hello, lovelies, how are you fairing? here I come with another chapter and a request: please review, favorite, follow, it's so nice to know what your readers think of your story, and it's not like it takes too long, anything works! now let's go to the chapter! I hope you like it. XX - Lavs
Despite the heated personality they both possessed, silence settled in the cubicle after James Potter's debauched words, with all his elegance and malandrage adolescence leaning against the door. The boy's smile only increased with the lack of expression of Wood, who continued to face him with narrowed eyes, he could only infer that he had interrupted some melodramatic moment, leaving others unresponsive to his little deeds was extremely pleasurable, he would have to admit.
And it was not even deliberate, crossing paths with Olivia Wood was not in any of his plans for a trip on the express, the boy had only made the sudden decision to walk to stretch his legs, aimlessly, but he still interacted with some acquaintances he encountered in the corridors. He had ended up in the same compartment as Albus and his Slytherin friends, and they bored him more than a History of Magic class, but it was necessary to endure them for a few minutes with a cringed smile, Albus had something that belonged to him and he wouldn't give it back when their father was around, the train was the perfect opportunity to get him back; after all, he didn't deserve the Marauder's Map.
When the younger boy finally agreed to deliver the charmed parchment, James made up the first excuse he could think of - leaving in search of candy never fails - and left, his trunk and belongings were inside only for protection, he knew that Albus wouldn't try to rummage it. He could've chosen to accompany Fred along with the rest of the Weasleys, they were always a sure bet on fun and a few laughs, but for some reason he was not so inclined to seek his relatives, he would see them at Hogwarts after all. He smiled and waved to a few dozen students he interacted with, the other sixth students and his quidditch colleagues.
Finding her by herself was also a surprise. It had been a long time ago since the Hogwarts Express is not unofficially divided between houses, but he was prowling an area a bit further away when he find the girl, who was usually surrounded by friends in the early wagons. But he was also acting unlike himself, so he couldn't judge. Seconds passed and the only response he got was a narrowing of eyes, which made the girl's light orbs almost fade, she didn't have big eyes for a start. they turned two slits when she made this movement, was disconcerting. James bent down and picked up the letter he'd dropped on the floor, the photo she'd used as a weapon.
It was a simple picture, a family photograph, very similar to the ones James himself was forced to take with his parents, and sometimes even with all the Weasley - but these were much less organized, hardly thirty Weasleys would all come out smiling cutley whithout someone making face or someone picking on another someone -. He could recognize some of the people in the photos, Oliver Wood was an extremely recognizable figure, especially when he wore the same smile he wore on Quidditch campaigns, the two boys were Olivia's brothers from what he saw in the hallways, but he had never seen the little girl, and could only infer that it was another Wood.
"Were you thrown out of the family reunion, Wood?" He turned his gaze back to Wood, his tone completely teasing. It didn't take a work of genius to guess what was bothering the girl so much and it wouldn't be James Potter if he didn't use it in his favor.
"That's none of your business, is it Potter? Why do not you wander around the train in search of some poor soul that can stand you?" Wood came out of his momentary stupor, retaliating the young man. But despire trying to look tough, she denounced herself as she stood up and tried to move forward against the stuff in James' hands.
Wood came out of his momentary stupor, bouncing the young man. But despite trying to sound tough, she reported herself as she stood up and tried to move forward against the role in James' hands.
"No, no, it's not that easy." Thanks to the reflexes of a life in Quidditch, he managed to anticipate the movement and protected the picture with his body, pulling it away from her when Wood tried to pick it up again. If it were up to James, they would continue in this objective dance for as long as she wished, he had the advantage of height and physical bearing; the frustration on her face was also a great fuel. He couldn't stop the laughter from escaping, it was absolutely comical.
"What's in this picture that had you so..." With his free hand, he gestured to Wood's face. She had recovered and now even had a blush from her anger at his presence, but she knew he had seen how shaken she was because of the photo, and that she had only been willing to express herself when she was alone in the cabin. And if that wasn't enough, her desperation to get it back was enough of a teller. "Hey, hey, is this a tear?"
