Chapter 1 - Back to Blue and Bronze
The door to the train cabin aboard the Hogwarts Express slid open suddenly, startling its occupants. Lisa Turpin and her best friend Kyra Bradley were seated across the cabin from Terry Boot and Noel Goddard. The Ravenclaw students were excitedly swapping tales from summer break and anticipating their sixth year at Hogwarts. All four occupants looked up at the open doorway to find an excited Cho Chang standing before them. Her face was red and animated, and she looked fit to burst at any moment.
"Kyra, Terry - you're never going to guess what happened!" she exclaimed.
Lisa raised an eyebrow. "Harry Potter saw the light and proposed to you?"
Terry and Noel howled with laughter and Kyra elbowed her friend in the side and tried to curb her own laughter. It was well known that Cho had started dating their fellow Ravenclaw Michael Corner at the end of last term. Harry Potter was a Gryffindor geek and didn't know the first thing about how to treat women. Cho rolled her eyes at Lisa. "I wasn't speaking to you, Turpin," she muttered, but the twinkle in her eyes from whatever had her excited was barely diminished.
Kyra tried, somewhat successfully, to speak around the laughter. "We give up, Cho. What happened?"
Cho's face lit up again and the occupants of the cabin could tell she was barely containing herself. "I got a Firebolt for my birthday!!!" The words came out so fast they almost tripped over one another.
"No way!" Terry exclaimed at the same time Noel shouted, "Wicked!"
"That's awesome!" Kyra and Lisa responded simultaneously.
"Well, I've gotta go tell the rest of the team," Cho said excitedly. "I've been dying to tell all of you for the last week, and I think I'm going to explode if I don't find everyone else in the next five minutes!" She dashed off down the corridor and the door slid shut behind her.
"That is so awesome," Terry commented, his sunburned face almost as animated now as Cho's was. He'd spent the later part of his summer break in Aruba with his family and hadn't applied enough sunscreen to his normally pale skin. "Now she is really going to give those other Seekers a run for their money!"
"Yeah, we are going to kick Quidditch butt this year!" Kyra exclaimed excitedly.
"Too bad our parents are too cheap to buy us Firebolts, huh, Kyra," Terry added wistfully.
"Yeah, no kidding," she replied. "I'd kill for a Firebolt..."
Terry and Kyra were both on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. Kyra was a Chaser who rode a Cleansweep 8. Terry's parents had managed to provide him with a Nimbus 2000 last year, but seeing as how the Nimbus 2002 was just unveiled, he still wasn't flying a top of the line broom. Terry was the team's Keeper. As the team's Seeker, Cho now had the best broom on the market, unless those rotten Slytherins got new brooms this year as insurance to keep their pathetic Seeker, Draco Malfoy, on the team.
Noel looked out the window at the landscape rushing by. "Hey, we're almost there. We should probably change into our robes."
"Aww, but I like seeing you guys in jeans," Lisa complained. "You both look so dashing!"
Noel blushed. Terry might have blushed, but no one would have noticed with his sunburned face. He grinned instead. "Why Lisa, now that I know how you feel, I promise to never dress up for you again."
Lisa threw a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans at him, and Kyra chuckled at the insanity of her friends. Boy, how she had missed seeing them everyday during the summer!
Both boys were good looking young men, and the girls had marveled at how grown up they now looked. Terry was fair haired and skinned, or at least he would be fair-skinned again once his burn receded. He'd finally hit his growth spurt the year before and was now about six feet tall with a very athletic build. Noel was a couple of inches shorter than his friend, with dark brown hair and green eyes. He was also a very good Quidditch player and everyone was sure he'd try out for one of the open Beater positions this year.
In return, both young men had commented on how nice the girls looked, especially Lisa, who had filled out in all the right places over the summer. Kyra tried not to be jealous of her friend, but had to admit that it was difficult. Lisa was just beautiful. Blonde hair, blue eyes, tall and slim, with a smile to die for... And of course, being a Ravenclaw, she had brains to boot, which just made her a force to be reckoned with. Kyra was just as tall, but didn't have quite the body of her friend. Her shoulder length brown hair was pretty, but nothing spectacular. She had managed to finally ditch those ridiculous glasses last year, however, when her parents had surprised her with contacts for Christmas. After ditching the glasses though, she had been told my many people, including Terry, that she had beautiful eyes.
The friends changed into their Hogwarts robes with familiar blue and bronze accents just before the train pulled into Hogsmeade. They disembarked and climbed into the thestral-drawn coaches that would take them to Hogwarts. Excitement was all around - a few students were sad that summer break was over, but most of them were happy to be returning to their home-away-from-home and all of their friends.
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The Great Hall was buzzing with students. The ceiling shone with thousands of stars, making the students feel as though they were dining al fresco. The house banners hung from the rafters above each of the four amazingly long tables that filled the hall. Second- through seventh-year students filed in and took their places at the tables, chattering with one another excitedly and glancing up to the head table expectantly.
Professor Severus Snape, the Potions teacher, sat to one end, glaring dolefully at the returning students. To his right was the empty seat awaiting the Care of Magical Creatures professor who accompanied the first-years across the lake and hadn't come in yet. The Ravenclaws were holding their breath, hoping that Professor Grubbly-Plank would be returning this year. She was such a better teacher than the half-giant, Hagrid, was. Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher and head of Ravenclaw sat between Professor Snape and Professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster. The seat to the left of Professor Dumbledore belonged to Professor McGonagall, the Transfiguration teacher. It was vacant, as she was responsible for bringing the first-years up to the Great Hall. To her left were Professors Trelawney and Sprout, who taught Divination and Herbology.
"So who do you think they got to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts this year?" Michael Corner asked.
"You don't think they would have given the job to Snape, do you?" Noel asked worriedly.
"No way. He's too good at Potions. I doubt Dumbledore will ever give him the Dark Arts position," Terry replied.
"Well, I don't see any new teachers up there," Kyra spoke up, scanning the head table.
"That doesn't mean anything," said Luna Lovegood, a fifth-year student. "Not all of the teachers attend the opening feast. Maybe the new teacher is just busy tonight." Luna smiled knowingly, as if she knew something the others didn't.
"Too busy to attend the most important event of the school year?" Lisa asked dubiously.
"Excuse me," Roger Davies, the captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team and Lisa's ex-boyfriend spoke up, "but this is hardly the most important event of the year. At least for this year," he added, puffing up his chest. "The most important event of this year will be the final banquet, when the Great Hall gets bedecked in the splendor of blue and bronze when Ravenclaw wins the House Cup!"
Lisa glared at Roger. They had been dating last year, but she'd broken up with him over the summer because she was tired of his high-and-mighty attitude. He thought he was all that and a bag of chips, but she'd found out that he really wasn't all that spectacular. He'd also been far more interested in her body than in her brains. Had she been in Slytherin, that fact probably wouldn't have bothered her in the least, but she was a Ravenclaw and prided herself on her intelligence.
"Which will happen because Cho got a Firebolt!" Michael Corner announced proudly in response to Roger's declaration, as if he'd bought her the Firebolt and not her parents.
Cho elbowed him and blushed. "You guys know I can't do it without the rest of you," she said modestly.
"We didn't say you could," Kyra replied tartly, then smiled at her friend. The others laughed.
To the Ravenclaws' dismay, Hagrid entered at that moment and took the seat next to Snape. That meant that the first-years had arrived, so everyone settled in and waited for the Sorting to begin. Each table greeted each of their new housemates with a round of applause as they were sorted. Once all of the new students were sorted, the feast began and everyone ate until they were stuffed.
As students finished eating and began longing for the comfort of their common rooms, Professor Dumbledore stood up to give his annual welcoming speech. The gradually increasing din of conversation ceased immediately, and all eyes turned towards the Headmaster.
"Welcome back to Hogwarts, everyone," the ancient looking wizard in the star-covered dark-purple robes greeted them. "And welcome to the first-years."
"And now for the usual start of term notices," the Headmaster began. "First-years are to note that the forest is out of bounds for anyone who does not wish to die a terrible and painful death." The first-year students all looked at each other with looks of horror in their eyes. "Mr. Filch has asked me, for what he tells me is the four hundred and eighty seventh time, to remind you that magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are the other things posted on the extensive list by his door."
The Headmaster paused for effect, and then continued. "We also have a few staffing announcements for this year. First off, Professor Trelawney will be resuming her position as teacher of Divination, but will be teaching jointly with Firenze. Second, you will have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year. Unfortunately he was unable to attend the feast tonight, but Professor Bale will be in attendance for classes tomorrow."
Everyone looked around at one another, wondering who this Professor Bale was. "Next, all Educational Decrees have been revoked." The Headmaster paused and waited for the shouts and cheers to subside.
"And finally," Professor Dumbledore continued, "if anyone experiences anything odd this year, please don't hesitate to speak with me or one of the other professors. Now is not a time for secrets."
And with that said, Professor Dumbledore resumed his seat. Professor McGonagall stood in his place. "You may now retire to your dormitories," she said. "First-years, please follow your Prefects!"
Padma Patil and Anthony Goldstein, Prefects for Ravenclaw, gathered the new students around them. The others stood up and made their way to their house dormitories.
~*~
Chapter 2 - M.A.P.s
As the Ravenclaw students finished settling into their dormitories, they filtered downstairs to gather around the softly glowing fireplace in their common room. Kyra settled into one corner of the large blue sofa in the center of the room. Lisa's orange striped tabby cat, Garfield, arranged himself on her lap, purring contentedly. No one had been able to figure out why, but for some reason the kitten had taken to Kyra right off the bat, rather than Lisa. This would be the cat's sixth year of spending the evenings with his owner's best friend, rather than his owner. Luckily, neither girl seemed to mind the cat's confusion all that much.
Terry had finished unpacking in record time and been the first one down to the common room. As a result, he'd claimed The Chair, the large overstuffed armchair in the corner that looked very well loved and was a favorite of all the housemates.
"Has anyone figured out who they're going to do their Magical Arts Project with this year?" Lisa questioned as she settled onto the couch next to Kyra. She reached over and scratched her kitty behind the ears.
During their sixth year, students were expected to pick a teacher to study with and work on a year-long project with them. It could be in any subject that interested the student, and was usually related to the career they wanted to go into, but not necessarily.
"I think I'm going to work with Professor Binns, in History of Magic," Anthony Goldstein replied. He was sitting cross-legged on a cushion in front of the fire, flipping through the new Charms textbook.
"I'm probably going to stick with Professor Flitwick and do a Charms project," Padma Patil spoke up. She was sitting on the sofa across from Kyra and Lisa, unbraiding her long dark hair.
"Yeah, me too," added Noel, who was seated beside Padma.
"That's just because you're a chicken," Terry commented, eying his friend from his perch in The Chair.
"Oh yeah? And who are you planning on studying with, O Brave One?" Noel retorted. "Snape?"
"As a matter of fact," replied Terry, "he's at the top of my list."
A chorus of disbelief circulated through the group.
"Terry, you're such a kidder," Kyra said. "We are all quite aware of how much you like plants." The sixth-year boys' dorm always resembled a jungle by the end of each year. Terry had an overly enthusiastic attachment to plants that had resulted in many interesting tales over the years, like the time Lisa's cat ate Alihotsy leaves and ran frantically around the common room for 18 hours. They now had to keep their door closed to prevent any more of the house pets from entering and eating the plants
"Yeah, I know," he replied, "but I'm serious. I really like Potions. And I get the feeling that if you get to know Professor Snape, he really isn't that bad."
Lisa snorted. "Yeah, I bet he's a real peach." Lisa expressed almost Gryffindor quality hate towards Potions and its professor. While no one especially liked Snape, most of them respected him as a highly qualified teacher and remotely enjoyed the subject. Lisa was a complete klutz when it came to her potions however, and barely managed to pull a decent grade due to the fact that she was always screwing up her assignments.
"What about you two?" Padma asked Lisa and Kyra.
"I don't know," Kyra answered thoughtfully, stroking Garfield. "Maybe either Charms or Defense Against the Dark Arts, assuming we get a decent teacher this year."
"That's about how I'm leaning," replied Lisa. "I could definitely use the practice in Dark Arts, that's for sure," she added. "Last year was such a joke!"
Some of the other students looked at each other, but didn't say anything. Kyra, Terry, Michael Corner, Padma, and Anthony Goldstein had all participated in a private study group devoted to Defense Against the Dark Arts last year. The group had been led by Harry Potter, and they'd taught each other a lot, despite not being able to meet very often. The wicked Umbridge woman had invoked an insane number of Educational Decrees, forbidding just about every activity under the sun, including group meetings and Quidditch practice. Cho Chang, Luna Lovegood, and Marietta Edgecombe had also participated in the group along with a large number of Gryffindors and a few Hufflepuffs. Together they called themselves Dumbledore's Army. With the Educational Decrees all revoked now they really didn't have anything to worry about, but the secrecy had been ingrained in all of them, so none of them spoke up about the subject. Marietta had also ended up betraying the group to Umbridge, so they were all very careful not to mention the subject around Marietta.
Michael Corner was the last to speak his mind. He'd been sitting on the floor, staring at the staircase to the girls' dormitory for the last fifteen minutes. He was probably wondering why Cho hadn't come downstairs yet, but since none of the seventh-year girls had come downstairs yet, it most likely meant that they were catching up with each other up in their room.
"Hey Michael," prompted Padma after a short lull while they waited for him to snap back to reality, "what about you?"
"Huh?" he replied. "Oh, um, I was thinking of studying with Professor McGonagall. I want to become an Animagus."
"Seriously?" questioned Kyra. "Whatever for?"
"Why not?" he replied, somewhat defensively.
"What's wrong with Transfiguration?" Padma asked her.
Lisa replied for her friend, "Oh, it's not the class she has a problem with. It's just that people turning into animals makes her skin crawl."
"I never knew you were prejudiced against Animages, Kyra," Terry said, a look of concern on his face.
"Robert Witherspoon is an Animagus," added Noel. Robert was a second-year who turned into a parrot and flew away anytime he felt really upset and threatened.
"Yes, I know he is," returned Kyra, "and if you've noticed, I don't hate him," she added in her defense. "It just makes me uncomfortable, that's all. The whole thought that people can turn into animals and spy on people without them knowing is horrible." They'd all heard about how Ron Weasley's pet rat Scabbers had actually been a man by the name of Peter Pettigrew. Kyra had been afraid of Garfield for weeks after that, until Lisa took her cat to Professor McGonagall and had him tested to be sure he was truly a cat.
"It's okay, Kyra," Luna Lovegood commented. She'd just come downstairs and sat on the floor beside Terry. "I don't think you're a terrible person."
"Thanks, Luna," Kyra replied wryly. The thought that the others might think she was a terrible person was not entirely heartwarming.
"I'm sorry, Kyra. I wasn't trying to make you sound like a horrible person," Lisa apologized to her friend. "She really isn't a horrible person!" she added, addressing the rest of the group in an attempt to make amends.
"Anyway, I'm sorry Michael," Kyra apologized. "Just don't spy on me, okay?" she asked, forcing a smile.
"You have my word, Kyra," he replied, making a show out of crossing his heart.
As the common room began to fill up, the sixth-year students found themselves pulled into more general and numerous conversations.
"So, Noel, you trying out for the Beater position this year?" Roger Davies asked, sitting on the edge of the couch near Kyra.
"I thought I might," he replied.
"Great!" Roger answered. "What about you, Lisa?"
"Me?" she asked, shocked that he'd even asked her. "The world's biggest klutz?"
Terry grinned at her from across the room. "Hey, the open position is for Beater, not Chaser. You aren't expected to hang on to the ball!"
Lisa pantomimed picking the cat up off Kyra's lap and throwing him at Terry, who ducked in response. The whole common room erupted in laughter.
Several of the younger students expressed their interest in trying out for the team to Roger and the other players, who did their best to answer their questions. Noel probably stood the best chance of making the team, since he'd spent some time last spring bugging the former Beaters. Both of them had graduated, however, and Noel was only one person, so that left one more spot open.
