Chapter 14: There's Magic in the Air
Chapter 14
The snow had finally melted, but in its place, rain had taken over. This meant that a majority of the students where currently still in bed or huddled around a fireplace before they were forced to go to their classes.
Unfortunately, I didn't get this small joy, as even under these harsh conditions the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team was practicing for the upcoming game.
The uniforms' built-in heating charm did very little to stem off the discomfort of having to fly in the rain, especially so early in the morning.
The cold didn't really bother me much and I doubted I'd catch a cold, but I could still be using this time to work on my other projects.
"Okay, let's take a five-minute break, then we'll go through the formations one last time," Robert said to the team before descending to the ground. The rest followed suit, heading straight to the hot chocolate station that was protected from the rain.
I landed and followed after, ready to get away from this rain.
I took out my wand and waved it around my head, droplets of water levitated out of my uniform, drying it instantly. Another wave and an invisible forcefield appeared above me, acting like an umbrella that kept me from getting wet. Household charms were such useful overlooked spells.
"Hey Bell, you want one," Robert asked as he was handing out cups of hot chocolate.
"No thanks, I've got my own breakfast prepared," I told him dismissing the shield and giving a loud whistle.
Not a second later, a white paper bag fell into my hands. I placed it down on a dry bench and caught the a tray of cups brimming with coffee.
"What the-," the quidditch Captain said as he looked up into the sky to see Hermes fly off.
"Did you just have your bird deliver you breakfast," Chloe Thompson, the Keeper, asked incredulous.
"I thought that was obvious," I said, reaching into the bag and taking out an Egg McMuffin. I unwrapped it and took a bite. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It is essential to growing boys like myself," I told them through my mouthful.
Simon, my fellow Beater, looked offended, "Aren't you big enough already? You're almost as tall as me."
"So, I'm still in the middle of my growth spurt, I need to eat properly," I told him taking a big bite.
"That looks pretty good," Samantha said hungrily eyeing the McMuffin.
"Oh, it is," I told her finishing it before reaching for another.
"Hold on, I recognize that brand and there's not a McDonalds around here for at least a hundred miles. In fact, how did you order it, I doubt your bird could have just told the people at the counter what you wanted," May, a fellow muggle-born, asked curiously.
"Well one of the teens in my orphanage just started working at one of their stores, so I just had Hermes give him a note and some money. You'd be surprised what I can get this way."
"Wait, don't you live near London? You had your Raven fly all the way there just to get you breakfast," Roger Davis said sounding shocked.
"Now, now, let's not give Bell any hard time," Robert said peeking inside the bag, "After all, he brought enough for everyone."
"I sure did," I told them causing them to smile. "Unfortunately, they aren't for you," I told them swiping the bag from Robert and hoping on my broom. Their smiles had completely vanished.
Robert looked shocked before calmly speaking to the others, "Alright breaks over, however instead of going though drills, let's play a game. I call it ring the Bell."
They all had serious faces too as they got on their broom, no doubt intending to take the bag away from me. I just smiled and took another bite, my flying skill has recently stopped leveling up, so hopefully this would help.
"After him!"
And the chase was on.
(Scene Change)
"Hey Charles, I was hoping to talk to you," Eric Grover, the Head Boy, said as he walked toward me.
I stopped and instinctively used [Observe] on him.
'Oh. Interesting,' I thought as I greeted him. "Sure, I have nothing going on right now."
"Great," the older boy said excitedly before looking around to make sure no one was listening in, "Do you mind if we talk somewhere private?"
We walked toward an empty classroom and he placed a silencing charm on the door.
"So, I'm calling in that favor," the teen said suddenly leaning against a desk.
I could already hazard a guess, but it was better to ask, "What did you have in mind?"
"Well you see, Valentine's Day is only a few days away and I was hoping to surprise my girlfriend," he said taking out a small box from his pocket and opened it to show an engagement ring.
"Oh congratulations," I told him.
Honestly it didn't come out as such as surprise as marriage after Hogwarts was apparently not too unusual. Though I couldn't say I completely agreed with it as it seemed to be a rather short-sided decision based on teenage hormones, made all the worse when considering that wizards typically had longer lifespans than the average muggle and divorce tended to make you a social pariah.
