"So," Zelda tossed another scarab beetle in her cauldron, "Let me get this straight." Ricky groaned and Neo and Cli snickered, "You lead this girl on to make her feel better-zip it red head you know what you did was wrong-" Zelda snapped when Ricky raised his stirring spoon to protest, "Then, she just "gets over" it and just so happens to now be cuddly with your "nemesis"."
"I never said Stonebridge was my nemesis." Ricky growled.
"He kinda is though." Cli admitted, "What with the whole Natalia Brand thing-"
"Which we all swore not to talk about." Ricky interrupted.
Cli embarrassedly went back to his potions book. Zelda shook her head, "All a week before the ball?" Ricky nodded, "Well now who are you going with?"
"I hadn't really planned on going with her." Ricky admitted, Zelda looked as though she were either about to storm off in frustration or throw something at him.
"Dios mío." Zelda growled under her breath, "Boys are so stupid."
"Resent that." Neo held up a protesting finger.
"Oh? And who are you going with muchacho?" Zelda asked with a smirk.
"I'm still working on that." Neo admitted.
"Why didn't you ask Anna?" Cli asked.
"I was going to one day, when she told me that she was going with a boy from your school," Neo looked at Zelda whose eyes widened.
"She is the one going with Pedro?" she asked.
"Pedro?" Ricky asked.
"Zelda's cousin." Cli informed him.
"When did this happen?" Ricky asked.
"When the girls went dress shopping." Cli answered, "Pedro and Zelda were there and he just came up and asked Anna."
"Oh." Ricky nodded to himself, "Did anyone ask Allie?"
"If they have, she hasn't told us about it." Neo answered.
"There." Zelda said, "it's settled," she began to bottle her Skele-grow. "You should go with Allie."
"What? No. We're just friends." Ricky protested.
"Then go as "just friends." Zelda smiled in a sarcastically sweet way as she turned in her potion.
"You've got three days till you get your butt kicked and you show up alone to the-"
"It is so vital to your future that you do not finish that sentence." Ricky threateningly pointed his stirring spoon at Cli who chuckled.
As they finished and bottled their potions professor Stacey spoke up, "We will be testing these potions next class."
"How exactly?" A Ravenclaw boy asked.
"Simple. I will be casting a," he looked around for the words, "bone de-grow spell on your arm. Your bone will disappear and you'll drink your potion."
"What if it doesn't work?" A Mexican boy asked.
"That's your problem for not brewing it properly." Professor Stacey shrugged to himself. Ricky frowned.
"Sir?" He spoke up, "Doesn't it take several hours to take effect."
"Glad someone is paying attention." Professor Stacey sighed, "Yes, however by the end of the block I will have a quicken potion prepared and that will speed the process up to just two hours."
"We'll have to walk around with flimsy arms for two hours?" Neo's eyes widened.
"I'm fairly sure I just explained so. For the class after you will write a two scroll essay on your experience re-growing your arm." Professor Stacey instructed as the bell rang for lunch.
"That's mad." Neo growled as they walked out. "He's so lucky we don't have our match tomorrow."
"Imagine blocking bludgers with a noodle arm." Cli joked. The three boys laughed as they filed into the Great Hall, Cli dismissed himself as his teammates called him over.
"Ricky," Dominique whistled and waved him over. "So," she grinned as though she was telling a secret. The Gryffindor team was already sitting piling food onto their plates, "We were all talking about this Friday. The game," Ricky and Neo sat down and picked food onto their plates. "Do we have a strategy? Are we getting Cli to reveal anything?" she placed a knee on the bench and hovered over Neo.
"Not a chance." Neo sighed, "With Brand in charge, Cli isn't even risking their training schedule."
"Not even a hint?" Dominique asked.
"Nope. Nothing."
"Damn." Dominique grumbled, "Brand always pulls some new trick on us." She explained to James and Lucy, "But we've got this, right Ricky?" Ricky nodded, though didn't answer.
"Why don't you use that Peruvian darkness powder your dad got you for your birthday a few weeks ago?" Charity asked.
"That's cheating." Ricky scolded, "We're going to try not to cheat unless it's against Slytherin."
"What did mum and dad send you anyways?" James asked.
