Chapter 14
The Good Girls
- - - - -
Sunday afternoon boasted the first of two Quidditch games to be played. Many were still tired and worn out from Halloween festivities, which had carried on into Saturday.
Willow joined Keira and Aura in the stands, wrapped in a thick black woolen cloak, shivering as a cold wind came from the north. While Harry's team wasn't to play until the second game, they still had an interest in the first, considering that Draco's team was playing the fourth team in the early match. Aura was already dressed as a Chaser, her broomstick slung over her shoulder as she dropped down next to Willow, peering intently at the flyers doing a rather small circle in the air.
"They look good," she said, biting her lip.
"You'll never know until you play them," Keira replied under her breath; she'd just caught Pansy and a few other Dragon girls making their way up the stands, laughing and chattering in one large, rowdy group. For once, she didn't make a wise-crack comment. She just bit back her retort and turned away.
Willow caught this motion and was surprised by it. "You're showing an awful lot of restraint," she said conversationally.
"Did you see the size of Pansy's date at the ball on Friday?" Keira asked faintly.
"It isn't as though you wouldn't have your own knight in armor to protect you," Aura pointed up, still squinting above. "Because wouldn't –"
"How about we don't talk about that?" Keira asked, a biting edge to her voice as she gave Aura a sideways glance. "It isn't as though it really matters anyway."
Willow gave her a sympathetic smile. She knew better than to push Keira to talk about what had happened Friday night. Keira had told her it was unexpected, sudden and, quite possibly, the most insane thing she had ever done. She was really anti-social when it came to dances, but if she organized them, she was detail-oriented to a tee. Willow was beginning to regret her decision not to make Keira a co-chair.
Hermione soon joined the trio, the house flag wrapped around her body as a banner as she took the open seat on the far side of Keira. "Beautiful day," she said, glancing at the blue and silver sky above them.
"If it were only ten degrees warmer," Keira moaned, her teeth chattering as she rubbed her bare hands together vigorously.
There were more students approaching them now, including Parvati who dropped down in the last seat next to Aura, whispering quickly into the taller girl's ear, her eyes on Pansy a few rows in front of them.
The Quidditch stands were quite a bit different from the stands they were used to. For one, they extended thirty feet in the air, making those unaccustomed to them positively faint when they climbed up and got their first view. They were also divided into two sections, one on each side, both curving the length of the stand, with three dividers in the center. The entire faculty took the middle rows, while the students, not separated by houses, were free to sit wherever they liked.
The teams were announced then. A few rows in front of them, Pansy shrieked and cheered loudly as her team soared around the pitch, coming to a rest at their starting positions.
Willow was watching in avid anticipation. She'd never seen a Quidditch match before.
The first game was incredible, she decided as the players finally reached the ground, the Captains shaking hands once the dragon-house team had claimed victory. It was hard to not cheer, especially when Aura and Parvati were both cheering rather loudly for Blaise. Once the final score was read, Aura stood and moved along the row to hurry down to her own changing room to prepare for the next match.
"What'd you think?" Keira asked Willow softly once they sat down again.
"Flying fifty feet in the air on a broomstick?" Willow asked, her voice slightly high-pitched. "I'd be terrified. I'm glad it's them and not me."
Keira looked at her a moment before shaking her head. "You are some piece of work, Rosenberg."
"Why, thank you Isley."
"I didn't mean it as a compliment," Keira said dryly. "You going to go wish your boyfriend good luck?"
"Uh, no," Willow said, glancing at all the curious stares around them. "Why don't you try vocalizing from the diaphragm… you'd get more volume that way."
"Sorry," Keira said with an uneasy giggle. "I was kind of hoping it would get the attention off of me for a while."
"And we don't want Keira to be the most talked about girl in school?" Willow asked teasingly.
"Not again," Keira warned her. "I think that dance was enough to get everyone talking."
"We could try mocking Ron and Hermione," Willow replied, giggling slightly as Hermione returned to her seat, a tray of snacks in hand.
"Were you two talking about me?" she asked, gazing at both of them as she set down the tray on the rail in front of them.
"It wasn't anything naughty," Keira assured her as she took a beverage cart and handed it to Hermione while Willow held onto the rest of the tray. "You were planning on feeding a small army here?"
