Wrong Wand
The moon was waning, high in the sky. Isa was in his usual better mood at this time of month; no potions, and no upcoming full moon to worry about always left him a little bit more relaxed. Currently he was sprawled out on Lea's bed, lying on his stomach, his legs up in the air as he sorted through chocolate frog cards. His wand lay nearby, as did Lea, propped up with his feet across Isa's back and leaning against his pillows.
“Do you have Dumbledore yet?” Isa asked. It was late at night, but it was also a friday, and homework could wait an evening.
“No,” Lea said, “you got a spare?” Isa nodded, and Lea shuffled through his cards before offering, “Swap you for a Harry Potter?”
Isa snorted, quietly. “I have about thirty of him.”
Lea stuck his tongue out at Isa, and shuffled further before he made another offer; “Do you have Gryffindor?”
“Not yet.”
Lea tossed the Godric Gryffindor card onto Isa's pile, and Isa returned the gesture by handing Lea his spare Albus Dumbledore.
The room was filled with the loud, hacking, nasal sound of someone in a deep sleep. Both boys looked up towards the culprit, and Isa gave a quiet groan.
Silence descended as Zidane and Zack both paused to watch Naruto's bed and await the next noise. When it came, Zidane was the first one to comment, “Good grief.”
“He can't help liking his beauty sleep,” Zack replied, but he was grinning as he did.
“This is getting to be every night,” Isa said, flatly.
Lea just looked amused. “Maybe we should just poke him every time it happens?” He looked around, and shrugged. “It's what my mom does when my dad falls asleep on the sofa and snores.”
Zidane looked to consider it before pointing out, “That still means we're awake most of the night, and I don't see why poking him will work when hitting him with pillows and shoes and things doesn't.”
“It's also,” Isa said, “a very muggle solution.”
“Got a better one?” Lea asked.
Isa picked his wand up, pointed it at Naruto's bed, and said, with conviction, “Silencio.”
The bed crumbled under Naruto, dropping him unceremoniously onto the floor and waking him up. Isa's eyes widened.
“That's my wand,” Lea said.
Isa put it back down on the bed quickly, as if worried it might go off again in his hand. Zidane, and Zack, and Lea, all creased up into a fit of sniggers while Naruto sat up in a pile of ashes and asked, “Hey, was I snor--? What's the big idea? Where's my bed?”
Zack pointed at Isa, still laughing, “Ask him.”
“It was only a silencing spell!” Isa protested. “It shouldn't do that!”
“Remind me never to let you cast a silencing spell in my direction,” Zidane said, brightly.
Naruto looked nearly as horrified as Isa did. “This isn't funny! Where am I gonna sleep?”
Zack grinned at him, “It'll be fine,” and then waved his own wand at the ashes and said, “Reparo.” Nothing happened, and then Zack frowned. “Lea, you try it, since it was your wand that did it.”
Lea fought to hold back his sniggers, that were largely at Isa's expense, and waved his wand and tried again, “Reparo.”
Naruto groaned,”I'll have to sleep on the floor.”
Lea shook his head. “Nah,” he said, brightly, "we'll just tell Johnson. He'll have it fixed in no time.”
“At this time of night?” Isa asked, sceptically.
“Why not?”
“Because,” Zidane said, fairly, “It's late, on a friday.”
Isa nodded, “And Johnson is probably in Hogsmeade, in the Three Broomsticks.”
Lea screwed his nose up, “He'd be back by now. If you're too wimpy, I'll go and tell him.”
“Who said anything about wimpy?” Isa asked, defensively. “I vote for telling him in the morning, instead of violating curfew to bother him, when we know he's usually off premises on friday nights, and he has a twisted house point subtraction system at the best of times.”
Lea murmured, considering Isa's very good argument on that side of things. He wasn't the only one, Zidane nodded, and then pointed out, “But he might hit us for more points if we wait because it'll look like we're wimping out, and he hates that.”
“Not,” Lea said, “if we tell him first thing in the morning. As in very first thing.”
Naruto folded his arms, and glared meaningfully at his dorm mates. “And where am I supposed to sleep tonight?”
“In the common room?” Lea suggested. “The sofas there are big enough. You'll be fine.”
“I can't sleep in the common room! Someone might see me!”
“Yeah,” Isa replied, in an undertone, “but we won't be able to hear you.”
Zidane took the lead and announced, clearly, “All those in favour of Naruto sleeping in the common room, raise your hand!”
Four hands went up in the air, and Naruto looked around his supposed friends. “You guys are the worst friends ever.”
“We'll sort it all out in the morning,” Lea said, reasonably, “because Isa's gonna own up to Johnson, got it memorised?”
Isa looked reluctant, but he nodded anyway, and then said, “You can have my blanket and one of my pillows, if you want?”
Naruto took them, and bedded down for a lonely night in front of the fireplace, on the biggest sofa in the common room. Isa went to bed, curled up under a sheet that was chillier than he was used to, and tried not to feel too guilty.
