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Chapter Fifteen: The Halloween Party
The party was in full swing by the time that Juniper, Kaylynn, and Eileen reached the Room of Requirement, which was filled with Halloween decorations, including floating candles in shapes of ghosts, black cats, pumpkins, and many other spooky things, as well as black and orange banners, which said "Happy Halloween" on them. The words had been bewitched to change colors.
"Hey, there's Albus!" Kaylynn exclaimed, waving to the green eyed Gryffindor, who was dressed as a wolf, complete with a furry grey costume, ears, and a tail. She walked over to him and practically dragged him out to the center of the floor where a few other students were dancing. Juniper shook her head. Leave it to Kaylynn to be so bold, Juniper only wished she could be brave like that.
"Do you want something to drink?" Eileen asked, pointing to the large refreshments table that was filled with a wide assortment of treats. Of course, since the Room of Requirement couldn't food or drink, it could be assumed that it had been brought from the outside.
Juniper shook her head. "I think I'm going to find a corner to hide in." She began to back away and found herself lightly crashing into someone. She nearly fell over, but a pair of hands steadied her shoulders.
"Careful." The voice belonged to James. Juniper turned around to face him. He looked very handsome in his vampire costume, his fangs looked very real. Juniper assumed that he might have transfigured his teeth.
"Nice costume," she said. He peered at her, then drew back surprised.
"Juniper?" he chuckled. "I almost didn't recognize you under that sheet." He lightly flicked the feather of her pirate hat. "So, you're some kind of ghost pirate?"
She blushed. "I guess you can say that. I see you decided to go as one of the creatures of the night?
James grinned impishly, his fangs gleaming as he tipped his hat. "Are you going to let me nibble on your neck?" he teased.
Juniper's blush only deepened as she imagined him pulling her close and kissing her neck while teasingly biting here and there. She shook her head. What was wrong with her?
"By the way, I'm glad you decided to come."
She was jolted out of her accidental fantasy. "I'm still tempted to leave." Juniper rubbed her arms uncomfortably. "I really hate large crowds like this."
James frowned. "So, I guess this means you won't be going to the New Years Ball?"
Juniper cringed for she had forgotten all about the ball. She wrung her hands nervously. "I really don't know how to dance," she muttered, looking down at her feet.
James smiled and took her hand, causing Juniper to look up. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I think it's about time you had your first dance lesson then." He started to lead her towards the center of the room where the other partygoers were dancing. The music had changed into something mildly upbeat.
"James, no. I'll make a fool of myself," Juniper protested.
"If you can fly as well as you do, then you can dance," James said confidently. "Although, you may want to take off the sheet so you don't accidentally step on it."
Juniper hesitated. She had no idea why James was bothering trying to help her. She had two left feet and the fact that there were a lot of other people around made it much worse, despite the fact that they didn't really seem to be paying much attention to them. Juniper closed her eyes and took a deep breath. What could go wrong? It was just a process of moving one's feet in rhythm with the music. Surely she wouldn't have to do anything fancy. She removed the pirate hat and white sheet, the latter of which she shrank to the size of a handkerchief with her wand and stuffed into her pocket before she placed the hat atop her head again.
James' callused hand felt so warm and strong as he led her to the dance floor. There, he placed his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. She was sure he could feel her heart beating rapidly through her blue jumper. Her heart skipped a beat as he grinned at her.
"Just follow me and try and do what I do." Yet, the minute she moved, she stepped on his right foot.
"Sorry!" she cried as he winced. "This is stupid. I told you I can't." She began to pull away, but James held fast to her hand.
"Oh, no you don't. My right foot will live." He winked at her. Juniper bit down on her bottom lip and nodded before beginning to move again, following his movements. Yet, she felt awkward and her steps were very stiff.
"Relax," he whispered into her ear. "You're way too tense, loosen up."
"But I feel like everyone is staring at me." Juniper said quietly.
"No one's even paying attention to us," James assured her.
This is a waste of time, Juniper thought. There's no way I can learn how to dance.
'Are you serious right now?' an impatient voice inside Juniper's head demanded. 'You're a Hufflepuff: hard-working and loyal! Are you really going to say that you can't just because something is a challenge? If you're going to just quit, then maybe you don't belong in such a House?'
Juniper's hazel eyes blazed with determination as she looked up at James. It was just dancing, not some grueling History of Magic essay. She relaxed her shoulders and found herself moving her feet once again.
"That's it," James said proudly. "You don't have to do anything fancy, just move to the music, feel the rhythm."
Juniper couldn't believe it, but she was actually starting to enjoy herself and she managed not to step on James' feet anymore. She wouldn't win any awards, but at least she was dancing. When the song ended, another immediately replaced it. James ceased dancing.
"So, you want to keep trying, or take a break and get something to drink?"
"I think I need a break," Juniper replied waving her hand in front of her face to cool herself off.
"I'll get you some punch." James released her hand and walked over to the refreshments table. Juniper decided that it would be best to find a place to sit so that she wasn't just standing in the middle of the dance floor. She couldn't help, but grin from ear to ear. She'd absolutely loved the feeling of James holding her close like that and feeling safe in his arms.