"They were selling this down there," Hermione said vaguely.
"That, and you were saying goodbye to your boyfriend," Keira said in a sing-song voice.
Hermione took the tray from Keira's hands. "Let us not be reminded of a certain boy who—"
"Okay, you win," Keira said gloomily, accepting the cup Hermione handed her. "What's this?"
"Ooh, coffee, I knew I liked you," Willow said, giving Hermione a brilliant smile as she drank from her paper cup.
"Coffee and popcorn," Keira commented, as the three women sat down, cradling their cups, three bright red and gold boxes sitting on the cardboard tray before them.
"I think I see some nachos… may we?" Willow asked.
"Help yourselves!" Hermione replied, taking a sip of her own coffee.
They were just getting resettled when Parvati returned, tugging a victorious Blaise with her. Blaise openly groaned when he noticed the three women sitting where Parvati had been before.
"Oh, shut up," Willow said, shoving her box of popcorn into his folded arms. "Eat something… it'll keep your mouth more occupied."
Parvati turned a slight shade of pink as Keira nearly doubled over next to her.
Blaise regarded Willow for a moment. "Fair enough," he said, taking her popcorn.
At that moment, the loudspeakers crackled to life as both teams took to the air. Abandoning her coffee at her feet, Willow jumped up, cheering loudly as Harry soared over their heads. Hermione turned to the banner she'd tied to their railing and waved a small flag in the air.
This game was much more exciting that the first and the score was always close. Aura flew particularly well with both Kaz and Ron, their practice eventually winning out against the lesser skilled Keeper at the other end of the pitch.
"You guys enjoying the game?" Padma asked as she and her friends squeezed into the row behind the group. Willow gave a small jump, all of her attention on the game as both she and Keira spun around to see Padma staring at the back of Blaise's head, her eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Now that's the kind of company I never thought you'd keep."
"I kind of like it," Willow said, an evil grin spreading across her face.
"Is this the keep your friends close but enemies closer?" Padma asked, eyeing her twin curiously. "Because Willow and Blaise aren't enemies, Parv."
"I know," Parvati said, threading her arm through Blaise's. "I know that whole school unity thing was spoken of about three years ago, but better late than never is my assumption."
"Speaking of unions," Hermione said, leaning over Keira's opposite shoulder. "Look who's coming this way!"
Keira moaned and averted her eyes, turning to look up at Padma. She didn't want to be seen. She didn't want a hundred more eyes staring at her, wondering in speculation on how she'd managed to wangle a date from nothing and manage to turn it into the world's biggest gossip festival.
Luckily for her, the small group passed onwards, choosing to sit directly behind Pansy's group, all the while cheering for their house team as Harry soared overhead, glancing this way and that for the golden snitch.
The game ended less than fifteen minutes later in one of the most exciting finishes known to date. Harry caught the snitch, winning the game, but only winning it by twenty points. There were red lines on Hermione's face where she'd been clutching it with her fingernails, looking appalled at how badly their Keeper was playing. Of course, when you had a Conjuration Keeper, things tended to go badly.
Padma leaned forward again, smirking slightly as Hermione and Willow exchanged a relieved look. "Anyways, you lot, there's a party in the social hall. You can bring your significant others. You can bring yours, too, Keir," she added, prodding Keira's shoulder before she slid out of her seat and along the row.
"I do not have a significant other," Keira raged, turning to glare at Padma, but she was already moving away. From either side of her, Hermione and Willow were giggling. "Come on, you two, let's get out of here… before I become the center of—"
"Hello, Isley."
"Attention," Keira finished with a moan, coming about to face Pansy Parkinson, walking up with the rest of her friends. "To what do I owe this honor, Parkinson?"
"I'm not about to throw punches, so let your guard down," Pansy said sweetly, her eyes wide and innocent as ever. "I'll let your new paramour make those."
Keira's eyes grew livid with rage, and it took the combined strength of Willow, Hermione and Parvati to hold her back. Blaise even stepped in between them, gently nudging Keira away.
"Now, now, Pansy… it's not wise to provoke the girl who has many friends here," he told her sternly.
"Oh, Blaise, don't give me that crap," she snapped, her voice returning to its normal dulcet tone. "Just because you're making cow eyes with this… this milk dud… don't come crawling back to our house to save your reputation. You just let that slide, didn't you?"
