My heart skipped a beat as the photo came to life. There we were, Jacob and I, jumping up and down and grinning at Mom. She must have thought it was because we were excited. Mischievous, giggling, and making silly faces at each other. Little did she...
Yes, I did care. Very much. I had never been in love before.
— Thomas Stearns Eliot, 'The Confidential Clerk'
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Not to brag, but over the weekend I lit up dozens of magical torches and nine fireplaces. It wasn't without its mishaps, especially when Chester's cloak suddenly caught fire. In his dire frustration, he gifted my vocabulary a couple of colorful expressions, along with Aguamenti, the Water-Making Spell. One couldn't help but admit that there was no equal to Chester when it came to Charms and verbal sparring.
Further, because of her injuries, Rowan firmly settled in at the Hospital Wing. Only a couple of days ago did she manage to leave Madam Pomfrey's lair. I helped her carry things back to the Ravenclaw Tower: textbooks, notes full of scribbles, and mountain scrolls. And even some premium Gobstones!
They happened to spray us at the wrong time, right in front of Merula. It would have been a sin for her not to mention what a rich source of stench we were. Shortly after, the hems of Merula's cloak suddenly began to smoke, and her sonorous screams shattered Hogwarts. I solemnly swore it wasn't my Incendio that eventually grilled her. Or was it? Who could really tell?
Rowan and I often reminisced about it, especially during classes. Even Snape's sour face and solemn threats to deduct house points (which often weren't just threats) didn't stop us from occasionally bursting into laughter. I could already picture Bill doubled over with mirth when he learned of it.
Speaking of Bill...
"Gelider! More lively than Nearly Headless Nick, I see. And here's the girl with the Bowtruckle! How are you?"
Rowan shyly twirled a strand of hair, then plopped down on the bench, muttering something under her breath. To break the awkward silence, I immediately brought up the Incendio incident. Ro gradually came to life, peppering our conversation with academic insights, and even demonstratively lit the fireplace. Bill raised a thumb. The icy corridor was in for a serious challenge to stop us.
Bill raised his hand, beckoning to someone among the Gryffindors.
"Charlie! Charlie, come over here! That's one of my brothers."
I squinted suspiciously: "Oneof his brothers"? How many of them were there? Before I could ask, Rowan piped up.
"Five brothers and one sister. Don't even ask me how I know."
Bill let out a surprised cough, but Rowan pretended to be more concerned about the lentils in her soup. I, on the other hand, was thoroughly agitated. "Five brothers? Are you sure it's, ugh, five? Like, we're talking one, two, three—"
"Yes, I'm positive, Mia. It's exactly five."
"Wow! So, would you mind lending me one? I'm just one short. Feeling a bit... brother-deprived, you know?"
