Chapter Six: Laugh It Off
She was woken by a nibbling sensation to find Kevin sampling her skin. She tried to laugh but he activated a particular spot and so she ended up gasping. He paused in what he was doing, flashing a smug smirk, "You're awake." before continuing his work. Fighting back a sigh she twisted her head to glance at the clock; five thirty AM, they had time…
Downstairs in the common room Ben waited for Julie to wake up. It was their second anniversary as a couple and he had completely blown off their first. It wasn't his fault; he was needed as a character witness for the defendant in a Plumber brutality case on that day and had thus completely forgotten. He needed to make that up to her and so he had been working on doing so for the past year. Being the Savior of the Universe came in handy at times. He had had a crossbreed created. The process required magic and some blood and took nearly six months and then the creature had to hatch and grow to full size. It had the body, appearance, of a falcon but the sight of an eagle, the scenting capabilities of a bloodhound, the strength to body ratio of an ant (meaning it could carry and/or lift something hundreds of pounds heavier than it), the speed of an XLR8, and the hearing of a wolf. And it ate only fish and small rodents. But, again, it looked like a normal falcon; it sat perched on his gloved forearm, a hood over its' head, calmly, it's curved razor sharp beak gleaming in the firelight.
She came walking down from the girls' dormitories, completely ready for the day and ready for her tea. The sharp whistle of her kettle shocked her into looking up and it was then she saw him and the bird.
"What the—?"
"Happy anniversary Jules."
She smiled, "You remembered…"
"Yes, I got you a present…"
"The bird?"
"Yeah, his name's Theron. He's a crossbreed of sorts…" and he told her what Theron was made of, "but very well trained, only understands Latin." He removed the hood, revealing that Theron had golden eyes, saying, "Evolo."
Theron spread his wings and took off, making laps about the room.
"Here take this." Ben stripped off the glove and handed it to her.
Julie strapped it on, cinching it smaller to fit her before he instructed, "Tell him to return."
"Revenio." Obediently Theron landed on her arm, clutching the leather glove tightly.
"Good boy…" she absentmindedly stroked his plumage as she asked, "Am I allowed to keep him here? The letter said only cats, rats, owls, or toads…"
"I cleared it with Dumbledore," he smiled, "He can roost with the owls, he won't hurt them."
She smiled, moving to the window and opening it, sticking her arm and bird outside, "Venor et cubitus."
Theron let out a shrill shriek and took off. Julie stripped off the glove and turned to Ben, walking forward and leaning close to kiss him, "Thank you. Happy anniversary…"
"A…"
"Anniversary…"
"You say?" Two voices spoke and a redheaded twin appeared behind both Ben and Julie, sandwiching the teens between them.
"Oh great…"
"What?" Fred asked innocently. "We can't wish our newest little sister and brother a happy anniversary and many more to come?"
"Well Fred," George answered seriously, "when you phrase it like that they're committing incest."
"You know what I mean…I say we wish them a happy anniversary…"
"Right oh brother of mine! So…"
They backed up, lit some firecrackers, linked arms, began twirling around, and began singing, "Happy anniversary, happy anniversary, happy anniversary HAP-PEY ANNI-VER-SAR-RY!
This woke up everyone in Gryffindor and drew them all to the common room, although Kevin and Gwen stayed in bed.
The teens' faces burnt scarlet as their housemates began to celebrate their anniversary. Within minutes a party was planned for that night, Fred and George vowing to provide refreshments and everyone else vowing to keep mum about it. Percy would have a field day with it.
Two and a half hours later the group of seven hiked along the well worn path to Hagrid's hut, Julie still guzzling down her morning tea. The changes were set by the time they arrived at the class and Hagrid came walking out of the forest, leading the most bizarre creature. It had the fore-body of a giant eagle with the hindquarters of a dappled grey appaloosa horse.
"Today we're studying hippogriffs," the gamekeeper announced in his characteristic harsh accent, "and this here's Buckbeak," he patted the hippogriff, "he's going to help us. Now, who knows what a hippogriff is?"
Predictably Hermione's hand shot up, followed closely by Gwen's and Julie's.
Hagrid chuckled, "I'm thinking of a number between one and ten. Go."