Lisa sat quietly and considered her options. She was a decent player and played often over the summer in pick-up games with her rather large family. She was a terrible Chaser and Keeper, always dropping the ball. Her favorite position to play was Seeker, but Cho wouldn't graduate until next year, and then the position would probably go to a younger student with more talent than she had. Being a Beater wouldn't be bad, but she really didn't think she stood a chance, and it meant she'd have to spend more time with Roger. She'd just have to continue to be content to watch and cheer from the sidelines with Padma, Luna, and the rest of the house.
After a while, students began to call it a night and headed upstairs to their dormitories. Yawning, Kyra picked up Garfield and carried him up to the girl's room. Luckily, unlike his namesake, Lisa's cat was actually pretty small and only weighed about six pounds. The girls crawled into their large four-poster beds, and Garfield curled up at the foot of Kyra's.
~*~
Chapter 3 - Professor Bale
The first class of the semester for the sixth-year Ravenclaws was History of Magic. It was an interesting topic, but Binns the ghost was the single most boring teacher in the history of Hogwarts. After yawning their way through class, the students gathered up their books and headed to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.
"Gosh, I hope Professor Bale is a good teacher," Padma commented as they walked to class.
"What kind of odd quirk do you think he'll have?" asked Terry. "The freaky glass-eye's been done, as has the werewolf..."
"I bet he's a troll," Noel guessed. "We haven't had one of those yet."
"What about a merman?" asked Lisa.
"Not unless he teaches us from a fishbowl," Kyra replied. "They can't breathe air for more than a few minutes at a time."
"Oh, right. Forgot about that," Lisa returned.
"With what we've seen though, I wouldn't rule it out," Terry commented wryly. "I just hope he doesn't work for the Ministry of Magic."
Their vocal guesswork ended as they entered the classroom and took their seats. Lisa sat beside Kyra in the second row, which had become their usual places. Padma sat to Kyra's right. The boys sat in front of them. This year it appeared that the Ravenclaws would be taking Defense Against the Dark Arts with Gryffindor, as they watched Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and their friends file in and sit on the opposite side of the room. Padma waved at her twin sister Parvati as she came in.
Towards the front of the room a young man was pulling books out of a trunk and placing them on a bookshelf behind the desk. The students whispered amongst themselves, peering around and looking for Professor Bale. Once or twice the man in the front of the room turned enough for the students to catch a glimpse of him.
"Ooh," Lisa cooed when she first caught sight of his face. "He's cute!"
"But who is he?" Padma asked. "I don't recognize him."
"I don't know who he is either," Kyra commented, "but he looks like someone I know."
"Who?" questioned Lisa curiously.
"I don't know," Kyra shook her head. "He just looks familiar, somehow."
The Gryffindor students appeared to be wondering the same things, as they looked around and whispered back and forth. Finally, when all the students had arrived, which happened to coincide with the placement of the last book on the bookshelf, the young man stood up turned around.
"Good morning, everyone," he greeted them, smiling. He appeared to be in his early twenties, was about six feet tall, and had short cropped brown hair, blue eyes, and a very smooth, deep voice. Lisa almost swooned when he spoke. He was wearing a deep blue robe that brought out his eyes. Lisa was convinced that he was the most gorgeous male she'd ever laid eyes on.
"My name is Justin Bale," he continued warmly, walking around to stand in front of the desk at the front of the room, "but you can call me Professor Bale."
Half of the students in the classroom gasped audibly. The other half just stared at him wide-eyed. Kyra heard Ron Weasley mutter, "I told you." He was promptly shushed by Hermione.
Professor Bale smiled. "Seeing as how you are all bright individuals, I'm sure that by now you've noticed that I am quite a few years younger than the rest of the Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers you've had. I also believe that in keeping with the tradition set for your class, I am the sixth such teacher that you've had.
"Professor Dumbledore, however, seems to be convinced that I am qualified to teach you. In fact," he added, "he almost has me convinced."
The students that had managed to pick their jaws up off the desktops and push their eyes back into their heads laughed. Kyra and Padma were among those students; Lisa just sighed.
Professor Bale continued. "Now, I'm afraid I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that I am employed by the Ministry of Magic." Everyone groaned. "The good news," he paused and looked around the room, "is that I do not have a glass-eye that can see through my head, I am not a werewolf, and I am not holding your real teacher hostage in a trunk in my office." This time everyone laughed.
"I see you all brought your books with you," he commented, leaning back against the desk behind him. "I apologize for making you carry all of them with you today. In the future you will not need to carry more than one book at a time." Everyone looked down at the stack of three books they'd brought with them and murmured gratefully. "We'll begin with Self-Defensive Spellwork, and will be using only that one for the next couple of months. You can leave A Compendium of Common Curses and Their Counter Measures and The Dark Arts Outsmarted in your dormitories for now."
"You won't need any of them today, however," he continued. Turning, he picked up a stack of parchment that had been lying on the desk behind him. "Because you have had such a hodge-podge of instructors over the last five years, and some of you have taken it upon yourselves to teach yourselves about the Dark Arts," (the members of Dumbledore's Army cast nervous glances at each other) "I want to give you all sort of a, well, we'll call it a questionnaire, because if I call it a pre-course examination, you're all going to hate me," he grinned at them. "Before we begin though, are there any questions?"
Neville Longbottom raised his hand.
"Yes?" asked Professor Bale. "Oh, and please tell me your names before you speak to me, so I can try and learn them," he requested.
"Neville Longbottom, Sir," Neville replied. "I was just wondering what you do for the Ministry of Magic."
"I'm an Auror," the Professor replied. A chorus of "Ooohs" swept the room.
"So did you work with Mad-Eye, um, I mean Professor Moody?" Ron Weasley interjected.
"Ronald Weasley?" Professor Bale guessed.
"Ron, Sir," Ron replied meekly.
"Right. No, actually, I never worked with him. He retired before I became an Auror."
Lisa raised her hand, and Professor Bale called on her. "Lisa Turpin," she informed him, smiling one of her most charming smiles. "Will you be working with sixth-years on their Magical Arts Projects?"
"Yes, Miss Turpin, I will be available as a M.A.P. mentor," he replied, and her smile broadened. Kyra could just see the wheels spinning in her friend's head, and she tried not to roll her eyes.
"Are there any more questions for me?" he looked around, and no one else raised their hand. "No? Well then, let's get started." He picked up his wand and flicked his wrist, and the stack of papers flew out of his hand and began distributing itself to the students. "I want you all to be completely honest with me on this survey," he told them. "It is extremely important that you all learn as much as you can about defending yourselves against the Dark Arts, and it is my duty to see that it happens. If you don't know anything about a certain topic, please tell me that. Lucky guesses won't help here, because I won't know that it was a lucky guess, and chances are pretty good that a guess in a life or death situation will probably not be all that lucky. On the other hand, I do not want to waste time teaching you about something you can all do in your sleep."
The survey was quite extensive, and the students took the entire rest of the class period to finish filling it out. Kyra noticed that she and Padma filled in quite a bit more of it than Lisa did, and hoped that Lisa didn't notice as well. Ravenclaws all had a very competitive streak, and Kyra didn't want Lisa to realize that she was way behind a few of them in knowledge of the subject.
Lisa had a hard time concentrating on the topics queried, as her thoughts kept drifting to her handsome professor. Why had Professor Dumbledore chosen him, of all people? He was going to seriously interfere with her studies this year, she was sure of it. What was a pogrebin again? She was certain she'd read about it somewhere, but was drawing a blank. Well, Professor Bale did say to be honest. Next was a boggart. That she was well acquainted with, and scribbled furiously all she knew about them.
She finally finished up her questionnaire just as class time was ending, and got up to hand her parchment to Professor Bale. To her utter embarrassment, however, her elbow ran into her textbooks as she stood up and all of them clattered to the floor. Red-faced, she bent down to pick them up. As she stood up to place them back on the desk, she found the professor standing right in front of her.
She blushed even more furiously as he held out his hand towards her. "I can take that from you, Miss Turpin," he said, smiling at her and taking her parchment as she sheepishly handed it over.
'Way to go, Turpin,' she thought as she gathered up her books and prepared to dash out of the classroom. Professor Bale was collecting the surveys from the other students, and Kyra managed to catch Lisa by the arm before her friend could flee.
"Hey, girl, where are you off to in such a hurry?" she teased her friend. "At least he knows your name."
Padma giggled, and Lisa shushed her. Her skin was still a nice shade of pink, and she wasn't sure it would ever return to its normal color.
"I can't quite put my finger on it," Terry commented as they exited the classroom, "but that bloke looks so familiar to me."
"Really?" Noel asked. "I've never seen him before."
"I thought he looked familiar too," Kyra agreed, "but I can't place him either. I think he reminds me of someone."
"Maybe that's it," Terry returned. "Oh well, I'm sure we'll figure it out soon enough. I think he's cool though. If he's as qualified as Dumbledore thinks he is, we might actually learn something this year!"
"He's definitely better looking than our previous professors," Padma commented, giggling.
"Oh, great," Anthony Goldstein groaned, "it looks like all the girls have crushes on the new teacher."
"Hey, that's not true," Kyra protested as Lisa smacked him. "But he is pretty cute," she admitted, grinning.
The boys rolled their eyes at the giggling girls and led the way into the Great Hall. They ran into Roger Davies on the way to the Ravenclaw table.
"Hey, did you guys just come from Defense Against the Dark Arts?" he asked, spotting the books they were carrying.
"Yeah, why?" asked Terry.
"That's so cool that Justin Bale is our new professor!" he exclaimed, obviously excited. "Is he a good teacher?"
Kyra eyed her Quidditch Captain curiously. "You sound like you know him personally, Roger."
Roger looked back at her, and then looked at the rest of the group with a dumbfounded expression on his face. "Of course I know him, and the rest of you should too. He's only in five of the photographs in the locker room," he told them.
"Oh my gosh," Kyra slumped onto the nearest bench and smacked her palm to her forehead as realization struck her. "I am such an idiot!" She looked up at her housemates. Terry was the only other one who showed a glimmer of understanding. "Justin Bale was a Ravenclaw Chaser! He graduated..." she ticked off the years on her fingers as she counted, "five years ago?" She looked to Roger and Terry for confirmation, who nodded. "I took his place on the team!" she finished in exasperation.
"I knew he looked familiar," Terry added. "I only look at those photos before every match, and he's always there smiling right back at me. God, we're dense," he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Yeah, well, some of us have an excuse," Padma spoke up. "Not all of us have been in your locker room."
"Still," Roger pointed out, "You all shared a common room with him for a year before he graduated."
"I remember him now," Anthony commented.
"Yeah, I do too," agreed Noel. "And to answer your question, Roger, I think he is going to at least be a pretty decent teacher."
"He's an Auror," Kyra spoke up, "so he at least knows more than Harry Potter does."
"Although I'm not sure how much experience he can have," Anthony said. "I mean, don't Aurors have to go through several years of additional training once they leave Hogwarts? That means he can't have much field experience."
"Well, that may not be such a bad thing," Padma commented. "I mean, if he's only just out of Auror training his lessons should be pretty fresh in his mind. I would think that would be pretty helpful, wouldn't you?" she asked the group.
"Well, I've decided that I'm definitely going to do my M.A.P. with him," Lisa said. "What?" she asked in exasperation as Terry rolled his eyes at her. "I didn't learn a darn thing from that horrible witch last year, and I've always thought it would be cool to be an Auror."
Kyra couldn't resist taking a shot at her friend. "Lisa, you've only thought being an Auror was cool for about the last hour."
Everyone laughed, and Lisa pouted. "Fine," she retorted, "be that way. I'm going to go get lunch. I'm hungry." She whirled around and walked down to their normal spot at the table and plopped her books down. Everyone laughed once more at her expense, and then followed suit.
Kyra had to admit that her friend had a point. Being an Auror would be pretty cool, but had to be the most dangerous job out there. She continued to ponder the idea throughout lunch. She finally apologized to Lisa, who promptly forgave her and spent the rest of the afternoon convincing Kyra why she should study with Professor Bale as well. Kyra tried to resist, because she wanted to be able to decide for herself, but most of Lisa's points were extremely valid, and she had said last night that she wanted to study either Charms or Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Bale did seem very cool, and he was a Ravenclaw, and a Chaser no less, which made him both cool and intelligent.
The only flaw Kyra found in Lisa’s theory was that she was pretty sure Aurors needed to be really good at Potions, and Lisa wasn’t. She had all of the book learning down, but when it came to mixing potions, Lisa couldn’t do it to save her life. She had managed to get an Exceeds Expectations on her Potions O.W.L., but only because Professor Snape hadn't been present at the examination, staring down that long crooked nose of his and daring them to make a mistake. Despite the passing O.W.L, Lisa had decided to drop Potions from her schedule this year. Kyra had tried to convince her to stick with it, because as Lisa had said about Defense Against the Dark Arts, she needed the practice. Lisa argued that she enjoyed her other classes too much to drop any of them, and she had withstood as much of Snape's torture as was humanly possible.
Kyra had Potions class just after lunch. Noel had also dropped the course, so Kyra and Terry sat next to each other. Today Snape chose to pick on poor Susan Bones of Hufflepuff, who turned her burn-healing paste into a burn-causing paste. He’d ordered her to slather it onto her arm to test it, and she cried for ten minutes while her friend Hannah Abbot rubbed her own correctly brewed paste onto the fresh burns.
Arithmancy was the girls’ final class of the day, after which they dropped their books off in Ravenclaw Tower and met their friends for dinner. Dinner conversation naturally revolved around the new professor. Roger Davies was giving everyone the third degree, because the seventh-years didn’t have Defense Against the Dark Arts until Tuesday. Lisa finally told him to give it up, because he talked about Justin Bale so much that even she tired of listening to the subject after a while. Kyra suspected the real reason was that she tired of hearing Roger after a while.
----------
That evening, all of the desks in the Ravenclaw Tower study room were full. As usual, Professor Snape had given all of his students homework on the first night. Kyra pulled out a piece of parchment and opened Magical Drafts and Potions and set to work on an essay on the properties, preparation, and use of Exploding Fluid. Terry and her other classmates surrounded her. Lisa worked on her assignment for Arithmancy, silently gloating about not having to do the Potions homework.
Professor Flitwick had also given homework and there were a number of students attempting a variety of different charms. Third-years were all blowing bubbles out of their wands and fifth-years were having fun practicing Drought Charms on glasses of water and other such liquid that could be found in various glasses around the room. The house cats were having a ball pouncing on bubbles, much to the annoyance of a few students.
After she finished her Arithmancy homework, Lisa grabbed her copy of Self-Defensive Spellwork and curled up on the couch in the common room to read the first chapter. It hadn’t been assigned, but the Ravenclaw students thrived on knowledge and she was eager to see what they’d be learning from Professor Bale this year. Kyra, Padma and Terry joined her after they finished their essays and Arithmancy homework. Anthony and Noel had gone off with Roger and several other students to practice for the Quidditch tryouts, which would occur in another two weeks.
Eventually everyone grew tired of studying and the common room filled with the murmur of conversation, punctuated here and there by groans and laughter. The Quidditch hopefuls returned after a while, some of them looking much worse for the wear. Noel was covered in mud, a third-year named Lucy Pebble sported a black eye, and Joseph Lange, a fourth-year, was cradling his right wrist.
Noel caught Kyra's gaze and smiled ruefully. "Hey, if you think I look bad, wait until you see Roger," he commented. "At least I'll look normal after a shower," he grinned.
"What happened to Roger?" Kyra asked, curious. A second-year girl standing behind Anthony blushed furiously.
"Took a Bludger to the face," Anthony replied. "It was pretty nasty, but Madame Pomphrey says he'll be alright. Assuming he can see around his nose, that is," he added, chuckling.
Lisa laughed, finding a great deal of amusement in Roger's predicament. She grinned at the embarrassed second-year, whose name was Sarah Kingston. "Don't worry about it - Roger won't hold it against you. He'll just blame me for letting my klutziness rub off on him," she laughed again. Knowing Roger, he'd probably been too busy giving advice to pay attention to the Bludgers zipping back and forth across the Quidditch pitch.