"New broom cleaning kit." Ricky answered almost sadly, his Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry had tried to get Ricky a Firebolt Supreme 2, however as the most expensive broom on the market, his mother had demanded they not give it to him.
"Did mine send you anything?" Lucy asked.
"Uncle Percy sent a letter," Ricky said, "As usual. And Aunt Audrey sent a box of homemade cinnamon bears." Lucy made a jealous frown. "I already ate them all, Luce, sorry."
"It's fine, it was your birthday." Lucy insisted.
"And it was on the first, eighteen days ago. However," Neo protested, "The game is in three days. Enough of the "birthday boy", we've got to focus on getting our plays down."
"Anyone have Stacey's class?" Ricky asked. Everyone on the team did, "So we're all going to be out of commission tomorrow. I say we practice this evening, and the day before the match after classes." Ricky looked around, "Sound good?" he asked.
No one protested, but no one looked happy with the idea either.
After evening classes and supper, Ricky and Neo dragged themselves to the Quidditch Pitch, still sore from their Endurance class.
"I swear." Neo rolled his neck, "Any place that requires Endurance as a class is stupid. All it's doing is building my endurance up to bull shi-" Neo dodged a dropped Quaffle and looked up wide eyed at the flyers.
"Sorry little brother." Charity smirked, "Maybe you should get your head in the game."
"Oh haha." Neo sneered, Ricky laughed as Neo mounted his broom and took off.
Ricky ran through different drills with the team, not noticing the sinking of the sun. "Oi!" Ricky blocked one last shot before looking down, "Ricky! James!"
"Hagrid!" James called, dodging a bludger at the last second, "What's up?"
"Wha's up is it's past bedtime." Hagrid put his hands on his hips, "You lot need to ge' back in the castle."
"What?" Ricky demanded, he flew down from the post, "It can't be already?" he asked.
"It is. Your mum asked me to come get you lot." Hagrid explained.
Embarrassed, Ricky called his team in. They locked their brooms up and walked back to the castle with Hagrid. "Night, Hagrid!" They called, waving goodbye to the groundskeeper. Ricky followed the team up the changing staircases to the tower calling it a night.
"Good luck Sunday, boys." Phoenix said as she walked between the desks, Ricky smiled up at his mother.
"Thanks professor Weasley." Neo beamed, "Though, as Gryffindors, we don't really need it."
Phoenix just smirked, "No," she said, reminding Ricky of his grandmother, "But you do need it to get your doubling spell right."
Neo deadpanned, "Yeah." Ricky snickered next to him, having mastered the spell during his training sessions with his mother. "You could help me, you know?" Neo snapped.
"Watching is so much more fun." Ricky waved him off. "So," Ricky nudged him, "Who are you going with to the ball?" he pressed.
"No clue." Neo grumbled, he rubbed his sore arm.
"You still haven't got a date?" Ricky ignored the tingling sensation in his own arm, remembering having no bones and re-growing bones yesterday.
"You haven't either." Neo argued quietly.
"Yeah, but my parents are "chaperoning"," Ricky wanted to gag at the thought, "There's no way I'll bring a date."
"Ew." Neo gagged, waving his wand absent mindedly to try and make a double of the flower in front of him, "Professor Weasley snogging her husband? No thanks, I'll pass."
"My thoughts exactly." Ricky laughed as Neo succeeded in setting his flower on fire. Ricky quickly extinguished the flame before his mother could return.
"Those of you unable to properly duplicate your item will be required to do one scroll's worth of homework on the properties and restraints of a Duplicate Charm." Phoenix announced, walking around the room.
Neo groaned and looked at Ricky pleadingly, "Fine." Ricky caved and showed Neo once more how to flick his wand. Finally, after several more failed attempts, Neo was able to call Phoenix back over and duplicate the remains of the flower.
"While I should deduct points for destroying your object, I'll let this slide." Phoenix said, "Only so Gryffindor can win Sunday." Phoenix whispered to the boys before walking off.
"Your mom is amazing, have I ever told you that?" Neo leaned back in his chair, thankful to have the last few minutes of class to himself.
"Never say that again." Ricky laughed. The rest of the day flew by like a breeze, even Health with Cyrus wasn't so unbearable.
