Chapter Seven

She's A Big Fluffy Hippogriff

What was this?

Everything was white. Blank, bright, blinding. No ground or sky, no walls, no anything. There was only white, and the longer I stared into its depths (or, rather, lack of depth) the more overpowering the white became. It felt as if the white was bleeding into my mind, cleansing of it of any thoughts or color and leaving behind a clean, blank, white slate.

I couldn't see my feet. I reached out, and I felt the fabric of my clothing pull at my shoulders, but I couldn't see my hands. I turned my head every which way but there was nothing here at all. I wasn't even here.

I was invisible. The whole world was invisible, it seemed.

Panic overtook me.

I wondered in a flurry where I could possibly be, what happened to me, where I was supposed to be. What day was it? Didn't I have class? I'd be late, my friends would worry, I had to find someone, something, anything really...

Maybe someone would find me. Maybe it would be Sirius. He always had a good sense, being a dog and all... Or, Lily. I didn't know why I'd thought of Sirius first; I spent nearly every waking moment with Lily, when she wasn't with James. And yet, I couldn't stop worrying about where Sirius could be.

If I was invisible, I still was there, so that must have meant I could still walk, right? So there was still a world below me, still a place that I was in. I just couldn't see it... right?

I wished someone would answer my questions so I wouldn't feel so incredibly insane.

I gently inched my foot forward, careful not to lose my balance. Falling on an invisible ground did not sound too pleasant. I continued to move forward slowly, picking up a gradual pace, and soon enough, I felt grass being crushed beneath the weight of my shoes. A soft wind tickled my face and rustled through my hair. I raised a hand to feel my hair, and watched as the strands faded from the blinding white to their natural chestnut brown. I stopped and stared with wide eyes as the Hogwarts grounds transcended before me, growing rich in color and accent.

I walked—no, sprinted—into the castle as fast as I could possibly manage, until my lungs ached and my legs screamed, and I slowed to a walk. I maneuvered through the corridors and arrived at the Great Hall entrance, mentally and physically exhausted. My mind was still white and blank and the scene filtered through my mind without really translating into anything.

The silence of the white transformed into a loud burst of the sound of color and life. There were hundreds of students, more active and excited than I had ever seen them, occupied in their own conversations and oblivious to the rest of the world.

I stopped, standing where I was, and in a moment I was greeted by the feeling of arms wrapped around my waist, drawing me to a figure from behind. My mind was blank, and did not react at all, really. I felt almost as if I had been anticipating this. I let out a small breath and relaxed myself against the figure.

I turned my head to the side and tilted my chin up slightly, allowing myself a glance at the figure's face. I smiled at Kenneth, and he nestled in closer to me, leaning his head onto mine.

His breath was warm on my face, and he whispered against my neck, "You don't think your boyfriend would mind me holding you like this, do you?"

I stood there, unresponsive for a moment, and allowed myself to feel the heat of his body transmit onto my skin. Why was I still cold? It was as if the white world from only moments earlier had taken all my warmth, and I was still there, unaffected by this person who was practically a living furnace.

I met eyes with a certain boy sitting across the room, glancing innocently my way without expression. Instantly, it dawned on me who Kenneth was talking about.

"He's not..." But I paused. My thoughts rebounded in my head and nothing clicked and nothing made sense. I was purely instinct and my brain was disregarded. I couldn't filter through my thoughts and I couldn't find any logic, but I knew that right now, this was not right. Maybe not wrong, but not right, either. "I have to go," I said, slipping myself from his grasp. I met his eyes, and his face remained unchanged. I didn't know if he made any kind of response or not; I walked off in the opposite direction without giving it another thought.

I seated myself beside the boy without saying a word in greeting. He remained still, as if he wasn't aware of my presence, though I knew he had to be. It was instinct, after all.

Students all around us became a loud, incoherent roar, but it was only background noise. I could feel his every movement and hear his every breath, despite the chaos that surrounded us. It was odd, like we were in our very own bubble.

