Kissing Ravens

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Dan Palter sat up in his bed, leaning against his pillows with his blanket half covering his legs. He had been trying to fall asleep for thirty minutes, but was wide awake and sure he would not be getting tired soon. The sound of rain pelting his dorm's windows could contribute to his dilemma, but Dan loved the rain, and typically it helped him fall asleep. Perhaps it was how his arm had been bothering him for hours. The injury had almost been two weeks ago, and had forced him to play the championship cup game injured earlier that morning. Ravenclaw took the cup, with thanks to Dan at keeper. His block to miss ratio for the season had been 7.4 and he'd only missed 3 shots their entire season, setting a new school record. Today really had been full of excitement - after the game, the day was devoted entirely to partying, and several students had managed to set up quite a ball in the common room. Not only were they celebrating the winning of the Quidditch Cup, but Ravenclaw had played a perfect season, winning all three of their games.

Turning to his side and standing up from his bed, blood rushed to his head, causing momentary lightheadedness. He needed to go walk... do something to try and tire out, calm down. He was sore in a lot of places, and Dan worried that playing in the game had sent his injury back again. The bones had been mended, but he was suggested around three weeks of rest, and he only managed two. Madam Pomfrey's remedy for his injury had been in the back of his mind since she'd told him of it, but he'd neglected to heed her advice. It wasn't that he was too proud and hardheaded to listen, rather that he was skeptical. It all sounded too good to be true. This could have even been bothering him - the fact that he could have possibly gotten better prepared before the game. But what did he care? They'd managed to win, so what if his arm would take a little longer get back to normal. Well why not try her cure now, he thought. If it really works, then cool - if it doesn't at least I'll have gotten to take a little walk...

With this slight motivation he'd given himself, Dan turned towards his dresser, and quietly pulled out a pair of mesh shorts which would usually be stinky and lying on the floor by his bed. He hadn't practiced with the team at all in between the injury and the cup game, as he needed to rest. Thanks to his free schedule and lack of practices, they happened to be clean. Next he reached over to his nightstand and grabbed his glasses - normally he would never wear them out of his dorm, but he wouldn't be seeing anyone tonight. It wasn't that he looked bad in glasses, but he thought he looked better without them. Dan pulled on shoes and with wand and shorts in his hands, Dan silently exited his dorm down the stairs.

The common room had a few people around despite all the partying that had occurred; But Dan wasn't worried that they would say anything. The people awake knew he shouldn't be leaving the common room, but these late night drifters were caught up in thought - either studying last minute, finishing homework they'd neglected to party instead, or they were deep in sleep. One of the last things they cared about was someone leaving the common room. And leaving the common room at night wasn't uncommon - the penalty was a detention, if you were caught. And older students stopped in the halls after hours were usually let off the hook. According to Madam Pomfrey however, if Dan was stopped, he wouldn't be in trouble anyway, as long as he said where he was headed. He quietly slipped out of the room and into the hallway, whispering "Lumos", to alight his path. Down the spiral stairs, past the statues of ravens, and down a corridor, Dan found himself out of the Ravenclaw tower waiting for a staircase to move into place. As it did, he walked up four floors, onto the fifth level of Hogwarts.

Dan was not completely familiar with the new hallway he'd entered. This area of the school was rather quiet during the day, as there weren't any classrooms around here. With a turn of the corner, he found the entrance to the prefect bathrooms. Dan was really excited to see them - it was his fifth year at the school, and they were one of few places he hadn't ever been able to see. Upon stealthily entering, Dan exhaled, happy to see that it was empty.

The bathroom seemed somewhat alike to how Dan had pictured it - he had heard a few descriptions of it before. The seemed almost bright, even in the dark, as almost everything was made of marble. In front of him, Dan saw a bathtub the size of a pool. Inside were several faucets, one of them no doubt controlling the tons of soapy bubbles Dan had heard about. To the right of the tub was a wall-sized mirror, with sinks built into it, all of them clean. To the left of the tub, was a hallway filled with bathroom stalls. After looking around and examining the room, his attention slowly drifted towards something else. Squinting, and pushing his glasses closer to his face, Dan could see that, as Madam Pomfrey had described, there was one part of the wall at the end of the hallway slightly off-color to the rest.

