Mountain Fold (Oliver Wood)

Chapter Twelve

Anna huffed as she got bumped by yet another student in the hallway, Zinnia and Darian went having much more luck. Everyone was trying to get to their class and they were being overwhelmed by the crowd. It was hectic and none of them wanted to be late, least of all Zinnia who had Transfiguration while Darian and Anna had Charms.

Anna's head shot up for a second as she could have sworn she heard someone call her name. She looked around but being as short as she was she couldn't see much; Darian and Zinnia wouldn't be much help either since they were about the same height as Anna. None of them had the advantage of height, they were constantly comparing how tall they were, hoping not to be the shortest. Darian had turned out to the shortest, but he wasn't much shorter than Anna, she hoped that he didn't have a growth spurt.

She dismissed the name calling, Anna was a common name, or she might have misheard them through the bustle of the students. She quickly turned back around, and rejoined Darian and Zinnia is their task of making it through a stampede of students. To their relief the students began to thin out.

Just when Anna thought they were in the clear she felt a hand on her shoulder. It surprised her so much that she leapt into the air and made a noise like a dying cat. Darian and Zinnia spun around, looking at her in concern, she slowly turned around, blushing in embarrassment, to come face to face with a ginger that looked just as concerned as her fiends did.

He was a Weasley but not one of the two she was acquainted with. She recognised him from the quidditch tryout, the Gryffindor captain, Charlie Weasley. He looked at her as if he was afraid she was going to make another dying cat noise before speaking.

"You're Anna, right? Anna Elwyn?"

"Yeah."

"Brilliant, could I talk to you? In private?" He gestured to an unused classroom that was conveniently close by.

She looked at him sceptically for a bit, "I guess so."

She told her friends that she would catch up and then followed Charlie into the classroom.

"You are the one that makes all the paper animals, right?" He asked her.

"Yeah..." she replied uncertainly. Then she remembered what the twins had told her a couple of weeks ago. It had been an offhand comment about Charlie's interest in the paper lion, Gryffinpuff. She realised that that's probably what he wanted to talk about, her origami skills.

"You made Alicia that paper lion?" He asked, proving herself correct. She nodded, and Charlie looked at her excitedly.

"You wouldn't mind if you... ah you know..."

"Made you one?" She asked, quietly.

"Yeah," he beamed, "one that looks like Alicia's."

Anna internally cringed when he said that. She had been so glad to put the instructions away for that particular design of lion, she had seen it enough for a lifetime and its not even a design that she had used before. With her experience she knew it wouldn't take her as long as it took Zinnia, so she hoped it wouldn't be that bad.

"Sure," she confirmed.

"Great! Oh, and I've heard a rumour about a... rather large badger in the Hufflepuff Common Room."

"You want me to make to lion a bit bigger than usual?"

"Yes please," he looked even more excited now, "you don't mind, do you?"

"Not at all."

"Thank you! You don't know how much I appreciate this. One more thing, do you mind not telling anyone from the Gryffindor quidditch team about this?"

That intrigued her, she was curious to why Charlie didn't want his own team to know.

"Sure," she said it hesitantly and he seemed to notice.

"I just want it to be a surprise, that's all. They might be getting some bad news soon and I'd like for them to have something to cheer them up. I was hoping to make the lion the mascot for the Gryffindor quidditch team."

It seems it was a Weasley trait to say secretive and ominous things without even meaning to. She knew that there probably wasn't anything she could do about whatever this 'bad news' is so the least she could do is help.

"Thank you again Anna. Is there anything I could do to repay you?" He asked.

"No, it's fine. I really don't mind."

They left the abandoned class to find the corridor nearly completely deserted. Anna realised that she would be quite late for her Charms class. Still better than being late for Potions.

"Sorry I have to go," Anna mumbled.

"That's okay, sorry if you're late for your class," he told her. He went to walk in one direction and she went in the opposite direction. She took a few steps and looked only to realise that a group of a few people had been walking towards her. It was Marcus Flint, Asher Belacqua, and a couple of their friends, and they had noticed her talking to Charlie. And he was their rival in quidditch.

She tensed as she walked past them, they didn't stop but they did sneer at her.

"You better watch your back, Hufflepuff," Marcus growled while Asher gave her a cold glare.

She walked faster and finally relaxed when they were out of sight. This year has been a rollercoaster so far compared to all her other years. She wished that she could go back to being unnoticed a little bit.

She made it to Charms class late and apologised to Professor Flitwick who let her off with a warning. She sat in the class and concentrated on her work, hoping that no other strangers would try to talk to her today.