I shifted slightly in my position, and glanced at him, waiting. I became aware of my need to ask him a question, but it wouldn't budge, and I couldn't bring myself to say it. My hands traced patterns on the wood table nervously, clawing into its surface.

"Sirius," I finally said, dragging myself forward, despite the nerves that danced their way up and down my arms.

He turned and looked at me, face still expressionless and calm.

I took a deep breath, broke his gaze, and then returned it promptly, fidgeting in my seat. "Will you..." I choked out, and then cleared my throat. "Will you, um, pass the biscuits?"

The dark was light when I opened my eyes. A dim light, yes, but it was certainly progress from the realm of black I had just departed from.

Except, wasn't it white? It had been so bright...

I shifted myself upwards into a sitting position, and wiggled my toes at the foot of my bed.

Oh. Just a dream, of course.

I stretched my arms and glanced around. I could see heaped figures of blankets and pajamas still in their respective four-poster beds, all sound asleep—well, except for Mary MacDonald, because she was a snorer.

Lily was probably snoring too—she always did—though it was much more gentle and difficult to distinguish over Mary's obnoxious rattles. Honestly, in first year, I would wake up in the middle of the night, frantic with worry that a mad, demented witch had broken into our dorm, only to discover that it was Mary.

Mary's snores shook the walls every night, but all of us had gotten used to it after seven years, thank Merlin. The sound of her rattling paused for a moment, and the room was eerily silent. The silence was disrupted with soft footsteps; normally, it would have been perfectly quiet and unidentifiable beneath the sound of Mary's snoring, but it was as if I could hear even the rush of air above my head in that moment.

What time was it? It was surely too early for anyone to be awake...

Mary's snoring commenced and I flinched at the sudden sound, my heart beating like I'd just narrowly dodged a bolt of lightning. Absentmindedly, I glanced around the room, curious as to what time it was.

Lily's bed was empty, I noticed. There was a dim candlelight glowing from the bathroom, and the door was cracked open. Quietly—and thanks to Mary, my footsteps were completely concealed—I tiptoed my way to the bathroom.

Right as I did so, I heard Lily blow the candle out, and I stood in front of the door in complete darkness.

Woops.

The door squeaked open and it took a moment for her to light her wand before she turned and gasped with a leap in the air.

"Merlin, Gracie!" she hissed, clutching at her chest. "What are you doing?"

"I woke up," I explained simply. "Better question would be, what are you doing?"

"I woke up, too," she said, fidgeting and crossing her arms. "Had to use the toilet. Little nosy, aren't you?"

"Lily, you're already wearing your uniform," I pointed out. "Do you sleep in that thing?"

She huffed and pushed her way past me. "Curiosity killed the cat, and in respect for your life, I would suggest you get back to bed."

"Well," I said, clicking my tongue, "someone is acting a little suspicious."

"Gracie, honestly, you're so nosy," she sighed in frustration.

I let out a small laugh and shrugged. "All right, then... what time is it, anyways, do you know?"

"It's maybe... 5, I think," she answered.

"Breakfast isn't even till 7:30," I said, tilting my head in confusion. "Are you leaving?"

"I'll be back for breakfast," she mumbled, light color rising to her cheeks, "but I should probably go now..." She turned from me and sauntered off for the door.

"Okay, see you later. You look pretty, by the way!"

She swiveled around in her spot, looking at me, and gave me a glare.

"Tell James I said hi," I added, giving her a teasing wave good-bye.

She rolled her eyes, letting her shoulders relax. "It's not that big of a deal," she insisted. "I just go and see him every morning, and we talk. It's nothing suspicious."

"Honestly, you two should just get married already," I sighed, walking back to my bed. "All right, go on. But if he gets you pregnant, Lily—"

"Gracie!" she hissed. "I would not do that."

