Author's note: Thanks so much for the kind reviews. Since this is fan fiction and can hardly be judged based on sales, reviews are the next best thing. Keep them coming!
Disclaimer: The characters belong to J.K. Rowling. The plot belongs to me.
Chapter 3
Bubble, Bubble, Toil & Trouble
After the fiasco with the flowers, Harry and Ron decided to thoroughly research their next plan before putting it into action. Number two on the list of the Top Five Magical Proposals of the Ages was an incandescent bubble that would follow the wizard's fiancé-to-be around until she noticed it and popped it, at which point the melodious voice of her beloved would whisper those sweet words, "I love you, will you marry me?"
Unlike the flowers, in which the order the flowers were arranged was the key, the real trick to this proposal was the timing. While the wizard who created the spell had figured out how to get the voice inside the bubble, he had not been able to figure out how to control the bubble's size. Therefore, cast the spell too late, and the bubble would not grow enough for the intended object of his affections to hear his words of love when popped. Cast it too soon, and it could grow too large, thus giving his beloved a splitting headache. However, this was something over which Harry felt he had at least a modicum of control. This was not to be the case.
Two days after the disaster with the flowers, Harry, Ron and myself (I had to keep an eye on the boys, didn't I?) stood on the steps leading up to the boys' dormitories awaiting the arrival of my human. Harry knew her schedule by heart and figured out the perfect time to cast the spell.
"Bubblearium Vacalis," he said and held the tip of his wand up to his lips. A small, shimmering bubble appeared and he spoke into it. "I love you, my sweet. Will you marry me?" Once finished, he gently blew on the bubble, which obediently set off in search of my human.
Harry had timed the casting of the spell so that my human and the bubble would meet halfway across the common room, at which point the bubble would have grown from the size of a pea to the size of a walnut. Unfortunately, my human was running late this morning, and the bubble was nearly to the stairs, and slightly larger than a golf ball when she emerged from the stairwell.
"I'm so late!" my human cried to no one in particular as she sprinted for the portrait hole. "I forgot I had a meeting with McGonagall this morning!"
The bubble was just changing its trajectory when she reached the portrait hole and Harry saw this. In an attempt to stall her, he called out to her.
"Hermione, wait!" He ran over to her and tried to wrap his arms around her, but she just held up her hand to his chest in an attempt to stop him.
"I really don't have time right now, sweetie," she said. "If I get through in time, we'll talk in the Great Hall. If not, I'll see you in Transfiguration."
With that, she kissed him on the cheek and scrambled through the hole. Harry stared after her, and only barely registered the bubble, now the size of a tennis ball, following her.
"Oh, no," he whispered and bolted through the exit. Ron and I immediately followed, ignoring the questioning stares of the other Gryffindors. We had just caught up to Harry and could see my human pulling away in the distance when a voice called out.
"Hey, Weasley!"
We all three turned to see Ernie MacMillan, the Head Boy, standing at the top of the stairs.
"Did you forget the prefect meeting this morning?" Ernie asked.
"I must have," Ron blushed. I swear that boy would forget what his name was if his mother hadn't sewn it in all his clothes. Sheepishly he turned back to Harry. "Sorry, Harry. I've got to go to this meeting."
Harry said nothing, only nodded and continued on. My human was out of sight by this time. The bubble, however, had drifted further away and was now about the size of a human head. Harry dashed off after it with me hot on his heels.
Now Harry is an intelligent young man, and I really think a lot of him. And you can't really put all the blame on him for what happened next, given the situation. But he has been at Hogwarts for seven years, and one would think that he would remember, after all that time, where the missing steps were. He didn't.
One minute I was watching his feet as they scrambled down the steps. The next minute I was staring at the back of his head as the lower half of his body disappeared into the marble.
"Bloody hell," he cursed. He was holding on to the step in front of him with both hands, trying desperately to pull himself up. Meanwhile, the bubble was getting farther and farther away. For my part, I could only stand there and watch as I didn't have the body mass to help pull him out of his predicament. After a minute or two of struggling, he finally turned and looked at me.
"Crookshanks," Harry said. "See if you can go and stop the bubble before it reaches Hermione!"
