Chapter 8
Complicated
- - - - -
"So, tell me what you think."
Willow stared at herself in the wardrobe mirror she and Padma shared. The gaze reflecting back at her was filled with disbelief and even a trace of awe. "I really look like this?" she asked, turning to her side, trying to see how the short dress Aura had managed to dig up for her managed to sparkle and sway the way it did.
"You charmed her dress?" Padma asked uncertainly. "Isn't that... bad?"
"Who cares?" Aura asked, stepping back, a hairbrush in her hand. "All I can say is, she looks good."
"I do, kinda, don't I?" Willow replied, spinning around once. "But I don't like it. Too short. Can we find something else?"
"We could spend all night trying to appease your shy little ways," Aura said with a dramatic sigh as she came up from behind Willow. "I think we're going to stick with this. My mother would be proud of it all."
Willow sighed and walked away, feeling defeated and slightly naked in only this small dress. It used to look different, she realized, her fingers brushing the material. For one thing, it had been much longer. And it hadn't been silvery. It had been white. It had also had large lilies spread across it.
She really felt odd standing there in front of her roommate and another girl, wearing nothing but a slip and feeling inadequate, especially when Aura glanced at the clock above their door and let out a bellowing squeal that could be heard six floors down. "We need to go!" she gasped, grabbing Willow's hand and dragging the smaller girl to the door. She turned around and nodded coolly at Padma. "Patil."
"Starr," Padma said, hissing the word as though it were a curse. Aura just gave her a bright smile and walked out, dragging Willow behind her.
"Aura, please, I look ridiculous," Willow said in protest as Aura dragged her over to the bank of elevators in the far corner of the corridors. "Please..."
"Oh, shut up, Willow," Aura said easily, tapping a button and dragging the other girl inside the open and waiting cage. "You look fine. We need to get out to that party, since you are one of the hostesses."
Willow was beginning to regret agreeing about hosting this thing with Keira. Although the dark-haired girl was friendly enough and all, Willow felt as though she were facing yet another uphill battle with Cordelia.
And then again, Willow thought to herself, glancing at Aura, who was impatiently tapping her foot and staring at the golden doors, maybe Cordelia could have been spread throughout all of her new friends.
The doors finally opened and Willow stepped out into a crowded room. There were quite a few students talking about this new party, she thought irritably, as Aura led her outside into the cool night air. "Over there!" she said, pointing to a lit path that somehow wound its way through their class buildings without ever going inside. Once they'd crossed the path, Willow was relieved to see Keira standing by the wall, waiting for them.
"Gee, Willow, you're looking good," Keira said appreciatively, holding the other girl out at arms-length. "You planning on playing for some of those hotties? I thought you had one of your own."
Aura gave Keira a pained look. "Willow and her musician just broke up tonight," she said in an urgent voice. "We're going to make this sourpuss have fun whether she wants it or not."
Keira turned back to Willow, surprised that she didn't see the dark look of anger or the sad look of pain in the girl's eyes. "Well, she still looks good."
Willow smiled. "Thank you, Keira."
"No problem," said Keira, gently detaching the other girl from Aura's arm and linking arms with the shorter redheaded girl. "Go off and mingle, Aura! We've got to go around and... play." Waving to Aura as though she were just a bug to shoo away, Aura, grumbling, turned and nearly collided with Harry.
"Oh... oh..." she gasped, quickly backing away and running into the swelling crowd.
Harry laughed and shook his head. Ever since last night when Aura had thrown herself at him, she'd acted graciously embarrassed and steered clear of him.
It was all right to him, anyway. His eyes suddenly brightened when two laughing girls stopped in front of him.
"Hello, Harry!" Keira said, grinning in the darkness.
"It looks nice," Harry said as Ron and Hermione joined them, both of them laughing at something Ron had done on his walk over. The lake was sparkling under the bright moonlight and already small fires were popping up and down the beach. The smell of barbequed beef was almost overwhelming at the entrance. "I'm glad you two decided to throw this... party..."
"We're the best," Keira agreed, turning to Willow, who still had a moody, depressed look on her face. "Oh, for goodness sakes, Wil! Cheer up! Here, talk to Harry. I'm going to go and get you a drink." After gently pushing Willow into Harry, she turned and disappeared back in the crowd.
Harry caught Willow before they could both get knocked over.
