Walking With A Ghost
Chapter 2
I walked down the dirty cobblestone street, which was mostly empty since it was still fairly early in the morning (around 8) I pushed open a shop door, which issued a fain tinkle from the bell attached to it as I looked around my personal haven.
A lare room, stacked from floor to ceiling, wall to wall, with books stood before me! There were heaps everywhere, spell booksa nd biographies, plays and fiction novels and history books, packed into the tiny shop! It was rather small in width, the room was only about ten feet on each side. But the walls reached up like a cathedral, never seeming to end, forever stacked with books. Some of them were so high up they were near impossiable to reach, these tended to be books filled with dark magic. But what I loved most was that they sold wizard's books and Muggle books too! Muggle stories, Muggle history! There was so much to learn, and so little time. You could literally spend a lifetime in this place, maybe even two. James and Sirius are my best friends, but they just can't understand the feeling I have when I step into Jenkin's Used Books.
I remembered all the hours and even days that Remus and I had spent here, streached out on the musty carpet, reading the lazy days of summer away together.
Slowly, a crooked and narrow ladder supporting a thin man soared down to me. The owner smiled, showing several rotting teeth, and he had a whispy white mop on his bald, pale and sunken head. Jenkins, the shop owner, may have looked creepy, but he is just sunlight deprived.
"Hello! And welcome back, Miss Mona. Where be Mister Remus?" he spoke in a half whisper, blowing his thin, white mustashe with every breath.
"On holiday, I'm afraid. I think he's currently in France." I half shouted at him, since I knew from experiance that the old bookworm was nearly deaf.
He nodded faintly to me. "Such a fine yound man. You make a lovely couple..." he wheezed, and I snorted loudly.
"Yeah right!" I was hysterically laughing, very loudly. I was even nearing tears! "You really are insane...d'you have my orders?" I wiped the tears of suprise and laughter from my eyes. Where did he get that notion?
His eyes sparkled like an old grandfather talking to his favorite kid. "Oh, yes. I'll go and get them." And he disappeared into the back through a creaking mahogany door.
I looked around the shop, and examined one of my flawlessly manicured fingernails. Me and Remus? Together! Honestly... We were best friends. like James and Sirius, but that would never work out. It could ruin one of the few friendships I could always count on.
"Here you are," Old Jenkins popped from nowhere at my back, carrying my textbooks for my last year of school. I nearly jumped, but I was used to his popping out of nowhere by now. "Eleven galleons."
I paid for my books, and headed back to my motel room to get a head start on reading. I'd have a lot more free time in Hogwarts if I learned a few spells now. So, I propped open my herbology book and began to read about hte venemous tentacula.
Soon, there was a crash downstairs as a drunk hobbled up the steps, cursing enough to make the most seasoned bartender pale. I blinked, and looked up. Outside my foggy and cracked window, it was pitch dark and my digital watch read 4:34 AM! Lily had given it to me for Christmas last year, since she thought it might help me be on time for class and quidditch pratice. It didn't, but it was still a useful watch. I yawned, and collapsed on my pillow next to my books which were spread across the room and bed, open and in disarray. I vaguely recalled that James was coming to Olivander's tomorrow, but it didn't quite register so I didn't set my alarm, and continued to read an intersting bit on the magical properties of seven.
But my eyes slit shut, and I fell into a deep sleep on my bed of books with my face stuck to my arithmancy textbook. Within seconds I was in a coma-like dreamland filled with sausages.
(The Next Morning)
"Mona..." A voice hazily drifted into my brain, but didn't register. The sausages were so nice...
"Mona Lisa..." I felt a small poke, but I didn't want to wake up! The sausages cuddled with me, I didn't want to leave! Couldn't the mean voice just go away?
"It's not working...damn bookworm read herself to sleep!" I was now half suspended in counciness. Sausages...
"WAKE UP TIME!" A voice yelled, and a huge force crashed on top of me, jerking me awake!
"AAAAAAAHHHH!" My eyes flew open as I was crushed under a very strong person who was seated on top of me in a position that was slightly disturbing to say the least. I could barely breathe, and my eyes were almost popping.
"Hey, she's awake!" a new person said from the corner. The blinds flew open, and bright noon sunlight burst in the dark room, blinding me. I blearly gazed around the room, and spotted a wizard with messy black hair, and a thin, wiry frame lounging sideways in my armchair!
"James? Huh?" I muttered, rubbing my face. Then the weight on me shifted as I stared up at the other wizard who was currently sitting on me. He too had black hair, but bronze skin, and large, adorable brown eyes. Yep, Sirius Black was currently straddling me.
"MONA!" he joyfully yelped as he lunged at me, squishing several internal organs in the process.
"What th-" I couldn't finish, since my handsome friend was squeezing me so hard that air was crushed from my lungs and my lips were turning blue.
James was trying to stifle his giggles at us. "Mate, I think you're strangling her."
"Oh. Right." He let go of me, and I gasped for air in pain. James was still laughing. "And maybe you should...um...dismount?" He cracked up, unable to contain his laughter any longer.
At that moment, Sirius was still straddling my stomach, propped up on his elbows. His shaggy dark hair hung from his face and gracefully pooled on my forehead and my pillow. His gorgeous brown eyes gazed into my crystal ones, and I could feel his breath on mine.
"Nah, I think I like it here fine." he carelessly taunted, and my moment was ruined.
Disgusted, I brought my knee up into his groin as hard as I could. Which was really, really hard.
"ARG!" he yelled in pain and curled into a fetal position on the floor. James roared with laughter, and I would have too if I hadn't been gasping for air.
"Rejection!" James wiped tears from his eyes, only to laugh more. Sirius glared at us, and all I could do was massage my stomach. Sirius was still on the floor, obviously in pain, and I felt a little bad. I rolled off my bed and offered him my hand.
"Sorry," I apologized.
"So'm I." he grunted, and took my hand as I struggled to hold on as he stood up. Why did I have to be the runt of the family?
Now that I was standing up, we had a good view of each other. Since last year I had, well, "filled in" more. I now looked more womanly, since I had developed more shape over the summer in several places. James was now sitting cross-legged on the dusty wooden floor, watching us, and Sirius was goggling at me, with his mouth open and all.
I reached up and used my right hand to close it. "What're you doing here?"
James answered "We got here around eight, and waited at Olivander's, but you didn't show. So we came looking for you, and Tom said you were up here, and we let ourselves in." he said simply.
"Yeah, and you were pratically passed out on this heap of textbooks!" Sirius exclaimed through my hand. I nodded, and stifled a yawn.
"Good to see you." I was in a better mood now, and was able to smile fondly at my two fellow Marauders. "But I need to get dressed."
James jumped off the floor. "Meet you downstairs!" he chirped, and nearly skipped from the room. Sirius didn't follow, but was still eyeing me.
I raised my eyebrow. "Just cause I don't have a wand doesn't mean I'm not deadly." I motioned towards the door, and Sirius smiled at me and half stumbled out. I rolled my eyes. "Boys," I thought and buisied myself with finding clean clothes.
I picked a pair of worn jeans and a purple tank top from the mess of the room, and put on my long black gloves that I had cut the fingers out of. Then I braided my hair and flipped it over my shoulder, reaching for my hat and sneakers.
Then I caught my reflection in the cracked mirror. I looked so...average! I threw my hat aside, and frantically tried to pin my hair in a bun. But I paused in mid-clip and thought: "Since when did I try to impress my Sirius?"
I shrugged, and finished clipping my hair up. Then I jammed on my sneakers and ran downstairs to meet the day, and what it brought me on a flying motorcycle.