Monsoon Wings

That very night, Stamp sent Juno an owl asking her if she had any particulars to do. She replied no, and five minutes later the owl returned to her with the note bearing Stamp’s handwriting, asking to meet. He said the front door was already closed as it was nearly midnight, so Juno was to take the special route near the Ravenclaw common room out of the castle, and he would be waiting there.

Juno had been busy determining moves for tomorrow’s dance rehearsal. The basic moves were good— the problem now was adding some magic to it, like what Draco had initiated.

She walked herself, and near the secret exit, she paused, looking around. The sound of Peeves unscrewing some torch bolts seemed to be a bit distant, so she tickled the portrait of a big gloomy castle and it immediately transformed into a door.

Outside, Stamp was already standing, hands in his pocket.

‘Hello,’ Juno said, blushing.

Without a word, he pulled her into his embrace and kissed her. It felt very comforting in the cold black night.

Juno smiled into the kiss, but suddenly broke away, holding his face.

‘I just want to see you,’ he said breathlessly. ‘I miss you.’

She laughed, feeling contented.

‘Let’s go to my hut, it’s freezing here,’ he said.

Juno nodded and they entwined their fingers. Occasionally, he would look deeply at her and smile.

‘Sorry if I’m being rude,’ she started. ‘But what happened between you and your fiancee?’

Stamp coughed. ‘Her name was Samantha.’

‘Sorry,’ she said, feeling foolish. His grip tightened. He could picture Samantha’s nice jade eyes glowering at him, only to close that memory and realize it was Juno Emily beside him.

‘She left me and married someone else. I was so gone. She was wearing the black gown when she left me,’ he explained, trying to forget the pain. Trying to close the gates of his memory. But nothing could bar it. It always had a chance slipping through time. ‘But me and her is over,’ he added, then looked at Juno. ‘Though she has the same beautiful eyes as yours.’

Juno looked at him and smiled, not knowing what to say. The hut was like only twenty feet away now. Smoke was rising up from the chimney, and the horrible tune of someone singing inside was audible even in that distance.

Stamp snorted, while Juno tried to suppress her laughter.

‘I’m back,’ called Stamp as they entered through the creaky wooden door. Elvis was in the kitchen, singing “The Blue-Eyed Wizard” (a very dreadful and atrocious cabaret of it).

‘Oh, hey,’ Elvis stopped singing, poking his head out of the kitchen door. So he was frying eggs. ‘Sit and feel at home.’ He returned back.

Juno chose a grubby armchair near the cupboard and bent down to sat. As she did so, something clanged and fell from her robes pocket onto the floor.

‘Oh my god,’ she puffed, immediately retrieving it from the floor. It was the bell necklace—she remembered putting it in her robes pocket last night. She blew at it to clean the dust away, frantically rubbing it.

‘What is that?’ Stamp surveyed, pouring a cup of nice-smelling tea. ‘Praise the Lord, it’s the bell necklace!’

‘You know it?’ Juno said, startled.

‘There is a pair of it, right? Elvis! Elvis!’ Stamp called loudly.

‘Yo, bro,’ Elvis poked his head out again.

‘Look. The bell necklace,’ Stamp pointed, as if it was some lost treasure.

‘Jolly,’ Elvis returned back to the kitchen after a glance at the necklace.

‘Do you know it has a history?’ Stamp said as he leaned back on his chair, one thigh on his other knee. ‘That it could only be owned by a couple who are soul mates. If the owners are not soul mates, it would break.’

‘Oh?’ Juno made an O lip.

Fancy Draco wanted to give it to Olivia.

‘Do you have the other pair?’ Stamp interrogated.

‘No. In fact, it’s with Draco Malfoy.’

The expression on his face changed, becoming sober and sour, a despising act concealing his jealousy. ‘He gave it to you?’

‘Um, yeah, mistakenly,’ Juno replied, putting it back in her pocket. ‘That’s why I broke it just now. Cause we’re not soul mates,’ she chuckled, but her insides were churning uncomfortably. ‘Hey Stamp,’ she said. ‘Are you and Elvis in charge of owl posts?’

‘Yes, honey,’ Stamp replied.

‘So—Elvis! Elvis!’ called Juno hurriedly. Again, Elvis poked his head out, annoyed.

‘Sorry, I’m frying eggs here. It’s—wait, I’m turning the stove off in a second—’ he disappeared inside. There was a crackle and then he emerged again. ‘What is it?’

‘Did you intervene the owl sent by Draco Malfoy during Christmas night?’ she asked.

‘Never done such things, sis,’ Elvis shrugged.

‘You mean you’ve never done such things?’

‘Nope,’ he pronounced impatiently, then evaporated back into the kitchen. Juno shrugged to herself, her brain drawing up several possibilities.

‘Something odd?’ Stamp said, shifting his chair to beside her.

‘No, really,’ she lied. ‘Everything is okay…’

*

That morning, when she reached dungeon four, Draco was already there, sitting on the table with one leg up, looking out at the window. He was wearing jeans and a handsome black shirt. When she arrived, he clicked his tongue furiously. ‘You are late.’

‘Sorry, I woke up late,’ Juno reasoned, pulling out the bell necklace from her pocket. She rubbed it.

No, oddly there weren’t any scratches. Last night it fell down, but it was as shiny as ever.

She gave it to him, and he took it and quickly put it in his pocket like a robber. His hair was wet; it looked like he had just washed his hair.

‘Do you know that it has got a legend?’ Juno said anxiously, sitting down on the nearest chair.

‘No,’ he stood up heavily. ‘Now dance.’

‘What?’

‘I am here to see you perform,’ he said, folding his arms. He had parted with Olivia after breakfast, with the excuse that he was going to “finish up some Transfiguration work”.

‘Oh,’ she piped, feeling slightly embarrassed. It was the first time she was going to dance in front of a stranger like him. Not to mention the guy in front of her was looking at her with one brow up, waiting for her move.

She swallowed, ‘Okay then…’

‘Yes.’

She swallowed again, and tried to focus. As much as she hated it: she forgot the first move. Jolly good.

‘You know what, Emily?’ he coughed thickly. ‘I suggest you forget about the audition.’

‘No!’

‘Then dance,’ he urged, pulling out his wand. He flicked it and the tables and chairs were moved and stacked in one corner magically, creating a big zone for her to move about. He did another swish with his wand and the lights went off. The only beams coming were from the window. Draco did some magic again and the curtains blocked it.

Juno stood, dumbfounded. It took her a few seconds to adjust to the darkness. She heard the sound of a chair being pulled into the centre of one side of the room and the sound of Draco resting his buttocks on it.

‘I can’t see you,’ he said. ‘You can’t see me. So imagine you are dancing in your dreams. Don’t be embarrassed.’

She inhaled, feeling her muscles relax. She closed her eyes.

And she began to dance.