Bursting Bubbles

Gideon spent Sunday morning absent-mindedly flicking through books in the library. As he did so, he continued eyeing the Restricted Section and the movements of the ancient librarian. He was trying to figure out the woman's routine to see if there were any times when she might not notice someone sneak into the forbidden area.

Old though she may be, Madam Pince was not a woman to cross. As a regular of the library, Gideon had never had a problem with her. However, he had seen many students who were less serious about studying, being chased from the library by Madam Pince and her feather duster.

Gideon knew that she rarely left the library. However, when he noted that she even ate lunch in the office behind the counter, he decided to take a walk to deal with the disappointment.

As he approached the courtyard to get some air, he pondered how he might get into the Restricted Section when Madam Pince never left it unattended.

'Oh, err—hi, Gideon!' said Ruby Williams out of the blue. 'On your way to the club?'

'Huh? Oh, that's right, I almost forgot about Charms Club! That might be fun, actually. Good thing I bumped into you!' Gideon mused, happy to have an excuse not to return to the library right away. 'Do you know what we're doing today?'

'No. I hope it's something interesting,' Ruby whispered, 'I'm guessing it will be the usual light show, though.'

Gideon chuckled. They shortly arrived at the club room, which once again had the curtains drawn tightly. It looked like Ruby had guessed correctly. Even in the darkness, Gideon could tell he was getting stares and the happy talk soon descended into audible whispering. As he and Ruby walked over to an open space, Gideon noticed Brendan and Emma shuffling away.

Verity began to address the group, though, she didn't seem her usual cheery self, 'Ahem. Today, we're going to learn the Bubble Spell. Then, we're going to apply the other spells we've learned to our bubbles.'

The group leader got up at that point. 'So, the Bubble Spell is totally easy!' she informed them. 'However, when you perform it, your power and concentration can affect the number of bubbles you produce as well as the colour! So, everybody split into pairs and let's make some bubbles! The incantation is bullitus!'

For around fifteen minutes the club members enjoyed filling the room with what seemed like an endless number of bubbles, spraying them at each other and running around hitting them. They were stronger than soap bubbles and made a pleasant popping sound when burst.

Gideon soon lost himself—and his troubles—amidst the fog of multi-coloured bubbles, and both he and Ruby were bent over with laughter. It was so silly, so childish, and yet, exactly what he needed.

'Excellent!' commented the group leader, removing the room's remaining bubbles at once with a wave of her wand and a symphony of pops. 'It looks like you've all got that down. Easy enough, right?'

'Yes!' the room replied happily in unison.

'Now comes the hard part!' the tall girl continued. 'As Verity explained, we're going to apply the other spells we've learned. So, we'll all get in a big circle and create a field of bubbles. I'll keep them contained to a fixed area. Then, one by one, you'll each apply a spell!'

The club members excitedly formed a circle, raised their wands, and together uttered, 'Bullitus.'

The group leader used her wand to keep the bubbles from dispersing, and an immense multi-coloured cluster formed. This sight alone was impressive to Gideon, but he was looking forward to seeing how the field of bubbles would appear full of magic. It would be different to the time when they had all applied their spells to one object.

One by one the students applied Glow Charms and Dazzle Charms to the bubble swarm, and one or more bubbles would begin to glow or sparkle. The older students were better, of course, and could light up more at bubbles at a time, but it didn't take long until the room was filled with a wonderous sheen.

Ruby's turn arrived. She took a deep breath, flourished her wand, and said confidently, 'Fulgeos!'

The room echoed with the 'ooh's and 'ahh's of the club members. Ruby's Glow Charm had lit the largest number of bubbles yet, and each radiated a pretty, pale pink light. Gideon was impressed. Though shy, she had focused and pulled off a better spell than a lot of the older students.

Suddenly full of stage fright, Gideon thought back to the Charms class where he had burned his feather. After, running out of the class, he never did get to try the Beacon Charm. Now seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Gideon concentrated, waved his wand, and commanded, 'Micos!'

