Disclaimer, anything that you recognize belongs to JKR :) Now read on. Warning the last chapter was short. Welll this one is long. Really long. Good luck ;)
To say I was nervous was quite the understatement. Halloween was tonight and everything had to go to plan. Everything. I had spent every single free moment with James since the Hogsmead weekend for this. I spent hours brewing smelly sleeping potions for this. I breathed in heavily.
The castle right now was magical. Not for long. Not when we were done with it. I got up from the Ravenclaw sofa and grabbed the bag on the ground. I quickly left the common room and literally raced for the kitchens. The bag clinked and clanked in my hands but I didn't care. I only had so much time for this.
Ten minutes later I stood panting in front of a portrait of fruits. As James had taught me I tickled the pear. The portrait opened up and I tentatively stepped inside the kitchens. I breathed in and out. Absolutely terrified of what I was about to do.
I glanced around. In front of me there were five long tables. Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and the teachers. I darted for the one I knew to be the teachers. House elves around me dodged out of the way with disgruntled looks.
Finally I got there. I leaned against the table and set my bag down on it. I opened it and took out the first potion's flask. I opened it and began to pour its contents into a jug of pumpkin juice. I did this for every single jug.
Thirteen empty potions flasks later I was finally done. I hid the bag and flasks deep in the kitchen and began towards the Great Hall for dinner.
I loved the Great Hall on Halloween. The pumpkins floated in the air elegantly with their warm candle light glow. All the food on the table was pumpkin oriented. Too bad we students were going to take the innocence of tonight and throw it out of the window. Yet I sat at the Ravenclaw table with Laney on my side, Jordan and Garrett in front of us.
I watched Garrett for a moment and willed for him to look up at me. Which he hadn't. Not since he heard me say I was crept out by him liking me. He just looked down and talked to me like nothing happened. I sighed in frustration and turned to look at the other two. Laney shrugged her shoulders while Jordan rolled his eyes.
"So are you and Vera going to the party?" Laney asked Jordan with interest. It sickened me how she just accepted those two. Actually not them but plain and simple her.
Jordan smirked and answered, "Hell yeah."
I rolled my eyes at the two while Garrett gave Jordan a high five. Boys. "Getting lucky tonight?" Garrett asked him and raised his eyebrows suggestively.
"Guys!" Laney shouted with a laugh, "Don't be such pigs!"
Jordan nodded at Laney and then whispered, "You bet Garrett."
"Jordan!" Laney cried out sternly.
He managed to look somewhat ashamed before smiling again. "I'm only human Laney. Sorry," he replied.
Laney rolled her eyes and laughed, "Whatever." She then turned to me, raised her eyebrow and asked, "Can we please know anything now Candice?"
I smirked at her knowingly and answered, "Of course. Bring your costume and be on the top floor at eight."
She groaned and laughed at the same time, "You're an evil little witch. You know that?"
I shrugged at her and glanced over my shoulder at the Gryffindor table. James caught my eye immediately and nodded towards the exist. "I've got to go! Meet you guys later," I announced and sprang up. Nervous butterflies filled my stomach.
"Bye," they all chorused slowly as I walked towards James.
The second I stepped out of the Hall I felt someone grab my wrist and drag me up a million stairs. "Will says we're good to go. None of our spells should contradict each other," James explained as he literally took the stairs two at a time.
I panted as I tried to keep up with him. "S-slow down James we still have a good two hours to set everything up," I managed to choke out somewhere on the way up.
I heard him chuckle and then he answered, "We have two hours to turn the top floor into a nightmare. We're cutting it a bit close Candice."
Nervous butterflies filled my stomach. We weren't going to get caught I told myself. We had the Gryffindor prefects patrolling the top floor and all the teachers would go to bed in ten minutes and only wake up at eleven tomorrow morning.
Finally we sprinted over the last step. I bent over and tried to regain my breath. James immediately went to discuss something with Will. They were all working already. Apparently every Gryffindor seventh year took part in organizing this party. I was only aloud to partake because I'm 'James's girlfriend'.
