Disclaimer: It is my dream, to one day buy the HP cast on eBay, then the fun shall begin.
"You can't make me leave! I have rights! I'll sic my snake on you!" Alison yelled as Conner and Becca tried to pry her from the library table.
"Don't drag me into this." Nassau had a strange talent of hiding in the oddest places, this time she was nested a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans, and Alison made a mental note to throw the box out later.
"Sissy." She told the snake before turning back to her friends, "Nassau says she will protect me fiercely from you fiends!"
"Alison, you have been in here since classes ended on Friday," Becca said, "You are delusional, probably dehydrated, and I hate to say it, but girl, a hot shower wouldn't kill you."
Alison sniffs, whether it is haughtily or to see if she smells, Conner is not sure, probably a mixture of both. Her eyes, which he is still a bit surprised to see as emerald instead of silver, are flashing in anger. Alison's temper is a bit of a legend; older Gryffindors often tell tales about Alison's more memorable fits to scare them. There are grains of truth in few of them, but both Conner and Becca have the occasional scar to bear witness.
"Come on, you remember what the outside world is like? Trees, fresh air, and all that rubbish," Connor says jokingly as Alison glared back.
"You two owe me," The green eyed girl stated as she piled a load if books into the boy's arms, "Carry these. We'll do our Astronomy homework later tonight."
Then Alison turned heel and walked out of the library, her friends trying to catch up. "Poor girl," Whispered Becca, "All stressed out and nobody to choke."
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"Took you long enough. Insomnia?"
Alison blinks, she must have fallen asleep, because Harceler is staring at her. "Yeah, I've been going through a lot of stuff. Reading loads of books too."
The brunette rolls his eyes, "It's not safe to spend that much time in enclosed spaces. You'll go crazy and wind up being an old lady who will die alone surround by thousands of cats."
"I hate cats."
"Fine you'll be surrounded by thousands of snakes. So have you got a date for the Christmas Ball yet?"
Alison began to laugh at the boy, "Merlin, you act like such a girl sometimes."
"Do I now?" Replied Harceler with raised eyebrows, "May I note that you never answered the question?"
"No date as of yet. Becca is getting quite concerned. Me, not so much. Next question, if you don't mind."
"Kay," Harceler looked thoughtful for a moment, and then his blue eyes light up wickedly, "You're crushing on someone. Tell!"
"Do I have to?" Whined Alison, blushing.
"Yes, now spill it."
"Fine," Huffed the inky haired teen, "I wouldn't really call this a crush, because I know him. I talk to him everyday, but yet I can never have him. He's right next to me, but yet I can never have him. Its like I'm speeding through the air on a broom trying catch up to him. Sometimes I slow down because an obstacle is in my way, but then I speed up again. I never seem to catch up to him, but I still keep trying."
Harceler blinks, "You've been thinking about this, for quite a while it seems. Who is he?"
"Sorry, no can do," Alison replied, "That's enough of baring my soul for tonight, thanks."
"Chicken," The boy muttered under his breath.
The two talked much longer this time, even after Alison had physically faded into deep sleep. Harceler was straining to keep the connection alive, after all, it's not like he had anything better to do.
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It was one of those rare warm sunny days towards the end of September, so the three Gryffindors decided to have a picnic outside and would later fly around the Quidditch pitch before Ravenclaw came out to practice. They had chosen a much-coveted spot under an old tree that sat on the lake's edge, the old trunk engraved with thousands of initials, earning it the title of 'The Lovers' Oak'.
"This thing must be ancient, look at all the names," Becca said softly as she absently mindedly traced patterns on the trunk, "How long do you guys reckon this thing has been here?"
"Dunno," Connor shrugged, "Fifty, maybe forty years?"
"Wrong," Alison replied passively, "Think since about nineteen-fifty."
"How do you know that?"
"Because, my dear cousin, I have enough brain cells to do a little something called reading," Alison rolled her eyes.
"Connor," The redhead whined, "Alison's being mean!"
The boy gave Alison a 'thumbs up' sign of approval, "Good job. Now if you lasses are done discussing old trees, can we get flying?"
Becca snorted, "If what you can do can be called flying. We are trained professionals."
"Funny thing that," Connor replied as he stood up, "Seeing as you were the one begging me to join the Quidditch team only a few weeks ago."
"The times have changed," Becca sighed dramatically, "The tables have turned. The shoe is on the other foot. The Quaffle isn't on your side of the pitch anymore."
Thwap!
"I would have never guessed apples would splatter on someone's head like that. Amazing," Connor giggled as Becca tried to claw apple mush out of her hair.
Mum was constantly saying to treat everyone equally…
Twonk!
The three did not go flying that afternoon, Alison had returned to the library and Becca and Connor had spent nearly an hour in their respective showers, but they still smelled of applesauce three days later.
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The last traces of summer had long since disappeared and now the Hogwarts grounds enveloped in piles of leaves, burning scarlet of golden yellow, predicting the imminent winter. October had arrived, swift and frigid. Couples were now using the cold as an excuse to cuddle as they took walks across the grounds, their cloaks would swish as one and finger would entwine. A vision of autumn romance that warmed the heart of the participants and onlookers the same. It was such a day, October 12th to be exact, and quite a few couples were taking advantage of the weak morning sun, anxious to enjoy the outdoors together, before harsh winter winds limited them to the castle, where no where was private and professors and prefects swarmed.
If the three sixth years, which had unofficially been dubbed 'The Trio', had looked out a window they would have taken in the scene, all with different perspectives. Becca saw it as tender and romantic and would secretly dream of the day she would walk with some boy, silent except for the soft crunch of leaves and the occasional swish of cloaks inn the wind. Connor would watch in amusement, laughing at the idea that some boys would ever act like it. Alison would gag at the sight, then return to her latest Veela Romance Novel, the hypocrite.
