Hello lovelies! Super sorry for the time gap between chapters 4 and 5. It has just been a ridiculously busy time for me with school and such (the idea of high school can burn in a fiery pit). There will be more music (that does not fit the original timeline) this chapter so I hope y'all liked the last one. Credits are at the end and lemme know how I'm doin'!
-PandaMarx
Chapter 6
"So what was with leaving potions? Snape was being a jerk because some kid melted his cauldron. You're so lucky you missed it!"
"I got called to the headmaster's office. Apparently, I get to go into choir," she turned to her left to throw a glare at Tayler who made a very mischievous face, "which means I won't be in flying lessons with you guys next week."
"Aww, I could have helped you! I love flying!" Miranda sounded disappointed.
"Well, I'm not too keen on the idea of flying on a broomstick. And I'm not into sports so I doubt quidditch will be my thing."
"C'mon, quidditch is great!" Miranda's voice slightly rose over the roar of dinner time conversation.
An older Ravenclaw on the other side of her turned to give her a harsh look. Miranda ducked her head a little.
"Are you sure I'm allowed to sit here? I mean, this is the Ravenclaw table. I don't think Hufflepuffs are really allowed."
"You're fine, they'll get over it," Harper made a waving motion with her hand, "It's not like I won't have the class at all. Dumbledore just said that I'll be put in the Gryffindor/Slytherin class. It's not that big of a deal," she took a bite of roll, "What is so great about quidditch anyways?"
This question brought on a flurry of descriptions, anecdotes and historical play-by-plays from both Miranda and Tayler (whose mom was apparently the #1 fan of the Irish team). Harper tried to absorb as much of this information as possible while she ate dinner.
…
"That's it! Marowit! Wendish god of nightmares! It's perfect!"
"What on earth are you talking about Harper?"
"I found a name for this little guy," she rubbed the beak of the newly named owl that was perched on her shoulder, "Thanks for the book by the way."
"No problem. I never actually expected to lend out on book on ancient muggle religions, but I'm glad I brought it."
Both Tayler and Harper were in their respective beds reading before they slept as always. In the Ravenclaw dorms, that habit was not unusual. In fact, only one girl on their room didn't, and she pulled her blankets above her head to block out the light.
"Well, quidditch next week should be interesting."
"That's an understatement," Tayler rolled her eyes, "My coordination is bad to begin with. I am not looking forward to testing it out twenty feet above the ground on a stick."
"Well," she craned her neck back to see Luna asleep with her limbs sprawled in the most unusual way then turned back to Tayler, "At least you don't get to see all the 'Gryffindor vs Slytherin' drama. The school year has just started and half of them already act like a bunch of toddlers fighting over the last animal cracker."
This produced a small chuckle from Tayler, "Grin and bear it I guess. Anyways, let's take Miranda and go study by the lake this weekend. I heard there's a giant squid in it. And we should soak up the sunshine before it gets cold."
With that, the both rolled over and fell asleep. That weekend was the best in Harper's memory. For the first time in her life, she just hung out with human friends. Those two days were filled with reading, laughing, discussing random things and looking for the mysterious squid. She let Mars (her shortened version of Marowit) outside for the first time since she got him. I took him a few tries but eventually (with much cheering from the three girls), he was able to fly. She loved watching him fly around them in short distances. He looked so blissful and free with the wind under his wings.
…
The next Tuesday marked the beginning quidditch class for Harper. The class took place on the front lawn of the castle so she didn't have any trouble finding the place. When Madam Hoch arrived, she looked every kid up and down with her hawk-like eyes. She made everyone line up with a broom on their right side before she gave instructions:
"Now, on my command, I want all of you to place your right hand directly over the broom and say 'up'. Is that clear?" everybody nodded, "Good," she blew her whistle.