"How dare you!" Parvati gasped.
"All right, girls, not here," Willow said, deciding it was her turn to intervene. "Don't make me separate you!"
But this wasn't about to be solved with logic. Parvati was gasping in indignation while Blaise stood there, looking both wounded and frustrated. Keira was gaping like a pucker fish while Hermione looked wary and all the while Pansy stood there, glowing in her usual stance.
"Separate," Willow said finally, as Pansy was pushed back against her own crowd of girls, many of them faltering a few steps. The other group on her right was also pushed back to a point where there was a clear distance between them. "Now, Pansy, I suggest you leave before you cause any more trouble, since that's what you're best at." Nodding respectfully at her, Willow took Keira's arm and dragged her backwards. Hermione, accepting defeat at this point, followed them.
"Don't let her provoke you," Hermione chastised once they were out of the throng of crowds leaving the stadium behind. "She'll just eat you alive."
"It's what Pansy's best at," Willow agreed, as they had both latched onto Keira and pulled her forward. "Let's go and check out that party, okay?"
"Whatever," Keira replied, shaking her head but allowing herself to be dragged out by her friends, "it's not like a really had a choice anyway."
- - - - -
"You're dropping your arm!" Professor Gabon shouted at Keira, who turned, her bow in hand. "Keep your wrist level with your chin. You'll achieve better accuracy that way."
Keira rolled her eyes and lifted her elbow, the line taut in her fingertips.
It was then she felt a pair of cold hands seize her shoulders, one hand forcefully pushing her shooting arm up while the other straightened the arm that held the bow.
"Try it this way, Isley. This is the way I have taught you, have I not?"
It was Monday and with it came another Practical Defense class. They had decided to take a break from physical fitness exercises and take up archery. Professor Gabon and her two assistants were walking down a row of twenty students, turning them into a perfect series of archers.
Unfortunately, today was also the day that Professor Gabon wished to pick on Keira. No matter how hard she tried to hold the stance, she couldn't.
"Fire the arrow, Isley," Professor Gabon said, her cold, crisp voice ringing in Keira's ears. "Just fire the arrow."
Keira released the arrow, watching it spin flawlessly to the board on the other end of the classroom, the mark hitting just above the small yellow dot in the center.
"Nicely done," Professor Gabon said, as the rest of the archers quickly released their own arrows. "Let's see you try that one again without my assistance."
Keira took a second arrow and prepared to fire, watching as Professor Gabon moved down to Harry, standing next in line. On her left, Aura took a step towards her. "Want me to fire an arrow into her ass? It'll teach her to mess with my girls."
"No, it's okay," Keira replied, lifting up her arrow. "I'll just keep incensing her on purpose. It's rather fun, you know."
Aura let out a tiny giggle and received a harsh look from one of the assistants bearing down on her. She turned the giggle into a hoarse cough and quickly moved back into place.
Once she had finished her turn, she handed the bow over to Leo and sat on the bleacher row behind her, removing her wrist guards. She felt someone sit next to her and didn't need to look up to see who it was. The way his eyes fell on her made her skin tingle.
"You're getting pretty good," he said softly, leaning against the bleacher behind him, watching as Professor Gabon swooped down upon Parvati Patil like a hawk.
"I think I like archery," Keira replied, still not looking at him as she scraped a bit of tape off of one of the foam protectors.
"You can't avoid this forever, Keira," he said, staring out at the rest of the class.
She bit her lip, nodding. "I know I can't," she replied. "But the last thing I need is more public ridicule. I… I just…"
"You know what your problem is?" he asked edgily.
"I made Draco Malfoy my enemy the first day of school?" she asked, arching one eyebrow as she met his gaze at last. "Yeah, I got that the first time around. My life has been nothing but on public display here. Are you sure you want to face that? Listen to what they've been saying about us… I don't want you to face that anymore than I have to."
"I'll get used to it," he said, his voice rising.
"No," she said calmly, standing up, throwing her wrist guards on the metallic seat. "I won't let them take you down with me."
"I've been taken down by them before," he replied, also standing and reaching for her arm, which she twisted conveniently away from his grasp. "Don't make this any harder than it already is."
