The Other Guy
Authored by: prisskilla
Chapter 2: In a Nutshell
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Since I was young, I have always been ambitious. Growing up, I always dreamed of something more; something away from Little Whinging where ordinary people raise ordinary families. I dreamed of one day becoming a world renowned doctor; using my arsenal of skills to save lives, repair the broken. Not a pediatrician mind you, but a surgeon- I craved the power, the ability to affect change and in one sitting, remodel the structures that provided life. I still remember the day I got my Hogwarts letter- and the utter relief that washed over me when I realized that something bigger was out there. ..and I was a part of it. I don't think of myself as a complacent or arrogant person, but then again that's because I don't believe that it's wrong for you to believe in yourself, or want to push yourself beyond your dreams. I think to commit to that gives you a confidence that scares some people, but really, they could do it if only they weren't so afraid.
A year ago, if you had asked me what I thought about love, I would have given you a nice long shpiel about how there was no time in my life for boys. I was in my sixth year, taking the first half of several of the hardest N.E.W.T. classes already, prefect again, president of the Charms club and tutoring third years in Potions. There was no time, and the time that I did have I enjoyed sneaking around the castle with my closest friends, Alice Jensen, Theresa Walker and Nicole Lee, taking advantage of the prefect bathrooms and having a good time with butterbeer, or when there were no exams, Firewhiskey. What? Everyone has to loosen up sometime right? What a waste it would be if I had spent 7 years in one of the most enchanted places in the world without exploring…just a little bit.
Anyways, you can see that between friends and academia, there was just no time, and for a while, most of my friends were in the same boat as I. What with Theresa and Nicole working on their Healer prerequisites, and Alice aiming for the Auror academy with me, we were all pretty much content with our busy lives. Of course, time flies…and before I knew it, they had all started to pair up, and my friends, though they were still around, had some how managed to fit certain boys into their timetables. And so it was one drunken night after a particularly nasty break up of Theresa's that we were all huddled together in one of the prefect's bathrooms with a half eaten box of Honeydukes assorted chocolates at our feet and two bottles of Firewhiskey, ready for a game of "Have you Ever". Our versions of "Have you Ever" tended to conclude by everyone trying to out the others; really, we all knew each other so well, that it was a matter of data recollection: bonus points if you brought up a particularly disturbing event. For example, the honest confession "I have never kissed a stranger." led to Alice's deep reddening, and her taking a shot for that one Hogsmeade trip where she snogged an ancient warlock who she thought to be Frank Longbottom. She didn't account for the fact that Madam Malkin's might have manufactured and sold more than one hunter green cloak that season.
Apparently, when your drunken friends realize that you haven't drunk in about 10 rounds, all of which were relationship related, they come to realize the full effect of your situation. Anyways, it was while Nicole was puking in the mickey, that she told me it was her deepest wish to know what the hell I was waiting for. Drunk as I was, I of course rambled off my elementary school fairy tale vision of my "perfect" soulmate.
A boy who I'd known for years, someone I clicked with on every level, who understood me better than even my best friends. Someone who would take my hand by surprise and walk slowly around the grounds with me, shyly brush my hair back and wait for me to pull in for a sweet kiss.
Funny how it turned out. How instead, it was someone who ran after me and tackled me into the Black Lake, then kissed me so hard that I wondered if it was the cold water around me or the complete blackout of my brain that was keeping me from breathing.
It's amazing how much people can change in just one year.
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Sorry for the delay, but expect more updates soon. Thanks for the reviews everyone; just like the next person, you know I'd love some more :D Grazi!