She's A Hufflepuff ~Book One of the Hufflepuff Chronicles

Chapter Six

Dozens of skirts swished and music flowed. Snow fell from the ceiling and disappeared just before it touched us.
"Duke! Let's dance!" I pulled him onto the dance floor. We joined into the waltz.

"You look beautiful. You know that right?" Duke held me close.
"God your wonderful," I put my head on his shoulder. "How did I get so lucky?"
"I'm not perfect," he smirked.
"Your perfect for me," I kissed him. He trailed kisses down my neck. His hands slid down to my hips.
"Wanna go somewhere private?" He whispered. My heart started beating faster.
"I-I" I stuttered.
"Hey," he took my face in his hands. "It's okay. Come on," he took my hand a pulled me toward an empty hallway. Suddenly, he pushed me up against the wall and kissed my neck. I started panicking. I wasn't ready. I didn't want to.
"Wait...Duke...Stop!" I pushed him away.
"What the hell Gwen?" He got angry.
"What the hell me? What the hell you!" I'm only fourteen. I'm so not ready!" I returned his anger. "Can we just go dance?" I reached for his hand.
"Later," he stormed away. I stared after him. I knew I made the right decision but I wished I could please him. I went to the lavatory to freshen up. When I entered I heard muffled giggling and moaning coming from a stall.
"Oh, gross!" I whispered under my breath. I wiped my face with a paper towel. The giggling and smootching sounds continued for a few moments until I heard the girls voice.
"Oh, I'm so glad you ditched you're stupid little girlfriend...Duke." That unmistakable voice belonged to Mindi Steward.
"Mhm, me too, baby" Duke responded. I couldn't speak. I felt tears boiling against the skin on my cheeks. My palms felt hot and my whole body radiated anger. My whole body started shaking and all the stalls and sinks and windows and doors began to rattle and shake until everything was violently vibrating and in a second it all exploded into shards which whistled into a wind that billowed around my clenched palms. The stall walls had been ripped away from Mindi and Duke. They held each others half naked bodies in terror. I felt the anger blisteringly hot in my arms. I started raising them, slowly. The wind whipped through my dress and hair. The windows and mirrors shattered and the shards were sucked into my apocalyptic wind of fury. The pain inside my chest was so suffocating, I couldn't breath. I screamed as loud as I could trying to get that feeling out of me. The wind got increasingly faster and harder until I reached the point where the pain was so insufferable I thrust the storm out and it dispersed through the empty window pains. I fell to my knees.
"Guinevere," Duke held his hands out as he slowly inched toward me in his underwear. Mindi hid behind him in her bra and underwear. I glared up at him with death in my eyes.
"Don't!" I spit at him. He started to back away from me again.
"How...? How did you...?" Mindi gasped. I glared at her.
"I'm a fucking Hufflepuff!" I boomed. I looked at the door which had been ripped away to see Professor McGonagall, Ash, Taylor, Pepper and the rest of the school behind them. I charged the door, running so fast they moved for their own safety. I ran and ran and didn't stop until I was at my log. I jumped over it and slid inside. I grabbed a pillow, threw it against my face and screamed. I screamed out all the memories and feelings and hopes and dreams that Duke had ever given me.

The next morning I awoke in my hideout in the woods. I was still wearing my gown from the night before and I had dirt in my hair and mascara on my face. I pulled the tight shoes of my aching feet. I curled up with my pillows, not wanting to go back to the castle yet. After about an hour I heard Pepper's voice calling nearby.
"Gwen? Gwen? Are you out here?" She was close. I poked my head out of the log and saw her about twenty feet away.
"Pepper?" I waved.
"Guinevere!" She ran towards me. She tackled me into a hug. "We've been looking everywhere for you! You look awful," she then looked behind me into my hideout. "Oh, Guinevere," she whispered. She turned around and saw the stretch of water the way you'd see it from my log. "All these years. This is the place?" She spun around soaking in the splendor of my spot.
"This is my special place," I explained. I invited her into my log. After she had looked at every last thing she turned to me. She whipped some mascara off my cheeks.
"Oh honey, I'm so sorry," she hugged me. "I'm honestly having trouble believing it."
"Yeah, me too," new tears started to slip. "What happened? What did I do?" I frowned. "I've never done something like that before."
"I know, it was so incredible," she squeezed my hands. "You were so incredible."
"Can you fix me? I need to go back," I looked down at my outfit. She pulled her wand out of her boot and swished it at me. My dress turned into a uniform and my face was cleaned and my hair in two French braids. "Thanks," I hugged her tightly.