Chapter 13
Air Force One
Thursday morning an owl landed in front of him with an expectant look, his mom had written back. He almost opened the letter before realizing the breakfast table was crowded, and he had already witnessed classmates reading each other's letters from over shoulders. He pocketed the letter and would wait for a more private time to read it. He couldn't ignore the good feeling that filled him just from receiving the parcel, there had been pangs of jealousy that were growing each day he saw others accepting letters and packages from family owls. They weren't particularly strong feelings, but he couldn't deny the primal reaction. There had also been some doubt that his owl had ever found his mom, which was increasing with every passing day. So, just receiving the letter quashed that doubt, and without even reading it, he felt a small sense of relief.
Class that morning was a combination of Charms and Transfiguration and the afternoon full of potions. Using Astoria's advice was even more helpful in class where it was easier to succumb to disorganization. Also, by efficiently using his down time to learn more about the ingredients his attention was so focused he didn't ever even notice the hovering professor, it was as if he wasn't even there.
Thursday night for dinner he convinced Michael to accompany him at the Hufflepuff table. He needed to coordinate his tutoring schedule now that he knew when he would be meeting with Astoria (Mondays and Wednesdays). Michael wasn't willing to give up his Friday nights, while Susan had no problem with that. So, Tuesdays he would review Transfiguration with Michael, and Fridays would be practicing Defence with Susan, starting tomorrow. That left Thursdays and the weekends to fill in the gaps for other classes.
After dinner he tried studying in the common room, but found the atmosphere rather distracting. He had to politely decline Ron's invitation to play chess, answer Dean's questions about American sports, and convince Seamus he didn't know who he might ask out next, now that Daphne had officially declined his suggestion. He escaped to his four poster bed, and pulled out his mom's letter.
Just reading her words —even if she didn't have anything particularly exciting to share— was a comfort he didn't know he needed. He had attempted to dismiss the idea that he would miss his mom, but as the days passed there would be little things that reminded him of her. Those instances would cause small bouts of nostalgia —not strong enough to be considered homesick, like when he was shaping his wand— fortunately school kept him occupied to the point that these spells were brief and didn't drive him into a funk.
He arrived early to the Astronomy tower as Professor Sinistra was preparing for the night's lesson. They made some small talk until she had finished her preparations. She then presented him with an outline of the information he would need to know for his O.W.L.s. She said she didn't want to have to grade any extra papers, so he was free to ask questions of things he wanted to know more about, but he wasn't required to do more than the assigned classwork for his current year. That was unexpectedly pleasant news. Then arrived Tracey and Daphne.
'Professor, I asked Tracey to tutor me through all the stuff I need to catch up on,' Cody stated, she raised her eyebrows in mild surprise. 'I know she wasn't on the list you supplied, but I was told —by a very trusted source— that she is very knowledgeable on the subject; even if her test scores may not agree.'
'That description does sound accurate,' she turned towards Tracey. 'Why is it that your course work is always exceptional, yet your test scores—'
'Suck?' Tracey cut in.
'Not the word I would have chosen, but, yes,' the professor replied.
'I wish I had the answer, but whenever I get handed that testing quill, it's like it zaps my brain, and I can't think anymore,' Tracey explained.
'Regardless of her test scores, Professor, she clearly knows the material. And she has made it clear that she will help me willingly, and that's just as important to me. The last thing I want is for someone to resent me for being a burden on them,' Cody explained. The professor was gazing at Tracey to gauge her response to this statement, which was a rapid nodding of the head.
'Well, they are your O.W.L.s. In the end the decision is yours,' she conceded.
'Great!' Cody exclaimed.
'We will probably need to come up to use the tower on some extra nights. We had hoped we could come on Saturdays so we don't interfere with any other classes and so we can catch up on our sleep the next day also,' Tracey put on her most polite, yet persuasive tone.
'Well, I suppose there really aren't many other options, are there—'
'I'd like to come too, Professor,' Daphne declared. This caused the professor to tuck her chin, pull her head back and raise her eyebrows.
'Dost mine ears deceive me? Or did you just volunteer to do more school work?' She asked in pure shock. Apparently four years of just scraping by didn't go unnoticed by the faculty.
'Well, I'll just have to explain stuff, not actually do any more work. But really, I just think it would be a good idea for another person to be here with this pair. I trust my friend, but I don't know much about the new kid,' Daphne explained. Cody rolled his eyes, but wasn't exactly put out at this turn of events.
'I never leave students to be alone in my tower,' she replied with sharpness at the insinuation.
'I know, but I wouldn't want you to have to burden yourself with monitoring them, when having another student around could ease your mind considerably,' Daphne persuaded.
'I don't know that I need another person to help me. It may even just be a distraction,' Cody said, shooting Daphne a teasing grin. She responded by sticking her tongue out at him while the professor was looking the other way.
'Well, I certainly wouldn't want a distraction to impair the learning environment,' the professor stated.
'Professor, I would be anything but a distraction, and another perspective and another set of eyes has never hurt, when it comes to Astronomy,' Daphne reasoned.
'That is a fair point.'
'Not to mention the safety issue of Tracey walking through the halls by herself. I don't think Cody would feel very good about himself if something happened to her while she was just trying to help him.' Daphne added a little smirk at Cody.
'I don't suppose you are going to leave the subject alone until you get your way,' the professor observed, Daphne gave her head a series of small shakes.
'I've always said you are the most brilliant professor at the school,' Daphne elaborated, while Professor Sinistra rolled her eyes, though she had a small smile on her face.
'Well, Mr. Langdon, do you mind if Miss Greengrass joins you for your extra study sessions?' Professor Sinistra asked.
'I don't know much about the castle at night, so I guess I can allow it, for the sake of Tracey's safety, if nothing else,' Cody affected defeat.
'Very well, I'll have your passes ready at the end of class. We are almost ready to begin, head on to your stations.' Both girls held out a hand, palm up, with expectant looks at Cody.
'I'm seriously going to have to start charging you,' he said playfully.
'Thanks, Cody,' They sing-songed as they popped the gum in their mouths.
The class itself was fairly interesting, and only a few times did he have to ask for help in locating a landmark others already knew. The stars themselves were mesmerizing. He had never been able to see them like this before. Multiple times he got lost in their beauty and forgot the task at hand, this caused the lesson to fly by.
Even though he had a free period first thing the next day, he still got up early enough to complete his morning routine. He wasn't about to break a good habit for an hour of extra sleep.
His Friday ended with a free period, as did Susan's, so they agreed to meet at that time and get their practice in before dinner, instead of delaying their session until the evening. They had found a classroom free of any objects, even the walls were bare.
'Hey, Cody. How's your first week been?' Susan asked cheerfully.
'It's been a whirlwind, that's for sure. One thing after another, but overall it's been good. There's a lot for me to learn,' a hint of exhaustion in his voice.
'No doubt about that. You're gonna be in for a busy year. Did Professor Moody give you anything in particular to study, or work on?'
'Not really, once I told him you were going to tutor me he seemed to think I would have no problem learning what I need to know. That wouldn't have anything to do with your Aunt, would it?' he asked knowingly.
'It probably would. They've worked together a lot, I wouldn't be surprised if they've been in communication about the course this year. I could already tell from my first class this year that he expects a lot from me.'
'As do I,' Cody said with a smile, and she rolled her eyes.
'I'll be more helpful with the practical aspect of defence. I can point you in the right direction for the book work, but you'll obviously have to study that stuff on your own.'
'That's fine, so where do we start?' Cody asked eagerly.
'I guess the most basic would be the shield and the disarming spells. Some say the shield charm isn't basic, but Auntie says she doesn't understand how someone can be called a wizard without knowing how to cast a proper shield.' She gave him a brief demonstration and instruction. She had him practice the disarming spell on a dummy she had brought with her until he finally got it.
'That's good. Don't worry about not getting it right away, it always takes time to learn something new,' she encouraged as she could see the disappointment on his face at not accomplishing the task right away. She began walking to the other side of the room. 'Now, to practice your shield, I'm going to send the disarming spell at you. In a real fight, you could always dodge, but we aren't doing that right now, try to only use your shield to defend yourself, and don't get discouraged if it takes a few tries. I'm far enough away that you'll see it coming, just react. . . Expelliarmus!'
He had been focusing on drawing from his magic and when he saw the red light coming at him, he lifted his new fake wand and channeled his magic through it. The feeling was very similar to when he used his lightsaber, so he wasn't surprised when the disarming charm was rejected feet away from him. Susan on the other hand was baffled.
'That was no beginner shield. I didn't even hear you say the incantation,' she said in awe.
'I just said it quietly,' he said slowly. He was going to have to remember to at least mouth the words in the future, fortunately she hadn't been paying close enough attention to notice he hadn't even done that during this attempt. 'Either you're just a really good teacher, or it was just some beginner's luck.'
'That was quite the bit of luck, but only one way to find out— Expelliarmus!' she shouted.
Again, he put up his shield in plenty of time and the red light dissipated feet in front of him. This time Susan wasn't surprised, and only congratulated him by firing off another disarming charm, again to be rejected. She followed with another, then another, not waiting for them to be blocked before sending the next. Cody had little trouble defending, and decided at the first break to send his own spell her way, nobody needed to tell him to fight back. Susan easily parried the attack, and a smile graced her face, she was pleasantly surprised to see Cody return fire without prompting.
The impromptu duel had begun and they traded the same two spells back and forth, Cody noticed that the disarming charm seemed to take more out of him than the shield, likely due to his unfamiliarity with it. He could also tell that he was wearing down, there were a couple times he couldn't get his shield up in time and he had to resort to dodging. She noticed that he was dodging more regularly and began to close the distance. Cody never gave up, but his reactions were slowing and his magical and physical energy was all but depleted, when Susan finally landed a disarming charm and the wand was ripped from his hand. He sat and watched her approach with an impressed smile on her face. He had a split second thought of hitting her with his own disarming charm as she drew closer, but he quickly resolved not to give away that bit of information yet, and accepted defeat. Her lack of smugness also played into his decision to refrain. He knew this sort of thing would be great for his magical training, but he was also now realizing that in a real fight it would be unwise to go long without his real wand.
'That was pretty good for your first duel, really good, actually. I honestly thought I would be able to blast right through your shield, but obviously that wasn't the case. Once we increase your spell arsenal, you might make for a good sparring partner,' Susan said quite taken with the idea. She had beads of sweat on her forehead and nose, but it was nothing compared to the rivers that were streaming down Cody's face and off his chin.
'Well, with you only throwing the one spell at me it's not like you could catch me by surprise or anything,' Cody said in between deep breaths.
'That's true, but you still had to have the power to block it. It just showed me that you have a good base of magical strength. Your wand motions weren't even very precise, you can get more out of each spell by precise wand movements. Though, I like your idea of saying the spell softly so your opponent doesn't know what's coming, and it'll work better when you know more than one.'
'I didn't always hear you saying your spells,' he acknowledged.
'I've been practicing my nonverbal casting, same concept as saying it quietly, and you can fire off spells more quickly. I don't know if you noticed them coming at a faster pace towards the end.'
'I sure did, barely held up, until I didn't.'
'I think I'll teach you a new spell or two at the beginning of each session using the dummies, then we can have a little duel to practice.'
'That's a good idea. And I think you should add one extra spell that you haven't taught me, to your arsenal during the duel. Then, you can teach me that one after the duel is over.' Her eyes lit up at the suggestion.
'I like that, keep you off guard. You're never going to really know what's coming, so no use practicing like that. Well, I'm starving, let's go eat.' They made their way down to the Great Hall and joined Hannah at the Hufflepuff table.
'Looks like Susan didn't exactly take it easy on you for your first lesson,' Hannah observed.
'No, she clearly enjoys beating others into submission,' Cody replied playfully.
'I didn't want him getting a false sense of security,' Susan retorted. 'But for his first time, I'd say Cody held his own quite well. He'll be a competent wizard in no time.'
'Hey, don't go raising expectations on me, I like having the bar low. You're the one people expect to be a beast with the wand,' Cody said, Susan recoiled slightly.
'Don't say that too loud, I don't think Suze wants to be referred to as "a beast with the wand," ' Hannah laughed. Cody took in a breath of understanding and nodded his acknowledgment. They laughed it off, and had a pleasant meal together.
That evening he did some studying with Astoria's group, all the same individuals plus an extra Slytherin boy. Again, he didn't contribute much when they talked about their studies, but he did pick up more bits and pieces as he listened. There was not going to be any "all caught up" moment when it came to his school work this year, so he may as well get used to the idea of studying during much of his free time. Being surrounded by others that were focused on their studies also created a good environment for learning. He had to admit, this was easier than studying alone or around people that would otherwise distract him. He retired to bed as soon as he got back from the group, the late night yesterday, and physical exhaustion from training made falling asleep a piece of cake.
He kept up his morning routine on Saturday, he was already to the point where his body would just wake up without needing an alarm. After he was done, he made it down to the breakfast with his housemates.
'Mate, where do you go every morning?' Ron asked.
'Exercise. Usually around the lake,' Cody responded.
'You mean, running?' Seamus inquired incredulously.
'Yeah, I'll always do some running, but also things like push-ups, pull-ups, lunges, swimming, you know,' he looked around at a bunch of confused looks. 'You mean you guys haven't ever done those?'
'I've done, but that was in muggle primary school,' Dean said. 'But wizards don't do much exercising in general.'
'It's the swimming part is what got me thinking you're a mad man,' Seamus added.
'Honestly, it's not as cold as I thought it would be. It's not all that much different than the ocean,' Cody explained.
'You still gotta have a few loose marbles to go swimming in there. But it's really only the Quidditch players that do much exercising,' Seamus continued.
'I've heard the pros have a pretty rigorous training program,' Ron added. 'But you couldn't convince me to skip a lie-in to go do any of that.'
'I'm used to early mornings, so I figure I might as well keep up with the habit. You're all welcome to join me if you ever get the urge,' Cody suggested.
'No thanks. I love my pillow too much,' Seamus said.
'Yeah, mate, especially on the weekend,' Ron added.
'No worries, man. So, you guys playing Quidditch again today?' Cody asked.
'Of course. Gotta play as much as we can while the weather is still good,' Ron responded.
'Want us to keep you company again, Cody?' shot Lavender from a few seats down the table.
'Actually, I don't think I'm going down to the pitch. Neville's gonna show me some stuff in the greenhouses. Thanks though.' He and Neville left together, as the others headed off to the pitch.
Neville's passion for Herbology was not contagious, this was a subject Cody was going to have to power through. He would help Neville when necessary, but otherwise he would watch, and listen to his tutor pontificate on the attributes of each plant. Cody didn't realize they had worked through lunch until his stomach started growling at him, and it took him interrupting Neville to help his tutor recognize his own hunger.
'Oi mate, take it easy. You're going to survive, I promise,' Neville chuckled in response to Cody's irritation at the thought of missing a meal.
'I know I'll survive. But once you voluntarily miss meals because you have to cut weight, you start not wanting to miss any meals you don't have to,' Cody replied.
'You're not gonna miss anything. I guess no one told you, the elves leave food out on the weekends. Meal times are technically the same, but there's almost always something there,' Neville was not doing a great job at repressing his amusement.
'Oh, yeah, no one told me that,' Cody said sheepishly. It wasn't his fault he didn't know but he was still embarrassed at how irritated he had been and how easy the solution was.
Neville was right, and didn't let him forget it. Cody was ok with that since at least they were talking about something other than plants. He learned a little bit about Neville's upbringing, specifically his "Gran," who seemed a tad overbearing from the given description. And Cody told him some things about his life previous to his coming to Hogwarts. They finished their light lunch and went back to the greenhouses, the more he could get done now the closer to the finish line he would get; power through, he told himself.
He made sure not to be late to dinner so he would have more food options, and he needed to confirm his meetup time with Tracey. After he finished his meal he made his familiar route to the designated spot at the Slytherin table. As he was about to sit down at his usual spot across from Tracey, he heard his name called out from behind him in a disapproving tone. He turned to be greeted by the unhappy face of Astoria.
'Hey, Astoria,' He said cheerily.
'Don't "hey, Astoria" me. You left group last night without submitting payment,' she said with all the venom of a poisonous snake.
'Oops,' he replied, a "deer in headlights" look on his face. 'Well, what do you say I give it another shot?'
'Yes, this time, without the "oops," ' she said sternly. And arms went around his neck and she was placated. 'Ahh, that's better. See you later, Cody,' she intoned, before heading back to her spot at the table.
'Ok, what is that all about?' Daphne demanded, as Cody took his seat next to Millicent.
'That's personal,' he replied. Her eyes narrowed at him. 'Ok, ok,' he relented. 'That's her fee for helping me with my classes,' he explained.
'Her fee?' Daphne asked, and her need for more information was obvious.
'Yeah, you know, her payment. She helps me with my school work and I relieve the tension in her back,' he said casually.
'So, Saint Astoria isn't so saintly after all,' she said pensively. 'And what are you giving us as payment for helping you?' she asked coyly.
'Oh, it's "us" now, is it?' he inquired playfully. She shared a look with Tracey, then they both turned to him with a grin and nodded their heads. 'Well, if that's the case, I'd say I've made sufficient prepayment for at least the first few lessons,' he said while flashing a pack of gum at them.
'Maybe so. But I'd like to negotiate my own fees in the future,' Tracey said with a playful smile. She quickly scribbled something down on a small parchment, folded it and slid it across the table to Cody. He took the note, and read it. It was good information, nothing earth shattering, but he had to use some effort to keep his facial expressions in check. He was successful and he remained relatively expressionless while nodding his head.
'We can definitely work something out, Tracey,' he smiled at her.
'What was that?' Daphne cut across.
'A show of good faith negotiations,' Tracey responded teasingly.
'Oi, Langdon!' A voice rang out from down the table. Not this prick again, I really need to learn the Force choke. Malfoy approached as Cody turned in his seat to face him. 'You didn't tell me you're a mudblood,' Malfoy said with disgust. Tracey breathed in a small gasp. Pansy started giggling but was quickly silenced by a violent elbow to the arm from Daphne.
'I didn't realise my blood type was that important to you. I'm flattered. But for your information, I think I'm O-positive. I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess you are AH-positive.'
'Cody, AH isn't even—' Daphne was cut off by Cody putting a finger to his lips, and then mouthing "later."
'I don't care about all your muggle terms, I won't have any mudblood sitting at my table,' Malfoy said with his self anointed authority.
'Ok, I'll leave,' Cody conceded. Daphne and Tracey were taken aback, he didn't seem like the type to back down so quickly.
'You don't have to go. This isn't his table,' Daphne interjected. Malfoy shot her a glare.
'No, it's ok, I was about to leave anyway. But I do have a question for you, Draco,' he said drawing out the name. 'Is mudblood worse than squid blood?'
'Squid blood?' Malfoy questioned.
'Yeah, I heard some Claw say you have squid blood,' Cody feigned ignorance.
'Do you mean squib?' Malfoy asked, as a look of horror crossed his face.
'Yeah! That was it! He called you a squib.' Cody replied energetically, pointing and shaking an index finger at the blonde haired boy.
'Who was it? How dare he.' He demanded.
'Tall, dark haired bloke, brown eyes. I don't remember much else, I just overheard.'
Cody replied with uncertainty.
'Stewart?'
'Could be, I didn't actually hear his name. But, I gotta run.' He looked towards Tracey and Daphne, and said quietly, 'see you at eleven.' And he took off before they could demand more gum.
'Hey!' They called out in chorus, he turned around as he was walking away and caught their cute pouty faces. If he had been closer he might have given in, but he wasn't turning around now, so he just shot them a wink and briskly walked off.
He hung out in the common room that afternoon, he felt he needed a break, besides he was going to be doing extra work instead of sleeping that night, or that's what he told himself. He gave chess a chance, but Ron destroyed him; which made it not particularly fun for Cody and rather boring for Ron. Ron mentioned that his dad loved muggle stuff, and that his twin brothers were far more intrigued with that world than he was. Cody noticed the twins isolated in their part of the common room, they definitely appeared to be protecting something, that'd be something to check into later. He had yet to fall victim to one of their pranks, but it was only a matter of time with how often they were swapping out foods.
He went up to his dorm to pen a letter to his mom that he could drop off at the owlery on his way to the Astronomy Tower that night. He also had time to write to Stephanie now that he had some things that he could explain without the magical details.
Dear Stephanie,
If you were impressed before, you should see me now, found myself a study group to study with during my free time. The curriculum is a bit different here, so I have to make up some of the work from years past. There is an Astronomy class where we get to go up to the observatory at midnight and look at the stars. They really are something away from the city lights. Then a gardening class, with greenhouses for growing plants, I do not have a green thumb. I knew what I was getting into, but I didn't realize how much extra time it would take to learn it all. I even have done some homework on the weekend, old me would think I'm crazy, and maybe I am. Most students are pretty nice, but there are still a couple "Brandons," but I haven't had to do anything about them, yet.
There is no wrestling team here, so I'm kinda bummed about that, but again, I knew that going in. They are big into soccer, they try to call it football but I know better, but I'm no good at that either, so I just do my own exercising. I'll have to get my updates from you about how Jamal and Victor do in wrestling, they aren't the writing types.
Sorry for putting you in the position to have to find a new dance partner, I'll miss dancing with you as well. I'm sure you'll have plenty of guys willing to try out for the role, and you can always take the lead if you have to.
So, how's school? Did you get into all the classes that you wanted to? I hope you're doing well. I better get going now, gotta go study, on a Saturday night :)
Sincerely,
Cody
He got the envelopes ready and made his way to the owlery to send them off to his mom, who could then send Stephanie's letter via traditional post. He then meandered to the Astronomy Tower, where he arrived before his study partners. Professor Sinistra had things already set up for them and he visited with her until the duo walked in, and the professor dismissed herself.
'You are a little devil, you know that?' Daphne said, giving him a wry grin, and holding out her palm.
'I have no idea what you are talking about,' Cody said with a sly grin.
'Does AH mean what I think it means?' she asked.
'Well, if it's what you use to go number two, then yes, it does.' Both girls shook their heads while smiling and letting out small laughs.
'That's too good,' Daphne complimented.
'You should've heard Malfoy going off in our common room. I think he finally caught on that you're just sending him off on these wild niffler chases,' Tracey explained.
'Though it took someone else pointing it out to him to figure it out,' Daphne added.
'He's not real bright, is he?' Cody said.
'No, he actually is fairly smart. But until now, he couldn't comprehend the possibility of someone lying straight to his face,' Daphne said.
'You might actually be in for a real confrontation now,' Tracey warned.
'I'm not worried about him, he's all bluster,' Cody dismissed. Then asked in a disbelieving manner, 'I mean, has he ever actually done anything?'
'See, that's where he has been smart. Sure, in public it seems like all talk, but things have happened to kids, and of course there have been no witnesses,' Daphne started.
'Or it's always Snape that is the first to the scene. And, as he is the git's godfather, you can only imagine how those "punishments" go. If he gets in trouble at all,' Tracey added with a roll of her eyes.
'So, yeah, in public, he's all a show. But if he gets you isolated, we don't know what he is actually capable of. Though, if the rumors of what his dad has done are even close to true, it wouldn't be a stretch to think he'd be willing to do some abhorrent stuff,' Daphne continued.
'That's really where his power comes from, people being afraid of his father's wand, or more importantly, his political influence,' Tracey said.
'That's all very interesting, but I'm not going to get hung up on the kid. And we're burning moonlight. Teach me the ways of the stars, Tracey,' Cody said.
'What? No payment?' Tracey replied.
'Not before. It's not good to chew gum lying down.'
They all laid down placing their heads together forming a make-shift circle, and Tracey started pointing out constellations and important things to know about them. Daphne did have some nuggets to add, but it was Tracey that did most of the instructing. They kept going until the yawns started interrupting every sentence. And they began their walk back towards their dorms, which kept them on the same path for at least a few floors.
'So, we need to discuss this payment situation,' Tracey started.
'You can't want gum right now, you'll wake up with it in your hair, and trust me, that's bad news,' Cody quickly replied.
'We aren't talking about that, silly. We cornered Tori and she confessed how magical your hugs are. We want in,' Daphne said.
'Ahh, I see. You've done a good job weaseling your way into this deal, Daphne,' he smirked.
'Just try and refer to me as any type of weasel one more time, and we'll just see if you ever make it back to your dorm,' Daphne threatened, her smile indicated she was teasing, but he wasn't going to test anymore.
'Hey, give that wand a rest, you won't be needing it. I'm just teasing. You weren't a distraction, so you can be included in the deal,' he conceded. 'As long as you don't abuse the privilege.'
'We would never,' they both replied in unison, looking affronted.
'Right,' he said, drawing out the word. 'You don't need me to accompany you all the way back to your room?' he asked politely.
'Nope, I got my bodyguard right here,' Tracey replied pointing at Daphne. 'So, how does this hug work?' she added suggestively.
'Arms up, around my neck, just relax and exhale,' Cody explained, as Tracey did as instructed and the pops and cracks rang out. Tracey stretched her arms and twisted her body as she turned away with a satisfied smile on her face.
'Tori wasn't wrong,' she proclaimed towards Daphne, who was sliding around Tracey to take her turn.
What happened next was one of those incidents that becomes family folklore for those who end up getting together, and staying together. These are the stories children demand before bed; the stories grandchildren pine for over holiday visits while sitting by the fire; the stories a great-grandfather can still remember in perfect detail, even though he can't recall the color of the shirt he is currently wearing. For those that don't end up together, these tales end up as little more than footnotes in one's life, shared so infrequently that eventually they are forgotten.
Daphne approached with a nervous anticipation, they made eye contact for a moment before she wrapped her arms around his neck, her cheek against his neck. Cody's arms enveloped her and he lifted her feet off the ground, again, cracks filled the air, but barely audible beneath the pops, there was another sound that escaped. Perhaps her body had relaxed a bit too much, for the soft squeak that she released was not becoming of a lady, no matter how natural it might be. Cody wasn't certain he heard what he thought he heard, and there was not a chance in hell he was going to respond in any way to his assumption; that would prove very costly, if wrong. Though, the way Daphne stiffened in his arms was a pretty good indicator his assumption was correct.
Tracey had no doubt about what she had heard, and bit into her shoulder to prevent herself from howling with laughter; she would wait to be alone with her friend for that. Despite her best efforts, even the pain in her shoulder, her snorts were still audible in the otherwise silent corridor.
In that moment, Daphne wanted to disappear, to fade away into nothingness, alas, it was not to be. As she untangled herself from Cody's embrace, her tomato red face could not hide her embarrassment. The only saving grace was the current lack of light in the castle, which prevented the fullness of her color from being obviously discernable.
'Not. A. Single. Word. Ever.' Daphne declared. Half the sentence directed to Cody, the other half to Tracey. Then she turned to flee the scene. 'Let's go.'
'Night, Cody,' Tracey sing-songed. 'My back feels great. How 'bout yours Dee?' she asked, catching up to her friend.
'Shut up, Tracey,' Daphne retorted. Tracey's laughs filled the corridors.
'Night, Touchdown,' Cody called to their retreating forms.
'I like that,' Tracey commented, before turning back to her friend. 'Are you sure it couldn't have been a mouse? Or, it could be those barking spiders, I've heard they are more active at night,' her cheery voice echoing back to Cody, who had slid to a seated position, face buried in his shirt, realization of the event striking him with force, his shoulders bouncing up and down.
'Tracey,' Daphne warned.
'Oh, come on, Dee. It could've been a lot worse. I mean, you really should just be glad it didn't stink,' Tracey added, and those were the last words Cody could hear before they were out of earshot, though he still heard a few more laughs come up the corridor as he sat there. He remained there with his face in his shirt until he was able to get his own laughter under control, before heading back to his bed for the night, he didn't want to wake up his whole tower.
Sunday morning he woke up a bit later than usual, but still before any of his roommates. He got dressed in athletic shorts and hoodie, his regular morning attire, grabbed his shrunken guitar from his trunk and headed out. Sundays had always been his default recovery day after weekend wrestling tournaments, so he would take it easy here too, only doing a light jog until he reached the far end of the lake. There he found a boulder he could perch on, and sat facing back towards the castle where he could see anyone approaching. He was still self-conscious about playing in front of people —or more accurately singing, even if his mom said he had a good voice— he hated the sound of his own. He unshrunk his guitar and began to play, he had missed this.
He started with his new favorites, the likes of Green Day and Weezer, before gradually going back to some older favorites. He didn't notice the congregation of animals and creatures that was accumulating at the edge of the forest behind him. The animal he did notice was his black and white banded King snake slithering up his back to rest on his shoulders.
§Key, how have you been?§ Cody asked, excited to see his pet again.
§I've been well. Plenty of food, but plenty of danger, also.§
§Like what?§
§Giant spiders—§
§Say no more. Are you going to be safe out here?§
§Oh yes, my size and camouflage allow me to go undetected, and I'm not reckless.§
§Alright. So, you could hear my guitar?§
§Yes, along with the rest of the forest, apparently. Don't look behind you, but you've got an audience.§
§I thought I heard something back there. I couldn't decide if it was something dying or something trying to sing along,§ Cody noted.
§That would be the big shaggy dog. He was just bobbing his head at first, but the last few songs he started howling.§
§Hmm, he must like old rock songs. He was really howling for AC/DC, that's funny. Can you see him from here?§
§Yes.§
§Alright, let's see if he likes "Back in Black."§
Cody shifted so in his peripheral vision he could see the edge of the forest, and there, sitting on his haunches, was a large black shaggy dog, tongue hanging out and Cody would guess that he looked eager to hear more.
Cody began to play and the dog's head started bobbing with the beat right away. When he got to the lyrics, Cody let loose, but kept his ear peeled for the dog's howls, which were loud and off tune, but surprisingly on rhythm. He would've sworn the dog knew the song, but now was the time to practice something. This was going to be different than anything he'd done before, since both his hands were still going to be occupied.
With his eyes closed, he continued mindlessly playing and singing, while mentally he was focusing on the snout of the dog and forcing it shut. He wasn't ready to go for the choke yet, still didn't want to accidentally kill something. He felt his magic swell and once it built to his desired strength, he channeled it towards the howling canine.
Snap!
The jaws were shut, and now, Cody could barely hear a whimper coming from the shaggy thing, who started shaking his head to release his unseen binds. After five seconds or so Cody released the hold, and there hadn't been even a hint of a break in his song. The dog was looking around for something, but didn't seem to find what he was looking for, and went back to "singing." Cody almost laughed before clenching the dog's mouth shut again, but caught himself, and laid even harder into his chords. After setting the dog's jaw free again, there was no more howling, even though he couldn't seem to locate the source of his trouble.
After a few more songs, Cody shrunk the guitar and made a slow jog back to the castle. Knowing meal times weren't so definite had allowed him to spend much more time out than he normally would have, and he passed many kids already out on the grounds during his trip back in. As he got closer to the castle he slowed down into a walk.