"I know, I know," I said, laughing. I'd had half the mind to ask her about my odd dream, but figured now wouldn't be the time, anyways. "I'm only teasing you now. Go on; don't let me hold you here."

She finally gave me something of a smile, less tense, and waved before leaving.

It honestly was so crazy how fast those two had gotten along. Didn't she despise his very existence only last year? I settled down in my bed and rolled over on my stomach, gazing at the wooden headboard. It had only been a couple of months now, but it still took me by surprise; November had settled in, and James and Lily had become in constant interaction, much more than any year prior. I'd been spending a considerable amount of time with Kenneth as well, just about every free period and weekend I had. Where was the time going?

Things change, I told myself. You'd be amazed...

"I don't see why the two of you just don't announce that you're a couple already, honestly," the hippogriff muttered beside me.

And I don't see why I don't run out of this room screaming every time you come near me, but you don't see me complaining about it, do you?

I shot the hippogriff a sharp glance before pouring myself over the potion again. "You know, this is meant to be a two person effort."

"Oh, I got the ingredients," she said, smacking her lips for no apparent reason, "I'll let you handle the rest."

Which is precisely why she is referred to as hippogriff. The name of course has no relevance, but at the moment, it was the only insulting thing I could think of, and honestly, it flows, so why not?

Her name was Marie Claire something or other, and she was a little short and kind of pudgy. She had nice hair, though. It was long and dark and it shined just like the Draught of Living Death. Truly lovely.

"Do you think he's interested in you, anyways?" she continued, lounging in her chair like a lazy...beard.

I was so frustrated by her behavior that I couldn't even think of proper insults. The only thing I could really process was my inane desire to pick up this cauldron and chuck it at her face. Luckily for her, it was really hefty looking and probably weighed about ten stone, so I left it where it was.

"I don't know," I sighed, rubbing my temples with much force. It was the only thing I could do to not downright scowl at the girl. "I'm trying to count the stirs, so if you're not going to do anything, I would appreciate it if you would at least be quiet for a second."

"Sorry," she whispered. "Is this better?"

I stared at her, incredulous, and told myself that it wasn't even worth a response.

Usually, the seat beside me was occupied by either Lily or Remus, but they all seemed to have found better seating arrangements. Lily was partnered with James, Sirius with Remus, and Peter with Lucy O'Daley. I wasn't really sure how that had happened, but he was certainly fascinated by her, and she adored him because that's really how everyone treated Peter. He didn't seem to mind that he wasn't ever taken seriously; he got to work with the pretty blonde-haired Lucy, and that was good enough for him.

Honestly, it was only a minute that I was sitting alone—it had to have only been a minute!—and just as Professor Slughorn went to start the class, Miss Hippogriff over here plopped down in the empty seat and started chattering away.

"Oh, I'm Marie Claire; I'm a Ravenclaw, if you didn't know! I don't think we've ever really talked, I always saw you with your friends and I always wanted to say hi but I never got the chance—"

I tried to be polite, I did, I promise. I acted flattered and told her, yes, I know who you are, I've gone to this school for seven years, and then asked that she please be quiet so that I could listen to Professor Slughorn's instructions for the day, but she kept on flapping her big hippogriff beak, and I missed all of his instructions.

The terrifyingly large fire that erupted in my cauldron that afternoon was, thus, entirely her fault.

"So," she squawked on, "have you two kissed yet?"

Referring to, of course, no other than Kenneth Howell. She was extremely nosy and personal, and obsessed with the idea of Kenneth and me and everything that that entailed on a level I could not even begin to understand.

I chose to let her question pass by, and drew my textbook towards myself, going over the instructions a final time to ensure that there would be absolutely no explosions or fatal accidents today.

Apparently, she was unaffected by my ignoring.

"You know, Gracie," Marie Claire said, smacking her lips again. I really didn't understand why that was such a habit for her. "You don't have to be embarrassed about it."

Way to misinterpret my sentiments.

"You should be able to be open about things, you know."

