~Chapter Eight~
Tea Cups and Gerbils
Rayleigh was hunched over her Transfiguration book, her wand loose in her hand. She was for the moment asleep, having nodded off in the Great Hall after dinner. Her cheek was pressed against the page that started the chapter dealing with tea cups into gerbils. She had half a dozen tea cups around her, none remotely looking like gerbils. It was late, nearly lock-down, and all students should have already headed to their common rooms, if not their dorms.
"Hey, kid," a gruff voice barked. The child did not stir. He leaned forward, getting a better look at the child's face for the moment. He tapped her shoulder hard. "Kid, get up."
"What?" Rayleigh asked sleepily and disoriented. She looked up at Professor Krum standing over her, his face scrunched up disapprovingly.
"You can't sleep in the Great Hall, kid," He said gruffly. Rayleigh yawned and stretched, standing up. She was very short and barely came up midway his torso.
"Sorry, Professor," Rayleigh said as she gathered her belongings. She glanced back at him as she fled the Great Hall. Rayleigh found Lily in the common room with her brothers, and the two headed up to their dorm.
"Is everything ok?" Lily asked curiously. Rayleigh nodded.
"I got yelled at by Professor Krum," Rayleigh said rather indignantly.
"What were you doing?" Lily asked.
"I fell asleep in the Great Hall, and I didn't even manage to get a single tea cup turned into a gerbil," Rayleigh moaned. "How embarrassing! What if I don't really know how to do magic, and what if I can't learn? I mean my mom is a squib, and what is a non-magical child of a squib called? A muggle? What if I am just a muggle?"
"You can't be," Lily said rather scandalized. "You know magic, otherwise you wouldn't be here."
"Oh, and I have to learn how to ride a broom, and what if I fall off?" Rayleigh asked as if she was about to hyperventilate.
"Ok, calm down a second," Lily told her. She paced a minute, a knock coming to the door. Rose entered. "Thank god, Rose. Please tell Rayleigh that everything is going to be ok. She is freaking out."
"What's wrong?" Rose asked.
"For starters, I fell asleep in the Great Hall and got yelled out by Professor Krum," Rayleigh said in a rush. "And secondly, I can't even turn a tea cup into a gerbil."
"Ok, well about Professor Krum, he is always really gruff with everyone. He is used to people always doing as he commands, must have something to do with his old Quidditch days. He is really rough around the edges, and you can't take it personally," Rose said. "As for the Transfiguration, you just need more practice. If you want, I can help you."
"Would you do that?" Rayleigh asked. She looked at Rose hopefully.
"Yes, of course, dear," Rose said grinning. "It's what I live for, to help others."
"That, and being an insufferable know-it-all," Lily teased. Rose shot her a look but said nothing more. Rose left the girls in the dorm room and headed back to her two cousins, who were still working on their homework.
"What's up with the squirts?" James asked nodding toward the dorms.
"Normally first year stuff, Transfiguration hang-ups," Rose said as she took her placed next to Albus. She glanced at his page. "No, Al, that came after this."
"Al, you know she is probably right," James laughed as he pushed the book he was working out of back into his bag.
"I know, it is just frustrating," Albus murmured as he let Rose take over his paper.
"So, James, I guess you won't be going to Hogsmeade this weekend," Rose said as she kept her head bent over the paper.
"Why wouldn't I?" James asked.
"Because Saturday is the night of the full moon," Rose murmured absentmindedly as she thought of a sentence. James shrugged.
"I can go during the day," James said. Rose looked at him with doubt and misunderstanding. James sighed. "Fine, I will stay on the campus if it will keep you from writing to my mother everything I do while I am here."
"Deal," Rose said as she shook his hand. She glanced over Albus' paper. "Ok, there you go."
"You are the best cousin ever," Albus said. Rose rolled her eyes but smiled at him.
"You know, as soon as you guys learn to be come Anamagi, the better, because harmless or not, hanging out by myself is getting old," James said quietly so that only they could hear him.