"Well I'll be damned," Dan muttered as he looked at it, slightly perplexed.

For the next moment Dan was hesitant. For some reason he thought this was going to be some sort of trick. Hanging out with all of his buddies had gotten him too used to silly pranks. The school nurse doesn't lie to students in hopes of tricking them, he joked to himself. Somewhat convinced that this wasn't a lie, Dan walked down the hallway of bathroom stalls towards the piece of marble that looked different. He reached out with his illuminated wand and tapped the off-color spot three times. The edges of the area began to illuminate, and it grew until the entire wall was shining bright. Dan shielded his eyes, and in a moment, a short passage way was in front of him. The wall that was there had disappeared, and now, the hallway was simply extended. The new hallway was all brick, and about ten feet away, the brick floor met cement. In the cement, was exactly what Madam Pomfrey had mentioned. He walked down the hall and stopped before he reached the pool.

To his surprise, the aforementioned pool was completely outdoors, on some sort of a balcony, which was now soaked and covered in puddles because of the current downpour.

This is unbelievable, Dan thought. Cold air was rushing into the hallway, and Dan was chilled as he quickly removed his pajama bottoms, t-shirt, shoes, and boxers to put on his shorts. The shorts were navy blue and had a small broomstick on the bottom, with "Ravenclaw Quidditch" written. They were his practice shorts, but they would prove fine to swim in. Chills were sent up his spine and he shivered as he stood naked in the hallway. It was very peculiar to the eye - on one side the marble walls of an eloquent bathroom met a brick hallway, similar to something you would see in Diagon Alley, which then hit a concrete floor with a pool, on a complete outdoor balcony, in the pouring rain. Dan even had to blink a few times to once more convince himself that this was real. Pulling on his shorts, Dan walked all his clothes back to the marble floor, and set them dry against the wall. He took off his glasses and placed them on the pile of clothes too. Dan rubbed his eyes, unable to really see clearly, then quickly walked out onto the balcony.

Rain was coming down hard. Dan absolutely loved it. Something about the rain he loved. A Quidditch game in the rain was his favorite.

A wind gust howled as Dan neared the steps to enter the pool. He could feel his nipples growing compact as he stood in the storm, making him realize how cold it was out here. This is crazy, Dan thought, once more growing skeptical as to the limits of this magic as he stepped into the pool. However, all of his thoughts were cut short as he leaned against the wall of the pool, all of his body underwater except for his head.

When he first touched the water, it wasn't the slightest bit cold. In fact, it was warm. As Madam Pomfrey had said, the water in the pool was enchanted - it was the perfect temperature based on the coolness of the air, humidity, your body heat, and a bunch of other factors that Dan was too busy enjoying himself to remember. In moments underwater bubbles began rushing around his right arm, the one that had been hit with a Bludger two weeks earlier. They also surrounded his calves. This is way too good to be true, Dan thought, still slightly unable to fathom the experience. If Madam Pomfrey had been able to accurately describe the sensation he was experiencing, he would have thought her a fool. All of his sore body parts felt like they were being hit with jets of water, as though he was in a Jacuzzi. The water itself was rushing at them, causing the bubbles. When the nurse had informed him of the pool, she told him it would not allow entrance once his three weeks rest had come. She told him that it was originally only accessible by apparition, and only headmasters knew of it. Now temporary access was given to students, but they usually had to be prefects, and it was usually a reward. The water was said to heal - it couldn't mend bones, but it would certainly take away soreness.

