Chapter 8
We watch the screen as the heads of our schools continue to argue with Demetri from the ICW.
Not only are they arguing about the safety of the first task, but he is now shouting about how there will be even more repercussions… now that the press has gotten wind that 'Harry Freaking Potter!' has come into the mix.
Needless to say, the first task of the Triwizard Tournament is the next hot topic of discussion among the student body, seeing that Hogwarts will be playing Beauxbatons in the opening match of the bigger tournament.
"I should never have questioned you, Harry. This is way more fun than what's going on now," Theo tells me, referring to the celebratory party going on in the common room for Higgs.
They decided to set up the scoring system by having three Triwizard champions, the first three champions comprised of one student and head of the school. Dumbledore and Tere won the first task for us due to their creativity. Beauxbatons came in 2nd, while Durmstrang came in 3rd because of their Headmaster.
We celebrated with our housemates at the beginning of the party, but I had a good feeling the joy of seeing the backlash from the task was more interesting. I managed to leave with my crew shortly after the initial celebration due to using some magical stealth. From the uproars of laughs from my lieutenants, I guess I figured right to leave early.
"This is pure gold," Draco grins. "I believe celebrations are in order?" he asks, directing his question towards me.
I merely nod my head at his correct assumption before he goes to his bed and pulls out an expensive bottle of Green Ice from underneath it. Blaise goes to help him as they pull out goblets and put the green liquid from a glass bottle over a couple of ice rocks. The drink itself is slightly sweet, fruity, and tart and gives you a nice buzz.
It's quite delicious, with so many components that only a top-notch brewer can make it. Because of this, it is also expensive, but nothing is too much money for the Malfoy clan. Draco hands me a glass when our security wards go off.
“So incompetent,” I sigh.
Taking a quick look at our mirror hanging next to our door, which acts as a security viewing of the outside of our room, we can see that Crabbe and Goyle have managed to let the girls, specifically, Miss Bulstrode, talk them into letting them up. Tracey and Pansy seem the most energetic while Claire remains her quiet self, and Daphne looks like a mix of bored and hesitant.
Millie is still keeping our incompetent guards preoccupied. I sigh to myself. Who can blame them, though? Women have their ways of getting what they want from us. Sometimes we have no defense against it. I manage to think of Cassie at this thought before motioning to Blaise to release the locks so the females can enter.
"Hey! What's the deal!? Having your own party without inviting us?" Tracey jokes as she bounces in, quickly taking a seat next to me on my bed as she grabs my drink and takes a sip.
I can instantly smell the lingering smell of fire whiskey on her breath. I guess they are better up here with us than having some older guys trying to get them drunk. I give her a minor glare for taking my drink, but she quickly motions for Theo to get another. He reluctantly does so after I give him a nonverbal okay.
"We were trying to, but you just had to ruin our attempt, didn't you?" I play along as I get my new drink and she takes a large swig out of her's.
"Can't let you have all the fun," she retaliates, sticking her tongue out at me. "Besides, the party down there was getting messy and boring."
Well, I can't blame her there. I went to ask the other girls how they were doing when I briefly caught Daphne's eye on Tracey and myself as if questioning our close proximity. The question is...Is she feeling jealous? Jealous of Tracey? Jealous of me sitting next to her best friend? Jealous of the two of us? Or all the above?
I go to investigate further when Pansy interrupts.
"Are you drinking Green Ice!?" she exclaims with too much excitement, very unlike herself. I can see the hesitation from Draco on sharing such an expensive drink with everyone, but I motion for him to pour a glass for everyone.
“Get everyone a glass,” I tell my slightly surprised platinum blonde-haired friend, who just sighs and acknowledges my order.
I decided that I may as well make a small toast before a real night of celebration continues.
"Today is a day for celebration. Hogwarts is in the lead. We go against the Veela Harpies soon. The Leaders of our school were made to look like fools today, and the only redeeming factor of the whole fiasco came from Slytherin," I smile and raise my glass.
"More like the redeeming factor came from 'freaking Harry Potter', the true King of Slytherin," Blaise smirks, and I can't help but join him and the others.