The hall seemed bigger I couldn't exactly place why. I looked down and saw Vera, Ettie and Reagan casting spell after spell all around them. With each spell the place seemed to get gloomier and darker. A slight fog appeared at our feet. In the opposite direction I saw Fred and Noah enchanting candles to look old and dark. I saw all the other Gryffindors running around wildly.
"Hey," James said from behind me. I screeched and nearly jumped a meter in the air.
"James!" I cried out as I placed my hand over my heart. Poor thing probably died.
"Candice," he mimicked with a chuckle, "We have the end of the hallway for our tricks and treats. We were also set with the task of setting cobwebs and putting illusions on the windows."
James who I just realized had a bag of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes on him pulled out this strange silky material. A second later he began to levitate it up to the ceiling. With a sticking charm they stayed in place but some hung down low. "Okay then, guess that leaves me with the windows," I figured out.
James smirked at me and pulled me into a one armed hug. "You're the one who learned the spell," he reminded me.
I rolled my eyes. I had found it in an old library book last week. It was a non verbal spell and not that easy to do but I had been practicing. I went up to the first window and closed my eyes. I swished my wand in a circular motion and then stabbed the air and screamed the words in my head.
I heard someone clap behind me. "Quite the talent you have there Candice," James complimented. I opened my eyes and examined my work. The window had been shattered in the middle. I cast another charm so that air blew the curtains up at random times. That's when I realized my mistake. I had accidentally put a duckling in the illusion. It was right there in the corner, small, tiny, yellow and innocent looking.
I groaned, "Not really. That stupid duck won't go away." I heard some shuffling and then James was right beside me. He examined the illusion and spotted the duckling.
Of course he laughed at me. "Ha, oh well. It's not that bad. Maybe no one will realize," he reassured me.
I rolled my eyes and replied, "Yeah, nobody is going to realize. Nope just an adorable little ducky in the middle of a spooky window."
James thought for a moment and suggested, "Maybe you could give it fangs?"
"James!" I yelled at him and smacked him for good measure. He pulled me into a hug and laughed.
"Come on there are a lot more windows in need of cute little duckies," he reminded me and steered me towards the next window.
Twenty nine windows, thirteen ducklings, two with fangs, later we were done. "Why do ducks keep appearing in all my illusions!" I yelled across the hall. Three Gryffindors stopped their current work and stared at me like I needed help. Which I did. I mean there are ducks in my illusions and they won't go away.
In one of them the duck was running around wildly flapping its wings as it chased a ghost. "Lets move on to the tricks and treats before I turn someone into a duck," I ordered James and dragged him to the end of the hall.
"Of course my love!" he yelled to the whole world. I just shrugged. James seemed to enjoy proclaiming his 'love' for me to the entire world.
We had an hour to until the party. To say I was panicking was an understatement. It had been cleared about thirty minutes ago that all teachers were asleep and anybody who would rat us out was 'taken care of'. "So where should we put the trap door?" I asked James.
He vaguely pointed somewhere to on of the classrooms and answered, "There. If people want to be a wall flower tonight they're in for a surprise."
I unlocked the door with a spell. It revealed an old unused classroom with enough dust for an army of dust bunnies to take over Hogwarts. I examined the room slowly. It could work. I went back out and grabbed the bag. In it was a book and I searched for the cleaning spell. A second later I was back and I muttered the spell. James followed me in time to see the dust fly up in the air and swirl in a circle. Then vanish.
I started coughing uncontrollably. So did James. "Stupid," cough, "dust!" I coughed out.
"So do you have the Velox Magus James?" I asked him. We spent four hours looking for a plant that could grow quickly. Apparently with a spell. Argumenti of course. This plant would sprout seven feet tall. Sure it wasn't tough but for a maze it would do right?
"Yup, I'll spread the roots along the design Will made," he answered and began to drop the roots on the floor. I helped him. The maze wasn't complicated but I liked it. In a couple minutes we were done. "Watch this Candice!" James asked enthusiastically. I turned to look at him by the door. He ducked and rolled on the floor while shouting Argumenti in every direction. Everywhere roots transformed into tall monstrous plants. James broke through one and appeared beside me. "Now that was bloody awesome!"
I laughed at him and shook my head. I flicked my wand and any of the candles in the classroom went out. The place was dark and eerie. Perfect. The way out led to another classroom that held some sort of 'treat'.