The students eventually called it a night, drifting off in pairs and small groups to head upstairs to their dormitories. Lisa dreamed she was rescued from Potions detention by Professor Bale, who swooped into the dungeon on a flying carpet and flew her off into the moonlight. Kyra dreamed that Professor Bale joined their Quidditch team as honorary captain while Roger was in the hospital wing with a nose the size of a pumpkin. Cho caught the Golden Snitch on her new Firebolt so quickly that Harry Potter didn't even realize she had it until Lee Jordan announced that Ravenclaw had beaten Gryffindor and won the Quidditch Cup!
~*~
Chapter 4 - The D.A.D.A. M.A.P.s
The students found Professor Bale to be a proverbial fountain of knowledge. If he didn't know the answer to their question off the top of his head, he knew precisely which of the books on his bookshelf held the answer, and he would find it for them before anyone could think of the next question. They studied theory, but had practical lessons as well. He kept them on their toes by sporadically firing jinxes at them to see if they could counter-jinx on the fly. By the end of the second week, each student's hair had changed colors at least once.
Lisa ended up being one of the better students to anticipate when jinxes would be directed her way, but Kyra suspected that had a lot to do with the fact that Lisa was hanging onto every word the teacher uttered as if they were gold galleons. Poor Neville Longbottom got his hair turned so many different shades that his hair had forgotten what color it was supposed to be. He left one class with hair that refused to turn back to brown, no matter how many times Professor Bale tried to fix it.
Magical Arts Project sessions didn't begin until the third week. Lisa and Kyra had both decided to study with Professor Bale - Lisa because she was infatuated with him, and Kyra because she really enjoyed his classes and thought he was an excellent teacher. Terry was indeed studying with Professor Snape, though he was the only non-Slytherin to do so. While Ravenclaws were not renowned for their bravery, their determination to learn was unmatched. Anthony Goldstein changed his mind and decided Transfiguration sounded like a better idea than History of Magic, so he and Michael Corner would be working with Professor McGonagall. Noel and Padma had chosen to study Charms with Professor Flitwick.
M.A.P. meeting times occurred outside of normal classes and therefore had to be carefully planned around Quidditch practices. Not surprisingly, Professor Bale was a popular choice. In addition to Lisa and Kyra, Hannah Abbot and Ernie MacMillian from Hufflepuff and a whole tribe of Gryffindors had decided Defense Against the Dark Arts was the way to go. Lisa was annoyed at not having the professor to herself, but in the first planning session it was realized that in order for the students to meet the required number of hours per week they were going to have to be broken down into smaller groups. Ravenclaw had the Quidditch pitch reserved for Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings, while Gryffindor reserved it Monday (right after Ravenclaw), Wednesday (before Ravenclaw), and Friday. Luckily they didn't have to worry about Hufflepuff, as Hannah and Ernie were not on the team. Therefore, on Tuesday evenings all of the students would meet from seven in the evening until nine. On Thursday only the Gryffindors would meet, and on Friday Lisa only had to share Professor Bale with Kyra, Hannah, and Ernie.
The first Tuesday evening meeting of the Defense Against the Dark Arts Magical Arts Project group was fairly informal. They sat in a circle, and Professor Bale asked all of them what they hoped to get out of their Magical Arts Projects. A large number of them were interested in what it took to become an Auror, among them Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Professor Bale told them that while all of them were good students, he had to be honest with them. Becoming an Auror was a very difficult thing to do. He told them, quite modestly, that only two Auror apprenticeships were granted each year, and you needed at least five NEWTs, including Charms, Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Potions. This automatically ruled out a few of them, including Lisa, who was not taking Potions.
They discussed other things you could do with a career in Defense Against the Dark Arts, most of which were Ministry jobs. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement was not only made up of Aurors - many other witches and wizards who were well versed in Dark Magics performed a myriad of duties to keep the wizarding world safe. The Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes and the Committee on Experimental Charms were also in need of personnel trained in the Dark Arts and their defense. And last, but certainly not least, Professor Bale had it on good authority (though he wouldn't say whose specifically) that wizards who were highly trained in Defense Against the Dark Arts were more likely than most to be approached by the Department of Mysteries.
The students asked so many questions of Professor Bale that the two hour session was over before they knew it. It wasn't until the second session that they delved into what each student hoped to gain from their M.A.P. This was done much more easily however, as now they were in groups of four, rather than one large group.
Ernie MacMillian was determined to earn a position with the Department of Mysteries. He was fascinated by the secrecy surrounding the department and was convinced that their work must be totally awesome and exciting. Why else wouldn't the members be allowed to discuss anything that occurred within? However, should he not get offered a position there (since no one knew what the requirements were, exactly), he figured the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was the way to go.
His fellow Prefect, Hannah Abbot, also wanted to work for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Both of her parents were in this department - her father worked on the Magical Law Enforcement Squad and her mother worked for the Improper Use of Magic Office.
Neither Lisa nor Kyra had any idea what they wanted to do. Lisa did think the Committee on Experimental Charms sounded fascinating though.
"I think that is a perfectly acceptable goal for your M.A.P.," Professor Bale informed her, and Lisa beamed. "If you'd like, we could arrange some meetings with Professor Flitwick and work on a great variety of charms."
Her smile wavered slightly, but she recovered quickly and flashed him a grateful smile. "Thanks, Professor. That would be great." More time with Flitwick meant less time with her gorgeous professor, but her schoolwork was supposed to be more important than her love life anyway, right?
"And what about you, Kyra?" Professor Bale questioned. He smiled at her invitingly.
She looked at him and sighed. "I have no idea," she admitted. What she didn't admit was that she thought being an Auror was the ultimate job, but she didn't think she stood a chance of winning an apprenticeship. Not to mention that she probably lacked the courage to be a Dark Wizard hunter.
Professor Bale looked at her encouragingly. "Well, what do your parents do?" he asked, hoping to prompt a discussion.
Kyra giggled. "My parents are Muggles," she told him. "My father works for the Royal Mail service and my Mum's a school bus driver. I don't know a whole lot about what wizards do when they're all grown up."
"Oh, well, don't let the fact that your parents are Muggles hold you back," he replied. "Despite what some wizards claim, your parentage holds no bounds over your abilities as a wizard." He grinned at them, "Don't tell the Slytherins, but my Mum's a Muggle," he joked.
They all laughed, and Ernie replied, "Don't worry Professor, our lips are sealed."
"I'll bet your mother was shocked when she found out about your father," Lisa commented before she could stop herself. "Oh, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand. "That was rude of me."
He smiled at her. "No, it's okay. I don't mind," he assured them. "And actually, she wasn't - she knew all along. See, she was literally the girl-next-door, so she knew my father before he got his letter to Hogwarts - his parents were both Muggles - and they were pen pals the whole time he was in school. They started dating the summer after his sixth year, and got married four years later."
"Wow, that's really cool," Kyra commented. She was a hopeless romantic. All happy stories made her feel warm and fuzzy inside.
"Was your father in Ravenclaw too?" Lisa asked.
Professor Bale nodded. "He was, and a Chaser too," he added, catching Kyra's eye and smiling. "So, now that we've gotten completely side-tracked," he continued, "we should go back to figuring out what you would like to work on for your M.A.P."
"Um," Krya stalled. "I really can't decide between a job for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Committee on Experimental Charms."
"What about being an Auror?" Professor Bale asked her.
Kyra looked at him, taken aback. He hadn't asked any of the others to consider that option. At least not in this group. "I don't know," she said hesitantly. "You think I should?"
"I don't see why not," he replied. "You're taking the right classes and did exceptionally well on your O.W.L.s," he added. Something in the look in his eyes told Kyra that he was being honest with her, and that he actually thought she might have what it took to be an Auror.
"Okay, sure, why not?" she agreed, hoping she'd be able to find as much faith in herself as her professor seemed to have in her.
They spent the rest of the time discussing in what areas each of them should concentrate their studies. Professor Bale gave them an assignment to look into each of the areas they'd chosen more carefully and be prepared to discuss each career choice in more detail at their next meeting.
~*~
Chapter 5 - Ravenclaw vs. Ravenclaw
Roger Davies had arranged a House pick-up-game for the next Saturday, beginning at 4. He'd been bound and determined to play a game of Quidditch with Professor Bale, but the Professor had been otherwise occupied during the weekends. That Saturday had been the first one that Professor Bale was available for the entire afternoon and evening. The seven players on the House team all got to play, the excuse being that they needed the practice. With Professor Bale playing, that left six open positions - a Seeker, two Beaters, two Chasers, and a Keeper.
Lisa was the first to sign up, claiming one of the open Chaser spots. She would have made a better Seeker, but she didn't want to have to compete against Cho and she also wanted to actually be in the game with the Professor. Anthony Goldstein and Lucy Pebble signed up as Beaters, Sarah Kingston as Seeker (she still hadn't gotten over nailing Roger in the face with a Bludger), Michael Corner as Keeper, and a fifth-year named Mara Hawkins filled in the last Chaser spot.
Madame Hooch agreed to ref the informal match and the players drew straws to determine who would be on which team. It would have been a washout if the House team had played against the pick-up team, so they mixed the players up. Much to Roger's annoyance, he was not chosen to play on the same team as Professor Bale. That honor went to Lisa and Kyra, Sarah Kingston, Lucy Pebble and Noel Goddard, and Terry Boot. Roger's team consisted of Mara Hawkins and Greg Chambers (the final Chaser on the team), Cho Chang, Anthony Goldstein and Joseph Lange (who was the new team Beater, along with Noel), and Michael Corner.
Lee Jordan had graduated from Hogwarts, and the magical megaphone had been handed down to Dennis Creevey of Gryffindor. He had asked to commentate the pick-up match as practice, and Roger had agreed. As a result, the pick-up game ended up being a much bigger deal than any of the Ravenclaws had anticipated. The rest of the house had climbed into the stands, but a large portion of the rest of the school had also turned out to watch the game.
The two Ravenclaw teams lined up on the Quidditch pitch, Roger Davies facing off against Professor Bale. Roger grinned at his former teammate, who grinned back. He might be a teacher now, but his love for Quidditch would always be the same. Madame Hooch tossed the Quaffle high into the air, and they were off!
"And Davies takes the Quaffle!" Dennis Creevey called out over the magical megaphone, his voice ringing through the stadium. "Professor Bale is hot on his heels, and Oh!" he exclaimed, "Davies just managed to dodge a Bludger aimed at him by Goddard!"
Lisa and Kyra chased after Roger. He dodged another Bludger, zoomed towards the goal posts, and hurled the Quaffle towards the right-most ring.
"Terry Boot with the save!" called out Creevey, and the stands roared.
Kyra flew past her teammate, who passed her the Quaffle. She took off, Professor Bale on her left and Lisa on her right. She dodged a Bludger and Mara Hawkins and passed the Quaffle off to Professor Bale.
"Bradley passes the Quaffle to Bale, Bale's heading for the goalposts, Davies cuts him off, and he passes to Turpin!"
Lisa saw Roger heading in to intercept Professor Bale and maneuvered into range. To her delight, she managed to not drop the Quaffle. Roger changed direction and came after her, but the Professor anticipated the move and Lisa passed the Quaffle back to him.
"Bale shoots, and he scores!!" Cheers rang out from the stands, and Kyra's team whooped.
Michael Corner passed the Quaffle to Roger, who immediately got nailed by a Bludger from Noel. Kyra swooped in and stole the Quaffle, making a run on the goalposts. She faked left, and Michael fell for it.
"Twenty points for Ravenclaw!" hollered Creevey. "Or, rather, Team Bale!" he corrected himself. Justin Bale had been the team captain before Roger Davies, so Kyra proposed that he be the captain of their pick-up team, rather than herself or Terry. He'd tried to refuse, but the rest of the team had insisted.
This time Michael handed the Quaffle off to Chambers. He dodged a Bludger aimed by Lucy, passed off to Mara when Kyra tried to tackle him, who dodged Professor Bale and handed off to Roger. Roger swooped up on Terry, but passed off at the last second to Chambers, who put the Quaffle through a hoop.
Terry shot an angry look at Chambers before retrieving the ball and throwing it to Lisa. Lisa took off down the field, Kyra and Professor Bale by her side. Kyra blocked Chambers from tackling Lisa, and Noel swooped in to save her from a Bludger. Lisa dived under Roger and handed the Quaffle off to Professor Bale. He dodged Mara Hawkins and a Bludger aimed at him by Joseph Lange, pulled a quick reversal, faked a hand off to Kyra, and threw the ball to Lisa. Lisa caught it and raced towards the goals. She faked up, but threw it towards the left-most ring. Michael raced towards it and managed to catch it just before it passed through the ring.
"And Corner has the save!" Creevey exclaimed. "He passes off to Davies, who dodges a Bludger from Pebble, and another one from Goddard - man, have they got it in for Davies!"
"Oh! Davies is tackled by Bradley! And Bale has the Quaffle!" The stands went wild as Kyra tackled Roger, knocking the ball out of his grasp. Professor Bale was right below them and he caught it as it fell.
"Bale passes to Turpin, Turpin dodges a tackle by Hawkins, she passes to Bale - and Chambers gets nailed by a Bludger as he tries to intercept! Nice work by Goddard! Bale's passed the Quaffle back to Turpin, who shoots - no, passes to Bradley, who puts it through the posts! Wow, what a play! Team Bale is on fire!"
"There doesn't seem to be any sign of the Snitch anywhere," continued Creevey as Michael retrieved the Quaffle. "Chang and Kingston are looking pretty bored up there."
At that moment, something shiny flashed past Lisa's face. Cho apparently spotted it at the same time Lisa did, because the girl shot into a steep dive, heading right towards Lisa.
"Apparently I've spoken too soon!" shouted Creevey. "Chang's spotted the Snitch, and look at her go! Kingston is hot on her heels!"
Luckily, the Snitch didn't hang around Lisa's face for long. It disappeared from Lisa's sight almost as quickly as it had appeared, Cho and Sarah following close behind.
"Hawkins has been tackled by Bradley!" Creevey exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention back to the players on the field. Krya had taken advantage of Sarah's momentary distraction by the Seekers and swiped the Quaffle from her with ease. She passed off to Professor Bale who took off towards the opposite end of the field. He was too quick for Roger, dodged passed Michael, and scored ten more points for the team.
The game went on for another hour. Lisa didn't drop the Quaffle once, she actually managed to score twice, and even tackled Roger once. Terry was a far better Keeper than Michael, and as a result the score was 110 to 40 when the Snitch was finally caught. Unfortunately for Team Bale, Cho Chang caught the Snitch on her new Firebolt, scoring Team Davies 150 points, for a final score of 110 to 190.
The team and housemates all shook hands after the match, congratulating each other on a game well played. Terry ran up to Lisa and enveloped her in a bear hug.
"You were great!" he complimented, beaming at her.
Lisa blushed at the praise, and Terry released her to beam at Kyra and the rest of his teammates. "Well, Professor," he said, "I don't know about you, but despite the fact that we lost, I thought that was a great game!"
"I hate to say it," Professor Bale replied with a lopsided smile, "but I think that's the most fun I've had since I graduated from Hogwarts."
"Seriously?" Kyra asked, aghast. "If that's the case, I don't ever want to graduate!"
"Yeah, no kidding!" the others agreed as they filed off the Quidditch pitch,
"So, you want to do this again some time, Professor?" Roger Davies asked.
The Professor grinned. "Definitely!" Lisa and Kyra were walking on either side of him, and he draped his arms around their shoulders. "We owe you a re-match, right ladies?" he asked them.
"You bet!" Kyra replied, smiling at her professor and tilting her head towards Roger in agreement with the challenge.
Lisa, however, had turned into a large puddle of goo when the Professor had touched her, preventing her from saying much of anything else for the rest of the walk back to the locker rooms.
Professor Bale paused in front of the team photographs on the wall in the locker room. "There are a few more photos up here than there were the last time I was in here," he commented, looking at all of them. Kyra, Terry, and her teammates beamed back at him from the black and white moving images on the wall.
"That's what happens when you grow up, I guess," Terry replied, shrugging out of his robes.
"Yeah, I guess," the Professor replied. Lisa was sure she heard a small bit of wistfulness in his reply.
