Chapter IX
Pins and Needles
By late November, the grounds of Hogwarts had been covered in a thin blanket of snow, which, for the most frequently used outdoor passageways, instantly turned to slush. Karida put a charm on her boots to make them temporarily waterproof so she could take a walk around the Black Lake in peace. She found the half-frozen surface of the Lake to be quite beautiful, and looked forward to it every year.
The first time she did this this year, she wanted to be alone. But she thought brightly at the prospect of bringing Hermione next weekend.
Even though she had a lot of solitary think-time nowadays, Karida enjoyed the time alone. She liked being silent, and not having to worry about what to say next in awkward pauses. Thus far she and Hermione had always had something else to do if the conversation broke, but the partially deserted grounds would give no distractions.
Karida walked out of the castle with her heaviest cloak drawn tightly around her. When she got into the Entrance Hall, she heard the noises of a snowball fight. She got her wand out, just in case one of the rowdy third-years decided it would be funny to chuck a ball of ice at an innocent passerby.
But when she craned her neck to see the cause of the noise ahead, there were no younger students. Actually, quite the contrary. Two – seventh-years, by the looks of them – were bewitching snowballs to fly straight up and hit a tower window. Karida paused to watch as the window opened. The oncoming snowballs flew into the castle happily, and the pane slammed shut again. It was only when she heard the whoops of laughter from the two boys that Karida knew who they were. She grinned and made to walk past them quietly as they continued pelting the tower.
The plan almost succeeded, too; Karida was almost stepping onto the wooden bridge when she was spotted. "Well, well, look at this, Fred! If it isn't our own little black sheep of the Slytherin House!" George Weasley called from not too far back.
Karida heard plodding footsteps in the slush and before she knew it, both of the twins had caught up to position themselves on either side of her. "What are you up today?" Fred asked.
"More avoiding those charming peers of yours?" George smirked. "Sounds like some adventure."
"I'm sure it does…" Karida chuckled. "But unfortunately it usually entitles hours in the library, not fighting the giant squid." She continued walking, carefully controlling her intake and outtake of breath, knowing that the twins would be able to see the puffs from her mouth. Her blushing she could blame on the cold, but they were sure to notice if she was nervous around them.
"Oh, how I miss my fifth year…" George said nostalgically, wiping a tear from his eye.
"What glorious days –"
"Of wanting to strangle any given teacher!" The pair laughed. "It's alright though; it all pays off in the end, doesn't it?" George snickered.
"Naturally!" Fred grinned. "From all those tedious hours we put in, six combined O.W.L.s was a wonderful dividend!"
This did not exactly help de-stress Karida, but she laughed despite herself. "Well, I think I just might be spending more time studying than you two did…" Karida shrugged, "Even if it is to avoid Malfoy, he won't go near the library. But when SOMEONE decides to dungbomb the place, one has less choice of where to study!" She clucked.
Fred and George feigned looking ashamed, nodding solemnly and saying "Sorry, Talon," in unison.
Karida thought her heart may explode at the pace it was going. Why were they talking to her? Hermione wasn't nearby, How did they know her name? Sure they pulled pranks in the library a lot, but it wasn't that often…
"But what about in your Common Room?" George asked, frowning. "Besides the fact that is filled with terrible people, what's wrong with it?"
Karida looked at him sideways. "Malfoy's there. With Pansy. And they will not shut up or leave me alone." She sighed, her hands starting to get that prickly sensation you do when they get too cold, too fast.
George held a hand out to halt their progress across the bridge. "We have something that could help you with that," he said with the shadow of a smile playing across his face. "If you have good aim."
Karida beamed, and it was all she could do to suppress an overly girlish giggle and remain as casual as the twins. "And what might that be?" She lowered her voice.
George took Fred only a few paces away, and they put their heads together and dug through their pockets. "What do you think would be the best fit?" He asked.
"Definitely our top seller." Fred supplied, turning back to Karida. "We've finally perfected out Puking Pastilles," he said in a business-like tone.
Karida had heard about these from Hermione, of course, but looked inquisitive.
"You may run the risk of soiling all your work," George said, fishing through his pockets and digging out pieces of lint in the process, "but I think the results would be wondrous."
Fred found what they were looking for first and they all huddled in a small circle. "Just take the orange side of this when he's bothering you," he produced a purple and orange candy with a flourish, "and after he's gone, take the purple end to make you… Stop." He winked.
Karida took the candy and inspected it. "Sounds perfect," she said, chortling. Remembering how Hermione had said they were selling their gags to Gryffindors, she carefully put the candy in one of her pockets, and sought to find a few sickles in the other.
When George realized what she was doing, he held out a hand. "No payment is required." He shook his head. When Karida looked like she was about to protest, he added, "nor will it be accepted. Except," he leaned even closer to whisper in Karida's ear. "You must find us to describe the results." He leaned back again, and motioned for Fred. They walked away backward, and George winked before they turned around, sniggering wildly.
They had gotten a few more feet away before Karida yelled after them. "Hey, George!" He turned around, eyebrows raised. "Nice right hook!" She shouted, hitting her own fist into her palm. "Malfoy's been crying about it for days."
George exchanged a glance with Fred, then called back. "I'd bloody hope so! It got us both banned from Quidditch, it's good to know that it was worth it!"
Deciding that it was her turn, Karida winked back at George before continued on her walk with numb feet. She'd miscalculated the strength of the waterproofing charm, but she hardly noticed. Even when she got hit by a stray snowball from a game going on near the Stone Circle, she couldn't stop beaming like an idiot.
I REALIZE THIS IS SHORT! AND THAT I'VE MADE YOU WAIT ANOTHER MONTH! D:
But I have decided that my chapters are going to be shorter now. I have less patience for longer chapters, myself...
AND, if I had made this normal-length, it would have taken more planning and thus, more time.
Should I keep them short? They won't take as long as this one did.
So sorry for the wait! :(
Please review! Like, every chapter. I don't know why you wouldn't, because it makes me feel wonderful. ^_^
Like I said on the last chapter, I don't like the format this website uses. It makes it all messed up.
So, if you would care for the original Word doc I have, PM me and I'd be glad to send it to you :3
Thanks for reading! 3 You're awesome!