytherin they knew, dressed in black jeans and a simple white short-sleeved t-shirt, with hiking boots that he wore made slight crunching noises over the leaves as he walked towards them.
"Hey Wufei!" Gaëlle and Lie called out as the Fifth year joined them beneath the tree.
Wufei looked warmly at Gaëlle and then gazed at Heero and his set-up game.
"May I join you?" he asked.
"Certainly," Heero replied.
Wufei sat before Heero and began their chess match; he was the white pieces. The others intently watched the game and halfway into it Gaëlle squeaked,
"Eeek!" someone had placed their arms around her. Gaëlle calmed as she heard Heero say in amusement, "So nice of you to join us Trowa."
"Hello Quatre," Ivy added as the blond took a seat beside the redhead.
Gaëlle half turned and found Trowa smirking at her. He hugged her tightly and then arranged them to where he sat comfortably with Gaëlle leaning back against him with his arms around her waist.
They returned their attention back to the chess game and watched as Wufei managed to corner Heero. The game ended with Heero being checkmated, but the game had been played well. Duo then engaged Lie in a game.
A little while later Spence, a Seventh year who was the one of the Gryffindor Team Chasers approaching Heero, who sat against the tree, trying not to criticize Duo's way of playing.
"What is it Spence?" Heero asked looking up at the older boy.
"With our match against Hufflepuff coming up, when is our practice this week?" Spence asked as he gazed over the game in process.
Heero promptly replied, "Tomorrow night and Thursday night. Our other new Chaser will be practicing with us for the first time along with you."
Spence turned his head back to his Team Captain and nodded, "Thank you. I'll see you then." With that he walked away. Leaving the other Gryffindors to stare at Heero.
"Now why is the first we're heard of our practice schedule?" Lie asked, pausing her and Duo's game.
"Yes, Team Captain, we would very much appreciate it if we are informed a little more ahead of time about practices." Duo said with a haughty look.
Heero looked around at his fellow Gryffindor's faces. Then he slowly replied, "As a matter of fact, I was planning to announce practice schedule, tonight after dinner, but it looks as if I only need to inform Bruce." He calmly said.
The Gryffindor House Quidditch Team was made up of Heero and Lie as Beaters, and Ivy, Spence, and Bruce as Chasers and Duo as Seeker and lastly Gaëlle as Keeper.
Their other friends, all except for Wufei and Trowa's and Quatre's sisters were also Team members of their own Houses. Quatre was Seeker for Hufflepuff, and Trowa was Keeper for Ravenclaw.
"Uh-huh. Right." Lie retorted as she and Duo continued their game.
"Hey, when's our next Hogsmeade visit?" Ivy suddenly asked.
Quatre, Trowa and Duo suppressed groans while the girls tried not to giggle. But Wufei promptly replied, "Halloween, and yes we will remember all who won." He added.
Gaëlle then allowed her giggles to escape and didn't bother stopping them. They didn't last long though and when she calmed she made herself comfortable in Trowa's embrace once again.
"Do we need to give you a real reason to laugh and giggle Gaëlle?" Duo asked, looking over at her, his eyebrow raised.
Gaëlle was momentarily puzzled, but by the look of mischievousness in her brother's eyes made her instantly protest, "NO. You do not." She slightly sat up just a little straighter in Trowa's arms, her right hand slowly going into one of her pockets.
"Are you sure?" Duo tried again.
Gaëlle pulled out her wand, aimed it at Duo while saying, "Absolutely."
Heero looked as if he wanted to say something to the girl, but she turned to him and said, "This is not practice, mock-game or actual game, so I can have my wand Hee-chan."
Heero shook his head and said, "What I was going to say is that do you always have your wand just to torture the baka?"
Everyone grinned, including Duo.
"Not always." Gaëlle replied with a feline smile.
"Then please put your wand away until you really need to use it." Wufei told the girl in a kind and gentle voice.
Gaëlle gave a smile, but did as he asked and slid her wand back into her pocket.
Duo and Lie finished their game; Lie was the winner.
"Hey, I wanna play someone." Gaëlle said as the two previous players set the board up for another game.
Ivy and Lie immediately looked over at the girl, "Are you sure? You usually lose terribly." Lie said bluntly.
Gaëlle flushed a little and said, "I played ma mere over the summer break and Hee-chan a couple of times since school started."
"She's getting better," Heero confirmed.
"I'll play. I'm not as good as the others so it'll be easier on you." Quatre said. He moved to take Lie's place at the chessboard.
