º I am SOOO sorry that this took so long—it's absolutely ridiculous. There's no excuse (except for school and computer viruses and repair services that took so long and being student director for the fall play). I HOPE that the next chapter will come up faster, since I don't have tons of rehearsals to worry about, just your average busy holiday stuff, and I'm used to that. But, on to the story! º
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot. Harry Potter™ is the sole intellectual property of JK Rowling, Warner Bros. and various others who all aren't connected to me in any way. No money is being made with this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.
€ º € Chapter Eight: If it Ain't Got that Swing € º €
"Good, so it's settled, then. KayKay will remain a Beater and Dawn will move to the position of Chaser," Ron said, looking around at the Gryffindor Quidditch Team after practice Thursday evening.
Everyone nodded their agreement, and then got up from the benches to go change out of their practice robes.
"Well, I'm glad that's all sorted out," KayKay said to Harry and Ron as they headed up to the school ten minutes later.
"Yeah, Dawn is a good chaser, especially with Jesse and Andrew," Ron agreed.
"And you have such an uncontrollable temper, you're perfect at bashing Bludgers towards the other team . . ." Harry said with a smirk, earning him a shove from KayKay.
They were just entering the main door when Dumbledore reached the foot of the staircase.
"Harry, KayKay, perfect timing. I'd like to speak to you in my office, if you have a moment . . ."
Harry and KayKay shared a puzzled look, then broke away from Ron and followed the Headmaster back up the staircase and to the stone gargoyle blocking the entrance to his office.
"Sugar Quill," he said, making the gargoyle leap aside and open the way to the rotating stairway.
"Sit down, please," Dumbledore said, indicating the two chairs in front of his desk and sitting down himself behind it, studying them over his half-moon spectacles.
They shared another confused look, then sank into the chairs, looking back at Dumbledore.
"Now, I am certain that you both recall our attempts at exploring how to use your powers last year," he said without preamble, "And, obviously, we didn't make much progress . . ."
Harry and KayKay nodded, remembering some of their sorry attempts to harness their inherited powers.
"Well," Dumbledore continued, "I spent quite some time searching this summer, and I think I've finally found something to help."
"What?" KayKay asked, unable to contain her curiosity any longer. The ancient Headmaster smiled lightly then turned in his chair to take something off of the bookshelf behind his desk.
When he turned back around and set it at the far edge of the desk, near KayKay and Harry, they both leaned in to take a closer look.
It was a book—or, it at least seemed like one, it could've been something else, she supposed—it looked quite old. It had a leather-bound cover and (as she saw when Harry took it gingerly in his hands and flipped through it) contained thick, yellowed paper. Elegant, spider-like writing covered the pages.
"What is it?" KayKay asked, looking away from the book at Dumbledore.
"The journal of Godric Gryffindor," he said, a grin playing on his lips. "It is my hope that with this, the two of you will be able to look at your powers from the point of view of someone who has them completely, not split."
He sat back in his chair. "I'd like both of you to read it. I'm aware that you're busy with the start of term and Quidditch, but I'd like to see the both of you again in a couple of weeks. Perhaps by then you'll be better prepared to work on your magic."
This was, quite obviously, his dismissal. KayKay stood, and Harry followed a few seconds later.
"We will, Professor Dumbledore. Thanks."
He nodded once in reply, and the two teenagers left the office.
"Well, I suppose one of us should have the journal for one week, and the other should have it the second. We can both finish it by then, don't you think, Harry?"
She got no reply. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Harry following at a more leisurely pace, his Firebolt in one hand and the open journal in the other, his eyes glued to the pages. KayKay sighed.
"Well, that solves the problem of who gets it first," she said to no one in particular. She pulled back a tapestry and took a shortcut to Gryffindor Tower. Harry wasn't behind her—she assumed that he was heading up to the Dormitory on autopilot, letting his feet guide him.
She wondered if he'd forget about the vanishing step.
º º º º º
KayKay walked into the Great Hall a bit late—but thankfully, not too late to get breakfast before it was time for lessons.
"Morning, all" she said, dropping her bookbag and sitting down on the bench. There were a few greetings in return, except for from Harry, who was preoccupied with the mail.
KayKay grabbed a piece of toast and poured herself some apple juice before helping herself to some fresh fruit. However, she quite suddenly stopped. Something was not right . . .
She looked back up, and across the table from her, Madison raised an eyebrow at her as if in challenge.
"What are you doing here?" KayKay blurted out. True, Madison did oftentimes sit near them or partner with her in classes, but never before had she eaten at Gryffindor Table . . .
"The other Slytherins are getting to be a bit too much. Y'know, they're on my case constantly about hanging around you guys. So, I decided that today I'd eat with people who didn't judge others by where the Sorting Hat placed them.
"However," she continued, looking pointedly down the table, "I guess that it's true with both houses."
Several Gryffindors who'd been staring at Madison quickly looked away and continued with their breakfast. Madison glared at them for a moment (even though they didn't see), then looked back at KayKay and smiled before taking another bite of cereal.
"Oh—okay . . ." KayKay said slowly. Beside her, Harry sighed in irritation, and KayKay looked over at him quickly, wondering why on Earth he was annoyed to have Madison at their table.
But it seemed that Harry was angered, not by their Slytherin friend, but by the Daily Prophet. His knuckles were quite white where he dripped it by the edges, and after a few more moments (in which he seemed to become even more irritated), he folded it together abruptly and threw it down on the table in a messy pile.
