"𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐋𝐅𝐒𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐄 𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍?" 𝐑𝐀𝐘𝐀 𝐀𝐒𝐊𝐄𝐃.
After the incident with the Imps, Professor Lockhart seemed too embarrassed to do anymore live demonstrations. Now, he did dramatic retellings of his books in class. He used to ask for helpers, but after Thomas and Nathaniel refused to follow the script, he gave up on it.
Today, he was retelling Wanderings With Werewolves, explaining how he body slammed a full grown werewolf, and placed the Homorphus charm on him, turning the rabid animal human once more.
"What about the potion?" Lockhart asked, a little nervous.
Raya and his friends stuck true to their word, grilling him every chance they got. Since Raya had practically memorized Wanderings With Werewolves and a dozen other books on the lycanthropes, she took charge in asking the questions today.
"Well, you said that the man was a werewolf, right?" Raya asked.
"Yes," he answered. "That's how the Homorphus charm worked on him."
"Okay, but he wanted to be a werewolf," Raya said, remembering a line from his book. "You said he came from a clan of werewolves who lived peacefully in the caves nearby. But when they ran out of wolfsbane potion, that was when they began to get aggressive. Instead of using the Homorphus charm, you could've easily brewed some Wolfsbane potion. That way, the werewolves would be in their human mind during the transformation."
Lockhart nodded eagerly, "Yes, of course! I had thought of that, but when they ran out of potion, they would only harm the village people again. It had to be stopped."
"You stopped them by putting a temporary charm on them?" Raya tilted her head.
"Uh, what?"
"The Homorphus charm is temporary," Raya told him. "It only turns a werewolf into a human for a temporary amount of time."
Lockhart looked around the class, laughing nervously, "Where — where did you hear that?"
"It's in Werewolves Decoded," Raya told him. "By Ansel Adams. He's decoded many spells, and he's stated multiple times that the Homorphus charm is just temporary. They always transform on the next full moon."
"Perhaps he didn't do it right," Lockhart tried. "I know my charm worked perfectly — I'm quite good at charms, you see. Perhaps he didn't say the incantation with enough conviction."
"One of Hogwarts greatest alumni ever didn't say an incantation with enough conviction?" Raya repeated blandly. "Have you ever gone back to the village to check and make sure the werewolves stayed away?"
"I mean, you can't say the spell worked forever unless you went to check, right?" Thomas leaned forward.
Cierra nodded, "And you'd have to be checking in regularly. You don't know if the spell's held for really long, or if it's actually permanent."
"Yes, yes, of course," Lockhart began, but the students were on a roll now.
"But of course, you've gone so many places after that," Raya shrugged.
"Belgium, Tunisia, Spain, Egypt," Elias listed a few.
"I mean there's no way you could've spared some time to visit for at least... oh I don't even know how long," Raya tried to hide her grin.
"At least sixteen months," Nathaniel answered from somewhere behind her.
"Sixteen months without checking in on the village," Thomas muttered. "I don't know how well the spell would hold."
"Of course, but—"
"Oh, and there could've been so many attacks in that time," Raya commented. "But of course, you went to Greece to pick up one of your awards, so that's another month and a half."
"And then you went to Thailand to check out some ghouls," Thomas added. "You stayed there for three months."
"I don't know where you would've found the time to visit," Raya said, shaking her head. "Are you sure the spell was permanent?"
"There's no way to be sure," Cierra commented. "Not unless he was there every second of the day, until the death of the werewolf."
"Even then the spell might just've been temporary," Thomas shrugged. "I guess we'll never know."
Professor Lockhart stared at the group of Ravenclaws — jaw slack as he tried and failed to come up with words.
The bell rang, and he barely managed to call out, "Be sure to write a poem on my accomplishments in this book. Best poem will have the chance to be my partner for the next demonstration."
The group of them ran out, not waiting to hear any more of his instructions.
"Dude, you guys are amazing," one of the Gryffindor's said to Raya and her friends. "All of my house mates are complaining about his class because it's so annoying. You guys are literally the only reason I show up."
"Anything for the students," Elias performed an extravagant bow, toppling over in the process.
"Ignore him," Raya muttered, lifting him back up. "But hey, if you guys want to get involved to, go ahead. You don't even have to know anything. Just bullshit a bunch of facts and he'll never even know it's not real."
"Oh totally," he grinned, shooting them a thumbs up before walking away.
"Look at that," Nathaniel muttered, throwing an arm over Thomas' shoulder. "You had a good idea for once. If our legacy is the students who annoyed Lockhart into quitting his job, I'll take it man."
"It's a better legacy than half the other kids out there," Thomas responded, pushing Nathaniel's hand off his shoulder.