The next morning, Lea and Isa headed down to the great hall, but lingered instead of going straight in for breakfast. Isa was plainly uncomfortable, and looked a little tired.
“Stop squirming; you look like a Slytherin,” Lea told him. Isa shot him an unamused look in response, and Lea sighed. “I'll tell him if you want, you know?”
“I'll tell him,” Isa said, but looked awkward about it. “He'd only deduct more points because you were snitching, and I was too much of a wimp, anyway.”
“Not if I tell him I did it,” Lea pointed out.
Isa looked at Lea as if he was a little bit simple this morning. “This is Johnson we're talking about. He'd know you were lying.”
“Yeah,” Lea conceded. “You'll just have to man up, then, won't you?”
Isa didn't have the time to reply before Professor Johnson appeared, looking a bit tired, and more grey than usual. Lea nudged him, and pushed him forward. “Just own up, got it memorised?”
“I'm going to hit you if you say that again,” Isa said, flatly.
“That's never stopped me before,” Lea pointed out, with a grin.
Isa groaned and eyed Johnson for a moment before he turned to Lea. “If I miss breakfast because he's telling me off, you'd better save me some toast.” It sounded like a warning.
Lea grinned, brightly. “Of course I will, now go and tell him.”
Isa grumbled, and then headed over to intercept the professor before he reached the teacher's table. “Sir?” He said, warily.
Braig looked at him, and looked as if he desperately needed a coffee. “Problem, Selwyn?”
Isa hesitated, and then took a deep breath and blurted, “Last night I accidentally destroyed Naruto's bed because I went to silence his snoring and picked up the wrong wand, and I didn't think silencing spells could do that.”
Braig nodded, and held one hand up to stop Isa before he said any more. “I know about it already; the house elves reported it. It's already been fixed.” The surprise was evident on Isa's face, and Johnson offered him a crooked grin, that looked scarily twisted with his scarring, “What, you didn't think I'd know one of my students spent the night on the sofa in the common room because there was a big pile of dust where his bed is supposed to be? Give me a break.” He shook his head, then. “You need to pay more attention when you're picking up a wand; unfamiliar wands that aren't loyal to you can do all sorts of crazy things. I'm gonna dock five points because you weren't paying attention.”
Isa looked as though he was about to protest, and Braig spoke over him, quickly, “And it would have been a lot more if you hadn't owned up to it so quickly, so be thankful for what you've got.” He paused, and then added, “Now bugger off, before I dock you another five for keeping an old man from his coffee.”
Isa stared at Johnson wide eyed, and then said, “Yes sir,” and scarpered.
“Do you have Dumbledore yet?” Isa asked. It was late at night, but it was also a friday, and homework could wait an evening.
“No,” Lea said, “you got a spare?” Isa nodded, and Lea shuffled through his cards before offering, “Swap you for a Harry Potter?”
Isa snorted, quietly. “I have about thirty of him.”
Lea stuck his tongue out at Isa, and shuffled further before he made another offer; “Do you have Gryffindor?”
“Not yet.”
Lea tossed the Godric Gryffindor card onto Isa's pile, and Isa returned the gesture by handing Lea his spare Albus Dumbledore.
The room was filled with the loud, hacking, nasal sound of someone in a deep sleep. Both boys looked up towards the culprit, and Isa gave a quiet groan.
Silence descended as Zidane and Zack both paused to watch Naruto's bed and await the next noise. When it came, Zidane was the first one to comment, “Good grief.”
“He can't help liking his beauty sleep,” Zack replied, but he was grinning as he did.
“This is getting to be every night,” Isa said, flatly.
Lea just looked amused. “Maybe we should just poke him every time it happens?” He looked around, and shrugged. “It's what my mom does when my dad falls asleep on the sofa and snores.”
Zidane looked to consider it before pointing out, “That still means we're awake most of the night, and I don't see why poking him will work when hitting him with pillows and shoes and things doesn't.”
“It's also,” Isa said, “a very muggle solution.”
“Got a better one?” Lea asked.
Isa picked his wand up, pointed it at Naruto's bed, and said, with conviction, “Silencio.”
The bed crumbled under Naruto, dropping him unceremoniously onto the floor and waking him up. Isa's eyes widened.
“That's my wand,” Lea said.
Isa put it back down on the bed quickly, as if worried it might go off again in his hand. Zidane, and Zack, and Lea, all creased up into a fit of sniggers while Naruto sat up in a pile of ashes and asked, “Hey, was I snor--? What's the big idea? Where's my bed?”
Zack pointed at Isa, still laughing, “Ask him.”
“It was only a silencing spell!” Isa protested. “It shouldn't do that!”
“Remind me never to let you cast a silencing spell in my direction,” Zidane said, brightly.
Naruto looked nearly as horrified as Isa did. “This isn't funny! Where am I gonna sleep?”