They hit the showers then, having to take turns. There were only four showers on each side of the locker room. Kyra, Lisa, Cho, Lucy, and Mara finished quicker than the guys did, seeing as how five showers went much more quickly than nine.
They all headed back to the castle afterwards and enjoyed a late dinner in the Great Hall. Professor Bale was a great guy, and for most of the day the students had almost been able to forget that he was a teacher and not just another Ravenclaw Quidditch player.
~*~
Chapter 6 - Apparation Licenses
"Out of curiosity, how many of you will be ready to earn your Apparation Licenses by the beginning of next term?" It was a Tuesday evening meeting of the DA M.A.P. groups, and the students were gathered around the front of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. They'd been working on their M.A.P.s for almost two months.
Everyone except Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Hannah Abbot, and Kyra raised their hands.
"When are your birthdays?" Professor Bale questioned the last five individually.
"Not until July 31, Professor," Harry replied sullenly.
"Me too," Neville said dully.
"March 1 for me," Ron added sadly.
"I'll be 17 on February 20," Hannah told him.
"And what about you, Kyra?" the Professor asked.
Kyra had an odd expression on her face. "I already have my license," she said, feeling slightly embarrassed.
A chorus of disbelief swept the group. Apparition tests and licensing only occurred during the first week of classes each semester. Hermione had the earliest birthday in their year, but her birthday wasn't until September 19. That meant that none of the sixth year students should have been able to take the tests yet.
"How did you manage that?" Hermione asked, in a slightly huffy voice.
"She took the test last year," Lisa said, sticking up for her friend. Lisa, Cho, Terry, and Noel were the only ones who knew that Kyra had her license already. She'd visited each of them over the summer by Apparating to their homes. Since her parents were Muggles, they weren't part of the Floo Network, so this was the first time she'd been able to easily visit any of her friends.
"But that's impossible!" Hermione said, still not believing that someone in her year could possibly have taken the test before her. "You have to be seventeen to be licensed!"
"I'll be eighteen next month," Kyra replied calmly, pleased to be able to fluster Hermione like this.
Again, a chorus of disbelief circulated through the group of students. Professor Bale hushed them.
"Well, that's most of you," he told them. "Apparating is a difficult skill that can be the only choice between life and death sometimes. I want to begin working with you on developing your skills at Apparation next spring. It may drive you crazy, but those of you that don't have your license yet can still participate in the lessons. By the time you get your license next fall," he paused as Ron and Harry groaned miserably, "you'll pass your tests with flying colors."
They split up then to work in groups according to what they were studying. Kyra was working with Ron, Harry, and Hermione to develop useful skills for Aurors. Neville was working with Hannah and Ernie, and Lisa was working on her own (Professor Flitwick was busy that evening, which was fine with her, because it meant she got to spend time with Professor Bale alone).
"So how come you're so old?" Ron asked Kyra as they split into their groups.
"How come you're so young?" she countered, raising her eyebrow at him.
"I'm not too young for my year, though," he retorted.
"Leave her alone, Ron," Harry admonished his friend.
"But I'm curious," Hermione spoke up meekly. "If you don't mind... I'm sorry I gave you a hard time," she added apologetically.
"Well, it's not really a big deal," Kyra told them. "My father was really ill when my letter came, and my mother appealed to the Headmaster to keep me home an extra year to help her take care of him."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Professor Bale had approached them, planning to work with their group first. "Did he get better?"
Kyra smiled at her professor. "Yes, thanks. He was better by the next year, and the Headmaster sent me another letter, and well, here I am. And," she added, "aside from the license, it really hasn't mattered that I'm a year older than everyone else in my year."
Professor Bale made sure they were on the right track with their projects, and then checked with the other two groups. Lisa was reading through several of the books on the Professor's shelves and researching some very vile charms. She wasn't even sure why they were called charms - she'd seen curses that were less vicious. One in particular looked familiar when she got to it, and she questioned her professor when he approached.
"You were working with this charm a couple of weeks ago, before class, weren't you?" she asked curiously, holding the book out to him.
He reached out and took the book from her. "Ah, yes, I was, but I didn't know anyone had been watching," he replied, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.
She smiled bashfully. "I was a little early for class, and you were concentrating pretty hard," she told him. "I didn't want to bother you... I wasn't trying to spy, though, honest," she said meekly.
He smiled at her. "That's all right. I practice the spells I don't want students to know about after curfew," he joked, and Lisa wondered just how much truth there was behind his banter.
"So does that mean you've actually used this spell?" she asked him curiously.
He nodded solemnly. "It's saved my life a few times. Most recently, last weekend," he replied.
"Last weekend?" she asked, shocked. "What were you doing last weekend?"
"Just because I'm teaching you students doesn't mean I've quit my day job," he replied with slight smile.
"Ooh," she replied. "You've been doing work for the Ministry on the weekends! That's why you're never around!"
The professor just smiled. "I don't think you need to worry about learning that spell yet. You shouldn't need to use it any time soon - if ever," he told her. "Why don't you work on... this one," he finished, flipping a couple of pages and pointing to slightly less vicious charm.
She smiled at him, and set to work practicing the new charm as Professor Bale moved on to work with Hannah and Ernie.
~*~
Chapter 7 - Friendly Advice
It was the last M.A.P. group meeting before Christmas vacation. All of the students were eager to go home, so Professor Bale spent the last two smaller group meetings practicing jinxes and curses with them. They worked for about an hour, and then he spoke with each of them individually before dismissing them. Ernie and Hannah were both going away for Christmas with their families, so Professor Bale didn't bother giving them anything to work on while they were gone. Lisa asked to borrow several of his books, and he lent them to her.
"What are your plans for Christmas?" Professor Bale asked Kyra.
"I'm just going home, like usual," Kyra replied. "If you want to give me something to work on, I'd be grateful," she told him.
"All right," he nodded. "Can you stay a while longer?"
"Yeah, that's no problem," Kyra replied. "I'll meet up with you later?" she said to Lisa, who was waiting for Kyra to finish.
Lisa flashed her a look that plainly said she was jealous, and answered, "Yeah, sure. Have a great Christmas, Professor!"
"Thank you, Lisa," he replied smiling at her. "The same to you!"
Lisa beamed, and left the classroom. Professor Bale watched her go.
After a moment, slightly past the time Kyra had expected him to turn back to her, she spoke up. "Professor Bale?"
Obviously lost in thought, he didn't even blink when she spoke. He just continued staring out the doorway.
"Professor Bale, are you okay?" she tried again. She wondered if some silent and unseen person had cast Petrificus Totalus on him, and looked around for the culprit.
Suddenly he seemed to remember where he was, and he shook his head slightly as if to clear it. He turned around and looked at Kyra. "I'm sorry... I zoned out there, didn't I?" he asked, turning slightly pink in embarrassment.
"Yeah, just a little," she told him. "Are you all right?" she asked worriedly.
"Yes... No... Sort of," he finally decided. "So," he said brightly, changing the subject, "what kind of plans do you have for Christmas?" He'd apparently forgotten that he'd already asked her that question.
"Nothing, really," she answered again, "though Lisa's promised to take me out to dinner for my birthday if I Apparate to her place," she added.
Professor Bale smiled at her. "That sounds nice. Probably nicer than spending the evening with the parents, huh?" he asked lightly.
"Definitely. And I'll take any excuse to get away from my brother on my birthday," she agreed.
"I didn't realize you had a brother," Professor Bale commented, surprised. "Is he older, or younger than you?"
"Younger," she replied, "by almost five years."
"Then he's a Muggle too?" the Professor questioned.
"No," Kyra answered in a low tone, "he's here at Hogwarts."
"But that would make him a second-year, wouldn't it?" he asked, and she nodded. "Does he share your last name?" the Professor asked, puzzled. There weren't any other Ravenclaws named Bradley.
Kyra nodded, and Professor Bale's eyes widened as he a realization suddenly hit him. "Not Tim Bradley in Slytherin..." he uttered in complete disbelief.
Kyra nodded ruefully. "Yes, unfortunately."
"But how is that possible?" he asked. "I don't understand how a girl as sweet and caring as you can wind up with a brother in Slytherin."
"I attribute it to the total lack of discipline he had growing up," Kyra said wryly. "Father was ill, and mother and I were too busy taking care of him to worry too much when my brother misbehaved a little." She sighed. "I probably shouldn't be too hard on him. It's not that he's a bad kid or anything... He's just a little misguided. And inconsiderate."
"Do the Slytherins give him grief about being Muggle-born?" the Professor asked curiously.
"I don't know," Kyra replied thoughtfully. "You would assume they'd have a problem with it, but he's never mentioned it. I'd guess that they either don't give their housemates a rough time about it, or that my brother is trying to pretend that the problem doesn't exist." She shrugged. "Who knows."
"So," she prompted, changing the subject again, "you wanted to talk to me about stuff I could work on during vacation?"
"Right," he agreed. He walked over to the bookshelf behind his desk and removed a large, dark red book. Flipping it open, he turned to the third chapter. "I used this book during my Auror apprenticeship," he explained. "I'd like you to read through it, and practice the exercises listed here in chapters three and four." He spent several minutes going over the exercises with her, answering her questions and giving advice and guidance. "If you have any questions at any time," he told her, "feel free to send me an owl."
"Thanks, Professor," she said graciously, taking the book from him. The exercises looked difficult, yet completely interesting. She was going to have a difficult time waiting until she was home for vacation to start working on them. She would definitely read at least the first chapter that evening.
As she started packing up her books, Professor Bale spoke up. "Kyra," he said, "can I ask you a question?"
"Sure, Professor," she replied, stopping to look at him.
"Well, it's a little odd," he replied slowly, "but I was wondering... would you ever consider being friends with a teacher?"
Kyra smiled at him. "Of course, Professor. You know, you really aren't that much older than me, and I do enjoy talking to you."
He smiled at her gratefully. "In that case, I was wondering..." he paused, then reconsidered. "No, never mind, I probably shouldn't..."
She looked at him curiously, wondering what was going on. "What's the matter, Professor? Is there anything I can help with?"
"Well," he started, screwing up his face, "I guess I just need some advice about a problem I'm having, but I don't know where to find that advice at," he admitted.
"What's the problem about?" Kyra asked helpfully.
"A student," he replied, somewhat uneasily.
"Well," she suggested, "I'd probably either talk to another student, or the Headmaster, depending upon the problem."
"That would be the fence I'm sitting on at the moment," he told her, "but I don't think talking to the Headmaster is a good idea," he admitted.
"Oh," was all she said in response. The situation was starting to sound a little odd, and she wasn't sure where it was going. "Are you afraid of getting in trouble, or something?" she asked finally.
"No," he said slowly, "not really... I've been over the rules, and I can't find anything that says it's against school rules, but I don't feel comfortable asking Dumbledore about it. He's just, well, I still feel like a student around him, you know?" he asked her, suddenly sounding very much like a student to Kyra's ears.
"What is it, J- Professor?" Kyra asked softly, wanting to help if she could. She'd almost slipped and called him Justin. She didn't know why, but it had just felt right.
He looked at her, opened his mouth to speak, but apparently changed his mind and closed it again. He sighed, and tried again. "I, um," he hesitated, and tried one more time. "I've fallen for one of my students, and I don’t know what to do about it," he said softly, averting his eyes from hers.
"Oh," she said again in a low voice. "Do I know her?" she asked quietly. "Or him," she appended quickly, trying not to offend him. She knew that not all of the boys at Hogwarts preferred girls.
Professor Bale smiled, and actually emitted a short sound that could have been a laugh. "Her," he informed Kyra in a somewhat amused tone, "and yes, you know her."
Kyra didn't need three guesses to know whom he'd fallen for. Not with the way he'd gotten lost in thought as he watched Lisa leave earlier... Her flirtations had actually worked, and the teacher had a crush on her. Kyra should have been happy for her friend, but there was something unsettled in the pit of her stomach.
As she turned it over in her head, she saw two problems. The first was that she knew Lisa's infatuation with Professor Bale was just crush. It was a pretty serious crush, but Kyra knew her friend better than Lisa knew herself sometimes. Furthermore, Kyra was almost certain that Terry had fallen for Lisa. Terry and Lisa had Herbology together without Kyra, and during Potions class Terry rarely spoke of anything besides Lisa. While Kyra certainly had nothing against Professor Bale, she knew both of her friends well and was actually looking forward to Terry asking Lisa out.
The other problem was more a little more obvious - even if there wasn't a rule that prevented teachers from fraternizing with students, there were bound to be people who would have a problem with Professor Bale dating one. Professor Dumbledore - or worse, the Ministry - would probably fire him, and the students would have a field day with the subject.
Suddenly realizing that she'd left Professor Bale hanging with only an "Oh" in response, Kyra tried to come up with something helpful to add. "I can see why you would be confused," she told him gently.
"Yeah," he sighed. "I don’t know if I should talk to her about it and see if she returns the sentiment, or if I should just leave it well enough alone."
"What would you do if she did return the favor?" Kyra asked him gently. "Do you think you could get away with dating a student?"
"I don't know," he sighed again. "Like I said, I've gone over every rulebook I could find, and there aren't any rules preventing it. But I do have a hard time believing that everyone would be okay with it," he admitted. "I also don't want to scare her," he added softly. "I couldn't bear it if I ruined what we do have by telling her how I feel."
'Was he dense?' Kyra wondered. Practically everyone in the school knew that Lisa had a crush on Professor Bale. But then again, he was a male, and males were inherently dense when it came to women.
"Well," Kyra replied slowly, "if you really want my advice..." she paused, giving him time to change his mind and stop her. He didn't, so she continued, "it sounds to me like there are more reasons why you shouldn't talk to her about it, at least right now." If Lisa ever found out that Kyra was talking him out of this, she was going to kill her, very slowly, and very painfully. But she honestly thought it was for the best. Everyone involved was more likely to get hurt than not. She could just imagine what would happen if the school got word that Professor Bale was romantically involved with a student, and Lisa was not the most discrete girl in the world.
He nodded reluctantly. "You're probably right." He sighed. "Thanks, Kyra. I really appreciate the help." He smiled at her, but Kyra couldn't help feeling bad. She'd just completely crushed the poor man's spirit.
"I'm sorry, Professor," she apologized. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
He looked at her and smiled. "No, I don't think so. Thanks for talking with me. I should probably let you get on with your life now. Lisa is going to get jealous of me monopolizing your time," he joked.
Kyra didn't have the heart to say that it was most likely the other way around. She had a funny feeling that it wouldn't have helped the situation any. Feeling slightly spontaneous, she gave her teacher a quick hug, then gathered up her books and left the classroom. Professor Bale watched her go, once again lost in thought.
~*~
Chapter 8 - From Honeydukes to The Three Broomsticks
Christmas vacation was over before anyone realized it, and the students returned to Hogwarts happy and refreshed. Lisa had read three of the four books Professor Bale had lent her, and Kyra had come to visit half a dozen times during the break. Kyra had also practiced the exercises in the Classic Auror Training book until she knew them by heart.
The Professor was pleased with the progress both girls had made. Kyra found out that she was now slightly ahead of the Gryffindor students in their M.A.P.s, as Professor Bale began working with them on the exercises in chapter three when classes resumed in January. Kyra, meanwhile, moved on to the exercises in chapter five. Lisa began spending more time with Professor Flitwick doing Charms work than with Professor Bale, but she enjoyed herself so much that she didn't mind too much.
All those that were old enough took and passed the Apparation tests and earned their licenses during the first weekend after classes resumed. The first weekend of February was a Hogsmeade weekend, and Professor Bale chose that weekend to give them a practical lesson on Apparation. They spent their Tuesday lesson learning theory and the background for different situations. Those that had yet to earn their licenses were warned that if they were caught performing illegal Apparation he would personally string them up by their toes in the dungeon and have them scour Snape's cauldrons while they were at it.
The Professor then cancelled their Thursday and Friday lessons in exchange for monopolizing them as a group for two hours on Saturday morning. They agreed to meet at 10 in Honeydukes Sweetshop. It was impossible to Apparate within range of Hogwarts due to the spells in place around the school, so Hogsmeade was the next closest place they could go to practice.
