A/N: Alright, I cut it off like that because if I didn't, I wouldn't of had that chapter in so early! Now, we'll find out what the rest of the so-called, 'important people' have as protectors. You'll love these...
Chapter Eighteen: Lookit That There Wizz-urd! (Hillbilly Bob says hi!)
After the second group finished, it was the third's turn. Group number three consisted of Katie Bell, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnegan, Crabbe and Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson. The first pair were Katie and Pansy, who both looked at each other sourly, then drew their wands. Katie turned towards the crowd and looked at someone, apparently trying to conjure up some kind of good memory or feeling. She grinned then stood up straight.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" She roared, the room filling with a sudden light as a silver beacon erupted from her wand's tip, taking the form of a large grey-hound. It looked at her, then bounded the length of the Hall, getting squeals and cheers from the other Gryffindor's.
Now Pansy drew herself up, determined to better than her and wow the crowd with whatever silvery protector she conjured. She closed her eyes, then boomed, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
Just as she said it, she produced a large, glittering cobra, that hissed and spit as it slithered the stage, then disappeared in a burst of silvery flames. The room clapped and the Slytherins roared with high approval. Professor Snpe even cheered...
Now, Dean and Seamus came up, wands held to their chests.
"Expecto Patronum!" Seamus called, looking extremely pleased as he grinned at Lavender Brown. His wand burst with a bright light, then shot out a misty bear, that roared loud and menacingly and stood watchfully over him. The crowd clapped and showed approval.
Dean had a little trouble, but he still pulled it off after two tries, shooting a silvery dragon from his wand that made a few sixth year girls shriek when it spit out silver flames.
After Crabbe and Goyle both prduced faint Patronuses (Crabbe's a hippogriff, and Goyle's a tiger.), the fourth group trounced up. Kylie and Nina Snape lead the group, followed by Lee Jordan, Terry Boot, Ernie Macmillan, and Susan Bones. Susan and Ernie stepped up first, both producing Patronuses on their fourth try, Ernie's a owl, and Susan's a swan. Then Lee and Terry stepped up.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Lee rang out, a glowing silver crane that cocked it's head to the side and scanned the room. The girls all let out giggles.
Then Terry produced a glittering zebra. It shook it's long mane and trounced the length of the Great Hall, then whinied and disappeared in a hazy mist.
When Kylie came up, she looked down at the floor. Kit knew she could produce one...in fact she liked Kylie's more than her own! Kylie and Derek had both learned with her, especially since they had dementors surrounding Hogsmeade...Kit almost got a kiss...but she fought it off with her Patronus...
"Un...er--EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Kylie shouted, looking around to see if she had produced one. And sure enough...
"Wicked!" The twins chorused, looking at it with awe as Lavender's eyes became round with shock.
Kit smiled, watching the silvery pheonix alight onto Kylie's shoulder, where it burst into flames. Nina watched her with distinct distaste.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" She roared, twirling her wand to let out her Patronus. The twins looked at it with enamor, as did Cho and Draco. It was a towering silver beacon of evil.
The chimera swept across the crowd, making a few girls faint or shiver. Nina watched it with fervor as it came to a complete stop in front of Kit. Kit stared at it straight in the eyes, her face covered with a mingled expression of horror and fright. Draco was looking at her, his eyes flickering with an undisclosed emotion as she crumpled to the ground when it misted away.
"Are you alright, Clivelle?" George asked, crouching beside her.
Kit nodded, then stood up dizzily. "That thing was unimaginably creepy..."
"Group five's up...don't see anyone we know..." Fred said wistfully, "Reckon we can practice?"
"Er--If you'd like..." Kit said uneasily, not wanting to show them her Patronus until she had to. "I'll just wait...I've been practicing that silly thing all week!"
"Me too," Draco said, pulling out his wand and twirling it nonchalantly.
Fred looked at him glaringly, then turned to Lavender, who was talking to Cho quietly. "Are you two going first?"
"Uh, I thought that Cho and I would go last..." Lavender said, looking extremely frightned, "Or if you'd like we could go first..."
"Yeah, then Kit you and I---" George began, but was cut off by Draco.
"I'm paired with Kit, and you're with that twin of your's." Draco said, looking at him gloatingly.
"Well, rules have been changed, you can do your Patronus with Fred over here!" George said, pointing to Fred who was grinning evilly.