Harper looked at the kids around her. Some (including his royal highness) had brooms that obediently leapt into their hands while other simply refused to budge. Luckily for Harper, her broom fell into the first category. She had been warned by Miranda that this was the first step and had been scared of her broom simply not cooperating. Harper felt even better about herself when it came time to mount. She did this easily. The next step was hovering. With enough focus, getting the broom to hover was simple. The tricky part came when she had to balance. She saved herself from falling by quickly extending a leg, but the boy named Neville started to actually fly. Not of his own free will of course, he sounded scared out of his mind and ended up crash landing. The real drama began after Madam Hooch rushed him to the hospital wing (and after she threatened anybody who flew while she was gone).
"What's this?" Draco had picked something up off the ground, "Neville's lost his remembrall. Maybe I should leave it somewhere for him to find," he smirked and mounted his broom as though he did it every day (which for all Harper knew he could very well have).
He had floated a few feet of the ground when the famous Harry Potter decided to step forward.
Draco smirked as McGonagall took Harry away, "Got what he deserves eh?" he said to his two cohorts who simply nodded.
"Well you seem to the drama queen who started it Malfoy," she could hardly believe the words that came out of her mouth.
He sharply turned to her, "What was that Costello?"
"Well, you are the one who threatened to take that kids… whatever it was. He was just trying to stop you. Granted he shouldn't stick his nose in other people's business, but it was a rather 'valiant' act I suppose."
"You're right he shouldn't stick his nose in other people's business," he took a step towards her, "And neither should you."
Now Harper started to shrink from him, losing the nerve she suddenly had two seconds ago, "I know, but um… it's just that…"
"Just what?"
"Well, uh, you seemed to know what you were doing up there."
He puffed out his chest and smirked, "Well maybe that's because I did know what I was doing. I learned to ride a broom before I could even walk," Harper giggled on the inside at his obvious lie, "And for the record, I will become the greatest seeker to have ever blessed the Slytherin team. Father says I have potential."
Inside her head, Harper was rolling with laughter and had to work hard to keep her face looking innocent, "Well uh, there's no doubt you have talent," he nodded his head in agreement, "So… hope you make the team next year?" her sentence sounded like a question because she tried to slink away into the group of people.
God, I am so awkward. She blushed as she snuck away.
…
"Merlin's sake! What is with those guys?!" Tayler was the first to respond to Harper's recounting of her first Quidditch lesson.
"I know! They can't go a single day without fighting over something or another," Harper exclaimed.
"Who on earth would steal a remembrall? Heaven knows the poor bloke could use it," Miranda said.
"Which reminds me, Neville wasn't hurt too badly was he?"
Harper swallowed a bite of food, "Nah, just a sprained wrist. But I do hope Harry doesn't get in too much trouble. He just so happened to be the only one who was caught. Both of them deserve detention."
"Well, it sounds like both those boys are pretty good on a broom. I bet the both of them will make it onto their house teams next year. Slytherin has been dominating the field for the past few years, maybe Gryffindor will finally get a boost. The rivalry between those two is ridiculous. The fight like cats and dogs every year," Miranda rolled her eyes, "Good news is, the rivalry between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw is not nearly as heated so I don't expect much trouble in our practice today, right Tayler?"
Tayler nodded. They continued to chatter between bites of breakfast and went to class.
After the last class of the day, she went to Professor Flitwick's classroom for Choir try-outs. Harper had been worrying herself sick over them for the last week trying to pick a song that would work. She finally decided on an ok song with a good range in pitch, but when she stood in the empty choir room, a line of other kids waiting outside the door, she couldn't do it. She forgot the words, rhythms and notes. When Professor Flitwick asked her what was wrong, her throat was dry and her stomach was tied in knots so she simply replied with 'I don't know'. He offered a glass of water and she took it.
"Do you want to come back later?"
"No, no sir. I just… I just forgot the words to the song I picked… I don't know if I should even try-out at all. First years aren't supposed to anyways right?"
"Yes Harper, but most first years don't have a recommendation from the head master now do they?"
She smiled a little, "Well um, sir… when I sang earlier, Dumbledore used a strange spell. It made a sort of… ring of white fire that played any song I thought of, but without the words. Could you maybe… Well, could you do something like that?"