"But I'm not sure how I can help," I told him.
"Well your friends with Greengrass right, and rumor has it that she can get a hold of certain items," he said.
Oh good, the rumors I'd started were finally starting to get around.
"Oh, so you want me to put in a word with her. I could do that," I told him, Daphne would no doubt be ecstatic for the opportunity.
Contacting her was extremely easy as Hermes was a natural tracker, seeing as he's messenger spirit. In only a few minutes she arrived carrying a notebook under her hand.
"Daphne, glad you could make it," I greeted her before pointing at Eric, "and look I found a potential client."
She raised a delicate eyebrow at the Head Boy before turning to face me, "Charles, your note was rather ambiguous, what's this about?"
So, I let Eric explain.
"I see, but what exactly are you looking for?" she said with her arms crossed.
"I want to make it really special so I was hoping you might have something to make it memorable," he said honestly.
"Hmm? What kind of budget are you working on right now?" she asked taking out a pen and opening her notebook.
"4-8 Galleons," he told her, so 100-200 dollars. Sometimes it was easy to forget the actual worth of a galleon with how easily I was making lately.
Daphne bit her lip as she looked at me and called me over to her side.
I got off the desk and walked over to her.
"So, what can you do?" I whispered.
"Not much, most of my items are out of his price range," she whispered back, "Honestly it isn't worth it."
"I figured as much," I told her, "but think of this as an investment, this could serve as a huge steppingstone for you."
"How do you figure," she asked curiously.
I smiled as I leaned in to whisper into her ear.
She blushed but immediately composed herself as she heard what I had in mind. With every word I said I could see her eyes lighting up. When I stepped back I noticed that she had a smile on her face, not entirely innocent, but when she turned to look at Eric it was already gone.
"You said 8 Galleons, right? I can do that but if you really want to impress your girlfriend, I can put together something for 10 Galleons."
Eric looked to be mentally debating if it was worth the extra 2 Galleons.
Daphne, not willing to let this opportunity, slip played her hand, "I can tell, that your worried about what your girlfriend's reaction will be, otherwise you wouldn't be coming to me for help. Obviously, you love each other very much, but you're not sure if she will say yes. Let me take a guess, she's a Muggle-born. I hear that they have a rather different stance on marriage after school."
The boy looked surprised at her insight before letting out a sigh, "Your right, Clare can be rather stubborn when it comes to muggle customs. She's a brilliant potions maker, which is why she received an apprenticeship under a famous Potion's Mistress. Problem is that it will force her to go abroad for a while. I can't exactly follow her either as I'm going to be working at the Ministry as soon as I graduate."
"So, your looking to solidify your relationship before the year ends in hopes that she won't forget you while the two of you are separated. Understandable," the blonde said flipping her hair over her shoulder. I sent her a discrete thumbs up.
Eric looked thoughtful, "Right."
"Well, there's no need to worry. If you agree to my fee and a few conditions I can guarantee that she will say yes," Daphne said confidently.
"What type of conditions," the Head Boy said cautiously.
Again, that sly smile returned for a second time.
I watched as the two negotiate for over an hour until the Head Boy finally left with the promise to pay 10 Galleons and get some friends to help with the preparations.
"Well done Princess," I told her when we were finally alone, sitting on a desk and eating from a bag of crisps.
She gave me a raised eyebrow. "Yes, it was. With his help I will be able to get the support needed to push the petition forward. He gets a fiancé and I get my store, everybody wins," she said as she took the bag from my hands and took a single chip, holding it up to the light, "But there's still something I don't understand."
"What's that."
She pointed the chip at me briefly before eating it, "What do you have to gain from this?"
"What makes you think I want anything?" I asked smirking.
The blonde rolled her eyes as she took another chip, "I think I know you well enough to know you don't do things without purpose."
"Weellll, you're not wrong per say," I told her reaching for the bag only for her to keep it out of arms distance, "I owed him a favor. If it just so happens to put him in my favor for the rest of the school year then that's just a lucky coincidence."
Special Holiday Quest: Cupid's Helper
Love is in the air, so be careful.
Objective: Create 10 new couples.
Objective: Cause ten duels to happen over someone's affections.
Objective: Cause one couple to get engaged.