Kit looked at George and mouthed a 'thank you', Draco scowled, "Fine, I can't go against the wishes of a Weasley now, can I? Of course wishes are all they have..."
"I wouldn't pop off, your little bafoons aren't here to protect your sorry--"
"George," warned Kit, "Let it be...we'll see who's laughing after the meeting."
George looked at her suspiciously, "Wha---?"
"Wow!" Lavender gasped as a silver and grey cheetah charged through the crowd, "Johnson's got some skills!"
"Of course!" Fred said, puffing out his chest pompously, "Angel was taught by the best!"
Kit looked up to the stage where Derek was conjuring his Patronus and she smiled. It was the same as before, a shining white lion that swished it's tail menacingly. Draco smirked and rolled his eyes, taking more joy out of looking at his wand.
"It's our turn!" Cho sang, looking at them all with a wide smile, "I hope mine is as cool as Harry's..."
Kit followed Cho and Lavender up, standing by George who was pulling out his wand and smiling at her. Kit drew her own, holding it up to her chest and stepping onto the dim stage. Draco and Fred filed in behind her, both looking at each other as if thumping the other would be almost heavenly. Kit sighed and watched as Professor Figg instructed them how to do, but she was not paying attention. She was looking out on the crowd, her heart swelling with dread as Kylie and Derek waved to her. She waved weakly back.
Lavender chanted the incantation, swishing out a silver unicorn. It whinnied softly, then let her reach out to pat it's neck. She smiled at it and let it evaporate into shining mist. Cho nodded and said the same incantation, her wand issuing a lean and blindingly shiny wolf, glowing brightly against the darkness of the room. Kit spotted Harry in the crowd, who was watching with awe.
"That's so beautiful," Kit heard Parvati sigh to her twin, they were in the front row. She frowned as it evaporated.
George nodded to Kit, who bit her lip, "You go first, I don't have my thought yet!"
George shrugged and attempted his, coming out with a bouncing puppy, which cocked it's head to the crowd and stared at them with doleful white eyes. A few girls 'aww'-ed and clapped enthusiastically. Fred smiled at it as it bounced over to him and Draco. Draco attempted to surreptitously kick it, but it barked at him and he stopped.
Kit drew in a deep breath and thought about the day she and Ron kissed, then smiled, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
Her wand erupted with a bright silver flash, then burst out a large snow-white panther. Kit looked at it praisingly as it crossed the stage and growled at some students. It bounded back to her, purring as she patted it and looked up at Draco. He was glaring at her...
"Wow..." George whispered, "It's wicked..."
"Thanks," Kit whispered as it evaporated, leaving behind glimmering white sparkles. She watched as Fred and Draco came up, wands raised. Draco did his first, muttering the incantion and smirking at Kit, who grimaced.
His Patronus was strangely beautiful. It was a large winged horse, with a long swishing silver tail. Kit stared at him, trying to get into his mind, but she was too distracted. He smiled at her and winked as his Patronus misted away, the room filling with cheers and shouts from his fellow Slytherins.
Fred shook his head and flicked his wand, saying the incantion quietly. His Patronus swirled out like a tornado, making the room fill with a sparkling light. It was a bird, no doubt about it, but it was so large and bright, Kit could barely make out the shape, except that it's wings were about nine feet long apiece. The bird swooped over her, making her shield her eyes from the bright light of it's feathers. She blinked and the light was gone, but her eyes still blurred as she looked around.
She noticed the people in the crowd, some of them were rubbing their eyes, and others were blinking at an invisible flash.
*§~~§*&~*§*~&*§~~§**§~~§*&~*§*~&*§~~§**§~~§*&~*§*~&*§~~§*
Most of Harry's time was spent practicing Quidditch with Ron and his team, the only time he was truly relaxed. Ron seemed to be doing great, he managed to block all but one goal out of ten shot by Angelina, Katie, and Alicia, all of whom had stopped going easy on him. Harry was extremely glad that he was getting Kit's help on his homework, something that she zoomed through effortlessly, but not as effortlessly as Hermione. Kit and Harry were both getting closer, actually acting like siblings rather than distant relatives.
He was also thankful that Kit was doing well in school. If he ever had his doubts before, they were completely dashed. Hermione was helping her, and, much to his and Ron's surprise, she was actually listening and remembering. She and Ginny Weasley were always talking with Fred and George, laughing and carrying on as he and Ron watched. Still, most of the time Harry spent was devoted to worrying. It had been four months since he had word of Voldemort's actions, and he was extremely scared for his friends welfare.