"I'm going to kill Keira," Willow mumbled good-naturedly as Harry helped her steady on her feet again. "Thanks, Harry."
"Anytime," he said, suddenly realizing that the quiet girl in front of him looked anything but. In a short, silvery dress that hugged her petite frame, she was actually very pretty. He realized his hand was still on her shoulder and he moved it. She glanced at him, the most curious expression in her eyes.
"Sorry," he said, following her over to one of the fires.
"It's okay," she assured him with a quick smile. "I shouldn't have come tonight, anyway."
"Why not?" Harry asked her curiously. She turned to him and he was surprised to see the amount of pain hidden behind her eyes.
"My old life is gone," Willow said sadly. "And so is Oz."
He suddenly realized where she was going with this and put a comforting hand on her back.
"Hey, mate!" Ron suddenly said, appearing at his left elbow. He was holding a large bottle, which he thrust into Harry's empty hand. "Cheers!"
Hermione walked over with Parvati and Lavender, all three of them looking around in excitement as they stood near the same fire, holding their butterbeers and talking in hushed, excited tones. Willow just stared into the flames, almost wishing they would swallow her up.
She couldn't help but feel Harry's hand rubbing her back, which felt bare underneath the silky material. As much as she hated to admit it, his touch was actually quite pleasant. It was comforting, certainly, but there was something else there, too. It was just... right...
She pulled back slightly. What was she doing? She and Oz had broken up barely two hours ago and already she was seeking comfort from a boy she barely knew. It was so un-Willow-like that even she was surprised with her actions. This was the same sort of trouble that got her and Xander into trouble... was it only last year?
Keira popped up from nowhere, a large plastic cup in her hand. "For you," she said with a giggle. "It'll make the pain go away."
But as Keira sauntered off again, Willow chose to go with her, turning and looping her arm through the other girl's. "Please don't leave me with Harry again... that was too damned awkward."
"Oh, really?" Keira asked, a bemused smirk on her face. Her eyes had suddenly fallen onto another male face, one awash in utter delight at seeing the two women making a beeline for him. "I think you've just about thrown everyone for a loop, Rosenberg. You are quite the hottie."
Willow flushed a deep red and tipped the drink into her mouth, feeling as though she had just swallowed fire. "Ugh... what is this? Poison?"
"Firewhiskey," Keira said, smirking at her new friend. She turned to greet the next few people who were walking underneath the banner at the entrance to the park at the beach. "Oh, Malfoy, how utterly undelighted I am to see you."
Draco wasn't looking at her. He was looking at Willow, who managed to crawl out of the closet and amaze him with her simple beauty. Tonight, she looked, there was no other word for it, beautiful.
"Hello, Little Red," he said appreciatively, letting his shoulder gently nudge hers as he stalked past. She turned and glared at him, her eyes willing him to suffer under her unwavering gaze.
"Malfoy," she spat out. He had been looking at her in the most unwelcome fashion, as though he were undressing her with his eyes. It was humiliating, especially coming from him. It was Malfoy, to begin with. Keira was glaring after him, too.
"I don't remember inviting him," she muttered darkly, as she and Willow walked back towards a large bamboo tiki table full of plastic cups and glass bottles. "I suppose he came with my roommate."
"You invited Pansy?" Willow asked in disbelief as she risked another sip of her sharp beverage. "Oh, Keira... you gave me a fire drink? No wonder I feel like my stomach is going to burn through my skin."
"It's alcohol, sweetie," Keira said with a relishing smile as she picked up her own plastic cup.
"So, what now?" Willow asked, trying to calm her nerves with another sip of the liquid.
"I want to go swimming," Keira said innocently, grabbing Willow's hand and dragging her across the groups of people dancing, singing, talking and laughing around the fires. As soon as they reached the water's edge, Willow was surprised to see how enticing it looked, sparkling underneath the light of a full moon.
She gulped suddenly, realizing where Oz truly was going to be tonight. Locked in a cage. Far away where she couldn't lend her support. It wasn't as though he wanted her support anymore, anyway... she took a deep breath as a single tear traced down her cheek.
"Hey, Wil," Keira said, gently. "You don't have to go in if you don't want to."
"No, no," Willow said, shaking her head and setting her drink in the sand. "It's just that... no bathing suit is sort of an issue."
