Moments
I don't own anything in the HPverse
Chapter 12:
"For the elixir to induce euphoria do you know what ingredient you can add to counterbalance the side effects? It's not in Advanced Potion-Making" Ali asked. We were sitting in our room. Ali was doing homework. I was working on my playbook. Tomorrow Hufflepuff plays Ravenclaw. I wouldn't be making any official changes until then.
"A spring of peppermint" I replied.
"Thanks" she replied and I could hear the sound of her quill scratching against parchment.
"Ow" Ali hit me in the head with her potions book. "What was that for?"
"How is it that you can help me with my homework, no matter the subject, but I don't ever see you doing your own homework?"
"I do my homework, occasionally" I said with a shrug.
"I'm serious. You carry your Quidditch play book with you where ever you go. But I've never once seen you do homework."
"I'm only taking three classes this year. Charms, Transfiguration and Defense. That leaves me with a lot of free time. I usually do homework right after class so I don't have to worry about doing it later."
"Why are you only taking three classes?" she asked.
"You don't really need any classes to play Quidditch. It's expected of you to get your NEWTs. So what about you? What are your plans post-Hogwarts?"
"I don't know" she replied.
"What do you mean, you don't know? Didn't you have a career talk with Professor Longbottom?"
"Yeah, I did the whole career advice thing. It didn't really go well"
"What happened?"
"He asked what did I want to do and I said I don't know."
I playfully shoved her shoulder. "Don't be sarcastic."
"I'm not being sarcastic. That's what happened. He gave me a list of idea, looked at my schedule gave me some suggestions, asked me what my strong points were, what I liked, what I think I wanted to do, and in the end I came up with nothing." She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm still a kid I don't have to figure it out yet."
"Only for two more days" I said.
"Huh?"
"You're a kid only for two more days."
Her eyes narrowed. "Someone told you my birthday?"
"Your blonde friend, the one with the big blue eyes. She cornered me yesterday and asked what I was getting you for your birthday. She almost slapped me when I said I didn't know your birthday was coming up. Do any of your friends like me?"
"Emilia," the blonde, "likes you. Rose, Macey, and Charity not so much."
Macey must be the bird with the small brown hair. "As long as you like me the others don't matter."
"Oh, damn my cover is up. I was just using you for your sexy body."
"Good thing for me my body likes to be used" I whispered against her lips as I began to kiss her.
"We can't fool around right now, I have to finish my potions essay."
"Finish it later."
Ravenclaw put together quite the team this year, too bad the same thing couldn't be said for Hufflepuff. They dropped the Quaffle ten times so far and failed to score any goals at all. The Ravenclaw team seemed to be on form. Their beaters were doing a good job at hitting the opponent. Their captain though, Alex Root seemed to do more showboating than anything. As a seeker it was his job to find the snitch, not fly around doing acrobatic tricks.
"Looks like Miller spotted the snitch" Colin pointed out next to me.
"Nope he's feinting"
"You aren't even using your binoculars"
"I've played against him before. I know the signs. Watch the chasers. You see that formation they're in?"
"It's called the Oishi formation, right?"
"Yeah, it's relatively new so there are a lot of weak points. Root is stupid for letting his players try it out. Pay close attention to Campbel he's the weakest link. That's who you'll be marking when we play them."
"But I'm not on the team."
"Yet."
Suddenly a bludger came hurling right towards us. Without even thinking I pulled out my wand and stood in front of Alison. "Protego!"
The bludger bounced off my shield charm and went flying in the opposite direction.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"Fine. Just a little scared. Are the balls supposed to fly into the stands like that?"
"No," Colin replied, "That's why Hufflepuff is being rewarded two penalty shots. Aiming bludgers at the fans is illegal."
"Well that was scary" Ali said. "I think I've had enough Quidditch for one game."
I closed my notebook and handed it, along with my quill, to Colin. "Take good notes for me."
"Seriously?"
"I trust you."
"You don't have to come with me" Ali said.
"It's fine, I want to."
Ali and I left the stadium.
"How often do you get a chance to be in a nearly empty castle?" I asked Ali as we walked through the hall.
"If you stay here during Christmas, it's pretty much like this" Ali shrugged.
"You've stayed here during Christmas, by yourself?" I asked. I couldn't imagine it. Christmas is always a big deal in my family. We all get together at the Burrow and spend the day opening gifts, eating food, playing Quidditch, and having snow ball fights. It's sort of the whole point of the holiday.
"I wasn't by myself. Charity stayed that year. It was fun having the whole dorm to ourselves."
"Did you have a slow-motion pillow fight?" I earned a punch in the arm for my question. "It's a legit question."
"Why do all guys think that girls have pillow fights?"
"Because it's hot to imagine." I replied.
"You're incorrigible."
"What I am is horny, how about we have a pillow fight of our own?"
"I'm tired, I'm going to sleep" she said.
"I'll help you."
"I don't think so."
"Ali will be down in a few minutes" Emilia told me. "Poor thing isn't feeling well on her birthday. We tried giving her presents hoping that'll cheer her up, but she still spent most of her morning throwing up in the bathroom."
Morning sickness. It seemed like she hadn't told her friends she's pregnant. I'll take that as a good thing. Of course I told Fred but he's not a blabber mouth.
"I hope she feels better" I said just as Ali came down the stairs.
"Hey beautiful, happy birthday" I gave her a light kiss. She wasn't wearing any chap stick. I frowned but didn't say anything.
"Tell me you don't have anything planned for my birthday" she said as I put an arm around her.
"I'd tell you that, but I'd be lying" I said.
Ali groaned. "It's still a school day, I still have to go to class."
"It's your birthday, take the day off."
We headed down to the Great Hall.
"If you're not going to take the day off then at least spend your free period with me."
"Can't I promised Rose."
"Hang out with Rose some other time" I said.
"I haven't been hanging out with my friends lately."
"You sleep in the same dorm as them and you have classes with them all day."
"In the dorm we're sleep and we can't talk in class. It's not the same."
I wanted to roll my eyes.
"She knows."
"Shit."
"Rose isn't going to tell."
"She's a girl. No offense, but you can't keep secrets, it's in your RNA or whatever."
"DNA. And that's not true. I can keep a secret."
"Girls can only keep secrets if they're the subject. Anyway we've gotten off point. Since I can't have you during your free time I'll just have to kidnap you for lunch."
"I hope you'll feed me."
"Of course."
We had a picnic by the lake. She told me about the presents she got from her friends. They got her perfume, a charm bracelet, chocolate, and a new pair of shoes. She received money and a new camera from her parents during breakfast. It was a digital camera, I had never seen one before. It showed you the picture right after taking it, and the pictures didn't move. It was odd. I ended up being more fascinated with it than she was.
"When a wizard comes of age he gets a new watch" I said my own watch shining in the sunlight, "and when a witch comes of age, she gets one of these."
I handed her a velvet box. She opened it gingerly and gasped. It was a diamond encrusted golden locket.
"Now that you have a camera you can take a picture to put inside" I pointed out.
"It's beautiful" she said as she read the inscription on the inside.
"Like you" I said kissing her forehead.
She took my hands and placed them on her stomach. "Feel that?"
I didn't feel anything.
I shook my head.
"It's tiny flutters. It's like I feel the baby moving around already. It can't be that big yet. Maybe I'm just imagining it."
"You're not imagining it" I said kissing her. "Of course the kid would be active already he or she is going to play Quidditch."
Ali laughed, "Don't turn our baby into a Quidditch player before he or she is even born."
"There are some things that are just known" I replied.