Chapter 6- Good Boy: Annoying Voices

"When was the last time you ate?" Kevin asked Dennis as they ate breakfast the next morning.

"Day 'fore yes'day," Dennis replied through a mouth-full of the table's contents. The rest of the Hogwarts students looked on in horror, afraid that if they reached for food, Dennis might mistake their hand for a type of food he hadn't tried yet that morning and take a bite out of it.

"I am rather glad that we decided to dine together this morning," Dumbledore said watching as Dennis took more food off the plates. "I cannot express how embarrassed I would be if you acted like this last night."

"He didn't eat anything last night," Baddock announced. "He felt a little queasy because a few of the Durmstrang guys are bigger than he is."

"You didn't look too good last night when that Durmstrang guy sat next to Dawn and growled at you," Lena reminded him. She hadn't gotten to the table on time to beat Dennis to the food, and had yet to be able to touch a bite. She finally slapped Dennis's hand as it reached for a piece of toast. "You'll make yourself sick if you keep eating like that," she said grabbing the toast. "Plus, there is going to be a huge feast tonight, so save a little room for then."

Dennis looked at her as if she was evil. The rest of the table looked at her as if she was crazy. She could have just lost a hand, but she had been a lucky one. Dennis finished the bit of food on his plate and stood up. Kevin stood up too.

"I'm going to go change now," Dennis said. He had been the only one not to change into his Hogwarts robes before breakfast. "I think I can manage on my own." Dennis looked at Kevin to sit down, so Kevin did.

Dennis couldn't help but think that Kevin had been acting strange lately. It wasn't like Kevin to worry about Dennis, they were just friends. Was Kevin trying to take over as Dennis's brother now that Colin had been killed?

"No," Dennis said out loud to himself. But Dennis couldn't help but wonder. Kevin had fetched Dennis the night before when everyone else went out to the train for the night. Usually, it would have been more like Kevin to send his owl, which he had brought on the trip, to the infirmary with a message around one in the morning.

Dennis ran a quick comb through his hair and returned to the dining car where everyone was waiting for him so they could make their way to the castle again. As they all stepped onto the morning grass, still wet with dew, the girls all squealed at how much prettier the palace looked with the morning sun shining down on it. Dennis heard what sounded suspiciously like, "Girls, what a waste of space!" from where Tummala was standing behind him.

"Do you all have your slips with your name on it?" Dumbledore asked before they could walk to far from the train. Everyone nodded that they did. Dennis was amazed he remembered his. "Good." Dumbledore smiled.

"If he gets chosen to represent Hogworts I'm asking Professor Baron if I can transfer to Durmstrang," Baddock's voice rang through Dennis's ears. Dennis knew that Baddock had referred to him, but he didn't care. If he did anything to counter, Dawn would never think of him as anything more than a Mudblood.

"I see we're cheery this morning," Theresa appeared at Dennis's side. Dennis miserably failed in an attempt to smile; Theresa laughed.

"No offense or anything," Dennis began, "but you don't talk to me. The last time you did, you were looking for Kevin to yell at him."

"I know," Theresa smiled. She took a step closer to him. "I know your secret. Kevin broke down last night and spilled everything." Dennis was too shocked to speak. "You know that you're not supposed to have a girl in your compartment. If Dumbledore found out, I doubt anything would happen, but McGonagall would blow her lid. You and Lena would both be serving detention for weeks."

"How did Kevin know about that?" Dennis was baffled.

"I just assumed you told him," Theresa said, confused herself. "You didn't tell him?"

"Why would I?" Dennis asked. Theresa shrugged and quickened her pace to catch up to Frost.

"Kevin!" Dennis stopped walking and yelled.

"Well," Tummala laughed. "The Mud…" she caught Dumbledore's eye and changed her words, "Creevey sounds like he's calling for a House Elf. No wonder the Whitby boy is so tiny." Laughter erupted from Baddock and Tummala. Dawn smirked. The rest of the pure bloods stifled their laughs.

"Oh, keep your trap shut," Kevin growled, which only made everyone want to laugh more. No matter what tone of voice Kevin used, he still wasn't intimidating. He retreated next to Dennis. "You wanted to talk about something?"

"Who said anything about talking?" Baddock howled with laughter once again.

"Could you please tone your conversations down?" Dumbledore warned as they approached the open doors of Beauxbatons Palace. "Please be ready to place your slip of paper into the Goblet of Fire."

"How did you know about Lena and me?" Dennis asked.

"Uh… errr… um… well… I heard you two talking through the vents as I changed," Kevin said. Dennis could tell Kevin had just made that up.

"What did you see?" Dennis asked a trick question.

"Well… just… I didn't see anything," Kevin tried to cover the mistake of his first two words.

"Kevin…" Dennis was getting irritated.