It worked and the effect was even better than he had envisioned. A large number of the glowing and sparkling bubbles began to flash intermittently and at different speeds. It was how Gideon imagined the inside of a fairy nest might look.

Gideon noticed that Verity looked cross, and the group leader looked a little perturbed, but he was relieved to see that most of the students were enjoying his contribution.

'That's the Beacon Charm,' the tall girl called out matter-of-factly. 'Not a bad idea, if you know it. Although, we haven't practiced it in the club.'

The students continued to apply their spells one by one. Some of the older students even tried the Beacon Charm as well.

'What do you think?' Gideon asked Ruby.

'It's pretty,' she said simply. 'I wish we could do more, though.'

'Why don't we?'

'I don't think Maxine and Verity would like that.'

'The Beacon Charm worked out okay…'

Ruby smiled widely but bit her lip nervously. 'What should we do?' she asked with a glean in her eye.

'I have a fun idea. Can you make the bubbles move around?'

Ruby nodded. When it came around to her turn again, almost all the bubbles were alight, sparkling and flashing like a glorious chandelier. Gideon could tell that Ruby was apprehensive about her spell but once again, she appeared to dig deep and spoke resolutely.

Ruby's spell caused the field of bubbles to begin turning on the spot, giving it the appearance of a giant disco ball. Again, most of the students liked the change but Verity and the group leader, Maxine were put out by someone deviating from their instructions.

Gideon wasn't sure his spell would even work. Transfiguration was difficult, after all. However, it would only be a minimal transformation and the magical theory behind the idea was straight forward. So, concentrating as hard as he could, Gideon cast his wand in a wide circle and pictured the outcome clearly in his mind before commanding, 'Verto!'

All but the furthest bubbles from Gideon squeezed dangerously and for a moment he thought they were going to pop. Then, one at a time the bubbles rebounded into a different shape. Suddenly the spinning field of glowing, flashing, sparkling bubbles became a swarm of butterfly-shaped bubbles.

Ruby and a few others clapped, and Gideon was filled with pride. It wasn't enough, though. Gideon knew he could still enhance the idea. He added charms to make the butterfly bubbles appear to flap their wings, he changed some of their sizes and increased the movement speed.

It now looked like each of the glowing butterflies were scattering a trail of sparkling scales behind them. Caught up in the moment, Gideon felt like he could do anything, but did he dare try what he was thinking? Coursing with adrenaline, he decided to try the full spell, 'Insecto verto!'

Still glowing, flashing and sparkling, around a third of the butterfly bubbles transformed into real butterflies and began to fly around of their own accord.

Gideon knew that without much of an original form to work with, the fluttering insects wouldn't last long, but he couldn't believe he had pulled off the spell. As expected, they began to burst as bubbles under stress would, but each pop created a shimmer and the final effect of popping, dazzling butterflies in the glowing field of orbs was spectacular.

Suddenly remembering where he was, Gideon noted around half of the class clapping or transfixed with awe. However, the other half looked as many of them had been during the last session he attended; angry or scared.

'That's enough!' cried Maxine. 'You ruined it!' She used her wand to extinguish the scene with a chorus of angry pops, plunging the room into relative darkness before the curtains were magically opened.

'Ruined it?' Gideon exclaimed.

'You really think you're something special, don't you?' she spat. 'Don't you think there are other people in here who are capable of doing what you did? We don't, though, because this is supposed to be a group activity! Plus, that was a transfiguration spell you did!'

'I-I'm sorry—' started Gideon.

'If that's true, then why not join in?' challenged Ruby in a shocking display of confidence. 'Gideon did an amazing piece of magic there and I think you know it. Think about what we could achieve if everyone did their best instead of one basic spell at a time. We could do some super advanced magic with this many of us.'

'Who are you?' Maxine snapped nastily. 'What gives you the right to question how I run the club!'

Ruby seemed to retreat into herself.

'I agree with Maxine!' Verity piped up opportunistically. 'The club is just fine how it is. He's the problem! That's twice now that he's messed things up. Anyone who thinks what he did was cool or special is wrong! This was just another sign of his dark magic! Along with all the fires!'

