On Saturday, I went to a particular room that was close to headmaster Zita's office. Inside was a window, a fireplace, and two tables. It was used as a meeting space for the professors, according to Hagrid, but now it contained Jolly, the silver jackalope. Jolly was kept in a large cage that took up an entire table. Hagrid said I could open the latch and let it hop around, but he also said I could study it from the cage for my first time. I decided to do the latter.
I sat across from the silver jackalope and stared at it for about ten minutes before I got so bored I almost closed my eyes. Jolly didn't move a muscle. The silver jackalope didn't even blink. I put my finger up to the cage to see if Jolly would observe me or would hop over, but nothing happened.
A gentle knock came at the door. I opened it to let Magdalene inside. Her eyes immediately fixed on Jolly.
"Whoa," she uttered. "Is that what you're supposed to be studying? Not to sound corny, but it truly looks magical."
"Uh yeah, this is Jolly."
"Amazing. Oh, this is so posh, Rollie. Look at you, big important kid on campus, huh? You might get this work published."
"I highly doubt that." I chuckled.
Magdalene leaned her head close to the cage and gawked at the silver jackalope. "What is this thing?"
I explained how it was found and how there weren't many records of the magical creature. Then I explained that I had Care of Magical Creatures a second time.
"Why is that?" Magdalene asked.
I paused for a moment. Wondering what to say and if I should explain, but the way Magdalene stared at me with her warm eyes and encouraging nod, I knew I could trust her. So I told her everything about my experience with Professor Hawthorne and why I had to transfer.
"Oh my gosh, Rollie, I'm so sorry to hear about all that. I can't imagine what it must be like to see him again in the hallways."
"It's okay, I guess. Everyone has reassured me that Hawthorne's on his best behavior and has been a good professor, albeit a little boring. Still, people like him, and that's what matters."
"You're a mature fellow, you know that?"
The corner of my lip curved up. "That's not something I hear very often. Especially with hair like this." I grazed the top of my mohawk.
"I think you're a one of a kind. Wise, talented, funny, and, well, I'll be honest, a little rash but good-intentioned." Magdalene snickered.
"Hey, believe me, you're all of those things too, but better in every way, except uh, you're not rash."
Magdalene smirked and walked over to the empty table, and pulled out her Arithmancy book. We started studying equations and charts. The whole hour flew by, and I had a decent grasp of the concepts but struggled once they became more complicated. Although I was still able to throw in jokes throughout our study session that made Magdalene crack up. My face hurt from smiling. She had the best giggle. There were quite a few times where we'd lose our spot and just stare at each other for a moment after our laughter died down.
Jolly had not moved an inch the entire time we worked.
"Have you ever seen it move before?" Magdalene asked.
"I actually have. When I got a cut on my hand, it licked the blood until it healed up completely. I'd never seen anything like it before. Then it just returned back to-well, you know- this state."
"I see." Magdalene observed Jolly one more time before she looked back at me. "I guess the homework is all done. You feel good about this week's class?"
I laughed. "I don't know if I'd say I feel good about it, but I definitely feel more comfortable. It's okay if we stop here. We covered a lot of ground today." My knee leaned up against her knee. Which at first, it was an accident, but it felt right.
She paused as her lips twitched up. "Just out of curiosity, what are you thinking about?" She leaned toward me a few inches.
"You," I uttered.
We leaned in, and our lips pressed against each other. It was like electricity coursed through my veins. I felt so alive. She pulled away after a few seconds.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered.
"Why? What's wrong?"
"I'm still with Oliver, and I don't want you to think that I go around cheating on people. I just feel like things have been ending with Oliver. And I can't help it, but I think I like you, Rollie, and I don't want to screw anything up."
I couldn't help but feel a rise of joy in my chest. "I know I like you." I held her hand. "It's okay, we don't need to rush into anything. If you're still trying to salvage your relationship with Oliver, I understand that too."
"But I'm not. It's just going to be so hard to go about life at Hogwarts when we're in the same house." Magdalene sighed.
