Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
THE SONG OF SOLOMON
Chapter 7: The Affront
Ethan Burkes sat on the cobblestone, panting as he healed the wounds on his arm. Bones was doing the same on the opposite side of the narrow pavement, his Gryffindor tie hanging out and completely askew. He was mouthing what was undoubtedly a soliloquy of the finest and most heartfelt profanities.
Other students had dispersed, heading off for more urgent matters that involved butterbeers and dungbombs. Ethan couldn't fathom why they had gathered in the first place, it was not as if a fight between him and that git would warrant a special occasion. Filch could attest to that.
He glared at passerbys who dared to look their way, fiddling with his Slytherin tie that had been yanked loose during the brawl. Bones was also recovering, stretching his legs and sucking lazily on a blood-flavored lollipop purchased before the fight.
Contrarily to what most people believed, they knew of life's priorities.
A family of four had just exited Honeydukes. A boy was skipping along on his own, followed by a younger child fast asleep in the arms of his mother, a head of dark hair nestling snuggly against the crook of her neck and a small fist clutching the back of her sweater. The father trailed behind, carrying a few bags of sweets; his pace slowed as he caught sight of the two of them.
Ethan lifted his chin and squinted. From the distance he could only see the outline of the face, the details lost in the mist from the rain that had dampened to a drizzle. He glowered back, and just to make sure his sentiments were unequivocally understood, he raised his hand to make a rude gesture.
A kick on the ball of his feet jerked his body sideways. Bones was rolling his eyes at him, the stick of lollipop jutting out of his pursed lips spinning at the tongue's play. Without bothering to remove the sweet, the hands motioned instead to converse. Ethan scoffed at the obviousness of the first impression that drew attention to the spectacles worn by the man. Bones rewarded him with a harder kick and pressed on, his finger sketching an imaginary lightning bolt on the forehead.
Ethan's jaw dropped in comprehension. His family members were proper merchants of course, but he very much doubted their trade would ever win approval from the Ministry, let alone the Man Who Lived. His hand froze in mid air.
Bones rose, muttering what was unquestionably another set of his choicest colorful vocabularies. He stepped across the pavement and grabbed Ethan by the collar, dragging him up and away from the royalties of the wizarding world. Any protests from the Slytherin were silenced by the lollipop that found its way into his mouth, overwhelming his senses with the fiercely seductive taste of blood.
As Ethan retreated in a stagger, he turned to look again at the target of his previous insult. His eyes must be failing him - for the Great Harry Potter was grinning, and after a quick sideward glance to make sure nobody could see, he returned a flick of finger in Ethan's direction before breaking into a brisk walk to join his own family.
Bones must have given him a concussion, Ethan concluded. As he rested a palm on the hips brushing carelessly against his own, he made a silent vow to himself that the Gryffindor would pay for it tonight.