A few hours after choir practice, Micah sat in the Ravenclaw common room with his Potions text book open in front of him. Most other students were slacking in their studies due to the excitement of the Triwizard tournament, but Micah refused to be distracted. The fourth year was reviewing the practical uses of Bezoars when a group of Ravenclaw students entered the common room.
The five students were all rather excited, but obviously not in a good way. "We ought to go down to the dungeons and teach those Slytherins that they can't mess with a Ravenclaw and get away with it," said a short fifth year. She was a chubby girl with messy black hair and beady eyes.
A third year boy with an unfortunate hair cut was the next to speak. "I've got a hex I've wanted to try. I can't think of a better practice dummy than a Slytherin," the read head said vehemently.
The tallest student in the group stepped forward and turned to the others. The boy was 5'7" and had a head of neatly groomed bleach blonde hair. His was thin and long limbed. He wore a grey Burberry v-neck sweater and a pair of dark blue slim fit jeans. The Ravenclaw had clear blue eyes which he hid behind a pair of silver wire Dior glasses. The sleeves of his expensive sweater were a bit too long for his arms, so he constantly had to roll them up. "Guys, I appreciate the thought, but going down to the dungeons to confront those Neanderthals wouldn't help anyone," the boy said in exasperation. "They just called me some names. I didn't want anyone to find me after our little tussle, which is why I was in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom."
"That definitely wasn't the smartest move," Micah said evenly from across the room. He was still seated in the study area, but had stopped reading due to the commotion. "Myrtle was a Ravenclaw after all, plus she was bullied during her time at Hogwarts too."
The blonde boy looked up for the first time since entering the common room. His clear blue eyes locked onto Micah's.
Micah was slightly taken aback by the intensity of the boy's gaze. He had seemed to timid up until a moment ago. Micah broke eye contact with the distraught blonde and looked at the group behind him. "I'm guessing Myrtle found you lot and informed you that our house mate needed some assistance."
The four riled up Ravenclaws nodded curtly. None of them said a word to Micah and they refused to look him in the eyes.
Micah rolled his eyes. He was use to such chilly reactions from his fellow students. He made deductions like this often and most of the time he was correct, but he soon discovered that some of his peers found this trait to be quite annoying. Micah paid his fellow Ravenclaws no mind. Micah turned his attention back to the blonde. "Well there you go," Micah said simply.
The blonde locked his eyes on to Micah's again. The taller boy bit his bottom lip as if he wanted to say something, but he remained silent.
Micah raised an eyebrow. The fourth year had made another deduction. "Would you like to study with me?" Micah asked the questions casually, but knew that it would be met with reactions of shock from the group behind the intense blonde.
The blonde's mouth opened slightly in surprise, but he nodded without hesitation. His eagerness caught his friends by surprise, but Micah had expected it.
The group behind the blonde made scandalized noises and in whispered voices asked the boy if he was sure about his decision. Micah paid them no mind as he was use to being treated as a pariah in his own house.
The blonde turned to his friends and waved them along. "Go on, I'll be fine." He said it politely enough, but Micah caught a thin trace of annoyance in the posh boy's voice.
The group murmured their disapproval, but obeyed the blonde and dispersed from the common room, leaving their friend alone with Micah.
The two boys stared at each other for a moment in silence. Brown eyes met blue eyes in a moment of relaxed intimacy that was surprising and expected at the same time. Finally, Micah gestured to the chair across from him, indicating that the blonde should take a seat.
The taller boy hastily obliged, but did not take his eyes of Micah for a second. His intense gaze was like an unwavering spotlight, but Micah didn't find it unnerving, he simply found it interesting. No one had ever looked at him like that before and he found it strangely reminiscent of how most people looked at Potter.
"You're here under false pretenses," Micah began in an even tone. "I'm already done studying so I hope you weren't seriously craving an impromptu review session." The black haired wizard spoke in his usual tone, a tone that most people took as arrogance.
The blonde's gaze did not falter and by the look on his face, he wasn't upset over Micah's lie or even insulted by his tone; if anything, he seemed amused by the whole course of events. "You usually study alone and when you're not alone you're with Luna Lovegood or Neville Longbottom," when he spoke his voice was neutral and steady as if he were reciting facts from a text book. "I knew that we wouldn't be studying when you asked me to sit with you," he said each word with a studious preciseness that one usually only heard in a classroom.