"Four." Hermione replied.
"Two," Julie followed.
"Seven." Was Gwen's guess.
"Okay you two," he pointed out Hermione and Julie, "I'm thinking of another number between one and ten."
"Four." Hermione.
"Three." Julie.
"Julie, what's a hippogriff?"
"A hippogriff is the result of a gryphon and a horse mating. Head and forelegs of a bird but the hind end of a horse. They are from Greece originally but are now found everywhere in the world where there's magic. They are very proud creatures; one must bow and wait for it to return the greeting before approaching."
"Very good, five points to Gryffindor, does anyone want to approach him?"
Everyone, save Harry who was digging around in his bag for something, stepped backwards.
"Harry! That's a good fellow."
"Huh? Wha—?" he looked up and then back at the class behind him, mouthing, "Cowards!" before sighing and approaching the beast. He bowed slightly, keeping eye contact with the bird. Buckbeak glared but then bowed deeply as well. Harry stood up slowly, moving forward to stroke the feathers.
The Gryffindors broke into applause and Harry grinned, before being picked up, "Why don't you go for a ride?"
"Hey-Hey! Hagrid! No—Wait!"
The boy was put onto the creature, "Don't pull his feathers now, he won't like you for that," before Hagrid slapped Buckbeak's butt. He lunged into a gallop, as Harry held on for dear life with just his knees behind the wing joints, and his wings spread gaining lift. The legs stopped moving as they took off.
"I got him," Ben said calmly, going into Jet-ray and following.
"Don't spook him!" Julie called worriedly.
"No worries! I'm a pro!" he soared out of sight.
He caught up with them as they were gliding over the lake, "Having fun Harry?"
"Yeah." The boy grinned, "This's better than a broomstick!"
Ben twisted slightly to let a wingtip break the surface of the water.
"Is really flying, like that, fun?" Harry asked calmly.
"It's…" the brunette looked for the right word, "freeing but also really difficult and tiring. Julie loves the muscles it gives me though…and the power…"
"Ew."
"Remember Harry, it's not how big your muscles are but how you use them."
"Ew."
"So do you have an eye on someone?"
"…No." they were closing in on the class now.
"Right…hold on…"
Buckbeak hit the ground running, gradually slowing from a gallop to a walk. Harry dismounted as Ben touched down and turned back to human, the Watch going into recharge mode.
"Are you alright Harry?" Hermione called worriedly, unwilling to approach the hippogriff.
"'Course Mione," he patted the bird's flank. He joined his group just as Malfoy swaggered up to Buckbeak, crooning, "You can't be that dangerous if you let Potter ride you, can you? You great ugly brute!"
"ROWREEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
"MALFOY!"
Buckbeak reared and attacked but a pink barrier blocked him from his victim as a similarly pink beam wrapped around the blonde's waist to yank him back, out of danger.
"You idiot!" Harry dashed forward, having already established himself as a friend not foe, skirting around the barrier to calm the creature alongside Hagrid. In minutes Buckbeak calmed, feathers ruffled with indignation and clawing at the ground but no longer chargingly hostile.
Class was dismissed and break was calm.
Then came Defense against the Dark Arts.
They entered the classroom to find the desks missing, a large trunk in the center of the room. Jaunty music was playing from a gramophone, it sounded like swing more than anything, and the windows were thrown open to let the bright sunlight in.
The trunk began shaking and moving with loud bangs and clangs as soon as the students entered the room and they eyed it, and its' lock, nervously.
"Can we take a sick day?" Ben whispered to Julie who in reply stomped on his foot, hissing, "Behave or you won't get your gift tonight." He promptly fell quiet.
When the professor failed to appear after a few minutes something weird happened. The music was perfect and they were bored so Julie gave Ben a nudge, making some sort of hand gesture. He nodded, smiling and then they began to dance a style straight from the fifties.
"What are they doing?" Harry asked.
Gwen smiled, "They're practicing; they were regional champions in the States."
"Do you dance too then?"