"You're looking proud of yourself," a voice sneered. Juniper turned and saw Avery smirking at her. The Hufflepuff's confidence dropped to about a zero. The dark haired Ravenclaw was dressed as a genie, her sky blue costume showing off her perfect physique. Upon seeing her, Juniper took an involuntary step back. Juniper had thought that she, herself, looked pretty all right, but upon laying her eyes on Avery, she realized that she looked like a frumpy homeless person compared to the beautiful blue-eyed girl.
"What do you want, Burke?" she asked, trying her very best to keep her voice steady.
Avery flipped her high ponytail off her shoulder and folded her arms across her chest. "You really think that just because James is paying attention to you and hanging out with you that you have a chance with him? Please, the thought of you with him is laughable."
Juniper wanted to just walk away, but she didn't. She chose to stand her ground against Avery, regardless of what might have happened to her. "You're just jealous." She cringed inwardly at the horrible retort.
Avery threw her head back and laughed. "Me? Jealous of you? Oh, that's rich." She leaned in closely, her eyes piercing into Juniper's. "Let's face it, sweetheart, everything about you is a joke, even your pure-blood status."
The Hufflepuff felt a painful lump build up in her throat, but she forced it down where it settled in the pit of her stomach like a heavy stone weighing her down. She clenched her fists. "I may not be the most talented witch at Hogwarts or even in the Wizarding World, but at least I come from an honest family. Too bad you can't say the same for yours."
Avery's eyes blazed with anger. Juniper knew that she had gotten to her. "You really think you're better than me just because your father got mine sacked? I don't think so."
"You're father got sacked because he embezzled a lot of money from the department he worked in at the Ministry. It's sad that you refuse to acknowledge the crime he committed and continue to hold on to your hatred, even after all these years." Having nothing more to say, Juniper turned to walk away, but Avery grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her around.
"Don't think that this is over. You have no idea what I'm capable of. I will do everything in my power to make sure that you suffer." She released Juniper's shoulders, pushing her slightly as she did so, then turned and walked away.
"What was that all about?" Kaylynn came up beside Juniper. "What the hell did she say to you?"
Juniper didn't want a scene to be started, so she shook her head. "Nothing," she said.
"Wait!" Kaylynn called as Juniper began walking towards James. "Tell me what she said!"
"Who said what now?" James asked approaching Juniper and handing her a clear glass of red punch.
"Seriously, it was nothing. Avery was just flapping her big mouth, that's all."
Kaylynn narrowed her eyes. "Why didn't you punch her in the face or stick your wand in her eye or something?"
Juniper shrugged. "It just wasn't worth it. Avery would never try to attack me in front of so many people."
"No, she'll wait until you're alone, like in the girls' lavatory and then brutally beat you until you're all bruised up until you can't move because of a Full-Body Bind."
Juniper clenched her jaw and gave her best friend a look, for this was all said right in front of James who looked at her in shock. "Wait, Avery attacked you? Why didn't I hear about this?"
"Thanks a lot, Lynn," Juniper muttered angrily.
"I'm sorry, but it was bound to come out sooner or later."
Juniper silently counted to ten so as not to lose her temper. "I need to sit down." She sat on the lounge next to Eileen, who had a Blood Pop in her mouth and was watching the exchange between the three, silently.
"June." James sat down beside her. "When did this happen?"
"What does it matter?" Juniper said taking a sip of her punch. "It's over and done with. Clearly, I didn't suffer any long lasting damage from it. So, I would rather not talk about it. I just want to enjoy the party."
James looked like he wanted to say something else, but closed his mouth and sighed. "All right, but I wish you wouldn't have kept this from me."
"I didn't want you to think that I was weak and that you had to constantly protect me."
James smiled. "Just because you ran into some trouble, that doesn't make you weak. It happens to all of us."
I bet you've never been frozen, unable to move and had four pairs of pointy shoes kicking you in the side until you felt like your ribs were going to break. She immediately felt bad for having such bitter thoughts.
"Maybe, but it's really no big deal. Honestly, it could have been a lot worse." She thought of what she had overheard Cheri and Riley talking about in the Owlery. She still had no idea who could have been persuaded by Avery to bewitch the Bludger. After all, Avery seemed to hang out with a wide variety of male students, who were so enchanted by her beauty, that they didn't see the snake she was underneath that pretty smile and honey-like voice. In fact, there were about four male students surrounding her at that moment while she flirted. It could have been any of them.
Luckily, James and Kaylynn didn't talk anymore about Juniper's incident in the bathroom that happened towards the beginning of the term, and Juniper managed to push Avery's threats to the back of her mind and enjoy the rest of the party.
It was now Sunday, and the day after the Halloween Party. Since there were no classes, everyone in the fifth year Gryffindor dorms was sleeping in late, well, almost everyone. A certain skinny bespectacled wizard had awoken and was now getting dressed. With it being November, James knew that it would be cold outside, so he wrapped his scarlet and gold Gryffindor scarf around his neck before sitting down to slip on his shoes. The rest of the fifth year Gryffindors showed no signs of waking up and since they were all mostly heavy sleepers, he didn't really have to try and be quiet as he walked down the stairs towards the common room, but not before grabbing something from his trunk.