Yes, I know. I know already. I know.

"I mean, you should know that if you ever have any kind of guy issues, I'll always be here for you to talk it through. You have me, you know."

I let this process in my mind for a moment, and a laugh escaped my mouth before I could tell myself that that would be inappropriate.

"What?" she asked, seemingly baffled by my reaction.

I internally scolded my brain for its lack of control and composed my face as much as possible, meeting her gaze. "I'm sorry, I just," Searching for an excuse, searching for an excuse... "I just, I can't believe I didn't think of that before. Thank you, Marie Claire." I resisted the urge to gag. "I appreciate the offer."

"Oh, of course," she replied airily, in a tone somewhere between content and ecstasy. "Oh, oh, look who it is!" She hopped a little in her seat.

Oh, oh, oh, oh! Honestly, I've never wanted to slap someone more...

I twisted in my seat, looking up at the mystery person's face. "Hello, Kenneth," I greeted dryly. Oh, oh, what a surprise. It wasn't as if I wasn't happy to see him, but it was difficult to be enthusiastic around hippogriff here. She had enough enthusiasm for the both of us.

"Oh," Marie Claire repeated eagerly. This girl was uncontrollable. Would you please for the love of Merlin... "We were just talking about you, actually!"

"No, I believe that was just you—"

"Well, don't mean to break up the party, but I think your potion..." he gestured to it, and I had no time to worry about hippogriff's senseless confession; I had stopped watching the potion for a minute, no less than a minute, it couldn't have been, and already it was bubbling dastardly like it was ready to explode.

I shrieked, grabbing the ladle, and stirred as fast as I could possibly manage.

Kenneth chuckled and stood beside me, taking the ladle away from me gently. "No need to panic, just stir it gently," he assured, demonstrating. "But you almost had it there."

"Thanks," I murmured as he returned the ladle. I let out a caged breath. This class had soon become very exhausting.

"Oh, Marie Claire," Kenneth said, turning towards her, "Ruth told me that you were brilliant with Potions. We were having a little bit of trouble with ours, and she was wondering if you could help..." I caught a glance over at Ruth, Kenneth's Potions partner, who looked absolutely distressed. She had some kind of slime all the way up to her elbows and spewed across her face, and she might as well have been in Gryffindor with the mane her hair now resembled.

"Well," Marie Claire said, glancing over as well. She obviously was very content in her current lounging position, but she was obviously very fixated with Kenneth as well, and didn't seem like she could bear to reject his request. "I guess so," she said, and stood up, moving like a snail.

"And you'll probably want to get some more rat tails, while you're at it," he added, swiftly occupying hippogriff's seat, waving her away with a smile. "Hurry! Before Ruth burns all her hair off! She needs you!" he cried empathically, much more than necessary.

Marie Claire stared, blinked, and walked off.

I wondered how he had gotten her to go away so easily. Why hadn't I thought of something that simple... Maybe next time I'll just throw her a ferret and tell her to fetch.

I continued stirring, slowly, and looked up at Kenneth, who was watching, looking amused.

"So, I hope you were only saying good things about me to Marie Claire?" he inquired, a smile playing at his lips. He was hardly ever very serious for long. Always smiling, always happy. Does he get along with everyone? He must have.

I allowed myself to laugh, feeling my frustration slip away. "No, honestly, I didn't say anything. She just always asks me about you." I shook my head. "Always."

"Hmm," he said, pondering aloud. "I don't know how to take that."

"She adores you," I said. "Worships the ground you walk on. She probably says your name in her sleep."

He contorted his face.

"Not to, you know, creep you out or anything, of course," I clarified quickly.

"Of course not. Why would you say that? Not creepy at all."

"No, no, it's a perfectly normal thing. I stalk plenty of people."

"Really? Are you implying that darling Marie Claire here stalks me?"

I shrugged sheepishly. "Maybeee."

"And, you, stalking people? I don't believe it."