Across the room, Harry, Hermione and Ron had turned to see the pair standing at the far end of the seats, arguing.
"I guess there's more trouble in paradise," Harry muttered.
"I don't think there'll ever be one," Hermione said sadly.
"Not even for them?" Ron asked.
"Especially not for them," Hermione replied. "Can you imagine two different people like that?"
"They were rather adorable at the masquerade together," Harry pointed out.
"But they'll be on gossipers tongues for the rest of the century unless we do something," Hermione said.
"What can we do?" Ron asked.
"I think I have an idea," Hermione replied, crossing her arms as she watched Keira walk away, looking a lot less happy and more miserable than any of the trio had seen her. "But I think I need Willow on this."
"I think I like your plans," Ron said, grinning at her. She gave him a mock glare as she punched his arm. Above them, the bell tolled, signaling the end of lesson and the start of lunch.
Willow met Keira outside the Great Hall, her eyes full of concern when she saw the expression on Keira's face.
"I don't want to talk about it," Keira said, eyeing the curious students walking past them.
"We won't," Willow assured her, knowing that Keira would open up to her when she was good and ready. Instead, she took Keira's arm and they walked inside the hall together for lunch.
Harry and Ron joined them a few minutes later. Harry took his usual seat next to Willow, who was already halfway done with her food. "Hi," he said.
"Hello," she replied, a big goofy grin on her face. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as he loaded his plate one-handedly.
"How was Mister Weasley's class?" Harry asked teasingly.
"Enlightening," Willow replied. "I got to transfigure buttons into fungi today. And I did it without a wand."
"I keep forgetting you are the wand-less witch," Ron said, taking the seat across from Harry. Hermione was still nowhere in sight. "How boring are my brother's classes, anyway?"
"I find them challenging," she said, frowning slightly at Ron's reaction. "Besides, I think your brother is really nice."
Harry and Ron exchanged a dark look before returning to their lunches.
"What is it?" she asked, glancing at both of them. "I mean, he can't possibly be that bad!"
"He tried to convict me on an underage-use-of-magic charge three years ago," Harry said bitterly. "This was after he walked out on his family, believing them all to be in a pack of liars."
It was the Voldemort issue again, Willow realized, folding her arms on the table.
"Even when it was confirmed that Voldemort had come back," Harry continued, seeing the usual wince as he used a name that hadn't been spoken of in months, "he refused to go back to the Weasleys'. To him, they were just poor and useless, as he often told his family."
"The only reason Percy is here in the first place is because he owed my father," Ron said, his face an ugly shade of pale grey. "He promised to teach for two years, and this is just part of the agreement he made after my brother was arrested for torturing supporters of Dumbledore."
"He is the old Headmaster at Hogwarts," Dean Thomas said from the other side of Harry.
"Got it," Willow replied.
"He kept saying he was under the Imperious curse, but any who knew him said that he was acting of his own free will," Ron continued. "It was horrible. There was a trial and everything. His sentence was to serve two years of community service and apparently this qualified."
"That's terrible," Keira said softly under her breath.
"It's the truth," Neville said darkly from the opposite side of Ron, across the table from Willow. "He was the one that attacked my Gran and in the end…"
"He killed your grandmother?" Keira asked, her eyes widening in horror. Willow gasped from next to him.
"No," Neville said, not meeting her eyes. "He tortured her into insanity."
Willow's jaw dropped as she turned back to Ron, who was nodding grimly. "I had no idea…" she said, her voice an echo of what it had been.
"It's been out of the papers for the public's safety," Harry said bitterly. "But it all began three years ago when that sniveling little moron was made an assistant to the Minister of Magic."
"I don't believe this," Keira said softly, running a hand through her dark hair. "I always thought he was an okay kind of guy."
"I've been befriending him," Willow said, sounding mortified. "I served on his student committee… my God, what was I thinking?"
"Wil, it wasn't your fault," Harry said, taking her hand. "Honestly, it'd be better if neither of you knew the truth. Only a few of us know what happened… and because Ron's his brother, I know."
Willow was trying hard to blink back tears, but through the haze all she could see was Percy with a vicious smile on his face, his wand raised as he tortured a poor old lady into a gibbering mess. She shook her head. "It's not something I could forget," she whispered. "I guess it's true what they say… your perception of someone can change with just a single action."