"Look, just because Grandpa learned how to do it doesn't mean we will be able to," Albus retorted as he gathered his thing.
"Plus, if your mom finds out, she'll take the piss out of you," Hugo said laughing. "It's bad enough she had to register one of her children. Could you imagine what she would say if she had to register a niece and another son?"
"Shouldn't you be hanging out with Jack?" James asked him crossly.
"He had dinner with his parents and was planning on staying the night there," Hugo said pouting.
"Well, I am heading up to bed," James said after a minute. He stretched and climbed to his feet. Rose waved him off as she scooted closer to Albus to tell him what was wrong with the rest of his homework. James' roommates weren't exactly thrilled to see him, and James sighed. It had been this way the previous three years. He couldn't expect them to suddenly have an epiphany and accept him and his infliction.
James ignored them, knowing that there were bigger things in life than the prejudices of his roommates. He was luckier than some who were afflicted, he had family that had his back, and that was all he needed. He could have used them his first year, but he was stronger than most were strong. His drew his strength from his father, who had taught him to be himself and to fight when fighting was needed.
James growled, unable to sleep, and got out of bed. He grabbed his books and headed back down to the now deserted common room. Lazily, he threw himself in the largest sofa, stretching out along it. He opened his father's Quidditch book and began reading the pages that had brought his father great comfort when he was a lonely youth. Sure, his dad had friends, best friends, in Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron, but those friendships had been challenged many times over all the years. James closed his eyes momentarily, almost as if praying for a friend who would accept him no matter what.
"Oh," Exclaimed a voice in surprise. The sound of a glass shattered, pulling James out of his restful reprieve. Rayleigh stood there, her book and a broken tea cup at her feet.
"Rayleigh, hi," James said. He glanced at his wrist watch. It was so late it was nearly dawn.
"I am sorry," Rayleigh said as she scooped up her book. James repaired her tea cup with a wave of his wand. "Thanks, James."
"No problem," James said as he handed her the repaired cup. He watched as she hesitated before choosing a seat across from his. He was a little disappointed. Most people chose the seat across from his, not willing to let themselves be vulnerable, incase he decided to attack. That wasn't how it worked.
"I didn't mean to wake you," Rayleigh explained. Her eyes were down at her hands and not on him. "I didn't think anyone else would be down here, and since I couldn't sleep, I figured that I would try to turn this blasted tea cup into a gerbil."
"It's awfully late for you to be up," James said. Rayleigh looked up at him and smiled.
"I don't sleep well at night," Rayleigh said laughing. She blushed and glanced back at her hands. James glanced at her with curiosity before he looked back at his Quidditch book.
"Do you want some help with that?" James offered. Rayleigh looked up at him.
"Well, Rose said she was going to help me, and I don't want to be a bother to you," Rayleigh said. He laughed.
"You couldn't possibly be more of a bother than Lily already is," James said laughing. Rayleigh hesitated.
"Um, sure," Rayleigh said as James patted the seat next to him. She hesitated again, looking rather nervous. "I think it would be better if I sat right here, if you don't mind."
"Um, ok," James said. He was disappointed that she felt that way. She was too young to have her prejudices held against her. She was only eleven, after all.
The two worked, and slowly Rayleigh seemed to warm up to James. He yawned and looked out the window to see that dawn had arrived and it would be time to head down to breakfast soon. With James' patience, Rayleigh had managed to turn a tea cup into a gerbil and back. She threw her arms around him tightly then backed away quickly.
"Sorry," Rayleigh said with fear evident in her eyes. She backed further away from him.
"You know, it is ok," James said frowning.
"No, I shouldn't have," Rayleigh said as she shook her head. "You couldn't begin to understand." She gathered her belongings and headed back upstairs. James looked up the stairs at where she had disappeared from sight, disappointed. He expected more out of his sister's friend, expected her to be a little more understanding.
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