Thicker Than Water- Chapter Two- Library
Many more thanks to everyone who reviewed/favorited/subscribed to this story! It's greatly appreciated!
NOTE: The Redferns and Harman's ARE NOT related in this story. There is no blood or family relation between them, except they are political allies.
Also, for all you non-HP people, the Prophet is short for the Daily Prophet which is the main Wizarding newspaper and Witch Weekly is a magazine.
BTW, in this story, the day is Friday and weeks before Christmas.
"Are you staying at Hogwarts for the holidays?" Rowan inquired, looking up from her History of Magic textbook suddenly.
"What?" Philip North asked, clearly having not heard her. "Sorry, it's just potions is kicking my arse this year. Can you repeat that?"
Rowan smiled sympathetically; she remembered how much she hated potions and repeated her question.
"I've been thinking about it… I'm just not sure." Phil gave her a small smile, the one that made her heart go into over-drive and forced her brain to gush over how cute he looked.
Though it really didn't take much to get her attention as fare as his looks were concerned. Thick, Viking blond hair that never fell out of place with kind smile and a small pointed nose, which was the most adorable thing about him.
Before he could ask why she was staring at him like a love-struck school-girl, she remembered why she had asked in the first place. "Well, my siblings and I were thinking about staying this year. Now that Ash and Mary-Lynnette are dating they want to spend the holidays together, but our grandfather's thinking about pulling us out and making us do some interviews for the Prophet."
"If you're staying… then I guess it wouldn't be too bad to stay either." Phil smiled again. "Poppy wants to stay anyway."
A joyful grin spread across her face and triumph stirred in her veins. Rowan knew thinking about it wasn't the same as actually doing it but it was a better start than she thought she'd get today.
Keller had been having a bad week. It all started when the Quidditch team lost to Slytherin and were out of the running for the Quidditch Cup, and now it was ending with her not being able to get into the common room.
"Why can't we just have a damn password like everyone else?" She moaned with her head against a cool window overlooking the grounds. The icy chill on her forehead helped clear her throbbing forehead and soothe her migraine.
"Because that'd be too easy," Thea said, though Keller had asked a rhetorical question. She lifted the knocker on the door and let it fall with a loud thud.
Keller winced at the shooting pains the knock had caused her eardrums and scowled at the familiar voice asking, "If you have it, you want to share it. If you share it, you don't have it. What is it?"
Thea blinked once, and Keller could see the wheels turning in her head. Keller watched, too tired and in pain to figure out the riddle for herself, as Thea mouthed the riddle twice again before confidently saying, "A secret."
The door swung open with some over-used compliment about how wise Thea was and Mary-Lynnette came waltzing in behind them at the last minute before the door shut. She obviously had heard the answer at least, for she was singing, "Gotta a secret can you keep it? Swear this one you'll save! Better lock it in your pocket, taking this one to the grave! If I show you then I'll know you won't tell what I said, 'cause two can keep a secret if one of them is dead."
"What kind of music do you listen to?" Keller stared at the brunette. "That was the creepiest song I've ever heard."
Mary-Lynnette shrugged. "It's actually a pretty cool song. It's by a Muggle artist, but I think the Weird Sisters did a cover of it."
"Regardless of who sings it, since when do you sing?" Keller demanded. Looking back on it, she'd been pretty rude, but at the time, all she wanted to do was curl up on one of the couches.
"Since she fell in love." Thea gave an over-exaggerated, dreamy sigh and slumped in her armchair.
Mary-Lynnette just rolled her eyes; she'd long learned to contain her blush when they'd tease her about Ash.
"Well Thea, if you think love is so wonderful, why don't you go after a certain Gryffindor you've had your sights on." Mare suggested sweetly.
Keller felt an irrational blush flush her cheeks. She quickly ducked her head and cursed her stupid headache for her strange behavior. Maybe she'd gotten a whiff of something rotten in Potions that was making her loony.
Mare wasn't even talking to you! Keller massaged her temple, taking nice, deep breaths. There's no reason to act immaturely.
Thea was having a much better time keeping her cool. She was beat red, but her tone was calm enough. "What are you talking about? I don't like any Gryffindors."
"Mm…" Mary-Lynnette studied Thea with such intensity; Keller thought her brain would explode if Mary-Lynnette turned it her way. "If you say so."
Thea blew a gust of air out of her cheeks and relaxed in her seat, looking relieved.
