Chapter 17- Big Cowy Things that Jump Like Hares: Why Reading the Warnings Is Usually a Good Thing
Disclaimer: All Hail J.K. Rowling!
Lena couldn't believe she had successfully completed her mission to get Dennis to fall in love with her, and in one night too. In fact, by the end of the Yule Ball, Dennis couldn't keep his mouth away from her lips or his hands off her hips. She was basking in the attention.
As the Yule Ball drew to a close, Lena decided she didn't want to go to the Hogwarts Express quite yet, so she and Dennis slipped away from the crowd and found a nice little ditch to lie in until the field was clear of all other students. The whole time they were hiding, Dennis couldn't help but kiss her and stroke her hair, and Lena couldn't help but let him. After all, this is what she wanted from him.
It took about a half hour before everyone was out of the field, but as soon as the coast was clear, Lena stood back up and teased Dennis as he tried to catch her. She, however, was so used to heels, that she ran as if she were in sneakers, and with her long legs she kept a fairly nice distance ahead of Dennis.
When Dennis finally caught her again, they fell to the ground in laughter, before he began to kiss her again.
She played along with him, until she felt him try to push up her skirt and get between her legs. She pushed him off her and stood.
"Dennis Creevey!" she said, "there will be none of that."
"Lena," Dennis cried, crawling towards her on his hands and knees. "I'm in love with you. Let's get married and have loads of children together."
"We are seventeen," Lena said. "We have a year and a half of school left and I'm not even your girlfriend." She usually would have added the word yet, but if she had, he would have asked her out on the spot and then tried his little scheme again.
Lena turned around and began walking to the Hogwarts Express, waiting for Dennis to come after her. He reached her just before she got to the door. "I need you," Dennis said spinning her to face him. "Don't you see that I can't live without you? Do you care?"
Lena tried to take a step away from Dennis, but he pulled her close and held her tightly. She tried a new approach. "Dennis, can we talk about this tomorrow? I'm getting rather tired."
Dennis let her go, though his eyes were digging into her. "I love you," he said.
"No," Lena said, "you don't. Something has messed with your head."
Lena turned and walked into the train. Dennis was right behind her. She began walking to the door that led to the sleeping compartment, but Dennis grabbed her and whispered in her ear, "Do you love me?"
"No," Lena said, freeing herself from his grip. She glanced around the room. The only other people were Baddock and Tummala. Dennis took a step closer again, so Lena took a bold move. She walked over to Baddock. "And I'll prove it," Lena said. Baddock looked up at her, rolled his eyes, but before he could get back to what he was doing, Lena grabbed the collar of his robes and pulled him into a kiss.
Lena was the only one able to move for a moment after she let go of Baddock. She could not believe what she had just done to prove she wasn't in love. She had kissed what she considered to be the worst human being on earth. She began to make her way to the bathroom so she could brush her teeth, but someone grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a kiss. It was Baddock. He wanted to kiss her.
Baddock held her tightly, and Lena couldn't escape from him as much as she tried. His tongue fought its way past her lips and worked its way around her mouth. He pushed her into a wall and allowed his hands to travel down her arms and grab her wrists.
A few moments later, Baddock was pulled off her. Dennis had an odd glare in his eyes. He and Baddock began to wrestle, so Lena scrambled out of the room. She closed the door to the hall behind her, hearing two people scramble after her. She held it closed with all her might and Baddock and Dennis banged on the door, yelling at her to let them in. This was turning into a disaster.
"Help," she yelled. At first, only Kevin stuck his head out of the door. He, however, stared at her for a second, then scrunched his eyes and shook his head, muttering to himself.
Lena heard Baddock mutter a spell for unlocking doors. Lena quickly locked it again, not having her wand on her at the moment, and then screamed for help again. This time, Pasts and Frost both came out of their rooms.
"What's wrong?" Frost asked.
"They're after me," Lena cried, hearing Baddock and Dennis this time, using two different spells on the door. She locked it again, tears pouring out of her eyes. "They're mad and they want me."
"Go to your room," Frost said, pulling his wand out and magically locking the door with a powerful spell. "Pasts, have Parkinson join her to comfort her until we can get these two to calm down." Frost then pounded on a door and yelled, "Davies, get out here and help me keep these two away from Lena."
Lena scrambled into her room, tears still falling from her eyes. Parkinson came in a second later.
"What's up with those two?" Parkinson asked.
"I don't know," Lena said. "Dennis suddenly wanted more from me than I am willing to give, and then I tried to discourage him from coming onto me again by kissing Baddock, but then he pushed me against a wall and wouldn't stop kissing me."
"Malcolm," Parkinson asked, "willing kissed you?" Lena nodded. "Did you use any…?"
"No," Lena yelled, "that's why I'm freaking out. I don't know what's causing them to act so strange."
Lena closed the door to her room after hearing what sounded suspiciously like the door blowing up. A few seconds later, she could hear Davies, Frost, and Pasts dueling Dennis and Baddock. Lena grabbed her wand and magically locked her door.
After a few minutes, the hall grew quiet. Parkinson reached for the door, wand in hand.
"Be careful, Dawn," Lena said. "It might just be the quiet before the storm."
"If it was Malcolm or Creevey left, he would have tried to break down the door by now," Parkinson said. She unlocked the door, but as she twisted the doorknob, the door flew open so quickly that it hit her forehead and knocked her down. Baddock walked in, stepped over Parkinson, and closed in on Lena. He pushed her onto her bed and grabbed both her wrists in one hand.
"Get off me," Lena yelled. She tried to aim her wand at him, but he grabbed it from her and threw it onto the ground.
"You are so beautiful," Baddock said. "I am going to enjoy this."
"Stupefy," Stella's voice sounded, but Baddock wasn't affected. Lena screamed, trying to get Baddock off her. "Take off your necklace," Stella said. She grabbed one of Baddock's arms, Theresa grabbed the other. Once Lena had a free hand, she unhooked her necklace and pulled it off her neck. Baddock's eyes rolled up into his head, and he collapsed, falling onto Lena.
Lena pushed him off her. She looked at Stella and asked, "How did you know that would do that?"
"Your necklace has been the only thing on my mind all night," Stella said. "I knew something involving it would happen. I didn't know it would be that."
"I get that feeling all the time, but it never means anything," Lena said.
"But you're not a Seer, are you," Theresa said.
Stella rolled her eyes and turned to Parkinson. She quickly performed a Comforting Charm and helped Parkinson to her feet. Lena jumped from her bed and grabbed the packaging of the necklace.
"What does that say?" Lena asked.
Parkinson read it over a few times, and then handed back to Lena. She then said, "It says that the necklace will cause anyone kissed by the wearer to fall madly in love with the wearer until the necklace it taken off. Maybe you should have asked what it said before you bought it."
"I hate warning labels," Lena said. She looked at Baddock on the ground. "Can we get him out of my room?" The other three girls nodded. The dragged him to the hall. The other guys were all lying on the ground, having been hit by some sort of spell during the duel. The girls set to work dragging each guy to the correct room.