Gaëlle rose off of Trowa and crawled over to take Duo's place.
She and the blond played for awhile, but it was Quatre who claimed the right to say, "Checkmate."
"Well at least that went better than some other games I've played." Gaëlle admitted as she helped set the pieces up again.
"I'll say." Duo grinned. For saying that, Gaëlle sent sparks at him.
Trowa went to the girl, wrapping his arms around her and successfully clamping her hands to her sides. Now she was unable to use her wand.
"Hey! Unfair!" Gaëlle exclaimed as she struggled. Then she said things in French, which caused Trowa to say in English,
"Yes, he probably deserved it, but how do you know none of us have our wands? We can and I know Lie would retaliate if you do that." He said calmly.
"Drop your wand Gaëlle, please." Heero said in a quiet tone.
Gaëlle had stopped moving during Trowa's talk, but still gripped her wand.
She sighed as she said, "C'est tres unfair." She ended in English. Her body relaxed, leaning back against Trowa as her hand released her wand. It dropped to rest on the grass beside her.
Trowa sat back on the ground pulling Gaëlle into his lap. His arms were still around her small form, but they weren't clamping her arms down. The girl settled herself in Trowa's lap and embrace without so much as glancing at her wand.
"Je ne crois pas je t'aime maintenent." Gaëlle muttered darkly.
"Oh? Pourquoi pas?" Lie said.
"Parce que," Gaëlle replied, though ended in English, "y'all never let me have any fun."
Half of her friends grinned at her, including Duo. Gaëlle made it a point to avoid anyone's eyes for the next few minutes. During that time Ivy and Wufei took control of the chessboard.
When the game finished (Wufei claiming victory), Gaëlle looked over at Heero and asked, "Can I have my wand now?" It was still in the spot she had dropped it. A couple of the older ones looked down at the said object and looked suspiciously at its owner.
"Why? What are you planning, minx?" Duo asked with a grin.
Gaëlle turned her head to her brother and smiled sweetly. "Nothing at the moment." She replied truthfully.
Trowa's arms briefly tightened around her. She moved her head to the side to look up at him. He stared down at her, his face carefully blank. She straightened back up and looked at Heero once more.
"Well Hee-chan? Can I have it back?" she asked again.
With just a small sigh, Heero replied, "Of course Gaëlle. But only as long as you use no more magic for the time being."
Gaëlle scooped up her wand and with a grin said, "You know I can't promise you that."
"You will if we say you will." Lie said, her wand in her hand and pointed at her friend. Gaëlle may have been her best friend, but they all would wage a magic battle against each other if the situation were right.
The French girl looked around her group of friends, sensing the tense moment and also noticing that Heero and Wufei just pulled their own wands out. With a carefully schooled face to where they couldn't read what she was thinking, Gaëlle tucked her wand into her pocket where it had originally been kept and then rose from Trowa's lap. She didn't look at anybody as she walked away.
"Where are you going Gaëlle?" Quatre asked. He hated that the group of friends hit a very tense moment. Though Gaëlle wasn't known to have a temper, sometimes her anger became too much for her and she'd have to find other ways to let it all out.
Wufei didn't like how it was going either, but he kept his thoughts to himself. Everybody else stared after their friend, but too remained silent.
Gaëlle was out of sight from her friends when she pulled her wand out from her pocket. She stared down at it, running the last few minutes in her head. But then she held up her wand and said, "Accio Firebolt!"
It took a few minutes but then she could hear her broomstick zooming through the air and then stopping in front of her. Tucking her wand away she swung her leg up onto her broom and then settled comfortably and took off into the air.
Flying always smoothed out her anger and put her back into her usual good mood. Today was no different. She headed for the Quidditch field where she found that nobody was there and silently floated around the spacious playing area. She leaned down against her broom, setting her chin on her hands, around the stick and managed to keep her broom under control in that position.
For about twenty five minutes Gaëlle floated around the field in her lying position on her broom, but sat up when she saw the Slytherin Quidditch Team come out onto the field and start flying around. Gaëlle realized it was their practice time.
"Get off the field, girlie!" one of the Chasers called out to her with a sneer on his face.
Gaëlle looked his direction and yelled at him in French, "Well if you ask nicely then I'll go!" She knew nobody but a select few at Hogwarts could speak and comprehend French, and she was best friends with most of them.
The Chaser that had spoken to her flew closer, a hard glint in his eyes. She realized he was a Sixth year and one of the bullies among his House.