Reward: ?
"And I'm sure this favor you owed him wasn't at all planed," she said suspiciously.
It really wasn't but there was no need for her to know that, so I just gave her a wide smile and stayed silent.
She gave an exasperated sigh as she tossed the bag at me, "It's honestly scary how smart you can be."
"Now, now, no need to be afraid Princess," I told her, "your starting to get there too."
She smiled and rolled her eyes. "Back to business, think you can manage to get some information on this Clare girl. There's a lot that needs to get done before the big day," she said taking out her notebook and reviewing the notes she had taken.
"I suppose I could," I'll said walking to her side and looking at the notebook only to see it was blank. Using [Observe] I saw that there was a charm to keep others from seeing what was written, smart of her, unfortunately that didn't apply to me.
"Now the only problem is how I'm supposed to get this?" she said with a frown.
I pointed to different places on the page, "Just leave these to me."
The notebook immediately shut with a snap as the blonde looked startled, "Y-you can see what was written?"
"Oh yes. Why? Is there something you don't want me seeing?" I said with a teasing tone.
"No!" she said a tad too fast.
"Anyways, don't worry about those, I'll get them for you," I told her as I began to walk toward the door.
Messing with people was so easy.
(Empty classroom)
"Ready," the small charms professor asked as he readied his wand.
"Yes," I told him as I did the appropriate wand movements and called out the spell, "Protogo."
A small semi-transparent barrier appeared just a few inches away from the tip of my wand.
"Alright, I'm going to send a spell now and you try to block it," Flitwick said.
I adjusted my stance.
"Stupefy," he said calmly sending a red beam of light at me.
My eyes sharpened as instinct tried to get me to move faster than normal to avoid it, but I crushed it as I moved at regular speeds to block it instead.
I knew better from previous experience that I shouldn't let the shield take the spell head on and should instead deflect it to the side.
My slashed my wand down, causing the red stunner to glance off the shield and behind me.
Flitwick gave a satisfied nod, "Well done. I knew you had it in you Charles."
"Thanks Professor, it's all thanks to your teaching," I said modestly. I had actually already learned the shielding charm before he started teaching me, but now I could finally use it in public.
"Now that you've learned the basics, how about we get some actual experience?" the small Professor said sounding giddy.
"Finally," I said excitedly.
"Hehehe. Ah, to be young," Flitwick muttered under his breath as he we walked to opposite sides of the empty room. "I trust you brushed up on the rules," he called out from a distance.
Standard dueling stages were typically 46 feet long and 6 feet wide. A duel consists of 3 rounds with no set time limit. To win a round you had to either incapacity your opponent or push them off the other end of the stage. Participants were forbidden from crossing the middle section or attacking each other physically.
I gave a nod as I stood at attention and gave a bow. Flitwick reciprocated and we got into our stances with the wand hand up pointing downward and the other hand at the chest.
The small professor smiled as he gestured for me to go first.
Taking a deep breath, I launched my first spell, "Stupefy!"
The red beam snaked through the air like a viper intent on catching its prey.
Unfortunately, it was easily dismissed by the smaller wizard with a simple wand gesture.
But that was to be expected, as I had already begun the motions of calling my next spell, "Impedimenta!"
It was slower than the first, but it had a wider area of effect.
Again, Flitwick dismissed it casually before finally calling out a spell of his own, "Stupefy."
It was certainly faster than my own, but I was ready as I summoned a shield and let it slide behind me.
The manner in which a spell traveled differed so if you wanted to use the shielding charm to the best capabilities you first needed to know what spells your opponent was using. For example, the stronger the spell, the brighter and straighter it's path. Area of effects spells were usually weaker, colorless and had a cone shape. Some had more penetrative power while others had more force behind them. The mark of a master duelist was being able to modify spells to have different properties.
A full body binding curse was sent at me next. I was able to block it successfully, but the force behind it made me tighten my grip on my wand or else have it knocked out of my hand.
Fillius Flitwick LV:?
I could tell he was going easy on me from the fact that he was telegraphing his moves and saying his spells out loud. However so was I, though I suppose I could let slip one or two things.
We traded spells for a several seconds before I felt I finally had a basic understanding of his battle mannerism.
