An Art of Balance

Chapter 3: Charlie

A/N: My head start on chapters is (already) dwindling, but whatever... Here you go, Chapter 3, enjoy!

Warning: mild swearing

Word Count: ~ 2.400

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To Lizzie's astonishment, her friends kept their teasing to a minimum for the following week. Aside from Penny's occasional prying and some suggestive jokes from Tonks, they all left her mostly alone as everybody resettled into their routines.

Skye was perhaps the longest to hold a grudge against her. Every so often she would make a snarky remark about "fraternising", "competition" and "priorities". But even she let it go as soon as her initial motivation to study wore off, and she fell back on her habit of copying all of her assignments from Lizzie.

Still, to avoid stirring talk about her and Charlie any further, Lizzie kept a low profile, concentrating on the vast amount of work the professors had started dumping on them instead. She'd seen Orion and McNully struggle with keeping up with their studies last year; but experiencing O.W.L. preparations first-hand was something else altogether.

"Honestly, this term is getting on my nerves already." Skye slumped next to her on the windowsill in front of the charms classroom, where they were waiting for class to start. "So much work, so little fun. Can't wait for the season to start properly, I'm itching to be back on the pitch again."

Lizzie closed the book she had been reading. "Me too. I think Orion wants to find our new beater before we get back into practise though. I wonder who he has in mind to get a try-out."

"Experience a try-out, you mean!" She snickered. "I swear, this guy is one of a kind." She leaned back against the wall. "Remember your try-outs, back in the day?"

"How could I forget?" Lizzie replied flatly. "You, McNully and Orion were giving me nightmares."

"But you made it in the end. With my help of course." Skye eyed Lizzie's bag that was resting on the floor beneath her feet. Sweeping down, she grabbed it and started rummaging through it.

"Speaking of help, my charm's homework isn't finished. Let me see what you've got." She held the scroll up triumphantly before starting to copy its content down onto her own parchment.

"I am ever so glad to let you copy my work, do help yourself." Lizzie remarked sardonically and picked up her book again. She had stopped her futile protest about two years ago.

They sat in silence for some time. Lizzie continued reading up on the counter jinxes they were covering at the moment, drowning out the noises of Skye's writing and the chatter of her arriving classmates.

Suddenly, Skye shoved the parchment back into her face. "This is not one of your best works, if I may say so. I'd better go and ask Penny for help this time." Skye got up and strode over to where Penny stood chatting to Rowan, leaving an open-mouthed Lizzie behind.

"All of a sudden my homework's not good enough, or what?" she exclaimed in disbelief.

Skye just waved her hand in dismissal, already chatting to Penny, who flashed her a bright smile. Rowan left them standing, sitting down beside Lizzie, who had a bewildered look upon her face.

"What was that all about?"

"I have no idea. My homework doesn't seem to be copy-worthy anymore. Apparently, Penny's is, though." Lizzie was still visibly confused.