"Okay," Kevin whispered. "I used an Extendable Ear and Eye. I only saw her dancing and everything after that until you kicked her out. By the way, I did not tell Lena what she told you I told her." Kevin yelled the last sentence to get Lena's attention. He also managed to get the attention of the all the Durmstrang students and half the Beauxbatons students and teachers.

Lena flipped her hair and spun around. Dennis noticed her hips swing as she walked toward the two of them. She twirled a strand of her beautiful red hair on her finger and asked, "Did you have something to say to me Kevin?"

Dennis noticed that Lena's gray pleated skirt was shorter than any of the other girl's skirts and her blouse was a size too small. Kevin was goggling at her and couldn't think of anything to say.

"Come on and let's put our names in the Goblet of Fire," Dennis said turning Lena around and followed her to catch up to the rest of the group. Her hair swished back and forward as she walked and Dennis's eyes followed the ends to settle on watching her hips again.

"I zee zat you are better ziz morning zan you were lazt evening," Gage's voice was right behind Dennis.

"Yeah," Dennis replied, "I'm all healthy."

"Zat iz good," Gage said, "becauze I do not know what I would do if I didn't have a chanze to beat you in the Triwizard Tournament. I will zee you at ze winnerz zircle." Gage took a step in front of Dennis and Kevin and dropped a slip of paper into the white-blue flames of the Goblet.

"She is seventeen?" Kevin asked. Dennis shrugged. "She looks about fifteen."

"You look fourteen," Dennis reminded Kevin.

"But I have acne," Kevin said pointing to his face. "I noticed she didn't. And look at that make-up she wears. How is it that girls are so lucky that they don't get any acne."

"That is not true," Stella said. Dennis looked at her and didn't see any signs of acne.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kevin whined. "Have you looked in the mirror? Your face is as clean as can be."

"I was just saying that a lot of girls have acne," Stella said.

"Like Marietta Edgecomb?" Dennis laughed. "I recall that was because of a jinx Hermione Granger put on a paper she signed."

"I was thinking of Moaning Myrtle."

"She's a ghost," Kevin said. Dennis didn't have the slightest clue who Moaning Myrtle was, but at the mention of a ghost, figured she must be the one that haunted one of the girls bathrooms. "Ghosts don't count."

"She had acne when she was alive," Stella retorted.

"And your point is?" Kevin asked.

"The point is that not all girls have clear skin," Dennis said. Stella nodded in agreement.

"What do you even care, Kuo?" Kevin asked. "We were just talking about how that girl looks younger than seventeen, and how my looking young is compensated by the fact that I have acne."

"I once had acne," Stella said walking out the giant granite doors. "And I was thirteen. Just because someone has acne doesn't make them a certain age." She began walking at a quicker pace.

"Why do you always have to prove me wrong?" Kevin yelled walking alongside Stella. Dennis had slowed down; he didn't want to listen to them bicker again. He had spent most of the first day on the train listening to them argue. Stella had won every argument.

"Something wrong?" Dennis's body froze at the chilling female's voice.

"Uhh…" Dennis couldn't form words in his head, not to mention actually say anything intelligent.

"Dennis, don't worry," Lena's voice was on his other side. He could be calm around Lena, even though she was a beautiful vixen, but when it came to Dawn, he didn't know what to do. Lena continued, "she doesn't bite… too hard." The two girls giggled and continued their walk back to the Hogwarts Express.

"Smooth moves there Creevey," Baddock yelled, "you'll really sweep them off their feet like that." He passed by Dennis and caught up to the two girls. He put an arm around both of them and continued to walk with them.

Annoyed with his classmates, Dennis went on a walk. They didn't need to be anywhere until the Halloween Feast that night. He found a lake and rounded to the far bank. He watched as a herd of large Durmstrang gorilla-like boys exited a boat in the water and began to make their way toward the front of the palace.

"It seems to me that you are having second thoughts about coming here," Dumbledore's voice rang in Dennis's ears. It was first time that morning that someone talked to him and his eye didn't tick in annoyance, aside from Dawn's voice in his ear.

"I just think I grew up too fast," Dennis said. He ran his hands through his hair. "I don't eat regularly anymore, as I guess you can tell. And almost everyone annoys me, except for, well, let's just say that I'm not too smooth when it comes to talking to any girl, especially a certain girl on the train."

"You had a difficult summer Mr. Creevey, but I believe that Miss Parkinson had a difficult summer too," Dumbledore said. "If you need someone to talk to, I believe her compartment is directly across the hall from your friend Mr. Whitby. Make sure you knock first."

"But, Professor," Dennis began. "I thought we weren't allowed to go into a compartment of someone of the opposite gender."

"I do believe that was Professor McGonagall's rule," Dumbledore chuckled. "If you won't tell her I gave you permission, I won't tell her you went in."

Dennis smiled. "Thanks Professor." Now all he needed to do was work up the courage to talk to her.