Even Greengrass shares a small smile before putting her ice mask back on as the others raise their glasses and cheers. The night of celebration continues with drinks that build up everyone's confidence, and someone turns on music before Tracey starts dancing and getting the other girls involved.
“Come on! When Snakes here music, we must dance!” she tries to get everyone to join her tipsy self.
Shortly after that, the females get us reluctant males involved. Well, reluctant at first, before the thought of physical contact with an attractive body comes into play, and we move around, very uncoordinatedly.
After our small dance party, music is still playing, but people are not up and about.
Theo and Claire are sitting close together on his bed as they whisper to each other while spying on Milli, who is talking with both Greg and Vince on Greg's bed. Blaise is doing the same with Pansy on his bed. Draco seems to be passed out on top of his covers from trying to make sure he got more than his fair share of the expensive booze. I have a feeling he will not be the only one passed out for too much longer.
"Harry, I mean it! You need to wipe the floor with them. You need to take those haughty Veela bitches down a few pegs. We need to wipe their smug smiles right off of their pretty little faces. I mean it, Harry. Especially that Fleur girl!" Tracey tells me with only a small slur. It is almost amusing how she is so friendly and outgoing with everyone she meets, yet now she is raging about the 'harpies' that make up some of the female population at Beauxbatons.
"For the last time Trace, I promise to win the match…and you do know Beaubaxtons is not just Veela, right?" I tell her for the hundredth time.
"Pinky swear!" she exclaims, disregarding my statement, before holding up her pinky finger as she looks at me with clearly tired eyes.
“What are we four years old?” I laugh, but it does not faze her. “Fine. But if I win, I want a special brownie," I sigh with a smile as she nods her head in agreement before locking pinkies with me.
I mentioned the power that strong women have over me, right?
"And I mean it, Harr…" She tells me as her eyes begin to droop further, "You got to...Ya gotta…those harpies...wipe the floor with them…bitches…" she mumbles one last word before going down and falling asleep on my bed.
"Any input on just how much I should stomp the floor with Beauxbatons?" I ask her as I get a pillow for Tracey's head and move it under her, so she doesn't get a stiff neck.
Daphne shakes her head at my request, "Nope. I don't care," she tells me.
"Thank Merlin," I respond with a sigh of relief.
As much as I like talking about taking down the enemy, Tracey was really going overboard. I see Daphne's slight look of surprise, which is better than the other one I have been receiving from her. It was an observing look that she was using to...I don't know...stop me from taking advantage of Tracey? Not sure, but I do know if anyone tries to take advantage of anyone while they are not in the right state of mind...I will stop them, and if I fail, I will go after them with a vengeance.
However, tonight, I have other things on my mind.
"So, Miss Daffodil… What are your plans for the rest of this night?" I ask her as I lean back on one arm, so I am mostly lying on my bed. She is sitting across from me in a very formal manner sitting on the end of my bed with her feet touching the floor with her neck turned to address me.
"Don't call me that. And I am making sure Tracey makes it back in one piece...if the others would ever get done," she answers as she sees that everyone is still in their exact same activities.
"You're right," I tell her before she looks at me with her usual questioning glare. She knows some statement will be coming shortly after, and she is right. "Daffodils are not pretty enough to describe you. I need something much better to describe your beauty."
No matter how hard she tries, she is unable to stop the small tinge of pink in her cheeks before looking away.
"Must you continue to play this game?" she asks with a roll of her eyes.
"I don't play games. Well, at least, let's just say I don't play games that have small prizes. I play games that take tons of effort to finish. Games that take time, concentration...money," I grin.
"Money?" she asks with a curious expression.
I go to answer before she gets the wrong idea. "For example, the game we are playing right now takes money. I need a ten pence or a dime to play it."
She takes a minute in thought before replying, "British and American Muggle money?"
I smile and pause briefly, "In America, a penny is 1 out of 10, two pennies is 2 out of 10...a dime is 10 out of 10," I wait a moment longer as she tries to guess where this is going before I reply, "You're a dime... a 10 out of 10."