"Who says you need one of those?" Keira asked with a challenging grin. "Besides, I brought some towels down. Now... let's strip."
Willow turned bright red. They were still in view of those closest to the lake. "You want me to get naked?"
"No, you doo-fus," Keira replied in her taunting Irish voice. "Just down to the lingerie, you know?"
Willow was still blushing as she unzipped her dress and stepped out of it, staring at her pale pink lingerie in the deep moonlight. Keira turned to her with a smile, also wearing colors that seemed to glow in the dark.
In seconds, they were immersed in the cool, relaxing water. "This is so much better," Keira groaned, dipping her head underneath the surface before lifting it back out, her long dark hair flying back, the water droplets catching the moonlight.
Willow just laid on her back, enjoying the calming sensation. The lake was cool, but it was a refreshing cool. The firewhiskey inside of her was inspiring her rebellious side. She stood up suddenly, finding herself in waist-high water. Lifting her hand, she splashed a perfect arc of water to the other girl, standing eight feet away and running her hands through her water-soaked hair.
"Hey!" Keira shrieked back, splashing the redheaded girl back.
The two were soon a foot away from each other, their hands entwined, fighting control, waiting to see which one would tip in the water first. Willow finally gave up and found herself falling backwards into the blissful water.
Their shrieking and yelping was attracting a lot of attention from the shoreline. Harry, Ron and Hermione jogged down to the edge of the water. It wasn't until Aura saw the two girls wrestling in the water did she finally call out, "Hey Willow, Keira! Wave to your fans!"
Willow turned an even brighter shade of red as she sat down in the water, the lake swishing up to her neck. She certainly didn't want to be put on public display in her underwear. She noticed that Keira had done the same thing, since dozens of eyes were staring at them.
"Keira," Willow said in a slight sing-song voice. "What are we going to do?"
"You're the magic Wicca, Wil," Keira said with an evil grin, her eyes shining in the moonlight. "Give them a show."
Willow pressed her hands to the surface of the water, her own evil thoughts catching up with her. "Oh, right," she whispered. "And I'm supposed to be powerful enough to do this?"
"Just use your imagination," Keira said, grinning.
Willow just shook her head and began stirring the water with her hands. She felt it bubble underneath her fingertips and enjoyed the sensation. But she knew she didn't have the power to spray all of the people staring at her. Luckily, she didn't have to worry about it. A wand was lit and there was an incantation whispered.
Willow and Keira both swam away from shore as a large jet of water sprayed out at everyone standing and gawking.
Keira let out a huge laugh as both girls stopped, now in way over their heads. "Nice one, Wil."
"It wasn't me," Willow said, giggling.
Aura was grinning at her two friends from shore, dripping with water as she pocketed her wand. "They'll thank me later," she said, sounding pleasantly amused.
This was all the time that Keira and Willow needed to swim back to shore and collect their things.
"Keira, it's freezing," Willow said, her teeth chattering.
Wand back in hand, Keira lifted it and aimed it towards a stack of towels sitting on a rock a few feet away. "Accio towels!" she said.
The towels flew into her outstretched arms. Handing one to Willow, the two wrapped themselves up, feeling more comfortable. "That better?" Keira asked as Aura joined them, looking delighted.
"A swim? You two are insane!" she said, grinning at her two friends, who both returned a drained smile.
"We'll just be collecting our clothes and leaving--" Willow's voice fell away as she noticed someone standing at the spot where she and Keira had left their clothing.
It was Draco. He was holding their dresses in an outstretched hand, a new bonfire glowing brightly beside him.
"Well, well, well," he said lazily, looking both Willow and Keira up and down. "This is definitely I sight I never once expected to see... two of the prettiest ones nearly naked..."
Willow tightened her hand over the front of her towel, her cheeks blazing in embarrassment. But Keira refused to back down, lifting her wand again. "Give us back our clothes, ferret," she hissed.
"All right," he said, but instead of handing them forward, he turned and threw both dresses unceremoniously into the fire.
"What?" Willow gasped, rushing forward, but Draco's arms easily caught her as she lunged. "Let me go, damn it!"
Keira's wand was trembling in her shaking hand, her eyes wide as she watched both dresses burn in the fire. "You are asking for a bloody death wish, aren't you, Malfoy?" she sneered.