"That would give me three whole titles," Raya grinned. "I would be part of the students who annoyed Lockhart so much, he quit, and the student who began the Wi-Fi password tradition, and I'd be Ravenclaw's best Seeker ever."
"Don't forget best Potions brewer in a century," Nathaniel laughed.
"Whew," Elias muttered. "You've got quite the legacy, Rye. And you're only in third year."
"Long way to go, Elias," Raya muttered. "Still a long way to go."
Raya arrived at the Gryffindor versus Slytherin match prepared. She packed her tote bag with an extra pair of gloves, a Slytherin and a Gryffindor scarf, and two sets of omnioculars.
"I cannot believe I let you drag me here," Thomas muttered, glaring at everyone around him.
"Oh please, you're enjoying this," Raya waved him off, setting her omnioculars up. "Besides, someone needs to keep an eye on Elias and make sure he doesn't fight Madame Hooch or any of the players."
Thomas sent Elias a wary glance, "Professor Sikander was not joking when he said Muggles take sports seriously. Clearly, it's the same for Muggleborns."
"I don't even understand this game!" Elias turned to them with a wide grin. "I just like yelling at everyone."
"I can tell," Thomas answered drily.
The whistle sounded, and the players took to the air. Raya focused her sights on the Slytherin players, hoping to catch anything she could add to her notes. Roger stood a few rows in front of her, watching the Gryffindor team.
Almost immediately, Slytherin took possession, scoring within a few minutes. Raya tuned the game — and Thomas' complaining — out as she focused solely on the players.
Draco Malfoy was a good flyer, but Raya wasn't sure how good of a Seeker he was. She watched him move from side to side, searching the field for any sign of the Snitch. Occasionally, he'd send a taunt towards Harry.
Rain began to fall. Raya pulled out an umbrella, getting Thomas to hold it and keep himself, Elias, and Raya dry. Elias gave Thomas a look, placing a drying charm over their heads. Thomas scowled as he shoved the umbrella back in Raya's tote.
The Slytherins were fast, whizzing past the Gryffindor team without any effort. They scored again and again, the Slytherin crowd jeering at the Gryffindor crowd.
"Let's go baby!" Elias yelled. "I don't care who wins! Just make it look pretty!"
The teams went back and forth, Angelina almost getting a goal in. She had to duck at the last second to avoid getting hit by a Bludger.
Raya looked for Fred and George. They were good Beaters, too good to let a stray Bludger like that come out of nowhere.
She turned her attention towards them, watching as they took turns beating one of the Bludgers. Raya narrowed her eyes, zooming in with the omnioculars.
One of the Bludgers seemed to have zeroed in on Harry, not attacking anyone else.
She watched the Slytherin players, but none of them seemed interested in the rogue Bludger. They just wanted to score.
A few minutes later, when the score was sixty - ten, Wood called a time out.
"The Bludger's rigged," Raya noted as the Gryffindor team huddled together for their time out.
"What?" Thomas asked, turning towards her.
"The Bludger's rigged," Raya repeated. "Someone's tampered with it, because it's only going after Harry. That's part of the reason Wood's called a timeout."
"Fuck the Bludgers!" Elias yelled.
"Do not," Thomas responded.
"What?" Raya whipped her head between them. She sighed, "I knew I should've brought Cierra."
The rain was falling more heavily now.
On Madam Hooch's whistle, Raya watched as Harry kicked hard into the air, the Bludger hot on his trail. Unlike before, the Weasleys were leaving the Bludger alone this time.
Harry climbed higher and higher climbed; he looped and swooped, spiraled, zigzagged, and rolled. He hung upside down, going in loops that made it seem like he was on a rollercoaster.
The crowd laughed, pointing at Harry and his wonky moves.
The Bludger whooshed past him, causing him to turn in the other direction. He twirled and spun — and that's when Raya spotted it.
The Golden Snitch, flying behind Draco.
She watched as a moment later, Harry noticed it as well. He froze for a second too long, giving the Bludger enough time to catch up to him.
The Bludger had hit him at last, smashed into his elbow, and Raya could practically hear his arm break. The crowd sucked in a breath, watching as Harry narrowly avoided the Bludger a second time.
Raya couldn't help but be amazed at Harry's determination. Even with a useless arm and half off of his broom, he made a wild dive towards Draco.
The Slytherin was too shocked to realize what was happening, and flew out of the way.
Harry made a wild snatch, his fingers closing around the Snitch. Elias yelled as Harry headed straight for the ground. He rolled off his broom, slamming against the mud.
The Gryffindor fans broke out into cheers and whoops, having won the game without scoring a single goal. All thanks to their Seeker.
"Is he dead?" Thomas asked, narrowing his eyes at the crowd forming around him.
"Not right now, but he might be soon," Raya pointed towards Lockhart, who was running in Harry's direction, wand out.
