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Chapter Sixteen: Library Fantasies

A few days after Halloween, Juniper sat in Charms class in between Kaylynn and Eileen. They were learning how to successfully cast the polar opposite of the Summoning Charm, the Banishing Charm. Unfortunately, they had class with the Ravenclaws, which also meant that Avery and her brood of followers were in class as well. Juniper and Eileen had managed to grasp the charm fairly quickly, but Kaylynn was struggling. The cushion she was attempting to banish to the small box on the other side of the room remained stationary, no matter which direction she moved her wand.

"I think this thing hates me," Kaylynn said pouting as she lightly poked the cushion with her wand.

"Accio cushion!" Juniper summoned her cushion so that she could practice banishing it again. "Just watch what I do." She flicked her wrist in a sweeping motion and muttered, "Depulso!" The cushion flew steadily across the room and landed neatly in the box once again.

"Well, of course you can do it." Kaylynn sighed in frustration. "You've never struggled with this class." She tried again, this time the cushion moved, but this time it flew right into Professor Flitwick's face causing the blonde Hufflepuff to wince. "Whoops, sorry Professor!"

"I do struggle with some spells in the beginning, such as the Seize and Pull Charm, Carpe Retractum, remember? I didn't master that until close to the end of last year just before exams, remember? Then, there was the Scouring Charm. That spell made me want to tear my hair out before I got the hang of it."

"Okay, okay, I get it. But the point is you still manage these charms sooner or later."

"Maybe instead of complaining, you should keep trying," Eileen suggested as she caught her cushion again. "I think we can agree that we're pretty talented in different areas while we struggle in others."

Kaylynn glanced disdainfully at her cushion, which she had summoned again. "Well, here goes nothing." She flicked her wand in a sweeping motion, aiming for the box on the other side of the room. "Depulso." The cushion lifted and slowly flew, making its way across the classroom. Kaylynn grinned widely as it landed safely inside the box.

"Good job!" Juniper said proudly, clapping her friend on the back. "See, I knew you could do it. Now, keep practicing."

"It's too bad we lost the rematch against Slytherin," Kaylynn said as her cushion flew back into her outstretched hand.

"Yes, but we did score some goals and managed to keep up quite well with them. They just had the faster Seeker," Juniper said. "I'm just glad that I didn't end up in the Hospital Wing again. I would have gone insane from boredom."

"Maybe the pendant protected you," Eileen said with a light smile, glancing at the necklace around Juniper's neck, which she never took off unless she showered or slept.

Juniper ran her fingers across the peridot. "I don't know, it's possible." She tucked the pendant back into her blouse and picked up her wand again.

"You're stupid if you think some old necklace can protect you," Avery sneered. She was sitting a few feet away with Michelle.

"Why don't you mind your own business, Burke?" Kaylynn spat, her voice filled with loathing. "Go stare in a mirror or something you vain, conceited, pompus slag."

Avery narrowed her blue eyes and sneered at Juniper. "Are you really going to let some ugly Mudblood fight for you?"

Kaylynn raised her wand. "No, wait!" Juniper called, for she didn't want her best friend getting into trouble. Yet, it wasn't Kaylynn who uttered a spell.

"Melofors!" This came from Eileen. The dark haired Hufflepuff pointed her wand at Avery causing a large pumpkin to land on the Ravenclaw's head. She let out a loud shriek.

"I really hate that word," Eileen said darkly, narrowing her eyes. "If it wasn't for Muggles and Muggle-borns, the entire race of witches and wizards would have died out a long time ago." However, the commotion had alerted Professor Flitwick as well as a few students.

"Miss Mariano, what is the meaning of this?" the tiny Professor squeaked. "Ten points from Hufflepuff and you will serve detention tonight after dinner!" He flicked his wand and the pumpkin disappeared from Avery's head.

"You shouldn't have done that," Juniper whispered. "Avery was only looking to provoke one of us so that we would get into trouble."

"Come off it, June," Kaylynn said giddily. "You have to admit that it was awesome! I'd say it was a definite improvement to her normal face."

Juniper scowled at first, but then started to laugh along with her friends. The rest of the class went by without a hitch, except for Avery giving them dirty looks and whispering to Michelle behind their backs, but that was nothing too new.


"It's pouring outside, why in Merlin's name are we having practice?" Liam asked, looking out one of the windows as James walked down the third floor corridor with his friends. Classes were over for the day and, as usual, the Professors had bombarded them with enough homework to make their heads spin.

"I booked the field for this afternoon, rain or shine. You'll get over it. Besides, there's a good chance we may have to play out in this kind of weather during our match with Ravenclaw," James replied. He was used to his teammates complaints that they didn't really faze him anymore.

The rain showed no signs of letting up even a little bit as James met with the rest of his teammates on the Quidditch Pitch. He removed his glasses briefly and cast the Impervius spell on them so the water wouldn't hinder his vision.