It wasn't arousal that he was feeling, but it was something of the sort. His entire body felt wonderful. The rain hitting the pool water made a loud, but southing ambience. The raindrops, quite large, pelted Dan's head - however, this pleased him. He spent what felt like mere minutes more in the water before it seemed to start to drain. As Madam Pomfrey said, the water only lasts for fifteen minutes. It's magic is so strong, that one would try to live in it if they had the chance. They would never come out, and end up starving themselves to death. Dan wished he could have more, but he was satisfied. He stayed in the pool until it was too low for him to lie completely in it, and then stood in the rain for a moment before returning to the hallway, and the bathroom. Grabbing a fresh white towel, one of the ones supplied to the prefect bathroom, he dried off looking down the hall. The pool in the rain seemed like something from a muggle's backyard, but yet, it was here... at Hogwarts. Saddened by the fact that he must leave, Dan performed the action to close the hallway, tapping the floor, and walls, sealing it. Putting all his garments back on, he exited the bathroom with his wand alight and somewhat soggy shorts in his hand.

After answering the question to enter Ravenclaw tower, Dan headed back up the stairs and through the common room to his dorm. All of his dorm mates, several on the Quidditch team with him, were fast asleep. He threw off his shoes, dropped the wet shorts on the ground, placed his wand on the wardrobe, put his glasses on the nightstand, and slid half under his covers.

As he lie in bed, the sound of the rain pelting the windows soothed him. He remembered that, I just won the Quidditch cup for Ravenclaw, and my team would go down in Hogwarts history, in records and trophies. Dan found all these thoughts random, but was simply joyous. His pillow had grown slightly wet from his hair, so he flipped it over before putting continuing his thoughts. And why shouldn't I be happy? I've got tons of things to be happy about. Today was a wonderful day...

Thinking as though he'd just bathed in felix feliceis, he closed his eyes, and finally drifted to sleep.

*~*~*~*

Dan opened his eyes dreamily and dazed. His friend, and teammate, Ryan Dargey, stood next to his bed.

"Can you believe it, Dan? We actually won... We won the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup... We're going to go down in Ravenclaw history!"

Sitting up, Dan yawned, stretching his arms over his head. Half-asleep, Dan had thought it was a rhetorical question. Realizing he should answer, he spoke... "Um... no, I can't... believe it," pausing to yawn again.

Ryan laughed and exited the dorm. Dan was alone. He figured he'd simply overslept. What'd he care? It was a Sunday, he had no classes, and breakfast couldn't over yet. He stood up and stretched, yawning as he turned towards his wardrobe. Sunlight beamed through the window on to the floor. Dan didn't have to wear robes today. He pulled out a new, clean, pair of the exact same Quidditch shorts he'd worn the night before, and a grey Puddlemere United t-shirt. Looking in the mirror, he thought it looked fine. Dan was somewhat tan on the forearms and face, and had dark brown, buzz-cut hair. His had dark, average thicknesses eyebrows, and blue, glassy eyes. His face was well shaven and he would only grow a little scruff every few days. Still feeling proud and confident, he sprayed cologne on, and pulled on his comfortable sneakers. Next he picked up his wand and opened the case that had been housing his contacts over night. Using Wingardium Leviosa, he picked each up, one at a tip, gave them a shake to rid of the solution, and then put them in his eyes. Then, he headed to the Great Hall.

On his way he didn't pass many - most were either sleeping or already eating. As he moved hall to hall, he felt his stomach growl, making him realize he was quite hungry. Upon reaching the Great Hall he headed towards Ravenclaw table and took his normal seat. He had a plate of food already their, and most of his friends were all finished, but still messing around and talking - their two main activities. He was greeted by several as he sat down and sipped pumpkin juice before starting to eat. Dan could already notice that everything was already going to back to normal. Ravenclaw winning the championship was so... yesterday. All the hype of the cup win would be gone in a few days, and everything would be completely back to normal. However, Dan remembered that some friendly gloating would be in order for the next couple of days.

