A/N: Slow start but the action gets better next chapter! PLEASE R&R!!!!! _ grrr!
Chapter 1
South-Eastern Sorcery Academy
Louis McAllister sat in one of the middle desks in his Defense Against the Dark Arts class, impatiently tapping his quill against the sheet of paper in front of him. His professor was late and winter break was just one hour away from starting. The classroom was like any of the other professors' rooms at South-Eastern Sorcery Academy. It had the standard cabinets filled with specimens of dark magical creatures, and a chalk board. The windows were vaulted.
It was the little things that made the room interesting. Upon the window sill sat the professor's favorite decoration; a gray cactus-like plant that seemed to purr as it sat in the warmth of the sun. Over the top of the black board was a quote in gold ink upon a scarlet background: 'Every great witch or wizard in history started out as nothing more than a student.' Louis stared at the quote, the smallest hint of a smile curling the edges of his mouth. As he stared, he felt something hit him on the forearm. Turning to see what it was, he found his friend Derek Harper grinning. Derek raised his eyebrows and nodded to Louis' desk. Louis picked up the note and opened it.
'You daydreaming, or thinking about ways to ask her tomorrow?' the note read. With a mock- somber grimace, Louis responded. A commotion alerted Louis to his professor's arrival. He tossed the note back as Professor Robert Blackard strode down the room. He sat down at his desk, a stoic expression on his face. Immediately, the class settled down.
"Good afternoon, class. I apologize for my tardiness," The professor began with a subtle British accent "I was in a meeting with the headmaster over some rather distressing news. He bid me inform you of the current condition of the state of the union. As you all know, England is in the tyrannical grip of Lord Voldemort."
There was a momentary pause in which Professor Blackard surveyed the expressions of his pupils, and then stared out the window.
"As of late," he continued, "Death Eater activity has been reported not only in England, but also in other nations as well. It is my belief that Lord Voldemort and his followers are on the move and it may only be a matter of time before they attempt to spread their influence to the United States. Despite what many may believe the vast oceans can only provide us so much protection. If we continue to ignore the growing threat of his power, we may find ourselves in a very grave situation."
His focus returned to the faces of his students. He was not surprised to see that many of them were looking upon him in fear. Except for one. Louis was staring absentmindedly at the window.
"But you need not live your life in fear," he added with a soft smile. "As long as all of you remain constantly alert to your surroundings, I am sure that all of you will be able to handle yourself just fine. Isn't that right, Mr. McAllister?"
Louis glanced back at Blackard, that careless smile on his face. "I don't know, Professor. It could be right. But it could be left."
The rest of the class burst into laughter, the tension of the previous conversation instantly dispelled. Blackard shook his head, barely suppressing his smile.
"Very amusing, Louis," he replied coolly. "Perhaps you would honor me with some more of your humor after class in detention?"
"Are you giving me a choice?" Louis said.
"No, not really," Blackard chuckled. "As I was saying," he said, as though there had been no interruption, "Do not let this upset you. There is no reason to not enjoy your break as long as you remain observant to the goings on in your hometown. You have the rest of the class period for your own use." The class immediately broke up into the normal clicks.
"Dude, you are my hero!" Derek stated, pulling a chair up to Louis' desk. Louis leaned back in his seat, accepting the praise. He looked out of the corner of his eye to find a blonde girl glancing at him, an amused look on her features. Feeling rather pleased with himself, Louis gave her a winning grin. Sarah Callahan was the reason he liked to play the fool. He always relished the moments that she watched him and he hoped that she felt the same way about him. With a wink she turned back to her friends.
"Hey, Earth to Louis," Derek's voice seemed so distant to the thoughts Louis was consumed in. "So what's the deal? Are you gonna make a move at my party tomorrow night or not? I don't think you'll have a problem, man, I'm pretty sure you're the only reason she's even bothering to come at all."
"Oh, come on," Louis scoffed. "She wants to come because everyone else is going to be there."
"Okay, maybe," Derek admitted. "But when I invited her, she specifically asked me if you were gonna be there. She wants you, dude, so don't screw this up!"
"Yeah, you're right," Louis said sheepishly, averting his eyes to her once more. "So you got any tips? Oh, wait, never mind. I think I can do okay without the infinite wisdom of the master of love and courtship."
"Yeah, yeah, rub it in," Derek retorted. "I can't help it that all the girls I go after turn out to be crazy."
"I dunno," Louis muttered. "I heard most of them were normal before you started dating them."
They spent the rest of the class discussing the upcoming Christmas party. At five o'clock sharp, the bell rang throughout the hidden St. Augustine building.
"Hey, Louis," Sarah's voice filtered over the commotion of scraping chairs and excited voices. "Good luck." And with that, she left the room.
Though Louis tried to escape the classroom unnoticed, Professor Blackard motioned him to the front desk. Grinning, Louis waited until his peers had left before speaking to Blackard.
"Come on, Professor, you know I was just having some fun. You're not going to give me lines on the last day of the semester, are you? That would ruin the whole Christmas spirit."
