"Get up, An!" screeched Konjit, her earphones in. Grumbling, I pulled myself out of bed, irritated. "Weren't you gonna go flying?" Konjit inquired, chucking my red tracksuit and a graphic t-shirt that read 'GRYFFINDOR PRIDE' at me. I nodded, realising Madeline was gone. "Madeline's been practicing her flying-you know how badly she wants to be made a Beater this year. You should go downstairs, fly with her."
"Are the boys gonna come?" I asked, remembering how James had been discussing practicing his flying in time for the tryouts. "You can try shaking James outta bed," Konjit suggested as I changed into the clothes Konjit had thrown at me. "You wanna come?" I asked, grabbing my broom-a second-edition Firebolt. Of course, it was nothing compared to the all-new Starlight series, but it was definitely one of the speediest brooms around. "Why not? I can braid my hair here or there."
Konjit pulled on a jacket and we both made our way to the boys' dormitories. I shook James awake. He simply grumbled, looking incredibly annoyed. "An?" he mumbled. He then broke out into a smile, his eyes fluttering closed. "An..." I frowned. "Hey, you wanna go flying?" I asked. James swatted at me. "Get away from me, Pat!" Confused, I left the dormitory with Konjit, the two of us making our way down to the Quidditch stadium. I saw Madeline whizzing about, hitting a Bludger with a bat as she chased it at full speed. I hopped onto my broom, kicking off the ground as I focused all my nervous energy on flying.
Whereas most Chasers reasoned that their aptitude for flying came from their natural speed, I begged to differ. Judging from my track record, I was the slowest runner ever. I'd never been any good at Muggle sports, of which I'd had to endure plenty at the local comprehensive my mother sent me to. When I arrived at Hogwarts, short and and of average build, I'd never thought I would turn out to be such a good flier. It wasn't until the first flying lesson we had with Madam Hooch two years ago now that I'd realised where my talents lay.
As clear as day, I remembered shouting 'Up!' to the Nimbus at the my feet, watching as only my broom shot straight up into my hand. Excited, I'd decided to break Madam Hooch's rule, and while she wasn't watching, I'd mounted the broom and taken off. Too busy helping Konjit, Madam Hooch didn't notice I was gone, which gave me a chance to explore riding on the broom. As I gained altitude, my thoughts narrowed down onto the force of the broom and, (ironically,) like magic, I'd woven through the turrets of Hogwarts Castle. Below me, James, who I hadn't gotten close with yet, whispered to his friend, "She must've been a hatstall between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, Hufflepuffs are usually amazing fliers..."
It was then that Madam Hooch noticed me whizzing toward the Owlery and caught up to me on her broom, too shocked by my skills to punish me.
Instead, she took me straight to Headmistress McGonagall, leaving the rest of the class (without brooms) momentarily. I wasn't at all startled, smirking to myself as Madam Hooch told McGonagall about how I'd performed on my broom. The latter had all-too-happily written me a note to take to the Quidditch trials, where I had flown my heart out and made the team as a Chaser.
Even now, as I flew circles around Madeline, I could feel my heart picking up, the wind whistling past my ears. Taking the Quaffle from a set of Quidditch balls, I practiced shooting, getting Madeline to act as the Keeper. Not once did I miss (mainly because Madeline wasn't a Keeper.) "Hey, we better get back!" Konjit called, having finished doing her hair. Madeline and I nodded, zooming downward to meet her. It was then that our conversation finally started, since Madeline and I had been playing in close-to-absolute silence. "You were both so good!" Konjit exclaimed. "I wish I were that good on a broom..."
I laughed. "Well, you're amazing at Transfiguration and Potions, not to mention the prettiest girl in our grade." Konjit threw her head back and laughed, just proving how good-looking she was. "Then why are Patrick and James crushing on you?" she demanded. After a moment of silence, I burst out laughing. "No! That's gross!" Madeline raised her eyebrows. "Don't say you don't like any of them back, An..."
"I don't! Oh, God! If we're talking about this, have you seen the way Rafael Montez looks at you, Maddie?"
"No, it's not like tha-"
"Raf and Maddie, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-" began Konjit.
"STOP IT! You're one to talk, Konjit, making googly eyes at that fourth-year Slytherin, Chad Lee..."
"I WAS NOT MAKING EYES! I JUST HAVE LONG LASHES!"
"Excuses!"