Micah allowed his lips to form into a thin smile. "Yet you accepted my invitation anyway," he said this less like a statement and more like a question. Micah was slightly intrigued by the sudden shift in the blonde's demeanor. "Why exactly did you do that…" Micah stopped when he realized he did not know the blonde's name.
"Avery," the boy supplied "Avery Oiseau." Avery didn't sound the least bit offended by Micah's unfamiliarity with him, in fact he seemed to expect it. "We're in the same year," Avery added.
Micah nodded. Now that he thought about it, he realized that he and Avery roomed in the same dorm and had since their first year. In fact, Avery's bed was directly to the left of Micah's. "Would you mind if I made an observation?"
Avery raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow. "That's very out of character for you. Since when do you ask permission before making an observation?" Avery inquired coyly.
Micah shrugged his shoulders. "Only when I care about whether or not I hurt the person's feelings," he replied.
For the first time since the conversation started, Avery looked slightly taken aback. "I don't mind if you're a bit blunt," the blonde spoke slowly. "I just want to talk with you," he said in a whispered tone, as if they words were not meant for anyone to hear.
Micah stared into Avery's eyes for a few moments. "You don't like those people you were just with," Micah said evenly.
Avery blinked in surprise. "What makes you say that?"
"Well, you didn't deny it," Micah pointed out. "Plus, you hold back around them, but that's not what you're really like."
"What do you think I'm like then?" Avery asked hurriedly.
"You're bold, but only when something interests you," Micah began. "The reason you acted so differently around the others, isn't because you're meek, it's because you were bored. You simply could not be bothered."
For a moment, Avery's expression remained neutral, then he began to laugh. The fashionable blonde covered his face with his right hand, but his laughter did not stop.
Micah watched Avery wordlessly. When the blonde finally composed himself, Micah spoke first. "So, my observation was correct."
"Yes," Avery giggled as he spoke. "Does that make me a horrible person?"
"Does what make you a horrible person?"
"The fact that I find our house mates to be incredibly dull?" Excitement filled Avery's whispered question. The blonde leaned in close; enraptured by Micah's words.
Micah leaned forward and put his lips close to Avery's ear. "I'd find it more detestable if you enjoyed the company of dull people," Micah whispered.
Avery tensed, but remained close to Micah. After a few moments, both boys sat back and looked at each other. Heat had rushed to Avery's cheeks, but he did not attempt to hide it.
Micah's face remained passive, though he blinked his eyes in confusion. He was admittedly perplexed, which did not happen often.
Suddenly a jolt of emotion shot through Micah, not from within himself, but from Avery. A feeling or emotion that felt familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on. It was similar to the feeling a child got when they saw a toy they wanted, but could not have. "That was odd.What ever that emotion was, I've definitely felt it before. It reminded me of—"
Micah's thoughts were cut short by Avery. "It's late. I suppose everyone is making their way down to the Great Hall for supper." Avery's lips formed into cheerful smile, one that looked foreign on the usually indifferent boy's face. Avery stood up and gestured towards the door of the Common Room. "We should go before the Beauxbaton girls take up the entire Ravenclaw table."
Micah nodded and stood up to follow Avery. As they made their way to the door, a thought came to Micah's mind. "Avery, what happened with you and the Slytherins earlier?" the black haired wizard asked, deducting that things had not gone the way their house mates from earlier assumed they had.
Avery stopped walking and turned towards Micah. The two Ravenclaws stood only a few inches apart. The tall blonde met Micah's eyes. "I called them crass, because of the way they objectified a group of passing Beauxbaton girls," Micah began with not a trace of shame. "So one of them called me a fag, which lead to his cronies trying to hit me a few jinxes," Avery finished.
Micah's eyes widened slightly. Micah rarely heard derogatory comments towards gays at Hogwarts. In the Wizarding World, one was more likely to be harassed for being muggle born than for their sexual orientation.
Avery chuckled at his companion's surprise "None of them hit though. I'm pretty skilled with protective charms." A look of consternation formed on Avery's face. "I went to the restroom to wash my face off after the incident, and I guess Myrtle assumed I was crying, which is probably why she went to find our…well meaning house mates."