We left back in the hallway where I opened the door and then put an illusion on the wall so that no one could see the door. "Ha! There's a duck on the bottom corner," James pointed out.
"Arg!" I screeched frustrated, "What's with me and ducks?"
James shrugged and laughed again. I was seriously going to hurt someone. "Do you have the nets and the giant chocolate frogs?" he asked me.
"I have the nets. I'll just Accio the frogs," I answered. I swished my wand and called out, "Accio giant chocolate frogs!" A moment later ten chocolate frogs the size of a Chihuahua appeared. "So James dear, where are we putting these little buggers?" I asked.
"Up on the ceiling. When this place only have two or three people. Nets will fall and one chocolate frog will fall too," James announced. I shrugged and levitated the little buggers on the ceiling. I stuck a sticking charm on them and the fog and gloominess seemed to hide them enough. I'd come back later tonight to drop one.
That was it for me and James. It left us with twenty minutes to get changed in our costumes before the party. The place looked nowhere near done. I hoped that would change in twenty minutes. "I guess I'll see you later James. This night better be fun," I told him.
"Yup and you better look like a slag," he joked and pulled me into a hug. I hugged him back for a moment awkwardly and then waved him off.
I raced back to the common room where luckily people were leaving so the stupid door was already open. I sped in and stuck my tongue out at the knocker. Once I crashed into my dorm I saw my roommates all putting last touches on their costumes.
"Candice!" Laney screeched at me which caused the other girls to all stare at her.
I raised my eyebrow at her in confusion and asked, "What?"
"You're nowhere near ready! This is first Halloween party and you're a host!" she explained to me.
Oh dear Merlin. "I'll just slip on my costume. No big deal," I explained to her. I went to get the bag on my bed. I glanced next to it. She didn't. "Laney ..." I began and shook my head.
"Oh come on. If you're not going to wear a proper Halloween costume at least wear sexy knickers!" she complained with a pout.
I sighed. I was going to regret this but, "Fine then! But everything else. It's what I say."
"Yes!" Laney hollered and threw her arms in the air.
Someone please help me. "And I saw that I will wear that costume," I announced as I pointed to the bag. I pulled out the cheap looking costume that cost me a fortune. It was a tight dark blue wrap dress covered in a thick light blue material that had silver and blue stars in it. The material went all the way to my knees, all along down my arms. There were small matching wings that came with it. They were made of the same material.
"Really, a fairy? And a cheap one too," Laney complained.
"I think it looks ... nice sort of," Zara tried to help from her corner. She was going as a pirate.
Laney was going as a vampire. She had fangs and her lips were cherry red. She had somehow coloured her eyes so they were red and thirsty. Her dress could past as a shirt on me and I'm the short one. For some strange reason she had also insisted on getting a small cape with a high collar. Don't ask me.
I went in the bathroom and changed into the 'sexy knickers' or torture devise in my opinion. I then quickly slipped the dress and wings on. I stepped out of the bathroom satisfied. Laney let out a dramatic wail and fell on her bed which left my roommates giggling. "At least I look decent and -," I began defended when it felt cold out of nowhere.
All my roommates were staring at me horrified. I glanced down and my eyes widened. Slowly, the light blue material on top of my dress was changing from light blue to transparent and its brisk texture changed into one of a silky liquid. I know that made no sense but it was the only way to explain it. It shimmered silver. The colour seemed to seep to my legs as ribbons as thin as skin were tying themselves around my legs and created thin little flats on my feet. I checked behind me. My wings were transparent in the middle but blended into dark blue at the end and also shimmered silver.
"Can someone check the bag this came in?" I asked in confusion. I glanced down at my that also turned from normal to dark blue with a little star that kept flying around through them.
Zara went to my bag and picked it up she immediately began to read out loud, "Fairy Wonderland. This dress was crafted by fairies to transform its wearer into one of their own for the night. Have fun discovering the many mysteries of this dress."
Dear Merlin. I was wearing fairy magic. I had no clue what it meant but I stared in wonder as my skin paled and got a blue tint. "Look in the mirror!" Laney demanded out of nowhere.