It takes one more moment before she gets it, but this time she doesn't know what to say, so she goes with what comes out first.
"You're weird," she states neutrally.
"Not the first words I'd use to describe myself, but your words might have merit. Certainly not the worst insult I have heard of," I smile before she looks confused and then realizes something.
"I didn't mean it as an insult," she rebuts.
That's weird.
"What did you mean it as?" I ask.
I'm pretty curious about what else the word weird can mean.
She sighs and looks away briefly before turning towards me as she swings her legs onto the bed and crisscrosses them before replying.
"You are a flirt, that much is more than obvious. However, unlike every other guy who has hit on me, you use your words more than your proximity, or by showing off your body or skills, to engage with me," she starts.
"My body?" I ask with a wicked grin.
She rolls her eyes at me.
"You're pleasing to the eyes and have skills others would love to have," she states without emotion. "You are a lady's man to all the girls and you continue to add more girls’ interest to your list, but you have not gone anywhere past flirting with girls from Hogwarts."
This might have to do with having time with Cassie, but I am not about to mention her.
"Maybe I am just a gentleman who doesn't kiss and tell?" I jest.
"And that. There it is. You're cocky and pompous, but at other times you're nice and hold back something," she pauses as she lets her words sink in.
I feel slightly awkward that she observed all this without showing any interest in me.
"You don't add up...you're weird," she finishes.
She is not being mean or rude. She is just stating what she has observed. Well...two can play at that game.
"You know that makes two of us, right?" I ask her with only a slight smug look.
Just by the way her eyebrows move, I know she disagrees, "I am nothing like you," she replies cooly.
"Maybe not by our characteristics...but you are a puzzle that is missing some pieces. You act like you don't care for companionship, or what people think of you, and yet you put effort into looking amazing every day."
She goes to interrupt, but I stop her.
"I am not being flirty, I am just stating the facts. You don't roll out of bed and look the way you do."
Daphne does not reply and lets me continue.
"You also show a mask of no emotion to block off people, but by the way you care for Tracey and the others, I can tell you are probably full of emotion for people but choose to keep it all locked up. My first guess would be your upbringing if it weren't for your sister. Astoria is outgoing and welcoming, and although it's still possible, I'd nix the upbringing idea. My next guess would be because of a traumatic experience you received," at this Daphne averts her eyes briefly, which basically tells me I am right.
"I am not going to pry, or even try and ask you what happened. That is your secret and will be staying with you. I don't plan on sharing any of this either, so don't worry about that," I inform her, hoping that she, in turn, will keep her observations to herself.
The knowledgeable blonde Snake is too smart to be trying to dig into my secrets. If she ever finds out even a sliver of it, things could get very bad and hairy for me.
She seems to be forcing words out of her mouth before she mumbles a, "Thank you," to me.
"You're welcome," I reply before Tracey's semi-passed-out body moves, and she throws an arm around my chest and snuggles into me.
The motion gets me to smile. Daphne rolls her eyes again before looking around to see most people are beginning to fall asleep too, given the late hour, before she looks back at me.
"You know...you are not nearly as dumb as you look," she remarks coolly.
My smile only grows bigger.
"Is that a compliment from the Ice Princess herself?" she glares at me before I cut her off.
"Thank you," I tell her honestly.
"You're welcome," she replies before trying to wake up Tracey. "Come on, Trace, wake up."
"Ugghh," Tracey mumbles before tightening her grip on me. "Five more minutes...too comfy," she mutters as both Daphne and I can't hold back a light laugh.
I carefully get up, and Tracey slowly comes to, before Daphne guides her to the door after getting the other girls as well. Blaise is the only one to grumble at their departure. Crabbe, Goyle, and Theo are falling asleep already and I decide to do as well as my eventful day comes to a close.
The last thing I hear is Draco's light snores.
***
Well, the pitch certainly is impressive for our game against Beauxbatons.