----------
Before leaving Ravenclaw Tower on Saturday morning, Lisa and Kyra arranged to meet Terry and Noel in The Three Broomsticks after their lesson. The girls, dressed warmly to protect themselves from the bitter cold outside, headed out of the castle and through the gates to Hogsmeade. They walked quickly through freshly fallen snow, arriving at Honeydukes a full ten minutes early. They entered the shop to see Harry and Ron eating Pepper Imps and seeing who could breathe the longest plume of fire. Hermione was sitting off to one side, trying to pretend that she didn't know either of them, while Neville was serving as judge.
"I hope you bought enough to share!" Lisa called out to them as the girls entered.
Ron grinned and tossed an Imp to each of the girls. They took seats at the small table with the boys and popped the candy into their mouths. Lisa went first, and shot a breathe of flame almost eight inches in length out of her mouth.
"Oh, come on, is that all the better you can do?" Ron said in exasperation.
Kyra chose that moment to shoot a plume almost two feet in length out in front of her, almost singeing Neville's sweater.
"Nice one!" Harry complimented her, and Ron and Neville both looked impressed.
"Impressive," a voice complimented Kyra from the doorway. The students looked up to see Professor Bale standing there.
Kyra turned pink in embarrassment, and Lisa feverishly hoped he hadn't seen her pathetic attempt.
"Would you like one, Professor?" Ron asked him, holding the proffered piece of candy up.
Professor Bale smiled. "No thanks, Ron. I'm trying to cut back."
The students all laughed. Ernie MacMillian and Hannah Abbot entered the shop just then, and Ernie looked around. "What'd we miss?" he asked curiously. "Are we late?"
The Professor looked at the clock above the candy counter. "No, you're actually early. You're all a bunch of overachievers!" he exclaimed in good humor. "We still have five minutes, so if you'd like to have a go at the fire-breathing contest Mr. Weasley is sponsoring, be my guest."
Ron grinned. "Heads up!" he called out, tossing Pepper Imps to Ernie and Hannah.
Ernie grinned back and tossed the Imp into his mouth.
Hannah caught the Imp and immediately tossed it back to Ron. "Thanks," she told him, "but no thanks."
Ron shrugged and shoved the piece of candy into his own mouth. "Your loss," he said, before shooting an eighteen-incher her direction.
Once Ernie expelled his plume of fire, Professor Bale spoke again. "Right. Shall we get started then?" he asked.
"Please, Professor," Hermione spoke up, finally coming over to join the group.
"You really are a dud, you know that," Ron retorted in good humor. Hermione responded by sticking her tongue out at him.
"Now, now children," Professor Bale jokingly admonished them. Ron and Hermione quit bickering, and he continued. "I've arranged for us to study in the back room at The Three Broomsticks," he told them. "So, please gather your things, and we'll head over there now."
The students stood up and headed for the door.
"Where are you going?" Professor Bale asked them, using a tone of voice that implied they were doing something wrong.
Each of the students turned to look at their teacher with a confused expression on their faces.
"Oh!" Kyra spoke up suddenly as realization dawned on her. She smiled. "Right, see you there, Professor!" she called, before suddenly disappearing with a loud crack.
"Five points to Ravenclaw," Professor Bale said, smiling at the rest of them. "Harry, Ron, Neville, Hannah," he said, looking at each of them in turn, "you'd best start walking. We'll see you there in a few minutes."
"Right, Professor," Harry grumbled, pushing past Ernie and heading out of the candy shop.
"Bloody 'ell," Ron muttered, following his friend. "This isn't learning, it's torture, that's what it is!" he complained. It wasn't as though The Three Broomsticks was a great distance from Honeydukes or anything - it was the mere principle of not being able to Apparate like the rest of the class.
Hermione, Lisa, and Ernie followed Kyra's lead, Disapparating from Honeydukes and reappearing inside The Three Broomsticks. Professor Bale Apparated shortly after the four of them, and the non-licensed lot showed up a few minutes later.
They worked for two hours on various tricks for various situations. He also gave them lots of advice regarding what not to do in certain situations. The four youngest wizards even found themselves enjoying the lesson, though by the end they were even more annoyed at not being able to obtain their licenses until the next fall. Hannah planned to find out if her father knew anyone at the Ministry who could license her sooner. Ron agreed to ask his father and share his information with her if she shared hers. Unfortunately for Harry and Neville, they still wouldn’t be seventeen until the end of July, which meant they might as well just wait until the first week of classes next year.
By the time they finished their lesson, the main room of The Three Broomsticks was full of Hogwarts students. Terry and Noel had claimed a table and the boys caught Lisa and Kyra's attention as the M.A.P. group exited the back room.
"Hey, Professor," Terry greeted him as the group passed their table. "Would you care to join us for lunch?"
"Thanks, Terry," Professor Bale replied, turning around. "I'd like that."
"We'll see you later then, Professor!" Harry called out as the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students headed off to attend to their own affairs.
Lisa beamed at Terry, who smiled back and pulled out a chair for her. Slightly surprised at his hospitality, she settled into the seat. Professor Bale tossed his cloak over the back of the chair next to Terry and sat down at the table. Kyra sat to Lisa's left, and Noel sat between the Professor and Kyra.
They ordered sandwiches and butterbeer and spent the next hour talking about school, Apparation (Noel and Terry had also earned their licenses in January), Quidditch, and the upcoming Valentine's Day ball. Rumor had it that the teachers were tired of the students sneaking off to Hogsmeade on weeknights, so they planned to throw a ball this year in order to keep an eye on the students.
Only Noel had any idea who he wanted to ask - he'd developed a crush on the new Gryffindor Chaser, Ginny Weasley. Lisa wanted to go with the Professor, but that was probably out of the question. Kyra had a suspicion that Terry was going to ask Lisa, though he didn't do so during lunch. And Kyra had no idea who she'd want to ask to the ball... Her first choice would have been either Terry or Noel, but they were both semi-spoken for and she didn't have any other ideas off the top of her head.
The Professor excused himself after lunch, claiming other duties that had to be performed. He thanked them graciously for sharing their time with him, donned his cloak, and headed out into the brisk winter afternoon.
~*~
Chapter 9 - Secrets Confessed
The week before Valentine's Day, the ball was on the minds of all the students. It was the topic of discussion before Tuesday evening's DA M.A.P. meeting. Noel had asked Ginny, and she'd said yes, much to both Michael Corner and her brother's dismay. To add to his suffering, both Kyra and Lisa were quick to defend their friend when Ron started badmouthing him.
Hannah was curious who the girls were going with, if anyone had asked them yet. Ernie had apparently asked her, and they kept making sideways glances at each other throughout the meeting.
"Kyra, you should ask Terry to go with you," Lisa said to her friend.
"Maybe," she replied, nonchalantly, "but I think he's planning on asking someone else."
"Really?" Lisa asked, her eyebrow raising. "What makes you say that?"
"Oh, I don't know," she answered. "Just a hunch." 'Or the fact that he asked me at Quidditch practice last night if I would mind if he asked you,' she thought to herself.
"Do you have a date yet, Lisa?" Hannah asked the blonde girl.
"Not yet," she replied. "I haven't figured out who is worthy of spending Valentine's Day with me yet," she said merrily.
"Ron needs a date," Hermione interjected, and the girls all laughed. Ron turned and glared at them, and they laughed even harder.
"What about you, Hermione?" Kyra asked. Not that she really cared, but it didn't hurt to be conversational.
"Um, Harry asked me, actually," the mousy-haired girl replied, sounding as if she were slightly uneasy with the idea. "I'm still with Viktor Krum, so Harry and I are going as friends," she explained, somewhat hurriedly.
Lisa tried not to snort. Knowing Harry's history with girls (namely Cho), that was probably the safest thing he could do.
Professor Bale finally hushed them, and set them to work on their projects. Kyra ended up working with Hermione with the exercises in chapter four for most of the meeting, and got very little time to work on the exercises in chapter six that she had been assigned.
"Can you stay a little later?" Professor Bale asked her as he dismissed them for the evening.
"Yeah, thanks Professor," she replied gratefully. "I wanted to go over the Muggle Repelling Charms with you, if you don't mind."
"Not at all," he told her, settling down at a desk and pulling out the chair beside him for her. "Thank you for working with Hermione this evening. As you discovered, those exercises work much better in pairs."
"Yeah," she said smiling and taking the seat next to the Professor. "While it’s possible to jinx yourself, it’s not often easy or recommended."
They both chuckled, and then they got to work. Almost twenty minutes later, she finally felt more comfortable with the exercises in the chapter. They agreed that she should spend the next meeting working through them some more before moving on to chapter seven.
"Thanks, Professor," she said, gathering up her books and parchment.
"My pleasure," he replied, smiling at her and placing the cap on her bottle of ink.
"Oh, um," she said, wondering whether or not she should bring it up, but she was curious. She had agreed to be his friend, after all. "How are you doing?" she asked. "You know, with your problem from before."
He dropped his hands into his lap. "It's funny you should ask that," he told her, his voice taking on a somewhat serious tone.
She tilted her head. "Why's that?" she asked curiously.
"Well," he started, and paused, his eyes sweeping her face, "because ignoring it isn't helping at all," he said softly, "and I think I've finally decided to go for it."
Her eyes widened, and she sat back slightly. "Really?" she asked, surprised. "You want to tell her how you feel?" Poor Lisa... Terry was probably going to ask her to the ball tonight, which was going to tickle her pink. If Professor Bale made his move after Terry, Lisa was going to feel like she'd been turned inside out, and Terry was going to be crushed if she chose the Professor over him.
Professor Bale nodded, and Kyra wracked her brain, trying to come up with a solution to this problem. Somehow, she didn't think cursing her professor was the best option, though it was certainly tempting...
"What if she already has a date for the dance?" Kyra asked.
He smiled, amused. "I wasn't planning on asking her to the dance," he replied. "However, as of a couple of hours ago, she didn't have a date yet," he added.
"And what if she does by now?" Kyra countered.
He was definitely amused now. "She might," he agreed, "but that's highly improbable."
His wand was lying on the desk beside him, and he reached over and picked it up.
"Colloportus!" he said, aiming his wand at the doorway to the classroom. The door swung shut, sealing itself securely with an odd squelching noise.
He set his wand back down on the desk, and looked at Kyra. "Kyra Bradley," he said gently, "you are one of the brightest young witches I've ever met, but for the life of me I can't understand how you haven't been able to figure out that the student I've fallen in love with is you."
The world suddenly came to a standstill. Kyra's heart stopped beating, her lungs stopped breathing, her jaw forgot how to work and let her mouth fall open, and her posture forgot how to support her. If her chair hadn't had a back on it, she would have fallen off backwards.
She stared at him, trying to jumpstart her brain. The information he'd just provided her with had short-circuited it. "You... you're not in love with Lisa?" she asked slowly.
He shook his head gently. "No, I'm not."
She dropped her gaze and thought about it, and realized that deep down, perhaps she had known. She just... "I guess I couldn't figure it out," she replied softly, still staring at her lap, "because doing so would have required me to admit to myself that I'd fallen for you." Her last words were barely louder than a whisper, but they were loud enough for him to hear her.
She felt his gentle touch on her chin, lightly prodding her to raise her head. She complied, and looked through watery eyes into his deep blue ones. What she saw there almost took her barely regained breath away again. His eyes were filled with more happiness and love than she'd ever seen directed at her before.
They held each other's gaze for several long heartbeats, before he slowly leaned towards her. She didn't resist as he lightly brushed his lips against hers and then leaned back far enough to see into her eyes, silently asking for permission to continue. She granted it by leaning forward and pressing her lips to his.
She felt his entire body relax as she kissed him. She had no idea how long the kiss lasted before they finally parted due to lack of oxygen. Kyra had been kissed before, but never so gently, deeply, or wonderfully.
Breathing deeply, Kyra leaned back and looked into his beautiful blue eyes again. "Why me?" she asked him quietly.
He smiled at her, and she realized how incredibly handsome she thought he was. She'd left the fawning up to Lisa for so long that she'd forgotten how much she agreed with her friend.
"Because you're everything I've ever wanted," he told her, taking her hands in his. "You're bright, you're kind, and helpful, and have a great sense of humor," he continued, looking deep into her hazel eyes. "And you're a Chaser," he added, smiling. "That pretty much makes you the perfect woman," he quipped lightly, "at least for me."
Kyra beamed at him, feeling overwhelmed with happiness and joy at the thought of anyone - but not just anyone, she corrected herself - him wanting to be with her. "But you're still a teacher," she said, tracing one of his fingers with her thumb. "Aren't we going to get into trouble for... this?" she asked worriedly.
He shook his head, not really knowing the answer. "I told you I looked in every rule book I could find, and nothing ever mentioned teachers getting involved with students."
"So you didn’t talk to Professor Dumbledore?" she asked him.
He looked at her ruefully. "Would you have?"
"No." She couldn't stop smiling at him. "So... should we just keep it a secret for now?"
"That's the way I'm leaning," he admitted, "assuming you actually want this..." He trailed off, searching her face to be sure she wanted to be with him as much as he wanted to be with her. He didn't want to push her into a relationship that she wasn't ready to deal with. "Is that okay with you?"
"Yes," she nodded, smiling at him reassuringly. "I do want this," she told him, the happiness plain on her face. "It isn't going to be easy though."
"No one ever said life was easy," he returned. "But we're Ravenclaws, so we should at least know how to make it look easy," he quipped.
Kyra giggled. Her face fell when she looked at the clock hanging on the wall though. "Not that I ever want to leave this classroom again," she said sadly, "but I should probably be getting back to the dorm."
He nodded. "Yes, you probably should," he agreed. "But before you go, I was wondering - would you be interested in skipping the ball and letting me take you out for dinner?" he asked.
"You want to break a school rule to take me out on a date?" she asked in return, raising an eyebrow.
He nodded again.
She grinned. "It's a date then."
He beamed at her, and she stood up and picked up her books.
"Oh," he said, "um, I guess I have one more request before you go..."
She turned back to him. "What's that?" she asked curiously.
"Would you mind calling me -"
"Justin?" she finished for him, flashing him a beautiful smile.
"Thank you," he said gratefully, returning her smile. "For everything," he added.
"My pleasure," she replied. She turned to go, but changed her mind and turned back to him, leaning in for one last kiss before she left.
Five minutes later, she finally left the classroom, after he removed the locking charm on the door. Kyra practically floated back to Ravenclaw Tower. She walked down the corridors and up the staircases in a daze, gave the password to the wise old man, stepped through the portrait hole, and was immediately tackled by Lisa.
"What?" Kyra stammered at her friend. "What's wrong?" she asked in surprise.
"Nothing!" Lisa exclaimed, beaming at her friend. "Terry just asked me to the ball," she told her best friend excitedly. "You knew he was going to ask me, didn't you?" she demanded.
Kyra nodded, grinning.
"And you didn't say anything??" Lisa retorted. "You, me, upstairs, right now," she demanded, practically dragging her friend through the common room and up the stairs to their dorm.
Surprising herself, Kyra actually managed to have a halfway intelligent conversation with Lisa regarding Terry. It was a good thing she was happy for her friends because she found it quite impossible to wipe the smile off her face. Lisa finally commented on her slightly abnormal behavior, but Kyra just told her friend that she was happy for Lisa and Terry, and that she thought they'd make a great couple. Lisa beamed at her friend, thrilled that Kyra wasn't the least bit jealous. Lisa had been afraid that Kyra had had a crush on Terry.
While that certainly wasn't the case, Kyra knew that if Lisa were to find out about her and Justin, it would be a completely different story. Kyra hoped, for her sake, that Terry and Lisa had a long and prosperous relationship, so that Lisa wouldn't kill her best friend when she finally decided to tell her.
As soon as Lisa finally let her be, Kyra changed into her pajamas and crawled into her four-poster bed. She drew her curtains and replayed the evening's events over and over again in her mind until she eventually fell into a deep, blissful sleep.
~*~
Chapter 10 - Telling Lies
Kyra had no idea how she managed to make it through her classes for the next three days, let alone get her homework done. She had a horrible time concentrating during their next Defense Against the Dark Arts class. She just kept staring at Justin and remembering how wonderful his lips felt on hers. He caught her eyes and smiled at her a few times, and Kyra smiled back. She tried to find an excuse to stay after class, just to talk to him for a moment, but Professor Flitwick came in at the end of class and asked Professor Bale if he could borrow a half hour of his time. Justin flashed her a quick apologetic look, and Kyra let out a soft sigh.