I did sort of confused. I stared back at something that wasn't me. My hair was curled elegantly and I had a crown of the weird material in my hair. My wings were literally beating. My eyes had changed to dark blue and make up had magically appeared on my face. "Dear Merlin, this isn't going to end well," I predicted but began towards the door.
Laney raised her eyebrow at me. "You're still going after all that happened to you?" she asked me in disbelief.
I gave her a sly smile feeling something weird inside me, "Laney dear. We just have to go with the flow. Have fun."
She got up and examined me, "That costume also did something to your brain. You're acting weird."
Yet she took my arm and raced me to the top floor.
When I took the last step to the top floor I literally entered a different world. What we could see of the floor was dark grass, black earth and gravestones along the walls. Not that you could see much of it. There was a thick fog in the area. Candles lit the air in an eerie glow. There were vines and cobwebs against the wall. My illusions made it look like there was a thunder storm outside. That had brought in ... a duckling. I rolled my eyes but smiled.
On both sides of us were 'mansions' with music pulsing in them. Laney turned to me. Her jaw dropped, "You guys did all this in two hours?" she questioned.
I rolled my eyes and flushed in pride, "Yeah we did."
We went for the mansion on the left that was marked fifth to seventh years. Laney took a deep breath and knocked on the door with a knocker. To my horror it transformed into a troll head and asked, "Whether you be red, yellow, green or blue. Who are you tonight?" I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.
What the-, "Someone else," Laney answered easily. The door opened and both stepped in. The first thing to hit me was the heat. The place was so hot. The second was the smell. It smelt of hot, sweat, dirt and fun? I shook my head in confusion. The third was the music. It was literally alive. The room seemed to be pounding to the beat. Even with the candles that all went out at the same time on and off you could feel the movement of the crowd. It was like one giant person. I smiled and willed my cowardly self to hide in a corner for tonight.
In a moment I saw Will start towards us as we moved out of the way of the door. "Laney! And who is your ... enchanting friend?" he asked. He honestly looked confused.
Behind me I felt two arms snake around my waist. "That would be my little fairy. Eyes off buddy," James announced. I felt his breath on my neck and smelt the alcohol off it.
Will's eyes widened. "Wow Candice. I didn't know you had it in. And Laney you look amazing," he complimented. I turned to look at Laney who looked embarrassed. I wondered why but I glanced at Will and suddenly understood. He was a vampire too. His costume matched hers perfectly.
"Uh, thank you," she muttered and seemed uncomfortable. She backed up into someone. "Oh, sorry-" she began but he cut her off. With a big drunken kiss.
Nice one Fred. "Laney, Laney, Bobaney. My lovely, lovely love!" he belted out in a drunken slur. I laughed at the sight of Fred.
Laney seemed much more at ease now. Her shoulders were relaxed and her smile was real. Her eyes twinkled. "Hey Freddie," she greeted happily.
"Do you know what I'm supposed to be?" he asked her eagerly. We all examined Fred for a moment. He was dressed in muggle clothes. The only thing abnormal was there was a lot of blood on him. Laney shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. "Your next victim!" he cried out.
I heard James choke on a laugh from behind me. While Laney became red but laughed a little too.
I turned to look at Will who looked furious to have been outdone so easily. "Hey Candice," James whispered in my ear, "Lets go explore the place." I nodded to him.
I took a moment to examine his costume and then burst out laughing. James was in healer robes. His hair was all tousled, or what Laney called 'sex hair'. His face was covered in lipstick marks that faded and returned. He had a heart name tag on his chest the read, 'Healer Love'. "Healer Love, really James?" I questioned him.
He nodded proudly, "Hey its better then a fairy. I mean I know you're short but you're not that short." I smacked his arm and laughed still.
"It was the only none slaggy thing I could find and in the end it turned out like this," I explained.
My James gave me the one over. I'm serious. He then smirked and pulled me in close, "I like the way it turned out Candice. You look exotic and ... never mind."
Yeah he better have not finished that sentence. "Smart choice James," I replied with a sly smirk. There was that weird feeling in my stomach. I had a burning need for ... trouble. For exotic. For new. "Now this is my first party. So how do we start these things off?" I asked and batted my now long and dark blue eyelashes.