It’s like a stony maze with high to low rock walls, but still gives plenty of room to move about and at the same time, gives cover but not so much so that you are totally protected. I smile to myself as I observe further.
This is going to be fun.
"So, what's the plan?" Draco asks me as we wait for our Captains to get back to us with a strategy.
I give him a raised eyebrow and a questioning look.
"To wait for our Captains to tell us their strategies?"
"Oh, come on!?" he tells me with an amused expression before changing to one of realization, "You're serious, aren't you? Are we really going to be following their orders? You and I can with this thing easily, especially with your skil—” he starts before I cut him off.
"Keep quiet, Drake. This is a game. Nothing else. If we win, we win. We lose we lose. The world keeps spinning, and our destiny stays the same," I drop my voice and touch the stud on my ear to give us privacy.
"I use my abilities to win a game like this, and we risk everything. I go off on my own just because I have the power to do so, we risk everything. If anyone suspects we are anything more than kids with talent, who want to show off...we risk everything. You're becoming my top right-hand man. Play the game and reap the benefits later at our final destination. Understood?" I tell him truthfully.
I wasn't preparing to tell him something like this, but apparently, my guardians know me better than I know myself. Maybe there is something good here for me after all.
Draco takes a moment before replying.
"Sorry. I...you're right. Act now…prestige later," he tells me, but I think it's more to himself in a somewhat depressed matter.
Great. Now I bummed him out before our big match. I guess I'll have to fix this.
"Don't worry, it happens to the best of us. We get power, and we want to show it off," I ease off his gloomy reply.
"It even happens to you?" he asks with relief.
"Don't be silly. Of course, it doesn't happen to me," I tell him with a slight smirk.
I think I hear him mumble a 'prat,' but he smiles as well before our Captains come over to give us their strategy.
***
Our teams get announced to the field, and cheers are about half and half. Durmstrang is split pretty much in the middle with their supportive cheers.
Angelina and I walk behind our Captains as we head to the center of the field to shake hands and will be told most likely to play a clean game. I heard that Bagman wanted to be in charge of this, but the ICW took it over. Demetri from the ICW awaits us as I see the Beaxbatons team in the distance. I look over to Angelina to see her giving a glare to Fleur and another Veela.
My guess is a good portion of male Lions have fallen to the spell of our French female guests, and many a Lioness has been displeased with this. I would bet that a good amount of the females are in relationships with said mesmerized male Lions, or at least have interests in them. With that thought in mind, I smirk to myself and might have looked at Angelina just a tad too long.
"Why are you looking at me, and what is with that smirk, Potter?" she asks me with a bit of an attitude.
"I was just admiring how good you look in your uniform," I reply quickly before getting a smile to play on her face.
"Flattery..." she pauses for a moment, "Will get you everywhere. I am glad to know that I don't have to worry about our Commander being distracted by the opposition."
"You can count on that. I just got to make sure not to look your way, and I'll be fine. I would be in huge trouble if the whole team of Flying Foxes was flying around," I return her statement.
"How do you know our nicknames?" she asks with amusement.
I shrug my shoulders.
"I know some people think of me as a self-centered show-off with skills, but I actually listen a great deal to what everyone is saying," I reply with a shrug.
There is no need to inform her that I have eyes, and ears, all throughout the school.
"I'll have to keep that in mind," she tells me and then pauses and thinks, contemplating on saying something. "And for your information...the Flying Foxes are in the reckless and courageous house of Gryffindor… we love the show-offs with skills," she ends with a smile as we meet the others in the center of the field.
And like that, I add another intimidating and attractive female to the list.
***
Demetri goes over the rules again before we line up and start a line to shake hands with our opponents to show good faith.
Fleur and I happen to be last as she gives me a quick once over before dismissing me while maintaining her allure.
"Like what you see?" I ask her suggestively.
She lifts her chin and looks at me like I am nothing.
"All I see iz ee little boy wiz some skill who craves the attention," she responds in her French accent.
"Wow. I can't imagine how you and your team will feel when they are beaten by..." I shift my voice slightly higher to imitate her "Zis little boy."