"Ahh, the charm. I teach that spell to my best choir students. You won't be able to cast it now, but I can most certainly use it for you. I've never had a first-time try-out done using it, but this should be interesting," the short little professor picked his wand off his desk and gave it a swish.
Like before, the little white flame made a circle around the professor and when Harper grasped it, it included her. She focused not on the song she had planned for its technical difficulty, but one of her personal favorites. She walked back to her spot on the first step of the wooden riser and took a deep breath.
The deep, resonating note from an organ filled the air.
Regrets collect like old friends
Here to relive your darkest moments
I can see no way, I can see no where
She took a deep breath.
And all of the ghouls come out to play
And every demon wants his pound flesh
But I like to keep some things to myself
I like to keep my issues drawn
It's always darkest before the dawn
The beat picks up, a tambourine starts to keep rhythm in the background and Harper loosened up.
And I've been a fool and I've been blind (the fire did create the voice of the back-up singer staggering the phrase 'I've been blind')
I can never leave the past behind
I can see no way I can see nowhere
I'm always dragging that horse around
And all of these questions such a mournful sound
Tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground
'Cuz I like to keep my issues drawn
It's always darkest before the dawn
Harper closed her eyes and belted out the lyrics.
Shake it out shake it out,
Shake it out shake it out
Ohhwoah
Shake it out shake it out
Shake it out shake it out
Ohhwoah
And it's time to dance with the devil on your back so shake him off
Ohhwoah
Her voice softened a little and continued with eyes closed.
And I am done with my graceless heart
So tonight I'm gonna cut it out and then restart
Cuz I like to keep my issues drawn
It's always darkest before the dawn
She raised her voice again for the next verse.
Shake it out shake it out,
Shake it out shake it out
Ohhwoah
Shake it out shake it out
Shake it out shake it out
Ohhwoah
And it's time to dance with the devil on your back so shake him off
Ohwoah
And it's time to dance with the devil on your back
If I even had the chance would I take it all back?
It's a fine romance but its left me so undone
It's always darkest before the dawn
Another deep breath.
And I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't
So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my rope
And I'm ready to suffer and I'm ready to hope
It's a shot in the dark aimed right at my throat
Cuz lookin for heaven, found a devil in me
Lookin for heaven found a devil in me
But who had the hand
And then I let it happen to meeeeeeee ya
By now, the room was filled with the soul of the music and Harper threw her hands out in joy.
Shake it out shake it out, (the fire added the background singer again)
Shake it out shake it out
Ohhwoah
Shake it out shake it out
Shake it out shake it out
Ohhwoah
And it's time to dance with the devil on your back so shake him of
Ohhwoah
Shake it out, shake it out
Shake it out, shake it out
Ohhwoah
Shake it out shake it out
Shake it out shake it out
Ohhwoah
And it's time to dance with the devil on your back so shake him off
Ohhwoah
The last thirty seconds of the song consisted of vocal fluctuations that Harper hit perfectly to her own surprise.
When the last of the tones faded out, Professor Flitwick stood with his mouth open and eyes wide. Slowly, a huge grin spread across his face and he gave her a little clap.
"Well done Miss Costello, well done!" he squeaked in excitement.
Harper blushed to the roots of her hair and looked down, "Th-thank you sir."
"Congratulations young girl," he quickly scribbled something down on the scroll that was on his desk, "Honors choir would be the place for you Harper, but that would probably be pushing my own rules a little too much. Goodness gracious you are the best new recruit I've heard in years," his voice still squeaked with excitement, "Now, I expect to see you here next Wednesday as well understood?"
Harper's head was spinning so she just dazedly nodded. Even as Tayler and Miranda asked her how it went over dinner, she could hardly believe that she actually got into choir. And with such high praise! Her two best friends hugged her in congratulations and for the third time in the past two weeks, her heart swelled with happiness.