She hesitated a bit, bringing a hand to the face to wipe what wasn't there and realizing it, Wood stopped and he could see that she was recovering and channeling all the anger in an answer. James' smile broaded, sure enough he would use that example as an explanation of why he picked so much on her, seeing her move between different emotions was simply hilarious.
"Sod off, Potter." She shot, her face still a bit reddish, but at least she made no move to try to retrieve the picture. But it wouldn't be Wood if she didn't continue." I thought it would be optimistic to think you'd grow up a little while on vacation."
He raised an eyebrow at this comment, skeptical. James knew it wasn't necessary to point out the hypocrisy of this accusation, for they both knew it was because of mutual hatred and immaturity that their relationship was still everything but friendly. James could cite a number of changes that occurred to him during this holiday, perhaps not all true or significant, such as the fact that he had truly trained Quidditch this year, not just the friendlies with his cousins, but training arduously and systematically; all for a captaincy. However, seeing Wood go green with envy when he demonstrated the new skills was much more satisfying. James decided to just reply.
"That's gold coming from you, very noble." He nodded solemnly, mocking implicitly at the girl.
"Okay, now give me back my photo or I swear by Merlin that I'm going to throw you a jinx that will not come out until Christmas."
"And tell me, what would it be, since have a wide range of spells, don't you? Isn't this why they call you Olivia-Single-Spell?" The grinning smile returned to Potter's lips almost as if it had never faded. This was a recurring joke between him and his friends and that he never failed to make Wood even more pissed. In his defense, it wasn't his fault if the girl really had a weakness for just one jinx and became repetitive; his only crime had been to have noticed this pattern.
"No one but you calls me that." She put her hands on her waist as if it would have some effect on how much James was already amused.
"One day..." He started, putting one hand on his chest, as if to declare something important. "One day this nickname will stick. I'm just a misunderstood genius."
"Dream on." It was her dry response.
Oddly enough, after this interaction they remained silent for a few minutes, interspersed between James and Wood staring deathly or looking elsewhere in the cubicle. James still had the photo in his hands, he didn't look again, but he moved in his corners, uncomfortable for standing still in the cabin, but for some reason, the boy didn't even consider leaving. A group of five first years rushed down the hallway with loud laughter and, to escape thumping with them, James entered fully into the cabin, closing it at last.
"Get out of here, Potter. Honestly..." For the second time, Wood stepped on him, now, instead of wanting to retrieve the letter, she tried to push him to the exit.
"Easy, Wood. Why do you want the cabin just for you?" James wasn't even trying to fight Wood's attempts, physical strength was one of the girl's best attributes, but again, it wasn't comparable to his. The most she could do was push him against the closed door of the cabin. "Where are your friends for you to bother them?"
"Where's yours?" She was quick to respond, pushing him one last time with high strength, seeming to realize that it was pointless to insist while he stood propped up or focused on stopping her. However, that last blow was enough to press him uncomfortably against the doorknob, but James tried not to show that it hurt. It wasn't necessary to raise the ego of the other at its expense.
"Touché." The boy just shrugged. If Wood thought that question would bother him, she didn't know him as well as he thought.
Before either of them could release any more barb, an explosion echoed through the corridors, alarming both James and Wood. A few screams followed the sound of the explosion, but soon it was the sound of laughter that remained and the two young men relaxed a little. For James, the situation soon became clear and very familiar, someone had nailed a prank on someone, quite a noisy one apparently. And he sent her one of his characteristic smiles, only to irritate her to the utmost.
"It looks like we'll have the answer to one of those questions," he said, already opening the cabin door to see what was happening. Many other students did the same, some already suspicious that it could just be someone trying to be funny, others clearly angry, particularly a pair of brothers James knew very well.
Wood, accompanied him on the outside, probably curious to know what had happened as well.