"It's okay, take your time, figure things out. I'm not going anywhere." I smiled.
"As much as I want to kiss you again, I know I shouldn't."
"That's all right. Like I said, there's no need to rush into anything."
"Okay, sounds good." Magdalene stared at me, and I got lost in her big warm eyes. We couldn't help but wrap our arms around each other and kiss one more time.
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"I should get going. Goodbye, Rollie. Today was wonderful." Magdalene smiled again and packed her belongings, and rushed out of the room.
I sat there at the table, lost in a happy daydream, but thoughts of Oliver came and ruined it from time to time.
They had to break up.
I didn't tell anyone at first because I thought it may have been a fluke, but after each time we studied, we kissed for a few minutes. It was like a reward for finishing up our homework and hitting our study quotas.
The next week I finally told Bran, Edna, and Daphne about what had been happening with Magdalene and I.
"You what?" Edna said wide-eyed.
Daphne smiled (which I was relieved about because I was worried that she would be jealous).
"Isn't she dating Oliver?" Bran gulped.
"Uh, yeah." I shrugged.
"You better hope he doesn't find out!" Bran exclaimed.
"You know, out of all the girls at Hogwarts for you to date, I definitely think she's the best one for you," Daphne said.
"Really? I mean, yeah, we do get along pretty well."
"She's smart, cool, and tough. I'm glad she doesn't play Quidditch, she's academically competitive enough."
"The 'Daphne of Gryffindor,' I always thought." Edna snickered.
"Don't be weird, Edna," Daphne said.
"Yeah, we'll see what happens. I don't really know what to expect. No idea if we'll date or just be friends. I'm along for the ride." I smirked, but deep down, I wanted nothing more than for Magdalene to be sitting next to me at my table of friends, holding her hand.
Morning classes continued through the next couple of weeks, and Magdalene and I talked to each other more and more. We continued studying after each Arithmancy class in the evening. Whenever we were around each other, we practically had smiles tattooed on our faces. Before the end of each study session, we would make out for a couple of minutes.
"I'm going to break up with Oliver this week," she finally said. "I don't care that he's on Gryffindor with me. All I think about is you."
I couldn't believe it. I felt so touched and fortunate. "Yeah, and if he ever tries doing anything to you, tell me, and I'll make sure it never happens again."
"I can stick up for myself." Magdalene nodded confidently. "I can't be afraid, and I can't keep sacrificing my happiness."
The last week in January, I had my usual dinner with Bran, Edna, and Daphne. Everything was normal until Magdalene rushed into the Great Hall. It didn't draw much attention, people wandered in late frequently (and some of the other kids would jog in on occasion), but everyone turned their heads when someone came shouting from behind her.
"You God damned bitch!" Oliver roared as he marched over to the Gryffindor table.
Everyone gasped and stopped. Professor Shacklebolt and McGonagall jumped out of their seats and approached Oliver.
"We're gonna talk right now! You owe me some damn answers!" Oliver hollered.
"I don't owe you anything! We're not together anymore! That's the only thing you need to know!" Magdalene shouted back.
"Gotta admire your girlfriend's ability to not care that the whole school is watching this trainwreck," Bran whispered to me.
I hit Bran in his side with my elbow.
"What? I meant that as a nice thing!" Bran said.
"Just stop." I clenched my jaw, trying to pay attention to the scene unfolding. I wanted to storm up there and blast Oliver in the jaw with a right hook.
"Mr. Rheinholt, out in the hall!" McGonagall demanded.
Oliver stopped and glared at Magdalene as Professor McGonagall, and Professor Shacklebolt escorted him outside.
"Gosh, what a lunatic," Edna uttered.
"Everyone," Zita boomed, "please, continue enjoying your dinners."
The sound of forks and knives clinking on plates filled the Great Hall along with hushed chatter. I stopped and listened to the gossip all around me. Everyone talked about what they witnessed, trying to make sense of it all. I, too, wondered what happened before Magdalene rushed in. Did she tell him about us?
"I'd be careful if I were you, Rollie. You might have a target on your back now," Bran said.