Willow shoved the other boy away and held her towel to herself, lifting her chin defiantly, as though daring Malfoy to try anything else.
"What's going on here?" a crisp male voice asked. Willow felt her face burning even hotter as Harry walked over, his eyes on the fire, where two garments were now fading away into ashes. "Malfoy, what are you doing here?"
"Knitting a scarf," Draco replied maliciously, taking in the look Harry had given Willow, who was still trembling, red-faced, standing in her underwear, wrapped in a wet towel. He could tell she was freezing, because her lips were trembling and her teeth were chattering so loudly he could hear them over the dull roar of the fire next to him. "What's it to you?"
"Leave them alone," Ron said, walking up to Keira and Willow, his eyes full of concern as he saw his Potions partner trembling. "Are you all right, Willow?"
"J-Just c-c-cold," she said, forcing a smile through lips that were starting to turn blue from the numbness.
"You're a bastard, Malfoy," said Hermione, followed by Dean, Seamus and Neville, all who were carrying large, fluffy blue blankets. "Leave them alone. What did they ever do to you?"
"I just like to call it something along the lines of revenge," Malfoy said lazily, fingering his wand as he turned his back, walking away from the group. "Until another day, Isley..."
Keira resisted the urge to curse him and nearly jumped when she felt a warm blanket cover her shoulders. "Oh... thanks," she said, not even bothering to look at who had covered her up. Her eyes were on Willow and she suddenly felt ashamed. Just because she was bold and arrogant didn't mean her new friend had to follow her ways. Frowning slightly, Keira pushed Harry away from Willow and wrapped the second end of her blanket over Willow's shoulders. "Let's go up to that abandoned fire up there, eh?"
She and Willow walked away together. Willow was still shivering.
An hour later, Willow was wrapped in her own blanket, staring dully at the fire. The sand felt warm beneath her feet and although she was dressed solely in her underwear, she felt warm and sleepy. The firewhiskey, whatever three little sips could have done, had made her feel sleepy and stupid.
Keira was sitting next to her, her shiny black head resting on Willow's shoulder. "Some party, eh?"
"It had its merits," Willow admitted. "I actually had fun tonight."
Keira lifted her head and turned to her friend. "You did?"
"I never would have gone swimming in my panties before," Willow said, smirking, "had you not egged me on. That and being trapped by dozens of party people. It was definitely a night to remember... but..."
"But what?" Keira asked, dropping her head back on Willow's should again and failing to stifle a huge yawn.
"It's getting complicated," Willow replied sadly. "I mean, I have all of these complex feelings for Oz... and yet..."
"I think Little Red has a crush," Keira said in a soft sing-song voice.
"You're probably right," Willow said, managing a weak smile. "But right now, Little Red wants her bed. Hey, that rhymed!"
An hour later, the two party hostesses were being walked back to their respective houses. Keira was more than willing to camp out at Willow's, but Hermione nixed the idea the instant Pansy Parkinson and the rest of her crowd of giggling, intoxicated girls swarmed up and claimed her. After gently passing Willow to Padma Patil, Hermione said good night and hurried away.
"Are you sure you have her?" Harry asked Padma in concern as they entered their dormitory and walked straight for the elevators.
"I have my own roommate, Potter," Padma said in a teasing voice as they waited in the corridors. Willow looked absolutely exhausted. She was tired of moping and feeling sorry for herself over the distance separating her and Oz. She was tired of feeling angry because her friends had moved on with their lives. She was an independent girl, too. It was her turn to move on with her own life, and she intended to.
But maybe, perhaps, what bothered her most of all was the hand still resting on the small of her back. Harry had put it there five minutes earlier and he hadn't moved it once. What was she to him? Just some sort of nameless possession? Casting him a cool look, she stepped into the elevator, stumbling forward as Padma gently took her by the shoulders to steady her.
"Do you want me to come up with you?" Harry asked, seeing that there really wasn't anyone else around to help her out. Padma just gave him a small smile.
"Just help me make sure she gets into bed all right," Padma decided with a small sigh.
Willow's knees chose that particular moment to give out. Collapsing forward, Harry caught her easily.
"Hey, now," he said as she fumbled to stand up, only causing her to fall deeper. "Easy, Willow, easy..."
