Chapter 2- Big Cowy Things that Jump Like Hares
Disclaimer: I know I forgot to do this for the last chapter, but the Harry Potter plot, some characters, and the idea of a Triwizard Tournament all belong to J.K.Rowling and I am just adding some of my own characters to it with my own twist.
Also, the title is a Hemingway quote made by a female character in a short story
The story title is from the Four Season's song Dawn.
"Why has the train stopped?" asked Stella Kuo as she stepped out of her compartment. She had on a long blue cotton nightgown, and her black hair was tied on top of her head.
"We're scheduled to stop in Paris, Kuo," Malcolm Baddock growled as he walked by. Stella stepped back into her room to avoid coming too close to his greasy hair.
"Since when?" She persisted to find out how she was wrong. She couldn't remember the last time she had been.
"It's on the itinerary. And I thought Ravenclaws were supposed to be smart." Baddock rolled his black eyes.
"He's actually right," Lena Grogan said as she walked by in her Muggle clothes. She had on a Peter Briggs tee shirt and faded jean shorts with rhinestones along the sides. Her brilliant red hair was pulled back into a messy bun on top of her head. She was counting her galleons in her purse as she walked. Stella followed close behind, still in her nightgown.
"Where do you think you're going?" Vidya Tummala asked eyeing Lena's outfit.
"Shopping," Lena replied. "The magic township is tiny, but there is wonderful shopping in Paris anyway. I'm getting jewelry for the Yule Ball here because I forgot to bring anything suitable."
All the guys tensed up. They had all forgotten about the Yule Ball and how they would have to ask a girl to it, especially if they became the Hogwarts Champion. Lena noticed Dennis Creevey looked especially nervous. Lena smiled deviously at him. Dennis had recently become very handsome and was now quite possibly the best looking boy at Hogwarts.
"Is anyone coming with me or am I going to have to go out on the streets of Paris all alone?" Lena reached for an apple at the far end of the table.
"Why are you wearing those then?" Vidya questioned, hoping that Lena would make a fool of herself.
"The Magic shops are mixed with the Muggle shops so we would have to dress like Muggles," Lena replied, smiling for knowing the answer so well.
"If you lend me some Muggle clothing I could join you," Dawn Parkinson said from a corner where she had been speaking with Baddock.
Lena eyed her suspiciously. "Suuure… just follow me to my room. I've got a totally Muggle tee shirt you could wear. Actually, it's tight on me, you can have it."
Lena led Parkinson to her sleeping compartment. After a minute of digging, she pulled out a blue shirt and a pair of jean flares to match. For some reason, Lena did not like Parkinson. She did not know why, but Parkinson seemed to carry an air of supremacy everywhere she went.
Lena was more than glad to see Dennis walk out of his own compartment as she and Parkinson left hers. Dennis had changed into baggy jeans and a white shirt with the Superman logo on it.
"You coming with us?" Lena asked.
"I figure you girls could use a protector," Dennis said looking Lena in the eye and smirking.
"I don't think that 'O' you worked so hard for in Defense Against the Dark Arts is going to be needed," Parkinson commented. She pulled a strand of silky hair behind her left ear.
"You two are going to be in a Muggle city," Dennis stumbled over his words. "Muggle boys can be awful to girls. As mean as wizards are to one another, Muggles are worse."
"That's so cute," Parkinson laughed, pinching his cheek, "he thinks he needs to protect us."
"I think it might be nice to have a guy's opinion with what jewelry to get," Lena said.
"I didn't think of that," Parkinson laughed. "I suppose you can come."
"Let's hurry up then," Lena said grabbing Dennis's wrist and pulling him toward the front of the cabin with Parkinson not far behind.
Just as they opened the door, they heard Kevin's voice calling, "Wait for me. I'm coming too." Kevin finally caught up and looked at the odd situation. Lena and Dennis were holding hands and Parkinson was smiling and wearing Muggle clothing following.