I nodded and left a confused looking Harry behind. I don't think he ever really understood just how intelligent I am. To be honest with you, it hurt a little bit, but I put my feelings aside and went about the task laid before me.
Fortunately for me, I knew where Professor McGonagall's office was, having made many a nighttime excursion throughout the castle. By the time I caught up with the bubble, it had reached the size of a soccer ball and was gaining speed. I leaped at the bubble, hoping to pop it with my claws, but alas, it floated just out of my reach. Several students passing by saw me and stopped to watch. None bothered to help me, though. I suppose to them I was just another dumb cat playing with a bubble. Silly twits!
When the bubble reached McGonagall's office, it had grown to the size of a beach ball, yet it still floated just out of my reach. The door to McGonagall's office was open, and the bubble floated easily inside. I entered right behind it and saw the look on the professor's face. It was one of total bewilderment.
"What in the name of Merlin is that?" she asked.
My human turned around to see what her professor was talking about. There were two things wrong with this, however. One, the bubble had stopped right behind her, and two, she was holding a quill in her hands. As she turned, the tip of the quill pierced the bubble's skin. What followed was Harry's voice magnified a thousand times.
"I LOVE YOU, MY SWEET. WILL YOU MARRY ME?"
The cacophony the erupted was enough to rattle the windows. My human and the professor clapped their hands to their ears. I, unfortunately, have no hands and could not do the same. To make matters worse, with my keen cat hearing, it sounded even louder to me. The last thing I saw, before I passed out from the pain, was my human collapsing in front of me.
*****
My human had spent many hours in the hospital wing during her seven years at Hogwarts. How could she be friends with Harry Potter and not? However, I never thought that I would ever find myself there, and yet, there I was.
I awoke to find myself lying on my human's bed, curled up in a ball at her feet. I turned my head to see Harry sitting at my human's beside, her hand lovingly wrapped in his. I could see the worry etched on his face, and my little feline heart went out to him. Then I saw his lips move, but his words were all muffled.
Oh no! I've gone deaf!
Quickly I pawed at my ears and felt something stuffed down in them. I realized that the thunderous sound from the bubble must have done something to my eardrums and that Madame Pomfrey, being the angelic woman she is, must have applied some sort of ointment to some cotton balls and stuffed them in my ears in order to help them heal. However, since I am part Kneazle and heal rather quickly, I was more annoyed at not being able to hear than I was grateful for what she had done. I kept digging at my ears until the cotton balls fell out and I was able to hear once more. It was then that I heard the nurse's reply.
"I've repaired the damage to her eardrums," Madame Pomfrey said. "She'll be fine in a few hours, although she'll more than likely have a headache for a day or two."
Harry sighed in relief. "What about Professor McGonagall?"
"I'll be fine as well."
Harry turned to see his professor standing behind him. I was startled myself. I should have heard her approach. Then I realized that while I might have been in better shape than my human, but I still had suffered a serious trauma.
Relief washed over Harry's face when he saw the professor was all right.
"However," McGonagall continued, "as flattered as I am, I'm afraid I'm going to have to turn down your proposal. You are much too young for me."
Harry looked taken aback by this, but I just smiled. I knew the professor had a sense of humor.
"I'm sorry professor," Harry said, his face showing genuine concern. "I never meant for it to turn out like this. It's just that she's so special to me, I wanted my proposal to be special."
"If it comes from the heart," McGonagall said, "then it will be special." With that, she turned to leave. She had taken about two steps when she stopped and turned to face Harry. "You really love her, don't you Mr. Potter?"
"More than life itself," Harry said.
McGonagall beamed at him and my heart swelled with pride. I knew Harry loved my human; he had demonstrated that time and time again. But this statement really told me how much he cared for her; it came from his soul, as well as his heart. I knew that she would be safe with him. If a cat could have cried, I would have.
When we were alone again, Harry reached over and stroked my fur with his free hand. I looked up at him, and we stared at each other silently for a few moments before Harry broke the silence.
"Well Crookshanks," he said. "It looks like we move on to plan three."
I rolled my eyes and tried to bury my head under the covers.
Here we go again!