KayKay, having seen this happen several times since she'd begun living in the same home as Harry and even more frequently since school started, didn't even have to ask. She knew that whatever he'd read had to do with Voldemort—per usual.
It was the same reason that she'd quit reading the Daily Prophet herself. Hearing in detail the horrors that Voldemort had inflicted was enough to make any decent person's blood boil. KayKay, being a generally "the-glass-is-half-full" person, hated starting the day off with a pessimistic article.
Still . . . no matter how great her dread, it didn't quell her curiosity.
"Harry?" she asked tentatively as he took a drink from his glass of orange juice.
"What?" he snapped, slamming the glass down and making her jump at least three inches off of her seat. (Not to mention, several people looked at them again until Madison, thinking they were staring at her, gave them a death glare.)
He propped his elbow on the table and rested his head in his hand. "Sorry," he sighed, "I didn't mean to yell." He rubbed his face with the hand, then raised his head back up. "Now, what?"
"It's that bad?" KayKay asked quietly.
Another sigh. "Yeah. He's heading North, you know. Every attack is closer than the last."
"You don't think he's making his way here . . . do you?" Hermione asked in a hushed tone.
"I don't know. I wouldn't have thought so, but . . ." he trailed off, looking at his watch. "We should head to class. Care of Magical Creatures this morning."
Harry turned to KayKay as they got up. "Oh, and here. I finished it last night."
He was holding out Godric's journal.
"Thanks," she said, slipping it into her bag. "Right on time, too."
"I try," he said with a grin.
So, the group headed to class, none of them so much as glancing back at the Daily Prophet marked "20th September" that lay in a jumbled mess on the table.
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Reaching the area near Hagrid's hut, Harry noticed that there was no sign of the Fizzlepinks—monkeylike creatures that acted as traveling guides to magical folk—that they'd been studying so far.
Instead, there was a wooden crate on the lawn that quivered occasionally and emitted small squeaks.
Harry looked at it apprehensively, not sure whether or not he wished to know what it contained.
"You don't think it's another Blast-Ended Skrewt, do you?" Ron said in a hushed tone.
"No, Hagrid wouldn't try that again," Hermione said. However, she didn't sound very confident.
Just about then, Hagrid appeared near the front of the cluster of students. "All righ' there?" He asked loudly, ending the chatter. "As yeh can see, we're done with the Fizzlepinks—thought yeh'd had enough time with 'em. We 'ave a new creature today!"
He clapped his hands together, appearing quite excited as he picked up a crowbar from on top of the crate.
"Arrived just this mornin'!" he said happily. "Of course, the others won' arrive 'til later this week . . . but we can talk some abou' them before yeh haf ter take care of yer own!"
Hagrid's enthusiasm didn't reassure Harry in the slightest. He tended to take great pleasure in what any other person would call a life-threatening creature.
Hagrid had turned and was prying the door of the box off. With a sharp crack, it fell open, and the creature bounced out.
Harry at first thought it was a piece of very fluffy cloud. But, a closer look proved it to be a rather round animal with fuzzy white fur, large blue eyes, and a mouth that looked like a tiny platypus bill.
"Can everyone see?" Hagrid asked. "All righ'. This is a Meteosnill . . ."
(Beside Harry, Hermione made a small noise that could've meant that this was something either good or bad.)
"Aw, it's so cute!" Pavarti squealed, leaning over a bit to see better. She and Lavender both leapt back with a shriek, however, when the animal bounced in their direction and made a small sneezing noise that resulted in a bolt of lighting being shot at the ground right by their feet. The rest of the class jerked back a few inches, caught off-guard by this new development.
"Don' get too close!" Hagrid exclaimed, sounding a bit worried by the close call. "Meteosnill are weather creatures . . . normally float up in the sky—see how he's got no feet? They blend right in with the clouds . . . can mimic nearly any kind of weather, they can, if they're provoked. Snow, hail, lightnin', wind, yeh name it. A big herd of 'em is even more dangerous—they can make cyclones and hurricanes."
KayKay raised a hand. "Er—Hagrid? What exactly would you define as 'provoked'?"
"Anythin' that frightens 'em, annoys 'em, takes 'em by surprise . . . why?"
KayKay didn't reply, but shifted back a bit, stepping on Harry's toes.
"Sorry!" she whispered, still watching the Meteosnill carefully.
"Don't worry about it," he joked quietly. "I still have the other foot."
Hagrid had resumed talking. "Can anyone tell me somethin' else 'bout Meteosnills?"
Hermione was, unsurprisingly, the first to reply. "They've been linked to many malfunctions and crashes of Muggle aircraft. Oftentimes, the cause for the crash is never uncovered by Muggle investigators, or a wizard posing as an investigator will say that it was something else, such as a mechanical failure."
"Good, Hermione! Five points fer Gryffindor! Now can someone tell me another thing?"
º º º º º
"He's insane!" KayKay exclaimed angrily, wringing her hair out. "Honestly, a creature like that . . ."
"Hey, at least you weren't here for the Blast-Ended Skrewts" Ron said. "That's what you'd call a monster . . ."
"But really!" KayKay insisted, looking back at them over her shoulder as she heaved open the front door. "An animal that can shoot lightning, hail, rain, sleet, snow, and create hurricanes and tornadoes?!"
Her shoes made a slight squelching sound on the flagstones, and water dripped from her robes—at least, from what was left of them.