He wrapped an arm around her waist. Immediately, the bells inside her head went off. She had the distinct feeling that something was there that shouldn't be. As the golden doors parted again, Willow found her body moving towards their room, but her feet weren't moving. It was then she realized she was being carried.
Padma unlocked the door and switched on the light, Harry walking in behind her, carrying a drained Willow. As he set her down, the blanket parted, showing off the damn lingerie from her stunt earlier. "Will you be all right?" he asked Padma in concern.
"I'll get her in bed," Padma assured him. "Besides, Lavender and Parvati will be up momentarily. You should probably get back to the party. Your trio is awaiting you."
Harry grinned down at Willow, who appeared to be sleeping. "I'll do just that." After saying good night to Padma Patil, he left the girls behind, but he didn't return to the party.
Instead, he found himself walking back towards the elevator and going towards his own dorm room. Thoughts were swimming through his head.
For some odd reason, they kept falling back on the shy American girl known as Willow. She was on his mind a lot lately, since they'd been running into each other at the strangest of places.
She was definitely the most unique girl he had ever met. Anyone who could pull a stunt like swimming in their lingerie with Keira Isley had to be a fun girl. Willow really was unlike anyone he knew.
Before he realized what he was doing, he started laughing. Here he was, thinking about some girl he barely knew.
And yet it mattered to him.
He just wished he knew why.
- - - - -
It was just after noon on Sunday when Keira and Willow arrived at lunch. Both looked a little tired, but they were smiling and eating all the same. Harry looked down the table and smiled when he saw that Willow was wearing a pink ensemble today that highlighted her meeker features.
Of course, he hadn't resisted seeing her in nothing more than her underwear the night before...
He flushed slightly and gave a little start as Ron asked him to pass the bowl of steamed vegetables to his left. Harry reached over and took the bowl, feeling slightly embarrassed. Handing the bowl to his best friend, Ron noticed that Harry looked slightly pink. He began to wonder if it had anything to do with the adoring looks Aura Starr was giving them. Or the casual glances Keira Isley was throwing towards him, her smile bright and airy.
Willow had been carefully avoiding his gaze all morning.
"You really should talk to him," Keira said as the two were leaving the Hall and walking towards the library. "It'll get all this complicated crap out of the way."
"And what exactly would I say to him?" Willow asked interestedly. "Hey, Harry, thanks for carrying me last night. I hope you got a good view of me nearly naked! That's just asking to be humiliated to death, Keira! No, thank you! Besides," she said, her gaze falling on a certain boy making a beeline for them. "I think we have enough trouble to be getting along with."
Keira bristled next to her as Malfoy approached. For once, he was alone.
"Isley," he said, smirking at her in greeting. His gaze softened as he noticed Willow. "Little Red. It's good to know you guys put on clothes. It was quite the show for us to see you two--"
"That's enough, Malfoy," Keira snapped, drawing out her wand. His eyes wavered slightly when he saw her outstretched arm, yet he said nothing. "That's a good little ferret. Besides, you should be afraid of my arm. It gave you that black eye."
Draco muttered something under his breath as he touched his blackened eye. Willow hadn't seen it before and gave her friend a startled expression as she reached forward and touched his face. He recoiled instantly, but she latched onto his wrist and pulled him closer. "Don't be such a baby," she said in a quiet voice as her fingers probed the bruised skin. "Keir, how did this happen?"
"I punched him last night," Keira replied good-naturedly. "Not that he didn't deserve it."
They exchanged a look of pure loathing, but Draco was slightly put out by the fact that Willow was still touching his face. She finally pulled back and gave him a tense smile.
"You did kind of deserve it, Malfoy, for burning our clothes last night," she said with an apologetic sort of smile.
As Keira and Willow hustled away, his fingers brushed the spot where she'd touched him. Willow had actually touched him. Her eyes had been full of concern and pity and, could it be, interest?
No. Not Willow, the walking, talking shadow of Keira Isley, a girl who was known to be a thorn in his side.
"Hey, mate," a voice said from behind him. It was Blaise Zabini along with another student known only to them as Leo. Both were carrying an armload of books and glaring off after Keira and Willow. "If I didn't know you any better, Draco, I'd say that you were staring at Little Red."
"Maybe I was," Draco smirked, glancing at his two friends. Blaise and Leo lived across the hall from him and Theodore Nott. "I mean, look at her. She is quite the looker."