Keller bit her lip, curiosity consuming her thoughts and she knew it wouldn't go away until she asked. So, with carefully selected words, she asked, "So… if—hypothetically—you did like a Gryffindor, who would you like?"
Thea's blush returned but Mary-Lynnette just carefully pondered the possibilities.
"Thierry." Mary-Lynnette finally answered.
"No way. How can you be dating someone like Ash and say you'd date Thierry?" Keller demanded, fully aware she was being inconsiderate now.
Mary-Lynnette finally blushed and said, "I don't usually like bad guys, but there's something about Ash that makes it incredibly… appealing."
And I thought Ash just makes himself look like even more of an arse, Keller thought, but figured saying that in front of Ash's girlfriend would be overstepping a line.
"What about you Thea?" Mary-Lynnette wondered.
"Probably… Eric. Not that I like him, but if the other Gryffindor wasn't available, I think Eric is nice."
"So there is a Gryffindor!" Mary-Lynnette said triumphantly.
Thea nodded reluctantly and turned to Keller for a subject change.
"I'd have to say Galen because he has… nice hair." Keller finished weakly.
Mary-Lynnette and Thea grinned far too suggestively for a prefect and runner-up for prefect.
"Nice hair? Is that the best you can do?" Mary-Lynnette teased. "How about nice arms? Which he does have."
"Ugh, I see Ash has corrupted you after all." Thea heaved another dramatic sigh. "But yes… Galen does have nice arms."
Keller groaned and threw her arm over her eyes. Her headache still hadn't faded and the last thing she needed was to be thinking about Galen Drache's biceps.
In the following moments, Rowan walked through the door, and Keller jumped on the chance to interrogate her about the dreamy look on her face.
There were some times when Gillian felt she didn't belong. She did not belong in this magical society; she was barely magical. What was a small, blonde girl doing in a dungeon full of green, silver, and snakes?
Well, failing at charms was what she was currently doing.
"I am a failure of a witch." Gillian complained, finally giving up. It was now a fact the small glass ornament was not going to soar into her waiting hand.
"And Rowan and Jade are failures for a Redfern, but we still accept them anyway." Kestrel said. Her tone was uncaring, but she gave Gillian a meaningful look as she said it.
"How is it, Kestrel that you are more sisterly towards Gillian than your own sisters?" Blaise asked, briefly looking up from her copy of the latest Witch Weekly.
"I'm wondering the same thing." Ash gave his sister a look.
Kestrel shrugged. "Blood is thicker than water, but House pride is pretty strong too.
Ash rolled his eyes and then turned to Gillian. "Don't worry Jill, lots of people fail at the Summoning Charm the first week."
Comments like that usually helped Gillian feel better, but she wasn't having it today.
"But it always takes me forever to get a new spell down. Isn't this stuff supposed to come naturally or something?" Gillian whined. She didn't mean to complain so much, but she was more upset than she'd been in a long time.
She could imagine Morgead rolling his eyes like 'melodramatic fifth years' but even he was giving her an encouraging look.
"If magic was supposed to come easy we wouldn't have Squibs." Gillian didn't miss the sour look on Blaise's face as she formed the last word.
The Slytherin's gave involuntary shudders. A Squib was a person with two magical parents that—for whatever reason—didn't hold any magical properties. Gillian often wondered if she was more Squib than actual witch, which she knew perfectly well was a stupid thing to think, but she couldn't help it.
"You sure do know how to make a conversation awkward Blaise." Quinn said after what seemed like hours of awkward silence.
"It isn't awkward unless you make it. I, for one, thought it was more like a pregnant pause than an awkward silence." Blaise retorted.
Gillian smiled, once again reminded how well Blaise's posh accent suited her.
"Well if you two are going to continue to bicker—which judging by the looks on your faces, you are—I'm going to go." Kestrel uncurled herself in her armchair and stood, swinging her book bag over her shoulder.
"I'm going to meet someone." She announced as she strutted to the door.
"Who?" Ash demanded.
"I'm not telling." Kestrel said then vanished out the door.
"She's probably just trying to get a rise out of you." Quinn said, voicing Gillian's suspicions.
"Probably," Ash relaxed in his seat.
With no one trying to start a new conversation, Gillian got up to give the Summoning charm another go.
Well four pages—barely. I still managed to reach my goal! XD
Thanks to Nessa for the beta-reading! Long time, no shout out girl! Love you! :)
Thanks to everyone who read this chapter! Please, don't forget to review!
-Eve