"Pleaze, in your dreamz. Your ignorance knows no limits. My team will crusz you," she retorts as the others who have left look back at us, wondering what's taking so long.
"If you're that confident, why don't you put your galleons where your mouth is?" I challenge her.
She shakes her head. "I do not bet wiz money,"
"How about a bet with something else?" I ask her, setting up my trap.
"What else is zere?" she asks.
"I win, and you have to go on a date with me?" I tell her, and she looks shocked and then laughs
"And if you lose?"
"Then you can spread the news to anyone and everyone that the little Harry Potter boy asked you out on a date, and you rejected him completely. And I mean you can tell anyone who you wish, friends, family, the media, and I will confirm it," I answer.
"I get to tell zem you came up to me, trembling wiz fear before I gracefully declined, and you went away crying?" she asks with a devilish smirk.
"Sure," I tell her, and it is at this point that I really want to have a go at her mind if it wasn't for my promise to myself to leave it out of my personal life and use it strictly for business.
Maybe this can be for business. Having French ties and allies can't hurt... No, this is personal and just for my own fun and amusement. My mind-probing will have to wait for another time.
"Deal," she ends before I shake hands with her, and we head our separate ways.
"What was that about?" Davies asks me, and I see that Cedric is interested as well.
I shrug my shoulders.
"Just keeping things interesting," I tell them before they both laugh at my response, and we have one last huddle.
***
I am up in the air and doing my best to be more than a competent player while at the same time not showing off my real skills.
It is getting to be a lot harder than I had anticipated given the fact that the Beauxbatons are way better than expected. We got off to a very rough start when four of our bo staff wielders went in for a quick assault led by Roger, via their earpieces, on two opposing Squires who had headed all the way back toward the end of their own sector. We wanted to advance forward as quickly as possible…but it ended up being an ambush. When our Squires went to engage, their Archers sent their attacks across section lines at our Squires, but their Archers remained in their section.
“Shit,” I had cursed when no call was made. We had assumed that was an illegal move, but apparently, you can do whatever we want as long it doesn’t break any of the written rules.
I tried to fly over for support but was buffered back by Fleur. I was then attacked in the back by their other female Commander before Cedric ordered me to get out of there… I only just managed to get out. All four opposing flyers got Draco and the other three bo staffers out of the game. We are now waiting for our backups.
Even from high up on a broom, it's hard to see where everyone is because, after a specific time, the stone walls become animated and start blocking out views from below and above. The crowds don't have an issue with this seeing that they are watching from jumbo screens, that are masked from inside the arena, that show what strategically placed viewing wards on the field are recording.
Whoever made this up sure did think of everything.
I have half a mind to just charge in the enemy's territory wielding my wand and bo staff, but it's too risky. I am instead instructed by Roger to touch back down and group with our remaining Squires. I take out my wand as I lead my two remaining main Squires, who looked beyond relieved to see me, forward.
"Let's go twins. Time to show them Hogwarts' trump cards," I tell them as the Weasley twins give a small roar of approval.
We quickly make our way through the weaving and winding maze of stone, almost making it into the enemy's second section when we practically run headfirst into three opposing bo staffers and three flyers, one of them being Fleur. They, unfortunately, get the drop on us as they attack first. The flyers are clever in the sense that they are still technically in their area even though they are firing into Sector 1, which is off-limits to them.
This causes us to quickly retreat behind two separate stone walls as stunner arrows miss us. The Twins are pinned behind one wall with me behind the other. I call out to any of the Captains for help, but Tere replies that they have a situation and tells me to take over and do as I see fit. What a great help, right? And what can be more important than helping out a Commander?
I think about what the quickest way out will be and plan to get on my broom when an idea hits me. It's rather ridiculous and only legal because there are no rules against it, which is how Beaxbatons is playing things. My idea is actually a game the twins came up with to entertain us.
"Batter up!"I tell them as they give me a questioning look before I make a couple of motions with my hands to instruct them on what to do. They smile back at me and give me a thumbs up.