Dan sat with mostly guys from the Quidditch team at the end of the table where his fellow fifth years had somehow sat since they began at the school, near the entrance to the hall. Going down the table, there was next a group of fifth year girls, whom Dan's group of friends often collaborated with, seeing how many were dating each other. The rest of the table was filled with kids from different years. Dan did not have a girlfriend, and never really had. It wasn't that he didn't want one, but he felt that he wasn't in love with most girls who had expressed interest in him. Since he had always basically been single, many people didn't question why, and just figured that if he wanted a girl, he'd get one. Dan wouldn't have any trouble. His one, close, female friend who he would admit he had feelings for, was Avery. She was somewhat popular and sat with the group of girls near Dan. Sometimes they sat together, but lately, he saw her sitting further down the table.

A lot of Dan's friends pushed him to get with a girl for a while, but he just dismissed them. Avery was really one of the only girls he'd had feelings for, and it'd been a while since he'd seen her express interest in him. He never really felt compelled to ask her on a date, but he be lying if he said he wasn't nervous to. There were a couple times where she had seemed close with other guys, but nothing every happened, and Dan felt like they had been in a relationship before, even though they never really did. They'd go to balls together, and at one point kissed. If there was a girl Dan was to date, it would be Avery, and he'd always thought about it. He'd always been comfortable talking to her, and they're still good friends but, she'd always seemed somewhat uninterested in him. It was probably just him and his poor self-confidence. Deep in these thoughts while he ate his food, Dan was unaware he was being watched.

"You did a great job yesterday, Dan," Kelly said from a few seats down on the opposite side of the table.

Dan stopped chewing his food as he returned from thought, and looked at her. He realized that she had stopped her conversation with her friends to congratulate Dan, as the groups of kids around her were all looking over at him too. He swallowed, and said, "Uh, thanks, Kel."

She seemed satisfied with his response, and went back to the conversation. Dan shook his head displeased as he whipped his lip with a napkin. Kelly had always had a thing for Dan, and tried to pursue a relationship. Dan, on the other hand, found her annoying and attention-seeking. She wasn't bad looking, but Dan couldn't stand a conversation with her. She didn't understand him at all - she almost talked to him like a child. I wear a lot of Quidditch clothes, and I love the sport, but that doesn't mean it's the only think I talk about, Dan thought after almost every conversation with her. He also found it amusing how she seemed more interested in him after they won a game. She was a nice enough girl, Dan guessed, but he just can't stand her and her posse.

As Dan finished his thoughts, he looked up to see Avery smiling at him across the table. She got up and walked over to where he sat. The great hall was now starting to clear. Dan's friends all chattered about what they had planned for their day off. Dan would gladly spend it with Avery, should she be interested. As she walked over, he thought of the pool from the night before. ...Would I be able to take her there, he thought, as she sat down beside him. One thing's for sure, I only have... six more days, he thought, calculated when exactly it was that he broke arm, and when was twenty-one days later. This could be great...Dan thought as his mind started to race. This could be like a date... and she would surely enjoy it enough to go on another.

"Hey," Avery said as she sat down smiling.

"What are you so happy about?" Dan responded smiling back. He couldn't help but smile when he looked at hers. Something about it... her lips, her narrow nose, the freckles on her raised cheeks. Her smile was beautiful.

"I don't know... It's Sunday... Ravenclaw won the cup," she responded, smile glistening.

Dan stood up to stretch, and Avery followed his lead. The two walked alongside in between tables and headed towards the entrance. As they exited, Dan spoke. "Well... enjoy your Sunday." The two walked in opposite directions.

*~*~*~*

Avery turned and started to walk away, feeling disappointed and frustrated.

Why is he so oblivious... how long will I have to wait for him to get the nerve to...

"Avery!" Dan called from across the hall. She turned, surprised, as he waved to make sure she'd heard him. She nodded, and he walked over to her. "Why don't you meet me in the common room around eleven... I really want to show you something..."

Avery just smiled, and that was apparently enough for Dan as he walked away, palms feeling sweaty. Avery was puzzled, but nonetheless, completely satisfied with Dan's confidence. She felt as though she could scream, "finally," at the top of her lungs, out loud for the entire world to hear it.

"Avery!" Dan called again. "Uh... Bring something to swim in..."

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