"It isn't to say that he hasn't changed, Willow, because he has," Ron said insistently. "I don't think he'd ever do what he did before."
"I hope not," Willow said, her voice hard. "Because I would kill him if he tried to touch me."
Harry didn't like the darkness in his girlfriend's voice or the sparkle in her eye. She returned to her plate then without another word. He saw Keira's gaze then. It was quite sad and full of pity and it wasn't directed at either Willow or Ron. With a sigh, she stared at the casserole on her plate, ignoring the stares she was receiving up and down the table.
Lunch ended on a quiet note. On their way to History of Magic, Hermione appeared out of nowhere at Willow's side. "Do you have a minute?" she breathed into her ear.
"Of course," Willow replied, pausing. Keira turned to glance back at her. "Go, I'll catch up!" she called before turning in the opposite direction against traffic with Hermione. The girl led her around the corner, glancing back into the line of traffic to see if they'd been followed. "Hermione, what's this all about? We're going to be late for class!"
"It's about Keira and—"
"If you say his name, I will hex you," Willow replied sharply.
"Well, they have class tonight together and I—"
"Whatever it is you and the others are planning, I want no part of it," Willow replied, putting her hands in the air. "I'm not one for matchmaking. I'm just the good girl."
"You being the good girl is putting a really bad hamper on my plans," Hermione interjected. "I'm just saying that maybe they'd work through things if they weren't always in the public spotlight. Practical Potions is perfect for that."
"Right," Willow said sarcastically. 'And my name isn't Willow. These kinds of tricks never work, Hermione!"
"They worked on you, didn't they?" Hermione retorted. "Keira is acting far too much the hero to be considered as one. You'll probably be saving her from heartache in the end."
"But can he tolerate the pressure?" Willow asked. "She's got enough of the public eye as it is!"
"They'll get used to it, we all do in the end," Hermione said, waving her hand impatiently. "Just look at Harry. He's the boy-who-lived and he still deals with it. I'm astonished you're not in the public eye as the girl-who-dated-the-boy-who-lived."
"You have a point," Willow replied, sighing. "All right, I'll say something to her; try to convince her of something. I don't know. We better go… the bell is going to ring any second."
As both girls emerged from the corridor, the bell rang above their heads and they both dashed madly into History of Magic.
Willow took her usual seat between Keira and Harry, breathing hard. Keira was watching her as she pulled out her notes and her quill. When she was finally ready to take notes, Keira seized a corner of her parchment and pulled it to her, scribbling, Where were you?
Hermione had a problem. I chose to help, Willow replied, writing quickly, trying to keep her eyes on the Professor, who was glancing at them curiously, wondering why Willow and Keira were already taking notes when she hadn't yet begun lecturing.
Willow put out her hand to stop Keira's frenzied response until their Professor started talking. Her lecture this week was on Wiccan studies and the history of Wicca in the world.
This completely drew Willow's attention and she yanked back her parchment, taking note after note. Even Keira seemed more interested than normal, considering she hadn't yet fallen asleep during class. Once the bell rang, they both rose.
"I thought that was good," Willow said, stretching as she copied the homework assignment from the board.
"I didn't even fall asleep!" Keira cried, elated.
The Professor and her assistant were passing back homework scrolls as they left the classroom. Willow grinned at her 'E' before turning towards Keira, who was beaming at her own 'E'. "Not bad," Willow said with a grin as the two left the lecture hall. "What are you going to do now?"
"I have Sciocco practice till dinner," Keira replied, checking the large clock overhead as they passed through the corridors.
"I'll go to the library, then," Willow sighed. "I probably should get this History of Magic assignment done."
"You'll probably ace it as it is, you Wicca," Keira snapped, feeling grumpy as she pulled her loaded bag onto her shoulder. "See you at dinner?"
"See you then!" Willow said cheerfully, turning in the opposite direction and hurrying away.
Once in the library, she secured herself her usual study corner and propped her textbook up, writing out her assignment. After a moment, she had the feeling she was being watched. Glancing up, she looked around. For a Monday afternoon in November, the library was relatively quiet. There were a series of examinations coming up before Christmas and if anyone wanted to pass their first few classes, a lot of studying needed to be done. Shrugging, Willow returned to her essay and blew on the shimmering black ink, willing it to dry faster.