Thomas sighed as he turned towards Raya, "Wanna raid the kitchens for some food? Harry's probably gonna need a cupcake after this."
"Sounds like a plan."
"Are you ready idiots ready yet?" Raya asked, readjusting Loki under her sweatshirt.
It was the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year, and Raya and her friends all planned to go together. The girls had elected Raya to go up and drag the boys out of their dorm since they were taking so long.
She decided to bring Loki along, but hadn't thought through how hard it would be to hide him.
"We're coming!" Elias yelled as he opened the door. He grinned at Raya, "We're here!"
Thomas and Nathaniel followed him out the door, the four of them heading downstairs.
While Nathaniel began to explain to Elias how Ice Mice worked, Thomas raised an eyebrow at the lump under Raya's clothes.
"Are you really gonna make me ask?" he raised a brow.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Raya said innocently.
Thomas sighed, "And what are you gonna do when a teacher spots that giant bulge under your robes."
"Technically, it's under my sweatshirt," Raya corrected.
"Which is under your robes."
"I'll tell them it's a melon," Raya shrugged. "Besides, what are they even gonna do? They can't take him away."
"A melon," Thomas repeated. "Yes, because everyone knows melons say 'Meow' and move around under people's sweatshirts."
"Most people don't have melons under their shirt in the first place," Raya shot back.
"You're literally proving my point," Thomas said to her.
"Shut up."
They reached the foyer where Cierra, Cho, Meredith, and Cedric were waiting for them. Raya positioned herself behind Thomas to try and hide the lump under her clothes from Professor McGonagall.
Thomas rolled his eyes, casting an illusion charm around the cat hidden beneath Raya's sweatshirt.
Raya slapped her hand against her forehead, "Why do I always forget we've got magic?"
"Finally!" Cierra rushed them out the doors. "You guys take forever. I swear, everyone says girls take forever to get ready. Clearly, they've never met you boys."
"This is why you should've gone to grab them," Raya told her. "You scold them much better than I do."
They made their way around the Shrieking Shack and into the village. Raya pulled Loki out from under her sweater, letting him take a seat on her shoulder.
"Alright, who's going where?" Cierra asked, stopping the group. "I'm going to the Three Broomsticks. Madam Rosmerta's got the best butterbeer around. I also want some cheesy chips."
"Oh, I want cheesy chips too," Meredith said. "I'll come with you."
"I'll come too," Elias said. "I wanna know what all the fuss is around Butterbeer. Do they serve sandwiches?"
"It's a pub, Elias," Nathaniel told him.
"So?"
He sighed, "Why don't we go in and take a look at the menu?"
The four of them broke off to head over to the Three Broomsticks, leaving Raya, Cedric, Cho, and Thomas.
"I wanted to head over to Madam Puddifoot's," Cho commented. "It's a tea shop, but apparently they've got great milkshakes."
"Great," Raya put in. "You and Cedric go over there. I need to check out Gladrags. I've heard they got screaming socks. Come on, Thomas."
Raya linked their arms together, separating from Cho and Cedric as they went off.
"Gladrags is that way," Thomas told her, pointing in the opposite direction.
"Oh who cares?" she shrugged, petting her cat. "I was just setting Cho and Cedric up on an unofficial date."
"Why?"
"Didn't you hear Cho last year?" Raya asked. "She said she was gonna marry Cedric. She likes him. Also, Cedric's been asking about Cho a lot recently. If they go on a little date, at least they'll realize whether they like each other or not."
"And here I thought you just wanted to spend time with me," Thomas said sarcastically, holding a hand to his heart.
"Well, if that's the price for orchestrating what could possibly the best love story in the world — after mine and Luke's, of course — then so be it," Raya nodded solemnly. "I will pay the price. For Chedric."
"Chedric?" Thomas repeated. "Well, I suppose it's better than what Cedric came up with for you and Luke."
"What'd he come up with?" Raya asked almost warily.
"First he was adamant on Ruke," Thomas told her. "Cierra had to force that out of his head. Then he said Nastellan, which the Weasleys shot down because it sounded like nasty, or something. I think he said Castellooke at one point, which was immediately shot down by everyone. Right now, he's hooked on Luka, and we're not sure whether it's better or worse than his previous names."
Raya sighed, "That's what sucks about dating someone who also has a short name. Our camp mates have been trying to find a ship name for over three months now. And unfortunately, Luka's the best one anyone's come up with."
"Your Camp friends must not have to make many ship names for couples," Thomas muttered.
"What do you mean?" Raya asked as they went down High Street.
"I mean, if Luka's the best one you've heard, and they didn't even come up with it... well, that's not a good sign," he told her.
She rolled her eyes, "Like you can come up with anything better."
