Five.
For Edgar, Elliot and Emmeline, Friday nights had always meant one thing; spending time with their other half in various parts of the castle. Edgar and Nathalia at the deserted Quidditch Pitch, Elliot and Cordelia in the Great Hall and Emmeline and Amos in courtyard in the southern part of the castle.
Now that Amelia had another half – in the loosest sense of the term – she was expected to take part in the Friday night ritual. In all of her sixteen years, dating was not a situation she saw herself in. She barely had time to get used to seeing Kingsley in the corridors knowing how he really felt much less get used to the idea of spending time alone with him. She had only kissed one other boy besides Kingsley and it was when she was thirteen. She and Caradoc Dearborn had gone to Hogsmeade with several of their friends. By happenstance, they found themselves alone. It was mid November and had already begun to snow. They were standing in the center of the shops and Amelia was remarking on how much she enjoyed Caradoc's company when he leaned in and kissed her. It was quick and soft and she had never forgotten it. Most had assumed that when he had kissed her they were surely dating but nothing had changed. The year after they started to drift apart; she grew more dedicated to her studies and his mom had had another baby who he became inseparable with. They were still good friends, they just didn't see each other that way.
Nevertheless, when Kingsley caught up with Amelia after her last class had ended and asked her if she'd like to meet at about seven o'clock, she politely declined, using the same excuse she had given Malfoy, who was nothing short of thrilled when she told him it would be a better idea to start their sessions on Monday. She claimed that she had other affairs to attend to, which was hardly a lie.
Friday nights for Amelia belonged to Xeno. While the rest of the Ravenclaw House gallivanted around Hogwarts looking for a good place to snog, she and Xeno spent much of the night going over essays and correcting each others work. Amelia felt a sort of dedication to Xeno. She was one of the only real friends he had, with the exception of Emmeline.
And so, by the well stoked fireplace, Amelia and Xeno sat crossed legged, various sheets of parchment sprawled out around them, ink wells scattered about the room. Neither had bothered to change out of their uniform though Amelia had shed her blazer and Xeno had loosened his tie.
"What about this one?" Xeno asked curiously, holding up a piece of parchment, indicating a small section in the middle of the page.
"Hmm." Amelia said, taking the paper from him, reading over the highlighted paragraph. "Well," she said after a moment, "you're talking about a troll here. It wouldn't really be fair to compare a hideous beast like that to a dwarf." She said gently. Xeno was highly dedicated to his work, and while he valued opinions, especially Amelia's, he had a tendency to be protective and defensive.
"Why?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Well, for starters, it would be offensive to dwarfs."
"How so?"
"I don't think they would want to be compared to an ugly troll." She said with a small smile.
"I still don't understand." He said, shaking his head.
"Alright." She sighed, reaching for his extensive research on dwarfs. "Here you said; 'In the folklore of Germany and Scandinavia, dwarfs are a race of small supernatural beings who guard magnificent treasures buried deep inside the Earth. Although they have powers that enable themselves to seem invisible, they usually look like small men with large heads, widened faces, long grey beards and misshapen legs and feet.'" Amelia set the essay down and reached for the other paper on trolls. "And here you say; 'In addition to their gigantic size, a troll's most prominent feature is their long crooked noses. But other features cannot be forgotten, such as busy tails, flat feet, shortage of fingers and toes (they only have three or four on each hand) and the shaggy mossy growth that covers their heads.'" Amelia finished, while turning to face Xeno, whose facial expression had not changed.
"I'm sorry, Lia, but I still don't see what you're getting at."
"You wrote that dwarfs are magical creatures and then you wrote that trolls are ugly monsters. Now you're comparing them. You don't find that the least bit offensive?"
"Trolls can't read, Lia. If you'd skip ahead to the eight page you would see that they're not very intelligent." He said proudly.
"Not offensive to the trolls!" she laughed. "The dwarfs! I'm fairly positive that being categorized as something hairy and repulsive would strike a nerve."
"But that's not my intent."
"But that's how it looks. I'm not saying that your facts aren't correct, because they are, but you might want to be a little more objective."
Xeno looked at Amelia considering her words. He valued her opinion above all others. She knew him best and knew exactly what to say to make him see a different point of view.
"I don't understand your logic, but we can work on it, I s'ppose." He said in agreement.
"Brilliant." Amelia grinned.