"Are you all right?" Lisa asked her friend as they gathered up their books.
Kyra nodded. "I'm fine," she lied, following her classmates out of the classroom.
Friday evening she showed up to their M.A.P. meeting early. She told Lisa she needed to return a book to the library, but went straight to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. It was empty, so headed for Justin's office instead. She poked her head in the doorway, but unfortunately, he was with another student.
He saw her over the head of the short blonde student he was talking with. "Have a seat, Kyra," he smiled at her from behind his desk. "I'll be right with you."
She seated herself in the large armchair just inside his office door and waited for them to finish. The student was apparently having trouble with an essay Professor Bale had assigned. Kyra amused herself by looking at the many Quidditch posters and photographs adorning the walls of the office. A portrait on the bookshelf to her right showed a short woman who looked a lot like Justin, a man (probably her husband) and two adorable children who were waving enthusiastically at Kyra.
The student left and Justin called her name. She looked up, and then stood up and walked over to a different chair that was closer to his desk.
"Are you all right?" he asked her, tilting his head as if to get a better look at her. "You seemed preoccupied in class."
Kyra looked at him, and then glanced towards the open door.
He nodded, flicked his wand, and the door swung closed, latching with a soft click.
She leaned forward in the chair and looked into his eyes. "I miss you," she said ruefully. "I haven't been able to think about anything else for the last three days."
He released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and smiled at her. "I was afraid you were going to tell me you were having second thoughts," he admitted, the relief obvious in his eyes. "I haven't been able to think about anything but you, either," he told her. "When Professor Flitwick asked for my help after class, I felt like turning him into a ferret."
Kyra giggled. "I considered a flobberworm," she told him, and they both laughed.
"Why did I try so hard to push you away?" she asked him, reaching out and touching his arm.
"I don't know," he replied, "but I'm glad I didn't listen to you," he smiled at her and placed his hand over hers.
"Me too," she agreed, entwining her fingers through his.
He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips. She closed her eyes and sighed happily.
"I wish we had time for more," he apologized, "but we need to get to the M.A.P. meeting." He stood up and squeezed her hand gently before releasing it. She followed him out of his office and to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Hannah, Ernie, and Lisa were already there.
Lisa looked at her sideways. "I thought you had to return a library book?" she asked curiously.
"I did," Kyra lied. "I just ran into Professor Bale in the hallway." Kyra had a strange talent for lying, especially since she very rarely ever did so, but she had a feeling it was finally going to come in handy. Not that that was necessarily a good thing, but it was definitely going to be handy.
Their short tryst in his office helped to calm both of their nerves, and the meeting proceeded almost normally. Kyra and Justin were careful to not do or say anything that might clue the others into their newfound relationship.
Conveniently, Lisa had arranged to meet Terry immediately after their meeting ended, so she, Hannah, and Ernie headed off in different directions with none of them realizing that Kyra had lingered behind. Knowing that as long as Lisa was with Terry she wouldn't be missed, Kyra pointed her wand at the classroom door.
"Colloportus!"
Justin beamed at her. "Very impressive, Miss Bradley," he complimented her.
"Thank you Professor," she said, smiling coyly.
"Didn't I ask you to call me something else?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and walking closer to her.
"Handsome?" she guessed, feigning ignorance.
"That will work," he replied, and leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.
They kissed and talked for almost an hour, which was probably longer than was safe, but it was a Friday night, and they were enjoying being together. Before they parted they arranged their plans for Wednesday evening, just in case they didn't get another chance to talk in private before then. At ten they reluctantly parted, and Kyra again floated back to Ravenclaw Tower. She sat in the common room and talked with Cho, Luna, and Padma for a while, before heading upstairs and climbing into bed. She kept replaying her moments with Justin in her head, wanting to be able to remember every minute detail forever.
~*~
Chapter 11 - Valentine Kisses
Before they knew it, Valentine's Day had arrived. Everyone ate dinner early that evening, and then all of the girls rushed off to their dorms to get ready. Ron Weasley had been unable to find a date for the ball, so Tuesday evening at their M.A.P. he'd asked if Kyra had a date yet. Not feeling the least bit sorry for him, she told him she didn't, and that since he seemed to be the last upperclassman at Hogwarts without a date, she supposed she'd go with him. Of course she had every intention of standing him up, but she'd heard all about how he'd treated his previous dates at dances and thought it was high time for payback.
After dinner, while she, Lisa, and Padma were doing their hair and pulling out their dress robes, Kyra suddenly started to feel ill. Lisa tried to walk her to the hospital wing, but Kyra had refused. It was probably just something she ate for dinner, which meant it wasn't worth bothering Madame Pomphrey over and that she'd probably be fine in a few hours. Luckily, Lisa and Padma had been too busy anticipating the ball to realize that Kyra had eaten like a bird at dinner.
Padma wasn't happy about leaving her behind alone either, but Kyra insisted that she'd be fine. She ordered them to have fun with their dates and not worry about checking in on her - she certainly didn't want to ruin their evenings. The girls reluctantly agreed, and told Kyra they'd apologize to Ron for her.
It seemed like an eternity before everyone had finally left the dorm. Kyra quickly got out of bed and fixed her hair, threw on a nice pair of slacks and a warm sweater, and pulled her winter cloak out of her wardrobe. She carefully crept out of the dormitory, being careful not to run into any stray ball-goers who were running a little late.
She had arranged to meet Justin in the courtyard in front of the school. She'd almost made it when a familiar voice sounded from behind her.
"Going somewhere, Miss Bradley?" Professor Snape's low voice sent a chill coursing through her body. Why, of the hundreds of bodies in the castle, did she have to run into Snape?
Kyra turned to face the Potions professor. "Professor Snape," she greeted him calmly. She hoped he couldn't hear her heart pounding in her chest, or the gears grinding in her brain as she tried to come up with a believable excuse. "I was -
"Miss Bradley, is that you?" Justin's voice sounded along the corridor from just behind her. "Are you ready to go?"
"Oh, hello Professor Snape," Justin said as he approached the two of them, seeming to have just seen the Professor.
Snape narrowed his eyes at them. "Go?" he asked, in that slow voice that so often made students' blood run cold. "Where?" he asked nosily.
"Professor Dumbledore asked me to escort Miss Bradley to her home this evening," Justin explained calmly, and Kyra nodded as if that had been the plan all along.
The Potion Master's eyes got even narrower. "To her home? Whatever for?"
Justin's eyes opened in a show of surprise. "Oh, I assumed you were aware. My apologies," he said to the other professor. "Miss Bradley's parents are renewing their vows this evening, and asked if their daughter could be there. Professor Dumbledore asked me to escort her there and back," he explained.
Snape looked from one to the other, as if trying to see through their lie. His eyes finally settled on Kyra. "And your brother wasn't invited?" he said slowly, raising a perfectly manicured eyebrow.
Kyra shot him a wry look. "Of course he was invited. But if you were a thirteen year old boy, would you attend your parent's vow renewals, or escort a pretty girl to a Valentine's Day ball?"
The professor stared them down for a few moments longer, most likely waiting for one of them to crack, and finally said, "Very well. Enjoy your little brouhaha." He turned and walked away, towards the Great Hall.
Justin put his arm behind Kyra's back and gently, and slowly, ushered her out to the courtyard. Neither one of them spoke as he reached into his cloak and withdrew a Muggle matchbook that read, Gala Casino, London. He pointed his wand at it. "Portus." The matchbook glowed blue for a brief moment.
"Ready?" he whispered, and she nodded. She reached out and touched the matchbook, and he counted to three. Kyra felt a brief, odd sensation, like someone was trying to pull her navel towards her spine. Then she was rushing through time and space with Justin beside her, and suddenly they were both standing in a short alley off the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. They walked forward, approaching the bustling avenue before them, and Kyra spotted the Arc de Triumphe in the distance.
"Paris?" she breathed. "You've brought me to Paris for our first date?"
Justin smiled at her, pleased with her reaction. "Well, I wanted it to be special," he replied, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close to him.
She leaned into him and kissed him on the cheek. "You are awesome," she told him happily. "Although for a little while there I didn't think we were going to get away with it!"
"I know!" he exclaimed. "I can't believe I forgot about your brother," he uttered, smacking his palm to his forehead. "It's a good thing you're quick on your feet!" he complimented her.
"You weren't so shabby yourself," she replied, hugging him tightly. "Yours was much more believable than anything I could have come up with. And he bought it, so we're fine, right?" she asked.
"Well, until he talks to Dumbledore," Justin replied ruefully.
"Oh. Right." Kyra's face fell. "Wait a minute. You just made a portkey on the fly. Aren't unauthorized portkeys illegal?" she asked, stopping and staring at him in amazement.
He smiled at her. "No worries there. As an Auror, I have the authority to authorize portkeys."
"Oh. Okay." She snuggled close to him again, taking in the beautiful sights of the city. "So where are we going?" she asked, curiously.
"There's a quaint little bistro up ahead on the left that I like," he replied. "Are you hungry?"
"Starving," she replied, as he led her along the busy street. Most of the shops appeared to be closed, but many Parisians were out, spilling out of the numerous cafes and enjoying the brisk night air of the City of Lights.
A host seated them at a small table in a quiet corner of the restaurant. Kyra noticed Justin slip him a small silver and gold coin. The menu was entirely in French, but Justin surprised her once again by offering to translate it for her.
"You speak French?" she asked him, impressed.
"Yeah," he admitted, blushing slightly. "My mother is a professor in the Modern Foreign Languages department at King's College," he explained.
"That would explain a lot," she replied. "And I have to admit, it's nice to travel the Muggle world with someone who understands it."
He nodded. "I should say the same thing," he responded. "Oh, and I completely forgot - I never told you how beautiful you look tonight!" he complimented her.
Kyra blushed. "You look dashing tonight," she told him. "I do believe you have successfully swept me off my feet," she said grinning.
"Wow," he replied, "and we haven't even ordered yet. I won't ever let anyone say you're hard to please, Kyra Bradley." He leaned in towards her to kiss her on the cheek, but she turned her head and caught his lips with her own. The kiss was sweet, and deep.
Once they parted, the waiter came by to take their orders. The young couple enjoyed a delicious, peaceful meal and basked in each other's company. After Justin paid the bill, they left the restaurant and strolled through a beautiful public park and across the river Seine to the Eiffel Tower. Completely lost in one another, they blended in well in the city of love.
Justin paused at a street vender selling flowers as they crossed over the Seine. He bought a single red rose and presented it to Kyra. "Would you be my Valentine?" he asked her sweetly.
"From now until the end of time," she replied, accepting the rose and a kiss as tokens of his affection.
Because it was late on a weeknight, the line to go up in the Eiffel Tower was short. Justin suggested Apparating to the top, but they had plenty of time so they decided to wait and ride the elevators. The millions of tiny white lights were sparkling brilliantly, and Kyra couldn't have been more excited. She'd never been out of the United Kingdom, and here she was in the most romantic city in the world with a handsome prince.
Two elevator rides later and they were standing on the upper deck of the tower looking out over the city below them. It was a calm night, and the lack of wind allowed them to stay aloft much longer than Justin had expected. Kyra leaned against the railing, and he stood behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist. They talked softly, and several times Kyra turned around in his arms to press her lips to his. It was often long moments later when they finally parted.
As a distant bell tower sounded midnight, Justin hugged her tight. "I hate to say it, but we should probably be getting back."
Kyra nodded. "You're right." She sighed. Paris was an hour ahead of Hogwarts, so it was just eleven there, but she needed to be back in her dorm before the students started trickling back from the ball.
Justin kissed her one last time, savoring the moment and vowing to never forget how nice she smelled or how lovely she'd been tonight. It was, without exception, the best date he'd ever been on.
He then withdrew a postcard of the Eiffel Tower from his pocket that he'd purchased in the gift shop. There were only a few other couples up on the top level with them, and they were off to the opposite side of the platform. Justin withdrew his wand and activated the portkey. He took Kyra's hand in his, and they both grasped the postcard.
"One... two... three," he counted softly.
Almost instantly they were back in the courtyard at Hogwarts. Justin gave her hand a squeeze before releasing it.
"Thank you," she whispered into his ear. "That was, without question, the most amazing night of my life."
He beamed at her in the moonlight. "Mine too," he agreed.
Quietly, they entered the castle. Kyra crept back up the stairs to Ravenclaw Tower, and successfully arrived without running into a soul. She pulled her clothes off, threw them in her trunk, and had just climbed into her bed when Padma returned from the ball.
Padma crept in quietly so as to not disturb her roommate. Kyra rolled over, and Padma whispered, "Kyra?"
"I'm awake," she replied. "How was the ball?"
"It was really quite nice," Padma replied. "Neville was a perfect gentleman, though I'm not sure I'll ever see him as boyfriend material. Lisa will have some nice things to talk about, though," she added, a knowing smile on her face.
"Oh?" Kyra asked, intrigued.
Padma grinned. "Terry kissed her," she said, and giggled.
"Really?" Kyra replied.
"Yeah, and it was quite a doozy!"
Kyra smiled, happy for her friends. She hoped they'd be as happy together as she and Justin had been tonight. If that was even possible, at least.
"How are you feeling?" Padma asked. She'd stripped off her dress robes, changed into her pajamas and seated herself gingerly on the edge of Kyra's bed.
"Much better now," Kyra told her. "Thanks."
Completely unready to go to sleep, Kyra and Padma talked for a while, and then gave Lisa the tenth-degree when she finally returned around midnight. She seemed to have enjoyed her evening with Terry almost as much as Kyra had enjoyed hers. However, Lisa was the only one lucky enough to be able to share. The girls finally went to sleep long after their normal bedtime, and all of them had very pleasant dreams.
~*~
Chapter 12 - Everybody Hurts
The secret lovebirds had fun inventing reasons for them to be alone together, but after a month they were starting to wear thin. Justin decided then that it was a good time to start giving Kyra Occlumency lessons. It was a vital skill that she needed to be well practiced in if she were going to become an Auror. Harry Potter was getting lessons from Snape, who Justin had been assured was the best teacher of Occlumency at Hogwarts. However, as an Auror, Justin had been well trained in it to the point that he felt comfortable teaching it to others. He began with Kyra not only as an excuse to be alone with her, but to see just how well he could teach it. Assuming he succeeded, he'd begin working with the other students later in the term.
Toward the end of March, Kyra was spending an extra three hours a week in one-on-one study with the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Hermione was jealous of the extra lessons she was getting, but thankfully Lisa was spending much more time with Terry and was too involved with him to be either jealous or suspicious of her friend's extracurricular activities. The three hours were necessary because they spent half of that time talking, laughing, and making out. They would have liked to have spent more time together, but Kyra was spread to her limits between homework, Quidditch practice, and regular M.A.P.s meetings.
The Quidditch season was going well for the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors, but poorly for the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs. Gryffindor had beaten Slytherin in the first match of the season - not surprising since Harry Potter was twice the Seeker that Draco Malfoy was. Ravenclaw had then beaten Hufflepuff in the second match. Cho had beaten Malfoy to the Snitch in their game against Slytherin in January, and then Gryffindor had creamed the poor Hufflepuffs in their match the week after Valentine's Day.
That left two matches - Hufflepuff vs. Slytherin in early May, and Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw two weeks before final exams began. Even if Slytherin beat Hufflepuff, their two painful defeats by Gryffindor and Ravenclaw practically ensured that they would not win the House Cup this year, and definitely not the Quidditch Cup. That meant it came down to the final match of the season, and Roger was working the Ravenclaw team harder than ever before. As far as he was concerned, both Cups had their names on them and he wasn't going to let any of them screw it up by slacking off.
Team Bale and Team Davies had also continued to square off once every couple of months, much to Justin's delight. He enjoyed any chance he got to play, and doubly enjoyed getting to spend the extra time with Kyra in a public, yet non-professional setting. The attendance at the games lessoned as the year went on, however, so by their last game in April the stands were as sparsely populated as the Ravenclaws had originally expected at their first match.