After completing half of her essay, she turned to her Runes assignment, studying out of several large dictionaries spread on the table before her, a large, complicated chart in front of her as she translated carefully, symbol by symbol.
It was then she felt as though she were being watched. Abandoning her things for a moment, she rose and slowly turned, moving through the stacks.
There was no doubt about it. Someone was moving parallel with her.
She moved a bit faster, eager to reach the end of the aisle. Her hands were ready to perform Wiccan magic, illegal or not. No one should have the privilege of spying or even stalking. But when she turned the corner, she saw it was empty.
"Odd," she whispered. From behind her, she heard a giggle. Two girls were huddled over the latest print of the school publication and glanced at her as she turned to them. "You didn't happen to see anyone around, have you?" she asked vaguely.
One of them, a pretty dark-skinned girl known only by the name of Anin Mahil, shook her head. "No… I think you're the only one we've seen walking back and forth here."
"Sorry," the other girl offered, setting the publication aside.
"It's okay," Willow replied. "Thanks."
But it was the look of confusion on Anin's face that made Willow turn around. Her eyes widened as a beautiful black bird came soaring from the shadows and landed perfectly on the uppermost shelf, staring down at Willow with one fierce orange eye. And then she understood.
"Ailis," she whispered.
"What?" Anin asked, her eyes still on the raven. "That thing has a name?"
"It's Keira's bird," Willow replied, holding out her arm. Ailis, recognizing friend from foe, fluttered down and landed on Willow's arm, cawing. "I don't think she's ever been inside the school."
"All school pets are kept in the shelter provided near the gates," the other girl replied.
"I'm sorry," Willow said, glancing at her. "I don't know your name."
"Oh," the girl said, her face turning pink. "My name is Adrie. I'm from Amsterdam."
"You speak good English for being Dutch," Willow said approvingly, turning as Ailis bent forward, pecking at her reddish hair. "Ouch, you damn bird… what are you doing in the library? Are you looking for Keira? She's outside, playing that dreadful Sciocco game."
"I'm on her Sciocco team," Anin said, her eyes crinkling in confusion. "There's no practice this afternoon… it's only on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays."
"What?" Willow gasped, unable to believe that Keira would lie to her. Ailis gave another caw and Willow turned to look at the bird. "What do you know, Ailis? Where's Keira?"
The raven spread her wings and took off again, heading like a shadow through the length of the library. She heard gasps and cries as the bird was sighted flying right through the open doors.
"I guess that means I'm following," Willow muttered, turning on her heel and dashing after the bird, bursting through the doors, Anin and Adrie following closely behind.
"Where are we going?" Anin gasped as they ran down the hallway.
"I have to find Keira," Willow replied, pausing at the doorway leading outside before pushing the door and walking into the cold sunlight. Ailis was perched on one of the torch lights, waiting for her. "I'm here," she told the raven. "Now, where is she?"
Willow took off running again, her robes swirling around her as they ran through the backdoor and down the path, through the trees, and towards the Quidditch pitch and the Sciocco stadium. The raven was almost directly overhead, her piercing cry filling the afternoon. Anin and Adrie remained behind her, breathing hard and catching up as Willow pressed her hands to her ribcage, panting. "How much farther is school property?"
"It's the entire length of the peninsula," Anin gasped.
"Right," Willow said. "Could you back and alert security?"
"There's no need," Adrie said, pointing. "Look."
Willow spun around and gasped. Down by the beach, near the shores of a rather volatile Atlantic Ocean, was Keira. "Stay here," she told the other two as she rushed down to meet her friend, Ailis circling high above their heads.
"Keira!" she shouted.
"I knew you'd find me here," the Irish girl said, turning to face her. "You must think me pretty damned foolish to send my bird for you."
"What's wrong? Why did you lie to me?" Willow demanded, finally reaching Keira's side and throwing her arms around the other girl. "Don't you do that to me again! You nearly scared me to death, Keir!"
"I didn't mean to," Keira said softly. "It's just that today is November third… and I always remember it as the day my mother died."