Micah raised an eyebrow. "So you let them believe that you were some damsel in distress," Micah inquired. "Why?"
Avery's lips formed into a sly smile. "Everyone already saw me as that. I saw no reason to convince them otherwise." Avery looked around the room before continuing. "Their opinions mean little to me," the blonde admitted.
"Yet you told me the truth," Micah offered. He looked up into Avery's eyes and tried hard to get another glimpse at what he was feeling. He wasn't sure how it had happened earlier, and it had never happened before, but Micah was sure he could do it again. After a few seconds of trying with no success, he gave up and turned his attention back to the conversation.
Avery hadn't noticed Micah's odd behavior. "Your opinion does mean something to me," Avery said simply. Without saying another word, the blonde turned to leave the Common Room.
"Who was the one who called you out of your name," Micah asked suddenly. He wasn't sure where the question had come from, but he somehow knew the answer before the words left Avery's mouth.
Avery turned towards Micah and smiled sardonically. "Draco Malfoy. Come on, we'll be late for dinner."
Anger towards Malfoy filled Micah. It was bad enough that the spoiled blonde went out of his way to humiliate Neville, but this incident hit closer to home. Micah did not trust himself to speak, so he simply nodded in response to Avery. The two Ravenclaws left the Common Room and made their way to the Great Hall. As they walked, there was only one thought on Micah's mind: "I am going to duel that arrogant bastard and put him in his place, for Neville and Avery."
Upon arrival at the Great Hall, Micah introduced Luna and Avery. Avery said it was a pleasure to meet Luna. Luna said that Avery looked as if a swarm of Wrackspurts had just been removed from his head. The two hit it off instantly.
During dinner, Micah sat with Luna to his right and Avery to his left. The two blondes tried to draw Micah out of his silence, but to no avail. Micah's eyes had been fixed on Draco Malfoy from the moment he entered the hall.
The blonde Slytherin sat between Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. He was eating an apple and listening to some trite story from Pansy Parkinson. Draco looked up and noticed Micah's intense glare, the blonde put down the green apple in his hands and gave Micah a scornful look. When Micah's gaze did not falter, Draco mouthed the words "mudblood."
Micah's gaze remained steadfast. Brown eyes met grey as the two wizards stared each other down. No one in the Great Hall seemed to notice the silent duel between the two. Micah feigned composure as to not alert Luna or Avery. Malfoy did no such thing, as Crabbe and Goyle weren't perceptive enough to pick up on the subtle exchange.
Malfoy turned his eyes towards Avery. His lips formed into a cunning smile. "Fag," Malfoy mouthed venomously.
Micah's gaze hardened. His hand tightened around the wand in his pocket.
Luna noticed Micah drawing his wand. "Nargles," she met Micah's eyes. "Nargles, Micah," Luna repeated earnestly.
Micah met Luna's eyes. He looked over his shoulder to the table where the Gryffindors sat. His gaze instantly fell on Neville, laughing with Potter and his friends. Micah's lips formed into an involuntary smile. His grip on his wand loosened as the moment of rage passed. Micah turned to Luna and gave her a grateful nod.
The blonde girl smiled wordlessly before turning her attention back to her pudding.
Micah gave Malfoy an esoteric look. He had been focusing on Malfoy all throughout dinner and it was only now that he realized how hungry he was. He turned his attention away from the Slytherin table and began eating.
Avery watched the entire exchange wordlessly. He had been keyed into the disturbance at the same time Luna had, but he could not figure out why the word nargles had been able to draw his attention from Malfoy. Then, Avery saw the look Micah gave Neville and the change in his demeanor afterwards and everything began to make sense. Avery pushed his plate away; he had lost his appetite. For the remainder of dinner, he watched Micah from the corner of his eye.
Towards the end of dinner, Dumbledore stood from his seat. The sorcerer's long white beard was tied with a long blue ribbon which matches his elegant robes. Silence fell over the Great Hall. "I hope that all of you are enjoying the feast," the aged wizard began in a soft yet powerful voice. "Tonight we have a special treat in the form of post-meal entertainment."
Jessica Smith came over to Micah's side of the table and pushed herself in between Micah and Avery.
"Miss Smith, this is unprecedented," Micah whispered without taking his eyes off of Dumbledore. "What's the occasion?"