"I'm used to the target. Nothing I can't handle." I grinned, but deep down, I was concerned. My friends continued to chat about the latest music releases, but I had difficulty paying attention. I looked over at the Gryffindor table to see Magdalene sitting at the table, with tears streaming down her cheeks, eating in silence.
A couple of weeks went by, and I fell into a groove of a schedule. Magdalene and I kept studying Arithmancy, and we kept making out at the end of each session. We didn't talk about if we were dating or not, we just let things happen. One evening, we finished up studying, and we held hands as we left the Room of Requirement and walked down from the seventh floor. No one was around at all.
Magdalene pulled me aside for a moment and kissed me. "It's so wonderful to just do that out in the open."
"I couldn't agree more," I smiled, and then I looked down the hall.
Oliver stood at the end, glowering at both of us.
"Take a look who's spying on us." I winked at Magdalene, and she turned to see Oliver a handful of yards away. Her eyes widened, and she took a deep breath.
I didn't think it was that big of a deal. Especially since we could've taken another corridor to avoid him. Magdalene gave me a concerned look, but I just chuckled.
"Let's go this way." I held her hand and led the path.
"You're a dead man, Rollie," Oliver stated.
I turned around and my lips curled up, "At some point, we'll all be dead."
"You sooner than everyone."
"Are you threatening him?" Magdalene snapped.
"See you in the common room, babe." Oliver winked and stomped away.
"That could have gone a lot worse," I said. "I can't wait until our Quidditch match. I'm hoping to just settle all of this on the field."
"You think if Hufflepuff wins, Oliver will stop being a psycho?" Magdalene asked.
"If he loses, he'll know not to say anything anymore. That'd be a wound we could reopen at will. I'd own real estate in his head for the rest of his life."
"Even if Hufflepuff loses, I won't care. I'll still stick around." Magdalene kissed my cheek. Goosebumps appeared on my neck.
***
On my way to Quidditch practice one evening, I showed up early to get a glimpse at the Slytherin team. Although it was cold outside, it was a little warmer than usual, and there was hardly any snow on the ground. I watched their drills and noticed Leon in particular. He seemed to just be going through the motions. He didn't smile a single time, and he missed a few plays. At the end of their practice, he moped behind everyone else, while Sable and Johnny were a few paces ahead of him.
"Leon." I waved to him and smiled.
"What?" he furrowed his brow.
"Hey man, couldn't help but notice how you're playing bludger, if you-"
"I don't wanna hear it." He kept trudging on.
"Hey, Leon, dude, wait!"
He turned back around.
"You all right, man? We're not in any classes this semester, so I don't see you around, but if I see you in the halls or during meals, you're hanging your head or barely saying a word."
"Spying on me, are you?"
"You wish." I eye-rolled. "Don't be a jerk about it. Just seeing if things were going all right."
Leon sighed. "What were you saying about my bludger playing?"
"Just that you were choking up on the bat at practice. Try holding it lower. Loosen your grip a little. Treat the bat as a fluid extension of your arm. Aim your strikes at the opposition if you can and, the most important thing: follow through. You were half swinging or 3/4 swinging."
He paused for a moment. I thought he might give me the middle-finger or ignore me, but he nodded. "Thanks," he said and continued to the locker room.
Hufflepuff versus Gryffindor was only a few weeks away. Slytherin and Ravenclaw faced off next, and every student watched. It was a quality game, 260-300 after Slytherin caught the snitch, but it was a long-drawn-out battle. Leon swung through all his hits on the bludger. He held the bottom of the bat—one of the best players in the air. I sat up at the top of the stands with the rest of my friends. Magdalene sat with the rest of the Gryffindors with another friend, far away from Oliver.
"Dang! Slytherin won." Bran sighed.
"Bran? We hate Ravenclaw. This is great," Daphne said.
"Yeah but, who's to say Ravenclaw's team doesn't suck this year, and so do we?"
"Bran! Relax, let's relish in this Ravenclaw defeat!" Edna said, and our whole section joined in the cheers.