Willow suddenly understood. "Oh," she said, stepping away. "Well… that's…"
"It was the hardest day of my life," Keira said, turning to gaze at the ocean, the surf crashing and spreading just shy of their feet before withdrawing back into its own cold current. "I always feel so small here. I feel like I'm part of this big world that exists just so others can live and die in pain. My mother's death was horrible for me and it brought me to my father, a man I wish I never met… he tried so hard to make sure I would never become a Witch. I feel kind of glad that I defied him…"
"I'm glad you did," Willow said, wrapping a comforting arm over Keira's shoulders.
"I'm sorry I told you otherwise," Keira replied, walking a few steps forward towards the thundering surf. "It's just that I needed a moment to breathe, you know? Everything has been happening so fast… this, classes, that dance, and…" Her voice cut off as she turned to Willow, her eyes full of anguish. "Would I be lying to you if I told you I didn't have feelings for him?"
"Yes, you would," Willow replied, walking over to her close friend and standing at her side. "I saw you on Friday night, Keir. You looked happy and for once in your life, you looked as though you were enjoying yourself."
"I've never been in love before, Wil," she said, sounding uncomfortable about even discussing it. "My parents separated when I was too young to remember… I have no concept of it… until…"
"I think you've been swept off your feet, Keira," Willow said softly. "It happens to all of us in the end."
"I suppose," Keira said quietly, staring out at the setting sun and smiling as the last few rays fell across her face. "I just never thought I would get this sentimental. This is what my mother always wanted me to do… and now here I am, at this school with the first magical friends I've ever had in my entire life and a potential boyfriend, if I haven't chased him away yet."
"Tell him tonight at Potions," Willow prompted her. "I know you can."
"I'll think about it," Keira said, turning away from the water at last. "Can we go back now? I'm freezing and it looks like we have a few gossip mongers about."
"They were just wondering why your raven was fluttering about the library," Willow said easily. "How about we collect my things and I'll take you to that little coffee shop? We can have dinner and talk a bit before class tonight…"
"I think it sounds great," Keira said, her eyes twinkling. "I would be happy to tell you about my mother."
Together, the two walked slowly up the hill towards the school.
- - - - -
Practical Potions was always a nightmare for some students, but others rather enjoyed it. Ron was one of those that enjoyed working on Potions now, especially since Willow, or Harry's "Little Red" was his partner. She was rather competent, and since she did their Potions report, she almost always ensured one of the highest grades.
Tonight though, she seemed distracted as she watched Keira and Neville work.
He leaned down over her shoulder, shoving a half cup of lemon juice into her hand. "Are you seeing the same thing I'm seeing?"
"Yeah," Willow replied, adding the juice to their cauldron. "What's next?"
"Stir for two minutes counter-clockwise," Ron said, reading from the instructions he had hastily jotted down on a bit of parchment. "Simmer for four minutes until the potion turns green… what are you staring at?"
"Keira," Willow said, making smooth, even strokes with her spoon as she stirred their composition.
"Is it true her raven showed up in the library and pecked Malfoy to death?" Ron asked, a bit of hope in his voice.
"Oh, yeah, like that'd happen," Willow replied, keeping her eyes trained to the back of Keira's head as she continued to stir the potion. "How much time do I have left?"
"One minute, twenty seconds," Ron said, glancing at the stopwatch she'd brought to class. She continued stirring. Across the room, Keira and Neville were working well together, although he noticed that she seemed tense and even wary around him.
"Are you all right?" he asked her.
"I'm good," she replied, setting the spoon aside and glancing at the watch on her wrist to mark for four minutes. "I'm just a little tired."
"Keira, when you told me that today was…"
"I know what I told you," Keira replied. "And you were right. Telling Willow made me feel a little better, but then again, telling the guy I actually like the truth about today was the hardest part."
Neville nodded and covered her hand with his. She turned it slightly so their palms were facing and laced her fingers through his. "Does this make sense?"
"I don't know," he replied, staring at their hands in disbelief. "It's what I wanted, and yet…"
"I know," she said, pulling her hand from the warmth of his. "I'm sorry… I was too… impulsive…"
But he reached across and took her hand again. "Not in the least," he assured her. "What I told you that night was true… I like you, and there's not a damned thing you can do about it."