Gideon furrowed his eyebrows. 'Since when did butterflies become synonymous with dark magic?' he questioned angrily.

'Be careful, Verity! Don't make him angry!' warned one of the girl's friends.

'Yeah, Verity, he might target you!' said another.

'I propose we expel him from the club!' Verity announced. 'It's a matter of safety!'

'I second that,' added Maxine. 'Those in favour, raise your hands.'

'"A matter of safety"?' Gideon repeated incredulously. 'We're playing with bubbles!'

Gideon watched in disbelief as hands shot up in every direction. Some appeared to struggle with the decision, but still followed suit. Only a handful of students didn't conform, including the Barrington sisters, but Gideon was hurt to see Brendan's hand in the air.

'That's the majority,' Maxine declared. 'Please leave and don't come back.'

Gideon took a moment to absorb what had happened. He couldn't believe they had deemed him dangerous, and yet, they had unwittingly hit the nail on the head. What if one day his magic did go out of control? What if someone in the club got hurt? If something happened amongst a group this small, he would surely be exposed.

Just as Gideon resigned himself to leaving, Ruby spoke up quietly but clearly, 'If this is the kind of club that excludes members based on rumours, then—then I don't want to be a p-part of it. Sh-shame on you, Verity. Let's go, Gideon.'

The stunned silence was broken only as Gideon and Ruby passed through the door by Verity announcing, 'Good riddance!' in a mocking tone. However, no sounds of laughter or agreement followed.

***

Since Gideon's untimely departure from the Charms Club, he and Ruby had become good friends. With people still avoiding or ignoring him, Ruby's company made the following weeks of what would have been solitude bearable. The two got along in the classes they shared, and they spent time together on the weekends, forming a little Charms Club of their own.

Halfway through November, two notices went up on the Common Room noticeboard. One announced that the first Hogsmeade Village visit would take place on the nineteenth of November. The other informed students of the reopening of the Student Lounge.

Gideon was glad of this as it gave him and Ruby somewhere to meet at lunch times without having to go outside. At first, he didn't relish the thought of returning to the scene of his crime. However, as the winter weather grew colder, the squishy chairs in front of the massive fire became their favourite place to enjoy the sandwiches they collected from their respective house tables.

Gideon learned that once Ruby got to know someone, her shyness all but disappeared—for the most part. She still tended to communicate in whispers, but she turned out to be something of a chatterbox. Gideon also learned that Ruby was very observant.

They discussed all manner of topics, but when Ruby spoke of her first two years at Hogwarts, she described the experience in great detail. From locations to characters, Ruby chronicled the two years Gideon had missed like a novel. As such, Gideon found himself filling in blanks from when he had been at Middling Academy, learning more about the peers and the school he had known for less than three months.

According to Ruby, Dorian had always had a knack for Herbology and had even calmed a Venus fly trap that had clamped down on a bumbling Eoin's finger in their first year. Gio had arrived at Hogwarts with an attitude resembling his brother, Vinny's until the Slytherin boys had grounded him. Tim had been as shy as Ruby but had come out of his shell over time, which she was admittedly envious of.

As for students in the other houses, The Hufflepuffs were supposedly nice enough, but over time they formed strong friendships with each other. Ruby simply wasn't one of them due in part, she believed, to her timidity. Ruby didn't think much of the Gryffindors except to Gideon's annoyance, Alex Grimsby, who she said had always been a surprisingly good student and kind to her.

Verity Swanson, however, had apparently always been a bit of a "mean girl". She had quickly formed her clique of Ravenclaws and excluded Natalia from it just as quickly. Though, Natalia had never seemed bothered, something Ruby admired.

As they finished lunch by the lounge fire one Thursday afternoon, Gideon asked, 'Want to go to Hogsmeade together?'

'That's right, it's this weekend!' she whispered excitedly before adding, 'But I've already made plans.'

'Oh,' Gideon said with disappointment. He had been counting on Ruby being able to go with him. There wasn't anyone else he could go with, and he didn't think it would be any fun on his own.