At the entrance to the common room, laughter could be heard; the boyish chuckle of Elliot, the soft giggle of Emmeline and the booming jeer of Edgar. It was followed by an immediate silence. They were saying their goodbyes. Amos was, of course, going back to his own common room. Nathalia and Cordelia were accustomed to paying a visit to the library after their evening antics – it was a sort of routine. The two were best friends ever since they discovered their common interest – the Bones brothers. It was expected of them to retire to bed a few minutes after the library closed.
Edgar often wondered why Amelia never joined them – they were as good as family. Both Nathalia and Cordelia extended invitations to Amelia but she politely told them to go on without her. It wasn't that she didn't like them. Quite the contrary, she thought they were beautiful, intelligent girls and knew they were well suited for her brothers. She just enjoyed her privacy. And she already had a best friend to spill all of her secrets to.
As expected, Edgar, Elliot and Emmeline walked through the door, all smiles. Emmeline sat down beside Amelia, smiling over at Xeno who tensed up at the sight of Edgar. It was out of habit. Xeno knew that Edgar was under the impression that he had feelings for Amelia. It wasn't true in the sense that Edgar suspected it, but Xeno was still careful not to give Edgar a reason to be upset with him. Edgar however, was not concerned with it. Xeno was not a part of the plan.
"You're back earlier then we expected." Amelia said, looking up at her brothers.
"Quidditch game tomorrow, Lia. You've got to keep up with current events." Edgar said, shaking his head.
"Right, nevermind the war. Quidditch is far too important." Amelia said sarcastically. "That's your excuse. What about you two?" Amelia directed at Elliot and Emmeline.
"Amos is going to the game." Emmeline shrugged.
"But it's against Slytherin." Amelia said quizzically, having remembered Malfoy mentioning something about it.
"Bravo!" Edgar beamed while Amelia rolled her eyes. "You pay attention after all."
"He's going to watch." Emmeline said, leafing through Xeno's papers.
"You see, Lia," Edgar said, sitting on the arm of the couch, gesturing with his hands, "Some people, they respect their friends interests and cheer them on in their pursuits."
"And some people don't know how to quit when they're ahead." Amelia retorted calmly, turning to Elliot. "What's your excuse?"
"I may not be on the team," Elliot said, "but I do plan on supervising."
"Supervising?" Amelia questioned.
"Of course. Can't let the team down, can I? Suppose Ed here gets hurt. Who do you think they're going to turn to? The relation of a Bones. Leadership is in the blood."
"I'm not sure if you're forgotten," Amelia said with a grin, "but we do share some of the same DNA. You know, the three of us."
"But Lia, in a state of panic, a Y chromosome will be required." He explained jokingly.
"Pardon me?" Amelia said, exchanging a look with Emmeline, who gave a sort of 'I'm staying out of this' look.
"It's a fact, Lia. Women are notorious for their states of shock. Their system goes numbs and shuts down. They don't handle pressure well. Two X chromosomes are dangerous." Elliot said, looking at Edgar for support. Edgar bowed his head, hiding his laughter.
"If it wasn't for the two X chromosomes, men would not have an existence. But it's clearly wasted if that's the common logic you possess." She retorted.
"White flag." Elliot said, grinning.
The youngest Bones child was known to push buttons and keep his siblings on their toes, but he enjoyed banter much more with Amelia than Edgar. It was particularly easy to agitate her as she enjoyed a good debate. Elliot would frequently take an opposing side just to infuriate his sister, even though she always won. She was too stubborn to give in – on anything.
"How Cordelia stands you, I'll never know." Amelia laughed, shaking her head.
"I'll be sure to send a Migraine Draft as a wedding gift." Edgar said, clapping Elliot on the shoulder.
"You're just a big ol' bag of laughs, you lot." Elliot said ruefully.
"So, what's this you two are working on?" Emmeline asked Amelia and Xeno, holding up one of the pages of Xeno's essay.
"Emmeline, boys," Amelia said to seriously, "how do you feel about trolls and dwarfs?"
–––––––––––––
The following morning, Edgar had taken it upon himself to wake everyone in the Ravenclaw Tower at an uncalled for hour. He wanted everyone to be at the game and even offered to lend out his banners to anyone who wanted to put forth some extra Ravenclaw spirit. He was all business when it came down to his favorite sport. He had a right to be – he was an exceptional Keeper, and as team captain, he had a team to hold together. Lucky for him though, he got on well with the other team captains – Amos and Kingsley. Two out of the three wasn't bad – no one would miss Malfoy anyway.