"Don't worry so much, Harry!" Hermione told him, looking over her Potions essay, "We would've heard if anything was happening..."
"Why don't you ask Dumbledore, that is if you're so afraid for us..." Ron chortled, rolling up his Charms homework.
"It's not that I'm afraid for you...it's just that I'm curious! Don't you guys ever worry about it?! I mean, you're all so close to me...you could be in danger! Volde-"
"Look," Kit butted in, "You-Know-Who wouldn't hurt his chances of defeating you by making himself known! We're actually safe because of this bond..."
Harry looked at her incredulously, "What are you talking about?"
"Why would he do anything to make you suspicious of him! It'd just draw attention to himself if he came after us..." Kit said dismissively, "Hermione, can you look over this? I'm pretty sure my information is correct, but it's the puctuation I'm worried about..." Kit flipped over her own Potions essay, then handed it to her.
"Well, she is right you know!" Ron said, sticking up for Kit, "He'd just be making himself obvious, wouldn't he? I mean, he's not the most blatant person we know..."
"Well, nonetheless, I'm still not that easy-going about this all..."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Kit!" Hermione said, passing her essay back to her, "It's perfect! I couldn't have done better myself!"
Kit grinned, "Stop lying!"
"Well, maybe a little..." Hermione grinned back.
"So, you up for some practice before tomorrow's game?" Ron asked Harry quizzically, who nodded, "I'll go get my broom!"
"Hey, Ron!" Kit called to him as he ran for the boy's stairs, "Do you want to borrow my Cygnus?"
Ron grinned, "What do you think?! Yes, woman! I'd be crazy not too!"
*§~~§*&~*§*~&*§~~§**§~~§*&~*§*~&*§~~§**§~~§*&~*§*~&*§~~§*
A/N: Alright! That took long enough! Well, looks like Kit's feeling a lot better, also look forward to a little romance-y romancing! *Kit looks flustered and hides her face in her hands as Harry makes a kissy-face* You're so immature! *Harry blushes and stops, then sticks out his tongue, Kit looks at the wall, not seeming to notice anything with her red-faced self.* You two just shut up and sit down! *All scowl*
Chapter Eighteen: Lookit That There Wizz-urd! (Hillbilly Bob says hi!)
After the second group finished, it was the third's turn. Group number three consisted of Katie Bell, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnegan, Crabbe and Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson. The first pair were Katie and Pansy, who both looked at each other sourly, then drew their wands. Katie turned towards the crowd and looked at someone, apparently trying to conjure up some kind of good memory or feeling. She grinned then stood up straight.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" She roared, the room filling with a sudden light as a silver beacon erupted from her wand's tip, taking the form of a large grey-hound. It looked at her, then bounded the length of the Hall, getting squeals and cheers from the other Gryffindor's.
Now Pansy drew herself up, determined to better than her and wow the crowd with whatever silvery protector she conjured. She closed her eyes, then boomed, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
Just as she said it, she produced a large, glittering cobra, that hissed and spit as it slithered the stage, then disappeared in a burst of silvery flames. The room clapped and the Slytherins roared with high approval. Professor Snpe even cheered...
Now, Dean and Seamus came up, wands held to their chests.
"Expecto Patronum!" Seamus called, looking extremely pleased as he grinned at Lavender Brown. His wand burst with a bright light, then shot out a misty bear, that roared loud and menacingly and stood watchfully over him. The crowd clapped and showed approval.
Dean had a little trouble, but he still pulled it off after two tries, shooting a silvery dragon from his wand that made a few sixth year girls shriek when it spit out silver flames.
After Crabbe and Goyle both prduced faint Patronuses (Crabbe's a hippogriff, and Goyle's a tiger.), the fourth group trounced up. Kylie and Nina Snape lead the group, followed by Lee Jordan, Terry Boot, Ernie Macmillan, and Susan Bones. Susan and Ernie stepped up first, both producing Patronuses on their fourth try, Ernie's a owl, and Susan's a swan. Then Lee and Terry stepped up.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Lee rang out, a glowing silver crane that cocked it's head to the side and scanned the room. The girls all let out giggles.
Then Terry produced a glittering zebra. It shook it's long mane and trounced the length of the Great Hall, then whinied and disappeared in a hazy mist.