She smiled at him, tears welling in her eyes before she broke contact and threw her arms around him.
From across the room, Willow set her own spoon down with a satisfied smile. "Gotcha," she whispered in triumph.
After class, Harry walked Willow back to her room. "I bet everyone will be talking about that for a week," Harry commented as they climbed the stairs between floors two and three.
"Who cares if they do?" Willow asked. "I bet it'll be worth it in the end. Besides, I'm dating the boy-who-lived… you'd think we'd be big news."
Harry shrugged. "Maybe we are, in Albania or something. But here is where I like us to be."
They stopped just short of her door when Padma came out, looking rather irate and closing the door behind her. "Oh, Willow, you're here!" she said, looking at both of them in surprise. "This came for you a few minutes ago," she said, handing her roommate and envelope. "And you have a visitor inside who said she'd wait for you."
"I'll see you in the morning," Harry said, kissing Willow's cheek before continuing on towards his own floor. Turning back to Padma to say her thanks, she realized that Padma was already disappearing down the hall, dragging her loaded backpack with her. With a sigh, Willow opened the envelope and scanned the contents within.
What she read made her gasp, "Oh my God!" She pulled out her keys and pushed the door open, fully intending on getting her calling card and making the call back to California.
What she didn't realize was that she'd forgotten that someone was already inside, waiting for her. Sitting on the end of her bed was Pansy Parkinson. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her middle and when she saw Willow, she started to cry.
"I know that everyone says you're the person to go to when they need to talk," she said with great hiccupping sobs, "and right now, I really need someone to talk to…"
Willow felt as though her mind were on overload. "Pansy, there's something I have to deal with, something at home," she said, giving the girl a rushed smile as she filtered through her train case, searching for her phone card.
"I need to tell someone that I trust…" Pansy continued, her eyes widening as Willow found what she was looking for and straightened up.
"I'll be back in a few minutes, I promise," Willow replied, turning to leave the room.
"I'm pregnant," Pansy whispered.
Willow turned hesitantly, time seeming to halt around her as the letter and her phone card fell from her hand onto the floor. Her eyes widened in disbelief as they met Pansy's fearful orbs, tears slipping down her cheeks.
Slowly, she turned back towards the door and pushed it closed, sealing off the world outside.
- - - - -
In the next chapter: the surprises keep on coming as Keira and Pansy's rivalry comes to blows at last. Willow gets shocking news from the home front and confronts Percy about his past decisions, throwing the student-teacher friendship into jeopardy.
This was your first "Dance" update of the year! I'm really excited to finish this fiction, as it is now more than halfway done! A lot of things were revealed in this chapter, such as how Percy got involved as a teacher in the first place, who Keira went to the dance with (although I had intended for this pairing from the very beginning and realized that some astute readers KNEW who it was), and I commemorated the death of Keira's mother.
In the chapters to come, there is a lot more drama, a lot more romance, and a little visit from certain Scoobies starting two chapters from now. Just to let you know, they are visiting soon!
And, of course, here are the reviewer's comments:
Chrios Well, if you read this, you'd know who he is! And no, it definitely wasn't Draco. I hope you've healed after your hockey injuries! As a huge hockey fan and as someone playing for nineteen years, they do come around often, don't they?
Dawn of the new world: Well, can I make it up to you if they do make a visit soon? I love the Dingoes, too, but right now isn't the best time for them.
TaiOokamiYoukaiThey'll be coming soon, I can assure you. We needed a bit of a "situation" first… so I had to throw one in… and it began in this chapter.
BigHarryFan You have my eternal thanks and gratitude. I am so lucky to have a fan like you! I hope you continue to like this story, through all the different journeys it has taken!
Crazy-VampireSlayer: Oz's storyline will come back soon enough, I'll assure you. As for who Keira danced with, I left it out purposely, but gave a few random hints in preceding chapters about who "might" ask her… and it was answered in this past one. Well, sort of.
snave bobst: actually, you were right. I'm impressed… well done on the prophetic side of things, don't you think?
KrylanceloYou're quite welcome. I think Oz'll make his appearance later, and it won't be Pansy bringing him over. As you can read, she's got enough problems to be going on now than to mess with other people's lives. Besides, she apparently likes Willow now… but that may just be a momentary thing.