"Well, there go my curls," grimaced Chaser and fourth year, Miriam McLaggen as she ran her fingers through her wet dirty blonde hair and glared at James. "I do believe that our captain has gone insane."

"He's gone positively mental," agreed fifth year Keeper, Diana Wood.

"All right, that's enough complaining," James said firmily. "Everyone mount your broomsticks, i want to go over a few drills first."

The Gryffindor team cursed as they took off into the air. Miriam was continously giving him dirty looks, but James ignored them. No one could ever say he didn't work his team to the bone. Halfway through the practice, a Snitch was released so that Jordan Marks, the team Seeker, could practice catching it. The practice was going well until Liam, who was also a Chaser, got into a heated debate with Diana.

"You're supposed to be watching the ball and trying to block the shot!" he yelled over the roaring sound of the rain.

"It's bloody well hard to see enough as it is, even with the damned Impervius spell on my goggles! I'm trying the best I can!"

"You're not trying hard enough!"

"Well, maybe your aim is just so poor!"

"That's enough!" James called angrily. "If you two are just going to do nothing, but fight, then get off of the field! Otherwise, shut up and do what you're actually supposed to do!"

Liam and Diana glared at each other, but stopped arguing. Albus shook his head, his lips twitching with a telltale smile. "Honestly, I think those two would be a lot happier if they just snogged one good time."

"Not helping," James muttered before directing his attention back to the practice. It lasted for another hour and a half before he was completely exhausted, and he could tell that his teammates were on the verge of dropping, as well.

"That could have been a little better," James said as they landed. They didn't say anything, but it was clear that Liam and Miriam were still mad at one another. "Be prepared to be up at five Saturday morning!"

The team looked at each other and then at their captain with disdain. "You may have to carry me out here," Hugo said, earning nods of agreement.

"Just be out here," James said impatiently as his teammates walked off the field. All James wanted to do now was take a long hot shower and eat, but there was still an hour before dinner.


Juniper was bent over about three large books in the library with a few scattered pieces of parchment. She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed as she struggled to complete the Defense Against The Dark Arts essay on the Ebublio Jinx. The spell, itself, had been fairly easy to grasp after a few practice sessions, but as Juniper hated essays, the written part was proving to be quite challenging.

"Working hard or hardly working?" a voice asked. Juniper looked up from her books and parchement and saw Seth, one of James' friends.

"Er...I'm still trying to decide." Juniper sighed and sat back.

He took a peek at her essay. "The Ebublio Jinx, huh?"

"If only this essay would write itself."

Seth chuckled and sat down next to her. "I don't know about that, but I can help you if you want."

Juniper shook her head. "It's all right. The essay is easy, but I'm still a lot better at the practical stuff."

"I see."

Juniper didn't really talk to James' friends all that much. Liam and Jordan made her feel uncomfortable most of the time, but Seth seemed pretty all right from the few time she did exchange words with him. She dipped her quill into her ink and was about to start writing again when Seth spoke.

"So, you hang out with Eileen, right?"

"Sometimes," Juniper replied. There were still times when Eileen went off on her own as she seemed to like solitude. "Why?"

"Do you think she may be interested in coming with me to Hogsmeade on the next visit?"

Juniper could see that she would not be completing the essay with Seth there, but she didn't get angry. "I, honestly, don't know. I'm the wrong person to talk to. Maybe you could ask her, yourself."

Seth rubbed the back of his neck, nervously. "Well, I would, but I wouldn't know how to approach her."

"Aren't you Gryffindors supposed to be daring and chivalrous?"

Seth chuckled. "Well, going up against a challenge like a deadly opponent or a dark creature is a lot different than asking a pretty girl out. So, what do you say? Will you help me out?"

Juniper thought for a moment. "I really hate to turn you down, but I really think that Eileen would like it more if you asked her, yourself."

Seth looked disappointed. "Oh, well, okay then. I'm sorry to take up so much of your time."

Juniper smiled reassuringly. "It's no problem. You're always welcome to come talk to me."

He shook his head, smiling. "Why James hasn't asked you to be his girlfriend, yet, is beyond me."

Juniper laughed along with him before he said good-bye and left the library, but his words still lingered. She was just good friends with James. True, she liked him a lot and he flirted with her, but that didn't necessarily mean anything as he sometimes flirted with Kaylynn, as well. She worked for a little while longer, managing to finish her essay, although she made a mental note to go over it later to make sure that it made sense. She stuffed her books and parchement back into her satchel and, since there was still twenty minutes left, decided to peruse the library to see if she could find a book that tickled her fancy.

She stopped in front of a book that featured the life of Helga Hufflepuff. Juniper only knew a little bit about the namesake of her House and thought that the book might be interesting. She only hoped that she would have the attention span to sit down and read it. She plucked the book from the shelf and began to flip through it.

"Looking to do a bit of light reading?"