Sunday's weather conditions could not have been more perfect. Lunch had the Great Hall separated into reds and golds, and blues and bronzes. Professor Longbottom was trying to get Professor Weasley to paint her face and celebrate. The two competing teams were gathered on opposite ends of the Great Hall, with people randomly coming up to them or gathering around them. Hardly anyone was eating, instead everyone was excited for the game and the ball that would be following it. After half an hour of non-stop chatter and random chants McGonagall finally dismissed the Great Hall. Ricky only nodded to people who wished him and his team good luck.
Snow crunched under Ricky's feet as he and his team raced to their brooms. He could hear a few people cheering as the teams raced to their locker room. "We stick to analyzing, Ravenclaw has been playing the defense recently, so we're going to step it back a bit to throw them off." Ricky said as his team bounced with excitement. "No foul play."
"Yeah, leave that for the snakes." James grinned.
"No need for bloody noses at the ball," Charity said, "Ready, captain?" she asked him.
Ricky nodded, the team cheered as they walked out to the pitch. He shook hands with Natalia before taking off. Ricky could hardly hear Madam Hooch's regular speech over the roar of five schools squished into the stands.
"Bludgers released." The announcer's voice came.
Ricky took a deep breath, the roar was drowned out my his own concentration.
"Snitch out."
Another breath.
"Quaffle is up!"
He closed his eyes.
"And the game begins!"
He opened them, "Ravenclaw in possession first. Rybak passes to Monroe, back to Rybak, ooh and a fantastic steal from Gryffindor's Johnson!"
"Come on Roxanne!" Ricky cheered on his teammate as she whipped around the goal posts. "Passes to Charity-Ooh what a whack from Cli Swleyn! His arm has greatly improved since last year. Johnson throws! No! Natalia Brand, Keeper for Ravenclaw, swoops in for a save." Ricky could hear Gryffindor and those cheering for them groan.
"Mariana Diamond and Dominique Weasley circling above looking for the snitch, both seekers have an impressive record, last year-"
Ricky drowned out the spectator and blocked the Quaffle. Ricky could feel his skin tingling with adrenaline. Gryffindor made the first goal, followed by two more goals before Ravenclaw could even get the Quaffle. Five minutes of playing defense and air tag flew by before Ravenclaw could score. Ricky shook his wrist, the Quaffle had brushed by his hand and sailed straight through the hoop.
"Ouch!" the spectator yelped, "Geoffrey Finn, beater for Ravenclaw, just slammed a bludger straight towards Neo Selwyn! Selwyn's going down!" Ricky's eyes widened as he watched his best friend spin out of control hitting one of the towers before slipping off his broom. Inanimate, the broom spiraled down with the unconscious Beater. Charity raced, snatching Neo out of the air just before he hit the ground, however the sudden weight caused Charity's Air Wave Gold broom to slip out from under her. Charity curled up to protect her brother from impact.
"In the chaos, Monroe scored on Gryffindor!" Ricky's head swiveled around.
"Time!" He called to Madam Hooch, she blew her whistle.
"Captain, Ricky Weasley is calling a time." McGonagall spoke over the spectator. Ricky pushed his broom down, landing next to Charity and Neo, Madam Hooch and Madam Pomfrey were already there.
"Concussion," Madam Pomfrey said.
"That had to have been foul," Charity argued with Hooch, "Finn was right next to Neo. He deliberately hit him."
Hooch held up her hands, "Be that as it may. He hit Mr. Selwyn's broom, Mr. Selwyn was knocked out from hitting the stands."
"But it's because he hit his broom that he's knocked out." Ricky argued. Cli flew down, hovering just next to Hooch.
"Is Neo okay?" he asked Madam Hooch.
"He's got a concussion, nothing myself or Mr. Genio can't fix." Madam Hooch answered.
"You better tell your team," Charity walked over to her brother and yanked at his blue robes, "That if they pull another stunt like that they're won't be a team to play next time."
Intimidated by his older sister, Cli swallowed. "Miss Selwyn, threatening could be taken as a foul."
