Don't Cross the Streams

James came running into the great hall scanning the tables for Dora. Alan followed him closely as they walked the aisle between the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor tables stopping behind her and Flit. He grabbed Dora’s shoulder and pulled her backwards off the benches. “Do you think that was funny?” Dora looked up at him from the floor, his eyes focused on her with an intense hatred as he dumped the rest of the jokes she placed in his bag on her.

“I don’t know,” Dora whispered, “I don’t know what happened.” James bent down and pulled one last candy out of his pocket.

“You’re about to find out.” His hand wrapped around her jaw as he tried to force it into her mouth. She reached into her pocket and found her wand giving it a slight flick sending him across the hall. Everyone stared at her as she pulled herself to her feet and sat back down.

“How did you do that?” Flit asked.

“This is a school of witchcraft and wizardry don’t you think if we can’t do a simple defensive spell they have failed?” Dora said.

“What was he feeding you?”

“Canary cream. I’m not turning into a bird today.”

“No, but you are going to be going to regret that.” James said walking back over to them pulling his wand from his robes.

“I doubt that,” Dora said with a small chuckle, “You should leave it alone James, you don’t want to get hurt. I mean, I promised not to hurt you.”

“Yeah, who did you promise? Your dad, you can’t believe he actually cares about what you do?”

“He does. I’m not going to fight you.”

“Why not?”

“Because you aren’t worth the battle, if you don’t put your wand away you will lose.” James stood behind her ready to duel, but Dora refused to move. “Seriously James put your wand away.”

“You can’t embarrass me like this. Get up so we can finish this properly.” Dora stood up and raised her empty hands in surrender. “Your wand Dora, get your wand.”

“No, I’m not fighting you. Anyways do you really want to do this here in front of everybody, you don’t want me to embarrass you.”

“Get your wand out.” Dora reached into her robes and pulled out her wand. “Are you ready?”

“I’m not going to fight you.”

“Then fight Alan, he didn’t find your exploding gum too funny.”

“Go eat, James. Seriously what would your dad say if he knew you were starting fights?”

“He won’t find out, because how would your dad feel if he knew you were involved with fights?”

“I’m not. I’m not involved.” Dora sat back down and James pulled her off the bench again. “Are you trying to make me mad? I’m not going to fight you, just go sit down and get over the fact that you stole something from my friend so I put some joke snacks in your bag. If you wouldn’t have stolen Flit’s package than you wouldn’t have turned into a bird.”

“Stupify,” James yelled. Dora was knocked backwards over the table sliding through bowls of pudding and soups. She stood back up her hair a bright almost glowing red streaked with chocolate pudding and various soups.

“What is wrong with you? You shouldn’t have done that.” Dora pointed her wand at James.

“Nymphadora Charlotte Weasley, lower your wand now,” A loud voice said from across the hall. The hall fell silent as the headmaster weaved his way through the aisles towards her.

“Headmaster, this isn’t what it looks like.” She said lowering her wand and turning towards the voice.

“50 points from Ravenclaw, for fighting. Now come with me.”

“What about James?”

“Come on, Nymphadora.” With her head hanging down Dora walked down the aisle towards the doors. Dora followed Headmaster Grimwood closely as he led her up the stairs to his office. Her eyes shifted around the pictures of all of the former Headmasters, they lingered for an extra moment on Dumbledor as she waited for Grimwood to start speaking.
“You know the rules Nymphadora,” Headmaster Grimwood sighed as he fell into his chair, “How many times do we really have to go through this?”

“I didn’t do anything this time,” Dora said quickly forcing back tears, “James.”

“I don’t want to hear it, you were the one we caught fighting.”

“I hadn’t even thrown a spell.”

“Nymphadora.”

“Headmaster Grimwood, please it wasn’t my fault. James hit me with a spell and I flew backwards through the table and got pudding in my hair. And I wasn’t even going to do anything I was just mad. Please headmaster Grimwood you have to know I wasn’t going to do anything, I haven’t been a problem this year. I have changed.”

“Your reputation precedes you. I think this offense is worthy of a letter home don’t you?”

“James’ home.”

“I think your dad will want to know that you are starting fights with your cousin.”

“I didn’t, I didn’t start any fights.”

“You realize you’re going to have detention.”

“I know and I know you are going to send word home even though I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“You have class tonight correct?”

“Yes sir.”

“Detention starts tomorrow.”

“Yes sir.”

“Dismissed,” Dora turned to leave, “And might I suggest going straight to your room instead of
back to the hall.”

“But I didn’t eat sir.”

“Your room Nymphadora.”

“Yes sir.” Dora left the office and headed towards her hallway. She sat on the ground and pulled her knees up to her chin and pushed her hair in front of her face. After a while she felt something hit the side of her face. She pushed her hair out of her face and looked towards the ground, there was a small napkin sitting next to her. She unwrapped it and found a dinner roll.

“You didn’t come back,” Flit said coming around the corner. Dora stared at her for a moment before breaking off a small piece.

“What are you doing here?”

“I went to the room first, when I didn’t find you there I figured you were here and since you know I know that you come here I thought it might be ok to bring you something. I’ll leave now.” Flit turned back around the corner.

“Stay. Please stay.” Flit sat down next to her and wrapped her in her arms, “I have detention. I didn’t even do anything and I have detention.”

“You did sort of throw him across the hall with a ‘simple defensive spell’ that happened silently. We haven’t even worked on nonverbal spells yet, how did you manage to use one so well?”

