Dean's smile froze as the mess in the compartment registered in his brain.
"Wow! What came through here, Henry? A hurricane?"
Henry gave the boy a half smile, and quickly shoved the shirt and pants back into his bag. "You're exaggerating, Dean. I was just changing!"
"Right." Dean grinned. "What's that over there?" Stepping past Henry, he pulled a long strip of cloth from the ground.
Henry's mouth dropped in horror when he recognized the item at hand, but closed it swiftly as Dean turned. He racked his brain for any ideas, excuses. "Um, that? That's my uh.book-holder! That's it! My book-holder!" Henry's face glowed with triumph, as he thought that he had come up with a reasonable enough answer.
Henry rushed to Dean, and snatched the cloth from his hands. And as if to prove his point, Henry grabbed several books from the ground and tied them together with the 'book-holder'. "Tada!" Henry finished lamely as he held up the heavy and unnecessary package in his hands. "See? Its not to be used like this!" Henry untied the cloth and wrapped the cloth around his chest to demonstrate how the cloth was not supposed to be used. "Hehe. Not like this! You should never use it like this." His voice faltered as he finally realized that he'd lost Dean's attention.
Dean was now standing at the compartment door, chatting busily with a boy with a head of dark, messy hair. A thin, lightning-shaped scar ran down his forehead. Henry winced at the sight, and drew back into the shadows.
Later, Dean cheerfully approached Henry. "Good thing Harry came by. I almost forgot why I even came in here!" He smiled sheepishly as he slung one of his own bags over his shoulder. "We have to go now, mate. They're calling for the first years." One of Henry's bags followed the trip over Dean's shoulder.
"We're at the castle?"
Dean nodded.
"Ok. So should I grab the rest of the bags?"
Dean nodded.
At the signal, Henry quickly scooped up the remaining four bags. "Oomph! These are heavy!" he cried.
Eyes twinkling, Dean relieved Henry of one of the bags, "You've got to be kidding about the heavy part, Henry!" he joked. "These bags are so light! Only girls couldn't carry four of these things."
Henry blushed and retorted, "Well, I'm not! A girl, that is, and you know it!"
"Do I?"
The red deepened. "Yeah? Well, its not like you're carrying four bags yourself, Dean! Am I to hint that you are a girl?"
Dean scowled, as they hopped off the train.
So it was on the way to the castle, in the boat, that Dean remembered to mention something. "You might want to take that off, Henry," he chuckled, as he pointed at the white cloth still wrapped tightly around Henry's chest.
Henry blushed again and quickly freed his robes from the rough, white fabric. "Very funny, Dean. I'm sure you purposefully forgot to mention this until after I received my share of funny looks and sidelong glances."
Dean nodded. "Yep. How'd you guess, mate? Its called revenge. Never call me a girl again. Remember that, 'kay?"
Henry nodded.
Henry gave the boy a half smile, and quickly shoved the shirt and pants back into his bag. "You're exaggerating, Dean. I was just changing!"
"Right." Dean grinned. "What's that over there?" Stepping past Henry, he pulled a long strip of cloth from the ground.
Henry's mouth dropped in horror when he recognized the item at hand, but closed it swiftly as Dean turned. He racked his brain for any ideas, excuses. "Um, that? That's my uh.book-holder! That's it! My book-holder!" Henry's face glowed with triumph, as he thought that he had come up with a reasonable enough answer.
Henry rushed to Dean, and snatched the cloth from his hands. And as if to prove his point, Henry grabbed several books from the ground and tied them together with the 'book-holder'. "Tada!" Henry finished lamely as he held up the heavy and unnecessary package in his hands. "See? Its not to be used like this!" Henry untied the cloth and wrapped the cloth around his chest to demonstrate how the cloth was not supposed to be used. "Hehe. Not like this! You should never use it like this." His voice faltered as he finally realized that he'd lost Dean's attention.
Dean was now standing at the compartment door, chatting busily with a boy with a head of dark, messy hair. A thin, lightning-shaped scar ran down his forehead. Henry winced at the sight, and drew back into the shadows.
Later, Dean cheerfully approached Henry. "Good thing Harry came by. I almost forgot why I even came in here!" He smiled sheepishly as he slung one of his own bags over his shoulder. "We have to go now, mate. They're calling for the first years." One of Henry's bags followed the trip over Dean's shoulder.
"We're at the castle?"
Dean nodded.
"Ok. So should I grab the rest of the bags?"
Dean nodded.
At the signal, Henry quickly scooped up the remaining four bags. "Oomph! These are heavy!" he cried.
Eyes twinkling, Dean relieved Henry of one of the bags, "You've got to be kidding about the heavy part, Henry!" he joked. "These bags are so light! Only girls couldn't carry four of these things."
Henry blushed and retorted, "Well, I'm not! A girl, that is, and you know it!"
"Do I?"
The red deepened. "Yeah? Well, its not like you're carrying four bags yourself, Dean! Am I to hint that you are a girl?"
Dean scowled, as they hopped off the train.
So it was on the way to the castle, in the boat, that Dean remembered to mention something. "You might want to take that off, Henry," he chuckled, as he pointed at the white cloth still wrapped tightly around Henry's chest.
Henry blushed again and quickly freed his robes from the rough, white fabric. "Very funny, Dean. I'm sure you purposefully forgot to mention this until after I received my share of funny looks and sidelong glances."
Dean nodded. "Yep. How'd you guess, mate? Its called revenge. Never call me a girl again. Remember that, 'kay?"
Henry nodded.