"Let's go already," Lena said, pulling Dennis out of the train and into the station. There were only a few other witches and wizards walking around; most looked rather scuzzy. Lena walked up to a station worker, still holding Dennis's hand, and asked, "How do we get to the Muggle district from here?"
The man cocked his head, then quickly explained in French that he did not know English. Parkinson, who had just caught up to them, repeated the question in French and listened carefully to the worker's response. "It's this way," she finally said and followed the directions the man had given her. At least Lena assumed she was.
"What direction did he say to go?" Lena asked after a few minutes of walking. She had finally let go of Dennis's hand, and he and Kevin walked behind the girls.
"Follow the yellow brick road," Parkinson replied. Lena, Dennis, and Kevin stopped. All having been raised in Muggle homes, they all knew the station worker had decided to screw with them. "What's wrong?" Parkinson asked as she looked back at them.
"Have you never seen nor read the Wizard of Oz?" Lena asked.
"Never heard of it," Parkinson replied.
"You are such a Hemingway female," Lena laughed cruelly.
"What does that mean?" Parkinson asked in a rough voice. Lena had insulted her, but Parkinson didn't know what the insult meant. Lena peered at Dennis and Kevin; she could tell from the looks on their faces, neither did they.
Before Lena could open her mouth to speak again, Kevin stepped between the two girls and said, "The important thing to do now is to find our way either back to the train or to the Muggle district. What do you say we do?"
"Shopping," Lena and Parkinson said at the same time. They glared at each other eye-to-eye for a moment, then smiled at one another.
"I guess it's settled," Dennis said. "Now, where do we go to find the shopping?"
"I'll ask a few people," Parkinson said running her fingers through her straight black hair.
"Make sure you tell us what they say before leading us to the Emerald City again," Lena said sarcastically.
After having asked a few more people how to get to the Muggle district, Dawn finally spoke to one man who told her exactly what they needed to do. From there, it only took one minute until they found themselves in the middle of Paris, only a kilometer away from the Eiffel Tower.
"I want to climb it," Kevin said staring up at the tower.
"You'd fall and break your neck," Parkinson laughed. "You can't even hang onto a broomstick."
"Ha ha," Kevin said in a nasal voice, "very funny. I fell off once during first year and you think I can't stay on ever."
"Come on already," Lena whined, "I want to go shopping." She began to walk forward again, but her foot hit a bump on the sidewalk and she fell down.
"Are you okay?" Dennis asked pulling her to her feet again.
"Just fine," Lena said. She looked at her knees, which were scuffed up. "I'll survive." She looked up into Dennis's eyes. She had never really paid attention to his eyes before. She was surprised to see they were a beautiful blue.
"You'd better be a little more careful," Kevin said. "You tend to bump into a lot of things when you walk."
"Thanks for the reminder," Lena said closing her eyes. She opened her eyes again and realized that Parkinson had begun walking and the two boys were following her. Lena jogged to catch up, and luckily only bumped into a few things.
"What did you mean by Hemingway female?" Kevin asked Lena an hour later while she looked at necklaces.
Lena turned to look at Dennis and Parkinson. Parkinson had a seductive smile drawing him in. "Either she is an idiot, or she's acting like one, just waiting to attack. You'd better watch out for him, or she's going to tear his heart out or, to be a true Hemingway female, blow a bullet through his head."
Kevin gulped and looked at Dennis and Parkinson. Dawn tried on a pair of sunglasses that promised to make the day look like night and looked at Dennis over the rim of them. Kevin nodded at Lena and walked toward the other two.
"Dennis," Kevin said interrupting the two. "Can you help me pick out something for my parents? I promised I would get them some stuff from France when I told them I was coming."
"Sure," Dennis replied. Kevin dragged Dennis away from Parkinson.
Lena smiled to herself and thought, 'That's just the beginning of what I have in store for her if she keeps flirting with him the way she has been. I bet she would describe antelope as the same way as Mrs. Macomber.' Lena grabbed a necklace and held it up to her neck. The green from the necklace brought out the color in her eyes, and with the evil smile that flashed across her face, made her look like a rich devil.