"What did you say to me?" he demanded, in a voice that held danger.
Gaëlle was reaching back slowly to her wand, when all of a sudden three figures came flying leisuringly across the field to put themselves near Gaëlle and the Slytherin.
"Having trouble Gaëlle?" a very familiar voice asked casually.
Gaëlle turned her head and was startled to find that Trowa, Duo and Wufei came to her rescue and they were even on their own brooms. Her hand going back relaxed. Her broom drifted towards them a little, but the Slytherin was still staring at Gaëlle. The other Team members were now watching the scene. But before they could do anything, Wufei directed a glare at them, stopping them from trying anything.
Wufei was known to study advanced spells and to prove that he did he hung out with Gryffindors, who were known to always know at least a couple of advanced spells—that rumor was started back in Harry Potter's time at the school.
Wufei and Duo even had their wands out, though not many people on the field could actually see them. But the angry Chaser sure could see them and hesitated.
"Are you backing down, Teroc?" Wufei asked the Chaser with a cool tone.
Teroc the Slytherin gulped and grudgingly flew away to his team.
Duo and Wufei both pocketed their wands once more and all three faced the girl. Gaëlle stared back at them silently. She wasn't sure if she should still be upset with them for earlier or express gratitude for their gallant rescue. But she started to turn her broom away from them to fly in another direction.
"Wait, Gaëlle," Wufei started.
The girl stopped and looked back over her shoulder.
"We're sorry for the tense moment awhile ago." Duo said. He watched as his little sister turned around to face them once again.
Gaëlle sighed heavily. She never could stay angry for very long after just having a tense moment. Lowering her eyes she said, "I'm sorry too." Duo flew up beside her and ruffled her hair. For that he got a glare, but he grinned at her in return. Then he flew off, leaving just Trowa and Wufei with her.
"Come on, let's get off the field before anything else happens." Wufei said. The three of them ventured away from the Quidditch field and flew to another part of the school grounds.
"What were you thinking when you egged them on with your French reply?" Trowa asked with a hint of amusement.
Gaëlle looked at him and shrugged. "I don't know. I just wanted to say something that would spark their anger. I knew I could take them." She replied.
"That is not like you Gaëlle." Wufei said. The girl looked straight at him.
"No it is not. What is troubling you?" Trowa agreed.
"It's nothing." Gaëlle shrugged. "Really, I'm fine." She protested when Wufei flew right up beside and put a hand to her forehead. "Wufei I'm not sick. If I was, I would be the first to know." She lightly pushed the older boy's hand away.
"Okay Gaëlle, but I will check on you later." The Chinese boy replied and then flew away in the direction that Duo had gone in.
Trowa gazed down at Gaëlle with a look of concern. She slowly moved her gaze until it was locked with his. For several silence-filled minutes they did nothing but stare at each other.
Gaëlle sighed and looked away, breaking the spell that had settled over them. "I'm sorry," she said finally. "That was the only way I could get some of my more active anger out." She said. She flew slowly away from Trowa, but not so far that it would seem like she wanted to avoid this confrontation.
Trowa caught up with her and made her look at him. Their gazes locked, deep green holding sapphire blue.
"If you have reason to let out your anger, find some other way to do it. Practice spells, spar with one of us, plan mischievous outings and/or pranks with Duo, anything BUT taunt others. Please, I don't want to have to visit you in the hospital wing." He said slowly and calmly.
It took a long moment for Gaëlle to fully get his words, but when she did she gave him a smile. "So I now have permission to play pranks?" she asked mischievously, "Even though I already occasionally help Duo?"
Trowa realized his mistake in word choosing and grimaced, "Now, why didn't I remember about that minor detail?" he asked. Then he sobered, "But you'll not let your anger out in taunting others?" he asked.
"No, I won't Trowa." She said softly, her head lowering.
Trowa moved closer to her and very carefully took a hand off his broom and with two fingers slid them under her chin to lift her head back up. She looked into his eyes and then closed them as he leaned forward and kissed her forehead.
"Come on," he said, moving a few inches away from her, "Let's land and find something else to do."
Once their feet were on firm ground and broomsticks in hands, Trowa reached over and took her free hand in his. He squeezed it lightly and smiled down at her when she looked up. He had them stop and he leaned over and softly kissed her lips. She still smiled when he pulled away and they continued on their way up to the castle. They parted briefly to return their brooms to their dorms but reunited in the library.