Chapter XVIII

A Bit of Tension

Al looked down apprehensively at the broomstick that lay in the bright green grass at his feat. He loved the feeling of flying, but didn't have any talent in flying like his older brother, James, or even his mother and father. Even his little sister, Lily, was better at flying. Al closed his eyes, remembering the time when his parents taught his siblings and himself to fly. James and Lily had command of their broom on their first try. After shouting "Up!" for half an hour, his broom had finally strained its way up to his hand. His mum had begun to teach James and Lily how to fly without him. His dad had given him a big smile, ruffled his hair, and showed him how to mount. Al watched as his dad shot up into the blue, cloudless sky. Al mounted his broom and kicked off. Moving as slow as a slug, Al and his broom wobbled four meters above the ground. He watched his siblings zip around the open field. The maximum height their brooms went was 10 meters, but they got the knack of flying right away.

"Come on, Al!" his father chuckled happily. "Lean forward a little bit, it will give you some speed."

Al leaned forward. Bad idea. He blasted past the field in a matter of seconds. Everything was a blur. He didn't know where he was. He felt his skin flop against his face. Suddenly, his body slapped into something cold… and wet. He'd flown past the field, forest, and straight into the pond. At least his broom had stopped. He floated on his back, looking up at the blue sky and enjoying the weightless, non-wobbly, feeling that the water gave him. A minute later his dad plucked him out of the water and onto his own broom.

"Albus Severus! I believe you just set a recorded for fasted flying," his dad laughed.

Al smiled as he hugged his dad's back tight with one hand, his other clinging to his broom.

"Albus! Albus Potter!" Madam Hooch shouted, waking him from his daydream. "Pay attention!"

Startled, Al looked around. Most of the students were already off the ground, moseying around the air with the Ravenclaws. Al watched as the last Ravenclaw took off. Will was already in the air, calling him to join them. He felt a bit of relief seeing that Rose was still on the ground with him.

"Oh, I don't even like flying anyway," Rose remarked tensely.

"With feeling, Miss Weasly!" Madam Hooch commanded.

Rose and Al simultaneously shouted "Up!" but only to watch their brooms wiggle on the ground. Al caught Rose's eye and they smiled. Ten minutes later they were finally able to join their class and Madam Hooch commanded students to follow the course she had set up for them. Al wasn't scared of flying, he just couldn't control his broom. However, he knew that Rose was terrified of heights.

"Let's just take this slow" Al called over to Rose who gripping her broom until her knuckles where white.

"Okay" she replied, her voice shaking.

Al and Rose set off at pace slower than walking, following the obstacle course Madam Hooch had set. First they flew under an archway, over a roof, around a sculpture, and etc. Al and Rose hardly talked. Al had concentrated on keeping his speed at a painstakingly slow pace while Rose flew close to Al incase she fell. Madam Hooch waited impatiently at the end of the course.

"About time!" She cried. "I had to dismiss the class an hour ago."

The two said their apologies and took off to the Great Hall.

"Hurry up Al! There's only 5 minutes left of lunch!" Rose shouted over her shoulder.

She loved food. If Al made her miss it, she'd kill him. The clock struck. Al froze misstep and looked up at the great tower to watch the clock condemned him.

"I'm so sorry, Rose." Al gulped and scrunched his eyes, bracing himself for the fury of his ferocious red headed, food-loving cousin.

"Albus, I can't believe…" Rose began to blow her top until a low moan and a shriek of rage from across the courtyard and saved Al from her scolding.

"What do you think that was?" Al asked.

"Don't know. It seemed almost inhuman."

The sound of approaching footsteps echoed off the cobblestones. Al grabbed Rose's wrist and pulled her behind the column of an archway. For some reason, he didn't feel like being seen.

"Al! Are you eavesdropping?" Rose hissed, her long, red hair twisting in every direction across her face.

"Shhh…"

Rose rolled her eyes, but Al held his breath as he heard the voice of Iontach.

"Clapsholas, you can't be seen here. Get out. Get out now!" Iontach commanded.

"You don't understand. I have to tell you something." The voice of Clapsholas moaned.

"Look. Go to the forest and I'll try to heal you later. We can talk there, okay? But you've got to go. Now. Before you're seen."

"But it's about your father. He's furious…"

"Please. You've got to go." Iontach hissed.

There was a brief pause of submission.

"Okay, when and where can I meet you?"

"Edge of the lake in the Forbidden Forest, midnight?"

"Fine. But every minute is of the essence, my friend."

"Good, now go!"

"Okay, okay!"

"Wait!" Iontach added before the sound of scampering faded. "It's good to see you again, Clapsholas."

"You too."

Al and Rose waited a few minuets until they were completely alone.

"Well?" Al asked, giving Rose that look that says let's-follow-him-tonight-even-though-it's-dangerous-and-we'll-get-in-trouble-for-sure.

"Oh no… No. No. NO! We most certainly are not."

"Suit yourself then. I'm going tonight." Al sprang up and started walking. "We'll then, are you coming to class, or are you just going to sit there?"

…

Rose felt her stomach rumble as she watched the language professor introduce himself as Professor Koldkettle. He was a very tall man, wore a mustard yellow cloak with equally bright mustard-yellow hair which stuck up in tons of curls around his head, causing his pale skin to look as white as milk. His pale gray eyes smiled whenever he smiled, which was at least once every minute.

