"Now, remember, children: swish and flick, but this time with a slightly more forceful flick!"

I scowled in annoyance at the over-happy Professor Flitwick as he balanced on his stack of books, swishing and flicking to kingdom come. Why did he always have to look so damn cheerful about everything? And sound so excited? That little squeaky voice was driving me nuts. It would be so good to just hurl a shoe at his head and watch him fall to the floor, screaming…

Marlene poked her wand into my ribs. Was she insane? Did she want me to catch on fire?

"Do you want me to catch fire?" I snapped at her, batting her wand fiercely away with my hat. "What have I ever done to you?"

She raised an eyebrow at that, making me sigh in despair. Merlin, a little humour goes absolutely nowhere around her. It's like trying to squeeze water out of a desert. And I mean the sandy place with cacti, you fool, not the kind with ice cream you have after dinner.

Anyway.

"I was trying to make you concentrate!" she hisses back. "You were just sitting there staring at Flitwick!"

"Don't go getting any ideas," I warned her, and she stifled a laugh at my hilarity. Not. "What are we supposed to be doing, anyway?" I quizzed her, because everyone around us were swishing and flicking like windmills, but nothing actually seemed to be happening.

"Making objects levitate, then rotate and move around the classroom."

"Oh." Well, that seemed pretty simple. On the other side of the room, I could see Potter was leaning back in his chair to chat with Black, who was sat behind him. As I watched, they both cracked up laughing at something, then simultaneously turned to look at me. I clenched my jaw and stared at the heavy book in front of me. It would be so good to make that levitate, soar over to where Potter sat, then watch it gracefully smack into his head…I have very violent visions, don't I?

Next to me, Marlene had started her swishing and flicking jiggery-pokery. "Alasto Meando!" she cried dramatically, and what would you know? The book didn't go anywhere.

Looking determined, she tried again. "Alasto Meando!"

The book stayed on the desk. Frowning, she poked it with her wand, and it promptly set on fire.

Sweet nipples of Merlin.

"What are you doing?" I yelped, helpfully putting it out with a bit of water from my wand. I sat there and looked at her. "Are you trying to kill us all?"

She was shaking slightly. "I didn't mean to do that!" she whispered fearfully.

"Try telling Professor Flitwick that," I replied. Her face went white. We both knew how protective Flitwick gets over his books. Sometimes he has trouble letting go of them when he hands them out to us in lessons.

"Let me have a go," I said, deciding it was best to change the subject. Pointing my wand at the soggy, black 'book' I pushed all my concentration into my fingertips and said firmly: "Alasto Meando!"

Flipping heck. Not even I expected that. The book rose, dripping heavily, then just hung there, in mid air, as though waiting for my next command. Marlene's mouth was open. So was mine, for that matter. I mean, not bad for someone who wasn't even listening when the class began, eh?

Somehow, weirdly, I just knew what to do. I flicked my wand upwards, and the book went sailing up as well, as though pulled on a bit of string. I swung my wand to the right, the book slid smoothly through the air, in a perfectly straight line, to the opposite wall. A few people were shouting at me because it was dripping black stuff all over them, but I didn't care. I was entranced. It was…beautiful…the book was at my beck and call…of this one, burnt book, I was queen…I began making it drift casually over to where Potter sat…

"Miss Evans?"

Looking round, I lost my concentration and out the corner of my eye I saw the book drop like a stone. Someone yelped loudly, and the next thing I knew the entire class were laughing so loudly it hurt my ears. Dreading the worst, I looked around. And there, glaring angrily at me through glistening eyes, with a mound of solid black stuff on his head, sat Severus Snape, butt of everyone's joke yet again.

"I'm so sorry!" I mouthed at him, horrified, but it made no difference. He scowled horribly and tried to sweep it off his head, dumping it in disgust on his desk.

I felt like such a bitch. Especially when Black pinged a paper ball right at him as well, to add insult to, well, insult.

Not that I meant to insult him, that is…

Oh Merlin. Must make it up to him. Must make it up to him. Must make it up to him (but not in that way.)

0o0

Hi guys! I'm here to say thanks SO MUCH for all the reviews you've been giving me so far. I was nearly knocked over backwards when I recied about thirteen reviews for one chapter. Hell, that was scary.

But come on, people. What is the deal with adding me to your author alert and then not reviewing? Hmm? DON'T YOU KNOW I THRIVE ON REVIEWS? I love them so much they do literally make me write. Especially if you tell me exactly what about my story you like so much. Or you tell me you found a bit funny. Just getting feedback reassures me that there are people out there who genuinely like my story and want more.

Bye bye for now.

Bubbles xxx