chapter 11
02 09 1988
Kinsley woke up early the next morning and went for her trademark run. The sky was dark, and raindrops kept her cool as she splashed through the forest, stepping over puddles and splashing through a few of them.
She cast a quick drying charm after changing into her school uniform and then joined Oliver and Bodie at the Gryffindor table for raisin toast slathered with butter.
“We’re talking to Charlie today.” She told Oliver, as he stuffed his third piece of toast in his mouth.
“Charlie?” Oliver’s eyes lit up. “To get a trial?”
“That’s right. Because I know he’ll be holding trials soon, but I doubt he’d know we were interested unless we tell him.”
“Smart. Very smart.” Oliver nodded approvingly,
“That means Indie and I are gonna have to chat with Marjorie, doesn’t it.” Bodie frowned.
“Only if you wanna make the team.” Kinsley nodded.
“Yeah, yeah. I just feel like she’ll laugh in my face.”
“You’re a good chaser, Bodie. Just tell her to give you a chance.”
“Yeah, okay.” Bodie agreed.
“Hey, Ollie. Charlie just walked in!” Kinsley called excitedly. She started waving him over.
“Hey Kins. Wood. King.” Charlie greeted, sliding in next to Kinsley and grabbing a piece of toast off of her plate.
“Hey, Charlieeee.” Kinsley drew out the last syllable, looking up at him with a growing smile and big eyes. Charlie stared at her for a second before letting out a chuckle.
“Alright. What do you want?”
“I’m so glad you asked, Captain Weasley. Me and my esteemed partner over there,” she pointed at Oliver, “would love to trial for the Gryffindor Quidditch team.”
“Really?” Charlie asked, his interest perked. “What positions?”
“I’m a Keeper,” Oliver said confidently. “And I’m sure I’m better than Max Bobbins.”
Charlie nodded thoughtfully, hand on his chin.
“I’d try for Chaser,” Kinsley added. “I’ve been training since I was tiny. You’ve seen me.”
“I’ll give you both a trial.” Charlie decided. “Two weeks from now, 6:30 am. I’ll invite out the whole team and anyone else who wants to trial to make it fair. But I hope you both blow me away because, to be frank I’m quite sick of Bobbins and I reckon you’d make a good replacement, Wood. And you’re good fun, Kins, and a fair Chaser.”
“Thanks, Charlie!” Kins threw her arms around him. He gave her a fond look, ruffled her hair, and left with a “You’re welcome, cubs,” over his shoulder.
“Well that was easy.” Oliver grinned.
“Easy for you guys.” Bodie frowned. “I still have to convince Marjorie.”
“I’ll pray for you, Bodes.” Kinsley laughed.
After Penelope, Percy, and Indie finally rocked up and ate breakfast, the six headed to their DADA lesson which was first up.
“Kins, you must know what he’s like. You’ve spent the whole holidays at Hogwarts with him.” Indie pointed out. They were discussing the new DADA teacher.
“I do know what he’s like.” Kinsley nodded.
“Soooo… Are you gonna tell us?” Bodie asked, hitting Kins in the arm.
“Now why would I do that? It’s not fair that you guys know all about him, but no one else does.” Kinsley smirked.
“Pleeeeease.” Penelope drew out the word, looking up with puppy dog eyes.
“Fine! He’s actually really nice, and quite smart. Not super talkative, but I reckon he’ll be good. Better than Professor Aganata, definitely.”
Professor Aganata had been the DADA teacher the year before and had been so forgetful and clumsy that in every lesson she was unprepared and barely taught them a single thing, The lady flounced around searching for books, or her wand, or her glasses, and usually tripped over whatever it was she was looking for. Her reign had come to an end when she tripped on the parchment pages she had knocked off a desk just ten seconds before and promptly fell out of an open window. The poor woman ended up at St Mungo's recovering for the rest of the year.
“Good. Glad to hear it.” Percy nodded, and together the six entered the DADA classroom.
The desks were set up in twos, and the group automatically spit up into what had become their ‘default’ pairings.
If the Claws and the Lions had lessons together, Penelope and Indie usually sat next to each other because they were each other's closest friends, being dorm mates and spending lots of time together. Oliver and Percy were the same, bonding over a shared dorm. This meant that Bodie and Kinsley always sat together, and had become extremely close through this. In fact, Kinsley couldn’t choose between Bodie or Oliver as her closest friend.
Once everyone was seated, Professor Orling entered the room and walked to the front.
“Hullo, everyone. I’m Professor Orling, and I’ll be taking you for Defense Against the Dark Arts. This year, our main focus is going to be mastering some key spells that will be useful in defense and attack against both dangerous creatures and people.”
The class perked up - he sounded like he knew what he was doing.
