I'm done with another chapter, hope you enjoy! I'm not sure if Katie's attitude towards Miles changes too quickly, but I've always thought of her as a trusting person.
"Rennervate!" Johnson stood over the unconscious figure of one of the Weasley twins, desperately waving her wand. There was a splutter, and a weak ray of white light illuminated him, but he did not stir. Johnson was more frantic. "Rennervate!" Still, nothing happened. Wait for Pomfrey, damnit! Wood was already fetching help, and I doubted Flint would have used something as innocuous as a Stunning Spell to knock Weasley out. Ignoring Johnson's subsequent attempts to revive the Gryffindor Beater, I cast a quick look at Bell She was exiting the pitch from the other end, as the Hospital Wing and McGonagall's offices were at differing ends of the school.
I did not want to stay around the pitch longer than I should have, lest I get involved in the aftermath. It was either I take the same path as Wood or Bell back to the castle: the choice was rather clear. Slowly, I walked in the same direction as Bell, out of the pitch. I stumbled a few times on the way out: Disillusionment Charms were a difficult spell to maintain, as they required energy and skill. Fortunately, Johnson had been caught up in trying to awaken her fellow Gryffindors that she did not hear my clumsy footsteps.
Finally, I was out of the Quidditch Pitch. I stepped off the cobblestone path, and onto the grass. The Disillusionment Charm merely masked me, and did not muffle my footsteps. I briefly considered running ahead of Bell to have a better chance of escape, but I was physically drained from my previous use of the Disillusionment Charm. I wasn't even sure if I could continue maintaining the current charm that concealed me.
Bell was about ten meters ahead of me now. We were about half a kilometer to the castle: I could see the familiar sight of the astronomy tower and the block of professor's offices from my spot on the grass. Another five hundred meters and I could get this over with, have a clean conscience...
There was a sharp ache rippled across my forehead, and black spots begun to dance in my vision. The hand gripping my wand quivered. A sinking feeling began to form as I realized what was happening. Magical exhaustion had begun to set in: I should have known better than to maintain such a complex charm for so long. A tingle crawled across my body, and I felt the familiar cool of air as my skin was no longer encased in an illusory veil. As my head throbbed, I felt myself sink to my knees. My chest tightened, and I let out a loud, hacking cough.
She was on me in a second. "Who's there?" There was an unmistakable air of threat in her question. No doubt she had her wand out by now... There was a patter of feet against stone, and a swish of cloth. There was a painful jab, at the crown of my head as I felt Bell prod me with her wand. "Slytherin. Get up!"
Rising unsteadily to my feet, I pried my eyes open. My vision was a blur. I blinked twice. Bell's wand was still pointed at my chest, and her lip curled upon recognizing me. "Miles Bletchley?" She didn't lower her wand.
Yes, that's me. We're even now... Why don't we end this confrontation and part amiably? I remained silent.
Bell's brown eyes met mine. Normally warm, even friendly, they were steely today, and full of hostility. Out of the corner of my eye, I made out the subtle tremble of her hand, her knuckles white as she clutched her wand. "Here to finish me off, are you? I hope you know all your friends got sorely beaten today." Her voice was laced with venom.
What? No! I was doing the exact opposite today, not that she would have a way to know that. After all I had done: my troubled conscience last night, trying to negotiate with Flint, and summoning a flock of birds to attack my own teammates just because I didn't want to hurt her... I had at least hoped I could talk to Bell on favorable terms.
"You'd better think twice before you say anything, Slytherin," she warned. "You lot can't be trusted, after what you did to your own schoolmates..." Bell's wand made her way to my throat. Despite her shorter stature, she was imposing, cold fury radiating from her. There was no way I could reach my wand without being hit by a hex. This would be complicated. How could I, an associate of her attackers, absolve myself of guilt?
"Look, Bell. I'm on your side..." I was having a hard time convincing even myself.
She scoffed. Her wand remained locked in its position.
"I didn't hurt anyone on your team..." I tried. This piqued her interest, her eyes widening slightly. She immediately reverted to her previous state of hostility, though. "Of course, you weren't at the battle in the first place, coward."
"No. Remember the crows that attacked Flint and Warrington? I... I conjured them. I would demonstrate, but I'm drained from the Disillusionment Charm I cast." I paused briefly, letting out a soft sigh. "I didn't intend to hurt them... It was never my intention to hurt anybody." Most of the wavering in my voice was genuine, and Bell's eyes softened.
She lowered her wand, breaking eye contact for a brief moment."You were there." Her face scrunched up in confusion. "I didn't see you because you were charmed, but why didn't you... fight with your teammates? You're with Slytherin, just like Flint and the others."
I froze, not expecting this question. What could I tell her? That I didn't do anything to her because she had helped me up after I fell? That I directed a murder of crows at my own teammates because I felt obligated to settle things with Bell? I doubted that she even recalled her actions. Had it been just yesterday? What would have happened had she never caught me? Would I have done the same? Or would I still be in the Hospital Wing?
"Are you feeling alright, Miles?" Bell's hostility had melted away: a look of confusion and curiosity had creeped onto her face. She rested her hand on my shoulder, and gave a slight smile. "If you don't want to tell me, that's fine."
Should I? Her brown eyes betrayed her sincerity, and I had a feeling she believed me. There was no harm in doing so, I supposed. In a worse case scenario, we would end this conversation thinking no worse of each other than we had a day ago. Besides, the other Slytherins weren't around. "Let's continue walking towards the castle. I feel better now, and besides, you need to find McGonagall." I tried to buy some time: thankfully, she didn't pick up that I had overheard her exchange with Wood. She followed as I slowly strolled towards the castle grounds.
Bell looked at me expectantly, and I relented. "Bell, remember the last Quidditch match?" She nodded at me, confused. "Of course I do."
"Well, remember when you scored?" Her expression morphed into one of mirth, and she broke into a wide grin. "Definitely! I plucked the Quaffle from right under your nose! You should have seen the expression on your face when I reached for it: it was like as if it was your first time-"
Quickly, I interrupted, knowing what she was going to say next. "No. Before that." Chuckling, she asked, "The part where you fell off your broom, then had to be saved by me? I remember that pretty well." She seemed to take it in stride: evidently, the Gryffindor hero complex had rubbed off on her.
"Why'd you do that, though?" My voice took on a less conversational tone, and Bell picked up on the nature of my inquiry. I had questions, too, and this was one of the bigger ones. Bell had said it herself: I was a Slytherin, and her, a Gryffindor. We didn't mix, but she didn't take the opportunity to let me plummet to the ground. Had I been in her shoes, I would have watched the fall from a distance: a rival out of the match would put the opposition at a disadvantage. Apparently, Bell had not seen the situation that way.
A silence passed between the two of us as we walked slowly, Bell deep in thought. After a few moments, she turned to me, puzzled. "I don't know, do you really need an explanation? Wouldn't you have done the same?"
No, I wouldn't. "I see where you're coming from. Still, I never got the chance to thank you." I didn't have to agree with her, and my words reflected that. Bell wasn't satisfied, though. The friendliness in her voice disappeared as her face grew serious. Frowning at me, she pointedly asked: "You haven't answered my question, though. Why didn't you attack me today? Why didn't you do the same as your teammates?"
I allowed myself to flash her a small smile. "Flint wanted to harm you and the rest of the team, for his own petty revenge. I don't stand for injuring people, especially when those people have kept me out of trouble. That's why I didn't attack you today" paused for a moment, blinking. Savoring the look on Bell's face as she listened, I smiled slyly. "Wouldn't you have done the same?"
Do leave a review to tell me your thoughts on the story. What is your impression of both characters so far?