"Quit it with the sass, Quinn," the normally posh seventh year old looked flustered. Her appearance was neat as usual, but her demeanor was anxious. "Pay attention."
Micah shrugged and turned his attention back to Dumbledore's speech.
The headmaster motioned to his left where a line of students in brown uniforms stood attentively. Upon further inspection it was revealed that all the students were male. "Without further ado, I present to you, the Durmstrang Institute Skylarks."
The brown uniformed boys marched to the center of the Great Hall and stood in a v-formation reminiscent of migrating birds. Cheers erupted from the students in the hall. The loudest cheers came from the Slytherin table, where the remainder of the Durmstrang students was seated.
Micah raised an eyebrow and turned towards Jessica. "What is this?"
"Durmstrang's choir, their all male acapella choir," Jessica looked pale. She was clearly worried about something, but Micah could not figure out what.
"Is there something I'm missing?" Micah inquired. He wanted to know what could make a girl as confident as Jessica so anxious.
Jessica opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off when the boy at the head of the Durmstrang triangle began speaking.
The term "boy" being used loosely as he had to be at least seventeen. He was tall and broad shouldered. His brown hair was buzzed so low that it was nearly indiscernible next to his tan skin. "Hello, I am Arnost Balakov," he began in a deep voice that echoed throughout the Great Hall.
Micah tuned out the next few words of Arnost's speech. His attention was drawn to a boy standing to the right of the Durmstrang lead soloist.
A boy about half an inch shorter than Arnost stood in the same attentive stance as the rest of the choir, but instead of staring dutifully ahead like the rest, his dark brown eyes were fixed solely on Micah.
Micah returned the look, though less intensely. Micah had never spoken to this boy and as far as he knew, he had never even seen him before.
His hair was considerably longer than the other Durmstrang boys, though it was still short in comparison to the neck length hair many Hogwarts boys were sporting that year. His sandy brown hair was wavy on the top and trimmed neatly at the sides. His nose was flat and large, but it went well with his face.
Micah's observation was cut short when the boy broke eye contact.
Arnost was still talking. "We are the Skylarks, and we will be performing for you this evening," Without saying another, the Durmstrang lead soloist.
The boys behind Arnost began humming in harmony, creating a rich sound that filled the Great Hall. The Skylarks swayed from one foot to the other, snapping with the beat. Arnost stepped forward and began singing in a robust bass.
"Isn't she lovely? Isn't she wonderful?
Isn't she precious? Less than one minute old.
I never thought through love we'd be,
Making one as lovely as she,
But isn't she lovely made from love."
"This is a bit shocking.I never expected them to sing a song by a muggle," Micah thought to himself. Professor Flitwick allowed the Hogwarts choir to sing muggle songs during rehearsal, since they were popular with muggle borns, half-bloods, and pure bloods alike, but Micah knew that Durmstrang did not accept muggle born students into their institution, and so their performance of a song by Stevie Wonder was odd.
All the students in the Great Hall were greatly enjoying the performance. The Durmstrang students not performing nodded in approval, the Slytherins cat-called, while the rest of the student body clapped to the beat. The better the Skylarks performed, the more worried Jessica got.
"Isn't she pretty?"
Arnost turned to the boy to his right, the one who had been watching Micah, and sang this line to him. The boy grinned and nodded in agreement as he hummed in a rich baritone. Arnost patted the shorter boy on the back, before side-stepping around him and making his way over to the Beauxbaton girls sitting at the Ravenclaw table.
"Truly the angel's best.
Boy, I'm so happy. We have been heaven blessed.
I can't believe what God has done.
Through us he's given life to one,
But isn't she lovely made from love."
Arnost winked at the girls, who giggled in response. The Durmstrang soloist walked backwards until he was in front of the rest of the choir again. The entire choir joined in at this part, singing background as the soloist harmonized with the boy to his right.
"Isn't she lovely? Life and love are the same.
Life is Aisha, the meaning of her name.
Londie, it could have not been done
Without you who conceived the one
That's so very lovely made from love."
By the last line of the song, the Skylarks were back in their starting positions and standing attentively. The Great Hall erupted in applaud and cheers. The Skylarks stood for a few seconds, basking in the post-performance glory, before turning and walking back to the Slytherin table.