At breakfast, the Ravenclaw table was more populated than usual. Several of the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor players lent their support. Even if they didn't particularly like the Ravenclaw Team, it was better then the Slytherins winning. Edgar sat at the head of the table, going over strategies, Nathalia beside him. Elliot and Cordelia were close to the conversation as were Emmeline and Amos, who offered some of his own opinions on how to beat out the Slytherins. Kingsley listened next to Amos, Amelia on the other side of him reading the Daily Prophet. Another muggle attack in London.
"Alright, then." Edgar said, checking his watch, "we'd better get going – you'll want good seats."
The players and most others stood up along with Edgar. Elliot rose to, causing Cordelia to ask in a very girl-friendly manner,
"Where're you going?"
"The pitch." He explained.
"You don't play." Cordelia said, confused.
"Sure he does," Amelia said, folding her paper in half, "but whether or not he plays well is to be determined."
"Shush." Elliot said in Amelia's direction. "I've got to lend moral support."
"Moral support?" Kingsley asked laughing.
"Of course." Elliot said flashing a grin at his irritated sister. "Bones boys-"
"Think too much with their groin and not enough with their head." Amelia said, setting her paper down on the table. "The only reason men invented – yes, I did my research, Quidditch was invented by you heathens – the sport was to impress upon the female sex how well they can fly. But I for one don't by it. Showing off on a broomstick only makes you look stupid. Try intellectual impression." She suggested.
"Giving up on Quidditch anytime soon, King?" Amos teased the Gryffindor while Emmeline pinched his arm.
"What about the girls that play?" Elliot posed with a smirk.
"Kudos to them for breaking the mold. And I'm not saying that anyone should give it up," she clarified, "but I don't think broadening ones horizons while firmly planted on the ground could hurt."
"Ladies and gentlemen, Amelia Bones." Elliot said to the onlookers who offered a soft applause, to which Amelia rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her tea.
As most of the Great Hall emptied to make their way down to the pitch, Kingsley remained seated next to Amelia and stared at her a moment before asking,
"Lia, you were a bit hard on him, don't you think?"
"Concerned for my baby brother?" she teased. Looking up at Kingsley, she shrugged. "It's just how we communicate. He says whatever he can, no matter how moronic just to get a rise out of me."
"So why do you bother responding?" he inquired.
"I like being right all the time." She shrugged.
"Are you right all the time?" he said, his voice low, seductive.
"Yes." She said simply before standing, tucking her newspaper under her arm, heading for the exit.
"Wait, Lia." Kingsley said, jumping to his feet. "I'm on my way down to the pitch, too. Why don't you come down."
"I don't know. I've got a lot of work to catch up on." By work, she meant brushing up on material to go over with Malfoy – it would probably take the better half of the day.
"Please, Lia." He said, his big brown eyes deep. "You can sit with me, right along side Emmeline, Amos, Elliot, Cordelia, the whole gang."
Normally, Amelia would have said 'no' still. She couldn't be bothered by Quidditch and she certainly did not care where she sat. But then she remembered dismissing him the night before. For the past two weeks, besides mealtimes, she had barely spent any time with him. They hadn't even properly kissed with the exception of the first time and small pecks each morning. Sighing, Amelia said,
"Alright. Lets go."
"Brilliant." Kingsley beamed, wrapping an arm around her waist, leading the way.
The Quidditch stands were packed and full to the brim of blue and green. It was clear that Ravenclaw was supported well; Gryffindor and Hufflepuff had festooned themselves with the Ravenclaw house colors, if anything, just to spite the Slytherins. Amelia and Kingsley said beside Elliot and Emmeline, as planned, in the front row. About six people down, Amelia saw Rita, who looked down her pointy nose at the newer players, who were already nervous enough. Rita took great pleasure in her ability to intimidate.
The game had just begun and Amelia spotted Edgar soaring high in the air, calling out commands to his fellow teammates; namely, a fifth year boy who had just made the team as a beater two weeks earlier.
"Tonks!" Edgar shouted. "Grip it tighter! If you can't hold it right, you're never going to hit the bludger!"
"Poor kid." Emmeline whispered.
"Edgar's right though." Elliot observed. "If he wants to play, he's got to do it right. Edgar won't hesitate to kick him off the team."
"What was his name?" Amelia asked, not having heard Edgar.
"It's Ted." Emmeline informed her. "You know. Always chasing after Andromeda Black."
"Oh, right!" Amelia said absently. "Why does he even bother?"