The three of us argued all the way back to Gryffindor Tower, back together after a long summer spent apart.
. . . . .
"Welcome back to Defence Against the Dark Arts," began Professor Creevey. Professor Creevey was an amazing teacher. Even though he'd been quite young when he joined Dumbledore's Army and hadn't been able to fight in the Battle of Hogwarts (the battle in which his older brother, Colin Creevey, had died) while he was a third year because he was underage, he had still learnt some incredibly complex spells for a first year, even conjuring a partial Patronus. Naturally, he was one of my favourite teachers.
"This year, we're going to explore some more dark creatures, starting with... Boggarts!" Whispers began to spread, all of us excited at the prospect of banishing Boggarts. "Of course, we will be going through some theory work this lesson, but I can assure you, next lesson will be one I think you all will be anticipating. Open up your workbooks to Page 30 and go to the cloze passage. I want you all have a go at filling it out and then we'll talk through it..."
Everyone got out their pens, hurriedly scribbling down their answers. I filled out my answers as fast as I could, wanting to be the one to read the passage out. I knew it was very Minister Granger of me, but Defence Against the Dark Arts was my strongest subject, right along with Charms. Flying, of course, remained my strongest point, but that wasn't an OWL subject.
"Okay, who wants to read out their answers-Alright then, Anika, since you're so enthusiastic."
I grinned at Professor Creevey, clearing my throat.
"Boggarts are creatures that show those who encounter them their biggest fear. They are fairly common and often found in cupboards. Boggarts can be banished with a simple spell, 'Riddikulus.' This spell can be performed by a wizard or witch by imagining their worst fear in a more humorous light. For example, the Boggart of the late Remus Lupin, a known member of the Order of the Phoenix and a known lycanthrope, or werewolf, (see Pg. 394) had a fear of the full moon. With the use of the Riddikulus spell, Lupin was able to turn the full moon into a balloon.
Boggarts flee when they are ridiculed to the point of embarrassment. Success in banishing a boggart comes from quick thinking and a vivid imagination."
Professor Creevey looked impressed. "I see you did your holiday reading on Remus Lupin, Anika! Ten points to Gryffindor." Patrick clapped me on the back and James shot me a thumbs-up from across the room. I grinned, turning back toward Professor Creevey. "Well, now that we know what boggarts are and how they can be banished, let's have a go at imagining our worst fears and turning them into a comical image. I want you all to close your eyes and try that now."
I shut my eyes, and to my immediate surprise, the immediate image that appeared in my mind was myself without magic. There I stood, a shell of a person, a Muggle, no wand, no broom. How was I going to turn this into something funny?
Trying to focus, I distorted that image of myself, picturing myself in a clown costume and stilts. Watching myself wobble about, I laughed, my eyes fluttering open. Looking around the room, I saw my classmates with their eyes closed The only person who'd been successful other than myself was Patrick, who opened his eyes almost simultaneously to me. Professor Creevey smiled at us, clearly impressed. "Well, what were your fears?" he asked, lowering his voice to a whisper so the others could concentrate.
"Having no magic," I replied.
"How'd you make it funny?"
"I imagined myself in a clown costume and stilts."
"Well done, Anika! I can't wait to see you apply that to a real Boggart next lesson. Patrick, what about you?"
Patrick seemed to hesitate, looking strangely panicked. He sighed, speaking up. "Um... spiders. I thought of the spiders as, um, butterflies."
"Lovely! I see why Professor Chang is always commending your Transfiguration abilities." Patrick looked away before I could ask him what was wrong, James' eyes flickering open. Professor Creevey went over to where he sat, right across from us, to ask him about hat he'd thought of. Not wanting to talk to Patrick in front of James, I waited until the end of the lesson. Since we'd finished so early, Professor Creevey had told us to read the case study on practicing the Patronus Charm with Boggarts, James shuffling over to our desk so he could talk to us.
It was surprising, how long it took to get a clear picture of your worst fear in your mind.
As class ended, everyone had gotten a picture of what their Boggart looked like. Everyone left the class, Patrick trailing behind. I hurried to Patrick. "Hey, Pat, what's bothering you?" I asked. "N-nothing," he replied, clearing his throat. Was that a tear in the corner of his eye?"
"Something's up, and you're not telling me what."
"Seriously, nothing's up!"
"You haven't even stolen my chocolate bar yet! I've been eating this for a whole minute. You know what? If you're not going to tell me, at least take this chocolate. I've just realised how sad eating one of these alone is."