"Rastellan, Castella, Castelbrooke, Rayellan—"
"No, wait, I like that one," Raya cut in.
"Which one?"
"Rayellan," she nodded. "It's kinda cute."
Thomas looked smug.
Raya stared at him, "What now?"
"I came up with something better," he smirked.
Raya rolled her eyes, adjusting Loki on her shoulder, "Only because our names are too short to make proper ship names for. Otherwise, anyone could've made a better one than you."
"Are you doubting my relationship skills?" Thomas looked offended.
"Considering you stutter whenever Amora's around, yes," she answered.
"So does Fred."
"He makes a fool of himself," Raya corrected. "It's a little endearing. You look like a fish who's been plucked out of the water."
"Rude," Thomas swatted her arm as they entered Honeydukes. "And I'll have you know, I don't have a crush on Amora. She's pretty, sure. But she's not really my type."
"Oh sure—"
"You better not have a crush on her," Fred appeared from practically nowhere, a dozen blood pops in his hand. "I'm gonna marry her."
"And I don't doubt that one bit," Thomas said sarcastically.
Fred didn't seem to catch the sarcasm, grinning as he clapped Thomas' back, "Good man."
"Why do you have so many blood pops?" Raya asked, diverting Fred's attention.
"For a prank," George popped his head out from between the shelves, causing Thomas to jump.
Raya — who endured the Hermes cabin's pranks every year since she was six — merely fist-bumped George as greeting. "Do I wanna know why you need all these blood pops for a prank? You're not trying to summon any vampires, are you?"
"No," Fred answered, laughing. "Although, you've just given me a very good plan."
"Then what are you guys trying to do?" Thomas eyed the blood flavored lollipops warily. Raya didn't know the full story, but apparently, Joseph — Thomas' older brother — had once convinced him to eat sixteen in a row. Safe to say, Thomas didn't trust them anymore. "Summon pregnant women?"
"Or... we'll hide them for so long, you'll forget about them," Fred's voice took an ominous tone as he waved his fingers.
"And then we'll melt them," George added, his tone matching Fred's. "And when you take a sip of the punch, your eyes will widen as you taste nothing but blood!"
Thomas' face paled as he took half a step back, which was more than the Weasleys were expecting. They doubled over with laughter.
Raya didn't think they knew about Thomas' aversion to blood pops, but she wouldn't put it past them to actually bring that plan to life.
"They're joking," Raya told him. She turned back to them, glaring, "Tell him you won't do it."
"Well, we can't lie," Fred laughed. His laughter gutted out as he saw the look in Raya's eyes. "Oh, alright. We won't do it, Pegas. We're gonna feed them to Lockhart. Hopefully, he'll hate them enough, he'll leave the school."
"One can dream," Raya muttered.
Thomas was still pale, but he managed a slight nod.
"Well, we're off," Fred and George headed to the door. "And Pegas, lighten up a bit. The blood pops will remain far away from you. Raya's got a nasty glare. I'll never know how Luke handles her."
"He doesn't need to handle me, you brats!" Raya yelled after them.
They cackled as they ran off to some other shop.
Raya turned back to Thomas who laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. "It's been six years, you know? And Joseph didn't even force me to do it, that dude is just freakishly convincing. But I don't know, the thought of them is okay, just me eating them terrifies me. It's — it's stupid, I know."
"It's not stupid," Raya rolled her eyes. "I think everyone has a really weird fear, you know, one they can't always explain to everyone. Your fear of blood pops is valid. Those things are almost as terrifying as the pregnant women who eat them."
Thomas managed a laugh, relieved that Raya wasn't teasing him for his fear. "I'm telling you, the women who crave those things are unstoppable."
"They could form an army and take over the world," Raya agreed, laughing as she picked out a few chocolate wands.
A Gryffindor kid had been petrified after the Gryffindor and Slytherin match, a kid names Colin Creevey who was in Ginny's year. She'd already been upset after Mrs. Norris, and now she was practically inconsolable. Raya hoped a few chocolate wands would cheer her up.
She grabbed some Treacle fudge, Ice Mice, Fizzing Whizbees, and Chocolate Frogs, heading to the counter to pay.
"Aren't you getting anything?" she asked.
He held up a bag of sugar quills.
Raya laughed, "Ever so studious." She held Loki out for him, "Hold him while I pay, okay?"
Thomas took Loki, scratching behind his ears as he purred in his arms. Raya paid for her unhealthy amount of sweets, holding the bag out for Thomas to carry.
He sighed, taking it from her, "I didn't come with you to be your butler."
"Of course not," Raya agreed. "I'd have a much cuter butler than you."
REY WRITES!
thanks for reading!!
i keep forgetting what day of the week it
is, i'm so sorry !
thoughts?
comments?
headcanons?
theories?
questions?