"Are you mad?" Elliot exclaimed. "The Black sisters are undeniably the most-"
"Ahem." Cordelia said, who was sitting just behind him alongside Nathalia.
"Repulsive creatures in this school! Why he wants her I'll never know." Elliot mended to which Cordelia flashed a satisfactory grin.
Ravenclaws were said to be the most handsome students in the school. And they were. The only problem was their snobbery made them a bit standoffish. And, with the exceptions of Amelia, Emmeline and Ted Tonks, they only dated within their house. Slytherins, on the other hand, were more alluring. Their outer beauty mystified most and gave many pause. Had they not attained a reputation for maliciousness and deception they would have been adored by all.
Andromeda Black, the middle Black sister, was the only member of the family, besides her cousin, Sirius Black, who possessed some sort of humanity. Which was why, of course, Ted Tonks proceeded to chase after her. But it was unthinkable. She would most likely marry Rabastan Lestrange, brother of Rodolphus whom her older sister, Bellatrix had married a year before. Besides, a Ravenclaw and a Slytherin was just not heard of.
"Come on, Tonks! Concentrate!" Edgar yelled across the pitch.
"He's only doing it to impress Andromeda." Cordelia sighed. "Merlin, he's terrible. He can't even hit straight."
"He knows she's watching." Nathalia chimed in. "He's just nervous."
"Did I not just say this at breakfast?" Amelia said. "He's only trying to make himself appear more manly and it's not working. She doesn't want him anyway – it's a lost cause."
"But isn't it romantic?" Cordelia sighed.
"Cordelia," Emmeline said, turning in her seat, "the boy is flailing around like a bloody seagull. How in Merlin's name is that romantic?"
"But he's doing it for her." Nathalia added.
"It doesn't matter. If the feeling is not mutual, then there is no reason to go on pretending. She doesn't care what he does-"
Amelia was cut short when Ted Tonks finally managed to hit a bludger – straight toward the stands. Oblivious to the game, Amelia had no time to duck and was knocked from the stands. The other players from both teams heard her screaming almost instantly. Terrified that she would fall to her death, Amelia squeezed her eyes shut tight. Kingsley had no time to think as he watched her fall. Emmeline buried her head in Amos' chest, praying that her friend would be okay. Edgar turned his broom in her direction, ready to fly to her rescue when his mouth, along with everyone else's, fell open.
Someone had caught her, but she didn't know who. His arms were strong and supported her weight. She seemed to fit the curve of his body. His body temperature was cool, she noticed, and buried her head into his neck. He smiled of a peculiar mix – rain and peppermint. Tears had formed in the corners of her eyes, but did not fall. Slowly opening them, she met the stone, grey eyes of Lucius Malfoy.
A silence fell over the field as the students took in the scene. The Ravenclaws in the air touched down on the ground – Ted stayed off to the side, averting his eyes from Edgar, who clenched his fists, waiting for the Slytherin to put his sister down.
Kingsley however, wasted no time running to the scene. Completely caught up in worry for Amelia, he rushed to her aid.
"Falling for me, Bones?" Malfoy whispered only loud enough for Amelia to hear.
He set her down on the ground, only mere inches from her when the frantic Gryffindor enveloped her in a hug.
"Lia," he breathed into her hair. Placing one hand on either side of her face, he asked, "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine." Amelia said with a quick nod, her stomach lurching. She had just been in the hands of Malfoy. Malfoy. Of all people, he had to be the one to catch her. "Just a nasty fall is all."
"You scared me half to death." He sighed.
Edgar finally made his way over to where everyone had gathered; Emmeline, Elliot, Amos, Cordelia, Nathalia, Caradoc and dozens of others. Edgar placed a kiss atop his sister's head, hugging her tightly.
"Thank Merlin you're alright, Lia." He said, his voice laced with concern.
"I'm really, sorry, Lia." Ted Tonks said from behind.
"We'll talk later." Edgar said firmly to the boy, who hugged his broom quietly. Turning to Malfoy, Edgar extended his hand and cleared his throat. "Thank you."
Malfoy looked at Edgar and then to Amelia. His eyes were cool and it was impossible to read his expression for any kind of emotion. She couldn't tell if he was mocking her or not. Malfoy took Edgar's hand and gave it a firm pump.
"My pleasure." He said honestly.
Satisfied with the Slytherin's answer, Edgar turned back to his friends and family. Kingsley had wrapped his arm around Amelia protectively and they began making their way back to the stands.
Kingsley's arms were around her but all Amelia could feel were Malfoy's eyes.