Then, one Monday in late April, something terrible happened.
The Ravenclaw and Gryffindor sixth-years sat in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, talking amongst themselves. Class should have started five minutes ago, and it wasn't like Professor Bale to be late. Just then, Professor McGonagall swept briskly into the classroom. She went directly to the front, then turned around and addressed the students.
"I'm afraid I have some terrible news," she told them, and Kyra felt her heart catch in her chest at the grim expression on the Professor's face.
"I regret to inform you," the stern-faced witch continued, "that Professor Bale will not be teaching this class any longer."
A chorus of excited and confused chattering filled the room. McGonagall quickly hushed them.
Kyra's blood ran cold. Suddenly she knew - they'd found out about her and Justin, and he'd gotten sacked because of it.
Hermione Granger raised her hand, and the Professor nodded in her direction. "What happened, Professor?" she asked, vocalizing the question on the rest of their minds.
"This past weekend, Professor Bale became the target of an unknown group of Death Eaters," she told them grimly. "By the time anyone came to his rescue, it was too late," she added softly.
This time Kyra's heart skipped a series of beats. Professor McGonagall hadn't said what she thought she'd just said. He couldn't be...
"Professor Bale is... dead?" Neville whimpered.
Professor McGonagall nodded, her lips pursed.
Kyra's eyes welled up with tears and there was a sudden loud ringing in her ears as the blood rushed painfully through her head. It couldn't be... It was impossible... She'd just been with him on Friday evening, and he hadn't been worried about any Death Eaters. She knew he'd had something important he'd had to do over the weekend, but that wasn't unusual. She knew that being an Auror was dangerous, but he'd always returned safe and sound, in time for class on Monday.
She was aware of someone hugging her shoulders, and then Lisa whispered tearfully, "Come on Kyra. Let's go back to the dorm."
Looking around, Kyra saw that the classroom was empty. The Gryffindors had all left, and her fellow Ravenclaws looked almost as upset as Kyra felt.
Kyra felt as though her heart had been ripped from her chest and stomped on repeatedly. Her legs were leaden as her friends steered her and themselves through the throngs of confused and chattering students and up the staircases to their tower.
Her classmates couldn't convince her to leave the dorm for the rest of the day. Professor Flitwick had arranged for the house elves to serve lunch in the common room, but after lunch they still had Potions class. Kyra refused to budge from the sofa in the common room, much to Garfield's delight, who was curled up in her lap. Lisa and Noel stayed with her until they had to leave for Arithmancy. If they noticed that she was crying more than any of the rest of them, they were polite enough not to comment on it.
Lisa brought food up to Kyra after the other students hadn't seen her at dinner. They returned to Ravenclaw Tower to see that she was working on forming a permanent dent in the sofa cushions. Garfield had wandered off, but she'd managed to find a blanket somewhere and was curled up underneath it, fast asleep.
At dinner they'd managed to find out most of the rumors that were flying around the school concerning Professor Bale's untimely death. They were discussing this in hushed tones when Kyra awoke. Lisa tried to get her to eat something, and Kyra grudgingly obeyed. She had no appetite for food, but her growling stomach was loudly vying for attention.
The common room was packed with students discussing the day's events and rumors, and Kyra wanted to know what they knew. She'd managed to stop crying, but only because she had gone completely numb with shock. She'd passed beyond the realm of tears, pain, and anger, into that great, vast realm of nothingness.
Lisa, Terry, Noel and the others slowly began to tell her what they'd heard, in between sniffles. The story they'd heard was that Professor Bale had been doing some undercover work for the Ministry of Magic when he'd uncovered a diabolical plot concerning some Death Eaters. No one knew exactly what that plot was, but he'd gone to investigate, and the Death Eaters had discovered him. He apparently managed to flee, but not before one of them identified him. They'd chased him down, and before he could find backup they'd attacked.
They hit him with dozens of curses, and though he'd apparently fought bravely, six against one was hardly a fair fight. Two of his fellow Aurors had found his battered, broken body just as the Death Eaters were finishing him off. Unfortunately, rumor had it that all of the murderers had managed to get away, and no one knew who they were.
By the time they finished telling what they knew of the story, all of the students were swiping at the tears on their faces, except for Kyra, who just let them fall unabashedly.
Most of the students turned in early that evening, homework forgotten.
~*~
Chapter 13 - When Galleons Fly
The next morning, Lisa and Padma were unable to get Kyra out of bed. She'd dreamed of Justin all night, and the reality of waking had caused a fresh spring of tears to fall. If she stayed in bed, maybe she could go back to sleep and be with him for a while longer.
The castle was eerily quiet and somber as the rest of the students headed to the Great Hall for breakfast. Even the Slytherins were more bearable than usual, having come to grudgingly respect the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. They'd had a hard time turning his few faults into material they could use against him, and after several months had finally given up.
The Ravenclaw sixth-years had Transfiguration Tuesday morning, and as they sat around the tables attempting to turn galleons into bats, they discussed both Kyra’s absence and the reasons why one would want to turn a galleon into a bat.
"Is she sick?" Noel asked the girls, concerned about his friend.
"Not really," Lisa replied, flicking her wand at her galleon. It flipped over, but that was it.
"She's still upset about Professor Bale?" Terry asked. His galleon had sprouted a pair of wings that were attempting to flap.
Lisa nodded at her boyfriend.
"It seems to me that she's taking his death a little hard, isn't she?" Anthony commented. "I mean, we all miss him, and think it was a horrible way to go, but you don't see anyone else skipping classes over it."
"You forget that she was spending almost ten hours a week with him," Lisa rebuked their friend. "Lately, I think she was spending more time with Professor Bale than with me," she added, "though I think that's mostly my fault."
"Or mine," Terry chimed in.
"She did seem to enjoy spending time with him," Noel commented. "Do you think maybe she had a crush on him?"
Terry was the first to successfully turn his galleon all the way into a bat, and it flapped its wings and flew up into the rafters of the Transfiguration classroom. "Lisa thinks she might have been in love with him," he replied.
"Terry Boot!" Lisa exclaimed. She picked up her galleon and threw it at him angrily. "I told you not to tell anyone that."
"Ow! I'm sorry," he replied, looking flustered. "I forgot."
"Honestly," Padma said softly, "that would explain a lot." She flicked her wand, and her bat flew off to join Terry's in the rafters.
"If you guys say anything to anyone, including her, I swear I'll turn all of you into galleons and spend you at Honeydukes!" Lisa threatened.
"Speaking of spending galleons," Anthony spoke up, "I bet I could take this galleon into a shop and walk out with a dozen bats."
"But what if it's a life or death situation and there aren't any shops around, all you need is a bat, and all you have is a pocketful of galleons?" Noel asked, knowing the situation was as likely to occur as a Muggle was to grow wings and fly.
"I'll die rich," Anthony quipped.
They all laughed, and finished turning their galleons into bats.
----------
When class ended and the students had filed out, Professor McGonagall left the classroom and headed to the stairs leading to Professor Dumbledore's office.
"Peppermint stick," she said, and the magical stairs rotated into view.
When she reached the top of them, she spoke to the ancient looking wizard sitting behind the desk. "What do you know about Kyra Bradley?" she asked the Headmaster. With the ears of a cat, Professor McGonagall always overheard every conversation that occurred in her classroom.
The Headmaster frowned. "Yes, I knew I'd forgotten something," he said slowly. "How is she?" he asked.
The Transfiguration teacher told him of the conversation she'd overheard, and Professor Dumbledore nodded knowingly. "Thank you, Minerva. Would you do me a favor and bring her to my office in the morning, say around ten o'clock?"
Professor McGonagall eyed Dumbledore curiously, wondering what he knew that he wasn't going to tell her. "Aye, Professor Dumbledore," she responded, nodding in agreement. "Are things proceeding as planned?"
The Headmaster nodded. "Yes, thank you, Professor McGonagall."
"You’re quite welcome," she replied before leaving the office.
~*~
Chapter 14 - Secrets Shared
The next morning, with an extra amount of prodding, Padma and Lisa managed to get Kyra out of bed and down to the Great Hall for breakfast. She seemed to be doing a little better, though she said very little whenever anyone tried to speak to her. Kyra chewed on her cinnamon roll mechanically, barely tasting the deliciously hot goodness.
The Ravenclaws headed to Professor Binns' History of Magic class, but Kyra didn't hear a word the ghost said. Her thoughts were on Justin, remembering the way he used to stroke her cheeks and brush loose strands of hair behind her ear while they were kissing. She thought of all the wonderful things he had taught her. But mostly, she thought about all the things she had wanted to do with him that she was never going to be able to do now that he was gone.
Lisa finally pulled her out of her reveling. Class had been dismissed, but Kyra hadn't budged.
"I'm sorry," she apologized to her friend in a sad voice.
Lisa smiled softly in response. "That's okay, Kyra. I understand. I miss him too," she replied.
Professor McGonagall intercepted the girls in the corridor as they exited the History of Magic classroom.
"Miss Bradley," she said, "would you come with me please?"
Kyra and Lisa exchanged looks. Professor McGonagall was most likely annoyed that Kyra had skipped her class yesterday.
Lisa tried to smile reassuringly at her friend, who turned and silently followed the Transfiguration teacher down the corridor. They came to a stop in a small rotunda.
"Saltwater taffy," said Professor McGonagall.
To Kyra's amazement, stairs began to rotate into view. Professor McGonagall led her up the stairs. Though she'd never been there before, Kyra knew that the stairs led to Professor Dumbledore's office. If she was being taken to the Headmaster, that could only mean that they had found out about her relationship with the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.
Kyra dragged herself up the stairs behind the Transfiguration professor. A couple of the portraits greeted her as she entered the Headmaster's office. He was seated behind his desk, sipping from a cup.
"Please accept my sincerest apologies," the Headmaster said to her. "With the recent events being what they are, I'm afraid I forgot to consider what your reaction would be to the news."
Kyra was confused. Why was the Headmaster apologizing to her? Even if he had known about their relationship, she still would have been just as upset no matter how anyone broke the news to her.
Professor McGonagall stepped to one side of the room, moving aside so Kyra could come further into the room. There was a young man seated in a chair on the other side of the office. When she caught sight of him, Kyra's heart skipped a beat. He saw her at the same time, and rose from his chair.
Not caring in the slightest that both Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall were in the room, Kyra dashed across the room and threw herself into his arms.
"Justin!" she cried happily, tears flowing down her face. She was so happy to see him she wouldn't have cared if the world were watching.
Justin Bale hugged her tightly and looked over her shoulder at the Headmaster. "You knew?" he asked, an amused tone in his voice. Professor McGonagall, he noted, had a rather shocked expression on her normally stern face.
"My dear boy," Dumbledore said over his tea, "you'll find there are few things that occur in this castle of which I am not aware." He smiled a very knowing smile. "I must say, however, that I am most impressed with the length of time that you have managed to keep your secret. As you know, those do not usually last very long in these halls."
"Headmaster," Justin said seriously, "you should know that the blame is entirely mine. Please don't punish Kyra. Had I taken her advice, nothing would have ever happened."
"Punish Miss Bradley?" the Headmaster looked at Justin curiously. "Why would I punish either of you?"
"We're not in trouble?" Kyra spoke up, eyeing Professor Dumbledore in surprise.
Professor Dumbledore shook his head and smiled. "There are no rules preventing teachers from romancing students."
"There aren't?" Professor McGonagall sounded surprised.
"No. As all of you should be aware, Professor Bale is the youngest teacher Hogwarts has ever employed. This has simply never happened before. And seeing as how they have set a good precedent," the Headmaster continued, "I see no reason to write one now."
"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore," Justin said sincerely, and planted a soft kiss on Kyra's forehead.
Kyra didn't know what to say or do. Her poor brain had been shocked so many times in the past couple of days that it was having trouble functioning properly. First she'd lost the love of her life, and now he was here, in her arms again. So that was one problem solved, she realized. Next she'd found out that Professor Dumbledore had known about their relationship the whole time, but that they weren't in trouble, or being told they had to stop seeing each other. That made two problems solved. But no one had told her why.
"I'm certainly not complaining," Kyra said slowly, "but I don't understand. What happened?" She turned to Professor McGonagall. "Why did you tell us he was..." even though it wasn't true, she found she was still unable to say the word dead.
Justin sat back down on the chair and pulled her onto his lap. "Professor Dumbledore has told me that the students already know most of the story, so can we assume you've heard it too?" he asked her gently.
She nodded, not taking her eyes off his face.
"So you know I was on an undercover assignment for... the Ministry," he said, casting a glance over her shoulder at the Headmaster. Kyra nodded. "Right," he continued. "I learned of a Death Eater plot to steal something, but they discovered me before I got away. Knowing who I was, they gave chase, and caught up with me. I'd managed to contact two of my co-workers before they caught me though, who showed up just before the Death Eaters managed to use a Killing Curse on me." She shuddered, and he hugged her reassuringly. "Without the Death Eater's knowledge, another Auror hit me from behind with a petrification curse. Luckily the Death Eaters fell for it, and were convinced that they'd killed me. They fled, and my friends took me to St. Mungo's.
"I was in pretty bad shape, but the healers worked wonders on me. Once I was revived, I reported what I'd learned, and who it was that had attacked me. We had to make the Death Eaters think I was dead though, so that they would believe their secret plan was safe and continue with it as scheduled.
"As far as the Professors here were aware, I was deceased. I really wanted to be able to contact you and let you know I was okay, but that would have required telling someone about us, and I was afraid of the consequences," he searched her face, silently asking for her forgiveness.
"I understand," she said softly.
He smiled at her. "Everything turned out well though. The Death Eaters went along with their plan, but we'd set up a trap for them. All six who attacked me have been sent to Azkaban. So this morning I came by Hogwarts to see Professor Dumbledore and ask for my job back."
Kyra was so happy she could have kissed him, so she did. It was a short kiss, but full of all of the emotions she'd been feeling for the past 24 hours.
"So is that it?" she asked when they parted. "Can everything go back to normal now?"
"I believe so," Professor Dumbledore replied. "Though the two of you no longer have to be quite so secretive if you don't wish to be," he added with a wink.
The Headmaster stood up. "Professor McGonagall," he turned to the Transfiguration teacher. "Would you please inform the students that Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons will resume after lunch?" he requested. "I'll see that the teachers are informed," he added, ushering her out of the office.
Kyra and Justin suddenly found themselves alone in Professor Dumbledore's office. Kyra looked at him, and wasn't sure whether to laugh, cry, or kiss him again to make sure he was really there. As a result, she ended up doing a little of each. He held her, and told her how sorry he was to have put her through all of that pain and suffering. He couldn't help being touched by how much she had missed him. No one had ever cared for him that much before, and it made him love her even more, if that were possible.
Once she was finally satisfied that he wasn't going to disappear if she let go of him, they descended the steps from the Headmaster's office. Justin had classes to see to, and Kyra went off in search of her friends. It was lunch time, so she expected she would find them in the Great Hall.
"Kyra!" Lisa exclaimed as she approached the Ravenclaw table. "Did you hear?" she asked excitedly.
Kyra nodded, the enormous smile on her face showing her friends that she was well aware of the news.
"Do you believe it?" Noel asked. "McGonagall and Dumbledore actually got false information. He was only seriously injured and left for dead. He showed up for work this morning and took the teachers completely by surprise!"
"I know, isn't it wonderful?" Kyra replied happily, ignoring the fact that Noel didn't have the facts completely straight. Professor Dumbledore may not have told the students the entire story, and if that was the case there was probably a reason for it.
Her appetite fully restored, Kyra joined her friends for a celebratory luncheon feast. They unfortunately didn't have Defense Against the Dark Arts class again until Thursday, which meant she wouldn't get a chance to see Justin again until the next day, but just knowing he was alive was more than enough to get her through the rest of her day.
They had Quidditch practice after dinner, and Kyra flew her heart out. Noel and Terry both noticed, and commented that it was good to have her back. After practice was over and the team returned to the common room, Kyra pulled Lisa aside.
"Lisa, I kind of have something I wanted to talk to you about," she said quietly so no one would overhear her.
