Monsoon Wings

Draco stepped out of the café, rubbed his hands together and searched for Juno, in vain. He swore. ‘Where is that girl now?!’

The answer to this was, in Zonko’s Magical Sweets Shop. Juno had, apparently, made good use of the Sickles and bought herself some apple caramel with extra chocolate icing and colourful chocolate chips. She had have spare Sickles, so she bought one for Draco as well. She would have reached Madam Pudifoot’s by now if she had not seen Jayden and chatted to him.

‘…just look at those pink Gullalis. Rumour is that these lollipops can make you cuter,’ Jayden was saying. They both had to stay in one corner because it was too crowded inside. They did not want to go out because it was too cold outside. Inside was stuffy and preferable.

‘Wonderful,’ Juno said.

‘Hey, do you have a date for the Ball already?’ Jayden said smoothly. He had practiced at least twenty five times a day for a week.

‘Oh? Um. Yeah…’

‘JUNO EMILY!’ shouted someone from outside. The voice boomed into the shop through the glass and wall, and everyone went quiet, searching for the source.

‘JUNO EMILY!’ it was Draco Malfoy, entering the shop, shoving his way past people angrily. When he finally found Juno, he grabbed her wrist so tight she thought her blood would clot.

‘Let go!’ Juno screamed, glaring at him.

‘I told you to wait right outside! Why did you wander away?!’ He yelled back.

‘What does it matter?’

‘IT MATTERS A GREAT DEAL, YOU FOOL!’

‘YOU ARE THE FOOL!’

‘SHUT IT, BOTH OF YOU!’ shouted Jayden.

‘You don’t have the right to command me!’ Draco yelled stubbornly.

‘You don’t have the right to arrange what my cousin has to do! She’s got privacy, you know!’ Jayden stood straight with his nose in the air.

‘ARE YOU INTIMIDATING ME?’ Draco yelled back, tightening his grip around Juno’s wrist.

Why am I getting so high-tempered? Draco was thinking. Well, let’s see. First was because Pansy had called me for something really stupid. And she cornered me. And made me remember about Olivia. And forced me to compare Olivia with Emily. And because when I stepped out, Emily wasn’t there, but she was here chatting merrily with her dim-witted cousin.

‘Juno Emily, come with me!’ Draco shouted and dragged her away before Jayden had a chance to shout back. All eyes in the shop were on three of them.

Once they were outside, Juno squirmed and screamed. ‘Let go of my hand! I am numb already!’

Draco kept on pulling her, tracing their way back to Grylock’s.

‘Let go! You’re hurting me!’

He didn’t let her go until they have reached the pinky shop, where Draco demanded for the black costly dress. He shoved Juno into the changing room and told her to try the dress. It fits her okay, so Draco told the owner to pack it. Not only a dress, he also bought a pair of very sparkling high-heels with diamond embroidery.

‘Charge everything into my father’s bill. He’ll pay,’ Draco said, grabbing the package, ignoring Juno’s gasps. He only calmed down after they arrived back on the cold snowy ground again. The minus temperature had actually cooled his head.

‘What—are you crazy?’ Juno spluttered. ‘I cannot pay you back! I haven’t got 900 Galleons! I can’t accept this! Take it back, you crazy guy! Buying things like mad, you crazy—‘

‘I am not,’ Draco said.

If you are going with her to the Ball, at least you shall make sure she fits. Pansy’s words were still ringing in his ears. Why did I ask her to go with me to the Ball? I could go with anyone.

‘The dress is for you,’ Draco pointed, and handed her the package. ‘No need for repayment. Just make sure you look nice in the Ball.’

‘Honestly?’

‘Yeah.’

‘I don’t have to pay anything?’

‘No.’

‘I don’t—‘

‘IT IS FREE! I BOUGHT IT FOR YOU!’

She rubbed her wrist. It was a nasty shade of bluish purple. She tried bending it, but the result was too overwhelming. It hurt a lot.

Draco grabbed her wrist again.

‘Aw!’ she winced.

He stopped walking and inspected her wrist. There were bruises in the shape of his fingers. He massaged it, but she was still squirming and jumping around with pain.

‘You stupid chicken! Let go of me! Stop touching me!’ she shouted angrily.

‘I was trying to make the blood flow smoother, so it’ll stop swelling!’ he shouted again and angrily left her. He continued down the path. Hogwarts castle was looming by now, but it was still a fair walk back to the gates. He deposited his hands in the deepest bottom of his jacket and stampeded past the thick snow.

‘Did you just buy me a dress?’ Juno charged beside him, like a little girl asking for a lollipop.