I enter back into the open, where I can see the Beauxbatons are waiting for me, and smile to myself on the inside when I hear Fleur order that I am hers to take down.
She fires at me with her two other Flyers. Fortunately, my wand and Bo Staff shields keep the attacks at bay, and I move forward slightly so that Fred and George can emerge. Fred twirls his bo staff quickly to make a more powerful shield as his brother stays protected behind him before coming to face my direction.
"Strike em out!" I yell to George, before tossing him my bo staff.
I can hear the gasp from the crowd as George chokes up on his staff like a beater before swinging at my incoming bo staff. Said staff goes flying out and hits one of the flying Archers before ricocheting into the other Archer, and they both are out before the bo staff flies back to the ground. I think everyone was so stunned at what had just happened that they didn't know what to do. No matter how hard I practice, I don't think I will ever achieve the talent the Weasley twins share as beaters as far as power, accuracy, and aim are concerned. Even if I were to try and copy their auras.
Luckily the shock of our attack lets Fred toss his own staff backward to his brother, who swings again, this time having the staff go into the three shocked enemy bo staffers. The three opposing Squires fall to the ground before the twins run over to finish the job.
While they are doing this, I fire a stream of stunners at Fleur, who expertly dodges them as she zig-zags backward. A massive disadvantage for using bows is they lack defensive capabilities, which Fleur is experiencing first hand as she struggles to dodge, seeing that she can't use a wand or staff while on a broom.
She eventually escaped my assault when she leaned back all the way to dodge a stunner, so her broom did a vertical 180 before she flew away upside down on her broom.
I'll give it to her that she has talent, that's for sure.
Seeing that we just took out five of their players, I thought we would hear a lot more shouts of praise from our school, but instead, I heard the sound of French cheering before I got a message from Tere telling me I needed to do anything to win the game. I have no clue as to what is going on before I quickly retrieve my staff and get on my broom to investigate.
"Damn!" I curse to myself as I manage to get a glimpse of what the fuss is about.
Their female Commander has just taken out one of our three remaining Flyers, that includes Angelina. The opposing Commander is also keeping the other two busy while I see there was a battle between three of their bo staffers and our wand-wielding Knights. Our Knights fortunately took out one of their main Squires out. However, Beaxbatons then somehow managed to take out two of our Knights quickly, so only one of our guards remains.
Susan Bones is the remaining Knight, who is doing extremely well, but I know she will be falling soon as the two opposing Squires close in on her.
I also know that no matter how fast I go, I will not be able to help her in time. So, instead, I need to be reckless and cause a fuss. It wasn't my first option, and I know I am going to be in the spotlight because of it, but no more so than the alternative, which would be in the papers titled 'Hogwarts' Boy-Who-Lived rejected by Beaxbatons' Professional Broom Racer!'
"Here goes nothing," I tell myself as I do a quick loop, gaining momentum, as I speed towards our opponent's end as I race through their second sector before their remaining flyers can group up to stop me.
I am well aware that I can't go into their end on a broom, but that doesn't cause me to slow down at all as I am about to reach my destination. I don't slow down either. Instead, I speed up all the way till I hit the line that divides sections. Of course, it only occurs to me at the last moment that they might have wards in place from crossing sections through the air.
Luckily, this seems to be the one thing they did not think of, as I go flying in the air, into the enemy's section at an alarming rate...without a broom, which is the only thing the written rules say I can’t enter the last sectors on.
I ditched my broom right before I hit the section line.
My plan starts becoming less and less appealing as I go rocketing towards the ground as I cast a shield from both my wand and bo staff as I go speeding into the three unexpecting opposing Knights, who all cry out when they see my incoming body. I managed to crash into one of the guys, who got up a shield and definitely cushioned my fall...even if it does put them in the hospital wing. The other two fell down from the impact of a shockwave from the clashing of our magical shields.
I wince to myself as I get up. I might have to head to St. Mungos as well since my whole left lower rib cage feels shattered. I fight through the pain as I run to my destination, worst-case scenario, I'll call Lady Esmerelda for medical treatment. I hear the two uninjured guards get up, and I throw my bo staff at one of them before casting a shield at my back with my wand and continuing to run, not caring at all if my attack was successful.