"Well honestly, KayKay, Hagrid said not to provoke them!" Hermione said, sounding disapproving.
KayKay stopped and turned all the way around, staring at Hermione incredulously.
"All I did was sneeze!"
Hermione simply stared back with an expression usually reserved for Ron. Ron, on his part, was trying not to laugh, as was Harry.
Madison wasn't so reserved. She chuckled at KayKay, who glanced at her, sighed, then kept walking.
"Why is it always me?" KayKay wondered aloud.
"Because you're just so easy to pick on." Madison said in a tone commonly used for small children.
KayKay heaved another sigh, this one sounding irritated.
"I'm going up to change" she announced, turning down an adjacent hall.
Harry really couldn't blame her. As she'd already stated, she'd sneezed—and the Meteosnill, being either germaphobic or startled, had promptly blasted her with a barrage of rain and sleet, then ignited the hem of her robes with a bolt of lightning.
Not too unusual of an occurrence, knowing the common genre of Hagrid's classes. Still, it was good that Ron was close enough to put out the flames with water from his wand as Hagrid ushered the creature back into its cage.
"Of course, what would Hogwarts be without crazy, life-threatening situations?" Ron commented sarcastically, watching KayKay wearily climb a staircase.
Harry snorted. "Yeah. She's breaking tradition, though, not going to the Hospital Wing . . ."
"Do you two realize that Hagrid hasn't had a single lesson in which someone has had to go to see Madame Pomfrey so far this year? Give him some credit." Hermione said, looking impatiently at Ron and Harry.
"So that either means that we're getting better . . ." Harry said slowly.
". . . Or that Hagrid's losing his touch!" Ron finished, feigning awe.
Hermione looked quite frustrated with the both of them, but Madison was laughing. Hermione gave one final "Honestly!" and broke away from the small group, walking ahead to Gryffindor Table in a huff.
"What's gotten into her lately?" Ron asked, staring after their friend.
"No idea," Harry said, shaking his head. "It's like she's digressing back to how she was in Second or Third Year."
Madison snorted and rolled her eyes, muttering something about "Boys being so stupid sometimes," then she continued forward and sat by Hermione.
Ron and Harry looked at one another, shrugged, and joined the girls. By the time KayKay showed up, her robes fresh and clean but her hair still drenched, she only had time to grab a roll to eat on the way to their next class. This led Ron to give her a speech about having a good dinner since they'd be having a rough Quidditch practice that night.
"Oh, goodie," KayKay muttered sarcastically, only loud enough for Harry to hear, as Ron finally left her alone and McGonagall began the day's lesson.
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. . . And upon this I reflected, for hitherto none had dared attempt plunging into the far realms of Death, as 'tis a most incurable source of fears and innate awe—and should I, thus, defy these truths in the name of my personage?
Alas, 'tis a cold, fearful thing, shrouded in veils and clouded with the transcendence of a thousand, thousand eons.
Then, who be I, to infringe upon this cloak of ostracized mortality? Who would guarantee that I would not too join the extinct? Certainly the horrors of the realm—Thralks and Nikovs, Manduloomis and Groads—would not vindicate my intrusion.
And yet, the multitudes of benefits if I succeed are as immeasurable as the sands of the beach or the stars of the sky—
"Boo."
"Aurgh!" KayKay jumped at least three inches off of the couch, dropping Gryffindor's journal. As she patted her chest with her hand, trying to settle her racing heart, she turned moodily to see whom it was that had whispered in her ear.
"Harry!" she scolded. "Don't do that! Are you trying to give me a heart attack or something?!"
For the past three pages, Gryffindor had been describing the horrifying creatures that plagued the realm of the dead and the world of the living. . . And being all alone in the Gryffindor Common Room while everyone else was at dinner made it easy to get lost in the world he'd depicted.
Harry was grinning mischievously. How he'd managed to get through the Portrait Hole and sit down right next to her on the couch without her noticing was a mystery to KayKay.
"What, did I scare you?" Harry asked, attempting and failing to sound innocent.
"Ya' think?" KayKay asked, before sighing and closing her eyes. "Will that be all, or did you come here to actually tell me something?"
"Yeah, we meet with Dumbledore tonight, remember? We should head down there soon" he said, finally acting serious.
"Oh, right" KayKay said quickly. She'd nearly forgotten.
Harry pushed himself off of the couch. "Let's go," he said, offering KayKay a hand up.
"I can stand fine, thanks. But if you see my nervous system floating around here somewhere, please let me know." She was just starting to get fully calmed.
Harry laughed, shoving his hands into his pockets as the left the Common Room. "I'll keep an eye out," he promised.
They walked in silence for a few minutes, until KayKay felt a need to say something, anything to fill the gap.
"So . . . what happens after the passage I was reading? It didn't seem like there was much left—"
"There isn't" Harry said, looking at her in what could have been described as surprise that she didn't know the answer already.
"But—"
"He finishes the passage by deciding to go despite the dangers. That's where it ends."
"Oh" KayKay said quietly, a bit awed and somewhat fearful despite herself. "So did he . . .?"
"I don't know," Harry said quickly, looking a bit uncomfortable at the idea himself. "I hope we don't have to find out ourselves."
They both shuddered involuntarily, shaking such concepts from their heads.
"But . . ." KayKay said, breaking the icy tension and making Harry look at her in surprise, "if we are capable of necromancy . . ."
She let the statement go unfinished as they both looked at each other, conceiving what this could mean.
Necromancy was the darkest of arts in both life and fable.