Micah, who had been clapping along with the rest of the Great Hall, stopped when the boy from earlier flashed him a quick smile as he passed by. Micah felt a surge of emotion flow from the boy. It felt sticky and smelt like a mix of sweat and cinnamon. "What is up with him? Better yet, what is up with me? How is it that I can see, feel, and smell emotions?" Micah didn't have too much time to ponder his current situation, as Jessica was now hurriedly whispering in his ear.
"Meet me in the Entrance Hall after dinner, Quinn," the head soloist spoke urgently. "We are in over our heads in a boiling cauldron," Jessica got up and left the Great Hall, shaking her head the entire time.
After dinner, Micah lingered in the Entrance Hall. Most of the other students had already gone back to their dorms. "Miss Smith, if you're around, I would appreciate it if we could get this secret meeting underway," Micah ran a hand through his black curls. "It is way past my bed time," he added sarcastically.
"Keep your voice down, Quinn," Jessica stepped out from the shadows and made her way over to Micah. "As my future replacement, I feel like you should know about this."
"Know about what?" Micah inquired. He leaned against the wall of the Entrance Hall and folded his arms over his chest. "Why were you so freaked out during the Skylarks' performance?"
Jessica sighed. She reached into her shirt and pulled a silver pocket watch from her cleavage. "This is why I freaked out," she dangled the pocket watch by the chain in front of Micah.
The watch was newly polished and gleamed in the candle light. The Hogwarts crest adorned the front. "You're going to have to elaborate," Micah sounded exasperated.
"This pocket watch is enchanted," Jessica began. "It's like a miniature House hour glass,"
she explained. The lead soloist opened the watch and showed it to Micah. There were no numbers and only one hand. It was pointing to an image of a new moon on the top right of the face. On the opposite side of the watch face was an image of a full moon. "The lead soloist of the three school choirs all got them earlier today."
"You, Arnost, and the Beauxbatons soloist," Micah offered as he stifled a yawn.
"Exactly," Jessica sighed and closed the pocket watch. "Apparently, there's a tradition among the choirs of the three schools that compete in the Triwizard tournament," Jessica began. "It starts halfway through the year and it ends the last day of term."
"Only during years when there's a Triwizard tournament though," Micah guessed. Micah considered this for a moment. "So, what are the rules of this contest?"
Jessica frowned. "The watches use magic to detect emotion," Jessica explained. "Each watch has been magically linked to the choir it belongs to. When someone feels a positive emotion as a result of a performance from one of the choirs, the watch will detect it."
"So the arrow will move along the face of the watch and once it gets to the full moon, that choir is declared the winner," Micah deducted.
"You're a sharp one, Quinn," Jessica conceded. The soloist smiled for the first time since dinner. "So you know what we have to do. Perform any chance you get. You're one of the best. It doesn't matter if you're performing for the entire school or one person, just get people to feel," Jessica sounded adamant. "As for me, I'll be sure to rally the rest of the choir to try their best. I can't tell them about the contest, since it's supposed to be a secret. I only told you, because I know you can keep a secret and its way too stressful being the only one to know about this." Jessica placed her hands on Micah's shoulders. "I'm counting on you, Quinn."
Micah managed to smirk through his haze of exhaustion. "I'll make sure your last year as lead soloist is a successful one, oh captain my captain."
Quinn smiled in relief. "Thank you," Quinn dropped her arms. "I hate to say this, but you're the only one I can really depend on." The seventh year gave Micah one last smile before turning and walking off towards the Ravenclaw common room.
Micah pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and pointer finger. "It's after midnight. I really should get some sleep," Micah made his way over to the staircase of the Entrance Hall, but stopped when someone stepped out of the darkness, blocking his way.
Micah quickly drew his wand, expecting a Slytherin assault. "Lumos," Micah whispered. Light erupted from the tip of his wand, illuminating the Entrance Hall more than the dim candles could.
The light revealed a tan boy in a brown Durmstrang uniform. Micah recognized him instantly as a member of the Skylarks and the same boy who had paid so much attention to him at dinner.
"How long have you been here," Micah asked. His first thought was that the boy had heard the conversation between Jessica and himself and that he would inform the other members of the Skylarks.