Charity opened her mouth to say something when Ricky placed a hand on her shoulder, "Drop it." he said gently, "Get back on your broom. I'll deal with Ravenclaw."
Dominique flew down, "Is Neo okay?" she asked.
"Concussion." Ricky answered.
"Does that mean a forfeit?" Dominique asked Hooch.
"That is up to Ricky." Hooch looked at Ricky.
"How fast can Neo be fixed?" He asked Madam Pomfrey.
"Five minutes." Madam Pomfrey answered, "He'll be light headed, but he'll be able to fly."
"Send him back in in five minutes." Ricky answered.
"Is this over with?" Hooch asked scowling with disapproval.
With the game resumed, Gryffindor pulled all their forces together, Charity and Roxanne kept the Ravenclaw Chasers busy. Often placing one of them on the other side of the goal posts so they could throw and catch and repeat. James and Lucy kept the Beaters busy, always pushing the bludgers towards the Ravenclaw side. The spectator could hardly keep up with what was happening. The score was one hundred to twenty by the time Neo got back in the game, keeping low to the ground on the off chance his sister or Roxanne dropped the Quaffle.
"Dominique is taking off at lightening speed, look at her go, a perfect 90 degree angle upward!" Ricky glanced at the other side, seeing Natalia Brand slowly giving up on blocking the posts, he risked looking at his cousin. "Ravenclaw is finally in position of the Quaffle!"
"Will Dominique catch the snitch before Schmidt can score?" Ricky looked back at the pitch, Schmidt was flying towards him, weaving around the bludgers James and Lucy tried sending towards him. Schmidt reeled his arm back and sent the Quaffle flying. Keeping his legs tight around his broom, Ricky pulled back. His hands left the broom and he held his arms out. The Quaffle hit him in the chest knocking him back against the post, but not through the hoop.
"Ricky made an impressive block and-" The spectator paused, "Here comes Dominique, pulling a similar move. Ricky groaned as his broom dropped a few feet, he looked towards the center of the pitch. Dominique was laying flat on her broom, her feet no longer on the crossbars. "Dominique Weasley is free falling, arm out stretched!" The stadium held its breath, "Mariana Diamond tries to race for the snitch-and…and!"
"She's done it!" Dominique suddenly closed her hand around the snitch and pulled her broom up. "Dominique Weasley has caught the snitch! Gryffindor wins!" Ricky felt his ears buzz with excitement and the roar of the crowd as he watched the Gryffindor team all but swarm Dominique. Charity and Roxanne lifted Dominique onto their shoulders as the Ravenclaw team sulked off the field. Ricky guided his broom down, tossing the Quaffle to the side as he landed by James and Lucy who were cheering and jumping around. For the first time in recalled history, the students made their way to the field to celebrate with the team. Ricky couldn't remember a time there were so many people on the pitch, through the crowd he could spot his parents, aunt, and uncle. Ron gave him a smile and a thumbs up, Hermione was cheering next to him, his parents were smiling proudly. Ricky smile and waved to them before being consumed by the crowd of cheering friends.
"Ricky!" Allie squeezed through the crowd and threw her arms around him, "I'm so proud of you!"
"Gosh, Al," Ricky chuckled over the crowd, still cheering and starting to migrate towards the castle, "You sound like my mom." Ricky hardly had time to process Allie pressing her hand to the back of his head and locking their lips together. She tasted like snow and strawberries. He had no idea how much time had passed, but when they pulled back he noticed a large diameter of snow had melted around them and the snow that had been gracefully laid in her hair had disappeared. "Don't think she would have done that, though," He said gently.
Allie laughed, "Sorry." She bit her lip.
"Don't be." Ricky grinned, "I've wanted to do that for so long." He admitted, he began to dip for another kiss when he heard cheering. He winced, "Parents still here?"
"Yup." Allie's pale cheeks turned crimson, "Your dad's fist pumping."
Tonight's ball would be interesting indeed.
Ricky had been laying in bed with Neo came stumbling into the dormitory. "You alright?" He'd been nervously tossing a box of bertie botts in the air and catching it. Neo shook his head, looking as though he were going to be sick. Ricky sat up, "Something happen in the common room?" Neo nodded, an embarrassed moan mixed with a frustrated groan escaped his throat, but still he did not open his mouth. "Well," Ricky gripped the edge of his bed, "what?" he asked awkwardly.