However, thus far, it proved to be only of fable.
Because, after all, no spell could awaken the dead.
º º º º º
They didn't really do much at their meeting with Dumbledore. KayKay and Harry had discussed the book with Dumbledore, asking for clarification in some places, but mostly just bouncing ideas off of each other.
In fact, it seemed to KayKay that she and Harry would've gotten as much, if not more, done without the Headmaster's assistance. This puzzled her, and it played close to the front of her mind as she scribbled out her Charms homework, paying little attention to what she wrote. It was only after realizing she'd written, "The bobblehead charms is useful in in many stipulations" that she yanked her mind away from the mucky thoughts that plagued it.
After rewriting the sentence ("The Bubble-Head Charm is useful in many situations") and finishing up the essay, KayKay looked at her watch, then put all of her books away and headed up for her Dormitory. Thank goodness it was a Friday. She would definitely appreciate being able to sleep in again.
This was doubly good, since it took a very long time for sleep to claim her. With the end of homework came the return of her confusing thoughts.
What she had the most questions about was this "realm of Death" Gryffindor was talking about. Was it a physical place or a place of spirit after life ended? Was there just the one, dark, dreary, and dangerous?
But most of all . . . what had happened to Gryffindor? Had he actually gone into Death? Or was the entire passage a series of metaphors (as she wouldn't doubt)?
Neither she nor Harry had so much as hinted at this in their discussion with Dumbledore. It seemed as though they'd reached a mutual agreement not to bring it up, without even having to speak to each other. KayKay had no idea why, but withholding the knowledge seemed like the proper thing to do . . .
Somewhere amidst her pondering, KayKay drifted away from thoughts and towards dreams.
They were not pleasant.
She was walking through the Forbidden Forest on the darkest of dark nights, all the while the area around her becoming denser, the air feeling heavier. There were rustlings around her every now and then, and she'd turn suddenly only to find that she could see nothing.
The temperature was dropping rapidly. The wind, merciless and cruel, was whipping around her silently, yanking at her clothing with invisible claws.
She sensed a gaze on her. She looked quickly to the left and right, not certain whether the gleam of red she saw was real or not. There was a conspicuous creak from behind her, and she whipped around quickly—
KayKay sat up straight with an inaudible gasp as her stomach gave the lurch of one falling headlong down a staircase. Breathing hard, she surveyed the dormitory.
All of the other girls were in place, sleeping soundly. But something felt amiss. Unlike all of the other sensations in her dream, the one of being watched hadn't gone away.
It was then that she noticed that the door was ajar.
"Harry?" she said in a whisper. "Harry, is that you?"
There wasn't a reply for a few moments. Then, the air at the foot of KayKay bed rippled and Harry (seeming out of thin air) appeared, holding a silvery cloak—his invisibility cloak.
"You used to be such a deep sleeper," he said, as if that explained his presence.
"Not since Remus . . . you know," she said quietly. "What are you doing here, anyhow?"
"I'm hungry," he said simply. KayKay blinked at him.
"And . . . this is relevant because . . .?"
"It's no fun to sneak out of the Tower alone, and waking Ron is harder the waking the living dead."
"Why would you want to wake the living dead?" KayKay asked incredulously, shivering as the remnants of her dream still hung about her. Harry shrugged.
"So, how about it?" he asked.
"What about Hermione?" KayKay replied. She looked at Harry seriously for a moment before they both broke into silent laughter.
"Yeah right, now that she's Head Girl?" Harry laughed. "Come on, you skipped dinner tonight, and I know you don't turn down ice cream."
KayKay barely had a moment longer to think before her stomach growled, as if agreeing on her behalf.
"Oh . . . fine, count me in!" she said, tossing aside her covers. She shivered a moment as the cold air wrapped around her, seeping right through her tee shirt and pajama pants, not to mention her bare feet. Only a few moments later, however, Harry was throwing the still-warm cloak over them, and they were descending the stairs awkwardly.
"You know, this was a lot easier when I was in First Year," Harry said as they both crouched, trying desperately to avoid having any part of them poke out.
"Hey, you're the one who insisted on having a friend come with, Potter." KayKay said as they stumbled out of the Portrait Hole. "I could've just said, 'forget it, it's three in the morning' "
"Nah, you wouldn't have. You never could say no to chocolate. Or to sweets in general."
"That's blackmail!"
"That's strategy," he corrected. "I used your weaknesses to my advantage, turning them into my strengths."
"Like I said, blackmail," KayKay insisted stubbornly as they ducked behind a tapestry that would get them to the kitchens faster.
"Call it what you want, I still won"
KayKay rammed her shoulder against his, making him stumble sideways and halfway out from under the cloak. Bumping her back, he hastily readjusted the cloak.
"You're lucky we're in a passage and not the halls" he told her, grinning nonetheless.
"Correction: You're lucky we're in a passage and not the halls" she replied as they emerged at the other end of the shortcut and crossed the empty hall to the picture with the bowl of fruit. Harry tickled it and, when it had changed into a handle, pulled it open silently.
The floor was strewn with House Elves, all of them sleeping soundly under miniature blankets. Harry and KayKay had to step carefully to avoid stepping on one of them—luckily, though, they'd taken the invisibility cloak off.
Harry went one way—presumably to find cake, pie, or cookies—and KayKay headed straight for the refrigerator. Only a few minutes later, they were both seated on stools at the counter.
