The Chosen One [#Wattys2016]

THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

April brought with it a change in weather as the winds ceased. The weather became erratic as the clouds gave way to stretches of warm but weak sunshine.

The celebrations that lasted more than a week after the match were a mark of how much the other houses wanted Slytherin defeated in Quidditch. Gryffindor beat them 210 to 90 when Harry caught the snitch to raucous applause. They beamed at him as the team surrounded him in a many arm hug. Oliver Wood's dream had finally come true and there was distinct pride in his eyes as he received the cup from Dumbledore.

Neville and Avaline merged with the singing crowds while Malfoy slipped into the group of Slytherins headed back to the dungeons. The unease in his eyes was clear as he observed Avaline and Neville being pushed towards the grounds.

Four days before the Easter holidays were designated to begin, Neville, Avaline, Jennifer, Harry, Ron and Hermione spread their books under the trees while they enjoyed the sun that had unexpectedly shown itself. Harry played with the snitch he had caught in the Quidditch final while Ron copied his Charms homework. Hermione tutted with disapproval, eyeing Ron in a disappointed manner and Avaline revised Transfiguration with Neville. He had failed yet another class.

Neville was starting to feel mentally exhausted with all the studying that he had to do. He wished he could go home for a while. Then he realised that his house was currently a bunch of rubble and the only place where he could live outside Hogwarts was the Potter Mansion.

As the holidays approached, most of the second, third, fourth and sixth years and few first, fifth and seventh year students went home to celebrate the week long break.

"What are they playing at? The exams are ages away!" Seamus said angrily on the third day of the Easter break as they sat finishing a particularly difficult essay on the Soap Blizzard of 1378.

"They're just two months away, Seamus. That's hardly ages," Hermione said while she checked Harry's homework for him, crossing out sentences in a weary manner. Several books lay open near her as she referred to them to counter-check facts.

As he worked on his own essay for History of Magic, Neville concluded that the Christmas holidays were a lot more fun and that he was tired of all the work piled up on them. The only highlight of the week had been when Lily Potter had sent him an Easter egg the size of an Ostrich egg. Beautifully designed, the egg had a care package with it that included several boxes of Wizard and Muggle sweets. Neville ate a Snickers bar as he wrote, enjoying the peanut and caramel flavours far more than the homework. She was officially the best Godmother in the world, he decided.

Neville was a quiet boy, but that meant that he noticed things that many people otherwise overlooked. He had observed his friend behaving unpredictably. The past week, Avaline had disappeared for unaccounted periods of time and no answers were forthcoming to his worries. She seemed quiet and subdued as she wrote her Herbology essay. She had been neglecting her work and forgot things midway, both of which was unlike her. Even more curious was the fact that she seemed on the verge of talking to him multiple times a day but always stopped herself.

"Would you care for some crackers, ickle firstie?" George Weasley said to Jennifer, sitting on the armrest of her seat.

She rolled her eyes and shooed him away, before catching Neville's eye and grinning.

Fred Weasley and lee Jordan entered the common room with their arms laden with food – marshmallows, a jug of chocolate, mince pies and cheesecake. The boys, except Neville, and Jennifer busied themselves with spearing the marshmallows on a toasting fork and putting them over the fire, while Hermione carefully wrapped up Harry's homework and kept it under her pouch, as she picked up Harry's bag and started searching his book to keep the essay in.

Clutching the quill in his hand, Neville forgot about the essay as he saw Lee Jordan reveal a tarantula from his pocket, much to Ron's displeasure. Ron distanced himself from them as quickly as he could.

"Neville?" Avaline said once everyone was distracted.

"Yeah?"

"Would you care to meet me near the Black Lake today at midnight?"

"Midnight?" he asked. She nodded.

"We'll get caught. You know I can't afford any detentions. My pending work is so much that it would physically crush me."

"Please?" she insisted, looking strangely blank.

"Okay!" he sighed and went back to finishing his forgotten essay, his mind now occupied by Avaline's strange request.

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Quid agis hodie?