"We were all downstairs celebrating before the ball and," Neo swallowed, he grabbed Ricky's bed frame, swaying dangerously to and fro, "and Dom," he swallowed again.
"What'd she do?" Ricky asked.
"She," Neo swallowed and sat down on his bed, "grabbed me and kissed me." Neo whispered. Ricky glanced around, not sure how Neo wanted him to react.
"Wow." Was all Ricky said.
"I mean," Neo was suddenly in full vent mode, pacing between their beds. "Who does she think she is? Just cause I congratulated her on that amazing move she pulled earlier. Just because we've worked on a team since third year. Just because I've spent time with your extensive family and I usually hang around you and her, does she think she's got some sort of right to feel like this?" Ricky could sense Neo's emotions stretching and twisting in a hot, confused mess. He tried to feel out his cousins emotions, her usual calm emotions were hard to find in the excitement in the common room. However, he found her cool blue-grey emotions throbbing with yellows and oranges.
"Well," He asked, "Do you like her?" He tried to focus on Neo's reaction.
Neo's emotions turned a sickish green as well as his face, "I mean," He sat back down, this time on the floor. Ricky could sense his emotions wrapping around Neo, as if Neo was trying to protect himself. "Do I?" He asked as if asking for permission.
"Do you?" Ricky asked confused.
"Oh god," Neo slammed his face into his knees. "I can't! She's your cousin! Your closest cousin! That'd be wrong!"
"Dude," Ricky awkwardly assured Neo, "I don't care. Just don't be a dick to her. I know how you can be to girls."
Neo stayed silent, "So," he paused, "You're cool with this?" he asked.
"Of course." Ricky shrugged, "So you two going to go to the Ball together?" Neo's eyes widened.
"We are now!" Neo stood and launched himself over his bed and back down into the common room. Ricky laughed and popped a bertie bean in his mouth, he nearly gagged and spat it back out.
"Farm Dirt." He grumbled.
The rest of his roommates came up, all getting dressed for the ball. "Ricky?" the Weasley turned to see James in the door to their dormitory. "Aunt Phoenix wanted me to bring this to you." Ricky groaned, taking the box, James walked away laughing.
His roommates laughed as Ricky pulled out the dress robes, "I can't believe she got this." However, he was further confused by the dark green tie that accompanied his robes. "Everyone else knows but you, it's time you put it together. Love, mom." Ricky quickly crumpled the note before any of the other boys could see it. "Now she's going to know if I don't go." He tried seeking out his mom's emotions, figuring she'd be close by, however he couldn't find her grey mist in the crowd of excited emotions.
"Hope this goes well." Neo said, Ricky could feel Neo holding his emotions close again and didn't blame him. Dominique could be feisty at the best of times, and dominating at others.
"Here goes nothing." Ricky gave Neo a friendly shove out of the dormitory as the two walked down to the common room. Ricky and Neo stopped at the foot of the stairs. Dominique stood with one arm around her stomach, holding onto her other arm shyly. Ricky had to admit, she looked gorgeous. Her shoulder length ginger hair had been curled and twisted in a braid Ricky had never seen before (then again, he didn't know much about braids to begin with). Her dress fell to the floor, the majority of the dress being covered in a red rose flower pattern, while the negative space was black and stood out against her pale skin.
"Like I said," Ricky whispered to Neo, "Don't be a dick." Without another word he complimented his cousin and walked out. "Was she wearing heels?" he asked himself as he climbed out of Gryffindor Tower.
So I did what I swore not to do and that was let real life get in the way of writing...
But I mean like...SO much has happened since I last updated!
I got a boyfriend (the 28th was our 6 months), I went to Atlanta, I got my wisdom teeth removed, I sung at a competition the day after having my mouth destroyed and my choir placed 3rd out of like 15 or something like that, I GRADUATED! I visited family, I started a JOB and COLLEGE! Like...
A LOT has happened. In just SIX MONTHS! Just seems so surreal.
So while, yes this is an update to the story, it's also me kinda saying...hey...what have you all been up to these past 6 months?