When Kylie came up, she looked down at the floor. Kit knew she could produce one...in fact she liked Kylie's more than her own! Kylie and Derek had both learned with her, especially since they had dementors surrounding Hogsmeade...Kit almost got a kiss...but she fought it off with her Patronus...
"Un...er--EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Kylie shouted, looking around to see if she had produced one. And sure enough...
"Wicked!" The twins chorused, looking at it with awe as Lavender's eyes became round with shock.
Kit smiled, watching the silvery pheonix alight onto Kylie's shoulder, where it burst into flames. Nina watched her with distinct distaste.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" She roared, twirling her wand to let out her Patronus. The twins looked at it with enamor, as did Cho and Draco. It was a towering silver beacon of evil.
The chimera swept across the crowd, making a few girls faint or shiver. Nina watched it with fervor as it came to a complete stop in front of Kit. Kit stared at it straight in the eyes, her face covered with a mingled expression of horror and fright. Draco was looking at her, his eyes flickering with an undisclosed emotion as she crumpled to the ground when it misted away.
"Are you alright, Clivelle?" George asked, crouching beside her.
Kit nodded, then stood up dizzily. "That thing was unimaginably creepy..."
"Group five's up...don't see anyone we know..." Fred said wistfully, "Reckon we can practice?"
"Er--If you'd like..." Kit said uneasily, not wanting to show them her Patronus until she had to. "I'll just wait...I've been practicing that silly thing all week!"
"Me too," Draco said, pulling out his wand and twirling it nonchalantly.
Fred looked at him glaringly, then turned to Lavender, who was talking to Cho quietly. "Are you two going first?"
"Uh, I thought that Cho and I would go last..." Lavender said, looking extremely frightned, "Or if you'd like we could go first..."
"Yeah, then Kit you and I---" George began, but was cut off by Draco.
"I'm paired with Kit, and you're with that twin of your's." Draco said, looking at him gloatingly.
"Well, rules have been changed, you can do your Patronus with Fred over here!" George said, pointing to Fred who was grinning evilly.
Kit looked at George and mouthed a 'thank you', Draco scowled, "Fine, I can't go against the wishes of a Weasley now, can I? Of course wishes are all they have..."
"I wouldn't pop off, your little bafoons aren't here to protect your sorry--"
"George," warned Kit, "Let it be...we'll see who's laughing after the meeting."
George looked at her suspiciously, "Wha---?"
"Wow!" Lavender gasped as a silver and grey cheetah charged through the crowd, "Johnson's got some skills!"
"Of course!" Fred said, puffing out his chest pompously, "Angel was taught by the best!"
Kit looked up to the stage where Derek was conjuring his Patronus and she smiled. It was the same as before, a shining white lion that swished it's tail menacingly. Draco smirked and rolled his eyes, taking more joy out of looking at his wand.
"It's our turn!" Cho sang, looking at them all with a wide smile, "I hope mine is as cool as Harry's..."
Kit followed Cho and Lavender up, standing by George who was pulling out his wand and smiling at her. Kit drew her own, holding it up to her chest and stepping onto the dim stage. Draco and Fred filed in behind her, both looking at each other as if thumping the other would be almost heavenly. Kit sighed and watched as Professor Figg instructed them how to do, but she was not paying attention. She was looking out on the crowd, her heart swelling with dread as Kylie and Derek waved to her. She waved weakly back.
Lavender chanted the incantation, swishing out a silver unicorn. It whinnied softly, then let her reach out to pat it's neck. She smiled at it and let it evaporate into shining mist. Cho nodded and said the same incantation, her wand issuing a lean and blindingly shiny wolf, glowing brightly against the darkness of the room. Kit spotted Harry in the crowd, who was watching with awe.
"That's so beautiful," Kit heard Parvati sigh to her twin, they were in the front row. She frowned as it evaporated.
George nodded to Kit, who bit her lip, "You go first, I don't have my thought yet!"
George shrugged and attempted his, coming out with a bouncing puppy, which cocked it's head to the crowd and stared at them with doleful white eyes. A few girls 'aww'-ed and clapped enthusiastically. Fred smiled at it as it bounced over to him and Draco. Draco attempted to surreptitously kick it, but it barked at him and he stopped.