James looked confused but shrugged it off, "By drinking of course. I'm getting you your own bottle of Firewhiskey. Little tip. Once you open it don't let it out of your sight."
I gulped. Firewhiskey, that was the man stuff but I was a woman. I needed lady drinks! As soon as the thought entered my mind that weird feeling came back and suddenly I was craving that drink. I needed it. "What are we waiting?" I asked.
James pulled me through the dancing bodies. The lights flickered on and off in beat with the music. Suddenly we were in front of a large table. Noah leaned against it drumming his fingers on the glasses and bottles. "Noah buddy. Two bottles glasses of Firewhiskey. Save a bottle for the se- ... exotic lady beside me," James ordered.
"Coming right up," Noah answered. He was dressed as a werewolf and actually looked terrifying. He juggled the glasses in the air and then caught them both. He poured in the intoxicating liquid in them and then handed them over to James. "Enjoy!" he cried out.
"Thanks man," James replied and handed one glass to me. "Come on lets go Ducky," James snickered. I followed his vision of site and saw one of my ducks with fangs in the window.
I rolled my eyes but followed him anyway. There was a pumpkin shaped seat on the wall which we sat on. "Now drink it slowly," James advised.
I nodded and took a sip. I tasted pretty good. I swallowed it down and felt a burning sensation. I coughed on it a little bit. James glanced at me worriedly but I managed to swallow it down. "That burnt!" I screeched with a laugh.
That weird feeling came back. I took a deep breath and took a bigger drink of it this time. Then another. "Whoa there, Candice. The night's young and you're just an amateur at this," James cautioned me and then took my drink.
I pouted at him and crossed my arms. "Fine then. Do you want to dance?" I asked him.
"Sure," he replied and tried to get up. A piercing sound rung through our ears.
"Trick! Trick! Trick! Trick! Trick!" I heard a high pitched version of someone voice yell. "Want to get up? Snog your partner. Or you'll be stuck and I don't care who they are!" I heard the high pitched voice that sounded distinctly like Vera say.
James smirked and he commented, "Well ... this is more of a treat if you ask me."
I glowered at him, "Oh no it's a trick. Trust me Healer Love."
James rolled his eyes and asked, "Do you want to spend your whole night on seat?" He raised his eyebrow at me. Yet I felt him glance at me in an appreciative way again.
Instead of feeling annoyed I felt that weird feeling comeback. "Of course not," I replied easily. James stared at me pointedly and I rolled my eyes in a pretend pissed off manner. I didn't want him to know about that weird feeling I kept getting tonight. Stupid fairy costume.
"You know you're not going-" James tried to start but I faked a frustrated sigh and pulled him to me. Our lips met instantly and again my mind just went blank. Both our bodies just took over as he wrapped his arms around me and ran his fingers over the silky material of my dress. My hands went for his already tousled hair. My lips moved against his naturally.
That's when it happened. That weird feeling I had been having all night came back. I suddenly had to restrain from letting go completely. Which was a lot harder done then said when you were snogging the living daylights out of someone. I broke away from him but Vera's voice rung in my ear, "Not good enough. That was child play. I said snog!"
Even when she didn't mean to that girl pissed me off. I yelled, "Fine!" I heard James chuckle and then I lost myself completely. I let that feeling I had been having since I put on the costume have its way. I kissed James again and again. I tried to push myself closer and closer. His hands roamed my body freely. His lips travelled down my neck.
Until we fell off the bench. Of course James as the world would have it fell on top of me. I felt the wind knocked out of me and then pushed him off me. I leaped into the air and literally floated for a moment before I landed gracefully on the ground. "Well that was interesting," I answered easily. I thought I would have been shaken a bit after snogging James but I was fine. The only thing I needed was some air.
James shook his head in confusion. "Don't do that," he muttered groggily. Since he was on the floor still I crouched so we were at eye level.
"Do what?" I asked with a sly smile and cocked my head to the side.
"Make me ... dizzy," he muttered quietly.
Dizzy, huh? I smirked. Oh this would be fun. "Sure thing Jamesie!" I hollered and then pulled him to his feet. It was weird. I felt like for once I had the upper hand.