Zack grinned at him, “It'll be fine,” and then waved his own wand at the ashes and said, “Reparo.” Nothing happened, and then Zack frowned. “Lea, you try it, since it was your wand that did it.”
Lea fought to hold back his sniggers, that were largely at Isa's expense, and waved his wand and tried again, “Reparo.”
Naruto groaned,”I'll have to sleep on the floor.”
Lea shook his head. “Nah,” he said, brightly, "we'll just tell Johnson. He'll have it fixed in no time.”
“At this time of night?” Isa asked, sceptically.
“Why not?”
“Because,” Zidane said, fairly, “It's late, on a friday.”
Isa nodded, “And Johnson is probably in Hogsmeade, in the Three Broomsticks.”
Lea screwed his nose up, “He'd be back by now. If you're too wimpy, I'll go and tell him.”
“Who said anything about wimpy?” Isa asked, defensively. “I vote for telling him in the morning, instead of violating curfew to bother him, when we know he's usually off premises on friday nights, and he has a twisted house point subtraction system at the best of times.”
Lea murmured, considering Isa's very good argument on that side of things. He wasn't the only one, Zidane nodded, and then pointed out, “But he might hit us for more points if we wait because it'll look like we're wimping out, and he hates that.”
“Not,” Lea said, “if we tell him first thing in the morning. As in very first thing.”
Naruto folded his arms, and glared meaningfully at his dorm mates. “And where am I supposed to sleep tonight?”
“In the common room?” Lea suggested. “The sofas there are big enough. You'll be fine.”
“I can't sleep in the common room! Someone might see me!”
“Yeah,” Isa replied, in an undertone, “but we won't be able to hear you.”
Zidane took the lead and announced, clearly, “All those in favour of Naruto sleeping in the common room, raise your hand!”
Four hands went up in the air, and Naruto looked around his supposed friends. “You guys are the worst friends ever.”
“We'll sort it all out in the morning,” Lea said, reasonably, “because Isa's gonna own up to Johnson, got it memorised?”
Isa looked reluctant, but he nodded anyway, and then said, “You can have my blanket and one of my pillows, if you want?”
Naruto took them, and bedded down for a lonely night in front of the fireplace, on the biggest sofa in the common room. Isa went to bed, curled up under a sheet that was chillier than he was used to, and tried not to feel too guilty.
The next morning, Lea and Isa headed down to the great hall, but lingered instead of going straight in for breakfast. Isa was plainly uncomfortable, and looked a little tired.
“Stop squirming; you look like a Slytherin,” Lea told him. Isa shot him an unamused look in response, and Lea sighed. “I'll tell him if you want, you know?”
“I'll tell him,” Isa said, but looked awkward about it. “He'd only deduct more points because you were snitching, and I was too much of a wimp, anyway.”
“Not if I tell him I did it,” Lea pointed out.
Isa looked at Lea as if he was a little bit simple this morning. “This is Johnson we're talking about. He'd know you were lying.”
“Yeah,” Lea conceded. “You'll just have to man up, then, won't you?”
Isa didn't have the time to reply before Professor Johnson appeared, looking a bit tired, and more grey than usual. Lea nudged him, and pushed him forward. “Just own up, got it memorised?”
“I'm going to hit you if you say that again,” Isa said, flatly.
“That's never stopped me before,” Lea pointed out, with a grin.
Isa groaned and eyed Johnson for a moment before he turned to Lea. “If I miss breakfast because he's telling me off, you'd better save me some toast.” It sounded like a warning.
Lea grinned, brightly. “Of course I will, now go and tell him.”
Isa grumbled, and then headed over to intercept the professor before he reached the teacher's table. “Sir?” He said, warily.
Braig looked at him, and looked as if he desperately needed a coffee. “Problem, Selwyn?”
Isa hesitated, and then took a deep breath and blurted, “Last night I accidentally destroyed Naruto's bed because I went to silence his snoring and picked up the wrong wand, and I didn't think silencing spells could do that.”
Braig nodded, and held one hand up to stop Isa before he said any more. “I know about it already; the house elves reported it. It's already been fixed.” The surprise was evident on Isa's face, and Johnson offered him a crooked grin, that looked scarily twisted with his scarring, “What, you didn't think I'd know one of my students spent the night on the sofa in the common room because there was a big pile of dust where his bed is supposed to be? Give me a break.” He shook his head, then. “You need to pay more attention when you're picking up a wand; unfamiliar wands that aren't loyal to you can do all sorts of crazy things. I'm gonna dock five points because you weren't paying attention.”
Isa looked as though he was about to protest, and Braig spoke over him, quickly, “And it would have been a lot more if you hadn't owned up to it so quickly, so be thankful for what you've got.” He paused, and then added, “Now bugger off, before I dock you another five for keeping an old man from his coffee.”
Isa stared at Johnson wide eyed, and then said, “Yes sir,” and scarpered.