From a distance he saw Daphne and Tracey walking together. He waited until they looked his way, and he sent a smile over. Daphne quickly looked away, he was too far away to see the color grow in her face, but Tracey smiled back. Then she waved her hand in front of her nose, falling into a fit of giggles. She was met with an elbow from Daphne, who also said something to Tracey, but it didn't stop her laughter. As he passed, Daphne stuck her tongue out at him and he saw the indicators of a repressed smile from her, so she wasn't completely distraught, more just playing the part.
The study group was meeting early tonight, so they didn't end up so close to curfew. That meant an early dinner, many of his classmates were just arriving as he was finishing up, jostling around plates of food in the process of taking their seats around Cody.
'Malfoy was looking for you earlier,' Ron said to him.
'I'm not hiding, but he can go kick rocks for all I care,' Cody replied.
'That's the spirit,' Fred intoned from his other side.
'Don't let that git get to you,' encouraged George.
'Thanks guys. I'd love to stay and chat, but I gotta boogie.' He grabbed his last bite of dessert as he stood up from the table. As he walked the halls towards the study room he thought he heard an increased amount of whispering from those he would pass, but he mainly ignored it as he walked.
'Wow, Cody!' exclaimed Sophie, a study group regular that had been quite friendly to Cody.
'Talk about shock value,' Astoria expounded.
'What are you talking about?' asked Cody, somewhat perplexed.
'Oh, come on,' Sophie sighed. 'One simply does not walk around with freshly minted flaming Weasley hair and not expect to draw a reaction from people.'
'No! You've got to be kidding me,' Cody started. Astoria produced a mirror, and flashed it in front of his face. Cody ran a hand through his hair to examine the evidence, it was true, his hair had changed to a Weasley shade of red. 'Freaking Weasleys, they got me.'
'Just be happy it's just your hair color. They seem to get the Slytherins with much worse. Of course, we can never prove it's them,' Astoria said with a hint of disdain.
'Interesting, I'm gonna have to keep my eye on them a little more now,' Cody added.
A few new kids joined the group that evening, a couple Ravenclaws and some more Slytherins, all from fourth year. The new voices were good additions, and Astoria did a good job making sure not any one person dominated the conversation, there was no doubt this was her group and everyone else was just a guest. Occasionally it came across heavy handed, but no one was going to waste her valuable study time. When they finished Cody stayed behind to give Astoria her hug, and to ask her about something he noticed during the study clips.
'Who's the new guy?' he asked with a little smirk.
'Mathias, he's a Ravenclaw,' she responded without emotion.
'I can see colors, thank you very much. How long have you liked him?' Her eyes bugged for a split second before she regained her expressionless face.
'Your hair would indicate otherwise, and I don't like him,' she replied with an upturned nose.
'Stop. You're not fooling me, he was the only one you couldn't make eye contact with for more than a second. Not to mention that he was always sneaking glances at you,'
'I'm not interested in starting any relationships right now,' she responded haughtily.
'First of all, that is entirely unavoidable. You are starting relationships everywhere, even if they aren't of the romantic sort. Second, it's not even that big of a deal if you do. Live a little.'
'I live plenty,' she defended.
'Whatever, ugh. . . Girls,' he sighed.
'Girls? What exactly are you implying?' she asked, a bit of heat in her voice.
'Just that I should stop trying to figure out what's going on in your minds,' he said, almost in defeat.
'I am perfectly logical,' she declared.
'Oh, really? Just the other day, you were madder than a junkyard dog one minute, then a second later you walk away, happier than a clam.'
'I had been slighted, the slight was remedied, my mood adjusted accordingly,' she explained coolly.
'Ok, so logically, I'd say you need to experience things, you need to have some fun,' he shot back.
'School is fun,' she proclaimed.
'No, like real fun,' he argued.
'Like what?'
'I don't know, everyone is different, but school isn't enough. You gotta try different things until you find something you like. Your little brain breaks during study clips aren't enough, you've got to find something to give your mind a real break, or eventually you'll burn out.' He thought his argument actually had merit, even though it only came to him on the spot.
'I don't want to waste time doing stupid things I probably won't enjoy,' she said with a wave of dismissal.
'You never know until you try, what about flying? Lots of people around here like that,' he suggested.
'That's Daphne's thing,' she said with an air of defeat.
'Heaven forbid you like something your sister does,' he intoned. 'What's her deal anyway?'
'It's complicated,' she sighed.
'Of course, what else would it be?' he said sarcastically. 'One day she's telling me she doesn't want to date, the next she's almost losing her mind about Tracey being alone with me for Astronomy.'
'Well, if you haven't noticed Tracey doesn't always think before she speaks. And I know there are things Daph wouldn't want her to tell you, well, not just you, but anyone in general.'
'Like what?' he probed.
'Not my tale to tell,' she said, and he mock pouted. 'Oh, come on. If anyone should appreciate my discretion it's you,' she said with conviction.
'Ok, fine. What can you tell me then?'
'Hmm,' she considered her words. 'Well, if I'm logical, then she's emotional.'
'She doesn't seem that emotional,' he countered.
'No, she's worked hard to get to the point she's at. But you've already seen flashes of it,' she added with a small grin.
'I guess I have, but what do you mean she's worked hard?' he asked curiously.
'Again, not my tale, and I've probably already said too much, but I trust you not to go blabbing. So, I'll just say this, as far as practical applications of magic go, she is probably as advanced as anyone in her year. It's all the academic stuff that she neglects.'