"Now, see?" Harry said, handing a cookie to KayKay and stealing a bite of her ice cream, "isn't this a lot more fun than sleeping?"
She considered a moment, dipping her cookie in her milk glass thoughtfully. "Yes," she admitted finally.
"I was joking," Harry said, giving her a surprised look.
"I wasn't," KayKay replied seriously before taking a bite of the soggy cookie.
Harry didn't appear to know what to say, so KayKay explained.
"It's just that I can't stop thinking about Death."
He laughed. "What, you planning on dying sometime soon?" he was grinning, but the smile didn't quite meet his eyes.
"Not death the thing, Death the place" KayKay explained.
"Oh!"
"Don't you ever think about it?" she asked him. "Honestly, after reading that book . . ."
"Yeah, I do," he confided, stealing another bite of ice cream. KayKay hit his spoon away with her own. He only grinned mischievously at her and popped the spoon into his mouth.
"I actually had nightmares about it a few times," he added, swallowing the mouthful of ice cream he'd still managed to steal.
"Yeah, me too." KayKay gave an involuntary shudder. "I was dreaming about it when you sneaked into the room."
"Speaking of that, how'd you know it was me?" Harry asked.
KayKay shrugged. "Who else? All the girls were asleep, and none of the boys would dare to come in there."
"Except me."
"Yes, except poor little you, with no friends to sneak down to the kitchens with" KayKay laughed. Harry gave a dramatic sigh and pouted.
"Indeed, woe is me."
"Hey!" KayKay hit him in the shoulder with the back of her hand. "You still have me."
Harry looked over at her. "Yes, KayKay" he said seriously. "I still have you."
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They finished up their midnight snacks at last, then shuffled their way back up to Gryffindor Tower under the invisibility cloak. Harry had boundless energy, and KayKay didn't seem to have any immediate desire to return to her nightmare, so they sat up in the Common Room talking, Harry in the armchair and KayKay on the couch.
"No, really. If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would you do?"
"Harry, is there something you're not telling me?" KayKay asked suspiciously, propping herself up on her elbow.
"Hey, it's just a question! If I hear any plotting of your assassination, I'll let you know," Harry promised with a grin, shifting a bit to make his sprawled position in the chair more comfortable. "Come on!"
KayKay looked pensive for a moment, the dancing fire reflected in her eyes as she stared into it, biting her lip. Finally, she replied slowly.
"I . . . I suppose I'd try to find my old house. Not my cousin's, but the one I grew up in. I'd see if the family there now knew that there was a way to the attic . . . and I'd go up and try to find our old things that we always kept there."
As KayKay spoke she seemed to be no longer staring at the fire, but through it. The flickering flames cast jumpy shadows around the edges of the room, but she was bathed in a hungered reddish glow that animated her every word, even as her voice grew more wistful.
"And I'd go to Escondito again—for a visit . . . I'd catch up with Megan again and meet her new parents . . ."
She sighed. "I'd take one more run as a wolf . . . I'd have one last snowball fight, even if I had to conjure the snow myself.
"And . . ." she faltered for a moment, still staring past the fire but looking a bit puzzled, "I'd . . . relax. Really relax, for the first time in years . . ."
Her gaze suddenly snapped to Harry. The intensity and regret in her eyes nearly made him jump, but when her recovered and tried to see if, in fact, that was what her eyes did hold, they were masked one again by the fire.
"Don't you feel that way too?" she asked him. Again, he tried to decode her feelings by the sound of her voice, but it too was concealed, very level.
"That's how it's become. Even when we are having fun, or someplace that we think is safe, or even sleeping . . . part of us is still awake, still sober, still keeping a lookout for the next trial we'll have to face . . ."
Before Harry could begin to digest this, KayKay was again staring into the fire. "Only when we die, or know we'll die, will we be free."
This last statement struck Harry, and he tried to find a proper response. He hadn't meant for his question to leave them depressed.
"And, I suppose, I'd dance one more dance, sing one more song . . ." KayKay continued suddenly, her voice sounding far more light. Her head was tilted, ever so slightly, and the flames no longer danced in her eyes. She turned again to look at Harry, a small grin on her face. "What about you?"
"I'm not sure," he admitted, "probably some of the things I missed out on . . . parts of being a kid, like playing kickball, going on family vacations, that kind of thing . . ."
"You'd have time for a family vacation in one day?" KayKay joked.
"Okay, we'll say that this is a 'If you'll die in a few days' question." Harry rolled his eyes, then added mischievously, "And . . . I'd pull a real prank on the Slytherins."
"Hear, hear!" KayKay said, raising an imaginary glass in approval. "Okay, now I get to ask a question . . . hmmm . . ." she tapped a finger on her lips, looking thoughtful. Suddenly, she smiled.
"What's the craziest dream you've ever had?"
Harry thought for a moment. The craziest dream he'd had recently was the one he'd had at the beginning of the school year.
"Okay," he said, sitting forward in his chair a bit, "this is going to sound a bit crazy—"
"That's the point" KayKay interrupted, looking quite eager. Harry almost laughed at the expression of anticipation on her face.
"Alright, but you can't laugh . . . I dreamt once that you, Madison, Matt, Brian—er, Professor Kingstaff—and these two random girls and I all went swimming. It was at some weird tropical place with a tikki bar and disco lights . . ."
"What's so weird about that?" KayKay asked. "I mean, yeah, it's a bit odd, but . . ." she looked at him shrewdly. "What aren't you telling me?"
"Nothing!"
