Unwitting
Disclaimer: I am not J. K. Rowling, so it follows that none of the characters, themes or ideas from Harry Potter belong to me.
"Looking back upon the events of the past, it is those random, apparently insignificant instances in time that quietly shape our future, our actions… whilst we move through them, unwitting." AU. Pairing not explicitly mentioned (at least initially), though I wrote it with a specific pairing in mind :)
A/N: Instalment number three! It's aimed at elucidating the character relationships a little more, and introducing a few others. As I've said, this is my first ever fic, so if you could drop a review, I'd really, really appreciate it! Constructive criticism is well loved :)
O O O O O
She reluctantly opened her eyes, her hand brushing aside the heavy maroon bed hangings as she glanced at her alarm clock, the same brightly coloured one resembling a watermelon (with a face, of course) that she'd had since age five. She'd since enchanted it (or Mr. Melon, as he was charmingly dubbed) to be more specific to her purposes, and she now gazed blearily at him as he pointed to `You might consider waking up now'. Mr. Melon's expression, however, was decidedly placid, and upon seeing him nod and smile slightly, she let her heavy hand fall back into the warm comfort of her feather quilt, and allowed the soporific lull of the falling rain to drift her back to sleep.
She was awoken almost immediately afterwards (she felt) by Hestia's pleading yells. Jolting upwards, she spotted the source of commotion in her alarm clock, which was jumping up and down rather vigorously, clanging its bell, and hopping away from her friend's seeking hands. Upon seeing that he had gained his mistress' attention however, he stopped with a dramatic sigh of relief, affixed a stern glare upon his visage and pointed insistently to, `You. Are. Late. Young. Lady.'
"Poor Mr. Melon…" cooed the girl in question, quickly calming her alarm clock back to placidity. He smiled benignly up at her, and she laughed with Hestia, but her tardy state was not lost upon her. Propelled by the chilly air, she hurriedly renewed the room's heating charms before snatching up her school robes and making for the bathroom as her friend bid her goodbye. Emerging a few minutes later, her red hair dripping slightly about her face, she attempted to fasten the buttons on her cloak, and smiled at Mr. Melon, who was occupied in waving cheerily at her.
O O O O O
By the time she reached the Great Hall, clutching a stitch at her side however, she was just in time to see the remnants of food vanish from the tables. Her stomach grumbled distinctly as she collapsed exhaustedly against the stone wall. Again.
"Breakfast, you!" called a voice behind her, and she smiled gratefully as Hestia handed her a stack of toast smothered in her favourite apricot conserve, laughing as she surveyed her friend attacking the food with relish.
"Inhaling it, are we?" mocked a familiar voice, and both girls look up at the vindictive eyes of a dark-haired girl, Bellatrix, and Sophia, the saccharinely sweet girl of yesterday, who stood companion to the figure. "That's terribly attractive, dear" laughed Bellatrix, tapping her heel, and turning away with Sophia in tow. The girl's mouth was too full to speak, but she shoved herself off the wall, and made to move away with her friend.
"Diffindo" muttered Bellatrix from behind, smiling maliciously as the girl's bag split open, causing her to drop her stack of jam toast in surprise. Sophia glanced shiftily about her, a carefully neutral expression affixed to her face.
"Maybe you shouldn't, Bell…" she muttered, her voice fading away.
The girl turned around suddenly, tripping over a crack in the floor and falling forwards towards the duo. Her wand began to emit angry red sparks, which fell upon Sophia's bare arm, propelling her to squeal in apparent pain. The girl's wand was unmoving, her face an expression of aversion. The waves of students trickling out of the Great Hall suddenly framed the scene, and she noticed that boy at the forefront of the crowd. He surveyed the commotion, and looked from Sophia, as she whimpered more loudly, to the sparking wand in the girl's hand.
"Finite Incantatem" he called, dousing away the sparks. He stared at the girl, eyes hardening with disdain before smiling sympathetically at the whimpering Sophia and announcing loudly, "Let's take you to Pomfrey, she'll have you right in no time…"
He pushed through the crowd without looking back, and the students slowly meandered away on Hestia's forceful yells. The girl's vivid green eyes were glassy and her expression simultaneously defeated and indignant as she unseeingly mended her scattered belongings, aided by her friend.
O O O O O
She stumbled reluctantly into Potions on the same afternoon, exhausted after a one hour struggle with her intensely uncooperative mandrake, unknowingly sporting a smudge of dirt upon her mildly freckled nose. Looking about hopefully for any sign of Hestia, she paused to smile wistfully at the storm raging outside before collapsing at her bench with a distinct sigh. Lazily unpacking her supplies and unshrinking her cauldron, she laid her head in her arms, her eyes fluttering shut.
"How do you know what's been on that table, then?"
Jolting awake, she looked about her, cursing silently as she took in the assembled class, placing that obnoxious voice to the person seated on her right.
"You!" her mind screamed, unreasonably perhaps, but she was too vexed to care. "You smarmy, presumptuous, self-righteous twat…"
Her eyes narrowed and muttering angrily under her breath, she ostentatiously edged to the end of the bench. She silently levitated his heavy book, her wand positioned under the table… smirking contentedly as it crashed onto his hand, which was engaged in tapping the table in an annoyingly erratic rhythm. The beat was silenced and replaced by a startled yelp. Beaming in satisfaction, she shifted her attention to the professor who had just turned around, plopping a piece of crystallised pineapple into his mouth, issuing a sigh of exaggerated contentment and silencing the class with a booming laugh that caused his belly to wobble in time.
"Ah, lad … a fine choice of seating, if I might say so…", he said, winking at the boy.
He nodded imperceptibly, acknowledging the comment and not caring to position himself on the matter.
"Actually, Professor, I -", began the girl, disgruntled.
"Now, now, my dear", he continued, "Today, we've a fiddly little potion to brew…"
"Damn", she thought, her shoulders slumping as she face fell comically forwards into her hands. She glared accusingly at the table, digging into its stained wood and imagining it to be the person-in-question's hand.
O O O O O
Please let me know what you think, I'm always looking to improve :)
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