The voice startled Juniper and she dropped the book. Kneeling down, she picked it up and brushed it off before turning around. James was standing before her, grinning toothily. It was very clear that he had just gotten out of the shower as his black hair was slightly damp and she could smell the body wash radiating from him. His shirt was untucked and the top two buttons were undone, revealing a small portion of his chest. He looked so effortlessly handsome that Juniper found it almost impossible to speak at first.

"Well, I figure it would help put me to sleep at night," she said finally regaining use of her tongue again. Why did he have to look so good? For a brief moment, she imagined him pushing her against one of the bookshelves, pressing his lips down on hers and running his callused warm hands over her body. She wondered what it would be like to run her fingers through his hair. She bet it was soft and probably smelled divine.

He leaned in closer to get a good view at the title of the book. She was now enveloped with his scent and it made her, for lack of a better phrase, weak at the knees. "So, you want to learn a bit about one of the Founders?"

Juniper nodded, her throat dry. "Y-Yes...I've always been meaning to, but always forgot about it. What are you doing in here?"

"I actually just had to return a book and I saw you, so I decided to see what you were up to."

"Oh." The thought that he wanted to talk to her made her feel rather giddy and she couldn't help, but smile. James accompanied her towards the front of the library where Madame Pince was sitting behind the front desk.

"Try to bring this book back in one piece," the librarian said as she stamped the book and also recorded the date in a massive tome.

"Lovely old ball of sunshine, isn't she?" James asked, smirking as the two of them left the library. "I swear, Mr. Filch and she are made for each other."

Juniper giggled softly at the image of Mr. Filch and Madame Pince as husband and wife. They would definitely make an interesting pair. At that moment, Mrs. Norris the Second trotted by and stopped, her yellowing eyes glaring piercingly at the two students. The original Mrs. Norris had died long before Juniper had started her first year at Hogwarts. At least, this is what she had been told by Professor Longbottom.

James glared at the feline. "Off with you, we're not doing anything wrong."

Mrs. Norris flicked her tail and continued on her way. "Normally I like cats, but that one deserves a swift kick in the arse."

"James!" Juniper admonished. "She's not that bad."

He shrugged. "It's still tempting, though."

Juniper then remembered something. "Oh, right, how was practice?"

James scowled. "You don't even want to know. It's like they don't respect me. Liam and Miriam got into a heated argument and that just brought the whole mood down. I had always wanted to be team captain and now I finally got my wish, but there are times when I wonder if I'm the right person for the job."

Juniper frowned. "It was just one bad practice. You can't expect them all to go perfectly, people disagree all the time. It doesn't make you a bad captain. If anything, you're one of the best captains I've ever known." She blushed furiously at those last words.

Like magic, James' frown turned into a smile. "Thanks, June. Who knows, with Sean graduating this year, the role of Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain may pass down onto you."

The Hufflepuff made a face. "Yeah, right. I definitely don't have what it takes to be a captain. The thought of six other people actually listening to me is laughable. Besides, Kaylynn would definitely be better suited for the job. Her heart would be more in it than mine. I just like flying. I'm only a fair player."

"You should stop being so modest all the time. I've seen you play many times. You could definitely go on to play for the Holyhead Harpies like my mum did."

Juniper couldn't help, but smile. The Harpies were definitely her favorite team. She had been to one of their matches with Kaylynn when she was around twelve and it was the most fun she'd had in years. "I, honestly, have no idea what I want to do after I graduate. I mean, I still have three years left and I know those are the hardest."

"You're telling me, the spells are very fun, but the essays are murder."

"Yet, you always seem to get top marks on your papers. So, they can't be that hard for you."

"They're challenging on their own, but don't sell yourself short. I mean, the fact that you were able to cast the Protean Charm on our watches quite easily is very impressive. From what I can tell, the only areas you struggle in are Potions and Transfiguration and you've been improving since we started those tutoring sessions."

It was true, she had managed to correctly brew a few potions as well as finally succeed in transfiguring her desk into a pig. "I still have a long way to go and Transfiguration only gets harder as you go along."

James nodded in agreement. "That's true, but you shouldn't let it discourage you, even if it is a head-ache half the time."

Juniper's lips twitched in amusement as the thought of the complicated formulas that made up Transfiguration, which often made her head hurt. "You just explain it in a way that makes it more simple," she admitted, blushing. "I don't think I would ever have improved without you." She couldn't believe she had been so bold as to say that, but he smiled just the same.

"Truth be told, I enjoy our tutoring sessions, but I like spending time with you much more." His words caused Juniper to bite down softly on her lower lip. Unfortunately, they arrived at the Great Hall and had to separate to go eat at their respective tables.

"Since the rain has stopped, want to go for a walk outside, afterwards?" James asked.

Juniper nodded, watching as he grinned widely, then turned and walked towards the Gryffindor table. Juniper smiled to herself and practically skipped to the Hufflepuff table to sit next to Kaylynn.