“They aren’t that difficult. You just have to want it. But nobody saw that happen, nobody saw anything except me standing there with my wand out.”

“You’re going to be ok.”

“He is sending an owl home. That’s three.”

“Three?”

“The night they caught me sneaking in from our late night trip to Hogsmead. After a month of skipping classes. I deserved those ones, I know I did but this one I don’t.”

“We should go get some sleep, before we have to go to class.”

“I don’t want to see anyone.”

“Everyone thinks you are fantastic, nobody could stop talking about your nonverbal throw.”

“I attacked James, I promised I wouldn’t what is my dad going to say when he reads that I was fighting with James. I promised.”

“It will be fine, your dad won’t take this seriously. Maybe you can send him an owl to explain what happened, you can explain the real story. I’ll back you up I’ll tell him what happened.”

“What if he doesn’t believe us?”

“Then at least you tried. Come on let’s go get some sleep.” Flit pulled on Dora’s arm trying to get her to stand up but she refused to move.

“I want to stay up here a little bit longer. I’ll meet you in class. Thanks for bringing me a roll.”

“Well as far as friends go I think we could both do worse.” Flit left and Dora curled up on the ground.

“Back again,” Peeves said with a small laugh, “If the little Weasley doesn’t wake up she’s going to be in trouble.” Dora stirred and looked around.

“Peeves? What happened? What’s going on? What time is it?” Dora felt the ground around her looking for the robes that she was using as a pillow, “Where did you put my robes? I can’t go to class without them.” Peeves just started to cackle as Dora grew more panicked.

“Maybe the little girl shouldn’t be out so late.”

“I swear Peeves you better tell me where my robes are or I will,” she reached into her pocket to pull out her wand but found it missing, “Where did you put my wand? This isn’t funny you are going to make me late. Where’s my stuff?” Peeves laughed again and began to circle the hall taunting her. She spotted her stuff hanging from the rafters.

“Can you get it?” Peeves asked.

“I don’t know, I don’t really have a different option do I?” She stood up and looked around the trying to find a place to climb. She found a spot where the brick stuck out ever so slightly in places that she could use as foot and hand holds. As she got closer to the rafters she started to realize that they were quite a bit away from the wall. She pushed away from the wall and stretched her arms out in hopes of reaching the first beam. Her left hand faintly brushed against the beam and she was able to grab it with just the tips of her fingers. She pulled herself up and got steady before looking towards the next beam preparing to make the jump. She missed it completely and fell down to the floor.

She felt the bones in her arm shatter as she landed on top of it. She tried to get control of her gasping breath but failed miserably to get anything past shallow breathing. “Pee, Peeves. Please still be there. Please go get help.” She listened but was only met with silence. She used her good arm to pull herself along the floor until she got to the staircases, using the rails she pulled herself to her feet and ran the rest of the way to the astrology tower. Everyone stared at her as she made her way towards the class.

“Only 20 minutes late,” Professor Kirkland said, “Well hurry and get your stuff set up, and why are you not in proper uniform?”

“I don’t have my stuff.”

“You arrive 20 minutes late to my class and you can’t even bother to bring the required supplies? Maybe you have more of your father in you than I realized.”

“Peeves stole my stuff and I tried to get it back but I fell and I came here. My arm,” Dora pulled her broken arm out from behind her back showing him for the first time, “I fell.”

“What happened?”

“I fell.”

“Yes I gathered that but what happened? You said Peeves stole your stuff.”

“No, I just fell. I didn’t mean Peeves. I don’t know what I mean.”

“Let’s get you to the hospital wing and get that arm taken care of.” Professor Kirkland gently placed his arm around her shoulders and steered her back towards the door.

“My wand, I have to go get my wand.”

“Where is it?”

“Nowhere.” Dora tried to pull away from him but he tightened his grip.

“Flit, can you help me with her?” Flit ran over from her station and put her arm around Dora.

“I can take her by myself if you want to stay with the class.” Flit said.

“Thank you, that would be wonderful.” Professor Kirkland let go of Dora and Flit pulled her out of the room.

“I shouldn’t have left you there, I should have made you go to the room with me. Tell me what happened.” Flit got Dora to a staircase and sat her down on a stair.

“Peeves stole my robe and my wand and put it on the ceiling. I had to get it back I fell, he was gone. My arm.”

“Are your things still there?”

“I fell.”

“I’ll get you to the hospital wing and then I will go get your stuff. Just don’t say anything to get Peeves in trouble and don’t tell them you were sleeping in the hallway.”

“I’m going to be in trouble.”

“You’re fine just don’t tell them anything.”

“I won’t tell them. I can’t get him in trouble. I didn’t mean to get hurt, I meant to come back to the room. If he would have left the wand.”

“Don’t think about it, I’m going to drop you off at the hospital wing, then I am going to go get your stuff and then I am going to go send an owl to your dad telling him what you just told me that way he knows.”

“Why?”

“Because you were twenty minutes late, and you won’t have a good excuse unless you tattle on Peeves. So I’m going to send an owl in case someone else does.”

“But you said I was going to be fine.”

“You will be. I promise you that you won’t get in trouble with your dad.”

“Do you think my arm will be fine for quidditch?”

“Yes of course, a simple spell and it will be fixed. Haven’t you had a broken bone before?”

“Not since I was little, James pushed me or something. My uncle fixed it but I don’t remember it.”

“Well don’t worry I break bones all the time it’s nothing.” Flit pulled Dora to her feet and started to walk down the stairs.