‘What do you think?’ he stopped so suddenly and this took her by surprise. He glared at her. They had reached Honeydukes. The street was almost deserted; most of the crowd was actually inside the shops, snuggling in the warmth. There were a few others walking on the snowy ground, blushing and panting in the cold.

Juno pointed at a poster pasted outside the glass of the shop.

Magical Talent Show

Demonstrate Us Whatever Talent You’ve Got and Take Home 300 Galleons!

Become the Talent Champion!

Audition timings: 4th January – 5th January

9:00 am – 7:00 pm

Venue: Ministry of Magic’s Building C, 7th floor, north wing. (Auditorium #3)

‘Yes, I see. The yearly talent show. And I see it’s lost popularity this year because of the Triwizard Tournament,’ Draco stated. It was obvious how less the number of contestants will be when everyone is so hot about the Triwizard Tournament. ‘Please don’t say you’re interested in audition,’ he added nastily.

‘Yes I am,’ Juno said softly, trying to remember the dates and audition building. ‘I had wanted to try last year. But I was nervous. I bet there will be fewer contestants this year, so my opponents won’t be too heavy.’

‘A dreadful unadorned witch like you? What talents have you got?’ he asked, raising a brow.

‘Well, I can dance. My Mom was a dance tutor and that talent passed onto me,’ Juno said. ‘What do you think?’

‘I think you should go to Madam Pomfrey,’ Draco said and continued down the snowy path, grinning like a devil.

‘I am serious, I really want to join,’ Juno pleaded. If she was to spend some time in dance practice, she would need to beg him for it.

Okay, so she was actually considering joining this event. Reason number one, because she wanted the money. Reason number two, she had always wanted to tag along her mother’s footprints in dancing.

‘Emily, this is a magical talent show. Showing a Muggle talent won’t make even a millimeter chance.’

‘I will combine some magic as well, then. I just need time to practice,’ she mumbled.

‘You are really like a two-year old begging to be brought to the fun fair in her birthday!’ Draco howled out loud.

‘My birthday is over,’ Juno replied, raising her voice. They had almost reached the Gates by now. Beyond the grounds, Hagrid, the Hogwarts massive gamekeeper, could be seen feeding the horses. ‘It’s on the 15th of December.’

‘You’re saying it as if I care,’ Draco argued. ‘And I did not ask when your birthday is!’

‘I was not answering a question! I was informing you!’ she disputed back.

And they trailed along, arguing all the way.

*

Harry Potter was snoring in the armchair in the cozy Gryffindor common room. The sound of someone pulling another chair and sitting down, plus the familiar scent of herbal and sunflower sent him conscious.

‘Oh, Olivia,’ Harry rubbed his eyes.

‘You didn’t go to Hogsmead?’ Olivia asked, searching his green brilliant eyes, which looked dull.

‘I did. I just came back early,’ he rubbed his scar.

‘Does it hurt again?’ she demanded, stretching out an arm and touched his scar softly. Her stroke felt like cotton. For some time they froze, looking at each other’s eyes. The stillness between them was broken by a flaming and furious Jayden climbing frantically through the Fat Lady’s portraits. He dragged a chair and sat. There was snow in his brown hair, which had started to melt in the presence of the fireplace.

‘What happened?’ Olivia asked, quickly withdrawing her arm.

‘Juno is going with that creepy crazy bashi-bazouk to the Ball,’ Jayden informed, ‘Just imagining his face makes me wanna expel some digested breakfast from my crouching stomach.’

Olivia raised a brow. Draco Malfoy had asked her the other day. How long had it been? Two days? Two days and he had asked her best friend to go with him. This wasn’t what she expected. She had anticipated Malfoy would throw her another letter, asking her to meet secretly again, and force her to go with him.

‘Are they dating?’ Olivia asked curiously.

The look of horror and fury tightened in Jayden’s face. ‘Oh, no! I hope not. I can’t bear to think of it.’

‘You are as contemptible as I am,’ Harry piped in. ‘She’s already got a date as well.’

‘Who is this ‘she’?’ Olivia asked, wishing desperately not Cho Chang. A slight pain made its way through her heart.

‘Oh, some Ravenclaw,’ Harry teased.

Ravenclaw. Yes, yes. It must be Cho Chang. Olivia had known her, anyway. Cho’s father was her uncle’s colleague. Olivia had always thought Cho was a beautiful charming lady with awesome sleek hair. Cho was a nice girl.

But better than me? Olivia thought.

Things are getting funny. Malfoy had asked Juno to go with him. Yes, a couple of boys have asked me as well, but I rejected them all in the sole hope for Harry to ask me out.

She caught Harry’s eyes and forced a beam.