Before we left for the dance floor I grabbed my drink and gulped it all down. I shook the whole place back to clear vision. I also grabbed James drink and downed that one too. I smiled happily. I felt invincible I mean I had the upper hand! I dragged James on the dance floor and hollered, "Dance with me!"
James who seemed to have been unshaken, if that even made sense, laughed and nodded. "Sure thing Candice. That is if you can dance."
I stuck my tongue out at him. "Laney taught me a step or two," I answered easily. We were surrounded by now. Bodies were moving and grinding. Who knew with whom? Everybody was moving in the same way. The music pounded and the room seemed to explode. I threw my arms in the air and did what Laney always told me about dancing. Let go and go with the flow.
I felt James move his body with mine. Any other night in any other outfit I would of minded but tonight I was a fairy. Tonight I was someone else and tonight someone else seemed to have control over me.
"Hey, hey, hey. Freddie here at the DJ! Here's a song for my girlfriend Laney," he somehow bellowed across the whole place.
Then suddenly I heard the song me and Laney had been in love with since we heard it for first time in the summer of first year. "Yeah!" I whooped without knowing it.
I heard James laugh. His voice was suddenly in my ear. I couldn't even feel the heat of his breath because of the heat of the bodies around me. "Having fun Duck?" he asked me.
I nodded my head. I was too breathless from dancing to answer him. Once the song finished and another one came on I panted out, "I can't breath. Let's go to the side!" I giggled. I swayed a little.
I didn't know but I think James nodded. I dragged him off the dance floor anyways. I went for the drinks table. It was someone else now. Jordan? I straightened myself up and tried to look normal. "Jordan!" I cried out too loudly once I got to him.
"Err? ... Candice?" he asked confused as he examined me.
"The one and only!" I exclaimed and then twirled in a circle. Both him and James flinched.
"James?" Jordan asked eyeing him worriedly.
"Forget about him for a moment Jordan! I want another drink," I pouted and crossed my arms.
Jordan shook his head no but I grabbed a glass anyway. I grabbed the bottle out of Jordan hands and poured the contents into the glass. Gulped it down and poured myself another glass while the two boys before me stared horrified.
What?
"Candice calm down a little. That's Firewhiskey. That's a man drink," James cautioned and tried to tug the glass out of my hands. I held on firmly and narrowed my eyes at him.
"I know what it is love. I want to cut loose for one night so leave me be. Every night I study and try to follow the rules yet be fun at the same time. It's tiring and now here I am at a party. Looking sexy and you're telling me to calm down?" I retorted at him in a serious tone. I hadn't known I'd been feeling all that but know that I had said it I knew it was true.
James and Jordan looked at each other and then they looked at me and shrugged. "Go ahead Duck. Drink up," James urged and let go of my glass.
I smiled happily at him and grabbed his hand and ran down the hall where all the trick and treats were.
"Will you stop following me?" I heard Laney bellow. I stopped and James ran into me.
I turned around and looked around wildly. I couldn't see her anywhere. James tapped my shoulder and pointed ahead of me, "They're right there Candice."
Oh. Well that explained it. Explained what? Never mind. I squinted and the two people in front of me seemed to come in focus a bit. Laney and ... Will.
"I just have to ask you something then I'll leave you alone," Will tried to bargain. Laney placed her hand on her hip and glared at him but nodded. "Did you ever like me?" he asked and the stumbled on his words, "Because I thought you did but now you're with Fred."
Laney stayed silent. "Come on Duck. We shouldn't be eavesdropping on them," James tried to explain but I was honestly curious. "Duck." I heard him sigh as I waited for Laney to answer. I saw her lips move but James picked me up and flung me over his shoulder.
He then leaned against the wall and we stumbled in. "Sweet mother of Merlin James. Our own trick?" I bellowed out at him.
I heard him laugh. Yet it was so dark I couldn't see anything. "Well I thought we were invading," he mumbled in the dark.
For some reason that was funny. The darkness was funny. The fact that I was in a maze that led to a treat. That was funny. The first laugh exploded out of me, then another and another until James's head appeared above my own. "Candice, are you okay?" he asked me.
"Ha- no. I don't know. Do I look alright? Wait never mind it's too dark to see anything. Haha! Lying on the floor is nice," I randomly blurted out.
"Candice. I think your brain kind of died," he began with a tiny smirk.
"Nu-uh!" I shouted at him.
James rolled his eyes at me. Or I think he did. He could have raised his eyebrow or maybe he didn't do anything at all. "I think we need to get you out of here. The maze is confusing so maybe I'll just blast a hole through the plants. Or maybe-" James blabbered on mainly to himself. My head pounded with all his words. His lips just kept moving and moving.
Suddenly I lifted my head up and briefly kissed him before I let myself fall again. "Shut up James," I demanded.
I heard him take a deep breath. He then picked me up over his shoulder and bellowed, "Charge!" I screamed as he raced through all the plants. All the way until we entered the classroom beside.
"What in Merlin's name was that for?" I demanded from James in a panicked voice.
"Why in Merlin's bloody name did you randomly kiss me?" he demanded in return.
I squirmed myself out of his grip and fell on the hard floor. I smiled on the ground and answered, "You wouldn't shut up. Did it bother you James?"
James rolled his eyes and helped me up. "No it didn't. You just caught me off guard. Doesn't happen often Duck so feel proud."
I glanced around. This was supposed to be a treat? The classroom looked normal. Clean yes but normal. Suddenly I heard a voice I didn't recognize ask, "What's your favourite candy?"
"Chocolate frog," I answered without thinking. James tried to clamp his hand around my mouth but it was too late. Hundred of miniature chocolate frogs were raining down on us. Hundred of little creatures that liked to hop and croak, a lot. "Ah!" I screeched as they jumped all over the place.
"Duck!" James yelled.
I had no clue why he yelled that but I ducked. I threw myself to the ground and covered my head while I screamed like a banshee. Don't ask me why, he yelled duck I listened. I heard him laughing, "No I meant Duck, like Candice and Hayes," he tried to explain.
The chocolate frogs kept jumping around us as he helped me up. I grabbed one and ate it. "Oh, okay," I acknowledged.
James shook his head with the hint of a smile. He grabbed my hand and headed out to the hallway slash party. Well our part was completely empty. I pouted and turned to look at the window. Where there was a tiny dot growing bigger.
BAM.
Holy mother of Merlin! I screeched extremely loudly and grabbed on to the nearest thing. Which happened to be James. A 'death eater' had just slammed into the window. I breathed in heavily. James laughed beside me. "Okay well that's not fair. That was scary," I complained and narrowed my eyes at him.
James steered me towards a wall in the hall, "Completely fair. Ready for another trick that leads towards a treat? One that won't bombard us?" James questioned me.
I rolled my eyes but nodded my head. We came face to face to the wall and I looked around nervously, "Um James what's the trick?"
James shrugged, "No clue. Fred just told me to go to the wall."
I looked around nervously when someone walked through the wall. One of the knights in the school. He held his sword point at us. "To enter the 'Fred's Ultimate Drinking Zone' you must strip a piece of clothing," the night informed us. I turned to James alarmed. The only visible piece of clothing I had was my dress. I did not want to prance around in my knickers.
"Hey there Mr Knight did you know your armour is really shiny?" James complimented the knight. Of course the knight didn't answer. James thought for a moment. "What if I stripped two pieces of clothing? Would my little Ducky be free to go?" James asked.
The knight pondered it for a moment then nodded. James smiled in success then ripped off his Healer robes and handed it to the knight. He then took off his shirt underneath. He stood there in fancy pants and a muscle shirt. My mind was too foggy to realize this. I only grabbed James arm as we walked through the wall. Unlike the rest of the party this place was gloomy dark. It was sketchy dark. Yes there's a difference.
The candles were in pumpkins in the corner of the room and they were lowly lit. Antique looking couches lined every wall. The table in the centre was filled with hundreds of drinks. The air looked like was thick and grungy.
There were about ten other people in the room. I spotted Luke as one of them. James did too apparently. He snaked his arm around my waist and steered us towards the seat next to him. He sat down and pulled me on his lap. "Hey there Lukey boy!" James greeted with a sarcastic enthusiasm.
