Monsoon Wings

A lot had happened in the next two weeks. Firstly, Harry had succeeded second position in the first task. Secondly, he and Ron were back to normal again. Thirdly, Jayden’s missing robes were found right under his bed, and he had cursed and swore he had checked there before. Fourthly, Juno was falling sick.

Yes. For a whole week her feet ached so much that she yearned to chop them off. Climbing stairs was becoming a major problem for her. Friday night was the worse, when they had Astronomy lessons—and were to climb up to Hogwart’s topmost tower. One Charms lesson, she fell asleep and Professor Flitwick had to ask whether she was okay. Every time she looked at herself in the mirror, she was accustomed to seeing the dark circles under her eyes. Pimples had started popping. Her throat felt sore every time she swallows. And, lately, her head was always throbbing in ache and her nose kept dripping.

That morning during breakfast, on the Gryffindor table, Hermione gasped while reading the Daily Prophet.

‘Heaven’s sake,’ she said. ‘She’s done it again!’ Then she glanced towards the Slytherin table with an anxious look, where Draco was looking tussled and Juno was bending below the table. What was Juno doing? Hermione wondered. Tying Malfoy’s shoelaces?

‘Who’s done it again?’ Ron said, cutting his bread.

‘Rita Skeeter. Look at this,’ Hermione folded a page of the Daily Prophet, showing it to him and Harry and Jayden. Olivia was craning her neck to read, too.

It was a hard job to keep straight faces for them.

There was a large photograph of Draco and Juno walking together on the grounds. Juno, visibly, was holding Draco’s bag. He was vividly smirking continuously. And below that photo, written in very large black letters: MALFOY AND EMILY—BLOSOMMING LOVE?

Jayden gulped and read the context.

“Infantile Draco Malfoy, 14, had at last found love in Hogwarts. His contemporary love-partner was none other than the underprivileged Miss Juno Emily, a student of the magical school.
Miss Juno Emily, it seems, had got fantastic talent to take into custody the blonde male’s heart. Derived from a low-classed single parent, Miss Emily is far away from chic. She is lame, straightforward, and plain—a no-match for our Slytherin Prince.
Sources have reported that the two teenagers are spending their time DAILY with each other…”

‘Rubbish,’ Jayden threw the paper away. ‘That lunatic writer doesn’t even know what’s going on.’

‘You think Juno and Malfoy know about it yet?’ Harry wondered, looking at the Slytherin table. Draco and Juno were arguing about something.

‘Can’t have,’ Ron replied. ‘Who reads the Daily Prophet except Hermione?’

Hermione threw him a very dirty look. ‘But what if that’s true?’ she asked, starting finally at her porridge.

‘What is true?’

Hermione put down her spoon and sighed. ‘Malfoy just never lets Juno out of his sight. And he wants her to bring her books so she could study in the Slytherin common room.’

‘So?’ Harry implied.

Olivia and Jayden cleared their throats.

*

The Yule Ball was approaching, like the snow which had started pouring down, colouring the trees and grounds white. After lessons, students were seen playing on the hoary ground, crafting snowmen, throwing snowballs. Hushes and nervous giggles were all over Hogwarts, as the students, the boys mostly, hustle around asking girls to be their date for the Ball.

Jayden, Ron and Harry belonged to that jostling group. As the day loomed nearer, and they haven’t found a girl yet, their nerves had started jingling. Jayden was thinking of asking Juno out, but the way she was with Malfoy all the time quitted him out of it.

‘…the way they travel in packs, how are we supposed to get one of them to ask them out?’ Harry was complaining one night in the Gryffindor common room. The three of them were sitting alone. It was supposed to be a private men talk.

‘Who are you gonna ask, anyway?’ Jayden said, folding his arms. It might be interesting to know Harry Potter going out with a girl.

‘Who are you going to ask?’ Harry answered with another question, scratching his unkempt black jet hair.

‘I’m just saying it because you want to know,’ Jayden answered. ‘Juno.’

‘Hmmm,’ Ron nodded.

‘Hmmm.’

They just sat there, thinking about their own efforts with their own targeted girl. Fred and George were playing Dungbombs with Lee Jordan in one corner, laughing their heads off. Lucky there weren’t any Gryffindor Prefects watching.

As the day loomed nearer and nearer, Hermione spent a lot of her time in her dormitory. This was odd, because studying would have a greater impact and result if done in the library.

It was Friday night, and Draco had funnily dismissed Juno really early. The reason behind this was because he was waiting near the library, tapping his shoe anxiously, glancing at his watch continuously. Footsteps echoed, and he looked up, finding a disheveled Olivia, a letter clutched in her fist.

‘I thought you weren’t coming,’ Draco said, standing straight. His legs felt tired. How long had he waited here?

‘I had to find a good excuse. Now why is it that you want to talk to me? Is it so important that you have to throw me a letter during my private study time in the library?’ she asked, holding up the piece of paper in her fist.

‘I call you because I want to—‘

‘Yes?’ she clicked her tongue impatiently.

‘To go with me to the Yule Ball.’ He couldn’t believe it, the words just slipped like that.

‘You know I won’t do that,’ she said softly, without even the slightest thought that it might hurt him.

‘You’re waiting for Potter to ask you.’

She was silent.

‘Aren’t you?’

‘Yes, I am. I want to go with Harry,’ she said finally. She had yielded to all expressions now. She had to say it in the end. ‘And please stop bugging me.’ She turned to leave.

‘I always get what I want,’ Draco shouted behind her back, as arrogant as ever, like a frog in a well that is always able to hide his feelings. ‘You know I will.’

But she didn’t turn back. Draco stared deeply at her silhouette, which was appearing fainter with every step she took. He inhaled deeply and turned back, only to see Juno standing there, clutching a stack of books. The expression on her face made him angry.

‘What are you doing here?!’ he yelled.

‘What do you think? You cause me so much pain that I have to spend all my time catching up with my studies. I just came from the library and couldn’t help hearing your conversation,’ Juno explained, sniffing.

‘So, you know, right?’

‘Yeah. You like my best friend.’

‘No. Another thing.’

‘What other thing?’

His heart lifted a little, seeing the startled expression on her face. He walked towards her and grabbed her hand, unbalancing the heavy books she was holding. They all fell crashing to the floor and one actually landed on Juno’s foot.

But she didn’t feel the pain, because she was numb. As long as the grey eyes are locked onto her jade ones, she’ll always be numb. Numbness she could never explain, even if that involves looking through thousands of sheer volumes of books.

‘Because I cause you so much pain, I am going to add one more tonight,’ he said. ‘You are going with me to the Yule Ball.’