A few younger Gryffindors were awake and relaxing near the fireplace, some were just hanging out in small groups talking. Lily was trading Wizard Cards with a few of her friends and Albus and Rose were bent over a Wizard Chess set. Albus appeared to be deep in thought, trying to figure out a way to beat his cousin who took after her father when it came to the game. James bid them a good morning before exiting out of the common room through the portrait hole.
James found himself wondering if Juniper was awake yet. He stopped in the corridor and pulled the thing that he had grabbed from his trunk out of his pocket. It was the Marauders Map, which had belonged to his father and grandfather before him. James had knicked it just before his fourth year at Hogwarts. He gave it a tap with his wand. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
Lines began to fill the parchment, creating an exact replica of the school that showed nearly every single room in the school and where everyone was located. The only room that wasnt shown on the map was the Room of Requirement. Why that was, James had never found out. In the back of his mind, he realized that this was probably stalking, but it was too late to turn back now. After a quick perusal of the map, he discovered that Juniper was actually outside on the Quidditch Pitch with the rest of the Hufflepuff team, which meant that they were having a practice
"Mischief Managed." The map was wiped clean and pocketed it before traversing down the many moving staircases and heading outside. There were a few people in the stands, watching the practice, most of them were Hufflepuffs, but there were also about two Ravenclaws, a Gryffindor second year, and Jaenelle and her two friends. James sat down near Juniper's sister.
"Hey, Potter," Jaenelle said.
James grinned. "Hey, yourself. You ladies are looking lovely this morning." He winked at them. Even though James was kind of flirting with them, it didn't mean anything like it did with Juniper. It was all in good fun, but with Juniper it was something more serious, at least he hoped.
"Hufflepuff is looking pretty good out there," Lori said. She was holding a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and offered some to James, who declined. After he had accidentally eaten a vomit flavored bean two years ago, he refused to touch them ever again.
"Woo! Go Juniper!" Jaenelle cheered, jumping up as her sister scored a goal. "Watching this makes me wish that I had joined the Slytherin team, but since I have no hand-eye coordination, I decided that I'd better not."
James chuckled. "Well, if Hogwarts ever has a cheer squad, you can be the captain of that."
"Damn straight." Jaenelle glanced at James. "By the way, has there been any news about the rematch between Hufflepuff and Slytherin? I figured you'd know since you play Quidditch."
James wracked his brain, trying to remember the Quidditch Schedule. "Er, I think it may be scheduled for next Wednesday."
"Let's hope that nothing bad happens at this one. I swear, I felt it when Juniper was hit with that Bludger," Marisa said. "She's brave to get back up on a broom, especially when something like that could happen again."
James turned his attention back towards the Quidditch field. The three Chasters were practicing dodging Bludgers, while simultaneously passing the Quaffle to one another. The practice went on for another hour, a few more students came by to watch, but James didn't pay any attention to them. When the practice ended, the Hufflepuff team began walking off the field. Jaenelle and her two friends waved as James left the stands in order to meet up with Juniper.
"Great job on that speed, Clayton," Sean said as the team was coming out of the long tunnel. "We'll work on that maneuver next time." He waved to James before he walked back up to the castle with Rachel, holding hands with her. The rest of the Hufflepuff team dispersed as well.
"I'll see you in the common room," Kaylynn said, clapping Juniper on the shoulder before she jogged after the rest of the team.
"Alone at last," James said playfully, pleased to see Juniper blush.
"I guess so." Her ponytail had come loose while she had been flying and was now windswept.
"You should wear your hair down more often. It's really pretty." He mentally kicked himself because of how stupid his words sounded.
"Thanks, I think." Juniper tucked a lock of hair behind her left ear. "But it's a real pain in the neck to manage. That's why I usually wear it up all the time."
The two of them began to walk back towards the castle in a very comfortable silence. James couldn't help, but notice that Juniper had her hands shoved into her pockets and was shivering slightly.
"Wait." They stopped and James unwound his scarf from his neck and placed it around Juniper's.
"You really don't have to," Juniper protested. "You'll catch a cold."
"Nothing a little Pepper-up Potion won't fix. I'm not about to let you freeze." He helped her wrap it around her neck. "It looks good on you," he added with a flirtatious grin.
Juniper lightly felt the warm material and James was pleased to see her smile. They continued walking again, talking mostly about Quidditch and their classes. When they finally reached the castle, Juniper tried to give James his scarf back, but he shook his head. "Keep it, I have three more. Besides, it looks a lot better on you than it does on me. You really suit the Gryffindor colors."
"Are you sure?" James nodded and Juniper lowered her hands leaving the scarf draped around her neck, but unwound since they were inside now.
"You want to keep me company in the library?" James asked. "I have two essays due tomorrow."
Juniper nodded. "I actually have a few due, myself. So I need to head there, anyways. I need to grab my stuff so I'll meet you there."
The two of them separated, for now, each going into their respective common rooms to grab their books before heading to the library.