She raised an eyebrow at him.
"Okay, okay . . . in my dream, I was gay."
KayKay stared at Harry for a long silent moment, then collapsed in a fit of laughter, rolling over onto her back on the couch and giggling at the ceiling.
"Hey! It's not funny!" Harry protested, feeling irked at her reaction.
"Yes it is!" she insisted, rolling back to her stomach and grinning at Harry, her hair falling into her face as she shook with suppressed laughter. "Come on, tell me honestly that it isn't funny."
"Well . . ." Harry tried and failed to keep a smile off of his lips, "I suppose so . . ."
"I personally would've loved to have been there to see it for myself," KayKay said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. Her eyes were glimmering with amusement, and a smile was stretched across her face. Harry found himself laughing too, for no reason at all, which of course got KayKay going again.
When they'd finally calmed down and KayKay was wiping tears of merriment from the corners of her eyes, Harry said, "Okay, now it's your turn. And it better be good."
"Okay, this is a fun one. I had it a bit after we . . . ah . . . had that fight last spring—"
"You mean after I broke up with you." KayKay looked at him, seeming slightly taken aback at his sincerity. "You can say it—I know I was a jerk."
"Well . . . yeah" she admitted. "Anyhow, I actually dreamt that I was out playing Quidditch, except everyone had different positions . . . and Matt was wearing a cowboy hat and riding a hobbyhorse" she added, looking slightly confused at her own dream. She shook her head, "And I was Chaser, and when I asked them if you'd be annoyed that Ginny took your position, they were all saying stuff like, 'Harry? Who's Harry?'
"And then," she continued, "I got a foul because the Snitch flew under my knee and I didn't hit it with the Quaffle . . ."
Harry snorted, and KayKay grinned sheepishly, shrugging. The movement was interrupted by a wide yawn as she grabbed a pillow and propped her chin on her hand.
It was then that Harry realized that he wasn't nearly as awake as he had been a few hours ago. So, it was as the earliest rays of sunlight filtered through the windows that the pair fell asleep, Harry sprawled out in the chair, and KayKay nestled comfortably on the couch.
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"Serpensortia!"
Harry waved his wand with a crack, and a snake shot out of the end. He immediately began giving it instructions, his voice hissing quietly, as if someone would overhear them.
KayKay was slightly taken aback at this new development . . . but no matter. She'd come up with something.
"Lamnivigra!" she shouted, making a sword blade sprout from her wand. The advancing snake was gone with a single slash, hissing angrily before bursting into smoke. Now Harry looked like the startled one, but to KayKay's disappointment, he recovered quickly, making his wand into a sword too.
The moment their swords clashed together, everyone else in the class paused from their own wizard duels to watch.
"Give it up, Potter!" KayKay said with a grin, easily blocking a blow from Harry and retaliating, "you know I'm better than you!"
He had to hastily duck to avoid a rather nasty swipe, but he used it to his advantage, dodging around and swinging his leg so quickly that KayKay didn't realize she'd been tripped until she was on her back. She gave a cry of surprise and lifted her sword quickly, bracing the tip with her hand to block a downward blow from Harry.
"Not fair!" she protested, kicking him sharply in the knee. He stumbled.
"You think an opponent will play fair? Constant vigilance!" he taunted and she rolled over and pushed herself up. She was just turning to get him again when the bell signaling the end of lessons rang.
KayKay sighed. "It looks like I'll have to beat you another time, Harry. Verusformo" she added, waving her sword slightly as it changed back into a wand.
"Well, seems we attracted an audience," Harry laughed, making KayKay look up. She nearly jumped—nearly everyone still in the room was staring at them.
Professor Kingstaff cleared his throat. "I do believe that that was the bell," he said, in a tone that made it obvious that he was telling the students to leave. The noise in the room immediately doubled as students began talking to each other as they gathered their things, many of them throwing frequent glances in KayKay or Harry's direction.
"Where'd you learn to do that?" Madison asked as they left the room.
"Over summer holiday" Harry said, shrugging modestly.
"I'm loads better than him," KayKay commented candidly, tucking her wand into her robe pocket.
"Yeah, but I can wallop you in hand-to-hand combat" he retorted.
"Well, huzzah for you then."
"I'm starving. I wonder what's for dinner," Ron said as they approached the Great Hall.
"Ugh, this bag is killing me!" Madison commented, hitching it up higher on her shoulder. "How much homework do they think we need? Just because it's a Friday . . ."
KayKay began to nod, then stopped suddenly.
"Oh, no . . ." she groaned. "I left my bag in the classroom!"
"Do you want one of us to go back up there with you?" Hermione asked.
"No, no" she sighed. "You guys go on to dinner, I'll catch up in a few minutes."
"Don't forget, it's a Friday! Quidditch tonight!" Ron said. KayKay nodded, then broke away from the group, glancing back over her shoulder once before running back up to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.
When she tested the doorknob, she expected it to be locked, like most doors outside of classes. She was rather surprised, then, as it swung open easily at her touch, but not as surprised as she would be in a few moments.
The room was not, as she'd previously thought, unoccupied. Professor Kingstaff was still inside at his chair. However, his back was to the door—he had his feet propped up on a cabinet and he was correcting what KayKay assumed was a student's essay. He was nodding his head and tapping his red pen against the paper to the beat of the upbeat swing music coming from the radio next to him.
KayKay hesitated. Why wasn't he at dinner, like all of the other professors?