Gather magic in my wand I let it build pressure as if shaking a bottle of soda.
"Stupefy!"
This time the red beam was noticeably brighter as I pour in more magic, though it did have the effect of being slower by a small degree.
I could see that he looked impressed, but I wasn't done as I called out my next spell in the same breath.
"Petrificus Totalus."
I aimed the white, nearly invisible, beam to his far left.
As expected, Flitwick saw the stunner and choose to deflect it to the right, leaving his left side wide open.
He obviously saw the other spell but probably figured I had shot too wide.
However just as it looked like the spell would miss, it curved in midair and headed straight for his exposed side.
Again, being able to modify a spell's properties was the mark of a master duelist. Luckily, I already had a skill that allowed me to do something similar.
Magic Casting (Passive) LV 29 EXP: 20.33%
Description: You're a wizard! Magic is in your blood. Just don't poke your eye out with your wand.
Effect: Charms, Jinxes, Curses and other magical spells are 145% more powerful.
Effect: Can cast spells silently.
Effect: Can recognize spells if you have seen them before.
Effect: Can modify a spells property to some extent.
Despite the unexpected attack, Flitwick proved to truly be a dueling champion as he dodged backwards and sent a red stunner my way at the same time.
I also chose to dodge the stunner and was just about to send another spell when I felt a wave of dizziness and, though I didn't fall over, I did stumble.
It took me less than a second to figure out what had happened.
Flitwick's spell had ricocheted off the wall and hit me in the back.
Fortunately, the spell wasn't that strong, and my magic resistance was enough to ignore most of the effect.
Flitwick looked shocked as I stood standing. That was until I sent another spell at him causing him to hastily cast a shield. The force of my spell pushed him back, but the shield remained intact.
The was the last thing I saw before my vision switched and I found myself staring at the ceiling with Flitwick standing over me victorious.
I seems I still had a long way to go before I could match a fully trained wizard. I hadn't even seen the attack.
"So, how did I do?" I asked with a smile.
The small professor smiled back, "You did better than most. With a bit more practice I can guarantee that you have a shot at winning Britain's Junior Wizard Dueling Competition."
Still on the floor I let out a sigh, "I was hoping I could get you with my curve shot."
"Hoho, I'll admit that caught me by surprise, but you'll find I'm not so easy to catch," he said sitting down. "What I'm most curious though, is how you were able to withstand my stunner?"
I gave a shrug, "I don't know, I did feel dizzy but at the time I figured you hadn't added too much power to the spell."
Flitwick gained a thoughtful look.
"So just out of curiosity, but is there prize money involved for Britain's Junior Wizard Dueling Competition? I wouldn't mind a bit of book money, especially after seeing how much enchanting manuals cost," I said trying to distract him.
The goblin wizard blinked before laughing, "Hahaha…"
"I'm serious."
"..hahaha."
(Courtyard)
"6 Sickles on the Hufflepuff," I said out loud taking a bite from an apple as I watched the upcoming duel from the second story floor, along with my other house mates.
"I'll take that," Terry chimed in.
"So, what is it this time?" Anthony said adjusting his book bag.
I pointed to the boy wearing a red robe, "Griffindork there made a pass at the Puff's girlfriend. Bunch of name calling that escalated into a duel. One of the friends, called a teacher to make it official. Oh, looks like they called the Arithmancy teacher. Smart, McGonagall would have had their hides before they could cast their first spell and Sprout would try to talk them out of it."
"It seems stupid to be fighting over a girl," Anthony said with a shake of his head.
"I agree, but apparently they don't think so," I said pointing to all the female spectators that seemed to be more excited than the boys.
"Knock his block off!" Padma, the ever-feisty girl, shouted holding up a red flag.
"She came prepared," Anthony asked incredulously.
"Well this is the fifth duel this week," I added casually, "Plus with Valentine's day only a bit away, I doubt this will be the last."
"Teens," Anthony said with a roll of his eyes.
(Music Room)
"Not bad," I commented as I looked over the various instruments. My fingers playing a couple keys on the grand piano before taking a seat on the stool. I decided to play something simple.
Daphne walked over and hopped on top of the piano.
"I manage to get permission from Professor Trill to have a small party in the music room so long as we don't damage the equipment," Eric told Daphne.