Lisa looked at her friend curiously. "Sure, what's up?" she asked, setting down her Charms book.
Kyra looked around, debating. "Um... why don't we grab Terry and Noel - since I know you'll want to tell Terry anyway, and he'll want to tell Noel - and go up to their dorm?" she suggested.
"Sure," Lisa replied, and rounded up the boys.
The four of them headed up to the boys' dormitory and shut the door behind them. Lisa and Kyra sat on Terry's bed, while Noel and Terry plopped onto Noel's bed.
"What's up?" Terry asked, kicking off his sneakers.
"Um..." Kyra paused. Now that she had them up here, she wasn't sure if she should really tell them. But it had been her secret for long enough, and she was dying to have someone to talk to about things, and Justin had said he didn't mind if she wanted to tell her best friends.
She took a deep breath, and continued. "I thought I owed it to the three of you to tell you why Professor Bale's death bothered me so much."
Lisa smiled at her friend and patted her on the back soothingly. "Kyra, that's okay. We understand."
"No," Kyra replied, shaking her head. "I don't think you do."
"It's okay, Kyra," Terry told her. "We figured out that you had a crush on Professor Bale a few weeks ago."
Kyra looked at her friend in surprise. "You did?"
Lisa nodded. "I honestly wish I'd have been as clever as you were at making up excuses to spend more time with him," she said. "But then again, if I had, Terry might never have asked me out," she added, smiling at him.
"Don't worry, though," Noel assured her. "We won't tell anyone."
Kyra shook her head and smiled. "Thanks, guys, but that's not quite what I wanted to tell you."
"It's not?" Lisa asked.
Kyra shook her head again. "No. I don't have a crush on the professor," she told them. "I'm actually in love with the professor." She paused, and they looked at her like she'd lost her marbles. "And he's in love with me," she finished.
The other three students just stared at her in stunned silence. After a few moments, Terry finally closed his mouth and said, "You're joking, right?"
Again, Kyra shook her head. "We've been dating since the beginning of February."
Silence reigned in the room for several heartbeats. Lisa was openly gaping at her friend. Terry was trying to figure out if she was serious or seriously joking, and Noel didn't know what to think.
Lisa finally said what was on all of their minds. "Seriously?" she asked.
Kyra nodded.
"Damn, Kyra," Noel breathed. "That's wicked! You've been having an affair with the teacher for three months?"
"I can't believe you didn't tell me!" Lisa exclaimed, feeling slightly hurt.
"I was a little afraid you'd kick my ass," Kyra told her. "After all, you were the one with the crush on him."
Lisa looked at her curiously. "When did you hook up? Was it before or after Terry asked me to the dance?"
Kyra smiled. "That same night, actually."
"So who made the first move?" Terry wanted to know.
She grinned. "He did."
"Seriously?" Lisa exclaimed.
"Wow, Kyra, apparently we never truly appreciated you for the Siren you are!" Noel added, and Kyra blushed.
"Dang. Sorry Terry," Lisa apologized to her boyfriend, "but I'm jealous, Kyra."
Kyra laughed. "And you had to ask why I didn't tell you?"
"All right," Lisa replied, "you win. You seriously win." She grinned at her friend.
The four friends talked for a while longer, and Kyra made each of them promise not to breathe a word about her and Justin to anyone. They briefly gave her flack about calling him Justin, but then admitted that the whole thing was really awesome and that they were thrilled for the both of them.
That night was the first one all week that any of them got a good night's rest.
~*~
Chapter 15 - Memories Bared
The next Monday at breakfast Kyra received a package by owl post. It was long and thin, and heavy enough that it knocked over her orange juice glass. Lisa mopped up the spilt juice while Kyra examined the package.
"Who's it from?" Terry asked curiously?
Kyra pulled a small envelope off the package and opened it. It read:
Kyra,
Thank you, for everything. Please accept this gift as a token of my apology.
Yours,
J.
Kyra was touched, yet slightly confused. It hadn't really been Justin's fault last week, and he'd apologized to her again on Friday evening, and she'd assured him that she understood.
Nonetheless, she was intrigued, and ripped open the package. Inside was a brand new Cleansweep 12.
"Woah!" Terry exclaimed excitedly. "Those just came out last month!"
Kyra hugged the new broomstick to her chest and twirled around. She had the most wonderful boyfriend in the world! She couldn't wait to try it out at practice that evening.
During Defense Against the Dark Arts class later that morning she made a point of discussing her new broom loud enough for the Gryffindors to hear. Their final match was coming up in two weeks, and she wanted them to be worried. She also wanted Justin to overhear how much she loved her gift. He seemed excited to hear about her new broom, so she offered to show it to him if he wanted to stop by the Quidditch pitch during their practice.
She arrived at lunch a few minutes late, having stayed after class to thank him properly for the wonderful gift.
The afternoon couldn't go by quick enough, and Kyra hurried out to the Quidditch pitch right after dinner. She mounted her Cleansweep 12 and kicked off, and was immediately soaring faster and higher than she'd ever flown before. The broom was simply amazing. She flew circles around her teammates that evening. Justin showed up halfway through their practice. When the rest of the team headed to the locker room after practice, she lingered behind to talk to him for a few moments. Once they were sure no one was around to see them, they dared a short, sweet kiss before she headed off the field as well.
----------
Tuesday at their M.A.P. meeting, Professor Bale paired off the Aurors-In-Training to work on Occlumency. The Thursday evening prior he had introduced the subject to Hermione and Ron, and Tuesday he had Ron working with Harry, and Hermione working with Kyra.
The girls went off to the far corner of the classroom and faced off. Kyra let Hermione go first, since the younger girl had never tried it before.
Hermione raised her wand. "Legilimens!"
Kyra was standing in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Hermione seemed to have a birds-eye view of the room, and the two girls watched Lisa Turpin, Hannah Abbot, and Ernie MacMillian bid their good evening farewells and file out of the classroom.
The pretty Ravenclaw student flicked her wand at the classroom door, which swung shut of its own accord and locked. She'd been standing in front of the Professor's desk, which she now used her hands to hoist herself up onto. Professor Bale smiled at the girl and walked over to where she was sitting on the desk.
"You're really getting good at that," he complimented her as he stopped in front of her.
Kyra smiled coyly at her professor. "Well, they say practice makes perfect."
"I've always believed that was true," the Professor returned. "Especially in your case. You're my star pupil, you know," he complimented her.
She beamed at her professor. "Does that earn me a reward of some kind?" she asked.
"Of course," Professor Bale replied.
Hermione gasped as she witnessed the reward - Professor Bale closed what little distance remained between himself and the student seated on his desk and kissed her deeply. His arms reached out to embrace her, and Kyra wrapped her hands around his neck.
The Gryffindor student gasped again, much louder this time, as she was suddenly knocked backwards off her feet. She landed with a thud six feet behind where she'd been standing a moment ago. Hermione looked up at Kyra, who was now standing above her with a worried expression on her face. She held out a hand to help the other girl off the floor, and Hermione accepted it.
"Hermione, you have to promise me that you won't tell a soul what you just saw," Kyra whispered quietly, a slightly desperate look in her eyes.
Hermione smiled reassuringly at Kyra. "Don't worry about it," she replied. "It's not like you're the only one who dreams about stuff like that."
Kyra stared at her in surprise. Did Hermione actually believe she'd only witnessed a fantasy? Well, if that was the case, she certainly wasn't going to correct her.
"All right," Kyra said to Hermione. "Are you ready for this?"
Hermione nodded, so Kyra aimed her wand at the girl. " Legilimens!"
The Gryffindor was standing in a clearing of a large forest. Ron Weasley was beside her, and both were transfixed to the spot, staring fearfully at the entrance to a large, dark cave. A terrible roaring could be heard, and suddenly two long plumes of fire exploded from within the cave. Each plume was nearly twenty feet long and singed a patch of ground six feet in radius.
"Bloody 'ell!" Ron exclaimed. "We have to go in... there?" he gulped.
Hermione nodded mechanically, and raised her wand. At that moment, two massive green heads appeared in the entrance to the cave. Each was attached to a long, scaly neck, both of which were connected to an enormous body.
"A d-d-dragon??" Ron yelped. "Where's Charlie when you need him?" he whimpered.
"We're going to have to handle this ourselves," Hermione said defiantly. "Ron, run!" she screamed, as the dragon aimed its heads in their direction and opened its mouths.
The Gryffindors ran in opposite directions, narrowly avoiding being burned to a crisp by the dual dragon heads. They both gulped as the spot they had just been standing in became the largest bonfire they'd ever seen.
Hermione raised her wand, and suddenly Kyra landed on her rump with a thump.
Shaking her head to clear it, Kyra looked up to see Hermione standing over her, a hand outstretched. Kyra reached out and gripped it.
"When did you fight off a dragon?" Kyra asked in amazement as Hermione pulled her to her feet.
"A couple of weeks ago," Hermione responded.
The girls switched off again, and Hermione was back in Kyra's head. This time, Lisa, Kyra, Terry Boot, and Noel Goddard were seated on two four-poster beds in a dormitory that was filled with plants of various shapes and sizes.
"I thought I owed it to the three of you to tell you why Professor Bale's death bothered me so much," the Ravenclaw told her friends.
Hermione stood in the background, an invisible witness, as Kyra told her friends that she and the Professor had been dating since the beginning of February.
Hermione cried out as she slammed backwards against the wall, which had been almost ten feet behind her. She looked up to see Kyra walking towards her, her face a mask of anger and embarrassment.
Kyra knew instantly by the look of open-mouthed surprise on Hermione's face that she'd finally realized that she was seeing memories, and not fantasies. Kneeling down beside her, Kyra pleaded with the girl.
"Hermione, you can't tell anyone about this. Please," she begged quietly.
The Gryffindor girl stared at her wide-eyed, not sure how to respond. Finally she shook her head and replied, "If Professor Dumbledore asks, I won't lie."
Realizing that was probably a better response than she'd hoped for, Kyra smiled softly at Hermione. "The Headmaster already knows."
"Oh!" Hermione said in surprise. "And he's okay with it?" she asked in disbelief.
Kyra nodded.
"Oh, well then... I guess your secret is safe with me," she replied, somewhat hesitantly.
"Thank you," Kyra breathed softly. She stood up and offered Hermione her hand.
The girls resumed their practice, each of them getting better at repelling the other's attacks as class progressed.
When class was over, Hermione approached the Professor. "I was wondering if I could have a few words with you, in your office," she asked him.
"No problem," he replied courteously. "Kyra," he called out. "Swing by my office in a few minutes, and I'll get you that book."
"Thanks Professor," she replied, wondering what book he was talking about. She watched him leave with Hermione, and then realized he just wanted to see her in a few minutes.
Professor Bale followed Hermione to his office, and closed the door behind them once they were inside.
"Is something troubling you, Hermione?" he asked her gently, motioning for her to have a seat in a chair beside his desk.
Hermione sat, and watched the professor take a seat behind his desk. "I was just curious," she said. "Does Kyra know about... the Order?" she asked hesitantly.
The Professor looked at her in surprise. "Of course not," he replied. "Why do you ask?" He looked at her curiously. If he had to guess, he would assume that Kyra's memories had betrayed them to Hermione, but it was safer to pretend that she still had no idea they were involved.
"Well," she replied. "I was just wondering - what if she sees something in my head that she shouldn't?"
"That's why we're practicing," he explained to her. "But I don't think you need to worry about trusting Kyra. I think she'll be able to keep a secret if she needs to."
"Oh, okay," Hermione replied, looking slightly reassured. "Thanks, Professor," she finished, standing up to leave.
Justin watched her go, realizing she'd made a valid point. However, Kyra was bound to find out about the Order of the Phoenix at some point if he continued to see her. He trusted her with his life, and the only reason he hadn't spoken to Dumbledore about telling Kyra about the Order was because he didn't want to put her life in unnecessary danger. It was one thing to risk his life, but quite another to risk hers.
Kyra came in as Hermione exited, once again closing the door. She sat in the chair the Gryffindor had just vacated, and looked at Justin.
He looked back at her, and read her thoughts in her eyes. "She knows, doesn't she?" he asked Kyra, who nodded.
"What did she say?" she asked curiously.
"She was just concerned about you seeing something she really didn't want you to see," he told her.
Kyra laughed ruefully. "You're kidding, right?" she asked him. "After what she saw in my head, she's worried about giving up secrets to me?"
He smiled. "I think Hermione is just overly cautious."
"No kidding," Kyra said wryly. "Do you think we can trust her?"
"Did you ask her not to tell anyone?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
Kyra nodded. "She told me that if the Headmaster asked, she wouldn't lie."
"And you told her he already knew?"
"Yes, and she asked if he was okay with it. I told her he was."
He nodded. "Then yes, I think we can probably trust her. I have a hunch that Hermione is good at keeping secrets," he said knowingly.
----------
Slytherin did beat Hufflepuff in their match the next weekend, but the Quidditch Cup – and most likely House Cup - would belong to either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, depending upon who the victor was in their match.
The day of the match dawned sunny and clear, and surprisingly warm. The students were in high spirits, and the stands were roaring with enthusiasm for the two teams. The players lined up on the field, Madame Hooch blew the whistle, and they were off!
Kyra and her teammates played their best game of the season. They outscored the Gryffindor team by 50 points, and Cho caught the Golden Snitch before Harry to win them the game, and their first Quidditch Cup in twelve years.
Justin met Kyra in Hogsmeade the following Saturday, and the two of them secretly Apparated to a small, intimate restaurant in Edinburgh where he treated her to a lovely celebratory feast.
Two weeks later, after the horror of final exams was over, the students met for the last time en masse in the Great Hall for the final banquet. Professor Dumbledore tallied the points for the teams, and the Great Hall erupted in cheers as Ravenclaw was announced as the winning house for the first time since 1987. Everyone except Slytherin was happy for the Ravenclaws, who had completely deserved to win.
~*~
Epilogue
Kyra stood beside her friends on the Hogsmeade platform. Their trunks were already loaded onto the train, but they were all reluctant to part ways. This year at least,, all of them would be able to visit with one another whenever they pleased, having earned their Apparition Licenses. That gave them quite a bit of solace, but they were still unwilling to accept the fact that another year had passed, leaving them just one more year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Justin had surprised Kyra the day before by taking a photograph of the two of them seated by the fireplace in his office. He'd framed one for each of them, and she had it safely tucked away in the pocket of her robes. She'd share it with her friends once they were on the train, and then place it beside her bed in her room at home. They'd also exchanged telephone numbers. Justin's was so his mother could get in touch with him, but it would also be a handy way for them to keep in touch over the summer. The problem was going to be in keeping her little brother out of the loop, but they had planned to try and work around that as best as possible. Luckily, her Apparition License would help with that quite nicely.
The whistle sounded, announcing that the train would be leaving the station within a few minutes. Kyra heard her name called from around the corner of a maintenance shed and turned to look. Justin was standing there, hidden from view from everyone but her and her friends. She smiled at him and ducked behind the shed with him.
"In case I don't get a chance to talk to you for a few days," he murmured, "I wanted to say good-bye one last time."
Smiling into his eyes, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. He pulled her close and returned the hug. "I love you," he whispered softly into her ear.
When she pulled back, there were tears in her eyes. She looked deeply into his, and replied quietly, "I love you too, Justin." It was the first time either of them had uttered those words to each other.
She glanced around quickly, and saw that her friends were watching, but no one else was around. Not caring whether or not they saw, Kyra pressed her lips to Justin's and they kissed each other like lovers who were parting for the very last time.
The Howart's Express sounded its whistle one last time, and they reluctantly parted. Dashing for the train, Kyra made it aboard just as it began to pull out of the station. Turning to look out the glass, she saw Justin waving at the departing train. She watched him until he disappeared from sight, and finally went to join Lisa, Noel, and Terry in their compartment.
They immediately began teasing her about the kiss, but Kyra didn't mind in the least. She pulled the photograph out of her robes, and their jabs turned into words of encouragement, reminding Kyra just why she considered them her best friends.
~*~
Fin (Finally!)
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! (Otherwise I'm guessing you wouldn't have read this far!)