Maybe I should just leave now, she thought, he probably hasn't noticed me.
she thought,However, before she could even move, Professor Kingstaff lowered his legs and spun the chair around, setting the scored essay onto his desk. He'd just grabbed another when he glanced up and gave a small jump as he saw her.
"I—I'm sorry" KayKay said quickly. "I didn't mean to interrupt, Professor."
Brian started to glance over his shoulder. "Who—oh, that's right. Me. Sort of." He grinned sheepishly and set the essay back down. The corner of KayKay's mouth twitched, trying to leap in a respondent smile.
"Why are you up here anyhow?" he asked curiously. "Why aren't you at dinner?"
"I, ah . . ." she walked closer and grabbed her bag from under her usual seat, "I forgot my bag, Professor."
"Ugh, please don't call me 'Professor'. It makes me feel all old and stuffy. A few months ago, I was 'Brian'." He grinned again, and this time KayKay let herself return the expression.
"I like your necklace," he said significantly, nodding at the crystal pendant she was wearing. KayKay's hand instinctively flew up to touch it, maybe even to hide it. She'd been so careful about tucking it inside her shirt during class—it must have come out during the duel.
However, she found herself responding without the hesitation she would've expected. "Thanks. I actually didn't get a chance to open it until the train here . . . but I really like it. Thank you."
"I hoped you would," he said. Suddenly, he didn't seem like her professor, but like the friend she'd known the year prior. He must have thought the same thing too, because an awkward silence settled on them.
"So . . ." KayKay said finally. "Why aren't you at dinner?"
Brian looked down at the papers on his desk, and took plenty of time before answering.
"It just . . . too strange. Sitting up there next to my teachers, looking down at my classmates . . . that's why I haven't been at a lot of the meals."
"Brian, they're not your teachers anymore, just like they aren't your classmates. They're your colleagues and students." KayKay said, setting her bag back down and stepping onto the podium so she and Brian would be eye to eye.
"I know . . . but you understand, right?" he asked.
"Well, yeah," KayKay said. "I suppose."
Brian sighed, then walked out from behind his desk. He pushed the chair in a little too hard, and the radio (perched precariously upon a stack of books) toppled off. KayKay lunged forward and caught it automatically.
"Thanks," Brian said, holding out his hands. Was he blushing?
"No problem." KayKay handed it off, then self-consciously wiped her hands on her robes. "I didn't know you specialized in other music besides disco."
At this he grinned.
"Me? I love this kind of music. My cousin actually taught me some swing dancing—and I have to take back what I said last spring. Disco isn't the most fun dance style ever known; this is!"
KayKay laughed at his enthusiasm, then laughed harder as he tried to demonstrate some swing steps. He finally gave up, laughing along with her.
"It's easier with a partner," he said, shrugging.
"Sorry," KayKay replied with a grin, "I can't help you there. I've never learned how to swing dance."
Brian gasped dramatically with an expression of mock-horror. "Never?"
KayKay shook her head. "Never."
"Do you want to learn?"
His face was so full of boyish expectancy, and it did sound like fun . . .
"Sure, why not?" KayKay replied with a grin.
"Okay," Brian said. "You take my hand . . . that's right, and put your left arm on my shoulder . . . step right, left, back, front—like that, rock a bit . . ."
Brian guided her through the first few steps, then sped it up so it was in time with the music.
"Good! Now, you lift your arms up and around . . . and spin . . . good! You're a natural!"
"Oh please, stop. I'm flattered. Really. Don't make me blush," KayKay deadpanned in a girlish tone, making both of them laugh.
She began to get the hang of it . . . soon, Brian didn't have to explain most steps, but she simply responded to a nudge of his hand or his shifted weight.
"Okay, now here you want to go all the way out," Brian said as they reached the end of the song. They stood side by side, arms stretched out to their full length. "Now, spin in!"
She did, and he dipped her (quite low, actually). It was at that moment that the classroom door opened.
"What on earth is going on?"
KayKay caught a brief glimpse of Madison from an upside-down perspective before Brian hastily brought her back to her feet and whirled around, prepared to speak up in their defense. When he saw that it was Madison, he visibly relaxed.
"Excuse me, Professor," Brian became rigid again, and KayKay nearly recoiled at the cold emphasis Madison put on the name, "but Ron asked me to find KayKay before she was late for Quidditch practice."
She threw a look at KayKay, who humbly but quickly grabbed her bag and swung it onto her shoulder. She left without saying a word or glancing back.
When the classroom door was shut behind them, Madison immediately rounded on KayKay. "What's wrong with you? What do you think you're doing?"
KayKay didn't answer. She walked purposefully, keeping her gaze focused straight ahead.
"Really! Do you have any idea how much trouble you would've been in if it had been McGonagall who walked into that classroom? Or Snape?!" Madison continued.
"Accio Firebolt," KayKay said as if Madison weren't even speaking.
"KayKay! You can't just ignore me!" her cousin chastised. "I'm serious! Just because you're in Seventh Year doesn't mean you can toss away the rulebook! You need to snap some sense into that head of yours, because if something like that happens again—"
"Oh, what do you care?" KayKay snapped, turning her head sharply to look Madison in the eye. "Dancing isn't exactly living on the edge."
"He's your Professor!" Madison exclaimed.
"He's my friend!" KayKay corrected.
"You don't take any of this seriously, do you? Don't you understand what that looks like? What that is? People have been sent to prison for student-teacher relations like that. It's happening all the time with Muggles!"
