Third Time's the Charm

Chapter Six-Brilliance

Finally, the class ends and I leave with a happy smile on my face. I love Transfiguration, always have. I meet up with Lily and the girls who sweetly congratulates me on my gaining so many points.

"I'm not sure if I've ever seen anyone gain McGonagall's favor so fast. You slipped her a galleon, didn't you?" Marlene accuses and I laugh.

"If you think she'll take bribes I think that's the problem in your relationship," I tell her and she shrugs, blowing a huge bubble with her gum. It pops and the hall is filled with a lion's roar. We all giggle at how the noise scares various others in the hall.

"While you were aweing the others, I was looking at Sirius. Couldn't take his eyes off you, Arell." Alice points out and my cheeks darken a bit.

"I know better than to take a guy like that seriously," I tell her and she shrugs.

"Still, she's right," Lily says as we turn a corner on our way to charms. "You'll not likely lose his attention the way you keep denying him. I've never seen a girl turn him down and him still look at them like he looks at you." She says and the other girls ooo appropriately. I wave them off with a smile.

"Then he'll have a very lonely year. Change the subject, please." I ask and Marlene blows another bubble that sounds like a bear.

"I want to color my hair like the muggles do. Either of you have any hair dye?" She asks Lily and me, but we both shake our heads.

"What about a spell, Arell?" Emmaline asks, lifting her head from her potions book for a moment. I think on it before nodding.

"I do have a hair color spell, but I haven't tried it yet. I've no clue what it'll actually do." I tell Marlene who hums with worry and interest.

"Well, I guess all we can do is try and see what happens." She shrugs and now I get a bit nervous. "But let's wait until tonight so if it doesn't work out, I'll have time to cry about it before going to class." We get to Charms and this time I get to sit with the girls. The lesson is charming a book to fly and once again, I finish within the first five minutes.

"Very well done, Miss Ackley! Ten points to Gryffindor!" Professor Flitwick announces and I glow at the looks my house gifts me. Maybe this is what belonging somewhere feels like. After Charms we've got lunch, then free period before potions. We eat our sandwiches as the ladies take me out to the lake that I definitely haven't seen before. It's a hard call whether it's more beautiful at night or now, but I decide it's just better overall with friends.

"This is our spot. We claim it every year and now it's yours too." Lily tells me as we sit on the pebbly shore. Marlene, Emmaline, and Alice lose their socks and shoes before standing on the shore so the water can lick their toes. It's a beautiful day. One of the last ones most likely before the real arrival of fall. I spy Lily glancing over at the arrival of the boys as they plop themselves down under a beech tree near enough to see but far enough away to not hear them. James and Sirius find Lily and me before we both look away back at the water.

"What's your favorite class?" I ask Lily idly as she puts her hair up while the sun hits us strongly on the black pebbles.

"Hm. I really like potions. We've got that after this and if you're half as good at that as you are at everything else, you'll be invited to join the slug club." The other ladies groan at that and Lily grins.

"The slug club? What's that?" I ask.

"It's an exclusive club put together by the potions teacher, Professor Slughorn, of his 'most promising students.' Bit creepy in my opinion." Marlene explains and Lily lightly tosses a pebble at her.

"Don't say that, I like Professor Slughorn. He's sweet."

"He's sweet because you're brilliant at potions, unlike the rest of us." Alice points out and I gesture to Emmaline questioningly. Alice rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "She doesn't count because she rarely applies herself." Emmaline shoots her the middle finger and Alice sighs.