"Perhaps," Blackard replied. "But I suppose if you haven't learned from the one hundred other times I gave you lines, one more time certainly won't help get the message through."
Louis laughed openly now. "You'd think I was trying to make life difficult for you or something."
"And you're not?"
"I'm trying to keep life interesting for you!" Louis chortled. "Grading papers and watching Derek Stun himself must get boring after a while!"
"Yes, I suppose you do keep me on my toes," Blackard said, amused. Reaching toward his cupboard, he looked back at Louis. "Would you like a cup of tea?"
"Yes, please," said Louis, becoming serious at last. He walked toward the window and the plant resting on the ledge. "Your Mimbulus mimbletonia seems to be doing well," he added, stroking the plant with the tips of his fingers.
"Oh, yes," Blackard replied, handing Louis a steaming cup. "She does love the sun, but this winter air does not agree well with her. One chilly gust and she becomes quite irritable."
Still smiling, Blackard returned to his seat and gestured Louis to the desk in front of his. As Louis sat down, Blackard spoke to him.
"Louis," he began, "You need to be more focused, not just here in the classroom, but in the real world as well. These are dark times we face; an enemy once separated from us by the Atlantic is now on our doorstep and we must remain constantly on the alert for any suspicious activities. I had hoped to hold you as a role model, a standard for others to live up to. I believe that you are that role model; I would just like to see more maturity out of you. You are certainly one of the brightest minds I have ever had the honor of teaching at this academy. You are very knowledgeable in every field, especially here in Defense Against the Dark Arts. I know that your parents are very proud of you, given that their only son wishes to follow in their footsteps as an Auror. I just think that if you want people to look to you as a leader, you must prove that you're the one most suited to lead them."
Slightly embarrassed with himself, Louis smiled and looked at Blackard.
"Thank you, sir," he said quietly. "It means a great deal, hearing such supporting words coming from you. I will do my best to not let you down."
"Oh, I have no doubt that you will exceed any expectations I have of you, my boy," Blackard replied. "Now," he added, looking at the clock on the wall, "I believe you have served your allotted time for detention. You may go."
"Thanks, Professor Blackard," said Louis, shaking Blackard's hand. "You have a good Christmas."
"Thank you, Louis, you do the same."
* * * * * * * * *
"So, how'd it go?" Derek asked, falling in step with Louis as they descended the stairs and began crossing the main grounds of the school.
"Oh, he let me have it!"Louis responded, rolling his eyes sarcastically.
They walked toward the entrance gate of the South-Eastern Sorcery Academy, watching their peers hurry excitedly to their respective Portkeys to take them home. They reached the water bottle that would take them to Palm Harbor. While they gathered around the bottle, Louis looked up and spotted Sarah, talking animatedly to one of her friends as they both stood next to an old telephone book. Louis' mind again began to wander as he thought of the party tomorrow, of how after all this time he would finally pluck up the courage to ask her out.
He was wrenched forcibly away from his thoughts and Derek's hand grabbed his own and placed it on the Portkey as the water bottle let off a bright blue glow. The next second he felt the tug at his stomach as the Portkey transported them away from the academy and into the glowing oblivion. Another second later, he felt his feet slam to the ground and he fell backwards as the old bottle bounced away. Standing up and brushing himself off, Louis turned to Derek, who had remained on his feet the whole time. Derek smirked and shook his head.
"Come on, Louis," Derek chuckled. "I know how much you love school and all, but would you really want to stay there for the holiday break? I mean, don't you get enough of it in a year as it is?"
"Yeah, well I already spend, what ten months there. What's two weeks, right?" he replied.
Louis picked up a stone on the ground and began turning over in his hands again and again. Together, the two started the short hike to Louis' house. The weather in Palm Harbor did not much differ from that of St. Augustine, perhaps a few degrees warmer. When they reached Louis' home fifteen minutes later, Derek took his wand from his pocket, ready to Disapparate to his own home less than a mile south away.
"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Derek said, giving his friend a high five.
"Hang on, Derek," Louis said. "I need a favor."
"Of course, man. What's up?"
"Could you make sure that everyone is distracted while I talk to Sarah tomorrow night?" Louis asked, looking nervous for the first time, continuing to turn the stone in his hand over. "I really don't want her friends or anyone else coming by and—"
"Ruining the moment?" Derek finished. "Yeah, dude, you got it. Just give me some kind of sign before you do and I'll handle the rest."
"Thanks, Derek," Louis said, slightly relieved. "I just don't want to mess this up."
"You won't," Derek replied reassuringly. "Sarah likes you as it is. Just be yourself and the rest will play itself out."
"Good advice," Louis said, grinning. "But wasn't it 'being yourself' that always got you in trouble with girls before?"
"What can I say," Derek shrugged, "I guess I'm just too hot to handle."
"Yeah, that must be it," Louis said, shaking his head.
They shook hands and Derek turned away and Disapparated. Still smiling to himself, Louis dropped the stone and headed towards the front door of his house.