The boy's cheeks pushed back as he held in a smile. "Long enough to hear that you now know about the Tri choral competition," he replied.
Micah's gaze hardened and the grip on his wand tightened.
The Durmstrang student raised his hands in a defensive position. "Don't worry, I already knew about it," he said quickly.
Micah examined the boy for any trace of deceit, but found none. "Fine," Micah conceded. "So what are you doing stalking around the Entrance Hall?"
"I was waiting for you," he answered. The boy was still trying to hold back a smile, which made his cheeks rounder and pulled his lips tight. "I wanted to meet you."
Micah was taken aback by the audacity of the situation. "Why," Micah was flustered by the boy's boldness. "How do you even know about me?"
The boy from Durmstrang looked down at Micah. His posture was excellent as most of the other Durmstrang students were. "I saw you perform on the first day of term," he admitted. "You and the rest of the Hogwarts Frog Choir led everyone in your school song."
Micah remembered the day. Professor Dumbledore had wanted to show off for the other schools and so the Frog Choir led the school in singing their song. "What about that made you want to meet me though," Micah was still perplexed by the sudden encounter.
The boy could hold back his excitement no longer. His lips parted into a crooked smile, revealing a brilliant set of white teeth. "The way you sang, it mesmerized me."
For one of the first times in his life, Micah was left speechless. The Ravenclaw opened his mouth to speak, but he could not find the proper words to express how startling this conversation was to him.
The boy laughed deeply and ran a hand over his short brown hair. "That was pretty forward of me," he admitted unabashed. "What I meant to say is that I would have never forgiven myself if I had gone entire term without speaking to you at least once and your singing…the way you performed, made me realize that." The tips of the boys pointed ears were red, not from embarrassment, but from the excitement of the situation.
For the next few seconds, Micah struggled to find words, but when he couldn't find any for the topic at hand, he moved on to another one. "How did you find out about the Tri choral competition?" He asked, remembering the name the boy had used for it earlier.
The boy's expression became esoteric. "My lead soloist told me," he explained. "I'm supposed to take his position once he graduates at the end of term, so he trusted me with the information."
Micah nodded. "So it's the same situation as the one between Jessica and me,"The Ravenclaw thought to himself. The exhausted fourth year unconsciously rubbed his eyes.
The Dursmtrang boy noticed this and laughed. "It's late," he said needlessly. "I should let you get some sleep. I apologize for keeping you up this late." He turned and walked in the direction of the large wooden doors that would lead out to the castle grounds. Micah remembered that the Durmstrang students were staying on their ship out on the Black Lake. The boy stopped suddenly and turned around. He hurriedly walked over to Micah and stood directly in front of him. "I've been thinking about this moment for months and now that I finally got the courage to speak to you, I almost forgot to introduce myself," he smiled broadly. He towered Micah by over nine inches, putting him at over six feet tall. "My name is Aleksander Balakov, but those who are close to me call me Alek," the excited boy thrusted out his hand for Micah to shake. "I wouldn't mind it if you called me Alek."
The bewildered Ravenclaw obliged, taking the older boy's rough hand into his. Realization suddenly struck Micah. "Balakov…are you related to Arnost Balakov?" Micah asked as he remembered the Durmstrang lead soloist's introduction.
Aleksander looked down at his hand, which Micah was still holding. Micah followed his gaze and quickly pulled his hand away when he realized what the Durmstrang boy had been looking at.
Aleksander grinned down at Micah. "Arnost is my older brother," he said in response to Micah's question. "I would love to stay here with you all night," Alek trailed off, then quickly started talking again when a look of shock flashed across Micah's face. "But you look like you're about to fall asleep while standing," he finished. "Goodnight," Alek said, though he was clearly holding back more.
The Durmstrang choir member turned and walked over to the large wooden doors. "I hope we can speak again very soon," Alek called over his shoulder as he pushed open the doors and walked out onto the castle grounds.
Once the doors closed behind Aleksander, Micah stood standing for a few moments watching the spot he had just departed from. "I've never met anyone like him before," he said out loud to himself. "That was…overwhelming." Though Micah had not enjoyed the feeling of being engulfed by the older boy's personality, he was intrigued by Aleksander and looked forward to a meeting between the too that wasn't past his own bed time.