"We'll make sure to be careful," she said before turning to me, "huh, you're actually pretty good Charles. I remember you saying that you wanted to be a pianist but didn't actually expect for you to have talent."
"I'm going to take that as a compliment," I said with a smile, "but still this is my first time using a piano this good. I learned how to play at Sunday School at my local church using the huge organ."
"I suppose music is its own type of magic," Daphne said offhandedly giving me a charming smile.
Eric raised an eyebrow, "Riiight, not to interrupt this-whatever this is, but how's the plan going?"
Daphne pouted and I just shook my head, continuing to play.
She took out a notebook and flipped through it.
"I've got nearly everything. What about you Charles? How's things on your end."
"I've got the food, drinks, and decorations for the party," I told her taking off my top hat and reaching inside to take out two pink cupcakes with a large amount of white frosting and heart shaped sprinkles, "by the way, I suggest you don't eat to many of these."
Daphne was the first to reach for one, taking a huge bite, "Mmmm these are good."
Eric also took one, "Huh, they are pretty tasty."
"What about the other thing," Daphne asked while licking the frosting off her fingers.
"That was harder, but I managed to call in a favor from a kid at the orphanage," I said reaching into the hat again.
I took out an old movie projector and a film reel.
"Will this really work?" Eric said skeptically.
Daphne turned to me, "Charles?"
"I've modified it, so it should work even without electricity," I told them, "The real difficult part will be the timing. The party will serve as a distraction, but the rest will be entirely up to you."
"Just two more days," Eric said nervously.
(Scene Change)
As expected, it didn't take very long for news of a party to spread throughout the school.
The entire student body was buzzing with excitement.
The days leading up to the part were filled with hormone driven teens running around the school trying to get ready.
Daphne the ever opportunist had wisely bought a large number of cosmetics from me before the news had fully spread and had been selling it to the other girls at an increased price.
I'd done something similar.
"Thanks mate, you're a life savior," a fifth year Ravenclaw said bringing me into a hug and clasping me on the back, before running out of the small broom closet.
I rolled my eyes and shouted for my next client.
"Next."
This time a Third Year Hufflepuff came in looking extremely nervous, "Ummm, I-I heard th-that y-you ummm?"
I took out a plastic jar filled with fresh condoms, "5 Sickles."
"I-I'll take t-two," he said red-faced.
Looking at myself in mirror I inspected my appearance. I had chosen to wear a black three-piece suit and some dancing shoes. Grabbing some mousse, I slicked my hair back to fully expose my face.
Looking around, I could see the others getting ready. Terry and Anthony were wearing some casual clothes, just simple dark pants and a button up shirt. The only one that wasn't ready was Michael who was reading a book on his bed.
"Aren't you going," Terry asked while tying his tie.
"No. Why would I?" the pessimistic Ravenclaw responded.
"Dancing, girls, food," Anthony chimed in, using a cloth to shine his shoes.
"Can't dance, no girls like me, and I've just had dinner," he said ticking off fingers.
"Well you should still go, the whole point is to make memories, both good and bad. Who knows, you might even be pleasantly surprised by the end of the night," I said, adjusting my tie.
"Urggghhh, fine," he said getting up, "Does anyone have any extra cologne?"
I tossed him a bottle, and turned to the others, "Well I'm going to go on ahead, see you guys later."
"That's fine."
"Cool."
"Hmm."
Leaving the Ravenclaw Tower I made my way to the fifth floor where the music room was located.
I noticed Daphne standing by the entrance wearing a green dress and black shoes, her hair was curled and she was wearing just a bit of makeup.
"My, you clean up nice," she said walking to me.
"I do, don't I," I said arrogantly getting me a playful shove in return.
Walking inside I saw that the room had been slightly expanded, probably to fit everyone. There were some round tables set up in one corner of the room with white and red tablecloths. A stage had been set up with musical instrument charmed to play by themselves. An area had been cleared for dancing and one long table had been set up against one of the walls with different types of snacks.
"Just out of curiosity, but how much have you earned so far," I asked.
"Taking out all of the expensive, I've made a profit of 13 Galleons," she answered back.
"I told you holding this party to make up the difference was a god idea," I told her. I glanced at my pocket watch, "We should probably start letting people in, or else they will start to riot."