"We don't dance, boy," Kevin growled out, "we spar." And he made to punch Gwen but she, grinning, dropped her bag and back-flipped away. He approached her and they began trading blows with fluid ease, each blocking everything the other tried. Gwen ran up to Kevin, leaping, flipping, doing a handstand on his shoulders, and vaulting off, and attempting a roundhouse kick on him. Kevin spun around and blocked that. Their moves were fluid, fast paced, and looked more like a dance than sparring really should.
"Very good, very good." Professor Lupin appeared, clapping enthusiastically. Ben set Julie down, Gwen and Kevin relaxed and the class crowded around the trunk.
"Today we are studying Bogarts, does anyone kno—?"
Three hands shot up and so began another two rounds of 'guess the number between one and ten'.
"Hermione."
"A Bogart is a creature that takes on the form of what a person fears most; the only way to get rid of it is to laugh at it. The Riddikulus spell turns the bogart into something the user finds hilarious…"
"Great. Five points to Gryffindor. Anyone want to try it?"
Again the entire class stepped back, this time leaving Neville as the 'volunteer'.
"Ah, Neville, good show, now come up here," Neville stepped forward, quaking.
"Now, what are you most afraid of Neville?"
The boy mumbled something.
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you."
"Professor Snape…"
Lupin smiled understandingly, "Alright Neville, Snape is pretty scary and what would make him not scary?"
Neville thought for a minute, "My grandmother's clothes…she has a vulture hat and—"
"We don't need to hear about it, if you see the clothes we'll see them…now you have to do this," Lupin performed a movement with his wand, "and say 'Riddikulus', understand?"
"Yes sir."
"Show me that you understand."
Neville repeated the wand motion and said the incantation.
"And again."
Neville repeated the motion and the spell.
"Good. Are you ready?"
"…Yes sir…"
Lupin nodded and backed up, pointing his wand at the trunk and it burst open. Snape came forth, stepping out of the trunk, scowl upon his face and glared down at Neville as he approached.
"Rid—RIDDIKULUS!" Snape got thrown back a bit, his black robes mutating into an emerald green color, fur trimmed, and a dead vulture on a sunhat appearing on his head. He also had a fur purse. The class, Neville included, howled with laughter.
"Very good, very good Neville! Five points to Gryffindor! Line up everyone, single file."
They did as told, Ron being pushed to the front.
"Next up!" Lupin turned up the music, actually beginning to dance a little to the sound.
The class passed without incident, as only half the class got to try.
During lunch Gwen and Kevin disappeared, leaving Ben and Julie in charge of their charges.
"Where're they going?" Harry asked.
Ben smiled, "Kevin's going to pop the question, out by the lake. Gwen loves the lake you know."
Harry, Hermione and Julie made sounds of joy and celebration, Ron was eating, but then Hermione frowned, "She'll say yes right?"
Harry paled. They had seen Kevin get into a temper…things would go very bad if he was rejected.
"Oh yeah of course," Julie assured firmly before turning to Ben, "Did he show you the ring?"
"No ring," Ben replied, "a necklace, said a ring would get in the way of her powers…"
"What's it made of?"
"White gold, inlaid with Blue Lace and Brown Agates, Amber, Amethyst, Beryl, Pink and Orange Calcites, some stone called 'Carnelian', another one called 'Chrysocolla', Rose and Blue Quartz, Emerald to ' match her eyes', Jade for the same reason, Lapis Lazuli, some stone called 'Lepidolite', one called 'Malachite', Moonstone, Obsidian, something called 'Olivine', Pearl, something called 'Rhodocrosite', Ruby, Sapphire, Sunstone and Yellow Zircon…"
"Oh dear," Julie chuckled, "he's gone overboard hasn't he?"
"Cost him a pretty penny," Ben nodded.
"No, well yes, but you don't understand do you? All those stones are said to foster, increase, and reinvigorate love…"
"How much does it weigh?" Harry asked, "And how ugly is it?"
"HARRY!" Hermione cried out, whacking him upside the head.
"WHAT?"
"It's actually quite pretty and only weighs about a pound."
The two returned soon after that, Gwen now sporting a necklace that wouldn't look out of place in the British Museum in Cairo Egypt's Egyptian Royal Jewelry exhibit.
Transfiguration class was after lunch and that night the Anniversary bash also celebrated an engagement.
