Gideon Drake and the Fire Within (Harry Potter Sequel/Spinoff)

Chapter Thirty-Three: Bursting Bubbles

Gideon spent Sunday morning absent-mindedly flicking through books in the library. As he did so, he continued eyeing the Restricted Section and the movements of the ancient librarian. He was trying to figure out the woman's routine to see if there were any times when she might not notice someone sneak into the forbidden area.

Old though she may be, Madam Pince was not a woman to cross. As a regular of the library, Gideon had never had a problem with her. However, he had seen many students who were less serious about studying, being chased from the library by Madam Pince and her feather duster.

Gideon knew that she rarely left the library. However, when he noted that she even ate lunch in the office behind the counter, he decided to take a walk to deal with the disappointment.

As he approached the courtyard to get some air, he pondered how he might get into the Restricted Section when Madam Pince never left it unattended.

'Oh, err—hi, Gideon!' said Ruby Williams out of the blue. 'On your way to the club?'

'Huh? Oh, that's right, I almost forgot about Charms Club! That might be fun, actually. Good thing I bumped into you!' Gideon mused, happy to have an excuse not to return to the library right away. 'Do you know what we're doing today?'

'No. I hope it's something interesting,' Ruby whispered, 'I'm guessing it will be the usual light show, though.'

Gideon chuckled. They shortly arrived at the club room, which once again had the curtains drawn tightly. It looked like Ruby had guessed correctly. Even in the darkness, Gideon could tell he was getting stares and the happy talk soon descended into audible whispering. As he and Ruby walked over to an open space, Gideon noticed Brendan and Emma shuffling away.

Verity began to address the group, though, she didn't seem her usual cheery self, 'Ahem. Today, we're going to learn the Bubble Spell. Then, we're going to apply the other spells we've learned to our bubbles.'

The group leader got up at that point. 'So, the Bubble Spell is totally easy!' she informed them. 'However, when you perform it, your power and concentration can affect the number of bubbles you produce as well as the colour! So, everybody split into pairs and let's make some bubbles! The incantation is bullitus!'

For around fifteen minutes the club members enjoyed filling the room with what seemed like an endless number of bubbles, spraying them at each other and running around hitting them. They were stronger than soap bubbles and made a pleasant popping sound when burst.

Gideon soon lost himself—and his troubles—amidst the fog of multi-coloured bubbles, and both he and Ruby were bent over with laughter. It was so silly, so childish, and yet, exactly what he needed.

'Excellent!' commented the group leader, removing the room's remaining bubbles at once with a wave of her wand and a symphony of pops. 'It looks like you've all got that down. Easy enough, right?'

'Yes!' the room replied happily in unison.

'Now comes the hard part!' the tall girl continued. 'As Verity explained, we're going to apply the other spells we've learned. So, we'll all get in a big circle and create a field of bubbles. I'll keep them contained to a fixed area. Then, one by one, you'll each apply a spell!'

The club members excitedly formed a circle, raised their wands, and together uttered, 'Bullitus.'

The group leader used her wand to keep the bubbles from dispersing, and an immense multi-coloured cluster formed. This sight alone was impressive to Gideon, but he was looking forward to seeing how the field of bubbles would appear full of magic. It would be different to the time when they had all applied their spells to one object.