"You first." He pointed down the hall, in a typical gesture of chivalry, but that clearly didn't mean that.
"I'm never going to turn my back on you, Potter."
"Ah, an attack on my chivalry." He put his hand over his heart, feigning disappointment.
"No, a concern with you Slytherin tendencies." Wood folded her arms but didn't move even an inch to face him.
"What an insult, Wood, you're confusing the Potters. Our pet snake is Albus. And, occasionally, Lily." With a wink, he pulled aGryffindor house and took the lead.
They ended up walking side by side, stopping and challenging each other to take the lead whenever an obstacle arose, or they bumped on some other student.
It was not long before they got to the place where the confusion had taken place, but they had to face the considerable numbers of students who were already accumulating in the small hallway, laughing at whatever happened there. When he was able to visualize, James could before Wood because of his stature, he met two of his friends, the freckles of the dark and tall figure distinguished Fred Weasley, and beside him, blond and bit smaller, was William Puckett. They were the ones who laughed the most of the situation, Fred even high-fived some students in celebration, while Will bent so much into his laughter that he almost fell.
A group of hufflepuffs, the victims of this trick, weren't finding it so funny. It was about six students, the same year they were and they were all covered with violet powder, while little pompoms, similar to those used by cheerleaders in the Muggle world, celebrated singing the Hogwarts anthem, little mouths sticking out of their lint. James regretted having spent so much time teasing Wood, when he could have participated or, at the very least, witnessed what looked like hilarious. The whole hall was purple! Bright purple! And the hufflepuffs were all demonstrating the same amount of fury, shame and desire to assassinate them, which he thought was impossible. He missed a historic moment.
A brief glance at his side, and he could see that Wood hadn't found it funny either, curious, because she wasn't innocent when it came to pranks, none that surpassed his, of course, but still, competent. She was looking furiously at Fred and Will, her face getting red again and eyes narrowed, for the first time in a long time, that fury wasn't directed at him. James didn't understand the reason for this sudden anger or moral fiber, until he looked again at the people who had been attacked. Even covered in purple powder, he could recognize one of the figures who always walked with Olivia Wood, a tall, thin boy named Daniel Masen, whose spiky hair was completely dirty with the dust.
Regardless, from where he was, James clapped loudly. Waving to his friends when they recognized him with the other students.
"James? Sorry to do it without you, but we couldn't wait for your majesty to find the way to our cabin." Fred spread his arms, laughing loudly again, proud of his deed.
"What's the matter with you?" Wood shouted, against all the laughter that still echoed down the hall. However, she wasn't the only one to react, one of the hufflepuffs, Moira O'Connell, another of Wood's friends, whose orange hair wasn't completely covered by sticky dust, lunged at Fred, attacking him from the side. A new disrray settled in the hallway, with O'Connell punching Fred with her little fists, yet they didn't look delicate while attackin his face.
James had two options, he could do nothing and just laugh at Fred, this option sounded pleasurable and in his view, it wasn't possible that O'Connell would have the advantage for a long time or cause some permanent damage to his cousin; beyond in his ego, obviously. However, he needed to intervene. Potter, then, pushed all those in his way, to approach the two teenagers on the floor. James promptly lifted O'Connell by her arms, avoiding even touching the waist of the girl so that all the fury didn't turn against him. She kept stirring and shouting a "Potter" in a high-pitched voice and her Scottish accent, trying to get away from him. James nodded and Fred left quickly.
"Potter, put me down!" The order was echoed by Wood as well, who approached them, glaring at him. She glanced quickly at O'Connell, only remembering now that her friend was still on the air, to make sure she was okay.
"Only if you stop trying to murder Fred. We still need him alive for family reunions. Where's your luscious spirit, O'Connell?" He shot the words so fast he could barely divert her fist trying to also attack his face.
