I have no idea why I wrote this, but it was fun. As always, I don't own them... blah blah blah, I am not making any money, etc. Enjoy and email me reviews!.
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Katie bounced into Curses and Counter Curses and smiled at the teacher. Normally, she hated this class, but today, she felt she could take on the world. She had been accepted as the Gryffindor Chaser!! Still grinning, she sat down in he very first row. Pulling out her notebook, she resigned herself to another long class of note taking.
"Glad you seem to be in such a good mood today, Katie," Professor Flitwick peered down at her though oval spectacles. "Were doing dueling today,"
Katie groaned. Of all days! She was hopeless at dueling. The last thing she wanted today was to be stuck in the hospital wing with green gak coming out her ears. She had always hated dueling since she had been seven years old, and her ten-year-old brother had challenged her to a "wizards duel." She had agreed. She also spent the next few weeks in bed with various symptoms such as tongue-tangle, fire-toes and yellow stripes. Seven year old Katie vowed never to duel again. She held to her promise for four years, but when she was 11, Katie was accepted to Hogwarts Wizard School. She was overjoyed, but she soon realized that she would be expected to perform the curses she had feared for so long.
Katie's head was resting on her books, her eyes shut, trying to block out the teacher, the room, and the students that would soon be cursing her left and right. She didn't even notice her best friend, Angelina, until she tapped her on the shoulder.
"What’s up, Kates'?" Angelina looked concerned. "Don't tell me you didn't make the team!"
"No, I made it," Katie replied glumly.
"Why the face?" Angelina said, looking slightly relived. She played chaser on the team as well.
"Guess what we're doing in class today," said Katie sarcastically. "Dueling... my favorite."
"Oh, that’s it? I thought something really bad had happened," said Angelina, smiling.
"Not bad? It awful! You know I'm hopeless at dueling!" said Katie angrily, surprised at her friend's lack of support.
"Oh, come off it!" Said Angelina, she had stopped smiling at the look on Katie's face. "You can be my partner! I would never really hurt you, and I'll do it really slow. You’ll see!"
"Oh, would you really?" Katie began, but their conversation was stopped short by their teacher's voice.
"Calm down everyone. I know you’re excited to get started. I want you to partner up quickly so we can get started."
Katie smiled at Angelina who grinned back.
"Everyone set?" asked the reedy voice of their teacher. "Then you may get started!"
Angelina took a few steps back from Katie and said, "Alright, for the first couple, I'll tell you what I'm going to do, ok?"
"Yeah, all right," said Katie, wishing she could just disappear.
"Ok, here comes Jelly Legs!"
Katie knew what to do, she knew the words of the countercurse, she knew the wand movements, but somehow, they got lost on the way to her mouth and hand. She felt her knees go week, and flopped to the ground.
"Oh, Katie!" cried Angelina, rushing to help her friend to her feet. "I’m sorry! Don’t you know the countercurse?" "Oh course I know it!" snapped Katie angrily, trying to support herself on her friend’s arm.
"Then why didn’t you…" Katie cut her off.
"I was just nervous, alright? Let me sit down for a sec, and we’ll try it again."
Five curses and disasters later, Katie was nearly in tears. She had missed or forgotten the countercurse every time except one, and that time, she had performed the wrong one, so that when the two spells meet, they caused a huge burst of fireworks, causing the class to scream (Except Fred and George who whooped and clapped and came over to congratulate her). The bell sounded just as Professor Flitwick came over to she what had happened this time. As the students gathered up their books, Flitwick asked in a high squeaky voice, "Katie, may I have a word?"
Katie sighed and stumbled over to his desk. "Yes professor?" she asked.
"I noticed you were having some problems today."
"Yes professor," Katie replied, looking forlorn.
"Katie, I know you don’t like my class, but I also know if you put your mind to it, you can do beautifully. You just made the Gryffindor quidditch team, correct?"
"Yes," Katie said, clearly wondering what was coming next.
"Marcus Flint is the captain of Slytherin team, I believe."
"Yeah," said Katie quickly with loathing in her voice. She hated Flint even more than charms class.
"Now perhaps you might be a bit more incline to learn you charms if you had an incentive," Flitwick continued and he began to draw a shape in the air with his wand. Katie gazed in amazement as the shape solidified and began to look like none other than Marcus Flint.
"Now hex it," Flitwick commanded.
"But professor…" Katie started, but Flitwick cut her off.
"Now Katie, your greatest enemy is standing right in front of you and is unable to move. Hex him!"
Suddenly, Katie’s face split into a wide grin and she laughed out loud. Concentrating hard, Katie muttered the charm under her breath and a brilliant blue light shot out of the end of her wand. The life-like statue of Flint was suddenly covered in small purple welt which were steadily growing larger. She spoke again, louder this time and the model began dancing across the floor. Katie practiced advanced hexes and first year hexes she had never mastered. Finally, out of breath, she let her wand hand collapse at her side.
"Finite Incantatem" Flitwick squeaked. "Brilliant Katie. See, now you know you can do it."
"Thank you professor," she said, giddy with excitement.
"Your quite welcome," he replied. Katie gathered up her books and her wand and started for the door, but Flitwick stopped her.
"Oh, and Katie," he called. "Lets just keep the humiliation of out Mr. Flint look-a-like to ourselves, eh?"
"Of course Professor," Katie said, and still grinning, she left the room. "Maybe," She thought to herself. "Maybe, this whole charms thing isn’t so bad after all."
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Alright, that was fun.