This suicidal run of mine continues since I haven't heard a canon yet to end the game. I am guessing Susan is still holding her attackers off. I'll have to congratulate her afterward. Whoever said having fourth years on the team was a mistake will surely be eating their own words right now.
"Potter, you crazy kid!” Cedric practically shouts in my ear.
“Go! Go! Go!" Roger mimics Cedric’s volume level.
I really want to tell them both to shut it, but I bite my tongue as I continue forward. After losing balance and staggering only twice, I see it. The golden chalice is in my eyesight under the archway leading to the entrance of a castle. However, my whole body is in excruciating pain, but I still continue on.
My final target destination is before me after what feels like running a marathon, before I take no chances at showboating and swipe my hand forward, as my fingers grasp the shining chalice from off its pedestal, right before the canon goes off to officially end the match.
***
I watch with a content smile as my housemates let out another cheer for our school’s second win.
Apparently, at the very end, Angelina was able to take out the female Commander of Beauxbatons and come to Susan's aid to help defend against the skilled opposing Squires, giving me enough time to get to the chalice. Also, I guess the Beauxbatons were in an uproar over our stunt with batting bo staffs. They went ballistic when I did my kamikaze run, calling out for a penalty of some sort to deaf ears.
I wince a little when I think of my attack.
It was not smart and hurt like the dickens, but it won us the game. Lady Esmerelda snuck into the castle and healed my rib cage before giving me a hug of congratulations. Then she poked the still tender area and smiled, telling me the poke was from Cass… I didn't find it amusing.
What I do find amusing is Tracey, who is grinning from ear to ear as she stands in front of me in a more secluded part of the common room, that still has multiple groups surrounding us. She then leans into me and whispers in my ear.
"I got a surprise for you," my pretty, auburn-haired, female friend giggles with a giant smile on her face.
"Oh? And whatever could that be?" I ask in more of a whisper as well before I move into her personal space to keep peeping ears away, as I watch her pull out a plastic bag from her pocket.
"I thought we could share this most special of desserts in celebration of your domination over the Veela vixens," she smiles, showing me a homemade brownie that is big enough for two.
"I had Floppy send this to me. It's my parent's favorite recipe," Tracey added with a look of delighted anticipation.
I laugh out loud before looking back at her.
"Then what are we waiting for?" I grin as she splits it in two, and we both eat the chocolatey goodness that has just a slight taste of something that you can't put a label on.
We pass the time as we wait for it to kick in by dancing on the dance floor in the center of the common room to the beat of the music that is playing.
Almost everyone is on the dance floor, besides the younger years and some others, one being Greengrass. To her credit, Daphne did congratulate me on my win and even held her tongue from saying anything further. My guess is she was going to mention something about the recklessness of my last play. However, I can not think about her now as I get a pleasant whiff coming from Tracey's shiny auburn locks.
We are also dancing pretty close together as a mosh pit of sorts starts to form. As we continue to dance, I can tell the brownie is starting to kick in as a smile appears on my face for no specific reason, and a slight laugh escapes my lips. From Tracey's giggle, I can tell the same is happening to her as our bodies get pressed together as the music speeds up and she backs her rear up into my front side.
“Is this alright?” I ask her, from our close contact.
“Ugh huh,” she giggles back.
Our dance is like a roller coaster as it picks up altitude, steadily getting higher and higher. The contact of another human body on mine starts something inside me. A slight but growing arousal that I try to brush aside as the music continues, and everyone moves in sync with the beat. The peak of the song finally hits, and people cheer out in happiness and mirth as the beat starts to slow down.
Tracey then turns around before moving back into me, while my hands go for her lower back and instantly pull her in. Her arms then wrap around me and her hands lock in behind my neck. She looks up at me with a huge grin and sparkles in her eyes.
I look back down at her in much the same.
We are both overly content in the presence of the other as a sense of euphoria washes over us.
And then we lean into each other at the same time and kiss.