Rolling his eyes sarcastically at me, he took a bite from the back of the chocolate bar, grinning.
. . . . .
"Welcome back to Charms, third years!" Professor Flitwick squeaked, grinning. "This year, we're beginning with Expelliarmus! This is the Disarming Charm and one of the most important charms in a dueller's arsenal. At its best performance, this spell can allow you to take physical possession of your opponent's wand. Otherwise, it can temporarily stun your opponent or make them an easy target.
"Now, does anyone know the correct hand movement for this spell?" Flitwick asked. I raised my hand, slightly tentative. I had seen my mother perform Expelliarmus on quite a few people, generally to warn them about the conditions of using magic upon entry in England. "Yes, Miss Evans?"
I took hold of my wand, clutched in my left, English oak with a unicorn hair core and 10 and 3/4 inches. Copying the simple twitch-flick movement I'd seen my mother using, I demonstrated the wand movement to Flitwick, praying that I'd done it right. Flitwick squealed excitedly, letting me know I'd done a good job. "Excellent, Miss Evans! Take 20 points for Gryffindor-I've never before seen a third-year do the hand movement so naturally!" I flushed as my housemates vocalised their appreciation, grinning like a Confounded idiot.
"Well, now that Miss Evans has demonstrated the wand movement-" Flitwick quickly repeated it himself- "I want you all to try it."
The whole class decided to have a go at reciprocating the hand movement, very few getting the subtle flick right. Rushing on, Flitwick added: "Now, add the incantation, Expelliarmus, onto the hand movement. Don't actually focus on casting the spell yet!" We all did as Flitwick said, the pronunciation being exceedingly simple.
"Brilliant! Now, how about you all pair up?"
"Pat, you wanna-"
"Hey. Anika, d'you want to be partners?" James asked, smiling. I shrugged, glancing back at a confused Patrick. "Sure!" James grinned, seemingly excited by the fact that we were working together.
"Now, stand and practice Disarming each other. The student who shows the most promise today will receive a glowing letter of recommendation from myself for the prestigious Duelling Club." At the mention of the Duelling Club, everyone began to focus on their spells. "I won't go easy on you, Potter," I laughed. He rolled his eyes. "Ladies first."
"Chivalry's dead. Take it away."
James laughed, clearing his throat. "Expelliarmus!" My wand wobbled slightly, toppling from one hand into the other. "Well done, Mr. Potter!" Flitwick called. "Top that!" James yelled, smirking arrogantly. "You just watch!"
Focusing my attention on James' wand, I shrugged off my nerves. Words couldn't begin to express how badly I wanted that letter of recommendation. "EXPELLIARMUS!" The wand soared over the distance between James and I in a perfect arc, landing in my outstretched right hand. The whole class stopped to watch in admiration, pindrop silence spreading through the room.
"Phenomenal! How about you duel Mr. Finch-Fletchley? He also managed to catch the wand, just not in an arc..."
Patrick and I smirked at each other, heading down the stairs of the Charms classroom to face off against each other.
"EXPELLIARMUS!"
Amber sparks collided, both of us pushing as hard as we could, when something flashed in Pat's eyes and his concentration dropped, eyes widening as he gasped. His wand soared into my hand, but I dropped it, rushing over to where he stood, looking thoroughly shocked. "What is it, Pat?" I asked. "I... I had no idea I could do that!" He began to smile and I sighed, relieved.
"Congratulations, Miss Evans. I'll have a letter of recommendation ready by the end of the lesson. And, Mr. Finch-Fletchley, I was impressed with you as well. If you can get a wand to fly toward you in a perfect arc, I'll write you a letter too." Motivated, Patrick walked back over to Matteo, who he'd been practicing with, managing an arc just ten minutes later. Flitwick beamed, clearly happy to see his students succeeding, before moving on to writing a letter for Patrick. James and I spent the rest of the lesson joking around. It was fun to just spend some time with such a good friend.
At the end of the lesson, Flitwick handed us our letters, beaming. "Congratulations! Congratulations!" He handed us letters to envious yet loud applause from our classmates. "We'll give these to Professor Chang when we have Transfiguration, yeah?" Patrick asked. I nodded, clutching my letter to my chest as if it were a book filled with ancient runes.
Who knew? If things kept going this way, perhaps I would have rise to protect the people.