Patience

Chapter 6

Finally, after a long day of classes Marissa, Seiko, and I head to the great hall for dinner. The familiar aroma of the feast fills the air. My mouth waters at the smell and my stomach loudly grumbles receiving stares from other students. I feel my face grow red from embarrassment and speedily walk to my usual seat at the Hufflepuff table.

"So, are you going to be stolen tonight as well?" Seiko questions as we take our seats.

"Yes, but this time I welcome it." I reply with an excited smile. I'm quite excited to see my other friends later tonight. I loved Seiko and Marissa but Fred, George, Lee, and I had a more playful friendship that I equally treasured.

"Well have fun and tell us all about it." Marissa smiles while putting mashed potatoes on her plate. I grab a turkey leg and begin to gnaw on it. It's then that I hear snickering coming from the other end of the table. I turn to see Ophelia and Hydra looking at me and whispering. I know I'm not the most attractive eater but there was no need to make fun of me, not that I cared. I decide not to let them bother me and I go back to eating and talking to my friends.

  "Hey, do you mind if I leave a bit early? I have to set something up before I meet with my kidnappers." I ask my friends with a convincing and apologetic smile.  

"Fine, but you have to make it up to us." Seiko says with a smirk.

"I will, I promise. Thank you!" I say as I get up and head to the abandoned classroom.

~*.'~*.'~

I quickly leave the dining hall in a hurry to beat my friends to our meeting spot. I enter the abandoned class room and quickly set up.  I move all but four desks to the side of the room and hang a white sheet from my bed on the wall. My Dad has muggle parents so he showed me this as a kid. It's called a movie theater. I hurriedly set up the camera and a black and white picture of the title of "Casablanca" appears on my bed sheet. I set out the sweets I stole from dinner onto the desks and smiled at my masterpiece.

Suddenly I hear loud footsteps coming from the hall outside of the classroom. The door opens letting in the light from the hall. Three excited looking boys stand in the doorway.

"We got your letter. We've been waiting to see what you had all day!" Lee exclaims with a wide smile.

"Fred thought you were bluffing and had nothing planned." George tattles.

"I did not!" Fred says with wide eyes. "You're the one who couldn't stop talking about, and I quote "aww she made a nickname for me"" Fred says batting his eyes. He's about to continue when George tackles him and they start wrestling.

"I got 2 Galleons on Fred" Lee bets crossing his arms watching the brothers roll around.

"I'll take that bet." I say with a sly grin and we shake hands. But just as we do George pins down Fred and ends the wrestling match.

"Oh, Merlin's beard!" Lee says annoyed at having lost our bet. "Come on Fred!" He scolds Fred and hands me 2 galleons. I smile and happily take it.

"So, what is all this?" George says standing up and dusting himself off. His hair was messy from his wrestling match and face red.

"It's a movie theater. The muggles watch films in them." I explain. They look at me still confused by my explanation. "Just sit down and watch the movie." I say. They each sit down at a desk and take a sweet from in front of them. I sit between Fred and George.

I press a button on the camera and the movie begins to play. I've seen this movie loads of times and love it every time. I don't know if they'll like it but here's to hoping. It turns out that they loved it. They laughed and smiled at all the right times they even cried, though they tried to hide it. I continued watching them hoping to see some other reaction, something of disguised or annoyance, but no, there they sat eyes wide mouths open watching the cheesy romance movie. It's then that my confusion is interrupted by George.

"Whatcha looking at?" he asked, smirking. "Movies this way." he points to my homemade screen. "I know I'm devilishly handsome but you have to control yourself." he winks at me. I feel my face grow warm and eyes open wide.

"I'm not looking at you, you conceited git." I shove him for his ridiculous statement. I turn to see Fred and Lee smirking at us. I glare back at them causing them to redirect their attention to the screen.

~*.'~*.'~

"Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." Rick says the famous last line of the movie; and with that it's done. We turn to each other all with tear stricken cheeks and puffy red eyes. All at once we make eye contact and burst into laughter.

"You're all babies." Lee says between laughs.

"Oh, you're crying too and you know it!" Fred and George say together still chuckling.

"Why would you make us watch that!" George scolds me.

"I meant it as a joke but you all enjoyed it instead." I say defensively.

"You're not allowed to choose what we're doing anymore. You're on probation." Fred laughs.

They quickly bid me goodnight and we all rush to our dorms, not wanting to get in trouble for being out past curfew. I make it to the Hufflepuff common room with just minutes to spare.          

~*.'~*.'~

It is nice outside the next morning. Not too cold, but with a slight chill in the air that tells you winter is coming. I get dressed and head to the great hall with Seiko. We see that Marissa is already sitting at our usual spot. I sit down in front of her and spoon some porridge into my bowl. I then proceed to dump a ton of brown sugar onto it and mix it around.

"Would you like some porridge with that sugar?" a voice says from behind me, causing me to jump. I turn to see George looking at me, chuckling. I glare at him.

"Hello. What are you doing over here?" I ask curiously.

"What? I can't come say good morning to my favorite Hufflepuff?" I blush, but hope he can't tell.

"Hey!" says Seiko, looking offended.

"I'm sorry but I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting each other yet. I'm George. And you are?" He asks, looking amused.

"Seiko Liu. and this here is Marissa." She says, gesturing to Marissa.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you two. I've got to get back to the Gryffindor table or else Mcgonagall will have my neck so see you later Em!" He says, and winks at me as he walks away.

"I've told you not to call me Em!" I shout after him but he is already long gone.