"I'll say, even those in my house were pretty excited, Snape especially," Daphne commented.
"Snape?"
"Yes, you should have seen him during Potions with the Gryffindors, just waiting for someone to mess up and give them detention. I think I even caught the ghost of a smile as he was passing in the hall with how everyone would run away. Even those Weasley twins have been on their best behavior in class."
"Huh, so that's why things have been so peaceful."
(Scene Change)
"Do you want to dance?" a Third Year Hufflepuff asked me.
"Sure," I said walking away from my group and leading her to the dance floor where a number of couples were already dancing.
I placed a hand on her waist and took the other hand. Despite me being 2 years younger than her, we were roughly the same height.
The music was slow enough, where we could just sway at a reasonable pace.
After a few more minutes of this we finally parted ways. I'd been dancing for the majority of the night, as the girls found me both cute and approachable due to my age.
Looking around I noticed, someone at the food table and made my way over.
"Hello Granger, didn't expect to see you hear," I greeted the smaller witch causing her to jump and turn around.
She wasn't wearing any make-up but had made some attempts to tame her hair with a simple braid. She had on a pink sundress and white shoes.
"Ch-Charles," she stuttered out, "h-hello."
"Getting something to drink?" I asked as I walked over to a punch bowl filled with a red sugary liquid, "You look very nice by the way."
Her face turned a nice shade of pink as she looked at her shoes, "Thank you."
"Where are your two followers? Harry and Ronald. I don't see them here," I asked offering her a cup of punch.
She took it and said, "They're in detention with Snape."
"Ahh. Well that's a shame," I said with a shake of my head, "but that's no reason to not enjoy ouselves."
I put the cup down and offered her my hand, "Care for a dance?"
"Oh, I really don't know how to," she said shyly.
I took her hand anyways, "Don't worry, I'll show you how."
[Increase closeness with Hermione Granger.]
"O-okay."
It took very little time for her time find the rhythm as we danced.
"So, I noticed you've been frequenting the library more often, are you perhaps getting ready for the finals," I said twirling her once.
"Yes, it's never too early," she said, having gotten used to my presence.
"The Ravenclaws hold a study session every Saturday afternoon in the library. We quiz each other and go over each other's notes. I'd love it if you could join us," I offered.
Her expression looked excited before it turned downcast, "Sorry I can't, I just remembered I have to help Harry and Ron study."
"Well the offer is there, though it is a shame, but I can understand wanting to help out a friend. I'm sure they appreciate it too," I said with smile.
"Actually, they constantly complain about me nagging them, and tend to ignore most of what I say," she said gloomily.
"Oh," was all I said as we continued dancing.
After some more time I finally asked, "So anything you're currently working on?"
"No," she said with a shake of her head before suddenly perking up, "hold on, you wouldn't happen to know who Nicolas Flamel is?"
"Nicolas Flamel," I said rolling the name before finally answering, "Isn't he that one famous alchemist that supposedly invented something called the Philosopher's Stone. It's supposed to turn lead into gold and give you immortality or something. Why?"
"J-Just curious," she said nervously.
"Well if you want to know more, I suggest reading in the alchemy section of the library. I think it's rumored that he and Dumbledore were supposed to be good friends too."
"Okay," she said with a far of gaze but then she looked at me again, "Oh, by the way, how did you know who he was?"
I gave a smug smile, "He was mentioned in my chemistry book. Apparently, the non-magical side considered him to be something of a famous figure too."
She looked surprised, "You're studying chemistry?"
"Of course, I mean learning magic is fine and all, but that doesn't mean I'm going to abandon my other studies. It'd be pretty ignorant of me as a muggle-born to forget what my roots are," I said before leaning in to whisper in her ear, "By the way I found out that muggles jobs tend to make more money than magical ones with a lot less risk being involved. You know the typical wizard salary is like 4 Galleons a week right. That's like 60 pounds. You're studying them too, right?"
She looked tongue tied by what I told her, "I-I-"
She was saved however when I felt a tap on my shoulder and saw that it was Eric. Turning to the still stunned Hermione I bid my farewell, "Well looks like I have to go now. It was nice dancing with you."
"Bye," she said dumbly.