Kit drew in a deep breath and thought about the day she and Ron kissed, then smiled, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
Her wand erupted with a bright silver flash, then burst out a large snow-white panther. Kit looked at it praisingly as it crossed the stage and growled at some students. It bounded back to her, purring as she patted it and looked up at Draco. He was glaring at her...
"Wow..." George whispered, "It's wicked..."
"Thanks," Kit whispered as it evaporated, leaving behind glimmering white sparkles. She watched as Fred and Draco came up, wands raised. Draco did his first, muttering the incantion and smirking at Kit, who grimaced.
His Patronus was strangely beautiful. It was a large winged horse, with a long swishing silver tail. Kit stared at him, trying to get into his mind, but she was too distracted. He smiled at her and winked as his Patronus misted away, the room filling with cheers and shouts from his fellow Slytherins.
Fred shook his head and flicked his wand, saying the incantion quietly. His Patronus swirled out like a tornado, making the room fill with a sparkling light. It was a bird, no doubt about it, but it was so large and bright, Kit could barely make out the shape, except that it's wings were about nine feet long apiece. The bird swooped over her, making her shield her eyes from the bright light of it's feathers. She blinked and the light was gone, but her eyes still blurred as she looked around.
She noticed the people in the crowd, some of them were rubbing their eyes, and others were blinking at an invisible flash.
*§~~§*&~*§*~&*§~~§**§~~§*&~*§*~&*§~~§**§~~§*&~*§*~&*§~~§*
Most of Harry's time was spent practicing Quidditch with Ron and his team, the only time he was truly relaxed. Ron seemed to be doing great, he managed to block all but one goal out of ten shot by Angelina, Katie, and Alicia, all of whom had stopped going easy on him. Harry was extremely glad that he was getting Kit's help on his homework, something that she zoomed through effortlessly, but not as effortlessly as Hermione. Kit and Harry were both getting closer, actually acting like siblings rather than distant relatives.
He was also thankful that Kit was doing well in school. If he ever had his doubts before, they were completely dashed. Hermione was helping her, and, much to his and Ron's surprise, she was actually listening and remembering. She and Ginny Weasley were always talking with Fred and George, laughing and carrying on as he and Ron watched. Still, most of the time Harry spent was devoted to worrying. It had been four months since he had word of Voldemort's actions, and he was extremely scared for his friends welfare.
"Don't worry so much, Harry!" Hermione told him, looking over her Potions essay, "We would've heard if anything was happening..."
"Why don't you ask Dumbledore, that is if you're so afraid for us..." Ron chortled, rolling up his Charms homework.
"It's not that I'm afraid for you...it's just that I'm curious! Don't you guys ever worry about it?! I mean, you're all so close to me...you could be in danger! Volde-"
"Look," Kit butted in, "You-Know-Who wouldn't hurt his chances of defeating you by making himself known! We're actually safe because of this bond..."
Harry looked at her incredulously, "What are you talking about?"
"Why would he do anything to make you suspicious of him! It'd just draw attention to himself if he came after us..." Kit said dismissively, "Hermione, can you look over this? I'm pretty sure my information is correct, but it's the puctuation I'm worried about..." Kit flipped over her own Potions essay, then handed it to her.
"Well, she is right you know!" Ron said, sticking up for Kit, "He'd just be making himself obvious, wouldn't he? I mean, he's not the most blatant person we know..."
"Well, nonetheless, I'm still not that easy-going about this all..."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Kit!" Hermione said, passing her essay back to her, "It's perfect! I couldn't have done better myself!"
Kit grinned, "Stop lying!"
"Well, maybe a little..." Hermione grinned back.
"So, you up for some practice before tomorrow's game?" Ron asked Harry quizzically, who nodded, "I'll go get my broom!"
"Hey, Ron!" Kit called to him as he ran for the boy's stairs, "Do you want to borrow my Cygnus?"
Ron grinned, "What do you think?! Yes, woman! I'd be crazy not too!"
*§~~§*&~*§*~&*§~~§**§~~§*&~*§*~&*§~~§**§~~§*&~*§*~&*§~~§*
A/N: Alright! That took long enough! Well, looks like Kit's feeling a lot better, also look forward to a little romance-y romancing! *Kit looks flustered and hides her face in her hands as Harry makes a kissy-face* You're so immature! *Harry blushes and stops, then sticks out his tongue, Kit looks at the wall, not seeming to notice anything with her red-faced self.* You two just shut up and sit down! *All scowl*