Evan Rosier (Harry Potter Fanfic/ Prequel)

4 | 41 | Is She Rubbing Off On Me?

November
According to Blair, Clay Gesselle and Andrew Dolivo aren't getting kicked off this year.

She was told, by the captain himself, that since Gryffindor is always their number one opponent and they already beat them, that he can suffer through Ravenclaw's and Hufflepuff's games. He says, what's the point of going through a tryout in the middle of the year when they can finish the season and do it next year?

Gesselle is graduating next year, but Dolivo will be in his sixth year when he's kicked off. It's nothing personal, but the Slytherin team needs better.

Blair thinks somehow it might be her fault. She says that since Dolivo and Gesselle knew for a fact that she'd be watching, they wanted to show off more than actually play the game.

I tell her it's their own faults they're getting kicked.

Besides that, the entire Slytherin House is patiently waiting for another game in February. They can't wait to go against Ravenclaw. I can't wait either, but this time, of course I'm rooting for my House.

The game isn't something that excites me as much as others. I can't wait until the holidays, and not because of Christmas (although that's a very exciting holiday). My parents have agreed to let me stay at Evan's for a few days.

I can't wait, even though I am beginning to realize he isn't really around me as much as he was, let's say, a month ago. I don't let it bother me, because I already know how tense his friends are right now. It's always like this after a game with Gryffindor.

I don't pay it much mind.

~ * ~ *
Like the day of the last Quidditch game, it's raining hard outside.

In the Great Hall, the fake glass ceiling is demonstrating just how awful the storm is. I never liked storms really, rain is peaceful and all, but storms are the opposite. They're loud, dangerous, and annoying.

I finish my food quickly and head to the library to calm down. I just wish the library didn't have any windows.

I sit at a desk in front of a bookshelf and flick my hand at the candle holder next to me. It lights up.

"Oh, wow!" Someone says from beside me. I didn't know she was near me, but it's Anastasiya- well, Ana. "I didn't know you could do that. It was impressive!"

"Thanks," I reply gruffly, not looking up to meet her eyes. I open a book and trace my finger over the pages. I'm looking for a specific page about baneberry for my Herbology essay.

"Do you think you can teach me how to do that?" She asks.

I look up at her, skeptically. "It's easy, really."

She smiles. "I wouldn't know. You're in your fourth year, and I'm a lot younger."

I close my book and face her. "Try it."

She's taken aback. "What?" I nod to her and she shrugs and flicks her hand like she saw me do it. It doesn't work. My candle remains the only one lit up.

"That was pitiful," I comment. "You have to think about it, Ana, like, light up, candle, or something like that. It's complicated, but I think you'll get it."

She stares, and giggles at my explanation. "Yeah, of course."

I find myself smile back.

She closes her eyes this time and flicks her hand, and this time, my candle goes out. I replace the flame and stand up.

"Watch." I close my eyes and concentrate on the candles around me. With a wave of my hand, flames hit their stem. The room is much brighter.

"How did you do that?" Ana asks, her eyes wide.

"Focus." The candles go out with a sizzle. She closes her eyes again and sets her hindsights on the nearest one.

She doesn't even have to wave her hand and the candlestick sets fire.

"Great job," I compliment, already returning to my book. She muses to herself, and inspects her hands closely.

I didn't realize it, but the next thing I know, Ana and I are friends.

I'll teach her basic things from our fourth and third years and she'll entertain me, and it just sort of happened. I swear this wasn't my intention.

Today, I'm with Evan and Ana, at the same time. It's strange, I know, but I've gotten used to him being around her. Like everyone thinks, Ana is perfect. She's smart for her age, and very amusing to a fourteen year old like me.

Evan finds her interesting, as I thought he would. I, myself, find her interesting.

Blair is the only one who is worried about my sudden friendship with the second year.

"Arabelle, this isn't like you," she says one evening in the corridors.

"What's not like me?"

The look she gives me makes me laugh and I shrug. "I don't know. It's just strange, maybe even refreshing, having another friend to look after when I've been hanging around you guys for four years."

Hurt flashes in her eyes but I don't recognize it. "What, you don't like your friends?"

"Blair, you're my cousin. It doesn't matter if I like you or not, which I do." I try to give her a gentle smile.

She turns her head away in annoyance. "It does matter. I don't have to have anything to do with you, but I liked you."

"Okay, well that doesn't change the fact that there are only a few people who like me. It's just you, Cynthia, Evan, and Severus."

"You forgot Moore," she grumbles.

"Jamie doesn't like me, Blair."

"What about Cassia?"

I shrug. "And Cassia, too, I guess. Four people, and now it's five. Maybe I'm just glad to have someone else along with you guys." It's hard to explain, but I see it's not getting through to her.

"You can only handle four friends at a time!" She argues. "That's why you started being mean to Jamie, and replaced her with Cassia. Now Cassia is replaced with Ana."

"Actually, I never liked Jamie," I interrupt. "And you stopped being friends with Cassia, too! You were there! You remember what she did."

She glares at me. "I mean what I said. You're not capable of so many friends at a time, and I'm not trying to be mean."

I shrug. "Yeah, whatever. It just sounds weird now that you say it, because I'm handling five friends at one time." I feign a shocked gasp. "I know, five friends?! Crazy."

"You're not listening to me," Blair says. "You've never been good with so many friends. All your life, I was your only friend."

"Things change," I say, with an uncharacteristic smile. "I'll be fine, honestly."

I don't think she believes me, but we arrive at the dungeons. I leave her there and head to my own common room.

~ * ~ *
Published 6-26-20