Today, however, Alison was still asleep, deciding that her latest find, Bacio, was not worth waking up anytime past noon on a Saturday. (All nighters in the library meant she would no longer wake at dawn to have tea.) Pity for her, both Becca and Connor have different plans, but since no boy had ever managed to sneak into the girl's dormitory, Becca is flying solo. Apathetically, she enters the room and snatches up the book. The girl grins, brown eyes lighting up mischievously.
'Oh dear,' Was the first logical thought in Alison's morning haze, 'I appear to be drenched in water. Bugger, sounds like someone has taken my book as well.'
Indeed, Becca was reading from the paperback book, "'Drawn like a moth to the flame of your love, to the light of your spirit, to the heat of your passion, to the incandescent beauty of your soul...I'll never tire of playing with fire, as long as that fire is you. Rose, run away with me, forget this world that can not accept us.' Alec cried grasping her pale petite hands in his own strong tanned ones. Rose cheeks flushed, the pretty color of her name and with tenderness in her eyes she turned to the man in front of her, 'Alec, my dearest Alec, your skin glows like that of the sweetest peach. Your eyes, vivid as the violet grapes that grow in the vineyards. Your lips, red as cherries and twice as sweet- ", Becca looked at her water logged friend, "Now is she describing this bloke or a fruit salad? I'm a bit confused."
Alison smiled sweetly, "Becca, my cousin, my chum, let me tell you a story. Now, this girl named, oh, let's call her Decca. Now Decca woke up her cousin very early on a Saturday morning and do you know what this cousin did to Decca?"
The dark skinned girl shook her head no and Alison continued, "Well, the cousin went on a type early no tea murderous rampage and chopped Decca up with a spoon. And fed the tiny bits to the obliging Giant Squid that just happened to live in a near by lake."
There is a pregnant pause then, "I think squids are herbivores."
"Becca. Go, before I test your theory of it's truthfulness," Snaps the green-eyed teen, who is now shivering because the water was cold and her bed is right next to the window.
Becca goes and grumbling, Alison climbs out of bed at casts two drying spells. It is only when she begins to crawl back under her now toasty comforter, does Alison realize that Becca took Bacio with her. Silently fuming, she begins to get dressed for the day. It is the weekend and uniforms are awkward, jeans and a shirt advertising one of her favorite Wizarding bands, Simple Arrogance.
With a sigh, Alison puts some of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion is her hands and rubs it into her hair. As she styles the hair into a braid, Alison mournfully recalls how embarrassing it was to buy the potion, especially since she used to pride herself on the neat coppery mane that wasn't really hers. Alison likes her darker hair better though, it sets of her features better and is so different from anyone else she knows, but it is dreadfully messy and knots easily. How Muggles lived with hair like hers everyday and no Sleekeazy's, Alison isn't sure.
Two minutes and one application of trainers and Alison is out the door. She carefully walks down the staircase, holding all the grace and poise of a Pureblood belle, who know live as a faded memory of yesteryear. No one in the common room would have guessed a few moments ago she had been threatening to feed one of her close friends to a squid, but that may have had to do that with the fact that the common room was deserted, spare Connor, Becca, and a random first year.
"This place is a ghost town," Alison said loudly, trying to break the unnatural silence, "Did I miss lunch or something?"
Connor stood up and stretched, "No, it's not even eight yet. Everyone is waiting to go."
"I've missed something, where are we going?"
"You've got to be kidding," Connor groaned, "Honestly, the poster is right on the bulletin board and it's the size of a hippogriff."
Alison walked to the chair she would usually sit in it faced the board. There it was, this massive thing that announced in big letters that today was the first Hogsmeade visit, "I don't remember seeing that."
"How could you miss it? It's written in huge silver letters, on bright pink paper," The boy shook his head.
"Dunno, temporary blindness, I suppose," She peered at the poster, it was a very bright pink, "Ugly color scheme though. Let me grab my cloak and I suppose we'll be off."
"Been there, done that," Becca sighed nonchalantly, and tossed the folded cloak at her friend.
"My book?" Alison asked, fastening the silver clasps around her neck.
"Vanished it back to the room," Becca said as she ran to the door, "Now hurry we need to get to Divine Hibiscus and find some dress robes!"
"And Cartwright's," Alison added enthusiastically, sprinting to catch up with her friend, "For more Veela Romance Novels!"
The two girls slipped through the door and Connor, bounded after them, pausing only a moment to cry, "And Honeydukes' for Jelly Slugs and Sugar Quills!"
There was a silence and then in a quiet voice, the first year, whose name was Georgia Fort, whimpered, "All sixth years are mad."
A/N: Wait! I'm not dead yet! Come back:sighs: This is pitiful; nearly a month in between updates and this chapter is shorter than the last few. :shakes head in disgust: Not to mention I hate how this chapter turned out, but enough of my whining, onto the reviewers.
Megz2: Thanks; I'm glad to see some one worked out the names. And, yes, you could say stag. :gives Veela Romance Novel:
jimmy-loves-hermione: No, thank you for the review. And, one word, Erised. Hope it makes sense now. :gives Veela Romance Novel:
voice of the meadow: Thanks, if you don't mind sharing, what do you think will happen? I'm curious. :gives Veela Romance Novel:
simply infatuated: Poor boys:huggles them:gives out Veela Romance Novel:
lily9306: Thank you. :gives Veela Romance Novel:
Oh and some of you, read jimmy-loves-hermione, may recognize the 'Lovers' Oak' from chapter three in my other story, Random Acts of Stupidity, if you want more back story on the tree, read the fic. And yes, that was shameless advertising. Sue me. :ponders for a moment: On second thought, don't.