"Well, I'm a stalker when you have a crazy side. We'll leave it at that."

"I never said that was a definite characteristic of mine," he said. "Just on occasion."

I rolled my eyes in amusement. "Well, in that case, I'm not really a stalker. I just enjoy studying people."

"Nothing wrong with that," he said.

"And researching them," I added.

"Researching?"

"Yes," I answered, "straight down to favorite color and the wallpaper in their bathroom at home."

"Wow. I'd say that's almost impressive, really," Kenneth responded.

"Almost?"

"Sorry," he amended quickly. "Very impressive."

"Thank you," I said, smiling in spite of myself. I liked how I didn't have to tell him I was joking. Most people would be horrified that I would ever dare to say something so creepy. Not that it was neccesarily very creepy at all, but apparently people are very sensitive about their bathrooms. I've no idea what it is with those people.

He smiled, and stared off at something over my shoulder. "That was a little quicker than I thought it'd be. I was hoping to get you to myself for a minute..." he said, looking a little disappointed, but still happy, nonetheless. "Hello, Marie Claire."

"Oh, look who it is," I exclaimed, looking up at her. "We were just talking about you!"

She looked somewhat horrified, but ignored my comment. Apparently she did not appreciate my humor. "Ruth is asking for you," she said to Kenneth.

"I'll catch up with you after class," he said quickly to me, before skidding off over to his no doubt infuriated Potions partner.

"What happened?" I asked Marie Claire, who looked far from upset.

"She told me I was hopeless, and to get away. Basically." She shrugged, looking at the ground. It really hadn't even been that long. "You don't think I'm hopeless, do you?"

I coughed, loudly. "Oh, no. No, of course not."

"Okay," she said, making a hmph noise. She folded her arms and nestled herself into her seat. "What a sour ninny."

I sighed and continued to stir the potion. What a sour ninny indeed...

"No need to blow your friends off for me, really," Kenneth said. "I can always just catch you at dinner or—"

"Shh," I cut him off, hitting his arm without any kind of force at all. "I'll see them next period anyways. They can wait. Okay? You have me all to yourself, for a good... five minutes."

He laughed, looping an arm around my shoulders as we walked. I would probably be late to class, as we were walking in the opposite direction, but it didn't matter. Or, I would pretend it didn't matter.

"You should come see me play tomorrow," he said, "Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw. Most intense game of the year, maybe."

"Nah," I teased, turning my face up at him. "Gryffindor and Slytherin, that is something to see."

"True, but Slytherin's no fun to watch," he said. "They're just downright rude. No manners."

He was really warm, I noticed. I vaguely remembered my dream, how I had felt so cold... Well, I had only been dreaming, after all.

"I'll come watch," I said, letting out a little laugh. "Even if it's not that interesting."

"It will be. Most definitely," he said, "promise."

"Okay. I promise to root for you, even though you're the enemy."

He laughed, pulling me in closer to him in an absentminded manner.

"But, I will not root for the rest of your team," I said, poking him in the side. "So, I hope you do well, but as for the rest of the team..."

"Well, we don't stand a chance then, I suppose. Lions are probably more fierce, anyways."

"You are absolutely right. Rawr," I growled, and I stopped walking and moved in front of him, wrapping my arms around his waist. "I'm pretty fierce, yeah?"

"Of course," he said, tilting his face down to mine.

I have absolutely no idea what has gotten into me. At all.

And yet, I really didn't care.

I didn't care what any bit of this meant, what was going to happen, what all that doubt was doing in my head, where it had gone... I was definitely going crazy.

I just leant forward, and kissed him, because it didn't feel wrong in any sense.

A/N: I can't really believe I wrote so much..and I really wanted to fit more into this chapter, too! Sorry for the wait, to all of you that have been reading. I appreciate it greatly, you have no idea. Thank you for waiting around for this. I'll most definitely try to get updates out for more often! Cookies for reviewing, as always :)