“The first spell we’re going to learn is flipendo, a useful spell that knocks people or creatures back. It doesn’t cause serious harm, that is unless you put a serious amount of force behind it, but it is useful to disorientate and distance the danger.”
Kinsley nodded along, grateful for a competent teacher.
“I like him already,” Bodie whispered to her.
“To cast flipendo, the wand movement required is simply a flick upwards and then forwards. Think about it like you’re cracking a whip. Arm back and up, then propel it forwards, pointing the wand tip at the target.” He demonstrated a couple of times. “Try without wands first, and let me see your movement and approve you. Then, with wands but without words. Once I approve that too, you may try the spell on me. Sound okay?”
Everyone murmured their agreement.
Bodie and Kinsley practiced the movement a few times before calling over Professor Orling.
“How’s this, Professor?” Kinsley asked, demonstrating,
“Perfect. Try it with the wand, now.” Kinsley did so. “Brilliant. Now try the spell on me.”
“Flipendo!” Kinsley said, pointing her wand at Professor Orling, He moved back about a metre, but kept his feet.
“Good, good. Add some more power.” Professor Orling said.
“FLIPENDO!” Kinsley yelled, and Orling went flying into the wall. “Oh shit! Are you ok, Sir?”
“I’m fine.” He said, getting to his feet. “Well done, Kinsley. 10 points to Gryffindor.”
Kinsley beamed and spent the rest of the lesson casting small Flipendo’s on all of her friends.
“Have a good afternoon, everybody.” Orling dismissed them.
“You too!” Kinsley said, walking out of the class. She waved goodbye to her Ravenclaw friends and headed towards the dungeons with Bodie and Oliver.
Already waiting at the door were Marcus, Nathan, and Tatum, and the Lions muttered a small greeting, keeping a fair distance. Except Kinsley, who walked straight up to Tatum and struck up a conversation.
“How was your holidays, Nott?”
“Not too bad, McGonagall. What about you?”
“I got a bit bored,” Kinsley admitted. “Not much to do here all by yourself.”
“I can’t even imagine. Theo and I always keep each other company, I’d hate to be an only child.” Theo was Notts younger brother, he’d be coming to Hogwarts when they were in their fifth year.
“I wish I had a sibling.” Kinsley sighed.
“Enter.” called out a voice from inside the potions room, and they walked in to see Professor Snape standing at the front of the class. Everyone took their seats with a murmured “hello,” or “afternoon, Professor,” and he began the moment everyone had arrived.
“I trust you’ve all had a good break and have come back ready to learn. This year, the first assessment is your brewing of a blood-replenishing potion, accompanied by a two-page long essay about the uses for such a brew. You will have a month to research the potion, practice brewing it, and write your essay. The final lesson will be spent brewing the potion you intend to hand in for grading, and it will be handed in at the end of the lesson alongside your essay. The potion is brewed as a pair, the essay is individual. Any questions?”
No one spoke, and so Professor Snape waved his wand and the recipe for the potion appeared on the chalkboard behind him. Kinsley summoned her and Tatum's ingredients from the storage cupboard and they began brewing.
The end of the lesson came quickly, and Kinsley and Tatum ended up with a potion that looked almost as it was supposed to, just slightly lighter than the ‘blood red’ shade intended.
“We ought to test it,” Tatum suggested, looking at the potion hopefully.
“I would volunteer myself, but I wouldn’t be an appropriate test subject,” Kinsley said awkwardly.
“Why’s that?” Tatum asked, confused. “Afraid of blood, are you?”
Kinsley grabbed the knife that had been used to cut the mandrake roots and slashed a line through her forearm quickly. Tatum gasped and went to cover the cut with his hand, already beginning to tell her that was stupid and unnecessarily deep when she batted his hand away.
“What the hell, Kinsley?” He said, shocked. So shocked he’d used her first name.
“Look, Nott. Look at the cut.”
He looked, and his eyes widened in shock when Kinsley wiped away the blood to reveal an already closed-up wound, a puckered line fading to pink.
“You’re a natural healer?” He whispered, astonished. His eyes were wide, looking at the closed-up wound like if he blinked, it might suddenly bleed again.
“Don’t tell anyone, please,” Kinsley whispered back. “It’s kind of private.”
“I won’t.” He promised.
As the class left the dungeons when the lesson was over, Professor Snape asked Kinsley to stay back.
“That was foolish.” He commented, staring her down.
“I trust him,” Kinsley replied, daring Sev to contradict her.
Severus paused, staring down at Kinsley. She didn’t falter.
“On your head, be it.” Severus finally responded, sighing at his Goddaughter.
“Love you, Sev.” She gave him a quick hug and flounced out of the room. He rolled his eyes. God daughters were hard work.