His Green Eyes:: Book 1 (Harry Potter love story)

Chp16: Wingadium Leviosa

Perhaps it was because I was now so busy, what with Quidditch practice three evenings a week on top of all my homework, but I could hardly believe it when I realized that I'd already been at Hogwarts two months. The castle felt more like home now.

My lessons, too, were becoming more and more interesting now that I had mastered the basics.

On Halloween morning I woke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors.

Even better, Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, something we had all been dying to try since we'd seen him make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom.

Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice.

To my happiness, I was paired with Harry. But to Ron's as well as Hermoine's annoyance, they were paired together and they sat on the desk in front of us. It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this. She hadn't spoken to either of them since the day Harry's broomstick had arrived.

"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too -- never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."

"You know how to do it?" Asked Harry.

"Yeah I guess. Hermoine was saying stuff about it... how important the pronunciation is and all." I said.

"Hmm..."

"Why don't you practice first. Then I'll try." I said. Harry nodded and began to try. However, he could not succeed.

Ron, wasn't having much more luck. "Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill. "You're saying it wrong," I heard Hermione snap.

"It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."

"You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled. Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!" Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.

"Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"

Hermoine wore a truiphant expression on her face, while Ron scowled and burried his face into his books.

"Shall I try now?" I asked Harry who was still looking at the floating feather, Hermoine had sent up.

"Yeah sure."

I concentrated hard and said loudly and clearly, "Wingadium Leviosa!" Our feather, too rose into the air and Professor Flitwick squeaked in excitement again, "There, Miss Granger has done it, too! Very good indeed."

"Wow!" Harry whispered.

"You try it. Its not that difficult." I smiled at Harry.

But at the end of the lesson, it was only Hermoine and I who succeeded.

Before I could walk off with Harry, Hermoine caught my hand and pulled me back. So we were now walking directly behind Harry and Ron.

"Honestly, if you do not know a spell, atleast learn from someone who knows it.... but no! For these boys, their pride comes first!" She whispered.

I just listened nuetrally, without any reaction.

Harry and Ron might have not noticed us walking behind because, Ron started speaking very loudly, "It's no wonder no one can stand her," he said to Harry as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor, "she's a nightmare, honestly. Except poor Cathy ofcourse. I really don't know how she tolerates her. I mean look at them... they are two opposites. Cathy is so nice and sweet, while her sister is a DISASTER! And she won't even alow Cathy to be with us! That's so selfish. Just because she can't make friends on her own, doesn't mean you take away your sister's friends eh?"

I felt Hermoine stiffin up next to me.

"Hermoi...."

" 'It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long.' " Said Ron in a high pitched voice, trying to immitate Hermoine.

I looked at her, she had tears flowing down her eyes in streams. I tried catching her hand but she shook me off, pushed passed Ron and Harry and broke into a run.

"I think she heard you." Harry said.

"YES SHE DID!" I said loudly.

They turned back to see me.

"Oh Cathy...."

"She heard everything you said Ronald." I said with so much bitterness in my voice that Ron flinched.

"I..."

"Get aside." I said harshly before I pushed passed them and ran after Hermoine.

I followed Hermoine untill she locked herself in one of the stalls in the girls bathroom.

"Hermoine!" I shouted, "Open up!"

"Go away!" I heard a cracked high pitched voice.

"Please Hermoine! Don't do this!" I shouted.

"I said go away Catherine." He shouted back.

"Come out! Listen, Ronald is a moron to say such stuff about you okay. Don't cry because of him, Hermoine." I said.

"Yeah he's your dear friend, isn't he?" Shouted Hermoine fiercely.

"Hermoine. Please come out."

"Go away and leave me alone!"

I tried my best to tell her to come out. But she did not even answer my calls after sometime. I could hear her soft sobbing.

I missed all that days lessons. I sat outside the stall and waited. But after sometime, I got really tired.

So I left and miserably walked into the Great Hall. A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter. The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet.

Even that couldn't improve my mood. I sat at the farthest corner from where the boys sat as they were helping themselves to large chunks of food. I turned away from them and sighed.

"Cathy?" I heard a voice after sometime.

It was Harry. He and Ron might have noticed me because they had left their food and come and sit opposite to me.

"Go away." I said dryly.

"Where is Hermoine?" Asked Ron tentatively.

"Thanks to you, she has locked herself in the girls bathroom and has been crying the entire day." I said refusing to meet his eyes.

"I'm sorry." Mumbled Ron.

"You should tell that to Hermoine." I said.

"I would have, but I can't go into the girls bathroom now, can I?" He asked. I finally looked at him to see the faintest of grin on his face. Harry, too was smiling.

I was about to answer when, Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face. Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped, "Troll -- in the dungeons -- thought you ought to know."