I caught her being swarmed by her fellow Gryffindor girls as I was leaving however.
"Hey sorry about cutting in, I know how annoying that is," Eric said as he led me out of the room, "though I could have sworn you and Greengrass had something."
I gave him a befuddled look, "What are you talking about, it's just dancing. But more importantly how's Clare?"
"She's having a great time," he said smiling.
"Good, then let me just go on ahead and set everything up. You can start bringing her toward the empty classroom on the 2nd floor in about three minutes."
"Okay," he said heading back inside.
(Eric)
Gently leading his girlfriend by the hand, he walked through empty corridors.
"Why the blindfold? What's with all the secrecy?" Clare asked with a laugh, that caused his heart to race.
"It's so that it doesn't spoil the surprise," he said opening the door to the specified classroom.
His eyes widened in shock at what he saw. The classroom looked nothing like before.
Dozens of candles covered almost every surface. A red rug had been placed in the center of the room filled with different sized pillows. A table with what looked to be an ice bucket holding some champagne and that odd device from before was placed on one side of the room facing a large white sheet hanging on the other wall. The room was also filled with fireflies that twinkled with red, pink, and blue lights rather than their normal yellow-green hue.
It took him a moment to come back, but he did, and he moved behind his girlfriend and removed her blindfold.
Clare gave a gasp of surprise as she took in the sight too, mesmerized even more than Eric.
The Head Boy gently led her in and made sure to lock the door behind them.
"Amazing. How did you even-" she was cut off when Eric pulled her into an embrace.
The two stared at each other and smiled before leaning in for a kiss. It only lasted for a second but for some reason both felt it was the best kiss they've had.
"I wanted to make this special," Eric said caressing the side of her face.
Clare had a large grin as she pulled him toward the sea of cushions and patted the spot next to her.
Eric however moved to the table and to the projector where a note with instructions was placed beside it, "I remember you telling me how much you wanted us to watch that 'film', The Princess Bride, so I called in a few favors to but this all together."
Hey, everything is ready.
Just make sure to turn on this machine and the modified record player under the table at the same time.
I already saw it, and all I can say is good luck.
-C.B.
PS: I left some protection under the third seat from the right in case things escalate.
Eric made a mental note to thank Charles later.
(Party)
[Increase closeness with Eric Grover]
I dismissed the message.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we will now open the dance floor for our first Valentine themed activity," a girl in a red slim dress said from the stage, the Head Girl, Mary if he remembered correctly.
Already people were clearing the dance floor as other's brought in a table and some chairs.
When she asked for volunteers, I felt someone shove me from behind and turned to see it was Terry.
Rolling my eyes, I decided I might as well, and took one of the empty seats. A total of nine participants were seated until someone brought out a bowl of cherries.
Mary grinned as she addressed the gathered audience, "Our first activity is a test to see who the best kisser is. For this reason, you must try to tie as many knots on as many cherry stems as you can using only your mouth within thirty seconds."
Everyone cheered in excitement, and many of the participants blushed. I put on a cocky grin and winked at a group of older girls causing them to laugh.
"The time starts now. Ready. Set. Go!"
(Ravenclaw Tower)
"This was the best night ever," Anthony said as he threw himself on his bed with a satisfied smile.
"Yeah, especially the part where those two sixth year girls started fighting and one of them pulled down the other's dress," Terry added with a large grin.
"That's why he said it," Michael added also with a small smile, "I'm glad you guys dragged me there."
I rolled my eyes as I wiped the rest of the whip cream from my eyebrows. I'd gained a fair amount of influence thanks to the activities, particularly with the female populous.
I pulled up the notification and saw the quest.
[Special Holiday Quest: Cupid's Helper] Complete
[You obtained the item: Cupid's Arrow]
I looked at my inventory and saw that it now had a pink arrow with a red heart-shaped tip.
Cupid's Arrow-Rank: Legendary
This is an arrow infused with the purest form of love. Two people stuck by the arrow will slowly fall in love with each other. Holding it in your hand will cause it to point in the direction of your heart's deepest desire. At the cost of breaking the arrow, you will be able to call upon a miracle to save a loved one, even if it is from death.
'How useful,' I thought, glad I hadn't done this silly quest for nothing.