'I see that, she definitely doesn't come across as stupid,' he agreed.
'Right, she's anything but. And she hates wasting time on things she doesn't want to do, or see a purpose for. In that way we are very similar, as you've learned.'
'Like dating.' She nodded in agreement. 'Are you only excluding Hogwarts boys, like her? Or do you refuse to date at all?'
'Is that the line she used on you?' She asked with a smirk. 'I guess she would have had to change her "no English boys" rule since you don't fall under that ward. And no, I don't date, but I also just barely turned 14, so our situations are hardly comparable.'
'I suppose that is fair, but I still think you should get out more, even if it's not dating, yet. And yes, that was her line. After I pointed that out, she must have came up with a new rule. But, Seamus isn't English,' he noted.
'Yeah, well, by the time he started using that as an argument she just started pulling out her wand, he finally stopped approaching her at that point. So, you should take it as a compliment that she felt you were worthy of creating a whole new rule.'
'Oh, yes, I am completely flattered, nothing does more for a guy's confidence than a unique yet vague excuse for a shut down,' he said with an eye roll. 'Anything else I should know? You'll warn me if I'm about to do anything stupid?'
'Nope, I'm not getting involved in anything between you and my sister. And I can all but guarantee you'll do something stupid. You are a boy after all,' again, she smirked.
'Now, who's the one throwing around stereotypes?' he questioned animatedly.
'If the robe fits,' she said with a winning smile on her face. 'On the topic of my sister, what happened last night? I know you did some Astronomy together, but Tracey hasn't stopped giggling all day, and Daph keeps glaring at her. Though, she usually ends up laughing too, so I know it's not something too bad.' Her evaluation was spot on.
'That would definitely fall under the category of, as you say, not my tail to tell,' he smirked. 'I wouldn't expect her to respond with much more than a bunch of hot air if you ask, at least not for a while, maybe eventually.' He was on the verge of busting out at the jokes going on in his head, those that Astoria was not privy to.
'Ok, be that way. Now, give me my hug.'
Snap, crackle and pop.
He got back into the common room, and the eyes that all stayed on him quickly reminded him of his hair situation. He searched for and spotted the twins in their isolated corner, again huddled over something. He parried the jokes sent his way, as he stealthily closed in on his targets. They spotted him just before he got close enough to see what they were looking at. They hastily folded it up and put it away, it definitely was paper, or parchment, of some sort.
'Hey there. . . Brothers. I guess,' Cody said, making light of his situation, he didn't want to give them the satisfaction of his anger. They both sported ear to ear grins.
'Hey, that's true.'
'Only a Weasley can have that shade of hair color.'
'Even if it is just an honorary title.'
'An honorary Weasley brother.' Which twin was speaking, Cody couldn't tell, so he didn't even try.
'How long am I going to be an honorary Weasley?' Cody asked.
'You'll be back to your ugly old self by morning.'
'I don't think he's ugly, just from an objective point of view,' said a sultry voice from behind. 'In fact, it's too bad you're my brother right now, cause I definitely am into redheads.' Cody turned to see Ginny wearing an evil grin. While the twins shared a look and let out a chorus of,
'Uh oh. See you later, Cody. Good luck.' And like a flash they were gone.
'Uh, hi— Ginny. I— Um, I— Shoot,' he stuttered. Word had definitely gotten back to her, but how?
'Yes?' she drawled. She was definitely toying with him, her face wasn't anger, it was the vicious delight of catching someone with their hand in the cookie jar.
'Who told you?' he asked.
'Does it matter?' was her snarky response.
'It sure does, someone seriously violated the bro-code. I have one prime suspect. Was it Ron?' He was feeling pretty confident in his guess.
'Yeah, it was. He means well, but he sure can be an annoying overprotective git with a big mouth sometimes.' A definite note of irritation laced her voice.
'So, you're unhappy with him, not me?'
'Right, I was just having a laugh,' she replied easily, relaxing him.
'Well, you got me good. And, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that stuff.' he said genuinely.
'Were you just making it up to get under Ron's skin?' she asked with interest.
'No, I didn't make anything up—' She smiled at him with a "gotcha" grin, but what was done was done, so he continued, 'I just said it out loud to get under his skin. And it definitely worked.'
'Well, I'll take the compliment and ignore the other part,' she said graciously.
'Are you looking for a way to get back at your brother?' he asked with a mischievous smile.
'I'm not that easy, Cody. I'm not going to snog you just to get a rise out of my brother. But, if you ever change your policy on redheads, I could reconsider,' she said coquettishly. 'Or if you come up with another plan for getting him back, I'd definitely be interested. At some point, he needs to learn that I'm free to make my own decisions.' With that, and a little wave she was up the stairs to the girl's dormitories.
That night he broke out the Marauder's Journal, he needed some ideas to get back at those red headed brothers. He noticed his father was much more descriptive in this journal than in his personal one. There were also other handwritings in here, so this must've been a compilation book. He found a few good ideas, and marked those pages, as he skimmed through the book. Then he reached a page that had a title that jumped out at him, "Animagus." There were pages of theory, followed by more pages of step by step instructions, which he didn't get into. The only part that he actually read was the warning in all caps before what appeared to be the final step: DO NOT ATTEMPT ALONE! He was definitely going to come back to this sooner than later. He went to sleep that night envisioning what type of animal he might become.