"So is Isley," Leo said, brushing a bit of fair hair from his eyes as he stared after her with a hint of longing.
"Oh, please," Blaise said with a hard chuckle. "The only thing Isley has going for her now is her brains. Otherwise she'd be as dull as Crabbe and Goyle!"
"Do you realize we still owe her one?" Draco asked them softly, pulling them away from a group of giggling girls as they passed back towards the dormitory houses. "I was beginning to think it'd be a fantastic idea if--"
"Draco! There you are!"
He groaned visibly as Pansy and her own crowd of clones joined them. She took his arm in a pincher-like grip and smiled prettily up at him. "What is it, sweetie? You look upset!"
"Oh, right," he growled, his fingers touching his black eye again. "As if I don't have a reason to be..." But in his mind, a plan was formulating. So Keira and Willow were turning into a stunty group, right? He was starting to form a plan that would being Keira Isley down a notch and perhaps give him the one thing he had just felt when Little Red had touched him. It had been a shadow of electricity when her fingers had come into contact with his skin. That was why he had pushed himself away.
But, the thing was, he liked it when she had touched him. It had felt a lot different than Pansy's prods, which were almost insensitive and uncaring. Just like Pansy herself.
But Willow was something different. Although she hung out with the likes of Harry Potter and Isley, she still had a side he hadn't seen coming. She had, after all, gone into the lake with a crowd of onlookers with Isley, had she not?
Things were going to get very interesting around here once Draco Malfoy was back where he belonged.
- - - - -
"This is useless!" Keira snapped, pushing her book away from her angrily. There was a chorus of "Shhh!" and "Will you shut up?" from around her and gazing apologetically at Neville Longbottom across from her, she pulled her book back to her and stared down at it.
"Can you take a go from here?" she asked him hopefully as he glanced up from his notes again, his shy eyes meeting hers.
"You can relax you know," he said softly. "I'm not going to pull anything."
"It's them I'm worried about," Keira hissed, jerking her thumb over her shoulder. Neville followed the gesture, his face barely registering surprise when he noticed that Pansy Parkinson and her own group of girls were gossiping and giggling three tables back. And they kept throwing Keira a scathing look.
"I don't think Malfoy was too happy about his black eye," Neville said quietly, trying to see her reaction. To his surprise, she smiled at him.
"He deserved it though, didn't he?" she asked, her eyes sparkling.
Neville certainly believed he had. He had been the one to cover Keira with the blanket the night before, watching his Potions partner shiver in her towel, her lingerie clearly visible through the bright blue material. She hadn't noticed him, but then again, her focus had been on Willow.
He could tell her focus was still lingering. He frowned as he saw the look in Keira's eyes.
"Neville," she said, leaning over the table towards him, "do you think there is something going on between Willow and Harry?"
His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "N-No," he managed to stutter out, hoping against hopes he didn't sound too stunned by her question. "Why do you ask?"
"I think he likes her," Keira said bluntly. "I saw it in his eyes last night when she and I were, well, you saw us. Indisposed."
"Did you get back to your room all right?"
"Oh, sure," Keira said with a dark smile. "Pansy got me to our floor. I punched Malfoy. He spent the night in our room with her. They made noises I didn't think animals like them could make. And then I got up early and went to find Willow. Honestly, I think I'm going to just..." Her voice dropped off. Was she actually carrying on a conversation with Neville Longbottom?
"What are you going to just do?" Neville asked her, setting his quill down.
"Move in with Wil," Keira said, uncapping her water bottle and taking a long, refreshing sip. "I honestly cannot stand Pansy Parkinson, and the fact that Malfoy is in our room half of the time doesn't help anything. I can't stand him. He's such a--"
"He's an arrogant, self-important git with a pole shoved six inches too far up his pale arse?" Neville offered, a smile forming around his lips.
She really was in an actual conversation with Neville Longbottom, she realized happily. The boy could do more than stutter and cast her fearful glances, especially when her temper was high.
"You got it," she said, offering him her first genuine smile. "But let's not spoil our afternoon. Let's finish your report before Professor Crieux has both of our heads."
"Let's," Neville said happily, returning to his report. For some odd reason, he was feeling much better.
Across the library, Willow had dropped down in a small corner, curling her legs beneath her as she lifted the heavy Introduction to Magic textbook and began reading carefully, only pausing to take notes down on a large, four-inch-high stack of parchment on the table in front of her.