Rose couldn't concentrate though. The empty feeling from her stomach was so distracting. Rose watched as Professor Koldkettle stepped up on his stool and let out a ferocious roar and a grunt.

"Does anyone have a clue what language that was?"

No one replied, but a few people giggled. The professor let out a laugh too.

"This was simply 'hello' in dragon."

The class stared at him like he was insane. Rose saw Al's face light up.

"Wait. Dragon's have language?" Rose heard Al ask.

"Why certainly! Dragon's are very smart creature, at least most are. The matter is, they can learn to understand certain words of any language, but all dragons are born with this amazing, innate ability to understand other dragons. They're all united under a universal dragon language. It's so remarkable! Granted, there's not much grammar structure, but there definitely is a language, and it's quite descriptive."

"Wicked!" Al gasped.

"Indeed it is. In fact, all languages are. Now, most human-like magical creatures prefer to use a muggle language to unite them. Like us! We witches and wizards, though we all come from different corners of the globe and speak different languages, have chosen English as our universal language."

"So wait, wouldn't other magical creatures use English too?" Rose asked.

"Of course some may know English. But take vampires for example. Their universal language is German."

"But surely there are vampires that don't know German, right?" Rose inquired, scrunching her eyebrows together in a quizzical manner.

"Why certainly! But all people who choose to register themselves as vampires are given the opportunity to learn German. Just like all wizards and witches in non-English speaking countries are given the opportunity to learn English. That doesn't mean they speak English on a daily basis though, or that they'll even need to use it.

But this matter will be discussed further in my other classes, provided you choose to take them. So, today I am going to teach you to say hello in a few of the different languages that magical creatures speak."

Rose watched with mild interest as the professor tried to gain the interest of the students by teaching them to say hello first in mermaid, then troll, dragon, vampire, elf, goblin, centaur, lamassu, werewolf, and a dozen other magical creatures. Rose clutched her empty stomach, it was so difficult to concentrate. But, she learned that most magical creatures took their official language from land in which they originated. But in the case of some, like the trolls, their language was composed of a series of complex grunts and hand motions. Rose glanced over at Al. He was soaking up everything the professor said with an exuberant interest. Rose rolled her eyes, Al's eagerness was over-the-top, and she was still angry at him for keeping her from lunch. She looked over at him again. This time he was looking at her. In fact, the whole class was staring right at her. Rose subconsciously pulled her red hair out from behind her ear and let it hide her blushing face.

"Miss Weasly, would you tell us how werewolves say hello in human form?"

Rose blushed an even deeper color of crimson. Usually she loved when teachers called on her, but today she just couldn't concentrate. Rose racked her brain for something to say. She'd seen Will apologize to professors a dozen times for not knowing the answer.

"I'm sorry, professor" she said ashamed and shook her head no.

She glanced over at Al through her curtain of wild, red waves. He looked like someone had slapped him. She hid her face in her hands. Maybe she wasn't as smart as her mother after all. Rose could imagine the disappointment on her mother's face already.

"No worries" the professor stated, a little shocked. "Would anyone else like to try? Ah yes, Mr. Potter."

"Um… dia duit" Al answered cautiously, starring at Rose all the while.

"Yes, yes. Very good, Mr. Potter! And what's the name of the language the werewolves use?"

"Gaelic" Al replied shyly.

Rose could feel the hatred bubbling inside her by each passing second. Sure, Al had been a gentleman on the brooms and made sure she didn't fall. But it was his fault that they had gone so slow, then made her wait while they eavesdropped on something that was sure to lead to trouble, and thus caused her to miss lunch, leaving her in misery and the inability to concentrate. She glared at him. Al swallowed and nervously ran his hand through his messy, black hair.

He tried to talk to her after class. She ignored him and practically ran ahead of the group of Gryffindors. She was angry, yes, but her urgency was more out of the need to find food. She began to sprint down the halls, jostling students as she went.

"Oi there!" a student grabbed her by the shoulder as she ran into him. "Look what the garden just grew! It's my little flower."

Rose looked right into the grinning face of her cousin, James Potter. She scowled. James was constantly trying to find ways to joke about her and Lily's name, since they where named after flowers.

"What's the hurry? Soil not good enough in this part of the hall?" James asked lightheartedly.

Rose smiled, suddenly relieved. If anyone was up to breaking into the kitchen with her, it was James.

"You hungry?" She asked.

"Why do ask?" James asked, a little surprised.

"How does sneaking into the the kitchen to acquire a snack sound to you?"

James' eyes lit up with that excited, mischievous grin that she so often saw.

"You mean, you want to steal food from the kitchen?" He asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"I wasn't going to say steal… but essentially, yes."

James just smiled, sizing her up from head to toe.

"Please, James! I'm starving!" Her stomach growled on cue.

James let out a laugh. "I'd be honored to introduce you into a life of crime, my fair cousin!"

James gave her an elaborate bow while flourishing his hands in a courtly manner. Then he jumped up, grabbed her hand in his, and made off to the kitchen, not even giving her a chance to think about what she had gotten into.

...

Just want to say thank you to all my readers for motivating me to write more! Please let me know what you think. Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter.