The Keeper

Chapter 7

The songs I listened to while writing were Hey There Delilah by The Plain White T's, Waiting For The Rapture by Oasis and Oblivion by Bastille.

*

It was now mid-November. The air was crisp and there was always a chilled Autumn breeze in the air. But most excitement worthy was the visit to Hogsmeade tomorrow. I adored the cosy little village, which would undoubtedly be adorned with various Christmas decorations by now. Christmas was my favourite time at Hogwarts. And as luck would have it, my parents were planning on spending December away, leaving me at Hogwarts during the break. I had been looking forward to Christmas for a while now.

But that wouldn't be for a few weeks. Until then, I'd have to focus on finishing my essay for Professor Binns about the Giant Wars.

"I can't remember how to spell cabbage," Sasha said. She threw her quill at the table, prompting other studying students to look up in annoyance. "Why can't I remember how to spell cabbage? I swear Professor Sprout will actually kill me if I hand in another essay with plants spelt wrong."

Aleeza giggled. "I'll be your pallbearer."

"I'll be the musician," Louise added.

"I'll write the eulogy," I said, smirking.

"And I'll choose the message for your gravestone," Gillian finished.

"You think you're joking but I am deadly serious," Sasha moaned, rubbing her temples.

"Deadly," Louise repeated, stifling a laugh. "Nice one."

"Leave me alone," Sasha said. Finally, she managed to write cabbage on her parchment. We applauded lightly, to her dismay.

Turning away from the others, I decided to bury myself in my work and do some more research in my textbook. Naturally, I soon got bored so pulled out a spare piece of parchment and doodled for a few minutes. 

I didn't realise for a while that I had spent too much time drawing instead of working. It took Sasha's consistent poking to get me to stop.

"Awww," she cooed. "A little kitty cat."

"Better than Professor Binns any day," I replied. "And it's an adorable cat who doesn't deserve your cruelty. Anyway, aren't you doing Care of Magical Creatures right now?"

"And aren't you doing History of Magic right now?" she mimicked.

I rolled my eyes. Nevertheless, I set my lovely cat aside and continued editing my essay. Turns out, after a little determination, the Giant Wars are genuinely fascinating. I found it much easier to write my essay once I began enjoying myself. I poured out paragraphs about how the Giants, despite being much less skilful than their wand-wielding counterparts, nearly wiped out witches and wizards.

Louise peered over my shoulder. She let out a sigh and I turned to face her, mildly confused. "I don't see how you have so many notes on the Giant Wars," she said. "I automatically tune out after the first few minutes of Binns' droning. His voice equals my boredom."

"I get lucky," Aleeza piped in, "because I'll fall asleep on top of my textbook and wake up refreshed. History of Magic is my nap time. Professor Binns has given me a whole lot of energy, really."

"I actually like the subject, so let me write," I said, shooing the pair away.

"Nerd," Aleeza said with a wink.

*

There were no more classes today so all of the fifth years congregated in their common rooms. Sasha and I had chosen to go to The Gryffindor common room instead because lots of our study partners were in Gryffindor.  After waiting outside the Fat Lady for a few minutes, some Gryffindor students said the password for us and let us inside. I'd always loved the Gryffindor common room, with its roaring fire and comfy sofas.

My study partner, Prue, was waiting for me. She was very tall and her long legs occupied nearly all of the main sofa in front of the fireplace. I pushed her legs off, taking their place. I sighed as I felt myself sink into the soft material.

"Ready for some fun?" she asked sarcastically.

"Always," I replied, opening my copy of Magical Drafts and Potions. 

"Oh, hey Y/N." Oliver strolled between us and the fireplace with a smile on his face.

"Hey, Oliver."

He took a seat in the armchair next to me. "Studying?"

I nodded. "Prue is my study partner."

"I keep her sane during Potions, mostly," Prue quipped. "She keeps me sane during History of Magic. It's a very tough task."

He hummed in agreement. "The joy that is Professor Binns."

"Quite."

Prue dropped her textbook on the ground. "I'm not in the mood for studying. We've been working all day and I think we all deserve a break," she declared.

"There's Hogsmeade tomorrow," I pointed out.

"Ooh, Hogsmeade," she exclaimed. "That's a lovely distraction from this rubbish. Have you guys got dates?"

Oliver and I glanced at each other.

"I don't," we chorused.

"Maybe you should ask someone," Prue suggested. "Autumn is always wonderful in Hogsmeade, especially at Madam Puddifoot's. I hear she makes a fantastic selection of pumpkin pies."

"I'll check it out," I said. "Just on my own."

"Me too," Oliver said.

Prue gasped. "You two could go together!" she cried.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Sasha and her study partner turn to face the source of the noise. Sasha winked and I glared at her.

"I'd be happy to go as friends," Oliver said slowly. His words sounded unsure. "Only if you want to, of course."

"No, that would be nice," I answered.

The thought of going to Hogsmeade with Oliver actually made me quite happy. He had grown to become a good friend of mine. But going to Madam Puddifoot's, somewhere known as pretty much exclusively as a date location, filled me with something else. Whether it was excitement, dread or anticipation, I wasn't sure. This wasn't a date, though. I made a point of telling Sasha this later. For some reason, she didn't believe me.

"It's a date!" she squealed, gripping my arm. "This is brilliant!"

"Not a date," I repeated.

"You're denying it," she said. "That makes it true."

"On the contrary," I say, exasperated, "it is possible I'm denying it because it's not true."

"This is the start of something romantic," Sasha insisted. "Just you wait."