"I'm not a Muggle."
"So? That doesn't make the two of you less vulnerable to the law!"
KayKay grabbed her Firebolt as it flew up next to her. "We were just dancing!"
"And besides that," Madison plowed on as they walked down the grassy slope towards the Quidditch Pitch, "you have a boyfriend!"
"So what?" KayKay demanded angrily, stopping and whirling around to face her cousin.
Madison looked surprised to say the least.
" 'So what'? 'So what'?! KayKay, what's gotten into you?!"
"Dancing with a friend doesn't make me a bad girlfriend!"
"I'm not talking about the dance, I'm talking about the principle of the thing!"
"Madison, why don't you meddle in someone else's life and stop making mine a soap opera?" KayKay snapped. "Just let me be normal for once, will you?!"
Without waiting for Madison's response, KayKay jumped onto her broom and kicked off, flying the rest of the way down to the Pitch. When she reached the locker room, she slammed the door shut behind her and didn't worry about suppressing her anger as she banged around the lockers, pulling out her practice uniform.
No comments were made by the team (save for a questioning look from Harry) when KayKay finally sat down on the bench, fuming. After all, as Ron always said, "An angry Beater is a dangerous one, and that's just what we need."
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I've wined and dined on Mulligan Stew and never wished for Turkey.
I've hitched and hiked and grifted too, from Maine to Albuquerque.
Alas, I missed the Beaux Arts Ball, and what is twice as sad
I was never at a party where they honored Noel Ca-ad (Coward).
But social circles spin too fast for me,
My "hobohemia" is the place to be.
I get too hungry for dinner at eight,
I like the theater but never come late,
I never bother with people I hate,
That's why the lady is a tramp.
I don't like crap games with barons and earls,
Won't go to Harlem in ermine and pearls,
Won't dish the dirt with the rest of the girls,
That's why the lady is a tramp.
I like the free, fresh wind in my hair,
Life without care,
I'm broke, it's okay,
Hate California, it's cold and it's damp.
That's why the lady is a tramp.
I go to Coney, the beach is divine.
I go to ballgames, the bleachers are fine.
I find a Winchell and read every line.
That's why the lady is a tramp.
I like a prizefight that isn't a fake,
I love the rowing on Central Park Lake,
I go to Opera and stay wide-awake,
That's why the lady is a tramp.
I like the green grass under my shoes.
What can I lose, I'm flat, that's that.
I'm alone when I lower my lamp.
That's why the lady is a tramp.
The food at the Kopensky is perfect, no doubt.
I couldn't tell you what the Ritz is about
Drop a nickel in, and coffee comes out
That's why the lady is a tramp.
Like the sweet, fresh, rain in my face.
Diamonds and lace, no got, so what?!
For Frank Sinatra, I whistle and stamp,
That's why the lady is a tramp.
She's a hobo,
She's a scamp,
She's a no-good kinda' tramp,
That's why the lady is a tramp.
Wow! about time I got that done. To those of you who are still acknowledging mt presence . . . I am SOOO sorry! I feel awful . . .
Well, lots of reviews to do. I might as well get started, eh?
Hannah: Thanks for reading!
Saraneth90: Ditto. (Hey, do you read Garth Nix???)
xAnonymityx: Glad to make ya' happy! I agree, the "Hogwarts is starting again" chapter is SOOO predictable . . . it's a drag, but it's not exactly skippable. Hopefully this chapter was more surprising . . . and I KNOW chapter nine will be . . . interesting.
I really enjoyed making up names! My friend got hysterical when she read it and told me that she couldn't believe I named a kid Sam-I-Am.
Hey, what can I say?
And yes, new board, I only hope that WB will give us our colors back º rolls eys º
siriusfanatic: Mine was the fastest read? º bows deeply º I'm honored. Thanks!
Jenny: Yes! Evil WB!
. . . However . . . if you ever DID feel inclined to come back to WB, you'd be MORE than welcome to follow the "homepage" link on my bio page . . .
Nick: KayKay's character isn't really based on me . . . she may have started with a similar appearance and attitude, but she's so unlike me that it's hard to compare us. So the final answer has to be . . . no.
(And I'm curious as to how many people read my story, too. I think it's about as many people as were "first years" in the sorting plus five . . . I don't really keep track, and I'm hoping there are more that read and just don't say anything . . . although it'd be awesome if they did! ºcough cough, hint hint º )
siriusfanatic (again)"The Greatest Man" IS the name, and it's by Reba . . . Reba McEntire (the BEST female country singer is the HISTORY of country singing).
ZenamesKat: Aurgh, I KNOW! Stupid WB! Do you have your Laly/James story somewhere? Am I being blind? (Likely)
Heehee, I'm hoping that Brian being professor came as a big surprise to most people . . . I know a few people who suspected it right away . . .
And what fun is being a teenager if your parents don't think you're insane? I once read a fanfiction and was laughing so hard that my mom came in and told me "I was having too much fun."
Eesh. This was way late . . . hope you hung on to life long enough to get it . . .
thetreehouses: Thanks!
siriusfanatic (AGAIN) Okay, finally updated! And oh my gosh, you fell asleep at a big lecture? ACK! The worst I've done is fall asleep in a choir concert (that I was in!) and watching a movie about Napoleon in Modern Global (which was actually quite refreshing).
Better hurry with that science!
Wow, is that all of it? ºlooks aroundº Yep, that's all of it! Danke to Ella Fitzgerald for the song that's five miles long.