…
The following Tuesday turned out to be another interesting quidditch class. The subject of the lesson was moving. 'Simply lean forward' madam Hooch said, 'It's easy'. Well, Harper could hardly balance on her broom to begin with so the task became unnecessarily difficult. When madam Hooch lined them up, she ended up being right next to Draco. Of course, with her exquisite balance, she managed to fall over sideways while leaning forward. On her way down she instinctively reached for support. The closest thing just so happened to be Draco's robe. She cursed herself for pulling him down with her, but he didn't fall. His balance was superb. And so were his reflexes. He grabbed the collar of her robe just in time. She ended up being suspended four feet above the ground with her legs wrapped tightly around her broomstick and torso held up by none other then his royal highness. This of course, caused him, and many kids around him, to laugh hysterically.
He let her down as gently as the awkward situation would allow. Harper's face was beet red. She was the first person to actually fall off their broom that day and she was extremely embarrassed. Madam Hooch blew her whistle ordered Draco to walk Harper over to her.
"Nothing hurt? Nothing broken?"
"No ma'am," Harper didn't look up and shook her head.
The teacher seemed to notice her shame and decided to be uncharacteristically kind, "I think you should just sit down for a bit. Draco, go walk her over to the stairs and sit for a while. All you've been doing is showing off."
Draco took that as a compliment and walked (or rather, strutted) Harper to the stairs of the front entrance.
Harper buried her head in her arms and Draco chortled, "You are pathetic. First, you can hardly speak without making a fool of yourself and fall asleep in class. Now, you can't even stay on your broom. It's a disgrace for someone of your lineage."
Harper ignored all the insults but perked up, "My lineage? You mean pure-blood right?"
He gave her a look as though he couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic, "Do you still not know anything? You must know about your family by now."
"I don't actually. And since you seem to know all about it, please, enlighten me," Harper was starting to get annoyed with the fact that she did not know anything about her own family.
"Well then," he looked as though he was about to make a clever retort but settled with rolling his eyes and sighing instead, "I'm only telling you this because it would a be a shame for someone to not know about their great lineage…" he looked at her eager face and continued in a know-it-all tone, "Did you know that you are the last true Costello?" Harper shook her head, "Well, the Costellos used to be a very old royal family of our world. They used to rule in the Italian monarchy but fell from power when Italy switched to a democracy. So, they became extremely powerful practioners in the noble art of dark magic," to Harper, the phrase 'noble art of dark magic' sounded rather rehearsed, "They became well-known for their honorable code of loyalty but soon started a war with the new government and lost most of their members. The few who survived ran here to Britain where they maintained their code and the largest smuggling operation in wizarding history for quite some time. In the great war, all but one sided with the dark lord. Because they chose to die rather than rat out the family, the only who survived was the one who left. He ended up being the father of the mess that sits beside me," a smirk, "On top of that, your mother came from one of the ancient, pure-blood Irish clans," he seemed very pleased with the fact that he could tell her so much.
She thought for a moment, digesting the information he gave her, and something seemed odd, "How do you know about my mother?"
A quick blush ran over his face then disappeared, "I mentioned you to my father once. He told me great things were to be expected from one of your lineage. It seems he was wrong."
"Obviously," she muttered as she buried her head back into her arms.
Draco's face took on a tone of seriousness, "It must have been dreadful, not being able to ride a broom as a kid," he stated with a surprising touch of sympathy.
Harper looked up and smiled, so he might have a heart somewhere deep, deep down there, she thought.
"Well, you seem to be bloody brilliant at it so, you don't… think… maybe…" her shyness (and hatred for asking favors) seized her tongue.
He raised his eyebrow in expectancy.
"Well, uh… you don't think maybe you could, I don't know, teach me… or something."
Another smirk, "There you go with sounding stupid again. Although, you could most definitely use a few lessons from someone who actually knows what they are doing," his smirk softened, closer to a smile, "Slytherin has the practice field this Saturday . I'm sure they won't mind me borrowing a few brooms. We wouldn't want that royal blood of yours to be wasted on account of poor upbringing now would we," now it was Harper's turn to roll her eyes.
Once again, comment, favorite and follow please! Danke!
Song= Shake it Out- Florence and the Machine