"Yes, Potter. Could you please put O'Connell back on the floor?"Artemis Rowan's voice managed to draw everyone's attention in her direction and not just because of the shiny symbol on her chest for being the sixth-year prefect of her house, Slytherin. Rowan carried a whole aura, which James would not exactly call power even if some so classified it, which simply imposed her presence wherever she might intrude; and she had a tendency to do so, always with the excuse of doing her services as a prefect. James' heart thudded as ever in the girl's presence, to her misery, his little crush on Rowan was never as detested as it is now. Her twin brother, Apollo, who shared with her so many features, from red hair to angular face, was promptly in pursuit.
"And could anyone explain to me what pandemonium that was? They couldn't even wait to get to Hogwarts to start their adventures, typical." Her clear eyes locked on each of the protagonists, even if no one had uttered it, it wasn't difficult for Rowan to know exactly who to accuse. James couldn't look away when it was his turn to be the receiver of the look and by her acid smile, that was what the girl wanted.
"You can't put us in detention or take points from any house, Rowan, so don't bother." Said William, approaching the two twins. He quickly straightened, getting serious like almost never in his life. Will had never liked the twins and all the ego they shared, and unlike many - in a way, even James included himself withthat weakness - he was never afraid of showing his distaste.
"But as far as I know, preserving order is our job. Be assured, Puckett, that if it were up to us, this wouldn't be one of the hindrances to punishing him properly. But as far as I know, even McGonnagall wouldn't like this mess." Apollo spoke, his voice low and velvety, no expression beyond pure contentment on his face. In a perfect synchrony that James could never understand, Artemis went on.
"I'll ask again, would anyone like to offer an explanation? Before we call for the teachers?" Her penetrating gaze fell directly on the group of hufflepuff students, as if she knew one of them would be the most susceptible to break. And so he did, one of the younger ones, probably fourth or third year, shivering visibly as he looked at her, Fred, and Rowan again.
"We were just passing by, looking for the candy cart ... or at least I was, when, out of nowhere, we didn't know they were here, they blew that purple powder and the pompoms began to sing. Then O'Connell confronted Weasley and Potter intervened ... " He looked nervously at everyone in the hall, as if expecting someone to attack him. James just rolled his eyes, irritated by both motives, by the cowardice of following Rowan's command and by suggesting that James, Will, or Fred would take revenge for it. They were not unscrupulous bullies, by Merlin's beard, and they should have learned that in the five years they were already in that castle. It was almost offensive.
"Powder and pompoms, creative." Apollo said with disdain, stooping down and picking up a dropped pompom, after the spell was gone he looked ordinary, and examined it before letting it go again, remnants of dust getting in his hands.
"Look, Rowan 1 and Rowan 2, that's just the beginning." Fred Threatened, the gleam in his eyes even as the three stared at each other mortally. With this scene, James wanted to snort something funny, but he kept quiet. Wood, O'Connel, and their friend were standing by his side in silence. It was amazing how necessary it was only for the Rowan to get involved so they would leave their quarrels aside.
"Anyway, this is an irresponsible attitude." Artemis proclaimed, in a monotonous speech, displaying her exquisite ability to lie using words, because there was no universe in which Rowan would release them if there were another alternative to incriminate them. "Let's clear the hall so we can organize everything. Weasley, Puckett, Potter, I'll keep my eye on you. "
Accompanying the flow, James turned to accompany Will and Fred, wherever they left their things, when a hand wrapped itself in the collar of his shirt, pulling him to face Artemis. So close that he could see the variations of blue in the color of her wide eyes, which stared at him menacingly.
"Potter, this year I will not tolerate those little things you and your friends always do. So control yourself, control your friends, or I'll go after you." Her scarlet nails came into the skin of his neck only once and he dropped, leaving with her brother as she left her last message.
Only Artemis could have the effect of leaving him speechless, she simply had something so wrong in the way she acted. But when he saw her figure disappear down the hall, he regained his courage. He wouldn't let Artemis Rowan and his brother be a hindrance in his year, a year of putting plans into action.