Luke turned to James and greeted, "Hey James. Hey Candice." Maybe I was drunk but there seemed to be something else in his voice when he greeted me.
"It's Duck," James corrected. I turned to James horrified.
"Duck? Like the animal?" Luke asked confused.
"Yes Luke, like the animal. What other duck do you know of?" James retorted in a snappy tone.
Well ... I knew of another one but I didn't say anything. "Okay then. Hey Duck," Luke said to satisfy James.
That would be when James just began to kiss my neck. In front of Luke! "U-uh, James. We're in public," I reminded him through gritted teeth.
He pulled his lips away from neck and chuckled, "Fine then my love! I'll save that for later." What! That boy had better ... I dug my nails into his skin.
I felt him tense. That would teach him. Before I could answer though Luke jumped up. "Drinking games!" he bellowed and all the other people in the room gathered around. "Let's start simple. We ask yes or no questions. If the answer's no we drink. If the answer's yes we don't touch our glass. Who ever is the last one to drink ten glasses wins!"
Nothing good could come from this. I swallowed nervously but the game had already began. "Have you ever had sex?" Luke asked first with a laugh. I was horrified when he didn't take a drink. I took a drink. So did five other people. Luke raised his eyebrow at me. "No need for lying in this room Candice," he announced and then waggled his eyebrows.
"That's why I'm drinking Luke," I answered.
He shrugged and James asked, "Have you ever played Quidditch." Grudgingly I took another drink.
Eight questions and drinks later I was out and dizzy. "James," I whispered in his ear. Even that sounded slurred.
"What?" he asked with a knowing smile.
"Can we go now?" I asked. I had no clue how he understood me. The words didn't come out right. I was suffocating on the awful air here.
"Sure thing Ducky," he answered and got up. I tried to get up but I took one step and stumbled on him. He laughed and swung me over his shoulder. As we walked out I think I saw him give the finger to Luke. Or three of them. I'm not sure.
I felt myself be put down on the ground again as James put back his Healer Love costume. A second later I was up in the air. The music got louder and louder and I smiled. "I want to dance James," I mumbled in slurred words.
"What?" he asked worriedly.
I shouted out, "I wanna dance!" I threw my arms up in the air.
As we got back to the party and the pulse of the crowd became more defined James set me down. I immediately began moving and dancing. Left, right. Hands in the air. Who cared? I leaned back into James and laughed. I wanted to be more in the crowd. I wanted to be part of it.
I danced away from James and deeper into the crowd. My body swung every which way. I danced with total strangers. I didn't even mind. I was just part of the crowd. I wasn't sure with the candles going on and off and my vision not being the greatest but there was this cute boy in front of me.
"What's your name?" he asked me.
I giggled and answered, "Duck! What about you?"
He laughed and I smelt the alcohol off his breath. "Well I'm Lion then."
I scrunched my eyebrows. That didn't sound like a name. No maybe he thought I was joking. "Actually my name is-" I began but he cut me off by planting his lips on mine hungrily. I tried to pull back but all the bodies were dancing so close together. I panicked for a moment until I heard.
"What the? Duck!" I felt someone force everybody out of the way. James grabbed me and dragged me through the crowd. "Don't do that again," he simply said.
The room spun slowly. We broke out of the crowd in front of a window. The last thing I saw was a smashed window with a cute little duckling in the corner.
Okay so I'm happy with this chapter. I had fun with it. I hope that even if its long you guys still liked it ;) If you guys didn't figure it out there are two reasons Candice is so OOC in this chapter. One she's drunk and second she has on her strange costume.
Anyway ... Chapter 10. Ten chapters! I can't believe this. :D I'm sooo proud. I just, I'm speechlees. :3
So onto questions. What do you guys think of Luke and James? Or how James is acting towards Luke? Who are your favourite characters? What did you guys think of the ducks? Weird or annoying? How about the 'trick and treats'? Or the whole party? Over the top exagerated? What do you think will happen in the next chapter? Any favourite parts?
Too many questions I know sorry guys ... :3 Anyway reviews and favourites are loved :)
Printer Friendly Version