A shadow fell across her body an hour later and she looked up to see her own Potions partner, Ron Weasley, standing there. "Um, hi," he said, dropping into the single chair across from her. "Do you mind?"
"Not at all," she said, moving her feet from where they'd been perched on the lower rung of the chair across from her and pushing her books into a haphazard pile. "What's up?"
Ron looked thoroughly confused by her question. Smirking, Willow said, "I meant to say, what's going on?"
"Oh," Ron said, catching on. "I just wanted to let you know our first Practical Potions experiment is being graded by none other than Professor Snape."
"Someone you don't really like, I wager," Willow said, carefully numbering her pages as she stacked them inside her folder, which was little more than two pieces of cardboard held together with string. "What's our first critiqued potion going to be?"
"Well, a pepper-up unction," Ron replied hastily, "but that isn't the point. Our second potion to be critiqued will be Veritaserum."
Willow had just read about that and frowned immediately. "I'd say we have some work ahead of us, Mister Weasley," she said, giving him an encouraging smile, one he was only too happy to return. "I would love to stay and chat," she continued, gesturing toward her work still spread messily across the table, "but I really want to finish reading these last one hundred pages."
"If you want to catch up, you should ask Hermione," Ron offered. "She is the smartest witch from Hogwarts."
"Or I could ask Keira," Willow said, lifting an eyebrow. "Since I know her a lot better than I know Granger. Besides, I barely know your girlfriend."
Ron turned pink and didn't say anything for a moment. Leaning across the table, she put her hand over his. "It's okay, Ron, really. I'll ask Hermione about it at dinner tonight, all right? Will that get you off my back about studying? I have your brother and he's nearly thrice the headache I could imagine!"
"Well," Ron said, stretching as he stood up. "I'll tell Hermione. She'll be so excited." He said goodbye and drifted back into the throngs of people still mulling around the library.
Shaking her head, Willow turned back to the book she was reading, unaware that twenty feet away, a pair of silvery eyes was following her every movement.
- - - - -
Chapter 9... Back to Potions, Magic and Practical Defense. And, introducing another Wizarding Sport!
Ah! The soap opera continues! I really love how light and fluffy this fic is compared to my others. I think it's been getting better since I jumbled up the first few chapters.
I have decided on a few pairings, surprisingly. I want this fic to be a happy, fluffy romantic weird story. Ron/Hermione has always been my number one HP 'ship. And yes, as you can see, they're still a couple in this fic. Willow and Oz have broken up, but it isn't the end of them, not by a longshot. And while I REALLY don't want this to be turned into a soap opera, well... I can't guarantee there won't be any love triangles, since there is a beautiful one just shaping up. I think you all know of which I speak. There is another one that was just starting to be hinted at here.
I'll slowly be introducing more AU OCs because they're fun. I love Keira. She reminds me of Buffy with all of Faith's daring. I am FOREVER grateful to Char for even suggesting I use her. I had loads of OCs I could have used for this fic. She suggested Keira would be a good friend and potentially best friend material for Willow. Aura is one of those Harmony-like characters thrown in for show. I also love her to bits. Leo and Darien are also males who are going to be added into the story. Another female will be introduced, too. She will be one of Pansy's gang.
And, as a note, Blaise Zabini is male in this story. It just fits this way.
So, in retrospect, I'm having a blast with this story. It's harder to write since my thoughts are more unfocused, yet it's as though the characters are jumping onto the page and writing themselves. I love writing late at night at work near the window so I can listen to the sounds of both sirens and coyotes. The only pairing you can probably see so far is Ron/Hermione. Willow will get paired with someone, and I think this chapter hinted towards it. Harry/Aura will never happen. It's about as good as having Xander/Harmony get together, so you know it won't happen. I might get sympathetic towards her and pair her up with someone though.
The next two chapters promise to have angst, drama and romance in them. Couples are born, friends are made, lifelong enemies are trying to tear each other's hair out and classes are taught! Who said California was the only place for our little Willow to have fun?
I would love to see reviews, especially from those who have been reading from the beginning. I'd like to know if the story has improved at all! So, if you review, I'll grant you a wish of some sort, as long as its within this fanfiction spheredom. Hell, I'll even write a fic of choice. It'll give me something fun to do at night when I work!