'There's another visit in December, though. Shall we go together then?' she asked, which Gideon agreed to happily.

'So, what are your plans for Saturday?'

'Well, I have Running Club in the morning and Professor Hagrid invited me over for lunch,' she explained. 'You should come too!'

'Err, I'm not very sporty—' Gideon began.

Ruby giggled and added, 'No, I mean to lunch.'

'Oh. I'd like to but—do you think the professor would mind?'

'Of course! He's lovely. He's probably my favourite teacher.'

'Yes, but you know how some people have been a bit off with me ever since the fires. I wouldn't want to make him feel uncomfortable.'

'I don't think he would mind. Hagrid's not one to judge.'

'On that note,' Gideon asked hesitantly, 'aren't you worried about me?'

It was the question he had been wanting to ask Ruby for a long time now. Gideon had been worried about airing it vocally for fear of scaring away his new friend.

'No,' she replied simply.

'Why not?'

'Well…' Ruby started before scanning the otherwise empty room. 'Can you keep a secret?'

Gideon's curiosity was piqued, 'Sure!'

'Sometimes… Sometimes I just know things,' she said mysteriously.

'How do you mean?' Gideon enquired.

Ruby gave one of her classic shrugs and murmurs before continuing, 'I don't know really. It's not something I can control, and it happens in different ways. Sometimes I get a feeling about something, or I see or dream about something before or after it happens.'

'Really? That's amazing!

'Uhm. I used to speak about it when I was little, and it upset people. They thought I was spooky or cursed. After a while, I just learned to keep quiet.'

Gideon felt a sudden kinship with Ruby. As children they had both learned to diminish themselves to avoid conflict. Unfortunately, in Ruby's case this had apparently resulted in her severe shyness.

'Do your family know?' Gideon asked in an undertone.

'Not really. I learned a few years ago that my great, great grandma was supposedly a famous Seer. No one else in my family ever has been, though, so people call her a fraud now. Because of that, my mum doesn't like us to speak about her or Seeing in general.'

'So, you're a Seer?'

'I don't know about that. Like I said, I can't control it, and I can hardly make sense of the things I do see. I only have clear visions in dreams, but when I wake up I can't remember them very well.'

'Still, that's so cool!' Gideon praised, making Ruby smile.

'I chose Divination as one of my options this year to see if I can figure things out. I'm not having much luck, though. The professor is a little strange.'

'Yeah, I was warned about her,' Gideon joked.

Gideon stared into the flickering fire for a few moments as he processed his new friends secret, and the fact that he had a friend at all, one who had shared a secret with him.

'Wait,' he said all of a sudden as the cogs in his head began to tick, 'does that mean, you know about me?'

Ruby chose her words carefully 'Well, I know that you didn't burn down the Charms classroom, and I know that you didn't cause the Halloween accident.'

'But how?'

'I'm not sure I can explain it. It just didn't feel like you.'

'But in Runes class, you said something once, you warned me. About fire. You knew…' Gideon put together in amazement.

Ruby whispered quieter than before, 'When our hands touched that time, I saw something. It was just a flash, but I saw your face and flames—'

'And then, we had the dorm fire…' Gideon interjected, suddenly fearful. 'So, do you know about—what happened here?'

'I had a nightmare the night it happened,' Ruby explained under her breath. 'I don't remember much of what I saw but the feelings were strong. I felt anger and resentment from a bunch of people. I also felt someone else. They were scared and in pain and then—I woke up.'

'But why haven't you told your Head of House?' Gideon asked, reading between the lines.

'Because I don't think the fires are connected.'

'Y-you don't?' Gideon asked in bewilderment.

Ruby took a deep breath, 'The person who started the fire in here, whoever they may be, was backed into a corner and something happened to them. They didn't do it intentionally. The fire you caused accidentally in your dorm, the Charms fire, the Halloween pumpkins; they all felt different. There's something strange going on at this school, Gideon, but I don't think it's because of you.'