A Dementor's Kiss - Phan

Of Serpents and Sharks

A lazy afternoon like any other. In which Dan embarks on a journey he doesn't yet know exists.

~

Light seeped through the gap in the curtains and stretched out in a line across the floor, dust particles dancing in the sunbeam. The rest of the dormitory was shadowed mahogany. The heavy tapestries were silent, their occupants having long since vacated the gilt frames to traverse the castle with social visits and aimless wanders. The beds were all empty save one, the hangings fluttering in the breeze from an open window at the southern end of the long room.

Phil lay across Dan's chest, white sheets tangled around his knees and cascading onto the floor. One hand was twisted in Dan's hair, the other squashed under his right cheek. His own dark hair brushed Dan's chin. Soft breaths of hot air lifted the loose tendrils and let them fall again.

Dan's brown hair was tightly curled and sticking to his face. His eyelashes fanned out in a perfect dark arc and his lips moved ever so slightly as he dreamt.

From outside, the gleeful shrieks of a violent quidditch game drifted lazily in through the window with the humid air. A mosquito hummed near Phil's calf, but decided not to disturb the slumbering lovers. The sun blinked as a wisp of cloud scurried past, and Phil scratched his right ankle with his left big toe.

The doors burst open with a crash. A mop of brown hair was followed by curls and a loud whoop. Abruptly, the slumbering lovers were sprawled across the wooden floor and slumbering no more.

"Good morning!" Chris exclaimed cheerfully.

"Morning?!" PJ pulled Dan to his feet and patted his back briskly. "It's two-thirty in the afternoon. You boys should be ashamed of yourself."

"We were up til four playing gobstones with you." Dan said sulkily, rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

"Which by rights means you should have been up at the very least by twelve, which would have given you a healthy eight hours sleep." PJ held out a shirt and Dan took it without looking and pulled it on backwards over his head.

"We're having a picnic." Chris announced. "Down by the lake so we can throw grass at all the fifth years bricking it for their OWLs."

Phil yawned, scratching his head. "Did you make us a packed lunch, Peej?" He asked.

PJ held up a large wicker hamper with a grin and Phil shook his head, turning to fumble through his underwear drawer.

~

"It's quite terrifying, really," PJ mused, munching on a peanut butter sandwich. "That we only have one year left."

"Well that's nice for you." Dan reached for a carrot stick with a frown.

"You're our excuse to come back and visit, so please don't get expelled or anything." PJ transformed Dan's carrot into an actual stick and Dan spat out the chewed bark with a grunt of frustration.

"Yeah, try not to fail all of your OWLs." Phil nudged his sandwich another inch from Dan's spit ball.

"Dan'll be fine, he's not trying to make it as an experimental Herbologist when he leaves." Chris teased.

Phil shrugged, floating a grape into his mouth and sending another shooting towards PJ. "At least I'll have some nice flowers to send you in St Mungo's."

Chris's grin stretched across his face. "You could probably send me something more terrifying than the vampires I'll be vanquishing. I learnt long ago not to mess with magical plants."